Book description
One of Literary Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 One of The Millions' Most Anticipated Books of Winter 2025 A young woman's seasonal job working a sugar beet harvest takes a surreal turn in this surprising and vivid debut. Elise and her boyfriend, Tom, set off for Minnesota, hoping the paycheck from the sugar beet harvest will cover the rent on their Brooklyn apartment. Amidst the grueling work and familiar anxieties about her finances, Elise starts noticing strange things: threatening phone calls, a mysterious rash, and snatches of an ominous voice coming from the beet pile. When Tom and other coworkers begin to vanish, Elise is left alone to confront the weight of her past, the horrors of her uncertain future, and the menacing but enticing siren song of the beets. Biting, eerie, and confidently told, Beta Vulgaris harnesses a distinct voice and audacious premise to undermine straightforward narratives of class, trauma, consumption, and redemption.Review"I'm trying to create a niche for myself as the preeminent weird-girl-book guy. To cement my legacy, I'm recommending Beta Vulgaris, a very weird book that I'm very excited for! When a young woman and her boyfriend start working a seasonal job at a sugar beet farm, she wants to make enough money to pay her rent for a few months. What she gets is a string of mysterious disappearances and a pile of beets that seems to be talking to her. Thank you Margie Sarsfield for your contribution to the "vegetable gothic" canon." -McKayla Coyle, Literary Hub "Named for the humble beet plant and meaning, in a rough translation from the Latin, "vulgar second," Sarsfield's surreal debut finds a seasonal harvest worker watching her boyfriend and other colleagues vanish amid "the menacing but enticing siren song of the beets."" -John H. Maher, The Millions "Uncanny and electric and quietly harrowing. . . . Margie Sarsfield dazzles us and challenges us, delivering a novel so vivid and memorable, I'll be thinking of beet pilers for years to come." -Danya Kukafka, author of Notes on an ExecutionAbout the AuthorMargie Sarsfield was the recipient of the 2019 Calvino Prize. She earned her MFA from Ohio State University. Her work has appeared in Salt Hill, CutBank, the Normal School, Seneca Review, Hippocampus, and elsewhere. She lives in Reno, Nevada.
Venom Charms
The ability to highlight passages and take notes while listening is a fantastic feature. ListenBook’s audio quality is excellent. The app enhances my listening experience. I love the ability to customize the skip buttons. It’s so convenient. I love the ability to change the background color. It’s a nice touch.
Noise Toy
Sharing audiobooks with friends through AirDrop and Sharing on ListenBook is a fantastic way to spread the joy of listening. Sharing audiobooks through AirDrop is a delightful way to connect with fellow book lovers.
RightN0w2
The range of supported formats is impressive. No more converting files! The ability to adjust playback speed and volume is a game-changer for me. ListenBook’s support for CarPlay is great. I can listen to audiobooks in my car easily.
Cool Law Topping
The app's performance is remarkable – it's fast, stable, and designed to cater to audiobook enthusiasts. It's a pleasure to use. Automated artwork and metadata retrieval add a professional touch to my audiobook library. The app is very easy to use. ListenBook makes managing my audiobook library simple. ListenBook has completely changed how I enjoy audiobooks. The app is packed with features like customizable skip intervals, playback speed, and sleep timers. The interface is clean and easy to navigate. Five stars! This app is a must-have for anyone who loves audiobooks. The interface is intuitive, and the app supports all formats. I love the auto-bookmark feature—it saves my place automatically, so I never lose track. Highly recommend!
Lava Nibbler
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QuantumQuill
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Winter Bite
My child has also fallen in love with audiobooks, all thanks to the app's kid-friendly collection. The statistics feature on ListenBook helps me track my audiobook consumption – a fantastic way to measure my progress. ListenBook has turned my ordinary moments into extraordinary adventures through stories. Bookmarks are a fantastic organizational tool. They help me keep track of important moments in my audiobooks. The intuitive interface and efficient navigation make this app a pleasure to use every day.
