Fiction
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This Tender Land
- By: William Kent Krueger
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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1932: Located on the banks of the Gilead River in Minnesota, Lincoln School is home to hundreds of Native American boys and girls who have been separated from their families. The only two white boys in the school are orphan brothers Odie and Albert, who, under the watchful eyes of the cruel superintendent Mrs. Brickman, are often in trouble for misdeeds both real and imagined. The two boys' best friend is Mose, a mute Native American who is also the strongest kid in school. And they find another ally in Cora Frost, a widowed teacher who is raising her little girl, Emmy, by herself.
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"Didn't need the underlying social message"
- By Curtis on 09-23-19
A well-crafted American odyssey
William Kent Krueger is a writer with a passionate following—it was the many heartfelt listener reviews combined with the persistent endorsement of a respected colleague that finally got me to try him out (thanks, Pam!). This Tender Land is beautifully drawn historical fiction that manages to create both unforgettable, authentic characters and a distinct sense of time and place—I became totally invested in the lives of these four orphans in Depression-era Minnesota. Narrator Scott Brick makes it a perfect trifecta of character, setting, and standout performance. Krueger's writing is an example of great American storytelling that I am so happy to have finally experienced.
Thriller
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The Sisters
- By: Dervla McTiernan
- Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
- Length: 3 hrs and 8 mins
- Original Recording
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In this prequel to the international best seller The Ruin, set 10 years prior, bright-eyed Carrie Ryan is at the very start of her career. When she has a hunch about an ongoing murder investigation, she knows it could be her only chance to prove herself and truly break into the “boys' club” of Dublin’s police force.
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Look forward to hearing more from this author
- By C. E. Pitchford on 09-09-19
For fans of Tana French…
...and badass crime-fighting women. You don’t need to have heard the first two books in Dervla McTiernan’s Cormac Reilly series—a legit crime fiction phenomenon—to appreciate The Sisters. (I know because despite all the hype, I hadn’t either! 🙈) But with a Colin Farrell film now in the works, this audio-exclusive prequel arrives just in time to get us late-comers up to speed. Aoife McMahon—who’s becoming the go-to narrator for critically acclaimed Irish writers, including Sally Rooney and Alice Taylor—performs the story of two sisters climbing the ranks of Dublin’s criminal justice system, and the seemingly open-and-shut murder case that could make or break their burgeoning careers. I fell in love with Carrie and Aifric’s tenacious passion for justice (born from a haunting episode from their past) and even more with McTiernan’s shrewd observations on institutional corruption and sexism. Consider me in the Dervla sisterhood at last!
Fiction
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The Dutch House
- A Novel
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Tom Hanks
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves. The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother.
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Not my favorite Patchett
- By Regina on 12-07-19
This narrator = The best news of the season!
As editors at Audible we often can't get an early "read" on a new title coming out until we know who the narrator is, because—of course—that can really make or break the experience. So I was over the moon to hear that the newest novel by the brilliant Ann Patchett, (unorthodox opinion: The Magician's Assistant is my favorite of her works) would be performed by Tom Hanks, I knew I already had my top pick of the fall lined up. Having listened to the collection of short stories he penned a few years ago, I knew that Hanks would balance the honest with the sweet, blending levity with gravitas. And that balance is critical because The Dutch House, like many of Patchett's novels, delves into and wrenchingly describes the sensitive intricacies of a very singular family, serving up humor, cynicism, and immense pain in a way that is completely unique to the players at hand.
Memoir
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The Baddest Bitch in the Room
- (Explicit Version)
- By: Sophia Chang
- Narrated by: Sophia Chang
- Length: 8 hrs
- Original Recording
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Performance
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Sophia Chang is a badass of the music industry. As the daughter of Korean immigrants in predominantly white suburban Vancouver, she grew up shunning the “model minority” myth. Armed with a fierce sense of independence, she moved to New York City and infiltrated the world of hip-hop, yet remained mostly in the shadows of the artists she supported. With her debut memoir, Sophia Chang is finally ready to grab the mic for herself.
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Something in the music spoke to me...
