Natalie Duke perfectly delivers the tone of Slade's concise deep dive into how America came to reject domestic manufacturing and the long-term damage that resulted. Listeners may be familiar with how union membership has bottomed out, the ripple effects of so-called free-trade agreements, and the explosive growth of online shopping. Slade's audiobook brings this damaging... Read More

Of the several audiobooks about British sea explorer James Cook, this is one of the most memorable. Peter Noble is a powerful narrator, and he weds himself to this action-packed story with deep empathy and understanding. As the Revolutionary War unfolded on the east side of the North American continent, Cook explored the west, searching in vain for a Northwest Passage. Along... Read More

Hanif Abdurraqib's latest book is a transcendent feat of poetry, memoir, and--well, magic. His narration is as breathless and beautiful as his prose; this book is epic in every sense of the word. It's an ode to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio; a love letter to basketball; a meditation on home and belonging; and an exploration of faith, Blackness, music, and place. He delivers... Read More

Annabelle Hirsch's feminist look at history through 101 idiosyncratic objects is given a captivating performance by the author and 100 narrators. The choice of performers, including actors, authors, and commentators, is as clever as the short essays about the objects. We have an anecdote about a healed femur from 30,000 BCE, narrated by Gillian Anderson; a fifth-century BCE... Read More

L.J. Ganser narrates this wonderful historical look at the rise of baseball in New York City with his usual interested style. You can tell when Ganser is reading a quotation, but he never imposes a campy tone or a vocal imitation. He sounds involved without being overly animated as he delivers the narrative, which starts in the nineteenth century and moves through... Read More

Anthony Rey Perez has just the right tone for this satirical debut novel, especially as he aptly mimics the protagonist's self-justifying voice and truth twisting. Perez's pace moves the story forward--no matter the circumstance. He sounds just like the smart Puerto Rican kid from the Bronx featured in the story. Javi Perez succeeds until he doesn't by playing the victim... Read More

Set in New York City and French Polynesia in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, this mesmerizing audiobook is flawlessly narrated by Rebecca Lowman. Pia is the 15-year-old daughter of Stephen, a cardiologist at a New York City hospital, and Natalie, a marine biologist. Hoping to attend high school in person, Pia relocates from the island where Natalie is conducting... Read More

Ellen Adair handles this biography of Pete Rose beautifully, with clear enunciation and pronunciation, letting the rich and troubled life of baseball's all-time hits leader stand for what it is. Rose was a homegrown Cincinnati guy who went on to star for the Reds. But his off-field pursuits--gambling, an extramarital affair, and a lack of solid friendships--mar his legacy.... Read More

Author/narrator Amy Tan takes up bird watching to counteract the negativity and discord in the world. Tan is a joy to listen to--a charming and warm presence, with a dollop of self-deprecation, as she chronicles her learning journey. She exudes joy and wonder as a hummingbird feeds from her hand. There is anguish when, to avoid spreading a disease among the Pine Siskins, she... Read More

Andrew Fallaize shines voicing this Sherlock-style mystery set in a fantasy world. The Khanum Empire faces threats from Leviathans that make it most vulnerable during the wet season. In a mansion belonging to a wealthy family, a high-ranking commander is killed by a tree that grows from his body. Discovering the assassin and motive before the upcoming wet season becomes... Read More

This timely audiobook is an engaging follow-up to the bestselling author's work on psychological flourishing. Narrator Landon Woodson's heartfelt performance authentically represents the author, a renowned sociologist. Keyes's own storytelling skill creates a smooth transition into the audio format since the scientific information is presented in the context of real-life people... Read More

This poetry collection draws, in both theme and imagery, on the minutiae of everyday life, particularly in the working-class neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon, where Michael Dickman grew up. His mother, who worked for the regional power company, has an especially strong presence, as you might expect in this largely autobiographical volume. The poems are not simple but, like all... Read More

Ray Porter's straightforward presentation highlights Schaller and Waldman's observations on why white voters in rural America have been won over by candidates whose political actions oppose the voters' best interests. The authors detail ways that our system gives an inordinate advantage to these rural voters, who are vastly smaller in number than their urban counterparts.... Read More

Kristin Atherton brings a regal ambiance to this compelling historical fiction featuring Mary, Queen of Scots. After the rebellion of her Scottish lords, Mary is imprisoned in remote Lochleven Castle with three of her ladies-in-waiting. Pregnant and forced to abdicate, Mary suffers her plight, all the while plotting her escape. Atherton's delivery reflects the escalating... Read More

Vietnamese-born poet Nam Le's second poetry book speaks provocatively to the perspectives of people with multicultural identities, especially those whose experiences include a violent history. Many of his words are haunting, and his slow, steady way of speaking creates anticipation for what comes next. Listeners can hear the darkness and trauma in his tone. In the poem... Read More

Gabriel Garcia Márquez's last novel, although far from his best, deserves a better reading than it gets in this audio version. Catalina Sandino Moreno's English pronunciation is decidedly imperfect. A Spanish accent is not necessarily a problem with a Latin American novel, but an accent that interferes with our understanding of the text is not ideal. Moreno's phrasing also... Read More

January LaVoy performs this epic story of three teenagers who are brought back from the dead just long enough to compete in a mysterious game to see who gets to continue to live. In this debut novel by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kelly Link, characters Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves back in Lovesend, Massachusetts, one year after they died. Their families have no memory of... Read More

January LaVoy and Michael Crouch perform this historical novel with a supernatural twist. LaVoy delivers the perspective of Laura, a nurse who has recently returned from a WWI battlefield to her home in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Crouch narrates the viewpoint of Laura's brother, Freddie, a young soldier who has gone missing in the cold, wet trenches of Belgium. LaVoy conveys all of... Read More

Like a gifted storyteller conjuring scary tales, Michael Crouch gives a riveting performance of this gripping psychological suspense by Norwegian mystery writer Jo Nesbo (in a departure from his Harry Hole detective novels). Crouch channels 14-year-old Richard, recently arrived in a foster home after the deaths of his parents in a fire. Before long, Richard starts to experience... Read More

Dr. Joy Buolamwini carefully narrates this hybrid memoir detailing her groundbreaking research on AI software discrimination. Labeling the phenomenon she uncovered as "the coded gaze," she explains how predominantly white male computer programmers have subconsciously established bias in algorithmic decision making. As an activist, Buolamwini warns that some systems claim they... Read More

Performing this revealing look at the complexities of the revered jazz pioneer Billie Holiday, actress Maya Days connects with every ounce of the brilliance and tragedy of the singer's life. Strategic pauses in Days's phrasing and spot-on dialect for dialogue make her sentences sing with auditory variety. But it's her heartfelt resonance with Holiday's difficult life that makes... Read More

Tavia Gilbert, who has narrated works by this author twice before, clearly gets her informed and impassioned voice and neatly emulates her literary style. Gilbert's even tone captures the seriousness of this ambitious endeavor. Kakutani offers listeners a version of cultural history that entwines two phenomena--radical disruptions in media and the arts and the rise of the... Read More

As a founding member of the Evolving Faith movement, Sarah Bessey, with her charming Canadian accent and self-deprecating humor, is an ideal escort for the story of her journey from stalwart churchgoer to skeptic and back again--sort of. Bessey's original faith was built by a church unshakable in its exclusionary doctrine, and when that failed her, she was left rejected,... Read More

Narrator John Rubinstein returns to take listeners on a ride-along with psychologist Alex Delaware and Police Lieutenant Milo Sturgis as they solve another complicated crime. Rubinstein has perfected the voices of Milo and Alex, while skillfully performing secondary characters male and female, including a precocious male teenager. This 39th addition to the series provides... Read More

Martin's latest audiobook takes place in 1954 on Verona, a tropical island near an unspecified mainland, where Mrs. Gulliver runs a discreet legal bordello. Cassandra Campbell narrates as Lila Gulliver telling her story in an intelligent and determined voice. Campbell employs minor adjustments in tone as she delivers the dialogue of the other characters in the audiobook.... Read More

