Liar City (2023) Allie Therin (Sugar & Vice) No one knows where the empaths came from. All people know is they have to be touching you to read you–and that they are all pacifists, unable even to defend themselves. Because the real empath she knew wouldn’t be doing shots with rich workaholics; he’d be lecturing […]
The Raven King, Audio Edition (2016) Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton (The Raven Cycle) My favorite: Ronan Lynch — dreamer of dreams, fighter of men, skipper of classes His feelings for Adam were an oil spill; he’d let them overflow and now there wasn’t a damn place in the ocean that wouldn’t catch fire […]
Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Audio Edition (2014) Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton (The Raven Cycle) Blue and Adam exchanged a delighted look. The only thing more pleasing than seeing Ronan singled out was seeing him singled out and forced to repeatedly sing an Irish jig. “Spruce Knob. Highest peak in West Virginia. Forty-five hundred […]
The Raven Boys, Audio Edition (2012) Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton (The Raven Cycle) Blue. Gansey. Adam. Ronan. Noah. The start of the story. UGH. Ronan. Why does anyone even LIKE him? Ronan climbed to his feet and they both turned to watch Noah working with the plywood for the ramps. Working with really […]
London Falling, Audio Book (2014) Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch (The Shadow Police) Pretty much all the trigger warnings for this book: child death, child harm, gore, violence, serial killer.. This series is so dark, and yet its darkness doesn’t bother me, possibly because it’s almost over the top. “You know what you get […]
Stiletto, Audio Edition (2016) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Moira Quirk (Checquy Files) This was what we’ve been listening to on longer drives. However, since we often drive with the windows down when the weather is nice, we didn’t get through it very quickly. Which is fine, because we’ve both listened to it before. “But where […]
Faces (2021) A.M. Rose Dorian was born blind, but that blindness came with a gift–the ability to draw the soulmates of those whom he touches. The portrait I draw is the image of the soulmate the way they look when the person sees them for the first time” Hayden knows that soulmates exist–his parents were […]
Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection (2020) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by: the author, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Ben Elliot, Felix Grainger, Sam Peter Jackson, Alex Kingston, Shvorne Marks, and Penelope Rawlins PART ONE: THE PETER GRANT STORIES The Home Crowd Advantage The Domestic The Cockpit The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Granny King […]
What Abigail Did That Summer (2021) Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London) Set concurrently with Foxglove Summer. Abigail Kamara learned discovered what magic is, and now that she knows, she’ll do anything to learn it–including taking and mastering Latin. If you’ve read the Rivers of London books, you already know just how marvelous Abigail is. I […]
Half-Resurrection Blues, Audio Edition (2015) Daniel José Older, narrated by Daniel José Older (Bone Street Rumba) This is the first audio book I started when I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be listening to. Carlos Delacruz works for the NYC Council of the Dead. Being half-dead–and inbetweener–it’s one of the few jobs he can […]
Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection (2020) Ben Aaronovitch This is a collection of Rivers of London short stories. About half the stories are are Peter stories, the others features other characters from the world, including Abigail and Dominic Croft (from Foxglove Summer). PART ONE: THE PETER GRANT STORIES The […]
Passing Strange (2017) Ellen Klages Set in San Francisco in 1940. Haskel is an artist who makes her living doing pulp covers. She and her friends live on the edge of polite society, either because they aren’t white or because of their sexuality, but they are found family. “Ah, Jack. You failed the three-garment test […]
Last Watch, Audio Edition (2009/2010) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield narrated by Paul Michael As with the previous book, there are three intertwined stories. These stories take place over a relatively short period of time. Common Cause Anton is sent to Edinburgh, Scotland to look into the death of a Russian student who died […]
Day Watch (2000/2006/2010) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield and narrated by Paul Michael (Night Watch) Unauthorized Personnel Permitted, A Stranger Among Others, Another Power The first story in this book is my least favorite in the entire series, however Paul Michael’s narration actually makes it enjoyable for me. The witch Alisa Donnikova is trying […]
The Night Watch, Audiobook (1998/2006/2010) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield, narrated by Paul Michael (Night Watch) “The common good and the individual good rarely coincide . . .” Sure, I know. It’s true. But some truths are probably worse than lies. When I ran out of podcasts I wanted to listen to for the […]
Rivers of London: The Fey and the Furious (2020) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan I find the comics for this series frustrating. I found the story interesting, but the execution wasn’t all I wanted it to be, I mean, why precisely, were the fey doing all this? It didn’t make a lot of sense […]
