Well hello there, audiophiles! Welcome back to Audiophilia, land of audiobooks, joy, and healthy amounts of snark. In addition to audiobook news and such, I’ll be reviewing some old faves with you today in the spirit of thankfulness. Let’s get right to it then, shall we?
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Latest Listen
It’s finally here, friends: the inimitable Michelle Obama’s Becoming has finally hit shelves & eardrums! I haven’t decided whether this one will be my lullaby before bed or a morning listen to get the day started. All I know is that I have to catch this on audio; perhaps Michelle’s sweet words of hope and encouragement will help distract me from… well, you know. All the things.
Listens I’m Thankful For
Thanksgiving is… weird. Native Americans were minding their business when a bunch of pale people with big hats on a boat were like, “Hey girl, so this is our sh*t now thanks.” The pilgrims took the Natives’ things and killed their people but still were offered maize and hospitality, and now we celebrate with dead turkeys! Slight simplification here, pero… you get the idea.
These concerns aside, I am all for taking the time to express gratitude for one’s blessings and will throw down on some stuffing & aaaall the pumpkin things. Since it’s that time of year, I thought I’d mix it up and tell you about some past listens that I’ve been grateful for.
The Clancys of Queens by Tara Clancy – Tara Clancy’s childhood was not like yours or mine, that it unless you too were raised in a trifecta comprised of a boat shed in Queens, a mansion in the Hamptons, and a lively block in Brooklyn downstairs from your saucy Italian grandmother whose favorite way to end a sentence is “Fangul!”. Clancy has the ease of a natural storyteller, taking readers and listeners on an insightful, poignant, and raucously funny ride through her unconventional upbringing. This is perfect for audio; I can’t imagine reading these stories without Clancy’s Queens accent to charm my ears off.
Born A Crime by Trevor Noah – I didn’t know a heck of a lot about Trevor Noah when I listened to his book but was hooked by its very literal title: as the product of a union between a black woman and a white man during South African apartheid, Noah’s very existence was an actual crime. I knew his tales of the peril that such an entry into the world might bring would be riveting; I was wholly unprepared for how I’m-going-to-wet-myself-in-public hilarious many of them would be (see poop story and Hitler DJ anecdote for reference). Remember his Daily Show bit about the infamous “covfefe” incident? Think of the voice he does when he’s clutching that teddy bear and imagine an audiobook with lots more where that came from.
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae – Issa has blown up with the success of HBO’s Insecure and the hype is well deserved; the writing, the acting, the straight FIYAH soundtrack are all insane. Whether you’ve been rocking with Issa since the days of her Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl web series like me or are new to the Issa tribe, her book of the same name is to be enjoyed on audio post haste. Her musings on growing up the daughter of Senegalese immigrants, dating, body image, trying to make it in these streets and more kept me in stitches and affirmative head nods. There’s chapter on AOL chat rooms that opens with “At eleven years of age, I was a cyber ho.” I cannot!
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain – Anthony Bourdain was the inspiration behind so many of my foodie adventures and travels and his loss is one I felt profoundly. I’ve long loved Kitchen Confidential in print and decided to revisit this memoir/deep dive into the belly of the restaurant industry on audio. It was every bit as good the second time around, albeit infinitely more emotional with Uncle Tony narrating his own words into my ear holes. I hope he’s savoring a big ol’ hunk of bone marrow and a bold glass of red as he bashes ol’ Trumpy Pants from the big kitchen in the sky.
From the Internets
Canada Rising – A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned my lack of familiarity with Canada’s historically low audiobook availability. There’s good news on this front – according to a recent article in Forbes, Canadian audiobook production is up to 61%. While that figure is still pretty disappointing, it’s a huge step in the right direction considering it was a whopping 16% just two years ago. Let’s hope there’s more to come!
Over at the Riot
Appsolutely Awesome – You probably have an audio app of choice – I’m a big fan of Libby and Libro.fm myself. It’s always nice to get a refresher on what else is out there though, like these 13 apps for reading on the go. Several of these include audiobooks for your eager ears.
Most Shameless of Plugs – I recently joined Book Riot’s booktube family and posted my very first video on Friday! Learn a little about me, observe some gratuitous wand use, and hear my musings on audiobooks in the context of bookish imposter syndrome.
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 for tips and latest listens and watch me booktube every Friday too!
Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa