Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine
1,567 episodes - English - Latest episode: 18 days ago - ★★★★★ - 123 ratingsFind your next great audiobook on our podcast, Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine. Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile Editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. All in 6 minutes or less. It’s short, sweet, and just what your ears need. Want more? Listen to our bonus episodes featuring conversations with the best voices in the audiobook industry.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
WHEN WE MAKE IT by Elisabet Velasquez, read by Elisabet Velasquez
November 10, 2021 10:00 - 7 minutesElisabet Velasquez narrates her debut novel-in-verse for teen listeners with vividness, honesty, and poignancy born of her life experience and performance expertise. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this captivating audiobook told in short, powerful, and energetic vignettes. Like her heroine, Sarai, Puerto Rican American Velasquez grew up in Bushwick and knows what it’s like to be poor amidst gentrification. Sarai is working hard to discover her identity despite intense strug...
BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY by Qian Julie Wang, read by Qian Julie Wang
November 09, 2021 10:00 - 7 minutesAuthor and narrator Qian Julie Wang captivates listeners with this poignant and powerful memoir. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this Civil Rights Attorney's story that absolutely should be heard in the author’s own voice. Wang vividly describes living with her family in poverty and fear in New York City as undocumented immigrants from China. While often heartbreaking, Wang’s writing is sparse yet beautiful. Her deeply personal and affecting performance compels one to keep l...
BEAUTIFUL WORLD, WHERE ARE YOU by Sally Rooney, read by Aoife McMahon
November 08, 2021 10:00 - 8 minutesNarrator Aoife McMahon’s voice makes the conflicts of Irish millennials beautiful in Sally Rooney’s messy world. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this tableau of friends—Eileen, Alice, Felix, and Simon—who are wrestling with relationships, mental health, politics, and the purpose of life. McMahon’s musical Irish voice enhances the story, and she brings a flair for storytelling and vocalization to this narration. She makes her transitions between points of view with the lightn...
GOOD OMENS by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, read by Rebecca Front, Michael Sheen, David Tennant, and a full cast
November 05, 2021 09:00 - 10 minutesHost Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the joy of hearing GOOD OMENS once more in a full-cast, unabridged production! Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s fan favorite comes to life with this new recording. Rebecca Front’s narration perfectly matches the wry, dry, very British humor. A star-studded cast chimes in with character dialogue—including Michael Sheen and David Tennant reprising their roles from the streaming TV series as an angel and demon duo trying to avert the apocalyps...
THE LAST CUENTISTA by Donna Barba Higuera, read by Frankie Corzo
November 04, 2021 09:00 - 11 minutesFrankie Corzo narrates Donna Barba Higuera’s sci-fi thriller with the perfect combination of gusto and tenderness. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly talk about the upper-middle-grade listen that takes you off into space with Petra—after Earth has been destroyed. Petra’s family is supposed to be crossing the universe to a new life on a recently discovered planet, Sagan, but when she wakes alone after hundreds of years in stasis, a frightening group of fanatics have taken over the shi...
PLAYING THE CARDS YOU'RE DEALT by Varian Johnson, read by Dion Graham
November 03, 2021 09:00 - 10 minutesDion Graham makes every audiobook he narrates into a special event, and his charisma just overflows in this one about Ant, a 10-year-old boy from South Carolina. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Varian Johnson’s newest middle-grade audiobook about Ant’s obsession with winning the community’s spades tournament—and getting his father’s hard-won approval despite changes at home. When Ant’s best friend and spades partner is grounded, he finds an unexpected partner in Shirley, t...
THE PERKS OF LOVING A WALLFLOWER by Erica Ridley, read by Moira Quirk
November 02, 2021 09:00 - 10 minutesMoira Quirk brings an easy charm to a queer Regency romance between bluestocking Philippa York and rakish master of disguise Thomasina “Tommy” Wynchester. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly talk about the fun of listening to Moira animate all the many characters in this audiobook, including the clever women of Philippa’s beloved reading circle and Tommy’s remarkable family. Tommy always sounds full of confidence—except when she’s near Philippa. When a case of plagiarism brings the tw...
MATRIX by Lauren Groff, read by Adjoa Andoh
November 01, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesAdjoa Andoh’s masterful narration channels the power running throughout Lauren Groff’s latest. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the National Book Award Finalist novel about Marie de France, half sister of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, who is sent to a decrepit, far-flung abbey in England. Andoh allows listeners to fully experience the nuns’ rich personalities, using an impressive range of accents, timbers, and rhythms throughout. Above all, it is her depiction of Marie that s...
ALWAYS by Morris Gleitzman, read by Morris Gleitzman
October 29, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesAuthor Morris Gleitzman returns to narrate a well-paced, heartfelt final adventure featuring Felix Salinger in the seventh installment of his series spanning WWII to the present day. AudioFile’s Robin Whitten tells host Jo Reed about the thrill of hearing Gleitzman narrate the work. Wassim, a biracial 10-year-old boy living with his uncle in Eastern Europe, turns to Felix, now in his 80s, for help in dealing with a group terrorizing his family. Alternating between Wassim’s and Felix’s points ...
THE GREAT MISTAKE by Jonathan Lee, read by Graham Halstead
October 28, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutesAndrew Haswell Green’s life and death lingered in obscurity until it was revived through this fascinating audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Graham Halstead’s smooth narration that makes the story come alive. Green’s murder was the tragic ending to the life of a key architect of Central Park, the New York Public Library, and more. His shooting was never solved, but Jonathan Lee tries to fill in the blanks. Halstead’s superb narration serves as a light into Green’s p...
EARTHA & KITT by Kitt Shapiro, Patricia Weiss Levy, read by Karen Chilton
October 27, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutesEntertainment icon Eartha Kitt’s daughter, Kitt Shapiro, offers a stirring and nuanced memoir of her mother and herself. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss narrator Karen Chilton’s performance that is evocative, moving, and makes listeners believe in the connection between mother and daughter. Eartha insisted that her daughter travel with her wherever she performed, so Kitt went everywhere with her from an early age and then became her manager for many years. The love shared b...
BETTER OFF DEAD by Lee Child, Andrew Child, read by Scott Brick
October 26, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesScott Brick returns to perform the justice-seeking, iron-man Jack Reacher. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this latest that will appeal to the authors’ many fans. Brick’s voicing of Reacher brings listeners right into Jack’s thoughts as he makes his way to the West Coast and gets distracted on the Arizona-Mexico border by an ex-Army woman looking to rescue her brother. Brick ratchets up the tension in an audiobook full of action. Read the full review of the audiobook on Aud...
THE 130-STOREY TREEHOUSE by Andy Griffiths, Terry Denton, read by Stig Wemyss
October 25, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesStig Wemyss’s outstanding narration, accompanied by awesome sound effects and ambient music, animates the zany antics in this tenth audiobook of the beloved Australian series by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss the fun of listening to this imaginative performance. Treehouse residents Andy and Terry and their friend, Jill, introduce listeners to the 13 fantastic new levels of their treehouse, including a soap-bubble blaster, a time-wasting lev...
CLOUD CUCKOO LAND by Anthony Doerr, read by Marin Ireland, Simon Jones
October 22, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesMarin Ireland and Simon Jones sparkle as they narrate this immersive time-travel novel from Anthony Doerr. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss the story presented with five interlocking plots from the fall of Constantinople to present day Idaho, and into the future. Marin Ireland narrates the majority of the audiobook and is splendid with a multitude of accents, while Simon Jones brings a welcome voice in his British accent. Doerr’s novel pulls out all the stops, and the narrat...
TASTE by Stanley Tucci, read by Stanley Tucci
October 21, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesStanley Tucci narrates his moving, funny, heartwarming, and gut-wrenching audiobook with vigor and style. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Tucci’s skills as a performer. Listeners who are looking for mouthwatering stories about food will not be disappointed. Delightful pastas, sauces, and signature cocktail recipes are shared. But he also delves into the story of his family, and into his battles with throat cancer, and his conversational style makes the listener feel as thou...
TALK TO ME by T.C. Boyle, read by Stacey Glemboski
October 20, 2021 09:00 - 6 minutesStacey Glemboski performs T.C. Boyle’s unique audiobook about the power of human love for an animal with a convincing style and unswerving fairness. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Glemboski’s skill at bringing an unusual story to life, centered around a love triangle between a researcher, an assistant, and Sam the chimp, who has learned to communicate with sign language. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Listeners can ...
