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I can never get enough “Pride and Prejudice”
Janeites rejoice! This is the Pride and Prejudice adaptation you didn’t know you needed, but which is definitely set to become your repeat comfort listen. The chemistry between Darcy and Elizabeth—voiced by Harris Dickinson and Marisa Abela—is absolutely off-the-charts in this multicast, immersive dramatization. Also featuring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Bill Nighy, and Glenn Close (as a deliciously superior Lady Catherine de Bourgh), this all-star cast rivals every other adaptation I’ve devoured over the years, not that there isn’t always room for more Lizzies and Darcys in my life! Prepare to be swept away!
The wait is over
After nearly eight years, Dan Brown returns with another thrilling addition to his legendary Robert Langdon series. This time, the professor is in Prague to attend a lecture by noetic scientist Katherine Solomon—a woman he’s also newly dating. The action kicks off quickly with a murder and then a disappearance. From there, the gripping plot spans both continents…and consciousness. Brown’s talent for immediately sucking you into the plot has only strengthened in his near-decade off, and the science explored—along with Brown’s disclaimer at the top of the book that all science and experiments you’ll hear about are real—is chilling. Performed by series narrator Paul Michael, I can safely say The Secret of Secrets was worth the wait.
Addiction, loss, and healing
Elizabeth Gilbert first inspired us to journey toward ourselves in Eat, Pray, Love. In her latest memoir, she takes us down a rockier path toward self-actualization as she contends with the loss of her life partner, Rayya, and their individual struggles with addiction. Gilbert invites us along as she confronts and overcomes the rawest edges of herself: codependency, denial, people pleasing, and the unique pain of building a healthier relationship to love and sex after unimaginable heartbreak. All the Way to the River is a testament to the power of faith, connection, and determination, urging each of us to envision (through tear-soaked eyes) a better future for ourselves no matter the current circumstances.
Explore one of the greatest megalithic mysteries
Following a fictional timeline surrounding the creation of Stonehenge, Circle of Days paints a story of two interconnected characters: Joia, a priestess whose visions predict the birth of the massive stone circle; and Seft, a love-struck flint miner looking for a better life. Master storyteller Ken Follet consistently demonstrates an attention to detail, especially in his in-depth character development. Coupled with Richard Armitage, one of the best narrators in the game, I was transported back to the BCE as these monuments are constructed, as love becomes complicated, and as war begin to rampage across the Great Plain. Circle of Days is truly an unforgettable listen.
Tembi Locke’s next chapter
Whenever I'm asked to name the book that changed my life, my unequivocal answer is always From Scratch. Yes, the Netflix adaptation was fantastic, but for me as a young widow, Tembi Locke's 2019 memoir about grief and healing after her husband's death was a transformative lifeline. So it goes without saying that I'm thrilled Locke is giving us a new chapter in her inspiring story. In Someday, Now, she takes us back to Sicily for an emotional summer adventure before her daughter leaves for college. This audio original is truly immersive, as Locke peppers her warm narration with clips of ambient sounds and conversations she recorded herself on the trip. The result is a comforting and heartwarming listen, where it feels as if you're sitting at the kitchen table in her Italian country house rental, sharing her hard-won wisdom about motherhood, middle age, and new beginnings—over a delicious plate of arancini.
So much more than a job interview
Who knew that a series of phone calls between the current “Minister of Loneliness” and her prospective replacement could be filled with so much witty banter? Performed by Minnie Driver and Billy Crudup, this short listen will leave you enthralled and wanting more. I found myself examining the same big questions these characters explore (maybe I’d make a good Minister of Loneliness?). These two definitely have a vibe going and, at certain moments, I felt like a third wheel. It’s the kind of storytelling that leaves a lot to be imagined on the part of the listener—all we have are these few phone calls. How would you want their lives to converge? Where might it all go on from here? After just one hour and 42 minutes of listening, I’ve spent days contemplating the possibilities.
This story has changed me forever
I went into Alchemised expecting something dark and immersive, but what I got was a story that completely consumed me in the greatest possible way. This is not a light listen. It’s brutal, emotionally relentless, and beautifully written (check trigger warnings, and please be kind to yourself as you listen). Helena Marino is a former Resistance healer now imprisoned in a world ruled by corrupt necromancers and fractured by war. Her memories are missing, and the truth she’s forgotten may be more dangerous than anyone realizes. I had to stop, breathe, and sit with my feelings during some emotionally intense moments before continuing. Saskia Maarleveld’s performance was the icing on top of this already all-consuming debut. And that ending? I clapped while I cried because I couldn’t believe the journey we had just taken.
American grit
On July 21, 2024, President Biden bowed out of the presidential campaign and Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in. She had 107 days to mount a campaign, meet Americans from coast-to-coast, debate, raise money (those fundraising Zooms were epic), and convince voters to elect her on November 5. The morning of the election, I called a colleague and told her how emotional I felt. I couldn’t quite pinpoint if I was overwhelmingly happy that a Black woman was potentially going to call the White House home, or that she got this far. Now, September 23, 2025, will be just as significant for me, since it’s when I will listen to Harris narrate her political memoir. It will undoubtedly lodge somewhere in my psyche forever. How could it not? Kamala Harris has a place in history that will never be erased. No one can take that away. No. One.
