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Anna Zeitlin

AudioMemoir

Audio: July 2020

Feature by Anna Zeitlin

Personal stories and puppy meet-cutes top our summer audio selections.

★ Dirt

Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking, written and narrated by journalist Bill Buford, is a foodie’s fantasy. Wanting to immerse himself in French cooking, Buford moves his family from New York to France, where he finds a job at a boulangerie that makes the best bread he’s ever tasted (the secret is the fresh flour) before enrolling in a traditional cooking school, then working in a fine dining restaurant. All the while, his young sons are losing their taste for delivery pizza. Buford is the perfect narrator for his book, as he brings joy and curiosity to all he uncovers. He treats French cooking as a mystery to unravel, tracing its roots back hundreds of years and digging for clues in the margins of secondhand cookbooks. His true passion for food makes his descriptions a pleasure to hear, even when it’s a dish I wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot fork.

The Hilarious World of Depression

John Moe brings hope, humanity and candor to the taboo topic of depression in The Hilarious World of Depression. On his podcast of the same name, he has conducted hours of interviews with actors, comedians and writers with this mental illness, including John Green, Aimee Mann and Andy Richter, and he mines these conversations to share what he has learned about depression. Moe also relates deeply personal stories of how depression has touched his own life. Having honed his skills over years in public radio and podcasting, Moe is a great narrator, finding humor in the topic but never making light of it. Add this one to the list of audiobooks that are even better than the books.

The Happy Ever After Playlist

As a new puppy parent, I was immediately hooked by the doggy meet-cute in Abby Jimenez’s The Happy Ever After Playlist. Sloan, a grieving artist and food blogger, and Jason, a rising rock star, are brought together when she finds his lost dog while he’s overseas. They bond over their love for the dog, and a flirty phone relationship blossoms into something more when he returns to Los Angeles. It takes Sloan a while to realize he’s the man behind the music, and the book has a lot of fun playing with the concept of celebrity. Their story is told from both perspectives, and narrators Erin Mallon and Zachary Webber do a good job capturing their voices. The interplay between the two narrators keeps things dynamic and brings readers closer to Sloan and Jason’s love story.

Personal stories and puppy meet-cutes top our summer audio selections.
FictionAudioYA FictionYAMemoir

Audio: August 2020

Feature by Anna Zeitlin

Narrators make an audiobook, and this month’s selections are standouts, including a husband-and-wife duo telling their own parenting story.

★ The New One

Comedian Mike Birbiglia describes his reluctant journey to fatherhood in his funny and brazenly honest The New One (5 hours), a truly special audiobook interspersed with short poems by his wife (and co-narrator), J. Hope Stein. Birbiglia shares his doubts, fears and joys experienced while transitioning from a happily child-free existence to the mysteries of caring for a baby, and Stein’s sweet interludes capture the experience of new motherhood with playfulness and vulnerability. Birbiglia has written and starred in multiple comedy specials and movies, and his narration has the feel of an extended comedy set. You’ve probably never heard a more creative reading of a book’s acknowledgments, as Birbiglia and Stein tag-team their thank-you’s.

Sex and Vanity

Paying homage to A Room With a View, Sex and Vanity (9.5 hours) uses a captivating story of young love to deliver a hilarious and astute commentary on the upper classes. Nobody name-drops and describes designer fashion quite like Kevin Kwan, whose latest novel opens at a lavish destination wedding on the idyllic island of Capri and explores themes of Asian American identity and the pressure to live up to familial expectations. Narrator Lydia Look has her work cut out for her with this jet-setting cast, and she brings dimension and heart to every voice, from American heiresses with British lilts to well-traveled Chinese characters with Australian-­tinged accents.

Clap When You Land

Novel-in-verse Clap When You Land (5.5 hours), written and narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo and co-narrated by Melania-­Luisa Marte, is about two teenage half sisters who’ve never met. Camina lives in the Dominican Republic, and Yahaira lives in New York City. Everything changes when their father suddenly dies on his way to visit his Dominican family. Each girl processes her grief and comes to a new understanding of who their father really was, all while dealing with typical teenage drama. As the story switches between the sisters’ perspectives, both narrators deliver natural, evocative performances that flow with the rhythmic verse and are never constricted by the form. The result is utterly original, heavy but ultimately hopeful.

