ECB Staff Faves 2018

The Poet X

By: Elizabeth Acevedo
Narrated by: Elizabeth Acevedo
Length: 3 hours 30 minutes

“The Poet X is written and narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo. It is a novel made up of poems by a teenager, Xiomara Batista, growing up in Harlem. Acevedo's narration is wonderful and brings the story to life. Xiomara's dad is MIA even though he lives at home; her mother is extremely religious and pushes her faith onto her daughter; her twin brother... Read more

Always Forever Maybe

By: Anica Mrose Rissi
Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
Length: 6 hours 14 minutes

A powerful YA debut, told with astonishing insight and wit, about the depths and boundaries of true friendship and obsessive teenage love—perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, E. Lockhart, and Sara Zarr.When Betts meets Aiden at the candy store where she works, their connection is like a sugar rush to the heart. Betts already knows the two of them... Read more

Monday's Not Coming

By: Tiffany D. Jackson
Narrated by: Imani Parks
Length: 10 hours 6 minutes

“My heart ached as the teenaged protagonist Claudia struggled to make sense of why her best friend Monday is simply gone. As Claudia reaches out to peers and adults again and again, you can feel her frustration with things out of her control. The actor on the audio book was a perfect choice to narrate. The book serves as an important reminder... Read more

Pride

A Pride & Prejudice Remix

By: Ibi Zoboi
Narrated by: Elizabeth Acevedo
Length: 6 hours 7 minutes

“Elizabeth Acevedo was the perfect choice for the reader of this sensational retelling of Pride & Prejudice. Zuri Benitez absolutely comes to life through her performance. Zoboi's Pride is a fresh yet faithful adaptation of the timeless classic, sure to speak to fans of Austen's original book and introduce a whole new generation to the wit... Read more

French Exit

A Novel

By: Patrick deWitt
Narrated by: Lorna Raver
Length: 6 hours 53 minutes

“Quirky, wry, darkly witty, strange, and absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious, Patrick deWitt’s French Exit is the perfect remedy for those seeking a respite from the plethora of WWII historical fiction and genre thrillers out there. In deWitt’s depiction of dysfunctional families at their absolute oddest, Malcom Price, his doting mother, Frances,... Read more

The Largesse of the Sea Maiden

Stories

By: Denis Johnson
Narrated by: Nick Offerman, Michael Shannon, Dermot Mulroney & Will Patton
Length: 5 hours 16 minutes

“Denis Johnson is one of those writers whose work you read, no matter the topic or reviews. Even in his strangest stories, he manages to conjure just the right turns of phrase to put the reader within his wacky world. I was so excited to get my hands on his posthumously published collection of short stories, which reminds me of his breakout... Read more

The Immortalists

By: Chloe Benjamin
Narrated by: Maggie Hoffman
Length: 11 hours 29 minutes

“The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin is a unique story investigating fate and destiny. Four siblings visit a fortune teller whose talent is predicting the date of death for her clients. Does this knowledge at an impressionable age inform life decisions that render the prediction true or is it a hoax? You will get to know these siblings very well... Read more

Educated

A Memoir

By: Tara Westover
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 12 hours 9 minutes

“How a young woman, raised without modern medicine, any schooling, or even a birth certificate, in a remote Mormon, survivalist household in Idaho, made it to college and ended up receiving a PhD from Cambridge is the incredible story of this memoir. Outstanding! This true story is a beautifully written and narrated, soulful, hilarious,... Read more

The Line Becomes a River

Dispatches from the Border

By: Francisco Cantú
Narrated by: Francisco Cantú
Length: 6 hours 29 minutes

“Cantu personalizes the U.S.-Mexican border and all of its complexity in a way I've never seen. His writing is beautiful, with haunting and detailed descriptions of the desert, the immigrants, the cartels, and his own fears about violence and identity confusion. The criminalization of searching for a better life and the dehumanization of the... Read more

The Basque Dragon

The Unicorn Rescue Society: Book #2

By: Adam Gidwitz & Jesse Casey
Narrated by: January LaVoy & Adam Gidwitz
Length: 2 hours 52 minutes

The Unicorn Rescue Society is back!

Across the vast, blue ocean, in the mountains of the Basque Country, a fearsome creature has gone missing. And the Unicorn Rescue Society are the only ones who can save it.
 
