Audiobook Review: Taxes and TARDIS by N.R. Walker

Taxes and TARDIS
by N.R. Walker (Hoopla Audio)

Brent Kelly is a self-employed San Antonio electrician who takes his tax info in to his accountant every year in a shoebox. But this year she is out for a prolonged illness and he’s now assigned to Logan.

 

Logan Willis, a soft-spoken guy originally from Britain, is your typical geek – black glasses, socially awkward, completely mystified by sports, but also a big Dr. Who fan. He’d initially thought the previous accountant had been exaggerating about the shoebox.

 

This would make a good Hallmark romance. A low-angst story – with one big misunderstanding – that you know will work out by the end. You watch the two figure it all out over Dr. Who, Torchwood, pizza, and pool, meet some of their friends, watch Brent rescue Logan’s sister when the electricity at her bookstore has an issue, and the epilogue is perfect.

 

Nick Russo, the narrator, does a fine job with both Brent’s soft Texas accent and Logan’s British speech. An easy, sweet romance at only 3-hours/9-min.

 

( official N.R. Walker web site )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Audiobook Review: Tallowwood by N.R. Walker

Tallowwood
by N.R. Walker with audio narration by Anthony Ferguson (Hoopla Audio)

This is a well-done mystery with a decade’s long serial killer, and a slow romance between the main characters that takes place in New South Wales, Australia.

 

Sydney Detective August Shaw works the cold cases for his police department and has had some success in closing a few. But he has not been able to resolve a string of apparent suicides that he believes could be Australia’s worst serial killer. Then Senior Constable Jacob Porter, from (fictional) Tallowwood, calls with a death similar to those suicides, and the victim is a police officer. Porter is an indigenous officer who grew up in Tallowwood and loves his job, but this death has initially shaken him. This provides Shaw with the excuse he needs to continue his search for the serial killer.

 

The author weaves us a good tale as we follow clues and dead-ends, and perhaps obstruction, along the way. The slow-burn, quiet romance between Shaw and Porter is a given, though you wonder with Shaw’s roots in Sydney and Porter’s ties to Tallowwood how this will all work out. I love an epilogue and everything is sewn up there very nicely.

 

Antony Ferguson, the reader, does an excellent job with each character, and gives us Australian accents that are understandable to U.S. English-speakers. If you intend to binge this book, give yourself 10 hours and 13 minutes to do so.

 

( official N.R. Walker web site )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: The Mastermind by Amy Lane

The Mastermind

by Amy Lane (Hoopla)

 

The Mastermind is the first book in the Long Con series by Amy Lane. It features recurring characters, a “Leverage” TV show type of criminal activity, a gay romance in each book, and created family.

 

In this book, Danny and Felix meet as young men in their late teens/early twenties, and grift and thieve their way through parts of Europe – but they only steal from those who can afford the loss, as a way to survive, and to right any wrongs.

 

This book alternates between the past and current times. In the past, we learn about Danny, Felix, and how they met Julia — and how the three of them create a family without her abusive father learning the truth about her son. In current times, a now-media magnate Felix is facing false accusations that he must defend himself against. By now son Josh has created his own thieving crew and becomes involved in the behind-the-scenes machinations to prove Felix’s innocence.

 

Aside from the romance between Felix and Danny — and their reunion and efforts to patch up their relationship — watching the crew put together the sting to clear Felix was fun to watch and satisfying. I will admit this is not my favorite of the series, but it provides background on the characters for the future installments.

 

The rest of the series (The Muscle, The Driver, The Suit, and The Tech) are also available as ebooks on the library’s Hoopla app. The newest title The Face Man is coming out October 31, but it’s unknown if the library will acquire it immediately.

 

If you’re seeking a fun, angst-filled, exciting story of a group of friends who have become family and work undercover on their own to play Robin Hood, you should enjoy this series.

 

( official Amy Lane web site — https://greenshill.com/ )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

Lavender House

by Lev A.C. Rosen (Rosen)

 

San Francisco, 1952. Evander ‘Andy’ Mills has just been fired as a police inspector because they found out he’s gay. His plan is to drink all day and take a permanent bath in the bay, but a high class woman comes into the bar and offers Andy a case: find out who murdered her wife. Irene Lamontaine was the famous owner and scent designer for a large soap business. Her secluded country estate, Lavender House, is home to a found-family of queer people. It’s a place where they can be themselves openly, but big business is always a motive and the relationships among the people living in Lavender House have their tensions.

 

This historical mystery was lovely to read for the setting. The author clearly put a lot of work into researching the San Francisco area of the time. Despite being about a murder, I found it to be a story that moves from despair to deeply rooted hope as Andy discovers a form of community he’s never known.

