Category: Audiobooks

Audiobooks – 6/4

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date June 4, 2020

Sponsored by audiobook edition of The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner, read by Richard Armitage.

Just after the Second World War, in the small English village of Chawton, an unusual but like-minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable. One hundred and fifty years ago, Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen, one of England’s finest novelists. Now, it’s home to a few distant relatives and their diminishing estate. With the last bit of Austen’s legacy threatened, a group comes together to preserve both Jane Austen’s home and her legacy. The audiobook is read by the award-winning narrator, Richard Armitage, and includes a bonus interview with the author.

Hola Audiophiles,

I don’t have it in me to be funny in any way today. This moment in time feels so heavy, so exhausting. Every statement I can think of to describe what I can only imagine the Black community is feeling feels trite and inadequate. So I will just say that Black lives matter and flood your ears with new releases by Black authors and antiracism reads that examine the history and effects of racism and white supremacy.

Let’s audio.

New Releases – June 2nd (publisher descriptions in quotes)

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown, read by Jordan Cobb, A. J. Beckles (fantasy) – When Malik and his sisters flee their war-torn home to start a new life in Ziran, a vengeful spirit abducts his youngest sister as payment to enter the prosperous desert city. Malik agrees to kill Crown Princess Karina in exchange for Nadia’s freedom. Princess Karina is busy using ancient magic to resurrect her assassinated mother and needs the beating heart of a king to complete the ritual. She plans to offer her hand in marriage to the victor of a giant competition that Malik, of course, has entered to get close to her. So he wants to kill her, she wants to kill him. Problem! They’re each super attracted to the person they’re trying to kill.

Narrator Note: Jordan Cobb read with Bahni Turpin for Justina Ireland’s Deathless Divide, and this is A.J. Beckles’ audiobook debut!

The Dragons, the Giant, the Women by Wayétu Moore, read by Tovah Ott (memoir) – Wayétu Moore was five years old when war broke out in Liberia, forcing her and her family to flee their home on foot and hide for weeks before arriving at the village of Lai. From there, the family was smuggled into to Sierra Leone by a rebel soldier before embarking on another harrowing journey to the United States. Wayétu Moore shares this experience along with her years adjusting to life in Texas as a black woman and an immigrant, and her eventual return to Liberia.

Narrator Note: Tovah Ott is another newish narrator who I want to read me sleep stories. Check the sample to see what I’m talking about; I hope we get lots more work from her in the future!

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, read by Shayna Small (fiction) – In this multi-generational story that takes up from the Deep South to California from the 50s to the 90s, we meet identical twin sisters who are inseparable at birth but go on to lead entirely different lives. One sister eventually goes on to live with her Black daughter in that same town she tried to escape, and the other is passing as white and married to a white man who has no idea that she is Black.They’re separated by many miles and many lies, but their fates intertwine again when their daughters’ own storylines intersect.

Narrator Note: Shayna Small is part of the phenomenal ensemble casts for books like Jacqueline Woodson’s Red at the Bone and N.K. Jemisin’s How Long ‘Til Black Future Month?

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson, read by Alaska Jackson (YA contemporary fiction) – Liz has always felt too black, too poor, too awkward for her small, rich Midwestern town. But she has a plan that will get her the heck out of Campbell, Indiana: she’ll attend an uber-elite college, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor. Bye, haters! When the financial aid she was counting on falls through and her plans come crashing down, Liz remembers her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. If she can just endure the trolling and cattiness of the competition, she might still have a shot. But Mack is also in the running for queen, the new girl that Liz is increasingly drawn to. “Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams…or make them come true?”

Narrator Note: I believe this is Alaska Jackson’s first audiobook performance as well! Love all the new narrator energy.

~~Latest Listens~~ Need to Listens

Today I’m switching up the program to putting the focus on audiobooks to read in your antiracist education and in support of Black authors (though there are a few titles by non-Black authors too). Going with a straight list format in the interest of getting more titles on the page. Lots of these are titles you’re seeing everywhere, others less so. These are listens for listening, if you feel me. Listening it the very least we can do.

Nonfiction:

How to Be an Antiracist and Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi (the latter of which is available for free on Spotify right now).

