Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine
1,485 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 119 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.
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Episodes
THE SCOURGE BETWEEN STARS by Ness Brown, read by Bahni Turpin
August 10, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutesBahni Turpin’s performance raises the emotional stakes in this claustrophobic space thriller. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the Golden Voice narrator’s skilled narration of an intergalactic space voyage gone horribly wrong. Jacklyn Albright finds herself suddenly the acting leader of the CALYPSO, a ship voyaging back to Earth from a failed attempt at colonizing a distant planet. They’ve lost contact with the other ships in the fleet and are facing a mutiny from the hungr...
CAMP DAMASCUS by Chuck Tingle, read by Mara Wilson
August 09, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesMara Wilson expertly narrates a queer horror novel about an evangelical religious community in Montana and the gay conversion therapy camp at its heart. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this new audiobook from internet sensation Chuck Tingle, read with skill by Mara Wilson. Rose Darling is twenty, and while she never went to Camp Damascus, she knows people who have—they just won't talk about it. The novel takes a sharp turn into the surreal in the first chapter when Rose vo...
THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE by James McBride, read by Dominic Hoffman
August 08, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutesDominic Hoffman fully inhabits the characters in McBride’s fresh, vital, and beautifully written historical novel. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this latest audiobook from the National Book Award-winning author. The story takes place in the 1930s in Chicken Hill, a predominantly Black and Jewish neighborhood in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Hoffman varies his accent and intonation for the large cast of characters who impact each other’s lives, from Chona, the owner of the tit...
SILVER NITRATE by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, read by Gisela Chípe
August 07, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesGisela Chípe’s skilled narration captivates in this immersive novel set in ‘90s Mexico City. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this thrilling mystery with a supernatural bent. Montserrat and Tristán have been friends since childhood, and now both are struggling in their film careers. When they meet a cult favorite horror director, Abel Urueta, he convinces them to help complete his decades-old film that he says was cursed by the death of the Nazi occultist behind it. Chípe c...
THE LAST HONEST MAN by James Risen, Thomas Risen, read by Kevin Stillwell
August 04, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutesKevin Stillwell narrates an overdue biographical history like a reporter pursuing the story of a lifetime. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this history of the 1975 Senate Committee that unearthed the multiple crimes and misdeeds of our nation’s secret agencies, ranging from assassination plots to wire taps to illegal intelligence gathering. Ultimately the Committee, chaired by Idaho Senator Frank Church, uncovered CIA partnerships with the Mafia, FBI extra-legal pursuits, a...
AUGUST BLUE by Deborah Levy, read by Alix Dunmore
August 03, 2023 09:00 - 5 minutesAlix Dunmore’s lilting voice and English accent capture the musicality of Deborah Levy’s audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this fascinating portrait of a woman in crisis. Elsa, a virtuoso pianist, is at a standstill. She dyes her hair blue and sets about inventing a new persona. The pandemic is taking place as the plot moves around Europe. Elsa’s quest is aided by a doppelganger who appears sometimes as a person, sometimes as a figment of Elsa’s imagination. Levy e...
THE MEMORY OF ANIMALS by Claire Fuller, read by Genevieve Gaunt
August 02, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesGenevieve Gaunt performs this compelling audiobook of a near future pandemic. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this story of a survivor, Neffy, who is portrayed with a vulnerable and youthful tone. Gaunt’s crisp English accent works well with this post-apocalyptic London setting. Neffy and four other 20-something survivors are living in a “biopharm” facility and coming to terms with the ghastly reality outside. An engaging and immersive listen. Read the full review of the au...
SHY by Mary Rodgers, Jesse Green, read by Christine Baranski, Jesse Green
August 01, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesChristine Baranski brings intelligence, energy, and impeccable timing to her narration of this tell-all memoir by Mary Rodgers. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Baranski captures the many Marys—the unliked daughter, the composer, the mother of six, the longtime companion of Sondheim and collaborator with Leonard Bernstein. Known for writing the musical ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, hundreds of songs, and the kids’ book FREAKY FRIDAY, Rodgers is also witty, self-effacing, and a f...