Narrators make an audiobook, and this month’s selections are standouts, including a husband-and-wife duo telling their own parenting story.

RomanceNonfictionFictionAudioSocial Science

Audio: September 2020

Feature by Anna Zeitlin

Find romance, intrigue and insight into human nature in three new audiobooks.

★ Humankind

In Humankind: A Hopeful History (11.5 hours), Dutch historian Rutger Bregman posits that people are basically good and that our assumptions about humankind’s tendencies toward violence and selfishness are wrong. Bregman supports his theory of humanity’s innate kindness with tangible proof. He tracks down the real-life kids from Lord of the Flies, teenagers who were marooned in the 1960s and worked together to form a just society. Bregman also shares studies that disprove Philip Zimbardo’s famed Stanford Prison Experiment and the “broken windows” theory of policing, which asserts that visible signs of petty crime encourage more serious criminal activity. He makes some bold claims, but if we listen, his theories just might make the world a better place. Bregman narrates the book’s introduction, but as a non-native English speaker, he hands the bulk of the book over to Thomas Judd, who clearly finds joy in Bregman’s revelations, making the audiobook a pleasure to listen to.

Devolution

Come for the horror and survival story, stay for the incredible voice cast. Max Brooks’ latest speculative thriller, Devolution (10 hours), is narrated by the author as well as by Judy Greer, Jeff Daniels, Nathan Fillion, Mira Furlan, Terry Gross, Kimberly Guerrero, Kate Mulgrew, Kai Ryssdal and Steven Weber. When the idyllic community of Greenloop is cut off from society after the eruption of Mount Rainier, the residents are on their own as they struggle to defend themselves against a clan of sasquatch. In the aftermath, Kate Holland’s journal, voiced by Greer, aids investigators as they put the pieces together. As Kate goes from worrying about her marriage to struggling to survive, Greer’s performance becomes more urgent, capturing Kate’s devolution from perky California girl to bloodthirsty warrior.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown 

In Take a Hint, Dani Brown (10 hours), written by Talia Hibbert and narrated by Ione Butler, Dani Brown is a witchy Ph.D. student who dreams of the perfect friend with benefits. Her incantation points her toward Zaf, the flirty Pakistani British security guard at her university. After Zaf carries Dani out of the building during a fire drill, a picture of the rescue goes viral, and Zaf asks Dani to help him use their fame to raise awareness for his nonprofit. As one of the few Black women in her field, Dani is very work-focused, but her no-strings-attached policy may not be able to withstand her smoking-hot chemistry with Zaf. Butler does a wonderful job narrating Dani’s brash quirkiness and Zaf’s lovestruck sweetness.

This autumn, find romance, intrigue and insight into human nature in three new audiobooks.
NonfictionFictionAudioMemoir

Audio: October 2020

Feature by Anna Zeitlin

A hilarious memoir of single motherhood, a workplace romance and a spooky small-town thriller—what more could you want for this month’s best audiobooks?

★ The Hungover Games

Listening to The Hungover Games: A True Story, written and read by Sophie Heawood, is like having a gossipy brunch with your wittiest friend. British entertainment journalist Heawood takes us on a journey of unexpected single motherhood while living in Los Angeles, from her affair with an immature rocker to her attempts at dating with a baby at home. She takes life advice from the celebrities she profiles and sometimes gets a little too personal with them. Heawood’s narration makes the book even funnier and her experiences even more charming. In particular, her stories from the OB-GYN’s office and some remarkably bad dates left me cackling.

