MAY 24, 2019

Happy Friday, friends. Whether you still have a GoT hangover or are ready for Downton Abbey pre-gaming, we have thoughts and recommendations to put in your ears over the long weekend. Happy almost summer!

Reunited and it feels so good.

Work ceased around our section of the office on Tuesday when the trailer for the Downton Abbey movie hit the interwebs. Carson! Lady Mary! Mrs. Bates! It felt like we were seeing dear friends again after a long separation, and in between squeals of glee and hitting the replay button over and over again, we’ve already made our team outing plans for the September release.

A Memorial Day perfect listen.

History has an uncanny way of providing answers to the tough questions we face now. In his first Audible Original, The Dead Drink First, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dale Maharidge reflects on his childhood as the son of a World War II veteran whose brain injury from combat is only now starting to be understood. Editor Kyle sat down with Maharidge to discuss CTE, reframing the Greatest Generation, and the ethical and emotional considerations of reporting on trauma.

Monkey mommy see, monkey son do?

We often look to the animal kingdom for proof that some of our less-admirable behaviors are distinctly human-made. But the instinct to helicopter parent, it turns out, may be something we share with our simian brethren. A recent study found that Bonobo mothers often aggressively interfere with their offspring’s choice of mate. Not only do those meddling monkey moms trot out prime partner candidates for their sons, they will also block any other competing suitors from getting in the way of their propagation. It’s certainly a far cry from the more hands-off approach to parenting espoused by Editor Courtney, who would be happy to share with any primates her list of how to breed children without constantly hovering overhead.

Remembering a literary force and LGBTQ+ activist.

Caine Prize-winner Binyavanga Wainaina left behind a profound legacy when he died this week at the age of 48. The best-known Kenyan writer of his generation, Wainaina created the literary network Kwani? and wrote the viral essay How to Write About Africa, which eviscerated literary tropes about the continent. His memoir One Day I Will Write About This Place explored family, tribe, and country; three years later, he publicly came out as gay—an act of bravery in Kenya, where same-sex relationships are still illegal. In response to his being named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2014, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote that Wainaina had demystified and humanized homosexuality and begun a necessary conversation that can no longer be about the ‘faceless other’.

A whale of a tale.

One of the hazards of writing a memoir is that the people you write about might have a very different version of events. And when the parties involved are celebrities, there are plenty of extra 👀 involved. The tell-all we’re eyeballing this week is Moby’s second memoir, Then It Fell Apart, which details how the musician dated a well-known actress back in the late ’90s—but the woman in question begs to differ. We have to wonder what Moby’s famous great-great-great uncle would make of this. When two people disagree about what happened between them, is it time to stop chasing that white whale and harpoon the anecdote? 🤔🐋

So…Game of Thrones.

That happened. Our editors unanimously loved GRRM’s high fantasy series and are still processing the HBO finale that aired on Sunday. From Editor Courtney, whose husband Dave was exhilarated that many of his final episode predictions came true, to Editor Rachel, who feels sheer relief to have her Sunday evenings back, our emotions run the gamut. The one thing we all agree on is that we need a palate cleanser, stat. Editor Emily is eyeing Heads Will Roll, which features a deranged medieval queen and two brilliant comedic minds. And, bonus, it includes the vocal stylings of one Peter Dinklage. (It’s almost like the three-eyed raven said it should be so!)

Also on our radar:

  • Happy birthday to Stevie Nicks! Our favorite wild woman rings in her 71st on Sunday.
  • Romance author Alyssa Cole announced an upcoming Audible Original about robot love, The A.I. Who Loved Me, and her appearance at BookCon on an Audible Romance panel. Can you say 🔥🤖🔥?
  • We bid a sad goodbye to two more literary legends. Herman Wouk, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Caine Mutiny and The Winds of War, and Judith Kerr, beloved children’s author of The Tiger Who Came to Tea and the Mog series, both passed away this week.
  • If you haven’t listened to A Gentleman in Moscow yet, fear not! If it’s not too late for Bill Gates, it’s not too late for you, too, to discover the magic of Amor Towles.
Till Next Week!
—the audible editors

Audiobooks in This Edition

The World of Downton Abbey Audiobook By Jessica Fellows cover art
Why Evolution Is True Audiobook By Jerry A. Coyne cover art
One Day I Will Write About This Place Audiobook By Binyavanga Wainaina cover art
Then It Fell Apart Audiobook By Moby cover art
Moby-Dick Audiobook By Herman Melville cover art
The Dead Drink First Audiobook By Dale Maharidge cover art