It's Audiobook Month!

June is Audiobook Appreciation Month and my birthday month, which is to say I am my most powerful in June; or, as some may say on the receiving end of my Gemini energy, it’s the time I am the biggest menace. Since my thing as an Audiobook Guy is not a bit, I went ahead and designed Steps of Summer, an audiobook movement challenge. The TLDR is that it’s a movement challenge to hit 545,000 steps over the course of 109 days (equalling 5,000 steps a day) with an audiobook emphasis. I made accompanying graphics for social posts and a StoryGraph Challenge based on the bingo board, if either are your jam. I didn’t mean to do two listicle-type newsletters back to back, but here we are.

Debut Author

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H, read by Ashraf Shirazi (Random House Audio/The Dial Press)

Hijab Butch Blues was my favorite read of 2023 and among one of my most recommended titles. This is a gorgeous, anonymously written memoir interweaving stories from the Quran with the author's reflections of growing up and growing into their queerness. Ashraf Shirazi gives an absolutely stellar performance to match the narrative.

Short, Weekend Listen

Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo, read by Natalie Naudus (Dreamscape Media/Tordotcom)

This is telling on myself as a reader, but I enjoy reading a character’s undoing. This is, in part, one of the threads in this novella. It follows Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon, a scientist utilizing a neurological interface to enter the minds of the wolves she studies. But, the advancement of her research comes at the cost of the relationship with her wife.

This was my first experience with Mandelo’s work, who’s established himself as an author writing the speculative and horror through a queer, Southern lens. This was also my first introduction to Natalie Naudus, who’s become a favorite narrator (more on this below.) As a weekend listen, this clocks in at 4 hours 18 minutes.

Under the Radar

Refusing Compulsory Sexuality by Sherronda J. Brown, read by Yu-Li Alice Shen (North Atlantic Books)

I will caveat this recommendation with the note that if you’re learning about asexuality for the first time, start with Ace by Angela Chen (which also happens to be narrated by Natalie Naudus) then return to this. While Chen’s work is great for exploring the various facets of what asexual identity can be and mean, Refusing Compulsory Sexuality dives further into understanding how (a)sexuality is racialized; the audiobook’s subtitle does a lot of heavy lifting: A Black Asexual Lens on our Sex-Obsessed Culture. It’s a brilliant audiobook that everyone should give a read.

Fave Narrator

Like I mentioned earlier, my first encounter with Natalie Naudus was through Feed Them Silence. An Audie and Earphones Award Winning narrator, many of the projects she works on are queer or Asian-authored. Some of the other projects she’s recorded that I’ve listened to include Sex with a Brain Injury; Starling House; and The Library at Hellebore. Other works I haven’t listened to, but may sound (ha) familiar to you, include: Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng; She Who Became the Sun; Daughter of the Moon Goddess; and many, many more.

Narrated by the author

Authentic by Jodi-Ann Burey, read by the author (Macmillan Audio/Flatiron Books)

This is a bonus prompt, and I recommended this in my 2025 EOY newsletter, but I think more people should read this! To quote from myself, “[Authentic] is a great exploration of the ways corporate invitations for employees to bring their full selves to work are often shallow and inevitably harmful to racialized and otherwise minoritized employees.” I cannot recommend this enough for office workers.

Of course, I have many more recs, and if you pick up any of these or others I intend on sharing over on the Durational Study Instagram, that would fulfill the “listen to a suggested audiobook” prompt. Do let me know if you participate in this nerd’s brain child project, and happy stepping and listening!

For your consideration

• My birthday is coming up, so over the weekend starting Friday, June 5, I’ll be pushing a birthday weekend sprint through Monday, June 8 with all contributions going towards my $5,000 goal raising money for Brooklyn Book Bodega. ICYMI I’m running the New York City Marathon as a charity runner for BBB, and would so appreciate it if you’re able to share or donate to my campaign page; &

• If you’re able to, consider donating blood! This is an odd one, but one of my goals for this year was to become a regular donor. If you’re in NYC, New York Blood Center recently declared a blood emergency, so there is a need! Consider signing up for one of their donor challenges this year to help get you in the door. I personally have a donation planned to help kick off my birthday weekend.