Staff Picks 2022

Time Is a Mother

By: Ocean Vuong
Narrated by: Ocean Vuong
Length: 1 hour 43 minutes

“Ocean Vuong comes home in his second full-length collection, exploring grief, violence, masculinity and queer life in America. Whether shoveling snow, reversing time, or losing his mother, Vuong will crack you open and heal you. Read more

Iron Widow

Iron Widow: Book #1

By: Xiran Jay Zhao
Narrated by: Rong Fu
Length: 12 hours 13 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

Notes on an Execution

A Novel

By: Danya Kukafka
Narrated by: Mozhan Marno & Jim Meskimen
Length: 9 hours 42 minutes

“Notes on an Execution is a very compelling look at the psyche of a killer. The story is told both thru his eyes and thru the eyes of three woman in his life. I did not expect to like this book at all. From the beginning you know that the main character is a killer and as such should be totally repelling and unlikeable. But the articulate telling... Read more

How To Find Your Way In The Dark

A Sheldon Horowitz Novel: Book #1

By: Derek B. Miller
Narrated by: Michael Crouch
Length: 12 hours 23 minutes

FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARDWINNER OF THE JEWISH FICTION AWARD FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES"[Miller’s] character portraits are indelible, often heartbreaking. At times this novel moved me to tears, the highest possible compliment.”—New York Times Book Review
With the wit and scope of Michael Chabon’s The Amazing... Read more

Portrait of a Thief

A Novel

By: Grace D. Li
Narrated by: Eunice Wong & Austin Ku
Length: 11 hours 20 minutes

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
An Edgar Award Nominee for Best First Novel
Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize
Named a New York Times Best Crime Novel of 2022
Named A Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by *Marie Claire* *Washington Post* *Vulture* *NBC News*  *Buzzfeed* *Veranda* *PopSugar* *Paste* *The Millions* *Bustle*... Read more

A Magic Steeped in Poison

The Book of Tea: Book #1

By: Judy I. Lin
Narrated by: Carolyn Kang
Length: 11 hours 11 minutes

Judy I. Lin's sweeping debut A Magic Steeped in Poison, first in a duology, is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo.

I used to look at my hands with pride. Now all I can think is, "These are the hands that buried my mother."

For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it's her own fault. She was the... Read more

Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

By: Tae Keller
Narrated by: Shannon Tyo, Carolyn Kang & Tae Keller
Length: 7 hours 4 minutes

“During the first half of listening, I kept thinking the name of this book was 'Jennifer Chan Is Missing' -- after all, that is the crux of this story. Jennifer Chan is a new kid at school-- someone of intrigue with bold ideas and also blind to the typical power structures in middle school. She goes missing shortly after being bullied and avoided... Read more

Carrie Soto Is Back

A Novel

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez, Mary Carillo, Patrick Mcenroe, Rob Simmelkjaer, Brendan Wayne, Max Meyers, Reynaldo Piniella, Vidish Athavale, Tom Bromhead, Heath Miller, Julia Whelan & Sara Arrington
Length: 10 hours 29 minutes

“The word 'Amazing' doesn't begin to describe this book. Carrie Soto is a tennis phenom called 'the next Billie Jean King' by reporters in the 1970's and Taylor Jenkins Reid takes you into the life of a competitive tennis player at the highest levels. You crawl inside her head and see the desire to be the BEST and win at any costs - even if it... Read more

We Deserve Monuments

By: Jas Hammonds
Narrated by: Tamika Katon-Donegal
Length: 10 hours 22 minutes

What's more important: knowing the truth or keeping the peace?
When her family moves to Bardell, Georgia, on the cusp of her senior year, Avery
Anderson is uprooted from DC and thrust into the hostile home of her terminally
ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty
makes for a frosty arrival and reveals a... Read more

The Atlas Paradox

Atlas Series: Book #2

By: Olivie Blake
Narrated by: Alexandra Palting, Andy Ingalls, Caitlin Kelly, Damian Lynch, Daniel Henning, David Monteith, James Patrick Cronin, Munirih Grace, Siho Ellsmore & Steve West
Length: 18 hours 27 minutes

“Please tell me there's another book coming in this series because I NEED MORE! I loved this book, maybe even more than the first one. Finally, our magicians have made it through initiation after their first year of the Alexandrian Society, and now comes their studies. What the characters decide to do from this point on could determine the fate... Read more