I AM HOMELESS IF THIS IS NOT MY HOME by Lorrie Moore, read by Sophie Amoss
July 31, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesSophie Amoss does a neat turn narrating Lorrie Moore’s enigmatic novel. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Amoss’s subtle and compelling narration style. She smoothly switches between characters and from the diction of the 1870s to the world of 2016. Straightforwardly portraying two disturbed women—one an unlikely murderess, the other suicidal—she is convincing. This is fiction packed with ideas and creative sleight of hand. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s...
SIPPING DOM PÉRIGNON THROUGH A STRAW by Eddie Ndopu, read by Eddie Ndopu
July 28, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutesEddie Ndopu performs his memoir, bringing his story to life with his thoughtful narration. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss how Ndopu tells his story of growing up, and his thrilling acceptance with a full scholarship at Oxford University. But when he tries discussing his needs as someone with spinal muscular atrophy, the university informs him their scholarship won’t cover his caregiver’s salary. Ndopu’s narration captures his intense discouragement and despair, but lis...
THE SAY SO by Julia Franks, read by Laura Horowitz, Molly Secours, Rachel L. Jacobs, Colin Martin
July 27, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesA talented ensemble performs Julia Franks's historical novel. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this story of an unintended pregnancy in 1950s North Carolina. Edie Carrigan’s parents tell her she must keep her pregnancy a secret and send her to a house for unwed mothers where she’s expected to give the child up for adoption once she gives birth. Molly Secours beautifully captures Edie’s emotional devastation as she fights to keep her baby. Laura Horowitz, Rachel L. Jacobs...
THE POSTCARD by Anne Berest, Tina Kover [Trans.], read by Barrie Kealoha
July 26, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesBarrie Kealoha delivers an absorbing performance of Anne Berest’s stunning autobiographical novel exploring her family’s tragic yet resilient heritage. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss how the story begins when Anne’s mother receives a decades-old postcard in the mail, in 2003. The postcard lists four relatives who died in Auschwitz. Fifteen years later, Anne decides to investigate the Jewish family’s fate, including their flight from Russia. Kealoha delivers the powerfu...
DEEP AS THE SKY, RED AS THE SEA by Rita Chang-Eppig, read by Emily Woo Zeller
July 25, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesEmily Woo Zeller narrates the story of the life of infamous Chinese pirate queen Shek Yeung. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this historical fiction novel based on the fierce pirate. When Shek Yeung sees her husband slaughtered during a raid, she immediately sets into place plans to keep her unsteady pirate fleet together amid many challenges. She fights to protect her growing fleet and family, no matter the cost. Zeller gives an energetic performance and strong charact...
EL DEAFO by Cece Bell, read by Sarah Tubert, Lexi Finigan, Jennifer Aquino, Fred Berman, Bailey Carr, Nicky Endres, Matt Godfrey, Avi Roque, Sanya Simmons
July 24, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesCece Bell’s graphic memoir for kids is brilliantly adapted for audio with a full cast and thoughtful production. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss Cece’s story, which starts in her early childhood when she lost her hearing after an illness and continues through to middle school. Cece starts school with special earphones attached to a box around her neck, connected to a mic worn by her teachers—not always correctly—and she imagines herself a superhero able to hear her teac...
ZERO DAYS by Ruth Ware, read by Imogen Church
July 21, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesImogen Church performs Ruth Ware’s suspenseful mystery with conviction. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this thriller where Church once again makes each character distinct and memorable. Jack and her husband, Gabe, work in the security field. After a long night working on a test gone awry, Jack returns home to find Gabe dead, and she soon discovers she’s the leading suspect in the case and flees. This is a thriller worth listening to. Read the full review of the audiobook o...
THE KIND WORTH SAVING by Peter Swanson, read by Keith Szarabajka, Kathleen Early, Helen Laser, Micky Shiloah
July 20, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesFour narrators coordinate their performances perfectly in Peter Swanson’s cleverly crafted audiobook about a flawed private detective who becomes involved in the machinations of a woman from his past. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss listening to this sequel to THE KIND WORTH KILLING, where Keith Szarabajka gives voice to detective Henry Kimball. Helen Laser delivers the backstory of his manipulative client, while Micky Shiloah is convincing as her gullible husband. Kathleen...
