POWERFUL & FULL BODIED - JOURNEYS (GROWN-UPS)

James

A Novel

By: Percival Everett
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 7 hours 48 minutes

“Chances are if you told me to read a contemporary retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of Jim, I would say, 'oh, that's interesting,' and then never actually pick it up. But when you tell me it was written by Percival Everett, the most brilliant writer hardly anyone had heard of until his 21st (!) novel was a... Read more

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

A Novel

By: James McBride
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 12 hours 21 minutes

“This is a novel about the power of compassion to stir communities of characters to act as their best selves. The beautiful performance of narrator Dominic Hoffman amplifies the warmth in James McBride's memorable story. I'm grateful to have experienced this story through an audiobook. Read more

Wandering Stars

A novel

By: Tommy Orange
Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett, MacLeod Andrews, Alma Cuervo, Curtis Michael Holland, Calvin Joyal, Phil Ava, Emmanuel Chumaceiro, Christian Young & Charley Flyte
Length: 9 hours 37 minutes

“This powerful follow-up to There, There explores what it means to be the descendants of unthinkable trauma, from the Sand Creek Massacre to the Carlisle Indian School. And the writing? Oh man, the writing is absolutely exquisite. Read more

The Demon of Unrest

A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

By: Erik Larson
Narrated by: Will Patton & Erik Larson
Length: 17 hours 17 minutes

“I haven't read non-fiction since Chernow's Hamilton. THIS was the book that has brought me back to it. Thanks to Larson's artful story-telling, I am about to go down a Civil War rabbit hole. Mary Chestnut, James Henry Hammond, Edmund Ruffin...if you don't know these names, you need to. The narration performance by Will Patton is sublime, and... Read more

Canary Girls

A Novel

By: Jennifer Chiaverini
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 13 hours 52 minutes

Rosie the Riveter meets A League of Their Own in New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini’s lively and illuminating novel about the “munitionettes” who built bombs in Britain’s arsenals during World War I, risking their lives for the war effort and discovering camaraderie and courage on the football pitch.Early in the Great War, men... Read more

The Berry Pickers

By: Amanda Peters
Narrated by: Aaliya Warbus & Jordan Waunch
Length: 8 hours 44 minutes

“The four year-old daughter of Indigenous berry pickers is stolen from her family while they are in Maine. Her disappearance will destroy one family and haunt another for decades until the truth comes out. Told in alternating voices by the girl and her brother, this novel is unforgettable. Read more

Killers of the Flower Moon

The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

By: David Grann
Narrated by: Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee & Danny Campbell
Length: 9 hours 4 minutes

“The Osage Indians were the wealthiest people per capita in the 1920s - they were also getting murdered in diabolical schemes. This story touches on a range of topics, it is a lament for the mistreatment of the Native Americans, a sinister domestic thriller, a perplexing mystery set in the untamed west, a testament to a dying breed of wily... Read more

The Six

The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts

By: Loren Grush
Narrated by: Inés del Castillo
Length: 11 hours 41 minutes

“The interesting - and sometimes infuriating - story of the first six female NASA astronauts. It's got everything: a bit of history, a bit of science and space travel, and a bit of tragedy. Inés del Castillo is a fantastic narrator, bringing an added level of humanity to Grush's history. An excellent read for both those who are interested in the... Read more

The Island of Sea Women

A Novel

By: Lisa See
Narrated by: Jennifer Lim
Length: 13 hours 22 minutes

“As with her previous novels, Lisa See manages to transport the reader to another culture. Using the universal themes of friendship and female empowerment See brings a WWII Korean island to life. Mi-ja and Young-sook, sisters of the heart, grow together and then are forced apart by circumstances much larger than themselves. The story shifts... Read more

The Four Winds

A Novel

By: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 15 hours 20 minutes

“A compelling and heartbreaking story set in the Dust Bowl Read more

Lady Tan's Circle of Women

By: Lisa See
Narrated by: Jennifer Lim & Justin Chien
Length: 13 hours 15 minutes

