Five That Made the Cut - and Five That Didn't: The National Book Award for Fiction 2019

Booklovers recently heard whether their favorite book had made the National Book Award short list.  The following are the five finalists chosen for fiction:

Susan Choi - Trust Exercise

Kali Fajardo-Anstine - Sabrina and Corina: Stories

Marlon James - Black Leopard, Red Wolf

Laila Lalami - The Other Americans

Julia Phillips - Disappearing Earth

The other five not chosen from the longlist are:

Taffy Brodesser-Akner - Fleishman Is in Trouble

Kimberly King Parsons - Black Light: Stories

Helen Phillips - The Need

Ocean Vuong - On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Colson Whitehead - The Nickel Boys

The Winner of the National Book Award will be announced on 11/20/19, but in the end, no one is a loser. The talent of ten fiction writers has been recognized, and we now have ten exciting choices to carry us through a (probably) cold, snowy winter. Everyone wins!

Women's Prize for Fiction

The UK's Women's Prize for Fiction published its shortlist for 2019:

I find the books on lists like these are all good reads, not just the winners. But this year I'll go straight for the prize-winner named at the end of this list. It has just the kind of complexity that keeps me intrigued. Happy reading!


Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
In her own take on the events of The Iliad, Barker explores the Trojan War from the perspective of women, who served mainly as slaves or prostitutes, or those who lay out the dead. The story focuses on the battle between Achilles and Agamemnon over Briseis, once queen of a kingdom near Troy.




 Circe by Madeline Miller
Circe, born without the power of her father Helios or the astonishing allure of her mother, turns to mortals for companionship and discovers her own tremendous power of witchcraft that can menace the gods themselves. Will she suffer retribution?



Ordinary People by Diana Evans
Evans follows two couples who are dealing with changing values and commitments. Melissa and Michael, still engaged after 13 years, are grappling with the changes the come with their role as parents of a seven-year-old and a new baby. Melissa misses her job as a fashion editor, and Michael feels ignored and is in danger of being unfaithful. Their friends Damian and Stephanie realize 16 years into their marriage that they both want very different lives.




My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Realizing that her beautiful and favored sister Ayoola is actually a sociopath, Koreda tries to help her cover up the murders of her boyfriends until the doctor that Koreda works with, her long-term secret love, asks her for Ayoola's phone number. ("The wittiest and most fun murder party you've ever been invited to." -- Marie Claire)




Milkman by Anna Burns
In Northern Ireland in the Troubles of the 1970s, an unnamed narrator, who stands out because she reads while walking and takes French night classes, finds herself pursued by a high-ranking paramilitary known as Milkman, though she does not want the danger such attention could bring. (Milkman won the 2018 Man Booker Prize.)




An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Celeste, an artist on the brink of success, marries Roy, a young executive. Soon Roy is arrested for a crime and sentenced to twelve years in prison. Celeste knows he did not commit the crime, but eventually she takes comfort in Andre, her dear friend from childhood. When Roy's sentence is suddenly overturned, Celeste must find a way to face the past and move forward.


The Winner: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones.

The Award-Winning Novels of 2018 - Check them out!

During the first quarter of any new year (2019), I tend to wonder about the best books written in the previous year (2018). Did I read one, or many? Did I miss one, or many? Of all the good books I did read, did any of them receive literary recognition?  The best way to satisfy my curiosity is to do a little research on which books took home the year's biggest literary prizes. So, I'm sharing the titles of the Award-Winning Novels of 2018 and also the prize money they won by doing so:

Pulitzer Prize - Awarded for distinguished fiction published in book form during the year by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. ($15,000)
And the winner - Less by Andrew Sean Greer

National Book Award - Recognizes an outstanding work of literary fiction by a United Sates citizen. ($10,000)
And the winner - The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

Man Booker Prize - Awarded for the best original novel written in the English language and published in the UK. (50,000 pounds)
And the winner -Milkman by Anna Burns

