Title: What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Series: What If? #2
Previous book in this series: What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Author: Randall Munroe
Genre: Adult, nonfiction, science
Publication date: September 2022
Published by: Mariner Books
Source: Borrowed hardcover from library
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Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book DepositorySynopsis: The #1 New York Times–bestselling author of What If? and How To provides his best answers yet to the weirdest questions you never thought to ask.The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger. Thank goodness xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to help. Planning to ride a fire pole from the moon back to Earth? The hardest part is sticking the landing. Hoping to cool the atmosphere by opening everyone’s freezer door at the same time? Maybe it’s time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics. Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, built a billion-story building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it erupted? Okay, if you insist.Before you go on a cosmic road trip, feed the residents of New York City to a T. rex, or fill every church with bananas, be sure to consult this practical guide for impractical ideas. Unfazed by absurdity, Randall consults the latest research on everything from swing-set physics to airplane-catapult design to clearly and concisely answer his readers’ questions. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances.Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randall’s signature stick-figure comics, What If? 2 is sure to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all ages.
Title: Changing the Speed of Light Bulbs
Series: Tales of a Former Space Janitor #4
Previous books in this series: The Rings of Grissom (#1) | Planetary Spin Cycle (#2) | Waxing the Moon of Lewei (#3) | Christmas Cookie Crumbs (#3.5)
Author: Julia Huni
Genre: Adult, sci-fi, cozy mystery
Publication date: February 28th 2023
Published by: IPH Media
Source: eARC for review from author
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Buy it: AmazonSynopsis: Honeymoon plans shouldn’t include space cruise tickets for a party of five.After the wedding—and the Ice Dame's corporate exploitation of the event—Triana and O'Neill embark on their honeymoon, only to find Hy-Mi booked them on a CelebVid cruise to Armstrong along with Vanti, Elodie, and Leo.When the jump to Armstrong throws Triana and O'Neill across the multi-verse, they must outsmart alternate versions of their friends, a lunatic professor and his corporate sponsor, and a cargo hold full of egg-throwing rodents if they hope to return to their own reality.
Title: Luna City Limited: The Phoenix and Katie Li
Series: Tales of a Former Space Janitor
Author: Julia Huni
Genre: Adult, sci-fi, mystery
Publication date: April 2022
Published by: IPH Media
Source: Backed on Kickstarter - Ebook reward
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Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book DepositorySynopsis: An ordinary young woman adds some spies to her life.Katie Li sells silly novelties at Luna City, LTD, and the highlight of her day is upselling a case of zero gravity whoopie cushions.When secret agent Nick "The Phoenix" Beckett drops into her life, normal goes out the airlock. She's whisked into a whirl of high society events, mob influence, and corporate secrets.Katie's always dreamed of adventure, and the Phoenix seems to offer that in spades. But between his life-threatening enemies and his breathtaking charm, Katie soon finds herself in over her head.
Title: Waxing the Moon of Lewei
Series: Tales of a Former Space Janitor #3
Previous books in this series: The Rings of Grissom (#1) | Planetary Spin Cycle (#2)
Previous series: Space Janitor
Author: Julia Huni
Genre: Adult, sci-fi, cozy mystery
Publication date: February 2022
Published by: IPH Media
Source: Backed on Kickstarter - Ebook reward
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Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book DepositorySynopsis: When the station board of directors sends former maintenance technician Triana Moore to Lewei, she expects to bump knuckles with a few dignitaries, tell a couple of white lies, and drink some substandard cocoa. Her friend—son of the former dictator—tells scary stories of the planet, but Triana’s not afraid of the Leweian secret police. She’ll be on her best behavior with Ty and Vanti to watch her back. With the might of SK2 behind her, Triana should be untouchable.But when did Triana ever do what was expected? Although the meetings go well, the after-party spins out of control. While she manages to slip away from the Leweian police, her faithful companions don't. Triana must find new allies on an alien world and rescue her friends before the hot chocolate goes colder than interplanetary relations.