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo & Michael Eric Dyson

How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones

Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

Motherhood So White by Nefertiti Austin

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Men We Reaped and The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

Blood at the Root by Patrick Phillips

When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

The Compton Cowboys by Walter Thompson-Hernandez

The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahisi Coates

Fiction:

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Nickel Boys by by Colson Whitehead

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

The Deep by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Poetry:

Homie and Don’t Call Us Dead by Danez Smith

The Tradition Jericho Brown by Jericho Brown

Wade in the Water by Tracy K. Smith

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

From the Internets

Check out Libro.fm’s How to Be an Antiracist reading list

Over at the Riot

15 Compelling Historical Fictional Audiobooks

6 of the Best Audiobooks by Women for Caribbean Heritage Month

Thanks for hanging with me today. Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with your burning book club questions or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the Audiobooks newsletter, catch me once a month on the All the Books podcast, and watch me ramble about even more new books every Tuesday on our YouTube channel.

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Audiobooks

Audiobooks – 05/28

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date May 27, 2020

Audiobooks 05/21

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date May 20, 2020

Audiobooks – 5/14

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date May 13, 2020

Sponsored by Lit Stitch: 25 Cross-Stitch Patterns for Book Lovers

Inside Book Riot’s Lit Stitch, you’ll find a number of badass, bookish cross-stitch patterns. Some of these are for bookmarks, others are for wall decor, and still others can take on a whole host of finished outcomes. What they have in common is their literary bent—the patterns speak to all manner of literary-minded book lovers, who are happy to display their nerdier sides. And what better way than through your own cross-stitch art to hang on your wall, prop on your desk, or even gift to friends and family. And most, if not all, are beginner friendly and can be completed in a few hours—instant stitchification! So grab yourself some excellent embroidery floss, hoops, and needles, and pick out one or more of these great cross-stitch patterns for your next project.

Hola Audiophiles! Welcome to another week of audio lurve and ponderings on isolation. It’s both weirder and more normal, amirite? Let’s try some positivity though: I want everyone to think of one good thing they have going for them right now, and feel free to share it with me! Mine is that I’m proud of myself for eating plenty of fruits and vegetables when all I want to eat is buckets of cheese and carne asada fries. Look at me adulting!

K, your turn. Now let’s audio.

New Releases – May 12 (publisher descriptions in quotes)

Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden, read by Deepti Gupta (fantasy) – Razia ran away to live life on her terms rather than die at the hands of her hateful father, finding sisterhood and safety in a community of hijras. By day, she is one of her dera’s finest dancers; by night she is its most profitable thief.This is the price her guru charges for keeping Razia’s identity secret: no one has to know she was born the Crown Prince of Nizam so long as Razia agrees to the thieving. When her latest target leads her to cross paths with the Prince of Bikampur, she falls for him immediately. Problem! That prince has been sent to find out who’s been stealing from his wealthy citizens. Involvement with him will not only embroil Razia in a dangerous political war, but will also bring her face to face with her father.

TW: physical abuse and anti-transgender language

Narrator note: I am a new fan of Deepti Gupta! You have recognize her from A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza or The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal

The Anthill by Julianne Pachico, read by Anthony Rey Perez (fiction, horror) – Carolina lived in Medellin, Colombia for the first eight years of her life before she was shipped off to an English boarding school after her mother’s violent death. She returns to Medellín after a 20-year absence, hoping to find connection to the city of her birth and to rekindle a relationship with her childhood best friend Mattias. She buys a one-way ticket to Medellin with plans to volunteer at a community center in one of its poorest neighborhoods, a center run by Mattias himself. But she finds that Mattias has changed, and so has Medellin. As Lina begins to confront her memories and Colombia’s traumatic history, strange things begin happening at the center: the kids are drawing unsettling pictures, something violent is scratching at the closet, and then there’s the frequent sightings of a small, dirty boy with pointy teeth. Gulp.

Narrator note: Anthony Rey Perez is so good in Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez and its sequel. Casual, well-pronounced, clear, and well-paced.

A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet, read by Xe Sands (fiction) – You might not guess it from the title, but this is a searing commentary on climate change responsibility with some major Lord of the Flies vibes. A group of kids and teens are spending a summer with their parents at a lakeside rental mansion, but things are far from peachy. They feel both neglected and suffocated as their parents pass their days in a stupor of booze, drugs, and sex, telling the kids to go play outside when they dare make their presence known. When a massive storm descends on the estate, the kids—led by ringleader and narrator Eve—run away into the apocalyptic chaos outside. As they seek refuge in a farm house, the events in the pages of a children’s bible they have in tow start to bleed into real life.

Narrator note: You may recall that I loved Xe Sands’ performance of Sarah Gailey’s Magic for Liars. If you like her style, you may also want to check out The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro or The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia.

