Category: Audiobooks

Happy anniversary, audiophiles!

You probably don’t know this, but it’s our one year anniversary! Last year at this time, I took over the audiobooks newsletter and it has been so much fun getting to know some of you and sharing all my weird, random thoughts about audiobooks and hearing yours. So happy anniversary to us!

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Sponsored by Flatiron Books and Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Legendary is the sequel to the bestselling breakout audiobook Caraval by Stephanie Garber. After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett. They should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t quite free yet. She made a bargain with a criminal to deliver Caraval Master Legend’s true name. The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more. Welcome to Caraval…the games have only just begun. Listen to an audiobook excerpt to hear more.

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To celebrate our anniversary, I got you this contest/giveaway! Ok, fine, all the newsletters are promoting this contest, but you could still win $500 to your favorite bookstore and that’s a kickass present, no matter what the reason is! So use this link and enter to win!

So right after our anniversary, I’m abandoning you. My sister is getting married next week, so I am going to be out of town the next two weeks doing wedding shenanigans. The newsletter will still arrive in your inbox on Thursday but I wanted to give you all a taste of the new audiobooks for June before I take off. So without further ado, here are some good lookin’ audiobooks coming out in June.

Goodbye, Sweet Girl: A Story of Domestic Violence and Survivalby Kelly Sundberg; narrated by Andi Arndt; release date: 06-05-18

You know I love me a good memoir about something terrible and painful (and, hopefully, coming out on the other side). This one sounds like it’s got all those things in spades. “Kelly Sundberg’s husband, Caleb, was a funny, warm, supportive man and a wonderful father to their little boy Reed. He was also vengeful and violent…To understand herself and her violent marriage, Sundberg looks to her childhood in Salmon, a small, isolated mountain community known as the most redneck town in Idaho. Like her marriage, Salmon is a place of deep contradictions, where Mormon ranchers and hippie back-to-landers live side-by-side; a place of magical beauty riven by secret brutality; a place that takes pride in its individualism and rugged self-sufficiency, yet is beholden to church and communal standards at all costs.” It sounds like this will be a good pick for those who enjoyed Educated by Tara Westover (which I definitely did!).

The Boy on the Beach: My Family’s Escape from Syria and Our Hope for a New Home by Tima Kurdi; narrated by Soneela Nankani; release date: 06-05-18

At the risk of being too preachy (which I definitely am), I really think we could all benefit from reading more stories from refugees and immigrants. “Alan Kurdi’s body washed up on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea on September 2, 2015, and overnight, the political became personal, as the world awoke to the reality of the Syrian refugee crisis. Tima Kurdi first saw the shocking photo of her nephew in her home in Vancouver, Canada. But Tima did not need a photo to understand the truth – she and her family had already been living it.”

What follows is the story of Tima’s happy childhood in Damascus and her emigration to Canada when she was 22. At first, the memoir is a story of the adjustments of a new life in a new world. But as the situation in Syria deteriorates, Tima starts trying to help her family back in Syria leave. “Although thwarted by politics, hounded by violence, and separated by vast distances, the Kurdis encountered setbacks at every turn, they never gave up hope. And when tragedy struck, Tima suddenly found herself thrust onto the world stage as an advocate for refugees everywhere, a role for which she had never prepared but that allowed her to give voice to those who didn’t have an opportunity to speak for themselves.”

Florida written and read by Lauren Groff; release date: 06-05-18

The author of Fates and Furies is back with a collection of short stories about her home state. “The stories in this collection span characters, towns, decades, even centuries, but Florida – its landscape, climate, history, and state of mind – becomes its gravitational center. Storms, snakes, and sinkholes lurk at the edge of everyday life, but the greater threats and mysteries are of a human, emotional, and psychological nature.” I was really impressed by the slow, magnificent burn of Fates and Furies and I’m really excited to hear these stories. (Also yay for the author narrating it!)

The Secret Life of Cows written and read by Rosamund Young; release date: 06-12-18

The book title and cover alone sold me on this (I mean it’s the secret life of cows! COWS!) but after reading the description, perhaps it should come with a warning? Personally, I don’t eat beef BUT if you don’t want to hear about the awesomeness of the animal in your tummy, you may want to consider if you can handle hearing about “how these creatures love, play games, and form lifelong friendships.” But if you’re more comfortable with the circle of life than I am, it sounds like there’s a lot of wisdom to be gained from the book. “She imparts hard-won wisdom about the both moral and real-world benefits of organic farming. (If preserving the dignity of animals isn’t a good enough reason for you, consider how badly factory farming stunts the growth of animals, producing unhealthy and tasteless food.)”

The Black Album by Hanif Kureishi; narrated by: Waleed Akhtar; release date: 06-14-18

“Shahid is a clean-cut student trying to make an impression on his college lecturer, Deedee Osgood, who gives his spirits a lift when she takes him to a naked rave party. Shahid’s academic prospects are threatened by the intervention of his gangster brother, Chili, who, with his Armani suits and Gucci loafers, moves into Shahid’s bedsit as a hideout, bringing unnecessary danger and excitement with him. Set in London in 1989, the year of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fatwah, The Black Album is a thriller with a characteristically lively background: raves, ecstasy, religious ferment and sexual passion in a dangerous time.” NAKED RAVE PARTIES IN 1989 LONDON?! YES, PLEASE!!

What are you most looking forward to listening to in June? Let me know at katie@riotnewmedia.com or on twitter at msmacb.

I’ll see you in two weeks unless I die in a fiery plane crash which I am definitely extremely terrified of happening!

~Katie

Happy Thursday, audiophiles!

Whatchyall listening to? I powered through The Favorite Sister, a book by Jessica Knoll, the author of The Luckiest Girl Alive. I enjoyed The Luckiest Girl Alive but I couldn’t stop listening to The Favorite Sister. When I read the summary I, like a judgemental dum-dum, assumed that because it had something to do with reality television it would be like reality television itself: a fairly shallow guilty pleasure (no judgment about shallow guilty pleasures, I have approximately 769,928 of my own).

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Sponsored by Furyborn by Claire Legrand

The stunningly original, must-read fantasy of 2018 follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world…or doom it.

When assassins ambush her best friend, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing herself as one of a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood. One thousand years later, Eliana Ferracora, a bounty hunter for the Undying Empire, joins a rebel captain and discovers that the evil at the empire’s heart is more terrible than she ever imagined. As Rielle and Eliana’s stories intersect, shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world—and of each other.

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Anyway, I really enjoyed The Favorite Sister. It’s a dark, funny, surprising thriller that I think fans of Megan Abbott (The Fever, Dare Me, etc.) would really enjoy. The audiobook has three different narrators–-and while one of the voices kind of bugged me at first, I appreciated the distinction among the three voices because the different personalities and voices (both literally in the audiobook and figuratively in the novel as a whole) really shape the trajectory of the plot. If you give it a listen, hit me up at katie@riotnewmedia.com or twitter at msmacb and let me know what you think!

HEY, WE’RE GIVING YOU MONEY! We are giving away a $500 gift card to the bookstore of your choice! Enter here!

Thanks to all who wrote in sharing their favorite celebrity narrators! Here are just a few of your many, many comments and suggestions.

Tara reached out on twitter to say that her favorite celebrity narrator is “Santino Fontana doing Carolyn Kepnes’ You and Hidden Bodies. Just amazing.” Fontana has many talents and I know he’s narrated a few audiobooks but for any readers who might be unfamiliar, he also played Greg on the first few seasons of My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a character whose departure from the series I’m definitely still not over. That said, it sounds like Santino makes a 180 degree shift character-wise in narrating You and Hidden Bodies, as his character, Joe, is described as “charmingly sociopathic” (the title of the latter may give you an idea of some of the results of Joe’s sociopathic tendencies).

Sonya says her favorite celebrity narrator is James Marsters reading Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden series.

Lisa just finished listening to The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty, narrated by Elizabeth McGovern and says “it was fantastic!”

Sarah recommends, “Cosmos by Carl Sagan, with an intro by Sagan read by Seth Macfarlane and the body read by LeVar Burton. And, yep, LeVar narrates about how you expect; I have no idea how that man can be so awed by every word that comes out of his face, but he is and it’s infectious!

Juliet Stevenson, who has been in tons of movies and shows, but who I will always remember as Kiera Knightly’s awesomely insane mother in Bend It Like Beckham, has an extensive library of narrations. My favorites are classics: Middlemarch, multiple Jane Austen, Jane Eyre…but her more contemporary titles, like Kate DiCamillo’s The Magician’s Elephant are excellent as well.

She also recommends Edward Hermann’s narrations of “hulking long histories like Doris Kearns Goodwin’s The Bully Pulpit make the minutes fly by.”

Sarah knows a thing or two about audiobooks with celebrity narrators and she has a boatload more celebrity narrator recommendations:

• “Matilda by Roald Dahl, narrated by Kate Winslet (and you can just tell she had a blast doing it)
• A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, narrated by Jason Isaacs (insert Lucius Malfoy joke here)
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote, narrated by Michael C Hall
• Being There by Jerzy Kosinski, narrated by Dustin Hoffman
• Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, narrated by John Malkovich
• Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley, narrated by Michael Boatman
• The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, narrated by Parker Posey”

PARKER POSEY NARRATES THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE, Y’ALL! How I have lived my whole life without knowing that, much less listening to it at least 3 times a month, I don’t know but it’s a mistake I need to rectify ASAP.

Book Riot Audiobook Posts You May Have Missed:

Rioter Anna Cramer explores the question: can a good audiobook make running less terrible? She says, “ “Confession: I hate running. I mean I really hate it. I try to run at least 3 times a week anywhere from 2 to 10 miles (let’s be honest, the 10-miler happened once) and without fail, I end up hating pretty much hating every mile. Each mile sucks. Every mile is hard. But, as Nike’s motto goes, I just do it. Could a bomb a** book on tape save me?”

I mentioned how much I loved having multiple narrators in The Favorite Sister and Rioter Christine Hoxmeier is also a big fan of multiple narrators. She says. “One of the great joys of listening to audiobooks is discovering titles that are well suited to the format. Perhaps it’s a narrator who can take on each character with a different and unique voice, or the production gives it a radio play quality (like the new Star Wars books), and sometimes it’s the fact that a book with several POVs decides to actually use multiple narrators. What a thought! These are some great and enjoyable YA books in their own right, but when consumed in audible form, the story and characters are enhanced by the use of audiobooks with multiple narrators.”

Too many audiobooks, too little time, right? Here are 20 Things to do while listening to Audiobooks that aren’t chores: https://ohayou.bookriot.com/2018/05/02/things-to-do-while-listening-to-audiobooks/

Finally, this isn’t from Book Riot but is interesting nonetheless. Mental Floss has some behind the scenes secrets of audiobook narrators. Check them out here.

Until next week,

~Katie

 

Hey there audiobook fans,

The other day, I received an email from MacMillan letting me know that they were “digging through our archives we came across a familiar name listed among our narrators – CHADWICK BOSEMAN!”

For the uninitiated, Chadwick Boseman plays the Black Panther character in the Marvel films. Before he was delighting fans on the big screen, however, he narrated the audiobook version of Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon.

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Sponsored by LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT by Becky Albertalli

In this #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to the acclaimed Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, we follow Simon’s BFF Leah as she grapples with changing friendships, first love, and senior year angst.

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From the publisher, Upstate takes place in New York during the ’90s and is a series of letters between teenagers Antonio (Chadwick Boseman) and Natasha (Heather Simms) who are in love and filled with big plans. In the first letter we find out that Antonio is accused of a horrific crime and is sent to jail. As the audiobook progresses we get snippets of some of their heartbreaking struggles in their childhoods, hear the love and support they have for each other, and can hear Antonio’s case unfold.” Listen to a sample of the audiobook here. https://soundcloud.com/macaudio-2/upstate-by-kalisha-buckhanon-audiobook-excerpt

So that’s pretty cool, and got me thinking about famous audiobook narrators. I’ve talked a lot about actors who narrate their own memoirs or novels, but for this list, I thought I’d try for actors narrating books you might not expect. What do I mean by that? No actors narrating their own books and no actors narrating books they’ve starred in the movie adaptation of (looking at you, Anne Hathaway/Princess Diaries). And with one or two exceptions, I tried to pick audiobooks I haven’t talked about before (for example, by now most of you are aware that Claire Danes narrates The Handmaid’s Tale because I’ve mentioned it in this newsletter no less than 109,278 times).

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Alire Saenz; narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Alright, I thought I would get the one that most people might know already out of the way first. It is actually physically impossible for me to not include this audiobook because it’s one of the best books ever narrated by my (imaginary) boyfriend. So many things I love all in one audiobook! If you’re not familiar with Aristotle and Dante, it’s a YA novel (but one of the YA novels where adults really should give it a chance because it’s perfect and sweet and heartbreaking). When two teenage boys meet at the pool one summer “they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.”

Casanova by Giacomo Casanova and Benedict Cumberbatch

I don’t really know anything about Casanova except for the way his name is used in popular culture, so I don’t know why I found it so hilarious he has a memoir (or a collection of writing or whatever it is) and that Benedict Cumberbatch narrates said memoir, but I do. That said, there’s no doubt that Cumberbatch could narrate just about anything and we would all listen with rapt attention. So if he’s reading the words of the OG Casanova (who apparently took seventeen years to write his memoir)? Yeah, I’m here for that.

