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NonfictionAudioSelf-Help

Beginners

Review by Jill Ratzan

Acquiring a new skill is often daunting, and as an adult it can be downright embarrassing to struggle with an unfamiliar process. In Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning (7.5 hours), author Tom Vanderbilt invites us to work through our fears and embrace the joy of learning something new.

Vanderbilt, who reads his own book, acknowledges that adults are rarely comfortable learning new skills. He takes listeners on an exploratory tour through infant psychology, educational theory and cognitive science. As he chronicles his own experiences of studying how to sing, surf, draw, weld and juggle, he encourages listeners to embrace a “beginner’s mind” that facilitates lifelong learning. He’s also subtly radical in his unabashed rejection of futurism. There may be instructional videos galore on YouTube, he argues, but it’s still better to learn with a class and a teacher.

Whether inspiring parents to join their children in trying new activities, encouraging group learning experiences or explaining how a neurobiologist might benefit from studying the tango, Vanderbilt maintains an upbeat and optimistic tone, like an encouraging friend.

 

To guide you on the path of positivity in the new year, four books provide support, affirmation and inspiration.

In Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning (7.5 hours), author Tom Vanderbilt invites us to work through our fears and embrace the joy of learning something new.
FictionAudioYA

Audio: January 2021

Feature by Anna Zeitlin

Try one of these audiobooks, and your ears—and heart and mind—will thank you.

★ Make Me Rain

I’m 30 years late to the Nikki Giovanni party, and this collection of poetry is a revelation. Performed by the celebrated and award-winning poet herself, Make Me Rain dives into subjects both light and heavy as she uses her unique perspective to provide insight into even the most upsetting issues. Giovanni is in her late 70s, and her voice has a sage quality that softens the blow of difficult topics, including slavery, rape, abuse and police brutality. When she’s reading her more cheerful poems, it sounds like she’s got a smile on her face, knowing she’s got the goods. The brash way she declares, “I don’t like pancakes” in the poem “No Pancakes Please” shows how she can bring her strong point of view to the most mundane topics. Poetry is best read aloud, so this audiobook is the ideal format for this collection. It’ll take you from laughter to outrage to hope.

Memorial

Bryan Washington navigates death, grief, family and relationships in his fresh novel, Memorial, which makes for a captivating audiobook. Benson and Mike are in a rocky place in their relationship. When Mike gets word that his father is dying, he leaves Houston, Texas, for Japan to be with him, leaving Benson alone with Mike’s newly arrived mother as a house guest for an indeterminate amount of time. Washington does a stellar job narrating as Benson, capturing a young man on the precipice of the rest of his life, with all his frustrations and uncertainty, and holding his own with experienced actor Akie Kotabe, who voices Mike’s sections. Kotabe is a Japanese American actor who grew up in Texas, and he truly brings Mike and his elderly father to life.

We Are Not Free

Written by Traci Chee, We Are Not Free tells the stories of 14 second-generation Japanese American teenagers whose lives are upended during World War II. For the crime of having Japanese parents, they are taken away from everything they know and placed in incarceration camps. A cast of 12 narrators brings these stories to life. Among them is Ryan Potter, known for playing Hiro in the movie Big Hero 6; Grace Rolek, who has played Connie on “Steven Universe” since 2013; and Brittany Ishibashi, who plays Tina on Marvel’s “Runaways.” The performances make this not-so-distant history feel modern and relevant, as though you could find these characters at any high school across America. This is an important reminder to learn from the past or be doomed to repeat it.

Try one of these audiobooks, and your ears—and heart and mind—will thank you.
Science Fiction & FantasyFictionAudioMemoirHumor

Audio: December 2020

Feature by Anna Zeitlin

Some are short, and some are long, but the stories in these three audiobooks will sweep you away for hours.

