Editors Select | April 2022

Well-Being

Why it’s good to feel sad

In a culture that is so focused on staying positive and being productive, we’ve lost sight of the benefits of the other side of our emotional spectrum. Sadness and longing, Susan Cain argues, are the emotions that make us the most human. These emotions make us reach out to others for connection. Also, no person goes through life without loss, and so we must learn to embrace that loss and see that it allows us to experience the beauty of the world more deeply. Think about it: when listening to sad music or a sad story, do you ever get that feeling in your chest that is sadness, yes, but also a little bit like joy, or an overwhelming awe at the beauty of it all? This is the bittersweet tradition, and as a melancholic person myself, listening to Bittersweet has freed me to be kind to my sadness. Just as Cain armed and empowered the introverts of the world with Quiet, she is now giving melancholics the tools we need to embrace our underappreciated emotions in Bittersweet.

Melissa B.

Editor Audible

Well-Being

A lifetime of lessons

As soon as I took a sneak peek at the manuscript for 12 Notes, I knew I was diving into something special. Music producer Quincy Jones, winner of the Grammy Legend Award, shares his wisdom and divulges details of his difficult and rich life in his one-of-a-kind piece. Each chapter (represented by one of the 12 notes on a musical scale) covers a creative lesson earned through years of Jones’s hard work—it’s a privilege to hear each one. To quote the author, “personal growth is just a journey from mind pollution to mind solution,” and 12 Notes is exactly the self-development guide I need right now. I’m looking forward to indulging in an audio experience that nurtures my left brain.

Rachael X.

Editor Audible

Audible Original Podcast

Truly obsessed with Miranda

In the ’70s and ’80s, a woman who called herself Miranda Grosvenor seemed to know everything about everyone in showbiz—which director was considering which scripts, which actor was secretly dating whom, and what part they were going for. She cold-called and developed flirty friendships with men such as writer-director Buck Henry, Paul Schrader, Robert De Niro, and Billy Joel, without ever meeting them. Now, this addictive, dramatized Audible Original Podcast series brings to life the stunning 1999 Vanity Fair investigation into this mysterious woman with a gift for charming powerful men on the phone. The men she routinely spoke with say their chats were filled with wit, sexy charm, and a nonstop supply of insider information. These conversations and more literally come to life in this series, and I couldn’t stop listening. Rachel Brosnahan is outstanding as Miranda, and the all-star cast also includes Josh Groban, John Benjamin Hickey, Harry Lloyd, Morgan Spector, and Milo Ventimiglia. I was so charmed by Brosnahan’s voice that I totally understand how her character enchanted these men. Spector, who voices Schrader, brings it home with his performance; it is gut-wrenching to hear his desperate attempts to meet Miranda in person. Does he meet her? You’ll have to listen. The Miranda Obsession could be your next obsession!

Edwin D.

Editor Audible

Memoir

One beautiful woman

Viola Davis and I go way back to the days she appeared on my favorite show, Law & Order. I often wondered why she wasn’t glammed up all that much. I suspected it was her dark skin that didn’t elicit glamour once upon a time. It certainly was the reason she had to run home every day, away from a pack of boys who called her names and threatened her because they found her dark and ugly. She ran fast with shoes a couple of sizes too small and holes in their soles. Viola Davis is a knockout! She’s one of the best in the business, delivering seamlessly powerful performances. At 53, she started doing the work on her scars from the past. Her therapist pointed out that the little girl from Central Falls, RI, was the hero. Viola let her in, and here she is, folks. Her memoir will put some pep in your spring.

Yvonne D.

Editor Audible

Fiction

You can’t resist The Candy House

When I heard that 2022 would be the year Jennifer Egan was coming out with a companion to her mind-expanding, Pulitzer Prize-winning A Visit from the Goon Squad, I felt an immediate need to revisit this book I first read way back in 2010. I downloaded and listened and realized, wow—I missed a lot the first time around, or maybe it’s me that’s changed over the past 10-plus years? And then it was time to take in The Candy House. I didn’t have to go through this preparation—both novels stand on their own—but it was a very satisfying experiment. The Candy House is so much fun! It comes alive in dozens of entwined stories, performed by an incredible cast of narrators. It’s a world a lot like this one, if this world had a utopian/dystopian product known as Own Your Unconscious, a cube that lets a user upload his or her memories, tap into the memories of others who’ve uploaded theirs, and watch them like movies. It’s all so seemingly unimaginable yet inevitable at the same time. I’m still a little dizzy.

Tricia F.

Editor Audible

Suspense

Awake, asleep, or going mad?

To me, the best thrillers are the ones that get under my skin and make me think. That is exactly the state Sarah Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes left me in. The secrets, the deceptions, and a pinch of paranormal kept me attached to my headphones until the mind-blowing ending. When I saw that she was releasing a new title, I had to get my hands on it. Insomnia revolves around lawyer Emma Averell, a busy mom who is approaching her 40th birthday. As the days get closer and closer to Emma’s birthday, her behavior becomes increasingly erratic, and she begins to believe that her family is in danger—or is she the danger her family needs protection from? Insomnia is a classic example of a perfect psychological thriller. And I’ll admit I’m looking forward to staying up all night to listen.

Patty K C.

