Robert Fass captures the natural interplay between a father and son during an emotional struggle for survival. On a mountain excursion in New Hampshire, eight-year-old Tim and his father, Doug, are reeling from the recent death of Tim's mother. News of an unidentified national catastrophe forces the two hikers to seek refuge, rather than risk traveling home. Fass adds a subtle... 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
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
What happens after the fairy tale is not always a happy ending. Esther Wane narrates this bewitching extension to the tale of Hansel and Gretel, set in seventeenth-century Germany. Wane's range of character accents brings a magical essence to the story. Fifteen years after they escaped the witch in the gingerbread house, Hans and Greta are having a hard time surviving.... Read More
R.C. Bray narrates the fast-paced sixteenth entry in the Expeditionary Force series. Army soldier Joe Bishop is all but retired, making his two-star general duties pretty much nonexistent. His current assignment is a punishment for all the shenanigans he's pulled--even though he saved the world. But everything is thrown into chaos when an attempt to activate a Sentinel leads to... Read More
Narrator Angela Lin's restrained pace and understated delivery channel the heartrending emotion of this literary family saga. In the devastating Tangshan earthquake of 1976, a seven-year-old girl, Xiaodeng, becomes separated from her twin brother, Xiaoda, and their mother, Li Yuanni. Xiaodeng, who grows up to become a successful writer in Canada thirty years later, continues to... Read More
Robert Fass narrates this intriguing novel about one man's journey through his many lives. Eugene Miles is an elderly curmudgeon living in a retirement community in California. He is befriended by a housekeeper named Angel, to whom he recounts the tales of his past incarnations as a street urchin in medieval Spain, an explorer with the Lewis and Clark expedition, and Oscar... Read More
Maria Pendolino performs this short collection of essays featuring Dr. Ashley Shew's concept of "technoableism," a type of ableist belief that technology can, and should, "cure" disabled people. Shew uses her experience as a chronically ill, hard-of-hearing cancer survivor and amputee to illustrate how technology helps assist her in her everyday life. But, at the same time,... Read More
Cisco Fernandez narrates this futuristic dystopian audiobook with an appropriately childlike reverence for the story's gravity. Leandro is a member of the Cascabeles, a Spanish-speaking group that is oppressed by the Pocatelans, the ruling class. When Leandro's sister is caught stealing fruit, Leandro takes the fall and ends up having his essence placed inside an ancient bird... Read More
Allyson Voller introduces listeners to Robert Archambeau's colorful portrait of Jazz Age Paris, including Gertrude Stein's famous salons. When Ida Caine, an American would-be artist, meets Stein and her partner, Alice, and many other period luminaries, including T.S. Eliot, André Breton, and Ernest Hemingway, she is awestruck. But when her husband disappears and Alice goes... Read More
It takes an incredibly skilled narrator to make character vignettes entrancing, and performer Chloë Sevigny more than achieves this. Alice is struggling through her young career as an actress working at a dwindling local theater. After her best friend Sadie's mother, Celine, attends the play, Celine and Alice enter into a controversial sexual relationship. Meanwhile, Sadie is... Read More
Author Mike Michalowicz's boyishly enthusiastic tone works well with his optimistic writing about how leaders can choose and develop productive employees. He offers familiar strategies for retaining good team members--a safe working environment, abilities that fit responsibilities, and clear objectives and compensation. But the core message for leaders is broader: Create a... Read More
Aileen Huynh delivers a compelling performance as Ky Tran, a relentless journalist in pursuit of answers surrounding her brother's brutal murder. Huynh's nuanced portrayal adds depth to the narrative. As Ky unravels layers of intrigue, Huynh expertly conveys the emotional toll of her investigation. Listeners are drawn into an unfiltered view of the period after the War in... Read More
Rose Akroyd narrates this Booker Prize-longlisted novel about an autistic woman who is navigating a neurotypical world as a single parent. Sunday Forrester lives a quiet life in rural England with her daughter. She has "quiet days" and most of the time eats only white foods. When a middle-aged couple moves into the neighborhood, Sunday and her teenage daughter become smitten... Read More
Vaneh Assadourian delivers this novel about a dysfunctional Armenian American family in a knowing style and understanding tone. She adroitly captures the clipped angry tone of the indomitable harridan Takouhi, matriarch and mother of three daughters. Author Zilelian presents the three daughters' struggles. Kohar, the eldest, had trouble with fertility; Lucine's husband takes... Read More