SPEAKING OF DUDES WITH GREAT ACCENTS: How did I not know that Alan Cumming narrates Scott Westerfield’s Leviathan? Definitely adding this to my list. Here’s what Cumming himself says about the novel, “It’s a really fascinating revision of the origins of the first world war, and the opposing sides’ war machines – which they either oil, or feed!”.

Meryl Streep reads Nora Ephron! Two brilliant, talented powerhouse women come together in creative excellence with the audiobook of Ephron’s novel Heartburn. “Seven months into her pregnancy, Rachel Samstat discovers that her husband, Mark, is in love with another woman. The fact that the other woman has “a neck as long as an arm and a nose as long as a thumb and you should see her legs” is no consolation. Food sometimes is, though, since Rachel writes cookbooks for a living. And in between trying to win Mark back and loudly wishing him dead, Ephron’s irrepressible heroine offers some of her favorite recipes.” You can kinda see how Streep’s voice acting talent would be perfect for this, right? (Also the other night I was watching Jeopardy, as I do every night because I love it so much, and Alex Trebek claimed that Nora Ephron is one of his favorite authors. I’m not 100% sure I believe that, but I would like to).

In the mood for one of the Classics? If there’s any way you’re going to get through Leo Tolstoy’s 864-page Anna Karenina, you can’t go wrong bringing actress Maggie Gyllenhaal along for the ride. Fortunately, she narrates the hefty novel about a woman’s loveless marriage and tragic extra-marital affair.

This is what Gyllenhaal had to say about the novel and her experience narrating the audiobook: Anna Karenina is one of my favorite books. But when I agreed to read it for Audible, I had no idea how much work it would be, how intense it would be, and how deeply I would fall in love with it. There were places where I thought ‘if I don’t give Alexey Alexandrovitch the respect that he deserves in my reading of this scene, a critical part of the book will be ruined. If I don’t give EVERYONE the utmost respect and understanding, I’m not doing justice to this brilliantly compassionate book.’ But at the same time, I also wanted to have a light touch in the way I played the different characters, so that the magnificence of the novel could shine through. I feel like performing this novel is one of the major accomplishments of my work life – it was so challenging and so deep, a real pleasure.”

I came across a great list of famous narrators on the website i09. I stole two of their descriptions for the newsletter, but it’s definitely worth checking out the whole list here.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; narrated by Sissy Spacek

“If you’re looking to reconnect with the memory of  [To Kill a Mockingbird], listening to Spacek’s soft, slightly fragile voice narrating it is the perfect way to do it. Spacek’s voice is plain, self-assured, and calm, and, unlike the voices of many narrators, manages a southern accent without sounding forced or ridiculous

A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes; narrated by Samuel L. Jackson

“Chester Himes is not as well known as Raymond Chandler, but should be. He was an award-winning hardboiled detective writer who had a style and a sense of humor—although not a comforting sense of humor. A Rage in Harlem is the first in a series of nine books that explore the methods of Harlem detectives Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones. Samuel L. Jackson has one of the most recognizable voices in the English-speaking world, and he’s become America’s Cool Dad, so hearing him read this story of doomed love, betrayal, con-artistry, and murder is bizarrely comforting. (If that’s not your style, he’s also the voice of God in The Bible Experience: New Testament.)”

Alright, audiophiles, what are your famous-person-narrated audiobooks? Or do you think that concept is overrated? Let me know at katie@riotnewmedia.com or on twitter at msmacb.

Until next week,

~Katie

Hey there audiobook friends,

Whatcha listening to? I’m on a big deadline, so I’m audiobook-less right now, but I have approximately 50 million books I can’t wait to get to them once I meet this deadline. Listen to audiobooks and sleep, that’s all I want to do for like a month (dare to dream, I know). I hope your audiobook lives are all much more exciting than mine is at the moment.

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Sponsored by Flatiron Books and The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

An intellectual and emotional thriller that is also a different kind of murder mystery, THE FACT OF A BODY is a book not only about how the story of one crime was constructed — but about how we grapple with our own personal histories.

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But for now, let’s take a look at some audiobook news:

In West Hartford, January LaVoy visited Hall High School to talk about how students can use their acting skills outside television, movie, and stage acting. Her narrating skills have found their way on to narrator of over 100 audiobooks, so it’s hard to believe that before her first audiobook audition, she’d never even listened to an audiobook. She told the students that this was a blessing in disguise. “I didn’t know how to fail at it. I didn’t know what I was doing. As it turns out, I’m very good at it, which isn’t a surprise because I loved reading as a kid. It’s my job and it’s pretty cool.”

She also had some interesting behind-the-scenes insight into how she narrates books with different voices. Of Libba Bray’s Lair of Dreams, she says,”Libba’s books, she draws her characters so beautifully. If this guy is saying to this girl, ‘Hey baby vamp,’ I know him. I know who he is. That’s very specific. Once I know who they are, it becomes very easy to replicate the sound I’m going to do for them.”

She also gave the any budding voice actors a tip for auditions. “I make a strong decision about a character, make it quickly, make it confidently, and then do it. If I’m tentative at all, the microphone is a microscope. It also detects hesitation. It detects a lack of confidence. It detects everything.”

Read the full article here.

Bloomberg reports that Spotify is going to offer audiobooks featuring the stories about great albums. According to the article, “the world’s largest streaming-music service cut a deal with Britain’s Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, whose 33 1/3 series also documents the back stories behind David Bowie’s ‘Low’ and Metallica’s ‘Black Album’…Nirvana’s ‘In Utero,’ Michael Jackson’s ‘Dangerous’ and Radiohead’s ‘Kid A.’ This sounds pretty freaking cool. I would LOVE if they did one about Graceland…and like every Ani Difranco album from 1990-2001. Just a thought Bloomsbury (*hint hint*).  Full article here.

Remember Audible? Not the audiobook service but the horse. Audible the company (Amazon) didn’t have anything to do with the naming of the horse, but they did promise everyone in America a free audio version of American Pharoah by Joe Drape. While Audible the horse didn’t win, Audible the company is still made good on their promise (yes, sadly past tense, the offer expired yesterday 5/9).

I can’t believe I never knew that Zora Neal Hurston had a book that was previously only available to academics. From NPR, “It’s called ‘Barracoon, and it’s based on a series of conversations that she had with Cudjo Lewis. Lewis came to this country aboard the last ship that brought slaves across the Atlantic…When Zora Neale Hurston first met Cudjo Lewis at his home in Alabama, she called him by his African name, Kossola. Though he was an old man, he was thrilled to hear it again. As one of the last slaves to be brought to this country aboard an illegal vessel, Lewis still had many memories of his life in Africa. Deborah Plant, who edited Barracoon, says that makes the book special because most slave narratives focus on life in this country.”

