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Artificial Condition
by Martha Wells

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This is the second novella in the Murderbot Diaries series and a re-listen for me. I just can't seem to get enough Murderbot. In this one, Murderbot has left Dr. Mensah and Preservation Station aboard a bot-driven transport, heading for a mining facility where it had once been assigned to try and find out what terrible thing happened that caused it to hack its governor module. On the way, it meets ART, a sentient Deep Space Research and Teaching Vessel, then contracts to protect three humans who are determined to do something dangerous - though it would rather just be alone with its media to binge serials. I love the interaction between Murderbot and ART, as well as the growth of the Murderbot character. The world building is complex, dealing with corporate greed, political corruption, and interstellar happenings, but it's easy to follow, which is a testament to Wells' storytelling skills. The books are queer and diverse and just full of wholesome, positive representation, and it's wonderful! They are also hilarious at times, gut-wrenching at others, but it's the character of Murderbot that makes this series so special. Is it concerning how much I relate to a cyborg that calls itself Murderbot?

Tender Is The Bite
by Spencer Quinn

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In this one, Chet (and Bernie) take on a case of missing persons (and a missing ferret) involving shady politicians, their unpleasant neighbor Mr. Parsons, the aforesaid ferret, a race horse in training, a nasty police detective, a miniature golf range, and a bomb in a cave. Pretty good, and, of course, Chet's take on things is just hilarious.

Native Son
by Richard Wright

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Good but devastating. You see the prosecution of a black man that really meant no harm. You can also see the difference between the value of the white female body vs the black female body.

Lisey's Story By Stephen King
by Stephen King

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I told a while to get thru but I enjoy the story. It was a little upsetting about what he did to her the crazy guy for the books. And I felt sorry for her husband what he went thru as a child. The book reminds me of another story I read but I can't remember the name. I enjoy Kings books and I can't wait for next one. I like how she was able go into his world

The Last Guard
by Nalini Singh

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I'd rate this 3-and-a-half stars if possible. Anyway, this is about Payal, CEO of a major Psy family conglomerate based in Delhi, India and Canto (stupid name, sorry), chief spymaster for the Mercant family. Both are Designation As - Anchors - and strong ones at that. Both were also severely damaged as children because apparently Designation A children often have physical and mental problems that cause some family groups to disown them before their Anchor status can be confirmed. As usual with Nalini's Psy/Changeling series, they are stronger together as they work to shore up the PsyNet which is being damaged by The Architect and her Scarab minions. (Kaleb & Sahara played parts, which made me happy, and we also got to see Aden, Valentin, Silver and Arwen plus the other members of The Council.) Not my favorite in the series but kept me reading, so good enough!

The Code Breaker Jennifer Doudna
by Walter Isaacson

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Phew! Finally finished this book about the scientists whose work on gene editing resulted in the development of CRSPR. I found parts of it a real slog and parts fascinating. (The parts that talked about the infighting and legal battles over patents were the slog for me; the parts about the scientific discoveries and the ethical questions of gene editing fascinating.) I'm really glad I finished it after having run out of time and it going back to the library when I was a few chapters from the end. Reading about the events around the Covid vaccine was very interesting, and I actually cried when Doudna reconnected with her French collaborator and they both ended up winning the Nobel Prize. Another 3-1/2 star book.

The Maidens
by Alex Michaelides

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I wanted this to be more than it was. I felt like it had such great premise but fell short in how it was carried out.

Dial A For Aunties
by Jesse Q Sutanto

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This was a perfect beach read, with a fantastic cast of characters, second chance at love, a stunning setting and an wedding that doesn't go to plan. I cackled and snort-laughed through this book, highly recommend!

Convenience Store Woman
by Sayaka Murata

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This book is not surprising, but it is oddly comforting in how weird or main character is. She doesn't give a hoot about appearing normal to anyone else, but she sure makes me feel better about my social skills!

How Lucky
by Will Leitch

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I enjoyed the story and the message to be grateful and enjoy life. The writing style from time to time lost me. But overall enjoyed it.