Latest Listens

I finished Sabriel by Garth Nix and got my entire life from it! Sabriel has spent most of her life at a boarding school outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, where the line between the living and the dead is a lil blurry (read: muy blurry) and Free Magic is a powerful force. During her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen—the guardian of the border between life and death—goes missing; though most presume him dead, Sabriel believes otherwise.

She embarks on a journey into the Old Kingdom to find him with two companions in tow: Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, and Mogget, a talking cat (nbd) who’s cranky AF the entire time. As the trio travels deep into the Old Kingdom, they encounter threats of all sorts (most of them dead); every step brings them closer to a battle between the forces of life and death, one that brings Sabriel face-to-face with her own hidden destiny.

I was a little predisposed to liking a book where an even ruder version of Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch is involved, but the journey through the world of the dead and the charter magic were what kept me rapt. As for Tim Curry, he is narrator goals! Young necromancer mage? He can do that. Surly cat sidekick? No problem! He balances the snark with the wonder and does a great job of keeping the feminine voice natural (it grinds my gears when male narrators make women sound like Miss Piggy). These books feel like they were made for his voice and I can’t wait to keep going with the rest of the Abhorsen series. This is a definite backlist bump since it was published back in ’08; if you missed these books too and have a love for a good quest story in a fantasy setting with a rude animal sidekick, you know what to do.

From the Internets

WaPo suggests these three audiobooks for your quarantine stroll (sorry for the paywall!)

Missing your BFFs? Get Literary suggests eight relatable audiobooks to fill that bestie void.

Audiofile put together a great list of romance listen pairings. Hello, comfort!

Over at the Riot

Quick & engrossing audiobooks under six hours long

A roundup of the best-selling audiobooks of all time

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Audiobooks

Audiobooks 05/07

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date May 6, 2020

Sponsored by The audiobook edition of Sigh, Gone written and read by Phuc Tran

For anyone who has ever felt like they don’t belong, the Sigh, Gone audiobook shares an irreverent, funny, and moving tale of displacement and assimilation. This coming-of-age memoir, written and read by Phuc Tran, explores one man’s bewildering experiences of abuse, racism, and tragedy and reveals redemption and connection in books and punk rock. In 1975, Tran and his family immigrated to America. He found solace and kinship in the wisdom of classic literature, and in punk rock, he found affirmation and echoes of his disaffection. Listen to Tran tell his story in the audiobook of Sigh, Gone.

Hola Audiophiles! Do you hear that clapping sound? That’s me giving you big props for making it through another week. Thank you for joining me for some audio love, regardless of whether you’re getting any reading done of your own. Like I keep saying, we’re all just doing our best.

This week brings with it SO many great new audiobooks, it was hard to pick just a few! Let’s get straight to it then, shall we?

Let’s audio!

New Releases – May 5 (publisher descriptions in quotes)

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight, narrated by Sarah Zimmerman, Karissa Vacker, George Newbern (mystery/thriller) – Lizzie is working late one night at the elite law firm that pays her well but demands grueling hours. She gets a call from an inmate at Rikers, and it turns out the inmate is her old friend Zach. He needs her help, and that’s an understatement: his wife Amanda was found brutally murdered in the couple’s Park Slope brownstone and he’s the prime suspect. Lizzie decides to get involved and guess what: Zach and Amanda gots lots of shady-shade secrets and fo sho are not who they seem,

Narrator Note: Sarah Zimmerman reads N.K. Jemisin’s Dreamblood duology and Erica Ruth Neubauer’s Murder at the Mena House, a new cozy set in Egypt that I mentioned a few weeks back. Karissa Vacker reads several Debbie Macomber titles and is part of the ensemble cast for One of Us Is Next, and George Newbern’s most recent project is Val Kilmer’s memoir I’m Your Huckleberry.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo and Melania-Luisa Marte (YA fiction) – Elizabeth Acevedo is back to bless us with another novel in verse! Camino and Yahaira are 16-year-old sisters; Camino lives in the Dominican Republic and Yahaira lives in New York City. Their paths collide when their father is killed in a plane crash that killed almost 300 people only a couple of months after 9/11 while en route from JFK to the DR. Just when they each feel like they’ve lost everything, Camino and Yahaira learn about each other.

Narrator Note: It’s Elizabeth Acevedo, baby! You already know. I’m excited to listen to Melania-Luisa Marte, the writer, poet, and performer whose poem “Afro Latina” is one you should immediately look up.

Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella, narrated by Karissa Vacker (mystery/thriller) – Cady Archer is starting her freshman year at Harvard, following in the footsteps of her brother Eric who developed paranoid schizophrenia and then died by suicide in his final year. Already overwhelmed with the pressure and demands of her academic life, she hopes to find a sign or bit of information that could have prevented her brother’s death. Armed with a notebook of his scribblings, she starts an investigation and then begins to hear the voices of three ghosts herself. Does Cady share her bother’s mental illness, or is this something else?

Narrator note: This is the second week in a row that I unknowingly pick two books in the same newsletter that are narrated by the same person! I already mentioned Karissa Vacker, but here’s even more of her work: Once and for All by Sarah Dessen, Red Clocks by Leni Zumas, and Krysten Ritter’s Bonfire.

The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson, narrated by Cassandra Campbell (fiction) – Three estranged siblings find themselves under the same roof for the first time in many years when their eccentric grandmother passes away and are shocked to find a secret inheritance among their her possessions: a BIG ol’ diamond. Funny story! It’s no ordinary giant jewel, but the Florentine Diamond: a 137 carat yellow diamond that went missing a century ago and hasn’t been seen since. As they race to determine whether they are even the rightful heirs to this thing and the sizable fortune that comes along with it, they uncover their granny’s tragic and powerful past, forever changing their connection to their heritage and to one another. (Side note: the Florentine Diamond is a real thing!)

Narrator Note: Cassandra Campbell makes a pretty regular appearance in this newsletter: a lot of you loved her narration of Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing and Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You.

network effect a murderbot novel Network Effect by Martha Wells, narrated by Kevin R. Free (science fiction) – Hey now! A standalone Murderbot book! For those who don’t know, and I’m partially reading myself here because these books have been on my TBR for years, the Murderbot books are a four-novella series about a rogue, self-aware security robot who hates emotions and humans, yet also wants to help humans. But really, it just wants to be left alone to watch its shows. “When Murderbot’s human associates (not friends, never friends!) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action. Drastic action it is, then.”

Narrator Note: Kevin R. Free narrates the Murderbot novellas and is back for this standalone read. I love his voice! I could almost believe there is a little bit of robot in him, it’s so clean and crisp.

Latest Listens

I haven’t finished my current listen because I’m deep in reading for next week’s episode of All the Books, so I’ll have to report back next week with my full review. So far though, I am loving Sabriel by Garth Nix! This is my first Garth Nix book, suggested to me by Managing Editor Sharifah when I told her I have a thing for sassy cat sidekicks (i.e. Salem from the TV version of Sabrina the Teenage Witch). It’s a work of fantasy narrated by Tim Curry, methinks I am going to like it a lot.

From the Internets

AudioFile shares five new fantasy audiobooks to escape into now.

Also from AudioFile: SYNC Audiobooks for Teens 2020 Is Here!

You can read and/or listen to Audible’s interview with Samantha Irby

The #SocksforBinc campaign raised over $28k!

Over at the Riot

4 Under 4: Fast & Fabulous Audiobooks Under 4 Hours

5 Under 5: Audiobooks Under 5 Hours for One-Day Listening

6 of the Best Audiobooks by Karen American Women Writers

5 Graphic Novels and Memoirs That Are Also Outstanding Audiobooks

Thanks for hanging with me today! Shoot me an email at vanessa@riotnewmedia.com with your burning book club questions or find me on Twitter and the gram @buenosdiazsd. Sign up for the Audiobooks newsletter, catch me once a month on the All the Books podcast, and watch me ramble about even more new books every Tuesday on our YouTube channel.

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Audiobooks

Audiobooks 04/30

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date April 29, 2020

Sponsored by our Debbie Macomber prize pack giveaway! Enter here.

Looking for some cozy romance reads? We’ve got you covered! Book Riot is teaming up with Harlequin.com and Read Bliss to offer up a Debbie Macomber prize pack to one lucky winner, titles include: Texas Home, Learning to Love, Laughter in the Rain, Looking for a Hero, and Ready for Romance! Enter here.

Hola Audiophiles! I went outside for a walk three days in a row and can I just tell you my mood is so much better after? I got in some excellent audiobook time too as an added bonus, so let’s get straight to the books before I attempt some lame joke at isolation humor.

Ready? Let’s audio.

New Releases – April 28 (publisher descriptions in quotes)

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, narrated by the author – George M. Johnson is a journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist. His young-adult memoir chronicles his childhood, adulthood, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia while examining gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. It’s meant to be both a primer for teens who want to be allies and a testimony for young queer men of color.

