Nicole Ransome
Listen to my interview with author of
The Only Good Indians, Stephen Graham Jones
- The Only Good Indians
- By:Stephen Graham Jones
- Narrated by:Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- The Only Good Indians
- 'I hope people stay up late reading it. That's what every horror writer wants.'
Upcoming 2021 Releases by Black Authors
February may be Black History Month, but it doesn’t have to stop there! I’ve been looking ahead to celebrate future releases from a diverse group of writers. From a plantation wedding gone horrifically wrong (think vengeful spirits), to a bookstore cozy mystery, and a ghostly YA thriller, these are some of the releases that I personally can’t wait to get my ears on!
-
While Justice Sleeps
- A Novel
- By: Stacey Abrams
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo, Stacey Abrams
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,635
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,245
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,238
Avery Keene, a brilliant young law clerk for the legendary Justice Howard Wynn, is doing her best to hold her life together - excelling in an arduous job with the court while also dealing with a troubled family. When the shocking news breaks that Justice Wynn - the cantankerous swing vote on many current high-profile cases - has slipped into a coma, Avery’s life turns upside down. She is immediately notified that Justice Wynn has left instructions for her to serve as his legal guardian and power of attorney.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Good story, Bad Reader, I still recommend
- By Renee A. Kaplowitz on 05-12-21
-
The Other Black Girl
- A Novel
- By: Zakiya Dalila Harris
- Narrated by: Aja Naomi King, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Heather Alicia Simms, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,221
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,839
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2,839
Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Provocative
- By TDub on 06-05-21
-
Razorblade Tears
- A Novel
- By: S. A. Cosby
- Narrated by: Adam Lazarre-White
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,068
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,683
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,666
Ike Randolph has been out of jail for fifteen years, with not so much as a speeding ticket in all that time. But a Black man with cops at the door knows to be afraid. The last thing he expects to hear is that his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah’s white husband, Derek. Ike had never fully accepted his son but is devastated by his loss. Derek’s father Buddy Lee was almost as ashamed of Derek for being gay as Derek was ashamed his father was a criminal. Buddy Lee still has contacts in the underworld, though, and he wants to know who killed his boy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
AMAZING!!!!
- By shelley on 07-11-21
-
These Toxic Things
- A Thriller
- By: Rachel Howzell Hall
- Narrated by: Susan Dalian
- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 617
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 548
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 550
Mickie Lambert creates “digital scrapbooks” for clients, ensuring that precious souvenirs aren’t forgotten or lost. When her latest client, Nadia Denham, a curio shop owner, dies from an apparent suicide, Mickie honors the old woman’s last wish and begins curating her peculiar objets d’art. A music box, a hair clip, a key chain - twelve mementos in all that must have meant so much to Nadia. But these tokens mean a lot to someone else, too. Mickie has been receiving threatening messages to leave Nadia’s past alone.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Ugh - Another DUMB Female Lead
- By Michael on 09-06-21
-
The Taking of Jake Livingston
- By: Ryan Douglass
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free, Michael Crouch
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 374
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 338
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 338
Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can't decide what's worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St. Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student - the handsome Allister - and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake. Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Brings up too much trauma
- By TheColorNerd on 10-14-21
-
Harlem Shuffle
- A Novel
- By: Colson Whitehead
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,898
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,513
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,488
To his customers and neighbors on 125th street, Ray Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family. He and his wife Elizabeth are expecting their second child, and if her parents on Striver's Row don't approve of him or their cramped apartment across from the subway tracks, it's still home. Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normalcy has more than a few cracks in it. Cracks that are getting bigger all the time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Best Read/Listen on Audible
- By Henry Posner on 09-22-21
-
While Justice Sleeps
- A Novel
- By: Stacey Abrams
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo, Stacey Abrams
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,635
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,245
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,238
Avery Keene, a brilliant young law clerk for the legendary Justice Howard Wynn, is doing her best to hold her life together - excelling in an arduous job with the court while also dealing with a troubled family. When the shocking news breaks that Justice Wynn - the cantankerous swing vote on many current high-profile cases - has slipped into a coma, Avery’s life turns upside down. She is immediately notified that Justice Wynn has left instructions for her to serve as his legal guardian and power of attorney.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Good story, Bad Reader, I still recommend
- By Renee A. Kaplowitz on 05-12-21
-
The Other Black Girl
- A Novel
- By: Zakiya Dalila Harris
- Narrated by: Aja Naomi King, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Heather Alicia Simms, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,221
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,839
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2,839
Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Provocative
- By TDub on 06-05-21
-
Razorblade Tears
- A Novel
- By: S. A. Cosby
- Narrated by: Adam Lazarre-White
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,068
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,683
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,666
Ike Randolph has been out of jail for fifteen years, with not so much as a speeding ticket in all that time. But a Black man with cops at the door knows to be afraid. The last thing he expects to hear is that his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah’s white husband, Derek. Ike had never fully accepted his son but is devastated by his loss. Derek’s father Buddy Lee was almost as ashamed of Derek for being gay as Derek was ashamed his father was a criminal. Buddy Lee still has contacts in the underworld, though, and he wants to know who killed his boy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
AMAZING!!!!