 

It felt a lot like the film Knives Out due to physical and social setting, except with better human beings.

 

( official Lev A.C. Rosen web site )

 

Recommended by Garren H.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: In His Sights by K.C. Wells

In His Sights
by K.C. Wells (Hoopla Digital)

A murder mystery, a romance, and a psychic – three of my favorite combined tropes.

 

A serial killer is targeting Boston’s gay population, leaving puzzling clues for the police. The victims are killed in the same fashion, and a Scrabble letter tile is always left behind leaving the police to wonder if the tiles are random or will ultimately spell something – and can they anticipate the spelling clue to possibly figure out who’s the next victim or who’s the killer?

 

After several months of frustration, the police chief decides to bring in a psychic. Homicide detective Gary Mitchell is stunned at this tactic, as are the rest of Boston PD. But the chief points out that Dan Porter has had success with NYPD and Chicago PD.

 

The story moves between the killer and our main characters, but we don’t learn whodunit until the end.

Both Gary and Dan are gay, giving the reader a slow burn romance as they get to know each other while trying to sort out the clues Dan picks up from the various homicide scenes.

 

This is the first book in the Second Sight series, but as this title has been out only since May, 2023, subsequent titles have not been published yet.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Bishop Special Crimes series by Kay Hooper (psychic FBI agents) or The Psychic Eye cozy, mystery series by Victoria Laurie.)

 

( official K.C. Wells web site )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

New Booklist on BookGuide: What is Your Favorite Book/Author - from the 2023 Pride Festival Library Booth

 

The Lincoln City Libraries was proud to staff a booth at the Star City Pride festival on June 9th and 10th, 2023, in downtown Lincoln, near the Pinnacle Bank Arena. In addition to offering library card sign-ups and promoting ongoing and upcoming library activities (including the 2023 Summer Reading Challenge), the staff at the booth had an oversized notepad, on which they encouraged festival attendees to write down their answers to the following questions:

• What Is Your Favorite Book?
• Share a Favorite Book
• What Book Have You Enjoyed?
• What Are You Reading?
• What Do You Like to Read?
• What Author Do You Love?

Festival attendees responded by filling out 17 pages of their reading preferences. This booklist web page on the libraries’ BookGuide readers advisory pages compiles most of the answers to those questions — 210 titles/series and 37 “authors you love” *. We’ve broken this list down into reading age brackets — Kids, Young Adults, and Adults. There are a lot of LGBTQ+ titles represented here — not surprising for a list gathered at a Pride event — but there’s a lot of general fiction and non-fiction as well. All titles, series or authors worth considering adding to your personal reading list!

Check out this new booklist featuring Pride Festival attendees' responses to our impromptu survey, on BookGuide at the following hotlink:

 

What is Your Favorite Book/Author -

 

2023 Pride Festival Booth Responses

Book Review: The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

The Scourge Between Stars
by Ness Brown (Brown)

If the cover of The Scourge Between Stars reminds you of the film ALIEN (1979), you’re very much on target! This is a fantastic read for anyone wanting another story about an isolated crew hunted by something completely new to them, especially when queer representation or its slim novella length is a plus. One difference is that while Alien has a theme of corporate space exploitation, The Scourge Between Stars concerns interstellar migration following environmental collapse.

 

Contact has been lost to the rest of the migration fleet. Jacklyn, who was born on the enormous ship, is unwillingly in charge after the captain — her father — locked himself in his quarters. Something that functions like invisible turbulence has severely damaged their ship. Things are terrible before Jacklyn starts to hear something moving in the walls.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes or All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes.)

 

( official Ness Brown web site )

 

Recommended by Garren H.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Audiobook Review: The Weight of It All by N.R. Walker

The Weight of It All
by N.R. Walker (Downloadable Audio from Overdrive)

Henry Beckett is a successful actuary who has just been dumped by his long-time boyfriend. Graham complains that Henry has put on a lot of weight and isn’t accompanying him to hiking and biking events any more, and moves out. Henry is devastated, and recognizes that he much preferred the wine tasting and food activities, that he wasn’t as active as he had been eight years earlier, and he’s horrified at the amount of weight he’s put on. So he joins a gym with the goal of winning back Graham.

 

Enter Reed Henske. His new personal trainer.

 

Gee, how is this story going to end?

 

Henry and Reed hit it off right away. Both are quick-witted with terrific senses of humor. They initially bond over the new recipes Henry is trying. We spend the book watching Henry get over Graham and progress through his health and exercise routines, while he and Reed find more common ground as their friendship builds into a romantic relationship.

