Mike's Playlist

Hell of a Book: National Book Award Winner

A Novel

By: Jason Mott
Narrated by: JD Jackson & Ronald Peet
Length: 9 hours 39 minutes

***2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER***

***THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER***

Winner of the 2021 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction, Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize Finalist, 2022 Chautauqua Prize Finalist, Willie Morris Award for Southern Writing Shortlist, 2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize Shortlist, 2022 Maya Angelou Book Award Shortlist, 2022 Carnegie... Read more

Noor

By: Nnedi Okorafor
Narrated by: Délé Ogundiran
Length: 7 hours 10 minutes

From Africanfuturist luminary Okorafor comes a new science fiction novel of intense action and thoughtful rumination on biotechnology, destiny, and humanity in a near-future Nigeria.



Anwuli Okwudili prefers to be called AO. To her, these initials have always stood for Artificial Organism. AO has never really felt . . . natural, and that's putting... Read more

The Other Black Girl

A Novel

By: Zakiya Dalila Harris
Narrated by: Aja Naomi King, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Heather Alicia Simms & Bahni Turpin
Length: 13 hours 33 minutes

“This is the tale of two Black women co-workers in the cutthroat publishing industry trying to determine if they are friends or enemies. A literary fiction tale with a side of suspense, this expertly woven critique on society is bound to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Read more

Feral Creatures

By: Kira Jane Buxton
Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
Length: 12 hours 12 minutes

“Feral Creatures is dark, hilarious, and apocalyptic. It has all the same heart, tenderness, bizarre humor, and hilarity as Hollow Kingdom. This is a follow-up not to be missed! Read more

Razorblade Tears

A Novel

By: S. A. Cosby
Narrated by: Adam Lazarre-White
Length: 12 hours 22 minutes

“I often start books on audio but end up finishing in print. As a bookseller, I have the privilege of easy access to both. Well, I had a physical copy of Razorblade Tears I could have picked up at any point...even tried to once...but I couldn't bring myself to stop listening to the audio. Adam Lazarre-White does an outstanding job narrating this... Read more

The Afghanistan Papers

A Secret History of the War

By: Craig Whitlock & The Washington Post
Narrated by: Dan Bittner
Length: 9 hours 35 minutes

A Washington Post Best Book of 2021

The #1 New York Times bestselling investigative story of how three successive presidents and their military commanders deceived the public year after year about America’s longest war, foreshadowing the Taliban’s recapture of Afghanistan, by Washington Post reporter and three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Craig... Read more

Fulfillment

Winning and Losing in One-Click America

By: Alec MacGillis
Narrated by: Danny Gavigan
Length: 12 hours 21 minutes

An award-winning journalist investigates Amazon’s impact on the wealth and poverty of towns and cities across the United States.

In 1937, the famed writer and activist Upton Sinclair published a novel bearing the subtitle A Story of Ford-America. He blasted the callousness of a company worth “a billion dollars” that underpaid its workers while... Read more

Record of a Spaceborn Few

By: Becky Chambers
Narrated by: Rachel Dulude
Length: 11 hours 35 minutes

Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Series!Brimming with Chambers' signature blend of heart-warming character relationships and dazzling adventure, Record of a Spaceborn few is the third standalone installment of the Wayfarers series, set in the sprawling universe of the Galactic Commons, and following a new motley crew on a journey to another... Read more

A Closed and Common Orbit

Wayfarers: Book #2

By: Becky Chambers
Narrated by: Rachel Dulude
Length: 11 hours 29 minutes

“Becky Chambers has built a dazzling and expansive science fiction universe and seems determined to introduce readers to every corner. The AI Sidra and young Jane provide swapping viewpoints between a bustling, multi-species city sprawling over a moon and a sterile factory among miles and miles of junkyard on a planet with extremely skewed... Read more

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Wayfarers: Book #1

By: Becky Chambers
Narrated by: Rachel Dulude
Length: 14 hours 23 minutes

“This gripping, diverse novel, set well after Earth's residents have scattered to Mars, other planets, and itinerant spacecraft, is as scientifically and sociopolitically plausible as any science fiction I've ever read or listened to. The characters, from a variety of alien species along with AI, have wide-ranging journeys that speak to our... Read more

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

By: John Green
Narrated by: John Green
Length: 10 hours 42 minutes

“An entertaining and fascinating collection of essays - perfect for your commute! Read more

Ladyparts

A Memoir

By: Deborah Copaken
Narrated by: Deborah Copaken
Length: 16 hours 37 minutes

A frank, witty, and dazzlingly written memoir of one woman trying to keep it together while her body falls apart—from the “brilliant mind” (Michaela Coel, creator of I May Destroy You) behind Shutterbabe
 
“The most laugh-out-loud story of resilience you’ll ever read and an essential road map for the importance of narrative as a tool of... Read more

How the Word Is Passed

A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

By: Clint Smith
Narrated by: Clint Smith
Length: 10 hours 6 minutes

“Poet Clint Smith’s personal, intimate examination of sites of historical significance to slavery is as soulful and accessible as it is urgent and important. The opening chapter on Jefferson’s Monticello is one of the best chapters of American historical writing in recent memory, and should be required reading on the legacy of America’s founders.... Read more

Beautiful World, Where Are You

A Novel

By: Sally Rooney
Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
Length: 10 hours 3 minutes

“Rooney's characters are deeply drawn, complex people. No one is a hero or villian. I most enjoyed the email correspondence between Alice and Elieen, as they contemplate personal relationships, their friendship, and the state of the world. Read more

Harlem Shuffle

A Novel

By: Colson Whitehead
Narrated by: Dion Graham
Length: 10 hours 35 minutes

“A tribute to Harlem...a mystery...so well written, and great characters too! Read more

Matrix

A Novel

By: Lauren Groff
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
Length: 8 hours 51 minutes

“Groff’s imagining of Marie de France and a convent that she molds into a feminist utopia is magical and moving. Read more

Normal People

A Novel

By: Sally Rooney
Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
Length: 7 hours 34 minutes

“What a treat to discover Sally Rooney! This novel stands out shining from the current onslaught of mediocre prose and less-than-suspenseful thriller plots. Normal People is the story of a relationship between two high school classmates in a small town in Ireland, and how it changes over time, through their last year of college in Dublin.... Read more

The 99% Invisible City

A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design

By: Roman Mars & Kurt Kohlstedt
Narrated by: Roman Mars
Length: 10 hours 48 minutes

From the creators of the wildly popular 99% Invisible podcast, comes a guidebook to the unnoticed yet essential elements of our cities. Narrated by Roman Mars, with a bonus Q&A and a Full Episode of 99% Invisible. Have you ever wondered what those bright, squiggly graffiti marks on the sidewalk mean?Or stopped to consider why you don't see... Read more

The Knockout Queen

A novel

By: Rufi Thorpe
Narrated by: Michael Crouch
Length: 10 hours 3 minutes

“To say I admire The Knockout Queen feels inadequate, though I do admire a great deal of it: its voice, depth, structure — you name it. But it’s more honest just to say I love The Knockout Queen; I loved reading it, I felt involved in it, and, finally, I was so moved by its ending. This is an epic tale of friendship, one where the magnitude... Read more

Revival Season

By: Monica West
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Length: 8 hours 24 minutes

“In Revival Season, 15-year-old Miriam Horton's eyes are opened to the complexities of spirituality and the depraved nature of humans, including one who she admires the most: her own father, an Evangelical Baptist preacher who plans revival circuits every summer. After witnessing her father violently react to a man who questions his ability to... Read more