The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America’s Urban Heartland by Walter Thompson-Hernandez, narrated by Glenn Davis and Ron Butler – Ready for a case of the did-ya-knows? The Compton Cowboys are a group of 10 Black riders on a small ranch in Compton, California, one of the very last in an area that’s been home to African-American horse riders for decades. Decades! The story starts with The Compton Jr Posse, a project founded by Mayisha Akbar in 1988 to offer local youth an alternative to street life. Today’s Cowboys are a group of Black men and women defying stereotypes in a community built on “camaraderie, respite from violence, healing from trauma, and recovery from incarceration.”

Narrator Note: Glenn Davis reads Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay and I’ve heard nothing but glowing reviews! Ron Butler is part of the ensemble casts for both Alexis Schaitkin’s Saint X and How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? by N. K. Jemisin.

Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova, narrated by Frankie Corzo – Santa madre, this book! Renata is a memory thief who was kidnapped as a child and brought to the palace of Andalucia where she was forced to use her powers to kill thousands. Years later, she’s been rescued by the Whispers, a group of rebel spies working against the crown. When Dez—the commander of her unit and Renata’s boo—is taken captive by the evil jerk-face prince, Renata must return to the palace to complete Dez’ top secret mission. But doing so stirs up some old stuff and reveals a secret from her past that could change the game entirely. The whole thing is set in a lush, magical world inspired by Inquisition Spain.

Narrator note: I loved Frankie Corzo’s reading of Chanel Cleeton’s Next Year in Havana! Other notable performances include The Affairs of the Falcóns by Melissa Rivero and Meg Medina’s Merci Suárez Changes Gears.

Island Affair by Priscilla Olivares, narrated by Carmen Vine – Sara Vance is a social media influencer who’s getting her stuff together: she’s recovering from an eating disorder, her career is on the rise, and things in general are looking good. Then her boyfriend is a no-show on her family’s big Key West vacay and that just will not do! Rather than face the ridicule of her perfect judgy siblings and their perfect judgy spouses, she enlists the help of a sexy Cuban firefighter/paramedic/dive captain named Luis to play the part of her fake fiancé. They play the part and play it well, too well! Will their fake romance become a real one once it’s time for Sara to go home?

Narrator’s note: Carmen Vine reads a lot of romance audiobooks, including Priscilla Olivares’ His Perfect Partner and Stripped by by Zoey Castile (pssst, that’s Zoraida Cordova’s romance pen name!)

Little Family by Ishmael Beah, narrated by Dion Graham – Hidden away from a harsh outside world, five young people make a home in an abandoned airplane somewhere in Zimbabwe. Elimane is the book and street smart one while clever Khoudiemata takes responsibility for keeping the three younger kids safe and fed. Each day they scheme and scam to survive, then Elimane makes a dangerous deal with a shadowy head of a crime syndicate to ensure their continued survival. Meanwhile, Khoudimata is swept up by the “beautiful people,” the fortunate sons and daughters of the elite, and wonders if perhaps it’s time to go off and live life for herself.

Narrator note: Dion Graham has one of my favorite narrator voices, hands down. His work includes Matthew Desmond’s Evicted, Marlon James’ Black Leopard, Red Wolf, and lots of Nic Stone and Walter Mosley titles. He’s a pro!

Latest Listens

TW: child death, violence/torture (mostly off page)

I abandoned several audiobooks since we last did this newsletter and went back to…. drum roll…. gothic mystery! If you’re thinking, “This again, Diaz?” my feelings won’t be hurt if you skip this section. If you’re still rockin’ with me, let me tell you about The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell, narrated by Jayne Entwistle and Elizabeth Knowelden.

The book reminds me *a lot* of Sarah Waters’ Affinity: an upperclass woman visits the women’s ward of a Victorian London prison and becomes obsessed with a particular inmate. See what I mean? Dorothea Truelove is a young, wealthy, and beautiful woman obsessed with phrenology and it’s potential use in the study of violent crime. Her charitable work takes her to Oakgate prison where she meets Ruth Butterham, a poor seamstress who’s confessed to killing several people with a needle and thread. If you’re thinking she went all stabby stabby, guess again! She claims there’s a supernatural—and deadly—power in her stitches.

