Author: Kendra Winchester

After reading Book Lovers by Emily Henry, I knew I wanted more love stories about people in the book industry. As a huge history of publishing nerd, there’s just something about people who love books falling in love that hits the white hot center of my wheelhouse. (I’m sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that I married a guy in my creative writing program in college.)

Izzy feels stuck in her job as an editor’s assistant. As one of the only Black people in her office, she often feels tokenized for the benefit of her white coworkers. So when an opportunity occurs to prove herself and get promoted, she jumps at the chance. That’s how she finds herself on the front steps of the house of Beau Towers, one of the most difficult authors from her publishing house. Beau’s memoir is way overdue, but if Izzy can get him to turn in his pages, she feels she just might finally get noticed by her boss.

I loved this Beauty and the Beast retelling that centers around books. Jasmine Guillory is already one of my favorite romance authors, and her love for her characters shines through Izzy and Beau’s story. Guillory’s characters are full of life, encompassing all its complications and messiness. The two lovebirds have to each work through their own issues before they can finally create a life together.

Sarah Hollis does a brilliant job of narrating the audiobook edition, embodying Izzy’s narrative voice perfectly. I love when a narrator can get me completely engrossed in the story.

A  world of goblins lives beneath the city of York. May comes from a family of witches. But when she falls for a goblin girl, her entire world is turned upside down. Years later, Lou, May’s niece, has no idea about her family’s history. When one of her family members is abducted by goblins, Lou must uncover her family’s past to save her loved one.

The bestselling thriller writer Riley Sager is back with The House Across the Lake, a suspenseful story about an actress who finds herself wrapped up in her neighbors’ lives. Casey flees the paparazzi and hides out in her family’s vacation house in Vermont. She spends her days watching her neighbors, a husband and wife who seem to have a perfect life. But as she views their life through her binoculars, she realizes their relationship might not be as perfect as it appears.

The first in a trilogy, The Final Strife follows three young women whose friendship threatens to bring down the empire as they know it. Sylah and Anoor come from very different parts of society, but their love knows no bounds. Hassa is used to being invisible to the privileged, but the thing she hated most about herself becomes a priceless skill.

Ghanaian American Angela Appiah has tried to be the perfect daughter. She has a great career, an amazing boyfriend, and suitable friends. But when her boyfriend dumps her and her friends pull away, Angie feels like her life is out of control. Plus, she never planned for Ricky Gutierrez to come into her life. And she certainly didn’t plan to fall in love with him.

Ed Yong, the author of We Contain Multitudes, is back with another book about the fascinating living world around us. This time, Yong shares how animals experience the world around them, and how animal senses are often very different from our own. This book is perfect for any animal lover or science enthusiast.

Lucie Yi’s plans for a family with her boyfriend implode after their breakup. Deciding that she isn’t going to wait any longer, she decides to become a parent with a platonic co-parent. When she begins looking for a co-parent, she finds Collin, a man who checks all of her boxes. While she hoped that they could start a family together, she never expected to fall in love.

This month, I decided to participate in Jami Attenberg’s #1000WordsOfSummer initiative, which encourages participants to write 1000 words a day over the course of two weeks. She sends out one email a day to encourage writers and often brings on guests to add their two cents about writing. I’ve enjoyed Attenberg’s writing for several years, so I thought now would be the perfect time to pick up her memoir, I Came All This Way to Meet You.

Attenberg loosely follows her writing career in the memoir, jumping back and forth in time to add context and to flesh out the people in her life. In her writing, she describes life while trying to find her way as a writer, the many jobs she’s worked, and the places she’s traveled to visit. Throughout the memoir, you can feel a sense of unsettledness, that all this time, Attenberg was just looking for a place to feel the most herself.

Attenberg describes her struggle with who she feels she’s supposed to be as a writer vs who she wants to be. She’s supposed to want to live in New York, working night and day if that’s what it takes to live there. She’s supposed to find a long term partner, to want to travel the world. But she finally realizes she feels the most at home in her little house in New Orleans, just her and her dog.

Xe Sands performs the audiobook with an incredible sense of intimacy. I think memoirs can be some of the most difficult audiobooks to narrate because they are so deeply personal for their authors. But Sands rises to the challenge, beautifully capturing Attenberg’s narrative voice.