“Another winner from Lisa See! This fictionalized version of Lady Tan, a real Chinese doctor from the 15th century, is a fascinating dive into a world I knew nothing about. Fans of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan will enjoy this one as well. Read more

The Bandit Queens

A Novel

By: Parini Shroff
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Length: 13 hours 14 minutes

“Murder and mayhem abound in a small Indian village, and I couldn’t get enough of it! With a delightful cast of characters and wonderful dark humor (because sometimes you have to laugh to keep from despairing), Parini Shroff paints an in-depth picture of life in 21st-century India. Through the eyes of the main character Geeta, her life and those... Read more

The Measure

A Novel

By: Nikki Erlick
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 10 hours 57 minutes

“I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the premise of this book! While reading I found myself very thought provoked as I imagined if something like this were to occur in real life. The setting of the book is modern time, so it’s easier to relate to. I really enjoyed how the author told the story from eight different characters'... Read more

The Vaster Wilds

A Novel

By: Lauren Groff
Narrated by: January LaVoy
Length: 7 hours 5 minutes

“A riveting, rich testament of a novel. I loved every page of this pilgrim's tale of survival (both before and after her entrance into the New England wilderness) and found the heroine a delightful sort of 17th century Mary Oliver. The Vaster Wilds is harrowing in its descriptions of paupers' life in Elizabethan England and an exile's life in the... Read more

Hester

A Novel

By: Laurie Lico Albanese
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 9 hours 52 minutes

“A nicely woven tale of love and betrayal. Perfect for fans of New England history. I loved the voice in this and Saskia Maarleveld captures it perfectly. Hearing about Salem, Hawthorne, the witch trials, and the struggles of women through Hester was cool. Read more

Chain Gang All Stars: A Read with Jenna Pick

National Book Award Finalist

By: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Narrated by: Shayna Small, Aaron Goodson, Michael Crouch & Lee Osorio
Length: 13 hours 38 minutes

“Imagine a world very like ours, the prison systems have been privatized (capitalism) and prisoners are offered small perks to fight on television. This is gritty and uncomfortable to read (violence), but so necessary. This is about our country, its values, our values, and whose lives are valued more and whose lives are valued less. So very well... Read more

Lessons in Chemistry

A Novel

By: Bonnie Garmus
Narrated by: Miranda Raison, Bonnie Garmus & Pandora Sykes
Length: 11 hours 55 minutes

“Lessons in Chemistry is a nearly-subversive feminist story wrapped in a delightful package of unlikely love, heart-rending loss, and how to make one’s way through life as a round peg that doesn’t even try to fit in to a square hole. This novel had me thinking hard about the women of my mother’s 1950s and 60s generation, women who often were... Read more

Black Cake

A Novel

By: Charmaine Wilkerson
Narrated by: Lynnette R. Freeman & Simone Mcintyre
Length: 12 hours

“Books don't often make me cry, but this one got me right in the feels. Read more

Braiding Sweetgrass

Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

By: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Length: 16 hours 44 minutes

“This book is so beautiful and made me cry multiple times. The author, who does a great job as the narrator, is both informational and poetic. She tells us about so many terrible things happening to the environment yet somehow she remains hopeful and uplifting at times. Just like the title says, this book is a beautiful weaving of interesting... Read more

The Sleeping Car Porter

By: Suzette Mayr
Narrated by: Chris McPherson
Length: 6 hours 22 minutes

WINNER OF THE 2022 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE PUBLISHERS WEEKLY TOP 20 LITERARY FICTION BOOKS OF 2022 OPRAH DAILY: BOOKS TO READ BY THE FIRE THE GLOBE 100: THE BEST BOOKS OF 2022 CBC BOOKS: THE BEST CANADIAN FICTION OF 2022 When a mudslide strands a train, Baxter, a queer Black sleeping car porter, must contend with the perils of... Read more