Update and a discussion of Audiobook providers

I am taking a break from working on the blog because I am under going treatment for diabetic retinopathy and it is hard for me to keep up with it right now because it disrupts my eye sight. I am still reading books, but at a much slower pace and so I have taken to listening to more audiobooks and reading on my kindle because I can control the size of the font - small print it pretty hard on the eyes and there are very few (if any) books in large print for science fiction and fantasy books and none at all that I've come across for non-fiction. I am still tracking my reading on Storygraph, but I am going to take the pressure off myself with blogging for a while and will post less over the coming months. (It's an annoyance since I've only just started the blog!) So here's a break down of the audiobook providers that I've had dealings with.

Listening Books and Calibre Audio are by far the most economical for me - they are online audiobook libraries for people who have a disability or medical condition that makes reading print material difficult for them and have a good range of books. The only downside I've found is that they are limited in what they can give their members access to due to copyright reasons but they are far better than our local library who uses Borrowbox in that they have a lot of older publications on there, better access to non-fiction and allow you to stream from their website. Between them both you get access to a good range of books, but there is some over-lap with some titles. Listening Books is £25 a year and Calibre Audio is £30 or £36 a year (there is a discount if you have a yearly subscription or a £3 recurring 

With Borrowbox, you have to download the books on to your computer, or phone and that can be tricky if you have an issue with the software that plays them, and with the computer, you have to know how to open the files to listen to them - this is problematic when you can't see properly, or just want to listen to something straightaway. They also take up a lot file space on your harddrive and with cheaper laptops not having a great deal of storage space on them these days, your harddrive can get full pretty quickly. Borrowbox is ok with e-books, but the selection is limited and most of the books you get access to are new releases, so if you want to read older publications most of the time you won't find the books on there. 

 Of the commercially available audiobooks providers, Audible is the best one I've found (unfortunately), for the customer because it is generally cheaper if you sign up to them, and they have a bigger selection. I'm not going to lie to people and say Libro.fm, Audiobooks.com, and Bookbeat are better value, because they aren't. What makes it the best option is access to the Audible Plus catalogue and the wider range of titles than the other providers. 

Audiobooks.com act a bit like Audible, in that you have a monthly credit and can pick two additonal titles from their VIP selection, but I found that the VIP selection is not broken down into genres and subjects so it is difficult for me to find the books that I am interested in within the VIP selection, and they don't have a lot of the books that I want to listen to, so therefore it is not worth it for me to sign up with them. I would have considered it if the VIP selection was easier to navigate because it is the best one for the customer out of all the providers available other than Audible.

Libro.fm is great for Independent booksellers so if you don't mind not having access to the Audible Plus catalogue or the VIP selection offered by Audiobooks.com, and you can download your books, but it's expensive compared to Audible in that you only get access to one book per month on their basic plan. 

Bookbeat is one I will never consider because instead of purchasing a book, it works on listening hours and you only get 20 hours a month on their basic plan. If you listen to a 20 hour book, that's it for the month, and if the book you listen to is more than 20 hours you won't be able to finish it in that month. You can only listen to more than one book a month if it is less than 10 hours so it is not worth it if you listen to a lot of audiobooks. 

I have looked for an e-book library similar to Listening Books and Calibre Audio, but I have been unable to find one so unfortunately I am limited to Borrowbox and Kindle for e-books right now. The best e-reader device will have to wait for another day since this post is getting overly long and although I think Audible is the best commercial audiobook provider, my opinion of Kindle being the best for e-books is not. I dislike Audible's domination of the audiobook publishing world and only accept using it because of the situation with my eye sight. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be using it.  

Update for March

I have been under going treatment for my diabetic eye condition which will be on going for the next for months (at least). This means that I won't be able to read as many physical books or e-books as I would have liked to so much of the tbr which I had planned on reading in February didn't go as planned. I will be concentrating on reading physical books and e-books from my own collection as that will allow me to take reading at my own pace, rather than trying to cram them all into a deadline that occurs when I borrow them from a library. 

I will also be listening to more audiobooks and I've reactivated my subscription to Audible as I find the service easier to use than Libro.fm, and I have access to more books that way. The audiobook service at my library isn't very good for me because their selection is too limited and I can't stream them directly from the website. When your eyesight is blurred to the point where you can't see properly, and your eyes are heavily photo sensitive, having to use an additional program to listen to audiobooks becomes problematic. 

