Audiobooks

Truth & Beauty: A Friendship is the story of the two-decade friendship between author Ann Patchett and the late poet and author Lucy Grealy. The two women met in college and cemented their friendship in graduate school and the years that followed, as both pursued writing careers. Grealy, who in childhood battled cancer that left her without part of her lower jaw, endured ongoing health difficulties and reconstructive surgeries.

Grealy was a needy, all-consuming friend--talented, tortured, and plagued by both addiction and her need for love, even as love surrounded her. Patchett, for her part, longed to be a part of Grealy's inner circle long before she ever was, and she basked in Lucy's need for her, as well as their shared goals and talent. The two moved toward success together, and the journey must have felt magical and pre-destined, if not always healthy. As always, I love Patchett's writing, and listening to her narrate was a pleasure.

Easily one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to, this story of of three siblings who find each other as teens is a heartwarming, complicated, and realistic exploration of the many meanings of family. Grace was adopted by loving parents at birth and recently gave up her own daughter for adoption, which sends her on a search for her own birth family. Maya was also adopted, but when her adopted family begins to have trouble of its own, she starts to wonder about her origins and whether she truly has a place with the family that chose her. Joaquin, the oldest, remained in foster care and struggles to accept that he could still have a chance at a family.

Julia Whelan narrated this book, and she has become a go-to audiobook narrator for me. The tone and pace of this were perfect for listening: the issues are heavy, but because these are teens, it is sprinkled with levity. The relationships and trust that these three build with one another, through all of their personal difficulties, is charming--these are characters you want to root for.

This book is another National Book Award Winner, and it's exactly the kind of amazing book I hope to find when I pick up an award winner. I think it would read just as well in print as it did in audio.

Everyone has a story about where they were on 9/11. The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 compiles those stories, from the people who were there. And "there" was so many places: on the ground, in the buildings, in the planes, in the airports, on the phone, and watching from afar.

This oral history takes us to those places, through the poignant, moment-by-moment reflections of people around the country. You'll hear from firefighters, employees in the World Trade Center and Pentagon, people on the street, reporters and staff aboard Air Force One, and many more. Graff has pulled together these snippets in a truly riveting way; each time I emerged from reading this book I had to reorient myself back in the present (today's news vs. the news from 9/11 was particularly jarring). The confusion of the day is particularly well-captured, from the initial thoughts about the horrible "accident" at the towers, to disbelief that it was happening, to the government's ill-preparedness for such a horrific event, pre-9/11 was truly a different time.

The content is difficult, but this is a must-read for absolutely everyone. I read it in print, but I've heard the audio is also fantastic.

Grace, a recent PhD graduate, wakes up married in Vegas, with dim memories of the night, the girl, and the magic. Thrown into crisis, she decides to take a break and find the girl–and maybe herself.

Charlie lands the job as eccentric actress Kathi Kannon’s assistant by chance. He starts as a fan--and an employee desperate to keep his job. He soon becomes essential and as she depends on him more, he wonders where he starts and she ends–and whether he can save her from herself.

This was a fun audiobook listen, filled with snark and Hollywood absurdities. It’s fiction, but a great choice if you love a good tell-all (the author is Carrie Fisher's former assistant, though he makes clear this is not a memoir).

It’s been a long time since I picked up an Agatha Christie novel and I’ve been eager to read this classic. The Orient Express is stuck in the snow and when one of the passengers is murdered, Hercule Poirot is ready to solve the case.

Christie writes clever puzzles that are fun to piece together alongside her detectives. Dan Stevens (of Downton Abbey) does a fantastic job narrating this.

Lillian feels like her life is going nowhere, so when Madison, her rich former school roommate, asks Lillian to take charge of her stepkids, she decides to give it a shot. There’s one catch: the 10-year-old twins catch fire when they get emotional.

Lillian is just looking for a change, but she’s surprised by the connection she feels with Bessie and Roland. The over-the-top premise cloaks an amusing and heartwarming story–excellent on audio.

The Lincoln Highway was my second audiobook listen of an Amor Towles book this year, and though it was much different from A Gentleman in Moscow, with its refined settings and characters, Towles complex storytelling style is just as on-point.

Eighteen-year-old Emmett has just been released from the work farm where he was serving time for involuntary manslaughter. His father has recently died and the family farm in Nebraska has been foreclosed. He and his young brother hatch a plan to drive west and start a new life--but two other boys from the work farm show up with different plants for Emmett.

I went into this expecting a road trip story, and it was--in a way--but the journey was just as unexpected for the reader as it was for Emmett. The story is told from multiple viewpoint and each is surprising and charming. Each character has his or her own agenda and it's fascinating to witness them moving in such opposition to one another. While not a page-turner, exactly, excellent narration, intriguing characters, and unexpected turns kept me listening.

Kat is an American living in London, pursuing her dream of climbing the corporate ladder all the way to the top. When she spies a handsome man who regularly rides the bus that drives by her apartment, she concocts a dream relationship and identity with the mystery man, certain that he is a posh British dreamboat. When she finally works up the courage to go and meet him, the reality is much different. Can she let go of her fantasy and embrace what's real?

I had a lot of trouble getting on board with this one--Kat was insufferable and didn't improve much throughout. It's hard to care about a romance when you don't like one of the characters. This had potential, but unfortunately didn't work for me.

This is the story of Jack and Elizabeth’s marriage, but it’s not just about their marriage. It’s about how their relationship and their identities shift as they move through life in a manipulative world. Alongside Jack and Elizabeth’s story, author Nathan Hill examines every aspect of this manipulation–in depth. From Elizabeth’s work as a scientist studying placebos (and then selling them), to the online algorithms that create and then reinforce beliefs, to art, to parenting, to health and the ways we try to hack our “wellness,” Hill leaves no stone unturned. He often veers into tangents in this 600+ page tome (19-hour audiobook).

The book could have been shorter, but I was never bored. The cultural examinations kept me engaged, and just as they began to wear thin, he shifted back to his characters and how the things he examined affected them. This meandering book will not be for everyone, but readers up for literary experiments may want to give it a try (I’ve seen many say that audiobook is the way to go–and I agree).

Molly has woken up with a hangover and a strange man in her bed. She soon learns that she’s trending on social media for a video of her performing a sex act in the street. As she stumbles through the horrible day, she finds Posey, her best friend and roommate, dead in the bathtub. The police determine that it’s an accident, but the more she investigates, the more she’s convinced it isn’t. But that video means her credibility is shot, so she needs to get real proof.

Brent also wrote How to Kill Men and Get Away with It, which I found over the top and unnecessarily gruesome. This one is more plausible (and lacks the graphic violence), but still a bit uneven in character development, though it’s a fast-paced read. I think Brent has something to say about violence against women–as well as the ways women are doubted and underestimated–and if she brings those sensibilities and the same wry tone, I expect some entertaining and impactful books in the future.

Two years after her mother's death, Jessie is starting over at a ritzy new school in California. Her father has remarried and suddenly Jessie has a new family, a new home, and no friends. Until one day she receives an email from "Somebody/Nobody" who offers anonymous friendship and insight into the strange world of school in Los Angeles. Jessie takes solace in the friendship, all while trying to figure out who the mystery person is behind the screen name and carve out a place for herself both at home and school.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this YA audiobook. The narrator was pitch-perfect and Jessie's grief, loneliness, and frustration were relatable and sincerely written. Yes, there is some teenage angst, stereotypical characters, and romantic pining and entanglements, but the main characters were interesting and thoughtful. I've been listening to audiobooks while working out, and this struck the right note of being thoughtful without being too challenging to follow.

Lilian Girvan is still grieving her husband, who died in a car accident three years ago. Her life is full with her two young daughters, her job as an illustrator, and her sister, who helps keep everything on track.

When her job requires her to take a gardening class to illustrate a book, she thinks it will be a fun activity for all of them. She doesn't count on a class full of quirky people who become unlikely friends--and an intriguing instructor who makes her wonder if she might be ready to date again.

This audiobook hit my sweet spot for audio fiction--light, easy to listen to, a little funny, and a fast-moving story. I'll definitely seek out more Abbi Waxman on audio.

Firefighter Cassie Hanwell is a rising star in her Austin firehouse, but an incident that puts her career in jeopardy, as well as her mother's request to move to Boston to help care for her, have her starting over at an unfamiliar boys club. Determined to prove herself, she finds only one ally in another new firefighter, a rookie that she finds herself thinking about more and more.

Any book by Katherine Center is now going on my auto-LISTEN pile. Her books (How to Walk Away is the other one I've listened to) strike exactly the right smart-but-light note that I love in my audiobook listening. Therese Plummer's excellent narration take Center's books up a notch--I'm not sure if I would have rated either one as highly if I'd read them in print.

Kieran and his young family have returned to his hometown to visit his struggling parents, and to see old friends left behind. But when a body is found on the beach, questions are raised about a tragedy that took the life of Kieran's brother years before.

Jane Harper writes fantastic character studies set in atmospheric Australian locales, and The Survivors is no different. Like the Outback in The Lost Man, the sea itself is crucial to the lives and attitudes of the characters, and to the mystery at hand. Excellent, compelling, slow-burn listening.

As Mallory lay on her deathbed, she tells her son to call Jake McCloud–the husband of the leading candidate for President. He can’t imagine how she knows Jake.

The story flashes back 28 years to 1993, when Mallory and Jake first meet at the Nantucket cottage she inherited. Over the next few decades, the two meet every year for one weekend, never having contact in the time between. Their connection runs deep, and complicates the lives they live outside of that weekend–but it is also essential to each of them.

While there were frustrating parts of this (at times it was hard to believe they didn’t just decide to be together), I loved listening. The characters were compelling and Hilderbrand’s Nantucket is always a dream. She’s another go-to for me on audio, and this is one of her best.

Lucy and Gabe meet in college, brought together in the chaos of 9/11. A year after this meeting, they come together again and fall in love. But what brought them together also separates them, when Gabe decides to go to the Middle East as a photojournalist. The two follow different paths that sometimes intersect over the years, even as Lucy gets married and has children. This novel is Lucy reflecting on their years together and apart before she makes one final decision.

This was an emotional listen--especially with the backdrop of 9/11 and all that came after. However, the characters were often so frustrating and unlikable that it took away from the emotional resonance of their story. Mixed feelings on this, but I did want to keep listening, so...

If you share my interest in the complex role of trees in the ecological community, as well as in climate change, I highly recommend Rawlence's deep dive into the boreal forests of the north. In his investigative journey, he travels to the treelines of places such as Norway, Siberia, Alaska, and Greenland to examine six hardy tree species and how the world is changing on the edges.

It's a fascinating examination of the intricacies of nature, and what you think you know is often turned on its head. Expanding forests in the north may sound like a good thing--more trees!--but the shift in climate that wrought the change has devastating cascading effects at the treelines, through the forests, in the economy, and even in the oceans.

The amount of information here is truly overwhelming--and Rawlence weaves it all into a riveting narrative that combines science with local lore and tradition. The climate predictions across the board are dire, and while this book provides little in the way of solutions or even hope, the hope there is lies in the long-proven adaptability and ingenuity of the forests.

If you’ve read any of my audiobook reviews, you know that Julia Whelan is my favorite narrator. In Thank You for Listening, she brings her talents to her own romance book–while also lending it her deep knowledge of the genre and its tropes (the chapters are named for them!), as well as her experience as an audiobook narrator.

Sewanee had acting dreams that were cut short by a tragic accident, and she now narrates audiobooks–but avoids romance. When a famous romance author dies and leaves a request that she pair up with mysterious heartthrob narrator Brock McKnight to narrate her last book, the offer is too good to pass up–her grandmother needs hands-on care, and this would pay for it.

Before the two even meet in person, sparks fly over their text banter. This being a trope-filled romance, there are plenty of misunderstandings and complications, but the characters and their relationship are fantastic. I had a blast listening to this and didn’t want it to end.

For more than 80 years, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has been following participants. In this novel summarizing findings thus far, the current directors make the case that relationships are the key to a happy life.

Strong connections don't just make for a happier life, but they also predict the overall health of our bodies and brains. Each chapter in this book delves into the different kinds of relationships--family, work, romantic, friendship, etc.--and how we can and should cultivate them in order to live "the good life."

