Author: Vanessa Diaz

Hola, Audiophiles!

Heyyy, sooo: February is over. Not to be completely unoriginal, but how did January drag on for years while this month popped in, gave a lazy wave, dropped off its dirty laundry, and bounced?! I don’t even know how to feel since February was, in a lot of ways, some trash. The books that came out this month were fire though and I’m one month closer to traveling to Cuba (!!!!!), so I feel like it’s all going to be just fine.

In even better news, the end of one month means the start of another and that means: NEW BOOOOOKS! Because March is Women’s History Month, I decided all of the books discussed today will be by women. WHO RUN THE WORLD??

Let’s audio.

Sponsored by Princeton University Press Audio

Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406) is generally regarded as the greatest intellectual ever to have appeared in the Arab world—a genius who ranks as one of the world’s great minds. Yet the author of the Muqaddima, the most important study of history ever produced in the Islamic world, is not as well known as he should be, and his ideas are widely misunderstood. In this groundbreaking intellectual biography, Robert Irwin provides an engaging and authoritative account of Ibn Khaldun’s extraordinary life, times, writings, and ideas. Start Listening Now!

New Releases (publisher’s descriptions in quotes)

Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera, narrated by Marisol Ramirez (March 5)

First I just have to say that the main character is in an all-girl crew called Las Mal Criadas. I mean… I have many yesses to offer here. Is there Mal Criadas merch available? Have credit card, will buy.

Our heroine Nalah is sixteen years old when she realizes she’s had enough of street life (aka la vida de una Mal Criada). Leaving the streets behind is of course not simple, and Nalah must decide just how far she’s willing to go to get what she wants. I’ve seen this pitched as “The Outsiders meets Mad Max: Fury Road” and yep. Gonna need to read that.

Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi, narrated by the author (March 5)

This cover is a thing of beauty and the concept even better: a gingerbread recipe that is both the curse and legacy of three generations of women. “Influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children’s stories—equal parts wholesome and uncanny, from the tantalizing witch’s house in “Hansel and Gretel” to the man-shaped confection who one day decides to run as fast as he can… As the book follows the Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, wealth, and real estate, gingerbread seems to be the one thing that reliably holds a constant value.”

So Here’s The Thing…: Notes on Growing Up, Getting Older, and Trusting Your Gut by Alyssa Mastromonaco, narrated by the author (March 5)

I absolutely loved Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? and am pumped for the follow up from Mastromonaco, who once served as President Obama’s Deputy Chief of Staff and has gone on to hold executive roles at VICE and A&E. She currently serves as Senior Advisor and spokesperson for the National Abortion Rights Action League and is back with “a bold, no-nonsense, and no-holds-barred twenty-first-century girl’s guide to life, tackling the highs and lows of bodies, politics, relationships, moms, education, life on the internet, and pop culture. Whether discussing Barbra Streisand or The Bachelor, working in the West Wing or working on finding a wing woman, Alyssa leaves no stone unturned…and no awkward situation unexamined.”

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson, narrated by the author (March 12)

If you’ve never read Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, do that now. Then come right on back for this vulnerable and inspiring poetry memoir that you’ll love and perhaps also kind of hate for it’s timeliness. “Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action woven between deeply personal stories from her life that she’s never written about before. Searing and soul-searching, this important memoir is a denouncement of our society’s failures and a love letter to all the people with the courage to say #MeToo and #TimesUp, whether aloud, online, or only in their own hearts. Shout speaks truth to power in a loud, clear voice– and once you hear it, it is impossible to ignore.”

The True Queen by Zen Cho, narrator not yet announced (March 12)

Finally! The next installment in the Sorcerer Royal series is here and introduces us to sisters Muna and Sakti. They wake up on an island with no idea how they got there, cursed by some nefarious entity. Sakti starts to fade away and the only hope of saving her is in Britain, where the Sorceress Royal leads a magical training academy for women. “If Muna is to save her sister, she must learn to navigate high society, and trick the English magicians into believing she is a magical prodigy. As she’s drawn into their intrigues, she must uncover the secrets of her past, and journey into a world with more magic than she had ever dreamed.”