Family secrets and long-overdue justice
Old Money draws you into a world of generational wealth, unspoken family codes, and one woman’s story as she dares to confront the past everyone else is trying to forget. When Alice returns to her elite hometown after years away, it’s not just for a casual family visit. She’s back with a purpose—to finally hold the man responsible for her cousin’s death accountable. What starts as a personal mission quickly unravels into something bigger: a reckoning with power, legacy, and the lies that keep people safe. There’s a satisfying sense of justice in Kelsey Miller’s novel, but also a deeper exploration of what justice really looks like when power and privilege get in the way. Whether you’re in it for the dark secrets or just love a good mystery with heart, Old Money delivers.
A mesmerizing memoir and meditation
As the first memoir from Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy, what more do you want? Well-known and celebrated for her prose, narrative structures, and activism, I have no doubt that Mother Mary Comes to Me will be just as moving and inspiring as her novels and other works of nonfiction. I’m so excited to hear firsthand how Roy became the woman—and the writer—that she is today, alongside meditations of motherhood, family, and love. Born out of the complex memories and emotions surrounding her mother’s death and performed by the author herself, this listen is sure to be one of the most emotional and impactful memoirs of the season.
Breaking up is hard to do
These days, it can seem as if polyamory has caught on with surprising alacrity. But when you dig deeper, most people quickly reply: "I could never do that; I'd be too jealous!" Left unsaid is that they probably wouldn't have much sympathy for your split with a lover if you already have a happy marriage, kids, and a great life. Alejandro Varela takes on the nature of queer love and open relationships with sly humor and panache. Part epistolary email breakup novel, part social critique of liberal, bourgeois values, Middle Spoon investigates the messiness of heartbreak in all its contemporary complexity. Most enjoyably, narrator Eddie Lopez had me eye-rolling and chortling along as he descends into obsession, while skewering himself in the process. As Varela writes: We've managed to appropriate the language of oppression and liberation in "rather self-aggrandizing ways that allow for the avoidance of growth and healing." Ouch!
And now for some Bunny business
If you know, you know. Mona Awad’s bonkers novel Bunny—beloved by Margaret Atwood and the zanier corners of BookTok—has achieved cult status since hopping on the scene in 2019. But the new sequel (which is also a prequel) might be an even bigger deal! The Bunnies are back, and they’ve kidnapped their arch-frenemy Sam, the POV in the first book. Now Cupcake, Creepy Doll, Vignette, and the Duchess get to have their say—while holding Sam at axe-point, natch—via another gleefully wicked performance from Sophie Amoss. Amoss and Awad go together like cottontails and carrots: the pairing of Awad’s delightfully deranged characters with Amoss’s transfixing delivery is one for the ages. And with the culture in its Labubumatchadubaichocolate era, We Love You, Bunny’s maximalist mood of creepy-cute weirdness is exactly the amount of extra we need right now.
Greetings from Cape Carnage
Brynne Weaver’s latest is twisted, hilarious, and an incredible start to a new series. Cape Carnage might look like a charming coastal town, but it runs on secrets, murder, and a suspicious tolerance for bloodshed. Harper Starling is Carnage’s grumpiest gardener and fiercest protector, doling out vigilante justice with her trusty wood chipper and her murder birds. When Nolan Rhodes shows up looking for revenge, he thinks Harper is his next target, but their meeting sparks a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers spiral filled with sharp banter, forced proximity, and tension that you could cut with a knife. Narrators Samantha Brentmoor and Robert Hatchet are an absolute dream team—delivering all the funny, all the stabby, and all the spice. And that cliffhanger? It’s going to haunt me until I get book two. I need more Carnage—immediately!
A little book that’s big on laughs
It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s impossible not to love Miriam Margolyes. Whether it's because of her trademark humor and unfiltered style or her accolades in acting and writing, Margolyes has stolen hearts for being the UK's “naughty national treasure” thanks to her fearless, candid, and bold attitude. In her interviews and writing style, there’s an undeniable honesty to her approach that's incredibly endearing. And by offering listeners a behind-the-scenes look into her world—and once again lending her voice to the audiobook—The Little Book of Miriam is sure to be big on laughs and everything else we’ve come to love about her.
An inside perspective on true crime
Even behind bars, incarcerated individuals—who have long turned to books as a resource for entertainment, education, connection, and escape—have caught on to the growing literary appetite for true crime stories. So, when it comes to discussing the evolving ethics of the genre, why shouldn’t they join in on the conversation? After all, many convicted felons can offer a nuanced perspective on what might drive a person to act on violent impulses, argues John J. Lennon. Not only is the incarcerated journalist—who killed a man in 2001—a contributing editor at Esquire, he’s published essays everywhere from Rolling Stone to The Atlantic. Skillfully narrated by Will Damron, Lennon’s first audiobook provides a meaningful opportunity for an unconventional set of storytellers to make their voices heard.
It’s the end of the world…unless she can stop it
Kerry Washington returns as Dr. Virginia Edwards in the second season of this supernatural thriller. Fully immersive, edge-of-your seat action doesn’t let up as you follow Virginia on the run from a culty politician with a cadre of fanatic followers at his beck and call. Luckily, Virginia now has a collection of friends to help her hide as she grapples with the implications of the foretelling that’s put a target upon her and her newborn son, who may be the key to stopping the escalating natural disasters that plague the world. The full cast includes such notables as Giancarlo Esposito, Dulé Hill, Rhenzy Feliz, Guillermo Diaz, Ebony Obsidian, and Yvette Nicole Brown. Blending Bible stories with modern-day conflict, my jaw dropped as the twists and turns kept coming—and then concluded with an explosive ending.
