New Audiobooks for April
This list first appeared in the Audiobooks Newsletter. Sign-up for the Audiobooks Newsletter here.
Happy April, Audiophiles! A new month means new audiobooks for your listening pleasure! There are tons to get to, so let’s dive right in. As always, I’ve put the publisher descriptions in quotes.
The Recovering
written and read by Leslie Jamison; release date: 04-03-18
I’m halfway through this audiobook and thus far it’s excellent. Granted, this is a pretty easy sell for me: Leslie Jamison is a female writer who got sober in her 20s. I’m all those things too, but instead of being Leslie Jamison, I’m just a Leslie Jamison fan. The Recovering is part memoir, part meditation on writers, creativity, and booze. As someone who used to wake up and crack open a bottle of vodka before sitting down at my desk (because Hemingway?) before writing a bunch of gibberish and passing out…well, yes, this book is right up my alley. But if you’re a fan of Jamison (which, if you’ve read her, is pretty hard not to be), you can’t go wrong with this title.
Meaty written and read by Samantha Irby; release date: 04-03-18
I loooove Sam Irby. My sister was kind enough to gift me Irby’s first collection of essays (Meaty) years ago and I got hooked on both the book and her blog (bitches gotta eat). She topped many a “best of” list in 2017 with her collection of essays, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. Now she’s updated and expanded her first collection of essays, and please trust me when I say if you liked WANMIRL, you will NOT be disappointed with Meaty.
Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning written and read by Leslie Odom Jr; release date: 04-10-18
Leslie Odom Jr. shot to fame in 2015 as Aaron Burr in the original Broadway Cast of Hamilton. This short audiobook (running time three hours thirty-seven minutes) “asks the questions that will help you unlock your true potential and achieve your goals even when they seem impossible. What work did you put in today that will help you improve tomorrow? How do you surround yourself with people who will care about your dreams as much as you do? How do you know when to play it safe and when to risk it all for something bigger and better?” If you’re looking for inspiration and insight from a super talented guy, this is a safe bet.
A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership written and read by James Comey
Who is James Comey? Is he the man who cost Hillary Clinton the election? Is he the man whose firing might be the catalyst for Trump’s impeachment? Or is he just a guy who tweets pictures of waterfalls alongside Martin Luther King Jr. quotes? Lordy, who knows?! Listen to the audiobook, narrated by the man himself, and find out.
The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman; narrated by Saskia Maarleveld; release date: 04-17-18
“‘Philomena’ meets ‘The Orphan Train’ in this suspenseful, provocative novel filled with love, secrets, and deceit – the story of a young unwed mother who is forcibly separated from her daughter at birth and the lengths to which they go to find each other.”
War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence written and read by Ronan Farrow; release date: 04-24-18
Ronan Farrow is the dogged reporter behind the New Yorker expose of Harvey Weinstein. Before he was a reporter, however, he was a diplomat. His experiences in this role are the core of this book. “In an astonishing account ranging from Washington, DC, to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and North Korea in the years since 9/11, Farrow illuminates one of the most consequential and poorly understood changes in American history…Farrow’s narrative is richly informed by interviews with whistle-blowers, policymakers, and a warlord, from Henry Kissinger to Hillary Clinton. Diplomacy, Farrow argues, has declined after decades of political cowardice, short-sightedness, and outright malice—but it may just offer America a way out of a world at war.”
You Think It, I’ll Say It: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld; narrated by Emily Rankin and Mark Deacon; release date: 04-24-18
The author of Prep, American Wife, and Eligible releases her first collection of short stories later this month. In it, she “upends assumptions about class, relationships, and gender roles in a nation that feels both adrift and viscerally divided. In ‘The World Has Many Butterflies’, married acquaintances play a strangely intimate game with devastating consequences. In ‘Vox Clamantis in Deserto’, a shy Ivy League student learns the truth about a classmate’s seemingly enviable life.” Sittenfeld at her best reminds me of some of my favorite short story writers (Lorrie Moore, Robin Black) and I’m excited to see if that plays out in this collection.
OK, this one isn’t from April, it was released last month but somehow I missed it and I must atone for my grievous mistake.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Marlon Bundo, Jill Twiss; narrated by Jim Parsons, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, John Lithgow, Jack McBrayer, RuPaul; release date: 03-18-18
The book that started out as a spoof of the book Vice President Pence’s wife wrote (about a day in the life of the VP, from the perspective of his bunny Marlon Bundo) became an overnight bestseller. “With a message of tolerance and advocacy, this charming children’s book explores issues of same-sex marriage and democracy. Beautifully performed by an all-star cast, featuring Jim Parsons, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, John Lithgow, Jack McBrayer, and RuPaul, this sweet and funny story is dedicated to every bunny who has ever felt different.”
Did you listen to anything last month that you loved? Are you looking forward to an upcoming release? Let us know in the comments!
