Narrated from the heart

For the first time, Trent Dalton narrates his own novel and holds nothing back. You feel every beat of this thriller wrapped in a suburban love story. As in Boy Swallows Universe, Trent takes us back to his hometown of Brisbane, Australia, to walk the not-so-mean streets—or are they? Question everything. Noah, his lead character, is strikingly like Trent, making it “my most personal novel yet,” the author explains. Few writers capture everyday life’s darkness, tempered with such love and hope, as if speaking directly to you. Hearing Trent voice his words elevates Gravity Let Me Go to the next level. —Emma R.

The wait is over

After nearly eight years, Dan Brown returns with another thrilling addition to his legendary Robert Langdon series. This time, the professor is in Prague to attend a lecture by noetic scientist Katherine Solomon—a woman he’s also newly dating. The action kicks off quickly with a murder and then a disappearance. From there, the gripping plot spans both continents…and consciousness. Brown’s talent for immediately sucking you into the plot has only strengthened in his near-decade off, and the science explored—along with Brown’s disclaimer at the top of the book that all science and experiments you’ll hear about are real—is chilling. Performed by series narrator Paul Michael, I can safely say The Secret of Secrets was worth the wait.

This story has changed me forever

I went into Alchemised expecting something dark and immersive, but what I got was a story that completely consumed me in the greatest possible way. This is not a light listen. It’s brutal, emotionally relentless and beautifully written (check trigger warnings, and please be kind to yourself as you listen). Helena Marino is a former Resistance healer now imprisoned in a world ruled by corrupt necromancers and fractured by war. Her memories are missing, and the truth she’s forgotten may be more dangerous than anyone realizes. I had to stop, breathe and sit with my feelings during some emotionally intense moments before continuing. Saskia Maarleveld’s performance was the icing on top of this already all-consuming debut. And that ending? I clapped while I cried because I couldn’t believe the journey we had just taken.

Family secrets and long-overdue justice

Old Money draws you into a world of generational wealth, unspoken family codes and one woman’s story as she dares to confront the past everyone else is trying to forget. When Alice returns to her elite hometown after years away, it’s not just for a casual family visit. She’s back with a purpose—to finally hold the man responsible for her cousin’s death accountable. What starts as a personal mission quickly unravels into something bigger: a reckoning with power, legacy and the lies that keep people safe. There’s a satisfying sense of justice in Kelsey Miller’s novel, but also a deeper exploration of what justice really looks like when power and privilege get in the way. Whether you’re in it for the dark secrets or just love a good mystery with heart, Old Money delivers.

Explore one of the greatest megalithic mysteries

Following a fictional timeline surrounding the creation of Stonehenge, Circle of Days paints a story of two interconnected characters: Joia, a priestess whose visions predict the birth of the massive stone circle; and Seft, a love-struck flint miner looking for a better life. Master storyteller Ken Follet consistently demonstrates an attention to detail, especially in his in-depth character development. Coupled with Richard Armitage, one of the best narrators in the game, I was transported back to the BCE as these monuments are constructed, as love becomes complicated and as war begin to rampage across the Great Plain. Circle of Days is truly an unforgettable listen.

A little book that’s big on laughs

It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s impossible not to love Miriam Margolyes. Whether it's because of her trademark humour and unfiltered style or her accolades in acting and writing, Margolyes has stolen hearts for being a “naughty national treasure” thanks to her fearless, candid and bold attitude. In her interviews and writing style, there’s an undeniable honesty to her approach that's incredibly endearing. And by offering listeners a behind-the-scenes look into her world—and once again lending her voice to the audiobook—The Little Book of Miriam is sure to be big on laughs and everything else we’ve come to love about her.

And now for some Bunny business

If you know, you know. Mona Awad’s bonkers novel Bunny—beloved by Margaret Atwood and the zanier corners of BookTok—has achieved cult status since hopping on the scene in 2019. But the new sequel (which is also a prequel) might be an even bigger deal! The Bunnies are back, and they’ve kidnapped their arch-frenemy Sam, the POV in the first book. Now Cupcake, Creepy Doll, Vignette and the Duchess get to have their say—while holding Sam at axe-point, natch—via another gleefully wicked performance from Sophie Amoss. Amoss and Awad go together like cottontails and carrots: the pairing of Awad’s delightfully deranged characters with Amoss’s transfixing delivery is one for the ages. And with the culture in its Labubumatchadubaichocolate era, We Love You, Bunny’s maximalist mood of creepy-cute weirdness is exactly the amount of extra we need right now.