- By Tina G. on 09-30-19
Sophia Chang is one bad bitch
True story: on her first trip to NYC, a 20-something Sophia Chang went to an East Village club, spied Joey Ramone, and marched right up to introduce herself. They became fast friends, kicking off her 30+ year career in the music industry. That’s the kind of confidence it takes to become the first Asian woman in hip hop, managing artists like ODB, RZA, GZA, and A Tribe Called Quest. Featuring cameos from members of the Wu-Tang Clan, music samples, and a full sound design, The Baddest Bitch in the Room lives up to its name and has instantly become one of my favorite memoir performances of the year. Not only is it an incredible insider look at the world of hip-hop in the early years—it’s a road map for how to be a ride-or-die friend, mother, business leader, and kung fu warrior.
Fiction
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The Water Dancer (Oprah’s Book Club)
- A Novel
- By: Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Narrated by: Joe Morton
- Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her - but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. This brush with death births an urgency in Hiram and a daring scheme: to escape from the only home he’s ever known. So begins an unexpected journey that takes Hiram from the corrupt grandeur of Virginia’s proud plantations to desperate guerrilla cells in the wilderness, from the coffin of the South to dangerously idealistic movements in the North.
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We Must Always Remember
- By Cammie on 09-28-19
Eloquent, thoughtful, and brutally honest
Since writing Between the World and Me—the 2015 National Book Award winner and quite possibly my favorite audiobook of all time—Ta-Nehisi Coates has become a leading figure on news panels and publications because of his eloquence, thoughtfulness, and brutal honesty on race in America. The Water Dancer is Coates’s first published work of fiction and one of the most anticipated releases this fall—and rightfully so. Set in the antebellum era, this work of historical fiction meets magical realism will stick with you long after you’ve finished listening. And there really couldn’t be a better narrator for this story than Joe Morton. If you needed any further evidence to prove that Ta-Nehisi Coates is one the strongest and most important voices out there right now, then here it is.
Nonfiction
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Putin: Prisoner of Power
- An Audible Original
- By: Misha Glenny
- Narrated by: Misha Glenny
- Length: 2 hrs and 43 mins
- Original Recording
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On New Year’s Eve 1999, a young Vladimir Putin appeared on Russian TV screens - awkward, self-conscious...and the new President. Two decades later, Putin is still in power, standing self-assured and at ease on the world stage. How did a once little known KGB bureaucrat become one of the most dominant figures of 21st-century politics? In this gripping narrative history, Misha Glenny, journalist and best-selling author of McMafia, tells the story of an unexpected and swift rise to power - one full of political intrigue, backroom deals, courtroom battles and war.
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And to think I was waiting for this book ...
- By analyzethis on 09-27-19
More than the man that meets the eye
Vladimir Putin has quickly become one of the most fascinating figures on the world stage. Dangerous, powerful, enigmatic, and oppressively omnipresent, yet reserved and nearly impervious, he is a nearly impossible person to understand from afar. But as one of the modern world’s longest serving leaders (20 years and counting), he has changed. Not necessarily for the better, but his growth is fascinating for what it reveals of the machinations that have made him into more than just a powerful man, but a symbol of Russian Oligarchy. This biopic is a riveting recording, delivered in podcast style. It’s truly captivating for what it reveals about the highest levels of Russian government, but it also explores human nature perverted by power, our modern media experience, and political maneuverings that astonish with their pure Machiavellian and brutal instinct.
YA
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The Liar's Daughter
- By: Megan Cooley Peterson
- Narrated by: Melissa Moran
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Seventeen-year-old Piper knows that Father is a Prophet. Infallible. The chosen one. She would do anything for Father. That's why she takes care of all her little sisters. That's why she runs end-of-the-world drills. That's why she never asks questions. Because Father knows best. Until the day he doesn't. Until the day the government raids the compound and separates Piper from her siblings, from Mother, from the Aunts, from all of Father's followers - even from Caspian, the boy she loves.
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Skip it.
- By GTWf on 09-20-20
Some backstories are darker than others
There’s something so morbidly fascinating about cults. As the nonfiction editor here at Audible, I’ve listened to my fair share of nonfiction stories about these kinds of groups, but never really made the plunge into fictional accounts. Told in a dual timeline, this debut from Meghan Cooley Peterson was dark and suspenseful, with just the right amount of intrigue and emotion—which was only amplified by Melissa Moran’s performance. And, it’s paired with a deeply personal and touching author’s note at the end of the story.Anyone interested in cults or the deprogramming that occurs after leaving would be doing themselves a disservice to skip this one.