SUNSHINE by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, read by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Jaiden Meltzer, Xavier Krosoczka, Noah Rico, and a Full Cast
July 19, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesJarrett J. Krosoczka’s second memoir, following HEY, KIDDO, recounts his experiences as a teen counselor at a summer camp for terminally ill children. At the camp, Jarrett uses his gift for drawing to document and access his feelings for fellow counselors, and most importantly, the campers. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this powerful adaptation of Krosoczka’s graphic memoir, with the coordination of more than 50 narrators, carefully selected music, and sound effects that ...
FLAGS ON THE BAYOU by James Lee Burke, read by MacLeod Andrews, Michael Crouch, Dana Gourrier, Marin Ireland, January LaVoy, Ray Porter, James Lee Burke [Epilogue]
July 18, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesA series of introspective monologues is brought vividly to life in six stellar performances. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten talk about this collection of reflective first-person monologues by soldiers, slave owners, and free and enslaved women. The setting is Louisiana during the late days of the Civil War, and the narrators portray all manner of humanity, delivering deeply felt first-person stories that neatly intertwine. Author James Lee Burke delivers his introduction and epilo...
GENTLEMAN OF JAZZ by Ramsey Lewis, Aaron Cohen, read by Dion Graham
July 17, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesDion Graham’s brisk pacing works well to invite listeners into the energetic life and career of jazz icon Ramsey Lewis. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this delightful memoir for jazz lovers and newcomers alike. Graham has once again captured the essence of a great jazz musician in this audiobook, and his deftly modulated performance celebrates the musician’s remarkable story and long career. This audiobook defines an important American musician who made major contributions...
In Conversation with Kevin R. Free, 2023 Golden Voice Narrator
July 14, 2023 10:00 - 46 minutesKevin R. Free joins host Jo Reed for a conversation about his impressive audiobook work, his acting career, and being named a 2023 Golden Voice narrator. Kevin is a multiple Earphones Award winner for a wide range of audiobooks, from children’s stories to literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and fantastic science fiction. There are few narrators who can match his versatility and perceptive performances across genres. Kevin has had an extraordinary career, both in the recording booth and in t...
ALL THE GOLD STARS by Rainesford Stauffer, read by Jess Nahikian
July 14, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesJess Nahikian’s voice sounds assured, comfortable, and clear, but their real achievement is how well their performance connects with Rainesford Stauffer’s thoughtful perspectives and desire to help young people. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this audiobook all about ambition, hustle, and the burden of the idea that we all need to get ahead. The audiobook is a calm but persistent plea for people to resist societal messages around hustle, and that we should never be satisfie...
THE ART THIEF by Michael Finkel, read by Edoardo Ballerini, Michael Finkel [Note]
July 13, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesMichael Finkel narrates the opening of his audiobook, a memorable portrait of Stéphane Breitwieser, the sly European thief who pilfered nearly $2 billion in art objects. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Edoardo Ballerini’s smooth, enticing narration of the rest of the audiobook, making it a true-crime listen that is easy to devour. Breitwieser’s story is dramatic, highly cinematic, but ultimately sad. It is a compelling and shocking listen, and Ballerini’s skill and artistry ...
THE LIBRARIANIST by Patrick deWitt, read by Jim Meskimen
July 12, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesJim Meskimen presents Patrick deWitt’s tribute to reading, books, and librarians. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this story of a lonely retired librarian, Bob, whose life is changed when he rescues a lost woman, returns her to her care home, and surprises himself by volunteering there. Meskimen’s unhurried pace is appropriate as Bob reveals his life story, from running away at age 11 to the recent past, when he was betrayed by his wife and best friend. Meskimen flawlessly p...
HONEY, BABY, MINE by Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Reese Witherspoon [Fore.], read by Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Reese Witherspoon [Fore.]
July 11, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesLaura Dern and Diane Ladd’s genre-bending collection of searingly intimate real-life conversations exemplifies everything that is exciting about audio as a medium. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Ladd and Dern’s conversational memoir. When Ladd is diagnosed with lung scarring, she’s given six months to live and told exercise is her only chance for improvement. Her daughter, Dern, proposes daily walks, with the commitment to leave nothing between them unsaid. Listening to the...
