With a talent for distinct voices, Erin deWard delivers this decades-old science fiction novel, now on audio. Psychologist Joanna Lander teams up with neurologist Richard Wright to determine the nature of near-death experiences and their role in survival. Lander's first simulated experience feels strange but familiar, and she's determined to repeat it until she can figure out... Read More
Scottish actor Lauren Lyle brings a subtle touch to this audiobook, set in Edinburgh and featuring DCI Karen Pirie, the character Lyle also plays in the television series. Pirie and her team are in lockdown during the early days of Covid when they're drawn into a barely cold case involving a student's disappearance and a dead author's unfinished manuscript that seems to lay out... Read More
The final installment in the Patternist series is actually the author's first novel, originally published in 1976. Robin Miles narrates the series. In the distant future, the world has evolved such that the Patternists are now the dominant culture. They use their telepathic powers to rule and enslave "lesser" beings. Two brothers, Coransee and Teray, vie to become the... Read More
Allie Rose's light, genteel performance is just right for the fourth novel in Cara Devlin's Bow Street Duchess series. Once again, Lady Audrey and Bow Street runner Hugh Marsden must solve a baffling puzzle. When his half-sister, Eloisa, is brutally murdered during a ball, Hugh becomes the prime suspect. Meeting in secret, Hugh and Audrey set out to prove his innocence and to... Read More
Amy Alexander's Scottish burr and nuanced delivery are perfect for this cozy collection of love stories. Who needs online dating in Edinburgh when the Perfect Passion Company can apply a more tailored and personal approach to making love matches? Katie takes over her cousin's matchmaking business and discovers it takes innovative thinking to sort out the types of people her... Read More
Author, consultant, and TED speaker Karen Eber talks directly to the listener in an absorbing conversational style about how to find, compose, and deliver stories that resonate and influence. Eber's voice, tone, and pace are well matched to her messages. She draws on neuroscience, research, and experience to pinpoint what makes a great story, including how to incorporate but... Read More
Two accomplished narrators, Saskia Maarleveld and Katharine Chin, set forth this story of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the people caught up in its devastation. Both narrators are skilled at portraying emotions, revving up suspense, and mastering many varieties of accents and dialects. Maarleveld 's urbane and sonorous voice brings to life the ambitious opera... Read More
Grover Gardner imbues this exploration of a charming section of rural New Jersey, first published in 1968, with a knowledgeable and authoritative tone. The celebrated and groundbreaking NEW YORKER reporter John McPhee runs into several colorful characters, now long gone, during his visit. This look back at a simpler, more rural time both entertains and informs. Gardner's even... Read More
A pirate captain, portrayed with a perfect raspy brogue by English actor Sam Hazeldine, captures an unusual treasure, a beautiful, fiery woman with a past and a price on her head, voiced with a fine mix of defiance and yearning by Eleanor Tomilinson. Not surprisingly, a tempestuous "will-they-won't-they" romance is born. Shifting seamlessly from the ensemble dialogue onboard... Read More
Angel Pean and Greg Campbell narrate this YA anthology of Black poetry with passion, humor, reverence, and a whole lot of vibrant rhythm. The anthology collects poems by twentieth-century giants such as Langston Hughes and Audre Lorde, alongside offerings from contemporary poets, including Danez Smith and Ibi Zoboi. Each poem is followed by commentary explaining its historical... Read More
Published in 1928, this accomplished novel of ideas is given a splendid narration by Golden Voice Stefan Rudnicki. His exceptionally clear enunciation and steady pace help listeners take in what is arguably Huxley's most complex work. Peopled with a huge coterie of musicians, writers, artists, military officers, and members of the British aristocracy--many of whom are based on... Read More
There's a strange fable-like quality to this novel about grief and the stories children tell to make sense of it. Sophie Amoss brings all that into her performance by varying her tone and pacing, and shifting her voice as the story moves between time periods. As a girl, Margaret loses her best friend in a tragic accident. Her role in the death is murky, and as she grows older,... Read More