Tembi Locke’s next chapter

Whenever I'm asked to name the book that changed my life, my unequivocal answer is always From Scratch. Yes, the Netflix adaptation was fantastic, but for me as a young widow, Tembi Locke's 2019 memoir about grief and healing after her husband's death was a transformative lifeline. So it goes without saying that I'm thrilled Locke is giving us a new chapter in her inspiring story. In Someday, Now, she takes us back to Sicily for an emotional summer adventure before her daughter leaves for college. This audio original is truly immersive, as Locke peppers her warm narration with clips of ambient sounds and conversations she recorded herself on the trip. The result is a comforting and heartwarming listen, where it feels as if you're sitting at the kitchen table in her Italian country house rental, sharing her hard-won wisdom about motherhood, middle age and new beginnings—over a delicious plate of arancini.

Breaking up is hard to do

These days, it can seem as if polyamory has caught on with surprising alacrity. But when you dig deeper, most people quickly reply: "I could never do that; I'd be too jealous!" Left unsaid is that they probably wouldn't have much sympathy for your split with a lover if you already have a happy marriage, kids, and a great life. Alejandro Varela takes on the nature of queer love and open relationships with sly humour and panache. Part epistolary email breakup novel, part social critique of liberal, bourgeois values, Middle Spoon investigates the messiness of heartbreak in all its contemporary complexity. Most enjoyably, narrator Eddie Lopez had me eye-rolling and chortling along as he descends into obsession, while skewering himself in the process. As Varela writes: We've managed to appropriate the language of oppression and liberation in "rather self-aggrandizing ways that allow for the avoidance of growth and healing." Ouch!

Addiction, loss and healing

Elizabeth Gilbert first inspired us to journey toward ourselves in Eat, Pray, Love. In her latest memoir, she takes us down a rockier path toward self-actualisation as she contends with the loss of her life partner, Rayya, and their individual struggles with addiction. Gilbert invites us along as she confronts and overcomes the rawest edges of herself: codependency, denial, people pleasing, and the unique pain of building a healthier relationship to love and sex after unimaginable heartbreak. All The Way to the River is a testament to the power of faith, connection and determination, urging each of us to envision (through tear-soaked eyes) a better future for ourselves no matter the current circumstances.

Greetings from Cape Carnage

Brynne Weaver’s latest is twisted, hilarious and an incredible start to a new series. Cape Carnage might look like a charming coastal town, but it runs on secrets, murder and a suspicious tolerance for bloodshed. Harper Starling is Carnage’s grumpiest gardener and fiercest protector, doling out vigilante justice with her trusty wood chipper and her murder birds. When Nolan Rhodes shows up looking for revenge, he thinks Harper is his next target, but their meeting sparks a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers spiral filled with sharp banter, forced proximity and tension that you could cut with a knife. Narrators Samantha Brentmoor and Robert Hatchet are an absolute dream team—delivering all the funny, all the stabby and all the spice. And that cliffhanger? It’s going to haunt me until I get book two. I need more Carnage—immediately!!

American grit

On 21 July 2024, President Joseph R. Biden bowed out of the US presidential campaign and Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in. She had 107 days to mount a campaign, meet American citizens from coast-to-coast, debate, raise money (those fundraising Zooms were epic), and convince voters to elect her on November 5. The morning of the election in the States, I called a colleague and told her how emotional I felt. I couldn’t quite pinpoint if I was overwhelmingly happy that a Black woman was potentially going to call the White House home, or that she got this far. Now, 24 September 2025, will be just as significant for me, since it’s when I will listen to Harris narrate her political memoir. It will undoubtedly lodge somewhere in my psyche forever. How could it not? Kamala Harris has a place in history that will never be erased. No one can take that away. No. One.

Imagine inheriting an Italian villa

The Unravelling of Julia combines Lisa Scottoline's passion for Italy and her knack for writing female-centred crime fiction with astrology, grief, agoraphobia—and a little magic. When Julia Pritzker's husband is killed defending her from a mugger, her world falls apart. Then comes shocking news: A mysterious Italian woman named Emilia Rossi has left Julia millions and a gorgeous estate in Chianti. Julia's never heard of Emilia and has no clue why she's been chosen. Wondering if Emilia might be her biological grandmother, Julia heads to Italy to uncover the truth. But someone clearly doesn't want her digging into the past, and eerie nightmares start plaguing her sleep. It's a captivating story that’s beautifully narrated by Maria Marquis, whose Italian accent is perfetto.

An inside perspective on true crime

Even behind bars, incarcerated individuals—who have long turned to books as a resource for entertainment, education, connection and escape—have caught on to the growing literary appetite for true crime stories. So, when it comes to discussing the evolving ethics of the genre, why shouldn’t they join in on the conversation? After all, many convicted felons can offer a nuanced perspective on what might drive a person to act on violent impulses, argues John J. Lennon. Not only is the incarcerated journalist—who killed a man in 2001 on a street in Brooklyn, New York—a contributing editor at Esquire, he’s published essays everywhere from Rolling Stone to The Atlantic. Skillfully narrated by Will Damron, Lennon’s first audiobook provides a meaningful opportunity for an unconventional set of storytellers to make their voices heard.