Editors Select | March 2020

Love Is Not Enough

By: Mark Manson

Narrated by: Mark Manson

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Release date: 03-26-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 3,889 ratings

The subtle art of giving a F*** about your love life

From the man who practically invented the swear-word-laden book title comes a decidedly unbookish release dedicated to helping people make better choices about their love lives. What results feels like an "if they mated" love child of the best relationship advice columns and self dev podcasts. Love is Not Enough comes to life as Manson works through real-life romantic (and not-so-romantic) quandaries with people ranging from a serial-Tinder-dater to a twice-divorced intimacy-phobe to someone in a three-year affair with a man she met at work. I’d be lying if I said that voyeurism wasn’t part of the appeal of this listen—which allows you to be a fly on the wall during these very candid conversations—but sprinkled throughout are Mark’s on-point observations and subtle (!) instructions on how not to f-up your life by making bad decisions about who to pair off with. —Courtney R., Audible Editor
Darling Rose Gold

By: Stephanie Wrobel

Narrated by: Megan Dodds, Jill Winternitz

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Release date: 03-17-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 801 ratings

Mommy dearest?

Mother-daughter relationships rarely get more complicated than that of Patty and Rose Gold Watts. Patty went to prison for spending decades making her daughter ill in a case of Munchausen by proxy, yet Rose Gold, who testified against her mother, picks up Patty upon her release five years later and takes her home. What ensues is a masterclass in manipulation, psychological damage, and pure old vengeance. It’s a fun, wild ride with Megan Dodds and Jill Winternitz as our narrator guides, each embodying these two women and immersing us in this complex thriller. —Abby W., Audible Editor
The City We Became

By: N. K. Jemisin

Narrated by: Robin Miles

Series: The Great Cities, Book 1

Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins

Release date: 03-24-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 3,650 ratings

Don't mess with New York

So many writers and creators have attempted and brilliantly succeeded at the city-as-character trope, and New York has been featured heavily in these stories—but how many writers can say they literally made New York a sentient being? Wait—don’t think about that too much: just start listening and experience how Jemisin drops you into this wonderfully weird, wild new fantasy series as if you were arriving for the first time in this bewildering and amazing city itself. I love her ability to adapt her unique voice to any story she tells, and this one—fast-paced, surreal, a little jaded—felt so quintessentially New York, I swear wore a permanent grin for the first few chapters. I didn’t really need a reason to get hyped about this new series beyond the fact that it existed—but as a born-and-raised New Yorker, Jemisin has written the love letter to my city that my weird little nerdy heart didn’t even know it yearned for. —Sam D., Audible Editor
Writers & Lovers

A Novel

By: Lily King

Narrated by: Stacey Glemboski

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Release date: 03-03-20

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 1,959 ratings

Portrait of an artist as a young woman

Casey Peabody is the central character of this new novel by Lily King. She’s in her early 30s and living the kind of life some would argue should have ended in her 20s—most of her friends have moved on from the "artist’s" life and gotten "real" jobs, while Casey still waitresses, lives alone in what’s basically a potting shed, and has been working on her novel for the past six years. And while Casey is far from happy—she is reeling from her mother’s death and suffers debilitating anxiety—her life is in no way a cautionary tale, or a cliché. Casey is not perfect, or even 100% likable, but I felt intense empathy for her, and there were plenty of times when her musings made me laugh or even cringe a little bit with self recognition. Most strikingly, throughout the whole story she felt real—the result of a well-drawn character and stellar narration. For a story that’s so much about the internal voice of one woman, having the right person narrate is crucial, and Stacey Glemboski’s performance is an example of perfection in casting. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see the world through Casey’s eyes for a time—King has masterfully captured the essence of one young(ish) woman making her way in the real world. —Tricia F., Audible Editor
More to explore: In Conversation, An Interview with Lily King
Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother

Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker

By: Barry Sonnenfeld

Narrated by: Barry Sonnenfeld

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Release date: 03-10-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 526 ratings

From french horn to Hollywood

This title really speaks to me. Not only because Barry Sonnenfeld has directed some of the biggest comedies of the 90s and 2000s (The Addams Family, the Men in Black trilogy, and Get Shorty), but because I myself can recall at least half a dozen times in my childhood when an announcement came over a speaker system for me to call my mother followed by a deafening laughter from my peers that knocked me down a few spots in the social standings. There was this one time when it was raining at camp and I didn’t have any boots so—you know what, this isn’t about me. My point is, even though Barry Sonnenfeld has a legendary career in film and has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, his story is proof that all of the embarrassing or terrifying or downright heartbreaking moments of our lives are what get us to where we’re supposed to be. Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother is exactly everything a good memoir should be. —Aaron S., Audible Editor
The Jetsetters

