Book & Booze Reads

Leviathan Wakes

The Expanse: Book #1

By: James S. A. Corey
Narrated by: Jefferson Mays
Length: 20 hours 55 minutes

From a New York Times bestselling and Hugo award-winning author comes a modern masterwork of science fiction, introducing a captain, his crew, and a detective as they unravel a horrifying solar system wide conspiracy that begins with a single missing girl. With over 10 million copies sold, The Expanse has become one of the biggest science... Read more

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires

By: Grady Hendrix
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Length: 13 hours 48 minutes

“I don’t know about everyone else, but I, for one, am really excited that vampires are making a comeback. I think they’re such a fun trope in pretty much every genre, and this was no exception. True to the Grady Hendrix style, this book was the perfect campy, slightly off-kilter, and moderately gory suburban horror story I didn’t know I needed. Read more

What Moves the Dead

Sworn Soldier: Book #1

By: T. Kingfisher
Narrated by: Avi Roque
Length: 5 hours 25 minutes

“This was one of the best retellings of The Fall of The House of Usher I’ve ever read. Between the representation and the absolutely witty humor and excellently horrifying descriptions. This was an absolute joy to read. Also, half way through the book I learn that Avi Roque narrates the audiobook and I will listen to anything he narrates, because... Read more

Sleeping Giants

The Themis Files: Book #1

By: Sylvain Neuvel
Narrated by: Various
Length: 8 hours 27 minutes

“Sleeping Giants reads like a military dossier, interview after interview given with the serious intent of laying out the scientific tale of a discovered history that will change everyone's lives forever. At the age of 10, Rose falls through a hole in the ground and lands in a large metal hand that had been buried. Seventeen years later, she is... Read more

Neverwhere

By: Neil Gaiman
Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
Length: 13 hours 48 minutes

National BestsellerSelected as one of NPR’s Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of All TimeThe #1 New York Times bestselling author’s wildly successful first novel featuring his new Neverwhere tale, “How the Marquis Got His Coat Back.” Richard Mayhew is a young man with a good heart and an ordinary life, which is changed forever when he... Read more

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

A Novel

The Carls: Book #1

By: Hank Green
Narrated by: Kristen Sieh & Hank Green
Length: 9 hours 24 minutes

“Brilliant! Hank Green has written an engrossing debut novel with a fun, vibrant, emotionally powerful and completely non sequitur plot. In a New York crosswalk, protagonist April May’s discovery of giant, sentient, maybe even alien omnipotent robots completely upends her life, both professionally and romantically. Through the eyes of this young,... Read more

The Three-Body Problem

The Three-Body Problem Series: Book #1

By: Cixin Liu
Narrated by: Luke Daniels
Length: 13 hours 25 minutes

“I finally picked this book up at the behest of our former Commander-in-Chief, who claimed he read it as a way to escape. While certainly this is an immersive book, it is also one that challenges you, forces you to think and learn every moment you are reading it. As a work in translation it is phenomenal, with the translator’s notes prodding you... Read more

Severance

A Novel

By: Ling Ma
Narrated by: Nancy Wu
Length: 9 hours 53 minutes

“Candace Chen is a first-generation Chinese millennial immigrant who tries to make a life in New York City by succumbing to the role of the office drone who helps create cheap bibles. But when Shen Fever—a plague that causes its victims to perform a rote task until death—hits, only a few survive, including Candace. She soon finds herself in a... Read more

Ninth House

Ninth House Series: Book #1

By: Leigh Bardugo
Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang & Michael David Axtell
Length: 16 hours 22 minutes

“Queen Leigh’s first foray into adult fantasy is a sensational success! One of the best fantasy books I’ve read in a long while, Ninth House contains Yale secret societies, ghosts, magic, morally gray characters, and murder. Bardugo balances dual timelines with intricate precision, and the history and world-building of her fantastical New Haven... Read more

The Name of the Wind

Kingkiller Chronicle: Book #1

By: Patrick Rothfuss
Narrated by: Nick Podehl
Length: 27 hours 55 minutes

“The Name of the Wind is a very straightforward book which you absolutely should not take at face value just because of its upfront nature. Rothfuss builds a slow burn fantasy narrative meant to keep you warm throughout dark nights of literary pursuits, rather than a showy bonfire that burns through all its material in order to hook you. Kvothe,... Read more