Sheila Heti's latest meditative work comes alive with Kate Berlant's expressive narration. This compilation has an unusual conceit: Heti chose sentences from 10 years of her journal-keeping and then organized them according to the first letter of the first word of each sentence. Consistent themes emerge, including romantic entanglements, financial struggles, writing joys and... Read More
To riff on a statement by Winston Churchill, capitalism is the worst economic system--except for all the others. In this constructive and well-narrated audiobook, NEW YORKER journalist Nick Romeo introduces listeners to companies and jurisdictions that have successfully challenged traditional capitalism with projects such as true pricing, participatory budgeting, and guaranteed... Read More
Narrator Rosalyn Landor breathes life into the romance between Ben Ellis and Lady Jennifer Arden in England circa 1800. Ben is the bastard son of an earl, and Jennifer is the sister of a duke. Due to a childhood illness, Jennifer is unable to walk, but she is happy and loving nonetheless. Ben and Jennifer encounter each other at a family house party. Landor successfully... Read More
Rabbi Sharon Brous, the senior rabbi of a Jewish community in Los Angeles, is an accomplished preacher who speaks clearly and quickly. Her fast pace becomes compelling as Rabbi Brous gets into the heart of her book, which rests on this statement that ". . . we who hold a dream of building a different kind of society must begin by building a different kind of community." Rabbi... Read More
Karen Murray's smooth narration soars as she tells the stories of the pivotal men and women whose actions broke the race barrier for Black pilots during the first half of the twentieth century. While the work is extensively researched, both the authors and Murray emphasize individual stories that make the historical figures relatable. Murray recounts, for example, how Cornelius... Read More
Hannah Curtis, Sarah Cullum, and Christine Rendel, led by the incomparable Dan Stevens, skillfully deliver this extraordinary twisty novel. One night Anna Ogilvy, a young wannabe writer, inexplicably stabs two people to death while sleepwalking. She hasn't woken up since the crime. Stevens's portrayal of Anna's psychiatrist, Ben, a specialist in sleep-related homicides, carries... Read More
Emilia Fox's stylish narration brings Freya and her eccentric Aunt Carol to life as they set out to discover the truth behind the death of their old friend and mentor, Arthur. Their adventure escalates as they find themselves sharing an English manor house with some shady individuals. Fox creates believable characters in both the protagonists, injecting just the right amount of... 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
Talented voice actor David Cui Cui embodies the rogue Murderbot in its second adventure. Elena Anderson embodies the computerized voice of ART, the Research Transport vessel who assists Murderbot. Pretending to be a highly augmented human, Murderbot takes on the private job of protecting a team of humans while heading back to the mining facility where it went rogue, hoping to... Read More
The dual narration team of Charles Halford and Christine Lakin keeps this audiobook thriller moving along--actually, straight up, as the title suggests. Kurt, a former cop, is busted on trumped-up charges and finds himself headed to prison. That same day, Julie, the governor's daughter, is set to tour the facility. The day goes horribly wrong, and they end up trapped. Their... Read More
With a flair for dramatic dialogue and intense, unsettling imagery, narrator Jot Davies accentuates the vivid dreamlike qualities of this 1933 novel by the openly gay German author Friedo Lampe. At a river's edge on a single warm summer's evening, a group of characters ranging from sailors to students to lovers and a father-son magic act interact in this early example of magic... Read More
In this eighteenth entry in Berry's bestselling Cotton Malone series, narrator Scott Brick shepherds the new adventure with perfect pacing and emphasis. A CIA investigation into a stockpile of WWII Japanese gold stashed in Luxembourg's Bank of St. George pushes retired Justice Department operative Malone out of his Copenhagen bookstore and back into action, babysitting the... Read More
Alexandra Hunter narrates this complex exploration of grief with tender sincerity. Atlas James is utterly shattered by the death of her father, the only person she feels ever understood her. After a series of poor decisions, Atlas (newly rechristened "Maps") ends up alongside a group of total strangers in a community service project devoted to rehabilitating the wilderness... Read More
This biography of playwright and poet August Wilson contains both narrative and brief passages from some of his plays. Thus, the narrator has to be both storyteller and actor. Dion Graham excels at both. His rich voice carries the biography along nicely, but it is when he recites lines from plays such as FENCES and quotations from figures in Wilson's past that Graham really... Read More
Ray Chase performs an unusual story of good versus evil centered on the nicest man in the world. Benny Catspaw is a nice guy who can't hold a negative thought in his head--to his detriment. But then his life starts falling apart, and a large crate arrives containing a seven-foot-tall "bad weather friend." Chase's portrayal suits the jaunty character well, shifting between... Read More