I will also be renewing my membership of Listening Books as it has been quite a useful service to me over the past couple of years, but they do not always have the books available that I want to read as they need to cater for a wide variety of interests and they can't always get a audiobook due to copyright issues, which is another reason why I decided that reactivating my Audible subscription during this time would be useful. 

During this time, I will not be able to accept ARCs, or books for review from authors and publishers as I do not know if I will be able to read them. An audiobook that can be streamed online I will be able to accept, but not if it requires an Apple or Android device as I do not currently own one.

January Round Up

It is my aim, that, at the end of every month, I post a round up of books which I have enjoyed in that month, and give a little review of them, with the ratings that I have given them. I am not a literature graduate (my degree lies in the area of Zoology) so there are no doubt things that I will have missed which someone with more specialised knowledge in languages would have picked up on. I do have a keen interest in mythology, and ancient history but I don't hold any qualifications in the subject - most of it is self taught. I will be posting the synopsis of the book, and then a little review of what I thought about the book. In regards to audiobooks, I will only be posting what I have listened to, and the synopsis as I find it quite difficult to rate them. This is because unless I know the story from reading it previously, I don't always find them easy to follow because I get distracted, and I don't think that I can rate the book fairly if my concentration wanders while listening to it, and the choice of narrator can also impact how the book comes across so you aren't just analysing the author's writing, but also the production of the book and I don't want to give the author an undeserving low rating.The Bear and the Nightingale The Wolf Den Dogs of War and The House With the Golden Door are a mixture of physical books and e-books, and A Beautiful Evil is an audiobook. 

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden 

Synopsis:

 Beware the evil in the woods...

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family, tales of old magic frowned upon by the church.

But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods. . .

My Review:

I have mixed feelings about this book. There are some parts that I really enjoyed, like the house spirits and the Russian  equivalent  of the Norse Landvættir, but there was quite a lot of it which I felt was repetitive and I didn't really like the priest. It dragged in places - the political wranglings slowed it down and there wasn't much depth with some of the characters. The end is a bit rushed, and I think more attention could have been given to Russian folklore and less attention given to the priest as he is the main reason why I don't like the story - Anna's point of view would have been more interesting, if there was going to a focus on Christianity. It is better than I expected as I've read quite a lot of YA fairy tales and this has some originality compared to others. Because of the flaws I've highlighted, I chose to give it 3.75 stars, as it's better than a three star book, but doesn't have what it takes to be a four star read. Over all, though, I am not impressed with the book enough to continue with the series right now and I don't think the book's content is entirely true to the synopsis. 

Rating: 3.75 stars

The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper 

Synopsis:

Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii's brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den...

Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father's death plunged her family into penury. Now, she is owned by a man she despises and lives as a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, her only value the desire she can stir in others.

But Amara's spirit is far from broken. Sharp, resourceful and surrounded by women whose humour and dreams she shares, Amara comes to realise that everything in this city has its price. But how much will her freedom cost?

My Review:

The book is surprisingly touching, given the subject matter, and does not got into explicit detail regarding sex scenes, which you would probably expect in a book set in a brothel. The author approaches the subject in a sensitive manner, which the reader can appreciate.  However, I have a few criticisms for the book.  I have for the book is that I would have liked to have learnt more about the other characters in the book, and as the book is written in the third person, it would have been more interesting if it had been written with different povs of the characters included, and I would have liked to have known more about the main character before she became a slave - you feel like there should be more to the story. Hopefully, this will get corrected in book two and three, as it is the first part of a trilogy. I have read other books set in this time period before - most notably Manda Scott's Boudicca series. It fails to have the epic scope that that series has (which, unfortunately, seems to be a common issue with more recent books) so because of this I can't give the book five stars. It is still worth the read and it is my second completed read of 2026.

Rating: 4 stars

Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky 

Synopsis: 

 My name is Rex. I am a good dog.

Rex is also seven foot tall at the shoulder, bulletproof, bristling with heavy calibre weaponry and his voice resonates with subsonics especially designed to instil fear. With Dragon, Honey and Bees, he's part of a Multiform Assault Pack operating in the lawless anarchy of Campeche, Mexico. A genetically engineered Bioform, he's a deadly weapon in a dirty war. All he wants to be is a Good Dog. And to do that he must do exactly what Master says and Master says he's got to kill a lot of enemies.