★ The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

V. E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a rare, original fable that feels timeless. As a young woman in the 17th century, Addie makes a deal with the darkness, embodied by Luc, a trickster god. He grants her immortality with the caveat that everyone she ever meets will fail to remember her. Addie lives in the shadows for hundreds of years, roaming Europe and the United States, finding ways to get by and doomed to solitude, until one day, she meets a man who can remember her. This epic story, spanning three centuries and two continents, is expertly narrated by Julia Whelan. Her performance grows and changes with Addie, capturing her early French accent and her later American one, which still carries a slight French tinge. This is a transporting listen, and these characters will stick with you for a long time.

Black Bottom Saints

Co-narrated by Prentice Onayemi and Imani Parks, Alice Randall’s novel Black Bottom Saints captures the memories of Joseph “Ziggy” Johnson, a gossip columnist who founded a famed dance school in Detroit. As Ziggy recalls the men and women who touched his life from the 1930s to the ’60s, he pays tribute to these heroes and toasts each one with a custom cocktail (recipes included). From local legends to household names like Count Basie and Martin Luther King Jr., each story shines a spotlight on Black excellence. Onayemi does a beautiful job narrating the book from Ziggy’s perspective, bringing gravity and a warm nostalgia to the telling. Parks plays Ziggy’s goddaughter, who is piecing together his story, and her modern sensibility provides a welcome contrast. Both narrators hail from Broadway, and they bring notable vitality to the narration.

The Best of Me

Arguably the king of audiobooks, David Sedaris returns with his greatest hits, The Best of Me, all selected by the author from his more than 25-year career. From imagined letters to the editor to quirky stories about his large family, this collection gathers all the favorites in one place. Sedaris narrates the audiobook as only he can, his distinct voice emphasizing the odd observations that make his perspective so unique. This is a perfect point of introduction to an expansive and celebrated opus.

Some are short, and some are long, but the stories in these three audiobooks will sweep you away for hours.

FictionAudioThriller

Whisper Network

Review by Anna Zeitlin

A North Texas-based athletic wear company gets shaken up when the “bad man list” is passed around in Chandler Baker’s Whisper Network. When one of those bad men is up for a promotion to CEO of the company, enough is enough. Four very different women—from high-powered lawyers to a member of the custodial staff—come together to stand up to him and to the company willing to overlook his history of sexual harassment. This #MeToo revenge fantasy makes for a fun listen with a bit of mystery, exploring women’s lives, their relationships to work and how they deal with the bad men they are forced to answer to. Narrator Almarie Guerra does a nimble job portraying the different women with honesty and sympathy.

A North Texas-based athletic wear company gets shaken up when the “bad man list” is passed around in Chandler Baker’s Whisper Network. When one of those bad men is up for a promotion to CEO of the company, enough is enough. Four very different women—from…
FictionAudioLiterary Fiction

Fleishman Is in Trouble

Review by Anna Zeitlin

Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s stunning debut novel explores middle age, parenthood, divorce and the subjective nature of how we perceive other people, even those closest to us. Toby Fleishman is going through a divorce and discovers he’s a hot commodity on all the new dating apps. But when his ex-wife, Rachel, doesn’t pick up the kids when it’s her turn, he’s forced to navigate parenthood and dating while wondering what happened to his marriage—and to Rachel. He paints her as a neglectful mother and ruthless social climber with little care for his input. She makes more money, and he feels like he put his career on the back burner for her. But wait till you see her point of view. Read by Allyson Ryan with humor and attitude, Fleishman Is in Trouble is a ruthless look at class and relationships in modern-day Manhattan.

Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s stunning debut novel explores middle age, parenthood, divorce and the subjective nature of how we perceive other people, even those closest to us. Toby Fleishman is going through a divorce and discovers he’s a hot commodity on all the new dating apps. But…
FictionAudio

Going Dutch

Review by Anna Zeitlin

All the characters in James Gregor’s debut novel are horrible people, but I couldn’t help but root for them. Richard is a Ph.D. candidate struggling with writer’s block. His classmate Anne helps him by doing his work for him, buying him fancy meals and paying for taxis. In return, she expects a romantic relationship, and he is happy to oblige—despite being gay. It all comes to a head when things get serious between Richard and a former online fling. He is forced to choose between the handsome lawyer, who’s definitely husband material (even if he’s a little too into Ayn Rand), and the woman who holds the key to his academic success. Going Dutch pokes fun at online dating, New York intellectuals, money and manners. Narrator Michael David Axtell infuses Richard’s inner monologues with wry humor, making his observations even more biting.

All the characters in James Gregor’s debut novel are horrible people, but I couldn’t help but root for them. Richard is a Ph.D. candidate struggling with writer’s block. His classmate Anne helps him by doing his work for him, buying him fancy meals and paying…
FictionAudio

Never Have I Ever

Review by Anna Zeitlin

In Never Have I Ever, Amy’s blissful, suburban Florida life is turned upside down when new neighbor Roux shows up at her book club and turns the discussion toward everyone’s deepest, darkest secrets. Roux earns a living through blackmail, and Amy gets tangled up in something far beyond a party game. This is a fun thriller grounded in textured relationships that include a controlling best friend and a quirky teenage stepdaughter. I kept thinking I knew where the story was going, but there were twists upon twists I truly could not see coming. Author Joshilyn Jackson does a pitch-perfect job narrating her own novel. The Alabama-born writer gets the pretend-nice, passive-aggressive, classically Southern voice just right.

In Never Have I Ever, Amy’s blissful, suburban Florida life is turned upside down when new neighbor Roux shows up at her book club and turns the discussion toward everyone’s deepest, darkest secrets. Roux earns a living through blackmail, and Amy gets tangled up in…
NonfictionAudioMemoir

Mr. Know-It-All

Review by Anna Zeitlin

Part memoir, part pop culture criticism, Mr. Know-It-All (10 hours) is one of those books that you definitely should listen to on audiobook over reading the printed book. Director and screenwriter John Waters is a fantastic storyteller and spends much of his time these days giving talks across the country. My favorite parts of his new book are when he digs really deep into tiny niches of popular culture, breaking down the teenage death pop songs of the 1950s and ’60s and suggesting, “Aren’t all country songs novelty songs in a way?” Waters also gives great background on his guerrilla filmmaking career and reveals how he convinced studios to give him funding after so many box-office misses. He even provides details about some of his movie pitches that never got made. I’m still holding out for the mod Hairspray sequel!

Part memoir, part pop culture criticism, Mr. Know-It-All (10 hours) is one of those books that you definitely should listen to on audiobook over reading the printed book. Director and screenwriter John Waters is a fantastic storyteller and spends much of his time these days giving talks…
Science Fiction & FantasyFictionAudioScience Fiction

The Lesson

Review by Anna Zeitlin

A strong debut from Cadwell Turnbull, The Lesson does what all the best science fiction does: It uses the supernatural to reveal something true about our world. The book is set in the U.S. Virgin Islands five years after the Ynaa, an advanced alien race, arrived to study humans. The Ynaa live mostly peacefully with humans, at least for the time being. Most people are willing to put up with the occasional killing at the hands of the Ynaa in exchange for their science and medicine, but eventually enough is enough. Narrators Janina Edwards and Ron Butler do a fantastic job setting us in the islands, and their accents draw extra attention to the colonial elements of alien invasion that mirror our own history. It’s worth a listen for anyone with an interest in sci-fi.