L.A. WEATHER by María Amparo Escandón, read by Frankie Corzo
October 19, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutesNarrator Frankie Corzo’s lovely smooth voice eloquently depicts the mostly female characters in María Amparo Escandón’s novel. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss her skill with the high drama, emotional undertow, and cultural complexity of the story set in 2016. It is centered on the inner lives of the Alvarados, a disintegrating Mexican American family in fictional Rancho Verde, where there’s a severe drought. Secrets are concealed and revealed in this intricately plotted nov...
APRIL IN SPAIN by John Banville, read by John Lee
October 18, 2021 09:00 - 6 minutesNarrator John Lee delivers a well-constructed, ably paced, and stylish performance of John Banville’s elegantly written mystery. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Lee’s Irish intonations that help bring the characters to life. Lee’s portrayal of the garrulous pathologist, Quirke, sets the tone. Quirke and his Austrian wife are vacationing in San Sebastian, Spain, when he sees a woman named April—long thought to be murdered years ago. Read the full review of the audiobook on A...
In conversation with actor and narrator Alfred Molina
October 15, 2021 10:00 - 35 minutesIn today’s bonus edition of Behind the Mic, host Jo Reed interviews renowned actor Alfred Molina. He’s a chameleon, with amazing versatility in the characters he plays on stage, on film and television, and in the recording booth. Jo and Molina discuss his work on audiobooks, including the new full-cast audio adaptation of Agatha Christie’s THE MURDER ON THE LINKS. Listen in to hear about Molina’s approach to choosing what projects to work on, when he first knew he wanted to be an actor, and b...
VELVET WAS THE NIGHT by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, read by Gisela Chípe
October 15, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesNarrator Gisela Chípe successfully juggles the many characters and subplots in Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s exciting mystery set in 1970s Mexico. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Sandi Henschel discuss the fun of listening to this mystery from the author of the bestselling MEXICAN GOTHIC. The story focuses on Maite, a lonely secretary with an active imagination, and Elvis, a conflicted enforcer for a group of thugs paid by the government to keep down student protests and civil unrest. Maite’s life take...
THIS SHINING LIFE by Harriet Kline, read by Mary Jane Wells, Jenny Sterlin, et al.
October 14, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesAn ensemble of talented narrators enhances the humanity of the family members in Harriet Kline’s beautifully conceived novel. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Sandi Henschel discuss the emotional story of a family deeply affected by the terminal illness and death of a loved one. After Rich is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, the shock reverberates throughout the lives of his family, exploring each character’s point of view. All of the narrations are top-notch. A moving audiobook and a mu...
PUTTING IT TOGETHER by James Lapine, read by Adam Grupper, Alyssa Bresnahan, Eva Kaminsky, T. Ryder Smith, Graham Winton, Len Cariou
October 13, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesNarrator Adam Grupper is impressive as he portrays writer-director James Lapine in this audiobook that is part oral history, part memoir, and part description of the making of a musical. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Sandi Henschel discuss this tale of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony Award-winning SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. Alyssa Bresnahan, Eva Kaminsky, T. Ryder Smith, and Graham Winton provide the voices for the 40 people interviewed about the making of the show, expressing co...
DAUGHTERS OF SPARTA by Claire Heywood, read by Mira Dovreni
October 12, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesMira Dovreni’s narration of Claire Heywood’s reimagining of the Trojan War from the points of view of Klytemnestra and her sister, Helen, will enthrall lovers of mythology. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Sandi Henschel discuss Dovreni’s performance, including her excellent storytelling skills and Greek pronunciations. The novel’s focus is on women and their place in society rather than on the war. Dovreni makes each poignant moment ring true, and Heywood makes us wonder: Was Helen solely to bla...
THE OTHER PASSENGER by Louise Candlish, read by Steven Mackintosh
October 11, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesNothing is exactly what it seems in Louise Candlish’s expertly plotted mystery. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Sandi Henschel discuss Steven Mackintosh’s chilling performance. Jamie and Claire live well off Claire’s income, and due to extreme claustrophobia, Jamie commutes to work by boat. He begins a friendship of sorts with a fellow commuter and shen she disappears, Jamie is suddenly the focus of a police investigation. Candlish brings extraordinary psychological insights into play, and Macki...
