What We Loved in 2022: Libro.fm Staff Favorites

Bliss Montage

Stories

By: Ling Ma
Narrated by: Katharine Chin
Length: 6 hours 13 minutes

“I'm not a big fan of short story collections - I inevitably get bored halfway through - but I loved Ling Ma's debut novel Severance, so I gave Bliss Montage a chance. I burned through the whole thing in a single day. Every piece has its merits, but I'm still mulling over the toxic friendship at the center of the story G (not to mention the drug... Read more

Out There

Stories

By: Kate Folk
Narrated by: Sophie Amoss, Hannah Choi, Michael Crouch, Will Damron, Renata Friedman & Kristen Sieh
Length: 7 hours 13 minutes

A thrilling new voice in fiction injects the absurd into the everyday to present a startling vision of modern life, “[as] if Kafka and Camus and Bradbury were penning episodes of Black Mirror” (Chang-Rae Lee, author of My Year Abroad).

“Stories so sharp and ingenious you may cut yourself on them while reading.”—Kelly Link, author of Get In... Read more

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

By: Dawnie Walton
Narrated by: Janina Edwards, Bahni Turpin, James Langton, André De Shields, Dennis Boutsikaris, Steve West, Gabra Zackman & full cast
Length: 13 hours 16 minutes

“The Final Revival of Opal & Nev absolutely shines in its full cast audio production. Organized as a series of interviews interspersed with editor notes, this book reads like a documentary-style non-fiction book but is actually FICTION which blows my mind. I felt like I read this book in its true format. The audiobook narration was SPOT... Read more

The Marriage Portrait: Reese's Book Club

A novel

By: Maggie O'Farrell
Narrated by: Genevieve Gaunt & Maggie O'Farrell
Length: 13 hours 21 minutes

“Lucrezia de'Medici is only 15 when she's married off to the Duke of Ferrara, and barely 16 when she realizes he intends to have her killed. Lucrezia is thrust into a world of honey-covered lies and manipulation, where her husband's sisters vie for her favor, her husband is kind one moment and volatile the next, and everyone waits for her to... Read more

If You See Me, Don't Say Hi

Stories

By: Neel Patel
Narrated by: Neel Patel
Length: 6 hours 39 minutes

“Neel Patel’s debut short story collection is filled with tales of imperfection and longing, of unfulfilled wishes that fight hard against expectations. His flawed characters know what they risk when their actions don’t match the standard script of perfection they’ve been handed, but their need for love and acceptance always prevails, sometimes... Read more

Invisible Child

Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City

By: Andrea Elliott
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
Length: 21 hours 9 minutes

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A “vivid and devastating” (The New York Times) portrait of an indomitable girl—from acclaimed journalist Andrea Elliott

“From its first indelible pages to its rich and startling conclusion, Invisible Child had me, by turns, stricken, inspired, outraged, illuminated, in tears, and hungering for... Read more

Ball Lightning

By: Cixin Liu
Narrated by: Feodor Chin
Length: 12 hours 12 minutes

"Wildly imaginative." —Barack Obama on The Three-Body Problem trilogy

A new standalone military science fiction adventure from the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Three-Body Trilogy.

This program is read by Feodor Chin, voice of Zenyatta in Overwatch.

When Chen’s parents are incinerated before his eyes by a blast of ball... Read more

Now Is Not the Time to Panic

A Novel

By: Kevin Wilson
Narrated by: Ginnifer Goodwin & Kevin Wilson
Length: 6 hours 12 minutes

“A little coming-of-age story plus a crime story equals an unusual novel that follows two bored teenagers who don't really fit in and whose 'project' goes off the rails. Once again, the author has created a reality that is just a little beyond believable, yet captures human emotions so well. Read more

Friday Black

Stories

By: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Narrated by: Corey Allen & Carra Patterson
Length: 7 hours 8 minutes

“If you like Childish Gambino's This is America, you'll love Friday Black. Using fantastical elements and fierce humor, these stories confront the painful absurdities that black men and women contend with every day. You'll see that the truth is what's most disturbing. Read more

Winterkeep

Graceling Realm

By: Kristin Cashore
Narrated by: Xanthe Elbrick
Length: 16 hours 30 minutes

The highly anticipated next book in the New York Times bestselling, award-winning Graceling Realm series, which has sold 1.3 million copies.