But who, exactly, are the enemies? What happens when Master is tried as a war criminal? What rights does the Geneva Convention grant weapons? Do Rex and his fellow Bioforms even have a right to exist?

And what happens when Rex slips his leash?

My Review: 

 A very thought provoking book exploring the nature of intelligence, in regards to humans, non-human animals and AI, and their right to exist and be free. It is a well written book, but there gaps which could have been explored a lot better than they were - the author himself is a zoologist, so I am quite surprised that he disregards the existence of sentience in non-human animals - there have been plenty of studies centered around the capabilities of non-human primates (particularly the Great Apes), elephants, cetaceans, corvids, even cephalopods, all of which are closer to 'human' than we give them credit for. The author also makes the mistake of implying that dogs need masters when work on the social behaviour of wolves has discredited the 'alpha' wolf theory - (see the work of L. David Mech, and pay particular attention to field studies he made in the 1980's in regards to the wolves of Elesmere Island.) These themes could have been explored in the book, as the rights of animals to be free of human inflicted cruelty and pain - there are more crimes in the book than just war crimes and human enslavement. Three storylines in particular could have been expanded upon better, the court case involving Murry and Rex's status, as I feel this has been explored better elsewhere. (Think of the court case involving Data's rights and the Exocomp episodes from Star Trek: TNG, and Channel 4's Humans). The third storyline which would have been a very interesting one to explore would have been the dolphin bioform, George as we only get a snippet of his story in the book. 

I enjoyed reading the book though I think it could have been handled a lot better, which is why it is not a 5 star read for me.

Rating: 4.5 stars

The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper

Synopsis:

Amara has escaped her life as a slave in Pompeii's most notorious brothel. She now has a house, fine clothes, servants - but all are gifts from her patron, hers for as long as she keeps her place in his affections.

As she adjusts to this new life, Amara is still haunted by her past. At night she dreams of the wolf den, and the women she left behind. By day, she is pursued by her former slavemaster.

In order to be truly free, Amara will need to be as ruthless as he is. She knows she can draw strength from Venus, the goddess of love. Yet falling in love herself may prove to be Amara's downfall.

My Review: 

I really enjoyed reading the next installment of the Wolf Den Trilogy. One of the things which I like most is learning about the structure of the Roman year, the festivals and what they did on those days, as I have an interest in paganism. The same observations made in the last book still apply here, however, but there are times in the story where my sympathy for Amara is lessened - she has her own flaws and is at times, naive for for some of the choices that she makes. 

Rating: 4 stars

A Beautiful Evil by Bea Fitzgerlad 

Synopsis:

 Pandora is the first human woman – made by the gods on Olympus for one simple purpose: to love and be loved by her new husband, the titan Epimatheos.

The only problem? He wants nothing to do with her.

Hurt and confused, Pandora struggles to find meaning in her new life. What's the point of being given all these gifts by the gods, if she can't get this infuriating, awful, frankly very rude man (with an admittedly quite nice face) to love her? Maybe she's failing at her life’s purpose. Or maybe she's destined for an entirely different one . . . ?

As Pandora and Matheos work to uncover why she was created, that fated connection between them feels increasingly difficult to ignore. And with that comes terrible risk. Because Matheos’s traitorous brother, Prometheus, is a seer – and before the gods captured him he issued a final warning: that Pandora and Matheos’s love will be humanity’s doom.

So . . . what do you do when faced with an all-powerful love . . . that just happens to threaten the end of the world?

Pandora’s about to find out.

My Review: 

This book is more than just a romance, which doesn't do it justice. I see that a lot of readers who were expecting it to be focusing on romance are disappointed with it, so in my opinion it has been mis-marketed. It is also (for some strange reason), been marketed as a YA book which I think is the wrong category for it.

It is the latest book in my journey exploring Greek mythology and it really highlights how women are often shaped for the needs of men, without regard to her own agency. Pandora does a good job of fighting against this and is able to have some freedom in the end working within the constraints put on to her. It is also a story about freedom for humanity in general, and how Zeus has tried to stifle that, and punish the gods trying to protect humanity against his cruelty and dominance. This is the more important message of the book, rather than the 'romance' category that it is put into. 

Rating: 4 stars

What's on my Feburary TBR Pile?