Title: Sunset House
Series: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #18
Previous books in this series: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper (#1) | Cold Shadows (#2) | The Crawling Darkness (#3) | Terminal (#4) | House of Whispers #5 | Maze of Souls #6 | Lullaby (#7) | The Keeper (#8) | The Tower (#9) | The Monster Museum (#10) | Fire Devil (#11) | The Necromancer's Library (#12) | The Trailwalker (#13) | Midnight Movie (#14) | The Lodge (#15) | Cabinet Jack (#16) | Fallen Wishes (#17)
Author: J.L. Bryan
Genre: Adult, paranormal, horror
Publication date: March 2nd 2023
Published by: J.L. Bryan
Source: eARC from author
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Buy it: Amazon | B&NSynopsis: The old Heusinkveld mansion overlooks the mostly shuttered main street of the small town of Burdener's Hill. Once a testament to local wealth and aspiration, the brooding edifice now clings to life as the Sunshine House, a retirement home inhabited by an eccentric collection of locals bound together by fond memories of their shrinking hometown.When a newly arrived resident finds herself tormented by a threatening specter from her past, paranormal investigator Ellie Jordan is called in to confront it. The entity puts up a strong fight, resisting capture, and soon more residents are in danger. With nowhere else to go, they need Ellie to remove the ghost before it inflicts serious harm or death on those who have made the strange old house their home.
Title: Planetary Spin Cycle
Series: Tales of a Former Space Janitor #2
Previous book in this series: The Rings of Grissom
Previous series: Space Janitor
Author: Julia Huni
Genre: Adult, sci-fi, cozy mystery
Publication date: June 2021
Published by: IPH Media
Source: Purchased ebook
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Synopsis: Stolen diamonds, purple goo, and a zero gravity baby...
...all in a day's work for a Triana Moore.The former space janitor returns to her mother's estate on Kaku to plan her wedding. Or, as she soon discovers, to be ignored while the SK'Corp public relations machine plans the event of the galaxy.Overruled at every turn and stalked by CelebVid--a viral video outlet--Triana does what she does best and goes underground. When she befriends the son of a deposed dictator, everything goes sideways.On the run from rogue secret police, things start to get sticky--Space Janitor style. Will Triana escape and figure out what the heck is going on? Of course she will! She might even save the day.
Title: The Rings of Grissom
Series: Tales of a Former Space Janitor #1
Previous series: Space Janitor
Author: Julia Huni
Genre: Adult, sci-fi, cozy mystery
Publication date: January 2021
Published by: IPH Media
Source: Purchased ebook with Amazon gift card
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Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book DepositorySynopsis: She thought being a space janitor was chaotic. Now she’s really in for a cleanup.Triana Moore lost her job as a maintenance technician when her boss discovered her true identity. But decluttering the galaxy isn’t just for janitors. When she visits the ringed planet Grissom with security agent Ty O’Neill for his sister’s wedding, Triana discovers just how messy life can get.Deported before she can finish her coffee, Triana barely misses an exploding shuttle. But in true space janitor fashion, she decides to investigate. With the help of a pair of mischievous twins, a hard-drinking grandma, and her old frenemy Vanti, will Triana save the wedding?
Of course she will. But how crazy will it get along the way?The Rings of Grissom tells the continuing story of Triana Moore, (former) Space Janitor, but can be enjoyed by new readers as well. If you want to avoid spoilers, read Triana Moore, Space Janitor first.
Title: Sweeping S'Ride
Series: Space Janitor #4
Previous books in this series: The Vacuum of Space (#1) | The Dust of Kaku (#2) | Glitter in the Stars (#3)
Novellas in this series: Orbital Operations (#0.5) | A Mess Of Gravity (#0.6) | Christmas On Kaku (#0.7) | Bot Duct Skeleton (#0.8) | The Trouble with Tinsel (#2.5)
Author: Julia Huni
Genre: Adult, sci-fi, cozy mystery
Publication date: June 2019
Published by: IPH Media
Source: Purchased ebook with Amazon gift card
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Synopsis: It's a big galaxy, and somebody needs to clean it.When maintenance technician Triana Moore arrives on the planet Sally Ride, she just wants to get through the high-lev meeting and get her relationship with Agent Ty O'Neill back to normal. But everywhere she turns, she's reminded of the serial killer who got away. When a short escape from the boredom leads her to an eerily familiar crime scene, she starts to wonder if she's losing it. With the help of Ty, her frenemy Vanti, and a cupcake truck, will Triana survive the most boring meeting in the galaxy? And will she finally sweep her nemesis out of her life? Or will she run away again--this time for good?
