River Bend Staff Favorites

Lessons in Chemistry

A Novel

By: Bonnie Garmus
Narrated by: Miranda Raison, Bonnie Garmus & Pandora Sykes
Length: 11 hours 55 minutes

“Formidable Elizabeth Zott will capture your heart as she, Six-Thirty, Mad and others did me. It’s 1960 and Elizabeth is a woman in a man’s field – she experiences sexism, inequality, and abuse. I found this heartwarming, fun, with a sense of intelligent humor, and full of charm and hope. Read more

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea

A Novel

By: Rita Chang-Eppig
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 10 hours 40 minutes

“An epic, sometimes brutal portrait of Shek Yeung, a legendary Chinese pirate queen who makes impossible choices to maintain both power and safety. Fusing fantastical and historical elements, Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea bends genres and took me on a high seas adventure. For fans of Outlawed and She Who Became the Sun/em>, this story is... Read more

Tom Lake

A Novel

By: Ann Patchett
Narrated by: Meryl Streep
Length: 11 hours 22 minutes

“The power of Ann and Meryl is undeniable. Wow, wow, wow. The audio of this book was literally a movie in my head. Obviously Meryl Streep is a phenom in her own right, but her voice to this story crafted by Ann Patchett blew me away. Having been raised in northern Michigan myself, with a father from Detroit and a mother from Grosse Pointe I felt... Read more

Thicker Than Water

A Novel

By: Megan Collins
Narrated by: Gail Shalan & Emily Tremaine
Length: 10 hours 22 minutes

In this “twisty, propulsive thriller” (Robyn Harding, internationally bestselling author) from Megan Collins, two sisters-in-law are at painful odds when the man who connects them—the brother of one, the husband of the other—is accused of a brutal crime.

Julia and Sienna Larkin are sisters-in-law, connected by Julia’s husband and Sienna’s... Read more

The Skull

A Tyrolean Folktale

By: Jon Klassen
Narrated by: Fairuza Balk & Jon Klassen
Length: 22 minutes

In a big abandoned house on a barren hill lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Steeped in shadows and... Read more

The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece

A novel

By: Tom Hanks
Narrated by: Tom Hanks, Peter Gerety, Natalie Morales, Ego Nwodim, Nasim Pedrad, Connor Ratliff, Holland Taylor, Rita Wilson & Full Cast
Length: 15 hours 57 minutes

“I just finished listening to the Libro.fm audio of Tom Hanks reading this novel.  All of the characters come together to make the movie plus details on the whole process of how a movie comes to be.  What a fun read! Read more

The Possibility of Life

Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos

By: Jaime Green
Narrated by: Jaime Green
Length: 8 hours 24 minutes

“Every page of this book makes our shared universe feel larger and more interesting than ever before, a true gift of fascinating science and engrossing storytelling.” —Matt Bell, author of Appleseed

A spellbinding exploration of alien life and the cosmos, examining how the possibility of life on other planets shapes our understanding of... Read more

Murder Your Employer

The McMasters Guide to Homicide

By: Rupert Holmes
Narrated by: Neil Patrick Harris & Simon Vance
Length: 14 hours 13 minutes

“Journey to the McMasters Conservatory, where you will meet the diabolical students, staff, and faculty of an institution whose only purpose is to prepare you to murder your employer. While this may seem immoral, McMasters has rules to ensure the 'elimination' of your 'target' is based on moral reasoning. If your 'thesis' is accepted and... Read more

The Golden Spoon

A Novel

By: Jessa Maxwell
Narrated by: Andrea Emmes, Andy Garcia-Ruse, Graham Halstead, Kitty Hendrix, Kamran Khan, Jackie Sanders, André Santana & Emily Tremaine
Length: 8 hours 36 minutes

“A surprising and delightful combination of Agatha Christie and The Great British Baking Show, The Golden Spoon will sweep you off your feet and into a world of cakes, pies and gruesome murders! When six amateur bakers show up at Grafton Manor to compete on Bake Week, the long running television baking show, the well planned competition quickly... Read more

We Hunt the Flame

Sands of Arawiya: Book #1

By: Hafsah Faizal
Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham & Steve West
Length: 14 hours 44 minutes

