New Reviews by Title: P-T

This spirited memoir is narrated by its author, the talented, lovely actress Dylan Mulvaney. Her robust and delightful performance fully conjures the colorful life she's lived--from her first budding aspirations for the stage to the inspiring woman she is today. Of course, the audiobook heavily focuses on her gender transition later in life and the negative feedback she's... Read More

Renowned British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who won an Earphones Award for his narration of St. Aubyn's novel DOUBLE BLIND, delivers a terrific performance of the author's latest tale. Rather like an updated Shakespeare comedy on steroids, the tale of love, loss, family, and survival involves separated fraternal twins, mental illness, troubled therapists, and environmental... Read More

Actor Richard Attlee has the rare ability among audiobook narrators of extracting full value from each word and syllable while seeming to do nothing at all. What in a lesser narrative might have seemed affected here achieves a singular ease and naturalism. Art historian Pears's richly detailed, expertly written "Love Story from a Lost Continent" comes from firsthand... Read More

Narrating his thriller, author Dan Fesperman captures all the momentum and sly tension between comedy and suspense that animates it. Hal Knight, a disgraced comedian/movie star/congressman, is drawn out of seclusion by an invitation from his one enduring fan, a notorious Eastern European dictator. Soon after, he's approached by an American intelligence team with a plan. Part... Read More

Golden Voice narrator Cassandra Campbell takes on this slow-moving story of the small town of Ebey's End, situated on an island off the Pacific coast. Sweet-natured and observant Anita Odom, owner of Island Grocery, suddenly finds herself having to raise her orphaned fourteen-year-old cousin, July. The next thing Anita knows, July is shyly suggesting various purchases to... Read More

This account of two Black writers makes for a memorable audiobook. Both narrators are masters of cadence and pace. The unnamed first-person protagonist, portrayed expressively by Golden Voice Narrator JD Jackson, wins a National Book Award. Ronald Peet eloquently portrays the writer Soot. Both writers are wounded--one by a knife and the other by loss. Europe is the setting for... Read More

Victoria Connolly and Brandon Francis perform this opposites-attract small-town romance. Prudence Welch is content to keep to herself while working at her father's gas station, writing poetry, and taking care of her mother, who has early-onset Alzheimer's. Milo Kablukov is a bit of an adventurous nomad who has returned home because his brother needs his help. Prudence and... Read More

Eve Passeltiner and Robert Fass use their varied vocal talents to good effect in this intriguing mystery, set amid the artist community of Florence in 1557. The novel takes the form of more than 150 short letters that document the progress of an inquiry into the murder of an artist who was working on frescoes in San Lorenzo. With more than a dozen different letter writers--male... Read More

Four narrators tell this multigenerational story of a Shanghai family with a magical secret: The women can "reforge" pencils, re-creating the stories that were once written with them. Carolyn Kang voices devoted granddaughter Monica, who lives in contemporary times in Cambridge. As Monica researches her family's history, Kang captures her growth, taking her from self-doubting... Read More

Bryan Dick's Northern English accent and meditative tone are true to the spirit of James Rebanks's experience of living on an isolated Norwegian island, where he learns about the work of the "duck women." Rebanks accompanies a woman named Anna during her last summer there as she works to protect the nesting eiders from predators and then, after the birds depart, gathers and... Read More

Alex Finke is the primary narrator of this haunted house audiobook. Using the perfect amount of sarcasm, Finke portrays stylist and influencer Clio as she returns to her childhood home after her estranged mother, Alex, passes away. Clio and her sisters remember fearing their mother, but Alex always insisted the house was the root of their problems. It was possessed, she... Read More

Narrator Sam West effortlessly sweeps listeners along in this magnificent sequel to IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES. When Anya's grandfather, the king of Dousha, is murdered and her beloved father is accused of the crime and imprisoned, Anya will do anything to help him. Help comes in the form of Christopher, a guardian of the magical Archipelago where Anya lives, along with a bevy of... Read More

Carolina Hoyos and Anthony Rey Perez perform this delightfully terrifying novel, which perfectly blends horror, romance, and historical fiction. In 1765, when a plague tears through the city of Zacatecas, Alba; her fiancé, Carlos; and their families escape to the country. There, Alba begins hearing voices and starts sleepwalking. Elías, Carlos's cousin, finds himself drawn to... Read More