The story alternates between Dorothea and Ruth’s perspectives, with Ruth slowly revealing her tragic (the most tragic) backstory to Dorothea. It broke my heart and kept me guessing till the end: is she telling the truth? Is there another sinister force at work? Jayne Entwistle is perfection once again, conveying a range of emotions as Ruth that never once feel contrived. Elizabeth Knowelden, on the other hand, is sometimes a little bit breathy for me. This is the second of her performances that I’ve listened to in the last six months and it took me about an hour to get over what feels like a perpetual hush in her tone.

Worth the listen though? Yep. Just the right amount of Gothic suspense or my liking.

From the Internets

For the gagillionth time: you don’t have to read more if you’re stuck at home. If you want to though, here are some tips—like turning to audiobooks—from CNN.

Today’s the last day of National Poetry month! Here’s a Libro.fm playlist of excellent poetry audiobooks.

Speaking of Libro, check out these awesome interviews with Abby Jimenez (The Happy Ever After Playlist) and C Pam Zhang (How Much of These Hills Is Gold).

Audiofile Magazine is reading my mind! Here are 8 new romance audiobooks from favorite narrators.

Check out Audible’s interview with Veronica Roth.

Last bit of Libro news: did you know they hired booksellers affected by COVID-19? The position goes from April 13th to May 15th and you can meet the bookish superstars here.

Over at the Riot

7 of the Best Audiobooks by Muslim Women Writers

Get Free Audiobooks for Teens This Summer Through SYNC

How Audiobooks Helped Me Feel Less Lonely Staying Home with My Newborn

Radio Drama: Then and Now

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Audiobooks

Audiobooks – 04/23

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date April 23, 2020

Audiobooks – 04/16

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date April 15, 2020

Sponsored by our Debbie Macomber prize pack giveaway! Enter here.

Hola Audiophiles! I’m back with another audiobook rundown from inside my Portland abode. Most days are pretty good, a few have me feeling like this guy, and while the internet is often scary, the creativity of the youth brings me hope. So much drama in the CDC! Brilliant.

Let’s move on to new releases and my latest listen, shall we? I swear I will move away from cozy stuff sometime soon, but that day is not today, friends. Join me in the cozy place!

Ready? Let’s audio.

New Releases – April 14 (publisher descriptions in quotes)

Antigone Rising: The Subversive Power of the Ancient Myths by Helen Morales, narrated by Gabra Zackman – Mythology nerds, assemble! This is in part a dissection of the ways in which myths and ancient texts have been used, often deliberately, to support harmful agendas like white supremacy and misogyny. Morales provides both a history lesson and modern parallels (like Beyonce and Ali Smith) to argue that mythology has always been of and fore the people, regardless of class, education, etc, and that we should reclaim these narratives in working towards a more just, equal, and accepting world.

Narrator Note: Go with me here, because this sounds like a diss, but isn’t! Gabra Zackman reminds me of a diluted January LaVoy. I love January, but her style isn’t for everyone. If you’ve ever heard a book read by her and wished it was perhaps a tiny bit less theatrical, look into Gabra Zackman! Her credits include I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, This Is How It Always Is, and Sadie.

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez, narrated by Zachary Webber and Erin Mallon – It’s been two years since Sloane lost her fiancé, but things are looking up when she finds an adorable pup with a “don’t you wanna take me home?” face. She tries to contact his owner but never hears back, so she decides to keep the pooch and falls in love with him, only for the owner to finally send her a text that’s all, “My bad, I’m a musician on tour in Australia, but like… I want my dog back, thanks!” Sloane is like, “Funny story! He’s mine now.” After a lot of back and forth, the messages and calls start to get a little flirty. Could there be something there? Or is Sloane just asking to get hurt again?

Narrator Note: Zachary Webber is a romance audio veteran; he’s the voice the Fifty Shades of Grey books told from Christian’s perspective, lots of Colleen Hoover’s books, and more. Erin Mallon read Abby Jimenez’ The Friend Zone and narrates a ton of Lauren Blakely’s work, plus a ton of Audible originals.

The Unsuitable by Molly Pohlig, narrated by Esther Wane – Yesss gothic fiction! Iseult Wince is a Victorian woman who is quickly approaching spinsterhood. She’s plain and awkward, and oh yes, one more thing: she believes that the mother who died giving birth to her lives in a scar on her neck. Iseult’s cruel and abusive father keeps trying to marry her off, but Iseult scares away suitor after suitor. Then at last, her father finds someone desperate enough to take Iseult off his hands, but Iseult’s (literal) pain-in-the-neck mother becomes more volatile and demanding as the wedding approaches. FYI: I haven’t read this yet, but Liberty covered it with me on this week’s All the Books and gave a strong trigger warning for self-harm.