The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab, narrated by Heather Wilds (March 12)

Is anyone else as excited as I am for the re-release of V.E. Schwab’s debut novel?! Gah! I feel like I’m terrible at describing this, so we’ll just stick straight to the publisher’s copy: “The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. There are no strangers in the town of Near. These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger, a boy who seems to fade like smoke, appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true. The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.”

Internment by Samira Ahmed, narrated by Soneela Nankani (March 19)

On the list of many things for which I curse my recent bout of swine flu is the fact that I missed the chance to meet and chat with Samira Ahmed at Winter Institute! The author of the bestselling Love, Hate & Other Filters has returned with a novel set in a pretty terrifying near-future where Muslim American citizens are forced into internment camps. “With the help of newly made friends also trapped within the internment camp, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, Layla begins a journey to fight for freedom, leading a revolution against the internment camp’s Director and his guards.”

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams, narrated by Shvorne Marks (March 19)

I don’t know how one manages to write something described as “Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Americanah” but I sure am interested! “Queenie Jenkins is a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national newspaper, where she’s constantly forced to compare herself to her white middle class peers. After a messy break up from her long-term white boyfriend, Queenie seeks comfort in all the wrong places…including several hazardous men who do a good job of occupying brain space and a bad job of affirming self-worth.” This is going to resonate with any woman anywhere who’s searched for meaning in the world while trying to find her place in it.

The Lost Gutenberg: The Astounding Story of One Book’s Five-Hundred-Year Odyssey by Margaret Leslie Davis, narrated by Coleen Marlo (March 19)

Books about books! Yay! Ok yes, the book in this story is the Bible but go with me for a second. “For rare-book collectors, an original copy of the Gutenberg Bible–of which there are fewer than 50 in existence–represents the ultimate prize. Here, Margaret Leslie Davis recounts five centuries in the life of one copy, from its creation by Johannes Gutenberg, through the hands of monks, an earl, the Worcestershire sauce king, and a nuclear physicist to its ultimate resting place, in a steel vault in Tokyo. Estelle Doheny, the first woman collector to add the book to her library and its last private owner, tipped the Bible onto a trajectory that forever changed our understanding of the first mechanically printed book.” This sounds like a saga with bits of Indiana Jones and The Club Dumas plus… Worcestershire sauce? I dunno, but I’m in.  

White Elephant by Julie Langsdorf (March 26)

I was wondering why this author’s name sounded so familiar to me and it finally dawned on me: Julie Langsdorf wrote A Secret History of Witches, which has been on my actual nightstand for months. “Barrie Anne Blythe and her aunt Charlotte have always known that the other residents of their small coastal community find them peculiar — two women living alone on the outskirts of town. It is the price of concealing their strange and dangerous family secret. But two events threaten to upend their lives forever. The first is the arrival of a mysterious abandoned baby with a hint of power like their own. The second is the sudden reappearance of Barrie Anne’s long-lost husband — who is not quite the man she thought she married. Together, Barrie Anne and Charlotte must decide how far they are willing to go to protect themselves.”

From the Internets

And the Awards Goes To… – The Oscars may be over and we all may have our feelings, but this list of audiobooks by LitHub of audiobooks to get you through the Oscars is still worth taking a peek at.

Over at the Riot

All The Libros – Speaking of new books, did you catch this week’s episode of All the Books? I joined Liberty this week to chat about new releases and you know I snuck in some audiobook commentary too!

I Be Book Tubin’ – Not exactly audiobook-related, but make sure to check out the Book Riot You Tube channel on Friday, March 1st. My video this week is all about a few badass women writers who inspire me on and off the page in honor of Women’s History Month, many of whose work I have enjoyed thoroughly on audio.