Iris and a group of other women create a Facebook group as a place to air out all of their bridesmaid grievances. But as the group grows, Iris finds it harder and harder to keep the group under control. With her sister’s wedding coming up, Iris worries that her online life will spill over to her offline one. Full of the very specific brand of family and wedding chaos, The Bridesmaid Union is sure to delight anyone who loves stories full of drama.

In the summer of 1999, Fe Fe and her friends Precious and Stacia form a trio, friends forever. But when a new girl arrives in the neighborhood, the three friends find their dynamic suddenly changed. As their Chicago neighborhood changes around them, the girls find their friendship changing as well. Years later, Fe Fe returns to the neighborhood and is flooded with memories from that one fateful summer.

Bonnie just wants to live her life alone, sitting in front of her TV watching her favorite show, Three’s Company. But Bonnie’s life is irrevocably changed when she wins the lottery. She decides to move to a house in the mountains where she can recreate the set of Three Company and live out her own dreams by imagining herself in the TV show.

Ibram X. Kendi gives parents and guardians the tools they need to have important conversations with the kids in their lives. Using both research and personal stories from his life, Kendi shares a guide on how to teach kids to be antiracist at different stages of their lives.

Last year, I had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing Kristen Arnett about her second novel With Teeth. Sammie is raising her son Sam with Monika, her wife. But when Sam bites Sammie in the car during a disagreement, Sammie’s entire perception of herself begins to change. Instead of the perfect queer family that she and Monika had always dreamed of, Sammie must come to terms with the fact that her family life might not be as idealic as they imagined. As Sam continues to act out during public outings and at school, Sammie and Monika’s marriage begins to crumble.

Arnett possesses the brilliant ability to capture what it’s like for a lesbian couple to try to parent in a time when there’s so much pressure for lesbian queer parents to act as a “good” example of queer parenting. But Arnett makes a point of illustrating that Sammie and Monika are just as flawed as everyone else. 

Kristen Sieh performs the audiobook with such great vocal characterization of Sammie’s narrative voice as she deals with all of her confusion and anxiety over her son’s behavior. When I listened to the audiobook, I became engrossed in this family’s story. I had no idea what on earth Monika and Sammie could do for their son or how their marriage would turn out. So prepare yourself for a rollercoaster of a family novel.

This Oprah’s Book Club pick will capture your attention from the first few minutes. Kiara and her brother are trying to make ends meet in Oakland, California. Kiara also tries to take care of the boy next door. Through a strange set of circumstances, Kiara ends up in a line of work she never expected. Plus, she’s a key witness in a case against the corrupt local police department.

Nevada is the story of Maria, a trans woman working in a bookstore. She loves her job, but is slowly admitting to herself that she doesn’t love her girlfriend Steph. After Maria and Steph break up, Maria finds herself  traveling to Star City, Nevada. This is a road trip book for a new generation now on audio for the first time.

One night while in New York City’s Chinatown, Lola runs into one ex and then another. What might have been coincidence turns into something a little supernatural as memories begin to swirl about her. This fantastical literary novel is sure to amaze at it tackles ideas around memory, identity, and love.

As a huge fan of Kirsten Chen, I couldn’t be more thrilled that she has a brand new novel. In Counterfeit, we meet Ava, a Chinese American woman whose life feels like it’s crumbling apart. But her college best friend, Winnie Fang, appears on the scene, full of confidence that Ava didn’t know she had. But how did Winnie gain so much confidence and an eye for top-tier fashion?

Malak, Kees, and Jenna feel like it’s them against the world. Taught a certain way to be good Muslim women by their families, they always expected their lives to go a certain way. But as they grow closer to adulthood, they begin to see that their lives are going to be more complicated than they first imagined.

My favorite book club is The Indigenous Reading Circle run by Erin (Lingít Alaskan) and Dani (Ojibwe from Dog Creek First Nation). Last year, they focused on memoirs, but this year, they’re reading short stories and fantasy. Erin and Dani represent Indigenous Nations in both what is considered the United States and Canada, so they feature Native authors from across Turtle Island (North America).