By: Amanda Eyre Ward

Narrated by: Therese Plummer

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Release date: 03-03-20

Language: English

3.5 out of 5 stars 2,014 ratings

Family drama on the high seas

I immediately loved the premise of this story. What better way to reconnect with your adult children, and to get them to reconnect with each other, than to trap them on a cruise ship? Of course everyone has long-held resentments, grudges, and hard feelings to get over... but what could possibility go wrong? This is just the kind of social experiment I like to observe in others—to see how it might pan out—without risking personal family alienation myself. You’ll have to listen to hear what happens, but I can tell you that you will love 70-year-old Charlotte Perkins—our leading lady, mom of three, and altogether fabulous matriarch performed flawlessly by narrator Therese Plummer. And with The Jetsetters being the latest pick for Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine, you’ll be in great company while listening. —Lavina K., Audible Editor
Lakewood

A Novel

By: Megan Giddings

Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo

Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

Release date: 03-24-20

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 389 ratings

What if there was a reason to fear doctors?

Megan Giddings’s debuts into the audiobook world with a terrifying debut, Lakewood. As a person, I have always been a tad unsettled by doctors. Learning the history of medical experimentation and watching pharmaceutical commercials can usually trigger that response. From the Tuskegee syphilis experiment to death as a medicinal side effect, it can get pretty eerie. However, since I love to scare myself, the plot intrigued me immediately. Megan Giddings writes the thrilling tale of Lena Johnson, who overcome by the responsibility of familial debt, takes a job doing medical trials in Lakewood, Michigan. With great benefits, no expenses, and nice pay, it all seems like a dream come true. The one catch is she must lie about the job…so what’s the true cost? Performed by the powerful voice of Adenrele Ojo, who also brought to life the Audible Original The Queen, prepare yourself to have your morals twisted as the story unfolds. —Nicole R., Audible Editor
The Kingdom of Back

By: Marie Lu

Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo

Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins

Release date: 03-03-20

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 121 ratings

Did you know Mozart’s sister was also a prodigy?

Nannerl Mozart’s story is an unsurprising piece of history, but hard to swallow nonetheless: she was every bit as talenteda musician as her younger brother, Wolfgang Amadeus, but once she reached marriageable age, she was no longer allowed to pursue a career in music. There is evidence that Nannerl composed music, but none of it has survived. It’s heartbreaking. Marie Lu has taken this story, and the world that the two Mozart siblings created for themselves as children, and given breath to it in a young-adult fantasy retelling, narrated by Lauren Ezzo. I was gently pulled along into Nannerl’s consciousness, through which I felt all the frustration of never being good enough to overcome the circumstances. But there was also a sense of quiet joy and celebration when Nannerl found a fantasy world that was wholly her own, and it was ultimately a story of finding herself despite the obstacles built in her way. Marie Lu gave Nannerl the story she deserved all along, and for that I was thankful. —Melissa B., Audible Editor
In Five Years

A Novel

By: Rebecca Serle

Narrated by: Megan Hilty

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Release date: 03-10-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 11,344 ratings

Only time will tell

What would you do if you had a glimpse into your future and nothing was as it should be? In Rebecca Serle’s latest novel we meet Dannie Kohan, a woman who has it all together: the high-powered job, the doting boyfriend, and the locked-in future. That is, until she falls asleep and wakes up in an entirely altered existence, with a different man, and a life that she did not plan fastidiously for. From the moment you lay ears on this one you’re hooked. Voiced by Megan Hilty (#smash4eva), Dannie’s spirit is perfectly embodied. You hear her calm assuredness alongside the intensity and desire of someone who didn’t know they were lost until they were found. I caught myself holding my breath several times as she recounts the tension of idling through status quo days and ruminating on this alternate reality she can’t shake and its implications. Cancel your plans for the weekend when you press play on this one, as you won’t be able to pause this unexpected, heartbreaking love story. —Kelley S., Audible Editor
Wow, No Thank You.