 

This is a low-heat, low angst story with likeable side characters that takes place in Australia. I enjoyed being able to simply follow the main characters and their friends as their stories unfolded without worrying how this was going to end. Much of the humor was laugh-out-loud and I liked the main characters and their friends, and appropriately disliked Graham (then later felt sorry for him) and his buddies. I was in the mood for a simple, easy tale that kept me involved and this fit the bill.

 

The narrator, Joel Leslie, does an excellent job of distinguishing between the main characters, and giving a sense of their emotions. Also, his Australian accent was not heavy enough to be unintelligible to a US reader.

 

( official N.R. Walker web site )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older

The Mimicking of Known Successes
by Malka Older (Older)

This science fiction novella is billed as “a cozy gaslamp mystery and sapphic romance set on Jupiter.” Yes, the Earth has become uninhabitable and everyone has somehow managed to relocate to ring stations within the atmosphere of Jupiter. Forget feasible: this is a cool setting to visit!

 

The mystery concerns a scientist who disappeared from a small station on the edge of the settled areas. The obvious conclusion would be that he jumped or was pushed into the cold, crushing gases of the planet. Investigator Mossa — a woman of little small-talk — takes the case and crosses paths with her college girlfriend, Pleiti, a scholar who works with the missing man. Most of the story is told from Pleiti’s perspective. There is an obvious and intentional riff on the relationship between Holmes and Dr. Watson compared to Mossa and Pleiti.

 

I found the case progression a little hard to follow at times, but that could well be my fault. What I really enjoyed was the little reveals about humanity living on Jupiter (of all places), plus the slow burn re-acquaintance of former lovers. This is the start of a series. Book #2 is scheduled for release in February 2024 with the title: The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles. I, for one, am a sucker for wordy, evocative titles.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal.)

 

( official Malka Older blog/web site – not updated lately ) | ( Malka Older entry on Wikipedia )

 

Recommended by Garren H.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Audiobook Review: Witchbane by Morgan Brice on Hoopla Audio

Witchbane
by Morgan Brice (Hoopla Audio)

A hundred years earlier, an evil warlock was betrayed by his 12 witch-disciples. Rhyfel Gremory was hanged by the sheriff and deputies in an old railroad tunnel, but the witches escaped. Every 12 years one of the witches kills the oldest male descendant of the posse to recharge their power and keep themselves virtually immortal.

Seth has just returned home from the military, and he and his brother Jesse go camping near that tunnel. They know the story of the allegedly haunted tunnel, but are unaware of what really happened there, nor that they are descendants of one of the members of the posse. Seth manages to survive and spends the next two years learning about magic, spells, and demons to avenge Jesse’s murder. Along the way he meets Evan, who is also a descendant but unaware he’s in danger.

 

This is the first book in the Witchbane series as we follow Seth and Evan as their relationship progresses, and we meet others who also battle demons. The well-written stories are not particularly gory – considering the subject matter – but I really enjoyed the supernatural hunting, how they track down the various witches, the friendships they make along the way with others doing the same work, and watch as they settle into their relationship. It’s not clear sailing though, and danger is ever present.

 

This series is by the same author who gave us the “BadLands” supernatural series (reviewed in March, 2023), which actually I liked better than this one, but I still enjoyed the Witchbane books. Kale Williams, the narrator, does a fine job of creating the voices and emotions. If you like urban fiction, paranormal fantasy, the supernatural, witches, spells, demons, magic, vampires, zombies, ghosts, battles, and MM romance you should enjoy this series. The library has all five novels and the novella on Hoopla audio. Read in order beginning with Witchbane.

 

( official Morgan Brice web site )

 

See Charlotte M.’s review of the Hoopla Audiobook version of Badlands by Morgan Brice, in the March 2023 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me
by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (YA PB (Graphic Novel) Tamaki)

Toxic teen relationship leads to strained friendships and hurt feelings. Can Freddy find it in herself to end it with her girlfriend, who keeps breaking up with her? Best Audience: Teens/New adults., and fans of Coming of Age stories.

 

( official Mariko Tamaki Twitter feed ) | ( official Rosemary V O Twitter feed )

 

This was one of dozens of Graphic Novel reviews submitted by library staff during our 2022 In-Service Training day on 9/23/2022, all collected on A Day Full of Graphic Novels

 

Recommended by Ali B.
Read Aloud Lincoln

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD/Movie Review: Bodies Bodies Bodies

Bodies Bodies Bodies
(DVD Bodies)

Bodies Bodies Bodies is variously characterized as a satire, a whodunit, a black comedy, and a horror film. I say “yes” to all of these! I found it strongly reminiscent of Glass Onion, though more realistic and messy. A group of college-age rich kid friends (and a couple of their current partners) are having a house party during a storm with drugs, TikTok video filming, and intense ongoing personal conflicts. They start to play a social deduction game where someone plays the murderer and others tapped in the dark have to play dead. Then the storm knocks out power and one of them is truly dead.

