16th May 2025
Books Spotlight Audio Quarterly
Titles in this Spotlight are to be published between May and July 2025 Previews
Tuck into a feast of food- based books and bingeable summer listens
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Our expert, their picks
Historical Fiction Julie Vuong
Julie Vuong is a freelance journalist based in London. She is a columnist for Mslexia, the creative writing magazine for women, and her journalism has appeared in the Press Association, LoveReading, Marie Claire and Oh Magazine, among others.
Isabel Allende My Name Is Emilia del Valle Bloomsbury, 6th May, £14, 9781526687623
Historical fiction listeners, we have a new ambitious and adventurous heroine to root for. In Allende’s highly anticipated novel, set in 19th-century Chile where civil war is brewing, we meet Emilia del Valle. Young and eager to make her mark, del Valle is up against the tumult of the times as much as societal constraints. Fans will rejoice that Allende is up to her old masterful tricks, blending magical realism with intricate historical detail.
Read by Coral Peña and Johnathan McClain
Running time 10 hrs and 30 mins Culinary Fiction
Daria Lavelle Aftertaste Bloomsbury, 22nd May, £14, 9781526683953
Most bingeable audiobook this quarter? Aftertaste is a mouth-wateringly
original story about Kostya, a dishwasher- turned restaurateur in New York, who is able to summon ghosts through the food he cooks. Through this supernatural skill Kostya believes he might just be able to reunite people with their deceased loved ones. It is funny, it is profound and it is an absorbing take on loss and longing. An imaginative debut from the Kyiv-born American writer.
Read by Ari Fliakos et al Running time 10 hrs and 23 mins
12 Literary
Thomas Mann Joseph and His Brothers Ukemi/WF Howes, 15th May, £tbc, 9781004187478
Described by the German novelist as his finest literary achievement – taking him more than 16 years to write during the turbulent 1930-40s – this magnum opus is now available for the first time in audio. One of the audio publisher’s standout releases this quarter (out of more than 100 titles no less), the story retells chapters of the book of Genesis, bringing to life a world of mythology and exploring identity, destiny and divine providence.
Read by Mark Elstob Running time 14 hrs and 30 mins
History
Renay Richardson, Arisa Loomba Human Resources: Slavery and the Making of Modern Britain Profile, 5th June, £24.99, 9781805225133
Now here is a history lesson we were not taught at school. Human Resources offers an illuminating backstory of 39 everyday objects and institutions steeped in slavery’s bloody legacy that still touch our lives, from Tate & Lyle to Newton’s apple and football stands.“Because to understand our present, we must fully grasp our past,” say co-writers Richardson, podcast creator and founder of Broccoli Productions, and historian Loomba.
Read by Liyah Summers Running time 10 hrs
Fantasy VE Schwab
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil Tor, 10th June, £tbc, 9781035064687
The prolific author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue delivers a new “genre-defying” novel – but with enough signature Gothic elements to please her most ardent fans. Three notable narrators are on board to voice the main characters, whose lives are intertwined: Marisa Calin is an Audie award-winning audiobook narrator; Katie Leung lends her recognisable voice (she played Cho Chang in the Harry Potter movies); and Julia Whelan is a veteran of more than 600 audiobooks.
Read by Marisa Calin et al Running time 18 hrs and 24 mins
n this three-month window, savour the sounds of kitchen dramas and Epicurean adventures. Standout fiction releases include Aftertaste by Ukrainian- American author Daria Lavelle. The
debut is Bloomsbury’s answer to last year’s cult hit Butter by Asako Yuzuki, and builds on an audience keen to devour more restaurant- related content, including shows like The Bear. In non-fiction, actor Ian Kelly offers Carême
(Bloomsbury), a fascinating portrait of the “first celebrity chef” Antonin Carême, which will tie in with an Apple TV+ show. Elsewhere, Vogue’s resident writer, Slutty Cheff, remains tantalis- ingly anonymous in Tart (Bloomsbury) as she transfers her insider column about working in a hectic London restaurant to audio. Moving towards summer, there are a few addictive audiobooks to add to the holiday
playlists. VE Schwab hopes to continue her magical run of hits by hiring three renowned voices to narrate a new vampire-slash-sapphic saga, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil (Tor), while crime queens Louise Candlish and Holly Jackson conjure up more twisty thrillers to lure in listeners in A Neighbour’s Guide to Murder (HQ) and Not Quite Dead Yet (Michael Joseph) respectively. Historical fiction fans will want to cue up a
number of titles this quarter. There’s the return of Isabel Allende with My Name is Emilia del Valle (Bloomsbury); Firebrand author Elizabeth Fremantle takes on another woman maligned by history in Sinners (Penguin); and Caroline Lea reimagining how one of SF’s greatest novels came about in Love, Sex & Frankenstein (Penguin) will automatically capture the ear of Shelley enthusiasts, including me.
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