Save this list and find it anytime by adding it to your Library Collections.
Longing, vengeance, and so much more
As evidenced by the perennial success of Wuthering Heights (we can only assume the newest movie adaptation will not be the last), and our endless fascination with Heathcliff, yearning and revenge are more than enough to fill up a character. But Emily Brontë left a mysterious three-year gap in his history that the original text doesn’t account for. Where did he go and what did he do? All we know is that he came back rich and ruthless. In this breathtaking multicast dramatization featuring Daryl McCormack as the titular hero, author Gracie Oddie-James rounds out this era of Heathcliff's journey, imagining how a mixed-race man would have navigated 18th-century London. Perhaps he found love (Rhoda is voiced by Oddie-James), acceptance, even a glimmer of peace, though, as all Brontë fans know, he continued to be haunted by the ever-present apparition of Catherine. Just as Wide Sargasso Sea added a new dimension to Jane Eyre, this immersive listen shows us Heathcliff in an entirely new light.
You’re about to be very conscious of consciousness
I’ve listened to quite a few books about consciousness—my taste leans trippy, yes, but also there are more and more titles coming out on the topic. Now, consciousness hits the big time as bestselling author Michael Pollan weighs in. A logical and lively follow-up to How to Change Your Mind, A World Appears explains to a lay audience what makes the “hard problem” of consciousness so hard—and so fascinating. In conversations with neuroscientists, biologists, a Zen priest, the author of a renowned stream-of-consciousness novel, and more, Pollan journeys into one of the universe’s greatest mysteries with energy and eloquence. His expert narration makes this a must-listen: To expand your mind, just open your ears.
The bonds that make us Kin
I can't believe it's been eight years since the release of An American Marriage, which remains one of my favorite listening experiences. It's a powerful novel about a young marriage undone by injustice when the husband is wrongfully convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison. I know Tayari Jones’s new novel will also pack an emotional punch. In Kin, Jones explores female friendship, chosen family, and Black Southern womanhood through the lives of two motherless daughters whose paths diverge dramatically from their Louisiana roots. One finds sisterhood at Spelman; the other embarks on a perilous journey of self-discovery. Told in alternating perspectives by narrators Angel Pean and Ashley J. Hobbs, this promises to be a listen worth clearing my calendar for.
How many unreliable narrators does it take to find the truth?
This brilliantly structured debut tells the story of the Sharaf family, Afghan immigrants who have achieved the American dream in suburban Virginia. This is not a traditional narrative; rather, the story unwinds through statements from community members, journalists, teachers, and attorneys, all looking back at events that led to a shocking occurrence. The inciting incident isn’t revealed until halfway through, but you're completely hooked trying to piece together the truth from the beginning. Main characters only exist through others' observations, making them constantly shift in your mind—a puzzle made all the more immersive by the 15-narrator cast. Good People is a haunting exploration of family, perspective, and how truth depends entirely on who's telling the story.
Age ain't nothin' but a number, big or small!
Kenya Barris proves once again he makes comedies for all ages, including “big ages.” His latest listen, following retired couple Dot and Butch's new life at their Florida retirement home, tickled me from start to finish. As someone who grew up watching the legendary comedic talents of both Cedric the Entertainer (Butch) and Jenifer Lewis (Dot), I jumped on this listen. Safe to say, I wasn't let down in the least, especially with the razzle-dazzle Niecy Nash-Betts adds to the cast. The combination of such iconic voices and Barris's undeniable ability to make hilarious comedies in any format hooked me from the beginning. The hijinks, like catastrophic meetings with new neighbors and new types of party invitations (hint: you put your key in the bowl), will keep your stomach hurting.
How to have a meaningful life
Bestselling author Daniel Coyle has written two books on why businesses thrive, The Talent Code and The Culture Code. In Flourish, Coyle zeroes in on a different measure of success: personal fulfillment. And more specifically, how can communities foster it? By looking at specific successful examples, such as how tight-knit neighborhoods form and what makes members of triumphant sports teams thrive, Coyle illustrates the connections, conditions, and communication woven into these meaningful collaborations. If you’re looking for more than metrics to determine if you’ve “made it,” this one is for you.
