What I Ate in One Year

 

Author: Stanley Tucci

Narrator: Stanley Tucci

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2024

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted audiobook! 

Actor and foodie Stanley Tucci takes readers on a delicious journey of what he ate almost every day in 2023. Mr. Tucci narrates his audiobook and it’s wonderful. I loved his dry wit. I also loved the descriptions of the food he ate in restaurants around the world and what cooked at home for his family and friends. If I ever win the lottery I’m going to Italy to eat at all the restaurants he discusses in this book. His love of cooking comes from his parents and he even provides several recipes throughout the book. He also provides a peek at his busy life as an actor, philanthropist, and husband and father. The chapters are short diary entries and his narration is extremely entertaining. Even if you don’t like cooking, the way he describes fresh ingredients and excellent, but simple meals will have your mouth watering. Mangiare!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: what’s your favorite dish? 

I love pizza and pasta and meatballs.

#whatiateinayear #stanlettucci #simonaudio #audiobook #audiobookreview #food #foodie #nonfiction #audiobookstagram #audiobooksofinstagram

Memorials

 

Author: Richard Chizmar

Narrators: Michael Crouch and Jonathan Todd Ross

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2024

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted audiobook. I appreciate your generosity! 

Three college friends sent off on a road trip to make a documentary about roadside memorials for a class. As their journey progresses, weird and creepy things begin to happen. Their sense of dread and paranoia increases and their trip ends in terror. 

Richard Chizmar’s latest book is a slow burning atmospheric creepy thriller. I really liked the three main characters Billy, Melody, and Troy. All three have experienced losing loved ones, so their project is very personal. I also enjoyed the 80s vibes. I was a college kid in that era so I could relate. I also enjoyed the narration by Michael Crouch and Jonathan Todd Ross. They did a wonderful job. My only nitpick is that the story is a bit too long. The listen time for the audiobook is 15.25 hours. There were a few times I felt my concentration wandering while listening and I just wanted the story to move along a little quicker. I loved Chizmar’s book Chasing the Boogeyman. I thought that was a fantastic mix of atmospheric setting and creepiness. Memorials missed that high bar for me. But overall, I enjoyed the book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: what song, artist, or genre is on your roadtrip playlist? I’ve got Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, and the Hamilton soundtrack on mine.

#memorials #richardchizmar #horrorfiction #speculativefiction #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobookstagram #roadtrippin #creepyfiction

The Queen

 

Title: The Queen

Author: Nick Cutter

Narrators: Ariel Blake, Zac Aleman, Corey Brill, Pete Simonelli

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted audiobook. I appreciate it! 

Margaret’s best friend Charity has been missing for over a month and everyone thinks she’s dead. Then Margaret finds a new phone on her doorstep that has a text from Charity. This sends Margaret on a desperate search for Charity. But Charity has an unimaginable secret. It’s a secret that’s the brainchild of a massively wealthy tech tycoon. It’s a secret that pushes the boundaries of science. It’s a secret that ends in bloodshed. 

I thought this was a straight up thriller, but it’s not. What it is, is totally bonkers. And I mean that in the best way. Think Kafka’s The Metamorphosis but on steroids and mixed with The Island of Dr. Moreau. If you want some sci fi mixed with a smidge of horror and a generous amount of ick, this is for you. The less you know going into this one, the better. 

Author Nick Cutter keeps the pace moving and his prose is vivid and detailed. I swear one particular chapter (a flashback early on in the book) will live rent free in my head for a very long time. Ariel Blake and Corey Brill do an excellent job with the narration. This is a really an engrossing mix of thriller, sic fi and horror that kept me on the edge of my seat. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you're interested in this book, you might enjoy The Dorians.

About the Author

Nick Cutter is the author of the critically acclaimed national bestseller The Troop (which is currently being developed for film with producer James Wan), The Deep, Little Heaven, The Queen, and The Handyman Method, cowritten with Andrew F. Sullivan. Nick Cutter is the pseudonym for Craig Davidson, whose much-lauded literary fiction includes Rust and Bone, The Saturday Night Ghost Club, and, most recently, the short story collection Cascade. His story “Medium Tough” was selected by author Jennifer Egan for The Best American Short Stories 2014. He lives in Toronto, Canada. For more news information about the author and his books, visit his website.

The Reluctant Sheriff

 

Author: Chris Offutt 

Publisher: Grove Atlantic Press 

Release date: March 25, 2025

Thank you Grove Atlantic and NetGalkey for the e-arc. Much appreciated! 

Former Army CID investigator Mick Hardin’s retirement plan was to head to a small village in Corsica to find some peace and quiet. Instead he’s stuck in Kentucky. His sister Linda, the local sheriff, was wounded in the line of duty. Now Mick is holding down the fort as interim sheriff. He’s got his hands full investigating the murder of a bar owner. Mick’s investigation takes a personal turn when his ex-wife’s new husband becomes a suspect. Then two more bodies turn up. 

Author Chris Offut delivers another atmospheric and riveting police procedural. Mick is a great and complex character. He’d love nothing more to live in a cabin in the woods in his native Kentucky, but he has a restless spirit. He’s lonely after the his divorce, but he doesn’t really know how to connect with people. The only thing he knows, and what he’s good at is solving murders. 

