Staff Picks

Dune

Book One in the Dune Chronicles

Dune

By: Frank Herbert
Narrated by: Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, Simon Vance, Ilyana Kadushin, Byron Jennings, David R. Gordon, Jason Culp, Kent Broadhurst, Oliver Wyman, Patricia Kilgarriff & Scott Sowers
Length: 21 hours 1 minute

“Set in the distant future in a feudal interstellar society in which noble houses, in control of individual planets, owe allegiance to the Padishah Emperor, Dune is the story of a young man whose family accepts the stewardship of the planet Arrakis, the only source of the 'spice' melange, the most important and valuable substance in the universe.... Read more

Naked Lunch

The Restored Text

By: William S. Burroughs
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
Length: 10 hours 24 minutes

Naked Lunch is one of the most important novels of the twentieth century. Exerting its influence on authors like Thomas Pynchon, J. G. Ballard, and William Gibson; on the relationship between art and obscenity; and on the shape of music, film, and media generally, it is one of the books that redefined not just literature but American... Read more

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

By: Maya Angelou
Narrated by: Maya Angelou
Length: 10 hours 10 minutes

“A lot can be said about this autobiography - it is one of the best I have ever read. The stories are personal and well accounted for, and the reader has no choice but to regard her life and strength through hardship so inspiring. Before reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I had a good idea of Angelou through her poetry and lectures. Her... Read more

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Length: 3 hours 41 minutes

“Somehow, Neil Degrasse Tyson's voice makes an already approachable book on complicated stuff just that much better. Even if you don't start interested, he will make you interested with his approach to what has become his life's work. So interesting and so fun! Read more

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisation

BBC Radio’s The Lord of the Rings: Book #1

By: Richard O'Callaghan
Narrated by: Peter Woodthorpe, Ian Holm, Robert Stephens, Michael Hordern, Bill Nighy, John McAndrew, David Collings, Douglas Livingstone & Full Cast
Length: 4 hours 35 minutes

With its first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on March 8, 1981, this dramatised tale of Middle Earth became an instant global classic. It boasts a truly outstanding cast including Ian Holm (as Frodo), Michael Hordern (as Gandalf), Robert Stephens (as Aragorn), Bill Nighy (as Sam Gamgee) and John Le Mesurier (as Bilbo).

Brian Sibley's famous adaptation... Read more

To the Lighthouse

By: Virginia Woolf
Narrated by: Gabrielle de Cuir
Length: 9 hours 36 minutes

“This modernist masterpiece is even better than the celebrated MRS DALLOWAY. LIGHTHOUSE concerns a family vacationing in Scotland by the ocean and delves deep into their inner worlds. Read more

A Promised Land

By: Barack Obama
Narrated by: Barack Obama
Length: 29 hours 9 minutes

“No one really needs my blurb to help sell this book, but I wanted to give it anyway, especially for the audiobook, narrated by Barack Obama himself. If you want to know his incredible knowledge and wisdom that guided him through major decisions, and also hear him drop a few F-bombs, you need to listen to this fantastically written book. Read more

Sapiens

A Brief History of Humankind

By: Yuval Noah Harari
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
Length: 15 hours 17 minutes

“Harari's brilliant cross-discipline synthesis of humanity's last 100,000 year story arc is sweeping and brilliant. I would almost use a phrase usually reserved for beach read thrillers-it's a page-turner. Rarely does a book stir up conversation in academic circles while still being so accessible to a general audience. That a history book has... Read more