In a practiced-sounding tone, Kristin Atherton narrates this dual- timeline historical fiction revolving around Nazi-era porcelain figurines created at the Allach Porcelain Factory in a sub-camp of Dachau concentration camp. There Clara Vogel searches for her father's identity. Atherton adopts a Midwestern accent for the opening scenes, set in 1993 Cincinnati. The balance of... Read More
Barrett Leddy narrates the final audiobook in the Stolen Heir duology, told from the perspective of Prince Oak, who has been captured. Trapped in prison, he is hopelessly in love with his captor, Queen Wren. Leddy captures Oak's desperate conviction and smooth talking, both of which are intended to prove that Wren has his loyalty. With Queen Jude and King Cardan on their way... Read More
Narrators Eric B. Anthony's and Landon Woodson's tense, emotional performances will draw listeners into a Savannah neighborhood where a dangerous plot threatens to tear apart two young men who are discovering love for the first time. Woodson takes on a youthful, unassuming voice for Jay, a romantic who is used to being overlooked until he literally collides with Leroy, an... Read More
Harrowing, evocative, and timely, this 2023 Booker Prize winner takes listeners on a deep dive into what happens when a democracy devolves into totalitarianism. Set in Dublin, the story begins when Eilish Stack finds officers from the secret police at her door, looking for her husband. An undefined-- yet clearly political--emergency is happening, and all the rules pertaining to... Read More
Susan Cain, the author of QUIET and BITTERSWEET, is a compelling host of this podcast-style audio program. Cain sounds warm, confiding, professional, and confident in her ideas. If listeners are expecting advice on achieving a "quiet life" by taking walks in the woods or reducing their time on social media, this is not that. Instead, in seven episodes, Cain asks listeners to... Read More
Narrator Rebecca Quinn Robertson offers a gritty portrait of 26-year-old Teddy Angstrom, whose life goes off the rails after her father's suicide. Soon, Teddy discovers that her father never stopped investigating the disappearance of her older sister, Angie, ten years earlier. Teddy decides to pick up the investigation herself and falls headlong into a world of... Read More
Olympic medalist Caster Semenya engages listeners with this deeply personal memoir of her experiences amid the ongoing debate over fairness in women's sports. Semenya, who was raised a girl and has always identified as female, has naturally high levels of testosterone, which are known as "differences in sex development (DSD)." She's been forced to undergo invasive and... Read More
The author, Maressa Brown, narrates this astrology guide to infants and toddlers using gender-neutral terms, inclusive words for alternative families, and a focus on early childhood development. Quick yet thorough sections cover how astrology works; traits and parenting tips for babies, based on their charts; and parent-child relationship info based on astrological signs.... Read More
Susan Ericksen's energetic performance is unparalleled in this latest in the futuristic In Death series. Jenna, a teen who is enjoying a live performance of her favorite band, is jabbed at the show by a killer with a needle filled with a deadly combination of pure heroin and other drugs. To top it off, the needle itself is covered in infectious bacteria. Lt. Eve Dallas fears... Read More
Alex Finke narrates a hilarious and heartwarming friends-to-lovers romance set in Brooklyn. Eve Hatch is content with life in her cozy city apartment close to her childhood best friend, Willa, after moving away from her family in the Midwest. However, an unplanned pregnancy from a one-night stand shakes up her life. She takes a closer look at all her current relationships,... Read More
Narrators Christine Lakin and Nicole Lewis offer a humbling story on racism in small-town America. De'Andrea, a Black entrepreneur, is heartbroken to leave Atlanta behind when she moves to Rolling Hills, Virginia. Once there, she reluctantly joins the Parent Diversity Committee, run by her enthusiastic white neighbor, Rebecca, at their daughters' school. While the women have... Read More
Ralph Nader's prescriptive tone comes through vividly in this audiobook. Fans of the longstanding political activist and consumer protection advocate will appreciate how narrator Joe Barrett channels the maverick Nader in each of the CEOs he profiles. Ostensibly, the audiobook is about 12 CEOs who charted their own unique courses and cared about more than the bottom line, and... Read More