THE ARCHER by Shruti Swamy, read by Sneha Mathan
October 08, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesNarrator Sneha Mathan mesmerizes listeners with Shruti Swami’s coming-of-age novel set in 1960s and ’70s Bombay. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss the emotional tale of Vidya, a young girl whose mother has died by suicide and who is left to help her father and raise her brother. Longing for her absent mother, Vidya immerses herself into kathak, a rigorous traditional dance, through which she can finally express herself. Mathan’s pleasing voice and understated performance are t...
WHEN GHOSTS COME HOME by Wiley Cash, read by JD Jackson
October 07, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesJD Jackson’s performance is particularly skillful as he shifts among the multiple points of view of key characters in Wiley Cash’s tense thriller. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this audiobook set in a North Carolina beach town in the 1980s. Sheriff Winston Barnes is struggling with his political rival Badley Frye when he gets dragged into an unusual case with a crashed plane and a Black man who has been shot. Details are scarce, and Winston soon clashes with his opponent i...
COLORFUL by Eto Mori, Jocelyne Allen [Trans.], read by Brian Nishii
October 06, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesBrian Nishii delivers a flawless narration of Eto Mori’s classic Japanese bestseller, translated by Jocelyne Allen. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this story of a soul getting a new chance at life, inside another’s body. A dead soul wins a lottery, and an angel named Prapura guides the soul as it occupies the body of a 14-year-old who recently attempted suicide. The soul must learn from its past mistakes in order to be reincarnated. Nishii nimbly varies his tone between ser...
THE TURNOUT by Megan Abbott, read by Cassandra Campbell
October 05, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutesRarely will listeners find a dark contemporary novel so exquisitely narrated that it becomes an instant classic. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Cassandra Campbell’s pitch-perfect narration of Megan Abbott’s audiobook full of tension and devastation. Campbell portrays the story of two sisters, Dara and Marie, who are carrying on the legacy of the Durant School of Dance, started by their mother. They hire a contractor, Derek, who becomes Marie’s unhealthy obsession--but Dara ...
THE VANISHING POINT by Elizabeth Brundage, read by Fajer Al-Kaisi, Robert Petkoff, Saskia Maarleveld, Michael Crouch, Joana Garcia
October 04, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesWith beautifully developed characters and expertly intertwined storylines, a talented team of narrators captures the emotions in Elizabeth Brundage’s compelling listen. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this audiobook that is part romance and part mystery. Five points of view lead listeners through a story that takes place over two decades. Julian and Ry met as photography students at the prestigious Brodsky Workshop. They compete in photography and for the love of a fellow st...
WE ARE STILL HERE! by Traci Sorell, read by Garrett Abel, Jacob Cummings, Mary Kay Henderson, et al.
October 01, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesA full cast of Cherokee, Navajo, Choctaw, and Chickasaw narrators deliver a moving audiobook companion to Traci Sorell’s informative picture book. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this audiobook that takes young listeners from the history of treaty-making between Native nations and the U.S. Government up to the present. Twelve students recite brief presentations in youthful voices on topics including Assimilation and Tribal Activism as sound effects and music evoke the brig...
MAYA AND THE ROBOT by Eve L. Ewing, read by Bahni Turpin
September 30, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesNarrator Bahni Turpin embraces every emotional moment in this inspiring story for middle grade science and IT enthusiasts. AudioFile’s Emily Connelly tells host Jo Reed about the fun of listening to Maya’s story all about friendship--and robots! Maya is excited to be starting 5th grade, until she discovers her best friends are in a different class. She struggles with loneliness and self-doubt, but she discovers a homemade robot named Ralph who helps inspire her to be herself and do good in th...
WHITE SMOKE by Tiffany D. Jackson, read by Marcella Cox
September 29, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesNarrator Marcella Cox’s warm voice draws listeners into the story of Mari, a Black teenager getting a fresh start in a town full of secrets. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Tiffany D. Jackson’s creepy tale of hauntings and hidden histories. Mari and her blended family have just moved from California to a Midwestern town where they get a house for free, courtesy of her mom’s new job. They hadn’t realized it would be on a street full of burned-down houses, or that they’d har...
BOMBSHELL by Sarah MacLean, read by Mary Jane Wells
September 28, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesMary Jane Wells bursts onto the scene in BOMBSHELL, the first entry in Sarah Maclean’s newest historical romance series, Hell’s Belles. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the fun of this romance, and getting to hear the story of the most scandalous of the Talbot sisters, Lady Sesily Talbot. Sesily learns to use her reputation to her advantage when she joins a team of women working in secret to take down society’s worst men. Caleb Calhoun is a handsome and cool-voiced American...
