Find your next read from this list of books the Kansas Talking Books staff have been reading!
Amanda Diggs, Production Manager
DB 97490 Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Annotation: The Emperor has invited the heirs to each House to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but every necromancer needs their cavalier. Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.
DB 106099 Fatal fried rice by Vivien Chien
Annotation: Lana Lee has all the business instincts to make her family's Chinese restaurant a success. But not so much with the cooking instincts. She heads to culinary school on the sly. But when her instructor is murdered, Lana must find the killer and clear her name. Some violence and some strong language. 2021.
Dylan Calhoon, Patron Services Manager
DB 45742 A game of thrones by George R. R. Martin
Annotation: In a bygone world of decades-long seasons, three families struggle for the throne. When honorable Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell is sent south to be the hand of the king, he faces many ambitious and ruthless people. Meanwhile the king contends with wildlings and creatures beyond the domain wall. Some descriptions of sex, some strong language, and some violence.
DB 116879 The road to Roswell by Connie Willis
Annotation: "When level-headed Francie arrives in Roswell, New Mexico, for her college roommate's UFO-themed wedding-complete with a true-believer bridegroom-she can't help but roll her eyes at all the wide-eyed talk of aliens, which obviously don't exist. Imagine her surprise, then, when she is abducted by one. Odder still, her abductor is far from what the popular media have led her to expect, with a body like a tumbleweed and a mass of lightning-fast tentacles. Nor is Francie the only victim of the alien's abduction spree. Before long, he has acquired a charming con man named Wade, a sweet little old lady with a casino addiction, a retiree with a huge RV and a love for old Westerns, and a UFO-chasing nutjob who is thoroughly convinced the alien intends to probe them and/or take over the planet. But the more Francie gets to know the alien, the more convinced she becomes that he's not an invader. That he's in trouble and she has to help him. Only she doesn't know how-or even what the trouble is. Part alien-abduction adventure, part road trip saga, part romantic comedy, The Road to Roswell is packed full of Men in Black, Elvis impersonators, tourist traps, rattlesnakes, chemtrails, and Close Encounters of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth kind. Can Francie, stuck in a neon green bridesmaid's dress, save the world-and still make it back for the wedding?" -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
Michael Lang, Director
DB 120736 Ghost station by S.A. Barnes (in process)
Annotation: "While part of a small space exploration crew on an abandoned planet, a psychologist confronts a gruesome murder and twisted secrets as she races to prevent history from repeating itself in the form of space-borne madness."-- OCLC. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
Maggie Witte, Outreach Librarian
DB 76244 Breaking point by C. J. Box
Annotation: Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is stunned to learn that Butch Roberson, the father of his daughter's best friend, is accused of killing two EPA employees. The victims had ordered Butch to stop building on his land. As Joe tracks Butch, new complications emerge. Strong language and some violence. Bestseller. 2013.
DB 115853 The chemistry of love by Sariah Wilson
Annotation: "How can Anna Ellis, a geeky, brilliant, and hopelessly smitten cosmetic chemist possibly win over Craig Kimball, the man of her dreams-who also happens to be her boss? The answer is Craig's empathetic (and handsome) CEO half brother, Marco. The makeup mogul knows Craig for the ridiculously competitive rival he is. Whatever Marco has, Craig wants. That can be Anna, if she's game to play. All Anna and Marco have to do is pretend they're falling in love and let the rumors begin. If the experiment in attraction works, a jealous Craig will swoop in and give Anna her happily ever after-if it weren't for one hitch in the plan. There's more to Marco than meets the eye. With every fake date, Anna's feelings are starting to become dizzyingly real. Blame it on chemistry. It's unpredictable, exciting, and occasionally combustible. If Anna and Marco are really falling in love, who are they to argue with science?" -- Provided by publisher.
DB 118263 Starter villain by John Scalzi
Annotation: "Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital. It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good. In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB 110401 The very secret society of irregular witches by Sangu Mandanna
Annotation: "As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don't mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she's used to being alone and she follows the rules...with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos "pretending" to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously. But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and...Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he's concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat. As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when peril comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn't know she was looking for." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.