Steven Brand narrates this atmospheric thriller. Seven people awaken on a boat with no memory of who they are or how they got there. As they follow instructions periodically provided to them by an unseen force, a dangerous mission full of dark secrets unfolds. Brand expertly manages the intensity of his narration as the unnamed protagonist and his companions navigate mysterious... Read More
Yu-Li Alice Shen and Andrew Grace deliver this believable romance with a duet-style narration. Rooney, an artist, is enraptured with Chinese red string lore, the belief that love is tied to fate. Jack is a NASA engineer visiting New York. A chance encounter at a Lantern Festival party leads to a fabulous night that ends with a wrong number exchange. Several months later, the... Read More
An ensemble of narrators delivers this collection of 16 classic stories, poems, fairy tales, and myths reimagined with a Latinx spin and frequent genre bending, mostly into sci-fi and fantasy. Each short story utilizes one or more narrators who mostly fit the gender identity of the main character. Each narrator fully commits to their story, emotionally connecting with teens who... Read More
This amalgamation of short stories, poems, and other genres defies categorization. Nancy Wu's performance follows suit, bringing a masterful versatility that marks each chapter with its own uniqueness. The collection opens with "Variations on a Theme from Turandot," in which a young slave slowly alters the narrative of the opera she acts in each night. The work that... Read More
Tamaryn Payne and Bert Seymour seamlessly present this mystery, cowritten by Iceland's prime minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir. Listeners learn of 15-year-old Lara's 1956 murder and the 1986 reopening of the case. Payne and Seymour aptly convey Iceland's 200th Anniversary celebration, the Gorbachev-Reagan Summit, and the country's expanding media. Colorful descriptions of the... Read More
A Harvard Business School professor offers a master class on what we can learn from the mistakes made by individuals and groups in various circumstances. Edmondson uses stories, anecdotes, and research to offer a beautifully integrated look at the range of simple and complex errors people can make, and the human and systemic variables that can impact them. The examples she... Read More
As a half-Chinese teenager in Shanghai, Alva shared a close bond with her American expat mother but longed for the idealized California life depicted in movies. Jennifer Lim's portrayal of Alva's youthful resentment is colored with both confusion and defiance. Who is her father, and why must they live this half-in/half-out life in China? When Alva's mom marries a much older... Read More
Twins Calla and Briar arrive at the wolves' court, with narrator Vico Ortiz providing Calla's first-person narration. In a slower, expressive voice, Ortiz describes Calla's responses to the dreadful challenges there. Calla discovers childhood friend Prince Grae is their fated wolf mate and watches Briar be cursed by a sorceress and kidnapped. Calla emerges as an underdog whose... Read More
Patricia Shade gives an engaging performance of this debut novel set in a small town in northern Maine. Shade moves easily through a variety of points of view--the book feels more like a collection of interconnected stories than a novel--but she keeps her tone even throughout, giving the story some cohesion. Her lively narration is welcome as the book itself sometimes drags,... Read More
This collection of poetry, narrated by the author, is generally strong, but some of the poems do not convert well to the audio format. The author describes how they appear on the page, but unless the listener has downloaded the accompanying pdf file and has access to it while listening, the poems can be difficult to understand, especially where lines of text overlap others.... Read More
Cindy Kay narrates a thrilling adventure full of crime-fighting misfits, jewel thieves, and cats. Olive Coben Zang is alarmed when her parents tell her she'll soon be attending a new school--the mysterious RASCH, a castle on an island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. But once she's there, the timid 12-year-old finds adventures galore. Olive's soft voice grows in strength... Read More
