Category: Audiobooks

Hola, Audiophiles!

Things are pretty steady here in the land of Required Reading: still balancing 10+ books at the same time, still walking around audiobooking whenever I’m not regular-booking. Things have been so busy that I forgot to share some pretty cool news about Harry Potter and one of my crushes last week! Read on, dear friend, and bear with me while I babble about my latest listen. 

Let’s audio.

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Sponsored by Dreamscape Media, LLC and Good Riddance, by Elinor Lipman.

When an unsavory yearbook filled with her mother’s past comments about students gets into the hands of a woman who wants to turn it into a documentary, Daphne must stop her before her family secrets are in danger. As she struggles to silence the documentarian, she also finds herself struggling with her own demons. Expertly written and beautifully narrated, Elinor Lipman’s newest audiobook is available free with your library card on hoopla digital. Experience the novel that has received rave reviews from the Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, and People.

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Latest Listen

I finished The Night Tiger and… wow. Last week I mentioned starting this mythical, sumptuous and delightful read set in 1930s Malaysia about a young woman working at a dance hall on the low and a house boy whose master has given him a task to complete at his death. Their paths collide when they each embark on separate and dangerous missions involving a mysterious severed finger in a glass vial. You get a murder mystery, a ghost story, and tale of forbidden love all wrapped up in one!

What really sets this story over the top are the lush descriptions of scenery, aromas, and some of the most decadent food I’ve seen on a page (I paused the audio to Google “Malaysian food in San Diego” on at least three occasions). I also really love the theme of women’s empowerment that’s woven throughout; I clapped at the end when Ji Lin made a choice I was hoping she’d make but wasn’t sure she would.

Listens on Deck

Get up, stretch, use the restroom and grab your coffee because I’m about rave about Helen Oyeyemi’s Gingerbread. Oyeyemi is just a master at reworking a fairy tale in strange and lovely ways, and with language that has me hitting that rewind button on my Libro app to experience a sentence like this one again:

“A gingerbread addict once told Harriet that eating her gingerbread is like eating revenge…with darts of heat, salt, spice, and sulfurous syrup, as if honey was measured out, set ablaze, and trickled through the dough along with the liquefied spoon.”

British schoolgirl Perdita and her mother, Harriet, live in a gold-painted seventh-floor walk-up apartment where they make gingerbread that no one seems to really… want? One day Perdita appears to commit suicide by ingesting some poisoned gingerbread, but leaves a note behind that’s like, “BRB Mom! Not really dead, just going off to find the long-lost friend you always talk about!” That friend’s name is Gretel and the mythical place is Druhástrana, a faraway land where Harriet spent her youth that most people don’t believe exists. Perdita survives and comes back with a story, one she will only tell if Harriet first tells the truth about her mysterious past.

I’ve gone on long enough but one more thing: this one is narrated by Oyeyemi herself and her voice is silky smooth perfection.

From the Internets

They Came, They Saw, They Audied – The Audie Awards happened last week! The full list of winners is here. Some highlights include Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi winning Audiobook of the Year and Educated by Tara Westover winning for both Autobiography/Memoir and Best Female Narrator.

Audio Across the Pond – Here is some more talk of audiobooks’ double-digit growth for you from the London Book Fair. Check out the write-up in Publisher’s Weekly on why it’s likely to continue.

Harry Potter and the News I Forgot to Tell You – How I forgot to mention this last week, I don’t know: the Harry Potter audiobooks will be available in Spanish for the first time this year. Alohomora, that is good news! The cherry on top here is that the books will be narrated by Carlos Ponce, the Puerto Rican actor and singer that  I crushed* on HARD for the better part of my youth. Those eyes!

*past tense used here because lies

Over at the Riot

LatinAudio Love – While I’m personally not an Audible user, I do support the creation of spaces for Spanish-language books. Audible has done just that with the launch of Audible Latino; I’ll clap for that.

Sounds of SciFi – Rioter Alex has done us all a huge favor here with this list of 25 Science Fiction audiobooks to get into, plus a little more if you count the entire series and not just the first installment. As Alex points out, you get 35 audiobook recs for the price of 25!

