Arlan's Audio Recommendations 2023

The Mermaid of Black Conch

A novel

By: Monique Roffey
Narrated by: Ben Onwukue & Vivienne Acheampong
Length: 7 hours 36 minutes

This enchanting tale of a cursed mythical creature and the lonely fisherman who falls in love with her is "a daring, mesmerizing novel…single-handedly bringing magic realism up-to-date" (Maggie O’Farrell, best-selling author of Hamnet).

"Sentence by sensuous sentence, Roffey builds a verdant, complicated world that is a pleasure to live... Read more

WARHOLCAPOTE

A Non-Fiction Invention

By: Rob Roth
Narrated by: Dan Butler, Stephen Spinella, Dennis Boutsikaris & Rob Roth
Length: 3 hours 22 minutes

An enthralling play based on lost tapes between two cultural giants and friends—Andy Warhol and Truman Capote—read by the stars of the acclaimed original stage production, Stephen Spinella and Dan Butler.

In 1978 Andy Warhol and Truman Capote decided to write a Broadway play. Andy suggested that he record their private conversations over the... Read more

Winter Love

By: Han Suyin
Narrated by: Lucy Scholes
Length: 3 hours 46 minutes

The raw account of a life-altering affair in wartime London—“Han Suyin’s outstanding achievement . . . her finest novel.” (Alison Hennegan)
As a college student in London during the bitterly cold winter of 1944, Red falls in love with her married classmate Mara. Their affair unleashes a physical passion, a jealousy, and a sense of self-doubt that... Read more

The Appointment

A Novel

By: Katharina Volckmer
Narrated by: Katharina Volckmer
Length: 2 hours 53 minutes

“This quick listen, read by the author, packs a punch. Intense and dark, with biting humor that often caught me off-guard, The Appointment is a stream-of-consciousness monologue of a patient talking to a doctor during an examination. Through this monologue, we learn about the patient’s history, fantasies, and self-image. Sometimes disturbing and... Read more

Harry Sylvester Bird

By: Chinelo Okparanta
Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
Length: 9 hours 43 minutes

From the award-winning author of Under the Udala Trees and Happiness, Like Water comes a brilliant, provocative, up-to-the-minute novel about a young white man’s education and miseducation in contemporary America.Harry Sylvester Bird grows up in Edward, Pennsylvania, with his parents, Wayne and Chevy, whom he greatly dislikes. They’re racist,... Read more

Love

A Novel

By: Roddy Doyle
Narrated by: Morgan C. Jones
Length: 11 hours 7 minutes

Two old friends reconnect in Dublin for a dramatic, revealing evening of drinking and storytelling in this winning new novel from the author of the Booker Prize winning Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

One summer's evening, two men meet up in a Dublin restaurant.

Drinking pals back in their youth, now married and with grown up children, their lives have... Read more

The Cloisters

A Novel

By: Katy Hays
Narrated by: Emily Tremaine
Length: 10 hours 16 minutes

“Full of twists and set in my favorite New York museum, The Cloisters kept me intrigued and guessing from beginning to end. Ann steps into an unexpected summer internship and a series of events she was not expecting. This is a story full of history, mystery, the occult, and death. And even some sex, drugs, and rock and roll! A deftly woven tale... Read more

I'm Glad My Mom Died

By: Jennette McCurdy
Narrated by: Jennette McCurdy
Length: 6 hours 25 minutes

“From the eyes and experiences of a child-actress, Jennette McCurdy recounts her life with a heavy focus on how her mother developed, impacted, and controlled it. It’s a fascinating and heavy read, and the lasting effect it leaves will make you really think about how you view celebrities. They are just as human as everyone else and the lasting... 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

README.txt

A Memoir

By: Chelsea Manning
Narrated by: Chelsea Manning
Length: 9 hours 4 minutes

“I really didn't know anything about Chelsea Manning or her whistleblowing and activism. This book gives explicit insight into what was going on with her and why she made the decisions she did. It left me wondering more about her life after her incarceration ended. Read more

Uphill

A Memoir

By: Jemele Hill
Narrated by: Jemele Hill
Length: 9 hours 15 minutes

This program is read by the author.