THE ART OF THE STRAIGHT LINE by Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, read by Laurie Anderson and a Full Cast
July 10, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesLaurie Anderson, the late Lou Reed’s wife and sometimes collaborator, invites listeners to learn about Reed’s passion for tai chi and how it saved his life. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this audiobook full of interviews and short pieces describing Reed. Ten years after his passing, Anderson and her three co-editors have created a reflective, meditative collage of an artist and his private passion. The audiobook is a realistic, often endearing, portrait of Reed, with inter...
DIFFERENT KINDS OF FRUIT: AudioFile Favorites
July 07, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesIn today’s episode, host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Kyle Lukoff’s DIFFERENT KINDS OF FRUIT, which Emily highly recommends as family listening. Narrator Cassandra Morris’s bright and youthful tone fits Annabelle, a sixth-grader growing up sheltered in a small Washington town. Lukoff’s excellent writing and Morris’s lively narration work seamlessly to bring Annabelle and the well-rounded characters to life. When Annabelle starts the school year and meets Bailey, her new nonb...
NIGHT OF THE LIVING REZ: AudioFile Favorites
July 06, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesAudioFile is revisiting favorite audiobooks all this week that make for excellent summer listening. In today’s episode, host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss a striking collection of interconnected short stories by debut author Morgan Talty. Darrell Dennis narrates with calculated restraint, empathy, and a sure sense of the author’s voice. Dennis voices central character David, who is Penobscot, with a convincing tone and careful cadence. The stories teeter from funny to sad, cap...
MAN O’ WAR: AudioFile Favorites
July 05, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesIn today’s episode we’re revisiting a favorite audiobook that makes for excellent summer listening. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss MAN O’ WAR, Cory McCarthy’s audiobook narrated perfectly by E.R. Fightmaster. It’s an example of the unique magic that happens when a great narrator is paired with the perfect book. In this young adult novel, River McIntyre spends every spare moment practicing for the swim team as a means to escape their struggle with gender identity—but wh...
HOTEL NANTUCKET: AudioFile Favorites
July 04, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesAudioFile is sharing excellent audiobooks for summer listening all this week. On today’s episode, we’re revisiting a conversation between host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten about Elin Hilderbrand’s stellar novel, THE HOTEL NANTUCKET. Erin Bennett gives a great narration of this audiobook set at a Nantucket beach resort. The hotel was destroyed in a 1922 fire, and the new British owner has restored it and is determined to succeed—but a ghost may get in the way. Perfect for listeners lo...
THE LIGHT WE CARRY: AudioFile Favorites
July 03, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesWe’re sharing our favorite audiobooks for summer listening all this week. On today’s episode, we revisit our conversation between AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed, talking about Michelle Obama’s bestselling memoir. Obama aims to inspire listeners to become their best selves, and she gives practical advice and uses illustrations from her own life. Her deeply personal stories show how she’s worked through obstacles, and listeners also hear about her family’s life post-White House and h...
In Conversation with Marin Ireland, 2023 Golden Voice Narrator
June 30, 2023 10:00 - 35 minutesIn today’s bonus episode, narrator Marin Ireland joins host Jo Reed to talk about her career as an audiobook narrator and being named a 2023 Golden Voice by AudioFile Magazine. Marin and Jo discuss Marin’s acting career, getting her start in audiobook narration, and her remarkable ability to breathe life into characters through her voice. Marin won an Audie Award for Best Female Narration in 2020 for her work on NOTHING TO SEE HERE by Kevin Wilson, and her work has earned her recognition on A...
THAT SUMMER FEELING by Bridget Morrissey, read by Jeremy Carlisle Parker
June 30, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesJeremy Carlisle Parker’s vibrant performance brings the warm, crackling joy of this contemporary summer camp romance home to listeners. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the fun of Bridget Morrissey’s romance set at a summer camp for adults. Garland Moore, struggling post-divorce, signs up for a week-long camp with her sister in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Garland’s voice vibrates with nerves and butterflies as she finds her footing among strangers—and finds herself drawn to h...
RED HOOD by Elana K. Arnold, read by January LaVoy
June 29, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutesJanuary LaVoy’s narration creates a visceral world for Elana K. Arnold’s feminist Little Red Riding Hood retelling. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss how the second person point of view can be distancing, but LaVoy’s skilled narration draws listeners right in. Bisou is a 16-year-old who gains incredible powers once she gets her first period—powers that help her face down werewolves. LaVoy’s delivery makes the tension palpable as Bisou fights to save her own life and protect ...