Listen to the discussion about the book (include an excerpt of the audiobook) here.

Good news for all of us! Apparently listening to audiobooks is good for our mental health. This might be something we all kind of know anecdotally, but goodereader.com makes a point I hadn’t thought to articulate. “American spends 10 hours a day staring at a screen, in the UK the figure is similar. Audio, on the other hand, stimulates a different sense — by using our ears, we can relax our eyes.” I usually talk about how great audiobooks are for one’s commute or doing laundry and walking the dog or whatever, but there’s another delightful aspect to them–-we can listen to them with our goddamn eyes closed. For those of us who feel like we’ve been staring at one screen or another for 5 million years, there is a real pleasure to just listening to an audiobook with eyes closed.

Let me know if I missed any good audiobook news or if you come across audiobook-adjacent stories I should be aware of. You can find me on Twitter at msmacb or at katie@riotnewmedia.com.

Until next week,

~Katie

Alright, audiobook fans, I’m back with part two of your new audiobook releases for May! We’ve got a lot of them, so let’s dive right in! As always, publisher description in quotes.

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Sponsored by Everything that Follows by Meg Little Reilly

Three friends take their partying from bar to boat on a misty fall evening. Just as the weather deteriorates, one of them suddenly goes overboard. Is it an accident? The result of an unwanted advance? For fans of Megan Abbott and Chris Bohjalian comes a novel of moral complexity about friends who must choose between self-preservation and doing the right thing in the wake of a fatal boating accident. Set in the moody off-season of Martha’s Vineyard, Everything That Follows is a plunge into the dark waters of secrets and flexible morals. The truth becomes whatever we say it is…

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Tin Man written and read by Sarah Winman; release date: 05-15-18

At first, the description of this book reminded me a bit of another EXCELLENT audiobook–-Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe. It reads, “Ellis and Michael are 12-year-old boys when they first become friends, and for a long time, it is just the two of them, cycling the streets of Oxford, teaching themselves how to swim, discovering poetry, and dodging the fists of overbearing fathers. And then one day, this closest of friendships grows into something more.”

So far so good, right? Until this: “But then, we fast-forward a decade or so to find that Ellis is married to Annie, and Michael is nowhere in sight. Which leads to the question: What happened in the years between?” I, for one, would like to know.

So Lucky written and read by Nicola Griffith; release date: 05-15-18

Mara Tagarelli is successful. She’s the head of a multi-million dollar AIDS foundation, accomplished in martial arts, and, frankly, used to kicking ass. Then, on the heels of her wife leaving her, Mara is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Her family and friends immediately treat her differently–-overnight she’s gone from strong woman to weak victim. She wants to fight that narrative, but her body has become untrustworthy and foreign, and frankly, so have the people around her. “Mara makes a decision and acts, but her actions unleash monsters aimed squarely at the heart of her new community.”

The Ensemble by Aja Gabel; narrated by Rebecca Lowman; release date: 05-15-18

A note on this one: I attended a writing residency with Aja in 2015. But even if I hadn’t, I would still think this book sounds really good and also has a gorgeous cover.

“Brit is the second violinist, a beautiful and quiet orphan; the viola is Henry, a prodigy who’s always had it easy; the cellist is Daniel, the oldest, the angry skeptic who sleeps around; and on first violin is Jana, their flinty, resilient leader. Together, they are the Van Ness String Quartet.

In The Ensemble, each character takes the spotlight and picks up the melody, from the group’s youthful rocky start through to middle age, through both devastating failures and wild success. As they navigate heartbreak and marriage, triumph and loss, betrayal and enduring loyalty, they are always tied together – by career, by necessity, by the intensity of their art, by the secrets they carry together, and by choosing each other over and over again.”

This is the book Aja was working on during that residency in 2015 and, honestly, I can’t frikking wait to listen to it.

The Storm by Arif Anwar; release date: 05-15-18

On the verge of his U.S. visa expiring and being sent back to his native country of Bangladesh, Shahryar wants to get everything he can out of his remaining weeks with his American daughter. “Shar reflects upon his family’s history, beginning in a village on the Bay of Bengal, where a poor fisherman, Jamir, and his wife, Honufa, prepare to face a storm of historic proportions. With a narrative sweep mirroring the storm’s devastating path – leading to the eye’s calamitous landing – The Storm explores hope, loss, sacrifice, and the many ways in which families honor, betray, and ultimately love one another.”

How to Change Your Mind written and read by Michael Pollan; release date: 05-15-18

I’ll admit it, when I first heard about microdosing or using psychedelics to treat depression and/or a host of other ailments, I was skeptical. But I’ve looked into some of the research behind it and it sounds promising. “When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction, and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third.” I am super excited to listen to this. I don’t know if psychedelics are the answer to depression. But I know that many of us, myself included, have tried all the pills and therapy in the land and many of us are still suffering. I’m really eager to hear about Pollen’s experience.

Cult X by Fuminori Nakamura; narrated by Brian Nishii; release date: 05-22-18

Inspired by the 1995 sarin gas attack on a Tokyo subway (what?!), Cult X explores how a person becomes radicalized or drawn to extremism. “When Toru Narazaki’s girlfriend, Ryoko, disappears, he tries to track her down, despite the warnings of a private detective he’s hired to find her. Ryoko’s past is shrouded in mystery, but the one concrete clue to her whereabouts is a previous address where she lived: in a compound in the heart of Tokyo, with a group that seems to be a cult led by a charismatic guru with a revisionist Buddhist scheme of life, death, and society. Narazaki plunges into the secretive world of the cult, ready to expose himself to any of the guru’s brainwashing tactics if it means he can learn the truth about Ryoko. But the cult isn’t what he expected, and he has no idea of the bubbling violence beneath its surface”.

Well, That Escalated Quickly written and read by Franchesca Ramsey; release date: 05-22-18

OK, first, if you’re not following Franchesca Ramsey on twitter, do that. She’s smart and funny and has incisive commentary this crazy world in which we live. “Well, That Escalated Quickly includes Ramsey’s advice on dealing with Internet trolls and low-key racists, confessions about being a former online hater herself, and her personal hits and misses in activist debates with everyone from bigoted Facebook friends and misguided relatives to mainstream celebrities and YouTube influencers. With sharp humor and her trademark candor, Ramsey shows readers we can have tough conversations that move the dialogue forward, rather than backward, if we just approach them in the right way.”

So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y’all Don’t Even Know written and read by Retta; Release date: 05-29-18

I mentioned this title in my most anticipated audiobooks of 2018 newsletter and it’s not just because I am Parks and Recreation’s #1 fan (though that is certainly true). “Whether reminiscing about her days as a contract chemist at GlaxoSmithKline, telling “dirty” jokes to Mormons, feeling like the odd man out on Parks, fending off racist trolls on Twitter, flirting with Michael Fassbender, or expertly stalking the cast of Hamilton, Retta’s unique voice and refreshing honesty will make you laugh, cry, and laugh so hard you’ll cry.” It sounds like Retta has got some stories and I want to hear them. (And yay! She narrates it!)

