| June 13, 2023

Digital Audiobook Curation by Heather McCormack and Marika Gofman

Aside from marking the start of summer, June holds a special place in our hearts for all of the chances it offers to go deep on audio collection development. Everyone at this point is well acquainted with Pride Month, and we cover the gamut of LGBTQ+ fiction and nonfiction for all ages to celebrate it; ditto for transgender and nonbinary awareness in light of hot new releases like Elliot Page's Pageboy and Gigi Gorgeous and Gottmik's The T Guide, both of which are read by the authors. Don't miss as well our coverage for Juneteenth, the newest US federal holiday. Of course, we cannot forget that June is Audiobook Month; to explore the singular storytelling benefits of the audio format, shop our lists in Audio Highlights, including the outstanding recordings of AudioFile's Golden Voices narrators. Read about the 2023 winners here. Finally, we're running generous audio discounts through the end of the month. Both Dreamscape and GraphicAudio are doing full-catalog sales, while Blackstone, OrangeSky, Tantor, Princeton, PRH Grupo Editorial, and others focus on select titles. Holler if you need help with carts. And be well!

Adult Fiction Top New Releases 

Edoardo Ballerini and Maria Liatus co-narrate Isabel Allende's newest saga, The Wind Knows My Name, a dual narrative, one set in WWII-era Europe, the other 2019 Arizona, that pays homage to the sacrifices of parents and their children who build new lives abroad. For your fans of swashbuckling adventure, purchase Rita Chang-Eppig's debut, Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea, a historical set on the 19th-century South China Seas and starring a brave Chinese pirate queen who must fend off both her countrymen and Europeans. Andre Dubus III performs his latest portrait of the white working class, Such Kindness, the story of a 50-something carpenter who is trying to remember who he is after surviving an excessive mortgage, a roofing accident, and painkiller addiction. Also recommended: James Comey's Central Park West and Deborah Levy's August Blue.

Adult Nonfiction Top New Releases 

Named a most anticipated title by multiple outlets, Elliot Page's debut memoir, Pageboy, takes listeners behind the scenes of the Juno actor's path to accepting his queerness and decision to transition from female to male, with plenty of deep Hollywood critique. Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek's successor, not to mention a champion contestant on the show, Ken Jennings reads his 100 Places To See After You Die, a deeply researched compendium of journeys through the afterlife that draws on literature, mythology, and pop culture. Part of our list Best Books for Bird Enthusiasts, Frieda Hughes's George recounts the author's move to the Welsh countryside and discovery of a baby magpie that she rescues and becomes enamored of. Also recommended: Seth Godin's The Song of Significance and Samantha Leach's investigation of suburban girlhood, The Elissas.

Juv & Young Adult Top New Releases 

Emmy-winning actor and Smartless podcaster Sean Hayes and Emmy-winning producer Todd Milliner join forces on Time Out, a YA romance about a small-town basketball hero who comes out at a pep rally and suffers unforeseen consequences, for better and for worse. In Margaret Peterson Haddix's Falling Out of Time, #2 in the Running Out of Time middle-grade thriller series, our heroine, Zola, is enjoying life in the year 2193 with its mod cons when she finds a note and a book that lead her into the dark truth of her existence. Golden Voices narrator Ramon de Ocampo reads James Sutter's Darkhearts, a queer YA romance in which David, now band-less, reconnects with his ex-best friend, the hottest teen pop star in America. Also recommended: India Hill Brown's Rhythm & Muse and Andrew Eliopulos's Will on the Inside about a boy learning to live with Crohn’s disease.

Best Queer Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

Along with our LGBTQ+ romance lists in Newsworthy/Seasonal, you can also shop a starter list of whodunits, including Robyn Gigl's Remain Silent, #3 in the Erin McCabe series, in which the trans defense attorney becomes a prime suspect in the murder of one of her new clients, a successful financial adviser; Nekesa Afia's Harlem Sunset, #2 in the Harlem Renaissance series, which finds young Black protagonist Louise working to prove the innocence of the woman she loves after a night of too much drinking leads to a mysterious killing; and Catie Disabato's U Up?, the story of queer L.A. millennial Eve, who has already lost one best friend to suicide when the other one disappears, sending her into an investigation/cocaine spiral. Also recommended: Elly Griffiths's The Postscript Murders and Lambda Literary Award finalist Cheryl A. Head's Bury Me When I'm Dead.

Celebrating Hip-Hop's 50th Birthday

Although pop music is the best selling form of music globally, hip-hop/rap remains #1 in the US. To honor its 50th, check out the following: Kathy Iandoli's God Save the Queens, a much-needed history of the women who have played defining roles in the movement, from pioneers like Roxanne Shante to today's stars (think Nicki Minaj); Joan Morgan's She Begat This, a cultural history and appreciation of Lauryn Hill and her career-making solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill; and Justin Tinsley's It Was All a Dream, a fresh biography of the Notorious B.I.G., from his childhood in Brooklyn and the overnight success of his debut album to his murder and legacy per neighbors, friends, and other pundits. Also recommended: Jonathan Abrams's The Come Up, a full-cast recording of an essential oral history, and Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz's Beastie Boys Book.

Podcast Tie-Ins by Creators of Color

In Audio Highlights, we continue to curate titles that are connected to popular podcasts and social media platforms, including those helmed by creators of color. See Marcie Alvis Walker's Everybody Come Alive, a debut memoir in essays about the author's coming-of-age as a Black girl in 1970s and 1980s America with matriarchs who were deeply affected by Jim Crow; British charity founder Jaz O'Hara's Asylum Speakers, profiles of 31 remarkable people who have been involved in the refugee crisis, from refugees to volunteers on the frontlines; and Joy Harden Bradford's Sisterhood Heals, a guide to helping Black women understand the benefits of friendships with other Black women and how they can best conduct them. Also recommended: Jermaine Folwer's The Humanity Archive about new models for writing Black history and Emily Morse's Smart Sex. 

Heather McCormack

Global VP of Digital Content Acquisition and Marketing,
h.mccormack@bibliotheca.com

Marika Gofman

Findaway, Publishing and Content Marketing

marikag@spotify.com