Lyz Lenz narrates her memoir about the end of her marriage and the start of her new life as an "ex-wife." While Lenz had been told that the end of her marriage would be the end of her family, she soon discovered that leaving her unhappy marriage gave her more fulfillment and love than she ever had before. Using her personal experience as a springboard, Lenz delves into the... Read More

Vanessa Edwin and Teddy Hamilton narrate this charming cowboy romance, which takes place at Rebel Blue Ranch. Interior designer Ada Hart is a city girl who believes she doesn't need a man to take care of her. But when she arrives in the small town of Meadowlark, she is instantly smitten with the handsome cowboy Weston Ryder. When she's hired to fix up Weston's family's ranch,... Read More

Aaron Goodson has a pleasing narrative style. He performs this coming-of-age novel in a conversational manner. His pensive tone works for narrator/protagonist David Hammons, the well-read but adrift young man who finds himself working as a fundraising assistant in the 2008 presidential election for the unnamed African American senator from Illinois. This clearly... Read More

An inspiring original story gets a five-star narration from Lynnette R. Freeman. Her character voices are so believable this audiobook sounds like a full-cast recording. Sanite and her daughter, Ady, run from the brutality of John du Marche's slave labor camp--also known as a plantation. Separated when Sanite is recaptured, Ady endures hardship alone in the woods. Eventually,... Read More

Shannon McManus's cocksure, feisty delivery will keep listeners engrossed as Dani, a magically gifted art thief, prepares to steal works from a coveted art collection. McManus uses a gentle Southern accent as Dani heads home to Kentucky to reunite with the crew she betrayed years ago. Devising unique voices, McManus portrays the confident crew of magical criminals as they plan... Read More

The most appealing feature of this audiobook by Margo Livesey is Ell Potter's spirited rendering of the characters' Scottish accents. Potter captures the atmosphere of late-nineteenth-century Scottish country life and her young heroine's uncertain grasp of her gift of precognition. Livesey, best known for her previous novel THE BOY IN THE FIELD, stands at the opposite pole from... Read More

Literature specialists may be familiar with the four writers featured in this group biography--Mary Sidney, Aemelia Lanyer, Elizabeth Cary, and Anne Clifford--but most listeners will not be. This is in part because their work was generally ignored or suppressed. Ramie Targoff is interested in why that happened, considering that three of the women were countesses, well... Read More

Angel Pean sounds young, sweet, and tough as nails in her impressive narration of this second novel by the author of the Earphones Award-winning sci-fi debut THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS. Set on an alternate, perhaps future, Earth, where Wiley City residents guard their walled community from gritty Ashtown, this is both a thriller and social commentary. Scales is a mechanic and... Read More

Dominic Hoffman narrates this reimagining of ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, but this time Jim tells his own story. When Jim learns that he's going to be sold to someone downriver, he flees, leaving behind his wife and daughter. But he soon finds himself tangled up with Huckleberry Finn, a white boy who is always getting into the worst sorts of trouble. Jim is practiced at... Read More

Rob Shapiro captures the viewpoint of Brent Cummings, an Iraq War veteran who leads cadets with his moral conviction. Shapiro emphasizes the shock Cummings feels at Donald Trump's election and his worry that his country is falling apart because of the president's divisiveness. Brent's neighbor, Michael, is a man with politically polar opposite views. Shapiro excels at dialogue... Read More

Alisha Bailey moves easily between English and Jamaican Patois in this debut novel about grief, family, and coming home. After her younger brother dies, 20-year-old Akúa returns to Jamaica to visit the sister she hasn't seen in years. Longing for reconnection and to make sense of their fraught past, she finds home a lot more complicated than she remembered. The story switches... Read More

Saskia Maarleveld is a bravura performer, particularly dazzling with European accents. Here she is performing in her own native New Zealand accents, and the result is unexpectedly confounding. While the consonants are familiar, the vowel sounds are so different from those in standard British or American English that the meaning is often hard to follow, particularly when a... Read More

It's always informative, at the least, to hear a poet's own readings of his work--even if those are not always the most evocative or entertaining renditions. Michael Ondaatje's poetry is quite fine; an earlier collection won the Governor General's Literary Award (Canada). But his performance of these works, alas, does not do them justice. The poems return again and again to... Read More

Four narrators work together in this multigenerational story of migration, love, and loss. Janet Song, Intae Kim, Greta Jung, and Raymond J. Lee create balance to this lyrical story set amid the making of the two Koreas. They bring to life the struggles of Insuk and her turbulent romance and then marriage to Sungho. The female and male narrators trade a wide variety of... Read More

Guy Gunaratne narrates his audiobook, which is centered on the fractured life of its Syrian protagonist, Yayha Bas. We listeners are flies on the wall as Yayha's interrogator asks him to recount the actions that brought him to the present moment. Gunaratne delivers this wending tale about a poet turned revolutionary and then prisoner in a tender voice that makes us draw near.... Read More

Bahni Turpin narrates a West African-inspired romance blended with high fantasy. After a falling out with their chieftain, elven sisters Yeeran and Lettle wind up in fae lands and must adapt if they hope to survive. Turpin portrays elder sister Yeeran, a battle-hardened warrior, as proud and energetic, always ready to take charge. In contrast, younger sister Lettle is training... Read More

Alex Finke narrates a hilarious and heartwarming friends-to-lovers romance set in Brooklyn. Eve Hatch is content with life in her cozy city apartment close to her childhood best friend, Willa, after moving away from her family in the Midwest. However, an unplanned pregnancy from a one-night stand shakes up her life. She takes a closer look at all her current relationships,... Read More

This audiobook reveals that Orange is among the most insightful novelists writing today and a poet of pain. Among this segmented novel's stellar performances, Charley Flyte's reading of Victoria Bear Shield's dramatic monologue to her unborn daughter is a tour de force--a haunting performance with an expressive tone and intimate voice. Alma Cuervo portrays Jacquie Red Feather... Read More

Every one of performer Billy Dee Williams's well-lived 86 years can be heard in this candid memoir. Williams's somewhat tired vocal demeanor sharply contrasts with his cool and crisp delivery of the fascinating events of his life, beginning with his childhood appearance in a Broadway show. He has a tinge of a New York City accent. And--make no mistake--his frequent odd pauses... Read More

Principal author Grace Hawthorne presents the chapters of this intelligent guide with appealing assertiveness while a Stanford colleague delivers brief segments with equal authority and charm. Hawthorne's vocal confidence makes these coherent ideas even more arresting among the sea of published advice available on creativity and getting things done. Most interesting is how this... Read More

Kate Bowler's narration of her own title is a soothing balm for anyone who is struggling with the daily work of living in the midst of feeling broken. The poignancy of her audiobook comes from both her written words and from their brevity. She is firm in her convictions, as well as graceful in her speech, at a time when listeners may be struggling through their worst moments.... Read More

The burnout expert and personal balance coach narrates in a gentle manner that will help all kinds of overly busy people absorb her foundational advice on finding more enjoyment in life. She balances her assertive tone and professional-sounding enunciation with audible respect for her listeners--an inviting combination that promotes openness to learning. Her research summaries... Read More

Gilli Messer delivers a tender, emotional performance of a family in grief in this contemporary novel. When vibrant and funny Annie Brown suddenly dies, her young family struggles to adapt to life without her. Messer's pleasant, expressive voice lends itself well to the Brown family, as well as their friends, and neighbors; she portrays children, adults, and the elderly with... Read More

This near-future dystopian novel is set in a time of ecological disaster in the mostly underwater community of Island City. Carlotta Brentan portrays the cast of characters smartly by subtly shifting tone, cadence, and timbre. She smoothly portrays the protagonist, who begins as a gangly 11-year-old named Sylvia. Brentan contrasts Sylvia's size and temperament with those of her... Read More

This entire ensemble of performers is particularly effective at creating an absorbing, progressively horrifying listen. Wendig's audiobook revolves around a layered world of human relationships involving the desire for power and its consequences. Calla (Brittany Pressley) provides her father (Sean Patrick Hopkins) with a name for the new apple he's harvested, the Ruby Slipper.... Read More

For those who think today's political climate is more partisan than ever, this audiobook will reveal how political disagreements and competing philosophies on the best way to move the nation forward have always been part of our history. Robert Fass brings to this engaging and enlightening history a measured tone that is just right. He captures what must have been highly charged... Read More