Attachments

Great news for Rainbow Rowell fans: Her charming 2011 novel, Attachments, has finally been released on audio, narrated by Rebecca Lowman. Just before the beginning of the new millennium, Lincoln is hired as an IT guy for a small city paper, where part of his job is to read any internal emails that get flagged by the new security system. He spends most days reading exchanges between Beth and Jennifer, two co-workers he’s never met but feels like he knows. Can there be love before first sight? For a book that mainly follows a man’s perspective, it’s surprising that a woman narrates the audiobook, but it somehow totally works. Lowman makes the email exchanges come alive with humor, and her performance has a down-to-earth quality that’s perfect for the more somber parts of the book.

The Bright Lands

John Fram’s suspenseful debut, The Bright Lands, narrated by Luis Selgas, is a spooky, queer thriller set in a small Texas town ruled by high school football. After a decade in New York, Joel returns to his conservative hometown to help his younger brother, Dylan, a football star who seems to be in trouble. Shortly after Joel arrives, Dylan turns up dead, and Joel’s visit becomes a murder investigation. Selgas is the perfect narrator for a mystery, as it feels like he’s always holding a little something back. He also performs a solid mix of Western accents for the side characters, adding to the book’s overall sense of place.

A hilarious memoir of single motherhood, a workplace romance and a spooky small-town thriller—what more could you want for this month’s best audiobooks?
NonfictionAudioMusic

Audio: February 2021

Feature by Anna Zeitlin

This month’s column highlights three monumental audiobooks from Dolly Parton, Michael Eric Dyson and Rachel Bloom.

★ I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are

Co-creator and star of the musical comedy TV show “Crazy Ex-­Girlfriend” Rachel Bloom presents a kooky collection of essays that are every bit as hilarious, brash and humiliating as you’d expect from a woman known for singing big Broadway-style numbers dedicated to stalking and antidepressants. I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are (5 hours) is a book made to be listened to, from Bloom’s original songs that detail her experiences growing up as a musical theater kid to her sample audition monologue in which she jumps from accent to accent in an absurd demonstration guaranteed to snag the attention of any casting directors out there. With a background in comedy, Bloom knows how to deliver a joke, and her narration is funny, touching and real.

Dolly Parton, Songteller

Any fans of Dolly Parton’s music will be delighted by Dolly Parton, Songteller (5.5 hours). The country music superstar goes deep, revealing the stories behind many of her greatest songs and digging in to family history, musical feuds and the interactions with fans that have inspired her songwriting. Parton’s narration feels natural and off the cuff, like listening to stories from an old friend—and isn’t she the most beloved old friend? It’s no surprise that an artist known for writing songs that tell rich stories would make for a captivating storyteller. Only on the audiobook can you hear clips of the songs she discusses, which makes the yarns around them all the more special.

Long Time Coming

The bestselling author of Tears We Cannot Stop taps into current events and calls for a reckoning with race in Long Time Coming (5 hours). Delivering a harsh but hopeful message, Michael Eric Dyson bears witness to the recent killings of Black men and women by the police and puts their violent deaths in context, tying them to history and our present moment. He zooms in on five hugely pivotal tragedies of racism, breaking down each element to its core as a way to understand it, preserve it for the ages and move forward. In particular, his recounting of George Floyd’s killing is haunting and vital. A professor at Georgetown University and an ordained minister, Dyson delivers hard-to-swallow truths with powerful and knowledgeable authority.

This month’s column highlights three monumental audiobooks from Dolly Parton, Michael Eric Dyson and Rachel Bloom.
NonfictionAudioHumor

Yearbook

Review by Anna Zeitlin

In Seth Rogen’s Yearbook (6 hours), the Canadian writer, movie star and ceramicist tells stories only he could tell from a uniquely lived life.

As a comedian and co-writer of such films as Superbad and Pineapple Express, it should come as no surprise that Rogen is a fantastic storyteller. Just how many teenagers get laughs performing stand-up at clubs that they’re too young to enter? In this book he discusses his grandparents, Judaism, summer camp, struggling in Los Angeles and—again, this should come as no surprise—drugs. There’s no shortage of bizarro Hollywood stories, but he shares them in a relatable way, in which he’s on our side, experiencing the absurdity of informing Nicolas Cage that he can’t do that iffy island accent in his film or being invited into Kanye West’s van to listen to his new album. 

