Ellie's Staff Picks

The River Has Roots

By: Amal El-Mohtar
Narrated by: Gem Carmella
Length: 3 hours 53 minutes

“This is such a beautiful fairytale and a marvelous example of the magic that can be found in an audiobook, filled with enchanting music and stunning narration you will long to return to. Read more

Everything Is Tuberculosis

The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

By: John Green
Narrated by: John Green
Length: 5 hours 35 minutes

“Wow! I was so intrigued by all of the information this book provided. I had no idea how much TB has affected so many aspects of history. This book touches on some amazing insights into the disparity of health care in regard to TB and socio economic status but also in health care as a whole. Very insightful! Read more

Martyr!

A novel

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

“I honestly have a hard time verbalizing exactly what I love about this novel, except to say that I am writing this staff pick months after reading it because it's still on my mind. Cyrus Shams was a baby when his mother's plane was shot down over the Persian Gulf. Following her death, Cyrus and his father move to Indiana; his father dies as... Read more

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
Length: 6 hours 18 minutes

“I will read everything this man ever writes. Read more

This Is How You Lose The Time War

By: Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell & Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 4 hours 15 minutes

“I was so enchanted by this book that once I finished it, I started it over from the very beginning. I have reread it many times and each time I find something new to marvel. It's beautiful, lyrical, gripping, epic and incredibly romantic, leaving its scent on readers like a fragrance transferred between loves. Read more

The Song of Achilles

A Novel

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
Length: 11 hours 14 minutes

“Madeline Miller's retelling of the Iliad is beautifully written. From page one, I was sucked into the story, and it never let me go. Frazer Douglas' narration is impeccable, bringing the story to life in ways that I'd never dreamed possible. Such a beautiful audiobook, through and through. I can't count how many times I've listened to this... Read more

On Beauty

By: Zadie Smith
Narrated by: Peter Francis James
Length: 18 hours 48 minutes

“"All is fair in love and...academia." On Beauty is an unflinching, harsh, full-bodied approach to family, politics, and academia. In this novel, a microcosm of opinionated, muddled, chaotic people unravels; their high-and-mighty ideals are called into question. Smith's novel is a challenging read; while scrutinizing the Belseys and the Kipps,... Read more

James

A Novel

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

“Dominic Hoffman's magical voice makes this great book even better. When customers buy James, I take a moment to play a part of this for them so they know it exists, and suggest they listen in addition to reading. Read more

Matrix

A Novel

By: Lauren Groff
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
Length: 8 hours 51 minutes

“Absolutely amazing. The audio book is perfectly narrated by Adjoa Andoh. Her singular voice brings each of the characters to life, channeling their personalities, quirks, accents, etc. Marvelous job. Powerful and elegantly written by Groff. I loved this book so much I am tempted to start it all over again. Read more

Grey Dog

By: Elliott Gish
Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
Length: 10 hours 52 minutes

“Grey Dog, a diary-style narrative, offers a gripping exploration of one woman's descent into madness and subsequent liberation, akin to a blend of A24's Midsommar and M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. Gish's adept characterizations and captivating prose make it a must-read, leaving me in breathless anticipation for her future works. Read more

The Language of the Night

Essays on Writing, Science Fiction, and Fantasy

By: Ursula K. Le Guin
Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan & Michael Crouch
Length: TBA

“Delightful, refreshing, composed of words most warm and ever-welcoming. As a lover of all things Le Guin, even I expected this collection to be a rather dense, academic read (she is, after all, a brilliant mind, and essays on writing by such an author...I was excited for the challenge). I feel very humbled, by her humility. My surprise feels a... Read more

All The Beauty in the World

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me

By: Patrick Bringley
Narrated by: Patrick Bringley
Length: 6 hours 3 minutes

“A truly lovely book that captures the sort of reverence and passion I feel for art museums. If you know me, you know that taking me to any art museum is bound to result in a whole day spent there. Bringley's memoir and his musings here are entertaining, moving, and resonate deeply. Read more

Carmilla - Unabridged

By: Sheridan Le Fanu
Narrated by: Sara Nichols
Length: 3 hours 9 minutes

“This is one of the original Vampire tales and has held up through the years. Stuck in a castle in the middle of nowhere, our young heroine is bored and lonely. Sadly for her, the wrong person becomes her companion and begins to turn her life into chaos. Obsessive, possessive, and eerie. Carmilla is going to make sure the castle is covered in... Read more

Howards End

By: E. M. Forster
Narrated by: Steven Crossley
Length: 11 hours 51 minutes

“An eternally clever and nuanced novel about sisterhood, houses, and Beethoven's Fifth. Also, a cautionary tale about standing under too-full bookshelves. Read more

Private Rites

A Novel

By: Julia Armfield
Narrated by: Hannah van der Westhuysen
Length: 8 hours 28 minutes

“In a future where the rain stops only momentarily and the waters continue to rise, three sisters struggle not only with surviving the worsening climate situation, but also with their relationships with each other and with their father. All have disturbing memories of their mothers, and these become more clear as we approach the harrowing ending... Read more

Parable of the Sower

Earthseed: Book #1

By: Octavia E. Butler
Narrated by: Lynne Thigpen
Length: 12 hours 2 minutes

“A definite classic! This acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of hope and terror from an award-winning author pairs well with 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale. Read more

Butter Honey Pig Bread

By: Francesca Ekwuyasi
Narrated by: Amaka Umeh
Length: 12 hours 10 minutes

“Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi follows Kambirinachi and her twin daughters Kehinde and Taiye in alternating points of view. Although they love each other, their familial relationship is complicated and often painful. The story, while it meanders into the particulars of each main character’s life, follows the thread of their... Read more

The Sweetness of Water (Oprah’s Book Club)

A Novel

By: Nathan Harris
Narrated by: William DeMeritt
Length: 12 hours 7 minutes

“"Sometimes, just sometimes, hope was enough." The inhabitants of Old Ox, a Georgia town undergoing Reconstruction, feel painfully and impossibly real; they will bemuse, inspire, and challenge you. Read more

Sirens & Muses

A Novel

By: Antonia Angress
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
Length: 13 hours 20 minutes

“Wow! This debut is an astonishingly assured and sophisticated novel about the art world. Set in a Pratt-like school of art, it depicts the trials and tribulations of a trio of art students and a hapless middle-aged artist, no longer productive, who supports himself with gigs in one school after another. Angress writes superbly about the act of... Read more

Roman Stories

By: Jhumpa Lahiri
Narrated by: Deepti Gupta, Carlotta Brentan, Cassandra Campbell, Ari Fliakos & Michael Obiora
Length: 6 hours 4 minutes

“Feels like running into someone you used to know, or learning secrets about strangers. Lahiri has a gift for communicating humanity and what it desires, fears, and survives. Read more