Megan's Recs

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

A Novel

The Carls: Book #1

By: Hank Green
Narrated by: Kristen Sieh & Hank Green
Length: 9 hours 24 minutes

“This book is so much fun. When April May stumbles across the first ‘Carl,’ she initially thinks it’s an art installation. It turns out these giant statues turned up overnight in major cities around the globe. Due to the viral video she made with her friend Andy, April May finds herself in the middle of a worldwide conversation and trying to... Read more

Katabasis

A Novel

By: R. F. Kuang
Length: TBA

“This reader will follow R.F. Kuang anywhere, even to Hell and (hopefully) back, hot on the heels of two rival Cambridge students who must bring their advisor back from the dead to graduate. Katabasis is the ultimate dark academia fantasy about the denial of the flesh, hellish demands, and deals with the devil it can take to ascend the ivory... Read more

Half a Soul

By: Olivia Atwater
Narrated by: Madeleine Leslay
Length: 9 hours 48 minutes

“A lady left with only half a soul by the High Fae meets a grumpy sorcerer with a heart of gold in this utterly charming and delightfully unexpected Regency-era fairy tale. Sorcery, social justice, slowburn romance, found family, and an encouraging message about what makes life worth living in an unjust society makes this highly recommended for... Read more

How to Tell a Story

The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth

By: The Moth, Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jenifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness & Kate Tellers
Narrated by: Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jenifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness, Suzanne Rust, Chloe Salmon & Kate Tellers
Length: 10 hours 8 minutes

“Do you have a story to tell? For over 25 years, The Moth has been bringing masterful storytellers to stages and radios across the country, and in this book they finally put their process of sourcing, shaping, and performing stories onto the page for all. How to Tell a Story reminded me why I believe in the power of stories to change the world,... Read more

The Cruel Prince

The Folk of the Air: Book #1

By: Holly Black
Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly
Length: 12 hours 36 minutes

“If you love sharp-fanged Fairylands, twisted court politics, enemies-to-lovers, and a heroine as hard-nosed, badass, and morally gray as she is secretly loyal and true-hearted, you’ll love the Folk of the Air series! I particularly relished how this trilogy reflects on and interweaves childhood trauma, romantic relationships, and power dynamics,... Read more

Northanger Abbey

By: Jane Austen
Narrated by: Emma Naomi
Length: 9 hours 47 minutes

“'The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid' - a direct quote from your new classic lit crush! Northanger Abbey is a clever, comical, and loving send-up of the gothic novel, starring an inexperienced, book-loving heroine who always thinks she’s about to be thrown into the plot of her... Read more

Over My Dead Body

Unearthing the Hidden History of American Cemeteries

By: Greg Melville
Narrated by: Will Tulin
Length: 8 hours 41 minutes

“American cemeteries have inspired landscape architecture, poets like Emerson, Whitman, Dickinson, and famous parks like Disneyland. They’re also potent political tools and symbols, from Arlington National Cemetery to the separate African American Graveyard at Monticello. The strange, surprising story of the American cemetery comes alive in this... Read more

Emergent Strategy

Emergent Strategy: Book #0

By: adrienne maree brown
Narrated by: adrienne maree brown
Length: 8 hours 24 minutes

“A new way to move forward in societal and personal transformation, inspired by the science-fiction of Octavia Butler, in Emergent Strategy, adrienne maree brown invites us to shape the future we want to see through accepting and influencing the natural state of flux of the world around us and inside us. This book feels like an ongoing... Read more

On Tyranny

Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

By: Timothy Snyder
Narrated by: Timothy Snyder
Length: 1 hour 47 minutes

“On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder is a concise yet powerful exploration of the lessons history teaches us about the nature of tyranny and the fragility of democracy. Drawing from historical examples, particularly from Europe during the 20th century, Snyder outlines twenty practical lessons aimed at helping... Read more

Someone You Can Build a Nest In

By: John Wiswell
Narrated by: Carmen Rose
Length: 9 hours 36 minutes

“This book is a strange, gruesome, heartwarming, and tender fantasy that can both make you squirm and pull at your heartstrings. It’s just filled with so much love and demented whimsy you can’t help but laugh. Read more

Gory Details

By: Erika Engelhaupt
Narrated by: Mari Weiss
Length: 8 hours 33 minutes

“Gross, shocking, and full of science, this collection of snack-size essays on macabre subjects is a blast to read! From the studies behind pee in pools to pets eating their owners to psychopaths and plenty more, there’s something for every curious mind and strong stomach here. One of my favorites is about an heiress who used her fortune to... Read more

The Grace of Wild Things

By: Heather Fawcett
Narrated by: Aven Shore
Length: 8 hours 28 minutes

“A middle grade fantasy from the author of one of my favorite adult fantasy series, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries! This witchy retelling of Anne of Green Gables is utterly charming and stars Grace, an orphan who must complete a grimoire full of spells to become the witch of the wood’s apprentice…or lose her magic. I loved the culturally... Read more

The Teller of Small Fortunes

By: Julie Leong
Narrated by: Phyllis Ho
Length: 9 hours 57 minutes

“A soothing tale of found family, magical quests, and mended hearts. Reading this feels like a warm cup of tea and a cozy blanket! If you loved 'Legends & Lattes,' The Spellshop', or are curious about cozy fantasies, read this book! Read more

The Serviceberry

By: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Length: 1 hour 56 minutes

“Can a book be cozy, loving, encouraging, compassionate AND a threat to the brutal and cutthroat consumer capitalism of our era? I present to you Robin Wall Kimmerer’s first book since her surprise mega bestselling sleeper hit Braiding Sweetgrass. The Serviceberry is a bushy, under appreciated fruit tree native to Eastern North America that... Read more

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

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

“A continuation of John Green's podcast of the same name, this audiobook is engaging, intriguing and hard to put down. Read by the author, this book resonated with me on so many levels and left me with food for thought. 5 stars. Read more

Slow Dance

A Novel

By: Rainbow Rowell
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
Length: 11 hours 30 minutes

“This is a sweet second chance romance about two people who had no clue they had even had a first chance. It is a delightful story! Read more

All We Can Save

Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis

By: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine K. Wilkinson
Narrated by: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Katharine K. Wilkinson, Cristela Alonzo, Sophia Bush, Kimberly Drew, America Ferrera, Jane Fonda, Ilana Glazer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Janet Mock, Bahni Turpin & Alfre Woodard
Length: 15 hours 5 minutes

“I wasn’t expecting this collection of essays and poetry from women on the frontlines of the climate movement to be so energizing and symphonic…My favorite contributors were a climate scientist who had to convince her husband that climate change was real, a Black church leader hosting community discussions, a student suffering from climate grief,... Read more

The Modern Fairies

A Novel

By: Clare Pollard
Narrated by: Kathryn Drysdale
Length: 7 hours 56 minutes

“Quietly whimsical, tense, and infused with real historical players and farce, Claire Pollard details the disquieting history of French fairy tales, the Affair of the Poisons, and womanhood during Le Grand Siècle of France. Read more

A Shore Thing

By: Joanna Lowell
Narrated by: Ros Watt
Length: 13 hours 12 minutes

“Macho bicycle jousting, trans joy, a super steamy bathtub scene, seaweed inspections - what a delight! This charming romp of a queer Victorian romance will have you cycling across the British seaside with an enterprising botanist and the rakish artist she needs to illustrate her upcoming lecture. This is what I love to have in a historical... Read more

In the Garden of Beasts

Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

By: Erik Larson
Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
Length: 12 hours 51 minutes

“If you’re concerned about democracy and curious about comparisons to 1930s Germany, this worthwhile read follows America’s first ambassador to Nazi Germany and his family’s response - particularly his daughter, whose dalliances included the Gestapo chief and a Soviet spy - to the rise of Hitler. The result is a revealing, disturbing, and... Read more