REDEMPTOR by Jordan Ifueko, read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt
September 27, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesJoniece Abbott-Pratt makes a triumphant return to narrate this thrilling sequel to RAYBEARER. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly talk about Jordan Ifueko’s brilliant YA duology and how Abbott-Pratt brings it to life for listeners. Tarisai is now empress of Aritsar, and she is reckoning with its disturbing legacy and facing daunting tasks. Tarisai’s strength and the love of her friends shine in Abbott-Pratt’s compelling narration. Listening to the audiobook provides an added bonus, wi...
THE MURDER ON THE LINKS by Agatha Christie, Kate McAll [Adapt.], read by Alfred Molina, Simon Helberg, and a Full Cast
September 24, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesThis adaptation of a classic Agatha Christie whodunit to a vintage radio drama format is absolutely delicious. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss how this totally diverting Golden Age mystery comes to life on audio, complete with sound effects and perfectly balanced music. Alfred Molina’s Poirot is punctilious and obsessive, but also warm and funny as he sorts out a blindingly baroque murder plot and keeps insisting the answer is totally obvious. Read the full review of the au...
NAPOLEON by Ruth Scurr, read by Tanya Cubric
September 23, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutesRuth Scurr, one of our most original and engaging historians, reconstructs Napoleon’s life from the perspective of the gardens he kept, first as a military cadet and later on Elba and St. Helena. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this refreshing look at Napoleon. Narrator Tanya Cubric’s clear, light voice captures with particular spirit and grace a portrait that comes to life here fresh and richly highlighted and shaded. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s we...
TROY by Stephen Fry, read by Stephen Fry
September 22, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesWith this final title in his Greek trilogy, Stephen Fry himself narrates “Troy” with unbounded enthusiasm and high energy. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss how Fry’s deep voice and rich accent are perfect for these conversational retellings of classical tales. The audiobook makes an ideal companion for listeners of classical works such as THE ILIAD, available now in AudioFile’s Audiobook Break podcast. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published b...
DAUGHTER OF THE MORNING STAR by Craig Johnson, read by George Guidall
September 21, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutesNarrator George Guidall performs Book 17 in the Sheriff Walt Longmire series with all of his masterful storytelling talent on display. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss how George’s familiarity with all of the characters helps listeners feel like they know them, too. The sheriff and his partner-in-justice, Henry Standing Bear, are requested by Tribal Police Chief Lola Long to investigate death threats sent to her niece, a talented basketball player. They also are called upon ...
THE HERON'S CRY by Ann Cleeves, read by Jack Holden
September 20, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesHost Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss a new mystery from Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera mysteries. The violent murder of an all-around good citizen brings DI Matthew Venn and his team in to investigate, and soon they have two murders on their hands. Jack Holden demonstrates his full talents, bringing the extensive cast of characters in this small and close-knit community in Devon to life with his strong narration. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’...
TECHNICALLY FOOD by Larissa Zimberoff, read by Larissa Zimberoff
September 17, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutesAuthor Larissa Zimberoff’s narration works in this food-centric listen because she has a pleasing voice and good reportorial skills. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff dig into Zimberoff’s audiobook exploring food engineering; she covers everything from vertical farms to plant-based and cell-based meats. Her decision to let food experts predict “What We’ll Be Eating in Twenty Years” makes for a fitting ending to her investigations of algae, fungi, and the brave new worlds of the futur...
TOGETHER WE WILL GO by J. Michael Straczynski, read by Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Dan Bittner, Neo Cihi, Michael Crouch, et al.
September 16, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutesA full cast narrates J. Michael Straczynski’s novel of 12 strangers who embark upon a cross-country road trip, brought together by their mutual desire to die by suicide. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this haunting audiobook performed by a gifted cast of professional narrators who capture the depth of the passengers’ personalities and circumstances, skillfully conveying their pain, shame, and exhaustion while also highlighting their enduring tenderness. Read the full revie...
REPUBLIC OF DETOURS by Scott Borchert, read by Jonathan Yen
September 15, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesThe talented Jonathan Yen brings warmth, intelligence, and a storytelling style to his narration of Scott Borchert’s fine cultural history of the 1930s Federal Writers Project (FWP). Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how this well researched and well narrated audiobook pulls listeners into the 1930s. His folksy voice and well-paced delivery suit this focused appraisal of the people and program designed to give work to broke writers—the work of writing state guides. A well-cra...