An emotive full-cast adaptation of Austen's most famous novel ranges from stellar narrative performances to "Bridgerton"-esque laughter and sighs. There're no weak performances here, with Darcy (Harris Dickinson), Lizzy (Marisa Abela), her parents (Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Bill Nighy), and Lady Catherine (Glenn Close) especially owning Austen's spirit. Patricia Allison is... Read More

Ruth Redman gives an enthusiastic narration of Rilla Askew's latest novel, the true story of Anne Askew (no relation to the author), a Protestant writer and poet who lived during the tumultuous reign of Henry VIII. As the story unfolds from Anne's point of view, the listener is drawn in by Redman's compelling narration. Events include Anne's marriage to her late sister's... Read More

This legal thriller grips you from the beginning as narrator Andrew Eiden uses vocal volume as a way to shape the characters' voices. Jake West is an excellent, albeit alcoholic, lawyer with a marred reputation. When he finds himself accused of a killing, he must use his legal acumen to get out of the jam while also investigating a cover-up that may involve his father's firm.... Read More

Jennifer Pastiloff narrates her latest audiobook with relaxed passion that makes all her stories and advice ring with truth. Her vocal style has a musical quality that makes her message fun to hear and uniquely hers. She conducts workshops around the world that are aimed at people who hold themselves back from living because of shame, doubt, low self-esteem, or fear. Sharing... Read More

Michael Connelly proves that the criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller, aka the Lincoln Lawyer, has successfully jumped to the civil side with this riveting courtroom drama. Narrator Peter Giles, the voice for the series, smoothly shifts among male and female characters, embodying figures as varied as a troubled teenager and a seductive digital AI companion. Connelly's plot... Read More

In this personal growth audiobook, the creative director of character design for Sesame Workshop offers up an intriguing guide to creativity for every part of life. Using his own personal and professional experiences, Louis Henry Mitchell narrates his helpful advice on ingenuity. Sounding empathetic and motivating, his delivery is direct and organized as he advises listeners to... Read More

Deaf poet Raymond Antrobus dazzles in this spellbinding account of his life as a mixed-race young man from East London. Born to an English mother and a Jamaican father, Antrobus always felt out of place. When he was 6, a doctor explained that he was deaf. Finding poetry revolutionized his relationship to sound and gave him the confidence to embrace his life as a member of the... Read More

The tumultuous life of Juliane of Saxe-Coburg is given a solid narration by Jennifer M. Dixon. Julie, who was an aunt of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, became Grand Duchess Anna Fedorova of Russia when she married Grand Duke Constantine, brother of the future Tsar Alexander I. It was not a happy union, and she eventually abandoned him and fled back to Western Europe.... Read More

Author/narrator Kelsey Timmerman addresses the dangers of corporate farming: how planting large tracts of nothing but corn and soybeans necessitates using damaging chemicals to yield desired profits at the cost of polluting the soil and water. Timmerman's thesis is as timely as it is terrifying, and he's a popular speaker on the topic. However, he struggles when narrating due... Read More

This account of the occupation of a portion of the Netherlands during WWII--and how the Dutch commemorate those who resisted and those who liberated them--is given a splendid narration by Golden Voice Dion Graham. Edsel, who also wrote THE MONUMENTS MEN, looks at the lives of 12 individuals who all were connected with the events of 1940-45 in this small corner of Europe. It... Read More

Narrated by Mary Roach, this audiobook explores the human body and the challenges that arise when organs, tissues, and limbs fail. Roach is curious and enthusiastic as she meets with physicians, researchers, and people in need of replacement or repair of crucial body parts. Her narration is funny and captivating, reminiscent of a great conversation at a dinner party. Roach... Read More

This audiobook chronicles the dreary world of Ray "Spike" Thorns, a retired caretaker at a posh English boarding school whose life is dramatically changed when a visiting neighbor is rushed to the hospital and dies. Ray is confused with the dead neighbor and is, thus, officially declared dead. Narrator Peter Noble expertly portrays the hapless Ray; listeners can hear his... Read More

Grace Gray narrates this WWII historical fantasy from the perspectives of three characters: Lydia Polk, a British woman who recently graduated from the Royal Academy of Witches; Rebecca Gagne, a Jewish resistance fighter in France; and Henry Boudreaux, a Haitian American art historian with a little magic of his own. Lydia must enlist the help of Rebecca and Henry to obtain a... Read More