Baby Spell
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Toxic-oxide
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Mud Finger
Audiobooks made convenient – this app's functionality is impressive. ListenBook's integration with CarPlay and Apple Watch adds a new level of convenience to my audiobook journey. The app is perfect for multitaskers. I can listen while working out.
Alley Cat
With ListenBook, I've found a convenient and enjoyable way to engage with audiobooks and educational content. This app's convenience has made me fall in love with audiobooks all over again. I love the auto-rewind feature after interruptions. No more searching for where I left off! Excellent support for various audio formats. Very satisfied. ListenBook’s bookmarking feature is incredibly useful. I never lose my place in a book.
Pepper Legs
ListenBook's dedication to excellence shines through in its performance and features. The sound quality is excellent. It feels like I’m in the story.
Sepukku
Audiobooks on this app have made my workouts more enjoyable and productive. Audiobooks on this app have made studying and learning a more enjoyable process. Audiobook pleasure simplified – this app's design is a true winner. ListenBook Pro's noise reduction makes sure that background distractions don't interfere with my listening.
Mother Night
This app has rekindled my passion for literature in a whole new way. The range of supported formats is astounding. No more compatibility issues! ListenBook’s audio quality is excellent. The app enhances my listening experience.
Phoenix Sparrow
Audiobook joy made simple – this app's ease of use is commendable. Love how I can adjust playback speed and audio volume. ListenBook caters to all my needs. The statistics feature is brilliant. I love seeing how much time I spend on audiobooks with ListenBook. I love the auto-bookmark feature. It saves my place automatically.
Alberta
ListenBook's compatibility with various formats has made it my go-to app for all audio content. ListenBook’s playback speed control is very useful. I can listen at my own pace.
Yellow Menace
ListenBook's clean interface and organized layout make it a pleasure to browse through my audiobooks. Thanks to ListenBook, I've rediscovered the joy of exploring my favorite content on multiple devices. CUE playlist support is a brilliant feature that allows me to create customized listening experiences for different moods, activities, and moments of the day. I’m so impressed with ListenBook. The app is reliable, fast, and packed with features like customizable themes and playback speed. The sleep timer is a lifesaver for bedtime listening. Highly recommend this app! I’d listen to this narrator read anything! Their voice was so expressive and fitting for the material. The story itself was great, but the narration took it to the next level. Definitely a 5-star experience.
Good-lookin’
ListenBook Pro's tone adjustment feature is a unique touch that adds personalization to my audiobook journey. With features like auto-rewind, I never lose my place when I pause listening. I appreciate the statistics feature. ListenBook helps me track my listening habits. The app is so well-designed. It’s clear the developers put a lot of thought into it.
Kingfisher
📱 My pocket-sized library – this app makes reading accessible anytime, anywhere! 📚📱 The app is so user-friendly. Even my grandma can use it!
Danqqqqq
I'm enjoying books I never thought I'd be interested in – all thanks to this app. The app's intuitive design makes it easy to find and listen to my favorite authors. This app's convenience has transformed my screen time into meaningful reading sessions.
Playing a wide variety of audio formats
Works on all devices with iOS 13 and newer
Huge amount of features for a small price
Frequent updates to add new features and improve existing ones
Advanced playback controls
Live sound processing
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice and noise reduction
Translated into more than 20 languages
If you love listening to fiction audiobooks, ListenBook has features to make the process easier.
Edit book data: title, author, cover
Use equalizer to make the sound comfortable for you
Adjust the playback speed
Enjoy dark and light app themes
Supported formats: MP3, M4B, AWB, FLAC, OGG audio files and many more (must be DRM free)
Auto-Bookmarks make it easy to find your place
AirPlay support allows redirection of audio output.
VoiceOver support
Dark mode for night owls
Convenient bookmarking system helps you mark the most important places.
Unlimited bookmarks for each audiobook
Put your own cover on the wager
Share your audiobook with friends
Lock-screen control
Customise app with extensive options
Sleep timer with shake to reset, set custom notification sounds, and a few unique options
Auto rewind depending on paused time, customize rewind times to your liking
Removing background noise from recordings made in classrooms and meetings
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice for a better listening experience