In this trilogy, which uses the horror genre to explore generational trauma, Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota actor Isabella Star LaBlanc leads an ensemble cast. Listeners return to Proofrock, Idaho, "murder capital of America." Voicing first-person narrator Jade "Slasher Girl" Daniels, LaBlanc walks the knife edge between anguish and rage as the young Blackfeet woman confronts a third... 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

Entertainer Whoopi Goldberg's raspy timbre and amused tone make her the only person appropriate to narrate her memoir. As listeners hear just a trace of a New York City inflection at the ends of some sentences, the story of Goldberg's career is skillfully woven into anecdotes featuring her exceptional mother, Emma Johnson, and her unique older brother, Clyde. Born Caryn... Read More

Amin El Gamal's winning performance endears Deaf, queer protagonist Jackson Ghasnavi to listeners. Jackson loves being the stage manager for his high school's theater department. When sweet, handsome Liam from the swim team gets the lead role in the musical, he and Jackson grow closer. The only problem? Jackson's older sister, Jasmine, likes Liam, too. Jasmine has had a string... Read More

Journalist Kara Swisher specializes in reporting on the Internet. Here she narrates her memoir with urgency and focus, providing a you-are-there history of Silicon Valley. With more than a decade of podcasting experience, Swisher has developed a well-honed, rapid-fire delivery; an aura of journalistic integrity; and a firsthand knowledge of tech history. Anecdotes abound on... Read More

Alma Cuervo's warm, rich timbre and measured style suit this captivating audiobook. Her delivery works perfectly as she emulates the author's empathetic tone and wit. This is a vividly imagined story of a novelist whose nom de plume is Scheherazade. She leaves Vermont and returns to her native Dominican Republic to bury her untold (unfinished) works. The plot takes a satisfying... 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

In the final book in the Danny Ryan Trilogy, a masterpiece of crime writing, Ari Fliakos delivers an astounding, empathetic performance. Rhode Island Irish mobster Danny Ryan's journey began decades ago when he evolved from a longshoreman to a small-time mobster and then to a multimillionaire Las Vegas hotelier. Winslow based Ryan's journey on the Greek tragedies THE ILIAD, THE... Read More

Rory Kinnear's performance of the fifth Hawthorne and Horowitz mystery is "something of a masterclass," says author Anthony Horowitz in a recorded postscript that praises Kinnear's flair and fluency. Indeed, Kinnear's voice--rich and resonant, with precise articulation--is one of the many pleasures in this outing of the comical, ill-matched pair as they investigate which... Read More

Charlie Thurston's narration engages whether in flashbacks of Colton Gentry's high school years or accounts of his present-day return to his hometown. Thurston's fluid transitions transcend leaps in time and credibly illuminate Colton's ongoing affection for Luann, his first love. While Colton speaks in a neutral tone, Thurston's expressions of his interior reveal his struggles... Read More

Stephanie Willing, Xe Sands, and Steve Quinn work together beautifully to bring forth the emotional vibrancy, complicated family dynamics, and romantic entanglements in Leavitt's latest novel. With a youthful, textured intonation, Willing captures what it feels like to be Ella, a young woman who is coming out of a fraught situation in search of a fresh start. Sands's low,... Read More

This compelling audiobook about the beginning of the Civil War gains resonance from its parallels with today's divisions and drift toward violence. Will Patton's narration fits Larson's authorial voice, which is frank, factual, and artfully judicious in tone. Patton suggests historical voices, but his delivery is nuanced and understated, never showy. Brief chapters track the... Read More

Julia Whelan tells a funny story, much like a Shakespearean comedy is a funny story, of a woman who falls in love with her ex-fiancé's new girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. When Daphne's fiancé, Peter, realizes he is in love with his formerly platonic best friend, Petra, just days before their wedding, Daphne recognizes she has built her whole life around Peter. Furthermore, she... Read More

Maia Kobabe is the clear star of the show in this audio adaptation of eir 2014 graphic memoir. In a voice that's reflective, inviting, and refreshingly frank, e guides listeners through eir personal journey of gender discovery. A full cast helps bring the visual elements to life, voicing Kobabe's family, friends, colleagues, classmates, and others. Music and sound effects help... Read More