- By shelley on 07-11-21
-
These Toxic Things
- A Thriller
- By: Rachel Howzell Hall
- Narrated by: Susan Dalian
- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 617
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 548
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 550
Mickie Lambert creates “digital scrapbooks” for clients, ensuring that precious souvenirs aren’t forgotten or lost. When her latest client, Nadia Denham, a curio shop owner, dies from an apparent suicide, Mickie honors the old woman’s last wish and begins curating her peculiar objets d’art. A music box, a hair clip, a key chain - twelve mementos in all that must have meant so much to Nadia. But these tokens mean a lot to someone else, too. Mickie has been receiving threatening messages to leave Nadia’s past alone.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Ugh - Another DUMB Female Lead
- By Michael on 09-06-21
-
The Taking of Jake Livingston
- By: Ryan Douglass
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free, Michael Crouch
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 374
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 338
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 338
Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can't decide what's worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St. Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student - the handsome Allister - and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake. Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Brings up too much trauma
- By TheColorNerd on 10-14-21
-
Harlem Shuffle
- A Novel
- By: Colson Whitehead
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,898
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,513
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,488
To his customers and neighbors on 125th street, Ray Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family. He and his wife Elizabeth are expecting their second child, and if her parents on Striver's Row don't approve of him or their cramped apartment across from the subway tracks, it's still home. Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normalcy has more than a few cracks in it. Cracks that are getting bigger all the time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Best Read/Listen on Audible
- By Henry Posner on 09-22-21
Recently Binged!
Audicted to Crime
Check out my favorite recommendations!
I love lists because it helps me easily choose my next listen. Check out some of these articles to see if any of these tickle your Mystery & Thrillers fancy.
Nicole's Picks
Short Stories to Keep You Up at Night
Nicole's Explains Her Favorite Listens
-
-
It
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Steven Weber
- Length: 44 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 61,988
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 56,229
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 56,047
Welcome to Derry, Maine. It’s a small city, a place as hauntingly familiar as your own hometown. Only in Derry the haunting is real....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Classic with a Top-Notch Performance!
- By Nicole - Audible on 06-19-17
-
It
- Narrated by: Steven Weber
- Length: 44 hrs and 55 mins
- Release date: 01-01-16
- Language: English
- A Classic with a Top-Notch Performance!
-
I first would like to start off with saying that I have listened to Stephen King's It four times already, and I still can't get enough of it! Stephen King is a mastermind (like always) with the beautiful attention to detail he gives for every single character's background and inner thoughts. It's captivating and sucks you into Derry, a town with a dark history, a scary present, and an uncertain future. If you're like me who saw the TV movie before reading the book, you will be shocked by how different the book is! The details of the novel makes you feel as if you have lived in Derry all of your life and live next door to all of the characters. The book is beautiful, and the performance by Steven Weber is only worthy of praise. If you thought Tim Curry was the best Pennywise you had ever seen, wait until you see what Steven Weber can do with only his voice. The performance will give you chills!
The story of It is a dark one that must not be listened to lightly. The novel is, in my opinion, the most graphic, brutal, and original novel that Stephen King has ever written. Because the victims of Pennywise are children, one must listen at their own caution because Stephen King does not shy away from any grizzly and provocative detail that is needed to make this story as powerful and shocking as it is. The story is told in various character perspectives, however it's heavily centered around the 7 main characters voices and experiences. The additional perspectives given only adds to the depth of the intricate story that King molds. The novel goes back and forth between different point of Derry's history in order to set the stage for what has been going on in Derry, Maine long before the town was even there. The real beauty is in the character development that takes place in these time jumps. You will learn so much about all of the characters, and it will help understand and empathize all of the characters for what drives their behavior. No character can be deemed insignificant in this novel. The book is nearly 45 hours and has no dragging parts because every word is essential for the understanding of the story. The TV movie can't even begin to touch the depth that King has given this story. It truly is amazing how far this novel reaches.
