Fiction - Literary bestsellers

James

A Novel

By: Percival Everett
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 7 hours 48 minutes

“A great retelling of Huckleberry Finn, giving Jim more depth and allowing us to grow in more understanding of the lives affected by slavery in the USA. Read more

The God of the Woods

A Novel

By: Liz Moore
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 14 hours 34 minutes

“The God of the Woods has easily become one of my favorite reads this year, a thrilling camp drama set in the Adirondack’s in the ‘70s takes us on a twisting, face-paced, and addictive journey through a summer camp in which Barbara goes missing fourteen years after her brother at the same camp their family owns. I had so many theories and in some... Read more

My Friends

A Novel

By: Fredrik Backman
Narrated by: Marin Ireland
Length: 13 hours 7 minutes

“This is now my favorite of Backman’s catalog! An absolutely beautiful story about how art can simultaneously create connection, love, and devastation. I knew almost immediately that I wouldn’t be able to forget it. Read more

Remarkably Bright Creatures

A Novel

By: Shelby Van Pelt
Narrated by: Marin Ireland & Michael Urie
Length: 11 hours 16 minutes

“If you need a nice book, one that is generally feel-good but with a little depth and a very interesting perspective then this book is for you! It is an astonishing debut that finds three unlikely personalities - a lonely widow, a lost young man, and an aging octopus - in the same small town north of Seattle. Each one of them has had sadness in... Read more

The Ministry of Time

A Novel

By: Kaliane Bradley
Narrated by: George Weightman & Katie Leung
Length: 10 hours 22 minutes

“In the near future, a woman serves as a "bridge" to an expat of history. She is tasked with living with, assisting, and monitoring an expatriate from the year 1847. Over the course of a year, the mildly awkward roommate situation turns into something much deeper. The bridge has fallen in love, which complicates both history and future, and begs... Read more

All Fours

A Novel

By: Miranda July
Narrated by: Miranda July
Length: 10 hours 13 minutes

“All Fours isn't always an easy read - the intensity and specificity of the narrator's obsessiveness is frequently overwhelming - but I tore through it in a couple of days. An urgent, visceral, and thorough exploration of midlife, menopause, sex, and marriage that manages to surprise with every new plot development. It may not be for everyone,... Read more

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

By: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 17 hours 30 minutes

“A masterpiece. After trading her soul for immortality, Addie is cursed. No one can remember her. With the help of a brilliant narrator to bring the story to life and prose that sounds like poetry, Schwab whisks listeners through 300 years as Addie discovers what she would do to leave her mark on the world and be loved again. Read more

Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)

By: Clare Leslie Hall
Narrated by: Hattie Morahan
Length: 8 hours 56 minutes

“So beautiful, it moved me to tears many times. A story of love, family, despair, and choices. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. Read more

Piranesi

WINNER OF THE AUDIES AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR

By: Susanna Clarke
Narrated by: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Length: 6 hours 58 minutes

“Ceann de na húrscéalta Béarla is fearr liom san aois seo; prós galánta, scéal spéisiúil. Read more

Tom Lake

A Novel

By: Ann Patchett
Narrated by: Meryl Streep
Length: 11 hours 22 minutes

“I was blown away by this audiobook, which had so many elements of a great story. Spectacular work by both Patchett and Streep and so rewarding to listen to during late summer. Read more

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

A novel

By: Gabrielle Zevin
Narrated by: Jennifer Kim & Julian Cihi
Length: 13 hours 51 minutes

“I was seized and thoroughly absorbed by this amazing book, beautifully narrated in audiobook form. Sam and Sadie are two brilliant video gamers and creative designers whose lives revolve around games. The book follows their friendship and professional collaboration from early teen to young adult - through love and grief and disappointment and... Read more

Lessons in Chemistry

A Novel

By: Bonnie Garmus
Narrated by: Miranda Raison, Bonnie Garmus & Pandora Sykes
Length: 11 hours 55 minutes

“Love love LOVED this book! Our one-of-a-kind Read & Run Audiobook Club selected this book for our inaugural group, and we all enjoyed it tremendously. Elizabeth Zott is a force to be reckoned with, Bonnie Garmus's writing is dry, witty, and refreshing, and the story has some fantastic twists and turns that keep you on your toes to the very... Read more

I Who Have Never Known Men

By: Jacqueline Harpman
Narrated by: Nikki Massoud
Length: 6 hours 10 minutes

“39 women and one girl imprisoned underground. None of them knows why or how they got there. This is the story of the girl, who has no memories of before, now trapped in this dystopia. It is about the relentless pursuit of answers in a world that makes no sense. This short novel left me sitting in silence after I finished it. Read more

Babel

Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of The Oxford Translators' Revolution

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Chris Lew Kum Hoi & Billie Fulford-Brown
Length: 21 hours 45 minutes

“This book absolutely consumed me. On the surface, Babel is an alternate historical fantasy about a magical school in Oxford in the nineteenth century. But as Babel’s layers of complexity unfold, the story confronts us with powerful questions about the nature of colonialism, capitalism, institutional power, comfort & compromise, and our own... Read more

Death of the Author

A Novel

By: Nnedi Okorafor
Narrated by: Liz Femi, Anthony Oseyemi, Jason Culp & Chris Djuma
Length: 16 hours 12 minutes

“I’ve been following Nnedi Okorafor’s work since Binti blew my mind — and let me tell you, Death of the Author is next level. Okorafor, master of Africanfuturism (don’t get it twisted — it’s not Afrofuturism!), is doing something totally wild here: breaking apart the idea of authorship itself. Who controls a story once it’s in the world? What... Read more

Demon Copperhead

A Novel

By: Barbara Kingsolver
Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
Length: 21 hours 2 minutes

“Barbara Kingsolver intentionally wrote this novel as a 'modern day David Copperfield' story. Fans of Kingsolver will be pleased to find her usual wonderful word-smithing and soulful storytelling. Read more

All the Colors of the Dark

By: Chris Whitaker
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
Length: 14 hours 34 minutes

“If you love staying up past bedtime, you’ll love this book! A mystery full of twists and turns that leaves you guessing right up until the end. Full of well thought out characters who will win your attention and your heart. Read more

Circe

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
Length: 12 hours 8 minutes

“Beautifully composed and deeply compelling, Circe is hands-down one of the best novels of 2018. As she did in Song of Achilles, Miller recreates the ancient and enchanting world of Greek mythology, this time focusing on ocean nymph Circe. Cast out of her home and exiled to the island of Aiaia, Circe turns not only to her enchantments, but also... Read more

Heartwood (A Read with Jenna Pick)

By: Amity Gaige
Narrated by: Justine Lupe, Alma Cuervo, Rebecca Lowman, Ali Andre Ali, Cary Hite & Helen Laser
Length: 8 hours 44 minutes

“The woods can be unforgiving, and when experienced hiker Valerie Gillis vanishes on the Appalachian Trail, the search for her becomes a race against time. Heartwood is a gripping thriller with true-crime elements. Told through transcripts, messages, and poetic letters, it follows a desperate search, led by a determined game warden and an... Read more

North Woods

A Novel

By: Daniel Mason
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Michael Crouch, Jason Culp, Mark Deakins, Jayne Entwistle, Billie Fulford-Brown, Arthur Morey, George Newbern, Kirsten Potter & Simon Vance
Length: 11 hours 5 minutes

“North Woods is an extraordinary tale told in an extraordinary voice. The history of one home in the wilds of Massachusetts through generations of inhabitants from a Puritan couple to a modern-day professor. The story is told by the living, the dead, and even some lovelorn beetles. The cast narration (Simon Vance and Mark Bramhill are two... Read more

The Names: A Read with Jenna Pick

A Novel

By: Florence Knapp
Narrated by: Dervla Kirwan
Length: 9 hours 40 minutes

“A mother goes to register her baby son’s name on the birth certificate. Three choices: Bear, the name that his nine-year-old sister has chosen; Julian, which means “sky father,” his mother’s choice; and Gordon, the family name that his father wants. Florence Knapp, in her novel The Names, has taken each of the three names and given us three... Read more

The Road to Tender Hearts

A Novel

By: Annie Hartnett
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
Length: 11 hours 47 minutes

“A wacky and wonderful road trip book with unforgettable characters and delightfully narrated by Mark Bramhall. Themes of family relationships, grief and healing are handled with beauty and humor. Read more

Before the Coffee Gets Cold

A Novel

Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series: Book #1

By: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Narrated by: Arina Ii
Length: 6 hours 52 minutes

“If you had a chance to travel in time, would you? Even if there were multiple rules that must be followed, including you cannot change the present, and the cost of breaking the rules means losing your life. Would you do it? In Before the Coffee gets Cold, you follow four different customers who have come to a coffee shop, hidden in the alleys of... Read more

Martyr!

A novel

By: Kaveh Akbar
Narrated by: Arian Moayed
Length: 10 hours 39 minutes

“Martyr! is, perhaps, the most ardent novel I have ever read--no hyperbole here; Akbar knows precisely what his words, his characters, his story means and is. His writing style is both precise and effusive in its affirmation that life, and art, and people mean something. What does it all mean? You must read, and keep reading (and keep living!),... Read more

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

A Novel

By: James McBride
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 12 hours 21 minutes

“I fell in love with James McBride's narrative style reading Deacon King Kong. His most recent novel, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, has confirmed him as one of my all-time favorite authors. McBride creates an intricate tapestry for us, of people, of a community, of the many forms of struggle enveloping his cast of characters. Every thread... Read more

The Dutch House

A Novel

By: Ann Patchett
Narrated by: Tom Hanks
Length: 9 hours 52 minutes

“The Dutch House is an engrossing story that spans over 50 years. It is about a house and the memories that it holds. The story revolves around Danny and Maeve, a brother and sister who love each other deeply - more than any other person including Danny's wife. They share a sad childhood in which their Mother disappears with very little... Read more

Yellowface

A Novel

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Helen Laser
Length: 8 hours 39 minutes

“I hated every character in this book but could not put it down. It was so compelling and truly made you think about how awful people can be. The main character basically murdered her friend and stole her manuscript. Wanting the celebrity that her friend afforded, she is overwhelmed with the publishing world. Such great storytelling Read more

Intermezzo

A Novel

By: Sally Rooney
Narrated by: Éanna Hardwicke
Length: 16 hours 29 minutes

“Here is a fascinatingly cerebral read with a highly unpredictable plot! Two brothers, (one an extrovert that things come to easily and the younger one who is a smart, chess playing "on the spectrum" introvert) face parallel challenges with women and their family. Filled with the exceptionally moody inner thoughts of both brothers and the very... Read more

The Bright Sword

A Novel of King Arthur

By: Lev Grossman
Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith & Lev Grossman
Length: 23 hours 9 minutes

“An expansive and epic adventure following the lesser-known knights of King Arthur’s Round Table. Buckle up, you’re in for some fun! Read more

The Fifth Season

The Broken Earth: Book #1

By: N. K. Jemisin
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 15 hours 27 minutes

“If you're looking for something altogether different from anything you're reading now, you need to try this one. Jemisin builds up an exciting and visceral world, and creates a cast of characters that will effortlessly break your heart. It's a book about magic, freedom, and how much people will bear before they break. Engrossing and absolutely... Read more

There Are Rivers in the Sky

A novel

By: Elif Shafak
Narrated by: Olivia Vinall & Elif Shafak
Length: 16 hours 48 minutes

“A sweeping and yet modest story in three timelines set in mid 1800’s London following Arthur, 2014 in Turkey following Narin and 2018 back in London with Zaleekhah. For lovers of Pachinko and the Daughters of Fortune series by Isabel Allende. Carefully written and thought provoking, a story of family, belonging and how we find our place in the... Read more

The Covenant of Water

By: Abraham Verghese
Narrated by: Abraham Verghese
Length: 31 hours 16 minutes

“Abraham Verghese’s tale spans eight decades of one south Indian family’s devastating relationship with water. Suspense builds when at least one person in each generation unaccountably dies by drowning. The family and village believe they’re cursed until one member, a woman in fact, has the scientific and medical abilities to look deeper.... Read more

The Midnight Library

A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)

By: Matt Haig
Narrated by: Carey Mulligan
Length: 8 hours 50 minutes

“At the end of this book, I cried with life-affirming joy. At the end of this book, you will know with certainty that it is good to be alive, and you will know that you make a difference. Nora Seed is so full of regret and sadness that she wants to end her life. She discovers that between life and death there is the Midnight Library and each... Read more

The Safekeep

By: Yael van der Wouden
Narrated by: Stina Nielsen & Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 9 hours 29 minutes

“I loved The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden. It is 1961 in a quiet backwater village in the Netherlands. If you observed the quiet and orderly life of Isabel as she lives out her days polishing her dead mother's silver in the family home in Overijssel, you might never know of the suffering and destruction of the war that ended only 16 years... Read more

The Marriage Portrait: Reese's Book Club

A novel

By: Maggie O'Farrell
Narrated by: Genevieve Gaunt & Maggie O'Farrell
Length: 13 hours 21 minutes

“A captivating story about a young bride, just out of childhood, entering into a marriage with an unfamiliar court, culture, and an unpredictable husband who is basically a stranger to her. The world building in the book is unmatched. The author sets an immersive scene that you can touch, feel, smell, and see. We follow the main character from... Read more

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

A Novel

By: Ocean Vuong
Narrated by: Ocean Vuong
Length: 7 hours 18 minutes

“A story of son writing a letter to his mother who will likely never read it. The language is so beautiful I stopped breathing several times, my heart beating into my chest. Vuong is testing the limits and possibilities of language as he recounts their story together. The story of the Vietnam War, of domestic violence, acts of love, drug abuse, a... Read more

Stag Dance

A Novel & Stories

By: Torrey Peters
Narrated by: Lee Osorio, Briggon Snow, Eileen Noonan & Pyrrha Nicole
Length: 9 hours 6 minutes

“Torrey Peters succeeded in giving depth and emotion to every single one of her characters, adding a touch a eroticism and humor to each stories and I loved every minute of it. Stag Dance really was incredible from start to finish, heartwrenching and kind, and if I had to chose, this one will be my favorite. Read more

I Have Some Questions for You

A Novel

By: Rebecca Makkai
Narrated by: Julia Whelan & JD Jackson
Length: 14 hours 3 minutes

“It's the one where they rush to judgment and incarcerate a black man on flimsy evidence. It's the one where people knew more than they said. It's the one where a woman is at the mercy of a man. This is a compelling book; a dark window into our culture where assumptions, or proclamations of innocence or guilt, often get in the way of the... Read more

Orbital

By: Samantha Harvey
Narrated by: Sarah Naudi
Length: 5 hours 6 minutes

“I consistently find that The Booker Prize winners are books that I love. This year’s winner, Orbital by Samantha Harvey, is no exception. A mesmerizing account of the space travel of six international astronauts and cosmonauts. The earth is a beautiful gem worth protecting, and the universe is a marvel. This book is a poetic tribute to where we... Read more

Chain Gang All Stars: A Read with Jenna Pick

National Book Award Finalist

By: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Narrated by: Shayna Small, Aaron Goodson, Michael Crouch & Lee Osorio
Length: 13 hours 38 minutes

“If you've read Friday Black (The Book Table staff's Best Book of 2018) you're should be excited for this. Nana's debut novel, is about prisoners who sign up for death matches to have their sentences commuted. This book is written with all of the passion and creativity and empathy that Nana applies to his short stories, but it's an idea that... Read more

The Vanishing Half

A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)

By: Brit Bennett
Narrated by: Shayna Small
Length: 11 hours 33 minutes

“Within the first few pages of The Vanishing Half, I knew I was reading something special. In this slow-burn novel, twins Desiree and Stella grow up in Mallard, a small black community in segregated Louisiana that prides itself on the lightness of its people’s skin. At sixteen, the twins flee from Mallard after their mother pulls them out of... Read more

Run for the Hills

A Novel

By: Kevin Wilson
Narrated by: Marin Ireland
Length: 7 hours 22 minutes

“This is such a sweet story about a group of people who discover themselves while on a quest to find their estranged father. Read more

Isola: Reese's Book Club

A Novel

By: Allegra Goodman
Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham & Allegra Goodman
Length: 12 hours 53 minutes

“Historical fiction at its finest. Marguerite is a heroine everyone should know about. Well researched and beautifully told. Read more

Beautyland

By: Marie-Helene Bertino
Narrated by: Andi Arndt
Length: 8 hours 56 minutes

“This book got some very mixed reviews and I am in the loved it camp. Strange, poignant and a wonderful slice of life novel. Read more

Cloud Cuckoo Land

A Novel

By: Anthony Doerr
Narrated by: Marin Ireland & Simon Jones
Length: 14 hours 51 minutes

“Highly imaginative and incredibly ambitious, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a story within a story that is about stories. Though the premise, like the title, sounds maddening, I found Anthony Doerr’s novel to be rich, intricate, and deeply profound. Like the thread that binds together a vibrant tapestry, the story within the story, also named Cloud Cuckoo... Read more

Daisy Jones & The Six

A Novel

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrated by: Jennifer Beals, Benjamin Bratt, Judy Greer & Pablo Schreiber
Length: 9 hours 3 minutes

“I liked The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I was excited to give this one a try. Given its shorter length and interview structure, I went into it lightly. I shouldn't have. This book blew me away and I was not prepared for it. The way Reid handles addiction, art, love, loss, and humor is remarkable. Not to mention how compulsively readable it is.... Read more

Malibu Rising

A Novel

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 11 hours 5 minutes

“This ode to Malibu in the 1980s is the perfect beach read. Four famous siblings throw a star-studded party and over the course of 24 hours find their lives changed forever. It’s enthralling and layered and so vivid it could be a memory. Perfectly paced and suspenseful from page one! Read more

Tell Me Everything: Oprah's Book Club

A Novel

By: Elizabeth Strout
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
Length: 10 hours 58 minutes

“I’ve just spent the last few days observing a grand reunion in this gorgeous book! All my old friends showed up: 90-year-old Olive, Lucy Barton, the Burgess brothers, even Amy and Isabel! Strout probes human nature and the many meanings of love. Read more

The City We Became

A Novel

The Great Cities: Book #1

By: N. K. Jemisin
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 16 hours 12 minutes

“I love N.K. Jemisin’s books, I love New York City, and I love this book about the soul and personification of New York. The City We Became might just be my favorite book to be published in 2020. This story is filled with tension, humor, and great characters, with a guest appearance near and dear to me. While this book is the beginning of a... Read more

Creation Lake

A Novel

By: Rachel Kushner
Narrated by: Rachel Kushner
Length: 11 hours 27 minutes

“Sadie is a spy assigned to follow the mysterious, magnetic leader of a French environmental activist group. She's wily, of course, smart, sexy -- and also, dare we say, a bit of a snob. Will her high opinion of herself get in the way of her mission? This twisty, turny noir by one of our best novelists will keep you guessing. Read more