Johnny Heller – The Hub

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2022) Nominations Round-Up, Winter

Each quarter, the Selected Lists teams compile the titles that have been officially nominated to date. These are titles that have been read by multiple members of the team, and received approval to be designated an official nomination. At the end of the year, the final list of nominations and each Selected List’s Top Ten will be chosen from these titles.

*Prices shown are for Library Digital Download.

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team. By Christina Soontornvat. Read by Quincy Surasmith & Christina Soontornvat. 2020. Brilliance Audio, $35.99 (9781713547792).

An honest and frank account of the 2018 Thai cave rescue told in a thrilling and fast-paced manner, perfect for younger and older teen readers alike. Quincy Surasmith is a capable narrator and will keep readers engaged with this tense and true story.

As Good as Dead: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. By Holly Jackson. Read by Bailey Carr, Kristen DiMercurio, Robert Fass, Lauren Fortgang, Johnny Heller, Barrett Leddy, Shezi Sardar, Vassilea Terzaki and Megan Tusing. Listening Library, $75.00 (9780593416761).

A shocking turnaround in the finale to the trilogy as the true crime podcast turns on the investigator herself. Once again brought to a spectacular audio experience using a full cast in audiobook form, this wrap up to the story will keep readers breathless to the end.

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2022) Featured Review of Good Girl, Bad Blood and As Good As Dead (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Books 2 and 3) by Holly Jackson

Cover art for Good Girl Bad Blood and As Good As Dead

Good Girl, Bad Blood and As Good As Dead (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Books 2 and 3) by Holly Jackson; narrated by Bailey Carr, MacLeod Andrews, Donte Bonner, James Fouhey, Neil Hellegers, Cary Hite, Amy Landon, Raymond J. Lee, Keylor Leigh, Maggi-Meg Reed Shezi Sardar and Bailey Carr, Kristen DiMercurio, Robert Fass, Lauren Fortgang, Johnny Heller, Barrett Leddy, Shezi Sardar, Vassilea Terzaki and Megan Tusing
Listening Library
Publication Date: March 2, 2021 and September 28, 2021
ISBNs: 9780593342398 and 9780593416761

After the revelations of the Andi Bell case, Pippa Fitz-Amobi just wants to leave her investigating days in the past and focus on applying to college and her relationship with her family and boyfriend, Ravi. When her friend’s brother goes missing, and the cops won’t do anything about it, and then when an anonymous stalker starts threatening her via her podcast, Pip is reluctantly dragged back into a world she desperately wishes she could leave behind.

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2022) Featured Review of The Bitterwine Oath by Hannah West

The Bitterwine Oath by Hannah West; narrated by Reba Buhr
Tantor Media, Inc.
Released: February 16, 2021
ISBN: 9781705222904

San Solano, Texas is a quaint little town with a sordid and violent history. That violent history is its greatest appeal. Decades ago twelve men were murdered as they took Holy Communion, and town residents are sure the minister’s daughter, Malachi, was responsible. Fast forward to present day San Solano, and as the anniversary of the massacre approaches, fear grows that another 12 men will meet their gory demise. Nat has assiduously avoided both the hoopla surrounding the anniversary and the Wardens, a cult of women famously connected to the slaughter, in service to a promise she made to her grandmother. That is a promise sorely tested when her father and the boy she falls in love with are marked for death.

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2021) Nominees Round Up, July 8 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Amazing Audiobooks nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington cover art

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks; narrated by Bahni Turpin
HarperAudio / Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: January 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0062969279

Aspiring baker Zoe Washington is looking forward to spending her summer working at her family friend’s bakery, and then auditioning to be on a kid’s baking show. On her 12th birthday, Zoe receives a letter from her biological father who has been in prison on a murder charge her entire life. Zoe, who hasn’t heard from Marcus before now, begins writing back, only to find that he has been writing to her all along, and that he claims he is innocent of the charge. In wanting to be able to trust and believe her father, and while keeping the correspondence secret from her mother, Zoe and her best friend try to find her father’s alibi witness.

Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2021) Nominees Round Up, March 25 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Amazing Audiobooks nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

145th Street: Short Stories Anniversary Edition by Walter Dean Myers; Narrated by Brandon Gill, Almarie Guerra, Johnny Heller, Dominic Hoffman, Sullivan Jones, JaQwan J. Kelly, Adenrele Ojo, Paula Parker, Heather Alicia Simms, Bahni Turpin
Listening Library
Publication Date: January 14, 2020
ISBN: 9780593119662

This book of short stories follows the residents of 145th Street in Harlem as they live their daily lives and face a variety of conflicts. While they could be read and enjoyed as individual stories, they are interconnected to be read as fluidly as a novel. The characters learn about family, love, and community. Some face situations that could be pulled out of modern headlines, like gang threats and police brutality.

First published in 2000, the audiobook of this twentieth anniversary edition includes many great narrators, perfectly paired with their respective stories. The audiobook includes additional content after the stories, including a Q&A with the author about his writing, information about Harlem, and tributes to Walter Dean Myers and his legacy, written by popular children’s and young adult authors.
Fans of Jason Reynolds and Angie Thomas will enjoy these short stories, and there are echoes of Myers work in Reynolds Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks. For readers who enjoy their fiction in short, quick bursts, this audiobook will be just right, and those who want more of the community feeling might want to pick up Jacqueline Woodson’s Harbor Me next.

–Tara Williams