May’s pick was Anoka by Shane Hawk (Cheyenne and Arapaho). Set in Anoka, Minnesota, these short stories feature everything from werewolves to bone collectors. I’m usually not a horror person, but Anoka makes me think that I’ve been picking up the wrong horror stories, because I really enjoyed reading Hawk’s work!

I really appreciated that at the end of the collection, the author listed notes on each of his stories, explaining the inspiration behind them. With one story, he wanted to raise awareness for missing murdered Indigenous women and Two Spirit people, while in another he wanted to discuss the role of intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities. These notes felt like I was sitting in on an author event, getting a chance to listen to the author answer questions about his stories.

Kyle Bullock performs the audiobook with that perfect balance between suspenseful and sinister. Without overacting, Bullock narrates the most intense parts of stories with great skill, and I often stopped dead in my tracks as he described the most gruesome scenes.

Vincent is deeply hurt when her estranged husband, Cillian, published a book revealing secrets from their marriage. But when Vincent meets a young man named Loup in Paris, they begin an intense affair. When Cillian begins to try to reconcile with Vincent, she realizes she must decide what future she truly wants.

Serene loves fashion, but as the daughter of an ultra famous designer, she has always felt trapped in her mother’s shadow. When her mom is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Serene finds herself running her mom’s business. Lian moved to Serene’s town in California a year ago, but he can’t wait to leave—that is, until he meets Serene.

Eliot seems to have everything together. He has a successful TV writing career and an amazing boyfriend. But beneath the surface, Eliot is struggling with alcohol addiction and can’t seem to stop cheating on his boyfriend. As he tries to get a handle on his life and change his ways, he must confront the deeper struggles of his life as a disabled gay man in a homophobic and ableist society.

Both Sara and Emilie have pasts that haunt them. When they start their love affair, they are everything to each other. But time and time again, they run into complications from lives they thought they left behind. In this queer love story, Sara and Emilie must decide, once and for all, is their relationship worth fighting for?

Theo never wanted a spirit companion, but when his brother Jamie dies, Theo inherits Jamie’s fox spirit, Kai. Now instead of being a normal kid like everyone else, Theo has to deal with Kai, who is also very upset at this change. But when they both discover a journal of Jamie’s, Theo and Kai stop their bickering long enough to wonder what secrets Jamie left behind.

When Jess arrives in Paris, she plans on staying with her brother, Ben, in his very nice apartment. But her brother isn’t there. Instead, Jess meets his eclectic neighbors, who all eye her with suspicion.

The story starts from Jess’s point of view before moving to the different neighbors’ perspectives. They each get their own narrator, making the audiobook feel like a performance of different monologues. I really enjoyed the overall effect, and found myself staying up late to finish the story.

Narrated by Clare Corbett, Daphne Kouma, Julia Winwood, Sope Dirisu, Sofia Zervudachi, and Charlie Anson

Six twenty-somethings are chosen to join a prestigious magic school. Each possesses a unique ability, and they all compliment each other as a whole. They are now a team. The catch? One of them will be cut from the group by the end of the year.

At first, I felt overwhelmed trying to keep the characters straight. But each character has their own narrator, which gives them all a unique feel. Once I got to know them, I was hooked. I had to know what happened next. There are so many twists and turns to this story, so it’s perfect for anyone wanting a fast-paced, character-driven fantasy novel.

Narrated by James Cronin, Siho Ellsmore, Munirih Grace, Andy Ingalls, Caitlin Kelly, Damian Lynch, David Monteith, and Steve West

In this intimate family story, we meet Morgan who was raised by their neurodivergent father, Julian. Morgan’s mom, Zoe, left when Morgan was just a year old. But after a bad break up, Zoe comes back into Julian’s and Morgan’s lives. Morgan is drawn back into Zoe’s chaotic whirlwind of a life and is forced to confront some hard truths about their mom.

Narrated by Sagan Chen

A man wakes up in the wilderness remembering only glimpses of his past life. With only a head wound and a pocket of pills to his name, he wanders around the desolate landscape, trying to figure out who he is and where he came from.