Renowned singer Dolly Parton is center stage as she describes how her clothing choices over the years represent who she is. The production takes a Q&A format: Dolly's niece, Rebecca Seaver, also the director of Dolly's archived clothing collection, poses the questions. Seaver's engaging manner leads to Dolly's spontaneous clothing-related reflections during different periods of... Read More

Narrators Ell Potter and Michael Dodds return for the second book in the Emily Wilde series. Bambleby's marriage proposal lingers in Emily's mind as she works on her next project--a comprehensive map of the faerie realms. Assassins sent by his murderous mother complicate matters, so the two travel to the Austrian Alps to find the door to Bambleby's faerie realm. Potter narrates... Read More

Daniel K. Isaac, Dominic Hoffman, and Shannon Tyo present a layered performance of Park's much anticipated latest. Isaac narrates the audiobook's framing story involving burned-out writer-turned-tech-employee Soon Sheen, who finds a manuscript detailing the "true" history of the Korean Provisional Government. This history, narrated with a mix of passion and poignance by Tyo,... Read More

Golden Voice JD Jackson is his usual rough-voiced excellent self as he narrates this compelling exploration of Tulsa's Greenwood section before, during, and after the infamous Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. Greenwood was a thriving Black community until a white mob unleashed fury, terror, and flames, killing dozens or hundreds, wounding hundreds more, and destroying wide swaths... Read More

Narrator Khaya Fraites enchants listeners with this charming friends-to-lovers romance. Recently dumped by her long-term boyfriend, Gemma decides to drown her sorrows in one too many margaritas with her family and her best friend, Dax. Persuaded to perform a love-cleansing spell, Gemma is swept away to an alternate reality where she gets a taste of what life could be like if... Read More

"It's hard to live in someone's blind spot." This refrain is part of Funder's uniquely crafted audiobook about the life of Eileen O'Shaughnessy, George Orwell's wife. Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood is a capable narrator with a bright tone and considerable skill with voices and accents. The audiobook takes on many roles--O'Shaughnessy biography, author's memoir, and social... Read More

Author Ed Conway narrates this fascinating survey of six raw materials essential to civilization: sand, salt, iron, copper, oil, and lithium. Conway's narrative point of view is the plural "we," and his narrative reach is global. We visit salt mines and blast furnaces, and gaze far into the cyberfuture, all of it informative, fresh, and enlightening. Conway is an animated... Read More

The sea, with its tides and weather, can be peaceful and inspiring, or it can be wild and chaotic. Anna Rust's calm and rhythmic voice evokes the constantly moving ocean that intersects and shapes Hannah Stowe's life. The author grew up on the Welsh coast, where she learned to sail and surf and observe the creatures of the ocean. Here she warns of ocean acidification, rising... Read More

Rebecca Lowman's warm, easygoing performance creates a relaxed space for listeners to engage with this expansive cultural and scientific exploration of Earth's and humanity's relationship with the moon across time. The interconnectedness between each section is enhanced as Lowman clearly voices the science behind our world and its living organisms, and the mythos inspired by... Read More

Danny Hoch takes on this contemporary satire of the Hebrew folk figure called a golem--but this one lives in Brooklyn, rather than Eastern Europe. When Brooklyn-born-and-bred Len Bronstein, a secularly Jewish art teacher, molds a nine-foot golem from clay, he finds he's got his hands full. Former Hasid Miri Apfelbaum joins them to translate the golem's heavily accented Yiddish... Read More

The gun control debate in America has both emotional and legal dimensions, and this audiobook focuses on the latter. It's a brief audiobook that would have felt longer without the energetic narration of Dan Bittner, who prevents it from bogging down. Not that the writing is turgid--on the contrary, it's as lucid and conversational as one can expect from a dissection of the... Read More

In a clear, crisp voice Dakota Blue Richards introduces listeners to the action-packed world of Aubrey Argylle. After the death of his globe-trotting parents, 20-something Argylle wanders the Thai jungle until his rescue of plane crash survivors brings him to the attention of the CIA. Argylle speaks multiple languages and has no attachments. In other words, he would be an ideal... Read More

Vivienne Leheny's narration of this audiobook brings the remarkable story of the champion racehorse Lexington to life against the backdrop of the Civil War-era South. Leheny's voice captures the essence of each moment--from the exhilarating highs of Lexington's racing triumphs to the tense mood of a nation in turmoil. Leheny's ability to convey a wide range of emotions with... Read More

Molly Roden Winter gives an affecting narration of her and her husband's exploration of an open marriage in contemporary Brooklyn. Winter's tone is forthright and vulnerable as she portrays entanglements with several men she meets on apps catering to people in non-monogamous relationships. While much of the memoir focuses on her arrangement with her husband, Stewart, Winter... Read More

Listeners will be launched back to the eighteenth century by this audiobook, inspired by the diary of the American midwife and healer Martha Ballard. The story weaves Ballard's journal through Lawhon's thrilling mystery of rape and murder. Jane Oppenheimer gives life to this first-person account, which includes birth, death, rape, and family, as well as the challenges of life... Read More

This epic novel in verse is set in the Northern Sami lands of Scandinavia above the Arctic Circle. Angela Dawe employs deliberate pacing and pauses, along with a dreamy tone. Her delivery style results in a faithful translation of the poetic blank spaces throughout the original text, which suggest the quietness of the landscape and the erasing of the Sami reindeer herders'... Read More

Manjula Martin delivers this audiobook as if reading to a friend. While she's not blessed with a sonorous voice, her delivery is both passionate and authentic. She captures the complications of living in proximity to wildfires in Sonoma County, California, which was devastated by conflagrations in 2020. The audiobook presents three interlocking stories: The first is about a... Read More

Iranian American actor Arian Moayed gives the performance of a lifetime in poet Kaveh Akbar's extraordinary debut novel. Cyrus Shams is a queer Iranian American poet in recovery who is grieving the long-ago death of his mother (killed when the U.S. Navy shot down a civilian Iranian plane) and struggling to find meaning in life. He becomes obsessed with the idea of martyrdom and... Read More

Fearsome creatures, dangerous spirits, and horrifying humans abound in this riveting collection of stories written by 26 Indigenous authors and performed by 9 Indigenous narrators. Sheldon Elter's matter-of-fact portrayal of a frustrated son transforms into very believable terror in Cherie Dimaline's "Tick Talk." Tara Sky's youthful voice enlivens two disturbingly realistic... Read More

Fortunately, narrator Daniel Isaac isn't charged with proclaiming motivation in this bracing caper. However, he admirably enlivens Mac, a cagey corporate investigator who discovers the existence of a cache of data that could tip the balance of power on the island nation of Patusan. Isaac also skillfully animates Mac's devious competitors, including a dim-witted everyman, a late... Read More

Julianne Moore performs this pandemic novel told in three sections. Each section is set on April 5th of a different year. In 2019, we meet Isabel; her husband, Dan; and her brother, Robbie--who are all living together in New York City with Isabel and Dan's two children. Each section reveals more about the family members, weaving together the threads of their lives. Cunningham... Read More

NEW YORK TIMES opinion columnist David Brooks offers another work that promotes the principles, character traits, and social habits that can make life more fulfilling. Advancing the idea that healthy people need to be valued and understood by others, he combines his personal experiences with examples from history, literature, and social science to show how we can have more... Read More

Morgan Dalla Betta's warm narration transports listeners to a Colorado mountain village, where bookstore-owning sisters Ellie and Meg Christie reluctantly head out on a joint blind date arranged by their cousin, Lorna. When Meg's date is later found murdered and she becomes the prime suspect, the sisters and other family members set out to prove that Meg is innocent. Betta... Read More

Series narrator Kirsten Potter does her usual exceptional work in the fourth mystery in the Pentecost & Parker series. In 1947 Manhattan, Vera Bodine has gone missing. She's elderly, and an invalid now. But the fact that she once had a photographic memory and that her early life was fraught with enemies might be connected to her disappearance. As Willowjean "Will" Parker,... Read More

