Short Stories 366:88 — “Tinaca Jones,” by Matt Boren

Sometimes when I listen to audiobooks it's all about the plot. Othertimes, it's all about the performer, and this one was all about the performer. Retta performs the titular character in this Audible Original, Tinaca Jones, and holy flying crap did she sell it. The narrative set-up is pretty simple: Tinaca Jones has a plan. …

Short Stories 366:81 — “Cloud Dragon Skies,” by N.K. Jemisin

Walking the line between science fiction and something near-mystical, this latest story from How Long 'Til Black Future Month? is a beautiful example of world-building (and, I guess, off-world-building, too). It's set after a mass exodus. Humanity has mostly left Earth (after basically ruining the place) and moved to the asteroid belt to a ring …

Short Stories 366:80 — “Lead Counsel,” by Aurora Rey

I listened to this audio novella over the course of two days of walking the doggo in the midst of winter, and the setting of a heat-soaked New Orleans was like a balm of relief, frankly. Once again, Lori Prince performs wonderfully, and her voice acting for the various characters left me never in doubt …

Short Stories 366:78 — “The Half-Life of Marie Curie,” by Lauren Gunderson

Sometimes I think Max (and myself) owe a lot to Audible for our continued health, as listening to audiobooks is one of the ways I make it through winters with a husky, and he often ends up getting longer walks thanks to captivating stories if I check and see I've got, say, ten minutes left …

Short Stories 366:74 — “The Diary of a Hounslow Girl,” by Ambreen Razia

This was an unexpected delight from Audible, as part of their Audible Originals series. Originally a stage play, this was performed by the writer (and actress) and as such the level of performance was pretty much set on eleven from the first step. It's about sixteen year-old Shaheeda, a British Muslim teen and begins with …

Short Stories 366:67 — “Let It Shine,” by Alyssa Cole

My Audible-available quartet of novellas from Alyssa Cole comes to an (almost) close today with "Let it Shine." Of the four historical novellas, this one comes the closest to present day, set in 1961, when the Freedom Rides are underway and racist anti-black violence is front-page news. Sofronia (or "Sophie") has done everything in her …