 

This film’s lighting is striking. Much of the film is lit only by cell phones, flashlights, and glow sticks, yet it never feels too dark for the audience to clearly see what’s going on in the foreground. The characters are intense, as concerned about their relationships, their image, and their secrets as they are about being the next to die. The opening scene shows two of the young women making out for a couple of minutes while discussing the upcoming visit. Without giving the audience enough information to make sense of what they’re saying, you can feel their deep insecurities and needs, which sets the tone for the whole story. Bodies Bodies Bodies succeeds in holding tension for the whole runtime and has a reveal that will make you want to watch it all again.

 

Bodies Bodies Bodies was written and directed by women and is queer inclusive. Other recommended watch-alikes are Heathers (1989) and the interactive drama PS4 game Until Dawn (2015).

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film )

 

Recommended by Garren H.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

Detransition, Baby
by Torrey Peters (Peters)

First of all, based on the title, I was initially reluctant to read Detransition, Baby. My concerns that the narrative would promote the idea that transgender individuals are destined to de-transition, was misplaced. Instead, it was a compelling tale of three women, one divorced and cisgender (her gender identity corresponds with the sex registered for her at birth), one trans (her gender identity does not correspond to that registered for her at her birth), and one detransitioned trans woman (she transitioned from male to female as a young person but later decided to reverse that transition) and how the three of them deal with an unexpected pregnancy. These three personal journeys are braided together, sharing their flaws, fears, and desires, as they each explore what it means to be female. The author asserts, that like trans women, divorced women understand what it is like to have to start from scratch, having to create a future that is not reliant upon their assumptions from the past, having to make up their own definition of where to go from here as a woman.

 

In interviews, the author Torrey Peters, who is trans herself, explains that she wrote the book for transgender friends, that they need books by and about them with true points of view. I think that’s what I loved most about the book; it was a window into a world that I’ve brushed up against, having a trans kid of my own, but I am still an outsider with much to learn. One thing I hadn’t understood before reading this book is how the AIDS epidemic has affected the trans community; I hadn’t realized how much higher the rate of AIDs is for trans women even when compared to homosexual men. It seems the epidemic created a motherless generation who are trying to figure out how to mother themselves and their little sisters, making the topic of motherhood, not just what it means to be female, of prime importance.

 

Like any story, each person’s narrative is both true and untrue. I’ve read many reviews that disagree with one character’s interpretation of feminine motivations; while I agree her particular extreme take on gender roles is challenging, I found it challenging in an interesting way. There were scenes that I found to be uncomfortable, but they also led me to think deeply about my own assumptions.

 

This is that kind of book. The author does not baby the reader; she assumes that you have a familiarity with the topic or that you are ready to put the work in to understand. It’s not for everyone, but those who make the effort will be rewarded with thought-provoking characters and situations.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs by Jennifer Finney Boylan.)

 

( official Detransition, Baby page on the official Torrey Peters web site )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Audiobook Review: Badlands by Morgan Brice

Badlands
by Morgan Brice (Hoopla Downloadable Audio)

Simon Kincaide is a 35-year-old, former college professor with a PhD in Folklore and Mythology. He’s also a Medium and a Clairvoyant. He now owns and operates Grand Strand Ghost Tours in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, selling supernatural paraphernalia and books on local stories of ghosts and pirates, and giving ghost tours downtown.

 

Vic D’Amato, 31 years old, is a homicide detective recently transplanted from Pittsburgh. He doesn’t believe in any of this woo-woo stuff.

 

Problem is, a serial killer is targeting victims with psychic abilities.

 

This is a well-written paranormal/romance/murder mystery as Simon and Vic figure out their relationship as they also try to figure out the murders. The major characters are slowly unfolded for us, and the secondary characters are also well-developed.

 

If you enjoy the old TV series “Night Stalker,” with Darren McGavin as a journalist who discovers all sorts of supernatural creatures while he’s covering murders in his town — and no one believes him — then you might like this as well.

 

Currently there are five books in this series as paperbacks, ebooks, and audio books. The library has the first four available on Hoopla audio.

 

( official Badllands series page on the official Morgan Brice web site )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

The Magic Fish

by Trung Le Nguyen (YA PB (Graphic Novel) Trung)

 

A young queer boy uses fairy tales to connect with his Vietnamese-speaking mother. A language story. A gender story. A family love story. Threaded together with fairy tales. The boy speaks English as his first language, while his mother speaks Vietnamese. The boy is queer and he’s scared to tell his mother/parents. Mom uses a fairy tale to reassure him that they can write their own ending. Together.

 

( publisher’s official The Magic Fish web site ) | ( official Trung Le Nguyen web site )

 

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!