This audiobook is a blast, with a long list of guest appearances including Rogen’s parents, Dan Aykroyd, Tommy Chong, Sacha Baron Cohen, Snoop Dogg, Michel Gondry, Billy Idol and Jason Segel.

Seth Rogen’s audiobook is a blast, with guest appearances from Dan Aykroyd, Tommy Chong, Snoop Dogg, Michel Gondry, Billy Idol and more.
NonfictionAudioEssays

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Review by Anna Zeitlin

Based on John Green’s podcast of the same name, The Anthropocene Reviewed (10 hours) is a collection of essays structured as reviews of the human experience. Known for such young adult novels as The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down, this is Green’s first nonfiction book for adults but hopefully not his last. From sublime sunsets to the unbearable feeling of mortification to odd fascinations like the Hall of Presidents and Piggly Wiggly, he makes even the most obscure topics compelling. 

With storytelling skills from years as a podcaster and YouTuber, Green makes for a fantastic narrator. This is a truly gratifying listening experience; only the audiobook edition offers the opportunity to be part of a melancholy World War I singalong. 

No matter how you know of Green, whether from his previous books, podcast, vlogs or as a YouTube world history teacher, you’ll find something to enjoy in this audiobook.

With storytelling skills from years as a podcaster and YouTuber, John Green makes even the most obscure topics compelling in his audiobook.
NonfictionAudioEssays

The Wreckage of My Presence

Review by Anna Zeitlin

You may know Casey Wilson from her brief stint as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” from her role on the beloved sitcom “Happy Endings” or maybe from her podcast on the Real Housewives, “Bitch Sesh.” But if you’re not familiar with her, you’ll certainly want to be after listening to her collection of essays, The Wreckage of My Presence (6.5 hours). As author and narrator, Wilson touches on all these projects, but you don’t have to be a pop culture devotee to find something relatable in her essays. 

Each story is moving and hilarious, whether she’s trying to get out of an awkward dinner party, processing the death of her mother or recounting all the ways “people don’t know how to act.” Listening to Wilson’s narration is like getting good gossip from one of your funniest friends. She’s grounded but oh-so-hilarious, a combination that makes this audiobook a must-listen.

Read our review of the print version of The Wreckage of My Presence.

Listening to Casey Wilson’s essay collection is like getting good gossip from one of your funniest friends.
NonfictionAudioMemoir

How Y’all Doing?

Review by Anna Zeitlin

Emmy Award winner Leslie Jordan is making the most of his sudden internet superstardom with his new book, How Y’all Doing? Misadventures and Mischief From a Life Well Lived (4 hours). After decades as an underappreciated character actor on a long list of sitcoms, Jordan is coming to terms with his newfound celebrity status and the opportunities it has presented, including achieving his lifelong dream of recording a duet with Dolly Parton.

In the early days of the COVID-19 quarantine, Jordan began posting very funny videos to his Instagram account, gossiping into the camera, coining memorable catchphrases, telling stories about his Mama and gaining millions of new fans. His knack for storytelling transfers beautifully to this new audiobook. He discusses growing up as a gay child on a Southern horse farm and shares juicy Hollywood gossip, from his experience of working with Lady Gaga to how actor Debbie Reynolds convinced his Mama not to worry so much about what he gets up to in California. 

Jordan’s twangy Tennessee drawl adds so much personality to the audiobook; you can really hear the laughter and joy in his voice as he reads some of his funnier stories.

You can hear the laughter and joy in Leslie Jordan’s voice as he reads the funniest stories in his new audiobook.
RomanceAudioContemporary Romance

Act Your Age, Eve Brown

Review by Anna Zeitlin

The delightful third installment in romance author Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters trilogy, Act Your Age, Eve Brown begins with Eve Brown failing at her latest attempt at a career and getting cut off from her trust fund. She leaves London and heads to the countryside, where she comes across a cute bed-and-breakfast that happens to be hiring a chef, a job she could probably pull off. Eve botches the interview and runs over B&B owner Jacob with her car, but she winds up working for him while his broken arm heals. He’s stubborn and stuck in his ways, and she’s fun and carefree, so of course they can’t resist each other.