While at times a bit repetitive--the finding is clearly stated upfront and repeated again and again--it is interesting to hear the stories of the various participants. It is definitely a reminder (especially for the extreme introverts--ahem--among us) of the value of reaching out and spending time with loved ones.

Did You Know?

• • Waldinger is the 4th director of the study. They hope and expect the study to continue many decades into the future

• • When the study began in the 30s, it followed two groups of young men: one composed of Harvard students (John F. Kennedy, Jr., was one participant!), and the other of people who lived in inner-city Boston. Regardless of background–even when people had difficult childhoods–strong relationships are the driving factor for happiness, health, and in some cases, financial success.

• • The study has been working to correct and expand on the original lack of diversity, but the decades of data are still valuable. Many of the children of the original participants are now also participating in the study.

I've found that a lot of us spend more time than we expected, as adults, thinking about friendships--I know I do. Once we pass certain points in our lives, it becomes harder to make friends because they don't happen naturally due to proximity–and we often have certain ideas of what it means to be a friend. Laura Tremaine here is offering a different way to think about friends, meant to take the pressure off adult friendships looking a certain way

She presents the idea of a "Life Council" that includes 10 different types of friends and the roles they fill in our lives. She’s not saying we all need all of these types, all the time, but at different points in our lives, we may find ourselves leaning on different types. In this book, she discusses each type–they might include work friends, new friends, old friends, fun friends, soul sister friends, and she offers ideas for nurturing each of those friendship, while sharing her own anecdotes and stories of friends who fit different roles. You’ll likely start to think of your own friends, and who fits the role, or what roles are lacking.

I would have loved a bit more about research on friendships and why they are so important–this was so anecdotal. But it was great food for thought, and I loved her tips on nurturing friendships, some of which are purely logistical, which becomes a necessity in adulthood when everyone is so busy. Worth the listen for anyone who enjoys reading about friendships, and who spends time thinking about their own friendships.

After the loss of her parents, Adelaide MacNeill is sent from her home in Prince Edward Island to the Lakeside Ladies Academy in Connecticut. She bonds with Ruth, Susannah, and especially Dorothy (Dot), but Dot and Adelaide fall out when they fall in love with the same man--who faces his own challenges when the community rejects him and his German family during the Great War. Seventeen years later, Rosaline Murray is looking back on her years in school, certain she can never go back and be Adelaide MacNeill again.

This is apparently Christian fiction, which is not really my thing, but the touch is light enough that I didn't pick up on it until well into the story. The years in school stretched on a bit long here, before getting to some of the later years that were more interesting (to me) historically--especially some Canadian history that I wasn't very familiar with. In addition, this is also based on a real girls' school and on a correspondence between Lucy Maud Montgomery (author of Anne of Green Gables) and an orphan girl. There were definitely some things of interest here in this women-focused historical fiction, but for me, it falls into the range of "good, not great."

After losing her beloved grandfather and her job as a greeting card illustrator, Autumn Laine is at a crossroads. Time with her parents in Paris only causes more confusion, when a former boyfriend--who left her heartbroken--re-enters her life. She decides to head to the Lake District to stay with her lifelong pen pal, Rosie, and hopefully get back some artistic inspiration. The beautiful landscape, the Beatrix Potter inspirations around every corner, and the intriguing man she meets quickly revitalize her.

This is a cozy novel of new beginnings, friendship, and sweet romance. It's not a Christmas novel, but very much has the feel of a Hallmark movie. The setting is enchanting and I loved the artistic friendship between Autumn and her new love interest. There was one aspect in the progression of their relationship that was a little odd to me, but aside from that, I enjoyed this cozy, easy listen.

When Sophie needs to call off her wedding but can’t do it herself, she turns to a professional wedding objector. Max has fallen into the odd job of objecting at people’s weddings when they need it, and once her own disaster of a wedding is over, Sophie is intrigued. She starts working with him and soon the sparks are flying. But since neither of them believe in love, it couldn’t possibly be anything more than chemistry–right?

This was cute and entertaining, if not especially memorable. The premise was a little silly and the will-they/won’t-they stakes weren’t too high. But I enjoyed the characters enough to keep listening until the happily ever after, and sometimes, that’s all you need from a romance audiobook.

Phoebe is finally staying in the luxury Rhode Island inn she and her husband had planned to visit for years. But this visit is nothing like they dreamed: she's alone, since he left her for another woman, her cat has just died, and she's there to end her life. She's also the only guest in the hotel who is not there for the week-long wedding extravaganza. She's quickly mistaken for a guest, and when the bride finds out her plans, she quickly takes her into the fold (mostly so the wedding won't be ruined).

Soon she finds herself part of the festivities, forging an unlikely (and very funny) friendship with the flighty bride, as well as other unexpected connections. Filled with fantastic characters, heartfelt moments, realistic portrayals of mental health struggles, and funny interactions, I enjoyed this from start to finish.

Sloan Crosley gives an unflinching glimpse into her fumbles through her twenties in this collection of essays--a glimpse that I am happy to relate to from the distance I have. I listened to this on audio, and it was a good light choice--undemanding, sometimes funny, other times cringe-worthy. While I didn't find this particularly memorable, it was--with the exception of a couple of the essays (one that stretched way too long and another that was a little gross)--an enjoyable listen.

Tough attorney Paula Vauss has a secret past with her mother. Paul sends checks every month, but one month the check is returned--then a surprise sibling shows up. The two go on a search for the mother she hasn't seen in years. While not my favorite of hers, this has Jackson's signature sly humor. Grab any of her audiobooks–she narrates and is terrific.

I’ve fallen into a weakness for books about trees–I think I find their quiet resilience comforting. So I couldn’t resist this nonfiction book about the remarkable ways that trees communicate, form families, build communities, and sustain one another.

Wohlleben is a German forester with a true love of trees and he explains the science in an accessible, relatable way. My mind sometimes wanders when I listen to nonfiction books like this, but I still enjoyed learning about this secret world.

Leena, a 20-something overachiever, is good at her job. But she’s also burned out, and her boss has forced her to take a 2-month break. She goes to her grandmother Eileen’s house, and they find that Eileen could use a little shake-up as well.

So Leena stays in Eileen’s small English town, while Eileen goes to Leena’s London flat. Adventures, quirky characters, and a little romance ensues for both.

Put this in the lighthearted, charming, and delightfully cozy read category–and on your reading list.

Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsy, were spinsters living a quiet life in a watch shop with their elderly father until the Nazis invaded Holland. They soon became involved in the underground resistance, hiding Jews in a secret room above their shop. Ultimately, they were discovered and sent to prison and concentration camps. In The Hiding Place, Corrie tells their story.

While much of their story is grounded in their deep religious faith, non-religious readers will still appreciate the resilience, courage, and unending positivity they demonstrated in even the most dire circumstances.

In present-day London, Caroline is visiting from the United States and finds an intriguing vial while "mudlarking" in the Thames. A history lover, she researches it and learns it may have belonged to an apothecary from centuries before--one who didn't just heal.

In 1791, Nella helps women find freedom from men who ruin their lives--but she does it in the darkest of ways. When 12-year-old Eliza finds herself in Nella's shop, she is intrigued by her work. Their collaboration could jeopardize not only themselves but also all of the women Nella has helped.

This was a fascinating premise and I enjoyed the path of the stories--especially the one in 1791. A few elements that seemed a little hastily done and didn't quite ring true took me out of the story, which knocked this down a bit for me. 

I loved Jane Harper’s 2019 novel The Lost Man, so I knew I wanted to try out some of her previous books that others had also raved about. In a small town in Australia, Aaron Falk has returned for the funeral of his best friend, Luke, and Luke’s wife and son. It appears that it was a murder-suicide, but Aaron has a hard time believing that’s true. As he investigates, secrets both past and present come to light.

This was a gripping mystery, and Harper uses the Australian landscape and culture of the farms and small towns to full advantage. My only complaint was a little trouble keeping the various characters straight on audio, but the narrator was excellent if you’re able to listen carefully.

I haven’t yet had the chance to read Evaristo’s Booker Prize-winning Girl, Woman, Other, but I thought I’d give her memoir a listen. Evaristo recounts her childhood in England, growing up with eight siblings and a Nigerian father and Catholic mother, and how her drive toward a creative life helped her find her writing voice. Poetry and the theater occupied her early creative years, during which she also explored her sexuality with several queer relationships (one deeply unhealthy), until she moved to writing fiction (and eventually met and married her husband).

The story of Evaristo’s life is interesting, but it’s her compelling voice and deep determination in the face of every obstacle that stand out. Her strength to push–and push hard–toward creative pursuits and success is inspiring. Evaristo narrates the audiobook and it’s worth the listen for any artist.

Adelaide is a young American woman living in England. She's fairly privileged and has good job, but she also has some past family difficulties and struggles with relationships after an abusive one in her teens.

When she meets Rory, she convinces herself it's love, despite his flaky behavior and general ambivalence. When he experiences a tragedy, she turns herself inside out for him–while he demands more.

This is a poignant novel about how people–and women in particular–are prone to be self-sacrificing caretakers–and manipulative people see this and take advantage of it, demanding they suppress any human needs until they reach a tipping point.

Adelaide is sweet and a little naive, you might feel frustrated with her, but what she does is so common. Her problems with relationships aren’t the most tragic in the world–but that’s also the point. Her emotions and mental health issues are real, and she is allowed to experience them, even when others are going through worse things.

I mostly loved Adelaide, even when I was frustrated with her; I hated Rory but he was familiar to me; and I loved Adelaide’s friends that held her up and kept her going. This will not be for everyone, but there was some nuance here about this particular time of life that I appreciated.

I'm new to Samantha Irby's humor essays, and her fans know that her writing is filled with honesty about all the messiness and often embarrassing parts of life. There were essays that I really liked–especially the first one where she declares that the proper response to anyone trying to yuck on your yum is, "I like it!" There's also a great essay where she breaks down how certain episodes of Sex and the City should have gone (she is a writer for the reboot).

Overall, I enjoyed her audiobook narration and blunt honesty, but the essays themselves were uneven for me. Many made me laugh out loud, but others were too over-the-top with bathroom humor for my taste, while others felt overlong and lost their impact (and some suffered from both). Humor is a personal thing, though, and many people love hers. While all of her essays weren't hits for me, I laughed enough that I would try more of her books.

Lauren is a single woman living in London, so she's shocked to return home one night to find a husband there. He knows her, has a history with her, and her apartment reflects this. When he climbs up into the attic for something, another husband emerges. And so the cycle continues, with husbands disappearing into the attic and new ones appearing. Some are great, some are awful, and she discovers new versions of herself with each new relationship. Soon she has to decide whether she wants to continue the infinite "life try-ons" or settle into one.

This was a unique take on the idea of peeking into different life paths. It was a fun and absurd journey through the various husbands climbing down from the attic. Unfortunately, several key plot points and characters felt left by the wayside, and I was disappointed by the ending.

When Jasmyn and King move their family to the Black utopian community of Liberty, they expect to find like-minded people interested in social justice activism. Instead, everyone seems mostly indifferent and devoted to the wellness center in the community--which King soon settles into as well. Jasmyn can't shake the feeling that something is off--and things just get weirder when the few allies she has also seem to turn indifferent.

In the same way that Jasmyn felt something was "off" with the community, something felt very off about this book. Jasmyn's concern about racism is heavy-handed and is her whole personality; we never see her as a mother, wife, friend, or professional. As the story progresses, it becomes increasingly anti-Black and veers into some truly disturbing directions. None of it is subtle, and while there were some interesting germs of ideas here, the story ignored them and instead landed like an anvil. (I recommend reading the Goodreads reviews for perspectives from Black readers.)

This memoir by Sue Klebold, mother of Dylan Klebold, who was one of the shooters at Columbine High School, broke my heart over and over again. In excruciating detail, Klebold walks through the day of the shooting, the days, weeks, months, and years that follow, as well as the years she spent raising and loving Dylan Klebold. She recalls him as a loving, easy child who she and her husband raised with care and with strong morals. He had many friends, and it was only after his death that Klebold learned of his depression and feelings of alienation.

