Hola Audiophiles!
Happy Thursday and welcome to April! The first quarter of the month is officially behind us and spring is finally…springing! It was almost 80 degrees in San Diego this weekend and I had to remind myself that this is what I’d been asking for after the chilliest winter we’ve seen in a really long time. I just wasn’t prepared to sweat through my top while sampling nut milks at the Farmers Market!! I know, I know: I shouldn’t complain.
Enough of that: let’s get to the rest of those new books I promised you last week. These are all releases in the second half of the month. Let’s audio!
Sponsored by the audiobook edition of The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves.
Jonathan and Annika first meet at chess club in college, where Jonathan loses his first game of chess, and his heart, Annika. Brilliant but shy, Annika prefers to be alone. But Jonathan accepts that about her, admiring Annika, quirks and all. Their relationship that follows is tumultuous, but strong, until an unforeseen tragedy forces them apart. A decade later, fate brings them back together… She’s a librarian and he’s a divorced Wall Street whiz seeking a fresh start. Their feelings are instantly rekindled, but until they confront the fears and anxieties that drove them apart, their second chance will end before it truly begins.
Before we begin, have you tuned into our new podcast Kidlit These Days yet? It’s hosted by author and BR contributor Karina Glaser and children’s librarian Matthew Winner, your kidlit connoisseurs, pairing the best of children’s literature with what’s going on in the world today. Give it a listen!
New Releases (publisher’s descriptions in quotes)
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim, narrated by Jennifer Lim (April 16)
Young and Pak Yoo live in rural Virginia where they offer a super experimental medical treatment: they heal patients of assorted medical maladies and conditions with healing “dives” in a special pressurized oxygen chamber. Sh*t hits the fan when the magic healing machine mysteriously explodes and kills two people; secrets come to light and nefarious motives are uncovered as a dramatic murder trials ensues. This exciting debut draws from the author’s own experience as a Korean immigrant and trial lawyer. She is also the mother of a real-life “submarine” patient; get ready for this one.
Normal People by Sally Rooney, narrated by Aoife McMahon (April 16)
Connell and Marianne are two teens from a rural town who are opposites in just about every way. They’re undeniably drawn to each other in spite of differences in class and personality, circling around each other, growing apart and coming together time again from high school through adulthood. “This heartbreaking narrative that delves into the potency of first loves and how people can change over time” is already killing me softly. Sounds like one of those maddeningly addicting love stories that makes me yell things at my audiobook app like, “JUST KISS ALREADY!”
The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia, translated by Simon Bruini, narrated by Xe Sands and Angelo di Loreto (April 16)
It’s 1918: the Mexican Revolution is in its eighth year and the influenza epidemic is ravaging the world’s population. A baby boy is found abandoned under a bridge, scaring most of the locals in a small Mexican town with his disfigurements and the swarm of bees that follows him around. He doesn’t scare Francisco and Beatriz Morales, landowners who take him in and raise him like he was their own. They soon learn that their adopted son possesses a rare and unnatural ability, one that he will use to keep his family safe: he can see the future when he closes his eyes. “The Murmur of Bees captures both the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of one family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable.” Yay for fantastic Mexican authors in translation!
Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor, narrated by Zara Ramm (April 23)
How am I just finding out about the Chronicles of St Mary’s series when it’s 10 books in?! Any series that “follows a group of tea-soaked disaster magnets as they hurtle their way around History” rings all my Jasper Ffordian bells. Historian Dr. Madeleine “Max” Maxwell works for St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research, using time travel to investigate major historical events and right past wrongs in present day. In this 10th series installment, Max and the St. Mary’s team find themselves in the 16th century, tasked with unraveling the chaos that’s placed the wrong Tudor queen on the throne.
Will somebody page Thursday Next!? I think she and Max could make beautiful music together.
The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala, narrated by Sneha Mathan (April 23)
I have many fist pumps for fantasy being set in non-European countries! Inspired by Indian history and Hindu mythology, The Tiger at Midnight is the first in a trilogy that imagines an alternate ancient India. Esha and Kunal are a rebel assassin and reluctant soldier whose paths cross one fateful night. In the midst of chaos in their war-ravaged land, the two must decide where their loyalties lie and navigate the ultimate inconvenience: an undeniable but forbidden love. Stupid love, always getting in the way.
What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence by Michelle Filgate, narrated by various (April 30)
Over a decade ago, Michele Filgate sat down to write an essay on her stepfather’s abuse. It took a long time for her to realize what she really needed to write about: the abuse’s effect on her relationship with her mother. She did finally share the essay and it sort of blew up, garnering the attention of women like Rebecca Solnit and Anne Lamont. The experience gave Filgate the inspiration for this anthology, a collection of essays from fifteen writers exploring the profound impact of our relationships–the good kind, the bad kind, and everything in between–with our mothers.
The stellar list of contributors includes Leslie Jamison, Melissa Febos, Alexander Chee, Kiese Laymon, Carmen Maria Machado and more. Waaaaaant…..
A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole, narrated by Karen Chilton (April 30)
*whispers in shame* I’ve never read Alyssa Cole before. I’m new to romance, I have catching up to do in the queen of inclusive historical romance’s repertoire!! This latest in the The Reluctant Royals series transports readers to Thesolo: Nya Jerami is home from New York for a wedding and winds up in bed with a celebrity prince (don’t you just hate when that happens?). That prince is Johan van Braustein, “the redheaded step-prince of Liechtienbourg,” whose antics and tomfoolery are all a ploy to distract the paparazzi and protect his brother, the heir to the throne. A fake engagement should do the trick, throwing Nya and Johan into a whirlwind fake-romance that might just be the real deal.
Cape May by Chip Cheek, narrated by George Newburn (April 30)
It’s September 1957 and Georgia native newlyweds Henry and Effie arrive in Cape May, New Jersey for their honeymoon. They find the place deserted and a bit of bust, so they decide they’ll just head home when a beguiling and mysterious set of strangers entices them to stay. Clara is a glamorous socialite, Max is a richity rich playboy, and Alma is Max’s aloof half-sister; together they rope Henry and Effie into a whirlwind of… well, gin, sexy times, and nude abandoned-town shenanigans that results in a loss of innocence and betrayal. This thrilling debut “explores the social and sexual mores of 1950s America through the eyes of a newly married couple from the genteel South corrupted by sophisticated New England urbanites.”
From the Internets
The interwebs were low on audiobooks news this week, but I did come across this very important, very serious, not-at-all-a-prank announcement: Audible is launching Audible for Fish! Headphones sold separately.
Over at the Riot
Hey, you’re new here, right? Welcome to Audiophilia! If it’s your first time, don’t be scared. Here’s some advice for your new audio journey.
The latest Riot Roundup is live now, our quarterly collective book-gush where we Rioters share the best books we’ve read. I rant for a solid paragraph on my love of Helen Oyeyemi’s Gingerbread which you may recall I did on audio. So good! There are a couple of other suggestions here for fantastic audiobooks–check it out!
That’s all I got today! Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with audiobook feedback & questions or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the In The Club newsletter, peep the Read Harder podcast, and watch me booktube every Friday too!
Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa