Cynthia's Favorites

Behind You Is the Sea

A Novel

By: Susan Muaddi Darraj
Narrated by: Rasha Zamamiri & Ali Nasser
Length: 6 hours 30 minutes

“Each chapter is like opening a new door. Each of the stories is connected, but you experience them individually. As you go further along in the book, it carries on in the timeline, and you see the characters change and read about what happens to the characters over the years. Being Palestinian and Palestinian-American, each chapter addresses the... Read more

Freshwater

By: Akwaeke Emezi
Narrated by: Akwaeke Emezi
Length: 6 hours 42 minutes

An extraordinary debut novel, Freshwater explores the surreal experience of having a fractured self. It centers around a young Nigerian woman, Ada, who develops separate selves within her as a result of being born "with one foot on the other side." Unsettling, heartwrenching, dark, and powerful, Freshwater is a sharp evocation of a rare way of... Read more

The City of Stardust

By: Georgia Summers
Narrated by: Kitty Parker
Length: 13 hours 6 minutes

“Full of intrigue and mystery, The City of Stardust is a whimsical adult fantasy novel with intricate worldbuilding and beautiful, immersive writing. This book is perfect for the readers who love to get lost in a whole, different world. Read more

The Emperor and the Endless Palace

By: Justinian Huang
Narrated by: Dylan J. Locke, Will Dao & Telly Leung
Length: 9 hours 52 minutes

“A love letter to queer Asian men and the legend of the cut-sleeve Chinese emperor. A steamy examination of hedonism and the cost of pleasure and codependency. Read more

Sharks in the Time of Saviors

By: Kawai Strong Washburn
Narrated by: Tui Asau, G.K. Bowes, Kaleo Griffith & Jolene Kim
Length: 10 hours 37 minutes

“Night Marchers, gods, goddesses, and the dead all walk Hawaii with the Flores family, if only they can stop struggling to survive long enough to see them. At seven years old, Nainoa falls into the Pacific only to be brought back to his mother in the mouth of a shark, unharmed and now burdened with the rumor of legend. Noa struggles to... Read more

Where Sleeping Girls Lie

By: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Narrated by: Natalie Simpson
Length: 16 hours 59 minutes

“This book was so GOOD! A masterfully crafted boarding school mystery where the new girl's roommate goes missing her second day on campus. The new girl is hiding something, but it's not what you think. Everyone thinks the new girl had something to with her roommate's disappearance but the two roommates barely knew each other so how does that make... Read more

Godkiller

By: Hannah Kaner
Narrated by: Kit Griffiths
Length: 12 hours 54 minutes

“Imaginative and rich with worldbuilding, Godkiller follows a small group of unlikely allies on a quest to unearth the truth behind the relationship of a little girl and a tiny god. This first instalment is jam-packed with action and questions about power, and what is right and wrong in a world forged by gods. A fantastic start to an exciting new... Read more

Land of Milk and Honey

A Novel

By: C Pam Zhang
Narrated by: Eunice Wong
Length: 8 hours 3 minutes

“Brimming with seduction and desire, Zhang's sophomore novel offers a unique look at a dystopian climate future. When the world is covered with a smog that wipes out most of the food chain, simple pleasures like strawberries and a blue sky fade into distant memory. As xenophobia strands the main character, a chef, anywhere but her home country,... Read more

The Body in the Back Garden

Crescent Cove Mystery

By: Mark Waddell
Narrated by: Daniel Henning
Length: 7 hours 52 minutes

Crescent Cove, a small hamlet on Vancouver Island, is the last place out-of-work investigative journalist Luke Tremblay ever wanted to see again. He used to spend summers here, until his family learned that he was gay and rejected him. Now, following his aunt's sudden death, he's inherited her entire estate, including her seaside cottage and the... Read more

The Square of Sevens

By: Laura Shepherd-Robinson
Narrated by: Imogen Wilde
Length: 20 hours 14 minutes

USA TODAY BESTSELLER

This “intricately plotted, epic” (The Times, London) international bestseller—in the vein of the vivid novels of Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry—follows an orphaned fortune teller in 18th-century England as she searches for answers about her long-dead mother.

Cornwall, 1730: A young girl known only as Red travels with her father... Read more

Black Sun

Between Earth and Sky: Book #1

By: Rebecca Roanhorse
Narrated by: Cara Gee, Nicole Lewis, Kaipo Schwab & Shaun Taylor-Corbett
Length: 12 hours 46 minutes

“During a time where I was struggling to pick up another book, this book not only revitalized my love of Fantasy. This absolute cluster of lovely chaos has become the start of my current favourite series! Rippling thrills, magical lore and sooo much suspense kept me hooked from chapter to chapter! Read more

Prophet

By: Helen Macdonald & Sin Blaché
Narrated by: Jake Fairbrother, Ryan Forde Iosco & Charlotte Davey
Length: 17 hours

“A refreshing mix of spies, science fiction, paranormal and love! Read more

Bookshops & Bonedust

Legends & Lattes

By: Travis Baldree
Narrated by: Travis Baldree
Length: 8 hours 1 minute

“A cozy fantasy with a save-the-bookstore theme that's absolute catnip (griffit-nip?) for book lovers! It's also a prequel to Legends & Lattes (also recommended!) but stands on its own very well. Viv, the battle-weary orc in Legends & Lattes, is a rash young orc convalescing in the seaside town of Murk. With an open-minded knack for... Read more

To Shape a Dragon's Breath

The First Book of Nampeshiweisit

By: Moniquill Blackgoose
Narrated by: Charley Flyte
Length: 16 hours 52 minutes

“This fantastically imagined alt-historical fantasy is full of fierce and lovable dragons, with a steampunk academia setting, a wise and courageous young indigenous woman at the helm, queer and neurodivergent rep, and so much to say about colonialism, knowledge, story-telling, and resistance! Fans of R. F. Kuang’s Babel and Rachel Hartman’s... Read more