New Audio Listens for August 

As we reach the other side of yet another season full of audiobook listening – we are not quite done yet. Check out some of these new summer audio arrivals that will perfectly wrap up your road trips, pool-side days, and long flights home. 

Where Dogs Bark with Their Tails by Estelle-Sarah Bulle

In this listen, a young woman born in the suburbs of Paris—whose skin color and memories of occasional childhood visits alone connect her to her father’s native Guadeloupe—yearns to understand her lineage and her métis identity. Upon her request, her old aunt Antoine, the eccentric and indomitable family head, unveils the history of the Ezechiel clan, and with it, that of the island for the twentieth century. In a spirited account, punctuated by interludes from other family members, Antoine tells her life story: a childhood spent deep in the countryside; an ill-fated romance between her upper-class mother and farmer father; the splendors and slums of the capital city, Pointe-à-Pitre; the eruption of modernity; the rifts in a deeply hierarchical society under colonial rule—and the reasons she left it all behind.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. This is the story of the perfect worlds Sam and Sadie build, the imperfect world they live in, and of everything that comes after success: Money. Fame. Duplicity. Tragedy. While yes, this is a love story, it is not one you have read before. A perfect amount of thrill and unexpected to give your end-of-summer listen a run for its money. 

The Light We Give by Simran Jeet Singh

As a boy growing up in Southern Texas, Simran Jeet Singh and his brothers confronted racism daily: at school, in their neighborhood, playing sports, and later in college and beyond. Despite the prejudice and hate he faced, this self-described “turban-wearing, brown-skinned, beard-loving Sikh” refused to give in to negativity. Instead, Singh delved deep into the Sikh teachings that he grew up with and embraced the lessons to seek the good in every person and situation and to find positive ways to direct his energy. These Sikh tenets of love and service to others have empowered him to forge a life of connection and a commitment to justice that have made him a national figure in the areas of equity, inclusion, and social justice. Part memoir, part spiritual journey, The Light We Give is a transformative book of hope that shows how each of us can turn away from fear and uncertainty, and move toward renewal and positive change.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka “bodyguard”), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker. Jack Stapleton’s a household name, constantly being captured by paparazzi on beaches, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Greek God. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid. When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah—against her will and her better judgment—finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. The more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. As usual, there lies the heartbreak. It’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack, but protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done.

Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola

Sharp-tongued (and secretly soft-hearted) Kiki Banjo has just made a huge mistake. An expert in relationship evasion and the host of the popular student radio show, Brown Sugar, she’s made it her mission to make sure the women of the Afro-Caribbean Society at Whitewell University do not fall into the mess of “situationships”, players, and heartbreak. But when the Queen of the Unbothered kisses Malakai Korede, the guy she just publicly denounced as “The Wastemen of Whitewell” in front of every Blackwellian on campus, she finds her show and her reputation on the brink. A funny and sparkling debut novel, Honey and Spice is full of delicious tension and romantic intrigue that will have you drooling. 

Thanks for reading! All these audiobooks and more are available now on AudiobookSTORE.com. Make sure to check out our FlexPass Membership for the ultimate roster of podcasts, savings on audiobooks, and more!