I won't be reading any sci-fi, historical fiction, or natural history in February, as all my reading slots are taken up by books I borrowed from the library. I have a tendency of checking out more books than I can read at anyone time because I am too keen to read them and end up with a huge backlog to get through. It's made worse by the diabetic eye condiction that I am suffering from because it means that I read a lot slower than I used to, and they aren't all avilable as e-books, or audiobooks at my library, or on Listening Books. These books, are of course, a priority to get through because there might be other people waiting to read them, an issue I've encountered myself with library books! There might be a over-lap with Brigands and Breadknives as I am reading that at the moment of making this post and we are near the end of Janurary. 

 

Hera by Jennifer Saint

When Hera, immortal goddess and daughter of the ancient Titan Cronus, helps her brother Zeus to overthrow their tyrannical father, she dreams of ruling at his side.

As they establish their reign on Mount Olympus, Hera suspects that Zeus might be just as ruthless and cruel as the father they betrayed.

She was always born to rule, but must she lose herself in perpetuating this cycle of violence and cruelty? Or can she find a way to forge a better world?

Often portrayed as the jealous wife or the wicked stepmother, this retelling captures the many sides of Hera, vengeful when she needs to be but also compassionate and most importantly, an all-powerful queen to the gods.

 

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

‘So to mortal men, we are monsters. Because of our flight, our strength. They fear us, so they call us monsters’

Medusa is the sole mortal in a family of gods. Growing up with her Gorgon sisters, she begins to realize that she is the only one who experiences change, the only one who can be hurt.

When Poseidon commits an unforgiveable act against Medusa in the temple of Athene, the goddess takes her revenge where she can: on his victim. Medusa is changed forever – writhing snakes for hair and her gaze now turns any living creature to stone. She can look at nothing without destroying it.

Desperate to protect her beloved sisters, Medusa condemns herself to a life of shadows. Until Perseus embarks upon a quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .

 

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of them all . . .

In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen.

From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women embroiled in the legendary war.

Stolen Songbird by Dannelle L. Jensen

A girl destined for the stage. A prince cursed to darkness. A bond that will unleash magic caged for centuries.

Centuries ago, the Isle of Light was ruled by cruel creatures with dangerous magic until a witch bound them to their underground city. But a prophesy has spoken of a union with a human girl that has the power to set them free.

Cécile is a singer destined for the stage when she is kidnapped and bonded to the cursed prince of Trollus, with their minds linked in a way she never dreamed possible. Trollus is both magical and deadly, but as Cécile hunts for a way to escape, she discovers there is more to her mysterious husband than anyone realizes.

As tension brews and political games escalate, Cécile finds herself at the center of a rebellion... and she is the one with the magic needed to overthrow the tyrant who rules.

Torn between returning to her human life and becoming the princess Trollus needs, Cécile must decide which world she belongs to... and how far she's willing to go to save the prince who holds her heart.

How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by Jessie Sylva

The Sci-Fi Problem

 I love science fiction, but I hardly ever read any science fiction books. In the 90s, I read a lot of Star Wars books and that seemed to fill in the need for reading science fiction. The 90s had a lot of great science fiction and fantasy tv shows that spilled over into the early 2000s - Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Stargate, Babylon 5, Buffy, Hercules; The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-Files, and largely forgotten shows like Space Precient, Space: Above and Beyond, Dark Skies and The Outer Limits. I watched all of these shows along side reading Star Wars books, but I never really got into the habit of reading science fiction which didn't have a movie or tv show connection. There is one oddity in that, the Deathstalker series by Simon R. Green, which I enjoyed, and I listened to the whole series apart from Deathstalker: Prelude and the sequel trilogy on audible a couple of years ago. I have read some Timothy Zahn books - Quadrail, the Conqueror's Trilogy, The Green and the Grey and I'm currently working my way through the Icarus Saga, starting with a reread of the Icarus Hunt last summer as it had been a long while since I read the Icarus Hunt and I wanted to refresh my memory of it before I started reading the Icarus Plot. 