A great opportunity to explore the development of the iconic entertainer Ella Fitzgerald is thwarted here. While there's little new information, author Judith Tick succeeds in compiling an exhaustive compendium of facts. Sadly, Carmen Jewel Jones is not up to the task of delivering it. Her performance is peppered with mispronunciations, and nearly every foreign name or phrase... Read More
A talented ensemble of narrators perform Paul Murray's Booker-shortlisted novel about an Irish family that is falling apart at its seams. Ciaran O'Brien performs the perspective of Dickie, a seemingly oblivious car salesman whose business is going under after the financial crash. Beau Holland narrates the perspective of Dickie's shopaholic wife, who is scheming to have her... 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
This book devours you. When a hot boy at a swanky party tells Athan to stay in the bathroom until he comes back for him, Athan doesn't expect to spend hours listening to frenzied screams and the sounds of destruction. Vikas Adam provides rich character voices and emotion that pull listeners into Athan's search for answers to the horrors of that night, as well as the... Read More
Henry Winkler is clearly delighted to tell his own story. He learned to live with dyslexia; understand his odd, strict parents; and succeed at doing what no one thought he could do--become an actor. Perhaps he made it so quickly because he was never told how impossible it would be for a young man with almost no professional acting experience to make it in Hollywood. Trusting in... Read More
Vikas Adam brings a noirish vibe to his first-class narration of this 1952 mystery set in San Francisco. Andy Mills is trying to find his way after being bounced off of the police force because he is gay. An old lover appears, needing help, and Andy is soon working blackmail and murder cases. Adam gives Mills a deep, tough voice for the most part, though it softens for more... Read More
This ode to the berry-rich land by Tlingit author and Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade finds its ideal narrator in Erin Tripp, who is Lingít Deisheetaan. Tripp's skill with the Tlingit language is matched by her feeling for the ebb and flow of Goade's English text. The audiobook opens with a recitation of the many different berries of Sitka, Alaska, in both Lingít and English... Read More
Jesse Vilinsky and Zachary Webber expressively perform this friends-to-lovers romance. Bailey is less than thrilled to start her new job at a hotel waterpark upon moving to Nebraska after her parents' divorce. She also never thought she would be working with Mr. Nothing, Charlie, the boy she met on her first flight to Omaha. Charlie claims that members of the opposite sex can't... Read More
While this audio play is barely over an hour in length, listeners will find it impactful. Pat, an elderly mother with Alzheimer's, is being placed in a care home by her daughter, Margaret. Margaret, wonderfully played by Juliet Stevenson, derives a great deal of comfort and spiritual regeneration from this special time with her mother. The two share a troubled past since Pat... Read More
Celebrated chef Erin French shares glimpses of her Maine past and the familial roots of her favorite recipes, as well as ideas and temptations from her renowned restaurant, The Lost Kitchen. Her recitations of her recipes are both engaging and perfectly paced. One could cook while listening, though the recipes are handily indexed at the end. Interspersed are unscripted chats... Read More
Narrator Cheryl Smith engages listeners with this audiobook, part memoir, part nature and social activism. O'Kane, who spent most of her career as a human rights journalist and social activist, became an "accidental birder" in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Her life and worldview changed when she began noticing and observing birds outside of her destroyed home in New Orleans.... 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
Reagan Boggs's gently accented narration deftly depicts this story's Appalachian setting. Her delivery contrasts with the high anxiety 17-year-old Linden feels a year after she went missing overnight during a community festival. Linden is still searching her memory for details of those events when she discovers that a friend has been murdered. Linden is one of four sisters who... Read More
Escape to Mexico with narrators Maxine Mitchell and Joe Arden as they portray married couple Natalie and Easton, who are on a second-anniversary honeymoon. Natalie is hoping to reignite the flame in their marriage with a special intimate addition. However, they will have to overcome their past to create the future they promised each other in their wedding vows. Arden's and... Read More
What makes Dominic Hoffman such a fine narrator is the clarity of his delivery and his vocal agility. He sounds like he is inside Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s, brilliant mind, and he moves adroitly from the author's knowing perspective to "signifying" in the style of African American folklore. His voice is conversational and his tone thoughtful as he takes the listener from the... Read More
