BEST OF THE BEST
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Best of the Best Genres
The Best New Listens of April Selected by Our Editors
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George Orwell’s 1984
- An Audible Original adaptation
- By: George Orwell, Joe White - adaptation
- Narrated by: Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
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It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith.
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A Revelation!
- By wotsallthisthen on 04-07-24
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George Orwell’s 1984
- An Audible Original adaptation
- Narrated by: Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, Tom Hardy, Chukwudi Iwuji, Romesh Ranganathan, Natasia Demetriou, Francesca Mills, Alex Lawther, Katie Leung
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Release date: 04-04-24
- Language: English
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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.
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Funny Story
- By: Emily Henry
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry....
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Emily Henry does it again!
- By Alli S. on 04-25-24
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Funny Story
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Release date: 04-23-24
- Language: English
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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!
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The Familiar
- A Novel
- By: Leigh Bardugo
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo comes a spellbinding novel set in the Spanish Golden Age....
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Reminded me of why she's my auto buy
- By Toni Bettencourt on 04-14-24
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The Familiar
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Release date: 04-09-24
- Language: English
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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.
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The Husbands
- A Novel
- By: Holly Gramazio
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married....
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Perfect summer read
- By Picky girl on 04-04-24
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The Husbands
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Release date: 04-02-24
- Language: English
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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.
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The Demon of Unrest
- A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
- By: Erik Larson
- Narrated by: Will Patton, Erik Larson
- Length: 17 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Splendid and the Vile brings to life the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War—a simmering crisis that finally tore a deeply divided nation in two....
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The Demon of Unrest
- A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
- Narrated by: Will Patton, Erik Larson
- Length: 17 hrs and 18 mins
- Release date: 04-30-24
- Language: English
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"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.
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Beyond Getting By
- The Financial Diet's Guide to Abundant and Intentional Living
- By: Holly Trantham, Chelsea Fagan - foreword
- Narrated by: Holly Trantham, Chelsea Fagan
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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The girlboss came in many forms, and she struggled valiantly against our increasing exhaustion at her brand of pinkwashed-capitalism-as-liberation—but it’s time to put her to rest....
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Beyond Getting By
- The Financial Diet's Guide to Abundant and Intentional Living
- Narrated by: Holly Trantham, Chelsea Fagan
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Release date: 04-23-24
- Language: English
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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.
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Somehow
- Thoughts on Love
- By: Anne Lamott
- Narrated by: Anne Lamott
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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From the bestselling author of Dusk, Night, Dawn and Help, Thanks, Wow, a joyful celebration of love....
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Very amusing and insightful
- By StaceyH on 04-18-24
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Somehow
- Thoughts on Love
- Narrated by: Anne Lamott
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Release date: 04-09-24
- Language: English
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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.
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An Unfinished Love Story
- A Personal History of the 1960s
- By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Narrated by: Doris Kearns Goodwin, Bryan Cranston
- Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin, one of America’s most beloved historians, artfully weaves together biography, memoir, and history. She takes you along on the emotional journey she and her husband embarked upon in the last years of his life.
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A Great Listen
- By Bill on 04-20-24
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An Unfinished Love Story
- A Personal History of the 1960s
- Narrated by: Doris Kearns Goodwin, Bryan Cranston
- Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
- Release date: 04-16-24
- Language: English
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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.
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The Paris Novel
- By: Ruth Reichl
- Narrated by: Kiiri Sandy
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris.” Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a traumatic childhood has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone....
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Magical, but read the actual book do not listen
- By Gina DiMartino on 04-25-24
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The Paris Novel
- Narrated by: Kiiri Sandy
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Release date: 04-23-24
- Language: English
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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.
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888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers
- A Novel
- By: Abraham Chang
- Narrated by: Eunice Wong
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Young Wang has received plenty of wisdom from his beloved uncle: don’t take life too seriously, get out on the road when you can, and everyone gets just seven great loves in their life—so don’t blow it. This last one sticks with Young as he is an obsessive cataloger of his life....
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888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Eunice Wong
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Release date: 04-30-24
- Language: English
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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.
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ADHD Is Awesome
- A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD
- By: Penn Holderness, Kim Holderness, Edward Hallowell - foreword
- Narrated by: Penn Holderness, Kim Holderness, Nathan Rosborough, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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You live in a world that wasn't designed for you. A world where you're expected to sit still, stay quiet, and focus. Because of the way your brain is wired, you can feel like you’re failing at life. But you are not failing. You are awesome.
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ADHD Is Awesome
- A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD
- Narrated by: Penn Holderness, Kim Holderness, Nathan Rosborough, Ann Marie Taepke, Tyrrell Harrell, Lola Holderness
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Release date: 04-30-24
- Language: English
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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!)
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The Cemetery of Untold Stories
- By: Julia Alvarez
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Literary icon Julia Alvarez returns with an inventive and emotional novel about storytelling itself that will be an instant classic....
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Hard to Follow
- By Whitney McAllister on 04-25-24
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The Cemetery of Untold Stories
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Release date: 04-02-24
- Language: English
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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.
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The Age of Magical Overthinking
- Notes on Modern Irrationality
- By: Amanda Montell
- Narrated by: Amanda Montell
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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From the bestselling author of Cultish and host of the podcast Sounds Like a Cult, The Age of Magical Overthinking is a delicious blend of cultural criticism and personal narrative that explores our cognitive biases and the power, disadvantages, and highlights of magical thinking....
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So well researched!
- By Laura A Rodriguez on 04-21-24
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The Age of Magical Overthinking
- Notes on Modern Irrationality
- Narrated by: Amanda Montell
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Release date: 04-09-24
- Language: English
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I don’t believe in astrology, the law of attraction, or (most) conspiracy theories—but that doesn’t stop me from being obsessed with how 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.
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Closer Together
- Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other
- By: Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
- Narrated by: Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, Jonathan Watton, Richard Clarkin, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Sophie Grégoire Trudeau invites listeners on a deeply personal journey toward self-knowledge, acceptance, and empowerment, drawing on the expertise of top psychologists, psychiatrists, scientists, and thought leaders....
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Closer Together
- Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other
- Narrated by: Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, Jonathan Watton, Richard Clarkin, Maggie Huculak, Tess Degenstein
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Release date: 04-23-24
- Language: English
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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.
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