Prolific voice-over actor Ione Butler effortlessly switches between Eve’s cool London accent and Jacob’s grumpy country tones. She delivers both comedy and romance, going straight for the heart but never losing the humor.

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Talia Hibbert explains why she thinks Jacob and Eve are so perfect for each other.

Narrator Ione Butler goes straight for the heart—but never loses the humor—in her rendition of Talia Hibbert's latest rom-com.
FictionAudioFamily Drama

The Removed

Review by Anna Zeitlin

In The Removed (7 hours) by Brandon Hobson, a Cherokee family grapples with the death of their teenage son and brother, Ray-Ray, 15 years after his murder. Father Ernest is losing his memory, younger son Edgar is dealing with drug addiction, daughter Sonja flits between unavailable men, and mother Maria tries to hold everything together while caring for their new foster son, who may be the reincarnation of Ray-Ray. Each chapter is told from a different character’s perspective, moving among family members as well as an elder named Tsala.

The large cast of Indigenous narrators (Gary Farmer, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, DeLanna Studi, Katie Rich and Christopher Salazar) brings great depth and dimensionality to this world. In particular, Farmer’s voice imbues Tsala’s sections with a real sense of history, his narration recalling spoken word traditions. Each actor does a magnificent job portraying the complicated emotions and layered personality of their character, making The Removed feel more like a recorded play than a straightforward reading.

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of the print version of The Removed.

The tremendous skill of the Indigenous cast makes The Removed feel more like a recorded play than a straightforward reading.
NonfictionAudioMemoir

AMORALMAN

Review by Anna Zeitlin

A magician never reveals their tricks, but fortunately for us, Derek DelGaudio doesn’t consider himself a magician. A sleight-of-hand master whose hit one-man Broadway show, In & of Itself, is now a movie (streaming on Hulu), DelGaudio offers a memoir like no other in AMORALMAN: A True Story and Other Lies (5.5 hours), because no one has lived a life quite like his.

DelGaudio traces his interest in deception back to childhood, when he concealed his true self to avoid being bullied at school. As a teenager he wowed legendary magicians, winning their trust and gleaning what he could from their knowledge. DelGaudio eventually mastered card moves that even his mentor couldn’t pull off, and he began using his extraordinary skills to control a weekly high-stakes poker game.

As both author and narrator, DelGaudio is a captivating storyteller who brings the weight of his experiences to every moment as he grapples with morality and makes questionable decisions amid the dubious world of con artists. 

A magician never reveals their tricks, but fortunately for us, Derek DelGaudio doesn’t consider himself a magician.
FictionAudioLiterary Fiction

The Liar’s Dictionary

Review by Anna Zeitlin

Eley Williams’ debut novel, The Liar’s Dictionary (8 hours), is a word lover’s dream. The story jumps between two British lexicographers’ storylines. Over a century ago, Peter Winceworth (narrated by Jon Glover) fakes a lisp, bemoans his employment at dictionary publisher Swansby’s and falls in love with a co-worker’s fiancée. In modern-day London, Mallory (portrayed by Kristin Atherton) is an intern who’s updating Swansby’s dictionary entries for digitization. She’s also been tasked with routing out the dictionary’s false entries, known as mountweazels. Both narrators have theatrical backgrounds and give lively performances. Glover turns Peter’s false lisp on and off as required, and his proper British narration feels both timeless and appropriate to the period. Neither Glover nor Atherton is weighed down by the prose’s unusual, rare and sometimes made-up words; rather, their delight in the wordplay is infectious.

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Eley Williams shares how her relationship to language has changed, plus a deeper look at her charming debut novel.

Eley Williams’ debut novel, The Liar’s Dictionary (8 hours), is a word lover’s dream.

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