Klebold is a thoughtful memoirist, and it's clear she was a thoughtful mother. The agony she felt--and still feels--in the aftermath of the shooting is palpable, and relatable to any parent who realizes they may not know their child as well as they hoped. In addition to the shooting and the details of their lives before and after (she gives a full accounting, both to set the record straight and to lay the facts bare for those who would continue to criticize every decision), Klebold delves into brain health and suicide, and the roles both played in the tragedy at Columbine. She never once excuses Dylan's actions, but she does try to understand them. This was a difficult listen, but it struck exactly the right notes, and I can only wish her peace, compassion, and purpose in her ongoing work to understand and educate.

Shirin is a normal teenage girl who is new at her school. She has a love of breakdancing and wants only to blend in. But in the year following 9/11, it's impossible. She is Muslim and she wears a hijab, both of which make her targets--sometimes just of speculation but other times of violence. She is proud of who she is and the choices she makes, but also tired of being a target. She is suspicious of anyone who tries to get close to her, including Ocean James. He is intriguing, but she can't imagine why he would want to be her friend--or more.

I don't read a lot of YA, but when I'm interested in a YA novel I do like to try to find it in audio--most have worked well for me, this one included. While this did contain somewhat typical YA romance storylines, Shirin's struggles as a Muslim teen post-9/11 were interesting and sympathetic.

Lab Girl would be an excellent addition to my fiction/nonfiction list of books about trees. Hope Jahren is a scientist who studies trees, plants, seeds, and soil. This book is a reflection on her journey from childhood days playing under father's laboratory tables to leading her own labs and research.

I passed by this book many times before trying it and I am enthralled by Jahren's writing, her keen and poetic observations of the natural world, and her grave, sometimes deadpan and sometimes dramatic narration of the audiobook. Love of science is at the core of Jahren's story, but human relationships also take center stage, particularly when it comes to Jahren's eccentric colleague Bill. They share a devotion to the work and to each other that defines both of their professional lives. Their adventures in science (and the pursuit of science, in the form of funding, equipment, and even livable wages) are delightful and unexpected.

A sci-fi book about a library with an infinite number of books, each telling the story of your life as it could have been if you’d made another choice.

School librarian Sam loves her job at a school in Texas. After leaving behind her previous job–and an unrequited crush–she’s had a fresh start. But when that crush, Duncan Carpenter, shows up as the new principal of the school, she sees no option but to leave, knowing she’ll be in his thrall again.

But this Duncan is wholly changed and not the happy, charismatic man she remembered. When he starts imposing strict rules and operating the school like a prison, she knows she has to stay and push back.

I always enjoy a Katherine Center book on audio, and this was another solid listen.

It’s New Year’s Eve, 1982, and at midnight, Oona will turn 19 years old. But after midnight, she wakes up 32 years in the future, in a 51-year-old body–and she learns that this is now her life, leaping back and forth in time at the turn of each year. She never knows where in her timeline she’ll land or what her previous year’s choices will have wrought.

This is a fun time travel premise that isn’t too deeply examined–there’s no science-fiction explanation here. Instead, focus on her Oona and her relationships with her friends and family, and the ways she learns and grows in her non-linear life. A good choice in audio.

Happy Hour follows 21-year-olds Isa and Gala--as told by Isa--through their 2013 summer of socializing and surviving in New York City. Of questionable immigration status, they work under the table and wine and dine with New York's upwardly mobile--always on the hunt for their next meal, opportunity, and contact.

The girls' outwardly vapid pursuits sharply contrast with Isa's occasional biting and thoughtful social commentary--added just often enough to prompt me to continue listening. Further complicating the contrast was the Valley girl lilt of the narrator. It all made Isa and the overall arc a little hard to pin down. This is clever, but I think it will be most appreciated by people familiar with NYC social climbers.

Kauffman’s The Gunners was a compelling story of childhood friends who came together in adulthood after one of their own died by suicide. Chorus has a similar feel, but within a family. The seven Shaw siblings are shaped by their mother’s mysterious death (which each remembers differently), and by one sister’s teenage pregnancy.

With a narrative that moves back and forth in time, the reader is granted the perspective of each sibling at different points in their lives, forming a picture of a family that shifts to fill in the spaces left by a death they don’t understand. A sensitive and perceptive literary family novel.

Bodie Kane is a podcaster and film professor who has been invited back to her boarding school in New Hampshire to teach a course. She isn’t nostalgic about her years at Granby; she was a misfit from Indiana, not wealthy like many classmates. Her memories are further marred by the murder of her former roommate, Thalia, in her senior year.

When her students decide to produce a podcast on Thalia's case, she is drawn back into the murder and her past. She begins to doubt the guilt of the Black athletic trainer who was convicted; and instead, she starts to suspect a beloved music teacher who may have had a relationship with Thalia. In a unique construct, she narrates directly to him throughout this literary mystery.

Makkai also wrote The Great Believers, a favorite of mine, and she delivers here as well. She is masterful at juxtaposing events and attitudes in multiple timelines, making sharp points at just the right moments.

I was hooked both by the plot and mystery itself, but also by her examination of memory and how the trappings and high emotions of teen life make accurate memories so difficult. She peeled back layers of the characters Bodie thought she knew as a teen and revealed more from her adult lens, giving us an unintentionally unreliable narrator. This still has me thinking and will be one of my best of 2023.

Paisley has OCD and needs to count and check on things in 8s. This compulsion can take over her life, but she’s managed to create a semblance of order that she can control. When the Toronto apartment building where she’s lived for years is closing, she needs to find a new place, but struggles to move on. She may be able to return to her childhood home that she inherited on Amherst Island, but the lawyer on her case, Garnet Mulligan, is the tormenter from her youth–and memories of him aren’t the only difficult ones she’s dealing with.

Through dual timelines, we learn of Paisley’s difficult childhood, her mother’s mental illness, her parents’ struggles, and the bullying she endured. But facing her past can help her move forward, and Garnet may be able to help. I loved the sensitive depiction of a woman with a brain that wars with itself--but also someone who can find beauty in her differences.

Charlotte Gill spent two decades working as a tree planter in the temperate Canadian rain forests, doing the back-breaking work of replenishing the trees stripped by clear-cut logging operations. In this memoir, she recounts the brutal, mesmerizing work and her life with the “tree-planting tribe,”–the people inexplicably drawn to the seasonal work that wrecks their bodies and clears their minds.

Gill has a way of making the work sound (almost) appealing, despite the harsh conditions: the connection to the land, the sense of doing something worthwhile, and the camaraderie with her fellow planters. At the same time, she contemplates the logging industry and planters being a part of it–and how effective the planting operations are at replacing the complex old-growth forests. This was a fascinating look at a very particular–and important–niche in the tree canon, and Gill’s poetic voice adds insight and awe.

Widower Doug and his young son, Tim, are on a backpacking trip in New Hampshire, enjoying new friends, each other's company, and the outdoors. As they near the end of their trip, communications go down and they spot fires below. Rumors of social collapse reach them, though details are vague. Doug decides to go further into the wilderness, where he and Tim settle into a backcountry cabin for a winter on their own, hoping to wait out the turmoil.

I love survival stories, and when you add in some apocalyptic elements, I'm all in. (Though I admit the appeal of those in recent years has waned a bit--it's the ever-closer creeping to reality that's doing it.) This was a quiet version, with the strengthening bond between father and son nicely juxtaposed with the societal unraveling. The outdoor survival aspect makes the publisher's comparison to Peter Heller's The Dog Stars apt, and the unsettling unknown of the collapse is reminiscent of Rumaan Alam's Leave the World Behind.

Daphne has upended her life to move to her fiance, Peter's, small town in Michigan--just in time for him to leave her for his childhood best friend Petra. With obligations to fulfill at her beloved library job but nowhere to live, she proposes that she and Miles--Petra's ex--become roommates. Miles and Daphne are opposites and don't know much about one another, but they slowly become friends through their shared heartbreak. Soon they realize how easy it is to put on a show and make everyone (including their exes) think they're more than friends--and it's possible they actually might be.

One thing I love about Henry's novels is that she chooses great settings. A small lakeside town in Michigan has the perfect summer feel and provides plenty of moments for cute banter and adventures as these two get to know one another. Fake dating isn't my favorite trope, but it doesn't feel heavy-handed here, and Miles is a charming and unexpected surprise for Daphne. Charm, banter, and just enough emotional backstory are par for the course for Henry, and this is another must-read if you like her other books.

When Cass returns home after disappearing three years ago with her sister, Emma, questions abound. What happened? Where had they been? And where was Emma? Cass gears up to tell the story and make sure that she is believed--but who is it that she is trying to convince? As forensic psychiatrist Abby Winter tries to unravel truth from fiction, she is drawn into the family's web of deceit and narcissism.

Emma in the Night is a twisty psychological thriller full of family dysfunction that will keep you guessing. I listened to this one on audio and found the story compelling and the narrator was excellent.

Normal People is the story of the complicated relationship between Connell and Marianne. They meet as teens in school, and at Marianne's home where Connell's mother is employed; Connell is popular while Marianne is reserved and lonely. They forge a secret connection and then are separated when both go to college at Trinity College in Dublin. When they meet again, the tables are turned; Marianne is the center of her social circle while Connell is on the outskirts. They continue in one another's orbit for years, drawing closer and then apart, but never able to pull away.

While I love listening to an Irish audiobook, I do wish I had read this one in print instead. Many of the nuances of language and relationships for which Rooney has been receiving accolades were not as impactful on audio. I was intrigued by Connell and Marianne, and this is a rare audiobook that I may revisit in print.

Say Say Say follows a 20-something artist-turned-caregiver who takes a job in the home of a couple, caring for Jill, who suffered a brain injury in an accident. Jill's husband, Bryn, is attentive and loving, but burned out by the duties and realities of this new life with Jill. In her caregiving position, Ella is brought closely, intensely, almost claustrophobically into the lives of Jill and Bryn, causing her to examine her own role and feelings.

This meditation on the strange intimacy and separateness of the caregiver role was interesting, but it was internally focused and offered almost no plot, which made for challenging listening. It probably would have worked better for me in print instead of audio.

This new collection of David Sedaris' essays and stories will be familiar to any fan, and I enjoyed revisiting them. His fiction stories are always too absurdist for my taste--you can safely skip those if you feel the same.

For those who love the stories of his life and family, though, this is is a nice journey through the years. The essays, including one new one, get more poignant toward the end, as Sedaris reflects on their lives and the family members who have passed away. I do always enjoy Sedaris more on audio--his delivery makes the stories even funnier--and if you can, I recommend listening to this instead of reading.

Ellie is a housewife in the English town of Exmoor. She's a little lonely and bored, and one day on a walk, she meets Dan, a talented harp maker. Sensing her discontent, Dan gifts Ellie with a harp. When her controlling husband protests, Ellie begins visiting in secret to practice on her harp.

Dan and Ellie strike up a friendship that becomes increasingly important to both of them. But, when Ellie discovers a secret that changes Dan's life, her own secret is also in jeopardy.

This is an utterly charming book and is fantastic on audio. Dan is endearing–he's likely on the autism spectrum and is refreshingly, unapologetically himself. His narrator is perfect and does a great job of bringing this autistic hero to life. 

A nonfiction account of how a scrappy crew team from the University of Washington clawed its way to victory in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

One year ago, Isabelle's infant son, Mason, was taken from his crib. Aside from naps, she hasn’t slept since and she's obsessed with finding answers. Her husband has left, the police are tired of her. Only a true-crime podcaster seems interested in what she has to say. Her sleepless state brings up memories from her past, and she questions what she thinks she knows–about herself and everyone around her.

I usually hate the thriller trope of the slightly crazed woman that no one believes, but in this case, it worked so well. The desperate, sleepless mother with a history of sleepwalking brought me into her daily fever dream, trying to claw through the haze of the past–both that of a year ago and of her childhood.

I was hooked on this audiobook–it was dark, surprising, and completely satisfying.

Fern and Will met ten years ago and spent one day together, talking and touring Toronto. They were both in relationships at the time but felt a connection. Nothing happened and they didn't stay in touch, but they decided to meet in one year, at Fern's family's lake resort, to check in on one another. Will didn't show up, and Fern never stopped thinking of him.