All About Accents – Last week I talked audiobook accents over at the YouTube – my thoughts on when they work, when they don’t, and when they’re doing the most.

 

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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,

Thanks for joining me for another week of audio love! I don’t know about you, but I am setting a personal record for audiobook consumption. Between the bookstore’s book club, reading for Indies Introduce, and all the podcasting/booktubing stuff for the Riot, my required reading has really ticked up a couple of notches in the last few months. I’m constantly working on lots of titles at once and would never be able to do it all without the my Libby and Libro apps!

Let’s put some of that listening to use then, shall we? Let’s audio.

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Sponsored by Oasis Audio.

Fred Rogers was an enormously influential figure in the history of television and in the lives of tens of millions of children. The Good Neighbor, the first full-length biography of Fred Rogers, tells the story of this enduring American icon. Narrated by LeVar Burton, The Good Neighbor traces Rogers’s personal, professional, and artistic life through decades of work — including a surprising decision to walk away from the show to make television for adults, only to return with increasingly sophisticated episodes. An engaging story, rich in detail, The Good Neighbor is the definitive portrait of a beloved figure, cherished by generations.

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Latest Listens

One of my recent faves is To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Wollitzer, an amazing middle grade epistolary novel about two girls who discover than their dads have been dating in secret. They plan a reverse parent trap to keep them apart when they’re shipped off to the same camp for the summer – what could possibly go wrong?!

If you tuned in to last week’s All the Books, you already heard me rave about this super sweet and hilarious book. As I mentioned then, I have just one complaint about the audio: I couldn’t quite handle the reading of the subject lines of the girls’ emails. Once it went from “ re: you don’t know me” to “re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: you don’t know me” and beyond, The narrators themselves are really quite excellent, but if I had to hear “ree” one more time, I was going to start cussing at my car speakers in Spanish.

Listens on Deck

I’m part of the way through Yangsze Choo’s The Night Tiger which is beautiful and mysterious from page one! The author narrates this one and her voice is just so soothing and melodic that I’d listen to her read the ingredient list on a back of a cereal box. I will of course take her engaging novel set in Malaysia instead; it’s about a young woman working as a dancehall girl to pay off her mother’s Mahjong debts and a house boy on a mission to fulfill his master’s dying wish. The two are brought together by a severed finger as sometimes happens. Throw in a string of unexplained murders and whispers of a tumor about men turning into tigers and I am in for that ride. So excited to finish it!

Some of the other audiobooks I’m working on and loving include Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson and Internment by Samira Ahmed. Get both of these now!! They’re such important and emotional listes that are wrecking me gorgeously. The rest I can’t talk about yet… guess you’ll just need to tune in to the Read Harder podcast.

From the Internets

Audiopreneurship – Forbes recommends ten audiobooks every entrepreneur should listen to. I’ll admit I’m terrible at reading business books but really appreciate this list! It’s got some of the category classics but also Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken; now that’ll give you some perspective for sure.

Still I Rise – Forbes had a lot of info for me this week, apparently! This piece states that according to the Association of American Publishers, e-book sales are falling but audiobook sales continue to rise. We’re talking double-digit growth!

Over at the Riot

On last week’s episode of the Book Riot podcast (Episode #301: Bibliographic Rigor), Jeff and Rebecca talked about the news that HMH will begin producing its own audiobooks. I thought about that conversation when I came across the Forbes article about e-books vs. audiobooks; audio, amirite?!?

Women Doing the Thing – I’m bringing back some older posts in honor of Women’s History Month! No time like the present to acquaint thy ear holes with some fabulous women:

• 10 Mesmerizing Audiobooks Written and Narrated by Women
• Funny Ladies Being Funny: My Favorite Humorous Audiobooks by Women
• 13 Fabulous Feminist Audiobooks

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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!

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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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?

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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!

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 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.

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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

Hola, Audiophiles!

I took a quick break from packing to put the newsletter together this week: I’m hopping on a plane to Albuquerque for ABA’s Winter Institute! It’s my first time attending and I’m super jazzed to learn some things, meet other booksellers, and go nuts in the galley room. Did I mention one of the keynotes is by Erin Morgenstern AND Margaret Atwood? Wish me luck!