Katalin Karikó is an incredibly determined scientist from Hungary who won the Nobel Prize, along with Drew Weissman, for discoveries in mRNA that led to the development of COVID-19 vaccines. Eva Magyar, a Hungarian actress with a clear timbre and a Hungarian accent, performs this audiobook with perceptive insight and energy. While it may take a few minutes to get used to the... Read More

As a financial history chronicling the role of Jewish immigrants in America's evolving financial markets between the Civil War and WWI, this audiobook may be of limited interest. Jonathan Davis is skilled and effective, and the narrative is well researched. But what makes this story so compelling, and so relevant to today's events, is the historical link between Wall Street... Read More

Brittany Pressley brings the right ethereal feeling to this complex novel. A curse on the Farrow women causing them to go mad has haunted the family for generations. When June begins seeing things, she is tormented by the thought that it's happening to her. Pressley is especially convincing while delivering June's hallucinatory experiences. June has a decision to make: Should... Read More

British voice artist Joan Walker's plummy, warm voice charms listeners as thoroughly as does Sarah Ogilvie's marvelous account of the Oxford English Dictionary's unsung heroes. Begun in 1857, the OED depended on volunteers around the world who submitted words (and citations of first use) found in every kind of publication. They were a fascinating cross section of society, from... Read More

Narrating this flow of arresting ideas from an L.A. psychiatrist with prior books and famous patients, actor JC Mackenzie connects with the author's intelligent perspectives on humanity and compassion for the challenges of modern life. His handsome speech patterns are subdued but never fail to capture the nuanced wisdom in this writing. Stutz has an uncanny grasp of how we... Read More

This composite history of the crucial turning point in WWII seems designed for an ensemble performance. The narrative is pieced together from the words of dozens of participants--soldiers and civilians--40 in all. The global action shifts from North Africa to the South Pacific, from the battle lines of Stalingrad to an obscure physics lab in Chicago. It's a concept built on... Read More

Scott Brick continues to capture the stoic Jack Reacher in this action-packed series. The audiobook starts with sisters Veronica and Roberta Sanson throwing a man out a hospital window. Cleverly designed "accidental" deaths continue to affect a team of scientists who are involved in a research project in India. When the secretary of defense is alerted to the deaths, he pulls... Read More

This audiobook's excellence makes its nearly 19-hour time span fly by. Ari Fliakos is superb in this complex yet supremely accessible performance. He lends his skill to the depiction of Jack and Elizabeth's relationship and all its backstories and subplots. No nuance of this novel escapes Fliakos: satirical social commentary, tender love story, hilarious missteps of modern... Read More

George Newbern provides a clear, thoughtful listening experience. Given the depth of the information provided, listeners benefit from his approach. Tabery's audiobook addresses the ascension of health care that is focused on individuals--or so called "personalized medicine." While the appeal of person-centered care is evident, the lack of focus on larger environmental forces is... Read More

Changing "yes but" to "yes and" may be an overused trope in the personal-growth space, but in this audio a prolific Dutch author uses his theater background to give the advice a colorful new life. The core idea is that fighting with problem people or arguing with yourself about your own problems only hardens the issues. Instead, Gunster suggests embracing the realities, even... Read More

Sean Patrick Hopkins narrates this deep dive into Chicago history with an engaged tone as the listener hears how Mrs. Leary got a bad rap for the notorious fire that ravaged the city in 1871. The audiobook details the fire itself before launching into a comprehensive look at the aftermath and several of the key players involved--publisher/politician Joseph Medill and politician... Read More

Robert Petkoff delivers a masterful performance of this detailed history of the NEW YORK TIMES from 1976 to 2016. His narration is smooth and nuanced; his tempo and cadence move these fascinating inside stories of the "paper of record" forward. This is a gripping media story of how the Times survived scandals (Jason Blair and Judith Miller), the turnover of top editors, and,... Read More

It makes sense that a story this expansive would employ a wide array of audiobook narrators. The result is too good to miss. A secluded spot in Massachusetts becomes home to a wide expanse of life over a four-hundred-year span. With each tale of shifting inhabitants, the listener is treated to a performance by one of several gifted narrators. Simply put, there is not a weak... Read More

TV host and political commentator Rachel Maddow shines at framing the backstory of current American politics in her latest audiobook, narrated in her signature forthright style. Building on her award-winning podcast, "Ultra," Maddow lays out the historical seditionist plot to, not only keep the U.S. out of WWII, but also to convince Americans that the Nazi attacks against Jews... Read More

Motivational speaker and former "Survivor" contestant Alexis Jones shares stories of her life that come straight from her heart. Her radically honest sharing of her strengths and challenges becomes clear in her account of discovering that the father she knew all her life was not her biological father. Jones's nonstop energy and fierce pursuit of her interests have driven her... Read More

With enunciation so sharp it could carve a glass slipper, Zura Johnson deftly navigates the twists and turns of this fractured fairy tale based loosely upon "Cinderella." The story is told from the point of view of Ash, whom Johnson embodies with a posh British accent and an unassuming tone that shifts smoothly to biting wit. Johnson delivers an impressive array of male and... Read More

Heather Long shows listeners the complexity of blame and forgiveness in a compelling Christmas-themed audio. Holly and her sister, Lily, are embarking on a Christmas trip to Devon, England, when a horrible accident occurs. Long details the suffocating blame Holly shoulders and the halting ways she attempts to exist without her sister. A series of karmic twists leads Holly back... Read More

Alan Carlson delivers this intense account of a massive fire with controlled urgency. His slight Canadian accent adds to the narration. He measures his delivery, deliberately paces the stories, and unspools the remarkable trajectory of the wildfire that ultimately engulfed one million and a half acres, burned for 15 months, and caused the evacuation of around 90,000 residents... Read More

Lauren Ambrose returns as narrator of this sequel to Prose's first wildly popular cozy mystery, THE MAID. Ambrose is a charming actor and performs here with enthusiasm and heart, clearly wishing our heroine Molly well as she copes with (gasp) another murder at the fancy hotel where she is now head of housekeeping. Molly is neurodivergent and knows it. Hers is the voice of one... Read More

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith's narrating tone is soft and gentle as she recounts the many questions and frustrations she faces as she pieces together her lineage, examines insidious racism, and confronts oppression. The 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States extols the tenderness of her father, who achieved success in the military through his persistence and... Read More

In a concise 10-and-a-half hours, this fascinating history of secret writing advances step-by-step from ancient hieroglyphics to the vastness of computerized encryption. Narrator Patty Nieman hasn't quite the ease and naturalness of an experienced performer. But she has an appealing voice, and she is especially effective here, where so much is information driven, with little... Read More

In Ellroy's latest audiobook, former cop Freddy Otash finds himself jammed up. He's investigating the death of Marilyn Monroe but has police officials, Jack and Bobby Kennedy, and a swarm of others--actors, a psychologist, and people from the seedier side of Los Angeles--getting in his way. Craig Wasson relishes his narration, bringing a high level of emotion when needed. A few... Read More

André Santana's understated performance of these ancient Greco-Roman queer stories creates a thoughtful experience for listeners. Santana's soft pauses between the introduction to each selection and the selections themselves ease listeners into an engaging assortment of mythology, philosophy, satire, and poetry. This production includes notable pieces from Ovid's METAMORPHOSES,... Read More

Narrator Edoardo Ballerini masterfully narrates this sequel, reacquainting listeners with Mitch and Abby McDeere 15 years after their harrowing misadventures in THE FIRM. Mitch, now a successful partner in the largest law firm in the world, faces an intense kidnapping crisis in Libya involving a Turkish client and an associate of Mitch's. Ballerini leverages his talent with... Read More

High school seniors Nell and Fay come to a crossroads in their intense friendship while attending a Quaker school in New York City in this character-driven production. Kristen DiMercurio adeptly shifts her tone as she moves between Nell's and Fay's viewpoints as the narrative weaves between the 2002-2003 school year and the present day 15 years later. DiMercurio's... Read More

Robert Petkoff solidifies his position as one of the finest narrators in the audiobook world with this metafictional mystery. His voice is fluid, and his attitude is exactly right for both the omniscient self-congratulatory narrator (who frequently interrupts the story to comment) and for PI McAnnis, who is on a case. Petkoff keeps one's attention even while delivering the long... Read More