Listeners will appreciate the three distinct voices provided by Natalie Duke, as Darcy; Courtney Patterson, as Marja; and Alex Picard, as Chloe in this novel about an atypical mother-daughter road trip. Two weekends before her wedding, Darcy and her estranged mother, Marja, reconcile for a 2-3 day trip from Austin, Texas, to Chicago. But nothing goes as planned: Marja refuses... Read More
Celebrated narrator Kate Reading presents the story of Kate, a magic-wielder and researcher who is on the hunt for answers after a tragic incident involving her family. Kate and her brother have spent 20 years seeking the reason that two strangers attempted to steal a magical artifact from them. When Kate's brother disappears, she must join forces with a surly elf that has... Read More
In a reimagining of JANE EYRE, listeners are taken to seemingly haunted Thornfield Hall. Hoping to rid the manor of its curse, Edward Rochester requests that a Lowood Witch make a visit, though he's skeptical of the witches' abilities. Jane Aire, now an instructor at Lowood, the same school for orphan girls where she was raised, is sent to investigate. Narrating the brief... Read More
Daniel K. Isaac, Dominic Hoffman, and Shannon Tyo present a layered performance of Park's much anticipated latest. Isaac narrates the audiobook's framing story involving burned-out writer-turned-tech-employee Soon Sheen, who finds a manuscript detailing the "true" history of the Korean Provisional Government. This history, narrated with a mix of passion and poignance by Tyo,... Read More
Natalie Naudus narrates this YA fantasy set in an alternate Tang dynasty in China. Impoverished teenager Fan Zilan, who is able to resurrect the dead, studies to be a royal alchemist for the Empress. When Fan travels to take her exams at the capital, listeners feel the emergence of her strength and endurance as she competes against wealthy men with far more advantages. Crown... Read More
Bert Seymour and Clare Corbett narrate this delightful historical fantasy, set in the mid-eighteenth century. Abel, a London watchmaker who creates fabulous automata, has disappeared. His son, Zachery, endowed with second sight, is being raised by his eccentric Aunt Franny. Many years later, Zachery sets off to rescue him from a sultan in Constantinople. Seymour, the primary... Read More
David Timson brings his rich talents and skills--a sonorous voice, rolling delivery, precise pronunciation, and clear understanding--to Procopius's scandalous insider look at the reign of Justinian and Theodora of Byzantium (527 to 565 CE). Procopius cannot say enough bad about the royal couple, along with their warlord, Belisarius, and his wife, accusing the emperor of... Read More
For any nature lover, this audiobook is nearly irresistible. Bjorgaas, a biologist, takes a close look at the ways insects, birds, mammals, trees, and plants adapt to life in the more densely populated human environs. The anecdotes are vividly written and fascinating, albeit somewhat awkwardly organized. Mary Helen Gallucci is an earnest narrator who does a fine job with pace,... Read More
Ten-year-old Lillian Velvet is an unusual Australian girl. She's lonely, homeschooled by her rigid grandmother, and has a very proper manner of speaking. Vivian Carter perfectly portrays Lillian; her every word and tone are filled with goodness and a desperation for emotional connection. On her tenth birthday, Lillian receives her first present, a jar of gold coins that shove... Read More
Rose Dioro and Quinn Riley mesmerize listeners in this sapphic academic romance. Having been raised by women, Lex Gorgon has always been empowered by the females in her life. When she enrolls in college and her male professor tries to destroy her, she vows to never let a man hurt another woman. Luna Pallas, is the straight daughter of the university president and the perfect... Read More
Soneela Nankani's talents are in full force in this monstrous and magical fantasy series. Serwa has trained her whole life as a slayer of Ghanaian vampires and monsters. Then she discovers her parents have a big secret--she's actually an obayifo, a vampire witch. Nankani's dynamic voice and boundless energy match all of the action and Serwa's roiling emotions. She's now in... Read More
Natalie Naudus performs this memoir about the author's experience with a traumatic brain injury and its intense aftereffects. The child of Greek immigrants, Liontas had always just picked themself up and carried on. But after receiving three concussions in a year, Liontas grapples with migraines, memory loss, and sensitivity to light and sound. Their relationship with their... Read More
Robb Moreira will amaze listeners as the sole narrator of this audiobook as he gives each character a unique voice. Anxious 14-year-old Anteres lives with his aunt in Miami. His parents, who were cartographers, vanished long ago. One day, Anteres encounters intergalactic strangers at school. Later, creatures leap out of a lightning bolt and kidnap him. Before he knows it, the... Read More
This audiobook focuses on one of the most contentious and misunderstood periods in American history, the reconstruction of the South after the Civil War. Rick Adamson keeps to a steady, impartial tone, carefully pacing a narrative that unties many historical knots while unfolding a sadly paradoxical series of events. The subtitle tells the tale: "How the South Won the War After... Read More
Kristen Sieh gives an absorbing, well-paced performance of a woman who is navigating the mysteries of love, loss, and space-time. When NASA "human computer" Annie Fisk discovers a wormhole anomaly capable of transporting items back and forth in time, she's forced to examine her New Mexico childhood anew, alongside her work with the Manned Spacecraft Center. Sieh nimbly guides... Read More
In this cross between hard science and near-future speculative fiction, Stefan Rudnicki narrates with clarity and intensity. A brilliant mathematician develops a shortcut that will make space travel to distant stars a reality. When the man's equally brilliant wife disappears and it's thought that she's being held hostage on an alien spacecraft at the edge of the solar system,... Read More
Frankie Corzo narrates this contemporary YA audiobook with sensitivity and verve. Ever since her father left the family, Belén feels like she's been sleepwalking through life. She cuts classes, fails tests, and can't seem to make herself care about anything other than finding a boyfriend and helping her best friend, Leti, deal with an unexpected pregnancy. Corzo skillfully... Read More
Suehyla El-Attar Young delivers a strong narration of this disturbing psychological thriller. Leah has a rare medical condition, akinetopsia, which prevents her from seeing anything in motion. She can see stationary objects, but once they move, they disappear. However, her other senses are heightened. At first, Young presents this first-person narrative conversationally, but... Read More
Close your eyes (unless you're driving) and enter a dystopian world of Banshee warriors who are fighting an oppressive patriarchy in this beautifully narrated new novel, a sequel to LAST ONES LEFT ALIVE. At first, the listener may be a little overwhelmed by the complex plot; however, Esther Wane's lilting Irish accents invite them to persevere. Orpen is a strong protagonist who... Read More
In this first installment in the Dangerous Gift historical romance series, narrator Beverley Crick invokes a sense of wonder and enchantment with her nuanced performance. At the start of the nineteenth century, Bran is abandoned at birth. Decades later, his birth father finds him and informs him that he is a member of the British nobility. Bran agrees to travel to Cornwall to... Read More
Narrator Nicole Poole delights listeners in this quirky and heartfelt strangers-to-lovers romance set in Chicago. Pro sports agent Brett Rivers should never have had a drunken one-night stand with his most important client's sister. Rory Garrett is in quite a mess herself as she tries to keep her dreams of being a chocolatier afloat. Now the two must work together to find... Read More
In this sweet and sexy queer romance, Sam, a history professor, and fat-positive Lily, an amateur seamstress, meet at their favorite karaoke bar. Aven Shore and Yvonne Roberts perform from Sam's and Lily's perspectives. Their empathetic performances embrace the insecurities that follow their first exhilarating evening together. Sam's vulnerability about their nonbinary gender... Read More
Narrator Michael Crouch emotionally connects to Wes, whose reputation as a bad boy with rowdy friends, terrible grades, and a quick temper is essential to hiding his gay identity. But when Wes is dragged to a ballet performance by his mom and her potential fiancé, he is immediately enamored with Tristan, a dancer. Crouch conveys Wes's frustration with authority figures, along... Read More
Clara Kim narrates her mother's memoir. The initial chapters describe Nguon's early years in Cambodia, which were filled with the abundance of her mother's gifted cooking and the love of her older siblings. Interspersed are joyfully remembered recipes. Sadly, Kim's narration fails to capture the elegance of this memoir's language. Later, when Pol Pot's genocide necessitates... Read More