The Reluctant Sheriff, out March 25th, is the fourth book of the series and I’ve loved them all. This book can be read as a stand alone. There’s enough information about Mick’s previous exploits to get you up to speed. If you’re looking for interesting characters, sharp writing, and a mystery with as many twists and turns a country road, then dive into the world of Mick Hardin. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: What’s trope in police procedurals that you love? Or one that you think is overused?

I think a massively overused trope is the seemly super intelligent, all knowing, always one step ahead of the police serial killer. Sometimes these villains are just too over the top for me. 

#thereluctantsheriff #chrisoffutt #mickhsrdinseries #groveatlantic #netgalley #policeprocedural #thrillerfiction #crimefiction #mysteryfiction #kentuckyfiction #bookstagram

Whiteout

 

Author: R S. Burnett

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Release date: February 11, 2025

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the e-arc. Appreciate it! 

When Rachael’s mentor asks her to join an urgent research trip to Antarctica, she jumps at the chance. Rachael is a glaciologist who put her career and research on hold when she and her husband started their family. Rachael is stationed alone at a remote outpost during the dark and unforgiving Antarctic winter. Her research may be the only thing to prevent oil companies from drilling in Antarctica and save the earth from climate change destruction. As the brutal polar winter rages on and her supplies run low, Rachel begins to think all is lost. The only communication she’s had has been a radio transmission saying a nuclear war has broken out. As Rachel worries about her husband and young daughter, she realizes she could be the last person left alive. Rachael soon discovers the most hostile environment in the world isn’t the only thing trying to kill her. 

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I loved the location. I liked that Rachael is a scientist committed to her field of study. Her struggle with being a stay home mom really added some dynamic her character. If you’re looking for a survival thriller featuring a strong female main character, this one is a good choice. The pace moves along quickly, and I loved the descriptions of the harsh yet beautiful landscape of Antarctica. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Whiteout by R.S. Burnett comes out February 11th. 

QOTD: Would you rather face a blizzard in the middle of nowhere or a freezing night alone in a dark, icy cave? Why?

I’d rather spend a night in a cave. At least in the cave, I have a little bit of shelter and I’m sort of out of the elements. 

#whiteout #rsburnett #crookedlanebooks #netgalley #bookreview #publishingsoon #antarctica #thrillerfiction #survivalfiction #bookstagram #debutnovel #debutnovelist

Beartooth

 

Author: Callan Wink

Publisher: Spiegel & Grau

Release date: February 11, 2025

📖𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄📖

Thank you @spiegelandgrau and @netgalley for the e-arc. 

Two brothers, Thad and Hazan, live a hardscrabble life in the mountains on the edge of Yellowstone. Their lives are being crushed by medical debt after their father’s illness and a tax lien. Now they’re in danger of losing the home that’s been in their family for three generations. Desperate for money, they agree to a proposition from a sketchy outsider. The brothers agree to the heist of natural resources from inside Yellowstone. Predatory animals, the weather, and the harsh, but beautiful, terrain are more threatening than getting caught by federal authorities. Can the brothers escape with their lives and save their home? 

This is a gripping story of survival, revenge, and family. The book pulled me right in and I flew through it. I loved the setting and the brothers’ dynamic. I love a good heist novel and this one did not disappoint. I thought this was a really unique take on the traditional heist story. 

I definitely recommend this one for fans of the tv show Yellowstone, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone in the mood for a fast paced adventure story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bearthooth comes out February 11. Add it to your 2025 tbr list. 

QOTD: if you could choose one survival skill to master for an adventure, what would it be and why?

I think I’d have to go with the ability to track and hunt so I wouldn’t starve. 

#beartooth  #callanwink #spiegelandgrau grau #netgalley #publishingsoon #adventurefiction #survivalfiction #crimefiction #heistnovel #familydrama #brothers #yellowstone #bookstagram

I Was a Teenage Slasher

 

Author: Stephen Graham Jones 

Narrator: Michael Crouch

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio 

Year: 2024

🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧

Thank you @simon.audio for the #gifted audiobook! 

I know spooky season is over and I’m way late with this review. But I also know A LOT of you like to keep the spirit of spooky season going all year ‘round. This book’s for you! 

Tolly Driver is a regular 17 year old kid in Texas in the late 1980s. He’s kind of a slacker, but otherwise an average guy- until a drunken prank at a party goes horribly wrong. Then Tolly’s decent into becoming a murderer begins. 

The story plays with all the slasher movie tropes and it’s so much fun. The story is told from Tolly’s point of view and author Stephen Graham Jones strikes the right balance of the reader really liking Tolly and being horrified by the things he does. Michael Crouch’s narration is pitch perfect providing pathos and humor. 

I don’t read much horror, but I really enjoyed this one. Even though Tolly’s the villain, I loved his character and his voice. Tolly is horrified at what he’s becoming, powerless to stop it, and then finally embraces it. Through it all, Tolly never loses his humanity. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you haven’t read this one yet, get to it! 

QOTD: what’s for dinner tonight? I need inspiration! 

#iwasateenageslasher #stepwhengrahamjones #simonaudio #michaelcrouch #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobooksofinstagram #horror #slasher #horrorfiction #bookstagram