Maya Fleischmann

Daniel Henning’s animated performance provides the perfect splash of drama and drollness in the audiobook of TJ Klune’s sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea.

In Somewhere Beyond the Sea (16 hours), Arthur Parnassus and his boyfriend, Linus, have welcomed a 10-year-old yeti to their growing orphanage for magical children. But this endeavor of love is threatened by the interference of a social worker, who, believing the children’s abilities to be a threat to society, tries to wrangle enough proof of the danger they pose to remove them from the orphanage. Will Arthur be able to change the political climate in time to save his family?

An engaging storyteller, Henning masters a diverse range of character voices, especially his entertaining Scooby-Doo-esque voice for Chauncey, an adorable gelatinous creature who dreams of becoming a hotel bellhop. Though some plot elements can feel overly simplistic or didactic, Henning’s articulate, earnest narration winningly underscores Somewhere Beyond the Sea’s central themes of self-confidence, kindness, acceptance of others and the importance of working for sociopolitical reform.

Read our starred review of the print version of Somewhere Beyond the Sea.

Daniel Henning’s articulate, earnest narration winningly underscores Somewhere Beyond the Sea’s central themes of self-confidence, kindness and acceptance of others.

By George, she’s got it! Annoying yet affable, Kate Greathead’s George is a captivatingly mediocre antihero.

There’s nothing very remarkable about George or his family. They have their issues. George’s mother, Ellen, has become increasingly disconnected from him over the years, though she remains intimidating to him. Ellen is separating from George’s father, Denis, because Denis’s enthusiasm for luxury fashion has been draining the family funds. Then there’s George’s older sister, Cressida, who is unabashedly straightforward and critical of George, and, like his mother, regards him with a hint of contempt. Despite this friction, the unassuming George manages his family dynamics with seeming nonchalance. In fact, he rarely makes a fuss about the events in his life, and only occasionally shows passion for a goal or project, such as a college major in philosophy, before quickly returning to his habitual listlessness. This passivity even applies to his on-again, off-again relationship with his girlfriend Jenny, who, like the members of his family, oscillates between having patience with him and finding him tedious.

The Book of George unravels George’s life in episodes that highlight his misadventures from ages 12 to 38. The epigraph, excerpted from a letter from the mother of philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer to her son, sets the narrative tone: Johanna Schopenhauer tells Arthur that while he has “everything that could make you a credit to human society . . . you are nevertheless irritating and unbearable.”

Greathead’s delicious deadpan delivery, with its understatement and ironic humor, is irresistible. The Book of George can take its place next to other novels with lovably frustrating main characters like Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove.

Kate Greathead’s delicious understatement and ironic humor makes The Book of George an irresistible portrait of a lovably frustrating mediocre man.

Effortlessly engaging, Ferdelle Capistrano’s easygoing performance highlights humor and authentic character interaction in the audiobook of Humor Me (10.5 hours), Cat Shook’s sweet tale about navigating relationships.

Presley Fry, Humor Me’s 20-something protagonist, is an overworked and underappreciated assistant at a New York City late night show. Presley keeps romantic prospects at a distance, and has mixed feelings about her BFF getting too close to someone else. Though her job entails literally looking for humor—she scouts talent at comedy clubs—Presley’s been distracted since the recent death of her mother, Patty.

Capistrano’s dulcet tones and flawless delivery capture the endearing Presley, and she shows her range with other characters, like Susan Clark, Patty’s compassionate and quirky friend. Seamless transitions between characters in dialogue and well-timed asides bring out the humor without overdoing it. This charming audiobook will engage and delight fans of romantic comedies.

Read our review of the print edition of Humor Me.

Presley Fry, Humor Me’s 20-something protagonist, is an overworked assistant at a late night show who’s been distracted since the recent death of her mother. This charming audiobook will engage and delight fans of romantic comedies.

Powerful in its nuanced details, Mina’s Matchbox is an immersive and poignant coming-of-age story.

After the death of her father, 12-year-old Tomoko is sent to live with her aunt’s family in the coastal Japanese town of Ashiya, while her mother stays in Tokyo. Mina’s Matchbox chronicles Tomoko’s transformative year with her extended family, from 1972 to 1973, especially her close relationship with Mina, her book-loving cousin who has asthma.

