The Wake Up

 Fiction by Catherine Ryan Hyde

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Aiden Delacorte has been a cattle rancher all of his adult life. It’s a rough job for a tough man, and he’s always done it well. But one day his toughness inexplicably disappears and he become sensitive to the pain and fear of the animals he works with. It’s called The Wake Up, and it turns his life upside down. 

This was a really good book with a lot to think about.

I also read recently by this author: So Long Chester Wheeler

The Private Life of Mrs. Sharma

 Fiction by Ratika Kapur

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This was a strange little story set in India. Renuka Sharma is a married lady who lives with her teenaged son and her elderly in-laws in a small city apartment while her husband works overseas to try to earn money for a better life. But when Renuka gets lonely she doesn't want to admit it. Instead she begins a weird sort-of relationship with a younger man that the reader can tell will not end well.

Faithless

 Fiction b y Karin Slaughter

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is book number five in the Grant County series (see below). In this novel, county coroner Sara Linton and police chief Jeffery Tolliver investigate the case of a girl buried alive. Ugh.

It's a pretty dark story but it does hold surprises, along with a bit of a cliffhanger that means there's at least one more book in the series...

I also read by this author in this series: Indelible, A Faint Cold Fear, Kisscut, and Blindsighted

What You Wish For

 Fiction by Katherine Center

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Samantha is a librarian at a private elementary school in Galveston, Texas, where she moved several years ago from a school in California. Since she's been in Texas, Samantha has begun to flourish in way she never has before, and she feels like life is good. She only vaguely remembers Duncan, the man she nursed an overwhelming crush for, and the reason she fled California. And maybe she might wish to see him again. But then, Duncan comes to her school in Texas....

This was a fun little straight romance.

I also read recently by this author: Hello Stranger

Head On

 Audible Original Fiction by John Scalzi

https://www.audible.com

This book is a sequel to Lock In, which I just listened to. Both are listed as "only from Audible," which I think qualifies them as Audible Originals; however, I know that at least the first book is also available in print, and at my local library. So that's why I didn't list that one as an "original," although may be I should have?

Anyways, this book is set in the same future universe as Lock In, and also features FBI Agent Chris Shane. In this story, Agent Shane and his partner Agent Vann are faced with an athlete who inexplicably drops dead while competing in the exciting new sport Hilketa, played in robot bodies and involving... decapitation? (Just go with it; it will make sense inside the story framework.)

This was as interesting and original as the first story, and the ending is a surprise.

I also listened to recently by Audible Originals: We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

Lock In

 Fiction by John Scalzi

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

In the future world of this novel, there are a significant number of people who have been left completely debilitated by a (lab-engineered?) worldwide virus that has swept the planet. Initially the virus, called Haden's Syndrome, kills some people, but most recover. Then the strangeness begins: of those who recover, some catch a second, more dangerous stage with meningitis-like symptoms, and some progress to a third stage that leaves them completely paralyzed. These people (now called just "Hadens") are considered "locked-in," because their brains are still alive and active, and their automatic body systems function, but no voluntary part of their bodies will work. They cannot move or communicate. Medical science (relying heavily on governmental subsidies) finds a few solutions to help these people, but it's technology that truly manages to unlock the Hadens population. So begins a world where people can move around in robot bodies and navigate a special version of the internet with their minds.

Okay that's just the back story.

The book is actually a murder mystery, starring newly minted FBI agent Chris Shane, who is a Haden using a robot body (called a "threep") and investigating Haden-related crimes in the Washington D.C area.

This was an amazing innovative and interesting book. I highly recommend it.

Stay With Me

 Fiction by Ayobami Adebeyo

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This story, set in Nigeria during the end of the twentieth century, gave me an interesting glimpse into as culture I'm completely unfamiliar with.

At its heart, it's simply the story of Yejide and Akin, a married couple navigating though the crippling despair of infertility until the strain breaks them apart. But the cultural aspects of the strongly patriarchal, polygamous traditions in Nigeria, along with the political unrest of the time make everything worse for Yejide, and for Akin too, as it turns out.