Fiction & Literature Audiobooks

A Magical Girl Retires: A Novel Audiobook

A millennial turned magical girl must combat climate change and credit card debt in this delightful, witty, and wildly imaginative ode to magical girl manga. Twenty-nine, depressed, and drowning in credit card debt after losing her job during the pandemic, a millennial woman decides to end her troubles by jumping off Seoul’s Mapo Bridge. But her suicide attempt is interrupted by a girl dressed all in white—her guardian angel. Ah Roa is a clairvoyant magical girl on a mission to find the greatest magical girl of all time. And our protagonist just may be that special someone. But the young woman’s initial excitement turns to frustration when she learns being a magical girl in real life is much different than how it’s portrayed in stories. It isn’t just destiny—it’s work. Magical girls go to job fairs, join trade unions, attend classes. And for this magical girl there are no special powers and no great perks, and despite being magical, she still battles with low self-esteem. Her magic wand . . . is a credit card—which she must use to defeat a terrifying threat that isn’t a monster or an intergalactic war. It’s global climate change. Because magical girls need to think about sustainability, too. Park Seolyeon reimagines classic fantasy tropes in a novel that explores real-world challenges that are both deeply personal and universal: the search for meaning and the desire to do good in a world that feels like it’s ending. A fun, fast-paced, and enchanting narrative that sparkles thanks to award-nominated translator Anton Hur, A Magical Girl Retires reminds us that we are all magical girls—that fighting evil by moonlight and winning love by daylight can be anyone's game. Translated from the Korean by Anton Hur

Seolyeon Park (Author), Shannon Tyo, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Indigo Field

'Indigo Field brims with multigenerational drama, earthy spirituality, and deeply imagined characters you are unlikely to forget.' -Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Invention of Wings, The Book of Longings, and The Secret Life of Bees In the rural South, a retired colonel in an upscale retirement community grieves the sudden death of his wife on the tennis court. On the other side of the highway, an elderly Black woman grieves the murder of her niece by a white man. Between them lies an abandoned field where three centuries of crimes are hidden, and only she knows the explosive secrets buried there. When the colonel runs into her car, causing a surprising amount of damage, it sparks a feud that sets loose the spirits in the Field, both benevolent and vengeful. In prose that's been called 'dazzling' and 'mesmerizing,' in the animated voices of trees and birds and people, in Southern-voiced storytelling as deeply layered as that of Pat Conroy, Marjorie Hudson lays out the boundaries of a field that contains the soul of the South, and leads us to a day of reckoning.

Marjorie Hudson (Author), Allyson Johnson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Royal Librarian

A royal palace. A closed book. A betrayal that will echo through generations… Windsor, 1940: War rages, and as bombs rain down across Britain, nowhere is safe: not even a royal palace. Secretly tasked with foiling a suspected plot, Sophie Klein is placed in the Royal Library at Windsor castle, where the princesses reside. But when she learns that Windsor is compromised, Sophie must sacrifice everything she knows to save the future queen of England… Philadelphia, Present day: Digging into her great aunt’s family tree, Lacey Turner comes across a mysterious book bearing the stamp of Windsor Castle’s royal bindery. But how did it come to be in her family’s possession? And so begins a journey that will take Lacey from battlefields to Buckingham palace in a quest to reunite the book with its rightful owner…

Daisy Wood (Author), Laurel Lefkow, To Be Announced (Narrator)

Audiobook

Cassandra in Reverse: The unforgettable Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick

Brought to you by Penguin. If you had the power to change the past. . . where would you start? Cassie has never really fitted in. She remembers everything. Understands nothing. And consistently says the wrong thing. So when she gets dumped, fired AND her local café runs out of banana muffins - all in one day - it feels like the end of the world. But then Cassie discovers she has the power to go back and change things. With endless chances to get it right, can she stop it all from going wrong? As featured on Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 2 Book Club, The Times & Daily Mail 'A time-twisting delight' REESE WITHERSPOON 'Utterly brilliant!' ZOE BALL 'Everyone should read it and everyone will love it' LINDSEY KELK First published in the UK as The Cassandra Complex. ©2024 Holly Smale (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Holly Smale (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Bruce Chatwin: A BBC Radio Collection: On the Black Hill, In Patagonia and more

