Audiobook roundup Archives

Remarkably Bright Creatures

by Shelby Van Pelt

I added this to my list after several MMD Book Clubbers recommended it; I opted for audio because Marin Ireland is a favorite narrator. The tone and style remind me of J. Ryan Stradal, with a notable addition: the story is told in part by an aging octopus named Marcellus, who muses on the human condition from his tank at the aquarium. Marcellus is not long for this world, but before he goes he is determined to assist in solving two early mysteries pertaining to the humans he's grown fond of. I enjoyed this and it worked well on audio; Michael Urie joins Marin Ireland to narrate.

Portrait of an Unknown Woman

by Daniel Silva

From the publisher: "Legendary spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon has at long last severed ties with Israeli intelligence and settled quietly in Venice, the only place where he has ever truly known peace. His beautiful wife, Chiara, has taken over the day-to-day management of the Tiepolo Restoration Company, and their two young children are discreetly enrolled in a neighborhood scuola elementare. For his part, Gabriel spends his days wandering the streets and canals of the watery city, bidding farewell to the demons of his tragic, violent past. But when the eccentric London art dealer Julian Isherwood asks Gabriel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the rediscovery and lucrative sale of a centuries-old painting, he is drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse where nothing is as it seems."

Becoming Duchess Goldblatt

When I had no idea what to listen to next after finishing my current read, I popped over to our What Should I Read Next Patreon community and asked for recommendations... which led me to this book, which had been halfheartedly lingering on my TBR for a while. I had been under the mistaken impression it was a comedy work, but nope, that was completely wrong. I plunged in, as advised, knowing little but definitely intrigued by the inclusion of Lyle Lovett as a narrator. (All I will say is: he plays himself.) Forgive me if you already know this, but this is a memoir, written by an anonymous author, who explains how and why she came to operate the pseudonymous twitter account @DuchessGoldblat. I LOVED it.

The Violin Conspiracy

by Brendan Slocumb

This fine arts thriller begins with a bang: Ray McMillian may be the most talented young musician in the world. Two weeks before the most important competition of his life, he opens his violin case after getting off a flight and discovers his $10 million dollar Stradivarius is gone—replaced by a white Chuck Taylor and a ransom note. I was hooked! Slocumb then takes us back in time to show us how Ray, a young Black man from North Carolina who doesn't have the family wealth or privilege so many of his classical music peers do, fell in love with both music and his great-great grandfather's fiddle, and came to devote his life to winning the Tschaikovsky Competition—and how he came to own a $10 million Strad! We also experience many painful and heart-pounding instances of the racism Ray experiences as a Black man moving through a space that's predominantly white—and how his Blackness is used against him by those who wish to claim his violin as their own. I loved this, and JD Jackson's narration was the icing on the cake.

The Latecomer

by Jean Hanff Korelitz

This is the decades-long story of a wealthy Brooklyn family and their triplets—the smart one, the weird one, and the girl—conceived with the help of IVF. For a bevy of reasons this family never quite gelled, and the siblings carry not a trace of affection for each other. Everything changes when the triplets reach college age, and their mother, yearning for some semblance of familial love, decides to thaw the fourth and only remaining embryo and have another child. The arrival of that child—the latecomer—blows up the whole family. An unexpected bonus was the thread of modern art that runs through the book: I googled so many artists and works along the way. Whispersync narration available.

No Land to Light On

by Yara Zgheib

This contemporary novel follows one fictional couple, refugees from Syria, who meet and fall in love at school in Boston, and who then get separated under the worst possible circumstances. This is about their struggle to be reunited, which is all but impossible due to the implementation of the very real executive order issues on January 27, 2017. The story unfolds in alternating narratives from each partner's perspective, as well as texts, newspaper clippings, voice mails, and office memos. It's an emotional journey that unfolds over a short span of time yet manages to feel sweeping. I enjoyed this on audio, as narrated by Fajer Al-Kaisi, Ali Andre Ali, and Suehyla El-Attar.

A Woman of Intelligence

by Karin Tanabe

From the publisher: "With the fast-paced twists of a classic spy thriller, and a nuanced depiction of female experience, A Woman of Intelligence shimmers with intrigue and desire."

Stories from the Tenants Downstairs

by Sidik Fofana

From the publisher: "Like Gloria Naylor’s The Women of Brewster Place and Lin Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights, Sidik Fofana’s electrifying collection of eight interconnected stories showcases the strengths, struggles, and hopes of one residential community in a powerful storytelling experience. Each short story follows a tenant in the Banneker Homes, a low-income high rise in Harlem where gentrification weighs on everyone’s mind. There is Swan in apartment 6B, whose excitement about his friend’s release from prison jeopardizes the life he’s been trying to lead. Mimi, in apartment 14D, who hustles to raise the child she had with Swan, waitressing at Roscoe’s and doing hair on the side. And Quanneisha B. Miles, a former gymnast with a good education who wishes she could leave Banneker for good, but can’t seem to escape the building’s gravitational pull. We root for these characters and more as they weave in and out of each other’s lives, endeavoring to escape from their pasts and blaze new paths forward for themselves and the people they love."

Audiobook roundup