Kim Bretton infuses Rebecca May Johnson's food memoir with a quiet but breathless energy that makes it feel almost like a page-turner. Johnson spent more than 10 years cooking the same recipe for a simple tomato sauce hundreds of times. In this memoir, she investigates how we think about recipes, combining food writing, literary criticism, feminist scholarship, and social... Read More
Two incendiary performances make this debut fantasy soar. Five years ago, Faron became the Child Empyrean, a conduit for the power of the gods to overthrow the Langley Empire's hold on her island home. At 17, she's chafing at the title. An angsty edge to narrator Kamali Minter's voice distinguishes Faron from her scrupulous older sister, Elara, voiced by Keylor Leigh with... Read More
Some listeners could feel bogged down as Christina Delaine narrates the list of duties that ticket takers at a local museum must handle. However, Tara Young's audiobook could inspire other listeners to consider museum careers. Delaine's clear, careful narration will appeal mostly to listeners who are considering career moves and prove helpful to anyone weighing their choices or... Read More
Helen Lloyd's masterful narration evokes the honest emotion of D.H. Lawrence's haunting prose in SONS AND LOVERS. The novel centers on Mrs. Morel's domineering hold on her two sons' affections and their subsequent struggles to establish strong relationships with women. Lloyd's gentle cadence moves the plot forward with grace and ease, and her attention to the characters' local... Read More
Ferdelle Capistrano brings childlike wonder to her narration of this middle-grade novel featuring Filipino culture. Orphaned 12-year-old Corazon lives a lonely yet magical life while she waits to learn of her powers. Her world will change forever if she successfully retrieves her precious soul key from a meddling ghost. Included are all the staples of a child on a hero's quest,... Read More
Essayist and novelist Leslie Jamison chooses the tone and pacing of her narration as carefully as she selects the details of her powerful writing. These qualities, along with her candidness, invite listeners deep into her memories, which include the flower-filled hospital room where she stayed after delivering her daughter and desperate Internet searches for relief from her... Read More
Through Hillary Huber's masterful performance, listeners are introduced to former spy Maggie Bird, who is now happily raising chickens on her small farm in Maine. But a dead body on her doorstep and an attempt on her life force Maggie to use her espionage skills once again. Joined by her fellow former spies, the members of the Martini Club, Maggie travels back to several former... Read More
Avery Kidd Waddell delivers a commanding narration. He confidently conveys the scope of this new edition of one of the most influential audiobooks on the history of race, which dismantles the myth of a post-racial society. Kendi's work investigates the histories of six historical figures, including Thomas Jefferson, W.E.B Du Bois, and Angela Davis. Their actions, writings, and... Read More
Derek Jacobi's performance is up to the high standard we expect from him. Without actually creating voices for the many characters in this novel, he makes clear who is speaking and how they are feeling, using vocal color and accents. Author Ron Destro is less adept in tracking the story, which jumps around through the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It includes a fair... Read More
Narrator Jeena Yi transports listeners to the suburban town of Wesley Falls, where the Capstone Six, a group of diverse students, witness a horrifying event that they seek to avenge. Yi's talented narration helps listeners keep track of the plot, which is told from various viewpoints over two timelines, one covering the events in 1995 and the other taking place 20 years later,... Read More
Kohn's history of the "old town" sections of some German, Baltic, and Eastern European cities calls for the kind of careful and intelligent performance that Philip Battley delivers. Not a travelogue, but rather a general, architectural, and political history, Kohn's book is detailed, fact heavy, and sometimes dry. Battley's British-accented voice is not immediately striking but... Read More
Nancy Wu brings emotion and depth to this sweeping saga, which follows generations of Chinese immigrants, male and female, through multiple trials in the American West. The fresh perspective brings more fullness to history through a railroad worker and a young woman who is sexually trafficked in San Francisco. Wu's talent allows the listener to stay in the story as she portrays... Read More