Marketing expert Rishad Tobaccowala provides a master class on how people will work in the future. Looming large in this invaluable lesson is the outsized impact of AI, which he says will reduce the workforce in larger organizations, facilitate the growth of smaller companies, and increase flexibility in how employees and gig workers get things done. With AI doing the analytic... Read More

Narrator Faith Alabi delivers a seamless portrayal of Temi, a London-based aspiring writer who is determined to publish her first novel after getting her heart broken by her former boyfriend, Wale. As her hopes of publishing dim, Temi takes on a new opportunity: ghostwriting a memoir for a celebrity client. Little does she know that the "celebrity" is none other than Wale.... Read More

Pamela Dillman masterfully brings to life this delightful comic novel. When two Manhattan socialites are left penniless by their thieving husbands, their shared humiliation is boundless. Dillman's kind but determined Diane and sarcastic, snobbish CeCe must overcome their lifelong rivalry and team up to find lodging and work far from New York. Accompanied by Dillman's finest... Read More

Author Bridget Crocker recounts her life as a young woman before coming into her own, thanks to her appreciation for the natural world. One Easter morning Crocker's mother abandoned her family, leaving Bridget to fend for herself. Few people stepped in to help. Through a series of traumatic trials and tribulations--including sexual assaults-- Crocker found herself confronting... Read More

Narrators Cris Dukehart and Eric G. Dove join forces to introduce listeners to the quirky town of Rocky Start. Rose Malone's landlord and employer, Ozzie, has died, and a stranger claiming to be his son tries to throw her out of her home. Hiker Max Reddy has just come off the Appalachian Trail when he sees Rose being attacked. Dukehart handles the narration from Rose's point of... Read More

In Claudia Gray's fourth outing in the world of Austen, Billie Fulford-Brown's narration keeps everything wonderfully droll. Amateur detectives Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney once again find themselves up to their necks in murder, this time during the height of the London Season. Jonathan has tender feelings for Juliet, but the Darcys don't approve. Fulford-Brown expertly... Read More

Narrator Victoria Villarreal elevates this ghostly mystery with her impressive vocal range. Malamar Veracruz has never escaped the shadow of her sister, Elena, who disappeared when they were teenagers. With no choice but to mature quickly, she raised her baby brother in a fractured home with an alcoholic father and an abusive mother who blamed Malamar for Elena's disappearance.... Read More

For anyone contemplating life off the grid--specifically, on a farm--this audiobook offers lessons both moving and unexpected. Cassidy Brown's narration of a family's move to Vermont's Green Mountains is engaging, earnest, and spot-on. One cannot help but be moved by Brown's delivery of the true story of the Whybrow family's life, love, and hardship as they shepherd sheep and,... Read More

What does it mean when someone devours a dessert and declares that it's "to die for"? Listeners will be entertained by narrator Karen Chilton's performance of this deliciously devious novel set at Essie's Soul Food Cafe on the South Side of Chicago. When Grandy Jaspers expires at his table, the mystery of whodunit ensues for Chef-Proprietor Savvy Summers. Will Summers and... Read More

This examination of the American prairie is given a solid narration by George Newbern. The authors, both journalists living in Minnesota, view this marvel of a landscape as an ecosystem that includes the various competing human groups who live there. While Hage and Marcotty go into great detail regarding the problem of the prairie's disappearance, their solution--the redemption... Read More

Jennifer Kim tenderly performs this portrait of contemporary Japanese society, which reflects on Japan's work culture. Kim portrays Dok-go, a homeless man who finds community after helping convenience store owner Mrs. Yeom recover her lost handbag. Her performance is sobering and affecting as her slow pace and grave tone convey Dok-go's strong moral code and work ethic,... Read More

As author Gretchen Rubin narrates this rich collection of aphorisms, her comfort with the wisdom they embody reflects her successful career writing books about character and personal effectiveness. Rubin has a lovely speaking voice, and you can hear her joy in sharing these pithy statements and the larger truths they illuminate. She collected them from the writings of ancients... Read More

Narrator Jennifer Pickens nails the sharp, witty tone of this novel set in academia. Robbie, an MFA student nearing graduation, is working on her creative writing thesis, focusing on the theme of infidelity. She is secretly basing it on her advisor, Simone, and Simone's husband, Ethan, who both work in the English department. Ethan is having an affair with the department's... Read More