Romance
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Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words
- By: Tara Sivec, Andi Arndt
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
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Nothing good ever comes from drinking a box of wine alone. So when I decided to entertain my drunken self by setting up some hand-me-down podcasting equipment and reading the steamy parts from romance novels, I never thought anyone would actually listen. The fact that I admitted my huge crush on my sexy next door neighbor made the whole thing even more mortifying. But sometimes life surprises you, and that’s how my podcast, Heidi’s Discount Erotica, was born. Now I, Heidi Larsen, a sweet former kindergarten teacher in Waconia, Minnesota, lead a scandalous double life.
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Highly entertaining and a BLAST to listen to!
- By Christy Baldwin BBU on 09-12-19
The Minnesotan love story we all needed
Co-written by Audible Hall of Fame narrator Andi Arndt and best-selling author Tara Sivec, Heidi’s Guide to Four Letter Words is a product of everything this dynamic duo brings to the table. Andi Arndt, being a seasoned narrator, takes us for a look inside the daily workings of an audio studio. And being Minnesotan herself, Andi nails the lived-in feel of a Minnesotan accent in her performance. And Tara! She can make you laugh on any day. With the situation we have here—a shy kindergarten teacher getting tipsy on boxed wine while podcasting about the sexy bits in romance novels – she is in fine form. Put everything together, and this sweet Audible Original is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a love story between two people, but it’s also a love story about Minnesota, small town living, romance novels, and the joys of audio.
Science Fiction
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The Future of Another Timeline
- By: Annalee Newitz
- Narrated by: Laura Nichol
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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1992: After a confrontation at a riot grrl concert, 17-year-old Beth finds herself in a car with her friend's abusive boyfriend dead in the backseat, agreeing to help her friends hide the body. This murder sets Beth and her friends on a path of escalating violence and vengeance as they realize many other young women in the world need protecting too. 2022: Determined to use time travel to create a safer future, Tess has dedicated her life to visiting key moments in history and fighting for change. But rewriting the timeline isn’t as simple as editing one person or event.
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Not for me
- By mix579 on 11-02-19
The punk rock time travel novel we’ve all been waiting for
Listen, Annalee Newitz had me at time travel—but layer in feminism, the early 90s riot grrrl music scene, alternate history, and murder, and it’s almost as if they wrote this novel for me. I know I won’t be alone here. The premise of the story is interesting enough—a secret society tries to stop rogue men’s rights activists from editing the timeline so women never gain the right to vote. But the novel is grounded in its main character, Tess, who is also surreptitiously trying to edit a huge piece of her teenaged years (um, same). And if that narrator name is unfamiliar to you, don’t worry, she’s actually the lead vocalist for a death metal band called Light This City! With actual (dance-worthy, I might add) music and vocals performed by friends of Annalee’s featured on the recording, this is perhaps the most punk rock Audible book I’ve ever listened to.
Self Development
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Super Attractor
- Methods for Manifesting a Life Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
- By: Gabrielle Bernstein
- Narrated by: Gabrielle Bernstein
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Ready to turn what you want into the life that you live? The number-one New York Times best-selling author of The Universe Has Your Back shows you how. In Super Attractor, Gabrielle Bernstein lays out the essential methods for manifesting a life beyond your wildest dreams. This book is a journey of remembering where your true power lies. You'll learn how to co-create the life you want. You'll accept that life can flow, that attracting is fun, and that you don't have to work so hard to get what you want.
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Not a huge fan
- By Pamela H on 09-30-19
If you’ve been wondering about the law of attraction... 🤔
As a longtime secret proponent of so-called "woo woo" concepts like the law of attraction (as seen in works such as the aptly named The Secret), I’m feeling vindicated by growing interest in these topics—fueled in part by powerhouse authors like Gabriele Bernstein (who counts none other than Oprah among her fans). In this, her seventh title, Bernstein goes all-in on the spirituality component of her personal growth strategies, urging listeners to call upon their higher angels to help manifest their goals and aspirations. And even if "angel" isn’t the word you’d use to describe the ineffable forces at work in your life, there’s still a lot here about how you can bring about positive change. Free your mind, settle into a mindful state, and the rest will follow.
Horror
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The Institute
- A Novel
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis' parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there's no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents - telekinesis and telepathy - who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and 10-year-old Avery Dixon.
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I really wanted to like this novel.. but..
- By Wendi on 09-21-19
The King is back!