Deeply personal and persistently provocative, these episodic memoir essays are relatable and poignant. Ziwe, a rising political satirist and comedian, delivers her work with the appropriate amount of sarcasm and humor. Tackling questions of race, racism, and the ubiquitous awkward moments that occur around these issues, Ziwe encourages engagement with that discomfort in an... 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
Rosemary Benson's clear, melodic narration aids the listener in following the myriad threads that Emily Monosson weaves in this fascinating audiobook on fungi. Some fungi are good. But there is also a parade of horribles--such as the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, which is decimating bat populations; rusts that have already pushed some chestnut trees into extinction;... Read More
Mollie Stark and Sebastian Grove narrate the first in a new fantasy romance series. With only three years until she meets her fated death at age 27, Althea knows time is running out to make her dream of becoming a warrior true--especially when women in her world aren't allowed to hold weapons. Then, an encounter with warrior Wilder Hawthorne provides the opportunity she's... Read More
Fareeda Pasha skillfully narrates the second book in the Blackwater Falls series, featuring Detective Inaya Rahman and her boss/love interest, Lieutenant Waqas Seif. Both are from the Community Response Team. This time they are investigating two separate shootings of young men of color by two separate white police officers. Pasha captures the Colorado community's despair and... Read More
Eric Jason Martin presents this history of the Luddite Uprising in nineteenth-century England like a war correspondent embedded among the rampaging textile workers. His gung-ho narration enlivens the audiobook and complements the workers' fight for their livelihoods against the one percenters of that era. The audiobook sets the record straight regarding the goals of the... Read More
Two Indigenous narrators deliver a compelling listening experience in this fast-paced thriller. Two Spirit Afro-Indigenous Latine voice-over actor Carolina Hoyos portrays Syd Walker, a Two Spirit Cherokee archaeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Hoyos's deep, raspy voice amplifies Syd's toughness and determination to get to the bottom of the the disappearances of several... Read More
This engaging audiobook features powerful, proficient women who are facing off in the world of espionage. Who better to bring them to life than Suzanne Freeman, whose performance is filled with self-assurance? This is especially true in the way she voices Adrienne Astra, a former college heptathlete who grows into a confident elite assassin. Adrienne accomplishes this feat in... 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
Narrators Brittany Pressley and Dan Bittner take listeners on tour in this second-chance rock-star romance. Riley Wynn went from singer-songwriter to superstar overnight because of her music, all themed around her infamous breakups. Her ex-husband thinks her latest hit is about him when in reality it's about her college boyfriend, Max Harcourt, whom she enlists to go on tour... Read More
Andi Arndt provides the narration for the romance between Luna Wright and Jameson Hayes. Luna manages Apple Ridge Farm. When the farm's owner dies, Hayes arrives to help bring the struggling operation back into the black. Making it easy to follow the story, Arndt provides unique voices for the large cast of characters ranging from Luna's grandmother to a baby goat named "Damn... Read More
In this classic tale of true love versus duty, narrator Sophie Amoss gives a thrilling performance that teen fantasy lovers will adore. Tana Fairchild is a young witch who was raised for one thing only: to marry Landon, the Governor's son from the mainland, whom she does not know. Tana is fine with this until she meets Wolfe, a witch from the old coven who practices the... Read More
Narrator Alan Crookham exuberantly takes to the baseball field with a team of 11-year-old boys and girls. Listeners join Luis, who's moved from Texas to Ohio, where he shyly joins the Manatees, led by popular Coach Joe. Everyone is surprised when Coach announces the team will have a new captain--reluctant Luis. Crookham shines as each kid shares why they enjoy baseball. The... 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
Lee Osorio's deep voice with a hint of gravel is well suited to this historical novel, a blend of gritty Old West adventure and Latin magical realism. Mexican bandito Antonio Sonoro is nicknamed "the Bullet Swallower" after a disfiguring encounter with Texas Rangers. Antonio wreaks havoc on everyone, unlike his good-natured grandson, a 1960s singing-cowboy movie star. Their... Read More
Happily, Paul Theroux's latest masterpiece is available as an audiobook, narrated authoritatively by Charlie Anson. Eric Blair, a callow policeman in colonial Burma, will eventually become known as writer George Orwell. In a clear baritone, Anson describes the lush landscapes of Burma, its trees, foliage, dusty roads, and muddy rivers, along with its natives, who are subjugated... Read More
Narrator Eva Kaminsky sets just the right snarky tone for the protagonist of this mystery, a misanthropic ghostwriter who has been hired to help a failed presidential candidate write her memoir. But when murder intervenes, the unnamed ghostwriter and Dorothy Gibson, the candidate, decide to become amateur sleuths. Much to our ghostwriter's surprise, the two not only solve the... Read More
