Staff Picks 2023

Introduction

The monthly "Staff Picks" is a set of 10 books from our catalog. Once upon a time, these books were showcased on the main page for LibriVox on archive.org, but this feature has been discontinued. However, the current staff picks are still announced in the "news/blog" section on the LibriVox homepage.

Feel free to suggest any of our completed projects for future staff picks. Please post your suggestions in this thread. Bonus points if they fit the current monthly theme and/or they are in a language other than English.

The audiobooks that were featured in 2023 will be added here. A short blurb of these selections may be found on the linked blog posts. For more information and a list of Staff Picks in previous years, have a look at the main Staff Picks page.

Enjoy!

LibriVox Staff Picks 2023

January 2023: New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year 2023! Have you made any New Year’s resolutions, big, small, or medium-sized? Get inspired to change your life!

Fiction

Tom Playfair or Making a Start by Francis J. Finn, read by Maria Therese

Mr. Britling Sees it Through by H. G. Wells, read by Peter Eastman

The Secret Play by Ralph Henry Barbour, read by Ares Sancho

Kalendergeschichten by Johann Peter Hebel, read in German by Hans Hafen

The Albert Gate Mystery by Louis Tracy, read by Crln Yldz Ksr

Non-Fiction

The Victorious Attitude by Orison Swett Marden, read by Kirks Voice

Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing-Dish Dainties by Janet McKenzie Hill, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Ventriloquism and Vocal Illusions by Frederic Maccabe, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Drama

Os Deuses de Casaca, by Machado de Assis, play in Portuguese

Poetry

A Happy New Year and Other Verses by Charles Edward de la Poer Beresford, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Note: The books from this selection were downloaded 5291 times in January 2023.

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February 2023: Romance, Love, Happy Ending!

Valentine’s Day should bring some fresh romance into your life, whether in an old relationship or a new one. Let’s celebrate all things love!

Fiction

The Pastoral Loves of Daphnis and Chloe by Longus, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo, read by John Greenman

Charles Rex by Ethel M. Dell, read by Celine Major

The Immortal Moment by May Sinclair, read by Kirsten Wever

Das Schloß Dürande by Joseph von Eichendorff, read in German by Hokuspokus

Non-Fiction

Homogenic Love by Edward Carpenter, read by Jake Malizia

https://librivox.org/little-journeys-to-the-homes-of-great-lovers-by-elbert-hubbard/ Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Lovers] by Elbert Hubbard, read by a group of LibriVoxers

An Englishwoman's Love Letters by Laurence Housman, read by Esther

Drama

Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand, play

Poetry

India's Love Lyrics by Laurence Hope, read by Helen Williford-Lower

Note: The books from this selection were downloaded 11252 times in February 2023.

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March 2023: The Strength of a Woman

March 8 is International Women’s Day to celebrate women and their strengths all over the world.

Fiction

Majoor Frans by A.L.G. Bosboom-Toussaint, read in Dutch by Anna Simon

The Heavenly Twins by Sarah Grand, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Das Fräulein von Scuderi by E.T.A. Hoffmann, read in German by Hokuspokus

After the Divorce by Grazia Deledda, read by Tom Denholm

Two on the Trail by Edith Elise Cowper, read by Laurie Banza

Non-Fiction

Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women by Elizabeth Blackwell, read by PhyllisV

Loom and Spindle by Harriet H. Robinson, read by a group of LibriVoxers

A Woman's Way Through Unknown Labrador by Mina Benson Hubbard, read by Zach Hoyt

Drama

Courage by Ruth Ogden, dramatic reading

Poetry

From Queen's Gardens - A Chorus of Many Voices by various poets, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Note: The books from this selection were downloaded 4592 times in March 2023.

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April 2023: Your (Inner) Child

April 4th is International Children’s Day. Sadly, all of us have to grow up at some point, but we can definitely try and recapture a child-like spirit.

Fiction

The Jade Story Book by Penrhyn Wingfield Coussens, read by Nicole J. LeBoeuf

A Menina do narizinho arrebitado by Monteiro Lobato, read in Portuguese by a group of LibriVoxers

Little Joe Otter by Thornton W. Burgess, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio by Marguerite Henry, read by a group of LibriVoxers

The Young Visiters by Daisy Ashford, read by Tysto

Non-Fiction

The Mary Frances Cook Book by Jane Eayre Fryer, read by a group of LibriVoxers

L'Arithmetique de Mademoiselle. Lily by Jean Mace, read in French by Ezwa

True Stories of Wonderful Deeds by anonymous, read by Little Peanut

Drama

Children's Classics in Dramatic Form by Augusta Stevenson, plays

Poetry

Sugar Plums by Ella Farman Pratt, read by DOLZ

Note: The books from this selection were downloaded 9835 times in April 2023.

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May 2023: Take Off Into Space

Are you ready for Towel Day on May 25? If not, don’t panic, but prepare yourself!

