Alex’s Favorites

The Water Dancer (Oprah's Book Club)

A Novel

By: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Narrated by: Joe Morton
Length: 14 hours 14 minutes

“Ta-Nehisi Coates understands something big and he understands it better than anyone else right now. The Water Dancer led me on a journey up and down the landscape of American slavery with a narrative that feels like The Book of Exodus meets, well, Ta-Nehisi Coates. Over 400 pages I have cried, I have laughed, I have been educated, and I have... Read more

Educated

A Memoir

By: Tara Westover
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 12 hours 9 minutes

“I loved this book! Tara Westover's memoir is the kind that sounds like it should be a novel—and this book reads like one in the best way—and I think I found myself gasping and covering my mouth about once per chapter. Westover describes her upbringing in a fundamentalist Mormon, survivalist, anti-government, anti-medicine family, enduring... Read more

Clap When You Land

By: Elizabeth Acevedo
Narrated by: Elizabeth Acevedo & Melania-Luisa Marte
Length: 5 hours 32 minutes

“This was my first Acevedo, and I'm kicking myself for not having read her sooner. Her spare language is fantastic, especially in the audio version. Read more

Circe

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

“I'm late this to this party but so happy I made it. As a bookseller, this is one of those remarkable books that appeal to so many audiences. My teen staff loved it as did my 18-year-old son who grew up reading mythology. I learned quite a bit about Homer's Iliad and The Odyssey (something I missed in my formal education) and the original... Read more

Wintering

The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times

By: Katherine May
Narrated by: Rebecca Lee
Length: 6 hours 53 minutes

“Katherine May uses 'winter' as a metaphor for life’s darker seasons in this poetic memoir about retreating from the demands and expectations of a pressuring society. She encourages the reader to explore the quiet and restorative moments in life that help us to grow, relax, and heal from difficult times. Lyrical, reflective, and comforting; this... Read more

Mirrorland

By: Carole Johnstone
Narrated by: Katie Leung
Length: 11 hours 38 minutes

“This amazing debut novel opens with 11 year old twin girls cold, scared and alone late at night at a Scottish harbor in Edinburgh. All they will say are their first names and that they are waiting for a pirate ship. Twenty years later one of the twins, Catriona, is back in Scotland, for the first time in over 10 years. She is there because her... Read more

The Hilarious World of Depression

By: John Moe
Narrated by: John Moe
Length: 9 hours 49 minutes

“Joe Moe... you glorious Saddie you! Do you suffer from depression and anxiety? This book is for you. Know someone with depression or anxiety? This book is also for you. Curious about what it is like to have depression and anxiety? Yeah, it's for you, too. What I'm saying is this book is for everyone. It makes hard subjects more relatable and... Read more

Mythos

By: Stephen Fry
Narrated by: Stephen Fry
Length: 15 hours 24 minutes

“I'm really enjoying listening to Stephen Fry's narration of his book Mythos. Told with a wink and a nod, he brings the classical mythologies alive with great zest. Weaving the many personalities and stories into a whole tapestry of delight. Wonderful fun for making that walk longer. Read more

Suggested Reading

By: Dave Connis
Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
Length: 7 hours 57 minutes

“Suggested Reading by Dave Connis is a quick teen read that surprisingly tackles more serious questions that expected. While the crux of the book centers around censorship, the author digs more deeply into how books affect us, who is responsible for deciding what can shape us, and how to grapple with less-than-altruistic motivations for worthy... Read more

Firekeeper's Daughter

By: Angeline Boulley
Narrated by: Isabella Star LaBlanc
Length: 14 hours 13 minutes

“Firekeeper's Daughter is a wonder! We so rarely hear YA through an Indigenous people's voice and this book does it so very well. Main character Daunis Lorenzo Fontaine lives a fine line between her white French Canadian mother and her Ojibwe father in a complicated family dynamic. She is smart, hockey talented, driven, and tenacious as she... Read more

The Four Winds

A Novel

By: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 15 hours 20 minutes

“I devoured Kristin Hannah’s masterful work of historical fiction, narrated by one of the best audiobook narrators working today, Julia Whelan. I found myself desperately rooting for the Martinelli family as they face a persistent series of crises during the Great Depression & the Dust Bowl. This is character driven storytelling at its best —... Read more

Of Women and Salt

A Novel

By: Gabriela Garcia
Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Length: 7 hours 7 minutes

“Of Women and Salt traces five generations of American immigrants in a moving story of mothers and daughters, secrets and omissions, heartache, and addiction. Gabriela Garcia's debut novel is beautiful. Read more

Devolution

A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre

By: Max Brooks
Narrated by: Judy Greer, Max Brooks, Jeff Daniels, Nathan Fillion, Mira Furlan, Terry Gross, Kimberly Guerrero, Kate Mulgrew, Kai Ryssdal & Steven Weber
Length: 9 hours 49 minutes

“ Take a natural disaster + an isolated community + the Bigfoot legend and you are rewarded with a suspenseful spooky tale that may or may not be a good idea to read if in an isolated location in the woods. You will be kept on the edge of your seat as you devour this survival/adventure story mashed up with a mystery that unfolds through a... Read more

Women Don't Owe You Pretty

By: Florence Given
Narrated by: Florence Given
Length: 3 hours 29 minutes

“Florence Given's voice is that of the honest best friend everyone needs! There's so much I want to gush about! I'll start by saying that it is an amazing introduction to feminism. Given clearly describes the unfair experiences women go through, with or without their conscious awareness. She addresses issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community and... Read more

Why Fish Don't Exist

A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life

By: Lulu Miller
Narrated by: Lulu Miller
Length: 4 hours 55 minutes

“Half memoir, half biography, Lulu Miller's examination of David Starr Jordan and the lies we tell ourselves to keep going is phenomenal. Nuanced and unputdownable. (And especially great on audio!) Read more