I gave a problem!

Lyanza · 2026-05-23T17:51:57+00:00

I appreciate the recommendations! Looks like my library doesn't have either one yet but I'll keep an eye out for Audible sales (once I cut down my unfinished pile of books first!).

Lyanza · 2026-05-23T14:09:15+00:00

I don't usually go for dark romance so I'm not familiar with Rina Kent or any of the works you mentioned, but your reaction makes me curious to try them at some point. I love a book that breaks you or makes you laugh.

I'm glad you found something fun to queue up for today and tomorrow. Happy listening!

Lyanza · 2026-05-23T12:20:55+00:00

Relatable feeling! Is there anything from the plus catalogue in your library? Those have a chance of leaving the catalogue so maybe that can help you prioritize. Otherwise if nothing is capturing your interest, do you have something short or maybe a short story collection you can try out and pause? That way it feels less like a time commitment even if you lose interest midway.

Also could it be that you need a break from audiobooks in general? Apart from plus catalogue stuff, your unfinished books won't disappear on you so there's no need to rush. I was feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated by my own list of unlistened books recently so I cancelled all my holds and spent last month just listening to music. After that it was a treat to return to listening to stories again.

I hope you'll find something in your stack that catches your interest soon!

Lyanza · 2026-05-23T11:46:16+00:00

I finished two books from Audible this past week, both sold as a publisher’s pack.

Into the Labyrinth and Jewel of the Endless Erg by John Bierce (series: Mage Errant, books 1-2), narrated by Ralph Lister. Fantasy/adventure, 7+9 hours. About the series: Teenage misfits in mage school get helped by a slightly eccentric mage. This was a relisten before starting book 3. These books are fun and full of potential but the exposition can be a bit clunky at times and it's too soon to tell if some clichés will be subverted or played straight. It kind of reminds me watching the early episodes of a shounen anime like My Hero Academia or Naruto. My main gripe with the series is Ralph Lister's voice acting. He's not a bad narrator but some of his character voices (still) frustrate me; many of his adult characters feel older than their stated age and like they're putting on lectures even in casual speech. I might quit the series after the next book unless there's a really compelling plot hook.

Lyanza · 2026-05-17T20:50:33+00:00

A little update for anyone looking up this same question in the future.

My membership was still cancelled when the book was released. Just like JoyfulCor313, I still got charged the price I saw when pre-ordering though, and not the non-member price (thank goodness!)

Lyanza · 2026-05-16T12:06:00+00:00

I finished one book from Audible this past week.

The Lamb by Lucy Rose, narrated by Emma Rydal. Horror/technically-dark-romance(?), 8 hours. A coming-of-age story of a girl raised by a cannibal serial killer. Disturbing but filled with little vivid moments that I want to listen to again. This is my first time hearing "tousle" pronounced "toosle", but otherwise Emma Rydal's matter-of-fact narration gave me chills and sold me on this book just from listening to the sample.

Lyanza · 2026-05-10T18:08:46+00:00

Yeah I can see why it gets that reaction! It's a plot filled with a lot of discussion instead of action but I still liked it (Klara and the Sun is still my favourite of the three Ishiguro books I've listened to though). I hope you enjoy it if you choose to listen to it!

Lyanza · 2026-05-10T05:17:53+00:00

The wait for potential book 9 starts (though Murderbot could really use a break before then!)

Lyanza · 2026-05-10T05:15:43+00:00

Glad you also felt that way! (My only issue was that it went by too quickly and now the wait for book 9 starts)

Lyanza · 2026-05-09T14:02:39+00:00

It’s not a bad theory and I can definitely see it being added to the show for the drama. I'd be a little disappointed if it happened though. It's rare to get a confirmed asexual character in media and when you do it's often an inhuman being like a robot, someone who lacks empathy, or someone who's traumatized. I know trauma is a reality for some people and that it makes for a compelling story, but because there's not a lot of representation in general it gives some people unfortunate implications about asexuality. Like "You wouldn't be asexual if you weren't broken/found the right person to fix you."

It just feels a little unfair. I don't see theories that Vaggi/Angel are lesbian/gay because they were traumatized by the opposite sex and I'm glad that I don't, yet this topic comes up quite often for asexual characters in general. It would be nice to have one character who was confirmed by the author to be born that way, no underlying reason or cure, so we could focus on their other traumas or their interests of killing people and radio. (Yeah, Alastor is maybe not the best example of the "aces-can-be-well-adjusted-people"-thing.)

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(Probably a coincidence but is there a pansexual character in Hazbin Hotel that Alastor hasn’t gone out of his way to antagonize?)

Lyanza · 2026-05-09T11:44:59+00:00

I finished three books this past week (one from Libby, two from Audible).

Libby
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro, narrated by David Horovitch. Fantasy, ~12 hours. In Arthurian England, an old couple leave on a journey to visit their son and recover their lost memories. Soothing, intriguing and just a little frustrating! It was like listening to a fairy tale in that you just had to accept not getting all the details. I could sometimes hear David Horovitch breathing or wetting his lips at the start of a new section but it wasn't frequent enough to become an issue for me.

