When I looked
at the list of YA titles releasing in May I really, truly did not know where to begin. The next book from The Poet X author, Elizabeth Acevedo? Yes, please!Cinderellafrom her stepsister’s POV? Add it to the TBLT list! A companion to When Dimple Met Rishi? I’m swooning! And then there are plots involving '80s hip-hop, a meet-cute set in Qatar, a fantasy about a face-shifter, and about a dozen other unmissable new releases.
So where will you find me listening this month? Hanging out in the park with my dog. Trying out new recipes with greenmarket veggies. Sitting on my couch with a new crochet project. Starting my overdue spring cleaning. Strolling the Coney Island Boardwalk. Wandering museum galleries. But if you want to say hi, tap me on the shoulder so I can hit pause—no matter where I am in real life, my imagination could be transporting me absolutely anywhere.
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We Hunt the Flame
- Sands of Arawiya, Book 1
- De: Hafsah Faizal
- Narrado por: Fiona Hardingham, Steve West
- Duración: 14 h y 45 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya - but neither wants to be.
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Every Arabic word is mangled.
- De Faiza Ambah en 05-15-19
A huntress, a lost artifact, and an assassin
I believe that the skill it takes to craft a memorable opening sentence is grossly underappreciated. But for an author to write memorable opening sentences for chapter 1 and chapter 2 that stand alone and work together? That is a feat I didn’t even know I wanted someone to conquer, but debut author Hafsah Faizal has done it. If this opening duet doesn’t grab you, I don’t know what will:
People lived because she killed. People died because he lived.
Meet the Huntress
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Beautiful
- De: Juliet Marillier
- Narrado por: Gemma Dawson
- Duración: 7 h y 18 m
- Grabación Original
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
Hulde is a queen’s daughter and lives in a palace. But her life is lonely. Growing up atop the glass mountain, she knows only her violent and autocratic mother and a household of terrified servants. Then a white bear named Rune comes to visit, and Hulde learns what kindness is. But the queen has a plan for Hulde. When she turns 16, she will wed the most beautiful man in all the world. Hulde has never met her intended husband, and her mother refuses to explain the arrangement.
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If you like Marillier, you'll like this book.
- De Julie Allen en 06-03-19
Is Happily Ever After
still a thing?
The fairy tale collections I grew up with were decidedly not the same ones my friends had. Forget soft and fluffy retellings, I grew up with translations that were often bloody, gory, and unsettling. But those unsanitized collections gave me a chance to cross paths with some lesser-known stories of tough girls. And now, some of my favorite listens are reintroducing me to details that range from troll princesses to blood-filled glass slippers.
Make a Wish
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With the Fire on High
- De: Elizabeth Acevedo
- Narrado por: Elizabeth Acevedo
- Duración: 7 h y 27 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions - doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.
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Whole life is slayed...
- De AudioBookHoe en 05-16-19
A second helping from Elizabeth Acevedo
Cooking is often much more than a way to provide sustenance. Depending on the day, it can be stress relief, a creative outlet, aromatherapy, meditation, or a way to honor your heritage, relationships, and loved ones. Emoni understands the power of cooking better than anyone, but her responsibilities as a teen mom might make her dreams of becoming a chef challenging—if not impossible. Authorator (author-narrator) Elizabeth Acevedo tells Emoni’s story with such honesty that I was ready to travel to Philly and help this talented high schooler achieve her dreams.
Feed Your Soul
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There's Something About Sweetie
- De: Sandhya Menon
- Narrado por: Vikas Adam, Soneela Nankani
- Duración: 11 h y 36 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
After being dumped, Ashish Patel's mojo goes AWOL. Even worse, his parents are annoyingly, smugly confident they could find him a better match. So, in a moment of weakness, Ash challenges them to set him up. Sweetie Nair is many things: a formidable track athlete who can outrun most people in California, a loyal friend, a shower-singing champion. Oh, and she’s also fat. To Sweetie’s traditional parents, this last detail is the kiss of death. Ashish and Sweetie both have something to prove. But with each date, they realize there’s an unexpected magic growing between them.
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Cure covid blues with cuteness
- De Jackson en 08-07-20
Round up: everyday magic
When I think about realistic fiction, I always seem to think of tragedies first—and there’s no reason for that! Yes, realistic fiction can mean stocking up on Kleenex (I’m looking at you TFIOS) but it can also mean flirting and dancing and discovering your talents. Embrace the happy with these realistic—but not tragic—new listens.
