Sponsored by The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
50 Early Audio Downloads of The Wives, the upcoming thriller by New York Times bestselling author Tarryn Fisher, are up for grabs! How far would you go to find the truth about your husband? Imagine that your husband has two other wives. You’ve never met them. None of you know each other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, you can see your husband only one day a week. But you love him so much you don’t care. Or at least that’s what you’ve told yourself. The Wives is a highly anticipated novel on sale December 30th. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience it one month before everyone else!
Hola Audiophiles! How are all you lovelies doing on this fine fall day? I’m celebrating being able to breathe from both nostrils after another annoying cold attacked my face this week. It wasn’t fun blowing my nose every ten minutes, but I got a lot of reading in! It’s all about silver linings.
Ready? Let’s audio.
New Releases – November 19 (publisher descriptions in quotes)
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, narrated by Caitlyn Kelly – Why haven’t I read this series yet?! This is the finale in the Folk of the Air trilogy, wherein “Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court,” and confront some lingering feelings for the wicked king Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister’s mortal life.
- Narrator Note: Caitlyn Kelly does a lot of Audible Originals work and has narrated the rest of the books in this beloved series.
The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 2 by Robert Lacey, narrated by Alex Jennings – Is anyone else obsessed with The Crown like I am?! I can’t help myself! This volume accompanies Seasons 2 and 3 of the hit show, documenting the political scandals and personal struggles of Elizabeth II from 1956-1977.
- Narrator Note: Alex Jennings also narrates the first volume in this series as well as a ton of works by authors like C.S. Lewis, Jeffrey Archer, Kate Atkinson, and John le Carré. His English accent sounds like the kind you might hear in an audio recording of a self-guided museum tour, in a good way.
Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller – This debut is a magical retelling about lost Romanov princess Anastasia. It’s “the first book in an epic new series about a princess hiding a dark secret and the con man she must trust to clear her name for her father’s murder.”
Note: This book was initially scheduled for publication in January but was bumped when it came under fire online for its treatment of enslavement. Amélie Wen Zhao issued an apology and revised the book; this modified version is the one that hit shelves this week.
- Narrator Note: Tirzah Price recently recommended Emily Woo Zeller as a go-to audiobook narrator; if you enjoy this listen, here are five other faves from her catalog.
Impossible Causes by Julie Mayhew, narrated by Lissa Berry and Lauren Cornelius – “Four elements. Four seasons. Four points on the compass. Four teenage girls. And one dead body.” It’s pitched as The Craft meets The Crucible: yep, adding that to cart.
- Narrator Note: Both of the narrators appear to be pretty new to the audiobook market (at least in the US), but I really enjoyed the sample of this title! I’m not sure which of the narrators I was listening to in said sample, but that particular English accent (can’t quite pin down the region) is one I tend to enjoy.
Latest Listens
I owe a giant shout out, thank you, copious hugs, and a few cafe con leches to my girl Jamie Canaves: Contributing Editor extraordinaire, writer of our Unusual Suspects newsletter, and general doer of all the things. She recommended Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet, narrated by Marisol Ramirez and Y’ALL. It was chicken soup for my Latina soul.
Where do I start? Lizet is the daughter of Cuban immigrants, the first in her family to graduate from high school. She defies her family by enrolling in an upstate New York liberal arts college, leaving Miami, her boyfriend, newly separated parents, and sister—a new single mom—behind. She begins the school year with high hopes, but soon learns just how literally and figuratively far Upstate New York is from her Hialeah neighborhood. She struggles both socially and academically, torn between longing for home and feeling embarrassed by her humble roots in the midst of so much affluence and privilege.
It takes place in the early 2000s when I first went off to college, and the Elian Gonzalez storyline running in the background was a blast from the past! The little things gave me the feely feels: mentions of Vanidades Magazine, quinceañera courts, the elaborate Nochebuena celebrations where you get all dressed up to sit in your abuela’s living room. The part that took me all the way down was how perfectly it captures that fish-out-of-water feeling so many first gen Americans feel in institutions of higher learning: your culture, the food you eat, the music you listen to, and the way you move in general is worlds different than that of most everyone you meet. I found myself tearing up at points that weren’t even particularly emotional because I just felt so dang seen! Please give this a read and bask in its glory with me.
Listens on Deck
I mean I’m basically just going to ask Jamie what she thinks I should listen to next after this excellent rec! She suggested Nothing to See Here, I’ll report back next week.
From the Internets
These business audiobooks for your morning commute come courtesy of Entrepreneur.com.
The secret life of the audiobook star – how the booming audiobooks business has voice actors out here grinding!
Here are Paste Magazine’s picks for this month’s best audiobooks.
From Audiofile Magazine: Some thankful reflections on some of this year’s audiobook experiences.
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