Joyful June Staff Picks

Take My Hand

By: Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Narrated by: Lauren J. Daggett
Length: 10 hours 56 minutes

“Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez is historical fiction that addresses a still very relevant topic -- women's reproductive rights, and it does so in a very personal way. Set in 1973 and 2016, the book is based on the true story of forced sterilizations performed by the US government primarily on poor women of color. I loved that the nuances... 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 Angel of Rome

And Other Stories

By: Jess Walter
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini & Julia Whelan
Length: 8 hours 9 minutes

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins and The Cold Millions comes a stunning collection about those moments when everything changes—for the better, for the worse, for the outrageous—as a diverse cast of characters bounces from Italy to Idaho, questioning their roles in life and finding inspiration in the unlikeliest... Read more

Book of Night

By: Holly Black
Narrated by: Sara Amini
Length: 12 hours 32 minutes

“Holly Black’s adult fantasy debut is as chilling, dark, and action-packed as you’d expect. The world of shadow magic is fascinating, the story is an absolute page-turner, and Charlie is messy, clever, and completely relatable. Read more

Remarkably Bright Creatures

A Novel

By: Shelby Van Pelt
Narrated by: Marin Ireland & Michael Urie
Length: 11 hours 16 minutes

“In turns funny, heart-warming, and poignant, Remarkably Bright Creatures is the most unlikely tale of how broken hearts can be mended, in this case with the help of a brilliant giant Pacific octopus, Marcellus, observing humanity from his tank in a Puget Sound aquarium.It is only Marcellus who is bright enough to see a connection between two... Read more

Malice

A Novel

Malice: Book #1

By: Heather Walter
Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon
Length: 13 hours 13 minutes

A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this “bewitching and fascinating” (Tamora Pierce)retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale.
 
“Walter’s spellbinding debut is for all the queer girls and women who’ve been told to keep their gifts hidden and for those yearning to defy gravity.”—O: The... Read more

Something Wilder

By: Christina Lauren
Narrated by: Patti Murin, Jon Root & Christina Lauren
Length: 9 hours 27 minutes

The “reigning romance queens” (PopSugar) and New York Times bestselling authors of The Soulmate Equation and The Unhoneymooners present a charming and laugh-out-loud funny novel filled with adventure, treasure, and, of course, love.

Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much... Read more

Bittersweet (Oprah's Book Club)

How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole

By: Susan Cain
Narrated by: Susan Cain
Length: 7 hours 35 minutes

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • Sadness is your superpower. In her new masterpiece, the author of the bestselling phenomenon Quiet explores the power of the bittersweet personality, revealing a misunderstood side of mental health and creativity while offering a roadmap to facing grief in order to live life to the... Read more

How to Keep House While Drowning

A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing

By: KC Davis
Narrated by: KC Davis & Dr. Raquel Martin
Length: 3 hours 3 minutes

“Like a good podcast that you wish you could always return to and underline, this audiobook is a perfect morale boost. Davis gives practical advice and language around what normally feels insurmountable. Read more

Between Two Kingdoms

A Memoir of a Life Interrupted

By: Suleika Jaouad
Narrated by: Suleika Jaouad
Length: 13 hours 2 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A searing, deeply moving memoir of illness and recovery that traces one young woman’s journey from diagnosis to remission to re-entry into “normal” life—from the author of the Life, Interrupted column in The New York Times

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post,... Read more

Love Poems for Married People

By: John Kenney
Narrated by: John Kenney
Length: 44 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Based on his wildly popular New Yorker piece, Thurber Prize-winner John Kenney presents a hilarious collection of love poems for, well, married people.

Full of brilliant wit, dynamic energy, and a heavy dose of reality, Love Poems for Married People takes the poetic form, turns it upside down and leaves it in the... Read more

Valentina Salazar is not a Monster Hunter

By: Zoraida Córdova
Narrated by: Ana Osorio
Length: 8 hours 9 minutes

“Monsters, mayhem, and a little family magic will have readers rooting for Valentina!” -- Kwame Mbalia, New York Times bestselling authorIt takes a special person to end up in detention on the last day of school.It takes a REALLY special person to accidentally burn down the school yard while chasing a fire-breathing chipmunk.But nothing... Read more

Loveboat, Taipei

Loveboat

By: Abigail Hing Wen
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 11 hours 2 minutes

“American-Chinese teenager Ever Wong finds herself unexpectedly shipped off to a summer program in Taiwan by her parents against her will to learn Mandarin and more about their culture. Though this originally seems to be the worst way to spend her summer, Ever is surprised to discover that this program is much more entertaining than she could... Read more

Bravely

By: Maggie Stiefvater
Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham
Length: 9 hours 41 minutes

“Welcome back to the castle DunBroch, home of the clan DunBroch: King Fergus, Queen Elinor, Princess Merida, and the triplets (Harris, Hubert, and Hamish). Merida is no strangers to magic, but what will happen when the magic of the land, and the gods that control it threaten her family and the land that she loves? It all starts with a simple... Read more

Layla, the Last Black Unicorn

By: Tiffany Haddish & Jerdine Nolen
Narrated by: Tiffany Haddish
Length: 9 minutes

From beloved comedian, actress, and New York Times bestselling author Tiffany Haddish comes Layla, the Last Black Unicorn, a hilarious, original book about a lovable but awkward unicorn who learns why her uniqueness is her biggest strength.It’s not easy to fit in when you stand out. When Layla arrives for her first day of school at Unicornia,... Read more

I'm Terrified of Bath Time

By: Simon Rich
Narrated by: Simon Rich
Length: 4 minutes

A hilarious and clever bath-time picture book by humorist, novelist, and TV writer Simon Rich, with illustrations by Tom Toro (How to Potty Train Your Porcupine).
 
And so begins a hilarious dip into the choppy waters of a nightly ritual that parents and children alike often dread. Filled with soapsuds, rubber duckies, and existential angst, Simon... Read more