2021 Staff Picks

Creativity

A Short and Cheerful Guide   

By: John Cleese
Narrated by: John Cleese
Length: 59 minutes

The legendary comedian, actor, and writer of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, and A Fish Called Wanda fame shares his key ideas about creativity: that it’s a learnable, improvable skill.

“Many people have written about creativity, but although they were very, very clever, they weren't actually creative. I like to think I'm writing about it from the... Read more

Small Things Like These

By: Claire Keegan
Narrated by: Aidan Kelly
Length: 1 hour 56 minutes

“As Christmas approaches, I'm drawn back to this exquisite, tender, quiet yet powerful story of a comfortable Irish coal dealer who becomes discomfited by what he discovers behind the walls of a Magdalen laundry in 1985. The 1980s are hardly the distant past, and this slender book is a timely reminder of how society has often treated its young... Read more

Within These Wicked Walls

A Novel

By: Lauren Blackwood
Narrated by: Nneka Okoye
Length: 8 hours 53 minutes

“The blend of magic and realism is fun and the heavy romance is a delight. Blackwood's skill at combining our reality, for instance, a religion with God (He) and all its accoutrements, slavery, and abuse, with a fantastical magical system involving amulets, evil spirits, blood-mad hyenas, and clay people, is well done. A well crafted homage to... Read more

Nothing But Blackened Teeth

By: Cassandra Khaw
Narrated by: Suehyla El-Attar
Length: 2 hours 32 minutes

Cassandra Khaw's Nothing But Blackened Teeth is a gorgeously creepy haunted house tale, steeped in Japanese folklore and full of devastating twists.

A Heian-era mansion stands abandoned, its foundations resting on the bones of a bride and its walls packed with the remains of the girls sacrificed to keep her company.

It’s the perfect venue for a... Read more

Our Class

Trauma and Transformation in an American Prison

By: Chris Hedges
Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi
Length: 7 hours 8 minutes

A powerfully moving book that “could make graspable why today’s prisons are contemporary slave plantations” (Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple), giving voice to the poorest among us and laying bare the cruelty of a penal system that too often defines their lives.

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Chris Hedges has taught courses in drama,... Read more

Orwell's Roses

By: Rebecca Solnit
Narrated by: Rebecca Solnit
Length: 7 hours 51 minutes

Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction
Finalist for the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography

“An exhilarating romp through Orwell’s life and times and also through the life and times of roses.” —Margaret Atwood

“A captivating account of Orwell as gardener, lover, parent, and endlessly curious thinker.” —Claire... Read more

Oh William!

A Novel

By: Elizabeth Strout
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
Length: 7 hours

“As intimate and affecting as anything Elizabeth Strout has written — a beautiful new perspective in the ongoing story of Lucy Barton, but one that easily stands alone. Kimberly Farr’s narration makes for an outstanding audiobook experience as well. Read more

Sankofa

A Novel

By: Chibundu Onuzo
Narrated by: Sara Powell
Length: 9 hours 2 minutes

“A fantastic read! I listened to this book (thanks Libro.fm), and the narration was superb! Read more

Beasts of Prey

By: Ayana Gray
Narrated by: Keylor Leigh, Tovah Ott & Ronald Peet
Length: 15 hours 41 minutes

In this blockbuster fantasy series, perfect for fans of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Iron Widow, fate binds two Black teenagers together as they journey into a magical jungle to hunt down a vicious monster.

“Rich in magic and mythos, Beasts of Prey is a feast for all the senses.” —Renée Ahdieh, New York Times bestselling author of The Beautiful

An... Read more

Iron Widow (Book 1)

Iron Widow: Book #1

By: Xiran Jay Zhao
Narrated by: Rong Fu
Length: 12 hours 18 minutes

“Iron Widow is addictive, non-stop, and insane! I LOVE this book so much! Take control of your life. Take control of your body. Make the patriarchy pay through blood and vengeance! This alt-reality world mixes Chinese culture and Pacific Rim, with addictive action, complex characters, and an unstoppable fury. Zetian wants revenge and will bring... Read more

