The Kansas Talking Books staff has an eclectic taste in books from all different genres. Check out what our staff has been reading this month.

Maggie Witte, Outreach Librarian

DB 121552 Ocean's godori by Elaine U. Cho

"Becky Chambers meets Firefly in this big-hearted Korean space opera debut about a disgraced space pilot struggling to find her place while fighting to protect the people she loves. "A thrilling, transportive ride from a powerful and evocative new voice."-- Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani, and Naomi Funabashi, Hillman Grad Books Ocean Yoon has never felt very Korean, even if she is descended from a long line of haenyeo, Jeju Island's beloved female divers. She doesn't like soju, constantly misses cultural references, and despite her love of the game, people still say that she doesn't play Hwatu like a Korean. Ocean's also persona non grata at the Alliance, Korea's solar system-dominating space agency, since a mission went awry and she earned a reputation for being a little too quick with her gun. When her best friend, Teo, second son of the Anand Tech empire, is framed for murdering his family, Ocean and her misfit crewmates are pushed to the forefront of a high-stakes ideological conflict. But dodging bullets and winning space chases may be the easiest part of what comes next. A thrilling adventure across the solar that delivers hyperkinetic action sequences and irresistible will-they-won't-they romance alongside its nuanced exploration of colonialism and capitalism, Ocean's Godori ultimately asks: What do we owe our past? How do we navigate our present while honoring the complicated facets of our identity? What can our future hold?"-- From publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

DB 107522 The diamond eye by Kate Quinn

Kiev, 1937. Bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son--but Hitler's invasion sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila becomes a deadly sniper--a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2022.

DB 122378 Of jade and dragons by Amber Chen

"After her father's murder, eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying travels to the capital, where she diguises herself as her brother and infiltrates the Engineers Guild as she tries to solve her father's murder with help from a prince with plans of his own."-- From publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers.

DB 110049 Half a soul by Olivia Atwater

"Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment-an unfortunate condition that leaves her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season-but when Elias Wilder, the strange, handsome, and utterly ill-mannered Lord Sorcier, discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into peculiar and dangerous faerie affairs. If her reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all high society, then she and her family may yet reclaim their normal place in the world. But the longer Dora spends with Elias, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love even with only half a soul." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Ryan Lauber, Library Assistant

DB 94475 Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

In the prisons of the Lord Ruler, Kelsier discovers he has the powers of the Mistborn. A brilliant thief, Kel recruits a team from the underworld's elite to challenge the Lord Ruler. It's a long shot, until Kel finds the ragged girl Vin, a half-skaa orphan like him. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2006.

Dylan Calhoon, Patron Services Manager

DB 58628 The lone drow by R. A. Salvatore

After their near-devastating defeat in The Thousand Orcs (DB 58337), dwarves and humans flee the onslaught of King Obould Many-Arrows and his orc army. Dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden, having become separated from his companions, sets out alone across the Spine of the World to avenge the fallen. Violence. 2003.

Jason Brinkman, Production Manager

DB 122096 Challenger: a true story of heroism and disaster on the edge of space by Adam Higginbottom

"On January 28, 1986, just seventy-three seconds into flight, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Millions of Americans witnessed the tragic deaths of the crew, which included New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. Like the assassination of JFK, the Challenger disaster is a defining moment in twentieth-century history -- one that forever changed the way America thought of itself and its optimistic view of the future. Yet the full story of what happened, and why, has never been told. Based on extensive archival research and meticulous, original reporting, Challenger : A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space follows a handful of central protagonists -- including each of the seven members of the doomed crew -- through the years leading up to the accident, and offers a detailed account of the tragedy itself and the investigation afterward. It's a compelling tale of ambition and ingenuity undermined by political cynicism and cost-cutting in the interests of burnishing national prestige ; of hubris and heroism ; and of an investigation driven by leakers and whistleblowers determined to bring the truth to light. Throughout, there are the ominous warning signs of a tragedy to come, recognized but then ignored, and later hidden from the public. Higginbotham reveals the history of the shuttle program and the lives of men and women whose stories have been overshadowed by the disaster, as well as the designers, engineers, and test pilots who struggled against the odds to get the first shuttle into space. A masterful blend of riveting human drama and fascinating and absorbing science, Challenger identifies a turning point in history -- and brings to life an even more complex and astonishing story than we remember." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.