April was full of audiobooks, particularly short stories on audio. Here’s a wrap-up of my listens for the month.

Shine, Pamela, Shine! by Kate Atkinson

Pamela is wrestling with ageing, a divorce, and ungrateful adult children. She tries to be positive and stay busy, but life isn’t turning out the way she planned. And then this story took a completely wild turn and left me wondering how I go to the end. That’s all I can say to avoid spoilers. Four stars. 

Big Bad by Chandler Baker

Chandler Baker takes you on a journey into the Pacific Northwest woods where a family lives seemingly in isolation. The woods is full of wolves, where Odie and June are forbidden to play. While Sam manages the household and Rachel has a thriving academic career, there are many clues to their unhappiness. However, in typical Baker form, the Big Bad isn’t what you think it is in this short story. The dark tale is an overwhelming look at marriage, parenthood, and survival. Four stars.

Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (And Other Lies): Amazing Women on What the F-Word Means to Them by Scarlett Curtis (Curator)

This collection of essays, poetry, and even humor encapsulates how a variety of women define feminism. From the deeply personal and intimate experiences to the universal truths about being a woman, Scarlett Curtis delivered a well-curated collection of voices and viewpoints. Four stars.

Bear Witness by Mary Gaitskill

As Moira reluctantly sits on a jury in her small town, she learns that the accused, Mark, attacked Mrs. P., his former teacher and perhaps the only person who showed concern for the boy when he was young. The story goes back and forth in time, showing Mark’s unhappy childhood and then his rebellion as a teenager. Gaitskill’s storytelling reminded me of Flannery O’Connor. Four stars. 

Anonymous by Uzodinma Iweala

A brutal narrative about an unnamed immigrant man detained by the U.S. Homeland Security, this short story shifts from his life at home and his desire to provide an American dream that no longer exists. It is a story of helplessness and resilience. The sparse language and strong narration by Nyambi Nyambi make Anonymous a haunting listen, one that will stay with me. Four stars. 

This Telling by Cheryl Strayed

Geraldine fell for a local military man and is now pregnant. The story builds from there as she is faced with the options available to her in the 1960s: illegal abortion, unwanted marriage, or hiding in an Oregon home for girls like her. The story follows Geraldine as she lives through her pregnancy and well into her adulthood. It is touching and honest. Four stars.

Plus-Size: A Memoir of Pop Culture, Fatphobia, and Social Change by Mekdela

A collection of essays by Mekdela about her experiences and observations about weight, body image, and tace, this was an interesting listen. I liked how she tied her observations to different tv shows, movies, and pop culture topics. This audiobook was narrated with AI, which was a new way of listening for me and not one that I’d recommend. Three stars.

Oracle by Andrew Pyper

Focused on troubled but talented Nate, a seer who helps solve FBI missing persons cases, Oracle was a haunting listen. It explores Nate’s origin and the lurking Bone Man who hides in the shadows of his past. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much else about the book and that’s Joshua Jackson did a great job as narrator. Three stars.

This Year Will Be Different by Domonique Bertolucci 

This was an uplifting listen, but it was not groundbreaking in any sense of the word. It was so similar to other simple self-help books that I glossed over much of it. Two stars.

Did you listen to anything good this month?