Fiction

Lord of a Thousand Suns by Poul W. Anderson, read by Paul Harvey

The Brain by Edmond Hamilton, read by quartertone

The Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft, read by Phil Chenevert

Beyond the Vanishing Point by Ray Cummings, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Urania by Camille Flammarion, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Non-Fiction

A Popular History of Astronomy During the 19th Century by Agnes Mary Clerke, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Stories of Starland by Mary Proctor, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Worlds Within Worlds - The Story of Nuclear Energy by Isaac Asimov, read by Blane Aden McKay

Drama

The Revolt on Venus by Carey Rockwell, dramatic reading

Poetry

Sea Fairies and Other Poems by Alfred Lord Tennyson, read by Bruce Kachuk

Note: The books from this selection were downloaded 11027 times in May 2023.

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June 2023: Summer Nature

Summer is approaching, and what’s better than spending it outside in nature?

Fiction

The Mystery of Choice by Robert W. Chambers, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Opening a Chestnut Burr by Edward P. Roe, read by LikeManyWaters

The Green World by Hal Clement, read by Phil Chenevert

A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter, read by a group of LibriVoxers

The Turquoise Story Book by Ada M. Skinner, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Non-Fiction

On the Trail: An Outdoor Book for Girls by Lina & Adelia Beard, read by a group of LibriVoxers

The Adventures of a Nature Guide by Enos A. Mills, read by Sue Anderson

La mer by Jules Michelet, read in French by Christine Jehanne

Drama

A Midsummer Nights' Dream by William Shakespeare, play

Poetry

Lake Lyrics and Other Poems by William W. Campbell, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Note: The books from this selection were downloaded 6961 times in June 2023.

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July 2023: Relaxing Holidays

It's high time to think about summer vacation and what to do and read then!

Fiction

The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers, read by Gesine

The Spoilers by Rex Beach, read by Tom Weiss

Ursula by Maria Firmina dos Reis, read in Portuguese by Marina Fikota

The Riverpark Rebellion by Homer Greene, read by Donald Cummings

Kokoro by Soseki Natsume, read in Japanese by ekzemplaro

Non-Fiction

Peaks of Shala by Rose Wilder Lane, read by Steven Seitel

Sir Christopher Wren by Lawrence Weaver, read by David Wales

The Women Who Make Our Novels by Grant M. Overton, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Drama

The Hoodoo by Walter Ben Hare, play

Poetry

Summer of Love by Joyce Kilmer, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Note: The books from this selection were downloaded 10138 times in July 2023.

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August 2023: 18 Years and Counting

LibriVox is turning 18, and we’ve just got another year older, no better! In the last year, our volunteers have created over 1200 new audiobooks, so let’s celebrate!

Fiction

Mengelilingi Doenia Dalam 80 Hari by Jules Verne, read in Indonesian by a group of LibriVoxers

The Mother by Pearl S. Buck, read by a group of LibriVoxers

The Florentine Dagger by Ben Hecht, read by Tom Penn

The Mistress of Court Regna by Charles Garvice, read by Celine Major

Totenmesse by Stanislaw Przybyszewski, read in German by Friedrich

Non-Fiction

Three Gringos in Venezuela and Central America by Richard Harding Davis, read by Steven Seitel

Pyrotechnics: The History and Art of Firework Making by Alan St. Hill Brock, read by a group of LibriVoxers

The Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra ascribed to Gautama Buddha, read by Geoffrey Edwards

Drama

Letty by Arthur Wing Pinero, play

Poetry

The Man in the Panther's Skin by Shota Rustaveli, read by Beeswaxcandle

Note: The books from this selection were downloaded 3438 times in August 2023.

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September 2023: Of War and Peace

World Peace Day is on September 21, but it’s unlikely the world will be pacified by then (and if, not for long…)

Fiction

The Man Who Ended War by Hollis Godfrey, read by Silviamb

The Four Feathers by E.A.W. Mason, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Tiger by the Tail by Poul William Anderson, read by Paul Harvey

For the Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem by G.A. Henty, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Quatrevingt-Treize by Victor Hugo, read in French by Bidon

Non-Fiction

Stories of the Ships by Lewis R. Freeman, read by David Wales

Closing in: Marines in the Seizure of Iwo Jima by Joseph H. Alexander, read by Aaron Bennett

What Peace Means by Henry van Dyke, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Drama

Peace by Aristophanes, play

Poetry

Ballads of Peace in War by Michael Earls, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Note: The books from this selection were downloaded 1619 times in September 2023.

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October 2023: Animals are People Too!

World Animal Day on October 4 seeks to protect animals and their habitats, a perfect time to learn about all sorts of beings that live among us.

Fiction

Short Stories by William H.H. Murray read by David Wales

Stories of the First American Animals by George Langford, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Swamp Cat by Jim Kjelgaard, read by Siler Weaver

The Pirate Shark by Harry Lincoln Sayler, read by a group of LibriVoxers

The White Czar - A Story of a Polar Bear by Clarence Hawkes, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Non-Fiction

Spiders by Cecil Warburton, read by Sue Anderson

The Strangest Things in the World by Thomas R. Henry, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Migration of Birds by US Fish and Wildlife Service, read by Sue Anderson

Drama

The Birds by Aristophanes, play

Poetry

The Fables of La Fontaine by Jean de la Fontaine, read by a group of LibriVoxers

Note: The books from this selection were downloaded 2088 times in October 2023.

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