Libro.fm’s Picks: More of the Best Books of the 21st Century

Crying in H Mart

A Memoir

By: Michelle Zauner
Narrated by: Michelle Zauner
Length: 7 hours 22 minutes

“This memoir is an unflinchingly honest portrayal of grief as well as a tender look at the complex relationship between a mother and daughter bridging generational and cultural gaps through the comforting creation of food. This book had me simultaneously sobbing and starving. A perfect read. Read more

Clap When You Land

By: Elizabeth Acevedo
Narrated by: Elizabeth Acevedo & Melania-Luisa Marte
Length: 5 hours 32 minutes

“This gorgeous book is written in verse following the stories of Camina and Yahaira after a plane traveling between NYC and DR crashes, killing their fathers. ⁣The poetry gives melodic voice to the emotions each girl feels, and the tensions each experience as their respective worlds break open. I was struck by the nuance, the prescience, and the... Read more

I'm Glad My Mom Died

By: Jennette McCurdy
Narrated by: Jennette McCurdy
Length: 6 hours 25 minutes

“This was one of my top listens of 2022. McCurdy is a compelling storyteller with wonderful narration. I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s a darkly funny, heartbreaking story. But ultimately an inspiring one you won’t soon forget. Read more

How to Be an Antiracist

By: Ibram X. Kendi
Narrated by: Ibram X. Kendi
Length: 10 hours 29 minutes

“Among the multi-faceted array of antiracist literature newly published in the last two years, Ibram X. Kendi’s How To Be an Antiracist stands alone as a definitive source of history and socio-political critique, while offering a new paradigm of thought aimed at paving the way for correcting centuries of social injustice. Hearing this visionary... Read more

Braiding Sweetgrass

Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

By: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Length: 16 hours 44 minutes

“Part memoir, part native and scientific knowledge, Braiding Sweetgrass is a wonderful work of non-fiction. There is so much to be learned about gratitude in this book, and Kimmerer's poetic-prose will help you find wonder in the world again. Read by the author, it's one book that can teach a bit of something to everyone. Read more

Thank You For Listening

A Novel

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

“As an avid listener of audiobooks, this was an amazing read. Sewanee, a well-known audiobook narrator is being pushed back into romance against her will. After her accident years before, she became a popular romance audiobook narrator under a pseudonym, a name she has since retired, and now narrates non-fiction under her real name. But the... Read more

Act Your Age, Eve Brown

A Novel

The Brown Sisters: Book #3

By: Talia Hibbert
Narrated by: Ione Butler
Length: 10 hours 51 minutes

“Talia Hibbert writes fantastic steamy romance novels. Her characters have depth, and I always become so invested in their stories. Eve Brown is a loveable, chaotic mess. She flees to the Lake District and ends up working at a Bed and Breakfast. The owner is the exact opposite of Eve - orderly, stern and definitely not a ray of sunshine. Think... Read more

Parable of the Sower

Earthseed: Book #1

By: Octavia E. Butler
Narrated by: Lynne Thigpen
Length: 12 hours 2 minutes

“Heartbreaking, disturbing, inspiring, and powerful, Octavia Butler’s The Parable of the Sower is the OG young adult dystopian lit, written before the genre even came into being. This book will make you stay up all night reading, and it is full of big ideas that will give you tools to face the challenges that face our world and country today and... Read more

In the Dream House

A Memoir

By: Carmen Maria Machado
Narrated by: Carmen Maria Machado
Length: 5 hours 28 minutes

“A masterful look at the complexity of the queer experience. Machado employs a kaleidoscope approach to examine her relationship with an old partner, a woman who verbally, physically and emotionally assaulted her, her own personal experiences that led her to stay “in the dream house” of abuse, and society’s role in the oppression and devaluation... Read more