Narrated by Intae Kim

In her follow up to The Idiot, Elif Batuman continues Selin’s story in Either/Or. It’s 1996, and Selin is now a Sophomore at Harvard. Though she’s tried to move on, she can’t understand why her crush, Ivan, would get her a job in Hungary if he wasn’t interested in her. Full of Batuman’s dry wit and brilliant characterization of her protagonist, Either/Or is sure to be just as all-consuming listen as The Idiot.

Narrated by the author

Aside from having on of the best book titles this year, Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster is sure to be one of the most memorable young adult debuts of 2022. Maggie must find an escort to her sister’s quinceañera. But Maggie has three friends/escort prospects that are making her love life a bit more complicated than she’d like.

Narrated by Stacy Gonzalez

Feyi Adekola is trying to move after the love of her life died five years ago. Her new boyfriend is everything she could ever want in a man. But there’s a catch: she can’t help but be deeply attracted to her boyfriend’s father. Feyi must come to decide what kind of person she wants to be and what her life will look like moving forward after tragedy.

Narrated by Bahni Turpin

One day, people start receiving little boxes that inform them how many years they are going to live. This knowledge causes society to change. Some people want to know how long they have, while others refuse to open the box. It invites the question, if you received a box like that, would YOU want to know how long you had to live?

Narrated by Julia Whelan

I have been reading Melissa Febos’s writing for years, but I hadn’t read a full-length book from her until last year. Once I’d finished Girlhood, I went out and bought all of her books immediately. 

When Body Work landed on my doorstep, I ran to Hoopla and checked out the audio. In a delightful collision of the best of both worlds, I annotated the print copy while Melissa Febos read the text.

The book’s essays focus on Febos’s approach to writing memoir. From sex scenes to respecting the privacy of others, she covers a wide range of topics perfect for writers, memoir lovers, or the purely curious. 

Febos writes each essay in her precise style, each word carefully chosen. She has this way of expressing her ideas in a clear way that makes you pause and think on what she’s just said.

Whether you are new to Febos’s work or are a long-time fan, you’ll find something wonderful in this audiobook.

Verónica is the child of Peruvian immigrants and was born with hip dysplasia, a condition requiring many surgeries and lots of physical therapy. Her favorite place is the local mermaid show where women in tails dance beneath the water. When a chance to become one of them comes her way, she decides to go for it. But even if she gets the job, how will she manage it when her parents would definitely disapprove?

Narrated by Frankie Corzo

The day before her 40th birthday, Alice tries to cheer herself up. Her father’s health is deteriorating. If only they had more time. The next day, she wakes up and it’s 1996. She is 16 years old, and her dad is vibrant and healthy. Now armed with the wisdom of hindsight, she sees this incredible time for the important time that it was. Alice must decide if she would change anything now that she has the chance.

Narrated by Marin Ireland

Granted, I would listen to anything Jhumpa Lahiri writes, even if it was a grocery list. But I’m especially excited to read her new book all about writing and translating. She draws from Ovid’s myth of Echo and Narcissus and closely examines Aristotle’s Poetics to talk about writing in a broader sense.

Narrated by Sneha Mathan

The author of the much-acclaimed novel Great Circle, Maggie Shipstead is set to publish her new short story collection, You Have a Friend in 10A. These stories illustrate the incredible range of Shipstead’s talent. With settings in Montana, Paris, an Olympic village, and Romania, listeners travel to new places around the world with each story.

Narrated by Mark Bramhall, Mark Deakins, Ari Fliakos, Kyla Garcia, Rebecca Lowman, Alex McKenna, George Newbern, and Xe Sands

Two sisters from Tibet arrive at a refugee camp in Nepal. The two are haunted by their trip over the Himalayas when they lost their parents. Years later, the sisters are separated. When the daughter of one of the sisters begins to uncover some secrets of her family’s past, she must make a life-changing decision. 

Narrated by Asha Vijayasingham, Shridhar Solanki, and Rishma Malik Scott

Five women meet in New York City to work through their problems. Each woman has a horrible story in their past that sounds very suspiciously like a fairytale. Each of the women is suspicious of the others. Can they really trust each other? In this delightfully dark take on women in fairytales, Adelmann creates a one-of-a-kind story.

Narrated by Lauren Ezzo