Narrator Note: Esther Wane also performs Daisy Johnson’s Everything Under and wheeeeeew child, if you haven’t read that flip of the Oedipus myth, do it.

Latest Listens

After reading and loving the first eight of ten books in Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series in print, I avoided the last two books in a sad and stubborn attempt to make the magic last. My tantrum paid off, because the universe knew precisely when I would need the rest of this cozy series to soothe me in these troubled times.

Set in the 50s in and around a small English village called Bishop’s Lacey, this series’ protagonist and amateur sleuth is of course 12-year-old Flavia de Luce. She lives in a dilapidated mansion with her two older sisters and widowed father, opting to live in the cold eastern wing of the house because it contains a big, bad chemistry lab built by her great Uncle Tar. Some of my favorite scenes in the book involve Flavia sitting around the lab swathed in a blanket heating her toast and a soft boiled egg on a Bunsen burner. The best! Flavia has followed in her uncle’s footsteps with her great passion for science, potions, and poison. She’s effortlessly funny, whip smart, and possesses that Marplesque wisdom that comes from keen observation of quotidian life.

I finally listened to everyone who’s ever raved about these books on audio and downloaded the ninth book in the series, The Grave’s A Fine and Private Place. The whole series is read by Jane Entwhistle and she is just a gem! She manages Flavia’s cool, snarky, precociousness in all her glory, delivering her awesome one-liners and smoothly veiled insults just as I always imagined Flavia would. If you’re looking for something relatively low stakes, funny, and overall delightful, check this series out.

From the Internets

Nerdist rounded up a list of ways to audio for free.

I was not aware of the so-called tax on audiobooks in the UK; read this piece if you aren’t aware of its implications either.

Over at the Riot

Four Great YA Audiobooks Narrated by Actors

More Than a Trend: Making Audiobooks Accessible

29 Free Audiobooks for Kids, Or Anyone Else

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, catch me once a month on the All the Books podcast, and watch me ramble about even more new books every Tuesday on our YouTube channel.

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Audiobooks

Audiobooks – 04/09

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date April 9, 2020

Audiobooks – 4/2

Post author By Vanessa Diaz
Post date April 1, 2020

Sponsored by the audiobook edition of Little America by Epic

From the pages of Epic magazine come the true stories that inspired the Apple Original Series. Nearly everyone in America came from somewhere else. This is a fundamental part of the American idea. Everyone here has their own unique story. Little America is a collection of those stories, told by the people who lived them. Together, they form a wholly original, at times unexpected portrait of America’s immigrants—and thereby a portrait of America itself. Representing these varied voices, the audiobook edition of Little America is read by a full cast with an introduction written and read by Kumail Nanjiani

Hola Audiophiles! It is I, Vanessa, from day Idunnowhat in isolation thanks to our unwelcome guest, the ‘rona. I’m overall in good spirits all things considered, though I do certainly have moments that look a little something like this. Hope you’re all hanging in okay too!

Let’s talk new audiobooks and how I accidentally listened to a book that hits a little too close to home.

Ready? Let’s audio.

New Releases – March 31, 2020 (publisher descriptions in quotes)

The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag, narrated by Adjoa Andoh (fantasy) – Four half sisters meet in the Everwhere as children, a strange world they can only reach in their dreams where they practice their elemental magics. When they’re suddenly cut off from the dreamscape at age thirteen, they lose their powers and all memories of each other. Five years later as their 18th birthday approaches, the sisters begin to feel a mysterious pull toward one another and uncover the dark secret of their births. They determine they must return to the Everwhere, but what they don’t know might kill them: they’re about to be subjected to a gladiatorial fight for their lives.

Narrator note: Adjoa Andoh is the voice of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah as well as The Power by Naomi Alderman, not to mention the work of Ann Leckie, Talia Hibbert, Nnedi Okorafor, and more. You may recall that I didn’t 100% love the accent work in Ann Leckie’s The Raven Tower, but the rest of Andoh’s narration is beautiful, rich, and regal.

More Myself by Alicia Keys, narrated by a whole buncha people (autobiography) – I’ve been a fan of Ms. Keys since “I keep on falling…. IIIIIIIIIIIiiiIIIIiiiIIIIIIiiiiiin… in loooove… with-uh-you!” This book is all about the talented musician and songstress’ journey, part autobiography and part narrative documentary, “revealed not only through her own candid recounting, but also through vivid recollections from those who have walked alongside her. The result is a 360-degree perspective on Alicia’s path, from her girlhood in Hell’s Kitchen and Harlem to the process of growth and self-discovery that we all must navigate.”