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Sponsored by Princeton University Press Audio

More than 2,500 years ago, long before medieval automata, and centuries before technology made self-moving devices possible, Greek mythology was exploring ideas about creating artificial life—and grappling with still-unresolved ethical concerns about biotechne, “life through craft.” In this compelling, richly illustrated book, Adrienne Mayor tells the fascinating story of how ancient Greek, Roman, Indian, and Chinese myths envisioned artificial life, automata, self-moving devices, and human enhancements—and how these visions relate to and reflect the ancient invention of real animated machines. Start Listening Now!

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Listens to Look For

The week leading up to this trip has been low on sleep and high on work-related reading of the non-audio variety, so today’s newsletter isn’t going to feature my latest listens. Instead, here are a few books coming out this week and next that weren’t in the new books edition at the top of the month.

(Publisher’s descriptions in quotes)

99 Nights in Logar by Jamil Jan Kochai, narrated by Ali Nasser (January 22)

It’s been six years since twelve-year-old Marwand visited Afghanistan. When he returns to this place that’s supposed to be home, he tries to make friendly with the terrifying but treasured dog that guards his family’s compound in the rural village of Logar. The dog isn’t just some beloved family pet you can stride right up to though, a lesson learned when Marwand gets his finger bit off and the dog dashes off into the night.

Marwand isn’t much fazed though; he “must get the dog back, and the resulting search is a gripping and vivid adventure story, a lyrical, funny, and surprisingly tender coming-of-age journey across contemporary Afghanistan that blends the bravado and vulnerability of a boy’s teenage years with an homage to familial oral tradition and calls to mind One Thousand and One Nights yet speaks with a voice all its own.”

Golden State by Ben H. Winters, narrated by Kiff VandenHeuvel (January 22)

The Golden State is “a nation standing where California once did, a place where like-minded Americans retreated after the erosion of truth and the spread of lies made public life and governance impossible.” Hey! So! Apparently y’all are all coming to my state sometime soon? Cool cool cool. See ya soon.

Laszlo Ratesic is a veteran of the Speculative Service in the Golden State, where knowingly contradicting the truth is the greatest crime and it’s his job to stop it. “But the Golden State is less a paradise than its name might suggest. To monitor, verify, and enforce the truth requires a veritable panopticon of surveillance and recording. And when those in control of the facts twist them for nefarious means, the Speculators are the only ones with the power to fight back.”

No Human is Illegal: An Attorney on the Front Lines of the Immigration War by J. J. Mulligan Sepulveda, narrated by Robertson Dean (January 22)

The practice of referring to undocumented immigrants as “illegals” just… sets my teeth on edge. It’s no surprise then that I was naturally drawn to this title, an account of lawyer J.J. Mulligan Sepulveda’s fight for immigrants and asylum-seekers in the thick of rising xenophobia and build-the-wall stupidity. Mulligan Sepúlveda’s quest is personal, the son and husband of Spanish-speaking immigrants himself. He shares his experience “visiting border detention centers, defending undocumented immigrants in court, and taking his services to JFK to represent people being turned away at the gates during Trump’s infamous travel ban.” My heart hurts just thinking about the stress of this vocation, and swells with gratitude for all those who undertake it.

99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne, narrated by Jayme Mattler (January 29)

Photographer Darcy Barrett has known that Tom Valeska was her dream man since the ripe old age of eight. The problem is that Tom is her twin brother Jaime’s BFF, and in spite of her efforts at seduction, Tom has chosen to remain loyal to his buddy. When Darcy and Jaime’s grandmother passes and leaves them a run down cottage and instructions for its restoration & sale, guess which super successful house-flipper is down to pitch in? I have a feeling some sexy hijinks may ensue.

Side note: I think I’m a liiitle too fresh off my bedridden Game of Thrones marathon because I definitely made a face when I realized this book featured a twin named Jamie. *shivers* Don’t worry, no apparent twincest here.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo, narrated by Lauren Fortgang (January 29)

It’s Leigh Bardugo, y’all. Just do it.

