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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
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