For the past five years, Bitterblue has reigned as Queen of Monsea, heroically rebuilding her nation after her father's horrific rule. After learning about the land of Torla in the east, she sends envoys to... Read more

Intimacies

A Novel

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

“A cool and precise portrait of a woman and system on the verge of breaking, this latest literary thriller from Kitamura quietly insinuates itself into readers’ consciousness with subtle and haunting force. Read more

August Kitko and the Mechas from Space

By: Alex White
Narrated by: Hayden Bishop
Length: 12 hours 35 minutes

When an army of giant robot AIs threatens to devastate Earth, a virtuoso pianist becomes humanity's last hope in this bold, lightning-paced, technicolor space opera series from the author of A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe. Jazz pianist Gus Kitko expected to spend his final moments on Earth playing piano at the greatest goodbye party of... Read more

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water

A Novel

By: Angie Cruz
Narrated by: Kimberly M. Wetherell & Rossmery Almonte
Length: 6 hours 16 minutes

“This book is a definite 'must listen.' Write this down- Cara Romero is a character who will hold a special spot in your heart! Her story is heartbreaking, humorous, and ultimately hopeful. Hearing her voice truly makes this story come alive for listeners. Read more

Thank You For Listening

A Novel

By: Julia Whelan
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 11 hours 15 minutes

“Oh this book. I laughed, I cried, I snorted, I told all my friends, I learned how to make A Last Word. What an absolute delight. Julia Whelan is truly incomparable. She takes romance novels, favorite tropes, and - dare I say it!? - HEA's and makes even the grumpiest cynic (me - I was dragged, kicking and screaming, into reading romances) swoon.... Read more

A Burning: A Read with Jenna Pick

A Novel

By: Megha Majumdar
Narrated by: Vikas Adam, Priya Ayyar, Deepti Gupta, Ulka Simone Mohanty, Soneela Nankani & Neil Shah
Length: 7 hours 21 minutes

“Wonderfully read by a full cast, Megha Majumdar’s A Burning is especially relevant in the age of highly-politicized social media and government extremism. Read more

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

By: John Green
Narrated by: John Green
Length: 10 hours 42 minutes

“This delightful collection of essays by John Green is an antidote to the cynicism and negativity we encounter in all varieties of media. Green offers his view of hope for the world and its inhabitants, and I appreciate his heartfelt opinions. 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

“Black Sun is so much more than simply a book, it is an experience. An audiobook I've returned to multiple times. Inspired by pre-Columbian Americas, Black Sun is lush, lived in, and full of political intrigue and magical mystery. When I think about Black Sun, I find myself sighing nostalgically for the time I've spent reading it. Xiala and... Read more

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

A Monk and Robot Book

Monk & Robot: Book #1

By: Becky Chambers
Narrated by: Em Grosland
Length: 4 hours 8 minutes

“Fans of Becky Chambers' writing refer to her style as 'cozy-punk' and I think this description couldn't be more fitting. Encompassing both grit and fluff, A Psalm for the Wild-Built seems to perfectly bridge the gap between the comfort of Young Adult Fiction and the challenging problems tackled in more serious literature. From philosophical... Read more

Before I Let Go

Skyland: Book #1

By: Kennedy Ryan
Narrated by: Wesleigh Siobhan & Jakobi Diem
Length: 13 hours 45 minutes

“Sexy and packed with hurt and forgiveness, Before I Let Go has just made it to my top-tier books! 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

“Zhu’s tooth-and-nail fight for her destiny merges hero and antihero into a transcendent figure with an incomparably strong will. She Who Became the Sun carves out a bold and bloody new genre of epic fantasy. Read more