Now she's back at the resort after her mother's death, trying to decide what to do with the place, when Will shows up. He had agreed to consult with her mother, and stays on to help Fern. He seems changed, but as she gets to know him, she realizes he's the same guy she fell for--and he seems to feel the same. But something is holding him back, and Fern knows Will needs her--if he'll let her in.

This had flavors of some of my old favorite movies: Dirty Dancing and Before Sunrise. The setting is incredible--romantic and nostalgic. The 10-year flame they both held after one meeting felt a little unrealistic, but it was sweet and can be fun to think about a what-if for some of those chance encounters that become part of our pasts.

When Helen was a teenager, her younger sister died by suicide. The driver of the car that hit her was Grant Shepard, Helen's classmate and town golden boy. Her family has never forgiven him, and Helen hasn't seen him in 13 years. When her popular YA novel is adapted into a new television show, she is shocked to find Grant in the writers' room with her. Grant knows that working with Helen will be tough, but he's doing his best to manage his panic attacks since the accident, and this is an opportunity he needs. The two have always been different, but can they come together for the sake of the project--and will they find that sparks fly when they do?

Kuang hit all the right notes in what I like in a romance novel, with a similar approach to Abby Jimenez in taking heavy and emotional storylines and infusing romance and a bit of humor (the heavy topics veered this away from rom-com territory, but there was levity). The writers' room setting added an interesting forced proximity element, with added professional tension and vibrant side characters. I'm looking forward to more from her. (And as an interesting aside, Yulin Kuang is the adapting screenwriter for Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation and the write/director of Henry's Beach Read. So she knows both romance and screenwriting well!)

Leia Birch Briggs is a successful comic book artist who is working on the origin story of her most famous characters when her life turns upside down: she is pregnant. And the father is a man who was dressed as Batman at a comic book convention. In the midst of this, her stepsister Rachel's marriage is falling apart and her beloved grandmother, Birchie, is revealed to have dementia. Leia quickly travels to Birchie's small Alabama town, with Rachel's teenage daughter in two, to assess the situation and move Birchie out. She finds Birchie and her lifelong friend Wattie harboring more than just the secret of Birchie's illness, forcing Leia to reconsider what she knows about family, race, loyalty, and commitment.

Joshilyn Jackson has a way of weaving together serious issues with situations that always feel a little preposterous and funny, without losing the overall gravity of them. Her turns of phrase add levity to the most grim scenes, and after listening to The Almost Sisters on audio, I plan to listen to the other books she narrates as well.

I've read a few Elin Hilderbrand books now, and this one is my favorite so far. Set in a wildly popular Nantucket restaurant, The Blue Bistro reminded me a little of Sweetbitter, but with more likable characters. Adrienne is new to Nantucket and desperately needs a job. Despite having no restaurant experience, Thatcher Smith hires her as the hostess. Thatcher himself is intriguing, but so is the talented and notoriously private chef, Fiona. Adrienne falls in love with life in the restaurant, while growing closer to Thatcher and trying to unravel the secrets surrounding Fiona.

This is perfect summer reading/listening; light and easy enough to follow easily, with enough gravitas to make me care about what happens next. Also, I wouldn't call myself a foodie, but I am starting to love a good food-centered book. The descriptions were mouthwatering!

Miracle Creek takes us into a courtroom following a devastating accident: a hyperbaric chamber holding a number of patients--including children-- being treated for various conditions, exploded. Two people were killed. The mother of a dead boy is accused of causing the explosion. Miracle Creek takes the reader through each of the people tied to the accident and the events leading up to it, untangling secrets, lies, and the complexities of families.

This is truly a page-turner of a book, and while long, it held up in audio format. It was initially a little difficult to keep track of all of the characters, but they eventually sorted out and I couldn't stop listening. The author interview at the end, in which Kim recounts her own experience with hyperbaric chambers and as an immigrant, is also excellent.

The Hennessy family is having quite a dramatic year. Divorces, career changes, new romances, dramatic teenagers, and resentments pepper one year in the life of this extended family of siblings and cousins. It doesn't help that the mother of one set of siblings is a feminist icon, and that the whole family is at the center of a massive women's march.

It's all a bit of a mess, but it's actually an enjoyable one. If you can sort out the many characters and go along for their one-year ride, this family drama is an entertaining listen. It doesn't have the depth of many of the family stories told over decades that I enjoy, but it's billed as a comedy and is a good lighter choice.

In the early 1900s, Jo Kuan–a teenager of Chinese descent–lives on the fringes of Atlanta. She and her adopted father Old Jin cobble together a life by squatting in the basement of a newspaper and working jobs that barely sustain them.

When the newspaper is in danger of folding, Jo comes up with a plan to save it–and her home. She begins anonymously writing as “Miss Sweetie,” an advice columnist who gets people talking with her progressive ideas about race, gender roles, and suffrage.

One January night, Chanel Miller joined her sister and a friend at a party at Stanford. She was drinking and being goofy–and that’s the last she remembers. She woke up in the hospital the following day and learned of her sexual assault. The perpetrator, Brock Turner, had been stopped and chased down by two men.

This event changes Miller’s life. Known by the public as “Emily Doe,” the case consumed her for several years as she navigated a criminal justice system that seemed designed to implicate her and traumatize her all over again. Finally, from the veil of anonymity, Miller emerges with her own voice and shares this gut-punch of a memoir.

Miller is an extraordinary writer–her writing is deeply personal and achingly raw. She puts to words how the assault and ongoing violations affected her in ways that feel both intimate and universal to so many women.

An autistic woman hires an escort to help her get better at relationships but they both start developing feelings for one another.

I’ve never seen the shows that Jennette McCurdy starred in, but the early buzz around her memoir convinced me to pick it up. I’m glad I did. McCurdy’s telling of her young life spent trying to fulfill her mother’s dreams of stardom was heartbreaking, candid, and insightful. Her mother’s manic rages and hyper-focus on Jennette (and especially her weight) meant that Jennette dealt with anxiety and eating disorders from a young age–while bearing the responsibility of providing for her family.

McCurdy details her struggles with both her mother and on the sets of iCarly and Sam & Cat. While this memoir is largely about her relationship with her mother, the revelations about the lives of child actors are also shocking. The title of this memoir is meant to be provocative, but it’s also true. McCurdy loved her mother, and her feelings are more complex than the title would suggest. Her understanding of herself, her own worth, and her path forward was hard won. Her writing is excellent, as is her narration. Ultimately, all I can say is this: she earns that title.

This collection of personal essays from Southern Living columnist Elizabeth Passarella has one common theme: change. Whether it’s moving, getting rid of sentimental furniture, or dealing with a health crisis, the stories are familiar to anyone, even if the specifics are different. Passarella has a charming, likable voice and reading this felt like hanging out with a friend.

I loved how she spaced out a series of stories on her struggles to buy an apartment from her neighbor in New York–I was thoroughly hooked and needed to know how it ended. The audio version included an interview with that neighbor, which was a delightful addition. This isn't a groundbreaking memoir, but I thoroughly enjoyed the listen.

Millie is a resident advisor in a dorm at the University of Arkansas. She's a slightly older student, with dreams of buying her own house. Agatha is a guest professor who is conducting research for a project on wedding traditions--but she soon finds the lives of the residents to be more fascinating fodder. Millie agrees to help Agatha, and as the narrative shifts focus in each chapter, we are treated to multiple perspectives on the many characters in this book as they each try to find tenuous connections to one another but ultimately only act in their own self-interest.

While this book had a number of sharp observations on race, class, and sexuality throughout, the lack of a discernable plot made them fall a bit flat. The characters were all interesting enough, but sticking with it without anything to drive this forward was hard. I really liked Reid's debut, Such a Fun Age, but this was a disappointing follow-up.

David Sedaris's offbeat personal essays and narration have long been a favorite. He's aware of his own quirks, and he shares them in such a delightful, self-effacing way. Most of his essay collections have been pure entertainment with a hint of sharp observation that always makes them feel smart. Calypso follows this path, but it's darker and more poignant.

The familiar Sedaris family is aging, and with age comes all the attendant self-reflection and life changes. This plays out differently for each family member and affects their relationships with one another. In this collection, most of the family feel closer to one another than they ever have before, with the exception of Tiffany, whose suicide shadows most of the essays here.

Sedaris' writings on Tiffany's suicide, as well as aging, politics, addiction, and regret, make this essay collection darker and more reflective than many of his previous. He is still dryly funny, and the ability to prompt regular laughter while writing about such serious topics is a particular talent.

Sedaris has been writing about his family for so long that they may start to seem like characters, frozen in time on the pages, rather than real people for whom the years are passing. As Sedaris faces aging--both his own and that of his family--so too do his long-time fans, who know them only through the bits and pieces he chooses to share. I anticipate an ongoing change in tone in the coming years, but I will continue to read and listen for as long as Sedaris is writing.

After Meredith Delinn's husband Freddy is charged with cheating investors out of billions (think Bernie Madoff), she flees to Nantucket to her old friend Connie's home. She hopes to hide out, resurrect their friendship, and clear her name. The past and present are both complicated, and both Meredith and Connie find themselves looking back on how they got here, while also trying to imagine futures without the husbands who defined their lives for so long.

While this isn't my favorite Hilderbrand--it feels a little darker than some others--I did appreciate the older women protagonists and the focus on their friendship. This did jump back and forth in time a lot, so it was a little harder to follow as I started and stopped listening, but overall this was another good audiobook choice.

At a regular Friday-night high school football game, violence suddenly erupts and ripples throughout the city. Lena--popular, confident, and black--takes refuge behind the concession stand, where Campbell--shy, new in town, and white--has been working. The unlikely pair team up to find safe spaces to hide as they attempt to make their way out of the violence and home to safety. Their reliance on one another forces them to face each other's perspective head on.

Told through alternating narration (written by two different authors), this was excellent as an audiobook with its fast pace and intense scenes. I grabbed this from my library when it was available as a Big Library Read. While I didn't find it quite as impactful as The Hate U Give or Dear Martin, fans of both those books might appreciate this one--and it was blurbed by authors Angie Thomas and Nic Stone.

Linus Baker is a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, and Extremely Upper Management has just tasked him with visiting an orphanage on a remote island–filled with children who have terrifying abilities. Charged with determining whether the children are being properly cared for (by the charismatic Arthur Parnassus) and whether they might bring about the end of the world, Linus is scared. But he has a job to do, and he will do it well–even in the face of the Antichrist.

This magical book took me a while to get into–it is pretty over-the-top and out of my wheelhouse–but eventually the charm took hold. It has a wonderful message of acceptance and creating family, and it was also quite funny. Pick it up when you’re in the mood for something really different that’s sure to make you smile.

I like to cook--sometimes--though I've never considered myself much of a "foodie." I've never read Gourmet. But, I DO love well-written food--it always makes me want to cook more, to learn all those little secrets that take food from "fine" to "delicious." So I figured that Ruth Reichl's memoir of her time as editor of Gourmet would at least give me some inspiration to do some cooking. It definitely did, and it also provided a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the world of Condé Nast--I do love a good insider look at publishing. Gourmet was an institution of the magazine world, known for its meticulous recipe-testing process and for catering to the luxury eater.

As such, its staff lived in a rarefied food world--upscale and out of reach for most. As editor, Reichl toed the line between maintaining the luxury brand and bringing it down to Earth for a new generation of socially conscious readers. Ultimately, Gourmet was undone by its owners' reluctance to move it into fresh spaces (can you imagine a publication now resisting a website?), but Reichl's somewhat unconventional journey to editor and her fight to keep the magazine alive made for fascinating listening.

In 1922 Russia, aristocrat Count Alexander Rostov has been sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol hotel. As he makes a home in his small attic room, he builds relationships and finds his place and purpose from inside the hotel, as decades of history unfold literally outside his door. Rostov's charm and wisdom shine as he builds family and community with the vivid characters who share space in the Metropol.

This book has been on my shelf for ages and was at the top of my reading challenge list. Nonetheless, I decided to listen to the audiobook, with the intention of trying a reading experiment: listening while reading along in my print copy (sometimes).