Title: What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Series: What If? #1
Author: Randall Munroe
Genre: Adult, nonfiction, science
Publication date: September 2014
Published by: Mariner Books
Source: Borrowed from library
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Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Thrift BooksSynopsis: In the New York Times best-selling book from the creator of the wildly popular webcomic xkcd, Randall Munroe gives hilarious and informative answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask.Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions. What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there was a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last? What if everyone only had one soulmate? What would happen if the moon went away?In pursuit of answers, Munroe ran computer simulations, pored over stacks of declassified military research memos, solved differential equations, and consulted with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by signature xkcd comics. (They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion.)Far more than a book for geeks, What If? explains the laws of science in operation in a way that every intelligent reader will enjoy and feel much smarter for having read.
Title: Glitter in the Stars
Series: Space Janitor #3
Previous books in this series: The Vacuum of Space (#1) | The Dust of Kaku (#2)
Novellas in this series: Orbital Operations (#0.5) | A Mess Of Gravity (#0.6) | Christmas On Kaku (#0.7) | Bot Duct Skeleton (#0.8) | The Trouble with Tinsel (#2.5)
Author: Julia Huni
Genre: Adult, sci-fi, cozy mystery
Publication date: August 2019
Published by: IPH Media
Source: Purchased ebook with Amazon gift card
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Synopsis: Cleaning the galaxy, one cruise ship at a time.When maintenance technician Triana Moore gets temporarily transferred to a passenger liner, she doesn't expect luxury and relaxation. Bot-minding is the same on a station or a ship. But with twelve-hour workdays and five roommates in her cabin, Triana thinks she should have read the employment contract more carefully.Days into the cruise, her boss, Les, goes missing. Triana dusts off her sleuthing skills to start snooping. Together with a retired Marine Corps dance instructor, a socially inept hospitality intern, and her favorite security agent, she must navigate more than just the solar system. They dodge dance competition divas, reality show cameras, and the occasional wealthy sociopath to search for the missing supervisor.Will they find Les before she goes dancing through the stars? And will they find time to hit the buffet before all the chocolate strawberries are gone?
Title: The Dust of Kaku
Series: Space Janitor #2
Previous book in this series: The Vacuum of Space
Novellas in this series: Orbital Operations (#0.5) | A Mess Of Gravity (#0.6) | Christmas On Kaku (#0.7) | Bot Duct Skeleton (#0.8)
Author: Julia Huni
Genre: Adult, sci-fi, cozy mystery
Publication date: August 2019
Published by: IPH Media
Source: Purchased ebook with Amazon gift card
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Synopsis: They say you can never go home. But, you can clean it.Triana Moore, maintenance bot technician on Station Kelly-Kornienko, prefers life in orbit where the air is purified, the commute is short, and nature doesn’t get all over you. But when a minor infraction gets her sent to remedial training dirtside, she doesn’t complain. Who wouldn’t enjoy a few days of sitting in the sunshine, eating gourmet burgers and drinking too much Jager Hula?When an unscheduled beach weekend uncovers dangerous squatters in her childhood home, the space janitor decides to clean house. She enlists the help of her roommate, Kara, and security agent Ty O’Neill. As they investigate, old friends resurface in suspicious circumstances, and Triana doesn’t know whom she can trust. She’s scheduled to work on Monday, so she must answer these questions before the weekend is over: Who are these infiltrators? What do they want? And when will that pizza finally be delivered?
*This book was previously published as Dirtside Decluttering.*
Title: The Vacuum of Space
Series: Space Janitor #1
Novellas in this series: Orbital Operations (#0.5) | A Mess Of Gravity (#0.6) | Christmas On Kaku (#0.7) | Bot Duct Skeleton (#0.8)
Author: Julia Huni
Genre: Adult, sci-fi, cozy mystery
Publication date: August 2019
Published by: IPH Media
Source: Purchased ebook with Amazon gift card
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Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book DepositorySynopsis: When her maintenance bot found a body, Triana lost her lunch.
Then she lost the body.
How did she lose her memory?When a highly connected security agent interrupts her routine with stories of murder and missing bodies, Triana can't ignore him; it's cooperate or find a new job. A girl has to pay the rent, even on a crappy studio compartment.Since working with a shiny detective beats a shuttle dirt-side, Triana lends her programming skills to Agent O'Neill's investigation. Together, they find more victims and evidence of a major cover-up.It will take all Triana's technical talents, most of O'Neill's connections, and some really excellent croissants to stop the murders, save her job, and ultimately, her life.
In space, no one can hear you clean.
*This book was previously published as Murder is Messy.*