Steven Weber's performance is one that left me shaken to the core. The first time I listened to the book, I was skeptical at the thought of the audiobook being better or even comparable to the movie (crazy right?). However, 5 minutes in, I realized I was listening to a ingenius and chilling performance. Weber clearly gives each character its own voice and brings the story to life without the need for visuals. You can hear the fear, the courage, the desperation, and etc. that each character feels through his performance. When it came to the voice of Pennywise, he honestly made me feel fear (something I had not felt while watching Stephen King's It, even as a child). His rendition honestly reminded me of the sewer that It crawled out of. It was beautiful! Weber is a genius at what he does, and this novel was perfect to show the range that he can reach. From the voice of a frantic New England mother to the little children he portrayed, you felt as if these were different people all together, not just one man doing voices.
I had modest hopes for this audiobook, and I was given a masterpiece. I will continue to listen this book because I could never tire of it.
-
More Reviews from Nicole
-
You
- By: Caroline Kepnes
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 20,818
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19,061
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19,025
Beck is everything Joe has ever wanted: she's gorgeous, tough, razor-smart, and sexy beyond his wildest dreams. Joe needs to have her, and he'll stop at nothing to do so. As he begins to insinuate himself into her life - her friendships, her email, her phone - she can’t resist her feelings for a guy who seems custom-made for her. So when her boyfriend, Benji, mysteriously disappears, Beck and Joe fall into a tumultuous affair. But there's more to Beck than her oh-so-perfect façade.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow. This. Book.
- By Em on 07-17-15
A Walk Through the Mind of a Psychopath...
When I first discovered You by Caroline Kepnes, it was not because I was looking for it. Actually it was an accidental click, however it must've been fate because after reading the summary, I was intrigued. The first chapter literally sucks you into the mind of the protagonist, Joe, a seemingly ordinary guy living an outwardly ordinary life. However, the mind of Joe is a dark and insane one, while also being deliriously hilarious.
Joe is a character you hate to love. No matter how sick and twisted his mind is, he delivers everything is such a funny and surprisingly logical manner. At points in the novel, I would stop and ask myself, "Am I a psychopath???" because Joe was such an articulate character that could legitimize his insanity by blaming society and others around him. However, don't be fooled! There is nothing logical or sane about anything he says because his actions really speak louder than his words. That's what makes Kepnes so brilliant with her writing. Because with everything in Joe's perspective, it's easy to almost get swept up in the rationale he gives until BAM! Joe says or does something completely psychotic, and you remember that yes, he is indeed CRAZY! Great writing aside, Santino Fontana is what makes this book so captivating. He delivers Joe's thoughts in such a calm and detached manner, which makes the book all the more hilarious because what Joe's doing is anything but calm or reasonable. Joe is a stalker and creep, which Fontana hones in on perfectly. His detached voice always has a touch of insanity that keeps you on your toes with the character's actions. No matter how much Joe talks about love, there is no emotion that Fontana portrays for Joe except insanity and that's what keeps you from getting swept up with Joe's crazy, specious rationale. That touch of insanity intensifies and intensifies until you're really shocked at how much Joe is really capable of. From starting out as a stalker, Joe reveals himself to be a honest to god madman and psycho! Fontana does this novel so much justice that I'm not sure if the book would be as great without Fontana's narration.
-
Carrie
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Sissy Spacek, Margaret Atwood
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,871
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,030
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,010
An unpopular teenage girl, whose mother is a religious fanatic, is tormented and teased to the breaking point by her more popular schoolmates. She uses her hidden telekinetic powers to inflict a terrifying revenge.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The best of Stephen Kings books, and to think he a
- By Angelia Chisolm on 09-26-12
Carrie is better than ever!
