Hola Audiophiles!
Well, amigx (has that caught on yet?): I am ruined! I asked you all to help me pick my next listen and the winner was Song of Achilles. I definitely showed up to a lunch date with my dad with bloodshot eyes and a broken heart. Taco Tuesday is supposed to be a happy occasion, Madeline Miller! How dare you rip me wide open AGAIN with your mythical word magic??
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While I wipe away my tears and whisper Patroclus’ name into the wind, read on for a quick announcement and several chances to win free books! Then we’ll get into Part Dos of June audiobooks.
- We want to hear from you! Fill out a quick survey on the Audiobook content you want to see and you’ll be entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Easy!
- We also have 250 early digital downloads of Laura Lippman’s Lady in the Lake to give away! The audio edition is performed by Susan Bennett via Libro.fm and sounds like a summer stunner.
- You want more, you say? We’re giving away six months of Audible to one reader who signs up for our Audiobooks newsletter! You’re already ahead of the game, so you get to enter too.
- Lastly, we’ve put together a selection of our favorite books and bookish stuff for summer! Go check out Book Riot’s Amazon storefront and nab some bookish swag.
Survey done? Giveaways entered? Storefront shopped? Let’s audio.
New Releases (publisher descriptions in quotes)
Fleishman Is in Trouble by: Taffy Brodesser-Akner, narrated by Allyson Ryan (June 18)
Doctor Toby Fleishman and his wife of 15 years have separated and are navigating the wonderful world of coparenting when Rachel up and vanishes into thin air. Toby is left with their two young kids and is trying to balance fatherhood with his career, not to mention his newly active sexy-time schedule (thanks dating apps!). He’s convinced himself that it’s all Rachel’s fault, that her ambition was the undoing of their marriage and her disappearance an act of selfishness. He soon learns that there truly are two sides to every story, and that his side maaaaybe ain’t all there is to it.
This exploration of marriage, divorce, and ambition is insightful, smart, and really damn funny debut.
The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull, narrated by Janina Edwards and Ron Butler (June 18)
Spaceships, feuding families, missions of vengeance: all of this goodness from a writer I’ve seen compared to Octavia Butler. “An alien ship rests over Water Island. For five years, the people of the US Virgin Islands have lived with the Ynaa, a race of super-advanced aliens on a research mission they will not fully disclose. They are benevolent in many ways but meet any act of aggression with disproportional wrath. This has led to a strained relationship between the Ynaa and the local Virgin Islanders, and a peace that cannot last.”
A year after a young boy has died at the hands of an Ynaa, an inevitable conflict comes to a head that will leave not a soul untouched.
The Travelers by Regina Porter, narrated by Bahni Turpin and Dominic Hoffman(June 18)
**insert air horns** Bahni Turpin in the house! I love that she’s narrating this book, one I had the privilege of reading it earlier this year while serving as a panelist for Indies Introduce Summer/Fall 2019. This was taken from the blurb I shared on the American Booksellers Association page:
“I’m blown away by the fact that this stunning work is a debut effort. It’s a sweeping history of our country and the traumas we have yet to fully heal from, spanning the American South in the 50s through the early years of Obama’s presidency. It’s told through a series of narratives that connect unexpectedly and beautifully, exploring the many nuanced layers of the human condition with each emotional character arc. The writing is both powerful and restrained, one of sparse but evocative details that quietly crack your heart wide open when you least expect it.”
The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell, narrated by Jayne Entwistle and Elizabeth Knowelden (June 18)
I’m sorry, I hope you can hear me over the sound of all my bells ringing! In this Victorian gothic thriller, wealthy, beautiful Dorothea Truelove is obsessed with phrenology and goes to Oakgate Prison to test some theories on skull shape and crime. There she meets Ruth, a teenage seamstress with quite the story: she claims to possess a supernatural power to kill with only a needle and thread. Is homegirl for reals? Is she mad? Is she a cold-booded killer tryna make her sewing kit a scapegoat? This plot is giving me Sarah Waters Affinity vibes and me likey very much.
Side note: this one is performed in part of Jayne Entwhistle, the inimitable voice of Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series!
Emperors of the Deep by Wiliiam McKeever, narrated by Tim Andres Pabon (June 25)
Shaaaarks! I love sharks! I mean, maybe not as much as Amanda loves sharks. I’ve never thrown a Shark Week party, but hey: there’s still time.
William McKeever is a documentarian and conservationist determined to correct common misconceptions on these beautiful, terrifying creatures. The book is rife with factoids that’d make even a casual shark lover giddy: sharks are 50-million years older than trees, account for only 6 human fatalities per year, and have a sixth-sense that lets them pick up on electric fields generated by living things. Through a fascinating examination of four shark types (Mako, Tiger, Hammerhead, and Great White), he explains why shark survival is essential for ecological stability.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything narrated by Tim Andres Pabon before, but I dig his delivery in spite of it sounding a little like a voice you might hear on the CVS pharmacy recording.
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes, narrated by Julia Whelan and Linda Holmes (June 25)
You may recognize Linda Holmes as the host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast! Her debut is the hope-filled, heartwarming story of Evvie, a grieving widow who rarely leaves her house, and Dean, a former Major League pitcher who’s off his game. Dean moves into an apartment behind Evvie’s home and the two agree not to ask each other questions about what ails them. But ya know: rules schmules. An unlikely friendship blossoms as they each share buried secrets, a bond that quickly grows into something more.
Look for lots of baseball analogies, some truly hilarious interactions, and top notch narration from the voice behind works like Educated, Gone Girl, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beath Keane, narrated by Molly Pope (June 25)
“Two neighboring families in a suburban town, the friendship between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades…:” Sound familiar? Fair Verona may not be a suburban town, but parts of this story certainly appear to draw from that star-crossed lovers tale. Two rookie NYPD cops end up living next door to one another in the Bronx and have children born six months apart. A close friendship develops between those children, a bond that is tested in their eighth grade year when a violent event tears their families apart. Ask Again, Yes explores how “the events of childhood look different when reexamined from the distance of adulthood – villains lose their menace, and those who appeared innocent seem less so.”
Sweet Heat by Zuri Day, narrated by Shari Peele (June 25)
I said to the universe: “Universe, your girl wants to read more romance by authors of color. Whatcha got?” The clouds parted and down from the heavens came this gem. Julian Drake is the youngest heir to a Northern California dynasty on the cusp of opening up his very own therapy practice. He runs into Nicki Long, a Broadway dancer and his long lost love; sparks fly, love is professed, and soon Nicki is relocating out west. The trouble is, she’s brought danger with her, a threat that could be her undoing and that of the illustrious Drake clan.
This one is part of the Blue Collar Lover Series – more to explore! Also, I’d listen to Shari Peele read the ingredients in my body wash.
From the Internets
We all know audiobook listenership is on the rise, but just how many people out there audio? A Publishers Association study suggests it’s as many as one in every five readers.
La verdad? I clicked on this because I saw the Coco thumbnail. Glad I did too, because I stumbled on a wonderful list of Spanish audiobooks to get kids reading from HipLatina.com.
Over at the Riot
In keeping with the Audiobook Month theme, last week’s YouTube video was all about my favorite audiobook narrators. Tell me: who are some of your faves?
Speaking of great audiobook narrators, don’t miss out on this piece on terrific memoirs narrated by their authors. It’s a solid list, and I firmly believe that everyone should experience Trevor Noah’s kid voice at least once.
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