THE ART OF PATIENCE by Sylvain Tesson, Frank Wynne [Trans.], read by David Pittu
September 14, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutesDavid Pittu unpacks his full valise of vocalizations in this exceptional story of encountering one of the planet's least seen animals—the snow leopard. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this immersive audiobook by Sylvain Tesson, read by Pittu with a careful pace and style that reveal the workings of the famous French travel writer’s philosophical mind. The descriptions of the places traveled are lovely and inspiring, and the interactions with the elusive snow leopard are rem...
THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES by Saki, read by Rupert Degas
September 13, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutesEnglish-Australian narrator Rupert Degas has a grand time giving voice to Saki’s many tales of blustering, tyrannical aunts; mischievous children; and that most important of all English inventions—the twit. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss the stories of Saki (Hector Hugh Munro, 1870-1916), whose work is especially fun on audio. Degas reads the stories well—few do better at satirizing the foibles and follies of the upper classes. Listen closely, and you’ll hear why everyone ...
ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES by Charlotte McConaghy, read by Saskia Maarleveld
September 10, 2021 09:00 - 10 minutesSaskia Maarleveld narrates Charlotte McConaghy’s novel, a paean to the majesty of wolves. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Saskia’s skills with enlivening the characters, Scottish and Australian both, who inhabit this emotionally heavy and intriguing tale. Head biologist Inti Flynn is an Australian scientist with touch synesthesia, a sensory disorder that causes her to feel any pain she witnesses. Maarleveld captures both her accent and the tension that lurks in her psyche. I...
NO HIDING IN BOISE by Kim Hooper, read by Devon Sorvari, Stephanie Willing, Hillary Huber, Stephanie Einstein, Madeleine Maby, Nick Mondelli, Michael Brusasco, Patrick Lawlor, Adam Barr, Pete Cross, Neil Hellegers
September 09, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesKim Hooper’s ripped-from-the-headlines novel is brought to life by a stellar team of narrators. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this surprisingly hopeful audiobook that deals with the repercussions of a mass shooting in a Boise, Idaho, bar. Hillary Huber portrays a wide range of emotions as a mother whose son has committed a horrific violent act, and who searches for ways to deal with her grief, suffers blame from the community, and works to support her son’s victims. The ca...
IN THE WILD LIGHT by Jeff Zentner, read by Michael Crouch
September 08, 2021 09:00 - 7 minutesHost Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Jeff Zentner’s story of two teens making their way in the world. Michael Crouch’s Southern accent depicts the East Tennessee origins of Crash Pruitt and stresses the gentleness and sensitivity at the core of his character. He also portrays the headstrong certainty of his brilliant friend Delaney Doyle, whom Cash met in a support group for children whose parents struggle with drug addiction. Crouch shows his gift for adding richness to spot-on,...
FALLING by T.J. Newman, read by Steven Weber
September 07, 2021 09:00 - 9 minutesNarrator Steven Weber keeps the tension high in this debut thriller written by T.J. Newman, a former flight attendant. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss the twists and turns of this high-tension listen that may appeal to those looking for an entertaining thriller--perhaps even frequent fliers. A plane has been hijacked and the pilot is faced with a horrifying choice--crash the plane, or his family will be murdered. Weber fully delivers the chills in this audiobook. Read the fu...
BILLY SUMMERS by Stephen King, read by Paul Sparks
September 06, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesStephen King built a career on horror, but his latest is a crime drama--and it’s scary good. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss BILLY SUMMERS. The titular character is a hit man with a conscience--he only goes after “bad men,” though he also has no compunction about being paid to kill. Narrator Paul Sparks’s performance will draw listeners into the twisted story about Billy’s one last job where everything goes wrong. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website....
THE BOMBAY PRINCE by Sujata Massey, read by Sneha Mathan
September 03, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutesWith her easy to listen to voice, and her subtly changing accents and rhythm for the Indian and British characters, Mathan performs the third in the Perveen Mistry series. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this series that evokes the feel of the heat of Bombay. Mistry, the only female lawyer in India, seeks justice for a female Parsi student found dead on the day of Prince Edward VIII’s arrival in Bombay, November 1921. Massey paints detailed pictures of a city divided by rel...