As a huge Stephen King fan, I have come to realize that he can literally do no wrong when it comes to literature to me. Carrie by Stephen King is one of his best novels, not better than It, but one of his best nonetheless. Carrie is the story of a socially isolated high school Senior, who learns that she has the ability to move objects with her mind, telekinesis. I grew up watching the movie Carrie and loved everything about the story. Imagine how ecstatic I was when I learned that Sissy Spacek was narrating Carrie for Audible. However the story of Carrie White is tragic and terrifying. The build-up to the breakdown of poor Carrie will make anyone sympathize with her. King is also a mastermind of creating a detailed character profile. From her home life, private thoughts, school life, and newfound abilities, Carrie was bound to snap. King really is a master at background development. Carrie was never normal, but she wasn’t pre-destined for her ending.
Sissy Spacek is a true talent to ever bless our television and now our ears in this reading of Carrie. If you’re unaware, Sissy plays Carrie in the 1976 movie version. For some reason, in the beginning, I always have doubts that nothing can compare to the film, book or narration, and I am always proved absolutely incorrect by the first five minutes of listening. I love Sissy in the movie, so I was very intrigued how she would portray all of the other characters. Of course, Sissy slays because she is a seasoned talent that has great range to make this narration as great and as classic as the movie. At this point, I could listen or watch Carrie, and it would make no difference to me. Both are too spectacular to be compared!
-
Neverwhere
- By: Neil Gaiman
- Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 41,613
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 35,120
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35,063
Richard Mayhew is a young man with a good heart and an ordinary life, which is changed forever when he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. His small act of kindness propels him into a world he never dreamed existed. There are people who fall through the cracks, and Richard has become one of them. And he must learn to survive in this city of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels, if he is ever to return to the London that he knew.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Truly outstamding!
- By RJT on 10-27-07
I dare you to look at the Underground the same!
My listening journey for Neverwhere began as a mandatory pre-reading from my professor right before I left for London for a semester of study abroad. At first, I was just going to buy the paperback version of the book, however, I realized that this would be a perfect opportunity to kill some time while at the airport and plane ride to London and boy, was I right about that! The nine hour flight meant nothing because Neil Gaiman had already transported me throughout the underground of London by the second hour of the book. I had never really read a novel by Neil Gaiman besides Coraline, so I didn’t know what to completely expect when I began listening. Richard is a complacent and rather ordinary guy living in London, who always goes with the motion of life. His time is mostly controlled by his job or fiancé, and he isn’t either unhappy or happy. However, after he meets Door, he is taken on an adventure of a lifetime to the Underground society of London’s metro. This underworld is magical and demonic, and you never know what you can come across.
Gaiman takes listeners on a scary ride through the Underground society, where we learn that this world is strongly held up on the principle of every man for himself and how the world always continues to move regardless of an individual’s status. The juxtaposition of life in the Underground world and life in London is the main point of the story. Underground, life is primitive, dangerous and surreal. Above, life is mundane, safe, and tedious. No one can exist in both worlds, and Richard soon learns that it’s not so easy to return to your original world. This adventure through London’s underground is such a detailed and historically accurate rendition that if you take the journey while visiting, you’ll feel like one of the architects who helped create the tunnels! It was such a pleasure listening while in London!
-
And Then There Were None
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Dan Stevens
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19,659
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17,671
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17,618
Ten strangers are lured to an isolated island mansion off the Devon coast by a mysterious "U.N. Owen". At dinner a recorded message accuses each of them in turn of having a guilty secret, and by the end of the night one of the guests is dead. Stranded by a violent storm, and haunted by a nursery rhyme counting down one by one...one by one they begin to die. Who among them is the killer? And will any of them survive?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Dan Stevens is genius
- By Markie Ross on 09-17-15
Ten... nine... eight...
And Then There Were None was one of the first books that I ever called my favorite. I had first read this book when I was in eighth grade because I was looking for a good light mystery, however, I was blessed with a tantalizing story plot that had me playing Sherlock Holmes for the culprit. However, it all was proven futile with the plot twist at the end. I love the way that the ending of the book and how we were left guessing until the very end. When I first started my listening experience, I had decided to only listen to books that I’d already read before, so of course, I chose And Then There Were None as one of my first titles, especially because it was only six hours compared to some others. However, just like the novel, I wish it was longer.
The narration for the book is by Dan Stevens, who I learned, narrates a lot of Agatha Christie’s work and with good reason! He’s perfect for her stories. His accent and low tone sets the scenes for this cozy mystery. His character switches are so smooth and effortless that it’s easy to forget that this is just one talented man. Dan Stevens gave this book more character and mystery through his rendition and enhances the listening experience. If I could rate this book over 5 stars, I would easily, because it’s so interesting.