Ahlers, Amy & Christine Arylo. Reform Your Inner Mean Girl: 7 Steps to Stop Bullying Yourself and Start Loving Yourself. Tantor. ISBN 9781494560553. Read by the authors.
The Inner Mean Girl is the judgmental, critical, and belittling inner bully that almost every woman hears running through her mind on a daily basis. The Inner Mean Girl creates undue anxiety, cajoles you into making bad choices, and then berates you when they don’t work out. The authors introduce a seven-step program to help women transform their relationships with themselves from self-sabotage to self-love.
Ansari, Aziz & Eric Klinenberg. Modern Romance: An Investigation. Books on Tape. ISBN 9781101914717. Read by Aziz Ansari.
For years, Ansari has been aiming his comic insight at modern romance, but for Modern Romance the book, he teamed up with New York University sociologist Klinenberg and designed a massive research project, including hundreds of interviews and focus groups conducted around the world from Tokyo to Wichita. They analyzed behavioral data and surveys and created their own online research forum on Reddit, which drew thousands of messages. They also enlisted the world’s leading social scientists, including Eli Finkel, Helen Fisher, Sheena Iyengar, Barry Schwartz, Sherry Turkle, and Robb Willer. The result is unlike any social science or humor book listeners have heard before.
Benforado. Adam. Unfair: The New Science of Criminal Justice. HighBridge. ISBN 9781622319497. Read by Joe Barrett.
Weaving together historical examples, scientific studies, and compelling court cases—from the border collie put on trial in Kentucky to the five teenagers who falsely confessed in the Central Park Jogger case—Benforado shows how American judicial processes fail to uphold our values and protect society’s weakest members. With clarity and passion, he lays out the scope of the problem and proposes a wealth of reforms that could prevent injustice and help us achieve true fairness and equality before the law.
Christensen, Thomas J. The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power. HighBridge. ISBN 9781622317592. Read by Alan Sklar.
Christensen argues that the West should focus on dissuading China from regional aggression while eliciting its global cooperation. Drawing on decades of scholarship and experience as a senior diplomat, Christensen offers a deep perspective on China’s military and economic capacity, showing how nationalism and the threat of domestic instability influence the party’s decisions about regional global affairs. Articulating a balanced strategic approach along with perceptive historical analysis, Christensen describes how we might help influence China’s choices in the coming decades so that it contributes to the international system from which it benefits.
Clark, Ron. Move Your Bus: An Extraordinary New Approach to Accelerating Success in Work and Life. S. & S. Audio. ISBN 9781442391673. Reader TBA.
Clark (The End of Molasses Classes) asks listeners to imagine a company as a bus filled with people who either help or hinder a team’s ability to move it forward: drivers (who steer the organization), runners (who consistently go above and beyond for the good of the organization), joggers (who do their jobs without pushing themselves), walkers (who are just getting pulled along), and riders (who hinder success and drag the team down). It’s the team leader’s job to recognize how members fall into these categories, encourage them to keep the “bus” moving by working together, and know when it’s time to kick the riders off.
Cruver, Brian. Anatomy of Greed: The Unshredded Truth from an Enron Insider. Brilliance. ISBN 9781501272110. Read by Mel Foster.
Cruver was hired by Enron in March 2001 when he was 29 years old. But, from his first day to his last—when he and his colleagues were given 30 minutes to leave the building—the author found himself enmeshed in a business cult that each day grew only more bizarre. Cruver lays out firsthand the giddy group-think nurtured by Enron’s leadership, the traders who made dubious deals to ensure their own lucrative bonuses, and the sinister designs and funding of Enron’s fraudulent off-the-books partnerships in this day-by-day chronicle, which includes a running stock ticker to show the trajectory of Enron’s collapse.
Elliott, Clark. The Ghost in My Brain: How a Concussion Stole My Life and How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Helped Me Get It Back. Brilliance. ISBN 9781501230400. Reader TBA.