Dive into Celtic mythology with an excellent narration by Siobhan Waring. An acclaimed voice actor, she brings her considerable skills to this captivating story, told from the point of view of Quinn, a selkie whose hide is hidden by a controlling and abusive man. Waring's accents and vocal range are exemplary, with appropriate emotions and pitches to suit each character and... Read More

Talk show host/comedian John Fugelsang dedicates this important and timely book to his parents, a Carmelite nun and Franciscan monk who left their orders but remained dedicated to the teachings of Christ. Fugelsang's warm, companionable voice perfectly conveys his concern that right-wing forces are using the Bible as a prop to justify cruelty, hatred, and absolute power--the... Read More

Subtitled "The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource," this intriguing audiobook explores the significance and potential of shade from the sun. Shawn Jain narrates clearly with an engaging style at a good pace, and he captures the author's thoughtful tone. This fascinating work reports on science, uses cultural history, and examines entrepreneurial activism. Shade is not the... Read More

Genevieve Gaunt deftly conveys this time-travel/ghost story set in both 1895 and 2013. After a contemporary family unexpectedly inherits a mansion on the Cornish coast, they hear anguished crying nightly but find no obvious cause. Gaunt offers superb historical and contemporary speech patterns and outstanding voices for the young. The family consults Pixie Tate, a "time slider"... Read More

Golden Voice Narrator January LaVoy returns to the world of Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta in this new thriller in which not even Christmas morning is safe. A serial killer is projecting ghost-like holograms into the homes of those they kill. The most recent victims point Scarpetta toward a notorious psychiatric hospital and the secrets kept by some of the most powerful... Read More

January LaVoy gives a theater-caliber performance in this suspense novel involving the disappearance of a young woman from an upscale condo. When Bryden fails to pick up their three-year-old from day care, her husband, Sam, discovers that she has mysteriously disappeared. Enter a cast of friends, neighbors, and relatives--many of whom may know more than they're saying. Can... Read More

Lucy Paterson's confident narration lends authority to anthropologist Judith Scheele's wide-ranging exploration of the Sahara Desert. Scheele's mission is to complicate Western notions of the region by introducing listeners to its cultural, environmental, historical, economic, and ethnic complexity. Spanning the width of North Africa, the region's languages include both... Read More

Paige Reisenfeld introduces listeners to Phoebe Blair, a historian who is hired by Armitage Gallier to research the relationship between his ancestor, Thomas Gallier, and the plus-sized vaudeville star Evelyn Cross. As Phoebe grows closer to Armitage, she notices the parallels between the story she is investigating and her own feelings for her employer. Reisenfeld's narration... Read More

With crisp sound effects and an original score, Voices In the Wind Audio Theatre delivers a nice polish and American accents to Charles Dickens's classic 1866 story of the supernatural. When a newspaper reporter, portrayed with heartfelt energy by Laura Van Veen, calls "Halloa! Below there!" at the entrance of a railway tunnel, she's surprised to find a distressed and haggard... Read More

Anne-Marie Piazza gives a spirited performance in this historical mystery. She 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. When McAdam goes undercover, working for a viscount in Belgrave Square, Holloway uses her cunning to keep him safe. Piazza has a delightful... Read More

Timothy Andrés Pabon delivers a superb narration of this compelling audiobook offering an unfiltered look at the demanding world of public defenders. The gripping novel focuses on PD Santi Elcano and his mentor, C.J., who must defend Michael Atwood against charges of having brutally murdered young mother Anna Weston. Both lawyers believe in Atwood's innocence. Pabon's skillful... Read More

This audiobook recounts the extraordinary true story of a small group of women imprisoned in Ravensbrück, the Nazis' only all-female concentration camp during WWII. The powerful account traces their harrowing ordeal with relentless brutality, including starvation, forced labor, inhumane medical experiments, and extreme overcrowding. Narrator Lisa Flanagan delivers a performance... Read More

Isabella Star LaBlanc provides a superior narration of Boulley's third YA novel, this one featuring eighteen-year-old Lucy Smith. First-person chapters taking place in the past are interspersed with those in the present, moving forward chronologically until time is synced. LaBlanc portrays young, openhearted Lucy, who responds lovingly to her father's protective care. Later,... Read More

