Rebecca G's Favorite Listens - Rediscovered Books

Hello Stranger

A Novel

By: Katherine Center
Narrated by: Patti Murin
Length: 10 hours 39 minutes

“Oh my goodness! Where to begin? As if I did not love all of Katherine Center's books, Hello Stranger really hit me in the feels! I always love narration, the tone of her books, the strong female lead, and the plot twists and story lines that get you in the heart. This book is probably her best yet for all of these. Sadie, a portrait artist,... Read more

The Waters

By: Bonnie Jo Campbell
Narrated by: Lili Taylor
Length: 14 hours 40 minutes

“Heavily character driven, mystical, slice-of-life rural story with phenomenal description. As much as I want to call this a ‘cozy read’, this book was quite stressful at times! Read more

American Midnight

The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis

By: Adam Hochschild
Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
Length: 15 hours 6 minutes

From legendary historian Adam Hochschild, a groundbreaking reassessment of the overlooked but startlingly resonant period between World War I and the Roaring Twenties, when the foundations of American democracy were threated by war, pandemic, and violence fueled by battles over race, immigration, and the rights of labor""A riveting, resonant... Read more

The Husbands

A Novel

By: Holly Gramazio
Narrated by: Miranda Raison
Length: 10 hours 30 minutes

“A wonderful romp of a debut novel. Lauren’s search for 'the right man' becomes hilarious drama when she discovers her attic has the magical ability to spit out one 'husband' after another for her to 'try on'. She sends one man after another back up the attic stairs, hoping the next one will be that 'perfect man'. Every page is both fun and funny... Read more

The Salt Grows Heavy

By: Cassandra Khaw
Narrated by: Susan Dalian
Length: 2 hours 54 minutes

“My goodness this book was not at all what I expected it to be. I was imagining a darker version of the classic mermaid tale, and it is more of a mash-up of Lord of the Flies meets The Little Mermaid meets Silence of the Lambs. Dark indeed! Probably one of the coolest and most captivating stories I have listened to in a while. Extremely well... Read more

Flush

The Remarkable Science of an Unlikely Treasure

By: Bryn Nelson
Narrated by: Fred Berman
Length: 13 hours 7 minutes

For readers of Giulia Enders’ Gut and Bill Bryson’s The Body, a surprising, witty and sparkling exploration of the teeming microbiome of possibility in human feces from microbiologist and science journalist Bryn Nelson.

The future is sh*t: the literal kind. For most of human history we’ve been, well, disinclined to take a closer look at our... Read more

The Storm We Made

A Novel

By: Vanessa Chan
Narrated by: Samantha Tan
Length: 10 hours 52 minutes

“Stunning. Horrifying. Raw. Gritty. Luscious. The WWII novel you haven't seen before. Read more

The Great Divide

A Novel

By: Cristina Henriquez
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 13 hours 21 minutes

“Henríquez's eloquently written novel sheds light on the untold stories that often go overlooked in the name of 'progress'. She skilfully navigates through the intricacies of personal struggles, societal challenges, and the pursuit of dreams. Read more

The Bullet Swallower

A Novel

By: Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Narrated by: Lee Osorio
Length: 9 hours 59 minutes

“Enchanting, good vs evil. I get tired reading family sagas that go on and on, but this one is a fun, magical and a short, fast ride. Yeehaw! Thank you, Simon and Schuster, author Elizabeth Gonzalez James and Libro.fm for the privilege of listening to this fantastic book. Read more

A Letter to the Luminous Deep

By: Sylvie Cathrall
Narrated by: Claire Morgan, Kit Griffiths, Justin Avoth & Joshua Riley
Length: 12 hours 30 minutes

“An academic mystery unraveled through letter correspondences. A beautiful portrait of connection through the lens of people othered by their neurodivergence. Strange and tender in equal parts. Read more

Things You Save in a Fire

A Novel

By: Katherine Center
Narrated by: Thérèse Plummer
Length: 9 hours 36 minutes

“There is something so comforting about reading Katherine Center’s books. Strong women who want to lead their lives, who get thrown a curveball. Here, Cassie, a Texas talented firefighter and EMT, moves to the north shore area of Massachusetts, to help her mother who has vision problems. Despite her exceptional physical fitness, job skills and... Read more

The Wishing Game

A Novel

By: Meg Shaffer
Narrated by: Rachel L. Jacobs & Paul Boehmer
Length: 10 hours 37 minutes

“A beautiful story about a woman who would do anything for the family she has always wanted. It left me in tears (while at work). Read more

Demon Copperhead

A Novel

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

“Demon Copperhead is one of my favorite books of 2022. Demon is a boy growing up in Appalachia, struggling to survive poverty, neglect and the opioid crisis. I listened to the audiobook from Libro.fm, and Kingsolver's beautiful writing is expertly brought to life by narrator Charlie Thurston. Read more

Tom Lake

A Novel

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

“This is a story of love for family, of past passions and people once loved, and their continuing influence on the present. With Ann Patchett’s wit and wryness finely tuned, Tom Lake is the perfect book for a summer weekend read. Read more

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library

A Novel

By: Michiko Aoyama
Narrated by: Hanako Footman, Susan Momoko Hingley, Kenichiro Thomson, Winson Ting & Shiro Kawai
Length: 7 hours 18 minutes

For fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, a charming, internationally bestselling Japanese novel about how the perfect book recommendation can change a readers’ life.

What are you looking for? So asks Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian. For Sayuri Komachi is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for and provide just the... Read more

Bookshops & Bonedust

Legends & Lattes

By: Travis Baldree
Narrated by: Travis Baldree
Length: 8 hours 1 minute

“Fun, cozy, happiness in a book! Read more

The Six

The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts

By: Loren Grush
Narrated by: Inés del Castillo
Length: 11 hours 41 minutes

“The interesting - and sometimes infuriating - story of the first six female NASA astronauts. It's got everything: a bit of history, a bit of science and space travel, and a bit of tragedy. Inés del Castillo is a fantastic narrator, bringing an added level of humanity to Grush's history. An excellent read for both those who are interested in the... Read more

None of This is True

A Novel

By: Lisa Jewell
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton, Ayesha Antoine, Louise Brealey, Alix Dunmore, Elliot Fitzpatrick, Lisa Jewell, Thomas Judd, Dominic Thorburn, Nicola Walker & Jenny Walser
Length: 10 hours 20 minutes

“We loved this psychological thriller!!! Gritty and dark characters warped by their experiences and fighting inner demons left us invested in the characters and absolutely surprised by the ending!!! Twists and turns begin with a pair of birthday twins, two women born at the same hospital on the same day, who meet by accident while celebrating... Read more

Illuminations

By: T. Kingfisher
Narrated by: Raquel Beattie
Length: 8 hours 3 minutes

From the author of the award-winning book A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking . . .



Rosa Mandolini knows in her heart that her family are the greatest painters of magical illuminations in the city. But the eccentric Studio Mandolini has fallen on hard times and the future is no longer certain. While trying to help her family, Rosa discovers a... Read more

Hide

By: Kiersten White
Narrated by: Emma Galvin
Length: 8 hours 9 minutes

“Hide is disturbingly dark - recommended to read when your county fair is in town. The way White writes about family trauma gets progressively more heart wrenching throughout the story. But in the end, she reminds readers that you aren't alone and sometimes family can be the friends you make. Read more