A collection of full-cast dramas and readings from the giant of travel writing – plus a bonus documentary Author and adventurer Bruce Chatwin was one of the 20th Century’s most charismatic writers. His first book, In Patagonia, changed the face of travel writing and made him a literary sensation. Collected here are dramatisations and readings of some of his best-known work, as well as a bonus programme shedding light on his relationships and writing. In Patagonia – Chatwin’s picaresque masterpiece has been described as ‘probably the most influential travel book written since the war’. This transportive dramatisation stars Russell Tovey as a writer on a quest to the very end of the world in search of mythical beasts. On the Black Hill – Recorded on location in the Black Mountains, this is the moving tale of the lifelong bond between two identical twins, and their unbreakable tie to the land they farm. Ioan Meredith stars as Lewis and Benjamin Jones. The Volga – Bruce Chatwin's account of his cruise down Russia's great brown waterway on the Maxim Gorky is read in two parts by Patrick Malahide. What Am I Doing Here? – Patrick Malahide reads three pieces taken from Chatwin’s posthumous collection of essays – ‘Your Father’s Eyes Are Blue Again’, ‘The Bey’ and ‘The Albatross’. Konstantin Melnikov – Bruce Chatwin’s recollection of a visit to the reclusive Russian architect in 1973 is a toast to fantastic projects ‘realised and unrealised’. Read by Patrick Malahide. The Songlines – Michael Siberry reads this 10-part abridged account of Chatwin’s travels across Australia in search of the Aboriginal ‘songlines’: invisible pathways that are both intricate sources of personal identity and territorial markers. The Essay: Postcards: Bruce Chatwin – Chatwin’s editor and biographer Susannah Clapp looks through the postcards she received from him over the years, reflecting on what these missives reveal about the iconic writer. Cast and credits Written by Bruce Chatwin Text copyright © Bruce Chatwin 1977 (In Patagonia), 1982 (On the Black Hill), 1987 (The Songlines) What Am I Doing Here? copyright © The Estate of Bruce Chatwin 1989 In Patagonia Cast: Russell Tovey, David Sterne, Noni Lewis, Hasan Dixon, Melissa Vaughan, Ewan Bailey, Florencia Cordeu, Helen Schlesinger, Julio Galán Directed by Ciaran Bermingham Adapted by Sebastian Bazckiewicz Production Co-ordinator: Jenny Mendez Piano: Satoshi Kubo Sound: Keith Graham and Jenni Burnett With thanks to Susannah Clapp First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 Aug 2023 On the Black Hill Cast: Ioan Meredith, Gwen Watford, Ian Hogg, Robin Davies, Gerald James, June Barrie, Dorien Thomas, Sue Broomfield, Sue Soames, Peter Howell, Huw Tudor, Matthew Routley, Simon Price, Claire Watkins, Sian Watkins Directed on location in the Black Mountains by Adrian Mourby, BBC Wales Dramatised by Charles Way with Robert Blythe First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2 Mar 1987 The Volga Read by Patrick Malahide First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 11-12 May 1989 What Am I Doing Here? Read by Patrick Malahide First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 3 Sep 1990 Konstantin Melnikov Read by Patrick Malahide First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 10 Sep 1990 The Songlines Abridged in ten episodes by David Buck Read by Michael Siberry First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 Jun-3 Jul 1987 The Essay: Postcards: Bruce Chatwin Presented by Susannah Clapp First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 1 Jul 2009 © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Bruce Chatwin (Author), Ben Onwukwe, Clare Perkins, Ewan Bailey, Full Cast, Gwen Watford, Ian Hogg, Ioan Meredith, James Purefoy, Michael Siberry, Mo Sesay, Patrick Malahide, Russell Tovey, Susannah Clapp (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters, and Yokai of Japanese Myth:

Discover everything you've ever wondered about the legendary spirits, creatures, and figures of Japanese folklore including how they have found their way into every corner of our pop culture from the creator of the podcast Uncanny Japan. Welcome to The Book of Japanese Folklore: a fascinating journey through Japan's folklore through profiles of the legendary creatures and beings who continue to live on in pop culture today. From the sly kitsune to the orgrish oni and mischievous shape-shifting tanuki, learn all about the origins of these fantastical and mythical creatures. This gorgeous package is complete with stained edges and stunning four-color illustrations. With information on their cultural significance, a retelling of a popular tale tied to that particular yokai, and how it's been spun into today's popular culture, this handsome tome teaches you about the stories and histories of the beings that inspired characters in your favorite movies, animes, manga, and games. Adventure, mystery, and amazing tales await in The Book of Japanese Folklore.