JANA GOES WILD by Farah Heron, read by Soneela Nankani
June 28, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesSoneela Nankani gives a magnificent performance of Farah Heron’s lively and heartwarming second-chance romance. AudioFile’s Emily Connelly and host Jo Reed first discuss their shared love of KAMILA KNOWS BEST, the story where we first meet an ill-fated couple, Jana and Anil. Now it’s five years later, and Jana is a single mother of 4-year-old Imani. She’s been cautious about dating ever since her brief fling with Anil, Imani’s father. Now Anil, Jana, and Imani are all invited to a two-week de...
PAGEBOY by Elliot Page, read by Elliot Page
June 27, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutesElliot Page gives an emotional, intimate performance of his gorgeous memoir. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the actor’s quiet performance that resonates with moments of joy and heartbreak through his life—detailing his childhood in Nova Scotia, coming out as gay and trans, falling in and out of love, and the toll of being closeted. Hearing his own words in his own voice makes for a powerful listening experience — it’s an intimate performance that hardly feels like a perfo...
TRANSLATION STATE by Ann Leckie, read by Adjoa Andoh
June 26, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesGolden Voice Adjoa Andoh narrates a complex story about identity and belonging set in Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch universe. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this new standalone sci-fi mystery with a memorable cast of characters. Qven should have become a Presger translator, but for a terrible incident that sends them careening towards Enae Athur, Reet Hluid, and the Radch Empire. Adjoa expertly narrates the emotional depths of these three characters, each of whom comes from...
SO MANY STEVES by Steve Martin, Adam Gopnik, read by Steve Martin, Adam Gopnik
June 23, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesHost Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this short audiobook from Steve Martin and Adam Gopnik. Gopnik asks questions, provides context and insights, and then lets the protean Steve Martin tell his own stories, making the work come across as a kind of memoir. Martin’s conversational tone elevates the personal recollections of his complex life. We get the great comic from his student days to his pursuit of stand-up, acting, writing and more. Through it all are banjo playing and joke...
BEETHOVEN IN THE BUNKER by Fred Brouwers, Eileen J. Stevens [Trans.], read by Grover Gardner
June 22, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesHost Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss a new audiobook narrated by Golden Voice Grover Gardner. He narrates Fred Brouwers’s audiobook with the seriousness it deserves as he chronicles the lives of musicians, conductors, and composers living under the Nazi regime. Students of German history and classical music will be fascinated by the diverse ways Nazi authorities and notable musicians of the times danced around the conflict between Hitler’s love of serious music and his hatred of...
HAPPILY by Sabrina Orah Mark, read by Gilli Messer
June 21, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesGilli Messer is a mesmerizing narrator for Sabrina Orah Mark’s dazzling collection of autobiographical essays. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Messer captures the poetry of the mythology of the fairy tales in the essays and weaves in the author’s personal history to the tales. Mark’s accounts are animated by great fairy-tale characters such as Pinocchio, Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and many others. Mark details the complex history of her family, and between the ...
THE COVENANT OF WATER by Abraham Verghese, read by Abraham Verghese
June 20, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesHost Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Abraham Verghese is both a gifted writer and a dynamic narrator. Verghese’s newest novel is a tour de force that benefits from the author’s fine ear. This multi-generational fiction set in the watery environs of India’s southern coast is a long and completely immersive listen. Once you hear Verghese’s nuanced, emotionally charged and satisfying reading, you’ll be convinced that no one else could have better captured the dialects, tones, a...
KING: A LIFE by Jonathan Eig, read by Dion Graham
June 19, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesDion Graham subtly narrates this audiobook, emulating the majestic cadence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, speeches. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this Golden Voice narrator’s captivating performance. Graham captures the Civil Rights leader’s deep, resonant tone; deliberate ministerial intonation; and, during offstage moments, his world-weariness. Author Jonathan Eig renders King as a great but flawed man, making use of recently released tapes and documents and an unpub...