False Value (2020) Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London) The 8th Rivers of London book. It’s been two years since the last book about Peter (although there have been comics) and although I was impatient, I didn’t mind, because my assumption was it was taking a long time so he could get it right (rather than […]
Snake Agent (2005) Liz Williams Detective Inspector Chen is in charge of crimes that stretch into Heaven and Hell (obviously, far more cases involve Hell over heaven) and as an occult practitioner whose patronage of the goddess Kuan Yin affords him a measure of protection when he has to travel to Hell. Unfortunately, his recent […]
Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds (2018) Brandon Sanderson I am super conflicted. I absolutely adored the first two Legion novellas. They were quite different from anything else, and they were action packed and lots of fun. This third novella was a problem for me from the start. First and foremost, it was released […]
The Rook (2012) Daniel O’Malley This was on sale last week, and when I saw it, I immediately wanted to read it again. This is a book that gets better each time I read it, because I think about the different aspects of the story. First, I adore the various thoughts about human nature. the […]
Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists (2017) Angel Martinez Taro has to make a confession to his family–and he’s afraid they’re going to freak out. He’s won the biggest power ball in history, and is going to keep it a secret from everyone but them. He is also, after buying his parents a vacation home and setting up […]
The October Man (2019) Ben Aaronovitch Let me be clear: This is NOT a Peter Grant story. It’s set in the same world, and Peter and Nightingale are mentioned, but it’s about another character entirely, policeman Tobias Winter, an investigator for the Abteilung KDA, the German equivalent of the Folly. I ended up in the […]
Half-Resurrection Blues, Audio Edition (2015) Daniel José Older narrated by Daniel José Older After re-listening to Salsa Nocturna, I figured that Half-Resurrection Blues should be up next. (A)nother little guy is definitely Indian/ Pakistani or maybe Puerto Rican. Or half-black. Whatever he is, he gets randomly searched every time he’s within twenty feet of an […]
Rivers of London Vol. 7: Action at a Distance (2018) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Brian Williamson Set in 2016. When these comics first started, I think that Ben Aaronovitch had a lot of extra material he couldn’t fit in the books. I think that he’s probably used up that material, because these last several comics […]
Salsa Nocturna: Stories, Audio Edition (2012/2014) Daniel José Older, narrated by Daniel José Older This is a collection of stories set in his Bone Street Rumba world. “Tenderfoot” published in The Innsmouth Free Press (2011) “Salsa Nocturna” published in Strange Horizons (2010) “Skin Like Porcelain Death” “The Collector” published in The ShadowCast Audio Anthology (2010) […]
Lies Sleeping (2018) Ben Aaronovitch This is the seventh Rivers of London novel. And it’s set in 2014, because the story moved slower than real publishing time. You can read this if you haven’t read the novella or comics, but if you haven’t read the previous books? Forget it. The story opens with the following […]
The Hanging Tree, Audio Edition (2017) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith Now I’m all caught up on Peter Grant and ready to read the newest book. One of Lady Ty’s daughters has gotten into trouble, and she has called Peter to ask for his help in solving a problem. “Peter,” said Lady Ty, “Nightingale […]
The Furthest Station, Audio Edition (2017) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith This actually comes after The Hanging Tree, but I ended up reading it prior, and it didn’t matter. This is a novella that features Abigail as much as it does Peter, which I really enjoyed, since I love little bits, like this conversation […]
Rivers of London Vol. 6: Water Weed (2018) Ben Aaranovitch Andrew Cartmel These are getting more and more frustrating, because they’re become less good with each comic story-line. The problem is that the stories aren’t forwarding the story or the characters at all–they’re just what the characters happen to be working on while he’s writing […]
Foxglove Summer, Audio Edition (2014) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith The fifth Rivers of London book. Lesley is gone. Peter is a mess, but doesn’t realize it. So Nightingale sends him out to the country. If I’d been about four ranks higher up the hierarchy I’d have regarded it as an opportunity to realize […]
Broken Homes, Audio Version (2013) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith First, we meet Varvara Sidorovna. “Nochnye Koldunyi,” said Nightingale. “A Night Witch.” “Is that like a person or another thing?” asked Lesley. “Like Peter’s Pale Lady?” “A type of Russian practitioner,” said Nightingale. “Recruited during the war, the training had a very narrow scope. […]
Whispers Under Ground, Audio Edition (2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith The third book finds Lesley May moved into the Folly, having become the newest apprentice (it’s understood this is allows only because of the damage done to her in the first book). A body is found in the Underground, and as much as […]
Moon Over Soho, Audio Edition (2011/2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith This is a story about jazz vampires. “You can’t die of jazz,” said Dr. Walid. “Can you?” I thought of Fats Navarro, Billie Holiday, and Charlie Parker who, when he died, was mistaken by a coroner for a man twice his real age. […]