Elliot and Uchenna—and Jersey!—have barely recovered from their first adventure with Professor Fauna when he approaches them with an... Read more

Florida

By: Lauren Groff
Narrated by: Lauren Groff
Length: 7 hours 59 minutes

“This collection of short stories take place in Florida, but this is no Disney World! Dog snatching alligators, hurricanes and lurking panthers-just a few of the dangers in this well crafted book. I especially enjoyed "At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners" Read more

If You Come Softly

Twentieth Anniversary Edition

By: Jacqueline Woodson
Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Guy Lockard & Jacqueline Woodson
Length: 3 hours 42 minutes

“Told in two voices, this is a teen love story filled with quiet innocence, careful wording, and strong questions. When a young Black boy and Jewish girl meet at school, emotions blossom and these star-crossed lovers will show the world that more comes from love than hate. This beautiful cover matches the narration in tone, timeless. Read more

Sadie

A Novel

By: Courtney Summers
Narrated by: Dan Bittner, Fred Berman, Gabra Zackman & Rebecca Soler
Length: 7 hours 57 minutes

“A book set up like a podcast? Intriguing. The audiobook set up like a podcast with more than 30 voices? MASTERFUL! Next time you're looking for a true-crime podcast series, look no further than Sadie for all of your true-crime intrigue. Equal parts thrilling and heartrending, this story will stay with you long after you're done listening. Read more

Children of Blood and Bone

Legacy of Orisha: Book #1

By: Tomi Adeyemi
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Length: 17 hours 44 minutes

“Children of Blood & Bone, is a story told in a world where magic no longer exists. Years ago, this was not the case. Once, magic and the Gods were celebrated. Now, Diviners (those with Maji blood, but no magic) are treated poorly, and all the Maji have been killed. One of those including our main protagonist, Zélie’s, mother. Determined to... Read more

Vengeful

Villains: Book #2

By: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
Length: 12 hours 57 minutes

A super-powered collision of extraordinary minds and vengeful intentions—#1 New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab returns with the thrilling follow-up to Vicious.

Magneto and Professor X. Superman and Lex Luthor. Victor Vale and Eli Ever. Sydney and Serena Clarke. Great partnerships, now soured on the vine.

But Marcella Riggins needs no... Read more

Calypso

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 6 hours 38 minutes

“David Sedaris’s storytelling capabilities are only strengthened through the audiobook, in which the author himself leads us through his gut-busting tale of his vacations in beach homes. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and then you’ll listen to the audiobook forty times over again. Read more

Circe

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
Length: 12 hours 8 minutes

“Unlike most of my peers, I did not learn about mythology in school. Circe intimidated me for far too long before I finally took the plunge to read it. How glad I am that I faced my fear! Even to my untrained mind, the chronicles of Circe were easy to follow, and with Perdita Weeks’ sublime narration, soon I was engrossed. Ostracized and outcast,... Read more

The Widows of Malabar Hill

Perveen Mistry Mysteries: Book #1

By: Sujata Massey
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Length: 14 hours 34 minutes

“I loved this novel! Sujata Massey is a strong, confident storyteller and this captivating mystery, set in 1920s Bombay, features superb world-building, a riveting plot, and great characters. Perveen Mistry is a richly written protagonist: By turns confident and conflicted, she strives to do the right thing and is more than capable of getting... Read more

Heartland

A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth

By: Sarah Smarsh
Narrated by: Sarah Smarsh
Length: 9 hours 35 minutes

“A classic is born! Sarah Smarsh takes us on a five-generation trek through the hardscrabble life of her Kansas childhood in the ’80s and ’90s. Just as J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy and Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed addressed the uncomfortable topic of poverty in this country, Heartland successfully gives the reader an in-depth look at... Read more

Heavy

An American Memoir

By: Kiese Laymon
Narrated by: Kiese Laymon
Length: 6 hours 17 minutes

“"I wanted to write a lie," Kiese Laymon says in the opening pages of his brutal, beautiful memoir, Heavy. The book is written in the second person, addressed to his mother, with whom Laymon shares a turbulent, intimate relationship. She feeds his mind with books, but critiques the way Laymon feeds his body as he struggles with his weight. She is... Read more