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 Friday too!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Hola, Audiophiles!

How’s everyone doing? I’ve been so wrapped up in my health woes and other assorted life concerns that I haven’t asked how YOU are all feeling. It feels like everyone I know is giving 2019 a zero or one star rating so far and I honestly cannot blame them! What is in the water? Why does it feel like these first couple of months have been longer than the longest of longs?!

Still, beneath the garbage there is usually some treasure and I for one am trying (with effort) to focus on the good stuff I have going on! My baby nephew is getting bigger and stronger every day, a friend is expecting a new baby, I’ve found a rad new cowork space in the neighborhood I love, and the new Flavia de Luce book (even if it’s the last one) is out in the world. So! Tell me friends? What’s good with you? Let’s get some positivity flowing in this space!

For now: let’s audio.

Sponsored by Princeton University Press Audio

When Iranians overthrew their monarchy, rejecting a pro-Western shah in favor of an Islamic regime, many observers predicted that revolutionary turmoil would paralyze the country for decades to come. Yet forty years after the 1978–79 revolution, Iran has emerged as a critical player in the Middle East and the wider world, as demonstrated in part by the 2015 international nuclear agreement. In Iran Rising, renowned Iran specialist Amin Saikal describes how the country has managed to survive despite ongoing domestic struggles, Western sanctions, and countless other serious challenges. Start Listening Now!

Latest Listen

I mentioned to you all last week that I was listening to The Raven Tower by Anne Leckie and holy crap! There is a lot to keep straight. Gods! Mortals! Animals! Accents! Treachery! I want to tell you more about it, but I’m going to make you all wait a little. Don’t hate me! It’s for a pretty cool reason: I’ll be recording a guest spot on All the Books with Liberty on February 25th!

Listens on Deck

I promised myself I was done blaming swine flu for the things that have gone wrong as of late pero…. how? HOW??! How did I somehow miss that Toni Morrison had a new book coming out this year!?!? And during Black History Month?! I blame all the meds.

I am at last slowly listening to The Source of Self Regard and it had me before I’d even pressed play. It’s split into three parts: a prayer for those that died on 9/11, a meditation on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a eulogy for James Baldwin. Woven into these three sections are a discussion, commentary, and critique of just about every contemporary topic you’d expect this prolific writer to tackle. Need I say any more?

From the Internets

Free Books Here! – My buddies over at Libro.fm are celebrating Independent Bookstore Day this year with free audiobooks! Ya hear that, kids? Free! Gratis! Zero dollars and zero cents!

Customers who create a Libro.fm account in the lead up to Independent Bookstore Day will receive an e-mail on April 27 with a link to the free goods. Already have a Libro.fm membership? Lucky you! You’ll automatically be getting an e-mail with a link to the free audiobooks. BOOM.

A Motivation Situation – Ok friends, it’s February. How are all my resolution peeps doing with their New Year’s goals?! If you find your motivation is in need of a super charge, check Bustle’s list of motivational audiobooks to keep you inspired while on the move.

Listen to Black Women – A member of the American Booksellers Association Diversity Task force recently asked Libro.fm to put together a playlist of listens by black women – and they did! The list is comprised of books by, about, and performed by Black women and includes books from a beautiful variety of genres. Get into it.

Over at the Riot

How to Listen to Audiobooks on an iPhone – You asked, we answered. Check out this guide for listeners new to audiobooking on the iPhone.

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 Friday too!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Hola, Audiophiles!

Well, I’ve managed to stay healthy for two weeks in a row now, so I’m feeling pretty proud of myself! I’m back to eating solid foods, being able to taste said food, and of course: audiobooking! Can’t tell you how great it is to throw on my latest listen and not almost instantly give way to fatigue. It also helps that my latest listens have been pretty damn riveting.

Let’s talk about that, shall we?

