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Coram House
Coram House: A Novel
by Bailey Seybolt
Haunting and Inspired by True Events (5/14/2025)
CORAM HOUSE
By Bailey Seybolt

You can leave Coram House but you can’t leave it behind.

3.5 stars
In 2016 Alex Kelley, a true crime writer hoping to redeem herself from her last book, takes a job as a ghostwriter for a book revolving around the shadowy inheritance of the …more
Home of the Happy
Home of the Happy: A Murder on the Cajun Prairie
by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
Impressive Memoir/True-Crime Read (5/4/2025)
HOME OF THE HAPPY: A Murder on the Cajun Prairie
By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

Reading by: Christine Lakin was very well done.

A journey of reinvestigating a kidnapping and murder in 1983 and interwoven with Louisiana history.

Jordan LaHaye Fontenot’s great-grandfather was …more
The Bones Beneath My Skin
The Bones Beneath My Skin
by TJ Klune
A Sci-Fi Whimsical Read (4/27/2025)
THE BONES BENEATH MY SKIN
By T. J. Klune

Narration by Kirt Graves was very well done and brought the story to life with his reading, in this sci-fi whimsical storytelling by T. J. Klune.

Taking place in 1995 when Nate returns to his family cabin in Oregon after the violent …more
The Bright Years
The Bright Years
by Sarah Damoff
Impressive Debut (4/25/2025)
THE BRIGHT YEARS by Sarah Damoff

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC ebook of this brilliant story.

This is Sarah Damoff’s debut and I have to say I was impressed by her incredible writing skills of telling this beautiful, heartbreaking, and …more
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
A Cozy Mystery (4/24/2025)
VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS
By Jesse Q. Sutanto

Reading by Eunice Wong was very good. I paired audio with the book.

A cup of tea, food, and a corpse …

A cozy mystery taking place in a small neighborhood of San Francisco. We meet 60-year-old Vera Wong who finds …more
The Women on Platform Two
The Women on Platform Two
by Laura Anthony
Based On A True Event (4/23/2025)
THE WOMEN ON PLATFORM TWO
By Laura Anthony

Narrated by: Jessica Regan, Shakira Shute, and Maeve Smyth The narrator’s all did a fine job reading this story.

1970s Ireland —— a time when women had no rights to their bodies and forms of contraception were prohibited.

Dublin, 202 …more
Daughters of Shandong
Daughters of Shandong
by Eve J. Chung
An Impressive Debut (4/11/2025)
Daughters of Shandong
By Eve J. Chung

A work of historical fiction inspired by Chung’s family who was displaced during the Communist Revolution in China. The Daughters of Shandong is told through the eyes of Hai, the eldest daughter of the Ang family. Hai along with her …more
The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree
The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree
by India Hayford
A Southern Gothic Story (4/4/2025)
The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree
by India Hayford

Narration by, Zura Johnson, Matt Godfrey, and Laura Jennings was very good.

3.5 stars
A haunting Southern gothic story with sprinkles of magical realism, that takes place in rural Arkansas in 1967. Genevieve, at a young age …more
Tilt
Tilt: A Novel
by Emma Pattee
Literary Thriller Debut (3/29/2025)
Tilt by Emma Pattee

A pregnant overwhelmed woman’s epic journey across a ravaged city with the weight of her past and her hopes for the future.

Narration by Ariel Blake was very well done for this rapid paced literary thriller debut. An impressive read set over the course of …more
The River Knows Your Name
The River Knows Your Name: A Novel
by Kelly Mustian
An Immersive Read (3/25/2025)
The River Knows Your Name by Kelly Mustian

This haunting atmospheric southern story paints a vivid picture of the Mississippi Delta and its people. The characters are well developed; complex and nuanced with compelling backstories. Kelly Mustian created an immersive read …more
Dream Count
Dream Count: A Novel
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Complex and Layered Stories (3/16/2025)
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The readings by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sandra Okuboyejo, A’rese Emokpae, and Janina Edwards, are all very well done. I paired the audiobook with the book.

Is true happiness ever attainable or is it just a fleeting state?

Set in …more
Saltwater
Saltwater: A Novel
by Katy Hays
Hidden Secrets (3/12/2025)
SALTWATER by Katy Hays

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC ebook

In 1992 the wealthy Lingate family is vacationing in beautiful Capri, when playwright, Sarah Lingate, is found dead below the cliffs. Sarah leaves behind a three- …more
The Spectacular
The Spectacular: A Novel
by Fiona Davis
Inspired By True Events (3/12/2025)
THE SPECTACULAR by Fiona Davis

I paired the book with the audiobook, and Rachel L. Jacobs and Kimberly Farr both do a fine reading of this book.

This story is inspired by true events. As with all her books, this too is set in New York City, at the Radio City Music Hall, in …more
Wild Dark Shore
Wild Dark Shore: A Novel
by Charlotte McConaghy
Impossible Choices (3/12/2025)
WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy

Read by: Cooper Mortlock; Katherine Littrell; Saskia Maarleveld; Steve West

All of the readers did a great job of narrating this book. Saskia Maarleveld is a favorite narrator of mine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the …more
Penitence
Penitence: A Novel
by Kristin Koval
A Suspenseful Debut (3/12/2025)
PENITENCE by Kristen Koval

Therese Plummer does a fine reading of this suspenseful story. This is Kristen Koval’s debut and I thought it was well written and I’m excited to see what she does next.

Opening family wounds and bringing dark truths to light with the guilt we live …more
The Edge of Water
The Edge of Water
by Olufunke Grace Bankole
A Beautifully Told Narrative (3/12/2025)
The Edge of Water by Olufunke Grace Bankole

Nicole Cash does a wonderful job of capturing the essence of this debut book with her reading of this epic tale following the lives of three generations of daring women.

is told in alternating chapters by Esther, a strong-willed …more
The Oligarch's Daughter
The Oligarch's Daughter: A Novel
by Joseph Finder
Engaging Read (3/12/2025)
Paul Brightman is a man on the run, living under an assumed name in a small New England town with a bounty on his head. His security is breached and he must flee before Russian operatives locate him.

Alternating between two timelines — the present as Paul is struggling to …more
Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)
Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)
by Clare Leslie Hall
Compelling Debut (3/12/2025)
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC read now ebook.

This is the author’s US debut and you will fall head over heels with this unputdownable read. A sweeping story set primarily in the 1960’s but toggles back in the past too, with so many layers it is …more
The Safekeep
The Safekeep
by Yael van der Wouden
A Beautifully Written Story (2/23/2025)
Narrated by: Stina Nielsen and Saskia Maarleveld both do a wonderful reading of this beautifully illustrated debut.

A historical fiction debut about obsession and loss…

Set in the eastern
Netherlands 1960s post-war; following Isabel, an awkward and closed off 28-year-old …more
Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books
Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books: A Novel
by Kirsten Miller
The Power of Books (2/15/2025)
Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kristen Miller

Narrated by: January LaVoy

This is all about the power of books ——

January does a wonderful reading of this provocative satirical read set in Troy, Georgia, a small southern town, in the spring and summer of 2024. …more

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