August's Bookseller Picks

Intimacies

A Novel

By: Katie Kitamura
Narrated by: Traci Kato-Kiriyama
Length: 5 hours 26 minutes

“A stunning, devastating book about the human capacity for love as well as for violence, and the intimacy of both. Set in The Hague at the International Criminal Court, this fine novel follows a young woman's experience translating for a war criminal accused of unspeakable atrocities, a work that is both intimate and dissassociative. Read more

Hola Papi

How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons

A Must-Read Memoir

By: John Paul Brammer
Narrated by: John Paul Brammer
Length: 4 hours 55 minutes

“Hola Papi was endearing and sweetly funny. I loved the structure of this memoir where Brammer is answering letters to his advice column with heart and empathy. The audio book is expertly narrated by John Paul Brammer himself which added to the listening experience. Highly recommend! Read more

The Startup Wife

A Novel

A Modern Love Story

By: Tahmima Anam
Narrated by: Tanha Dil
Length: 8 hours 59 minutes

“The concept of an app that offers custom-made rituals got me to pick up this new novel, but the fact that the protagonist is a woman of color leading a tech start up alongside her very charismatic husband got me to read it. A great summer read. Read more

First Comes Like

A Novel

By: Alisha Rai
Narrated by: Saira Ayers & Neil Shah
Length: 11 hours 10 minutes

“Alisha Rai has continued to deliver another relevant, swoon-worthy romance with First Comes Like. This book is perfect for readers who love a slow burn or fans of You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria. I enjoyed seeing the perspective of a contemporary Muslim woman in a way that wasn’t sensationalized or exoticized. Rai has written a book that is... Read more

The Black Flamingo

By: Dean Atta
Narrated by: Dean Atta
Length: 3 hours 40 minutes

“This beautiful novel in verse has a tender, loving lens on the toxic directions we're sometimes forced to grow in before we are able to come into our own. In that way, it reminds me of Moonlight. The epilogue is beautiful and stands on its own—I want to print it out and pin it up in every middle and high school. Read more

Afterparties

Stories

By: Anthony Veasna So
Narrated by: Jason Sean
Length: 6 hours 56 minutes

“I enjoyed this book of short stories about the lives of Khmer refugees and their American born children in California’s central valley. Each story makes the reader feel like they are embedded in a particularly family--the tension between the American born children and their parents who escaped the genocide sets the backdrop to many, but the... Read more

Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light

Essays

By: Helen Ellis
Narrated by: Helen Ellis
Length: 2 hours 49 minutes

“Helen Ellis's essays in Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light are equal parts "let me tell you how it is" and sass. Her chapters celebrate the good, bad, and ugly of growing older with a dear group of friends. Read this book to find a kindred spirit then give it away to a girlfriend who needs the same. Human connection is the most important... Read more

Chasing the Thrill

Obsession, Death, and Glory in America's Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt

By: Daniel Barbarisi
Narrated by: Daniel Barbarisi
Length: 11 hours

“This book makes you feel like you’re on an adventure! More than just a saga about one eccentric millionaire’s treasure hunt, Chasing the Thrill is a nuanced and highly addictive story about Forest Fenn, his now infamous hidden treasure, and all of the controversies, joys, and tragedies that ended up being irrevocably intertwined with it.... Read more

The Comfort Book

By: Matt Haig
Narrated by: Matt Haig
Length: 3 hours 9 minutes

“As a fan of Matt Haig's fiction, I added The Comfort Book to my playlist but hadn't yet listened to it. 'The right book at the right time' was never truer for me than the day I did need support and comfort, and Matt's narration of his inspiring, uplifting perspectives was perfect. I pressed 'rewind' more than once, as his words were such a balm. Read more

Once There Were Wolves

A Novel

By: Charlotte McConaghy
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 8 hours 27 minutes

“Inti and Aggie. Sisters. Twins. Aggie with a gift for language and Inti who belongs in the forest. A complicated intertwined life journey has landed the two of them in the wilds of Scotland as part of a wolf rehoming project where local tempers run hot, scientist's missions are complicated, and wolves howl for love and justice in the hills and... Read more