Whew! We did it! Two weeks of new audiobooks! What are you most looking forward to? Let me know. I’m at katie@riotnewmedia.com and on twitter at msmacb.

Until next week,

~Katie

Hey audiophiles,

I’m so glad so many of you liked the animal audiobooks! And several of you emailed to add to the list. I’m passing on a few recommendations and saving the non-animal recs you sent for the next Reader Roundup newsletter. So keep those coming if you want to want to share what you’re listening to (and hopefully loving).

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We’re giving away 15 of the best mysteries and thrillers of the year so far. Click here to enter, or click the image below:

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Elizabeth says, “My favorite animal audiobooks are the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ series by Cressida Cowell and narrated by David Tennant.” (I have also heard that this is an excellent choice for long car trips with kids.)

Karen says, “I wanted to tell you about 2 fantastic listens. Both books are by Sy Montgomery: The Soul of an Octopus (narrated by Sy) and The Good Good Pig (narrated by Xe Sands).  The Soul of an Octopus details Sy’s work studying octopuses at the New England Aquarium and you can feel her love and joy for these creatures in her voice and words. The Good Good Pig is the true story of a little sickly runt pig that Sy and her husband adopted and named Christopher Hogwood.  He thrives under their care and becomes quite a celebrity in their little New Hampshire town.” Both of these sound excellent, in my humble opinion, and it sounds like someone needs to make a movie of The Good Good Pig ASAP.

Don’t forget to enter to win 15 of the year’s most exciting mystery/thrillers! Only two weeks left! Enter here.

May Releases

May is just around the corner and the audiobook gods have lots of exciting new releases in store. So many new releases, in fact, that I’m going to make this a two-parter. Audiobooks coming out in the first half of the month will be in this newsletter and audiobooks coming out in the second half will be in next week’s newsletter. As always, publisher’s description in quotes.

Love and Ruin by Paula McLain; narrated by January LaVoy; Release date: 05-01-18

The author of The Paris Wife is back with another fictionalized account of one of Ernest Hemingway’s wives–in this case his third wife, Martha Gellhorn. As with The Paris Wife, McLain bases the fictionalized account on what we know of Gellhorn, who died in 1998.

Gellhorn was a war reporter and “In the shadow of the impending Second World War, and set against the turbulent backdrops of Madrid and Cuba, Martha and Ernest’s relationship and their professional careers ignite. But when Ernest publishes the biggest literary success of his career, For Whom the Bell Tolls, they are no longer equals, and Martha must make a choice: surrender to the confining demands of being a famous man’s wife or risk losing Ernest by forging a path as her own woman and writer. It is a dilemma that could force her to break his heart, and hers.”

Fun fact: For Whom the Bell Tolls is one of my all time favorite audiobooks!

Miss Subways by David Duchovny; narrated by David Duchovny, Téa Leoni; Release date: 05-01-18

“Taking inspiration from the myth of Emer and Cuchulain and featuring an all-star cast of mythical figures from all over the world, David Duchovny’s darkly funny fantasy audiobook Miss Subways is one woman’s trippy, mystical journey down parallel tracks of time and love. On the way, Emer will battle natural and supernatural forces to find her true voice, power, and destiny.

While recording this audiobook, Duchovny had the idea of bringing his ex-wife, Téa Leoni in to voice the female characters in the book. I love Tea Leoni and what I love most about Téa Leoni is her voice. I know this is a weird thing to say, but I feel like if any people can understand what I’m talking about, it’s my audiobook pals. After watching the first season of Madam Secretary, in which Leoni is the titular character, I “watched” it again, letting it play in the background while I worked from home, just because I like her voice so much. Weird, right? But maybe you also understand? Anyway, having her as a narrator is a huge selling point for me. Also, Leoni and Duchovney got their two kids, West and Miller, to read the chapter openings and other sections. Pretty cute, right?

The Mars Room written & read by Rachel Kushner; Release date: 05-01-18

The author of the critically acclaimed Flamethrowers is back with another California-centric novel. “It’s 2003 and Romy Hall is at the start of two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, deep in California’s Central Valley. Outside is the world from which she has been severed: the San Francisco of her youth and her young son, Jackson. Inside is a new reality: thousands of women hustling for the bare essentials needed to survive; the bluffing and pageantry and casual acts of violence by guards and prisoners alike; and the deadpan absurdities of institutional living.”

I’m Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering written and read by Janelle Hanchett; Release date: 05-01-18

Y’all know I love me a good getting sober memoir–-especially one that deviates from the traditional “I got sober, now everything is perfect” formula, and Hanchett definitely does that. “Hers is a story we rarely hear – of the addict mother not redeemed by her children; who longs for normalcy but cannot maintain it; and who, having traveled to seemingly irreversible depths, makes it back, only to discover she is still an outsider…Hanchett’s memoir calls out the rhetoric surrounding ‘the sanctity of motherhood’ as tired and empty, boldly recounting instead how she grew to accept an imperfect self within an imperfect life.”

That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam; narrated by Vanessa Johansson Release date 5-8-18

When Rebecca Stone has her first child, she’s overwhelmed. She loves her newborn boy, of course, but she’s also lost and overwhelmed. When Priscilla Johnson agrees to take a position as a nanny for the new mom, Rebecca is grateful. And she soon learns that Priscilla, who is black, has a lot to teach Rebecca, who is white, about privilege.

“When Priscilla dies unexpectedly in childbirth, Rebecca steps forward to adopt the baby. But she is unprepared for what it means to be a white mother with a black son. As she soon learns, navigating motherhood for her is a matter of learning how to raise two children whom she loves with equal ferocity, but whom the world is determined to treat differently.” Release date: 05-08-18

Alright, that’s all for this week, but I have a TON of new releases ready for next week. Say hello anytime at katie@riotnewmedia.org and/or on twitter at msmacb.

Until next week,

~Katie

We’re giving away 15 of the best mysteries and thrillers of the year so far. Click here to enter, or click the image below:

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It would not be unreasonable to say that two of the things I love the most in the world are dogs and books. So in honor of National Pet Day (last week, and let’s be honest, in my world every day is National Pet Day–-this is really just an excuse to talk about audiobooks featuring animals and/or beloved pets), we’ve got audiobooks for animal lovers!

But first!

A very kind reader of this newsletter informed me that audiobooks on vinyl are still a thing! Here’s what she says, “a quick note on audiobooks on vinyl: They’re back. Have been for awhile. I was working at B&N a couple of years ago and we had Yes, Please by Amy Poehler on vinyl, and HarperAudio is releasing a series of audiobooks on vinyl starting this month.”