Thersa Matsuura (Author), Thersa Matsuura (Narrator)

Audiobook

Familiarity Breeds Content: New and Selected Essays

A collection of personal essays from America's most revered essay writer, Joseph Epstein. America's greatest living essayist writes about life and aging and being all too nicely out of it. In these personal pieces, he takes on topics as varied as grieving for a dead son, learning Latin late in life, and the pleasures of living with cats. Epstein gives us a "bonfire of his own vanities," his thoughts about why watching sports is so impossibly seductive, what it is like to be short, and why he misses smoking even decades as a health-obsessed non-smoker. Above all, he writes about the literary life and the endless joys that reading and writing have brought to a self-confessed "lucky man."

Joseph Epstein (Author), Fred Sanders (Narrator)

Audiobook

Prophetic Leadership and Visionary Hope: New Essays on the Work of Cornel West

Thirty years have passed since Cornel West's book Race Matters rose to the top of the bestseller lists in 1993. Yet his book remains as relevant as ever to American culture-even more so, if one considers its influence on contemporary racial justice movements such as Black Lives Matter, prison justice, and the fight for police reform. Prophetic Leadership and Visionary Hope looks back to the original 1993 text and forward into the future of racial understanding and healing in our current century. Prophetic Leadership and Visionary Hope offers new points of entry into the thorny issues that the 1993 text addressed: the challenge of leadership in a culture marked by the legacy of white supremacy; the limited value of liberal affirmative action programs in promoting the affirmation of Black humanity; the dangerous seductions of African American conservatism and the question of Black self-regard; the necessity and difficulty of cross-race solidarity and cross-religious affinity; the need to channel legitimate Black rage over untenable conditions of existence into productive opportunities and viewpoints. With essays that span the topics of history, politics, philosophy, religion, cultural studies, music, and aesthetics, Prophetic Leadership and Visionary Hope is as wide-ranging as the thinker whose ideas it engages, interrogates, and celebrates.

Barbara Will (Author), Deanna Anthony (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Secret Lives of Booksellers & Librarians

Brought to you by Penguin. To be a bookseller or librarian . . . You have to play detective. Be a treasure hunter. A matchmaker. A brilliant listener. A person who creates a kind of magic by pulling a book from a shelf, handing it to someone and saying, 'You've got to read this. You're going to love it'. In this love letter to the heroes of literacy, James Patterson uncovers true stories from booksellers and librarians. Prepare to enter a world where you can feed your curiosities, discover new voices, and find whatever you need. Meet the smart and talented people who live between the shelves - and who can't wait to help you find your next great read. PRAISE FOR JAMES PATTERSON 'No one gets this big without amazing natural storytelling talent - which is what Jim has, in spades.' LEE CHILD 'James Patterson is The Boss. End of.' IAN RANKIN 'The master storyteller of our times' HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON ©2024 James Patterson (P)2024 Penguin Audio

James Patterson (Author), Amy Jensen, Daniel Henning, Deanna Anthony, Jane Oppenheimer, Jenn Lee, Jennifer Pickens, Marni Penning, Nancy Peterson, Rob Reider, Susan Hanfield, TBD, Tom Force (Narrator)

Audiobook

Transcending Dreams

He thought death was the end. He was wrong. His death was the beginning of a path with the potential for infinite power. One moment William was at work, and the next, he was surrounded by lunatics wanting to sacrifice his soul. He had never been a man who believed in the fantastical, but he had no choice after he found himself in a much younger body in another world. A world that had things like soul extraction and demonic cultivators, and if nothing was done, his soul was next in line to be reaped. Thankfully, a man with a special hatred for demonic cultivators saved William at the last second. The man also left him a tool. A system that would guide William to the heights of cultivation.

S. C. King (Author), Jason Vu (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Young Ones: The Complete BBC TV Soundtracks