Narrator Andy Ingalls delivers all the nuances of a full cast in Spufford's latest, a literary detective novel that takes place in an alternate universe. In an authoritative tone, Ingalls brings to life Cahokia, located on the banks of the Mississippi. In the novel, this ancient Indigenous society lives on in the 1920s, seeming to flourish in its diversity. But when Barrow... Read More
Listeners will enjoy this deliciously twisted tale dynamically narrated by the author. Lozada-Oliva explores intergenerational trauma as three generations of women find themselves caught up in a zombie apocalypse. Elderly Guatemalan immigrant Candelaria kills her octogenarian boyfriend. Surrounded by chaos in Boston, she desperately and inexplicably tries to get to the Old... Read More
Narrators Karen Chilton and Caroline Hewitt combine their considerable vocal talent to portray two legendary entertainers in this audiobook set primarily in the 1950s. There are no words to express how compelling Chilton's performance is as Ella Fitzgerald, "the Queen of Jazz." Chilton mesmerizes listeners as she imbues Fitzgerald with subtle emotion, poise, and practicality.... Read More
In 1939, David Reid, an American photographer who is half Jewish, meets Nadia, the daughter of a Polish baron, during the invasion of Poland by the Nazis. Her father asks David to take Nadia to safety in England. Natasha Soudek creates a sense of urgency for these characters with clipped German and Polish accents that drop listeners into this historical period. Natasha and... Read More
David Tennant is at his best with his narration of this whimsical fantasy for children and adults alike. The audiobook was Pratchett's first published novel in 1971 and was rewritten 30 years later. Whether viewed as a parable of war, apropos of current events, or as a mere humorous tale of little creatures living in your carpet, it's a story that begs to be listened to.... Read More
Pete Cross presents this deeply reported and thoroughly researched audiobook with the seriousness it merits. His well-paced narration captures the author's passion for migrants and thorough critique of the governments, corporations, and media that demonize them. He maintains a journalistic tone as the text traverses the globe, sharing the stories of those who have experienced... Read More
Listeners will just have to imagine the piano music in this atmospheric novel, set in 1890s France. Léon Delafosse is a piano prodigy whose talents take him from the French countryside to Paris. But in order to advance his career and his standing in fickle Paris high society, he must secure a patron. While narrator Mark Sanderlin's pronunciation of French words is flawless, the... Read More
Benjamin Taylor delivers a plainspoken performance of this audiobook; little fanfare or theatrical nuance is added to the work. This style may suit the subject matter well; after all, Cather is often associated with the simple majesty of the American plains, and simplicity governs this work--despite the intriguing energy of its title. Taylor's workmanlike narration echoes the... Read More
Grover Gardner brings the Old West to life in this slow-burn tale of vengeance set against a backdrop of post-Civil War lawlessness. John Chenneville is a Union soldier who is struggling to regain his memories while recovering from a head wound on his family homestead in St. Louis. Gardner gives Chenneville a light drawl and a steady, even tone that belies his fierce... Read More
A successful entrepreneur and podcast host, Patrick Bet-David shares the lessons he's distilled from his growth as a person and as a builder of complex, high-achieving businesses. His strong voice and audible passion provide vocal energy that matches the power and clarity of his ideas but never makes him sound like he's overpromoting. His exercises and recommendations are... Read More
André Santana and Brittany Pressley deliver a steady performance that highlights two men and two women who navigate a friendship over 10 years. When Hannah and Finn meet while alone at college over Christmas break, the two form a strong friendship and develop Christmas traditions that continue while they live in New York City. Over the decade of the story, two more friends join... Read More
Victoria Villarreal smoothly shifts between the languages, locations, humor, and heartache of Dolores Mendoza. Delores suffers with interstitial cystitis, a condition that caused a bladder accident in front of fellow eighth graders, a moment of shame that Villarreal powerfully conveys. Villarreal captures Dolores's curiosity in a priest's confessional, wit in the bathroom... Read More
Robin Miles effectively serves as tour guide for the vacation from hell that is detailed in this audiobook. An extended off-the-grid family abducts Dr. Blake Maslin and his teenage twin daughters. Their captors have received superhuman abilities from an alien virus, and they infect the Maslins to increase their tribe's numbers. Miles smoothly reflects the minds of the... Read More
