Our BOT titles that are August’s LibraryReads picks share stories of diverse women. From a dystopian world in which women are limited in their speech to a young Chinese immigrant facing difficult choices, this month provides complex, strong, and enthralling characters. Make sure to have the audios on hand so your patrons can enjoy these titles right away!
View the full list of August LibraryReads picks and check out our LibraryReads Make Great Listens collection to see all of our BOT LibraryReads picks since the program began. Now, see why our August BOT LibraryReads picks are must-listens.
VOX
By Christina Dalcher
Read by Julia Whelan
LISTEN TO A CLIP: VOX
LibraryReads review: “In the future world depicted in Vox, women are limited to speaking 100 words per day. Readers will want to shout every word in their heads, hoard every book in their libraries, and second guess the words of every person in their lives. A captivating, timely book that explores women’s rights in a fast-paced, compelling story.” —Jennifer Gaenzle, Fort Fairfield Public Library, Fort Fairfield, ME
Why try the audio? Considering the premise of Vox is that women are limited to speaking 100 words a day and that Julia Whelan is a woman, the listening experience adds another complex layer to think about! Additionally, Julia, an experienced actress, is an award-winning narrator. Her narration pulses with propulsive emotion that immediately hooks listeners.
Praise for VOX:
“With its focus on the vitality of communication and human interactions, Dalcher’s tale is a fresh and terrifying contribution to the burgeoning subgenre about women-focused dystopias spearheaded by Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.” —Booklist
“Vox is intelligent, suspenseful, provocative, and intensely disturbing—everything a great novel should be.” —Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“[A] provocative debut…Dalcher’s novel carries an undeniably powerful message.” —Publishers Weekly
By Louise Candlish
Read by Elliot Hill & Elizabeth Knowelden
LISTEN TO A CLIP:OUR HOUSE
LibraryReads review: “Full of secrets and surprises, Our House poses the question, “How well do you know the person you live with?” An attempt to co-habitate for the sake of the children leaves divorced mom Fiona alone and out in the cold. Readers will have a hard time putting down this twisty domestic suspense novel. Even after the last page is turned, the characters will linger.” —Annette Herbst, Columbia County Rural Library, Dayton, WA
Why try the audio? British actors Elliot Hill & Elizabeth Knowelden have partnered up before as narrators of a domestic suspense novel so they’re familiar with the tension and tone needed to perform such a genre. Listening to the twists and turns of this story will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Praise for OUR HOUSE:
“Candlish is skilled at portraying families in critical situations and ramping up the suspense…An absorbing plot with surprising twists until the final page.” —Library Journal, starred review
“[A] twisty domestic thriller that features everything readers enjoy about the genre: dark secrets, unreliable narrators, a fast-moving plot, and a terrifyingly plausible premise. This could be summer’s breakout hit.” —Booklist, starred review
“I loved the wonderful hook of Our House, which plays with our modern obsession with property—and the vulnerability that exposes. Louise Candlish is a great writer; she inhaled me into her nightmarish world where everything we think we know is ripped from under our feet.” —Fiona Barton, New York Times bestselling author
By Fiona Davis
Read by Cassandra Campbell
LISTEN TO A CLIP:THE MASTERPIECE
LibraryReads review:“Disparate decades of New York City are capably brought to life through two strong and resourceful female characters in Davis’s latest work. At the center is the Grand Central Terminal, which served as an art school in the 1920s, is threatened with demolition in the 1970s, and connects the threads of Clara Darden’s and Virginia Clay’s lives. Well researched and captivating.” —Kelly Baroletti, Wantagh Public Library, Wantagh, NY
Why try the audio? Award-winning narrator Cassandra Campbell is a treat to listen to. Hearing both women come to life in Campbell’s assured voice enriches this captivating work of historical fiction.
Praise for THE MASTERPIECE:
“Davis has written another paean to a New York City landmark. Historical fiction fans will love the compelling dual narrators and time periods perfectly captured in this novel based on the history of one of the busiest transportation hubs in the world.” —Library Journal, starred review
“Davis’s splendid third novel takes readers back in time to the New York of the 1970s and the late ’20s, centering on Grand Central Station… Davis entices with a fast-paced mystery and expertly reveals parallels between the two periods in New York and between Clara and Virginia, resulting in a true crowd-pleaser.” —Publishers Weekly
“Fiona Davis has made a name for herself in writing about famous New York City locations, and in The Masterpiece, she delivers another un-put-down-able gem.” —PopSugar
By Vanessa Hua
Read by Jennifer Lim
LISTEN TO A CLIP:A RIVER OF STARS
LibraryReads review: “A Chinese woman makes her way to America with her unborn daughter determined to make a life for them both. For readers who enjoy modern immigration stories like Behold the Dreamers and Little Fires Everywhere.” —Abby Johnson, New Albany-Floyd County Public Library, New Albany, IN
Why try the audio? Listeners will be able to deeply identify with the struggles and journey of the main character, Scarlett Chen, thanks to the expert narration of Jennifer Lim.
Praise for A RIVER OF STARS:
“[A] skillful debut novel . . . that is heartbreaking and, at turns, hilarious. . . . Hua wonderfully evokes the exigencies of lives at the margins of American culture by revealing Scarlett’s enduring ingenuity as she navigates near-destitute single motherhood.” —Publishers Weekly
“Vanessa Hua’s debut is an utterly absorbing novel about the ruthless love of parenthood and the universal truth that sometimes family runs deeper than blood alone.” —Celeste Ng, New York Times bestselling author
“An astute debut novel that confronts identity, privilege, freedom, and a twenty-first-century rendering of the American dream with poignancy, insight, humor, and plenty of savvy charm.”
—Booklist
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