Audiobooks 04/29/21

I love this book’s origin story so much. Brené Brown and Me Too movement founder Tarana Burke are friends who’d recently been exchanging home decor ideas when Tarana reached out to Brené to ask if she was free to jump on a call. Brené expected wallpaper talk and got something much more serious: Tarana confessed that as a Black woman, she often felt like she had to do serious work to see herself in Brené’s words. Tarana suggested working together on a book about the Black experience with vulnerability and shame resilience, and the idea for You Are Your Best Thing was born. Contributors include Kiese Laymon, Imani Perry, Laverne Cox, Jason Reynolds, Austin Channing Brown, and more. (nonfiction, essays)

Read by Tarana Burke, Brené Brown, and the book’s contributors, as well as Mirron Willis, Bahni Turpin, JD Jackson, L Morgan Lee (in other words: hot fire!!)

I knew I needed this book about a woman who accidentally kills her blind date (whoopsie!) when Jamie highlighted it in this list of “It Was Self Defense! But Help Me Hide the Body!” crime novels. Meddelin Chan’s meddlesome mother calls her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body, and that turns out to be a lot harder than it seems. The corpse kiiiinda ends up in a cake cooler en route to the billionaire California coast wedding that the Chan women are working. What could possibly go wrong? (mystery)

Read by singer and actress Risa Mei

Elissa Washuta grew up surrounded by cheap imitations of Native spiritual tools, superficial interests in occult trends, “starter witch kits” full of sage and crystals, and the like. After a decade of abuse, addiction, PTSD, and a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder, she found herself drawn to the real spirits and practices of her displaced ancestors in her search to find love and meaning. Here she writes about “land, heartbreak, and colonization, about life without the escape hatch of intoxication, and about how she became a powerful witch” as she explores “questions of cultural inheritance and the particular danger, as a Native woman, of relaxing into romantic love under colonial rule.” (nonfiction, essays)

Read by Kyla Garcia (There There by Tommy Orange, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez)

I don’t usually see the word “toddler” in a romance title, so when I do, I need to know more. The Widow’s Grace is a secret society that helps ill-treated widows regain their reputations, their families, and even find true love. After barely surviving a shipwreck en route to London from Jamaica that leaves her imprisoned and with a case of amnesia, Jemina St. Maur is relying on the society to unearth her true identity. Barrister Daniel Thackery, Lord Ashbrook, who was widowed by that same shipwreck, betrays the law he holds so dear to free Jemina from prison. But can he be trusted? Can she? As “ruthless adversaries close in, will the truth require him, and Jemina, to sacrifice their one chance at happiness?” (romance)

Read by Bahni Turpin (The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas)

Amanda Gorman: ever heard of her? Consider this a reminder to revisit the stunning, powerful, soul-shaking poem first read at President Biden’s inauguration. This nine-minute recording is just of the titular poem, but what a standout nine minutes those are. Don’t forget to check out her debut collection (The Hill We Climb and Other Poems) when it hits shelves in September.

Read by the author

Mary Oliver was the first poet that made me feel like I “got” poetry and her work resonates with me differently every time I read it. Her poetry is as soothing as it is striking in its perfect simplicity and so accessible, too. This audio collection of forty of the late great’s favorite poems is so special because it’s a rare one: in her decades long career, she rarely performed her poetry in live readings. Enjoy this very special treat and take a moment for some reflection.

Read by the author

I don’t normally do Audible originals as a rule, but this one feels special enough to make the exception. This collection isn’t strictly poetry but a mix of essays, poems, and interviews by and from over 90 authors including Kwame Alexander, Andre Dubus III, Nikki Giovanni, Pam Houston, Caroline Leavitt, Ada Limón, Dani Shapiro, David Sheff, Garth Stein, and Luis Alberto Urrea. Themed in the possibility of hope and change in the age of isolation and uncertainty, the book is divided into five sections (What Now?, Grieve, Comfort, Connect, and Don’t Stop).

The full cast of narrators is every bit as impressive as the author list, including the likes of January LaVoy, Dion Graham, Julia Whelan, Adenrele Ojo, Emily Woo Zeller, Thérèse Plummer, Adjoa Andoh, Almarie Guerra, and more.