Jousting July Staff Pick

The Librarianist

A Novel

By: Patrick deWitt
Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
Length: 10 hours 2 minutes

“Poignant, hilarious, and unforgettable, The Librarianist stands among Patrick deWitt's best work. While in this new novel he eschews the genre-bending razzle-dazzle that animated earlier novels like The Sisters Brothers and Udermajordomo Minor, The Librarianist might be his richest outing yet. By examining the heartbreak, adventures, and... Read more

The International House of Dereliction

By: Jacqueline Davies
Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
Length: 6 hours 56 minutes

In this not-so-scary ghost story from Jacqueline Davies, bestselling author of the Lemonade War series, quirky, tool-wielding Alice Cannoli-Potchnik begins to repair the dilapidated mansion next door—only to discover the old house is home to ghosts, and they need mending, too!Home is where the heart is. But can a house have a heart of its own?... Read more

Queen of Exiles

A Novel

By: Vanessa Riley
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 17 hours 49 minutes

“You may not know Marie-Louise Christophe but once you have met her, you won’t forget her. Vanessa Riley’s historical novel feels timely and relevant, commemorating a time when Black women were queens.” - Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling authorAcclaimed historical novelist Vanessa Riley is back with another novel based on the life of... Read more

The Air Raid Book Club

A Novel

By: Annie Lyons
Narrated by: Jilly Bond
Length: 9 hours 29 minutes

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett comes a heartwarming story of found family, love, and making connections through books set against the bombing of London during WWII.London, 1938: The bookstore just doesn’t feel the same to Gertie Bingham ever since the death of her beloved husband Harry. Bingham... Read more

House of Salt and Sorrows

SISTERS OF THE SALT

By: Erin A. Craig
Narrated by: Emily Lawrence
Length: 12 hours 49 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Get swept away by this “haunting” (Bustle) novel about twelve beautiful sisters living on an isolated island estate who begin to mysteriously die one by one.

"Step inside a fairy tale." —Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a... Read more

La Sombra del Viento

By: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Narrated by: Jordi Boixaderas
Length: 17 hours 44 minutes

Un amanecer de 1945, un muchacho es conducido por su padre a un misterioso lugar oculto en el corazón de la ciudad vieja: el Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados. Allí encuentra La Sombra del Viento, un libro maldito que cambiará el rumbo de su vida y le arrastrará a un laberinto de intrigas y secretos enterrados en el alma oscura de la ciudad.

... Read more

To Shape a Dragon's Breath

The First Book of Nampeshiweisit

By: Moniquill Blackgoose
Narrated by: Charley Flyte
Length: 16 hours 52 minutes

“Moniquill Blackgoose expertly crafts a world reflective of our own history but also exists in its own right. A world full of myths, science, culture, conflict, and rebellion. For fans of fantasy, dragons, and alternative histories told from indigenous perspectives. My favorite book of the year! Read more

House of Roots and Ruin

SISTERS OF THE SALT

By: Erin A. Craig
Narrated by: Phoebe Strole
Length: 14 hours 32 minutes

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever.

In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity... Read more

The First Ladies

By: Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray
Narrated by: Robin Miles & Tavia Gilbert
Length: 14 hours 32 minutes

“Imagine how much we could accomplish in this world if we looked past partisan politics, and just rolled up our sleeves and got things done! The second author pairing of Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray dives into the unlikely friendship and extraordinary partnership of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune, as seen in dual... Read more

The Wind Knows My Name

A Novel

By: Isabel Allende
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini & Maria Liatis
Length: 7 hours 59 minutes

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “The lives of a Jewish boy escaping Nazi-occupied Europe and a mother and daughter fleeing twenty-first-century El Salvador intersect in this ambitious, intricate novel about war and immigration” (People), from the author of A Long Petal of the Sea and Violeta

“Timely, provocative . . . emotionally satisfying . . . [a... Read more

The Only One Left

A Novel

By: Riley Sager
Narrated by: Christine Lakin & Dawn Harvey
Length: 12 hours 31 minutes

“A fast paced mystery full of twists and turns. I loved the two different narrators throughout the book . More than once I yelled out loud at the wild plot twists and the ending had me gasping out loud! Read more

Dreambound

A Novel

By: Dan Frey
Narrated by: William DeMeritt, Kristen DiMercurio, Kirsten Potter, Mark Bramhall, Victor Colomé, Matthew Lloyd Davies, Daniel Davis, Jaclyn Kelso, Valerie Rose Lohman, Dani Martineck, Leon Nixon, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Allison Strong & Full Cast
Length: 11 hours 34 minutes

In this thrilling contemporary fantasy novel, a father must investigate the magical underbelly of Los Angeles to find his daughter, who has seemingly disappeared into the fantastical universe of her favorite books.

“Dreambound is a glorious mash-up of fantasy and modern-noir.”—David S. Goyer, executive producer of Foundation

When Byron Kidd’s... Read more

Sabriel

The Old Kingdom: Book #1

By: Garth Nix
Narrated by: Tim Curry
Length: 10 hours 42 minutes

“First of all - this is narrated by Tim Curry. If I have to keep convincing you, that's fine - but that should be enough. :) YA Fantasy at its finest, I grew up re-reading this original trilogy every year and it honestly keeps getting better each time. Garth Nix is a master of his craft! Read more

Somewhere in the Unknown World

A Collective Refugee Memoir

By: Kao Kalia Yang
Narrated by: Kao Kalia Yang & Kurt Kwan
Length: 7 hours 26 minutes

From “an exceptional storyteller,” Somewhere in the Unknown World is a collection of powerful stories of refugees who have found new lives in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, told by the award-winning author of The Latehomecomer and The Song Poet.

All over this country, there are refugees. But beyond the headlines, few know who they are, how they live,... Read more

No Country for Old Men

By: Cormac McCarthy
Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
Length: 7 hours 31 minutes

Llewelyn Moss, hunting antelope near the Rio Grande, instead finds men shot dead, a load of heroin, and more than $2 million in cash. Packing the money out, he knows, will change everything. But only after two more men are murdered does a victim's burning car lead Sheriff Bell to the carnage out in the desert, and he soon realizes how... Read more

It Ends with Us

By: Colleen Hoover
Narrated by: Olivia Song
Length: 11 hours 18 minutes

“For everyone who ever wonders, why didn’t she just leave? Read more

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

A Novel

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrated by: Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan & Robin Miles
Length: 12 hours 10 minutes

“Evelyn Hugo has lived a lavish life with many husbands. Finally ready to tell her story to only one journalist in particular, Monique Grant. Monique is not a well known journalist by any means, but jumps at the opportunity to interview Old Hollywood star Evelyn. Monique discovers all of Evelyn's deepest secrets and her rise to fame. She also... Read more

Brave New World

By: Aldous Huxley
Narrated by: Michael York
Length: 8 hours

Originally published in 1932, this outstanding work of literature is more crucial and relevant today than ever before. “One of the most prophetic dystopian works of the 20th century” —Wall Street JournalCloning, feel-good drugs, antiaging programs, and total social control through politics, programming, and media—has Aldous Huxley accurately... Read more

Open Throat

By: Henry Hoke
Narrated by: Pete Cross
Length: 1 hour 48 minutes

A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion lives in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign. Lonely and fascinated by humanity’s foibles, the lion spends their days protecting the welfare of a nearby homeless encampment, observing obnoxious hikers complain about their trauma, and, in quiet moments, grappling with the complexities... Read more

The Covenant of Water

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

“An engrossing tale of three generations of an Indian family plagued by family drownings - this medical mystery and vivid characters propelled me through this epic tale. Read more