This audiobook combines memoir and various business lessons. John Calamos, founder of Calamos Asset Management, is a respected philanthropist and an American patriot. Co-author and narrator Joe Garner's delivery is precisely articulated and professional, and he does his best to maintain listeners' interest throughout. But it's disconcerting to discover that this memoir is... Read More

Imani Jade Powers brings a thoughtful tone to this layered story of love, regret, and quiet resilience, which follows a Croatian woman's journey into midlife. Powers's voice projects the melancholy of Ivona's reflections as she returns to her hometown to care for aging family members and reunite with her childhood love and now ex-husband. Set against the evocative backdrop of... Read More

A trio of narrators lend their considerable talents to this nonfiction work about the eminent 1960s London psychiatrist Dr. William Sargant, voiced by Richard Armitage. Sargant founded The Sleep Room, where horrific methods were used on young women in the name of science. Sargant was, by all accounts, an egotistical predator, and Armitage's smooth, level narration displays that... Read More

Anna Acton narrates this workplace contemporary romance. When former soap actress Kate Elliot agrees to pose as a romance author on a book tour for a publicity-shy client, she has no idea she'll find her own real-life love story. Charlie Francisco is hoping to become more than Kate's talent agent. Acton's light, expressive tone captures Kate's doubts, vulnerabilities, and... Read More

With his rich baritone and impeccable pacing, Simon Vance gives voice to the return of Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. Characters from Cornwall to South Africa benefit from Vance's facility with accents as he delineates the many personalities and their disparate backstories, only some of which relate directly to a horrific... Read More

Christy Woods narrates a slow-burn love story, the first in a new series set in Iceland. When a promotion sends London retail manager Rachel abroad, she hopes it will rekindle her stale relationship with her long-term boyfriend. Growing close with her new friends, in particular adventurous tour guide Jonas, causes her to recognize the romance and feeling of connection missing... Read More

Lucy Scott brings her clear British English to this work, a sequel that was rushed out, I fear, to capitalize on the success of von Arnim's earlier well-loved book, ELIZABETH AND HER GERMAN GARDEN, published in 1898. This slight audiobook, set in Pomerania in the 1890s, is amusing for those who like gardening. Scott adds a touch of humor and affection to Elizabeth's... Read More

Narrators Joshua Quinn and Christopher Hampton portray two Black teenagers in this queer romance novel. After his best friend unexpectedly leaves for the summer, hopeless romantic Kai, portrayed by Joshua Quinn, attends a sold-out concert by himself. Christopher Hampton's character, Elias, who has been sent to spend the summer with his uncle, decides to attend the same concert... Read More

Listening to Tembi Locke's melodic voice share her experiences during a Sicilian summer vacation with her daughter, Zoela, and second husband, Robert, is a delight for any audiophile. Published years after FROM SCRATCH--her gut-wrenching memoir of her first husband's death from cancer--this account continues her story as she reconnects with her late husband's family and they... Read More

When a teenager finds himself the owner of a house on an island in New Hampshire, he and his pal uncover its mysterious past. Slowly, a paranormal story emerges. Michael Crouch is perfect for this audiobook, which demands that the narrator shift between teens and adults--all of whom sound different and distinct. One of the group is a teen whose tone comes off as surly, while a... Read More

This collection of interconnected short stories is a delight. Southern humorist and actress Fannie Flagg narrates her own work with a touch of whimsy. You can almost hear the sparkle in her eye as she portrays an assortment of characters all over the country throughout decades. Her pacing is pleasant and relaxed as she brings to life these snapshots of America. The stories... Read More

Two narrators deliver this dual-timeline novel. Kenichiro Thomson's calm tone suits the first-person narrative of a contemporary teenager named Adam--even as he loses his first boyfriend, experiences turmoil at home over a new sibling, and deals with discomfort upon reading a disturbing diary he's discovered. Susan Momoko Hingley delivers the first-person diary entries of an... Read More

Piper Goodeve gives an enthusiastic narration of a novel inspired by the true story of one of the first female horse divers. After answering an ad for a girl who loves horses who can dive and swim, Sonora Webster becomes absorbed in the carnival world of early-twentieth-century America. Harsh instruction for Sonora, gentle training of the horses, and the thrilling moments... Read More

Listeners may be tempted to bypass this magnificent audiobook with its unfamiliar character names and sprinkling of Yiddish words. That would be a mistake. This story is universal in its community feeling, challenging parent-child relations, marital troubles, and eternal struggle between tradition and modernity. At a basic level, the story is about a Polish village in the early... Read More