Dual narrators Alexandra Dowling and Jaye Jacobs tackle a twisting tale in this engaging audiobook. When she is abruptly summoned to the Gravesdown Estate to discuss a possible inheritance, Annie Adams is eager to meet her famously paranoid Great-Aunt Frances. But Frances is murdered just before Annie arrives, and Annie's attempts to investigate may put her squarely in the... Read More

Listeners will find it hard to pause this sci-fi political thriller--and unlikely love story. January is a climate refugee who has relocated to a colony on Mars. In London, he was a professional ballet dancer; on Mars, because he's dangerously "Earthstrong" in the lower gravity, he must wear a metal exoskeleton that inhibits his strength. With his British accent and confiding... Read More

Imogen Church's portrayal of soft-spoken Lyla heightens the tension in this nod to one of Agatha Christie's most beloved mysteries, AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, set on a stormy desert island. Lyla and her boyfriend have been cast in a TV game show in which five couples compete for the title of "The Perfect Couple." As the couples are cut off from the mainland and someone begins... Read More

In Q&A format, actor Brendan O'Hea asks intriguing questions of world-famous actor/director Judi Dench. The result is absolutely delicious. O'Hea recorded four years of interviews with Dench, but due to her failing eyesight, the audiobook is co-narrated by Barbara Flynn. In a remarkable performance, Flynn laughs, jokes, and calls O'Hea to task when he's wrong--all sounding very... Read More

Like the captain of a historical sailing ship, Ralph Lister takes command of this sprawling 1975 bestseller about culture clash. He gives a tough, resilient voice to the hero, Captain John Blackthorne, while providing memorable voices for the dozens of characters ranging from Japanese samurai and courtesans to Spanish and Portuguese people. In 1600, after losing his ship and... Read More

Carmen Rose narrates this sapphic horror/romance with a sardonic wit that makes for an immersive listening experience. Shesheshen is a shape-shifting monster who, weary of devouring an endless line of hunters seeking to eradicate her kind, constructs a makeshift human body and infiltrates the human world. What she doesn't expect is to fall for Homily, a human woman who is... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini meets Towles is a happy alliance in this short story collection. J. Smith-Cameron narrates only one story. Golden Voice narrator Ballerini uses his full range of techniques. By turns nuanced and dramatic, he always serves the author's fine prose. His smart pace and rich tone work particularly well for the noir novella set in late 1930s Hollywood. Evelyn Ross,... Read More

Max Meyers and Lee Osorio are a dynamic duo in this YA tale of queer love, heartbreak, and revenge. High school student Phil Reyno is the class bad boy, while his former best friend and first love, Jackson Pasternack, is class president. When the attention-hungry Cameron Ellis outs Phil and breaks his heart, Phil and Jackson team up to bring him down. But re-forming the bonds... Read More

Maya Saroya gives an expressive performance in this thrilling historical fantasy filled with vampires, action, romance, and tea. Saroya portrays Arthie Casimir in a smooth, deadly tone that highlights her fierce determination. Arthie's an outsider in Ettenia, but she's created a safe haven in her tearoom, Spindrift, where her crew serves the best tea to high society by day and... Read More

This new production of the Chinese sci-fi epic may be Rosalind Chao's first turn as an audiobook narrator, but you'd never know it. The veteran actor navigates long stretches of speculative physics and descriptions of shocking violence as ably as she voices colloquies among the characters. Listeners who come to the work from the Netflix adaptation will find Chao's warm,... 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

Xe Sands narrates this meditative collection of essays on life and preserving our threatened planet. Provocative yet tender, each free- flowing essay provides a glimpse of Millet's interconnected world. Personal anecdotes are juxtaposed with deep pondering about humanity's role in climate change. Expertly pairing animal facts with thoughtful observations of the human world,... Read More

Rosa Escoda's narration of this slice-of-life audiobook is like being wrapped in a blanket still warm from the dryer. Frustrated by her indifferent marriage and burned-out by her competitive career, Yeongju leaves both behind to open a bookstore that becomes a refuge to those seeking peace and renewal. Escoda's brisk pace and gentle tone carry listeners along as Yeongju... 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