Stephen King’s new thriller, The Institute, takes its place at the head of the table—comfortably seated alongside his other great works. As a huge Stephen King fan, I have been impatiently awaiting this listen for quite some time. To make it an even bigger deal, it’s performed by the great and all-powerful narrator, Santino Fontana. Talk about a wonder team! The story starts off with Luke Ellis, whose life is turned upside down literally overnight. After his parents are murdered and he’s kidnapped by mysterious people in an unmarked car, Luke is dropped into The Institute, where some kids disappear behind doors for being bad (Back Half) while other kids are awarded tokens for being good (Front Half). Will Luke be able to escape, or will he soon fall victim to what’s behind the Back Half of The Institute?
YA
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Frankly in Love
- By: David Yoon
- Narrated by: Raymond J. Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Frank Li has two names. There's Frank Li, his American name. Then there's Sung-Min Li, his Korean name. No one uses his Korean name, not even his parents. Frank barely speaks any Korean. He was born and raised in Southern California. Even so, his parents still expect him to end up with a nice Korean girl - which is a problem, since Frank is finally dating the girl of his dreams: Brit Means. Brit, who is funny and nerdy just like him. Brit, who makes him laugh like no one else. Brit...who is white.
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Boring and flat
- By Liz on 10-13-19
What's for breakfast in the Yoon household?
Fun fact: both of Nicola Yoon’s wonderful YA novels have been my Editors Select picks in years past, so when I saw her husband David’s debut novel on the horizon, I decided to make it a Yoon family tradition and quickly claimed Frankly in Love. There are some strong similarities between the two authors—they both explore YA love stories with #ownvoices characters, and they both will make you feel all the feels. But David proves that his talent is his own, and Raymond J. Lee’s performance enhances Yoon’s effortless ability for dialogue and humor, all the while letting the listener fall in love with Frank on his heartfelt journey to first-time love.
Memoir
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The Education of an Idealist
- A Memoir
- By: Samantha Power
- Narrated by: Samantha Power
- Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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In her memoir, Power offers an urgent response to the question "What can one person do?" and a call for a clearer eye, a kinder heart, and a more open and civil hand in our politics and daily lives. The Education of an Idealist traces Power’s distinctly American journey from immigrant to war correspondent to presidential Cabinet official. In 2005, her critiques of US foreign policy caught the eye of newly elected senator Barack Obama, who invited her to work with him on Capitol Hill and then on his presidential campaign.
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Sam's Power: Privilege in U.S. Politics
- By RelizzScholar27 on 11-09-19
The case for optimism
Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is a story about a diplomat whose lofty dreams get shattered. The idealist in this memoir gets things done. Samantha Power is an Irish immigrant, shaped by an unpredictable childhood and personal tragedy, who is fearless in her determination to effect change in the world. With her compelling narration, the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations chronicles how she achieved her American dream and candidly describes experiences such as grueling on-the-ground reporting during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, which helped influence her Pulitzer-Prize-winning book, A Problem From Hell. Power also gives behind-the-scenes accounts of presidential campaign flubs, Situation Room scenarios, and humanizing moments among leaders who are supposed to have all the answers. Nothing has educated me on foreign policy quite like this impactful—and hopeful—listen.
Music History
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Don't Look Back in Anger
- The Rise and Fall of Cool Britannia
- By: Daniel Rachel
- Narrated by: Paul McGann, Louise Brealey, Tania Rodrigues, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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The '90s was the decade when British culture reclaimed its position at the artistic centre of the world. Not since the 'Swinging Sixties' had art, comedy, fashion, film, football, literature and music interwoven into a blooming of national self-confidence. It was the decade of Lad Culture and Girl Power, of Blur vs Oasis. When fashion runways shone with British talent, Young British Artists became household names, football was 'coming home' and British film went worldwide.
