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The best story you’ve never heard
Orwell’s 1984 is part of my sci-fi fan origin story—and it remains one of my favorite books to this day. My colleagues can attest to my insufferable anticipation for this new Audible Original adaptation. I’m double-plus thrilled to report that the end result surpassed all of my highest expectations. The talent involved is an embarrassment of riches, with lead roles by Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, and Tom Hardy, and music composition by Matt Bellamy of Muse (all mixed in Dolby Atmos spatial audio). I could scarcely stop listening, entranced by the performance as if hearing this story for the first time. It manages to be faithful to Orwell’s original novel and yet entirely reinvigorating. Hands down, one of my favorite listens I’ve heard in my tenure here as an editor. —Sam D.
April showers bring … another new novel from Emily Henry. For the fifth year in a row, Henry warms up the spring season with a heartfelt romance set in a dreamy locale featuring an unlikely pair. Daphne’s fiancé dumps her for his childhood best friend, Petra. Daphne decides to move in with Petra’s jilted ex, Miles, fake dating each other to make the new couple jealous—but it quickly turns into something more. Henry’s knack for writing relatable characters while balancing romantic love with relationships between friends and siblings adds even more joy to this beautiful story. Julia Whelan delivers another flawless performance, bringing the unforgettable cast of Funny Story to life. I think this one might be Henry’s best yet! —Margaret H.
An unmissable historical fantasy from the author of the Grishaverse and Ninth House
The Familiar feels like the perfect match of story and author. The historical setting of Madrid during the Spanish Inquisition meets Leigh Bardugo’s gothic aesthetic and penchant for darkly turned fantasy so well, it’s almost crazy to think that she hasn’t written this story sooner. Lauren Fortgang, Bardugo’s longtime narrator, seamlessly slips into the many accents and personalities of the Spanish Golden Age. I deeply enjoyed listening to this very real-feeling historical fantasy about a girl with a Jewish past owning a magic that betrays her persecuted lineage. Bardugo is also so good at making bruised, confusingly lovable heroes, and I believe our poor Santángel is going to be added to that list. This is a lovingly written, intricately detailed fantasy that’s not to be missed. —Melissa B.
Catharsis for life’s curveballs
After a personally tumultuous 2023, I decided to embrace a “new year, new me” mentality for 2024, and though it has now been several months, I am still finding that adjusting to change, even when positive, often feels disorienting. However, wrapping my head around entering a new chapter in my life has been made easier alongside Holly Gramazio’s debut novel. Day in and day out, Lauren grapples with the sudden enchantment of her attic, which swaps out one new husband for another on a seemingly endless loop. And while, yes, some of the men manage to woo her in the little time they spend together, The Husbands is about so much more than finding romance. The rapid changes to Lauren’s life that propel her narrative forward, from sudden adjustments to her class status to changes in her own profession, offer an endless stream of fascinating insights and undeniable humor. —Haley H.
The Civil War in the hands of a narrative master
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” That quote from L.P. Hartley has always stayed with me. It nails why I love history so much: It feels like travel. I’m a bit frustrated I don’t have a time machine so I can see the living, breathing past for myself. But in lieu of a time machine, I have Erik Larson. Few writers transport me so wholly as this master of narrative history, author of such favorites as The Devil in the White City and In the Garden of Beasts. His latest takes us to the fraught five-month period between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the start of the Civil War. In Larson's hands, dimly lit figures from the past come into full view, enlightening us on a world that feels at once so distant and so near to our own, a moment of incomparable consequence in American history, and one with continued relevance in our own troubled times. —Phoebe N.
Is it time for “girl bosses” to retire?
Like many ambitious female millennials who entered the workforce at the onset of the tech boom, I’ve lived and breathed advice from The Financial Diet since the channel debuted on YouTube in 2015. Since then, I’ve seldom made a financial milestone decision (saving for an apartment, negotiating my first salary, buying a house...) without first consulting founder and hostess Chelsea Fagan’s videos. Now, with a decade of sound economic insights in my repertoire and more than a few brushes with burnout, I’m interested in a new perspective on success—one that prioritizes personal capital, and values critical assets like time, energy, and fulfillment without sacrificing practicality. Once again, the talented minds behind TFD deliver just what my generation needs in Beyond Getting By, a guide to abundant and intentional living. —Rachael X.
When I heard that Anne Lamott had penned a new book, I was all ears. Since first being introduced to the prolific author by an old mentor who insisted I don’t write one more word before reading what is now my writing bible, Bird by Bird, I have cherished every piece of Lamott wisdom I’ve been lucky enough to lay my eyes (and ears) on. Always honest, forever hopeful, and never holier-than-thou, her words serve as a beacon of inspiration and a dose of good-feeling emotion when I need it most. This beautifully crafted meditation on the transformative power of love is no exception. By sharing her experience and baring her soul, Lamott manages to comfort while reminding us of what is at the very core of our collective humanity. —Maddie A.