Narrator Note: Look, I need Alicia Keys to narrate sleep stories for the meditation app I’m leaving on heavy these days. The silken perfection of her voice is just gah! I was already pumped to hear she was narrating her own audiobook and then saw the list of folks making guest appearances: America Ferrera, Bono, Clive Davis, Jay-Z, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Swizz Beats, and more. Okay then!

Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer, narrated by Sarah Zimmerman – It’s 1926 in Cairo, Egypt at the Mena House Hotel. A young, independent American widow named Jane Wunderly is found standing over the body of Anna Stainton, a beautiful spotlight-obsessed socialite and Jane’s unintentional rival at the hotel. With her innocence at stake in a foreign country, Jane must determine who, if anyone, she can trust as well as who committed this brutal murder.

Narrator Note: I could have sworn I’d listened to a few books narrated by Sarah Zimmerman, but I can’t find the titles to save my life! I do know she’s the voice of N.K. Jemisin’s Dreamblood duology and the last book in Charlie N. Holmberg’s Paper Magician series.

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby, narrated by the author – Samantha Irby is 40 and examining how life has changed since she’s published some popular books, and moved in with a woman in a blue town in a red state where life is a lot less “Girls Gone Wild” and a lot more “Girls Gone Mild.” Irby “discusses the actual nightmare of living in a rural idyll, weighs in on body negativity (loving yourself is a full-time job with shitty benefits) and poses the essential question: sure sex is fun but have you ever googled a popular meme?”

Narrator Note: I can’t imagine anyone narrating Samantha Irby’s work but Samantha Irby.

Latest Listens

So I did a thing: I queued up a book that I’d heard Jenn Northington (and lots of Rioters) rave about tons of times without really knowing too much about the plot. WELL. I somehow managed not to know that I, newly bound to my home in the middle of a pandemic, unsure of when I’d next find rice, beans, or toilet paper for purchase, was diving headfirst into a post-apocalyptic novel where a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Winter is coming (great!) panic ensues (sounds familiar), and all the people on the reservation go bananas buying up all the food and supplies as sickness and death ravage their people (um excuse me, que?!). Cool cool cool.

That book was Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice, narrated by Billy Merasty. I was folding laundry when I finally figured out what was going on, pausing with a pair of workout leggings in mid air as I questioned my life choices. Eerie coincidence aside, the book was fantastic! You’ll feel Rice’s vivid descriptions of the bitter cold deep in your bones, not to mention the slow but steadily mounting despair that sets in as you approach what you just know is something rull, rull bad. It’s a slow burn for sure, but never once boring. Don’t be surprised if you have to physical pry your shoulders away from your ears when you’re done.

Finally, the narration by Billy Merasty was spot on. Merasty is an Aboriginal Canadian actor and writer of Cree descent who’s tone and pacing kept the suspense going the entire time.

From the Internets

Great Sci-Fi and Fantasy Audiobooks Read By Celebrities (Nerdist)

Ok, so you know how a lot of us are turning to puzzles right now? Well someone over at Macmillan put together these landing pages with puzzles of audiobook covers of some pretty cool audiobooks. Now you can listen to the audiobook and do the puzzle at the same time! Check out the selections below.

The Night Country by Melissa Albert, read by Rebecca Soler and James Fouhey – puzzle here
Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center, read by Therese Plummer – puzzle here
Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews, read by Kathleen McInerne – puzzle here
Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell, read by Euan Morton – puzzle here
Summoned to the Thirteenth Grave by Darynda Jones, read by Lorelei King – puzzle here
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, read by Ramon de Ocampo – puzzle here

Over at the Riot

Find Book Riot’s continued coverage of COVID-19 updates from the bookish world here.

Where to get free audiobooks for kids!

Did you hear about Harry Potter at Home? One of the resources newly made available is free access to the ebook and audiobooks of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on audiobook narrated by Stephen Fry.

We have a ton of awesome giveaways going on! Enter for your chance to win a gift card to Barnes & Noble or Amazon, a copy of Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue, and more!

We also give away tons of books over on Instagram. Follow us there if you don’t already.

A listening pathway to the work of Ramon de Ocampo (Okay, that’s three unintentional mentions in one newsletter. I really need to get to Red, White & Royal Blue, don’t I?)

5 Food Memoirs For Your TBR – yes please.

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 Tuesday and Friday too!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa