Mike's Playlist
Mike curates audiobook samples for Libro.fm and advises on legal issues. Mike also works as a social media and website manager for A Great Place for Books in Oakland, California. Here's a selection of Mike's recent audiobook recommendations.
Infinite Country
A Novel
By Patricia Engel
Narrated by: Inés del Castillo
Length: 4 hours 57 minutes
Infinite Country
“Starting with one of the best first sentences of a novel that I've ever read, Infinite Country is a moving portrait of the lengths a daughter will go to in an effort to reunite her family. Engel gives an intimate look into the challenges of a Colombian family that has been separated after emigrating to America. She also provides a unique view of what it's like to be an outsider in multiple different settings and her comparisons of the violence (and possible opportunities) in both countries are fascinating. With a very emotional ending, I highly recommend this title composed in an undoubtedly distinct voice.”
Stuart, Novel Books
How Beautiful We Were
A Novel
By Imbolo Mbue
Narrated by: Lisa Renee Pitts, Prentice Onayemi, Janina Edwards, Dion Graham, JD Jackson & Allyson Johnson
Length: 14 hours 7 minutes
A fearless young woman from a small African village starts a revolution against an American oil company in this sweeping, inspiring novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Behold the Dreamers.
“A novel with the richness and power of a great contemporary fable, and a heroine for our time.”—Sigrid Nunez, author of The Friend, winner of... Read more »
The Ministry for the Future
A Novel
By Kim Stanley Robinson
Narrated by: Jennifer Fitzgerald, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Ramon de Ocampo, Gary Bennett, Raphael Corkhill, Barrie Kreinik, Natasha Soudek, Nikki Massoud, Joniece Abbott Pratt, Inés del Castillo & Vikas Adam
Length: 20 hours 40 minutes
From legendary science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson comes a remarkable vision of climate change over the coming decades.
One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2020
"If I could get policymakers, and citizens, everywhere to read just one book this year, it would be Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future." —Ezra Klein
The... Read more »
Hidden Valley Road
Inside the Mind of an American Family
By Robert Kolker
Narrated by: Sean Pratt
Length: 13 hours 8 minutes
OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOKS OF THE YEAR
ONE OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL TOP TEN BOOKS OF THE YEAR
PEOPLE'S #1 BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Named a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, TIME, Slate, Smithsonian, The New York Post, and Amazon
The heartrending story... Read more »
We Run the Tides
A Novel
By Vendela Vida
Narrated by: Marin Ireland
Length: 6 hours 34 minutes
We Run the Tides
“Wow, this book was hard to put down! The story feels so familiar, yet full of unexpected twists and turns. I was immersed in the beautiful and tumultuous world of these girls on the brink of adulthood. A fun, mysterious, compelling, and ultimately profound novel about power, truth, and growing up.”
Sarah Fischer, Downbound Books
The Echo Wife
By Sarah Gailey
Narrated by: Xe Sands
Length: 8 hours 25 minutes
The Echo Wife
“I am new to the brilliance that is Sarah Gailey, but what a way to dive in. The Echo Wife is slow-moving in the best way—a story that focuses on relationships and social commentary over action-packed moments, but ultimately better for it. And what a commentary on how women are permitted to hold themselves on society. Tantalizing. The ultimate story of feminine resilience and resistance, and the perfect sci-fi/thriller crossover for readers new to either genre.”
Britt, Second Star to the Right
Klara and the Sun
A Novel
By Kazuo Ishiguro
Narrated by: Sura Siu
Length: 10 hours 16 minutes
Klara and the Sun
“Klara and the Sun is a parable, a warning, a neatly-crafted story that fits into an Artificial Friend-sized box, which—make no mistake—is not to say that it’s ordinary. Ishiguro explores the ethics of creating artificial intelligence that’s indistinguishable from humans, at least ideally. But Klara and her owner, Josie, are kindred spirits with vastly different fates. Is love still love when its object is replaceable, nay, disposable? Are some people more valuable than others; can grief ever be inappropriate? This seamless story examines our increasingly automated world, our obsession with usability, and the things that get left behind.”
Mary, Raven Book Store
Tokyo Ueno Station
A Novel
By Yu Miri
Narrated by: Johnny Heller
Length: 3 hours 58 minutes
WINNER OF THE 2020 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN TRANSLATED LITERATURE
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR
A surreal, devastating story of a homeless ghost who haunts one of Tokyo's busiest train stations.
Kazu is dead. Born in Fukushima in 1933, the same year as the Japanese Emperor, his life is tied by a series of coincidences to the Imperial... Read more »
The Silence
By Don DeLillo
Narrated by: Laurie Anderson, Jeremy Bobb, Marin Ireland, Robin Miles, Jay O. Sanders & Michael Stuhlbarg
Length: 1 hours 52 minutes
From one of the most dazzling and essential voices in American fiction, a timely and compelling novel set in the near future about five people gathered together in a Manhattan apartment, in the midst of a catastrophic event.
Don DeLillo completed this novel just weeks before the advent of Covid-19. The Silence is the story of a different... Read more »
The Midnight Library
A Novel
By Matt Haig
Narrated by: Carey Mulligan
Length: 8 hours 50 minutes
The New York Times bestselling WORLDWIDE phenomenon
Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction | A Good Morning America Book Club Pick
"A feel-good book guaranteed to lift your spirits."—The Washington Post
The dazzling reader-favorite about the choices that go into a life well lived, from the acclaimed author of How To Stop Time and... Read more »
Year of Wonders
A Novel of the Plague
By Geraldine Brooks
Narrated by: Geraldine Brooks
Length: 10 hours 5 minutes
“Plague stories remind us that we cannot manage without community . . . Year of Wonders is a testament to that very notion.” – The Washington Post
An unforgettable tale, set in 17th century England, of a village that quarantines itself to arrest the spread of the plague, from the author The Secret Chord and of March, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
... Read more »
That Old Country Music
Stories
By Kevin Barry
Narrated by: Kevin Barry
Length: 3 hours 50 minutes
"Stunningly gorgeous."—NPR
From the author of the wildly acclaimed Night Boat to Tangier, one of the New York Times' 10 Best Books of 2019, stories of rural Ireland in the classic mode: full of love (and sex), melancholy and magic, bedecked in some of the most gorgeous prose being written today.
With three novels and two short story collections... Read more »
Let Me Tell You What I Mean
By Joan Didion
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr & Hilton Als
Length: 4 hours 5 minutes
*A New York Times Best Seller*
From one of our most iconic and influential writers: a timeless collection of mostly early pieces that reveal what would become Joan Didion's subjects, including the press, politics, California robber barons, women, and her own self-doubt.
A Most Anticipated Book of 2021 from Vogue, TIME, Bustle, The New York... Read more »
Four Hundred Souls
A Community History of African America, 1619-2019
By Ibram X. Kendi & Keisha N. Blain
Narrated by: Various
Length: 14 hours 1 minutes
Four Hundred Souls
“An absolutely stunning history of African America for people who do not normally read history. Compiled of short stories, essays, and poems, it is perfect for someone who is intimidated by lists of names and dates. Each individual voice stands on its own but together they truly make a 'choir' that flows together beautifully. This is a one-of-a-kind history that is essential reading for everyone.”
Tia, Quail Ridge Books
The Future Is Yours
A Novel
By Dan Frey
Narrated by: Cary Hite, Vikas Adam, Kyla Garcia, Rob Shapiro, Catherine Ho, Aneesh Chaganty, Dion Graham, Joshua Kane, Thérèse Plummer, Natasha Soudek, Bahni Turpin & Full Cast
Length: 8 hours 2 minutes
Two best friends create a computer that can predict the future. But what they can’t predict is how it will tear their friendship—and society—apart.
“An impossibly addictive brainteaser wrapped in a buttery popcorn kernel.”—Aneesh Chaganty, director and co-writer of Searching and Run
IN DEVELOPMENT AS AN HBO MAX ORIGINAL SERIES
If you had the chance... Read more »
Binti
The Night Masquerade
Binti: Book #3
By Nnedi Okorafor
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 6 hours 11 minutes
Binti has returned to her home planet, believing that the violence of the Meduse has been left behind. Unfortunately, although her people are peaceful on the whole, the same cannot be said for the Khoush, who fan the flames of their ancient rivalry with the Meduse. Far from her village when the conflicts start, Binti hurries home, but anger and... Read more »
Binti
Home
Binti: Book #2
By Nnedi Okorafor
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 4 hours 10 minutes
It's been a year since Binti and Okwu enrolled at Oomza University. A year since Binti was declared a hero for uniting two warring planets. A year since she found friendship in the unlikeliest of places.
And now she must return home to her people, with her friend Okwu by her side, to face her family and face her elders.
But Okwu will be the... Read more »
Binti
Binti: Book #1
By Nnedi Okorafor & N. K. Jemisin
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 2 hours 30 minutes
Winner of the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novella!
Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do... Read more »
Remote Control
By Nnedi Okorafor
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
Length: 4 hours 7 minutes
If you enjoyed The Fifth Season, then you’ll love Remote Control.
“Once again delivering us a highly entertaining science fiction novella, Okorafor hits all the right notes with Remote Control. Okorafor weaves a very powerful and sad tale, combining the ancient feelings of folklore with a not-too-distant future (the comment about a new plague worse than the one in 2020 made me guffaw). You feel for Sankofa, who had her childhood stolen from her. While she feels powerful when she gets food and clothes easily from people, all she wants is to love and be loved and to just be a kid but even when she thinks she finds a safe place, the people slowly begin to turn against her. The public will always be scared of things they cannot explain and despite Sankofa being a child, this mysterious gift and curse that has been bestowed upon her frighten them. They want to use her when it benefits them but belittle and attack her when their feelings shift. The audiobook was brilliantly narrated by Adjoa Andoh, whose voice is so beautiful I almost listened twice. She gives such gravity to Sankofa while also making it clear that she is a child. Okorafor has mastered the novella—a quick but powerful story from end to end that often feels (in a good way) that it is is longer than it's 160 pages. It's truly a talent!”
Kimi, Buttonwood Books and Toys
No One Is Talking About This
A Novel
By Patricia Lockwood
Narrated by: Kristen Sieh
Length: 4 hours 43 minutes
No One Is Talking About This
“This compact novel captures the life of a social media influencer in such a stunning way—I listened to this book with my jaw on the floor. Incredible (though if you've never opened Instagram or Twitter, this might not be for you).”
Suzanna, Oblong Books