 However, apart from Deathstalker and Timothy Zahn, I've not really read any sci-fi that has not been a book adaptation or tie-in of a movie or tv series. Part of this problem I believe is exposure - when I go book shopping there is usually a lot of fantasy books in the shop and they have always drawn my eye, but there is usually very little science fiction to choose from on the shelves. Most of the authors who have written Star Wars books rarely get published in the UK, so you have to go to a speacilist shop that imports them from the US/Canada, or you have to buy them online, and even that is sometimes a problem because there are very few sellers who supply the UK. Another reason I've noticed is that a lot people on blogs and youtube read mainly fantasy themselves so I don't know what is out there and I don't know if a book will appeal to me as I'm not aware of it. 

I do know the type of science fiction that I DO like - I like space opera, sci-fi that is similiar to Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5 and more light hearted stuff like Stargate. I discovered Adrian Tchaikovsky through the fantasy series Echoes of the Fall, which appealed to me because the characters in it are animal shapeshifters, but not in the usual urban fantasy/horror trope, and I quite enjoyed them. I also discovered that the author himself is a zoologist so anything that explores natural history and animal behavour is something that interests me. One of my goals this year is to get into science fiction more than I have done in the past, so I am looking for recommendations.

2026 Releases I'm looking forward to this year.

The following books are what I am looking forward to this year. I don't know everything that is coming out, however, as I have no idea if there is going to be any new Shady Hollow, Unorthodox Chronicles, Naomi Novik, Kevin Hearne, or Travis Baldree books coming out. I look regularly, but I've not seen any updates for them. I do read Star Wars books, but I don't know what is coming out yet in those and they will need another post. I don't have a book for every month, and some months have several. As natural history, science and history is another interest of mine, I don't know what is coming out in that regard - I usually browse those sections at Waterstones and pick up what grabs my attention if there isn't anything in the science fiction and fantasy section that I am interested in. There are still some (relatively) recent releases that I'm interested in which I've not picked up yet because I've yet to come across them in Waterstones, or I've been unable to find them at a reasonable discount online, or there hasn't been a copy of them at the library, or been purchased by Listening Books.

This year sees the much anticipated return of Harry Dresden, with both a full length novel and a novella. We have not seen a new Dresden book since the release of Peace Talks and Battleground in 2020. I have been making my way through the Dresden Files on Listening Books in preparation for this release so the story is fresh in my mind.

Over the past year, I have developed an interest in Greek mythology, so there are some new releases coming up in that subject that are on the list. I also have an interest in ancient Egypt, and Celtic myth, so it is great to see that there is a book about Cleopatra and Brigid coming out. I am hoping that Norse myth will get the same treatment - there is a lot of Norse themed fantasy around, and Viking themed historical novels (think of the Last Kingdom series by Bernard Cornwell) but there is very little in regards to a retelling of the myths in the Eddas and Sagas, so it would be great if there were similar books written from the perspective of the goddesses such as Frigg, her handmaidens, Freya, Idunn, etc.

Last year, I read quite a few cozy fantasy books, Legends and Lattes, Bookshops and Bonedust, the Spellshop and the Emily Wild series. Many years ago, I read a book by Mary Gentle, entitled Grunts!, which I quite enjoyed reading so I am looking forward to the cozy titles showcased here. There aren't a great deal of books around from the perspective of orcs and goblins where they aren't the enemy to be fought in a story. I'm expecting the ones selected here to have a humorous aspect to them, though I hope that they aren't too much like Tom Holt. A number of years ago, I read his book An Orc on the Wildside, but was disappointed with it but still want to read books where goblins or orcs are the main characters in the story. This was one of the reasons why I read Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor, which I enjoyed much better.

I do not read as much science fiction as I would like to as I focus a lot on reading fantasy and haven't read a lot of sci-fi since the days of reading Star Wars and Stargate books. I read The Tiger and the Wolf, and the Bear and the Serpent, which I quite enjoyed, so I hope to read some Adrian Tchaikovsky's science fiction books this year - Dogs of War is one series which I am pretty keen on reading, along with the Children of Strife series.