Atta Otigba and Yetide Badaki give outstanding performances of this imagistic, nonlinear novel. They are grand guides to a world of art, history, and criticism. Badaki has precise diction and a lovely artistic tone with a slight Nigerian lilt. Otigba, also Nigerian, delivers his parts in a powerful and authoritative voice. The narrative switches from one to the other... Read More

Ruth Simmons gives a warmly engaging rendition of her memoir. Simmons was the first Black president of Smith College and went on to be the president of Brown University and Prairie View A&M University. Here, she recounts her childhood in Texas, growing up as the youngest of 12 children in a sharecropping family that lived in deep poverty. Simmons lovingly describes her close... Read More

Shannon Tyo, Sean Patrick Hopkins, and Thomas Pruyn narrate this riveting story, which begs the question: How well do we truly know the members of our family? Twenty-year-old Mia and her twin brother are home from college during the pandemic when their father goes missing. He was at the park with their younger brother, Eugene, an autistic teenager with Angelman syndrome, but... Read More

Dutch narrator Mounya Dahma's narration lends an authentic sense of culture and place to Marjolijn van Heemstra's meditations on the universe. Van Heemstra becomes fascinated by NASA astronauts' shift in perspective after they view the Earth from space, and she seeks to develop her own routes to this overview effect. She gets involved in campaigns for dark skies, becomes... Read More

Kristen DiMercurio's dynamic performance takes listeners to Baltimore, where Billy Perkins owns Charm City Rocks, an independent record store. Margot Hammer, Billy's long-time celebrity crush, was the drummer of a now defunct rock band. Their first encounter, orchestrated by Billy's son, Caleb, is a total disaster but eventually leads to an endearing romance. The story is told... Read More

Three narrators--Gisela Chípe, Vas Eli, and the splendid Arthur Morey--enrich these tilt-a-whirl stories. They voice simple characters whose lives become fantastically disrupted. To select three of the many outstanding performances: Chípe narrates in a mischievously straightforward way one of the best, "The Little People," about a town that is co-inhabited by two-inch-tall... Read More

Greek mythology is reimagined through contemporary authors and talented narrators in this dynamic short story collection. A pantheon of all-star performers, including Soneela Nankani, Robin Miles, and Donnabella Mortel, creates listening experiences that are at times poignant, joyous, and thoughtful. Stories incorporate mythological characters and themes to explore contemporary... Read More

Rebecca Lowman's narration is captivating! In this novel, "Mister Magic," a fictitious TV series for kids, was suddenly canceled 30 years ago. Now, the five members of its final cast are brought together to record a podcast. Suspiciously, no recordings of the original show exist, and there's no record of who filmed it, but fans still have its haunting kids' songs stuck in their... Read More

British writer-comedian-actor David Mitchell regales listeners with his irreverent, sometimes profane, history of the English monarchs. Beginning with Arthur (he didn't really exist, according to our intrepid historian) and ending with Elizabeth I, Mitchell performs with energy and wry comedic timing. He holds all the monarchs in disdain, telling the most intimate and grisly... Read More

James Langton's accent reflects the background of Jonathan Raban, a gifted British writer who relocated to Washington state. Enunciation and emotions are clear as Langton recounts Raban's moment-to-moment responses to a hemorrhagic stroke and the paralysis that followed. Langton smoothly embraces the elements of Raban's memoir--literary criticism combined with stories of his... Read More

Journalist Maureen Seaberg introduces listeners to a range of synesthetes who experience combinations of senses, such as hearing colors, as well as people with seemingly superhuman abilities like a woman who can smell Parkinson's disease. Seaberg's expertise in human senses is hard-won. She herself has an extraordinary sensory palette that took her years to understand and... Read More

This scathing satire blows the lid off Texas politics, revealing the power that lobbyists have over politicians and how even the most well-intentioned can get caught in the meat grinder. Television and film actor Steven Weber is pitch-perfect as struggling ranch owner Sonny Lamb, who finds himself in the spotlight after he rescues a girl and her horse from a fire.... Read More

Good performances abound in this audiobook. At its heart is ConaLee, a child swept up in the cruelty and uncertainty of the antebellum South. Karissa Vacker, the primary narrator, is a strong voice throughout the production. Similarly, Theo Stockman's performance of male points of view and Maggi-Meg Reed's renditions of the female characters are well paced and emotionally... Read More

Five talented narrators join forces to deliver nuanced performances of Jhumpa Lahiri's new collection of short stories. Written in Italian, the author's third language, and translated by her into English, the contemplative and elegant stories revolve around outsiders who are drawn to the City of Light. The mix of voices--Indian subcontinent, mid-American, British-African,... Read More

Jordan Peele introduces this horror anthology featuring 19 Black authors. Each of the stories blends realism with horror or science fiction, providing an insightful perspective while still remaining chilling. From cars with huge eyes that direct racist cops on whom to arrest, to a pair of stranded travelers in Alabama, each story captures the ear with unsettling horror and... Read More

Jane Hirshfield is a wonderful poet (and essayist, although not in this collection) with a wonderfully broad range of interests. Among the poems here is an ode to buttons. She is also a fine reader of her own work. Her voice has a consistently soft texture from which she manages to wring a considerable range of emotion, always sounding as though she is speaking directly and... Read More

Bessie Carter's crisp, energetic performance enlivens bestselling author Sophie Kinsella's newest rom-com. Kinsella takes on the serious topic of corporate burnout as Sasha, fed up with overwork and understaffing, runs away from her job--straight into a brick wall. She heads to the Devon seaside, site of happy childhood memories, seeking off-season solitude. Instead, she is... Read More

Robin Miles narrates the latest tale in Lord's Cygnus Beta series. In the not too distant future, alien civilizations are observing Earth as it is being destroyed by climate change. Owen, an alien mega-pop-star living on Earth who has the superpower of persuasion, must join forces with alien students from the World Council Global Government Project to save Earth. Miles... Read More

Suehyla El-Attar Young is the perfect energetic narrator for this novel about Muslim sisters who are about to enter "the real world" after graduating from high school. Young contrasts the youth, enthusiasm, and idealism of twins Amira and Lina with the attitudes of their troubled older brother. The girls get a big shot of adulthood all at once when members of the Arab community... Read More

This devastating audiobook from queer Nigerian writer and activist Ani Kayode is not always easy listening--but it's a beautifully told and poignant story. August has been running from himself his whole life, stifled by the weight of his family's expectations. Segun is an activist who is adept at hiding the trauma he carries. When they meet and fall in love at university, it... Read More

Heidi Julavits’s midrange voice and crisp pronunciation combine for an engaging narration of her disarming collection of essays about life. Candid, thought-provoking, and often laugh-out-loud funny, the essays encompass the four years when her youngest child grows from a hand-holding-boy-child to a preteen. Amid her attempts to help him be the best possible person he can be,... Read More

Twisty and fast paced, this engaging listen tells a story of survival, trust, and friendship. Summer and Leo are grifters--soul sisters who are traveling the California coast in Summer's Land Cruiser. Both have complicated, heartbreaking pasts, and Summer "mentors" Leo as the women survive through a mix of recklessness, con artistry, and determination. When Leo, voiced by... Read More

Writer, healer, and trans activist Kai Cheng Thom gives a moving performance of this book of letters about healing, forgiveness, community care, and more. She infuses her reading of each letter with internal rhythm and rising momentum, her voice speeding up and slowing down, building in intensity and then quieting, like waves rolling toward a shoreline. The letters are... Read More

Saskia Maarleveld's appealing voice never disappoints in this true story of Marguerite Harrison (1879-1967), a widowed socialite who was fluent in several languages who volunteered to spy for the U.S. As a reporter in postwar Germany for the BALTIMORE SUN, she was able to file stories and send secret dispatches home. Maarleveld manages an objective distance yet still captures... Read More

Narrator Brittany Pressley's range of emotional subtlety provides this thriller, set during the pandemic, with the nuanced vocal portrayals that it deserves. Foremost is Pressley's perfection at conveying Kelly's overwhelming insecurity as she takes a break from her fiancé and accepts an invitation to isolate with Sabrina, a former classmate, in her luxurious mansion in... Read More