Doris Kearns Goodwin like we’ve never seen before
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin is always an immediate add-to-Library, and An Unfinished Love Story is by far her most personal work to date. Simultaneously a reflection of the final years spent with her late husband, Richard, and a look back at the history of the 1960s, Goodwin’s latest offers an intimate take on the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Based on more than 300 boxes of personal documents and memorabilia, it’s also incredible in audio—with a performance led by Goodwin herself, intertwined with passages from actor Bryan Cranston and archival audio excerpts. It’s the perfect blend of history, biography, and memoir, and offers a totally new side to Goodwin that I am so grateful she’s chosen to share with her listeners. —Michael C.
Top of my list this month is the latest from Ruth Reichl. Her delicious memoir, Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir, resonated deeply for me as someone who had worked in the magazine industry during my career. What is really drawing me in this time is the setting. My sister and her family have lived in Paris for years, and after visiting many times I have come to think of it as a familiar and inspiring place that maintains its mystique. I am planning to come for Reichl’s rich storytelling and stay for the sure-to-be-divine depictions of Parisian dining, art, and culture. —Kelley S.
One of 2024’s strongest debuts
Only a few times a year are we presented a title that almost everyone on the editorial team jumps at any opportunity to get an early copy. Where even before listening to it, it’s already made its way into our own micro-zeitgeist here and we speak about it with a familiarity and shorthand one might use to talk about the latest Sunday night HBO drama. So far this year, it’s been 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers. Filled with ’90s pop culture references that scratch an itch for even a tail-end millennial like myself, 888 is a love story that is smart and unusual and so compulsively listenable, the 12-and-a-half-hour run time isn’t even going to feel like enough. —Aaron S.
A first-hand account of living with ADHD
April is Neurodiversity and Autism Acceptance Month, and as a mama to two neurodivergent kiddos, the atypical is very typical for me. I’m constantly in search of listens to educate me further about the various intricacies of their fascinating little minds. And while parenting books on the subject abound, it’s rare to find one that’s authored by someone with the same neuro-difference. Enter ADHD Is Awesome. Penn Holderness was diagnosed in his twenties, and alongside his wife Kim, they share digestible insights into what it’s like living with ADHD. I can’t wait to listen and get a firsthand account. (P.S. Recognize their names? They won The Amazing Race in 2022!) —Katie O.
Growing up in a Dominican household, I would often hear my mother raving (very similarly to me) to my aunts about “el nuevo libro de Julia” (Julia’s new book) and would watch her devour Alvarez’s novels. I finally picked up In the Time of the Butterflies as a teen. I’ve been a fan ever since. Alvarez’s latest, The Cemetery of Untold Stories, is Alma’s story, and finds her and her sisters inheriting a plot of land in the Dominican Republic. When Alma, an author, decides to turn her plot of land into a cemetery for her unfinished stories, she thinks she is finally putting them to rest—but some stories refuse to remain untold. This novel combines magical realism with captivating tales of immigration, persecution, and love to tell a story full of history of the Dominican Republic and the characters who call the beautiful land home. The story is topped off with a seamless performance from Alma Cuervo, who immerses listeners into this beautiful story that left me ready to re-listen with mom, who may have me beat by listening to the Spanish version, narrated by Altagracia Nova. —Patty R.
You’ll never look at a horoscope the same way again
I don’t believe in astrology, the law of attraction, or (most) conspiracy theories—but that doesn’t stop me from being obsessed with the fact that so many people do. And why not? Such supernatural thinking is practically de rigueur. Author, linguist, and podcast host Amanda Montell, writer of nonfiction hits Cultish and Wordslut, has a way with these topics, and her bracing take on today’s stickiest irrational beliefs—from influencer-peddled therapy speak to celebrity worship and positive thinking—might be her most brilliant yet. Drawing you in with personal stories, expert insights, and several cocktail parties’ worth of fun facts, Montell gradually reveals how the cognitive biases behind popular delusions spare no one, including her, me, and, yes, you. An infectious and engaging reader of her own work, Montell infuses The Age of Magical Overthinking with humor and passion, ensuring both die-hard skeptics and woo-woo acolytes will find something to love and learn within. —Kat J.
A guide to mental resilience and connection from a Canadian icon
Growing up in the States, I’ll admit I didn’t know too much about Sophie Grégoire Trudeau until I picked up her memoir/wellness guide, Closer Together. Beyond her long and successful stint as a television host for CTV and other networks, she’s probably best known in the US as the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (to set expectations, this book is not a tell-all about their recent separation). Trudeau is the rare public figure who shares her mental health journey with an authenticity and vulnerability we don’t often see from those in the political spotlight. With a deep curiosity about brain science and what she calls our “unique emotional alignment,” she draws from her experience as a mental health advocate and speaker, sharing her personal story and what she’s learned along the way to hone resilience, fulfillment and longevity. —Sarah U.