Man Booker International Prize - Awarded for a single book in English translation published in the UK. (50,000 pounds)
And the winner - Flights by Olga Tokarczuk

National Book Critics Circle Award - Given annually to honor outstanding writing and to foster a national conversation about reading, criticism, and literature.
And the winner - Improvement by Joan Silber

Kirkus Prize - Chosen from books reviewed by Kirkus Reviews that earned the Kirkus Star. ($50,000)
And the winner - Severance by Ling Ma

Women's Prize for Fiction - Awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom. (30,000 pounds)
And the winner - Home Fire - Kamila Shamsie

PEN/Faulkner Award - Awarded to the author of the year's best work of fiction by a living American citizen. ($15,000)
And the winner is - Improvement by Joan Silbur

PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction - Awarded to an exceptionally talented fiction writer whose debut work represents distinguished literary achievement and suggests great promise ($25,000)
And the winner is - Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang


IMPAC Award - An international literary award presented each year for a novel written in English or translated into English (100,000 pounds)
And the winner - Solar Bones by Mike McCormack

Center for Fiction First Novel Prize - An annual award presented by The Center for Fiction, a non-profit organization in New York City, for the best debut novel. ($10,000)
And the winner - There There by Tommy Orange

Nebula Award - Given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America for the best science fiction or fantasy novel.
And the winner - The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin

Edgar Award - Presented by the Mystery Writers of America, honoring the best in crime and mystery fiction.
And the winner - Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

Best First Novel
And the winner - She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper

Hugo Award - Awarded for the best science fiction or fantasy story of 40,000 words or more published in English or translated in the prior calendar year.
And the winner - The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin

Bram Stoker Award - Presented by the Horror Writers Association for "superior achievement" in horror writing for novels.
And the winner - Ararat by Christopher Golden


So, there you have it, now try one or more and see if it gets your vote as well!

The 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Shortlist

At the end of this year the American Library Association announced the six books shortlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medals. This is awarded for the previous year's best books written for adult readers and published in the U.S. The medals, established in 2012, guide adults in selecting quality reading material. The two medal winners, one for fiction and one for nonfiction, receive $5,000 each and are honored during an event at ALA's 2019 Annual Conference. The medals are made possible by a partial grant from the Carnegie Corporation as a testament to Andrew Carnegie who believed that books can change the world! The winners will be announced on January 27, 2019.
Take a look at the six finalists and decide which one would get your vote -


FICTION:
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
A novel set in 1980s Chicago and contemporary Paris follows the director of a Chicago art gallery and a woman looking for her estranged daughter in Paris who both struggle to come to terms with the ways AIDS has affected their lives.

There, There by Tommy Orange
A large cast of interwoven characters depicts the experience of Native Americans living in urban settings. Perfect for readers of character-driven fiction with a strong sense of place. -- Abby Johnson for LibraryReads.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Unexpectedly chosen to be a family manservant, an 11-year-old Barbados sugar-plantation slave is initiated into a world of technology and dignity before a devastating betrayal propels him throughout the world in search of his true self.

NONFICTION:
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America by Beth Macy
In a book that includes deeply human and unforgettable portraits of the families and first responders affected, the author takes readers into the epicenter of America's more than 20-year struggle with opioid addiction.

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
In this powerful and provocative memoir, genre-bending essayist and novelist Kiese Laymon explores what the weight of a lifetime of secrets, lies, and deception does to a black body, a black family, and a nation teetering on the brink of moral collapse.

The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border by Francisco Cantu
A former agent for the U.S. Border Patrol describes his upbringing as the son of a park ranger and grandson of a Mexican immigrant, who upon joining the Border Patrol encountered the violence and political rhetoric that overshadows life for both migrants and the police.

Calling All Crime Fiction Lovers

The Anthony Award finalists have just been announced. For a complete list of finalists in all categories click here.These awards are among the most prestigious in crime fiction. The winners will be announced in early September, but if you are looking for an excellent crime fiction book to read right now, any of these nominated titles for best novel would be a great choice.

