Month: April 2020

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