Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine
1,567 episodes - English - Latest episode: 17 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.
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Episodes
STUNTBOY, IN-BETWEEN TIME by Jason Reynolds, read by Guy Lockard, Nile Bullock, Angel Pean, James Fouhey, and a Full Cast
September 22, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutesGuy Lockard is the energetic and enthusiastic heart of this new Stuntboy adventure from Jason Reynolds, narrated by a talented cast with lively music and goofy sound effects. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this sequel to the Audie, Odyssey, and Best Audiobook award-winning title from Jason Reynolds. All of the action takes place in Portico’s building, where he lives with his parents and Gran Gran. At least, they used to all live together—now Portico’s parents have split u...
CHINESE MENU by Grace Lin, read by Lisa Ling
September 21, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutesLisa Ling delivers Grace Lin’s delectable food-based tales drawn from Chinese Culture. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this fun and fascinating children’s audiobook all about the foods you’ll discover on menus in American Chinese restaurants, delving into the history and mythology behind everything from the importance of tea to the delightfully named Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. In a conversational tone, Ling describes an iconic dish, offers historical context and etymology...
GODKILLER by Hannah Kaner, read by Kit Griffiths
September 20, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesHannah Kaner’s fantasy with captivating world-building and characters requires an expert emotional performance—and Kit Griffiths delivers. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this rich fantasy where gods live and fight—and die—alongside people. After Kissen’s family is sacrificed by followers of a reckless fire deity, she dedicates her life to hunting gods. But her path changes when she meets Inara, a young heiress who is mysteriously linked to a small god of white lies. Trave...
VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE by Isabel Cañas, read by Jose Nateras, Krysta Gonzales
September 19, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesJose Nateras and Krysta Gonzales convey the romance and spine-tingling horrors in this audiobook set during the Mexican-American war. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this new novel from Isabel Cañas, author of THE HACIENDA. Nateras narrates as Néstor, channeling his dread at being summoned back to the rancho where, 9 years ago, he witnessed his best friend’s gruesome death at the hands of a monster. He’s shocked to discover Nena is alive, angry, and has no time for Néstor’...
THE VASTER WILDS by Lauren Groff, read by January LaVoy
September 18, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesJanuary LaVoy gives a breathtaking narration of an astonishing historical novel from Lauren Groff. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this story set in 1609 that starts with a servant girl fleeing from a failing colony into the forest. What follows is a dramatic, beautifully wrought story of survival, narrated with precision, emotion, and a keen sense of the story. LaVoy puts care into every word she narrates as the girl struggles through the wilds, heightening the joy of dis...
THE BOUNTY by Caroline Alexander, read by Nicholas Boulton
September 15, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesThe beautiful tone and pure British diction of Nicholas Boulton are put to fine use in this history of the mutiny on HMS BOUNTY. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how this history differs from previous explorations of the BOUNTY mutiny. Golden Voice Boulton has a masterful ability to let this fascinating re-creation of events unfold for listeners. His performance highlights how this often romanticized story made Captain Bligh into a monster and Fletcher Christian a Byronic he...
THE DEEPEST MAP by Laura Trethewey, read by Gabra Zackman
September 14, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesGabra Zackman brings her convincing style, resonant tone, and exacting timing to Laura Trethewey’s exploration of the deep sea. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Zackman’s authoritative tone works with this fascinating story of ocean mapping and high-seas adventures. The implications of mapping the ocean floors, which we know less about than the surfaces of the moon or Mars, are extraordinary. There are minerals, buried ships, and undiscovered life forms, as well as possi...
WASTELAND by Oliver Franklin-Wallis, read by Chris Harper
September 13, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesChris Harper has his work cut out for him in Oliver Franklin-Wallis’s chilling audiobook about waste around the globe. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss the challenge of maintaining a reportorial tone amid the horrifying reports of toxic mountains of garbage. He keeps the right pace and cadence as he recounts the author’s discoveries, including an island of plastic three times the size of France floating in the Pacific, corporate mismanagement, the idiocy of fast fashion, and...
