Books Briefing: What makes for a great audiobook?

Plus: the other side of "The Blind Side."

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story August 22, 2023 Photo by Marian Wood Kolisch Hi readers, As with the Mets, or the curative value of oak branch sauna treatments, or the superiority of electric toothbrushes, it's taken me a long time to see the virtues of audiobooks. I am embarrassingly late to them, but I had my reasons: namely a mind that tends to go off-leash. I was moved to try again by this recent guide to the work of Ursula K. Le Guin, courtesy of my colleague Shreya Chattopadhyay. I started with "The Lathe of Heaven," and I'm getting into it bit by bit. (August seems like a risky month to listen to a novel featuring what might be "the most screwed up therapist-patient relationship of all time," given that virtually all of New York's psychoanalysts are out of town.) You might be way ahead of me, though — an audiobook devotee for years, or at least someone who counts on them for company during a commute or a road trip. If so, I have good news. We've started a weekly column featuring reviews of great audiobooks, including selections both older and new. Here's our first installment, and you can watch for our next review on Friday. My colleagues and I would love to hear more about the types of audiobooks you'd like to see discussed — please feel free to drop me a line at books@nytimes.com if you have any thoughts on the subject. As green as I am in this arena, I'll leave you with a recommendation of my own: I have not read the Tao Te Ching, but it's hard to imagine a better experience than listening to the audiobook version narrated by Le Guin herself. The very persistent pan flutist in the background sends it into another dimension. See you next week. Joumana Khatib In other news Skyhorse Publishing has built a reputation for taking on authors that other houses avoid, including Woody Allen and Alex Jones. And its founder has helped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mount a bid for president. Authors, booksellers and antitrust activists are calling on the Justice Department to investigate Amazon, arguing the online retailer's size and sway on the book market affects the free exchange of ideas. Michael Oher, the former N.F.L. player and inspiration for "The Blind Side," by Michael Lewis, just began a legal battle with the family he once considered his own. Oher's two memoirs tell his side of the story. WHAT SHOULD YOU READ NEXT? Adolfo Redaño Summer Books 2023 Here are 47 literary escapes to take this season. Just add sand, sunscreen and a hot afternoon. 14 New Books Coming in August Novels from Ann Patchett and James McBride, a biography of the Chinese American movie star Anna May Wong and a handful of edgy thrillers — including one about a scuba driver swallowed by a whale. By The New York Times Books Staff What Book Should You Read Next? Finding a book you'll love can be daunting. Let us help. 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