HOW COOL IS THAT?! Now, I just need a record player. And some vinyl audiobooks.

And now, animal lovers, here are some audiobooks to warm your heart. Some of these are from fellow Rioters, otherwise, anything in quotes is from the publisher.

The following suggestions are from Rioter Kate Scott:

Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin & Catherine Johnson; narrated by Andrea Gallo

This book offers a new perspective on animal behavior and emotion. Temple Grandin is autistic, which gives her unique insight into the animal mind. She argues that there are astonishing similarities between how animal and autistic brains work–that both are hyper-specific and incredibly sensitive to detail. This fascinating book will change the way you think about animals and autism.

Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal; narrated by Sean Runnette

This exciting new book explores the current science of animal cognition and challenges many of the assumptions humans have about “lower” life forms. The genius of animals has long been underestimated, but this book seeks to set the record straight, marveling at the ways in which animals have adapted to their natural environments and the humans that too frequently invade their homes.

H is for Hawk written and read by Helen MacDonald

“When Helen MacDonald’s father died suddenly on a London street, she was devastated. An experienced falconer captivated by hawks since childhood, she’d never before been tempted to train one of the most vicious predators: the goshawk. But in her grief, she saw that the goshawk’s fierce and feral anger mirrored her own. Resolving to purchase and raise the deadly creature as a means to cope with her loss, she adopted Mabel and turned to the guidance of The Once and Future King author T. H. White’s chronicle The Goshawk to begin her journey into Mabel’s world. Projecting herself “in the hawk’s wild mind to tame her” tested the limits of MacDonald’s humanity.”

The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide; narrated by David Shih

“A couple in their thirties live in a small rented cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo; they work at home, freelance copy-editing; they no longer have very much to say to one another. But one day a cat invites itself into their small kitchen. It leaves, but the next day comes again, and then again and again. Soon they are buying treats for the cat and enjoying talks about the animal and all its little ways. Life suddenly seems to have more promise for the husband and wife-the days have more light and color. The novel brims with new small joys and many moments of staggering poetic beauty, but then something happens . . .”

Rioter Heather Bottoms has a delightful list of animal-related books here and I nabbed a few that had excellent-sounding audiobooks.

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel; narrated by Vikas Adam

A sixteen-year-old boy survives a deadly shipwreck only to find himself sharing a single lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. This remarkable pairing of man and beast inspires a tale that is insanely imaginative, deeply moving, and surprisingly plausible. Martel pulls off one of the most compelling feats of storytelling I’ve ever come across. There are grand moments of danger balanced by introspective ponderings on philosophy and faith. Then he tops it off with an ending so mind-bending, you’ll be ready to read it all over again.

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan; narrated by‎ Sartaj Garewal

Two surprising things happen on Inspector Ashwin Chopra’s last day of work for the Mumbai Police force. First, he gets a letter informing him that he has inherited a baby elephant. ––Katie’s rudely inserted commentary: I would like a baby elephant, please and thank you–Then he stumbles onto evidence of a mysterious murder that will launch his post-retirement career. The adorable elephant is an unforeseen help in his secret investigation, and it is delightful to see how the two begin to bond. If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check out this first book in Khan’s Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation series.

And now, picks from yours truly.

Pack of Two by Caroline Knapp; narrated by Hillary Swank

As you may be aware, I absolutely adore the work of the late Caroline Knapp and this book is no exception. With her characteristically evocative prose, Knapp describes how she came to understand and appreciate the intimacy between dog and human. I read the print version of this book years ago and a few months ago, I was messing around on Audible (probably wishing more credits would magically appear in my account) and I noticed that Hillary Swank narrates the audiobook. She is a delightful narrator. I actually can’t listen to this audiobook on my commute because it makes me miss my dog so much, but that may be my own issue.

Through A Dog’s Eyes written and read by Jennifer Arnold

I listened to this audiobook years ago and I still talk about it constantly. I’ve read a number of books about how dogs’ brains work, what they’re thinking, etc. (I’m sure you’re all shocked by that information) and this is the one that sticks with me the most. Arnold trains service dogs, so she often has to teach them very specific things (for example, how to turn on and off a light switch) and she has so many incredible stories. And in telling those stories, you learn about how dogs think, what they respond to, why they’re motivated by, etc. If you’re a dog lover, I can’t recommend this one enough.

What are your favorite animal audiobooks? Let me know at katie@riotnewmedia.com or on Twitter at msmacb.

Until next week,

~Katie

Hello again, audiophiles!

What are you listening to this week? I just started listening to An American Marriage which is very different than I expected (and yet I don’t really know what I expected?) and very good.

The book alternates between two POVs (husband and wife) and the two narrators of the audiobook (Sean Crisden, Eisa Davis) are excellent.

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Sponsored by The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

Performed by Cristin Milioti

They call themselves the May Mothers. Twice a week, with strollers in tow, they get together in Prospect Park, seeking refuge from the isolation of new motherhood; sharing the fears, joys, and anxieties of their new child-centered lives.

Unfolding over the course of thirteen fraught days and culminating in an exquisite and unexpected twist, The Perfect Mother is the perfect audiobook for our times—a nuanced and addictive story that exposes the truth of modern mothers’ lives as it explores the power of an ideal that is based on a lie.

Giveaway downloads courtesy of Libro.fm

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I love hearing what y’all have in your ears, and Elizabeth from North Carolina wrote to say that she’s on the hold list at her library for some of Dion Graham’s audiobooks (heart eyes emoji). In the meantime, she says, “I just finished listening to Uncommon Type. Hanks is a surprisingly good writer and a wonderful narrator. He managed to get typewriters into almost every story. It’s worth a listen.”

Elizabeth has now moved on to A Wrinkle in Time and is pleased to report that L’Engle recorded her own introduction for it. (I also love it when authors make some kind of appearance on the audiobook.)

Get in touch anytime at katie@riotnewmedia.com or on twitter where I’m msmacb.

Do you love mysteries? A good whodunit? Of course you do! And now you can enter to win 15 best mysteries of the year (so far, anyway). Enter here!

Now, let’s dig into some audiobooks news:

One thing I’m particularly excited about is Audible’s release of The Radical King: a collection of 23 of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s essays and speeches read by Gabourey Sidibe, Mike Colter, Michael K. Williams, Wanda Sykes, and Danny Glover. Released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of his assassination, The Radical King is, “the first time the MLK Estate has ever allowed a dramatic interpretation of King’s words — even Ava DuVernay’s Selma had to improvise his speeches — and features words of King’s that were never recorded for posterity.”