Just Kids

By: Patti Smith
Narrated by: Patti Smith
Length: 9 hours 50 minutes

In Just Kids, Patti Smith’s first book of prose, the legendary American artist offers a never-before-seen glimpse of her remarkable relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the epochal days of New York City and the Chelsea Hotel in the late sixties and seventies. An honest and moving story of youth and friendship, Smith brings the... Read more

Siren Queen

By: Nghi Vo
Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
Length: 8 hours 42 minutes

FROM AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR NGHI VO COMES A DAZZLING NEW NOVEL WHERE IMMORTALITY IS JUST A CASTING CALL AWAY

"Natalie Naudus's skilled narration adds to the luminous and otherworldly qualities of Vo's historical fantasy." -AudioFile on Siren Queen

It was magic. In every world, it was a kind of magic.

"No maids, no funny talking, no fainting... Read more

Icebreaker

By: A.L. Graziadei
Narrated by: Tom Picasso
Length: 8 hours 29 minutes

“I'm going to level with you - everything I know about sports I either learned against my will or from other queer media (hello, Check, Please!) and I still absolutely loved this enemies-to-lovers college hockey romance. I was not quite expecting the relatable representation of anxiety and depression, or such a poignant exploration of what it... Read more

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

A Monk and Robot Book

Monk & Robot: Book #2

By: Becky Chambers
Narrated by: Em Grosland
Length: 3 hours 53 minutes

“Just as wonderful and as tender as A Psalm for the Wild-Built. A sweet and earthy cup of tea to warm the soul. New and old characters to giggle with, cry with, and just flat out fall in love with. A book that I will return to again and again. Read more

Four Aunties and a Wedding

By: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Narrated by: Risa Mei
Length: 10 hours 19 minutes

The aunties are back, fiercer than ever and ready to handle any catastrophe—even the mafia—in this delightful and hilarious sequel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties.

Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now the day has arrived, and she can't wait to marry her college... Read more

A Venom Dark and Sweet

The Book of Tea: Book #2

By: Judy I. Lin
Narrated by: Nancy Wu & Joshua Chang
Length: 10 hours 44 minutes

The enthralling conclusion to Judy I. Lin's Book of Tea duology—A Magic Steeped in Poison and A Venom Dark and Sweet—is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo.

A great evil has come to the kingdom of Dàxi. The Banished Prince has returned to seize power, his rise to the dragon throne aided by the mass poisonings that have kept... Read more

Nona the Ninth

Locked Tomb: Book #3

By: Tamsyn Muir
Narrated by: Moira Quirk
Length: 17 hours 46 minutes

“My honest review of this book is basically inarticulate screaming, wailing, gnashing of teeth, rending of garments, etc. I've rarely in my adult life been so INTO a book series--I've re-read and re-listened to Gideon and Harrow multiple times, and Nona will soon join the rotation. These books are bonkers fun and I loved every wild and confusing... Read more

Dickens and Prince

A Particular Kind of Genius

By: Nick Hornby
Narrated by: Alex Jennings
Length: 3 hours 7 minutes

“An ardent fan letter from Hornby that makes you want to re-read Great Expectations while listening to Sign o’ the Times.” —Vogue

From the bestselling author of Just Like You, High Fidelity, and Fever Pitch, a short, warm, and entertaining book about art, creativity, and the unlikely similarities between Victorian novelist Charles Dickens and... Read more

A Master of Djinn

Dead Djinn Universe: Book #1

By: P. Djèlí Clark
Narrated by: Suehyla El-Attar
Length: 15 hours 37 minutes

“Fatma el-Sha’arawi is one of the most talented agents in Ciaro’s Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. Though it is 1912, she has worked her way up the male-dominated agency with a combination of raw magical talent, wit, and force of will. When a room of men burnt to a crisp with no sign of fire shows up, Fatma is put on... Read more

The Charm Offensive

A Novel

By: Alison Cochrun
Narrated by: Vikas Adam, Graham Halstead & Cassandra Campbell
Length: 10 hours 51 minutes

“Cochrun expertly captures the nuance of falling for someone with mental health issues, while navigating your own identity, sexuality and neurodivergent revelations in way I have never seen before. This book had me all up in my feelings. I've read it all the way through multiple times (maybe six). Read more