Upbeat, soulful jazz greets listeners as narrator Sullivan Jones's warm, reassuring voice blends the lyrical rhymes and vibrant imagery in Beaty's encouraging story. Courageous, imaginative second grader Aaron Slater is an amazing artist who loves telling stories but struggles when he tries to read them. In this fifth installment of The Questioneers series, Jones makes the most... Read More

How do you create an amazing audiobook from an illustrated novel in which the vibrant art takes center stage? Author Jason Reynolds deftly narrates "Take One" of this collaboration between himself and mixed-media collage artist Jason Griffin. Together, they bring slam-poetry sensibilities to a brief yet evocative glimpse of an unnamed young Black narrator. His mother stays... Read More

Krystal Roche's youthful voice melds childhood memories with adult reflection, propelling this novel into the realm of poetic memoir. It is October 2001, and the unnamed protagonist of the story is traveling back to Haiti for a visit after living in the U.S. Roche's Haitian cadence adds a dreaminess to all the details. Bright airport windows, cups of roasted coffee, a... Read More

Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman delivers this collection of poetry with precision and purpose. She lifts her words off the page and offers her perspective on social and global issues. Gorman is timely in her diction. She recites deliberately and uses a rhythm that can be easily followed. Her steady monotone allows listeners to focus more on her words and less on her voice.... Read More

Outlander fans will rejoice at the return of Claire and Jamie--especially as portrayed by Davina Porter, narrator extraordinaire. In their remote settlement in North Carolina in 1779, the Frasers are reunited with their daughter, Brianna, and her husband and children, who have traveled back in time from the 1980s to escape a new menace. The Frasers are reluctantly drawn into... Read More

Vivienne Leheny's narration delivers the intense feelings of Thea Demetriou, who has just brought her 21-year-old son, Stefan, home from prison. Leheny captures Thea's terrible mix of mother love and disbelieving shock that her son, in a drugged stupor, apparently murdered his girlfriend. Leheny depicts Thea's conflicting feelings of shame at what he did and pride in his... Read More

Sneha Mathan is a strong narrator for this complicated and painful story of forbidden love in modern-day India. Mathan is a powerful voice for Meena, a woman recovering from an attack by her family and neighbors for marrying a Muslim man. Mathan presents Meena's recovery with sensitivity that enhances our empathy and rage on her behalf. In Smita, an American journalist covering... Read More

A full cast sensitively presents Nagamatsu's somber novel illuminating humanity's trials and triumphs in the face of a world-ending pandemic and its aftermath. In 2030, scientists unearth an ancient alien plague from the melting Siberian permafrost. Initially affecting only children, the plague mutates over the years and introduces a common language of death and mourning across... Read More

An ensemble of narrators presents this novel featuring Marco Carrera, the metaphorical hummingbird who hovers in place in a changing world. He's an ophthalmologist who faces adversity and tragedy in all aspects of his life: in his romantic pursuits, in his care for and loss of family members, and in his friendships. Portraying Marco, Victor Vertunni provides British-accented... Read More

Xe Sands's inviting midrange voice and wry, reflective tone harmonize well with novelist Jami Attenberg's memoir. Writing in the form of linked essays, Attenberg, now in her 40s, considers the benefits and drawbacks of her unscripted and spontaneous approach to life. About a trip to Europe, for example, she writes, "There were cheap direct flights from New Orleans to Frankfurt.... Read More

Narrator Catherine Ho gives a superb performance of this #ownvoices audiobook by the award-winning author of CHEMISTRY. Ho perfectly inhabits Joan, a first-generation Chinese-American ICU physician who is grieving the loss of her father while struggling with the direction of her life. Ho's deliberate pace and nuanced intonation straddle the edges between intimacy and... Read More

Narrator Susan Bennett interweaves time periods as she portrays dual protagonists: Ellie, a young Civil Rights worker in the 1960s, and Kayla, a recently widowed mother who is moving into Ellie's old neighborhood in the 2010s. As Kayla faces threats and other danger in her new house, listeners learn of Ellie's harrowing experiences and the town's hateful history. Chamberlain's... Read More

Born in Dundee, Scotland, actor Brian Cox recounts the day of his birth, when his nervous, distracted father went to the registry office to register the newborn's name as Colin. However, due to an opinionated office manager, his father was talked into calling him Brian. With humor and grace, the versatile, well-respected actor offers candid insights into his early family life... Read More

A fun trip to a remote island in the South Pacific turns into a nightmare in this twisty thriller narrated perfectly by Barrie Kreinik. Lux and her boyfriend are hired to sail two women to Meroe Island, which has a spooky history. The group is surprised to find a couple on the island, but they all become fast friends. A sleazy seventh visitor's arrival causes the group to... Read More

In this captivating debut, narrator Catherine Ho quickly immerses listeners in the nightmarish story of Frida, a struggling Chinese-American single mother of a young daughter who makes a terrible mistake that leads to devastating consequences. Ho embodies Frida in this terrifying and rich story of the impossible standards society sets for being a good mother, the dangers of big... Read More

Each of these suspenseful stories, written over 12 years, is told by a uniquely talented narrator. The variety contributes to the listener's sense of dipping into different perspectives. Dark plots and fierce females are common threads. The author herself delivers the afterword, in which she explains how she rewrote older stories that hadn't aged well. "Just One More" is a... Read More

Voting rights activist Stacey Abrams portrays herself when she was a schoolgirl who loved words and their different sounds. Listeners join her when a beloved teacher, Mrs. Blackeslee, invites her to represent her school at the county spelling bee. Abrams wants to participate but admits fearing she will "mess up." Most moving and fun are her "Extraordinary Words" notebook and... Read More

Hanya Yanagihara's long-awaited third novel is a sprawling epic that refuses easy categorization. It consists of three distinct sections, each set 100 years apart in different versions of America. Narrator Edoardo Ballerini expertly voices David, a wealthy young man in a homophobia-free 1890s New York, who falls in love with a poor music teacher. Kurt Kanazawa's melancholic... Read More

Since voice is central to this gripping audio memoir by award-winning performer Billy Porter, it's only fitting that it's narrated by the author himself. With his inimitable rasp and vocal flexibility, Porter tells of his family, childhood, and career, leading up to his eventual star turns in Broadway's KINKY BOOTS and TV's "Pose." His narration is both intimate and highly... Read More

Yareli Arizmendi's masterful narration of this audiobook is astonishing. Listeners will become addicted to this novel; the author and narrator are perfectly paired. The year is 2000; 100-year-old Violeta Del Valle is dying. She writes about her life so that her grandson knows her truth. She recalls, through humor and the wisdom of hindsight, how she rejected societal... Read More

Robin Miles narrates this audiobook with empathy and a sure sense of Hurston's literary voice. She arranges her pace and adapts her tone in ways that give listeners access to the author's idiosyncratic brilliance. Capturing Hurston's intonations and invigorating her varied essays with an understanding of the author's intentions help reveal her meanings and bring Hurston's world... Read More