Sponsored by Princeton University Press Audio

During the long eighteenth century, Europe’s travelers, scholars, and intellectuals looked to Asia in a spirit of puzzlement, irony, and openness. In this panoramic and colorful book, Jürgen Osterhammel tells the story of the European Enlightenment’s nuanced encounter with the great civilizations of the East, from the Ottoman Empire and India to China and Japan. Start Listening Now!

 Latest Listen

So after all the indecision from last week, I ended up going with On the Come Up by Angie Thomas. Wow. Just wow. Miss Thomas took a good, long look at Sophomore Novel Syndrome, chucked up the deuces, and went about her badass, chart-topping writer way. I know this is a mouthful because The Hate U Give was brilliant but I think… I might… like this one… even… more!?

We need to talk about the narrator here, Bahni Turpin, who just does Angie Thomas’ characters so right. I loved her in The Hate U Give but the life she breathes into Bri in On the Come Up gave me chills more than a few times. The teenage angst, the raw emotion, the inspired delivery of Bri’s raps, even the know-it-all, hothead attitude that sometimes makes you want to shake Bri until you remember that teens are gonna teen. Turpin masters every other characters’ angle with ease too: there’s contrast without gimmick, dialect without schtick. If you see her name in an audiobook, consider yourself in good hands.

Side note: I definitely walked around last week rapping to myself, “You can’t stop me on the come up! You can’t stop me! Nope! Nope!”

Listens on Deck

I just started listening to Anne Leckie’s The Raven Tower which is out on 2/26 from Hachette Audio. While I’m only about a quarter in, this listen has made me go, “Wait – que!?” at least a dozen times, which I suppose I should have expected when the author has won the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards.

So much is happening! The god known as the Raven has protected the kingdom of Iraden for centuries. Perched atop a tower in the port city of Vastai, he speaks through a living bird called the Instrument and rules via a human ruler of his choosing known as the Raven’s Lease. The Lease is a powerful position no doubt, but it comes with a little caveat; see, when the Raven’s Instrument dies, so must the Lease; it’s the Lease’s blood sacrifice that feeds the Raven’s power.

In theory all of this blood sacrifice stuff should keep things in order, but something wicked this way comes in the form of a throne usurper. The Raven’s power is waning, Iraden’s borders are being tested by shady invaders, and those invaders have made pacts with other gods to disrupt the peace and prosperity in Vastai. The true heir Mawat must try and retake the throne, but things keep getting twistier as secrets from a dark history unfold.

There’s also the fact that I’m *pretty* sure the narrator here is a rock. Like an actual rock, a boulder, but the rock is also a god. So many questions! Stay tuned.

From the Internets

Acts of Distraction – The Washington Post suggests three great audiobooks to distract you from reality, because that is a much nicer way of saying, “Read These Books to Forget About the Garbage Fire!!!!!” These listens do all sound pretty riveting: a little murder, a little culture clash, and a crash course on Native American history/counternarrative to Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

Over at the Riot

Audie Riot Rundown – I know I mentioned the Audies last week, but the buzz keeps on growing! The full list of nominees across all twenty four categories can be a little overwhelming; Rioter Romeo has highlighted a few finalists from each category to get you a little more in the know.

Narrator Chat – Last week on the Book Riot YouTube channel, Rincey talked about audiobook narrators and what makes a good one (or a bad one!). I totally felt what she said about the fine line that is inflection (or for me: accents!!): it takes a very specific skill to know how to deploy each deftly without a whole lot of distracting overkill! Also, someone in the comments mentioned Bahni Turpin and so here I am again, cosigning so hard on her greatness!

Narrator Faves – Apparently this is a good week to talk narrator faves! Here’s a great post about one Rioter’s narrator hall of fame with examples of some of their best work for each. This is a seriously fantastic list with many names that I recognized, and a few that I hadn’t realized I was already a fan of! And yes, Bahni Turpin sure did make the list because #duh.

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 Friday too!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Hola, Audiophiles!