Unlike Yoko Ogawa’s darker novels, such as Hotel Iris and the Orwellian The Memory Police, Mina’s Matchbox adopts a narrative tone that is curious and filled with wonder, conveying Tomoko’s enchantment with the enormous house in Ashiya and its fascinating occupants, such as Tomoko’s quiet aunt; her uncle, prone to mysterious disappearances; her German grandmother, Rosa, who has a unique bond with the housekeeper, Yoneda; and Pochinko, the family’s pygmy hippopotamus. Ogawa draws readers into the personalities and interactions of the family, unraveling the characters’ complex inner lives.

Looking back from three decades later, the adult Tomoko finds profound insights in her childhood delight with the expansiveness of life. Ogawa’s masterful descriptions, too, add depth and suggest simmering secrets that wait to boil over.

Translated by Stephen B. Snyder, Mina’s Matchbox is an elegant and stirring work that captures the dreams of youth, and the lingering sweetness that can remain even after those dreams have faded.

Yoko Ogawa’s Mina’s Matchbox is filled with wonder, conveying 12-year-old Tomoko’s enchantment with her extended family during the year she spends with them, from 1972 to 1973.

India Mullen’s taut performance highlights the devastating, long-term effects of traumatic events in the audiobook of When We Were Silent, Fiona McPhillips’ debut novel.

Despite her traumatic past, Louise (Lou) Manson is living a relatively normal life. That changes when Ronan, the brother of her former close school friend, Shauna, shows up. Ronan, now a lawyer, persuades Lou to testify in a lawsuit against Highfield Manor, jeopardizing her newfound stability by unearthing secrets and lies that have been buried for decades. Mullen brings out the complex emotions that surface when Lou is forced to relive the incidents that occurred when she attended the prestigious Dublin private school for girls. With her full-bodied voice and unhurried pace, Mullen conveys an unsettled atmosphere and the intricate dynamics between all the players—villains and victims—as their paths reconverge and the truth of what happened to the girls, including Lou, is revealed.

Fans of Megan Miranda’s The Perfect Stranger and Lisa Jewell’s The Night She Disappeared will enjoy this suspenseful and haunting listening experience.

Read our starred review of the print version of When We Were Silent.

In When We Were Silent, India Mullen’s skillful narration brings out the complex emotions that surface when Lou Manson is convinced to testify against the prestigious Dublin private school she attended decades prior.

Myth and folklore intertwine seamlessly with the tumultuous lives of Asian women in this mesmerizing collection of stories.

Each story in Ninetails: Nine Tales reveals the poignant struggles of young Asian women marginalized and scorned, struggling to eke out their identity, follow their heart and break free from political oppression and social expectations. At the heart of these tales of strength and transformation is Ninetails, a fox spirit known by many names—hulijing, huxian, fox demon or fox fairy—who helps women of diverse backgrounds and ages transcend the violence and turbulence of their lives.

The central story, divided into several parts, is called “The Haunting of Angel Island.” Set in the 1900s, against the backdrop of the Angel Island immigration station located in San Francisco Bay, it features Tye, a Chinese interpreter who witnesses the harrowing experiences of women detainees. Other stories include the tale of a silicone love doll who yearns to be human, the plight of a Korean girl bullied in a land foreign to her, and the story of two friends connected by being cheated on by the same man. Unfolding with gripping intensity through author Sally Wen Mao’s vivid depictions of the gritty settings and sobering situations that confront her characters, each premise is made even more powerful by the magical element introduced when a fox spirit manifests to liberate the women from their misery, or inflict retribution for wrongdoings.

Some of the stories in Ninetails end abruptly and can feel a little disjointed; nevertheless, Mao’s compelling depiction of Asian women’s experiences is powerfully unsettling in its authenticity. Through themes of revenge and redemption, these stories illuminate our enduring capacity for resilience.

In Sally Wen Mao’s Ninetails, a fox spirit helps Asian women of diverse backgrounds and ages transcend the violence and turbulence of their lives.

In her latest spellbinding collection of poems, The Moon That Turns You Back, Hala Alyan renders rich, intricate landscapes of heritage and place that arise from her own experiences. A Palestinian American novelist, poet and clinical psychologist, Alyan is familiar with diaspora and displacement. Born in America, she moved to Kuwait with her Palestinian father and Syrian mother, then returned to the American Midwest after the Iraqi invasion in 1990. She completed some of her education in the U.S. and some in the Middle East.

These poems reflect not only the countries that make up Alyan’s identity and history, but also the range of cultural ideals and differences that exist within that history, exploring the perspectives of family members such as her maternal grandmother and her mother. Alyan’s poetry draws the reader in through form, including interactive poems styled in a choose-your-own-adventure format.

Alyan tackles complex, even disturbing, topics. She writes of everyday objects using striking, vivid descriptions: “underwear the color of the summer, of the ocean, of the dead.” “In Jerusalem” employs the recurring image of a woman’s hair. It’s sensual, feminine and powerful, but it can also render the speaker vulnerable: “In Jerusalem a man blocked the door of a hostel // to tell me to unpin my hair. I did, / but then kept the story from anyone for years.”

While her succinct and candid language, arresting imagery and bold approach to form are effectively disquieting, there is also a very organic sense of hope and renewal in these poems, even in the darkest hour. There’s a hint of this in the titular line from, “Interactive Fiction :: Werewolf,” where Alyan writes: “In the / darkest dark, I wait for / the / moon // that turns you back.”

The Moon That Turns You Back is a bountiful collection of poetry, especially for those interested in diaspora and the complexity of multinationalism.

Hala Alyan’s The Moon That Turns You Back is a bountiful collection of poetry, especially for those interested in diaspora and the complexity of multinationalism.

Graham Halstead serves up an atmospheric performance in the audiobook of The Glutton (11 hours), A.K. Blakemore’s mesmerizing novel about a peasant boy with a voracious appetite for just about anything.

Tarare is a sickly man close to death, strapped to his hospital bed and watched over by a nun who is terrified by rumors of the many things he has eaten, which include live animals. Tarare attempts to entice her by telling her the story of his fascinating and sordid life. Halstead’s English and French accents immerse the listener in the French Revolution setting, and the smooth quality of his voice paired with Blakemore’s sumptuous descriptions is hypnotic. Tarare’s account of enduring cruelty and extreme poverty elicits sympathetic horror. And yet, the boldness and richness of Halstead’s narration lends a strange beauty to the story.

Based on the legend of the Glutton of Lyon, this fictionalized tale will be especially enthralling for those interested in the French Revolution and fans of Han Kang’s The Vegetarian.

Read our starred review of the print edition of The Glutton.

Graham Halstead’s hypnotic narration lends a strange beauty to this story of a peasant boy’s fascinating and sordid life, eliciting both horror and sympathy.

A bookshop becomes an inspiration for transformation in this thought-provoking tale by author and essayist Hwang Bo-reum.

After she burns out from her intense career and divorces her controlling husband, Yeongju decides to find emotional fulfillment by pursuing her childhood dream of owning a bookshop. Although she finds the business aspect of running a bookshop more challenging than she expected, Yeongju discovers that she’s created a special space for thought, growth and connection with others. Included in the cast of characters who are inspired by Yeongju and her bookshop sanctuary are Minjun, a young man desperate for work after dropping out of university who becomes the shop’s barista; Jungsuh, a woman who quits her job because of its unfair policies and now spends her time crocheting at the store; and Seungwoo, an office worker-turned-author who hosts a writing workshop at the bookshop.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop is a slice-of-life tale with appealing characters whose trials stay light on drama. Their stories explore aspects of Korean culture, including the expectation that children defer to their parents and wives to their husbands, and the value placed on success in work over the development of one’s inner life. While the prose is clear and uncluttered, at times the narrative can feel stilted and repetitive, although this may be an impact of the translation from the original Korean. Still, the messages about happiness and not wasting time in unsuitable and meaningless endeavors are uplifting and provide a cozy read. This title may be a match for fans of What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama and Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop is an uplifting and cozy slice-of-life tale with appealing characters whose trials stay light on drama.

Leeanna Walsman’s moving performance in the audiobook of Emma Grey’s The Last Love Note (11 hours) conveys the myriad of complex emotions an Australian woman experiences after her husband’s unexpectedly early death. This uplifting story about grief, love and joy after a loss may be especially appealing to fans of Cecelia Ahren and Jojo Moyes.