Nominees for best novel are:

The Late Show by Michael Connelly

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

Glass Houses by Louise Penny

The Force by Don Winslow

The 2017 Bram Stoker Awards Ballot Results

The Horror Writers Association announced the 2017 Bram Stoker Awards Final Ballot. HWA is the premier organization for writers of horror and fantasy.  Named in honor of the horror novel
Dracula, these awards are presented annually for superior writing in eleven categories including traditional fiction of various lengths, cinema, nonfiction and poetry. Previous winners include Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin, Joyce Carol Oates, and Neil Gaiman. Below are some of the nominated titles in certain categories that we own at GPL.


Superior Achievement in a Novel
Ararat - Christopher Golden
Sleeping Beauties - Stephen King and Owen King
Black Mad Wheel - John Malerman

Superior Achievement in a First Novel
In the Valley of the Sun - Andy Davidson

Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel
The Door to January - Gillian French
Hellworld - Tom Leveen
When I Cast Your Shadow - Sarah Porter

Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel
Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation - Damian Duffy and Octavia E. Butler
My Favorite Thing is Monsters - Emil Ferris
Monstress Volume 2: The Blood - Marjorie Liu

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection
Strange Weather - Joe Hill

So, if you're in the mood for a little horror, take a read of one of these talented nominees!

Announcing the 2018 Andrew Carnegie Medals Shortlist Titles

The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction are awarded annually for  fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the previous year. They are named in honor of the 19th century American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in recognition of his deep belief in the power of books and learning to change the world. This award is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and administered by the American Library Association. The shortlist and winners are selected by a seven member selection committee of library experts who work with adult readers. The winners, one each for fiction and nonfiction, are announced at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in February.  Judge for yourself which of the following six shortlisted books is your winner. Take a read of all six or just one and then see if the recipient of the $5000 reward is also your winner!

Fiction                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
From New York mobsters to the first woman diver at the Brooklyn Naval Station during WWII to the motley crew of a merchant-marine ship in U-boat-infested waters, Egan's insightful and propulsive saga portrays complex and intriguing individual navigating the rising tides of war.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Saunders' boldly imagined, sensitive, and funny historical and metaphysical drama pivots on President Lincoln's grief over the death of his young son, Willie, as the cemetery's dead tell their stories in a wild and wily improvisation on the afterlife.

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
The story of a Mississippi family - brother and sister Jojo and Kayla and their troubled mother, Leonie, and their legacy of grief and spiritual gifts. Ward explores unresolved racial tensions and the many ways humans create cruelty and suffering. The novel is down-to-earth and magical.


Nonfiction
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir by Sherman Alexie
Alexie presents a courageous, enlightening, anguished, and funny memoir told in prose and poetry that pays tribute to his Spokane Indian mother and reveals many complex traumas and tragedies of reservation life, as well as his own struggles.

The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner by Daniel Ellsberg
In a griping mix of memoir and expose, Ellsberg recounts with searing specificity long-hidden facts about the U.S. government's perilously inadequate control of nuclear weapons - an arsenal that endangers all life on Earth - and calls for the dismantling of this Doomsday Machine.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
Grann's true-crime history takes readers to early-1920s Oklahoma, where oil was discovered beneath the Osage territory and where members of the Osage Indian Nation were murdered. This is a riveting story that includes the accruing of power by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI.

National Book Awards 2017: Fiction Finalists

On November 15, the National Book Foundation and the National Book Awards will celebrate the best of American literature. Listed is the finalists for this prestigious fiction award.

Fiction Finalists:
Dark at the Crossing by Elliot Ackerman
A modern-day love story set on the Turkish border of Syria, where an Arab American with a conflicted past attempts to join the fight against Bashar al-Assad's regime before the plight of his host family reshapes his loyalties.

