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Jim Butcher Collection | Penguin Random House Audio[^2^]



"It is a Dresden Files book with the usual insanity but the actual story is Harry Dresden coping with all the damage he's taken over the years. This book is going to be Dresden figuring out how to deal with things that are not slobbery monsters trying to chew his face off, those he can manage, he's really good with those. All these other issues are a different thing."




jim butcher audio book 25



Jim Butcher (born 1971) is a New York Times best-selling author, who is best known for his contemporary fantasy book series The Dresden Files. He also writes the Codex Alera series. Jim Butcher grew up as the only son of his parents, and has two older sisters.


While I have always heard incredible things about the Dresden Files books, I have not previously had the pleasure of reading any of them yet. This is an admittedly massive gap in my fantasy reading knowledge, and it is one that I have been meaning to fill for a while. So when I recently received a copy of the latest novel in the series, Battle Ground, I figured that this would be a perfect opportunity to finally break into the series.


Well damn, Jim Butcher really went all out with Battle Ground and has produced one heck of an impressive novel. This was a spectacular read, filled with a lot of huge, epic moments, smart storytelling, extremely likeable characters and clever fantasy inclusions, all wrapped up with a fun sense of humour and excitement. Battle Ground is the 17th Dresden Files book, quickly following up the 16th book, Peace Talks (where several storylines explored in the novel originated). I had an absolute blast reading Battle Ground, and I do have to admit that I am currently feeling a lot of regret for not getting into this series a heck of a lot sooner, as this latest entry is easily one of my favourite books of 2020.


Battle Ground also served as my introduction to the magical version of Chicago that serves as the setting for this fantastic series. This proved to be an excellent setting for this great book, and I really enjoyed the way that Butcher has melded together regular Chicago with some more subtle magical elements, such as a ruling magical council, hidden enclaves of power and mysterious creatures hiding just beneath the surface. There are a lot of cool elements to this setting, and I think that the author did an amazing job reintroducing it for the context of this latest novel. I was particularly impressed by the way Butcher brought a number of key city landmarks to life in this book, with several iconic pieces of Chicago used to great effect throughout the book as settings for epic scenes. Unlike any previous book in the series, the events of Battle Ground ensure that Chicago goes through some massive changes as a magical army invades. The destruction levelled upon Chicago is substantial, and there are several emotional sequences that see the citizens attempting to deal with these forces coming to kill them. Naturally, this is going to have some major impacts in the future entries in the series, and I look forward to seeing what the long-term impacts of this book are going to be.


Hypochondriacs beware, in The Girl With All the Gifts, M. R. Carey asks what would happen if the parasitic fungus cordyceps, a real biological organism known for hijacking the nervous system of ants, found its way over to humans. The answer is not pretty. But it might just be the next audiobook to feast your ears on.


Of course, the two will inevitably collide in this intricately crafted story by Helene Wecker. But the book, which has all of the trappings of a fairy tale, is really an elegant, moving encapsulation of the immigrant experience. Unexpectedly original and wildly visionary, the only thing that could make this story even better is the sensitive and heartfelt narration that all-time great George Guidall provides in this audiobook.


This debut novel was a decade in the making: Susanna Clarke had to write it while tending a full-time job as a cookbook editor. But, as they say, all good things take time: the result is a 700-page masterpiece, touted by Neil Gaiman as the finest work of English fantasy written in the past seventy years.


My library had the entire series and many on audio but I have excellent library access. I did buy every single thing on audio though, initially after getting it from the library. That was back in the days when I got one Audible credit a month. Now I buy a year at a time.


Some Redditors remembered that in Jim Dale's reading of the Harry Potter audiobooks, the actor pronounced Voldemort without the 'T'. However, halfway through the audiobook series - and right around the time the film adaptions began - Jim started adding on the 'T'.


Proven Guilty is the eighth book in the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. This one follows Harry, who is now a warden of the White Council and has been tasked with looking into rumors of black magic being practiced in Chicago. When Molly, the daughter of Michael Charpenter, gets involved it seems like entities taking on the appearance of horror monsters are attacking people she knows and it turns out that she has been dabbling in magic.


What is the book about?: The author, a columnist for the New York Observer, tells the sordid and sometimes amusing tales of the breakups of thirteen historical figures, from Emperor Nero to Norman Mailer.


The kits include picture books, craft ideas, and a variety of games, puzzles, puppets, or felt characters with a mini felt board. Butterflies, Firefighters, and Monsters are a few examples of the dozen themed boxes from which to choose.


The Kansas City Public Library has ample resources for the art and craft of writing. Whether you want to craft your first romance novel, construe a personal memoir, or piece together a modern political treatise, you will find plenty of books about writing books in the library, scattered throughout the 800 call number area, in all of our branches.


My criteria for choosing language-learning materials are: conversational focus, practicality, and audio quality. These beginning-level books offer vocabulary, phrases, and sentences that will get you started conversing in Spanish in no time.


Update, September 2011: Since this blog entry was posted, more e-readers and devices have become available for use with Library e-books, including the Amazon Kindle. Visit our e-reader tutorial page for the latest information.


Just as with printed books, when it comes to affordable e-reading, libraries are a bountiful resource. The Library has a growing collection of more than a thousand e-books that you can download and transfer to your e-reader. We also have many more that can be read online through NetLibrary. This blog post will focus on downloadable e-books, which are provided to the Library through a service called OverDrive.


The September issue features interviews with Matt Ruff and Karin Tidbeck, a column by Cory Doctorow, an obituary and appreciations of Brian Aldiss, lists of forthcoming books through June 2018, and reviews of short fiction and books by Annalee Newitz, Josh Malerman, Kat Howard, Linda Nagata, and many others.


Notes on milestones, awards, books sold, etc., with news this issue about Lynne M. Thomas, Philip Stephensen-Payne, Sheree Renée Thomas, William Gibson & Michael St. John Smith, Jim Butcher, Richard Powers, Colleen Lindsay, Octavia E. Butler, and many others


Disorderly Conduct by Tessa Bailey is $1.99! This is the first book in The Academy series. Bailey is an auto-buy author for me. I also made a yummy cocktail for its release. However, some readers found the hero to be too pushy or thought the book had too much sex. Have you read this one?


Sure! If you've written a review for a romance that you think might interest the community or you'd like to rant and/or squee about a book, and you haven't published it elsewhere, please email Sarah. She'd love to hear from you! 2ff7e9595c


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