Editor Audible

Audible Original Podcast

Piece together the mosaic of our minds

Like many people, I first learned about the work of neurologist Oliver Sacks from the movie Awakenings, starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro. Based on his memoir about his drug experiments with catatonic patients in the 1960s, it inspired a multitude to want to learn more about the brain’s quirks, and Sacks became something of a star. I've long wanted to dig into his best-selling books, especially his 2015 memoir, but haven't until this new podcast made me realize all I've been missing. Radiant Minds host Indre Viskontas, a neuroscientist and opera singer, was also inspired to pursue this field by Sacks, and her work was even featured in his book Musicophilia. She's a trustworthy and empathetic host for this complex and fascinating journey “to tell the story of the human brain, one person at a time.” The way neurodiversity is handled—from case studies on Tourette syndrome to the complexities of memory and trauma—helped me appreciate the choices people have to make between treating their condition and potentially losing access to something fundamental to who they are. I found myself enthralled—just don't start self-diagnosing!

Jerry P.

Editor Audible

Romantic Comedy

A deliciously meta plot-narrator pairing

A rom-com about a former child star performed by former child star (and award-winning narrator) Julia Whelan—the meta nature of this audiobook drew me in from the start. And it was Whelan herself who first put this on my radar—and highlighted the irony—when she was a guest on Audicted earlier this year. In Birds of California by Katie Cotugno, child star Fiona has been flying under the radar for years, only to be dragged back into the spotlight by her former costar Sam for a revival of their old hit show. I’m expecting this listen, set in a post-#metoo Hollywood, to tackle the weight of the moment while crafting a love story for the listener to root for. And with Julia Whelan acting as our guide through the Golden State, I have complete faith in the journey.

Katie O.

Editor Audible

Memoir

Gurl, get your pink glasses!

Filled with his trademark humor and charm, and featuring a truly eye-catching title, Playing with Myself encapsulates everything I love about celebrity memoirs. From the juicy tidbits of his life and love to a glimpse behind his green screen, Randy Rainbow holds nothing back in this dishy tell-all. Puns and musical anecdotes aside, it’s also an honest and heartfelt exploration of his life and struggles, and a tribute to the women who inspired him. It beautifully celebrates courage, breaking the mold, and loving your authentic self, all told by the comedian himself, and featuring a special guest appearance from his mom, Gwen. It’s the perfect introduction to the man behind those fabulous pink glasses.

Michael C.

Editor Audible

Science Fiction

That’s just the way she makes me feel

Every time I listen to ''Make Me Feel'' by Janelle Monáe, I’m transported back to the moment I first heard it. I was with close friends, driving with our windows down on the first day of the year when we could leave our coats behind. Spring scented the air, and when we parked at home, I rushed inside to listen to the rest of Dirty Computer. That’s when I realized this album would define more than just my 2018. Surely, it was bound to usher in our next era. I mean, seriously. What song equates femininity with power more artistically or subversively than ''Pynk''? Four years ago, Monáe asserted, ''I am not America’s nightmare, I am the American dream.'' And now, The Memory Librarian is skyrocketing her dystopian vision to its next dimension of Afrofuturistic transcendence. It’s queer, it’s collaborative, and it’s time to get on board.

Haley H.

Editor Audible

Fiction

A vibrant celebration of female resilience

Tara M. Stringfellow’s debut novel traces the lives of four Black women from a Tennessee family. Hazel, Miriam, August, and Joan are the bold and beautiful North women, and they each take a turn recounting the violence, injustice, abuse, and trauma that shape their lives. Narrators Karen Murray and Adenrele Ojo tell this story with exceptional beauty, thanks to Stringfellow’s lyrical prose. The gentleness with which the performers unspool the events spanning from the 1930s to 2003 in succinct, nonlinear vignettes is remarkable. Their voices give a heartrending story its heart in Memphis.

Margaret H.

Editor Audible

Essays

JVN gets real

Just about a month ago, my fiancé and I went on vacation, packing up our suitcases and settling in for a train ride that clocked in at over 24 hours. Our one saving grace in that itsy-bitsy roomette? The two seasons of Queer Eye we downloaded for the journey—no one, and I mean no one, makes time fly quite like the Fab Five. Needless to say, when Jonathan Van Ness announced his essay collection Love That Story, I was immediately on board. Fueled by the same curiosity and compassion that drive his podcast, Van Ness tackles the aftermath of vulnerably baring his soul in his 2019 memoir, Over the Top, the nonlinear process of grieving a shattering unexpected loss, impulse spending and the connection between fashion and identity, white fragility, the criminalization of cannabis, and so much more. In signature JVN fashion, he also brings plenty of humor, heart, and no shortage of gymnastics references and ice-skating similes to each and every moment, crafting an insightful, joyful collection that’s a must for both longtime fans and open-minded, inquisitive listeners looking to challenge assumptions and learn something new along the way.

Alanna M.

Editor Audible

Well-Being

Bittersweet

I REALLY wanted to love this book!

Well-Being

12 Notes

I lived these notes with Quincy

Audible Original Podcast

The Miranda Obsession

Performance art here

Memoir

Finding Me

Absolutely beautifully Written❤️

Fiction

The Candy House

Read this one, skip audio

Suspense

Insomnia

Brilliant, Original, Very Creepy

Audible Original Podcast

Radiant Minds

Incredible!!

Romantic Comedy

Birds of California

Does anyone edit books anymore?

Memoir

Playing with Myself

I was left wanting MORE!

Science Fiction

The Memory Librarian

Hard to follow

Fiction

Memphis: A Read with Jenna Pick

Maybe it's just me...

Essays

Love That Story

Thank you!