The Leavers by Lisa Ko
One morning, eleven-year old Deming Guo's mother, an undocumented Chinese immigrant goes to her job and never comes home. Deming is eventually adopted by two white college professors who move him from the Bronx to a small town. This is a moving story of a boy who struggles to find his way in a new world. It's an unflinching look at the difficult decisions a mother faces. This novel explores what it means to be a family and the duality of lives, especially through adoption. Jennifer Ohzourk for LibraryReads.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
In early 1900's Korea, cherished daughter Sunja finds herself pregnant and alone, bringing shame on her family until a young minister offers to marry her and move with her to Japan, in the saga of one family bound together as their faith and identity are called into question.

Her Body and Other Parties: Stories by Carmen Maria Machado
A wife refuses her husband's requests to remove the green ribbon from around her neck. A woman narrates her sexual encounters as a plague slowly devours humanity. A salesclerk in a mall makes a shocking discovery within the seams of the store's prom dresses. One woman's surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted house guest. And in the brilliant novella, "Especially Heinous," the author re-imagines every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a show we simply assumed had shown it all.

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Living with his grandparents and toddler sister on a Gulf Coast farm, Jojo traverses the challenges of his anguished mother's addictions and his grandmother's terminal cancer before the release of his father from prison prompts a road trip of danger and hope.

Nobel Laureate Kazuo Ishiguro

This week, we are celebrating our newest Nobel Laureate in Fiction, Kazuo Ishiguro.  In his nearly 35 year career, Ishiguro has written 8 novels, which have been translated into over 40 languages and have won numerous awards, including the Man Booker Prize, and is an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, a title which denotes excellence in contributions to the arts and sciences.  The novelist was praised by the Swedish Academy as a writer "who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world".

Here are some of Ishiguro's works available at the Glenview Library, as well as some recommended read-a-likes.


The Remains of the Day (1989)



The profoundly compelling portrait of Stevens, the perfect butler, and of his fading, insular world in post-World War II England. Stevens, at the end of three decades of service at Darlington Hall, spending a day on a country drive, embarks as well on a journey through the past in an effort to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving the "great gentleman, " Lord Darlington. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington's "greatness, " and much graver doubts about the nature of his own life.

Read-A-Likes:
-The Sense of An Ending by Julian Barnes
-Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbary
-Abdication by Juliet Nicolson
-Atonement by Ian McEwan


Never Let Me Go (2005)



Hailsham seems like a pleasant English boarding school, far from the influences of the city. Its students are well tended and supported, trained in art and literature, and become just the sort of people the world wants them to be. But, curiously, they are taught nothing of the outside world and are allowed little contact with it. Within the grounds of Hailsham, Kathy grows from schoolgirl to young woman, but it's only when she and her friends Ruth and Tommy leave the safe grounds of the school (as they always knew they would) that they realize the full truth of what Hailsham is.

Read-A-Likes:
-Memory of Water by Emmi Itaranta
-Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
-And Again by Jessica Chiarella
-Smoke by Dan Vyleta


The Buried Giant (2015)



A tale of lost memories, vengeance and war, The Buried Giant follows the experiences of a couple who journeys across a troubled land of mist and rain the hope of finding a son they have not seen in years.

Read-A-Likes:
-The Mermaid's Child by Jo Baker
-The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
-Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
-The Chimes by Anna Smaill

The Hugo Awards – 2017

Originally created in 1953, the Hugo Awards are among the most prestigious and beloved accolades for science fiction, fantasy, horror and related genres. Presented annually since 1955, they are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention (“Worldcon”). The awards were presented at Worldcon 75, Helsinki, Finland, August 11, 2017.

Best Novel

The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin

In this sequel to the Hugo Award-winning novel The Fifth Season, the world known as Stillness is on the verge of collapse. This is the way the world ends . . . for the last time. The season of endings grows darker as civilization fades into the long cold night. Essun, once Damaya, once Syenite, now avenger, has found shelter, but not her daughter. Instead there is Alabaster Tenring, destroyer of the world, with a request. But if Essun does what he asks, it would seal the fate of the Stillness forever. Far away, her daughter Nassun is growing in power – and her choices will break the world. The book has complex characters, detailed world-building, and thought-provoking meditations on identity and human nature. This book is a must-read for science fiction/fantasy devotees.