Bewilderment

A Novel

By: Richard Powers
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
Length: 7 hours 50 minutes

“An homage to the heartbreaking Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, this intimate story of a grieving father and his troubled son is an intelligent and touching story of tragedy and hope. Read more

Matrix

A Novel

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

“Lauren Groff said “medieval historical fiction about Marie de France & Eleanor of Aquitaine,” and she had my curiosity. Lauren Groff said “prophesying Sapphic warrior nuns” and she had my attention. Narrated by literal actual goddess Adjoa Andoh, this book is bananas good. It was as if Groff was looking directly at my "Auto-Read" criteria... Read more

Four Thousand Weeks

Time Management for Mortals

By: Oliver Burkeman
Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
Length: 6 hours 13 minutes

“A game-changer. People tote time management as a way to accomplish everything, but that's impossible—time is a limited resource. The whole way we think about time is wrong. So how can we approach our relationship to time in a way that doesn't overwhelm? This book is a powerhouse. A must-read, especially for folks with anxiety, an intimate... Read more

For Your Own Good

By: Samantha Downing
Narrated by: David Pittu
Length: 10 hours 36 minutes

INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER

“Witty and macabre.”—Caroline Kepnes

"Slick and chilling."—Megan Miranda

“I read all of her [books]. I've read everything.”—Cecily Strong from SNL for Vanity Fair

“A perfect summer book.”—NPR

USA Today bestselling author Samantha Downing is back with her latest sneaky thriller set at a prestigious private school—complete... Read more

The Final Girl Support Group

By: Grady Hendrix
Narrated by: Adrienne King
Length: 13 hours 49 minutes

“Lynnette has been going to the same support group for years — only this isn't a normal support group. It’s a secret group for final girls. This is a fast-paced and shocking thriller that I couldn't put down! Read more

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

A Monk and Robot Book

Monk & Robot: Book #1

By: Becky Chambers
Narrated by: Em Grosland
Length: 4 hours 8 minutes

“Have you ever felt lost or wondered what we are here for? This very necessary, kind, creative, utopian sci-fi delves into these questions and more through the relationships of a tea monk and a sentient robot who are open to listen, learn, share, and teach that the possibility of a future built sustainably, ethically, and with purpose could be... Read more

Home Made

A Story of Grief, Groceries, Showing Up--and What We Make When We Make Dinner

By: Liz Hauck
Narrated by: Liz Hauck
Length: 12 hours 4 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • An “extraordinary” (The New York Times Book Review) tender and vivid memoir about the radical grace we discover when we consider ourselves bound together in community, and a moving account of one woman’s attempt to answer the essential question Who are we to one another?

“Your heart will be altered by this... Read more

Animal

A Novel

By: Lisa Taddeo
Narrated by: Emma Roberts
Length: 10 hours 47 minutes

“Raw, visceral, disturbing. Animal delivers gut punch after gut punch, and kept me eagerly listening, wondering what would come next and where it would all ultimately lead. Joan is not a likable protagonist; she is a fascinating one. She is telling her story to an unnamed audience of one whose identity becomes more apparent as the novel... Read more

The Blacktongue Thief

Blacktongue: Book #1

By: Christopher Buehlman
Narrated by: Christopher Buehlman
Length: 12 hours 44 minutes

“This book captures everything I loved about high fantasy as a kid without the misogyny and racism. Christopher Buehlman's narration is compelling, his tone and pacing finely honed over his long career touring renaissance festivals. While remaining an utter delight from beginning to end, it is layered with a nuanced and honest exploration of a... Read more

Why Peacocks?

An Unlikely Search for Meaning in the World's Most Magnificent Bird

By: Sean Flynn
Narrated by: Vikas Adam
Length: 7 hours 20 minutes

An acclaimed journalist seeks to understand the mysterious allure of peacocks—and in the process discovers unexpected and valuable life lessons.

2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence Longlist Selection

When Sean Flynn’s neighbor in North Carolina texted “Any chance you guys want a peacock? No kidding!” he stared bewilderedly at his phone. He... Read more