The Mountain in the Sea

A Novel

By: Ray Nayler
Narrated by: Eunice Wong
Length: 11 hours 5 minutes

“This is my literary Arrival. Immensely smart and precise, this book touches on identity, consciousness, climate disaster, late stage corporatocracy, linguistics, the creation of religion, ethics and care that have to go into creating artificial intelligence for both our own good and theirs - all things that I find fascinating and in need of... Read more

Legends & Lattes

A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes

Legends & Lattes

By: Travis Baldree
Narrated by: Travis Baldree
Length: 7 hours 18 minutes

“Cozy mysteries are a huge subgenre, but have you heard of cozy sci-fi/fantasy? If you’re new to the trend and could use something rich and sweet to warm you up, this story of a warrior orc named Viv who decides to pursue her dream of opening a cafe in a city that’s never heard of coffee is a gentle, affirming read. I especially enjoyed the... Read more

Babel

Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of The Oxford Translators' Revolution

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Chris Lew Kum Hoi & Billie Fulford-Brown
Length: 21 hours 45 minutes

“Finishing a book like this is equal parts pleasure and pain: pleasure in that reading something as striking and beautiful as this is everything a reader hopes to feel in a book juxtaposed by the pain of something beautiful ending and leaving these characters behind in the pages. There are few books that have brought tears to my eyes (I can still... Read more

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

A Monk and Robot Book

Monk & Robot: Book #1

By: Becky Chambers
Narrated by: Em Grosland
Length: 4 hours 8 minutes

“"A Psalm for the Wild-Built" watered my crops, cleared my pores, and brewed the best, fullest, most comforting cup of tea for me. I love this book. I love Dex and Mosscap and their philosophies and wide, wonderful world. More, please Read more

Black Sun

Between Earth and Sky: Book #1

By: Rebecca Roanhorse
Narrated by: Cara Gee, Nicole Lewis, Kaipo Schwab & Shaun Taylor-Corbett
Length: 12 hours 46 minutes

“During a time where I was struggling to pick up another book, this book not only revitalized my love of Fantasy. This absolute cluster of lovely chaos has become the start of my current favourite series! Rippling thrills, magical lore and sooo much suspense kept me hooked from chapter to chapter! Read more

The Book Eaters

By: Sunyi Dean
Narrated by: Katie Erich
Length: 13 hours 27 minutes

“Unexpectedly great read. This book tackles single parenthood, sexism, and morality in a unique and satisfying way. Read more

Certain Dark Things

A Novel

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Aida Reluzco
Length: 8 hours 46 minutes

“What an engrossing, vibrant, new take on vampires. Part forbidden love story, part revenge caper, part bloodbath, this is easily one of my favorite vampire stories now. I love how Moreno-Garcia creates complex social structures and vampire-specific physical attributes to heighten tensions. This divide between vampires, as well as the... Read more

Magic for Liars

A Novel

By: Sarah Gailey
Narrated by: Xe Sands
Length: 9 hours 7 minutes

“Private Detective Ivy Gamble is hired to investigate a gruesome death at Osthorne Academy for Young Mages. Ivy has no magic and has more experience investigating insurance fraud cases than she has in solving murders. Now she has the chance to show off her detective skills at the same school her estranged magical twin sister teaches at...but will... Read more

Sorrowland

A Novel

By: Rivers Solomon
Narrated by: Karen Chilton
Length: 12 hours 1 minute

“Vern is a captivating protagonist from page one: gritty, determined, flawed, clever, and resourceful. The story slowly fills in all the details of a life that wasn’t what it seemed, and offers an ending you can’t predict. Sorrowland is beautiful, ugly, engaging, and awe-inspiring. Read more

Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle: Book #1

By: Diana Wynne Jones
Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
Length: 8 hours 36 minutes

A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book and ALA Notable and Best of the Year in Young Adult Fiction, Howl's Moving Castle by acclaimed fantasy writer Diana Wynne Jones was transformed into an Academy Award-nominated animated motion picture by Hayao Miyazaki. On a rare venture out from her step-mother's hat shop, Sophie attracts the attention of a... Read more