A strong debut from Cadwell Turnbull, The Lesson does what all the best science fiction does: It uses the supernatural to reveal something true about our world. The book is set in the U.S. Virgin Islands five years after the Ynaa, an advanced alien race, arrived to…
NonfictionAudioMemoir

Out East

Review by Anna Zeitlin

Out East is a memoir about one summer in the Long Island beach town of Montauk, where John Glynn, his friends and some loose acquaintances go in together on a summer home. Glynn feels like the odd man out in a group mostly populated by women, gay men and Wall Street bros. But as feelings develop for one of his new friends, it turns out he might fit in better than he thought. Glynn has a knack for details, is skilled at place-setting and displays a true love of language, which he deploys effortlessly. It’s a small, personal story about Glynn figuring out who he truly is over one wild summer of weekends away from the city. Michael Crouch lends an earnestness to the narration. As focused as the story is, he makes everything feel big and new.

Out East is a memoir about one summer in the Long Island beach town of Montauk, where John Glynn, his friends and some loose acquaintances go in together on a summer home. Glynn feels like the odd man out in a group mostly populated by women,…
RomanceAudioContemporary Romance

Waiting for Tom Hanks

Review by Anna Zeitlin

In this charmingly sweet romance from Kerry Winfrey, a lovable aspiring screenwriter named Annie Cassidy is obsessed with Nora Ephron movies and finding her own Tom Hanks. To Annie, Tom Hanks—the star of several of Ephron’s most beloved romantic comedies—represents her dream man. He’s an everyman who believes in love at first sight and maybe even lives on a houseboat à la Sleepless in Seattle. In contrast, Annie lives with her Dungeons & Dragons-loving uncle, and her dating prospects are looking grim. When a movie production takes over her neighborhood, it brings with it several men who vie for her attention. Will she end up with the grip who checks all her boxes, or with the handsome movie star she keeps bumping into but couldn’t possibly have a chance with? With fun, engaging narration from Rachel L. Jacobs, Waiting for Tom Hanks is a pure delight from beginning to end.

In this charmingly sweet romance from Kerry Winfrey, a lovable aspiring screenwriter named Annie Cassidy is obsessed with Nora Ephron movies and finding her own Tom Hanks. To Annie, Tom Hanks—the star of several of Ephron’s most beloved romantic comedies—represents her dream man. He’s an…
FictionAudioPopular Fiction

The Flatshare

Review by Anna Zeitlin

Beth O’Leary’s debut novel is a cute, cozy work of British pop fiction that’s hard to put down. After a bad breakup, Tiffy moves in with Leon, a nurse who works the night shift, because he only needs his flat during the day. She can’t afford her own place in London, and he needs the extra cash for his brother’s legal fees. They share a bed at opposite hours but don’t meet for months, communicating through notes left around the apartment. Tiffy publishes craft books, and she throws a bit of quirky chaos into Leon’s orderly apartment and life. The Flatshare switches perspectives between Tiffy and Leon, with narrators Carrie Hope Fletcher and Kwaku Fortune providing their voices. Fletcher and Fortune each do their own versions of all the characters’ voices, as heard from Tiffy’s or Leon’s point of view, which takes getting used to but totally works. It’s a sweet, charming love story.

Beth O’Leary’s debut novel is a cute, cozy work of British pop fiction that’s hard to put down.
NonfictionAudioAmerican History

These Truths

Review by Sukey Howard

Top Pick in Audio, December 2018

In her new book, These Truths: A History of the United States, Jill Lepore writes, “The past is an inheritance, a gift, and a burden. . . . There’s nothing for it but to get to know it.” To make our past more knowable, Lepore has penned an astonishingly concise, exuberant and elegant one-volume American history that begins with Columbus and ends with Trump. Lepore questions, as Alexander Hamilton did, “whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice.” Lepore tells us upfront that much historical detail is left out; this is a political history, an explanation of the origins of our democratic institutions, and it lets history’s vast array of characters speak in their own words when possible. It also makes clear that slavery is an intimate, inextricable part of the American story. This is the past we need to know. Listen closely as Lepore reads with unexpected pizazz.

 

This article was originally published in the December 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

 

In her new book, These Truths: A History of the United States, Jill Lepore writes, “The past is an inheritance, a gift, and a burden. . . . There’s nothing for it but to get to know it.”

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