Fine. A description: “Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war – and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.  

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried – and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.”

From the Internets

Wintery weather got ya down? The Washington Post suggests these three audiobooks to cuddle up with & stave off the winter blues. I don’t have any right to claim said blues since my version of cold here in San Diego is a lot of y’all’s “f*ck yeah! Shorts!” weather. The post did however teach me that 2019 marks 100 years since P.G. Wodehouse introduced to the world to Jeeves!

Hallmark Enters the Audio Game – Hallmark has announced a partnership with Dreamscape Media to produce and distribute audiobooks. Twenty titles are set to release over the summer, but the first title will be a Valentine’s Day themed production called The Secret Ingredient. Sounds cozy!

Over at the Riot

Audiolibros + Language – Want to hear me talk real fast and geek out over books too? I put together a quick YouTube video about using Spanish audiobooks to practice your Spanish. Audiobooks are a great tool to accompany your language study, no matter your level of comprehension or pronunciation.

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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!

Happy Thursday! I can’t tell you how happy I am to report that my coughing is at a very bare minimum at last and that my sinuses are juuuuust about ready to cooperate too. Eureka!!! I am so ready to ditch the inhaler and cough drops (you do not want to know how many bags of them I’ve gone through… ay ay ay) and to live life without having to map out my nearest tissue box and hand sanitizer.

I’ve also finally begun to read and listen at my usual pace and have been devouring some pretty amazing titles. I’ll share some of those with you here as well as the latest audio buzz on the Riot and interwebs at large.

Let’s audio!

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Sponsored by Princeton University Press Audio

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, unique tales inspired by traditional literary forms appeared frequently in socialist-leaning British periodicals. Based on familiar genres—the fairy tale, fable, allegory, parable, and moral tale—and penned by a range of lesser-known and celebrated authors, these stories were meant to entertain readers of all ages—and some challenged the conventional values promoted in children’s literature for the middle class. In Workers’ Tales, acclaimed critic and author Michael Rosen brings together more than forty of the best and most enduring examples of these stories in one beautiful volume. Start Listening Now!

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Latest Listens

Last week I mentioned that I was going to listen to Roshani Chokshi’s The Gilded Wolves and son of a biscuit-eating bulldog, is it good!! I just can’t get enough of the lush, descriptive details of this dark, glamorous, and mysterious world–the clothing, the decadent gardens, the gorgeous structures adorned with fabricated eye candy. The magical twists work so well with the whole beauty + art & innovation vibe of Belle Epoque Paris. And to top it all off, the characters aren’t all white!!! Talk about wanting to hop into the pages of a book.

I will say one thing, and this isn’t shade towards narrators: I think I might not super love it when narrators do accents. Is that weird? Like, duh, these characters should all be speaking in French since the book takes place in Paris, and obvi that means you’re getting English narration with a French accent in an audiobook that’s published in English. For whatever reason though, my brain doesn’t love the accent thing. I think if the person narrating were actually French, I’d buy it. I dunno. The further into the book I get, the more some of the accents sound a little comical and overdone. Does anyone else have this issue?! Or am I being too judgy? Either way, read this book!

Also–Diane Setterfield’s Once Upon A River was just all kinds of myth/folklore and awesome. I started that one in print and finished it on audio when the sinus infection took up residence in my face–both versions were perfect for curling up with on a sick day (read: daysss) spent in bed.

Listens on Deck

I have a crazy week ahead of me and I’m traveling to Winter Institute next week, so I don’t know how much actual reading & listening I’ll get to. I’m thinking of doing a short businessy book, like Gaby Dunn’s Bad with Money: The Imperfect Art of Getting Your Financial Sh*t Together. I’ve never listened to the Bad with Money podcast but it comes highly recommended as being funny AF, accessible, and not at all stuffy or pretentious. While I’ve definitely made huge progress in money matters over the years, I’m still not where I want to be and could use a good talking to, ya know?

From the Internets

Inspire the Mind through the Ears: It’s still January, so there is still a lot of resolution-solution type of content out there that you’re either cheering for or sick of now. Resolutions and new year hooplah aside, this list of audiobooks for us creative types from My Modern Met is pretty great for goal setting, tidying up, and plain ol’ inspiration.