"Narrators Fiona Hardingham and Steve West lend their exceptional vocal skills to this fantasy novel...Both narrators deliver commanding performances steeped in drama and suspense, drawing out every ounce of emotion and intrigue: — AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner

Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, Hafsah... Read more

The Gilded Wolves

A Novel

The Gilded Wolves: Book #1

By: Roshani Chokshi
Narrated by: Laurie Catherine Winkel & P. J. Ochlan
Length: 11 hours 55 minutes

“This is one of the coolest YA fantasy books I have ever read. The characters are imperfectly perfect, the magic system is incredible and the story is one that will keep you on your toes until the very end. I had so much fun reading this and I cannot wait for book two! Read more

Wild and Precious

A Celebration of Mary Oliver

By: Mary Oliver
Narrated by: Sophia Bush
Length: 4 hours 11 minutes

A celebration of the beloved, award-winning poet Mary Oliver, narrated by actress and activist Sophia Bush featuring selections from the late poet’s work, in her own voice, plus a tapestry of complementary voices reflecting on Oliver’s legacy. Wild and Precious: A Celebration of Mary Oliver is a first of its kind audio commemoration of one of... Read more

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

By: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 17 hours 9 minutes

“Schwab has a masterpiece on her hands with this title. I loved it from the beginning, and that love grew until the very end. Addie needed to find a way to escape the life she is supposed to live as a woman in France, 1714. “No matter how desperate or dire, never pray to the gods that answer after dark.” As the sun sets, she is praying to any god... Read more

One Last Stop

By: Casey McQuiston
Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
Length: 12 hours 10 minutes

“Dreamy otherworldy time loop trouble. Check. Swoony, sexy, queer love story. Check. Charming, Mysterious impossible characters. Check. Awesome displays of found family. Check. What more could you want? Honest, dazzling and downright amusing, from the author of the breakout hit Red, White & Royal Blue. Read more

The Way I Say It

By: Nancy Tandon
Narrated by: Matthew Bridges
Length: 6 hours 1 minute

Sixth-grader Rory’s story of his impossible-to-hide speech challenge and middle-school drama is perfect for fans of Sharon Draper’s Out of My Mind.

Rory still can’t say his r’s, but that’s just the beginning of his troubles. First Rory’s ex-best-friend Brent started hanging out with the mean lacrosse kids. But then, a terrible accident takes... Read more

Crying in H Mart

A Memoir

By: Michelle Zauner
Narrated by: Michelle Zauner
Length: 7 hours 22 minutes

“This is a beautiful memoir and it totally lives up to the hype! Zauner offers an honest account of her struggle with her Korean American upbringing and her relationship with her dying mother, and what the loss of her meant in the end. The shared experience of cooking and enjoying Korean food was central to their relationship, and her vivid... Read more

Counterfeit

A Novel

By: Kirstin Chen
Narrated by: Catherine Ho
Length: 7 hours 20 minutes

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK“A con artist story, a pop-feminist caper, a fashionable romp . . . Counterfeit is an entertaining, luxurious read—but beneath its glitz and flash, it is also a shrewd deconstruction of the American dream and the myth of the model minority. . . . Chen is up to something innovative and... Read more

Sea of Tranquility

A novel

By: Emily St. John Mandel
Narrated by: John Lee, Dylan Moore, Arthur Morey & Kirsten Potter
Length: 5 hours 46 minutes

“Incredibly crafted mystery through time & space that attempts to answer if we exist in a simulation, or the reality that we have always accepted. Read more

This Time Tomorrow

A Novel

By: Emma Straub
Narrated by: Marin Ireland & Emma Straub
Length: 8 hours 37 minutes

“My favorite this season (so far) is Emma Straub’s new novel This Time Tomorrow coming May 17, 2022. A father/daughter love story, time travel, the book world, and friends that span the decades-what more can you ask for? Read more

The Barbizon

The Hotel That Set Women Free

By: Paulina Bren
Narrated by: Andi Arndt
Length: 9 hours 21 minutes

A “captivating portrait” (The Wall Street Journal), both “poignant and intriguing” (The New Republic): from award-winning author Paulina Bren comes the remarkable history of New York’s most famous residential hotel and the women who stayed there, including Grace Kelly, Sylvia Plath, and Joan Didion.

Welcome to New York’s legendary hotel for... Read more