I already quoted the opening lines to Madonna’s Like A Virgin in this week’s In the Club but I’m about to do it again! I really did make it through the wilderness! Somehow I made it through!

I am so relieved to be rid of the swine flu, I could cry. I want to hug every person I see in the street and slip them goodie bags of Emergen-C, zinc, and oregano oil. Thank you all for sticking by me while I went on about that mess for nine whole weeks! I think I’ve finally–like for real this time–turned the corner and am ready to get back to my regular, healthy, not-dependent-on-steroids-and-an-inhaler self.

So! Let’s audio!

Sponsored by Princeton University Press Audio

Though mankind has traded tangible goods for millennia, recent technology has changed the fundamentals of trade, in both legitimate and illegal economies. In the past three decades, the most advanced forms of illicit trade have broken with all historical precedents and, as Dark Commerce shows, now operate as if on steroids, tied to computers and social media. In this new world of illicit commerce, which benefits states and diverse participants, trade is impersonal and anonymized, and vast profits are made in short periods with limited accountability to sellers, intermediaries, and purchasers. Start Listening Now!

Latest Listen

The honest truth? Swine flu made me too sick even for audiobooks. I spent most of that dark period falling in and out of sleep, coughing up a lung, and wondering what series of life choices I’d made to bring such prolonged exposure to the plague upon myself. Pretty sure I caught myself singing, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen…” at least once and mos def looked up local curanderas to chase away the evil spirits. Dios mio, it was… dramatic.

Before the 102 degree fevers though, I’d been listening to Jewell Parker Rhodes’ Ghost Boys on audio as research for the Read Harder podcast. This story of a young boy who dies when he’s shot by a police officer and comes back as a ghost got me square in the feel box, especially when that boy ends up meeting other ghost boys like him and one of them is Emmett Till. This Walter Award winner (hellooo Read Harder task #22!) is a beautiful and heartbreaking history lesson and a must-listen for young readers and adults trying to make sense of so much tragedy. The audio messed me up, fam, but in the best and most necessary way.

Listens on Deck

I have been trying to pick my nest listen for a solid two days and am facing major analysis paralysis over here! I’m thinking it’s either going to be Angie Thomas’ much anticipated On the Come Up or Lyndsay Faye’s The Paragon Hotel. Who to spend time with first? Do I follow along while young Bri tries to make it as an MC in spite of so many impossible obstacles, or do I embark on a journey with Alice “Nobody” from Prohibition-era Harlem to Portland’s Paragon Hotel? DECISIONS!! Oh, what’s that? I can listen to one, and then… the other? Oh yeah. Good point.

From the Internets

Get the Audie Started – If you haven’t heard of the The Audies, it’s time you get hip to these awesome awards celebrating the best in spoken word entertainment. Since audiobooks are quickly becoming the fastest growing segment in publishing, this year is shaping up to become the biggest year ever for audiobookin’!

This year, the award show is getting a makeover of sorts and Queer Eye’s adorable Tan France (who will soon narrate his own Naturally Tan: A Memoir) is set to host! A panel of industry personalities will serve as judges for the Audiobook of the Year category, whose nominees include Sally Field, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman, Leslie Odom, Jr., Emma Thompson, Rosario Dawson, Joanne Froggatt, Amber Tamblyn, Joe Biden and tons more.

Black History Listens – Bustle recently shared this list of audiobooks to listen to this Black History Month. I cosign all of these fantastic titles, which do everything from educate to illuminate and hilariate. Yeah… that last one isn’t a word but seriously? Born A Crime will manage to make you cry-laugh while teaching you a lot you probs didn’t know about South African apartheid.

The Dreamwork of Audio Team Work – I’ve often wondered whether authors and narrators see themselves as part of a team, especially when a particular narrator is tapped to narrate multiple of an author’s works. This piece from the Washington Post speaks to the bond that apparently does often exist between authors and audiobook narrators.