I wasn't able to do this as much as I'd planned, but I did try it a few times. Blending the reading and listening did help me absorb and better focus while reading this slow-mover. It's something I hope to try again--particularly with nonfiction. I know that so many readers loved this, and while I enjoyed this book, I think I would have appreciated the lovely language more in print. I'll be keeping it around and planning on a second read in the future.

Rachel is a financial analyst who is not good with people. When she gets a promotion to lead a team in San Francisco, her boss makes it clear that she has to succeed. She pledges to improve her social skills and goes out to a bar on her first night in town. She ends up having a one-night stand with Luke. They’re both surprised when they see each other again, but they realize they can help each other: he can help with her social skills and she can consult on his new business.

They pledge to keep it professional, but this is a rom-com, so there is chemistry and complications. Overall, this was a cute and entertaining romance but not a standout.

ate lost her husband. She's raising her son and working her fundraising job at a university, while barely managing her grief and the demands of daily life. Hugh, her understanding boss--who was also her husband's best friend--makes things a little easier. When Kate and Hugh are stranded together on a work trip, she has to decide how she wants to move forward with her life, and what her husband would have wanted for her.

This contemporary novel has some romance, but it's examination of grief takes it out of the realm of rom-coms (despite the cover that leans that direction, as well as some humor). It's emotional and vulnerable; the author has personal experience that she draws on. Sad but hopeful, and well worth the read.

You've probably heard the raves already, and my view is no different: this book deserves all the accolades it's been getting. I listened to Michelle Obama narrate the audio version of Becoming, and it is worth the hefty commitment (at 19+ hours--though you can comfortably speed up the pace a bit). Obama is an excellent writer who tells small but compelling stories of her youth on the south side of Chicago, her years elite universities and as a fledgling lawyer, and her life with Barack Obama--before, during, and immediately after the White House.

She is highly relatable--focused on her kids, muddling through the ups and downs of motherhood, and indulging in HGTV over political roundtables. Knowing her rarefied educational and professional background, I found her distaste for political life surprising and--again--relatable. Certain memories prompted tears, for different reasons: inauguration night, Newtown, and the 2016 election results, especially. The pressure they were under as the first black presidential family was enormous, and she conducted herself with a grace and dignity that I believe few can match.

Nantucket is again the backdrop for this story from Elin Hilderbrand, in her first foray into historical fiction. In the tumultuous summer of 1969, four siblings each have their own struggles. One is pregnant with twins in Boston, another has a foot in the civil rights movement but is pursuing her independence on Martha's Vineyard, another is deployed in Vietnam, and the fourth is a young teen on Nantucket with her mother and grandmother.

This was an enjoyable enough audio listen, but I'm not sure if I would have stuck with this one in print. Most of the storylines did not feel as propulsive as they could have. While there were high-stakes issues, most fizzled a bit. It felt like a meander through a family's island summer that happened to be studded by a few dramas and backdropped by a particularly rocky year in U.S. history.

Jason Dessen, a middling professor of physics at a small Chicago college, is abducted and knocked out one evening as he tries to get home. He wakes in a world where he is a genius who has achieved the unthinkable--and one where his life looks entirely different from the one he's built with his wife and son. Desperate to return, Dessen embarks on a wild journey through infinite alternate realities, trying to figure out how to land in just the right one.

I'm not a big reader of science fiction, so I've been hesitant to pick this up, despite all the raves. I finally decided to listen to it and it worked well in audio format--even with some of the mind-bending science explanations that flew by. The narration is excellent and the relentless pace and action kept me hooked. I'd like to read more from genres outside of my comfort zone and this was a great choice.

Missy Carmichael is lonely and full of regret. At 79, she spends her days alone in her big old house in England, nursing sherry and past hurts, and missing her son and grandson in Australia, and her estranged daughter. When Sylvie and Angela, along with Angela's young son, push their way into Missy's life, she is both hesitant and hopeful. And when a dog is brought into the mix, she gets more than she bargained for.

Readers who liked A Man Called Ove will enjoy Missy Carmichael. The circumstances and voices are different, but the heartwarming and unlikely friendships feel much the same. This is delightful on audio; Angela's raw bluntness alongside Missy's genteel fussiness occasionally made me laugh out loud.

In their 16th year, girls are banished for their “Grace Year”–their year out of a society they apparently endanger. After their year away, they return purified and ready for marriage. The year is full of dangers–known and unknown–and not all return alive.

Lauren Wolk writes fantastic middle-grade fiction that I love as an adult reader, and Echo Mountain lived up to my high expectations. After losing everything during the Depression, Ellie and her family move to Echo Mountain in the wilds of Maine. Ellie loves it; she finds freedom in the woods and nature and thrives on the challenges of survival. Her mother and sister resist it. Ellie's joy in the mountain is short-lived when an accident leaves her father in a coma--an accident that Ellie blamed for. Ellie desperately tries outlandish schemes to wake him, and ultimately takes to the mountain in search of an old woman healer known as "the hag."

Wolk's writing is delicious--she has an amazing talent for evoking nature and setting a scene, and she writes children with such sensitivity. Her characters tend to be wise beyond their years, but she never forgets they are children, and she affords them the naivete and innocence they deserve. I loved listening.

Emily Henry’s rom-coms are must-reads for me, not least because they often feature…well, book lovers, but also because they always feel like a little more than a rom-com. Both Beach Read and The People We Meet on Vacation offered interesting backstories, and Book Lovers is no different.

Nora is a literary agent, proud of her independence and tough reputation. When her sister wants to take an extended vacation to the site of Nora’s client’s hit novel, they make a checklist of Hallmark highlights they need to complete. Nora doesn’t really believe she’ll have a charming small-town romance, especially not with Charlie Lastra, a cranky literary editor who happens to be from the town.

While I didn’t love this quite as much as Henry’s first two novels, it still includes the great banter and emotional connections that made them great–and it’s excellent on audio.

Emily and Chess have been best friends forever, but lately, things have felt strained. When Chess invites her to stay in a villa in Italy, Emily is hoping the trip repairs their friendship. While there, Emily learns of a murder that took place at a villa in 1974.

She becomes embroiled in the complicated story of sex, drugs, rock and roll–and murder. Determined to find the truth, she starts finding clues hidden throughout the villa. Meanwhile, tensions with Chess continue to rise, and Emily suspects all isn’t as it seems.

This got a little wild, and I can’t say I was fully satisfied with the resolutions in either timeline. However, it did keep me hooked until the end, so it’s a solid three stars.

Korede would do anything for her sister, Ayoola--and she does, when Ayoola starts killing her boyfriends. After Ayoola's panicked phone calls, Korede shows up, cleans up the mess, and ensures that they are not caught. As Korede realizes that her sister is veering into serial killer territory, Ayoola sets her sights on the doctor Korede is in love with herself. Under the weight of her own guilt and loyalty to her sister, Korede struggles with how to protect both the man and the sister she loves--but she may have to choose.

You wouldn't think a serial killer novel would be so entertaining, but My Sister, the Serial Killer was darkly funny and slightly absurd, while maintaining the gravitas of what was happening in the story. Joshilyn Jackson is the only other author I can think of recently who has managed this delicate balance, but Braithwaite's style is entirely her own. It was the perfect fiction audiobook--not too long, gripping story, excellent narrator, and only a few main characters to track.

Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse who has faced all kinds of families. But for the first time ever, a new mother and father demand that she be banned from caring for their newborn son--because she is black. Upset but unsure how to proceed, Ruth hesitates when the baby goes into distress--does she help or follow orders?--and dies on her watch.

Thus begins a high-profile trial between grieving white supremacists and a black woman determined to keep her own son safe. Ruth's white public defender, Kennedy, takes a special interest in Ruth's case but advises against discussing race in court. Ruth fights for her freedom while the baby's family fight for their own warped sense of justice.

With alternating narration between Ruth, Kennedy, and Turk, the baby's father, Small Great Things was a fantastic audiobook that was hard to turn off. The look into the world of white supremacy was particularly fascinating (and repulsive), as was the exploration of race in the justice system. There are without a doubt more nuanced stories that cover all of these areas, but Picoult writes page-turners and this is one of her best.

Inti arrives in Scotland to manage the reintroduction of wolves into the wilds of the Highlands. Her twin sister, Aggie, is in tow, and dealing with trauma from her past. Inti believes in the wolves; the locals, however, fear for their safety and their livestock, and their fears seem founded when a man is found dead.

I LOVED this gorgeous, atmospheric eco-fiction novel that's filled with fantastic characters and relationships. Wolves' ability to revitalize an ecosystem is fascinating, and McConaghy's tie between healing from the horrors of abuse and trauma (watch your triggers) and the healing of the natural world is masterful. Wonderful on audio and my best of 2021. 

The Strick family generally gets along, but each adult member inhabits their own orbit. When Astrid witnesses a bus accident that the death of an acquaintance, she realizes that she needs to come clean to her kids about a few things--namely, her relationship with a woman. But Elliott, Porter, and Nicky each have their own struggles. Add on Astrid's 13-year-old grand-daughter moving in with her after a bullying incident and there's more than enough dysfunction to go around.

While there was a bit of overload of themes here, they mostly just added some wonderful complexity to this dysfunctional family story. The alternating narratives and fast pace made this an enjoyable listen.

Evvie Drake is packing her bags to leave her husband when she gets a phone call: he has died in an accident. As her small Maine community grieves their beloved doctor, she finds herself in a confusing swirl of regret, grief, and anger. Her best friend Andy offers some small financial relief in the form of a tenant for the apartment attached to her house.

Dean is a professional baseball player, recently sidelined with a case of the “yips”–unexplained inability to pitch. He needs some downtime, and an escape from the spotlight.

While the arc of this story is predictable, its execution is absolutely delightful and charming. The romance wasn’t instant, but hard-won as both Evvie and Dean worked through their own difficulties. Evvie’s platonic friendship with Andy is wonderful and realistic. I enjoyed every minute of listening to this (and Julia Whelan narrates, so you know the narration is good!).

The Other Americans is a complicated narrative focused on the hit-and-run killing of Driss Guerraoui, a Moroccan immigrant who was crossing the street one evening near his business. As his family grapples with this death and the truths about his life, the police investigate what happened.

Told from multiple points of view–Driss’ family, the investigators, neighboring business owners, and Driss himself–Lailami covers a lot of ground. From family tensions and expectations to prejudices, her story is subtle and nuanced. It’s can be challenging on audio because the characters and storylines were a little hard to track. I enjoyed the audio and recommend it for immersive audiobook listening, but if you find complex listens a challenge, opt for the print version.

Following the death of her mother, Anna discovers a journal written by the father she never knew. As she reads, she searches for answers on her mixed-race identity that seemed to baffle her white British mother. When she discovers he is alive and living in a small (fictional) African country, she is determined to meet him. But the idealism she reads about in his youth is not what she discovers; her father is the former President of the country--possibly even a dictator.

Anna's search for identity, family, and some truth about her father was coupled with themes of racism, colonialism, and political power. While Anna could be frustrating, her journey made for a fascinating listen.

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• 12 Immersive Literary Audiobooks that Will Keep You Listening
• November 2021 Book Reviews

When Sarah Foster runs away from home at 16, she leaves behind her first girlfriend, found dead in a lake, and the understanding that people in her life may have been involved. Starting from nothing is hard, but she makes her way into bartending and soon becomes famous for her creative signature cocktails.

When she meets Emilie at a restaurant, their connection is instant. But both have complications from their pasts that make it difficult to fall into a relationship. As they ebb and flow toward and away from one another, they start to understand how they might fit together.

This was a lovely story, with complex, sensitive characters and relationships. This is LaCour’s debut adult novel (she usually writes YA) and I hope she continues to write for adults.

David Sedaris’ latest book feels like a return to a more familiar humor, especially after Calypso, which was a darker and more poignant reflection on his family (and dealt with the suicide of his sister, Tiffany). As Sedaris ages, his family faces more such losses, and in Happy-Go-Lucky, it’s his father who passes away.