In 1999, Elliott suffered a concussion when his car was rear-ended. Overnight his life changed from that of a professor with a research career in artificial intelligence to a humbled man struggling to get through a single day. At times he couldn’t walk across a room, or even name his five children. Doctors told him he would never fully recover. As a result of one final effort to recover, he crossed paths with two brilliant research-clinicians working on the leading edge of brain plasticity and was substantially improved within weeks. Remarkably, Elliott kept detailed notes throughout his experience, from the moment of impact to the final stages of his recovery, astounding documentation that is the basis of this fascinating audiobook.
Flaxington, Beverly. Self-Talk for a Calmer You: Learn How To Use Positive Self-Talk To Control Anxiety and Live a Happier, More Relaxed Life. Recorded Books. ISBN 9781490675664. Read by Mike Slemmer.
Filled with practical advice and positive self-talk scripts, this guide provides a variety of strategies for dealing with uneasy thoughts in a constructive manner and moving past detrimental hangups. The book is complete with quick assessments that reveal anxiety triggers, and listeners will also learn how to create a self-talk plan that fits their needs. Flaxington offers the tools and confidence to develop a healthier way of thinking, overcome stressful situations, and reclaim their lives.
Fotopulos, Dawn. Accounting for the Numberphobic: A Survival Guide for Small Business Owners. Recorded Books. ISBN 9781490675688. Read by Karen Saltus.
Fotopulos here demystifies—in plain English—such documents as the net income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet. Illustrated with real-world examples and packed with practical action steps, the book takes the fear out of the numbers, and empowers small business owners to steer their way toward profitability.
Frankel, Edward. Love and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality. Hachette Audio. ISBN 9781469059945. Read by Tony Craine.
What if you had to take an art class in which you were only taught how to paint a fence? What if you were never shown the paintings of van Gogh and Picasso, weren’t even told they existed? Alas, this is how math is taught. Here mathematician Frenkel reveals a side of math that’s suffused with all the beauty and elegance of a work of art. This work tells two intertwined stories: of the wonders of mathematics and of one young man’s journey learning and living it.
Gaines, Caseen. We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy. Tantor. ISBN 9781494511883. Read by Ron Butler.
Long before Marty McFly and Doc Brown traveled through time in a flying DeLorean, director Robert Zemeckis and his friend and writing partner Bob Gale worked tirelessly to make a hit film. This work includes original interviews with Zemeckis, Gale, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Huey Lewis, and more than 50 others who contributed to one of the most popular and profitable film trilogies of all time.
Gessner, David. All the Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West. Recorded Books. ISBN 9781490659008. Reader TBA.
Gessner writes an homage to the West and to two great writers who set the standard for all who celebrate and defend it: archetypal wild man Edward Abbey and proper, dedicated Wallace Stegner. Gessner travels from Stegner’s birthplace in Saskatchewan to the site of Abbey’s pilgrimages to Arches, braiding their stories and considering their responses to such challenges as fracking and overpopulation. As he travels, the author renews his own commitment to cultivating a meaningful relationship with the wild, confronting American consumption, and fighting environmental injustice
Graham, Matt & Josh Young. Epic Survival: Extreme Adventure, Stone Age Wisdom, and Lessons in Living from a Modern Hunter-Gatherer. Tantor. ISBN 9781494512361. Read by Tom Perkins.
Graham chose to set aside his comfortable urban life and live entirely off the land. Here he shares with listeners the secrets of the Tarahumara Indians who helped him run the 1,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail in 58 days and what it was like when he trekked into the wilderness to live alone for half a year, armed with nothing but a loincloth, a pair of sandals, a stone knife, and chia seeds. He recounts near-death experiences of hiking alone through the snowdrifts at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and writes about growing closer to the land.
Keret, Etgar. The Seven Good Years. Books on Tape. ISBN 9781101914472. Reader TBA.
The seven years between the birth of Keret’s (Suddenly, a Knock on the Door) son Lev and the death of his father were good years, though still full of reasons to worry. Lev is born in the midst of a terrorist attack. Keret’s father gets cancer. The threat of constant war permeates daily life. What emerges from this dark reality is a series of ruminations on everything from Keret’s three-year-old son’s impending military service to the terrorist mind-set behind Angry Birds. This memoir—the Israeli author’s first nonfiction book published in America—is full of wonder and life and love, poignant insights, and irrepressible humor.