JANUARY

Twelve Months, by Jim Butcher

Release Date: 20th January, 2026 One year. 365 days. Twelve months. Harry Dresden has been through a lot, and so has his city. After Harry and his allies narrowly managed to save Chicago from being razed to the ground, everything is different-and it's not just the current lack of electricity. In the battle, Harry lost people he cared about. And that's the kind of loss that takes a toll. Harry being Harry, he's doing his level best to help the city and his friends recover and rebuild. But it's a heavy load, and he needs time. But time is one thing Harry doesn't have. Ghouls are prowling Chicago and taking out innocent civilians. Harry's brother is dying, and Harry doesn't know how to help him. And last but certainly not least, the Winter Queen of the Fae has allied with the White Court of vampires-and Harry's been betrothed to the seductive, deadly vampire Lara Raith to seal the deal. It's been a tough year. More than ever, the city needs Harry Dresden the wizard-but after loss and grief, is there enough left of Harry Dresden the man to rise to the challenge?/td>

Brigid, by Kim Curran

Release date 29th January, 2026 In a wild, ancient grove at the edge of winter, a desperate girl prays to the gods for her freedom. Born to a slave mother, sold in marriage to a brutal husband, none have ever listened to Brigid’s prayers. But this time, a goddess answers . . . with a vision that will transform Brigid’s path forever. Ireland lies on the precipice of change. The new Christian god is coming, a faith that Brigid can bend to her will, building a sisterhood and sanctuary for women with nowhere else to turn. As their numbers grow, so too do the rumours – of just what powers women can hold when they come together. But power, like a flame, consumes as it grows. As Brigid rises, challenging kings, defying bishops, soon she must reckon with what she herself has become. And as her enemies draw closer, eager to reclaim all she has taken from them, what – or who – will she sacrifice to hold on to her legacy? A radical reimagining of Ireland’s most beloved saint, Brigid is the story of a woman who could never be caged – by men, by gods, or even by history itself.

How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days, by Jessie Slyva

Release date:20th January, 2026 When a halfling, Pansy, and a goblin, Ren, each think they've inherited the same cottage, they make a bargain: they'll live in the house together and whoever is driven out first forfeits their ownership. Amidst forced proximity and cultural misunderstandings, the two begin to fall in love. But when the cottage - and their communities - are threatened by a common enemy, the duo must learn to trust each other, and convince goblins and halflings to band together to oust the tall intruder.

Nine Goblins, by T. Kingfisher

Release date 20 Jan. 2026 No one knows exactly how the Goblin War began, but folks will tell you that goblins are stinking, slinking, filthy, sheep-stealing, henhouse-raiding, obnoxious, rude, and violent. Goblins would actually agree with all this, and might throw in "cowardly" and "lazy" too for good measure. But goblins don't go around killing people for fun, no matter what the propaganda posters say. And when a confrontation with an evil wizard lands a troop of nine goblins deep behind enemy lines, goblin sergeant Nessilka must figure out how to keep her hapless band together and get them home in one piece, despite a path filled with elves, trolls, monsters, and that most terrifying of creatures…a human being.

FEBRUARY

The Wandering Queen, by Claire Heywood

Release date: 12th February, 2026 The King of Tyre is dead, his final words anointing his clever and strong-willed daughter, Elissa, as the new queen until his young son comes of age. But betrayal and danger soon haunt Elissa, and she is forced to flee the kingdom - exiled with a band of loyal followers and a broken heart. After an arduous search for a new home, Elissa and her people settle in North Africa, and she is crowned Queen Dido: the ferocious and devoted ruler of her newly established city of Carthage. Soon a powerful trading hub, Carthage thrives under Dido's governance. But when a band of Trojan survivors, led by the valiant Aeneas, washes up on a nearby shore, Queen Dido is reminded of a promise she made long ago, never to trust or to love another again. Can Dido overcome her past and open herself - and her city - up to Aeneas, or is their love doomed to burn everything to the ground?

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter, by Heather Fawcett

Release Date: 17th February 2026 Agnes Aubert is very fond of making lists. These lists kept her afloat when she lost her husband two years ago. And now, as the founder of a cat rescue charity, her meticulous organization skills feel like the only thing standing between her beloved cats - His Majesty, Banshee and sweet elderly Thoreau, to name a few - and utter disaster. But when Agnes is forced to move the charity, she soon discovers that her new shop is being used as a front; right under her feet is the lair of the decidedly disorganised - not to mention self-absorbed and infuriatingly handsome - Havelock Renard. Havelock is everything Agnes doesn't want in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers he's more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue, perhaps even romance. After all, second chances aren't just for rescue cats. . .

