Rogue Protocol (2018) Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3) Pretending bad things aren’t happening is not a great survival strategy in the long run. I was getting an idea. It was probably a bad idea. (When most of your training in tactical thinking comes from adventure shows, that does tend to happen.) Or Miki was […]
Artificial Condition (2018) Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #2) I didn’t care what humans were doing to each other as long as I didn’t have to a) stop it or b) clean up after it. Constructs sometimes fall under the same category as bots, sometimes under the same category as deadly weapons. (FYI, that is […]
All Systems Red (2017) Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #1) This is why I prefer wearing the armor, even inside the habitat where it’s unnecessary and can just get in the way. Human clients usually like to pretend I’m a robot and that’s much easier in the armor. But the company would access all those […]
Skinwalker, Audio Book (2009) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam (Jane Yellowrock #1) It’s been several years since I read or listened to this series. I’d mean to finish the last books then, but life happened and I just couldn’t deal with the bad things that happened in the last couple books and were likely […]
Dead Heat (2015) Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega #4) The Arabians might not suit you; they don’t suit everyone. They are like cats: vain, beautiful, and intelligent. But you deal well enough with Asil, who is also vain, beautiful, and intelligent. “Shut your piehole, punk kid,” Max said, thumping her on the head with the […]
Fair Game (2012) Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega #3) Leslie learned two valuable things about the fae that day. They were powerful and charming—and they ate children and puppies. Asil bowed his head to Bran’s anger. “That’s why you are the Alpha and I will do anything I can to never be Alpha again.” His […]
Dominoes, Danzón, and Death, Audio Book (2025) Raquel V. Reyes narrated by Frankie Corzo (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #4) My husband was a recent convert to Miami’s craft brewery scene. Our recycling bin had never been so colorful. The more Marjory talked, the looser she got. The museum that she (and Senior) had ‘paid for’ […]
Hunting Ground (2009) Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega #1) His grandfather had often told him that he tried too hard to move trees when a wiser man would walk around them. So often people got it wrong, treating their elders like children, people to be coddled and ignored. He knew better, and so did the […]
Fortune Favors the Dead, Audio Book (2020) Stephen Spotswood narrated by Kirsten Potter (Pentecost and Parker Mystery #1) Set in NYC in 1945 “I trust you to use your best judgment. Don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable doing.” “You realize I used to dress up like a showgirl and have knives thrown at my face. […]
Cry Wolf (2008) Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega #1) “Bran, the Marrok, is going to bring the werewolves out to the public?” Her voice was hushed as if she could never imagine such a thing. “He thinks that too many of the wrong people already know,” he told her. “Science and computers have made it […]
Think of England (2014) KJ Charles Set in England in 1904 A foreigner and a dandy, because while his shirt was impeccable and the tailcoat and tapering trousers cut to perfection, he was wearing a huge green glass ring and, Curtis saw with dawning horror, a bright green flower in his buttonhole. “The supply lines […]
Proper English (2019) KJ Charles Set in Shropshire England in 1902 “Er, are you thinking of moving to London?” “Absolutely not,” Pat assured him, and noted the tiny relaxation on his face. If she had been metropolis-minded, everyone would have expected her to set up household with her bachelor brother. They’d settled in Pat’s room, […]
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter, Audio Book (2019) Alexis Hall narrated by Nicholas Boulton I read this in 2020, and enjoyed it then, so when floundering for my next audiobook (I couldn’t think of a series I wanted to dive into), I went with this. First, the narrator has a marvelous voice, and did […]
Something Fabulous (2022) Alexis Hall (Something Fabulous #1) I struggled the first time I read this, partially because I was having a difficult time reading anything, and partially because I went into it thinking “historical romance” instead of “fantasy rom com”. This time I went in thinking fantasy rom com and I enjoyed it much […]
Execution in E (2020) Alexia Gordon (A Gethsemane Brown Mystery #5) “If you don’t want me to see your fingers crossed behind your back,” she pointed to his semi-transparent hand visible through his semi-transparent torso, “you should dial up your density.” “Ms. Markham’s parents’ money buys a great deal of tolerance of Ms. Markham. The […]
Fatality in F (2019) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #4) He’d hybridized the rose himself and christened it the ‘Sandra Sechrest’ in honor of the librarian who’d given him a biography of Pythagoras when he was seven and sparked his lifelong love of math. Gethsemane winced. Dunmullach’s murder rate had tripled after she arrived. Some […]
Killing in C Sharp (2018) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #3) Ghost Hunting Adventures reigned notorious for both its physicality and the amount of profanity that had to be bleeped out. “Some versions say Maja was the choice from the jump. Long and short of it, the baroness tricked Maja into going to the construction […]
