Left Bank's Holiday Picks for 2023

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

A Novel

By: James McBride
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 12 hours 21 minutes

“Depression-era Pottsdown, PA. Immigrant Jews and Blacks who moved from the South cope with discrimination from the White Christian community. Moshe runs an integrated musical theater, assisted by Nate, while his wife Chona runs the local grocery store, assisted by Nate's wife Addie, catering to the black community, in the 'Chicken Hill'... Read more

The Comfort of Crows

A Backyard Year

By: Margaret Renkl
Narrated by: Margaret Renkl
Length: 7 hours 46 minutes

“Renkl’s writing soothes, entrances and engages me immediately as sentence by sentence she walks through nature’s seasons and the seasons of our lives. If you want to do one lovely thing for yourself, read The Comfort of Crows, and give it as a wonderful gift to someone you care for. Read more

In the Lives of Puppets

By: TJ Klune
Narrated by: Daniel Henning
Length: 15 hours 22 minutes

“In this creative retelling of Pinocchio, T. J. Klune weaves together an eclectic cast of characters into a family bound by love and connection. Despite being an amalgamation of both robots and humans, the bonds that everyone in the book feels for one another are clear and, at times, heart wrenching. One of my favorite aspects of this book is its... Read more

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

By: Andrew Joseph White
Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
Length: 10 hours 44 minutes

“One thing about Andrew Joseph White books - they are not for the faint of heart and they turn me ABSOLUTELY FERAL. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is White at the height of his visceral, shocking, beautiful, monstrous, tender, transgressive powers. I could not stop reading - though I did occasionally have to put the book down to audibly gasp and/or... Read more

Hell Followed with Us

By: Andrew Joseph White
Narrated by: Shaan Dasani, Graham Halstead & Avi Roque
Length: 10 hours 47 minutes

“With much inspiration taken from the ancient horror stories of The Bible, Hell Followed with Us is a post-apocalyptic adventure featuring queer teens as the heroes. A new plague has been released upon the world by an evangelical cult, The Angels. Benji’s mother is one of their leaders, his father his greatest ally, and he: a trans boy trapped... Read more

Romantic Comedy (Reese's Book Club)

A Novel

By: Curtis Sittenfeld
Narrated by: Kristen Sieh
Length: 9 hours 5 minutes

“I’m not usually one for 'lighthearted' or 'delightful' books but this one is both and darned if i don’t absolutely love it! Maybe its the Saturday Night Live references, or maybe the fact that i literally laughed out loud a few times, but it might just be that I really kind of misses Sally and Noah when the story was done, but i really love this... Read more

For Her Consideration

Out In Hollywood: Book #1

By: Amy Spalding
Narrated by: Sophie Amoss
Length: 11 hours 17 minutes

“Pure romance magic.”—Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of Love & Other Words

“I loved how joyful, how thoughtful, and how real For Her Consideration was.”—New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory

Perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Meryl Wilsner, a funny, heartwarming, and moving novel about bad breakups, found... Read more

When Trying to Return Home

Stories

By: Jennifer Maritza McCauley
Narrated by: Psalm Morant & Andréa Agosto
Length: 5 hours 52 minutes

Profoundly moving and powerful, the stories in this collection dig deeply into the question of belonging. A young woman is torn between overwhelming love for her mother and the need to break free from her damaging influence during a desperate and disastrous attempt to rescue her brother from foster care. A man, his wife, and his mistress each... Read more

Black AF History

The Un-Whitewashed Story of America

By: Michael Harriot
Narrated by: Michael Harriot
Length: 15 hours 42 minutes

“Prepare for a history book unlike any other! Michael Harriot's Black AF is truly one of the best I've encountered in a long time. Don't let the humor and captivating storytelling fool you – this isn't just a dry recitation of dates and events. Instead, Harriot masterfully blends memoir, history, and sharp analysis of race, economics, and... Read more

Monstrilio

By: Gerardo Sámano Córdova
Narrated by: Victoria Villarreal & Johnny Rey Diaz
Length: 7 hours 59 minutes