Esmeralda Santiago lovingly narrates her novel about Puerto Rican mothers and daughters. Luz was 15 when a car accident caused significant brain damage that affected her memory. Forty years later, in the Bronx, lesbian couple Ada and Shirley look after Luz and her daughter, as well as their own daughter. To celebrate Shirley's birthday, all five women travel to Puerto Rico,... Read More

Simon Vance returns to reunite Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist in the inaugural installment of the latest Millennium trilogy. Smirnoff resurrects familiar characters and introduces Svala, the daughter of Salander's evil late half-brother. Salander's journey to northern Sweden to care for the precocious 13-year-old coincides with Blomkvist's visit to the same town to visit... Read More

Susan Casey's exploration of the deepest oceans is fascinating, frightening, and compelling. As a narrator, she's also quite wonderful; her clear, warm voice has touches of humility and awe, and she has excellent timing. The bottom of the ocean is teeming with life-- bioluminescence, transparent fish, weird worms, volcanoes. It's also home to shipwrecks, rubbish, and valuable... Read More

This compilation of stories about music legends in their sunset years is narrated effectively by Matt Godfrey, who blends expressive storytelling skills with the restraint of an impartial journalist. The profiles are gathered from Pulitzer Prize-winning NEW YORKER writer David Remnick's works and reflect a consistent theme among aging musicians--the continued need for audience... Read More

Julie Schumacher, author of the Thurber Prize-winning academic comedy DEAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS, now turns her satirical eye on that classic college experience, the study-abroad trip. When Professor Jason Fitger unwillingly takes a motley student group to England in soggy, cold January, nothing goes as planned. Schumacher, a University of Minnesota Regents Professor of Creative... Read More

The history of the Northwest Territory comes to life in this new audio narrated by Eric Jason Martin. Tecumseh, Tenskwatawa, Mad Anthony Wayne, and William Henry Harrison all feature in this nonfiction tome as the listener follows a trail of broken treaties, warfare, and bloodshed. Martin's strong voice lends itself to a serious narration that pairs well with this history.... Read More

This imaginative audiobook combines science, history, and what might be called speculative biography to create one of this season's most memorable nonfiction titles. Listeners will be helped by having some background in Kant, Borges, and Heisenberg, and in Einstein's theory of relativity. But the general line of the narrative is fairly easy to follow. Narrator David Glass is... Read More

Two skilled narrators, Saskia Maarleveld and Carlotta Brentan, present this sensitive police procedural. In an unusual narrative pattern, Brentan reads the first-person chapters and Maarleveld presents the third-person sections. Both narrators convey the richly articulated characters of the three female protagonists, a genealogist, a middle-aged cold case investigator, and the... Read More

Davis Brooks takes listeners to a different world with a commanding style that matches its strange culture. In this world of super-wealthy, near-eternal seven-foot giants called Titans, the killing of such a being is almost unheard of. So when a Titan named Roddy is found dead, private detective Cal Sounder must determine if his death was a suicide or murder. A Titan's organs... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini delivers a masterful performance of this blend of thriller, paranormal, and horror genres. With his exceptional command of accents, tone, and pacing, Ballerini skillfully brings to life its diverse cast of characters, both male and female. Listeners are introduced to Mike Brink, a puzzle master whose fateful encounter with incarcerated murderer Jess Price... Read More

Annabelle Tudor so completely inhabits the English characters at the center of this engrossing tale of gender, class, and war that it's a bit of a shock to hear her deliver the author's note in her native Australian accent. Peggy and Maude are bookbinders at Oxford University Press. Peggy's intellectual curiosity is discernible in her voice; she chafes at the reminder that her... Read More

Lisa Flanagan's pacing and range are perfect for this story set in 1940s Hollywood. Actress Edie O'Dare is used to playing the sidekick; then she makes a name for herself in a different way. Using her connections, she becomes a gossip news contributor and later a full-fledged columnist. Flanagan ensures that listeners feel the burden of the dark Hollywood secrets Edie is privy... Read More

Graham Halstead sounds totally authentic as he narrates this novel about people who aren't what they appear to be. Hornsby's clever and often hilarious second novel--seemingly inspired by the Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos start-up scandal--features Chuck, the son of an evil billionaire who reinvents himself as an average guy who is forced to get a real job. However, the Silicon... Read More

Writer R. Eric Thomas's second essay collection is just as funny and exuberant as his debut--and, if possible, even more nuanced and moving. Writing about the complicated emotions that arise when he moves back to his hometown of Baltimore, the beautiful challenges of marriage, the isolation of the pandemic, being in his 30s and still feeling like a mess, and so much more,... Read More

Three narrators join forces to tell this story of three separate but intertwined events in a world decimated by a highly contagious disease. Each subplot is told from a separate view point and involves many different characters. The use of multiple narrators is key to keeping track of the different plotlines. Each narrator gives a strong performance, with Richard Armitage's... Read More

In an intelligent, conversational tone, narrator Steven Jay Cohen leads listeners into an alternate world resembling our own--except that Al Gore wins the presidency in 2000 and medical marvels not only save lives but can, through bioregeneration, bring the dead back to life. A down-on-his-luck historian comes to question his personal and political choices when he becomes a... Read More

Rachel Jacobs delivers an emotionally connected performance of Meg Shaffer's tender story. Teacher's aide Lucy finds love in Christopher, a young orphan she wants to foster. But, sadly, she is too poor to qualify as a foster parent. Jack Masterson, author of a wildly popular children's series known as the Clock Island books, suddenly stopped writing years ago. Hugo Reese, the... Read More

Najwa Zebian provides a welcoming and unique audio companion for listeners who need to break free of whatever struggles they are facing, whether it be with relationships, discrimination, or viewpoints. By compiling questions from her audience and having a variety of narrators read the questions, Zebian identifies the most common daily challenges that arise and gives the gift of... Read More

This is the first time Cambridge historian Christopher Clark has narrated one of his popular studies of modern Europe. His steady and straightforward delivery proves highly effective over the many hours of this complex narrative. The revolutions that upended the three decades of enforced peace that followed the Napoleonic Wars were, in fact, numerous uprisings scattered all... Read More

Jamie Lamchick narrates a second-chance romance between two former pop stars. Kathleen Rosenberg, formerly the superstar Katee Rose, wants to perform the Broadway role that was literally written for her, but the show is being directed by the cause of her downfall. Lamchick creates a generally relatable persona for Kathleen, making her desire to succeed on her own merits, rather... Read More

Abigail Hardiman's skill with voices is showcased in this queer contemporary romance audiobook. El's New Year's resolution is to try one wild thing a month. When her three closest friends purchase a fixer-upper in the country to make a (mostly) queer commune, she decides to join the venture, which ultimately has her spending more time with her best friend and crush, Ray.... Read More

Lincoln Hoppe's welcoming tone fits the folksy memories and reflections in this short audiobook as former TV news anchor Tom Brokaw recounts his memories of his family's struggles with prairie living. The stories reach back to his grandparents, who operated a hotel. His father, Red, helped out as a child and learned the hardscrabble values that informed how his son was raised:... Read More

Sean Rohani gives a stirring performance of this quiet coming-of-age novel about K, a queer Iranian American boy growing up in L.A. in the 1990s and early 2000s. His childhood and adolescence are marked by his father's physical and sexual abuse, his deep connection with his two brothers, afternoons spent on the basketball court, and a sudden, life-changing trip to Iran.... Read More

The highly accomplished Mark Deakins delivers this novel about the life of a park ranger in Yellowstone National Park. In a voice that is natural and easygoing, Deakins narrates Captain Ren Hopper's encounters with idiotic tourists, endangered wildlife, poachers, and the few scientists and park officials who interact with him. While much of the audiobook is a lyrical... Read More

The story of Josephine, a young woman who arrives at the Salpêtreière asylum in Paris to be treated for amnesia and hysteria, is narrated beautifully by Kiiri Sandy. Switching seamlessly from English to French as needed, Sandy gives both Josephine and her attendant, Laure, voices that are distinctly different from the deeper, authoritative speech of Doctor Jean-Martin Charcot.... Read More