She Who Became the Sun

The Radiant Emperor Duology: Book #1

By: Shelley Parker-Chan
Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
Length: 14 hours 36 minutes

“WOW, WOW, WOW! What a STUNNING book! She Who Became the Sun is equal parts beautiful and brutal, powerful and poetic. This is an enchanting tale filled with hardship and sorrow and an unwavering will to survive. What are you willing to do to achieve greatness? Zhu Chongba will do anything and sacrifice everything. This is an epic fantasy that... Read more

The Chosen and the Beautiful

By: Nghi Vo
Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
Length: 8 hours 52 minutes

“What would you give up to have it all? Magical and queer as hell, Jordan Baker takes readers through Jazz Age New York as her snark, rage, and feelings for Daisy keep us turning pages until early morning. Like one of Gatsby’s cursed parties, this book was one I wanted to never end. Read more

Rise to the Sun

By: Leah Johnson
Narrated by: Lexi Underwood & Alaska Jackson
Length: 7 hours 33 minutes

From the author of You Should See Me in a Crown, Leah Johnson delivers a stunning novel about being brave enough to be true to yourself, and learning to find joy even when times are unimaginably dark.Olivia is an expert at falling in love . . . and at being dumped. But after the fallout from her last breakup has left her an outcast at school and... Read more

If the Shoe Fits

A Meant to be Novel

Meant to Be

By: Julie Murphy
Narrated by: Jen Ponton
Length: 9 hours 51 minutes

“A modern Cinderella retelling that isn't just another Cinderella story. With the Bachelor-esque reality show setting, this audiobook is perfect for fans of One to Watch and its body positivity message. Read more

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu

By: Tom Lin
Narrated by: Feodor Chin
Length: 9 hours 37 minutes

“Tom Lin is a fresh new voice. His novel The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu combines the grit of Cormac McCarthy with the storytelling chops of Larry McMurtry. A mysterious adventure set against the backdrop of the Central Pacific Railroad with a cast of memorable characters including a Chinese outlaw I won't soon forget. . Read more

Pop Song

Adventures in Art & Intimacy

By: Larissa Pham
Narrated by: Cindy Kay
Length: 7 hours 30 minutes

“Pop Song is an engaging blend of art criticism, memoir, and travelogue with the raw and confessional style of the microblogging generation. Larissa Pham’s prose bounces seamlessly and dexterously from looking outward to inward and back with equal attention, passion, and insight. Read more

Clark and Division

Japantown Mysteries: Book #1

By: Naomi Hirahara
Narrated by: Allison Hiroto
Length: 8 hours 56 minutes

“Clark and Division is a propulsive mystery and a heart-wrenching examination of Japanese internment and relocation in the 1940s. Hirahara beautifully weaves history and injustice into this fascinating and compelling crime novel. Read more

The Tangleroot Palace

By: Marjorie Liu
Narrated by: Catherine Ho
Length: 9 hours 25 minutes

“These small bites of fantasy and dark magic and even more dangerous characters are the best. Whether you devour it all at once or take those small bites and relish each short story, you will thoroughly enjoy this short story collection. Read more

Aftershocks

By: Nadia Owusu
Narrated by: Nadia Owusu
Length: 8 hours 32 minutes

In the tradition of The Glass Castle, this “gorgeous” (The New York Times, Editors’ Choice) and deeply felt memoir from Whiting Award winner Nadia Owusu tells the “incredible story” (Malala Yousafzai) about the push and pull of belonging, the seismic emotional toll of family secrets, and the heart it takes to pull through.

“In Aftershocks, Nadia... Read more

The Forest of Vanishing Stars

A Novel

By: Kristin Harmel
Narrated by: Madeleine Maby & Kristin Harmel
Length: 11 hours 21 minutes

“A little girl is kidnapped from her parents and raised in the wilderness. As a young woman, she uses her skills to help Jewish refugees survive in the forests of Poland. From the first page, I didn't want to put the book down. Read more