Combining her theatrical training, bilingualism, and Caribbean roots, Almarie Guerra is the ideal person to narrate this audiobook. The saga of a Puerto Rican and Irish American family stretches over three generations as they make their homes in San Juan, New York, and St. Louis. The story touches on the history, culture, and politics of the territory of Puerto Rico, making the... Read More

Juliette Goglia and Nick Thurston share the narration of this thriller set in the high-stakes world of international art dealing. Goglia captures the naïveté of Ingrid, a gallery assistant who falls in love with Rudolph, a shady art dealer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Goglia also portrays many other irritating female characters with a convincing degree of... Read More

Narrator Bailey Carr enchants listeners in this heartfelt contemporary romance. After a mishap with a spell back in high school, Rowan Midwinter, a witch, decided to quit using her magic. Now her family has guilted her into coming home to help save the winter festival, which has no snow. She reunites with her childhood rival, Gavin, the son of the festival's landlord, who... Read More

Sixteen narrators offer a humorous take on contemporary culture, with Bechdel as the deadpan narrator. While her friends navigate their first throuple and her wife, Holly, garners fame as a wood-chopping influencer, Alison is stuck. Her first book has been adapted into a successful TV show, but she struggles with a follow-up. Perhaps writing a script about rejecting consumer... Read More

Jay Myers, Amber Benson, and Xe Sands narrate the perspectives of a group of childhood friends who reunite as adults. Twenty years after Matty disappeared up a staircase in the woods, Nick convinces Hamish, Lore, and Owen to return and find out what happened. Myers delivers the quiet panic of Owen's internal dialogue while also excelling at sound effects like the buzzing of a... Read More

Madeleine Maby skillfully narrates Harmel's new historical mystery. Jewel thief Colette Marceau has known of her family's history--stealing from the rich and giving to the poor--since she was 14. Seventy years later, a museum exhibit of a unique diamond bracelet catches her attention. The last time she saw that bracelet was in Paris in 1942 on the night her sister, Liliane,... Read More

Book 10 of the Rivers of London series delivers an audiobook mix of mystery, magic, and adventure. The plot is rich and layered, unfolding at a pace that lets Aaronovitch's intricate world-building shine. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith expertly portrays Peter Grant's trademark wit and dry humor, while Shvorne Marks brings Abigail Kamara to life with warmth and intelligence. Their... Read More

Kaipo Schwab brings quiet elegance and nuance to this character-driven meditation on creativity, beauty, and ambition in a Japanese architectural firm. His narration captures the calm precision of young Toru Sakanishi as he navigates his first professional position during a bidding war for a high-stakes government project. Schwab's gentle pacing and warm tone mirror Toru's... Read More

Narrator Ella Lynch demonstrates her expansive gifts throughout this novel, giving unique and distinct voices to all its characters. Her scintillating delivery reflects Celia and her magical world. Of particular note are Lynch's smooth transitions from female to male voices, each completely natural and believable. After Celia curses her beloved brother, Argent, Lynch uses tone,... Read More

Mei Mei Macleod's performance of this speculative novel draws listeners into an alternative world in which slivers of the sun are slowly disappearing. A young woman works at a pharmacy in Five Poems Lake, a village surrounded by deserts. Years ago, her father, a policeman, died mysteriously, and now new clues drive the young woman and her sister, Dong Ji, to investigate how... Read More

Narrator Derek Perkins is the gold standard for audiobooks devoted to artists and the fine arts, and also, it seems, for stunts and high jinks. Clearly, he revels in this biography of "the mother of surrealism," Gala Dali, wife of Salvadore Dali and a creative force in her own right. Her first husband, French poet Paul luard, described her as "an extraordinary, versatile, and... Read More

In this British romance novel narrated by Connor Swindells and Rebekah Hinds, Lexi and Zeke have both had rough days when they agree to one no-strings-attached night of passion on Zeke's houseboat. The next morning, they wake up adrift in the North Sea after a mishap with the boat's ropes. Hinds captures Lexi's gruff determination, while Swindells is vulnerable and... Read More

As an elf who is a talented jewelry artisan and a half-giant find healing and romance, Sarah McEwan and Evan Elliot provide a dual narration. Fae Elikki values her independence as a traveling craftsperson. McEwan's voicing indicates her inward focus and impatience with lecherous fools like the one who placed a bounty on her head. Elliot's voice for Barra, the giant, is... Read More