The other SF Fantasy finalists are:

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

Death’s End by Cixin Liu

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer

Best Graphic Novel

Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu, illustrated by Sana Takeda

“Set in an alternate world of art deco beauty and steampunk horror. Monstress tells the epic story of Maika Halfwolf, a teenage survivor of a cataclysmic ware between humans and their hated enemies, the Arcanics. In the face of oppression and terrible danger, Maika is both hunter and hunted, searching for answers about her mysterious past as those who seek to use her remain just one step behind . . . and all the while, the monster within begins to awaken.”

The other graphic story finalists are:

Black Panther, Volume 1: A Nation Under Our Feet by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ms. Marvel, Volume 5: Super Famous by G. Willow Wilson

Paper Girls, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan

Saga, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan

The Vision, Volume 1: Little Worse Than A Man by Tom King

by GW

National Book Awards Announced November 16, 2016

Colson Whitehead has won the National Book Award for fiction for his novel The Underground Railroad.  A New York Times bestseller and an Oprah Book Club pick, the book chronicles the daring survival story of a young plantation slave in Georgia who makes a desperate bid for freedom as she races through the Underground Railroad with a relentless slave-catcher close behind.

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibrim X. Kendi won the nonfiction award.  A comprehensive history of anti-black racism, this book focuses on the lives of five major players in American history, including Cotton Mather and Thomas Jefferson, and highlights the debates that took place between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists.

The award for poetry went to Daniel Borzutzky for The Performance of Becoming Human.

Borzutzky's work draws connections between the U.S. and Latin America, specifically touching upon issues relating to border and immigration policies, economic disparity, political violence, and the disturbing rhetoric of capitalism and bureaucracies.

The award for Young People’s Literature went to Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell for the graphic memoir March: Book Three.

March: Book Three is the final book in Lewis's graphic memoir trilogy. The trilogy gives a first-hand account of the author's lifelong struggle for civil and human rights. It begins with Lewis's life as a child in rural Alabama and continues to his involvement in the Freedom Vote and Mississippi Freedom Summer campaigns, and the Selma to Montgomery march. While March: Book Three won the Award for Young People's Literature, the whole trilogy will be of interest to a broad audience, including adults.

The National Book Awards, which were established in 1950 and are presented by annually by the National Book Foundation. This year’s awards were open to American authors who published books between Dec. 1, 2015, and Nov. 30, 2016. 

The Man Booker Prize 2016 - And the Winner Is -

The Man Booker Prize is a highly coveted award which annually honors the author of an English language novel published in the United Kingdom in the current year by a citizen of the British Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. It was established in 1968. US authors became eligible in 2014 when the Booker Prize expanded to include submission of any novel that is written in English from anywhere in the world. It promotes the finest in fiction by rewarding the very best book of the year. The prize is the world's most important literary award and has the power to transform the fortune of the author as well as the publisher.

The 2016 Short List of Finalists:

This year's finalists included:
His Bloody Project - a historical thriller by the Scottish writer Graeme Macrae Burnet;
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by the Canadian author Madeleine Thien, which explores the legacy of China's Cultural Revolution;
All That Man Is -  a collection of linked short stories about nine men in different phases of life by Canadian-British author David Szalay;
Eileen by Otessa Moshfegh, which centers on a self-loathing young woman who works in a juvenile prison in New England; and
Hot Milk - a coming of age story by Deborah Levy

And the 2016 Man Booker Prize Winner is -
The Sellout by Paul Beatty. It is published by small independent publisher Oneworld, who had their first win in 2015 with Marion James' A Brief History of Seven Killings. The author is a 54-year-old New York resident born in Los Angeles. He is the first American author to win the prize.The 2016 shortlist included two British, two US, one Canadian and one British-Canadian writer. Paul Beatty is the author of three novels - Slumberland, Tuff and the White Boy Shuffle, about a black surfer in Los Angeles in 1996 - and two books of poetry: Big Bank Take Little Bank and Joker, Joker Deuce. He is also the editor of Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor. Much of his writing explores recurring themes: human psychology, racial identity and our inability to escape the lingering effects of history.