Barbacoa, Bomba, and Betrayal, Audio Book (2023) Raquel V. Reyes narrated by Frankie Corzo (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery, #3) (M)y Cuban family stayed up on Christmas Eve, Nochebuena, cooked a whole pig, had a delicious meal, danced and sang, played games, and opened presents. Then twelve days later, the Three Kings came to give the […]
Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections #1) “It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s more like I don’t know you.” “You’ve glared at me for most of lunch. That’s what I meant.” “Oh.” He went red again. “I thought you were being all pretentious and coming on to me or something, so I […]
Witchmark (2018) C.L. Polk (The Kingston Cycle #1) I reread this so I can finally finish the series. Mr. Elliot dragged in a tattered breath. “I got too close. They needed the souls. The war—” He gagged and rolled away from me, retching. I held him steady. “Don’t try to talk.” He dragged in ragged […]
Death in D Minor (2017) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown Mysteries #2) “Thank you, Miss Brown,” Hank said. “Doctor Brown,” she corrected. “Oh, that’s right, you do have some sort of degree in, what is it, music?” “A Ph.D. From Yale.” “You must forgive me, Doctor Brown. I believe I mentioned before I don’t pay much […]
Murder in G Major (2016) Alexia Gordon (Gethsemane Brown #1) Teaching teenaged schoolboys was going to be almost as much fun as defending her dissertation to a hungover committee head who’d lost his tenure and his wife in the same week. Almost. “My friends call me Frankie.” “And what should I call you?” Gethsemane asked. […]
The Missing Page (2022) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers #2) Set in Cornwall, England in 1947 Not knowing how to respond to that, as he could hardly accept a compliment bestowed on a version of himself that was twenty years out of date, he pasted on a smile. “The letter from the solicitor said the […]
The Ruin of a Rake (2017) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series, #3) Set in London in 1817 “You ordered tea,” Courtenay said. “I like tea,” Julian responded. “You like sugary milk.” Courtenay, as if to demonstrate the point, poured about an inch of tea into Julian’s cup and then added a nearly equal amount of […]
Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking, Audio Book (2022) Raquel V. Reyes narrated by Frankie Corzo (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #2) I am very much enjoying the narration. I don’t speak Spanish, but the story is perfectly understandable despite that, and, honestly, I think the Spanish is lovely to listen to. This series is about an archaeologist […]
The Lawrence Browne Affair (2017) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series #2) Set in Cornwall, England in 1816 “Five servants quit,” Halliday said, tapping Lawrence’s desk in emphasis. Dust puffed up in tiny clouds around the vicar’s fingertips. “Five. And you were woefully understaffed even before then.” Five fewer servants? So that was why the house […]
Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers #1) Set in England in 1946. Do you know, James, this evening I thought to myself: I would like to put paper stars and glass balls on a tree.” “I see you’ve reached the heights of depravity.” “I’d suggest going easy on this fellow. He had a […]
The Mistletoe Motive (2021) Chloe Liese There is a lot I love about this story: the ace rep, the female lead with ASD, the single point-of-view. Jonathan glances up and meets my eyes, his gaze speaking some cryptic language that I don’t. I hate that feeling. It’s old and familiar, and it never fails to […]
Mystery on the Menu: A Three-Course Collection of Cozy Mysteries (2023) Nicole Kimberling “This is Andrew,” Evelyn announced, waving her hand back as though I were some stray dog that had followed her home. “He’s the chef at the murder restaurant.” I pivoted and strode briskly into the walk-in refrigerator all the way to the […]
The Masquerades of Spring, Audio Book (2024) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Rivers of London) Set in New York City in 1926 (B)ecause the landlords knew that the coloured folk couldn’t get lodgings in the white neighbourhoods, they could charge more than twice the normal rent. Since coloured folk mostly got paid half of […]
Mango, Mambo, and Murder, Audio Book (2021) Raquel V. Reyes narrated by Frankie Corzo (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #1) “Ooh, what have you been reading? I love books.” Jorge clapped prayer hands. “Believe it or not, I read a lot of YA—young adult. The rainbow is brighter there, if you know what I mean.” Alma […]
The Wonder Engine (2018) T. Kingfisher (Clocktaur War #2) “Politics,” she said. “It doesn’t make any sense. People do the stupidest shit and you want to scream that it’s against their own interests and you never know if they’re playing some deep game you don’t know about or if they’re really just that stupid.” “I […]
Clockwork Boys (2017) T. Kingfisher (Clocktaur War, #1) This is a rare book: one that I listened to before I read. (Honestly, at the time I was desperate for distraction and wasn’t really able to concentrate on reading.) I still enjoyed it, and as it has been two years, managed to forget just enough that […]
