A New Favorite Listen!

From the first hour of the audiobook, I knew I was listening to a new favorite book. The Sentence begins when Tookie is sent to prison. When she gets out, she marries the love of her life and starts working at a bookstore in the twin cities. One of Tookie’s most annoying customers has to be Flora, a white woman who claims Indigenous ancestry. In her role as a Native American wannabe, Flora constantly inserts herself into the lives of the Native folks around her. So when Flora dies, Tookie isn’t surprised that Flora’s spirit refuses to leave the bookstore.

The majority of The Sentence covers an entire year of Tookie’s life. From late 2019 to late 2020, Tookie and her friends at the bookstore come face to face with the challenges of the pandemic as Flora’s ghost continues to cause havoc in the store.

Louise Erdrich creates an intimate setting that draws you into her story from the first few pages. As a book lover, I’m a sucker for any novel set in a bookstore or library. Add in a sinister spirit looming in the background and you have an excellent atmosphere for Erdrich’s story.

But Erdrich doesn’t stop at a simple ghost story. She examines what it was like for an Indigenous-owned business to survive the pandemic, discusses contemporary issues around colonialism, and examines who gets to tell their own stories.

I adored this novel so much—I finished the entire audiobook in one day! Erdrich performs the audiobook, voicing her characters as she heard them in her head. Erdrich is an incredible narrator, and I love that she reads most of her audiobooks.

The author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, the Man Booker Finalist, is back with her latest novel, Booth, which follows the life of John Wilkes Booth. From his parent’s early days living outside of Baltimore to that fateful night at the theater, listeners follow the life of the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

Narrated by January LaVoy

Bestselling fiction author Amy Bloom has a different story to tell this time: her own. When her husband is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Bloom’s world is upside down. Examining her experience as a caregiver, Bloom asks difficult questions about caring for a disabled spouse. As her husband’s disease deteriorates, Bloom and her husband begin to discuss his options and what dying with dignity means to him.

Narrated by the Author

From the much acclaimed author of The Rib King, The Last Suspicious Holdout features twelve short stories. These interweaving tales tell the stories of a Black community in Southern suburbia. Ladee Hubbard is a gem, ensuring that this collection will be one of the best of the year—you won’t want to miss this audiobook!

Narrated by Adenrele Ojo and JD Jackson

In this much-needed look at the environmentalist movement, Leah Thomas discusses the need for more activists to approach their work in environmentalism through an intersectional lens. She illustrates that Black, Indigenous, and other people of color bear the brunt of environmental injustice.

Narrated by Leah Thomas, Hayden Bishop, and Erin Walker

In this incredible anthology of Chinese science fiction and fantasy, nonbinary and female authors tell stories across the spectrum of some of my favorite genres. Translated from Chinese by Regina Kanyu Wang, The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories is a rich exploration of the fantastical and wondrous.

Narrated by Katharine Chin