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Everyone came off as either deluded or liars
- By Susan Hoe on 09-16-19
An oral history of British pop culture in the 1990s
I was lucky to witness the rise of Cool Britannia from a distance: across the pond in the United States. As a teen, I considered myself an Anglophile musically, so I’d often devour the UK music magazines to see what was trending there. Alas, it wasn’t the same as actually being there. Daniel Rachel’s Don't Look Back in Anger: The rise and fall of Cool Britannia gave me serious FOMO and got me to practically relive it all over again, but this time, with more detail and context. Going far beyond the best bands of the time (Blur, Suede, Oasis, Pulp) this oral pop history lesson adds a host of participants from the world of UK TV, fashion, literature, music and art that reveal a more complete picture of what it was actually like to be in Britain at the time. Multiple narrators cover the start of the movement with 1988’s Second Summer of Love, when acid house music and drugs fueled illegal rave parties. Cool Britannia is comprehensive, clocking in at 18+ hours, but for those who find the topic interesting, this immersive and brutally honest listen documents perhaps one of the UK’s most influential periods in pop culture when it seemed like everyone wanted to be cool—like Britain.
Kids & Family
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The Minnesota Chronicles
- The Gustafer Yellowgold Story: Volume 2
- By: Morgan Taylor
- Narrated by: Morgan Taylor
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
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Our tale begins where I’m from the Sun: The Gustafer Yellowgold Story leaves off. Emboldened from a putterbike race victory against his arch-nemesis, young sunling Gustafer Yellowgold heads to Earth to cure his ultra-rare case of Ice-Cream-Cone-Heart. Back on the Sun, Gustafer’s older brother, Ben, faces the heat from Mission Control when the journey doesn’t go as planned, and young Gustafer’s fate hangs in the balance.
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More, More, More!
- By Raven on 09-19-19
Minnesota? NICE!!
From my career working with kidlit to my 33 years spent living in Minnesota to my undying love of quirky alternative rock, I had more than a little bit of an inkling that this story about a Sunling would resonate with me. Sure enough, I loved it. But I didn’t expect that Gustafer’s journey from the Sun to the great lakes of Minnesota would get me thinking—about life, my childhood, adulthood, and relationships—as much as it has. The coming-of-age themes serve as a narrative undercurrent for a lively, playful, imaginative tale, making it one of those rare "all ages" listens that works equally well for hip parents and their kids.
Science & Technology
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We Are the Weather
- By: Jonathan Safran Foer
- Narrated by: Jonathan Safran Foer
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In We Are the Weather, Jonathan Safran Foer explores the central global dilemma of our time in a surprising, deeply personal, and urgent new way. Some people reject the fact, overwhelmingly supported by scientists, that our planet is warming because of human activity. But do those of us who accept the reality of human-caused climate change truly believe it? If we did, surely we would be roused to act on what we know.
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Disappointing
- By Max Dennison on 12-09-19
Tackling a global issue at an individual scale
If you’re anything like me, the 24-hour news cycle coupled with the pervasiveness of social media can elicit feelings of paralysis over some of the more urgent and distressing issues of our time. An issue such as climate change can feel so enormous that it can be hard to feel like anything you do will make a difference. Enter Jonathan Safran Foer’s newest nonfiction listen, We Are the Weather. Filled with intimate personal anecdotes alongside clear and factual examples from when we as humans have come together for the collective good throughout history, Foer insists that individuals can be a part of the solution. Even just the subtitle Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
makes the idea of global environmentalism feel downright—forgive me for this—digestible. As an added bonus, Foer narrates his work in a calm, melodic way while still maintaining the appropriate sense of urgency. Give We Are the Weather a listen if you want to help the planet, change your diet, learn some history, or even if you just like a good author-narrated listen.
Memoir
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Year of the Monkey
- By: Patti Smith
- Narrated by: Patti Smith
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Following a run of New Year's concerts at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore, Patti Smith finds herself tramping the coast of Santa Cruz, about to embark on a year of solitary wandering. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland with no design, yet heeding signs - including a talking sign that looms above her, prodding and sparring like the Cheshire Cat. In February, a surreal lunar year begins, bringing with it unexpected turns, mischief, and inescapable sorrow. In a stranger's words, "Anything is possible: after all, it's the Year of the Monkey."
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M Train Meets Naked Lunch
- By Gillian Culff on 12-03-19
A meditative sojourn with a great artist
This intense, four-hour audio feels like accompanying your Artaud-quoting, Matrix-stanning favorite Aunt through a tough year…if your favorite Aunt is also the Godmother of Punk and a boardwalk shaman. Patti melts down and shapes each loss of lunar year 2016 (A bandmate. A collaborator. The inauguration.) into an exquisite glass bead, strung on the powerful wire of the unconscious. You don’t have to be a Patti Smith fan to love her performance, but it helps to be a dreamer.