A romantically thrilling ride
It Happened One Heist is the kind of adventure I can’t get enough of. Museum curator Amara Grant has big plans to return artifacts to Haiti, so when she discovers the priceless bracelets on display are fake and gets fired for it, her entire life changes overnight. What follows is a globe-trotting treasure hunt packed with riddles, secret societies, and black-market antiquities, with stops in Los Angeles, London, Scotland, and Paris. The chemistry between Amara and her bodyguard, Dante, is immediate, and their close-proximity adventure only intensifies their connection. Aside from the romance, I adored the theme of reclaiming what belongs back home. Performed by a full cast led by Amber Riley and Anthony Rey Perez, this book occupied my thoughts every moment, and left me ready for more adventures with Amara and Dante.
The result of 8 years of world-building
I had the privilege of interviewing debut author Petra Lord about her novel Queen of Faces, and given the layered, intricate world that envelops this twisty, dark-academia fantasy, it was no surprise to learn she's been working on the world-building since 2017. The detail involved is that of a seasoned author, and the intersection of gender and identity and how the magic system can bind or fracture the two feels wholly original despite its cyberpunk origins. Queen of Faces shuns a chosen-one narrative; instead, we see our heroine Ana capitalize on rejection, and it is this relatable human experience that ultimately lays the groundwork for the series. Performed by Dylan Reilly Fitzpatrick, E.A. Castillo, and Nicky Endres, Queen of Faces is poised to take you on a transformative, albeit morally gray, journey.
Wendy Walker writes her most personal work yet
Wendy Walker takes us into the brutal world of elite figure skating, where young athletes are pushed to their limits, far from home and family. Ana Robbins gave up her Olympic dreams at 16 after tragedy struck, and now, years later, she's back at "The Palace" as a lawyer defending a young skater accused of murdering their coach. The whole setup gave me chills—a blizzard trapping everyone inside, secrets buried in ice, and Ana forced to confront the trauma she left behind. Walker was a competitive skater and attorney herself, and you can feel that authenticity throughout the story. Blade is her most personal work yet, and it's a must-listen.
A simple and profound portrait of American life
Allegra Goodman was already a household name by the time I became an overnight fan, reading her 2023 novel Sam in just two days. That book is all about growing up. Goodman’s latest release, This Is Not About Us, tackles the other side of the coin: growing old. Family dynamics spanning three generations of the Rubinstein family unfold with occasional humor and a lot of heart (read: tears) after the death of a beloved sister. Told in a series of interconnected stories, this is a novel driven by its characters, which is something I appreciate deeply. Because it’s not always about what happens, but rather how we react to it, and how meaningful each ordinary day and each simple interaction truly is, because, really, what else is there?
A devilishly good debut
It feels like we’re in the midst of a queer horror renaissance, and He’s the Devil is the perfect addition to that canon. Blending camp, gore, lust, and a flat-sharing scenario that’s straight out of hell, it’s queer horror at its finest. Beautifully brought to life in audio by English actor Omari Douglas (best known as Roscoe on It’s a Sin), He's the Devil is propulsive, funny, and genuinely touching beneath its gore. As a debut from Tobi Coventry, a literary scout for book-to-screen adaptations, we’re left with a cinematic tale from a bold new voice.
Maria Morillo delivers a standout debut novel set in Venezuela that reads like a romantic comedy with full telenovela-level drama. Marianto, whose life was perfectly planned, is forced into a messy reset, and decides to turn the fallout into a high-stakes dating experiment meant to win her ex back. Enter Simón Arreaza, lead singer of her favorite indie band, new boss, and unexpected co-conspirator who pushes her plan (and her heart) in a completely new direction. As Marianto falls for Simón, she starts choosing herself, and that shift ripples through everything else. Sofia Palmero’s performance was perfection, leaving me ready to hear more from Morillo.