Over at the Riot

For Those Listening Slumps – Whether you’re bored, overwhelmed with choices, or crying in a corner from body aches and fevers like I was, sometimes a reading – and listening- slump is unavoidable. It’s ok, take a breather; this list of podcasts make excellent company while you find your way back to ze books.

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 Friday too!

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa

Hola, Audiophiles!

I’m gonna give it to you straight: Winter Institute? So absolutely incredible. The particular variety of flu that I came back with? Would not recommend! I’ve got a real bone to pick with whomever is out here doing reckless brujeria on my immune system. I cannot buy another tissue box or bag of cough drops, nor take the ‘Oh no, you’re still sick?” look from the guy at my local pharmacy. Dios mio!

In better, cheerier news, it’s that time again: new month, new audiobooks! Let’s get straight to some of the fantastic titles comin’ at yer ear holes in February and find ourselves some happy. Let’s audio!

Sponsored by Princeton University Press Audio

We solve countless problems—big and small—every day. With so much practice, why do we often have trouble making simple decisions—much less arriving at optimal solutions to important questions? Are we doomed to this muddle—or is there a practical way to learn to think more effectively and creatively? In this enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring book, Edward Burger shows how we can become far better at solving real-world problems by learning creative puzzle-solving skills using simple, effective thinking techniques. Start Listening Now!

New Releases

Publisher’s description in quotes, release dates in parentheses

Black Leopard, Red Wolf (The Dark Star Trilogy, Book 1) by Marlon James, narrated by Dion Graham (February 5)

We ain’t ready for this greatness, y’all. From the Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings comes an African Game of Thrones, the first novel in the Dark Star trilogy. “Myth, fantasy, and history come together to explore what happens when a mercenary is hired to find a missing child.

Drawing from African history and mythology and his own rich imagination, Marlon James has written a novel unlike anything that’s come before it: a saga of breathtaking adventure that’s also an ambitious, involving read. Defying categorization and full of unforgettable characters, Black Leopard, Red Wolf is both surprising and profound as it explores the fundamentals of truth, the limits of power, and our need to understand them both.”

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas, narrated by Bahni Turpin (February 5)

Yaaaasssss, it’s time! Angie Thomas’ highly anticipated second novel is upon us wherein we meet sixteen-year-old Bri, the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before his career could take off. Now Bri has big dreams to become one of the greatest rappers of all time herself.

“But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral…for all the wrong reasons.

Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn’t just want to make it—she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be.”

The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison, narrated by Bahni Turpin (February 12)

Two words: Toni. Morrison. “The Source of Self-Regard… is divided into three parts: the first is introduced by a powerful prayer for the dead of 9/11; the second by a searching meditation on Martin Luther King Jr., and the last by a heart-wrenching eulogy for James Baldwin. In the writings and speeches included here, Morrison takes on contested social issues: the foreigner, female empowerment, the press, money, “black matter(s),” and human rights. She looks at enduring matters of culture: the role of the artist in society, the literary imagination, the Afro-American presence in American literature, and in her Nobel lecture, the power of language itself.”

Early Riser by Jasper Fforde, narrated by Thomas Hunt (February 12)

I am a huge fan of the Thursday Next books and can’t wait to dive into this standalone from Jasper Fforde! And TBH, it kind of gives me the creeps and I’m here for it: a world where for four months every winter, the entire human population hibernates.

It’s Charlie Worthing’s first season with the Winter Consuls, a group of dedicated misfits who are responsible for the safety of the sleeping masses. He’s investigating an outbreak of viral dreams, dreams that suddenly start to kill people. Then Charlie starts to have the dreams and they start to come true what the heck is even real anymore?

“But teasing truth from the Winter is never easy: You have to avoid the Villains and their penchant for murder, kidnapping, and stamp collecting, ensure you aren’t eaten by Nightwalkers, whose thirst for human flesh can only be satisfied by comfort food, and sidestep the increasingly less-than-mythical WinterVolk. But so long as you remember to wrap up warmly, you’ll be fine.”