Narrators Kristen DiMercurio and Jay Aaseng create the perfect amount of angst, longing, and tension in this enemies-to-lovers romance. Actors Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy are madly in love onscreen in their hit television show, "Intangible." However, offscreen, they can't stand each other. Lilah left the show in the fifth season and has now returned for the ninth and final... Read More

Narrator Fiona Hampton shines in this witty Regency mystery. A much-sought-after bachelor suddenly keels over dead at an elegant ball. Beatrice Steele becomes intrigued. Beatrice, who has secretly followed the tabloid exploits of a famous detective, even sending him clues to solve his cases, begins a sub-rosa investigation of her own. Hampton uses her extensive range of voices... Read More

It must be especially difficult to write a biography of someone like the poet Amy Clampitt, who became prominent late in life but lived mostly unrecorded until then. Willard Spiegelman's work-around in this audiobook is to focus mostly on what we do know, which is primarily the writing and the last two decades of Clampitt's life. With Arthur Morey narrating Spiegelman's words... Read More

Three Irish narrators deliver this literary thriller with classy Irish accents and close attention to characterization. Kinlough appears to be the perfect Irish tourist town, but listeners discover it has secrets involving corruption, revenge, and murder. When a wedding brings longtime friends Mush, Joe, and Helen back together, they reminisce about the past, including the... Read More

Aiden Thomas acts like a wonderful father and husband, but inside lurks a depraved serial killer. Twelve narrators, including the author, weave this story of despair, hope, and faith. Gilli Messer portrays Rachel, the woman in the shed, whom Aiden kidnapped but never killed. Messer gives a spectacular performance as his brainwashed prisoner of five years. Valerie Rose Lohman... Read More

Bailey Carr narrates this "Sex and the City" styled lesbian romance, in which Liz is uncertain about her job aspirations, money, her love life, and her gender expression. It only gets more complex when she simultaneously hates and crushes on her new boss, Daria. Carr delivers feminine, masculine, and androgynous women's voices while avoiding stereotypical ethnic accents for... Read More

Erin Tripp, a Lingít actor and performer, narrates this historical novel based on the author's Innu ancestry. The Lingít are Indigenous people who live in Southeast Alaska. The Innu are Indigenous people who live in Labrador and Quebec. In this story Almanda Siméon, the daughter of Irish immigrants, falls in love with Thomas, an Innu man, and goes to live with him in the... Read More

Paterson Joseph's remarkable performance of Kate Atkinson's newest book transmutes the whimsical, witty, and absurdist stories from adroit to splendid. The acclaimed British actor's light, engaging baritone and exquisite delivery offer pleasure and comfort in equal measure as he guides us through narratives that truly do not follow normal rules. They include talking animals,... Read More

Hitch a ride on the grand Western adventure of an ambitious young woman, narrated by Elena Rey. Bridget begins work in a brothel after leaving town to get away from her alcoholic father. As she's learning the ropes of her new life, Spartan Lee, a female gunslinger, enters the scene and captures Bridget's attention. Rey's rich performance offers so much: romance, betrayal,... Read More

Sophie Amoss does a neat turn narrating this enigmatic novel. Her delivery and pace bring its elliptical text to life. She smoothly switches from female to male characters through tone and timbre 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. She captures... Read More

Beth Hicks's performance is perfectly in sync with this expansive and moving history of treatment for mental suffering by the acclaimed psychotherapist and author of AN UNQUIET MIND. It describes the sparse and often misguided attention given over the years to healing emotional suffering. Jamison's writing is meditative, personal, and richly illustrated with moving stories... Read More

Five narrators shape ordinary people and circumstances into an extraordinary listening experience. Rebecca Lowman, Cassandra Campbell, Kimberly Wetherell, Kate Rudd, and Jeremy Parker each narrate a few of these stories, tapping into their characters with insights that highlight the humor and pathos in everyday life. A co-worker falls for the new guy; a woman has to return home... Read More

Carlotta Brentan narrates the story of a seemingly aimless young woman who is trying to survive. Alex is an unlikable grifter who moves through the world with no thought about the damage she causes to others or the harm she inflicts. Adrift after her relationship with an older man ends, she finds herself at loose ends on Long Island with no plan for how to make it through the... Read More

Harry Hole returns in a dark, disturbing narrative skillfully performed by John Lee. At rock bottom in Los Angeles, Harry is drowning in alcohol, having lost everything dear to him. However, a lucrative offer beckons him back to Oslo, where as a private detective he can save the life of a woman he recently met. The case involves a sadistic serial killer. Lee effectively... Read More

Gisele Chípe narrates the story of Serafina, who receives an odd letter from her sister, Eff, explaining that she is now living with people who are helping her to live her best life. They reside in a creepy abandoned amusement park, but Eff tells Serafina not to worry because the group is not a cult. Eff then suffers a traumatic fall resulting in a coma after questioning... Read More

Like so many Londoners in 1940, Charlotte is experiencing exhaustion and trauma from nightly bombings by the Nazis and the deaths of people she cares about. Four of her recently killed friends still exist in her consciousness, comforting, criticizing, advising, and even amusing her on occasion. Narrator Katherine Manners gives each a clear identity. El, Charlotte's best friend,... Read More

With his mesmerizing and versatile voice, Dion Graham masterfully narrates the second book in Whitehead's Harlem Trilogy, featuring reformed criminal Ray Carney. Graham perfectly complements Whitehead's intricate and beautifully written portrayal of 1970s Harlem--a time marred by police and political corruption, racial tension, and a city descending into chaos. Carney, a... Read More

John Sackville narrates a history of urban greenery, providing an assertive tone to the author's claim that our messy cities are full of biodiversity. Wilson looks back on calls for natural habitats in and around cities, which resulted in more plentiful parks and gardens in urban areas worldwide. Sackville gives the growth of banyans, or fig trees, in Southeast Asian cities a... Read More

Narrated by Scott Brick and Suzanne Freeman, this mind-bending novel is a complex contemplation of society. Cronin's masterful world-building is showcased, as well. The utopian island of Prospera hosts privileged residents until their embedded health monitor falls below 10% and they are ferried to the Nursery island to be physically reconstituted and returned as freshly erased... Read More

This perfectly titled audiobook will immerse listeners in the misadventures of an Indian American family and have them rooting for each member to find happiness. The ensemble of narrators give flawless performances. Vikas Adam sprinkles a dash of humor into his expressive tones to portray the overbearing but oddly sympathetic father, Suresh, whose search for love after divorce... Read More

Jorjeana Marie portrays Annie Walker, a down-to-earth flower shop owner who is ready to find love in Rome, Kentucky. Handsome and flirty Will Griffin, portrayed by Will Peters, is back in town to be pop star Amelia Rose's bodyguard. After having a particularly bad date, Annie decides she needs a dating tutor, and Will steps up to the challenge. Annie's innocent and fun... Read More

Shawn K. Jain narrates Tania James's fascinating tale of craftsmanship and the tribulations caused by political unrest. In Mysore, India, 1797, Abbas is a 17-year-old woodcarver who is commanded by the sultan to apprentice with Lucien Du Leze, a famous French clockmaker, for the purpose of making a tiger automaton. When Mysore falls in 1799, the sultan is killed, Abbas escapes... Read More

Two physicians, one of whom is also an economist, describe the surprising factors that impact our healthcare and our health. Alternating the narration, they have the conversational tone of conscientious doctors who enjoy their work. Their research looks broadly at nonmedical factors that can shape healthcare, such as ethnic stereotyping by physicians that limits care and biases... Read More

This audiobook unites two consummate professionals: author Richard Russo and narrator Mark Bramhall. Russo is at his storytelling best here, returning to the North Bath community of NOBODY'S FOOL and EVERYBODY'S FOOL. A broad array of characters interacts credibly, thanks to Bramhall's strong performance. As Peter Sullivan mulls over his relationship with his estranged son,... Read More

Masquapaug teen Anequs renews her people's lost relationship with Nampeshiweisit (dragoneers) and Nampeshiwe (dragons) when she bonds with an egg discovered near her island. Narrating from Anequs's perspective, Charley Flyte has a self-assured tone that matches the Indigenous teen's commitment to her cultural knowledge and traditions as she begins her studies at the mainland... Read More