"[Hill] narrates the facts of her path with understandable pride but without bragging. Even difficult career choices, such as her decision to leave ESPN, are presented in a thoughtful way, though it is clear that Hill still feels deeply about the choices she made. Every story told is more powerful for being... Read more

When We Were Bright and Beautiful

A Novel

By: Jillian Medoff
Narrated by: Marin Ireland
Length: 11 hours 38 minutes

“Two parts Gone Girl, two parts Notes on a Scandal. . .will play with your expectations about who’s the villain and who’s the victim.” — Jennifer Weiner, USA TodayLonglisted for the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize for FictionThe acclaimed, bestselling author of This Could Hurt returns with her biggest, boldest novel yet—an electrifying,... Read more

Our Missing Hearts

A Novel

By: Celeste Ng
Narrated by: Lucy Liu & Celeste Ng
Length: 9 hours 51 minutes

“Set in an uncomfortably plausible dystopian near-future, Our Missing Hearts pulls no punches. Ng wrestles with how to find hope for ourselves and our children against forces that bend toward authoritarianism and nationalism. Read more

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

A Novel

By: Jamie Ford
Narrated by: Jennifer Lim, Cindy Kay, Mirai, Natalie Naudus, Sura Siu, Emily Woo Zeller, Nancy Wu & Jamie Ford
Length: 13 hours 28 minutes

“Jamie Ford explores the relationship of mind, spirit, and personal history in this gorgeous, multigenerational novel. The descendants of Afong Moy dig into their inherited pasts with astonishing results. A hopeful, beautiful read! Read more

Seven

By: Farzana Doctor
Narrated by: Farzana Doctor, Ellora Patnaik & Raoul Bhaneja
Length: 12 hours

When Sharifa and her husband travel to India, she expects her time will be spent researching her great-great grandfather, a wealthy businessman and philanthropist. However, what she doesn’t expect is to be swept up in the story of his four wives, oddly excluded from her family history.
 
As Sharifa’s imagination is overtaken with these four... Read more

The Book of Goose

A Novel

By: Yiyun Li
Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
Length: 9 hours 1 minute

“The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li is a beautifully told tale of friendship, obsession, power and creativity. Childhood friends Agnes and Fabienne entertain themselves by spinning tales about the strange characters and situations in their post-war French province. As in many intense friendships, one is the leader and one the follower but with a... Read more

Dinners with Ruth

A Memoir of Friendship

By: Nina Totenberg
Narrated by: Nina Totenberg
Length: 9 hours 29 minutes

“Delightfully narrated by the author, these descriptions of lifelong friendships among famous groundbreaking career women are a treat and a balm. Read more

Stories from The Tenants Downstairs

By: Sidik Fofana
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Nile Bullock, Sidik Fofana, Dominic Hoffman, DePre Owens, André Santana, Bahni Turpin & Jade Wheeler
Length: 6 hours 4 minutes

“The distinct voices of each narrator are the shining achievement of this collection of gently linked stories. Brought to life by a truly excellent cast of narrators on audiobook. Read more

The Last White Man

A Novel

By: Mohsin Hamid
Narrated by: Mohsin Hamid
Length: 3 hours 5 minutes

“The Last White Man is a thought provoking work of literature filled with empathy and depth that dives beyond the superficial, and explores the depths of what it truly means to be human. Ander awakens one morning to find that his skin has turned dark overnight. Confusion and fear become Ander’s companions. Why did this happen? Will he be accepted... Read more

Ithaca

By: Claire North
Narrated by: Catrin Walker-Booth
Length: 12 hours 33 minutes

From the multi-award-winning author Claire North comes a daring reimagining that breathes life into ancient myth and gives voice to the women who stand defiant in a world ruled by ruthless men. It’s time for the women of Ithaca to tell their tale . . .

"North brings a powerful, fresh, and unflinching voice to ancient myth.... Read more