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Before the days of going toe-to-toe with the Avengers, a younger Loki is desperate to prove himself heroic and capable, while it seems everyone around him suspects him of inevitable villainy and depravity . . . except for Amora. Asgard’s resident sorceress-in-training feels like a kindred spirit-someone who values magic and knowledge, who might even see the best in him. But when Loki and Amora cause the destruction of one of Asgard’s most prized possessions, Amora is banished to Earth, where her powers will slowly and excruciatingly fade to nothing. Without the only person who ever looked at his magic as a gift instead of a threat, Loki slips further into anguish and the shadow of his universally adored brother, Thor. When Asgardian magic is detected in relation to a string of mysterious murders on Earth, Odin sends Loki to investigate. As he descends upon nineteenth-century London, Loki embarks on a journey that leads him to more than just a murder suspect, putting him on a path to discover the source of his power-and who he’s meant to be.
Hola Audiophiles!
It’s Hispanic Heritage Month! I’m going through my TBR to pick out some great listens for the month by Hispanic (and Latinx) authors to recommend to you later in the month! For now I’ve got some more new releases (with some briefer descriptions) so I can rave a little more about my latest listen.
Ready? Let’s audio.
New Releases – September 24 (publishers descriptions in quotes)
High School by Tegan Quin and Sara Quin, narrated by the authors – “From the iconic musicians Tegan and Sara comes a memoir about high school, detailing their first loves and first songs in a compelling look back at their humble beginnings.”
- Narrator note: this one is narrated by… Tegan and Sara! So cool.
Make it Scream, Make it Burn: Essays by Leslie Jamison, narrated by the author – “Leslie Jamison offers us 14 new essays that are by turns ecstatic, searching, staggering, and wise… Among Jamison’s subjects are 52 Blue, deemed ‘the loneliest whale in the world’; the eerie past-life memories of children; the devoted citizens of an online world called Second Life; the haunted landscape of the Sri Lankan Civil War; and an entire museum dedicated to the relics of broken relationships.”
- Narrator note: Hey hey, another author narrating their own work! Excited for this one, I really enjoyed The Recovering, Jamison’s narration was evocative and reminded me of slam poetry.
Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America by Nefertiti Austin, narrated by Allyson Johnson – “Motherhood So White is the story of Nefertiti’s fight to create the family she always knew she was meant to have and the story of motherhood that all American families need now. In this unflinching account of her parenting journey, Nefertiti examines the history of adoption in the African American community, faces off against stereotypes of single, black motherhood, and confronts the reality of raising children of color in racially charged, modern-day America. ”
- Narrator note: I’m unfamiliar with this narrator but had to talk about them because the samples I heard from some of their other work almost sounded automated! Not a dig, it’s just so crisp and, as I’ve said before, sounds like someone who could have recorded the Walgreens automated messaging.
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates, narrated by Joe Morton – “Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her – but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. This brush with death births an urgency in Hiram and a daring scheme: to escape from the only home he’s ever known.”
- Narrator note: Joe Morton’s narration of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man
Latest Listens
Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, narrated by January LaVoy – I did that thing that I love to do with this book where I went in knowing almost nothing about the plot. I knew there’d be doors and magic, and that the cover is pretty. That’s all it takes sometimes.
January Scaller is a young girl living in a giant mansion where she’s the ward of Mr. Locke, an eccentric fellow and collector of peculiar treasures. Her life changes irrevocably when she finds an old, shabby looking book that turns out to be a tale of adventures in other worlds and the secret doors that lead to them. The further she gets into the book, the more she learns that her own history might be linked to the one in the pages, and that she might possess a unique ability to open magical doors.
I was bewitched from the first buttery words uttered by January LaVoy, a voice I spent time with most recently in my listen of The Paragon Hotel. She’s able to switch seamlessly from that gorgeous I’m-telling-you-a-story-that-you-definitely-want-to-hear tone to the timid innocence of a young January (why am I JUST realizing the narrator and main character have the same name???!); the rather pompous Mr. Locke; the sassy, don’t-take-no-ish protagonist of the strange book; and a whole other cast of interesting characters from all parts of this wide and wild world.
BRB, going off in search of magic doors.
From the Internets
Here’s the current top ten list over at Audible.
Audible and The Great Courses have teamed up to create new audio-only nonfiction titles.
Mental illness can make it hard to read; audiobooks can help.
4 audiobooks for when you need that “get-your-sh*t together” talk.
That’s all I got today! Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with audiobook feedback & questions or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the In The Club newsletter, peep the Read Harder podcast, and watch me booktube every Friday too!
Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa