Local bookseller recommendations

We Need No Wings

By: Ann Dávila Cardinal

Narrated by: Marisol Ramirez

Length: 8 hours 22 minutes

Abridged: No

TO BE FREE, WE MUST LEARN TO FLY.

Tere Sánchez has always known who she was: a professor, a wife, a mother, and a friend. But when her husband dies unexpectedly, she finds herself completely broken. Taking a leave from the university, Tere hopes that she can mourn her husband and get back on her feet, but instead, she spends a year consumed by... Read more

Tiny Threads

By: Lilliam Rivera

Narrated by: Frankie Corzo

Length: 7 hours 17 minutes

Abridged: No

In this sinister, slow-burn novel of supernatural suspense, a young woman gets her dream job working for a famous designer—and discovers the dark side of high-stakes fashion.
 
“Lilliam Rivera cuts the fashion industry to shreds in this horror-filled take on late-stage capitalism.”—CrimeReads

Fashion-obsessed Samara finally has the life she’s... Read more

Flamboyants

By: George M. Johnson

Narrated by: George M. Johnson

Length: 2 hours 23 minutes

Abridged: No

This program is read by the author and features music from Josephine Baker, Gladys Bentley, Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Ethel Waters to enhance the listening experience.

From the New York Times–bestselling author of All Boys Aren’t Blue comes an empowering set of essays about Black and Queer icons from the Harlem Renaissance.

In Flamboyants,... Read more

Evil in Me

By: Brom

Narrated by: Shahjehan Khan & Stephanie Németh-Parker

Length: 11 hours 38 minutes

Abridged: No

This program contains original music. The title track, "Evil in Me," is performed by The Maxines and written by Brom and AJ Grey of The Maxines.

Evil in Me is bestselling author Brom's newest novel of possession, damnation, and rock 'n' roll, where one woman must get the world singing in order to save her soul.

Aspiring musician Ruby Tucker has... Read more

Educating Caroline

By: Meg Cabot

Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown

Length: 12 hours 48 minutes

Abridged: No

With The Princess Diaries author Meg Cabot’s sparkling wit, this Victorian romance follows a young woman looking for lessons in love—now with a stunning new cover.

Lady Caroline Linford is horrified to discover her fiancé, the Marquis of Winchilsea, in the arms of another woman. Unfortunately, the rest of Victorian society doesn’t seem to... Read more

We're Alone

By: Edwidge Danticat

Narrated by: Edwidge Danticat

Length: 4 hours 35 minutes

Abridged: No

Tracing a loose arc from Edwidge Danticat’s childhood to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent events in Haiti, the essays gathered in We’re Alone include personal narrative, reportage, and tributes to mentors and heroes such as Toni Morrison, Paule Marshall, Gabriel García Márquez, and James Baldwin that explore several abiding themes: environmental... Read more

Everything We Never Had

By: Randy Ribay

Narrated by: Ramón de Ocampo, Jesse Inocalla, Manny Jacinto ...

Length: 6 hours 41 minutes

Abridged: No

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD!

From the author of the National Book Award finalist Patron Saints of Nothing comes an emotionally charged, moving novel about four generations of Filipino American boys grappling with identity, masculinity, and their fraught father-son relationships.

Watsonville, 1930. Francisco Maghabol barely ekes out a... Read more

Buffalo Dreamer

By: Violet Duncan

Narrated by: Ashley Callingbull

Length: 2 hours 9 minutes

Abridged: No

An illuminating novel about the importance of reclaiming the past, based on the author’s family history

Summer and her family always spend relaxed summers in Alberta, Canada, on the reservation where her mom’s family lives. But this year is turning out to be an eye-opening one. First, Summer has begun to have vivid dreams in which she's running... Read more

Mysterious Ways

By: Wendy Wunder

Narrated by: Georgina Sadler

Length: 9 hours 4 minutes

Abridged: No

From acclaimed author Wendy Wunder comes a sharp and hilarious coming-of-age novel for fans of John Green and Nicola Yoon about an omniscient teenage girl who must grapple with whether there’s such a thing as knowing too much...

Seventeen-year-old Maya knows everything. When she looks at someone, she instantly knows their history, their private... Read more

Freedom Is a Feast

By: Alejandro Puyana

Narrated by: Luis Selgas, Blas Kisic, Graciela Valderrama & ...

Length: 13 hours 44 minutes

Abridged: No

A Finalist for the Westport Prize for Literature

A multigenerational, Latin American saga of love and revolution in which a rebel who commits a youthful betrayal receives a late-life chance at redemption and a new life: “a tour de force” from “the new master” (Luis Alberto Urrea, New York Times bestselling author of Good Night, Irene).

In 1964,... Read more

Sacrificial Animals

By: Kailee Pedersen

Narrated by: Yung-I Chang

Length: 7 hours 40 minutes

Abridged: No

Inspired by Kailee Pedersen's own journey being adopted from Nanning, China in 1996 and growing up on a farm in Nebraska, this rich and atmospheric supernatural horror debut explores an ancient Chinese mythology.

The last thing Nick Morrow expected to receive was an invitation from his father to return home. When he left rural Nebraska... Read more

Writing an Identity Not Your Own

By: Alex Temblador

Narrated by: Alex Temblador

Length: 9 hours 9 minutes

Abridged: No

A practical guide to help authors authentically write and edit a character whose identity is different than their own.

Do you have the tools to authentically write and edit a character whose identity is different than your own? It’s not a subject that’s generally taught in creative writing programs, and there are so few craft books and online... Read more

Medusa

By: Nataly Gruender

Narrated by: Helen Laser

Length: 11 hours 17 minutes

Abridged: No

An intimate look into the life of a legendary mythical villain who has so often been stripped of her voice and humanity in this debut novel, perfect for fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe and the works of Jennifer Saint.

You know how Medusa’s story ends, but you’ve never heard her tell her own story… until now.
 
The only mortal daughter of two sea... Read more

10 to 25

By: David Yeager

Narrated by: David Yeager

Length: 12 hours 44 minutes

Abridged: No

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Acclaimed developmental psychologist David Yeager reveals the new science of motivating young people ages ten through twenty-five in this groundbreaking book that is a must-read for managers, parents, educators, coaches, and mentors everywhere.

“Ambitious and revelatory...10 to 25 offers baffled adults new approaches—and... Read more

The Blonde Dies First

By: Joelle Wellington

Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt

Length: 10 hours 37 minutes

Abridged: No

A group of friends fight to choose their own fates when faced with a demonic force that acts according to horror movie rules in this trope-savvy, “script-flipping hair-raiser” (Publishers Weekly) from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games.

Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life.... Read more

The Men Who Killed the News

By: Eric Beecher

Narrated by: Eric Beecher

Length: 13 hours 26 minutes

Abridged: No

Crikey owner and ex-News Corp and Fairfax editor lifts the lid on the abuse of power by media moguls – from William Randolph Hearst to Elon Musk – and on his own unique experience of working for (and being sued by) the Murdochs.  

What’s gone wrong with our media? The answer: its owners. From William Randolph Hearst to Elon Musk, from the... Read more

The Fiance Dilemma

By: Elena Armas

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley & Zachary Webber

Length: 12 hours 28 minutes

Abridged: No

A fake engagement, second chances, and newfound family members come together in this new romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the “swoon-worthy” (Business Insider) The Spanish Love Deception.

Josie Moore has given the opposite sex—and love—plenty of chances. Four exactly, if you count all her failed engagements, and five if you... Read more

The Modern Fairies

By: Clare Pollard

Narrated by: Kathryn Drysdale

Length: 7 hours 56 minutes

Abridged: No

“Artfully composed…keenly alive…this memorable novel reminds the reader of the enduring power of storytelling to transform and even save lives.” —The New York Times

Lauren Groff’s Matrix meets Ophelia Field’s The Favourite in this wry and “bawdy” (Los Angeles Times) historical novel—inspired by true events—featuring an elite group of Paris... Read more

The Astrology House

By: Carinn Jade

Narrated by: Amanda Dolan, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Gilli Messe...

Length: 9 hours 39 minutes

Abridged: No

A group of wealthy Manhattanites visit an astrology-themed hotel, where simmering resentments and long-held secrets lead to a shocking death in this fresh, twisty, and suspenseful debut that “welcomes an incredible new talent to the world of domestic suspense” (Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author).

Margot needs a minute. She’s been... Read more

Humor Me

By: Cat Shook

Narrated by: Ferdelle Capistrano

Length: 10 hours 18 minutes

Abridged: No

For fans of Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, a hilarious, heartfelt novel about the healing power of female friendship, unexpected love, and stand-up comedy

Presley Fry is not amused. She’s been an assistant at the Late Night Show for way too long, she’s adopted a “business casual” approach to dating to save herself from the embarrassment of... Read more

Bad Tourists

By: Caro Carver

Narrated by: Lesley Sharp

Length: 9 hours 40 minutes

Abridged: No

Three tight-knit friends embark on an extravagant divorce trip to the Maldives where they can unwind and celebrate a new chapter in midlife—until they realize the resort of their dreams is harboring a killer.

Best friends Darcy, Camilla, and Kate escape for a post-divorce retreat in the Maldives, the perfect place to relax, reset, and embrace a... Read more

The Burning

By: Linda Castillo

Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney

Length: 9 hours 30 minutes

Abridged: No

“Kathleen McInerney masterfully differentiates the returning characters, along with new folks good and evil, male and female.”—AudioFile

Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates a gruesome murder that reveals a little-known chapter of early Amish history in this next riveting installment of the bestselling series by Linda Castillo.

Newlywed... Read more

The Sky on Fire

By: Jenn Lyons

Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang

Length: 17 hours 50 minutes

Abridged: No

Enter a world ruled by dragons…

The Sky on Fire is a daring new fantasy heist adventure that will thrill fans of Temeraire, Fourth Wing, and Dragonriders of Pern

Anahrod lives only for survival, forging her own way through the harsh jungles of the Deep with her titan drake by her side. Even when an adventuring party saves her from capture by a... Read more

The Heart in Winter

By: Kevin Barry

Narrated by: Kevin Barry

Length: 5 hours 54 minutes

Abridged: No

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK: THE LA TIMES, THE GUARDIAN, AND MORE! • Award-winning writer Kevin Barry’s first novel set in America, a savagely funny and achingly romantic tale of young lovers on the lam in 1890s Montana.

"A wedding of Cormac McCarthy with Flann O’Brien; a western but also the most Irish of novels; a tragedy written as farce . . .... Read more