Originally published in the 1900s, Carolyn Wells's Fleming Stone mysteries were very popular. Now in the public domain, they're looking for a new audience as audiobooks. Sadly, this first audiobook in the series, narrated without distinction by John C. Winson, may not garner a bevy of listeners. When a wealthy heiress dies from a knife wound on the eve of her wedding, lawyer... Read More
Janina Edwards returns to narrate the third installment in the Spice Isle Bakery mysteries, voicing bakery co-owner Lyndsay and a variety of other characters. Deftly delivering various accents, inflections, and pitches, Edwards leads listeners through a cozy story of murder at Brooklyn's Caribbean American Heritage Festival. Her entertaining narration provides ample emotional... Read More
Bronson Pinchot embraces the tone and accents of the international characters in this political thriller. In 1947, military attachés gather at a party. An American and a Russian diplomat agree to a friendly ski race across the Finnish countryside. The audiobook focuses on the adventure of the race, but real intrigue builds around the international diplomacy that mounts once... Read More
A family story blends with history and myth in this excellent audiobook delivered by two talented narrators. Bahni Turpin, the primary narrator, tells the interwoven stories of Celia Coleman and Lucy Grimes, two women who flee the cruelties of the post-Civil War South in 1916, only to discover the brutalities of the North, where they quickly become widowed and fight poverty. A... Read More
Nicole Lewis performs this sophomore novel from Booker longlisted author Kiley Reid. Millie Cousins is a senior resident assistant at the University of Arkansas, and her goal is to graduate, buy a house, and begin living her life. When Agatha Paul, a visiting professor and journalist, offers Millie money in exchange for the opportunity to eavesdrop on the dorm's residents,... Read More
Ben Arogundade does a fine job performing this collection of science-fiction short stories set in Africa. His steady voice helps listeners through the unfamiliar terrain of places and things, though there is no "coming together" of these stories as the title suggests. Each is set in its own reality. Most intriguing is "Saturday's Song," an African folktale of seven godlike... Read More
Mark Kurlansky brings an authoritative narration to his latest food history endeavor. In the first part, Kurlansky explores the history and science of the onion, delivering his insights with the matter-of-fact demeanor of a seasoned professor. In the second part, Kurlansky reveals his passion for historical recipes, which is evident in his brighter narration. The recipes are... Read More
With her beautiful British accent, Naomi Frederick narrates this story of two couples whose lives unravel. Lucy and Adam, and Cora and Scott are practically a blended family. Adam, Cora, and Scott were friends at university; their past is deep and rife with secrets unknown to Lucy. One day, Lucy sees a compromising picture of Scott with another woman. As she tries to piece... Read More
In an alternate universe, King Louis XVI has become the first vampire and has now ruled for three centuries. Carlotta Brentan gives a spirited narration of this novel featuring Jeanne, a young commoner who is masquerading as an aristocrat to seek vengeance for the deaths of her family members. Commoners have no rights; they're just a source of blood for the vampires.... Read More
Voice actor Colleen Delany narrates the conclusion to the Court of Thorns and Roses series, set amid the Night Court of the High Fae. Proud, prickly, short-tempered Nesta Archeron, portrayed by Natalie Van Sistine, spars with her battle-scarred lover, silken voiced Cassian, performed by Jon Vertullo. Sometimes they tangle between the sheets in scenes of explicit sex; sometimes... Read More
Narrator Jacob McNatt has to get a bit cranky for this picture book featuring a crane named Cranky who builds a bridge with his friends, Zippy, Wheezy, and Dump Chuck. Automotive wordplay adds a sense of fun to this story of Cranky's sour mood. McNatt captures Cranky's disposition at once as he testily snaps at the merry morning greetings of his friends. During lunch break,... Read More
Gerry O'Brien brings a pleasant, slightly scratchy voice and a soft Irish accent to Stephens's fantasy, first published in 1912. It's the story of an unworldly philosopher, his wife--who is one of the fairy folk of Ireland--two gods, leprechauns, a naked maiden, and some blundering policemen. The tone and mood vary greatly in this disjointed work, but O'Brien matches and... Read More
Malcolm Hillgartner epitomizes a fine nonfiction narrator. He lets these often disturbing stories of road ecology (annals of roadkills) reveal themselves in an understated way. A master of pace and cadence, his tone works with the dramatic statistics provided: About one million wild animals perish daily from cars, 40 million miles of roads ring the planet, and the fires in... Read More
Narrator Dion Graham, with his ability to tap into a wide variety of voices, is the right pick for this blues-heavy novel, first published in 1998, featuring music, violence, sex, and a psychopath. Nick Travers is a former pro football player turned blues historian at Tulane University in Louisiana. He is sent to find a music professor who went missing while researching the... Read More
