Editors Select: July 2026

The past isn’t the destination

Australia’s contemporary answer to the Brontë sisters? The Moriarty sisters. While the Brontës gave us windswept moors and gothic heroines, Liane, Nicola, and Jaclyn Moriarty have built devoted fans, myself included, with twisty plots and beautifully flawed characters who feel astonishingly real. Jaclyn Moriarty returns to take three new characters on a journey through time that’s less about changing history than navigating this glorious, messy human experience. Performed brilliantly by Kellie Jones and Mitchell Bourke, this is one to press play and escape into.

Who am I to fight this alchemy?

In a trilogy, book 2 can sometimes feel like a weak point. A soggy middle, if you will, to cite a term writers use about the challenge of penning the second act. Stacey McEwan does not have this problem. A Forsaken Prophecy is every bit as compelling and addictive as the first instalment in her Artisan trilogy—a gritty, high-stakes romantasy that married the Hunger Games with Peaky Blinders and added a dash of magic. McEwan further explores the magic system of Belavere Trench, introducing more towns along the route between the capital and the Brink, but the living, breathing heart of the story remains the romance—or lack thereof, at the moment—between Patrick and Nina. Karise Yansen joins Billie Fulford-Brown and Joshua Riley to bring our favourite gangsters and Artisans to life. I’m already counting down the days to book 3.

A beguiling beach listen

My family’s trip to Turks and Caicos was the perfect locale to escape into this sumptuous, engrossing novel examining desire, mid-life, motherhood, beauty, and relationships. After devouring Robinne Lee’s debut, The Idea of You, I waited (albeit impatiently) for her next book and was not disappointed. Pushing a sleeping toddler in a stroller around the resort, I tucked into this atmospheric listen, voiced—rather, inhabited—by Lee herself. I was transported from Paris to Cabo to Los Angeles through the lens of Cecilia Chen, a chic, self-aware artist at sea in her life and seeking escape, which might lead to rebirth or destruction. Lee’s world-building had me so invested that I couldn’t hit pause, and I predict the same for you.

The non-fiction thriller of my nightmares

I still haven’t recovered from Annie Jacobsen’s last book, which taught me that in the event of nuclear war, it’s best to be directly under the blast: Poof—it’s over. No such luck with her latest frighteningly plausible scenario, which outlines with terrifying precision how either an accidental or directed release of germ warfare could cause a world of prolonged hurt to all in its reach, while leaving the surrounding infrastructure fully (purposely!) intact. Want to have nightmares about recombinant DNA, Soviet-era Biopreparat, or the loophole in the Biological Weapons Convention treaty that got us here? Join me for another five-alarm wakeup call by Jacobsen, who wrangles sources, science, and secrets in a thrillingly cinematic tale that she also narrates to perfection.

A masterful conclusion to the Harlem Trilogy

An old boyfriend once told me that I’ll never love anyone as much as I love New York. As it turns out, I was just gay, but still, a point was made. Like many New Yorkers, I’m so enamoured with the city that if a film or novel takes place here, there’s a good chance I’m already listening or in line to buy a ticket. I love the way characters ignite against the city’s dramatic, gritty-to-glamourous backdrop. Now take that glorious city and run it back a few decades to 1980s Harlem, with Pulitzer winner Colson Whitehead walking you through its streets, introducing you to its jaw-dropping characters, and fleshing out the finale to his masterwork in crime fiction.

A new dystomance to obsess over

When I found out the audiobook release for Daggermouth was moving up by nearly a month, it genuinely felt like a present just for me. (I know it wasn’t. Let me have this one; it's my birthday month.) I knew the story was going to stay with me before I even finished the first chapter. H.M. Wolfe drops listeners into a brutal dystopian world where a failed assassination leaves mercenary Shadera trapped in a political marriage with Greyson, the very man she was sent to kill. What begins as a fight for survival slowly becomes something far more complicated, as the lines between enemy and ally begin to blur. Angel Pean and Teddy Hamilton deliver performances that capture every single ounce of tension. And that cliffhanger? It was so jaw-dropping I’m counting down the days until I can listen to Python, the next in the series.

Keeping our pride strong

From the moment I heard actor and narrator Russell Tovey was writing his debut work of fiction, I knew I needed to hear it. But if Tovey’s writing somehow isn’t enough to grab your attention, how about a full-cast performance led by actors Andrew Scott and George MacKay? Set in London and exploring difficult family dynamics, queer identity, and drag, Starlings follows a 40-year-old aspiring drag queen as he’s reunited with his estranged younger brother. It’s an ode to the queer and drag communities and a heartfelt celebration of family and self-expression that’s perfectly designed for audio.

Follow this full cast into the woods

Daniel Mason again summons the vast reserves of magic lurking in the enchanted forests of New England. Like North Woods, his last novel, this audiobook unspools with an immersive full cast of performers and a story centred on a humble plot of land. There resides Miles Krzelewski, a sweet, devoted man whose wife just accepted a prestigious professorship while he himself remains 12 years late completing his PhD on Russian folktales. In other words, he’s a golden retriever husband who could use a little direction—say, a sign from the universe that a local legend is more than just myth? Where there’s whimsy, there’s a way, and following in the footsteps of Miles on a mission to renew his sense of purpose is a worthwhile, life-affirming listening excursion.

When home becomes an obsession

I think Shari Lapena might have written her most disturbing couple yet. This book left me wondering about the things people will do to keep up their lifestyle. Jill and Ted are obsessed with their gorgeous New York brownstone that they spent millions of his inheritance remodeling. When Ted makes a bad investment that threatens everything, including their beloved brownstone, their solution isn't downsizing. It's murder. They're in this together, but "together" starts feeling real fragile real fast. Every small misstep feels like a ticking bomb. Lapena has a gift for making terrible people fascinating, and Jill and Ted are no exception. You'll root against them and still won't be able to pull yourself away.

Just make yourself

Jia Jiang's unconventional approach to finding fulfilment through self-discipline makes more sense when you consider that he once spent 100 days actively seeking rejection—and lived to write a bestselling book about it. But behind the seemingly masochistic thrust of his approach is a message of hope for ambitious type B’s everywhere. Easy Discipline, named after Jiang's system for goal setting—Enjoyment, Artistry, Systems, and Yourself—invites even the most disorganised among us to take the first step towards actualising our dreams. Drawing from his own experience with ADHD, this how-to for habits lays a framework for success that works with your distracted brain, not despite it.

Pack an umbrella—love's on the forecast

Chelsea Curto takes two people who are obsessed with the weather and somehow creates a romance with just as much electricity as the storms they’re chasing. In Stormy Weather follows rival meteorologists Quincy and Sebastian through a summer of hurricane tracking—and years of unresolved tension. Quincy is exactly the kind of woman-in-STEM heroine I love to root for: brilliant, ambitious, and unapologetically passionate about her work. Stella Hunter and Alex Kydd bring every ounce of chemistry, banter, and longing to their performances, elevating an already fantastic story. Smart, sexy, and action-packed, this is a romance I couldn’t stop listening to.