THE HEAT WILL KILL YOU FIRST by Jeff Goodell, read by L.J. Ganser
September 12, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesL.J. Ganser superbly reads Goodell’s audiobook on the dramatic impact of climate change on our planet. As host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss, the book explores the how and why of global heat and its devastating effects, from wildfires to melting glaciers. Ganser delivers an exceptional performance. With a bold and intense delivery, Ganser transforms the investigative report into a masterpiece. Anyone concerned about our future and that of future generations should listen. Read...
THE PARROT AND THE IGLOO by David Lipsky, read by Mike Chamberlain
September 11, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesMike Chamberlain’s believable tone and unhurried pace make him a great choice to narrate this audiobook subtitled “Climate and the Science of Denial.” Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this story examining facts versus falsehoods, and the climate-change deniers. These are the folks who still pit themselves against the scientists revealing unyielding truths of melting glaciers, warming temperatures, and catastrophic weather events. Chamberlain’s careful narration of Lipsky’s p...
THE APOLOGY by Jimin Han, read by Kathleen Kim
September 08, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesKathleen Kim’s magnificent performance brings out the complexity and drama in Jimin Han’s outstanding saga. Kim is the compelling voice of Jeonga Cha, a strong-willed woman who is haunted by the decisions she made based on pride and honor. Generations later, as a ghost, she must rectify the consequences of her actions. The wide range of emotions in Kim’s evocative narration deftly reveals Jeonga Cha’s evolving voices as woman, daughter, mother, sister, and grandmother across the intersections...
FAMILY LORE by Elizabeth Acevedo, read by Danyeli Rodriguez del Orbe, Elizabeth Acevedo, Sixta Morel
September 07, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutesThree narrators portray the viewpoints of uncommon women leading full, magical lives in Elizabeth Acevedo’s first novel for adults. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this story of Flor, an older Dominican American woman who decides to throw herself a living wake. One of four sisters, Flor dreams about when people are going to die. Author Acevedo narrates the majority of the novel; her poignant turns of phrase and delivery in English and Spanish provide a musical listening...
KUKUM by Michel Jean, Susan Ouriou [Trans.], read by Erin Tripp
September 06, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesErin Tripp, a Lingít actor and performer, narrates this historical novel based on author Michel Jean’s Innu ancestry. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss how Tripp evokes the snowy landscape and beautiful sections of nature writing. Almanda Siméon, the daughter of Irish immigrants, falls in love with Thomas, an Innu man, and is welcomed in his Pekuakami Innu community. Tripp perfectly pastures Almanda’s horror and fury as she experiences the loss of her community’s Indigeno...
THOSE WE THOUGHT WE KNEW by David Joy, read by MacLeod Andrews
September 05, 2023 09:00 - 8 minutesMacLeod Andrews performs David Joy’s riveting novel set in the mountains of western North Carolina in 2019. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s contributor Kendra Winchester discuss this literary crime novel about Toya, a young Black artist from Atlanta who returns to her grandmother’s Appalachian town to learn more about her family’s history. When she discovers a Confederate statue in town, she calls for its removal. At the same time, a white deputy discovers a list of high-ranking members of the K...
TOM LAKE by Ann Patchett, read by Meryl Streep
September 04, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesMeryl Streep’s captivating performance of Ann Patchett’s new novel transforms this fine book into a must-listen. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this Earphones Award-winning audiobook about the Nelson family isolating together during the start of the Covid pandemic. Lara entertains her daughters with memories of working in summer stock theater at nearby Tom Lake and dating an actor who became a famous movie star. It’s a beautiful warm hug of an audiobook about a mother ...
I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU: AudioFile Favorites
September 01, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesJulia Whelan’s performance is so consistently gripping that listeners may attempt to finish this entire audiobook in one sitting. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this bestselling story of a decades-old murder at a New Hampshire boarding school. A successful podcaster, Bodie teaches a course on the subject at her alma mater, and one of her students turns to that murder for inspiration on her school project. As the research progresses, Bodie is forced to confront complicated r...