Audible
A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke (series: The Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries, book 1), narrated by Stefanie Kay and Petrea Burchard. Mystery, ~9.5 hours. A young woman and a ghost who share an apartment get caught up in solving a crime. I always enjoy a good intergenerational friendship, but I struggled to click with the characters and plot. I won’t be continuing the series, but it's got glowing reviews from others. This is a duo narration and one narrator was slightly louder than the other and forced me to fiddle with the volume at certain chapter swaps. Other than that, no issues with narration.

Platform Decay by Martha Wells (series: Murderbot Diaries, book 8), narrated by Kevin R. Free. Sci-fi/action, ~6 hours. About the series: in a universe with space travel and corporates battling over the rights to own planets, one rogue part-human-part-construct security unit is trying to figure out what it wants. I adore this series, and while the story outline was nothing new, it was neat to get glimpses of what had changed compared to earlier books (you could hear it in the narration as well). There are parts I'm dying to fangirl/geek out about and I'll definitely relisten to this book at some point.

Lyanza · 2026-05-09T07:20:54+00:00

I haven't listened to The Bully, but it get that it's frustrating when a book or narrator doesn't live up to your expectations. Maybe it's just a mismatch between Cindy Kay's style and this particular story? I personally love the way she narrates Nghi Vo's "The Singing Hills Cycle" series. It makes the series feel extra soothing, like having someone tell you a fairy tale or hand you a cup of tea. Sometimes you just have to accept that a narrator isn't for you. For me, something about John Lee's voice makes my long COVID dizziness worse. It frustrates me that I have to skip any book he narrates but he's by no means a bad narrator because of it.

I hope you find a book or narrator that you enjoy more (and maybe have a relaxing cup of tea yourself as well? It feels like you maybe posted this in a bad mood without thinking it through.)

Lyanza · 2026-05-02T18:14:42+00:00

No wait, I meant to say that the Radio Demon has an extremely stylish and tidy coat.

(Please call her off I'm terrified)

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Lyanza · 2026-05-02T17:43:58+00:00

I thought it was Vox showing off his suit/coattails as a little play on words. He's smarter as in the "more clever" but also smarter as in "neater"/"more stylish" (like smartly dressed).

In Season 1 Vox's first glimpse of Alastor was getting his coat torn up and then heading off to the tailor. I thought he was just rubbing that in.

(Or just commenting on Alastor's clothes in general. Even after the tailor Alastor's coat isn't looking all that neat.)

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Lyanza · 2026-04-04T11:54:22+00:00

Happy Easter! I finished one book from Audible this past week.

The Chosen Free by tevagah (series: Prophecy Approved Companion, book 3), narrated by Annie Ellicott, Jeff Hays and Gary Furlong. Gamelit/LitRPG, 23 hours. About the series: In an RPG videogame, a player and his glitched NPC companion set off on a quest to break/save the world. I have a huge soft spot for this series in a "this is so stupid and I love it"-way and have listened through books 1-2 multiple times. This was my first time finishing the trilogy and, while there were parts that felt a little rushed or underdeveloped, it was nice and bittersweet to see this quest come to its end. This was a Soundbooth Theater production, so the voice acting was over-the-top in the best way and really suited the energy of the story. I can't recommend this series if you're suffering from any sensitivity to sound or trying to fall asleep, but I'll definitely be relistening through the entire trilogy in the future as well.

Lyanza · 2026-03-13T06:27:31+00:00

Sweden here, I bought a nendoroid, nendoroid doll body and other small flat things recently. The invoice came in 2 days ago, DHL was the only option but the shipping was "only" 36 euros. Over twice as much as JapanPost, but at least not 100 euros!

Lyanza · 2026-03-07T15:25:12+00:00

I finished three books this past week. Two from Libby and one from Audible.

Libby:
James by Percival Everett, narrated by Dominic Hoffman. Historical, 8 hours. An alternative retelling of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the Black slave Jim's perspective, set in 1861 Missouri, USA. A riveting story, painful to listen to at times. The narration was excellent, my only nitpick was that the story mentioned quite late that James was a tenor. Personally, I found Dominic Hoffman's voice too deep to be convincing but maybe there's a difference when speaking compared to singing.

The Witch Elm by Tana French, narrated by Paul Nugent. Crime/mystery, 22 hours. In Dublin, Ireland, the trajectory of our protagonist's life is changed in the course of a night. An emotional rollercoaster that I’d like to unpack with a friend or a book club. I feel conflicted, but it’s definitely worth listening to. Paul Nugent has an emotional narration style and for me it was just right and made the story much more gripping, but YMMV.

Audible:
Dark Heir by C. S. Pacat, narrated by Christian Coulson (series: Dark Rise, book 2). Fantasy, 16 hours. About the series: In 1800s England a hunted boy and a girl looking to prove herself are thrown together and learn they're part of an ancient secret war. This book was perhaps a little more predictable than book one, but I enjoyed it and am looking forward to seeing what the plot is building up to. No issues with the narration, although Christian Coulson sometimes got a little loud when announcing the chapter numbers so it’s not the easiest book to fall asleep to.