Longtime readers will know of Sedaris’ complicated relationship with his father, and he’s always dealt with it through humor. His father’s death is no exception. The essay collection doesn’t solely focus on his father–he covers the pandemic, absurd outings with family, and more. I laughed aloud more than once, but I also detected a new hint of meanness here that I never saw in his work before. Like everyone, Sedaris has been through a lot in recent years, which could account for those moments. For me, they didn’t overtake his superior storytelling and narration; Sedaris’s audiobooks were the first that I truly enjoyed, and I’m always glad for the chance to listen again.

When Julie Chavez had her first panic attack, she knew she had to figure something out. On the surface, her life seemed fine: her librarian job, her two children, and her loving husband made her happy. But each day, she walked a precarious line while juggling the million details that keep a family going. Her worries took over, and she was left with crippling anxiety.

Chavez's honest account of her struggles to manage her anxiety was binge listening for me, because it was all so familiar. I intensely related to the way she described the miserable buzzing of anxiety throughout her body, and I suspect many other women will also see themselves. Our reasons for the anxiety may be different, but the feeling seems common, and Chavez gives voice--and a little hope--to our mostly silent battles.

I started listening to this audiobook on a whim, thinking it might be similar to other nonfiction books I've enjoyed by Kelly Corrigan or Anna Quindlen. It was a pleasant-enough listen, peppered with a few general insights that resonated with me (self acceptance, joy in ordinary moments, being fully present).I can't deny her hard-won peace with herself, her past, food, her body, and her place in the world, but for the most part I don't think I was the right audience for Roth's work. I might recommend this for people who have similar struggles with past abuses and body image, but it was probably one that I could have DNFed without regret.

I'm wrapping two in one here, as I listened to both Hardcore Twenty-Four and Look Alive Twenty-Five. Both are completely predictable, formulaic, but still fun and entertaining addition to the Stephanie Plum series, in which Stephanie is a completely inept bounty hunter. The storylines change slightly, but the drama stays largely the same. Goofy and stereotypical New Jersey characters, funny dialog, and zero forward movement on Stephanie's romances with Morelli and Ranger are the bread and butter of these books. I hardly remember the storylines after finishing them, but I knew what to expect and they were a good choice for a weekend of painting bedrooms.

The exclusive coastal community of Haven Point, Maine has always been insular. When Maren marries Dr. Oliver Demarest in the 1940s, the community is not quick to welcome her, but she eventually finds her place. As the family and community change over decades, a tragedy prompts Maren’s daughter Annie to vow never to return to Haven Point. After Annie’s own tragic death in 2008, her daughter Skye goes to spread her ashes at Haven Point–and finally learns what happened.

This sweeping family story told in alternating timelines over decades is perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand. Haven Point is both dreamy and suffocating. Excellent summer historical fiction.

If you like ripped-from-the-headlines stories, The Night Swim is for you. Combining several recent headline-making cases (rape by a golden-boy swimmer, true-crime podcast captivates the nation), the book’s fictional distance allows readers to examine both.

While the cover especially makes it look like a thriller, this is more of a procedural courtroom drama, with a twist. Rachel Krall’s true-crime podcast is a sensation, and she goes to Neapolis to follow the trial of a star swimmer accused of raping a teen girl.

While there, she receives mysterious messages from Hannah, who claims her sister Jenny was murdered 25 years prior–though it was officially called an accidental drowning. As Rachel follows the trial, she also digs into Hannah’s story, which has unsettling similarities to the current case.

The Night Swim was excellent on audio. I loved the perspective of a true-crime podcaster, as well as the story’s sensitive take on rape, victim-blaming, and how all-star defendants are treated.

A fascinating story of four young women in Seoul, South Korea. All are struggling in different ways under the heavy pressure of Korea: the impossible beauty standards, culture of extreme plastic surgery, and the difficult economy put them in precarious positions. Their friendships sustain each other as they try to navigate the cutthroat world of Seoul, including the secret “room salons” where women entertain wealthy men.

It was a little difficult to distinguish each of the women in the first few chapters, but their voices and stories eventually became distinct. This was an illuminating look at life in contemporary Seoul.

After years of isolation because of chronic pain, Chloe Brown has decided to get a life. The first step is getting her own place--but befriending the burly superintendent is NOT on her list.

Red is not so fond of Chloe either, but he's also intrigued. This, of course, is a rom-com, so the path from dislike to banter to romance is predictable, but it's also sweet, funny, and uplifting. (Note that this is very open-door and steamy, so skip it if that's not your thing.)

Mira has been trying to find her perfect partner, but even her Indian matchmaker has given up on her after way too many failed matches. When her beloved aunt dies, Mira is surprised to find Naveen--one of the men she rejected--is the lawyer handling the estate.

But that's not the only surprise waiting for her: the two are kidnapped outside of his office, and suddenly they are in a race for their lives--and the sparks between them are flying. If you like your romances to have some fast-paced adventure and outlandish capers, this is the book for you. Fun and easy to listen to on audio.

I struggled with audiobooks this month–there were multiple that I started and never finished–so I was really feeling the need for a sure-fire win. I knew that anything narrated by Julia Whelan would be excellent, so I decided to try her debut novel. Ella is an American who has achieved her dream of a Rhodes Scholarship. She’s determined to make the most of her year, while also remotely pursuing her dream career on a presidential campaign back in the U.S.

Her focus is derailed by a run-in with pompous Jamie Davenport–who later turns out to be one of her instructors. But the more they run into one another, the deeper they connect, and soon her Oxford year has turned into something entirely unexpected.

Julia Whelan tells a great story that feels like more than a romance novel, and her narration is always on point. The perfect choice for getting out of an audio slump.

Molly is the Head Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, a role she adores. She is exacting and takes extraordinary pride in her work. When famous mystery author J.D. Grimthorpe dies during an event at the hotel, Molly knows that her gift for details will be the key to figuring out who killed him. As she reflects on her childhood connections with Grimthorpe, and the days leading up to the murder, Molly's meticulous mind might just reveal more secrets than the identity of the murderer.

I didn't read The Maid, which preceded this novel, but I felt this stood alone just fine. Molly is a delightful character, and while this didn't blow me away, it was a pleasant, cozy mystery with a lighter tone than I'm accustomed to in my mystery reads.

I am a huge Gilmore Girls, Parenthood, and Lauren Graham fan. I find her very charming in the roles she plays, and I will probably be re-watching Gilmore Girls until I’m old and gray. I listened to the audiobook, and hearing Graham narrate her own story only added to the charm. I enjoyed hearing the background of her unusual childhood and years as a struggling actor, along with her reflections on Gilmore Girls and Parenthood.

There’s very little dishy gossip on her co-stars here—she seems to have real affection for them but is also open about her hard-won savvy about what to share with the public. What she does share with the public is a love for the families, locations, and stories she’s been privileged to inhabit as an actor, and she brings that nostalgia and affection to her writing and narration. Recommended for any other fans of the shows and her work, and get the audiobook if you’re missing Lorelai Gilmore or Sarah Braverman. One note: Listening at 1.2x speed actually sounded more natural to me because I'm used to her talking so fast on Gilmore Girls.

When young Louisiana Elefante's granny hustles her out the door in the middle of the night, she doesn't initially realize her granny's intentions: to leave Florida and never return. They make it as far as a small Georgia town before they are sidelined by Granny's debilitating toothache. While Granny recovers after having all her teeth pulled, Louisiana schemes to return home and tries to stay above the suspicions of the townspeople.

But charming Louisiana is soon a part of the lives of the people she meets, and they too have worked their way into her heart. When she learns some devastating news about her past, she must determine: what defines a person? A family? A home?

Southern charm abounds in this book, made all the better by the audio narration. Quirky characters and a heartfelt story make Louisiana's Way Home a book that both kids and adults will enjoy. This is the sequel to Raymie Nightingale, which I haven't read, but I had no problem reading this as a stand-alone.

Like so many of my audiobook listens, I'm not sure The Bookshop on the Corner would have stood out had I read it in print, but I loved listening to it. English librarian Nina Redmond has lost her job--and the world of libraries is changing in ways she doesn't like. She has an idea to buy a van and start a roving bookstore, and when she finds the perfect van in the Scottish Highlands, she also unwittingly finds the perfect place to start her store.

Filled with charming characters, sweet romance, lots of book love, and a setting so vivid you can almost smell the fresh air, this book reached the part of me that adored the escapism of Under the Tuscan Sun (movie version for that one!). Give this one a listen if you love a light story about books and enjoy a good Scottish brogue.

Hamnet imagines the family life of Shakespeare in the years leading up to his son’s death. Mostly following Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, a woman with unusual healing gifts who is devoted to her children Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet, O’Farrell builds them a rich home life and explores the depths of Agnes’s grief after 11-year old Hamnet’s death.

I’m glad I listened to this, though it didn’t always hold my attention. It’s worth the read or listen alone for the detailed path of the flea that carried the disease that ultimately killed Hamnet–a prescient writing composed before most of us gave “contact tracing” any thought.

Siblings Cash, Fitch, and Bird are each wrestling with their own struggles. Cash is trying to make sure he doesn’t fail seventh grade again. Fitch fights his own anger. And Bird wants only to go to space–if only to escape the world while carving her place in it. In addition to their individual struggles, their volatile home life weighs heavy on each of them.

Their teacher, Ms. Solonga, pushes her students to figuratively put themselves on the upcoming Challenger launch with a class simulation. She herself applied for the Teacher in Space program, and her enthusiasm wasn’t dimmed by not winning the spot. Bird latches on to the dream, idolizing astronaut Judith Resnick and dreaming of the day she would be on the shuttle. And then the worst happens.

I was a little young to remember much about the Challenger explosion, but this lovely book brought me back to the 80s, to wonderful teachers (I later had a high school teacher who had also applied for Teacher in Space, and who did an excellent space simulation project with us), and to big childhood dreams. A wonderful audiobook listen.

My impression of Jessica Simpson before listening to this book was kind of vague: a little ditzy, but maybe plays into it. A talented singer. Wore those jeans that everyone teased her about (I felt sorry for her). Seems sweet enough. But I wasn’t really a fan or a critic of her.

I only grabbed this one because of so many positive reviews, and I have to say: it’s worth the listen. Jessica lays it all out, so if you want the gory details of her relationships (especially with Nick Lachey and Jon Mayer), you’ll get them. But she’s also thoughtful and reflective. She definitely grew up sheltered, which lends itself to a naiveté that often translates as “ditzy,” but she’s actually quite self-aware and charming. She’s also a surprisingly savvy business woman. Celebrity memoirs aren’t usually on my reading list, but I enjoyed this one.

Austin Channing Brown, a Black woman purposely given a white man’s name, shares her experience of growing up and living in a world that caters to whiteness. From the daily microaggressions at school and work to the larger, to more overt examples of racism and white supremacy from both individuals and society at large, her account is both personal and familiar.

She shares the daily, deep exhaustion from managing assumptions about herself and her race, from worrying about the safety of those she loves, and from the burdens of being both the Black voice in the room and the balm for white people’s guilt. And yet, she continues to show up and speak out, and she shares why it’s worthwhile to do so, while acknowledging that she may never fully see the fruits of her labor.

This short book is an excellent, eye-opening, and ultimately hopeful book to add to your anti-racist reading list. Brown narrates the audio and I highly recommend it.

In a fictional White House family, Alex is a golden boy with a quiet rivalry/fascination with Prince Henry of Wales that usually has little effect on his life–until a tense encounter forces them into a false PR campaign highlighting their "close friendship." The two grudgingly go along until their clever banter turns to real friendship–and then to more.

This was a fun audiobook listen with sweet romance (note: it's a little steamy), witty banter, and insider-y political maneuverings. A great choice if you're looking for an uplifting romance.

Fifteen-year-old Ana’s mother sees one path for their family to get to America from the Dominican Republic in 1965: Ana’s marriage to Juan Ruiz. With little English and few skills, Ana is isolated at the mercy of Juan, who is unfaithful and sometimes cruel. When he returns to the Dominican Republic for several months, she begins to dream of a new kind of life for herself, with Juan’s brother Cesar. But she must make a decision when her family’s dreams of joining her become reality. I appreciated Ana’s story and felt her isolation and desperation. I loved the interview with author Angie Cruz at the end, who described how her own mother’s story and New York’s Dominican community inspired her to write this book.

Lenni is 17 and she is dying. She lives on the terminal ward in a hospital in Glasgow, but she is determined to eke life of the time she has left, in the place she is. When she joins the hospital’s arts and crafts class, she meets Margot. Together, they’ve lived for 100 years, and they decide to embark on a project to create 100 paintings to celebrate their century of life.

I loved Lenni’s thoughtful determination, Margot’s vibrant personality, and how their friendship in the present grows as they reflect on their pasts. Bittersweet and wonderfully narrated.

Kylie Reed has no intention of ever meeting a man in a bar. Her life is orderly, and she has a plan. So when she falls into the lap–literally–of Harrison Flynn, a handsome superstar hockey player, she’s dismayed at her own attraction to him. They’re opposites in every way, and between her plans and his fame, it seems like an impossibility.

I turned this on for a light listen, and that’s exactly what it was. I didn’t feel overly invested in either character or their relationship, but it was entertaining enough for some walks and workouts. I believe this is part of a series, and I don’t plan to read the rest (or for that matter, more books in the “hockey romance” sub-genre).

Benedict Prince is a sleep doctor who specializes in crimes committed during sleep. He--along with the whole of England--has long been captivated by the Anna O case. Anna is a young woman who has been a sleep ever since the murder of her two friends--a murder it seems she committed. Ben is sure he can finally wake Anna and get to the truth. But the truth may be more complicated than it appears.

Between the jumps in time, the multiple narrators, and the convoluted storylines, this felt like a bit of a mess. It may have been the audio format--I found it tough to track characters and motivations (though Dan Stevens is always an excellent narrator). The condition known as "resignation syndrome," in real life only seen in Sweden in children of asylum seekers, was a clever premise and was something I hadn't heard of before. Unfortunately, the story built around it didn't quite land (though again, it might be more successful in print).

On a drunken night out at the start of a new year, a group of friends agrees to add some stakes to their resolutions: they would each write down a secret, and if they didn't keep their resolutions at the end of the year, they would have to reveal the secret. The next day, Georgie doesn't just regret her strange and lofty resolutions, she knows she has to get her secret back. Meanwhile, Poppy is dealing with the secrets of her struggle as a new mother, and her misgivings about her husband's odd behavior.

The premise of a pact between friends with a little romance sprinkled in appealed to me as a fun and light listen. Unfortunately, these characters were both immature and didn't seem like as good of friends as they were supposed to be. The miscommunication and lies were just frustrating, and the romance fell flat because Georgie's romantic interest wasn't well-developed. I finished listening, but this could have safely been a DNF.

I listened to this one on audiobook, and at long last I think I've landed on the kind of audiobook that works for the way I listen: short, non-fiction, personal vignettes. I've gone through periods in my life where I did a lot of running, but I wouldn't count myself a runner now, nor do I particularly miss running. Nonetheless, I found Murakami's running memoir fairly compelling. Some of the race recaps were maybe a bit detailed for my taste, but I enjoyed his insights on running and writing (and how he actually doesn't think much about writing or stories while running!). I loved his thoughts on the physicality required to be a writer. As a former competitive swimmer, Murakami's efforts to improve his own swimming for triathlons particularly stood out. Any athlete--especially endurance athletes--will appreciate Murakami's insights into running, his successes and failures, and how they bleed into other areas of his life and work.

Amal is a young Pakistani girl, and she is happy. She loves school, she enjoys her family and helping out at home, and she has high hopes for her future as a teacher. School is put on hold when she has to stay home to help out after the birth of a new baby, but the pause is meant to be temporary. It becomes more permanent when, after a brief flare of temper directed at the wrong man in the market, Amal is pressed into servitude at the home of her village's corrupt landlord to pay off her debt.

Hopeless, helpless, and lonely, Amal sees the future she dreamed of slipping away. Life in the Khan house is fearful and filled with small deceits, but Amal also finds friendship in some of the others who work there. But as she learns more about the Khans, she must make difficult decisions that could have far-reaching affects on herself, her new friends, and all of the people in her village.

This was such a wonderful middle grade book, introducing young readers to the life of a girl in Pakistan, with all its hopes and limitations. While Amal doesn't face the same dangers as Malala Youszafzai (who the author briefly discusses in a lovely note at the end), she still has to learn to stand up for herself and others, and find her own bravery, at a young age.

I had never heard of "Frugalwoods," the blog of personal finance and frugality blogger Elizabeth Willard Thames, before checking out this audiobook on a whim. In their twenties, Thames and her husband decided to enact "extreme frugality" in order to achieve their dream of living on a Vermont homestead and being financially independent. They saved over 70% of their joint income--no small thing in expensive Boston--and reached their goal in three years.

I found this book--while fascinating and inspiring, especially regarding ideas of consumption, spending, and need--to be uneven. Thames devotes more time than I would have liked to the details of events like job interviews and giving birth and less than I hoped to the specific strategies she used to reduce their spending by so much. On the whole, it was good food for thought, and it did prompt me to visit her blog and dig into the archives.

Twenty-three-year-old August is ready to escape her past. After spending her life helping her mother investigate the disappearance of August’s uncle, August is now an ace detective—with little to show for it. She’s hoping for a new start in New York City. She soon falls into a community, with her welcoming and quirky new roommates and job at a beloved diner. But it’s the intriguing girl on the subway who really piques her interest. As she and Jane grow closer, August discovers a new mystery to solve: Jane is from the 1970s and forever stuck on the subway. Why, and how can they fix it?

McQuiston—best known for the wildly popular Red, White & Royal Blue—brings us this new LGBTQ romantic comedy, set in a slightly alternate universe and filled with their signature banter and diverse characters. The narration is excellent–I highly recommend this on audio.

Elsa Martinelli is a farm wife in Texas in the 1930s. When drought and relentless dust storms threaten their health and livelihoods, her husband leaves. With her children's health declining, she decides to take them to California in search of the promise of work and a better life. But when they arrive, they find they are anything but welcome, and they face a new kind of fight for their survival.

I've put off reading this book this year, knowing it would be bleak--and it was. The discrimination, exploitation, and kick-'em-when-they're-down mentality toward people who are suffering was as alive in the 1930s as it is today. But Hannah also tells a riveting tale with an interesting perspective, and Julia Whelan's narration is, as always, spot on. I highly recommend this on audio.

Emily Henry is back with a second-chance romance/fake relationship novel that is perfect for summer reading. Harriet and Wyn were the perfect couple. They met in college and were deeply in love, even engaged to be married. When they both arrive at their friend’s beloved vacation home and learn it’s the last visit before it will be sold, they know they can’t tell their dear friends they broke up five months ago. Now, Harriet’s “happy place” has turned into one of deep discomfort, but she needs this one last trip, and she’s sure everyone else does, too.

As they white-knuckle through their lie, their chemistry–and Harriet’s confusion over their sudden breakup–leads to cracks in the facade. Can they keep up the charade, or will it all come crashing down and ruin their last friend vacation in paradise?

This novel is more melancholy than Henry’s previous books. Both Harriet and Wyn could be frustrating, in very realistic ways. When it started, I thought I was reading an “enemies to lovers” type book (not my favorite), but it soon became clear this wasn’t that–I loved their relationship. Even more: I loved the central place that friendship had in this book. Because I love great friendships in novels, it should be no surprise that this and People We Meet on Vacation are my two favorite Henry books.

Brynn is a new mom who is struggling. The perfect Instagram moms make her feel inferior, and postpartum depression is taking hold. She pushes away her old friends and husband, and she daydreams about being part of the trendy mommy groups she sees online and around town. One sleepless morning, she sees a flashing light and follows it to the home of an elderly neighbor woman. They soon fall into a friendship that just might save them both–if they can be truthful with one another and themselves.

I appreciate how a lot of authors are now exploring post-partum depression and the struggles of new motherhood. This depicts that foggy, tedious, and often frustrating time so well. A good read for anyone who has experienced motherhood or who is considering it–it’s raw and real and doesn’t sugarcoat the hardships.

One of my reading quirks that often surprises people is that I do not like mythology. I’m not sure what it is, but all those stories about gods and goddesses go in one ear and out the other–I can’t seem to process all of the magic and mysticism (it’s probably why I also avoid high fantasy, but I can manage fantasy that’s more grounded in realistic settings).

Anyway, all this to say that countless readers have recommended Madeline Miller to me, but I’ve avoided her books. I figured this 46-minute short story was a good way to give her a try. Galatea is a retelling of the tale of Pygmalion and Galatea, from Galatea’s perspective. She is a statue brought to life by her husband, who expects her to be obedient. When she resists, he has her locked away–but she has a daughter to save. This short little tale of misogyny, female rage, and motherhood packs an emotional punch.

I’m not sure if this convinced me to pick up Miller’s other books, but I did enjoy it more than I expected. The story felt modern (though the time and exact setting were vague), and telling it from Galatea’s perspective brought the characters closer than any other myth has done for me before. A worthwhile little listen.

Margo is twenty and pregnant--and the father is her English professor at her junior college. She decides to keep the baby and is confident she can manage on her own--with an ex-pro-wrestler father and Hooters waitress mother, she always has. But the world is not set up for single mothers and she struggles to keep a job--and the roommates she needs to make rent. When her dad, Jinx, shows up and moves in, his tales of pro-wrestling give her an idea: OnlyFans. She discovers that the platform is all about storytelling and works to build her following. But the one thing that saves her could also be her downfall.

What a delightful surprise this book was! I wasn't sure what to expect--both pro-wrestling and OnlyFans are well out of my wheelhouse, but this offered smart commentary on both, on topics including showmanship, storytelling, character, "real" vs. fake, and what is considered "legitimate" work--all in a funny, heartfelt story. Margo is smart and determined, even as she realizes how unbending the world is to parents and how she needs to find clever solutions of her own (as all parents seem to). It might just change your perspective on some of these "seedier" pursuits and the reasons people do them.

Just Mercy is Bryan Stevenson's memoir about his early years as a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, which defends death row inmates, the poor, and others trapped by an unjust criminal justice system, including children. Stevenson recounts numerous cases in which he is stonewalled by a system stacked against his clients, bound by red tape, and filled with corruption. I was enthralled by Stevenson's story--his relentless dedication in such frustrating, impossible circumstances, as well as the cases and often horrifying lives that some of his clients were sentenced to, even when they were children or almost certainly innocent.

Usually, a fiction audiobook that is light on plot and heavy on reflective musings would not work very well for me. That describes Chemistry, and somehow it worked. The unnamed narrator (a literary pet-peeve of mine that didn't bother me here) is a chemistry PhD student whose boyfriend has just proposed to her. Instead of excitement, she feels only ambivalence: toward the proposal, her degree program and career path, and the overachieving life she's been pushed to chase by her Chinese parents.

What makes her brand of self-reflection so refreshing is its utter artlessness. There's no fluff here; she is a scientist, and her systematic ways of deconstructing life and the events around her are by turns charming, observant, and arresting. While I sometimes found my mind wandering, as her musings did, the sheer order of them was soothing and a pleasure to listen to.

Everything, Everything is a young adult novel that I wouldn't necessarily be inclined to pick up and read, but good plot-driven YA tends to work well for me on audio. This story of a teen girl who has spent her life isolated in her home because of her so-called "bubble-boy disease"--which basically means she is allergic to the world--was an interesting premise, but so much of this story felt implausible. Because it was an easy listen, I just went with it and found it moderately entertaining, but the implausibility and over-the-top teen romance didn't push this into that elusive "YA that adults will also love" category.

Jake is an author whose best days seem to be behind him. After the respectable showing of his first novel, he’s now teaching in a relatively unknown MFA program. When arrogant student Evan Parker proclaims the plot of his book “a sure thing,” Jake is doubtful–until he hears the plot.

Several years later, Jake learns that Evan has died, and the book has never been published. So Jake takes the plot and writes his own version–to astounding success. But then the messages start coming in, accusing him of stealing the story. As Jake chases the sender and learns more about Evan Parker, he finds out that his fictional story may be truer than he thought.

This fast-paced novel-within-a-novel is a fun ride, though it didn’t quite deliver on the promise of the can’t-miss plot in either book. I predicted the twists and endings in both–something I don’t consider myself particularly good at. An enjoyable listen, but all the hype made the predictability quite a let-down.

