Tomi Adeyemi’s debut novel, Children of Blood and Bone, is inspired by West African mythology, and her world of dark magic, danger, and power is brought to life by Bahni Turpin’s narration.
For many, it has become a holiday tradition to gather around whatever audio output device everyone now uses and listen to writer and humorist David Sedaris read the essay that made him famous: SantaLand Diaries. First read by Sedaris on NPR in 1992, SantaLand Diaries recalls Sedaris’ experiences the two years he was employed by Macy’s as a Christmas elf. With grim humor and dead-on observations, SantaLand Diaries set Sedaris on a trajectory of becoming one of America’s foremost humor writers.
There There by Tommy Orange is the story of twelve characters—Urban Indians that are all attending the Big Oakland Powwow. As we learn the reasons that each person is attending—some generous, some fearful, some joyful, some violent—momentum builds toward a shocking yet inevitable conclusion that changes everything.
In 2004, Gourmet magazine commissioned writer David Foster Wallace to write a review of the Maine Lobster Festival. I’m not quite sure what the editors of Gourmet were expecting, but I doubt they were looking to stuff their glossy with an essay north of 10,000 words with the thrust of the piece being a meditation on whether or not lobsters feel pain while being boiled alive. But that’s just what they got.
Michelle McNamara’s true-crime audiobook, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, is based on the true story of The Golden State Killer, a serial rapist and murder, that terrorized California in the 70s and 80s. McNamara was determined to find the violent psychopath; she pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was. McNamara was writing I’ll Be Gone in the Dark at the time of her sudden death.
Michelle McNamara’s true-crime audiobook, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, is based on the true story of The Golden State Killer, a serial rapist and murder, that terrorized California in the 70s and 80s. McNamara was determined to find the violent psychopath; she pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was. McNamara was writing I’ll Be Gone in the Dark at the time of her sudden death.
Circe by Madeline Miller is based on Greek mythology, but as Alexandra Alter of The New York Times says, Miller has managed to recast “the most infamous female figure from the Odyssey as a hero in her own right.”
Calypso by David Sedaris is a hilarious audiobook, read by the author himself. And if you’ve ever laughed your way through his cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you’re getting with Calypso. You’d be wrong.
Libro.fm is proud to present our monthly audiobook bestseller list that captures what’s selling in independent bookstores.
This year, on Saturday, November 24th, nestled in between two of the ugliest days of the year—Black Friday and Cyber Monday—is a beautiful little day called Indies First. Have you heard of it? It’s a celebration of independent bookstores. It stands in complete defiance of everything that Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come to represent. It’s the day where you get to travel down to your local bookstore and peruse the shelves, shoulder-to-shoulder with other members of your community.
Educated by Tara Westover currently holds the #2 spot on the Libro.fm Bestselling Audiobooks list, with good reason. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University.
The Libro.fm Top 10 Audiobooks of 2018 were selected based on sales through more than 550 independent bookstores and recommendations by our 5,000 bookselling partners. Congratulations to the authors, narrators, and publishers of these audiobooks!