A blazing new talent debuts with the story of Olga, a status-driven wedding planner grappling with her absent mother, her glittering career among New York’s elite, and her Puerto Rican roots. Set against the backdrop of New York City in the months surrounding the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico’s history, Olga Dies Dreaming is an audiobook that examines political corruption, familial strife, and the very notion of the American dream – all while asking what it really means to weather a storm.
Hello Audiophiles! Welcome to 2022!
Ah, yes, the new year, when book lovers pull out their reading journals, Goodreads, or StoryGraph and set new reading goals for the year. For me, I want to listen to more audiobooks by disabled authors, so I’ll be tracking that on my handy-dandy spreadsheet. Do you have any listening goals for 2022?
The Corgis have set ambitious goals to eat more snacks and shred more toys than ever before. Of course, I support their dreams, so I’ll be cleaning up their disemboweled stuffies for the foreseeable future. I’ve also set Dylan some goals on his FitBark (FitBit, but for dogs), which he severely disapproves of, bless his heart.
I recently decided to upgrade my library with three more bookshelves and have spent several days shuffling books around. Naturally, the Corgis wanted to be involved, which ended in Dylan stealing several of Gwen’s toys while she tore through a very hard-to-find novel, ripping open its spine. I would insert a photo here, but, honestly, it’s hard to look at. So here’s a photo of Dylan and one of his stolen prizes instead.
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Recent Listen
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Before the break, I mentioned I was reading Cloud Cuckoo Land, so here’s an update! The novel features several storylines of different characters across time. They each are connected by a manuscript, which is the story about a man turned into a donkey as he looks for a place called Cloud Cuckoo Land. Typically, I love watching several storylines come together, creating a complete picture at the end of the novel. But I have to admit, I felt the middle bogged down with a lot of extraneous details that could have been trimmed. Even as their stories echoed the story of Cloud Cuckoo Land included in the text, the characters’ experiences felt too drawn out.
After giving myself a break from the audiobook, I came back to it and enjoyed seeing the different characters’ stories connect. I ended up enjoying the book by the end, but overall, I think trimming it could have taken this audiobook from a good novel to a great one.
Marin Ireland performs the audiobook beautifully, and even when I was wanting the story to move a little faster, it was never because of Ireland’s performance. She kept all of these characters straight in my mind, which is an incredible feat over 15 hours! Simon Jones narrates the Cloud Cuckoo Land segments that are placed between sections of the novel. Ever since I listened to the Bartimaeus Trilogy back when I was a kid, Simon Jones has been a favorite of mine, and I couldn’t have been more delighted to hear his voice again through my headphones.
New Releases
Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho
Jean Chen Ho starts the year out strong with Fiona and Jane, a linked short story collection that follows the friendship of two Taiwanese American women. All-star narrator Natalie Naudus performs the audiobook.
Narrated by Natalie Naudus
No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib
As they wait for the arrival of their son, Hadi and Sama are devastated to learn that Hadi’s father suddenly dies. On his way back for the funeral, Hadi is detained and questioned at the border. Will Sama ever see her baby’s father come home?
Narrated by Fajer Al-Kaisi, Ali Andre Ali, and Suehyla El-Attar
Bibliolepsy by Gina Apostol
Powerhouse Gina Apostol is back with another novel, Bibliolepsy, which won the Philippine National Book Award. The publisher describes it as “a love letter to the written word and a brilliantly unorthodox look at the rebellion that brought down a dictatorship.” Yes, please—where do I sign up?!
Narrated by Rachel Coates
Velorio by Xavier Navarro Aquino
Camila’s sister is killed by a hurricane, and Camila carries her to Memoria, an organization that claims to be a utopia. But of course, there’s more going on with Memoria than what appears on the surface.
Narrated by Diana Pou, Vico Ortiz, María Victoria Martínez, Gil René Rodríguez, Jesús E. Martínez, Gabriel S. Rivera Vázquez, and Yetta Gottesman
The Chosen One: A First-Generation Ivy League Odyssey by Echo Brown
The author of Black Girl Unlimited returns with another young adult memoir, this time focusing on her experience being a first-generation Ivy league student. Dartmouth claims to be an inclusive, open-minded place, but Echo finds her reality very different than what she was told it would be.
Narrated by Echo Brown and Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Over on Book Riot
“The Value of Listening to Poetry on Audio” – Rioter Neha Patel describes how she discovered that she loves listening to poetry on audio.
“The Best Audio Adaptations of A Christmas Carol” – Annika Barranti Klein gives us this incredible gift of listing all of the different versions of A Christmas Carol, including performances by Sir Patrick Stuart, Jim Dale, and Tim Curry.
Around the Web
“2021 Book Trends Show The Power Of BookTok And Rise Of Audiobooks” (Forbes)
“Audio Book Market is Expected to Reach USD 19.39 Billion By 2027” (Digital Journal)
“Chernin Entertainment Acquires The Rights To Erik Larson’s Audiobook ‘No One Goes Alone’” (Deadline)
That’s it for this week! Feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com or say hi over on Instagram @kdwinchester. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy listening, bookish friends!
~ Kendra