Mexican Gothic

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Length: 10 hours 39 minutes

“Creepy and romantic, Mexican Gothic is easily one of my favorite books of 2020! Upon receiving a strange letter from her cousin, Noemi Taboada goes to investigate the happenings of High Place, a decaying manor filled with secrets, and is plagued by terrifying dreams and visions. Moreno-Garcia delivers a fresh take on a classic gothic novel that... Read more

How High We Go in the Dark

A Novel

By: Sequoia Nagamatsu
Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Brian Nishii, Keisuke Hoashi, MacLeod Andrews, Jeanne Sakata, Greg Watanabe, Kurt Kanazawa, Matthew Bridges, Kotaro Watanabe, Brianna Ishibashi, Joe Knezevich, Micky Shiloah, Stephanie Komure & Jason Culp
Length: 9 hours 20 minutes

“My *goodness*, this book. Set aside any misgivings you might have about reading a pandemic novel during a pandemic. These gracefully interconnected narratives have their roots in familiar territory, but their branches arc and sprawl beyond the world we know into the far reaches of Sequoia Nagamatsu’s imagination. The result is an immersive,... Read more

James

A Novel

By: Percival Everett
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 7 hours 48 minutes

“Perhaps my favorite audiobook experience...ever. Dominic Hoffman delivers everything Percival Everett's writing skill could possibly ask of a reader. This reworking/reimagining/re-everythinging of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn hit me on new levels as I listened to the ending while driving through Hannibal, MO. I passed Huck's gas station,... Read more

Know My Name

A Memoir

By: Chanel Miller
Narrated by: Chanel Miller
Length: 15 hours 24 minutes

“Wow! Everybody should read this book. A stunning memoir about a devastating subject. It was eye opening, gut wrenching, powerful and brave. Chanel Miller writes with such honesty and vulnerability–I immediately felt that I knew her and she had me walking in her shoes throughout the entire book. I’m still reeling from the roller coaster of... Read more

The Round House

A Novel

By: Louise Erdrich
Narrated by: Gary Farmer
Length: 12 hours 39 minutes

Winner of the National Book Award • Washington Post Best Book of the Year • A New York Times Notable BookFrom one of the most revered novelists of our time, an exquisitely told story of a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family.One Sunday in the... Read more

This Is How You Lose The Time War

By: Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell & Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 4 hours 15 minutes

“Mood readers will love this book. It’s all vibes, with the plot coming in secondary and mattering very little. Symbols upon symbols, time travel and experimentation with writing form. What an experience. Read more

Firekeeper's Daughter

By: Angeline Boulley
Narrated by: Isabella Star LaBlanc
Length: 14 hours 13 minutes

“One of my fave titles of all-time. Mystery, love, Indigenous knowledge - all the things! 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 is the funnest, tenderest, most lovable space romp you’ll ever take. There’s a fun plot but the real reason to read this book is the crew of the Wayfarer. Fair warning: You’ll want to follow them anywhere! With inter-species romance, plenty of pronouns, and space-age wisdom, this book made us feel more tender to our own young species of... Read more

The Song of Achilles

A Novel

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
Length: 11 hours 14 minutes

“A sweeping emotional tale of war, passion, and devastation. You are given insight into a hero's life through the eyes of Patroclus in a way that has never been done before.You may think you know the story of Achilles and Patroclus but I promise you, you don't. Miller is able to ensnare your imagination and capture the human spirit in a way few... Read more

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century

Unabridged Selections

By: Alice Wong
Narrated by: Alejandra Ospina & Alice Wong
Length: 8 hours 1 minute

“Containing dozens of personal stories, this is an absolute must-read for anyone looking to learn about the breadth, diversity, and history of disabled experience(s) from disabled folks themselves. Read more

Normal People

A Novel

By: Sally Rooney
Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
Length: 7 hours 34 minutes

“What a treat to discover Sally Rooney! This novel stands out shining from the current onslaught of mediocre prose and less-than-suspenseful thriller plots. Normal People is the story of a relationship between two high school classmates in a small town in Ireland, and how it changes over time, through their last year of college in Dublin.... Read more