A talented cast beautifully re-creates an old-time radio drama about an ambitious reporter and a strange group seeking gold and a missing silent film actress in the deep, dark Amazon jungle of the 1920s. Narrator Ken Jackson knows how to craft a story and lure listeners into the web of intrigue. Kimberly Gilbert dominates as the resourceful Ursula, matched by Holly Adams as the... Read More
Carol Dweck, author of MINDSET, narrates the Foreword of this audiobook in a workmanlike fashion, explaining her scholarly relationship with author Mary Murphy. Murphy argues that the creative and talented mindset transcends the innate gifts of an individual. Cultures of growth are explained as both revolutionary and helpful at Microsoft and many other well-known organizations.... 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
Rattlesnakes are just one of the creatures science writer-turned-academic Robles ponders as she blends her own perspectives and historical writings into this audiobook of essays on the human study of various species, such as coral and sharks. Narrator Daniela Acitelli brings a sense of wonder to a Native American story about the rattlesnake world. Her pace increases with... Read More
Emma Love beautifully delivers the essence of this story. In 1922, Ruby, an heiress, is sent to Lothel Green to deliver a trunk of magical books to Ruan, who has a gift for healing. While there, Ruby visits her old friend, Tamsyn, who has married Sir Chenowyth of Penryth Hall. Overnight, Chenowyth is found dead in the orchard, and locals believe the cause was a curse. Tamsyn is... Read More
Gabra Zackman transports listeners to Italy amid the chaos of WWII. Massimo, a young teen scarred by both physical and emotional trauma, is taken under the wing of the enigmatic Pietro Houdini. Together, they find refuge in the Abbey of Montecassino, where they plan an audacious art heist with the help of a growing band of misfits. Zackman masterfully brings the protagonists to... Read More
Sara Novak narrates the first installment of a new trilogy called The Soulfire Saga. Kat is a trained thief who is hoping to wipe out her father's debt. When a planned heist goes awry, she is sentenced to be executed and is then rescued by rebels. Everything gets much more complicated as political intrigue unfolds. The audiobook begins with the cast of characters and concludes... Read More
As the voice of Mona, Ellie Moon performs appropriately. A young playwright, Mona should be an engaging character, but we don't hear much about her creative process. Rather, she struggles with family, friends, and herself throughout the novel. The simple structure of the story and the journalistic style of the prose are distracting in the audiobook format. Multiple narrators... Read More
Christina Moore gives an expert performance of this third captivating episode featuring Italian police superintendent Teresa Battaglia. Teresa is drawn out of semi-retirement to interview imprisoned serial killer Giacomo Mainardi. Secretly dealing with an Alzheimer's diagnosis, Teresa fears her policing days are over. Her meeting with Mainardi releases a flood of memories,... Read More
Jeremy Carlisle Parker shows emotional breadth in her portrayal of 17-year-old Rosy Holt, who zealously guards her own and her grandmother's shape-shifting adventures in a remote forest. Parker heightens the initial tension during a dramatic scene in which Rosy saves the life of a princess. The taut plot continues as Rosy hides her secrets while attending magic school in the... Read More
Astronomer and physicist Marcelo Gleiser's manifesto calls for more awareness, gratitude, and kindness toward our planet. Focusing on biocentrism, he reminds listeners of the sacred relationship between humanity and our world, and argues that a call to action is crucial for their continued existence. Timothy Andrés Pabon's soft-spoken and lyrical narration supports the author's... Read More
James Meunier convincingly portrays the confusion and terror of Alex Dean, a Londoner who wakes up one morning in a place and time he doesn't recognize. Alex's most recent memory is spending a delightful evening with his girlfriend. They were celebrating his acceptance to Cambridge--until they were interrupted by a violent confrontation with Alex's childhood nemesis. Meunier... Read More
Precious Mustapha and Tara Tijani invite listeners into an extraordinary story based on West African mythology. On the day her uncle dies, Ozoemena becomes the unwitting heir to a supernatural family legacy. After her father's death leaves Treasure and her mother destitute, she strikes up a bargain with a strange man in the market. Mustapha voices Ozoemena as a girl who is... Read More
Thanks to Stig Abell's remarkable debut novel, Oliver Hembrough has the material needed to provide hours of engrossing listening. When former police officer Jake Jackson inherits his uncle's remote farm, he decides to disconnect from his London life and move in. Leaving behind all modern conveniences, Jake finds contentment he never dreamed possible, but when human bones are... Read More