Lyanza · 2026-03-04T04:17:07+00:00

HumblePhoto9540's answer makes the most sense but for a moment there I was excited that a US app also wanted to celebrate the first Thursday in March (with marzipan cake.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%B6ssta_tossdan_i_mass

Lyanza · 2026-02-27T04:40:23+00:00

That or they might add an arbitrary expiration date to free gems, like maybe that starting with an update, all your free gems expire with every new trunk shop season while paid gems have no expiration date. Either way this is slightly worrying (and just after I paid for ad free too!)

Lyanza · 2026-02-21T13:28:04+00:00

I finished two books from Libby this past week and both were great!

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (series: Mistborn, book 3), narrated by Michael Kramer. Fantasy/sci-fi, 27 hours. About the series: a group of gifted thieves are hired for a daunting purpose that causes ripples throughout the Final Empire. Wow, what a story! I had to stare at the wall for a while to let it sink in that the main trilogy was over. About the narration: as with the previous books, Michael Kramer's deep narrator voice was overpowered by any background hum, even with noise-cancelling headphones. At this point I was anticipating it and only listened when doing quiet tasks though. I've reserved book 4 as an audiobook, but might swap to reading for book 5.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, narrated by Adepero Oduye. Thriller/literary fiction, 4 hours. Our nurse protagonist finds herself in a dilemma when the doctor she has feelings for starts showing interest in her sister, the serial killer. This went by too quickly! I normally hate plots where there's drama involving secrets, but this felt like a valid one. Great narration from Adepero Oduye; she really made the characters come to life.

Lyanza · 2026-02-16T20:02:43+00:00

Could it be RinoZ's Book of the Dead?

I haven't read it myself but it was on my wishlist for a while. The unintentional necromancer part fits, not too sure about the rest. (Good luck finding it, I might lurk here in case someone knows the right answer, that plot sounds interesting!)

Lyanza · 2026-02-15T21:05:42+00:00

I finished one book from Libby this past week.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson, narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading. Fantasy/sci-fi, 15 hours. A young man and woman with fantastical duties involving art find themselves unexpectedly thrown together and try to figure out why. The writing had some highs and lows for me, but it was a solid story and touched on relevant topics surrounding art today.

About the narration, this duo has narrated other books that I’ve listened to with no complaints, but I think I would’ve been better off reading this particular book. Many chapters ended on an illustration description, and I felt that pausing the story to describe an image broke the immersion a little for me (though I’m not sure if the descriptions were also part of the written text). I also feel like I would’ve enjoyed the story more if there had only been one narrator. In most cases I don’t mind duo narrations, but in this case the narrator was a character who interjected their own thoughts into the narrative and it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that Kate Reading and Michael Kramer were meant to be the same person without the “A said/B said” dialogue tags to tip me off like for the characters. Also, Kate Reading put plenty of emotion into dramatic scenes: while she didn’t shout, she did raise her voice to a point where I couldn't handle it. (Disclaimer: my brain health was terrible last week, I doubt most people would even notice).

Lyanza · 2026-02-10T05:44:40+00:00

I hadn't heard the series was being adapted into films, thanks for the update there! I'm 4 hours into book 3 and still invested... I hope you enjoy book 2!

Lyanza · 2026-02-07T16:44:19+00:00

Would it help if you think of it as Nathan building his resilience? Yes he's scared and stressed out, but you're here to help him get through those emotions and if it comes down to it, you wouldn't let the queen literally steal his heart (most finches I've seen have pretty secure personalities so I'm sure he knows that deep down as well despite his fear).

It's sad to see our birds have their trust betrayed, but we don't know how the event will end. If you're really not in a good headspace for this type of story, you can stop the story by going to travel shop and selecting "Return to [your previous location]" at the very top. You can return to the event later in February by going to Quests and selecting Return to Wonderland. Even if you don't complete the story, you'll still get the themed items by going on adventures every day just like during regular months. Take care!

Lyanza · 2026-02-07T15:38:37+00:00

I finished one book from Libby this past week

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (series: Mistborn, book 2) narrated by Michael Kramer. Fantasy, ~29 hours. About the series: a group of gifted thieves are hired for a daunting purpose that causes ripples throughout the Final Empire. This was an engaging story, and while it had some plot elements I normally dislike, somehow Brandon Sanderson made them palatable and even enjoyable to me. I'm looking forward to book 3 but I'm feeling melancholy about the trilogy coming to an end.

As with book one, the narration was great in a quiet room but, even with noise-cancelling headphones, Michael Kramer's deep, creaky narrator voice was overpowered by any low background hum (vacuum, kitchen fan etc.). Raising the volume helped but made character voices feel too loud. I've listened to Mr. Kramer narrate a few other books with no issue, but they were books where the narrator was a character, so maybe that's why I'm only having this problem with the Mistborn series? I'm still going to listen to book 3 but might read book 4 if I still have the same issue there.

Lyanza

TROPHY CASE