Teens Ann and Poppy are excited to welcome their adoptive brother, Michael, to the family’s summer home on Cape Cod. After his mother’s death, Michael was thrilled to join the Gordon family, despite his non-brotherly feelings for Ann. But a disastrous summer pulls Michael from the family forever, until their parents’ sudden death fifteen years later.

The three are reunited at the summer home to determine its fate. Bitterness and secrets from the past remain, and they are left to untangle what happened then and how they will move forward–as a family or not.

A woman gets a glimpse of her life five years in the future and grapples with whether it's her fate and what changes could have brought her to that point. A lovely, unexpected love story.

A woman has to decide on her future after the husband she thought had died in an accident is found alive.

Crying in H Mart is singer Michelle Zauner's intimate memoir of her mother and Korean American upbringing. Growing up, she had a complicated relationship with both her mixed-race identity and her exacting mother--both alternately embraced and rejected. After her mother's death from cancer when Zauner was in her 20s, Zauner revisited to the rich traditions and memories of life with her mother, especially related to food (as found in H Mart).

Zauner deeply grieved her mother and struggled to find footing in her relationship with her father. Her lilting narration will resonate with anyone who has also lost and grieved a loved one.

The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.

This is the phrase that 16-year-old Frankie writes on the poster that she makes with Zeke, who adds his art. The two add their drops of blood, make copies, and post it all over their small Tennessee town. This act--this phrase--defines their summer, and the years after. The mystery of the posters captivates the town and it soon becomes a phenomenon that spreads far beyond their town, beyond anything they can control--and the repercussions are devastating.

I loved this. Everything about it had me hooked, from the way the art spread (long before the internet and things went viral), to how Wilson perfectly captures so much about life in a small town. There were passages I played back again, they were so poignant. One of my favorites of 2022.

Regan Penaluna entered academia with aspirations of becoming a philosopher and joining the ranks of others who live a life of the mind, exploring life's deepest questions. What she found was misogyny, deeply embedded not just in the halls of her universities, but in the very area of study she loved. She found herself contending with both the male gaze, but also the "male glance"--a consistent ignoring and devaluing of her work as a philosopher. When she came across a reference to Damaris Cudworth Masham, a contemporary of John Locke, she embarked on a mission to unearth the voices and philosophies of other women of the mind.

Here she examines Masham, Mary Astell, Catharine Cockburn, and Mary Wollstonecraft, both their lives and philosophies, which can't be separated in the telling because of the many obstacles each faced as women attempting to join conversations dominated and gate-kept by men. I am not a student of philosophy and wasn't sure how this book would work for me, but I was surprised to find myself fascinated. Penaluna is a fantastic storyteller, and she weaves her own story into the narratives of the lives of these women, as well as their philosophies, some of which are littered with internalized misogyny, but are also by necessity often focused on the wrong-headed inferior status of women in society.

Kristen loves her independence, and she’s not sure how she feels about her boyfriend moving in with her. He’s deployed most of the year and they’ve never spent significant time together. But he’s smart, handsome, accomplished, and–most importantly–doesn’t want children. She would love them, but her lifelong struggles with her period have finally brought her to the point of surgery that would make having kids impossible.

Her doubts about her relationship are amplified when she meets Josh. They get each other, and their chemistry is off the charts. But: he wants kids–and lots of them. As they grow closer, Kristen has to decide what she wants, and if she can accept being unable to give him a family.

Abby Jimenez has quickly become one of my favorite romance authors. She writes characters who try to navigate potential relationships while struggling with real issues, and they always have great chemistry. However, there were things here that just didn’t work.

First, the good: that chemistry! Jimenez always delivers here. She’s also great about weaving in character struggles that are often not addressed in romance novels (e.g., periods, anxiety, etc.).

The bad: she unfortunately employs the “not like other girls” cliche for Kristin–and Josh leans into it heavily, making them both less likable. Kristin was exceptionally frustrating in her inability to communicate. Finally, the ending was a disappointment, and I could see it especially bothering readers who might also be facing infertility.

Jimenez’s talent shows here, but I think she’s grown a lot as an author since this first novel.

his memoir, Lyz Lenz proudly claims her status as an ex-wife. She starts with the tipping point, when she finally realized her marriage was over. On the surface, it seemed like a normal mess at home, an annoyance and an inconvenience. But it was emblematic of the thousands of small tasks and messes that fell to her, and of the way she was taken for granted and lost her identity within the marriage and family.

But this is less about the end of her marriage than about the start of her life as a single woman. Lenz describes the freedom she feels in her home, as a parent, and as a woman. Between her personal reflections, she examines marriage as an institution, as well as divorce. While not encouraging divorce for women in healthy marriages, she instead reframes it as a viable and positive step for the women who need it to feel ownership over their own lives. Not for everyone, but well worth the read for many women.

Amber Young is a talented young singer who is determined to make it, and in 1997, the call to join the girl group Cloud9 is exactly what she's been dreaming of. This is the age of the pop princesses and the boy bands, and Amber is in the thick of it, chasing the reigning queens, falling in love with the pop idols, and seeing herself defined by the press. Behind the scenes is more complicated than any of the paparazzi narratives, and Amber has to determine which friends are true, what love is true, and most of all, what's true about herself--even as everyone else tries to define those things for her.

For readers who also came of age around the time of the pop superstars of the 90s, this novel will be particularly interesting—especially because we've watched many of them crumble as they reached middle age. While some of the teen dramas didn't resonate (there were times this felt a little YA), this did give the fictional stars and their relationships complexity that the public never got to see in tabloid stories swirling around the real stars of the 90s.

Anne Tyler's modern retelling of the Taming of the Shrew brings us Kate Battista, a 20-something who is stuck at home and in a dead-end job. When her scatterbrained scientist father asks her to consider marrying his assistant, who is about to lose his visa, Kate has to decide what path she wants her life to take. A light, easy audiobook listen.

Two brothers meet at the line of their properties in the Australian outback, with their third brother dead at their feet. They grieve his loss and investigate what could have happened--but there are few suspects on the isolated outback, and secrets that people want to keep hidden.

While a mystery is at the center of this story, it's really a character examination, filled with family dynamics. This is one of those novels where the setting--the forbidding outback--has a life of its own. It was fascinating how Harper managed to make such an expansive setting feel so suffocating. As unappealing as life in the outback would be to me, this book piqued my interest in life there and in Harper's other stories set there. I look forward to reading more of her books.

Stay and Fight was my surprise 5-star listen of 2019. I hadn't heard a word about this book--it was a spur-of-the-moment library checkout--and once I started listening, I couldn't stop. Set in Appalachia, this is the story of three women who come together to survive and raise a child. Helen arrives with her boyfriend, full of dreams of living off the land. It goes south quickly. He leaves and she, having put all her resources toward the land they purchased, sticks it out.

Her neighbors, a couple named Karen and Lily, are expecting a child--a boy, which means they must move off of the Women's Land Trust where they've been scraping by. Helen invites them to live on and share ownership of her land. Bent on being independent, together, the three women and the little boy, Perley, build a house, devise systems for surviving, and negotiate their relationships with one another. But they can't keep the outside world away forever, and soon it begins encroaching on their lives in ways they didn't expect. This book combines so many themes: the families we create, living off the land, life in Appalachia and poverty, and rugged femininity, all told in multiple riveting voices.

Seventeen years ago, the water in the town of Bourne turned green. An unusual number of residents got cancer. Some died. Babies were born with disabilities, physical and mental. The chemical plant closed, but no one could ever prove it caused the problems. Now, Bourne is a dying, insular town. The teenage Mitchell triplets–Mab, Monday, and Mirabel–are well-known and beloved, but they each have challenges stemming from that environmental disaster, and their mother Nora remains obsessed with bringing the company to justice.

When a family moves into town–the first in years–they present new opportunity, but the town is divided on what kind. Some hope for revitalization, while others hope for justice. The triplets are determined to learn the truth about what happened. With captivating, alternating voices, Mab, Monday, and Mirabel tell their story.

This book from the author of the wonderful This Is How It Always Is was fantastic on audio–the characters were distinct and quirky, perceptive, and heartfelt. I’ve seen other reviewers say they are tougher to distinguish in print, so I do recommend the audio.

Nora and Theresa are sisters and young women when they leave Ireland for the U.S. Nora is serious and planning to marry a man she’s uncertain of, while Theresa jumps headlong into the Boston social scene. Theresa ends up pregnant, and Nora comes up with a plan that changes both of their lives.

Decades later, Nora has a large family and Theresa is a nun. After years of silence, the two are coming together again after a tragedy and are forced to reckon with the past.

A woman who decided to disappear on 9/11 must face her past when she is diagnosed with cancer.

Back-to-back listening to two audiobooks about daughters' complicated relationships with their mothers wasn't intentional, but the reflections of each woman are similar though their experiences are quite different. Angelou's mother, Vivian Baxter, sent Maya and her brother away when Maya was just three. They were reunited ten years later, but that abandonment shaped Angelou and her later relationship with her mother. In this memoir, Angelou recounts her path from ambivalence to love and admiration. Baxter was a force and she showed up for Angelou and others in ways that changed their lives. Narrated by Angelou, this is a lovely peek into a complicated pocket of her life.

After the death of her husband, Tova Sullivan began working as a night cleaner at the local aquarium. The job helps her feel useful, especially in her loneliness after his death and her ongoing grief since her 18-year-old son disappeared 30 years ago. When she discovers that Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus, has been escaping on nightly adventures, the two develop an unlikely camaraderie. When a young man shows up in town, Marcellus realizes he knows something about him, and Tova's past.

This bestselling novel from 2022 is absolutely delightful. Full of grief and hard things, yes, but Marcellus' voice is distinctive (and you MUST listen to the audio--the voice actor for him is so wonderful!). His observations about humans will have you chuckling, and his relationship with Tova will warm your heart. My only complaint is that we didn't get MORE Marcellus (his chapters are criminally short).

In the summer of 1962, a Mi’kmaq family arrives in Maine to pick berries. Soon after, four-year-old Ruthie disappears, last seen by her six-year-old brother, Joe. Ruthie–now Norma–spends decades being raised by a helicopter mother and a distant father, always haunted by nightmares and bothered that she looks a little different. Joe remains tormented by guilt and the loss of his sister. As the family continues to search for her, Norma slowly picks apart the inconsistencies in her life, searching for the truth about herself.

Told over decades, alternately by Joe and Norma, The Berry Pickers is a riveting story of trauma, grief, and struggle, as well as privilege and prejudice, and how all of these things are interwoven. It’s an incredible debut, and I don’t think you can go wrong with either the print or audio versions.

Past and present meet in this novel that takes us back to the Vietnam War, when two sisters work as bar girls to send money home to their parents. One of them falls for a GI named Dan–and she eventually becomes pregnant. Decades later, Dan returns with his wife, hoping to find the woman and child he left behind. Meanwhile, a Vietnamese man searches for some proof that his father was a Black American soldier, so he can find a way to America and a better life.

A poignant look at the effects of the Vietnam War, mostly outside of the fighting, and how they last for decades and across generations.

New Nigeria County is an affluent community that is shaken up when Carèn calls the police on teen with yellow hair wearing cargo shorts--known gang attire. She suspects he is part of the Live, Laugh, Love gang, but Jake and his mother, Meghan (Margin? Miranda? Their names are so exotic!), are actually her new neighbors. As Carèn tries desperately to defend her actions and calls on all her resources to maintain her status, Meghan pushes to assert their right to be a part of the community.

This is a fast-paced, audio-only satire, performed by a full cast. Brown flips the script in more ways than one--here, women hold the power while men hold down the homes, with only a few "boy bosses" occasionally rising to positions of power. Smart, biting, and filled with small moments that will make you cringe--and think. Brown is apparently known for TikTok skits on similar topics; I haven't seen them, but even without that context, this short audiobook worked for me.

A beautiful, powerful collection of poems about Woodson's upbringing in South Carolina and Brooklyn in the 1960s. She feels torn between the two places and tells of their differences and her loyalties to both. We learn of her awakening to the civil rights movement, her love of her family, and her burgeoning drive to write. Wonderfully narrated by the author.