The narrator of The Sellout is an African-American urban farmer and pot smoker who lives in a small town on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Brought up by a single father, a sociologist, the narrator grew up taking part in psychological studies about race. After his father is killed by the police during a traffic stop, the protagonist embarks on a controversial social experiment of his own, and ends up before the Supreme Court. He becomes a slave owner to a willing volunteer, an elderly man named Hominy Jenkins who once played understudy to Buckwheat on "The Little Rascals," and seeks to reinstate segregation in a local school.

The five Booker judges, who were unanimous in their decision, cited the novel's inventive comic approach to the thorny issues of racial identity and injustice. Check it out and see if you agree.

Celebrate the Right to Read: Banned Books Week September 25 to October 1, 2016

Welcome to Banned Books Week 2016. What?  People are still banning books? Yes, they are.

All the books on our display have been challenged within the past year or previous years. And we have a whole book  (Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read by Robert P. Doyle) that just talks about the hundreds of other titles that we cannot fit on our small display. New books to the banned list this year are the title  The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri and the children's book The Librarian of Basra: A True Story of Iraq by Jeanette Winter.


Why are people banning books? There can be various reasons that titles are challenged in schools and libraries (and sometimes bookstores) and they can change as society changes.  TIME magazine has a great article entitled What the List of Most Banned Books Says About Our Society’s Fears,  that talks about this topic. What we think is shocking now - may not be so shocking in later years.

But eliminating ones' access to materials and information is what banning is all about - taking one person's opinion and enforcing it on others' choices. It may have worked for awhile in the past - but with today's technology and media - it is hard to keep anything undercover. (And it raises sales on the banned author's titles!)

Everyone is different. What one reader enjoys, the other reader may not. The right book, with the right reader, for the right time is what librarians like to say.

So stand up for your right to read and read the banned book of your choice. I'm going to take The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks of off my TBR shelf and start it this week.

What about you?

Listen Up, Audiobook Fans!

Finalists for the 2016 Audie Awards have been announced. The Audies are considered the premier awards for audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment. More than 100 titles have been selected for recognition. For a complete list of nominees click here. Audie winners will be announced on May 11th at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

Below is just a sampling of some of this year's audiobook finalists, any one of which could provide you with a wonderful listening experience.

Nonfiction listeners may want to consider:

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer, narrated by Mozhan Marno
The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor by Mark Schatzker, narrated by Chris Patton
Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers by Simon Winchester, narrated by Simon Winchester

From the Autobiography/Memoir category, listeners might try:

Born with Teeth: a Memoir by Kate Mulgrew, narrated by Kate Mulgrew
I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend by Martin Short with Dave Kamp, narrated by Martin Short
Keep Moving: and Other Tips and Truth about Aging by Dick Van Dyke, narrated by Dick Van Dyke

Several nominees in the Humor category are:

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari with Eric Linenberg, narrated by Aziz Ansari
Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling, narrated by Mindy Kaling
Furiously Happy: a Funny Book about Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson, narrated by Jenny Lawson

Fiction listeners might enjoy:

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson, narrated by Alex Jennings
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannan, narrated by Polly Stone
Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal, narrated by Amy Ryan & Michael Stuhlbarg

Mystery fans can become entangled in one of these titles:

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith, narrated by Robert Glenister
Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline, narrated by Kate Burton
All the Old Knives by Olen Steinhauer, narrated by Ari Fliakos & Juliana Francis Kelly

If you prefer Thrillers and Suspense, try:

The Patriot Threat by Steve Berry, narrated by Scott Brick
The President's Shadow by Brad Meltzer, narrated by Scott Brick
Blue Labyrinth by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, narrated by Rene Auberjonois

Happy Listening!