Very Important Corpses (2017) Simon R. Green This is the third Ishmael Jones mystery. The Organization is sending Ishmael and Penny to Scotland (to that very famous Loch in fact) to provide security for a gathering where one agent has already been murdered, and it’s probable the House has been infiltrated by one or more […]
Midnight Riot, Audio Edition (2011/2012) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith I finished all the Nightside books that I own, and instead of buying the next book (none of them are available at my library) I decided to re-listen to the Rivers of London series, since there is a new book. I do love this […]
The Raven King, Audio Edition (2016) Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton Alas, I finally finished this story. We learn a lot about the psychics at 300 Foxway. They were so close to the situation that it was difficult to tell whether or not they were the situation. “I don’t believe in the concept of […]
The Dream Thieves, Audio Edition (2013) Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton This is the book where Ronan breaks my heart. “And you, Ronan,” Niall said. He always said Ronan differently from other words. As if he had meant to say another word entirely — something like knife or poison or revenge — and then […]
The Raven Boys, Audio Edition (2012) Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton I’d been a loose ends, trying to figure out what I wanted to listen to. This was it. I adore this story. And I love it even more remembering that Ronan, who is relatively awful in this book, ends up my favorite character […]
Dreams Underfoot (1993) Charles de Lint “Uncle Dobbin’s Parrot Fair,” Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, Nov ‘87 “Stone Drum,” Triskell Press chapbook, 1989 “Timeskip,” Post Mortem: New Tales of Ghastly Horror, ed. Paul F. Olson & David B. Silva, St. Martin’s, 1989 “Freewheeling,” Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine Issue 6, ed. Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Pulphouse, 1990 […]
Freaks & Other Family (2016) Lish McBride You Make Me Feel So Young Halfway Through the Wood This collection is two stories about the characters from Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, Sam and Ramon. Sam is now a necromancer. Ramon is now a were-bear. Luckily, Sam’s inheritance also included a house and money, so he’s able […]
The Rook, Audible Version (2012) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Susan Duerden Myfanwy Thomas awakens in a park, surrounded by bodies, with no idea who she is. I really do like this story a lot. It’s so dryly funny. The meeting with the people from accounting proved spectacularly uninteresting as Myfanwy learned how cheaply one could […]
Rivers of London:
Sixth Watch (2015/2016) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield This text is mandatory reading for the forces of Light. —THE NIGHT WATCH This text is mandatory reading for the forces of Darkness. —THE DAY WATCH This is the final book of the Night Watch series. Definitely and irrevocably the final book of the series. It’s […]
New Watch, Audible Version (2012/2014) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield narrated by Paul Michael I don’t love this book as much as the previous, but I still love this series and spending time in this world. Nadia is now ten, and in training at the Night Watch. Sveta is still out of the Watch, […]
Last Watch, Audible Edition (2009/2010) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield narrated by Paul Michael The fourth book in the Watch series is another one I really enjoy. A Russian college student is murdered in Edinburgh Scotland, and because the young man’s father had links to the Watches, and they young man appears to have […]
Twilight Watch, Audible Version (2006/2007/2010) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield narrated by Paul Michael This might well be my favorite book of the series, partially because Anton and Svetka are happily married and that relationship is a strength, and partially because the events are so unexpected. Plus, of course, it’s a delight. “Svetka,” I […]
Day Watch, Audio Edition (1999/2006/2010) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield and narrated by Paul Michael The second book in the watch series. This is, as the title says, about the day watch. It’s very strange. I don’t enjoy reading the first story, but I quite like listening to it. The other stories I enjoy […]
Night Watch, Audio Version (1998/2006/2010) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield and narrated by Paul Michael Last year I re-read books one through five of the Night Watch series, but kept putting off reading the final book. So when I finished off the final (published) Jane Yellowrock book, I decided I should re-listen to Night […]
Dead Man Walking: A country house murder mystery with a supernatural twist (2016) Simon R Green I tend to either love Simon R Green’s series, or … not. This is a series I like I think. Ishmael Jones works for a super secret agency that takes care of beings and events that would disturb the […]
Rivers of London: Vol. 4 Detective Stories (2017) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Luis Guerrero, Lee Sullivan The fourth Rivers of London comic finds Peter being interviewed to become a detective. The gentleman interviewing him is a bit unprepared for what he’s about to get. There is a lot to love about this comic. First off, […]