Kozol, Jonathan. The Theft of Memory: Losing My Father, One Day at a Time. Blackstone. ISBN 9781504616577. Reader TBA.
National Book Award winner Kozol tells the story of his father’s life and work as a specialist in disorders of the brain and his astonishing ability, at the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, to explain the causes of his sickness and then to narrate, step-by-step, his slow descent into dementia. The heart of the book lies in the bond between a father and his son and the ways that bond intensified even as Harry’s verbal skills and cogency progressively abandoned him.
Kurson, Robert. Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship. Books on Tape. ISBN 9780553550870. Read by George Newbern.
In Kurson’s (Shadow Divers) latest, two men—John Chatterton and John Mattera—search for the ship of the 17th-century pirate Joseph Bannister. If Chatterton and Mattera succeed, they will make history—it will be just the second time ever that a pirate ship has been discovered and positively identified—but cutting-edge technology and a willingness to lose everything aren’t enough to track down Bannister’s ship. They must travel the globe in search of historic documents and accounts of the great pirate’s exploits, face down dangerous rivals, battle the tides of nations and governments and experts, and learn to think and act like pirates.
Loomis, Susan Herrmann. In a French Kitchen: Tales and Traditions of Everyday Home Cooking in France. Blackstone. ISBN 9781481531849. Read by the author.
Loomis (On Rue Tatin), here demystifies the seemingly effortless je ne sais quoi behind a simple French meal. Listeners meet the busy people of Louviers and surrounding villages and towns of Loomis’s adopted home as the author shares the everyday tips, secrets, and 85 recipes that allow them to turn every meal into a sumptuous occasion.
Mezrich, Ben. Once Upon a Time in Russia: The Rise of the Oligarchs and the Greatest Wealth in History. S. & S. Audio. ISBN 9781442387171. Reader TBA.
Mezrich (Bringing Down the House) tells the true story of larger-than-life billionaire oligarchs who reaped riches after the fall of the Soviet regime: Boris Berezovsky and his protégé, Roman Abramovich. This story of amassing obscene wealth and power depicts a rarefied world seldom seen up close. Under Berezovsky’s guidance, Abramovich built one of Russia’s largest oil companies from the ground up, but their relationship frayed when Berezovsky spoke out against President Vladimir Putin and had to flee to the UK. Abramovich continued to prosper. Threats followed Berezovsky to London, where an associate of his, Alexander Litvinenko, died painfully and famously of polonium poisoning. Then Berezovsky himself was later found dead, declared a suicide.
Miller, David. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail. Brilliance. ISBN 9781491593233. Read by Christopher Lane.
In 2003, software engineer David Miller left his job, family, and friends to hike 2,172 miles of the Appalachian Trail. In this account of his hike from Georgia to Maine, listeners will hear rich descriptions of the Appalachian Mountains, the isolation and reverie, the inspiration that fueled his quest, and the rewards of taking a less conventional path through life, as well as useful passages about hiking gear and planning.
Murphy, Brian. 81 Days Below Zero: The Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska’s Frozen Wilderness. Recorded Books. ISBN 9781490621067. Reader TBA.
This is the first full-length retelling of the story of Leon Crane, the only surviving crew member of a World War II B-24 crash on a remote mountain near the Arctic Circle. Crane managed to stay alive for 81 days in sub-zero temperature by and ended his ordeal by walking along a river to safety.
Newkirk, Pamela. Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga. Dreamscape. ISBN 9781681410616. Reader TBA.
In 1904, Ota Benga, a young Congolese “pygmy”—a person of petite stature—arrived from central Africa and was featured in an anthropology exhibit at the St. Louis World’s Fair. Two years later, the New York Zoological Gardens displayed him in its Monkey House, caging the 103-pound, 4′ 11″ man with an orangutan. The attraction became an international sensation, drawing thousands of New Yorkers and commanding headlines from across the nation and Europe. Newkirk explores the circumstances of Ota Benga’s captivity, the international controversy it inspired, and his efforts to adjust to American life.