Essays

By: Samantha Irby

Narrated by: Samantha Irby

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Release date: 03-31-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 1,340 ratings

Samantha Irby is a genius

From the second I saw the title Wow, No Thank You this phrase instantly became my new battle cry. Try saying it right now—doesn't it feel great?! It's handy in so many situations!! Samantha Irby is a genius. I like to picture her typing away in her attic in Kalamazoo, cackling out loud every once in awhile when she comes up with a particularly funny line. Her latest essay collection is a pure delight, but I especially love the glimpse we get behind the curtain as Sam tries to adjust to her new life as a successful writer: the ins and outs of getting a book deal, how she wound up collaborating with Broad City's Abbi Jacobson, and what it was like to write the fat-positive pool party scene of Lindy West's Hulu series, Shrill. She remains as charmingly baffled by her success as ever, and if there are any network executives reading this: can we get that Abbi Jacobson / Samantha Irby project stat, please?? —Rachel S., Audible Editor
My Dark Vanessa

A Novel

By: Kate Elizabeth Russell

Narrated by: Grace Gummer

Length: 16 hrs and 3 mins

Release date: 03-10-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 3,723 ratings

A dark, absorbing Lolita for the 21st century

The sexual relationship between a 15 year old and her decades-older teacher can only be described as the rape of a child, but an adolescent—on a passionate identity quest, informed by literature and a culture that relentlessly sexualizes girls—doesn’t think of herself as a child, does she? Kate Elizabeth Russell’s absorbing and disturbing debut novel nails what it might be like to be 15, desperate to feel seen and to matter—and then, with devastating realism and pacing, to be groomed and raped by a predator. "I’m going to ruin you," 42-year-old Jacob Strane tells Vanessa early in the novel, and his prediction plays out through a dual timeline that alternates with Vanessa’s adult reckoning, set in #MeToo-era 2017. With a necessary trigger warning for sexual violence and child abuse, My Dark Vanessa provides visceral nuance to the consent conversation as well as an effective contemporary response to Lolita (a publishing trendlet of late). Narrator Grace Gummer, known for her role in Mr. Robot and as the daughter of Meryl Streep, sounds both tough and achingly vulnerable in an unforgettable performance. She embodies the character so well that, combined with Russell’s masterful prose, Vanessa feels deeply real in a way that’s impossible to shake. I hope she’s doing OK. —Kat J., Audible Editor
Only Mostly Devastated

A Novel

By: Sophie Gonzales

Narrated by: Mark Sanderlin

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Release date: 03-03-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 408 ratings

Summer loving doesn’t have to end

From the moment I heard about this LGBTQIA+ rom-com inspired by Grease, I was completely enamored. Ollie and Will are everything my little gay heart wished Sandy and Danny were when I was a closeted teen. While I had no trouble spotting the elements inspired by the movie, Sophie Gonzalez succeeded in making ,Only Mostly Devastated feel delightfully familiar, but decidedly unique. Filled with a diverse cast of characters and dealing with a variety of issues faced by queer teens, this is a story I just wish I had access to earlier in life. —Michael C., Audible Editor
The Mirror & the Light

A Novel

By: Hilary Mantel

Narrated by: Ben Miles

Series: The Wolf Hall Trilogy, Book 3

Length: 38 hrs and 12 mins

Release date: 03-10-20

Language: English

5 out of 5 stars 1,925 ratings

Every event of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies has new meaning now

I waited and waited for the final installment of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy about Thomas Cromwell; listeners, it’s here and it’s revelatory. We all know where Cromwell’s life is tending (you can’t “spoil” history), and so wise listeners will keep a hanky within reach. But the combination of Hilary Mantel’s immersion in Tudor England, and Ben Miles’s ability to become Cromwell (as seen in Wolf Hall on Broadway and the West End) is uniquely magical. (Inside baseball: she quoted Ben-Miles-as-Cromwell in the dialogue of the book!) The Mirror and the Light is 40 hours long...and ends too soon. —Christina H., Audible Editor
I Want You to Know We're Still Here

A Post-Holocaust Memoir

By: Esther Safran Foer

Narrated by: Ellen Archer, Esther Safran Foer

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Release date: 03-31-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 114 ratings

