by Kyle Prue, Review 17 of 2024
This is a short instructional manual for how to piss off men. Personally, I don’t tend to need instructions for this but I did really enjoy the audiobook and commentary around the jokes. Would recommend it to men who have a sense of humor, and women/femmes who need a laugh (which is all of us).
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.
Content warning: This may piss off men
by Olivie Blake, Review 16 of 2024
This collection of short stories by Olivie Blake was the perfect fall read for me. Just spooky enough to feel seasonal, and just campy enough to have fun. Some of the subject matter is sensitive so it might be worth a quick look at the content warnings. The stories range from paranormal to mythological and were all compelling in their own way, some laugh out loud funny, others can’t put it down suspenseful. The cast of narrators was exceptional and I would definitely get the audiobook of this one.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.
Categories: Fiction, Horror, Humor, Short Stories
Content Warning: Stories include a wide range of sensitive content from graphic murder to postpartum anxiety.
by Alexis Pauline Gumbs Review 15 of 2024
Part biography, part poetry recitation, part history lecture, with a dash of pop science, this book defies easy categorization. The life of Audre Lorde is described in relation to the world around her by the talented author and narrator Alexis Pauline Gumbs. I’ve been fascinated by the complex and purposeful life of Audre Lorde for years but I am hesitant to pick up longer nonfiction on any subject. I shouldn’t have hesitated. Though you may want to be in an open and engaged state of mind to listen to this, it’s well worth the time.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.
by S.A. MacLean, Review 14 of 2024
The Phoenix Keeper was a cute little magical romp. The main character is an anxious and awkward zookeeper who cares for magical creatures. I wanted to love this book but I found myself annoyed by the immaturity and cluelessness of the main character and I was bummed that the foreshadowing was so heavy handed. Even so, I stayed engaged by the awkward yet funny interactions and interesting magical creatures. The audiobook narrator was great but ultimately this wasn’t for me.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.
Categories: Rom Com, Fantasy
Content Warning: Anxiety, Animal Death
by Ann Liang, Review 13 of 2024
I rarely cry while reading but this story had me in tears. Heartbreaking, powerful, epic. I had no familiarity with the legend this is based on yet it had me hooked from the start.
Would recommend it to anyone looking for something deep, emotional, and challenging.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.
Review 12 of 2024
This novella was a great little sci-fi escape after some heavier reading. Full Speed to a Crash Landing tells the story of Ada Lamarr, a looter with questionable morals whose journey begins with her almost dying after her spacecraft is damaged and ends with her playing an unexpected role on a secret intergalactic government mission (while maybe even falling in love?). The narration was great and I found myself laughing at Ada’s hilarious interactions with the other characters. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes in book 2!
Would recommend it to anyone looking for something cute, short, and funny! Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.
Categories: Science fiction, Novella, Romance
by Alexandra Vasti, Review 10 of 2024
Such a fun read! In my opinion, this book is basically an alternate universe version of how the most recent season of Bridgerton should have gone. This book is a cute twist on the friends to lovers regency romance featuring an unconventional American Duke from New Orleans and a Lady in no need of a husband. I loved the entire cast of characters Vasti brings to life in this story (especially Lu!!!). The only thing I didn’t love was that at times I felt like I had missed something because the story feels like it’s picking up where something left off but I couldn’t find anything to confirm how this might be tied to the author’s earlier works. You can find me adding the rest of Alexandra Vasti’s books to my TBR.
Would recommend it to those who enjoyed Evie Dunmore’s League of Extraordinary Women series or Bridgerton.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.
Categories: Fiction, Romance, Rom-com, Regency
Content Warning: family separation and neglect
by Jennifer Harvey, Review 9 of 2024
Important note: This book is a great addition to the library of any aspiring white antiracist but is not the best pick for someone just beginning to learn about DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). Some of my recommendations for that would; How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo, or Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. After you’ve read some of the great books on race written by black folks, consider revisiting this title.
If you’ve already been exploring the history of white supremacy, how it shows up, and your role in it, this book has some great examples of how you can implement and enact your values in day to day life. Harvey doesn’t shy away from sharing examples of places she’s failed to be the best co-conspirator for change and for her candor I was extremely grateful. She covers how shame, perfectionism, and trust impact white people’s ability to do antiracist work in our own communities. This could be a hard book for some to read but the message is so very important.
Would recommend it to any white person who has read a lot of DEI but still isn’t sure what their place is in creating a more just future for all of us.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.
by Sarah Beth Durst, Review 8 of 2024
This cozy fantasy has found family, magic, and sentient plants and lots of small town charm. Librarian Kiela and her assistant, a spider plant named Kaz, find themselves making a home, jam and a lot of trouble when they arrive at Keila’s childhood home after revolution displaces them from their beloved library. The book was a lovely little escape but felt a little slow paced and includes a love story almost too cute to suit my particular tastes. Despite this, I’m sure many will quickly fall in love with the adorable cast of magical and wondrous inhabitants of the world Durst has created.
Would recommend to anyone who loved the cozy found family of the Legends and Lattes books.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.
Categories: Fiction, Fantasy (Cozy), Romance
Content Warning: Fire, War, Death of a parent, Government collapse
by Robin Sloan, review 7 of 2024
Told through the unusual lens of a sentient fungus inside a 12 year old boy named Ariel, the reader comes along on a coming-of-age quest to discover Ariel’s path and purpose on an Earth thousands of years in the future. The planet is now ruled by “dragons” that were originally created by humans to scope out the universe, animals lead, and many forms of technology are prohibited. What could have been a daunting narrative turns into a pleasant romp due to the endearing companions Ariel meets along the way that have created a compelling world that is both familiar and completely foreign.
Would recommend to anyone who loved the Monk and Robot duology by Becky Chambers.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this audiobook for review purposes.
Categories: Fiction, Science fiction, Fantasy (Cozy)
Content Warning: War, Post Climate Disaster, AI Overlords