Pascente, Fred & Sam Reaves. Mob Cop: My Life of Crime in the Chicago Police Department. Tantor. ISBN 9781494561871. Read by Johnny Heller.
Former Chicago police officer and mafia associate Pascente is the man who links Tony Spilotro, one of Chicago’s most notorious mob figures, to William Hanhardt, chief of detectives of the Chicago Police Department. Here he tells about the decline of traditional organized crime in the United States, and reveals information about the inner workings of the Chicago Outfit that have never been publicly released.
Ribowsky, Mark. Dreams to Remember: Otis Redding, Stax Records, and the Transformation of Southern Soul. HighBridge. ISBN 9781622319398. Read by Dan John Miller.
Ribowsky contextualizes Redding’s life within the larger cultural movements of his era, whisking listeners from the “sinful” clubs of Macon to the trendsetting studios in Memphis, and, finally, to the pulsating stage of the Monterey Music Festival where, in a single set, Redding immortalized himself as a soul legend.
Ricard, Matthieu. Altrusim: The Power of Compassion To Change Yourself and the World. Blackstone. ISBN 9781478958024. Reader TBA.
In Happiness, Ricard demonstrated that true happiness is not tied to fleeting moments or sensations but is rooted in mindfulness and compassion for others. Now he turns his lens from the personal to the global with a rousing argument that altruism—genuine concern for the well-being of others—could be the saving grace of the 21st century. It is, he believes, the vital thread that can answer the main challenges of our time: the economy in the short term, life satisfaction in the mid-term, and the environment in the long term.
Schultz, Kevin M. Buckley and Mailer: The Difficult Friendship That Shaped the Sixties. HighBridge. ISBN 978162231757. Read by Peter Berkrot.
Norman Mailer and William F. Buckley, Jr., were towering figures who argued publicly about every major issue of the 1960s: the counterculture, Vietnam, feminism, civil rights, the Cold War. Behind the scenes, the two were close friends and trusted confidantes who lived surprisingly parallel lives. Here Schultz delves into their personal archives to tell the rich story of their friendship, arguments, and the tumultuous decade they did so much to shape.
Sjöberg, Fredrik. The Fly Trap. Blackstone. ISBN 9781504601467. Translated by Thomas Teal. Read by Robert Fass.
Weaving a fascinating web of associations, histories, and personal memories, this book begins with Sjöberg’s own experiences as an entomologist on a tranquil, remote Swedish island and pulls in the tales of past heroic scientific expeditions to Burma and the wilderness of Kamchatka. As confounded by his unusual love of collecting flies as anyone, Sjöberg pauses to reflect on a range of ideas—the passage of time, art, freedom—drawing into dialog writers such as Bruce Chatwin and D.H. Lawrence, and considering the lives and mindsets of collectors.
Unkefer, Dean. 90 Church: Inside America’s Notorious First Narcotics Squad. Blackstone. ISBN 9781504633703. Read by Keith Szarabajka.
In the 1960s, with few rules and almost no oversight, the battle-hardened agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics were often more vicious than the criminals they chased. Unkefer was a naive kid when he joined up, but all that quickly changed once he got thrown into the lion’s den of 90 Church, the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. When he finally got the chance to prove his mettle by going undercover in the field, the lines became increasingly blurred. As he spiraled into the hell of addiction and watched his life become a complex balancing act of lies and half-truths, he began to wonder what side he was really on.
Westheimer, Ruth. The Doctor Is In: Dr. Ruth on Love, Life, and Joie de Vivre. Brilliance. ISBN 9781501248986. Read by Laural Merlington.
Everyone knows Dr. Ruth as America’s most famous sex therapist, but few people know she was raised in an orphanage in Switzerland, narrowly escaping death during the Holocaust—or that she was an ace sniper in the Israeli army. Through intimate and funny stories, Dr. Ruth sheds light on how she’s learned to live a life filled with joie de vivre. And she shows listeners how they too can learn to deal with tragedy and loss, challenges and successes, all while nourishing an intellectual and emotional spark and, above all, having fun!