2022 Audiobooks

  1. The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, read by Daniel Henning
  2. The Truth by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
  3. Hench by Natalie Zina Walschotts, read by Alex McKenna
  4. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, read by Kristin Atherton
  5. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones, read by Kristin Atherton
  6. Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones, read by Chris Webster & Harriet Carmichael
  7. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton
  8. Half-off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire, read by Amy Finegan
  9. The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross, read by Jack Hawkins
  10. The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross, read by Jack Hawkins
  11. The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross, read by Jack Hawkins
  12. The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross, read by Jack Hawkins
  13. Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi read by Aminah Mae Safi
  14. Armada by Ernest Cline read by Wil Wheaton
  15. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell read by Rebecca Lowman
  16. Welcome To Temptation by Jennifer Crusie read by Aasne Vigesaa
  17. Faking It by Jennifer Crusie read by Aasne Vigesaa
  18. Who Are Ya? by Kevin Day read by Kevin Day
  19. Book Lovers by Emily Henry read by Julia Whelan
  20. Ain’t She A Peach by Molly Harper read by Amanda Ronconi
  21. How To Date Your Dragon by Molly Harper read by Amanda Ronconi and Jonathan Davis
  22. The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik read by Anisha Dadia
  23. The Diamond Throne by David Eddings read by Greg Abby
  24. The Ruby Knight by David Eddings read by Greg Abby
  25. Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir read by Moira Quirk
  26. Harrow The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir read by Moira Quirk
  27. Nona The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir read by Moira Quirk
  28. The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik read by Anisha Dadia
  29. The Peripheral by William Gibson read by Lorelei King
  30. The Sirens Of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut read by Jay Snyder
  31. Feersum Endjinn by Iain M Banks read by Peter Kenny
  32. Made In Scotland by Billy Connolly read by Gordon Kennedy
  33. Record Play Pause by Stephen Morris read by Stephen Morris

2022 Books

  1. Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest rated B+
  2. Record Play Pause by Stephen Morris rated A-
  3. Fast Forward by Stephen Morris rated A-
  4. Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore rated B
  5. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman rated B+
  6. Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron rated B
  7. The Rhesus Chart by Charles Stross rated B
  8. Book Lovers by Emily Henry rated B+
  9. Gimme Some Sugar by Molly Harper rated B-
  10. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir rated A
  11. Harrow The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir rated A-
  12. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care rated B
  13. Be The Serpent by Seanan McGuire rated B+
  14. The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman rated B+
  15. Fringe: Beyond The Fringe by Joshua Jackson etc. rated B-
  16. You And Me On Vacation by Emily Henry rated b+
  17. Nona The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir rated A-
  18. Fangirl (The Manga) Volume 1 by Sam Maggs rated B
  19. The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik rated A
  20. Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis rated B-
  21. The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis rated B
  22. Lucky In Love by Jill Shalvis rated B
  23. Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis rated B
  24. Justice Calling by Annie Bellet rated B
  25. Christmas at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson rated B
  26. Coming Home to the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson rated B
  27. Sunshine at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson rated B
  28. A Gift From the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson rated B
  29. Murder of Crows by Annie Bellet rated B

lastra?

Book Lovers

Emily Henry

Nora is an uptight career-focused NYC literary agent.
She’s persuaded by her little sister Libby to spend time with her in a quaint small town in North Carolina.
Once in town she keeps bumping into Charlie – a book editor who has been dismissive of work by her clients in the past.
Whatever will happen next?
This is a very enjoyable romance novel with enough of a twist on old tropes to never become tiresome. In fact I really enjoyed it. If Nora Ephron were still alive I reckon she could make a really good film of it.

Rating: B+

investment?

The Rhesus Chart

Charles Stross

Bob Howard discovers that Vampires are a real thing through data analysis. Identifying an active cell he infiltrates a bank only to discover that leader of the cell is his former girlfriend.
Forced to bring her and her colleagues into the Laundry fold he gets caught in the middle of a tactical battle between two old and powerful vampires.
I was working my way through the Laundry Files as audiobooks and reached this one and had to switch to read the ebook instead. The banking vampires were just too annoying to listen to!
This is a pretty good Laundry book and probably the last before the Stross’ taste for bleak shit gets too much for me.

Rating: B

starter?

Accidentally Engaged

Farah Heron

Reena is a great baker with a loving but interfering family.
Desperate to enter a couples’ cooking competition she persuades her next door neighbour to pretend to be engaged.
This a sweet little ‘fake engaged’ story with some interesting insight into a particular segment of American Muslim society.
It’s an engaging read but it’s not much more than that.

Rating: B

phil?

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

Abbi Waxman

Nina Hill is happily working in bookshop when event arounds her conspire to change her life forever.
This is a pleasant read with enjoyable turns in the plot.

Rating: B+

vocal?

Battle of the Linguist Mages

Scotto Moore

This is a fun book full of invention written by an author that shows real promise.
is a huge fan of a particular video game that uses nonsense vocal commands to cast ‘spells’.
Her work as a PR consultant brings her into contact with the firm that produces the game and she finds herself brought into the inner circle where she learns that he vocal commands can have actual real world effects.

As I say it’s a lot of fun and I really enjoyed a lot of the invention on display here.
Unfortunately where the book falls down is in the area of plot because as the story draws to a conclusion it becomes messy and confusing.

I’m looking forward to future books where hopefully all the promise shown in this one bears fruit.

Rating: B

bars?

Fast Forward

Stephen Morris

This book covers the career of New Order, the Hacienda nightclub, the music of The Other Two and the relationship between himself and Gillian Gilbert (also a member of New Order).
This book is just as good a read as the previous volume but it is a little more vague about the various ructions that happened in New Order particularly as it gets to the point where Peter Hook leaves.
There does seem to be a promise to one day cover the court case where Hook sued to wind up the band and the period where Gilbert rejoined after taking leave to care for their kids.

Rating: A-

taps?

Record Play Pause

Stephen Morris

This is a very good rock autobiography.
Morris recounts his wayward childhood, his burgeoning interest in alternative culture, drugs and particularly music.
He becomes a member of Warsaw who eventually rename themselves Joy Division.
He talks in frequently humourous detail about the trials and tribulations of being a band on the rise in the late 1970s.
The book concludes with singer Ian Curtis committing suicide and the remaining members deciding to carry on under the name New Order.
I’ve already bought the follow up to this where he covers the New Order years and I’ll be reading it next.
Very much recommended for anyone with an interest in Joy Division.

Rating: A-

psongstress?

Grave Reservations

Cherie Priest

First book in a new series from the very talented Priest.
This one features a Seattle based travel agent with psychic gifts helping a homicide detective with an investigation.
It’s a very charming read. I’ve heard there will be a sequel and I’m looking forward to reading that when it comes out.

Rating: B+