Sadeqa Johnson delivers another historical fiction masterpiece
Within the first five minutes of listening to Keeper of Lost Children, I knew it was going to destroy me (in the best way). Sadeqa Johnson, author of Yellow Wife and The House of Eve, is known for her remarkable historical fiction, and she's at it again with this hopeful story featuring three interconnected characters across multiple timelines. Ethel is living in post-WWII Germany when she stumbles across an orphanage housing mixed-race children. As her story unfolds, we meet Ozzie, a Black American soldier who falls in love with a German woman, and Sophia, an American teenager searching for her true identity. The way these three characters connect is magical, and they're brilliantly voiced by narrators Karen Chilton, Adam Lazarre-White, and Ariel Blake. Listen to my interview with Sadeqa, where she talks about the real-life inspiration for this incredible story.
Modern dating really is dead
From the new film adaptation of Wuthering Heights to Ryan Murphy’s Netflix reimagining of Ed Gein’s killing spree, necrophilia seems to be trendier than ever these days—and if the very thought makes you uncomfortable, imagine how Tom feels. Told through the lens of a venture capital superstar whose company is funding a dating app that encourages singles to embrace the dead as a reasonable alternative to a grim dating pool, this debut thrives at the intersection of corporate satire (which was very trendy in 2025) and an absurdist modern dating story (the most cathartic micro-genre for any listeners in their single era). After digging in to an advanced reader copy, I knew right away that the matter-of-fact, macabre humor at the heart of this novel would come to life in audio, and narrators Marie Hawkins and Eric Burgher don’t disappoint.
A vital story that deserves to be a classic
My favorite fiction combines personal narratives with historical details, because I like to learn something when committing to a novel. That's why Cristina Rivera Garza's blend of autofiction, archival research, and ecological history feels like such an epiphany. Centered on a 1934 strike, the story takes place in Estación Camarón, a small farming town in Tamaulipas, Mexico, at a pivotal moment where labor activism and literary history collide. Christina MacSweeney's sensitive translation of the Spanish text provides lyrical beauty, and Kim Ramirez's tender narration transported me to a time and place with which I have little personal connection but am now fascinated by. Autobiography of Cotton should be taught in schools alongside such classics as The Grapes of Wrath. It redefines the Mexico-US border narrative (and our continent's history) in a way I haven't experienced until now.
A stunning portrait of a complicated friendship
I’ve been reading Reena Shah’s phenomenal short stories for years and have been eagerly awaiting her first novel. Every Happiness follows the lives of Deepa and Ruchi, two friends whose entangled desires and resentments span decades across India and America. The story unfolds in quiet moments and freighted gestures as Deepa and Ruchi navigate migration, marriage, and motherhood. They and their families face the pitfalls of the American dream, but their deeper struggle is in bearing the heartbreak of being a mystery even to yourself. Shah creates complex characters through incisive, elegant prose steeped in the specificity of the Indian American experience and the universal human desire for love, belonging, and self-actualization.
And now, back to this series...
B.K. Borison bringing us back into the Heartstrings world is already a gift, but the setup of And Now, Back to You makes it shoot straight to the top of my most-anticipated list. Two meteorologists who cannot be in the same room together without something going sideways are forced to team up—and what ensues is perfect chaos. Jackson with his careful, structured calm; Delilah with her bright, irresistible energy—and a snowstorm big enough to push them past their long-running stalemate. I loved this story on the page. The tension, the banter, the warmth of it all is exactly why I cannot wait to hear how it comes together in audio.
The price to pay isn't pretty...
Nowhere is somewhere for Riley and Oliver, the protagonists of Catriona Ward's Nowhere Burning, an intense retelling of two of my favorite classic tales as a child, Peter Pan and Lord of the Flies. Big sister Riley and young Oliver, on the run from their abusive uncle and seeking sanctuary with a self-governing group of fellow runaways, are about to learn that the cost of safety may put them in more danger than ever before. Ward's knack for crafting stories that delve into chilling themes has had my attention since I read The Last House on Needless Street. Combined with the dual narrative performance by Christopher Ragland and Katherine Fenton, the story leaves a lasting impression about the dangers that lurk even when we think we're safe.