Narrator Kim Ramirez takes listeners on a cattle drive across the Wyoming prairie that turns into a supernatural nightmare. Greta Molina's friend has offered her a big payday for working a 10-day cattle drive that includes two men she's known since college. However, the canyon they travel through has a legacy of murder, a ghost train, dead animals walking alongside the living,... Read More

Craig Mod moved to Japan at age 19. Now a photographer and essayist in his 40s, he's still there and is an avid walker. Narrating his own work, he recounts his pilgrimage on the Kumano Kodo trail on the Kii Peninsula. At a slow pace, Mod interweaves the daily details of his walk with the history of the pilgrimage; U.S. and Japanese relations; the concept of "yoyu"; thoughts on... Read More

Sir Tim, who has the distinction of having invented the World Wide Web, delivers the introduction to his memoir. Then his friend Stephen Fry takes over--and what a pleasure that is. His plummy voice and English accent, combined with his enthusiasm for his topic, make him the perfect narrator. Even when dealing with the technical details of how the author arrived at his... Read More

With meticulous diction and heartfelt passion, Ruffin Prentiss narrates a timely story that brings multiple critical social issues together in a riveting presentation. Just as he's about to get a coveted basketball scholarship for college, Ossie Brown's life is upended when he falls on the court and tears his ACL. As he tries to reinvent himself as a writer and scholar, the... Read More

Charles Leggett engagingly narrates this Oregon Western set in the 1970s, when ranchers are opposing developers. As Leggett's feisty Sheriff Pudge begins cancer treatments, he enlists the assistance of Wildlife Ranger Nick Drake. When a surveyor is found savagely killed, everyone hopes the death was caused by an animal, not a human. The story is absorbing as Pudge and Nick... Read More

This quixotically creative audiobook redefines historical fiction. The author mixes Shakespearean characters and references with contemporary sensibilities, idioms, and colloquialisms to tell the story of Rosie, the eldest daughter of the not-so-doomed Romeo and Juliet. Narrator Suzy Jackson gives Rosie the voice of a modern woman. Rosie has a reputation as a sleuth and was... Read More

Eric Fox clearly enjoyed performing this audiobook mash-up of 1950s movies featuring rampaging giant insects and the 1975 blockbuster JAWS. Fox gives each character a distinct voice and style, making it effortless for listeners to track who's speaking. His descriptions of the ruthless attacks of buffalo-sized ticks will make listeners' skin crawl. Naturally, the creatures are... Read More

Narrator Graham Halstead takes listeners to a bygone era when sophistication was the norm. In the award-winning 1955 Hitchcock film TO CATCH A THIEF, retired jewel thief John Robie was cleared of a series of burglaries with the help of fashion model Francie Stevens. In this estate-approved sequel, Francie is returning to the Riviera, and Robie hopes to rekindle their romance.... Read More

A deftly written mystery set on the glamorous French Riviera in the 1950s receives a droll, witty performance by Graham Halstead. Burglar John Robie (aka Le Chat) is enjoying a comfortable retirement when a copycat who knows Robie's methods appears on the scene. To prove his innocence to the police and to catch the thief, Robie contacts his criminal cohorts for help. If Robie... Read More

This paranormal thriller proves to be a formidable audiobook production. The second volume of Roth's Curse Bearer duology requires the highly skilled quartet of narrators to present concepts based on Slavic folklore, often while speaking in Polish accents and employing foreign terms. Happily, the four narrators clear those hurdles, making for a smooth listening experience. The... Read More

The performances of Nathalie Standingcloud, Kamali Minter, and Tanis Parenteau enhance the diverse perspectives of the Cherokee women in this compelling audiobook, which spans more than 30 years. Steph Harper, thoughtfully portrayed by Standingcloud, has a single driving passion: to become a NASA astronaut. Her goal permeates her emotionally complex relationships with her... Read More

Listeners, prepare for a crazy ride. The one rope to cling to is the familiar voice of Golden Voice narrator George Guidall, who returns to deliver pitch-perfect portrayals of a wide-ranging cast--male and female, young and old. Doc Ford is on a frantic search for his friend Tomlinson after a sailboat crash in Honduras. Listeners may feel trapped inside one of Tomlinson's wild... Read More