The Soldier’s Dark Secret (2015) Marguerite Kaye (Comrades in Arms) Set in England in France in 1815 Jack struggles to deal with the things he saw during the way, not just the Battle of Waterloo, but before. Dammit! It had been two years. He should be over it by now. Or if not over it, […]
Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? Audio Book (2016) Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch (The Shadow Police #3) I haaaaaaaaate that this series didn’t get more books. ‘I won’t tell you!’ she shouted. ‘I can!’ Kevin insisted, pointing at himself. The stormtrooper paused awkwardly again. He obviously had as little idea as she did what Kevin’s […]
Legends & Lattes (2022) Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes #2) As a rule, folks with a fixed address avoided swindling an orc. Viv sighed. “I’ve lived a long time knowing I’m a threat walking. I’d rather that wasn’t the shape of it for you.” The hob pushed a handcart loaded with a big, brass-barreled mechanism, […]
The Severed Streets, Audio Book (2014) Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch (The Shadow Police #2) Trigger Warnings: there are not detailed descriptions, but if a bad thing can happen, it likely happens in this series. You despair about making accurate judgements about anyone. Well, I’m here to tell you, boy, it was always thus. […]
London Falling, Audio Book (2014) Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch (The Shadow Police #1) Trigger Warnings: there are not detailed descriptions, but if a bad thing can happen, it likely happens in this series. “Might as well look as if we’re together,” said Sefton, under his breath, as he pressed the tea bag against […]
Upside Down (2019) N.R. Walker “There has to be a reason you picked Sisko.” He smiled at me and seemed to relax before launching into a spiel on consistency and compassion and how Sisko’s being a father in the show made him more relatable. She inhaled deeply, her eyes shooting daggers at me. “Siri, what’s […]
System Collapse, Audio Book (2023) Martha Wells narrated by Kevin R. Free (The Murderbot Diaries #5) “Thank you for your help,” Iris said, in a way that could be mistaken for politeness by a bot but a human would definitely know there was an undercurrent of fuck you. “Are you going to bill us later?” […]
Summers End, Audio Book (2024) Juneau Black narrated by Cassandra Campbell (A Shady Hollow Mystery #5) Buckthorn had told her to stick to her specialty. But what Buckthorn didn’t know was that Vera’s specialty was sticking her nose in other folks’ business. Vera checked in with all of them, gave them firm warnings about sneaking […]
Network Effect, Audio Book (2020) Martha Wells narrated by Kevin R. Free (The Murderbot Diaries #5) Thiago: “You trust it that much?” Mensah: “With my life, literally. I know what it will do to protect her, and you, and the rest of the team. Of course, it has its faults. In fact, it’s probably listening […]
Cry Wolf (2021) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #5) But loss was too complex a thing to always feel what you were supposed to feel. Fear is just your body protecting itself, Dr. Ripodi had said once. Just like pain exists to let you know something is wrong, fear is another message. Sometimes, though, the […]
Nearly a Lady (2011) Alissa Johnson (Haverston Family #1) “He needs something to do. Something to accomplish.” Something, the marquess thought, that might lighten the shadows his brother attempted to hide behind a cheerful wit and careless smile. Being knocked unconscious by two small women was a degree better than being knocked unconscious by just […]
Exit Strategy, Audio Book (2018) Martha Wells narrated by Kevin R. Free (The Murderbot Diaries #4) (Deleting memories like that doesn’t work. I can delete things from my data storage, but not from the organic parts of my head.) I “liked” these clothes. Maybe I actually liked them enough to remove the quotation marks around […]
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (2020) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #4) Park inclined his head slightly in that way of his that always made him look like some kind of benevolent god accepting a loving sacrifice. When Cooper tried the same he looked like he’d suddenly dropped food down his shirt. “It’s not you, it’s […]
Rogue Protocol, Audio Book (2018) Martha Wells narrated by Kevin R. Free (The Murderbot Diaries #3) (The good thing about pretending to be an augmented human security consultant instead of a construct SecUnit is that you can tell the humans to shut up.) (A)nybody who wanted to hang around and live on a deteriorating terraforming […]
Twilight Falls, Audio Book (2023) Juneau Black narrated by Cassandra Campbell (A Shady Hollow Mystery #4) And everywhere, you hear the sound of water flowing. It begins with tiny trickles from melting icicles and the rivulets running down the slopes. Whether seeping or meandering or tumbling madly, they all meet at the rivers running through […]
Thrown to the Wolves (2019) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf #3) “(T)he book said no one should hike alone. What if you run into an animal?” “Then there’s a 50/50 chance we’re related.” Cooper felt the discomfort that had been prickling at the base of his skull since the market bloom across his skin. You […]
Artificial Condition, Audio Book (2018) Martha Wells narrated by Kevin R. Free (The Murderbot Diaries #2) I didn’t care what humans were doing to each other as long as I didn’t have to a) stop it or b) clean up after it. Spending that much time with something that didn’t want you there, or that […]