And Anotha One – Libro.fm’s recent blog post on resolution listens isn’t quite like others I’ve seen and that’s why I’m sharing it here. It features just five titles and yeah, there’s a little bit o’ personal finance and organizational life stuff in there. It’s overall a lot less self-help and strategy-minded and includes both Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (you may have heard of it) and Rick Steves’ Travel As a Political Act. So much yes to both of those – more food and travel!

Over at the Riot

Flimflam and Poppycock – I recommend this post on tips for reading more purely because of its A+ word usage. It also gives a shout out to our beloved audiobooks and gives other suggestions for fitting in more book time.

The Audio to Print Conundrum – We’ve all all been there, right? We start a book or series on audio and then switch to print, or vice versa, and suddenly things… don’t… make sense? It’s like, wait that’s how that name is spelled? Wait, who’s that guy? Has he been here all along? What book is this?! Rioter Alex shares their experience flipping from print to audio and how it’s easier to do in some books/series than others.

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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!

Welcome to the second week of January and to land o’audiobooks, where I am YET AGAIN cooped up in bed with some upper respiratory plague. Friends! What is wrong with my immune system this year?! I remember the days when I could breathe out of both nostrils…. ah yes, those were good times. How I long for those times…

The “good” news is that between extreme sinus pressure and a cough that sounds more like the bark of a sea lion, me and my audiobooks are super BFFs right now. It’s the only way I can get any reading done at all! So take your vitamins, wash your hands, and stay hydrated to avoid whatever virus has set up shop in my chest. Audio because you want to! Not because your fever demands it.

Let’s talk audio.

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Sponsored by Libby, the one-tap reading app from your library and OverDrive.

Meet Libby. The award-winning reading app that makes sure you always have something to read. It’s like having your entire library right in your pocket. Download the app today and get instant access to thousands of ebooks and audiobooks for free thanks to your public library and OverDrive.

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Latest Listen

Trailblazer: A Pioneering Journalist’s Fight to Make the Media Look More Like America by Dorothy Butler Gilliam, narrated by January LaVoy

In this memoir that I’m so excited to read (ehhemReadHarderresearchehhem), Gilliam shares details from her trailblazing 50-year journalism career. She covered everything from the segregated South, the civil rights movement, feminism, and race relations in America while breaking barriers as a woman, an African American, a mother, and a writer. Her work is fascinating, but so is her very personal narrative of struggle, loss, and intense perseverance. I love that we’re at long last seeing so many stories of the pioneering women of color who shaped history and can’t wait to get to know Dorothy Butler Gilliam a little bit better.

Listen on Deck

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Choksi, narrated by Laurie Catherine Winkel & P. J. Ochlan

I’ve shared with you all how I tend to do mostly nonfiction on audio, and I really am smitten by this super gorgeous cover. Still, I don’t think I can wait too much longer to devour this book and will probs give it a go on audio. Treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie is your guy if you’re looking for the skinny on secrets in Belle Epoque Paris. When an all-powerful society called the Order of Babel enlists his help for their agenda, Séverin can’t really say no. Yo soy intrigued.

I also think I’m going to op for Ibi Zoboi’s Black Enough on audio. With that all star cast of contributors who also narrate their own stories… yeah, I’m in.

From the Internets

How it All Gets Done – We all love audiobooks here, obvi. But how do they come to be a thing? Bustle sat down with Penguin Random House’s Sara Jaffe to get the skinny on how audiobooks are produced. She would know: she does it for a living.

Over at the Riot

Where It All Began – If you’d asked me to take a guess at how audiobooks came to be, I most assuredly wouldn’t have come close to guessing that we owe it all to Dylan Thomas. It turns out his recording of A Child’s Christmas in Wales on the “B” side of an LP is credited with launching this beloved industry here in the states. Who knew?

Going Public – By now you may have heard of the slew of works set to hit the public domain in 2019. This could mean lots of new audio content for which I have all the maracas and muppet arms (you’re picturing that, aren’t you?) Check out some highlights of the books going public here.

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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