BAD CREE: AudioFile Favorites
August 31, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesTanis Parenteau leaps right into narrating this chilling debut horror novel from Jessica Johns. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss a story of dreams come to life — but these dreams are full of crows and sinister winter woods. Parenteau portrays all of Mackenzie’s anxiety, quickening her pace as her nightmares turn more sinister. She lives a solitary life far from her Cree family’s home, and still feels isolated when she returns home. The suspense mounts as Mackenzie and he...
THE WAGER: AudioFile Favorites
August 30, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesDavid Grann’s enthralling audiobook is performed wonderfully by Dion Graham, a master narrator. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this compelling tale of a shipwreck, mutiny, and murder. Dion Graham commands the listener’s attention with this true story of HMS WAGER, an English warship that sailed in the 1740s. The excitement and peril of the high seas are captured through the dramatic accounts of remarkable perseverance. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s w...
HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS AND UNFAIRLY CUTE: AudioFile Favorites
August 29, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesAmina Koroma and Jonathan Andrew Hume bring liveliness and charm to this utterly delightful YA debut from Talia Hibbert, a beloved British romance author. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this audiobook full of humor and heart. Koroma delivers all of the snark and wit of Celine, a stellar student and TikTok star who is ready to take on the world—starting with a wilderness adventure that could win the attention of her hero. Unfortunately, her ex-best-friend-now-rival Brad is...
VERA WONG'S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS: AudioFile Favorites
August 28, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesHost Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss the start of a fun and unusual new mystery series from Jesse Q. Sutanto, narrated with brisk humor by Eunice Wong. The lonely existence of 60-year-old Chinese immigrant Vera Wong takes a wild turn when she discovers a dead body in her rundown San Francisco tea shop. Vera is a woman of strong opinions and decisive actions, and Wong’s crisp, accented portrayal reveals all of Vera’s amusing, endearing, and exasperating traits. Perfect for fans of...
THE RAGING STORM by Ann Cleeves, read by Jack Holden
August 25, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesJack Holden’s return to narrate the third installment in Ann Cleeves’s Matthew Venn series is a treat. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss a story full of twists and turns that will keep listeners engaged. Cleeves’s descriptive prowess transports listeners to the bleak and formidable cliffs of Greystone, Devon. When adventurer Jem Roscoe is found dead in a dinghy after a raging storm, Detective Matthew Venn and his team are called in to investigate. Holden masterfully conveys t...
LEARNED BY HEART by Emma Donoghue, read by Shiromi Arserio
August 24, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesShiromi Arserio is the ideal choice for this touching novel about two 14-year-old girls who attend a boarding school in York, England, in 1805. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Arserio’s compassionate portrayal of these unforgettable characters. Arserio vividly conveys the emotional complexities of Eliza Raine, a lonely, wealthy orphan from India, and Anne Lister, an audacious, highly intelligent tomboy. The social outcasts quickly become inseparable, and their friendship bl...
THE FIRST LADY OF WORLD WAR II by Shannon McKenna Schmidt, read by Suzanne Toren
August 23, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesSuzanne Toren’s rich, assured performance transports listeners in this absorbing discussion of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s World War II contributions. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss how Eleanor expanded the role of First Lady during wartime by becoming actively involved in social issues and traveling widely. She visited troops stationed in the Pacific theater, providing practical support and bolstering troop’s morale. An archived radio broadcast of Eleanor’s spee...
HOMECOMING by Kate Morton, read by Claire Foy
August 22, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesClaire Foy gives listeners a remarkable performance of Kate Morton’s sweeping new novel about family, love, and secrets. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss a mysterious story about one family’s secrets. On Christmas Day, 1959, a bizarre tragedy strikes the Turner family of South Australia. In 2018, Jess Turner, a London-based journalist, is summoned back to Sydney, and she stumbles across the decades-old mystery that leaves her wrestling with the stunning truth of what has bee...
THE BOOKBINDER by Pip Williams, read by Annabelle Tudor
August 21, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesAnnabelle Tudor completely inhabits the English characters at the center of this engrossing tale of gender, class, and World War I. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss a story of Peggy and Maude, bookbinders at Oxford University Press. Peggy’s intellectual curiosity is discernible in her voice; she chafes at the reminder that her job is to bind the books, not read them. Maude, who is neurodivergent, has a knack for parroting the core words of every conversation. Tudor rounds he...