Get Real
More in May
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Stepsister
- De: Jennifer Donnelly
- Narrado por: Jayne Entwistle
- Duración: 12 h y 54 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
Isabelle should be blissfully happy - she's about to win the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn't the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper and captured the prince's heart. She's the ugly stepsister who cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella's shoe...which is now filling with blood. Isabelle cut away pieces of herself in order to become pretty. Sweet. More like Cinderella. But that only made her mean, jealous, and hollow. Now she has a chance to alter her destiny and prove what ugly stepsisters have always known: it takes more than heartache to break a girl.
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What a precious story.
- De Bookworm en 06-25-19
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Let Me Hear a Rhyme
- De: Tiffany D. Jackson
- Narrado por: Korey Jackson, Nile Bullock, Adenrele Ojo, y otros
- Duración: 9 h y 31 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
Brooklyn, 1998. Biggie Smalls was right: Things done changed. But that doesn’t mean Quadir and Jarrell are cool letting their best friend Steph’s music lie forgotten under his bed after he’s murdered - not when his rhymes could turn any Bed-Stuy corner into a party. With the help of Steph’s younger sister, Jasmine, they come up with a plan to promote Steph’s music under a new rap name: the Architect. Soon, everyone wants a piece of him. When his demo catches the attention of a hotheaded music label rep, the trio must prove Steph’s talent from beyond the grave.
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A Wonderful Experience.
- De Agnes Ohene en 10-02-19
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The Things She's Seen
- De: Ambelin Kwaymullina, Ezekiel Kwaymullina
- Narrado por: Miranda Tapsell
- Duración: 4 h y 28 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
Nothing's been the same for Beth Teller since the day she died. Her dad is drowning in grief. He's also the only one who has been able to see and hear her since the accident. But now, she's got a mystery to solve, a mystery that will hopefully remind her detective father that he needs to reconnect with the living. The case takes them to a remote Australian town where there's been a suspicious fire. All that remains are an unidentifiable body and an unreliable witness found wandering nearby.
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Kinda crazy
- De Amy Kay en 02-10-24
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Aurora Rising
- The Aurora Cycle, Book 1
- De: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
- Narrado por: Kim Mai Guest, Johnathan McClain, Candice Moll, y otros
- Duración: 14 h y 4 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the academy would touch....
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Excellent story, but a little overly emotive
- De Zach en 05-15-19
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Stepsister
- De: Jennifer Donnelly
- Narrado por: Jayne Entwistle
- Duración: 12 h y 54 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
Isabelle should be blissfully happy - she's about to win the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn't the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper and captured the prince's heart. She's the ugly stepsister who cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella's shoe...which is now filling with blood. Isabelle cut away pieces of herself in order to become pretty. Sweet. More like Cinderella. But that only made her mean, jealous, and hollow. Now she has a chance to alter her destiny and prove what ugly stepsisters have always known: it takes more than heartache to break a girl.
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What a precious story.
- De Bookworm en 06-25-19
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Let Me Hear a Rhyme
- De: Tiffany D. Jackson
- Narrado por: Korey Jackson, Nile Bullock, Adenrele Ojo, y otros
- Duración: 9 h y 31 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
Brooklyn, 1998. Biggie Smalls was right: Things done changed. But that doesn’t mean Quadir and Jarrell are cool letting their best friend Steph’s music lie forgotten under his bed after he’s murdered - not when his rhymes could turn any Bed-Stuy corner into a party. With the help of Steph’s younger sister, Jasmine, they come up with a plan to promote Steph’s music under a new rap name: the Architect. Soon, everyone wants a piece of him. When his demo catches the attention of a hotheaded music label rep, the trio must prove Steph’s talent from beyond the grave.
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A Wonderful Experience.
- De Agnes Ohene en 10-02-19
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The Things She's Seen
- De: Ambelin Kwaymullina, Ezekiel Kwaymullina
- Narrado por: Miranda Tapsell
- Duración: 4 h y 28 m
- Versión completa
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General
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Narración:
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Historia
Nothing's been the same for Beth Teller since the day she died. Her dad is drowning in grief. He's also the only one who has been able to see and hear her since the accident. But now, she's got a mystery to solve, a mystery that will hopefully remind her detective father that he needs to reconnect with the living. The case takes them to a remote Australian town where there's been a suspicious fire. All that remains are an unidentifiable body and an unreliable witness found wandering nearby.
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Kinda crazy
- De Amy Kay en 02-10-24
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Aurora Rising
- The Aurora Cycle, Book 1
- De: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
- Narrado por: Kim Mai Guest, Johnathan McClain, Candice Moll, y otros
- Duración: 14 h y 4 m
- Versión completa
-
General
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Narración:
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Historia
The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the academy would touch....
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Excellent story, but a little overly emotive
- De Zach en 05-15-19