As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, it’s the perfect time to curl up with an audiobook that stirs wanderlust. This selection of audiobooks will keep you company as the seasons change, whisking you from mysteries in England to an Italian dog’s dreamy escape to memoirs that journey across Asia and Africa. There’s no need to pack a suitcase; just let these audio adventures carry you to faraway places for discovery and reflection.
MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME
Written and read by Arundhati Roy
There’s a magical, spiritual quality to this moving memoir. Author and narrator Arundhati Roy brings her tumultuous childhood vividly to life in this heartfelt memoir about growing up in India under the formidable presence of her mother, Mary Roy—whom she refers to as “Mrs. Roy.” Roy’s calm, yielding delivery intensifies the impact of the hardships she faced, while her moments of quiet humor add warmth and depth to the story. This tender listening experience is both an intimate portrait of a mother-daughter bond and a thoughtful exploration of India’s culture and contradictions.
SOYANGRI BOOK KITCHEN
by Kim Jee-Hye, Shanna Tan [Trans.] Read by Sofia Jin
From Roy’s haunting recollections set amid India’s teeming landscapes to the edges of a bustling city in South Korea. Sofia Jin’s lilting tones add a dreamlike quality to her performance that complements the idyllic backdrop on the outskirts of Seoul. Part bookshop, café, and guesthouse, this inspirational retreat invites visitors to embark on soul-searching and reflection, as well as to let go of expectations: both of self and society. Jin’s gentle voice reflects the introspection of each visitor to this special, soothing place, and deepens the contemplative quality of this tender, atmospheric novel.
MURDER ON THE MARLOW BELLE
by Robert Thorogood, read by Nicolette McKenzie
AudioFile Earphones Award
We cross the sea from South Korea to England, where playfulness and mystery are brewing in this charming cozy. When Oliver Beresford’s body washes ashore with two bullet wounds, the Marlow Murder Club finds itself facing a long list of suspects. Narrator Nicolette McKenzie delivers a sparkling performance, portraying the three sleuths with warmth and wit: Judith, the eloquent and plucky seventy-nine-year-old leader; Suzie, the incorrigible, free-spirited dog walker; and Becks, the vicar’s wife whose empathy and diplomacy anchor the group. McKenzie’s nuanced inflections capture both the humor and the intimacy of their friendship, turning this whodunit into a delightfully entertaining listen from start to finish.
A SILENCE IN BELGRAVE SQUARE
by Jennifer Ashley. Read by Anne-Marie Piazza
AudioFile Earphones Award
There’s more charm and intrigue in Anne-Marie Piazza’s spirited narration of this historical mystery. Piazza embodies the spunkiness of Kat Holloway, a cook and mother who turns amateur sleuth to save her beau, Daniel McAdam, a police informant for Scotland Yard, from impending danger. When McAdam goes undercover, working for a viscount in Belgrave Square, Holloway uses her cunning to keep him safe. Piazza’s delightful accent and skillful range of voices for secondary characters adds humor and tension to this fast-paced story.
ET TU, CAVAPOO?
Written and read by Mark Radcliffe
AudioFile Earphones Award
From Piazza’s performance steeped in the past to the piazza in present-day Italy, where we get an endearing dog’s-eye perspective of a cheerful three-month Roman adventure. Mark Radcliffe’s English accent and breezy delivery are charming, but his rendition of his five-year-old cavapoo Arlo steals the show. Almost thirty years after his first visit to Trastevere, author and narrator Radcliffe returns—this time with his wife Bella and Arlo. The latter provides delightful, keen observations and misinterpretations of the world. The witty and lively back and forth exchange between man and his best friend makes for a hilarious hybrid of memoir and whimsical canine commentary.
THE JACKFRUIT CHRONICLES
by Shahnaz Ahsan, read by Rima Ahmed
We circle back to another memoir; this one encompasses numerous continents and the rich history of a culinary whiz. Rima Ahmed, BBC Radio Leeds presenter, delivers a warm and resonant performance in this rich collection of tales about food and family. Ahmed’s regional English accent adds curiosity and vitality to Shahnaz Ahsan’s memoir, which spans diverse family history and travels across Asia, Europe, and Africa. Ahmed infuses a balance of quiet awe as well as trepidation into the author’s adventures, such as with the possibility of moving from England to Ethiopia. There is a gentle, matter-of-fact quality in the passages recounting Britain’s colonial past that’s free of overt judgment, focused instead on the understanding of history to explain cultural influences. Ahmed’s enticing narration weaves recipes seamlessly into the narrative, creating a delectable listening experience.