“An endearing literary horror overflowing with touching metaphors for grief and taxing depictions of gory, hungry horror. The juxtaposition of shocking animalistic violence and poignantly authentic intimate moments etched Monstrilio and his family forevermore in my heart. Monstrilio represents the revolution of the facets of one's identity,... Read more

Fourth Wing

Empyrean: Book #1

By: Rebecca Yarros
Narrated by: Rebecca Soler & Teddy Hamilton
Length: 21 hours 22 minutes

“If you’re a fan of fantasy and fated love, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is a must-read! This thrilling novel takes you on a wild ride filled with adventure, powerful magic, and an irresistible romance that will keep you hooked from start to finish. With vivid world-building and a captivating plot, it’s perfect for readers who love a blend of... Read more

I Have Some Questions for You

A Novel

By: Rebecca Makkai
Narrated by: Julia Whelan & JD Jackson
Length: 14 hours 3 minutes

“A literary mystery by the award-winning author of The Great Believers. Makkai cleverly tackles relevant topics in this page-turner. Read more

Pageboy

A Memoir

By: Elliot Page
Narrated by: Elliot Page
Length: 8 hours 23 minutes

“Pageboy is a quietly powerful, captivating memoir with a small amount of salacious-ness. Elliot Page is so earnest, vulnerable and generous with his heartbreak, dysphoria, pain and healing. I was particularly struck by the many poignant and relatable moments Page describes, yet we, as a society, have only recently come up with the language to... Read more

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

A Novel

The Ernest Cunningham Mysteries: Book #1

By: Benjamin Stevenson
Narrated by: Barton Welch
Length: 9 hours 30 minutes

“Very fun. For fans of Knives Out and classic murder mysteries. Stevenson is like a stage magician who tells you how the trick works and still makes it work. Read more

The Guest Lecture

A Novel

By: Martin Riker
Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson
Length: 5 hours 49 minutes

In a hotel room in the middle of the night, Abby, a young feminist economist, lies awake next to her sleeping husband and daughter. Anxious that she is grossly underprepared for a talk she is presenting tomorrow on optimism and John Maynard Keynes, she has resolved to practice by using an ancient rhetorical method of assigning parts of her... Read more

Eastbound

By: Maylis De Kerangal
Narrated by: Jennifer Pickens
Length: 2 hours 23 minutes

In this gripping tale, a Russian conscript and a French woman cross paths on the Trans-Siberian railroad, each fleeing to the east for their own reasons



Eastbound is both an adventure story and a duet of two vibrant inner worlds.



In mysterious, winding sentences gorgeously translated by Jessica Moore, De Kerangal gives us the story of two unlikely... Read more

A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens

A Novel

By: Raul Palma
Narrated by: Emmanuel Chumaceiro
Length: 8 hours 27 minutes

A genre-bending debut with a fiercely political heart, A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens explores the weight of the devil’s bargain, following the lengths one man will go to for the promise of freedom.

Hugo Contreras’s world in Miami has shrunk. Since his wife died, Hugo’s debt from her medical bills has become insurmountable. He shuffles between his... 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 the feminist bloodthirsty rage antihero fantasy saga of my DREAMS! Pacific Rim meets The Hunger Games. Much like in the movie Pacific Rim, as our protagonist, Zetian is mentally co-piloting gigantic transforming mechas that humanity is relying on to battle massive aliens come to dominate the planet. And much like in The Hunger... Read more

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

A Novel

By: Shannon Chakraborty
Narrated by: Lameece Issaq & Amin El Gamal
Length: 16 hours 59 minutes

“Amina has forsaken her swashbuckling days, trading high-sea adventures for peaceful days at home tending to her young daughter and watchful mother. A precarious situation arises and Amina must assemble her crew back together to conquer this mission... and what a riotous time! The dual narrators are fantastic and Amina's tale is absolutely... Read more

The God of Endings

A Novel

By: Jacqueline Holland
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 16 hours 45 minutes

“I stayed up late 3 nights to finish Jacqueline Holland's debut novel, The God of Endings. I'd never pictured a vampire story that started in the United States in the 1820s - it made for a unique plot as opposed to a pure Eastern European origin story...The prose is simply lovely. I enjoyed Holland's use of imagery and characterization to develop... Read more