You won’t be able to hit pause

When I Want You to Know We’re Still Here by Esther Safran Foer (mother to a certain _Jonathan_) first crossed my desk, I casually started skimming it. A sentence became a paragraph, a paragraph became a few pages, a few pages became the first two chapters before I finally forced myself to stop and return to work. Needless to say, this is one you won’t be able to hit pause on. Esther gets to the heart of her memoir right away—while chatting with her mother one day, her mom offhandedly mentions that Esther’s father had a previous wife and daughter, both of who were killed in the Holocaust. Thus begins Esther’s journey to learn more about the family she never knew she had. Heartbreaking, beautiful, and utterly compulsive, I Want You to Know We’re Still Here is an incredible memoir of what it means to live under the veil of tragedy. —Katie O., Audible Editor
Divergent Mind

Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed For You

By: Jenara Nerenberg

Narrated by: Tegan Ashton Cohan

Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins

Release date: 03-24-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 790 ratings

A welcome alternative to pathologizing difference

I consider myself quite privileged to know—and love—several people living on the autism spectrum. Growing up in a household that championed the neurodivergent, I learned from an early age to value diversity and difference in neurological function. In fact, far from being damaged or broken, those with atypical sensory processing abilities are in many ways endowed with unique, paradigm-shifting perspectives and proficiencies. In Divergent Mind, author and activist Jenara Nerenberg unpacks this emerging reevaluation of neurological variability, focusing in particular on how women are routinely underdiagnosed with conditions such as high sensitivity, ADHD, misophonia, dyslexia, and autism. In sharing her own story and breaking down common misconceptions regarding neurodivergent minds, Nerenberg gives listeners a roadmap for constructing a world that works for everyone, built on a supportive framework that shuns shame and stereotype. Coupled with the guiding, measured narration of Tegan Ashton Cohan, this listen challenges the notion of "normal," instead providing an argument for understanding and acceptance that’s long overdue. —Alanna M., Audible Editor
The Catalyst

How to Change Anyone's Mind

By: Jonah Berger

Narrated by: Keith Nobbs, Fred Irby

Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins

Release date: 03-10-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 601 ratings

Change your mind first

I waltzed right into Jonah Berger’s The Catalyst half expecting a list of ambiguous "persuasive" conversation techniques loosely rooted in pseudo-science. The expectation had nothing to do with any reputation on Mr. Berger’s behalf, I’ve just been around the business/self dev block enough to be very wary of half-baked nonsense. But this one gets real. I found myself getting uncomfortable at times, as Berger uses raw and very real political examples (from both sides of the aisle) to illustrate numerous biases and persuasion roadblocks. It’s not a political discussion, by and large, but the persuasion tenets Berger covers are almost painfully revealing, and were far enough outside my baseline expectations to be surprisingly illuminating. I’m used to business title performances being quick, peppy, and forgettable, but narrators Fred Irby and Keith Nobbs are emphatic and deliberative, which really helps insist upon the key aspects of the content here. Making it the whole experience very... persuasive. —Michael D., Audible Editor
The Glass Hotel

A Novel

By: Emily St. John Mandel

Narrated by: Dylan Moore

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Release date: 03-24-20

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 3,113 ratings

Another literary home run for Emily St. John Mandel

I seem to encounter two types of listeners: those who loved Station Eleven, and those who never listened to it. I happen to fall into the former category and rank Station Eleven amongst my top listens of all time. Needless to say, and possibly unfairly, The Glass Hotel had big shoes to fill. Those who loved Station Eleven will find a departure from the end-of-the-world setting but will be pleased that The Glass Hotel shares the gorgeous yet desolate atmosphere of its predecessor as St. John Mandel takes on a fictional Ponzi scheme and the financial crisis of 2008, a smaller scale end-of-the-world scenario for many of the book’s characters. They’ll revel in this latest offering for her three-dimensional characters and stunning settings, from lonely Vancouver islands to glittering cityscapes. And if you’re new to Emily St. John Mandel, I hope you too will fall in love.—Catherine H., Audible Editor

Birdie and Jay

A Novel

By: Ella Joy Olsen

Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky, Gerard Doyle

Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins

Release date: 03-19-20

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 813 ratings

A search for truth in love and life

In Birdie and Jay, Ella Joy Olsen splendidly captures the grand opulence of the Gilded Age in Manhattan and Newport, with descriptions of people and places that are both nostalgic and grimly reminiscent of current struggles among the social classes. The love story at the core of this listen is everything—a version of Lady and the Tramp that involves an intellectually curious debutante, drawn to artistic pursuits frowned upon by her family, and an honorable paleontologist, born to Irish immigrants, who soon discover they have much more in common than that which divides them. For truth seekers and believers in science, the themes contained within this novel will resonate far and wide. —Valerie B., Audible Editor
A Good Neighborhood

A Novel

By: Therese Anne Fowler

Narrated by: Ella Turenne

Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins

Release date: 03-10-20

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 991 ratings

Do good fences make good neighbors?