GOODBYE EARL by Leesa Cross-Smith, read by Mela Lee, Kamali Minter, Sarah Beth Goer, Erin Bennett, Traci Odom, Julian Thomas
August 18, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesThis heartfelt audiobook about four friends who are seeking revenge is a must-listen. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Leesa Cross-Smith’s novel set in a small town. Mela Lee narrates as Kasey, who has returned home and is haunted by the truth of her mother’s death. She reunites with three friends, Ada, Rosemarie, and Caroline. Caroline has recently married the town’s richest bachelor, Trey, but when his abusive behavior sends Caroline to the hospital, the other girls plan hi...
THE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF ILL-MANNERED LADIES by Alison Goodman, read by Kristin Atherton
August 17, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesKristen Atherton’s excellent use of accents, inflection, and tempo brings Alison Goodman’s characters to life in a lively feminist Regency adventure. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss a story of single 42-year-old twin sisters, Augusta and Julia, who are way ahead of their time. They may be considered “on the shelf” by some, but others know them as determined deliverers of women and girls in calamitous situations. Atherton’s animated performance captures all the aristocratic a...
THE WHISPERS by Ashley Audrain, read by Jill Winternitz
August 16, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesJill Winternitz perfectly captures the strain of maintaining facades in her narration of four women forced to confront unearthed truths. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Ashley Audrain’s suspenseful thriller about the bitter secrets, despair, and rage hidden away in a quiet neighborhood. From the first crack in the veneer at a neighborhood barbecue to a tragic incident befalling one of their children, each woman’s world starts to unravel and affect the other women in the grou...
ALISON BECHDEL'S DYKES TO WATCH OUT FOR by Alison Bechdel, Madeleine George, read by Jane Lynch, Carrie Brownstein, Roberta Colindrez, Roxane Gay, and a Full Cast
August 15, 2023 09:00 - 6 minutesThis full-cast audio adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s classic comic strip about the messy lives of a group of queer women in the 1980s is absolutely flawless. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this hilarious, heartfelt, and utterly compelling adaptation of a lesbian classic. Jane Lynch grounds the production as the narrator, and Carrie Brownstein gives a knockout performance as Mo, a self-righteous but well-intentioned lesbian who is prone to panic attacks. Sound effects, music,...
BEWARE THE WOMAN by Megan Abbott, read by Brittany Pressley
August 14, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesBrittany Pressley captures a young woman’s fear as her world closes in on her. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Megan Abbott’s mystery about a family vacation gone wrong. Newly married Jacy and Jed are traveling to the wilds of Michigan to meet Jed’s parents. But soon things start to feel off, especially when Jed’s father, Dr. Ash, takes an uneasy interest in Jacy’s pregnancy. Pressley provides the perfect mix of mounting terror and rage and creates a progressively suffocatin...
Christine Baranski and Jesse Green in conversation about SHY
August 11, 2023 10:00 - 49 minutesActor Christine Baranski and New York Times theater Jesse Green join host Jo Reed in a special bonus edition of Behind the Mic. The two joined forces to create the audiobook of SHY: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers, written by Mary Rodgers and Jesse Green. Listen to our interview to hear from Jesse Green about how this lively and memorable book was written, and how Christine Baranski’s talented narration brings this unusual memoir to life. Mary Rodgers was the daughter of the ...
WE STILL BELONG by Christine Day, read by Katie Anvil Rich
August 11, 2023 09:00 - 7 minutesKatie Anvil Rich gives an engaging narration of a heartwarming middle grade audiobook that takes place over the course of a single day. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Christine Day’s newest quiet, thoughtful audiobook exploring identity and belonging. Rich captures Wesley’s nervous excitement for this year’s Indigenous People’s Day. She’s publishing a poem on the holiday in her middle school paper, and she’s going to ask her cute gaming club crush out to a school dance. W...
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...