The Last Thing You Said by Sara Biren, narrated by Julia Knippen (February 12)

“Lucy always loved summers on Halcyon Lake—sunning on the lake raft, relaxing on the boat, and spending every possible minute with her best friend, Trixie, and Trixie’s brother, Ben, Lucy’s lifelong crush. Until last summer, when one tragic event turned their idyllic world upside down. Now nothing is the same. This summer, Trixie is gone, and Ben is distant, numbing his pain with parties and a string of interchangeable girlfriends. Lucy does her best to move on and avoid this cold new Ben. She throws herself into babysitting, waitressing, and a sweet new romance with the renter next door. But in their small lake town, forgetting the past—and Ben—proves impossible. He still seems to be everywhere: at work, at the movies . . . and in Lucy’s heart. Lucy so wants to move on, but how can she forgive when she can’t forget?”

The Black Coats by Collen Oakes, narrated by Eileen Stevens (February 12)

“The enigmatic Black Coats have been exacting vengeance on men who have hurt girls and women for years. The killer of Thea’s cousin went free, and Thea has just received an invitation to join the Black Coats’ balancings—acts of revenge meant to teach a lesson. Justice for Natalie has never felt so close.

But as the balancings escalate in brutality, Thea’s clear-cut mission begins to unravel and she must decide just how far she is willing to go for justice.

Because when the line between justice and revenge is paper thin, it’s hard not to get cut.” So… anyone else wanna be a Black Coat with me?

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole, narrated by Karen Chilton (February 19)

“While her boss the prince was busy wooing his betrothed, Likotsi had her own love affair after swiping right on a dating app. But her romance had ended in heartbreak, and now, back in NYC again, she’s determined to rediscover her joy—so of course she runs into the woman who broke her heart.

When Likotsi and Fabiola meet again on a stalled subway train months later, Fab asks for just one cup of tea. Likotsi, hoping to know why she was unceremoniously dumped, agrees. Tea and food soon leads to them exploring the city together, and their past, with Fab slowly revealing why she let Likotsi go, and both of them wondering if they can turn this second chance into a happily ever after.”

The Good Immigrant: 26 Writers Reflect on America by Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman, narrated by various (February 19)

I’ve been working my way through an advanced copy of The Good Immigrant for about a month and do not have the words to say what a powerful read it is. “An urgent collection of essays by first and second-generation immigrants, exploring what it’s like to be othered in an increasingly divided America.

From Trump’s proposed border wall and travel ban to the marching of White Supremacists in Charlottesville, America is consumed by tensions over immigration and the question of which bodies are welcome. In this much-anticipated follow-up to the bestselling UK edition, hailed by Zadie Smith as “lively and vital,” editors Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman hand the microphone to an incredible range of writers whose humanity and right to be here is under attack.”

Savage Feast: Three Generations, Two Continents, and a Dinner Table (a Memoir with Recipes) written and narrated by Boris Fishman (February 26)

Beautiful, moving memoirs about food always get me right in he feels and this sounds solidly like one of those reads. “The acclaimed author of A Replacement Life shifts between heartbreak and humor in this gorgeously told, recipe-filled memoir. A family story, an immigrant story, a love story, and an epic meal, Savage Feast explores the challenges of navigating two cultures from an unusual angle.” 

From the Internets

Audio Ever Rising – You know and I know that audiobooks are life. But how life are they? According to this article from Verge, Scribd alone went from 700,000 subscribers to over 1,000,000 in a year. Take that!

Over at the Riot

Women Getting It Done – Rioter Heather set a goal for herself to read at least 50% books by women in 2018 and used audiobooks to surpass that goal. She shares some of her favorite audiobooks both written and narrated by some pretty phenomenal women.

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 Friday too (except probs not this week because #swineflu).

Stay bad & bookish, my friends.
Vanessa