Entertainment Weekly interviewed Gabourey Sidibe, Michael K. Williams, and L Mike Colter about the experience. The whole interview is a great read, but I particularly appreciate this part from Gabby Sidibe:

“I was just thinking about the first time I learned about Martin Luther King. I was in kindergarten and it was Black History Month when we went to the auditorium to hear some speeches by him and learn about him. At the age of 5 years old, I just accepted this was a great man. I certainly had benefited from all of the work that he’d done, and in a lot of ways, everyone has. But it’s almost like he’s omnipotent. He’s great, and we know he’s great, but we don’t really need to dive any deeper than just that. It wasn’t until I actually read the chapter that I was given that I actually really read his words — that weren’t just quotes from, like, the “I Have a Dream” speech,” which we’ve all heard at some point. To read something that was different than that, while still showing his value and his greatness and his mind and his genius and really his heart, it made me want to read more about him.”

Read the entire interview here: Gabourey Sidibe, Mike Colter, Michael K. Williams on bringing Martin Luther King Jr.’s words to life

Someone returned an audiobook of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to a Kansas library 42 years overdue. That’s not what I found most interesting about the story, though. (I saw some pretty overdue books come back in my public library days). The most interesting part is the format of the audiobook: IT WAS ON VINYL. That’s right, 6 vinyl records made by the library of congress for the blind. It’s possible everyone reading this is thinking “yes, and? Have we gotten to the interesting part yet?” But I just think it’s so cool. Read the full article here.

A horse named Audible won the Florida Derby and is now going on to compete in the Kentucky Derby. With Audible’s Win In The Florida Derby, Audible.com Has A Kentucky Derby Horse.

April is National Poetry Month, which–-if you know or follow any poets on social media, you are undoubtedly aware of. In honor of said month, “award-winning scholar and author, Dhrubajyoti (Dru) Bhattacharya, announces the forthcoming release of a mixed-media multicultural epic poem, “Light of the North Star”. The work straddles the Eastern and Western canons by telling a tale of two empires from ancient Greece and India after the Trojan War and a flood that submerged the city of Dwaraka.”

The narrators of the audiobook may be familiar to sci-fi enthusiasts: It’s narrated by Dominic Keating (known for his role as Lieutenant Malcom Reed on “Star Trek”) and Jean Gilpin (who has worked on adventure films, including “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, “The Chronicles of Riddick”, and “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”). Read more: Award-Winning Scholar Chases Homer With New Epic.

I’ve mentioned MacMillian’s new podcast But That’s Another Storyin this newsletter before but haven’t (yet!) gotten around to listening to it. I need to though, because they really do have a killer lineup of guests, including Pachinko author and National Book Award finalist Min Jin Lee, National Public Radio host Sam Sanders, writer and illustrator Mari Andrew, and Josh Gondelman, comedian and writer on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

I’m mentioning the podcast again because they’re doing something great that I wish more podcasts would do: posting the transcripts of the podcast. The pod has partnered with LitHub to feature the transcripts. One of the things I love most about audiobooks is the level of accessibility the provide for folks who have vision impairments or other challenges with written material. For people on the other end, who have auditory impairments, podcasts are often often challenging. So I think it’s extremely awesome that But That’s Another Story is doing this.

Host of the podcast, Will Schwalbe, says that accessibility was a motivating factor in the transcript decision. He says, “Sharing written transcripts from these conversations is important as it will provide greater access—particularly for those who are hearing impaired.”

Quick aside on the wonders of books and tech: both my grandmothers are in their 90s and love reading. One grandmother listens to audiobooks exclusively because print is tough on her eyes. The other only reads on her eReader because she can make the type as big as she wants. Neither woman is much interested in technology outside of their reading habits, but both are happily reading thanks to the wonders of technology. It is so awesome.

That’s it for me!

Until next week,

~Katie

Happy April, Audiophiles!

A new month means new audiobooks for your listening pleasure! There are tons to get to, so let’s dive right in. As always, I’ve put the publisher descriptions in quotes.

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Sponsored by The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind by Barbara K. Lipska

As a deadly cancer spread inside her brain, leading neuroscientist Barbara Lipska was plunged into madness—only to miraculously survive with her memories intact.  In the tradition of My Stroke of Insight and Brain on Fire, this powerful memoir recounts her ordeal, and explains its unforgettable lessons about the brain and mind.

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The Recovering written and read by Leslie Jamison; release date: 04-03-18

I’m halfway through this audiobook and thus far it’s excellent. Granted, this is a pretty easy sell for me: Leslie Jamison is a female writer who got sober in her 20s. I’m all those things too, but instead of being Leslie Jamison, I’m just a Leslie Jamison fan. The Recovering is part memoir, part meditation on writers, creativity, and booze. As someone who used to wake up and crack open a bottle of vodka before sitting down at my desk (because Hemingway?) before writing a bunch of gibberish and passing out….well, yes, this book is right up my alley. But if you’re a fan of Jamison (which if you’ve read her is pretty hard not to be), you can’t go wrong with this title.

Meaty written and read by Samantha Irby; release date: 04-03-18

As you may know, I loooove Sam Irby. My sister was kind enough to gift me her first collection of essays (Meaty) years ago and I got hooked on both the book and her blog (bitches gotta eat). She topped many a “best of” list in 2017 with her collection of essays, “we are never meeting in real life.” Now, she’s updated and expanded her first collection of essays and please trust me when I say if you liked WANMIRL, you will NOT be disappointed with Meaty.

Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning written and read by Leslie Odom Jr; release date: 04-10-18

Leslie Odom Jr. shot to fame in 2015 as Aaron Burr in the original Broadway Cast of Hamilton. This short audiobook (running time three hours thirty-seven minutes) “asks the questions that will help you unlock your true potential and achieve your goals even when they seem impossible. What work did you put in today that will help you improve tomorrow? How do you surround yourself with people who will care about your dreams as much as you do? How do you know when to play it safe and when to risk it all for something bigger and better?” If you’re looking for inspiration and insight from a super talented guy, this is a safe bet.

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership written and read by James Comey

Who is James Comey? Is he the man who cost Hillary Clinton the election? Is he the man whose firing might be the catalyst for Trump’s impeachment? Or is he just a guy who tweets pictures of waterfalls alongside Martin Luther King Jr. quotes? Lordy, who knows?! Listen to the audiobook, narrated by the man himself, and find out.

The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman; narrated by Saskia Maarleveld; release date: 04-17-18

“‘Philomena’ meets ‘The Orphan Train’ in this suspenseful, provocative novel filled with love, secrets, and deceit – the story of a young unwed mother who is forcibly separated from her daughter at birth and the lengths to which they go to find each other.”