This deeply researched biography of the iconic American author Toni Morrison explores the significance of her editorial role at Random House Publishing, where she shepherded the careers of many Black writers. It's a lesser known part of Morrison's remarkable career, but it influenced American literature from the 1970s onward. Howard University Dean of Graduate Studies and... Read More

More than 50 years ago, Bruce Springsteen set out to make an album--not just any album, one that had to be just right, perfect rock and roll. Through that diligence, attention to detail, collaboration, and long days and nights, the seminal BORN TO RUN album was created. Peter Ames Carlin narrates his own work, and he does it well, song by song. Through clear enunciation and... Read More

Tim Ratliff outdoes himself with his narration of this mystery/sci-fi/comedy mash-up. Because of his love of Agatha Christie and Rex Stout mysteries, appealing and relatable detective Gabriel Lake is approached by an extraterrestrial to find an abducted 20-foot-tall princess named Ralph. Lake blasts into space for his assignment. Ratliff delivers laugh-out-loud wordplay, jokes,... Read More

Petros Castellanos, a long-haired 17-year-old from a Greek island, is the focus of this Amazon Original audiobook from award-winning author Rose Tremain. Petros's father, a Greek who owns two taxis, wants his son to join the business. Petros's mother is English--and there's the rub. She encourages him to go to London, then see the world. He goes, and it backfires. Narrating in... Read More

Amalia Vitale's thoughtful and well-paced narration captures this darkly enchanted and emotional interpretation of SWAN LAKE. Odile has been raised by her father to steal the king's crown as an act of revenge. But neither of them planned on her growing connection to Lady Marie--or the king's murder. Vitale's quiet intensity suits Odile's guarded nature and allows moments of... Read More

Fans of murder mysteries and English accents will love this listen. David Timson performs this classic crime drama in a way that makes one feel one has just emerged from a London pub in the early 20th century after having a few pints of Guinness with friends while discussing murder. The story revolves around Mr. Todhunter, a stately but ordinary man whose life is upended when... Read More

Yon, both narrator and author of this lively exploration of the human mind, is an excellent guide to this important topic. A psychologist and neuroscientist with a delightful English accent, he explains why what we observe is built on the "predictive processing" of our perceptions. In other words, our brain often perceives what it expects to encounter, even when it conflicts... Read More

Narrator Kristen Sieh is exceptional in this entertaining audiobook. The second in the Play the Fool series, it's equally enjoyable as a stand-alone story. Katie True is a tarot card reader who uses intuition and observation to solve murders on the side. She's also nursing some worry that she's behind in life as she approaches age 30. As Katie, Sieh's voice is relatable and... Read More

Acclaimed novelist Miriam Toews narrates her haunting and, at times, funny memoir, which explores why she writes. In a conversational tone, Toews recounts mundane memories while unpacking her profound grief at losing both her father and sister to death by suicide. Through her writing and narration, Toews injects witty quips to break up the tragic subject matter, delivering her... Read More

Prolific narrators Brittany Pressley and Teddy Hamilton delight listeners in this romantasy featuring a merchant's daughter with a magical secret and the half-orc who rescues her. While traveling to meet her betrothed and transport goods for her father, Guinevere and her caravan are attacked. Nearby Oskar races to save the fair maiden. He then reluctantly accompanies the naïve... Read More

Zara Ramm narrates this space opera, which has two very different primary characters. Faven Sythe is a crystborn, a species that is a blend of alien tech and a human. She has special powers as a navigator. Bitter Amandine is a pirate extraordinaire. Faven seeks Amandine's help when her mentor goes missing. A prison break later, they're on their way, and a deep conspiracy... Read More

Golden Voice narrator Vikas Adam expertly performs two stories, each set in the past and the future. "Jamali Kamali" is an extensive poem imagining the relationship between two figures from 16th-century India. "Zundelstate" is a futuristic romance in which an amateur historian named Joe covertly searches for information from the past. Marianna works for the history-suppressing... Read More

Gilli Messer's narration elevates this slow-moving Hollywood novel spanning two generations. In 1957, blond contract starlet Iz Giori hopes to be Hitchcock's latest star, but when she becomes pregnant, the studio hides her away until they "take care" of things. Leo Chazan, a blacklisted screenwriter who refused to name names during the McCarthy/HUAC hearings, lives in the... Read More