THE GREAT RECLAMATION by Rachel Heng, read by Windson Liong
June 16, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesHost Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss a sweeping epic set in Singapore during the political upheaval of the mid twentieth century. When a fisherman is struggling to find enough fish to support his family, his young son, Ah Boon, discovers a mysterious island with hundreds of fish off its shores, ultimately leading to prosperity that draws the attention of political radicals. Windson Liong perfectly captures the many voices of the characters who come in and out of Ah Boon’s li...
QUIETLY HOSTILE by Samantha Irby, read by Samantha Irby
June 15, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesSamantha Irby narrates her fourth essay collection, bringing her customary sharp observations and comedic timing to her performance. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this audiobook full of Irby’s tales of Hollywood life, her terrible dog, and the worst times she’s been struck with diarrhea. Irby’s storytelling will have you laughing out loud and is a great example of how some books are just that much more fun on audio. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s...
UPSTREAM by Mary Oliver, read by Hala Alyan, Joy Sullivan, Kate Baer
June 14, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesPoets Hala Alyan, Joy Sullivan, and Kate Baer perform this special edition of Mary Oliver’s UPSTREAM, with each narrator performing a different section of the audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss the joy of listening to each poet narrate Oliver’s collection of essays. Listening helps to make clear Oliver’s intense love for the natural world and the ways that her obsession with nature fills her work. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Pub...
A DANGEROUSLY HIGH THRESHOLD FOR PAIN by Imani Perry, read by Imani Perry
June 13, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesListeners living with an autoimmune disease will feel heard, understood, and defended, perhaps for the first time, as they hear this short work from Imani Perry. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this audiobook that gets to the core of what it’s like to live with a chronic condition, told in Princeton professor Imani Perry’s own voice and words. It's hard to imagine someone other than the author, who has lupus and Graves disease, narrating such a probing, purposeful explo...
THE LATE AMERICANS by Brandon Taylor, read by Kevin R. Free
June 12, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesKevin R. Free delivers a dazzling performance of Brandon Taylor’s new novel. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this story of contemporary artists living in Iowa City. Poets, writers, and musicians sit around at parties, in bars, and cafés, discussing what it means to be an artist. Their social lives are deliciously messy as they fall in and out of love. Free’s narration moves between the viewpoints of the main characters with ease, creating a distinct voice for each one, ...
In Conversation with Nicholas Boulton, 2023 Golden Voice Narrator
June 09, 2023 09:30 - 25 minutesNarrator Nicholas Boulton joins host Jo Reed to talk about being named a 2023 Golden Voice. Nicholas is an accomplished actor on stage and screen and in audio, with more than 100 audiobooks to his name. He’s celebrated for the pure quality of his voice, his facility for character, and an unerring instinct for storytelling. Jo Reed spoke with Nicholas in 2021 at the launch of our Audiobook Break podcast, which featured his narration of DAVID COPPERFIELD. In today’s bonus episode, Jo and Nichol...
A RAKE OF HIS OWN by A.J. Lancaster, read by Nicholas Boulton
June 09, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutesNicholas Boulton’s narration of A.J. Lancaster’s audiobook—part fantasy, part murder, part romance—is all pleasure. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss the fun of listening to this audiobook from a 2023 Golden Voice narrator, Nicholas Boulton. When botanical scholar Marius encounters a murdered colleague in his greenhouse, the enthralling fae, Prince Rakken, is there to investigate. Amid more dead colleagues and adventures in various realms, Marius and Rakken begin a romance. Bo...
DIVA 2.0 by Sheryl Lee Ralph, read by Sheryl Lee Ralph
June 08, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutesActor and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph narrates her memoir and self-help guide with drama and feeling. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this audiobook, which is full of delicious anecdotes about Sheryl Lee Ralph’s life in the theater and music business, along with personal reflections on how to succeed and maintain one’s integrity. Ralph’s narration brings her full-throttle vocal range to the ups and downs of her career, and the grace and dignity that come from within. An inspirin...
IT. GOES. SO. FAST. by Mary Louise Kelly, read by Mary Louise Kelly
June 07, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesMary Louise Kelly, anchor of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” delivers a captivating narration of her audiobook about the challenging life of a working parent. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss how this audiobook is best heard in Mary Louise’s own voice, with her journalistic yet emotional delivery. Her warm, empathetic voice; personable delivery; and experienced pacing engage listeners with her examination of life on the front lines of news and parenting. Read the full review o...