🎧 Read & Listen › Audiobooks📣 The Monthly All-Hands

September 2026 Audiobooks: The Hits (and One Miss)

What went through the earbuds this month, which ones earned the Audible credit, and one that's been placed on a performance plan.

Filed by our Director of Listening Comprehension · September 2026

Executive Summary

September’s listening has been reviewed by leadership (me). Results are in: one strong performer, one solid contributor, and one high-profile hire that didn’t live up to the interview. Every Audible credit was accounted for.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 8

Beth Brower · Narrated by Genevieve Gaunt · 12h 18m

Exceeds Expectations

4/ 5

Key Value-Adds

Emma's voice is the whole show: sharp, funny and completely herself, and Genevieve Gaunt nails it. Add the humor and Stonecrop, and eight volumes in it still delivers.

Not a Fit For

Anyone who needs closure. The series isn't done, so you'll finish Vol. 8 wanting the next one now. New here? Start at Vol. 1.

Leadership's Note: Bonus withheld pending series completion.

Theo of Golden

Allen Levi · Narrated by David Morse · 13h 12m

Meets Expectations

3/ 5

Key Value-Adds

Genuinely heartwarming. You finish it wanting to move somewhere small and know everyone at the coffee shop by name.

Not a Fit For

Anyone who needs momentum. The writing and the story take their time, so it's a slow walk, not a page-turner.

Piranesi

Susanna Clarke · Narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor

Needs Improvement

2/ 5

Key Value-Adds

It starts genuinely intriguing: a strange, endless house and a narrator you want to figure out. If slow, dreamy, atmospheric puzzles are your thing, you may see what everyone else sees.

Not a Fit For

Anyone hoping to be surprised. Once the mystery clicks into place, you'll see where it's going well before it gets there. Predictable, and honestly a little meh.

Leadership's Note: Placed on a Performance Improvement Plan. The hype has 90 days to justify itself.

Action Items

Got one credit? Spend it on Emma M. Lion (start at Vol. 1). Need something cozy for slow evenings? Theo of Golden. Piranesi can wait for its performance review.

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