The complete television soundtracks of all 12 episodes of the legendary BBC sitcom Ground-breaking, satirical and anarchic, The Young Ones introduced alternative comedy to mainstream TV, and made household names of its writers and performers. It ran for two series on BBC Two between 1982 and 1984, winning a host of devoted fans and a BAFTA Award for its second series. A world away from the cosy suburban sitcoms that preceded it, the show centred around four degenerate students sharing a squalid North London house: hippy Neil (Nigel Planer), right-on Rick (Rik Mayall), Mike 'TheCoolPerson' (Chris Ryan) and punk psycho Vyvyan (Ade Edmondson). Alexei Sayle co-starred as the various members of the dodgy Balowski family, and the plethora of guest stars included Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson and series co-writer Ben Elton. Musical interludes were provided by top bands such as Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Damned, Madness, Motörhead and Nine Below Zero. Collected here are all the dysfunctional foursome's manic adventures - from discovering oil in the basement, to playing host to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, to representing Scumbag College on University Challenge. Now you can hear from your favourite characters once again, and listen to their iconic one-liners, inventive insults and fabulously funny quotes. Full of wild slapstick, surreal twists, over-the-top ultra-violence and absurdist humour, this innovative, iconoclastic series remains one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. This audio-only collection of the original TV soundtracks provides the perfect opportunity for fans to relive the show's finest moments while on the go. Contains strong language and humour that some listeners may find offensive. Production credits Written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall and Lise Mayer With additional material by Alexei Sayle Music: Peter Brewis Sound: Laurie Taylor Directed by Paul Jackson and Graeme Story Rick - Rik Mayall Vyvyan Basterd - Adrian Edmondson Neil Pye - Nigel Planer Mike - Christopher Ryan The Balowski family - Alexei Sayle With Amazulu, Mark Arden, Helen Atkinson Wood, Jim Barclay, Christopher Barrie, Gary Beadle, Perry Benson, Paul Bradley, Arnold Brown, Ruth Burnett, Jean Campbell-Dallas, Jonathan Caplan, Hugh Cecil, Vikki Chambers, Jean Channon, Jacqueline Clarke, Robbie Coltrane, Ron Cook, Lee Cornes, Brian Croucher, The Damned, Mark Dewison, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Paola Dionisotti, Steve Dixon, Nick Dunning, Christine Ellerbeck, Chris Ellis, Ben Elton, Alan Freeman, Dawn French, Stephen Frost, Stephen Fry, Paul Gale, Peter Greene, Roger Ashton Griffiths, Gareth Hale, Damaris Hayman, Tamsin Heatley, Lenny Henry, Clair Hill, Jools Holland, Ceri Jackson, Terry Jones, Gerard Kelly, Steve Kelly, Ken Bishop 's Nice Twelve, Mark Lambert, Hugh Laurie, Peter Laxton, Helen Lederer, Justine Lord, Norman Lovett, Madness, Paul Martin, Hilary Mason, Kilian McKenna, Pauline Melville, Carla Mendonca, Motörhead, Patrick Newell, Nine Below Zero, Herbert Norville, Brian Oulton, John Otway, John Owens, Norman Pace, Robin Parkinson, Ken Parry, Daniel Peacock, Joanne Pearce, Jan Prince, Radical Posture, David Rappaport, Michael Redfern, Griff Rhys Jones, Rip Rig + Panic, Tony Robinson, David Rolfe, Jennifer Saunders, Cyril Shaps, Anthony Sharp, Cindy Shelley, Roger Sloman, Mel Smith, Barry Stanton, Maggie Steed, Kay Stonham, Tony Sympson, Emma Thompson, Andy de la Tour, Peter Wear, Julianne White First broadcast on BBC Two, 9 November-14 December 1982 (Series 1), 8 May-19 June 1984 (Series 2) © 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Ben Elton, Lise Mayer, Rik Mayall (Author), Adrian Edmondson, Alexei Sayle, Ben Elton, Christopher Ryan, Dawn French, Full Cast, Hugh Laurie, Jennifer Saunders, Nigel Planer, Rik Mayall, Stephen Fry (Narrator)

Audiobook

In the Shadow of the Greenbrier

A poignant multigenerational Jewish family saga inspired by remarkable, yet little-known, true events that shaped America's history. Nestled in the hills of West Virginia lies White Sulphur Springs, home to the Greenbrier Resort. Long a playground for presidents and film stars, the Greenbrier has its own gravitational pull. Over ten decades, four generations of the Zelner family must grapple with their place in its shadow . . . and within their own family. In 1942, young mother Sylvia is desperate to escape her stifling marriage, especially when it means co-running Zelner's general store with her husband. When the Greenbrier is commandeered for use as a luxury prison, Sylvia finds her fidelity strained and her heart on the line. Seventeen years later, Sylvia's daughter, Doree, struggles to fit in, eagerly awaiting the day she'll leave for college and meet a nice Jewish boy. But when a handsome stranger comes to town and her brother Alan's curiosity puts him and Sylvia at risk, Doree is torn between loyalty and desire. An immersive family saga rich with historical detail, In the Shadow of the Greenbrier explores the inevitable clash between past and future and the extraordinary moments in ordinary lives.

Emily Matchar (Author), Gilli Messer (Narrator)

Audiobook