Gisela Chípe’s skilled narration captivates in this immersive novel set in ‘90s Mexico City. Montserrat and Tristán have been friends since childhood. Now both are approaching 40 and still struggling in their film careers, and Montserrat resents her long simmering crush on the handsome Tristán. When they meet cult-favorite horror director Abel Urueta, he persuades them to help... Read More

Jesse Vilinsky and Connie Willis have a marvelous time in this delightful homage to road trips, old Westerns, romance, alien hunters, and, well, aliens. When Francie arrives in Roswell during the UFO Festival, she's trying to stop a friend's UFO-themed wedding. Then she's abducted by an alien who is on an unusual quest. When they're joined by an elderly gambler, a UFO hunter,... Read More

Tara Flynn takes listeners to Ireland, where they meet the awkward yet lovable Rachel Murray. The novel starts in the year 2022 but is mostly told in a flashback starting with the year 2010 and progressing forward. Rachel reminisces about her life in her 20s, when she was juggling her newfound friendship with roommate James Devlin and her crush on her married college professor,... Read More

Although it's not strictly autobiographical, this audiobook draws on the author's parents' experiences of living in a beautiful village in Eastern Europe, seeing family members murdered, hiding in a forest from Nazis, moving to Israel, and building a new life. Yaakov Fine, an Israeli shopkeeper, goes to Poland to see the village his parents escaped from and come to terms with... Read More

With the ongoing war in Ukraine and continuing recrimination about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, one might be forgiven for not thinking much about Iraq and the aftermath of the war there. It's been two decades since the U.S. overthrew Saddam Hussein--and even longer since the Iran-Iraq war. Abdul-Ahad's poignant and, at times, heartbreaking recollections of life in Iraq... Read More

Rosalyn Landor's elegant performance provides the perfect complement to Smith's detailed narrative on the unexpected lives of this beloved aristocratic couple who rescued the British monarchy from the brink of disaster. The well-researched account begins with their somewhat rocky courtship. Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon turned down Prince Albert, Duke of York, twice before... Read More

Kathleen Gati's sweet voice and precise delivery movingly evoke the unnamed French girl who, in this most famous of Marguerite Duras's novels, describes her clandestine love affair with an older Chinese man in 1950s Indochina (now Vietnam). Winner of the 1984 Prix Goncourt, the brief tale explores class identity, passion, racism, and self-reliance in spare yet descriptive... Read More

Narrator Rose Akroyd's calm, measured voice provides a lifeline to listeners in this deeply moving memoir. Framed as a recounting of the author's training in forensic anthropology, the audiobook also looks at state violence in Guatemala and Argentina and the way exhumation and the identification of bodies can bring peace--or more questions--to families. Akroyd channels... Read More

Narrators Edoardo Ballerini and Maria Liatis couldn't be better in Isabel Allende's intricate, heartrending novel. From 1938 Europe to 2019 America, numerous upended lives are woven into a fascinating tapestry. Samuel Adler must leave Nazi Germany via the Kindertransport; Leticia Cordero narrowly escapes the El Mozote massacre in El Salvador; because of the Trump government's... Read More

Though short, this audiobook is powerful and thought provoking. Malin Barr portrays an unnamed first-time mother who is struggling with postpartum depression. Referring to her baby only by the nickname "Button," the new mother draws listeners into her struggles with stream-of-consciousness descriptions of her experiences. These include intrusive thoughts, struggles to... Read More

Kristen Sieh performs Lina Chern's entertaining mystery with her usual enthusiasm and a talent for characterization, enhancing this debut work. Meet Katie True, a Tarot-reading 20-something who is working a dead-end job in a Chicago suburb. When a bloodied guy happens by with a cell-phone photo of Marley--a tough-talking, worldly gal who is Katie's only friend--shot dead, Katie... Read More

Kathleen Garrett narrates the second in this entertaining mystery series featuring Nonna Maria, a septuagenarian sleuth who is clever, straight talking, and feisty. On the Italian island of Ischia, which draws wealthy tourists, two crimes come to Nonna Maria's attention. A murder is discovered, and a hotel guest accuses a maid, Nonna Maria's goddaughter, of stealing a valuable... Read More

Samantha Irby narrates her fourth essay collection, bringing her customary sharp observations and comedic timing to her performance. Irby heads to Hollywood, writing for the reboot of "Sex in the City" and pitching her own show to an endless series of networks. Irby's humor shines in her descriptions of living with inflammatory bowel disease. Her voice is filled with glee as... Read More

Christopher Grove's performance is subtly captivating. He conveys lofty, often complex scientific questions with an earnest, gentle touch. Lightman's audiobook offers fascinating ideas about the nature of human existence. The range covered is staggering. Listeners will move from considering what constitutes the true level of existence when a molecule can no longer be split to... Read More

This ambitious audiobook by the author of THE ROMANOVS offers a comprehensive global history in the tradition of Toynbee and Wells. It's a polished, richly detailed narrative that any one of the half dozen best members of this unwieldy ensemble, or a compatible three or four, could have made memorable. Instead, the listener encounters a bewildering variety of voices and... Read More

Michael Finkel narrates the opening of this memorable portrait of Stéphane Breitwieser, the sly European thief who pilfered nearly $2 billion in art objects—treasures he and his girlfriend hoarded in his mother’s attic. Finkel’s investigative role provides context and perspective, while narrator Edoardo Ballerini performs his customary magic, enhancing the narrative’s strengths... Read More

Nneka Okoye's Shakespearian-style narration works well in this English story of society and curses in the year 1814. Our hobgoblin bard, Robin, invisibly follows 19-year-old Miss Maelys Mitchelmore, with hardly any interference, to compile a story of comedy, tragedy, and romance. When her clothes disintegrate during a ball, Miss Mitchelmore discovers she is under a curse. She... Read More

Hillary Huber is compelling in Cullen's fictionalized story of Dr. Dorothy Horstmann, a real-life scientist who made an enormous contribution to the discovery of the polio vaccine. Like so many women in history, Horstmann was ignored while Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin received all the recognition even though her work was equally critical. Huber's timing and subtle tones reveal... Read More

Mark Bramhall returns to narrate the most recent installment in this historical series. His voice resonates with the gravitas necessary to convey these complex and often violent events. The focus of this volume is the American South. The Creeks were the dominant Indigenous population across the region through the early 1800s, when increasing internal conflict and influence from... Read More

Henry Threadgill has lived a rich life as a musician, having grown up immersed in the Chicago jazz scene of the 1960s and traveled the world as a versatile multi-instrumentalist and composer. Ron Butler's edgy narration captures all of the nuances in this memoir, including the author's dry humor, frustration at racial injustice, and passion for playing and composing music. All... Read More

This excellent performance by Hillary Huber offers an enticing murder mystery and romance. A serial murderer, dubbed "The Priest" by popular media, has claimed their third victim. The notes and clues left behind assert that the killer has murdered to correct a sinful wrong. Detective Ben Paris is on the case, along with psychologist Tess Court. With a clear and well-paced... Read More

Mia Hutchinson-Shaw is the voice of Gen-Z Hollywood hopefuls Luna Roth and her best friends, Romy and Wyatt, in this new adult queer romance. As aspiring cinematographer Luna comes out as bisexual at 24, 28-year-old A-list actress Valeria Sullivan could be her chance at getting behind the camera on a real movie set AND completing all her firsts with a woman. Still, mixing work... Read More

If you're aware of who Christian Cooper is, it's likely because of the confrontation between him and a white woman walking her dog in Central Park--a confrontation that went viral and caught national attention. Listening to this compelling memoir, narrated in Cooper's gently raspy voice, we learn much more about him: the great joy he takes in his life's passion, birding, yes,... Read More

Model and activist Geena Rocero shares her story in this poignant and powerful memoir. Her narration is full of life--sometimes buoyantly joyous, sometimes breathless with tension, sometimes playful and tinged with laughter. She recounts her teen years as a pageant queen in the Philippines, her immigration to the U.S., the years she spent closeted while working as a model, and... Read More