Nothing can stop the budding romance between Xavier Alston-Holt and his new neighbor, Juniper Whitman. Not the fence between their backyards, not the lawsuit Xavier’s mother files against the Whitmans because of her beloved dying oak tree, and not the purity vow Juniper took to appease her mom and stepdad. With these two teenagers on a crash course toward what I can only describe as a heartbreaking end, Therese Anne Fowler nimbly negotiates issues of race, class, sexual violence, and environmental destruction in this timely call to action. The narration is just as heartfelt. Ella Turenne brings the diverse North Carolina neighborhood to life, empathetically conjuring nuanced characters you won’t soon forget. —Margaret H., Audible Editor
The World According to Physics

By: Jim Al-Khalili

Narrated by: Jim Al-Khalili

Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins

Release date: 03-10-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 103 ratings

Physics for everyone! —no, really

Whether we acknowledge it or not, the underpinnings of our day-to-day lives are determined by the oft invisible force of physics. As someone who has an insatiable thirst for knowledge, this mysterious determiner of fate has always piqued my interest (and scared me just a little bit). Admittedly, as someone without a science background, it was a difficult subject to just pick up and immerse myself in, which is why I think The World According to Physics works as the perfect launching point for those interested in learning a bit more about why our world works the way it does. Written and narrated by quantum physicist (so you know he knows what he’s talking about) and New York Times best seller Jim Al-Khalili, The World According to Physics takes a look at some of the most significant and awe-inspiring concepts in physics and breaks them down in an easy-to-digest way, no physics degree required; all while Al-Khalili’s calm narration acts as the perfect buffer for these larger-than-life concepts. Regardless of whether or not you’re familiar with concepts such as relativity and thermodynamics, Al-Khalili convinces the listener that we should all know, appreciate, and be curious about this unseen force that affects so much of the world around us. —Luis G., Audible Editor

How to Bee

By: Bren MacDibble

Narrated by: Katherine Littrell

Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins

Release date: 03-03-20

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

To bee or not to bee

Bren MacDibble's enchanting children's tale, a best seller in Australia, is a hard one to size up. In this dystopian future the bees have almost completely disappeared and "farm children" are enlisted to scramble from tree-to-tree, pollinating flowers to grow fruit, most of which ultimately gets shipped off to the city and the richer "Urbs". But as oppressive as this sounds (and if you're looking for a way to explain indentured servitude to your children this might be the place to start) the family we meet—our heroine Peony, her sister Mags, and Gramps—are content and filled with a deep love for each other. The moral of the story seems to arrive on the bus every month, when Peony's mother returns from the city for a visit, bristling with anger and wanting, and the more-than-occasional black eye (a warning for parents: domestic abuse is present here). And in a Willy Wonka-esq twist, the happily ever after isn't delivered as a rescue from one's circumstances but in the promise of a lifetime of hard but fulfilling work. There's a lot going on, and I'm still ruminating on this one weeks after listening but ultimately our heroine Peony is one that will stay with me forever. Brave and fearless, and utterly in love with her life, she's everything I hope my child to be, even as her world is a humbling reminder of what we must not let our future become. —Emily C., Audible Editor

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Love Is Not Enough

Mark Manson laughs at animal abuse

Darling Rose Gold

Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose-esque but way better ending

The City We Became

I don't understand the hype

Writers & Lovers

An absorbing listen

Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother

The Kosher Cowboy Rides Again

The Jetsetters

Calm down

Lakewood

Fact or Fiction

The Kingdom of Back

Annoying narrator, story not what I thought

In Five Years

If you want a happy story, try another book

Wow, No Thank You.

listen to this book. and then repeat. twice.

My Dark Vanessa

I apologize

Only Mostly Devastated

Only Mildly Entertaining

The Mirror & the Light

Ben Miles is not as good a reader...

I Want You to Know We're Still Here

Interesting but…

Divergent Mind

Provided no insight

The Catalyst

Was this book written to change my mind from a republican to a democrat?

The Glass Hotel

Don't waste your time and money

Birdie and Jay

A wonderful distraction!

A Good Neighborhood

Boring with leftist agenda

The World According to Physics

excellent book

How to Bee

AMAZING