Modern Mrs Darcy's Summer Reading Guide

To Night Owl From Dogfish

By: Holly Goldberg Sloan & Meg Wolitzer
Narrated by: Imani Parks, Cassandra Morris, Michael Crouch, Sullivan Jones, Bahni Turpin, Renata Friedman, Cassandra Campbell, Robbie Daymond, Giordan Diaz, Alexandra Harris, Johnathan McClain, Emily Rankin & Various
Length: 6 hours 13 minutes

From two extraordinary authors comes a moving, exuberant, laugh-out-loud novel about friendship and family, told entirely in emails and letters.

Avery Bloom, who's bookish, intense, and afraid of many things, particularly deep water, lives in New York City. Bett Devlin, who's fearless, outgoing, and loves all animals as well as the ocean, lives... Read more

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Wayfarers: Book #1

By: Becky Chambers
Narrated by: Rachel Dulude
Length: 14 hours 23 minutes

“This gripping, diverse novel, set well after Earth's residents have scattered to Mars, other planets, and itinerant spacecraft, is as scientifically and sociopolitically plausible as any science fiction I've ever read or listened to. The characters, from a variety of alien species along with AI, have wide-ranging journeys that speak to our... Read more

The Patron Saint of Second Chances

A Novel

By: Christine Simon
Narrated by: Tim Frances
Length: 7 hours 54 minutes

SELECTED FOR THE RUSA 2023 LISTEN LIST FOR OUTSTANDING AUDIOBOOK NARRATION!

The self-appointed mayor of a tiny Italian village is determined to save his hometown no matter the cost in this “charming farce that highlights the triumph of hope and community” (People).

Vacuum repairman and self-appointed mayor of Prometto, Italy (population 212)... Read more

Harry's Trees

By: Jon Cohen
Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg
Length: 15 hours 7 minutes

“Harry's Trees is a satisfying, multifaceted story that makes you believe that there is magic in ordinary things. Read more

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

Garden Spells

By: Sarah Addison Allen
Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
Length: 7 hours 43 minutes

The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden.... Read more

The Lazy Genius Kitchen

Have What You Need, Use What You Have, and Enjoy It Like Never Before

By: Kendra Adachi
Narrated by: Kendra Adachi
Length: 6 hours 3 minutes

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Lazy Genius Way comes a fresh perspective for getting the most out of your kitchen!

“An empowering, transformative, and slightly sassy guidebook.”—Jenna Fischer, actress, author, and producer/cohost of Office Ladies podcast 

You want your kitchen to be the heartbeat of the home, but you’re... Read more

I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet

Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working

By: Shauna Niequist
Narrated by: Shauna Niequist
Length: 6 hours 21 minutes

Read by the author with an audio-exclusive interview of Shauna about her family's move to New York.When everything we've been clinging to falls apart, how do we know what to keep and what to let go of? I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet, now a New York Times bestseller, is a clear-eyed look at where we go from here--and how we can transform our... Read more

Now What?

How to Move Forward When We're Divided About Basically Everything

By: Sarah Stewart Holland & Beth Silvers
Narrated by: Beth Silvers & Sarah Stewart Holland
Length: 5 hours

From friendships to Facebook to far-off countries, what do we do when our lives seem mired in conflict? How do we find connection when our differences are constantly on display and even exacerbated by algorithms and echo chambers? How do we build a kinder society?

If you are tired of the anxiety, frustration, and fear that pervade your... Read more

Tell Me Everything

The Story of a Private Investigation

By: Erika Krouse
Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
Length: 9 hours 34 minutes

“Tell Me Everything is a smart and disturbing look at sexual assault and a system that encourages it. It's part investigation of a culture of rape in a university's football team, part memoir of the author's childhood trauma as she investigates the college, and the journeys of both towards justice. And in this world we live in, what does... Read more

Peace Is a Practice

An Invitation to Breathe Deep and Find a New Rhythm for Life

By: Morgan Harper Nichols
Narrated by: Morgan Harper Nichols
Length: 6 hours 4 minutes

Read by the author.When you breathe in all the grace available to you and release everything that is outside of your control, you'll discover peace that surpasses your circumstances. All it takes is practice.If you feel overwhelmed with anxiety about the future, you're far from alone. For many of us, when we're not worrying about what is to... Read more

Finding Me

A Memoir

By: Viola Davis
Narrated by: Viola Davis
Length: 9 hours 15 minutes

Winner of the 2023 Grammy for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording!Audie Award Winner for Audiobook of the Year!Narrated by Viola DavisIn my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever.This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central... Read more

Bomb Shelter

By: Mary Laura Philpott
Narrated by: Mary Laura Philpott
Length: 7 hours 2 minutes

“The world is pretty anxious-making these days, so recommending a book in which the author wrestles with their own anxiety might seem counterintuitive, but having read (and loved) Mary Laura Philpott’s debut essay collection, I Miss You When I Blink, I knew I was in the safest of safe hands. In Bomb Shelter, Philpott takes all the... Read more

Like a House on Fire

By: Lauren McBrayer
Narrated by: Marin Ireland
Length: 9 hours 1 minute

A JULY 2022 BELLETRIST BOOK CLUB PICK

What would you do if you found the spark that made you feel whole again?

After twelve years of marriage and two kids, Merit has begun to feel like a stranger in her own life. She loves her husband and sons, but she desperately needs something more than sippy cups and monthly sex. So, she returns to her career... Read more

What the Fireflies Knew

A Novel

By: Kai Harris
Narrated by: Zenzi Williams
Length: 8 hours 35 minutes

“This was a super sweet story about a young girl dealing with many changes in her life. The audiobook was particularly poignant. Narrator Zenzi Williams gave such heart and innocence to the young protagonist. Read more

What We Were Promised

By: Lucy Tan
Narrated by: Jennifer Lim
Length: 10 hours 56 minutes

Set in modern Shanghai, a debut by a Chinese-American writer about a prodigal son whose unexpected return forces his newly wealthy family to confront painful secrets and unfulfilled promises.

After years of chasing the American dream, the Zhen family has moved back to China. Settling into a luxurious serviced apartment in Shanghai, Wei, Lina,... Read more

French Braid

A novel

By: Anne Tyler
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
Length: 9 hours 4 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning author of A Spool of Blue Thread—a funny, joyful, brilliantly perceptive journey deep into one Baltimore family’s foibles, from a boyfriend with a red Chevy in the 1950s up to a longed-for reunion with a grandchild.

“A quietly subversive novel, tackling fundamental assumptions... Read more

Olympus, Texas

A Novel

By: Stacey Swann
Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
Length: 10 hours 16 minutes

“A gripping debut that takes all of the skeletons out of the Briscoe family closet and throws them on the front lawn. The depth of character development speaks to my own east Texan family, which feels disconcerting and scandalous. A page-turning read that you won’t want to end. Read more

Memphis

A Novel

By: Tara M. Stringfellow
Narrated by: Karen Murray, Adenrele Ojo & Tara Stringfellow
Length: 9 hours 23 minutes

“Centering Black joy above all, Stringfellow’s life-affirming debut follows three generations of unforgettable women in a gifted but tested family. Readers will cry, laugh, and sing. I hope we read Stringfellow for a long, long time. Read more

A Place for Us

A Novel

By: Fatima Farheen Mirza
Narrated by: Deepti Gupta & Sunil Malhotra
Length: 16 hours 38 minutes

“A Place For Us By Fatima Farheen Mirza is a truly powerful story about family relationships and how the strength of culture and religious beliefs can unite as well as tear families apart. Beautifully written from different family members’ perspectives, Mizra presents all the sides of the various stories that make up the formation of this... Read more