This first-person recollection of a love affair, first published in 1930, is given a splendid narration by Derek Perkins. The title refers to the main character's responses to his love interest's seeming lack of transparency. The author, born Nikolai Freudenstein in Saint Petersburg, was a well-known writer of the Russian diaspora in Paris after the Russian Revolution. He died... Read More
This audio version of Waugh's first published work exudes satire at every turn. When Paul Pennyfeather is thrown out of school, he is forced to find his way in life as a schoolmaster. This change in circumstances leads to all manner of misadventures, each one rich with opportunities to make fun of 1920s British society. Stefan Rudnicki's resonant voice carries such depth that... Read More
There's both humor and poignancy in this middle-grade fantasy. Mark Sanderlin animates the cast of characters, including young Nack Furnival, who desperately wants to be a knight; a goth girl necromancer and the bad guy she helps resurrect; a seer; and knights Willa and Barb. Nack thinks the sword he happens upon in a cave is an angel blade like the ones other knights carry,... Read More
Helen Laser returns for another fun performance of the Glimmer Falls series. In this sequel, Astaroth, a bargainer demon who is one of nine members of the high council, is sent to Earth. Unfortunately for him, the first person he meets is the powerful witch Calladia, who becomes his enemy a mere few hours before he develops amnesia. But with Moloth on both their trails,... Read More
Hannah Curtis's delightfully dry voice narrates this academic-sounding audiobook. Chapters flit through time and topics to cover various Dickensian literary landmarks in and around London, using many primary sources, including century-old tourism guides. Jackson discusses the history of Victorian literary tourism, the challenges of authenticating sites, and the reasons for... Read More
Addressing young listeners directly, animal behaviorist Temple Grandin reads the introduction to her work on cognitive differences, with Andrea Gallo taking over the narration of the main text. It is nominally a celebration of cognitive multiplicity, with visual thinkers, like the author, complementing verbal thinkers. There's lots of empowerment for visual thinkers here, but... Read More
Tania De Rozario performs her essay collection, which revolves around her experience growing up as a fat mixed-race queer girl in Singapore. When she was a child, school administrators required her to eat smaller meals and exercise more. After her mother learned of De Rozario's sexuality, she called church leaders to exorcise her. De Rozario narrates each of her essays with... Read More
This audiobook features ex-soldier Saint Vega, who wants to protect his family, and Lola León, a social justice warrior who is determined to save her neighborhood community center. Valentina Ortiz's narration skillfully immerses listeners in this story, smoothly capturing the spirit of its culturally rich neighborhoods. Her vocal artistry brings the characters to life, vividly... Read More
Listeners will have a grand time with Lorelei King's versatile narration of this fictionalized account of the life of famed opera singer Maria Callas. Listeners will feel as though they are globe-trotting alongside Callas as she performs in the classic opera houses of Europe and the U.S. King gives Callas a slightly detached, poised tone as she rehearses and performs, and... Read More
In her latest book of essays, Haynes gives a new, more feminist, perspective on many of the goddesses of Greek mythology--including major figures like Athene, Hera, Demeter, Hestia, and Aphrodite. She discusses their roles and how society has viewed them throughout history. Haynes asks listeners to examine our more traditional assumptions about these goddesses and how... Read More
Soneela Nankani dynamically narrates this unique mystery. Sana and her father move to an old South African estate that has been repurposed as housing for those seeking shelter. Still grieving the passing of her mother, Sana tries to make connections with the other tenants and stumbles into the bedroom of the estate's former resident and her djinn. Nankani charmingly delivers... Read More
Narrator Cassandra Morris creates a youthful and energetic voice for Chance, a dog who lives in a shelter called Dogtown that houses both living dogs and robotic dogs. Chance befriends one of the robot dogs, named Metal Head. As they both hope to find better lives, Morris captures Chance's upbeat attitude, even as she reveals the tragic events that brought her to Dogtown in the... Read More
Two debutantes scheme to bring their parents together, only to stumble into love themselves in a romp of an audiobook. It's 1857, and London's season is about to begin. Mary Jane Wells portrays Beth, who must find a suitable match so that she and her widowed mother have a place to live. Wells's voice is unsteady as Beth tries to make her way in society but warms when she meets... Read More
After listening to this probing audiobook, listeners will never look at a dust bunny the same way again. Narrator Naomi Frederick's spot-on performance makes listening to the environmental history of our planet's dust absolutely engaging. The author, a geographer, writer, and researcher, creatively combines travel writing with history and science to argue that environmental... Read More
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