Birds are chirping. Bees are buzzing. The most sonically invigorating season of the year is officially here, and our ears are primed for the bounty of new listens that comes with it. From perennial favorites to trailblazing new voices, warm up to our most anticipated stories sprouting this spring.
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Bios and Memoirs
Spring is a time of renewal and revival: The chill in the air settles to a temperate breeze as flowers poke up through the earth and hibernating critters stretch their limbs. This season’s bios and memoirs are quite fitting, recounting stories of overcoming the dark, cold, and inhospitable to emerge into something more beautiful than you’d ever imagine. Centering the stories of some truly extraordinary creators—from a death doula shifting viewpoints on a painful inevitability to the four Liverpool natives who changed the face of music and fame forever—these listens are the perfect accompaniment for garden picnics and sidewalk strolls.
In this highly anticipated memoir, acclaimed novelist Salman Rushdie reflects on the shocking, violent attack that left him with fresh perspective on life, art, and survival.
Dame Judi Dench, celebrated for her turns in a myriad of Shakespearean productions, fondly looks back at every role she’s ever played in the Bard’s repertoire.
WNBA center and Olympic medalist Brittney Griner recounts the traumas of an agonizing detainment in Russia and the love and hope that kept her fighting for freedom.
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Comedy
The great thing about the comedy genre is that it isn't just one thing, and this season's releases perfectly exemplify that. There are memoirs, novels, essay collections—even satirical conspiracy theory nonfiction. As long as it's funny, it has a home in comedy.
Actor, comedian, and podcaster Paul Scheer leaves it all on the field in his memoir. Candid stories about childhood trauma and the humor it inspires is the definition of tragedy + time = comedy.
Emmy-nominated writer and podcaster Chelsea Devantez takes listeners through the story of her life while paying homage to all the women who helped her along the way.
The founders of the internet's favorite parody conspiracy theory bring their movement to audio this spring. Get in on “the truth.”
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Fantasy
Cozy fantasy is here to stay, if this season's listens are any indication. Stories that hinge on high personal stakes: love, friendship, lifelong dreams. There's still plenty of action and adventure to be found in these new titles, but today's authors continue to deftly explore the magic in the mundane.
A new listen from Leigh Bardugo and narrator Lauren Fortgang is always cause for celebration. We can't wait to get swept away in this magical historical fantasy set amid the Spanish Golden Age.
In this romantic adventure, a powerful mage and a Queen's guard hatch a plan to accomplish their dream: opening a bookshop/teahouse.
This delightfully macabre debut is told from the perspective of a shapeshifting monster who just wants to be left alone and find a place to lay her eggs—but finds love instead.
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Fiction
From timeless classics brought to new life to character-driven family sagas, love stories, and tales of courage, this season is overflowing with stories that are meant to be heard. Looking for a literary masterpiece? We've got those. Want to be transported to a different time in history? Here's your ticket. Want a story that will either make you laugh out loud or cry yourself to sleep? Whatever mood you'd like to set, there's a story here, just for you.
This almost unbelievably star-studded production manages to both honor and reinvigorate Orwell’s terrifying dystopian classic. One of the best original dramatizations we’ve ever heard.
A novel of a family in crisis, brilliantly performed by Vikas Adam. When one of the Shahs is arrested, each family member must reconsider their perception of themselves as individuals, as community members, and as Americans.
This is the debut we all couldn’t wait to hear! Filled with '90s pop culture references, 888 is a love story that is smart and unusual and oh-so-compulsively listenable.
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History
From the queer history of the Wild West to the Black cultural roots of country music and the untold story of how Roe v. Wade was overturned, this spring is shining a light on history where it hasn’t been before. Featuring a mix of new voices alongside some established favorites (Doris Kearns Goodwin and Erik Larson!), this season’s lineup perfectly encapsulates the incredible breadth of the genre.
Simultaneously a reflection of the final years spent with her late husband and a look back at the history of the 1960s, this is Goodwin’s most personal work to date.
Erik Larson explores the fraught five-month period between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the start of the Civil War—enlightening us on a moment of incomparable consequence in American history.
Hosted by Niecy Nash-Betts, this Audible Original podcast dives into the queer history of the American West—offering a roundup of the LGBTQIA+ folks who continue to shape it.
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Kids
Kids of all ages have lots to celebrate this spring. From famous faces to adult authors crossing over into the genre (Ernest Cline! Isabel Allende!), apocalyptic battles, animal besties, and more, there is a plethora of tales to hit play on. Our littlest listeners will be begging to borrow some headphones!
Newbery Award-winning author Katherine Applegate delivers the conclusion to her beloved One and Only Ivan series with one last adventure for everyone’s favorite gorilla.
Twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway returns in this comedy-infused, apocalyptic middle grade series. When everyone in town disappears, will Eddie and his friends continue their beach bash or pause to save the world?
Ernest Cline (Ready Player One) shines in his kids debut about an unexpected friendship between a young girl and a music-loving colony of bats, performed by actress Felicia Day.
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Mysteries and Thrillers
Have another kind of spring fling by chilling with something chilling this season. The twists and turns in these mysteries could make daffodils cringe with fear. But the good news is that with spring comes sunshine, so all is not lost as you embark on a journey into the darkness, surprise, and shock that great stories deliver.
A summer job for an Olympic hopeful goes south when she's abducted. She has a sharp mind and athletic prowess, but how will she unleash her powers in an off-the-grid cabin that's way out of the way? This heart-racing psychological thriller rises to Olympian heights.
Mary Kubica strikes again. At the center of this thriller is a hardworking ICU nurse and single mother, Meghan Michaels. When a witness comes forward with shocking details about her latest patient, a young woman who jumped from a bridge, Meghan becomes attached to a case like never before.
Two lawyers, one a white man who never was involved in race issues, another a Black woman who's all about fighting for justice, come together to defend a Black man charged with the murder of an elderly, wealthy couple. They are unlikely partners but share the determination to ensure justice is served.
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Nonfiction
From literary heavyweights (Kurzweil! Lamott! Tan! Rushdie!) and nonfiction stars (Junger! Montell! Questlove!) to captivating voices on everything from online dating fraud to underwater acoustics, spring is blooming with true stories that demand to be heard.
Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize in Nonfiction, journalist Madhumita Murgia’s sobering account of how algorithms change us is an essential step forward in AI discourse.
One of contemporary nonfiction’s leading voices delivers a deeply personal and fascinating account of facing death—and reflects on what might happen after.
Science journalist Amorina Kingdon’s “sonic portrait” of life underwater shatters the myth of a silent ocean to thrilling effect; in audio, it promises to be a revelation.
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Romance
Spring is here and love is in the air! And this season’s crop of romances definitely brings the heat. Perennial favorites, including Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, and Christina Lauren, are back with new love stories, alongside a fresh batch of debut writers delivering major swoon.
April showers bring … a new novel from Emily Henry. For the fifth year in a row, Henry is warming up the season with another heartfelt romance.
Present and future true love collide in this hilarious time-travel rom-com from Cara Bastone, starring Zoë Chao, Noah Reid, and a full cast.
Carley Fortune writes a vacation romance like no other. This time she transports us to Prince Edward Island with an emotional love story.
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Sci-Fi
This season's sci-fi doesn't shy away from hot-button topics like AI, while remaining grounded in the what if-isms of humanity. And though we have a separate fantasy category, many titles here could fit in either: a welcome marriage of ideas from the two categories known for breaking boundaries.
Robin Sloan returns to the Penumbraverse by way of a time-jump 11,000 years into the future and an ancient AI artifact: Count us in.
Adrian Tchaikovsky's (Children of Time) spin on the runaway robot trope is billed as Murderbot meets Redshirts (yes, please!). A delightful bonus: He narrates himself.
This imaginative debut combines romance, time travel, and elements of a thriller into one compulsive, humorous, and thought-provoking tale.
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Well-Being
This season of growth and renewal is the perfect time to focus on your well-being. Refresh your relationship to finances, take a moment to repeat an affirmation, and strengthen your physical, mental, and spiritual selves with these exciting new listens for self-discovery.
The multihyphenate performer shares his motivational message about believing in yourself in his latest memoir inspired by advice from his mom.
The experts from The Financial Diet provide a how-to live with money—not for money—in a refreshing personal finance guide that threatens the existence of the "girlboss."
Leading expert in social health Kasley Killam, MPH, explores how connection is key to our long-term happiness and overall well-being in this groundbreaking listen on the impact of meaningful relationships.
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YA
This season, old trends are getting a new spin in the world of Young Adult. There's always going to be first love, but how about first love over an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game)? There will always be magical schools, but finally, this spring is bringing a magical HBCU (historically Black college and university). And maybe we're a bit fed up with the missing girls trend, and instead we're leaning into mysteriously reappearing girls.
This debut fantasy about one boy's discovery of his magical powers leads to him uncovering the mystery of his past, which includes his missing mother and the magical HBCU she attended.
The conclusion to the Legacy of Orïsha series has arrived, and it's narrated by Cynthia Erivo, award-winning actor and singer. Get ready to hear the final chapter in this propulsive fantasy series that rocked the industry.
This multicast Native American mystery about four girls who become the main suspects in the murder of their friend is one we can't wait to get in our Libraries.