Two years after her husband’s death from early onset Alzheimer’s disease, Kate Whittaker is still afflicted by confusion and angst as she tries to move on. Walsman’s pitch-perfect narration captures Kate’s fluctuating emotional and mental states throughout an engaging blend of drama and light moments, like when Kate must contend with her guilty attraction to her new neighbor or the bossiness of her micromanaging mother. The sound effect used for telephone conversations and Walsman’s fitting Australian accent add to the dynamic nature of this audio production.

The Last Love Note is an uplifting story about grief, love and joy after death that may be especially appealing to fans of Cecelia Ahren and Jojo Moyes.

Shiromi Arserio’s heartfelt performance captures youthful innocence and passion when two 14-year-old girls must hide their blossoming love for one another from the world.

Learned by Heart (9 hours) is set in the confines of an English boarding school in the 1800s—a time when same-sex relationships were criminalized. Although wealthy heiress Eliza Raine tries to follow the rules and not draw attention to herself, the biracial girl can’t escape questions and judgment about her Indian and English heritage. New student Anne Lister makes a strong impression on Eliza because Anne is confident, outspoken and so different from the others. Before long, Eliza is falling for Anne. Arserio’s velvety voice sweeps effortlessly between Eliza’s perspective as a reserved schoolgirl and that of her ardent adult self, conveying Eliza’s anguish as she confronts the consequences of her fateful affections.

Arserio’s blend of emotion and restraint captures the intensity of this tale of desire and devotion by Emma Donoghue.

Shiromi Arserio’s velvety voice is perfect for this tale of forbidden love set in the confines of an English boarding school in the 1800s.

Ten years after his wife’s death, an elderly man reflects on his mortality, the life he has lived and his designs for the future in this inspiring and sensitive portrayal of the complexities of getting older.

Philosophy professor Seymour (Sy) Baumgartner has much to ponder at 71. Each accident or encounter in his life sparks not only the remembrance of things and people past, but sometimes new visions and goals, such as moving forward in love, possibly with his UPS delivery person and secret crush, Molly, or finally publishing his late wife Anna’s collection of writing.

Author Paul Auster quickly establishes themes of aging, isolation, connection and the power of memories. As Baumgartner opens, Sy is on his way downstairs to find a book when he remembers that he promised to call his sister, but both tasks are diverted by a forgotten pot of water on the stove. Hurriedly removing it, Sy burns his hand, and he’s barely taken care of the burn when a man from the electric company calls to say that he will be late for an appointment Sy doesn’t even recall making.

Between Sy’s surprise at kindness from a stranger, his sense of detachment from his body, his imaginary conversations with his beloved Anna, and his recollections of his parents’ lives and their own senses of inefficacy, Auster creates a bittersweet emotional landscape combining sadness and insecurity with joy and inspiration. Auster’s narrative and observations are lucid, pithy and moving, and even some of his clichés ring true: “To live is to feel pain,” Sy declares, “and to live in fear of pain is to refuse to live.”

Nuanced, compassionate and simply eloquent, Baumgartner is a stirring portrait of a man trying to adapt to his aging body and mind.

Nuanced, compassionate and simply eloquent, Baumgartner is a stirring portrait of a man trying to adapt to his aging body and mind.

At 70, Flor Marte is the second eldest of four Dominican American sisters who are all gifted with special powers. Flor’s power is that she can predict when someone will die. Inspired by a dream about losing her teeth, as well as a documentary that her daughter, Ona, told her about, Flor decides to throw her own living wake. As her family reluctantly prepares for the wake, the fear that Flor will soon die stirs a need in each of her sisters—Pastora, Mathilde and Camila—as well as in Ona and in Flor’s niece, Yadi, to confront the lies within their own lives.

Rich narration from three different sources conveys the mystical elements of Family Lore (10 hours). Sixta Morel voices the four Marte sisters, while the book’s author, Elizabeth Acevedo, voices Ona, from whose perspective we hear the stories of each of the six women unfold. It can be hard to distinguish between the characters’ voices, with the exception of Yadi, whose confident proclamations about her vaginal superpowers are delivered by a third narrator, Danyeli Rodriguez del Orbe. But as the novel jumps back and forth between past and present, the interplay of Acevedo, Morel and Rodriguez del Orbe’s voices lends a magical storytelling quality to the Marte family’s tale.

The interplay of author Elizabeth Acevedo’s voice with the voices of additional narrators lends a magical storytelling quality to this family saga.

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