War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence written and read by Ronan Farrow; release date: 04-24-18

Ronan Farrow is the dogged reporter behind the New Yorker expose of Harvey Weinstein. Before he was a reporter, however, he was a diplomat. His experiences in this role are the core of this book. “In an astonishing account ranging from Washington, DC, to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and North Korea in the years since 9/11, Farrow illuminates one of the most consequential and poorly understood changes in American history…Farrow’s narrative is richly informed by interviews with whistle-blowers, policymakers, and a warlord, from Henry Kissinger to Hillary Clinton. Diplomacy, Farrow argues, has declined after decades of political cowardice, short-sightedness, and outright malice – but it may just offer America a way out of a world at war.”

You Think It, I’ll Say It: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld; narrated by Emily Rankin and Mark Deacon; release date: 04-24-18

The author of Prep, American Wife, and Eligible releases her first collection of short stories later this month. In it, she “upends assumptions about class, relationships, and gender roles in a nation that feels both adrift and viscerally divided. In ‘The World Has Many Butterflies’, married acquaintances play a strangely intimate game with devastating consequences. In ‘Vox Clamantis in Deserto’, a shy Ivy League student learns the truth about a classmate’s seemingly enviable life.” Sittenfeld at her best reminds me of some of my favorite short story writers (Lorrie Moore, Robin Black) and I’m excited to see if that plays out in this collection.

OK, this one isn’t from April, it was released last month but somehow I missed it and I must atone for my grievous mistake.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Marlon Bundo, Jill Twiss; narrated by Jim Parsons, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, John Lithgow, Jack McBrayer, RuPaul; release date: 03-18-18

The book that started out as a spoof of the book Vice President Pence’s wife wrote (about a day in the life of the VP, from the perspective of his bunny Marlon Bundo) became an overnight bestseller. “With a message of tolerance and advocacy, this charming children’s book explores issues of same sex marriage and democracy. Beautifully performed by an all-star cast, featuring Jim Parsons, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, John Lithgow, Jack McBrayer, and RuPaul, this sweet and funny story is dedicated to every bunny who has ever felt different.”

Did you listen to anything last month that you loved? Are you looking forward to an upcoming release? Let me know or just say hey at katie@riotnewmedia.com or on Twitter at msmacb.

Until next week,

~Katie

 

Happy Thursday, Audiobook lovers,

I hope you had a great week. I went to the March for Our Lives protest in San Francisco on Saturday (see left for a picture of my extremely uncreative sign and extremely adorable dog). It was an amazing event and was packed with teenagers. Teens protesting, teens speaking, teens manning booths, heading out buttons. It was awesome.

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I adore high-school age kids. I’ve worked with them in some capacity for the last decade or so and enjoyed (almost) every minute of it. Usually when I talk about my work with teens to other adults, they look at me like I train cobras. Recently, though, there’s been a collective shift in the general public’s attitude towards teens, and for good reason. The student survivors of the Parkland shooting–-and students against gun violence everywhere– have been showing up and speaking out since the February 14th shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. They’ve taken the lead to speak out against gun violence and for safer schools.

I’m glad people are recognizing how capable teens are and I very politely have refrained from yelling I TOLD YOU SO at all the former naysayers. So this week, I thought we could look at some audiobooks where teens are fighting the system and kicking ass.

Teenage Rebels With Causes

Publisher’s description in quotes

All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely,narrators: Guy Lockard &‎ Keith Nobbs

“Rashad is absent again today.

That’s the sidewalk graffiti that started it all…

Well, no, actually, a lady tripping over Rashad at the store, making him drop a bag of chips, was what started it all.” See, Rashad was stealing that bag of chips–-at least that’s what the police officer who beat Rashad within an inch of his life said.  And it didn’t matter that Rashad was an “ROTC kid with mad art skills,” who proclaimed his innocence; he was also a black kid in baggy clothes who a cop was certain had been stealing from the store.

Which is what Quinn, a white kid, thinks he saw. He thinks he saw his best friend’s older brother, a cop, taking down a criminal.

“At first Quinn doesn’t tell a soul…He’s not even sure he understands it. And does it matter? The whole thing was caught on camera, anyway.”

Alternating between Rashad and Quinn’s point of view, All American Boys describes the aftermath of the brutal event: on Rashad and Quinn personally as well as their school, town, and even the nation.

In some ways, police brutality and systemic racism is not unlike a school shooting. We know it’s tragic when it happens and we try to convince ourselves that it won’t happen here or it was just one fluke incident. But the more incidents we see, whether it’s on TV or in front of our local corner store or public high school, is a tragic reminder that it’s still all too common. Like the Parkland kids, Quinn realizes that “bystander or not, he’s a part of history. He just has to figure out what side of history that will be.”

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E.Lockhart

If you have been reading this newsletter for any length of time, this title isn’t going to surprise you. Yes, I just love this book. But it also happens to fit the theme! While the stakes are not nearly as high as they are in many of these other books, Frankie is still fighting against a Big Bad Force: The Patriarchy. It all starts when Frankie starts dating Matthew Livingstone, a popular older boy at her elite prep school, Alabaster Academy. All seems to be going well, until Frankie discovers that Matthew is part of an all-male secret society–-a group from which she is necessarily excluded because of her gender.

But Frankie, because she is a badass, does not “go gentle into that good night.” Instead, she executes a plan to teach not just the Royal Order of the Basset Hounds but all of Alabaster High a lesson.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, narrated by Archie Panjabi (AKA Kalina from The Good Wife!)

When she was fifteen years old, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head while riding the bus home from school. The culprit?  A Taliban gunman; the Taliban, had local control of the area and had banned girls from attending school. Malala was not expected to survive the attack. But she did.

Malala became an icon, not just for the diary she anonymously published at age 11, or the attack on the school bus, or even her bravery getting on that bus in the first place but also for the work she’s done since. An advocate for the rights of girls and woman, Malala is the youngest person ever to have won the Nobel Peace Prize.

“I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.”

Permanent Record by Leslie Stella, narrated by Nick Podehl

“For 16-year-old Badi Hessamizadeh, life is a series of humiliations. After withdrawing from public school under mysterious circumstances, Badi enters Magnificat Academy. To make things “easier”, his dad has even given him a new name: Bud Hess. Grappling with his Iranian-American identity, clinical depression, bullying, and a barely bottled rage, Bud is an outcast who copes by resorting to small revenges and covert acts of defiance, but the pressures of his home life, plummeting grades, and the unrequited affection of his new friend, Nikki, prime him for a more dangerous revolution.

Strange letters to the editor begin to appear in Magnificat’s newspaper, hinting that some tragedy will befall the school. Suspicion falls on Bud, and he and Nikki struggle to uncover the real culprit and clear Bud’s name.”

This is one of those books where I just don’t understand why it’s not a bigger deal. I loved it. It’s one of those books that makes you laugh while it punches you in the gut. Which I realize doesn’t sound like a selling point, but I swear it is.

Do you have any favorite teenage rebels with causes? Let me know at katie@riotnewmedia.com or on twitter at msmacb.

Until next week,

~Katie