The Orb of Cairado, by Katherine Addison

Release date: 3rd February, Five years ago, Ulcetha was studying at the University of Cairado, working his way toward becoming a scholar first-class in the Department of History. Then a prize artifact disappeared and Ulcetha, deftly framed, was kicked out. Now he works for a crooked importer, using his knowledge of elven history to write provenances for the fake artifacts Salathgarad sells. When the airship Wisdom of Choharo explodes, killing the emperor and three of his four sons, it takes with it Ulcetha's best friend, Mara Lilana. But Mara leaves behind a puzzle—the one thing Ulcetha can't resist. And the puzzle leads Ulcetha back to the Department of History...and maybe the chance to clear his name.

Cleopatra, by Saara El-Afri

Release date: 26th February, 2026. YOU KNOW MY NAME. BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME. Your historians call me seductress, but I was ever in love's thrall. Your playwrights speak of witchcraft, but my talents came from the gods themselves. Your poets sing of my bloodlust, but I was always protecting my children. How wilfully they refuse to concede that a woman could be powerful, strategic, divinely blessed to rule. Death will silence me no longer. This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived.

MARCH

Children of Strife, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Release Date 26 March, 2026 Centuries ago, a maverick terraforming team played God with a distant planet. Out of their vanity and spite, something terrible and unexpected arose. Generations later, tormented scientist Alis is among the crew of the research vessel that rediscovers this lost outpost. But Alis wakes from nightmares of her own making to an all-too-real catastrophe on board. The rest of the crew has vanished – leaving only Cato, the belligerent mantis-shrimp captain, and Kern, the ship’s AI. Searching for their lost fellows, Alis and Cato must venture into the darkness of the planet below. What did those ancient terraformers unleash? And will their last surviving crewmate become a greater threat than the world itself?

MAY

Out Law, by Jim Butcher

Release Date: 12th May, 2026 In a city that's just beginning to recover from the devastation caused by the Battle of Chicago, Harry Dresden is finally pulling himself together as well. He's ensconced in his own personal castle, healing his various wounds, and training an eager new apprentice. The last thing he wants is any trouble. But, as history has consistently--and quite annoyingly--shown, what Harry wants is rarely what Harry gets. It starts with a visit from Harry's most powerful frenemy, Gentleman John Marcone, Baron of Chicago. He needs Harry to assist in the redemption of an underling who's looking to go straight. And since Harry does kinda sorta owe Marcone for saving his life once (stupid honorable debt!), it's not a request he can refuse. He'll just wish he had. Because this little favor is going to drag Harry into a fight he doesn't want on behalf of a lowlife he doesn't trust against an enemy more powerful and pestilent than he ever could've expected: an insatiable, demonic foe whom Harry himself may have created when he wiped out the vampires of the Red Court so long ago. Before, all it wanted was blood. Now it wants the entire world . . .

An Ordinary Sort of Evil, by Kelley Armstrong

Release Date: 19th May, 2026 Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Mitchell has grown accustomed to life in Victorian Scotland after travelling 150 years into the past into the body of a housemaid. She’s built a new life for herself. Even though she works as an assistant to forensic-science pioneer Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie, she considers them true friends. And with Gray in particular, perhaps, someday, something more. Late one night, Gray and Mallory are summoned urgently to the home of Lady Adler, a patron of Gray’s undertaking business, and they assume there's been a death in the household. But instead, they arrive in the midst of a seance with a ghost demanding Gray's presence. The ghost is Lady Adler's former maid, who had gone missing but now requests that Gray investigate her murder. Although Gray and Mallory are skeptical, they agree to look into the matter, whether she's dead or alive. But unsure if there's been a murder or not, unable to call out the medium as a fraud, and concerned for the fate of the young maid, Gray and Mallory are once again drawn into a mystery much more puzzling—and more dangerous—than it first seems.

Andromeda, by E.S. McCleod

Release date: 14th May, 2026 Blessed by the gods with unparalleled beauty, Andromeda lives a life of ease within her Aethiopian palace walls. Content with her sanctuary, the young princess has no concerns other than the royal expectations her parents have for her – until a single, fateful proclamation changes everything. When the queen defies the gods with a blasphemous claim, Poseidon, fearsome God of the Seas, delivers a deadly ultimatum that puts the queen’s life in Andromeda’s hands. Poseidon sends his loyal servant, the shape-shifting Ceto, to seal the princess’s fate. But Ceto is not just a servant. With a sharp tongue and hardened heart, she has little interest in the princess’s appearance – and even less in the games of gods. Yet an undeniable tension begins to bloom between them, and both quickly realise Andromeda’s beauty is not only a gift, but a weapon to wield. As Poseidon’s judgement draws ever closer, the two women find themselves pulled into something far more passionate – and dangerous – than either could have predicted...

JUNE

This Immortal Heart, by Jennifer Saint

Release date 4th June Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, wields unparalleled power over every divine and mortal heart. Though her world is one of beauty, she is the most dangerous god of all, ruled by passion regardless of the consequences. Ares, God of War, is her perfect contradiction: feared, unwanted and relentless in his devotion to chaos. Where she breathes life into longing, he thrives in destruction. And yet gods are no more immune to love and loss than anyone else, and soon their lives collide. But even divine love can't protect them from the fates of Mount Olympus, and whilst the God of War may be capable of greater love than anyone else, so many the Goddess of Love be capable of the gravest mistakes.

JULY

The Amber Owl, by Juliet Marillier

Release date: 16th July, 2026 Stasya lives in an isolated farming village on the edge of the mysterious Heartwood Forest with her unusual dog for company. Thought odd by the locals, she is tolerated for her rare gift with animals. Engaging with her fellow humans is difficult, with one exception: goatherd Lukas, who shares her love of storytelling. The peace of Heartwood is shattered when a group of soldiers descends, under orders from the Ruler of the Northlands. Their mission: to hack a path through the forest and find the fabled treasure said to lie deep within. Under the gruelling decree, Stasya’s village falls into chaos. The task is clearly impossible. The forest is alive with bears and wolves, and the old tales speak of evil spirits, monsters and uncanny beings. Nobody has ever gone deep into Heartwood Forest and returned safe and well. When Stasya raises her voice in protest she is removed from her beloved home and transported to court – a different world. Word of her special skills has reached the Ruler’s ears, and Lady Elisabeta has a job for her. But Stasya will not break her vow to protect the forest, even under the most appalling threat. As Stasya and her band of unlikely allies embark on a perilous mission, it becomes apparent that uncanny forces may indeed be involved. Maybe the old tales of the Hermit are true...

SEPTEMBER

Styx The River, by Nikita Gill

Release date 17th September 2026, The firstborn child of Titans, Styx is revered as the first of her kind – until she is eclipsed and forgotten amid her scores of siblings, the Oceanids and the Potamoi. Coming of age in a world simmering with paranoia and unspoken fear of Zeus, the volatile and unchecked god-king, Styx learns to conceal the rage ignited by her growing disillusionment with her parents and her vain and unkind siblings. Instead, she finds solace and sisterhood in her cousin, Asteria. Together, they train in the arts of creation and magic. And as they seek to learn their divine purpose and their place within the Titanomachy, they discover both the joy sparked by true love and the fierce resilience birthed from motherhood. In this lyrical and heartrending tale of sisterhood, identity, love, and war, Styx must carve her own path to womanhood – and ultimately, godhood.

Working on the Blog

 I've finally found a layout that I like, which doesn't scream default! layout. It's hard finding good layouts that make sense to me these days, but I found a template site which has ones that I like.  like a simple layout, with a header (should be customisable so you can put your own banner in it), a simple sidebar for all the links, etc, and a footer and content in the middle. To many layouts these days I find are hard to navigate because they have a load of images in the centre of the page with blog posts all over it instead of a simple one. The images are always MASSIVE so you can't really see where you are on the page, and the menus hidden. I'm not a fan of modern layout designs at all...

 Enough of that...

 The drawback with changing the layout is that I'm having to do all the gadgets again because it wiped them off so I hope that I don't need to change the layout again as I really don't want to keep re-doing them as it's quite time consuming. So far, I've done the favourite booktubers links,  and added a followers button. I will probably add more booktubers over time as I find ones that I like. I am particuarly interested in booktubers and bloggers who read lots of different genres, - well read 20th century classics like Tolkien, science fiction and fantasy, historical fiction and natural history. 

I am hoping to make the blog a balanced one, which focuses on old favourites and new releases that I find interesting, rather than just one. I will be adding links to where I buy books from and online libraries that I am subscribed to. 

 I like to keep a hand written book journal because I like to do crafty things so I may do updates on that, too.  It will probably take a while to get the structure of the blog to how I want it be, so there won't be any book talk on here until that is completed to my satisfaction.