What if a woman had been on Ernest Shackleton's ENDURANCE expedition in 1914? Li Shun Lai creates just this scenario, and narrator Jade Wheeler steps up with just the right blend of moxie, defiance, and wit to bring Clara Ketterling-Dunbar to life. Clara is an 18-year-old American suffragist who travels to England to fight for the vote with Emmeline Pankhurst. But when the... Read More
Dami Olukoya juggles the three central female characters in this audiobook. The lives of these expatriates play out amid the luxury of Singapore. Olukoya moves between Dara, an ambitious lawyer on her way to making partner; Amaka, a banker obsessed with designer brands; and Lillian, the newbie expat wife. Olukoya sets a quick pace, playing up the humor laced throughout the... Read More
Siho Ellsmore transports listeners to Japan in the near future for the story of Susie Sakamoto, who is navigating life after the loss of her husband and son. Susie's only companion is Sunny, a home-help robot designed by her husband. Ellsmore is the perfect narrator for this harrowing story. She reflects Susie's Irish background in her characterization and keeps the story... Read More
At the start of this audiobook, a couple of quizzes gauge the listener's optimism and other attitudes, and then authors David Cravit and Larry Wolf put forth thoughts aimed at improving the listener's mindset as they grow older. Jarrod Davis's narration is always upbeat. That makes him an encouraging presence as he lays down the basics of successful aging. Power training with... Read More
Vanessa Edwin and Teddy Hamilton narrate this charming cowboy romance, which takes place at Rebel Blue Ranch. Interior designer Ada Hart is a city girl who believes she doesn't need a man to take care of her. But when she arrives in the small town of Meadowlark, she is instantly smitten with the handsome cowboy Weston Ryder. When she's hired to fix up Weston's family's ranch,... Read More
Zoe Carides showcases her full range of vocal talents in portraying a group of feisty tea ladies who set about solving a case of arson, a kidnapping, and a murder in Sydney, Australia, in 1965. Led by soft-spoken and courageous Hazel Bates, the tea ladies include foulmouthed Irene, ditzy Betty, and snooty Merl. Carides masterfully conveys the personalities of each with tone,... Read More
This unique collection of 10 short stories gathers together various insights on the Black Muslim experience in America. Amir Abdullah, Chanté McCormick, Soneela Nankani, Leon Nixon, and Jade Wheeler come together to dramatize these widely differing voices. Together, they tackle family issues and sexuality, discrimination and grief. From a daughter who is grieving to another... Read More
Tyla Collier and Raymond Lee offer a spicy yet sweet performance in this fun romance. Liyah and Daniel bump into each other as adults, and it seems that Liyah hasn't forgiven Daniel for a mysterious mistake during their childhood. But she needs Daniel's help so she can secure her dream job as a museum curator, and a bumpy romance blossoms. Both characters are Jewish people of... Read More
Saskia Maarleveld narrates this thriller about a group of friends who reunite at an isolated ruined mansion in New Zealand after a friend's apparent suicide nine years earlier. Bea's death left questions, and when a violent snowstorm strands the group, old resentments and new questions arise. Then, danger develops, and the friends are left to ponder who may be responsible.... Read More
The vocal agility of narrator Marisa Blake transports listeners back to the 1950s. Nine-year-old Andrea Rodriguez and her brother are whisked away from Woronoco, Massachusetts, to Puerto Rico by their disinterested single mother and left in the care of relatives. Missing home, they contact their father, Luis, and the three return to Woronoco. Blake aptly narrates Andrea's... Read More
Communication expert and podcast host Matt Abrahams delivers useful advice on how to think on one's feet with the relaxed polish of a seasoned voice professional. With his pitch range and natural pacing, he draws listeners in with his enthusiasm. His voice and ideas sparkle with energy. The guide is intuitively organized and covers a wide range of speaking situations, such as... Read More
Lyz Lenz narrates her memoir about the end of her marriage and the start of her new life as an "ex-wife." While Lenz had been told that the end of her marriage would be the end of her family, she soon discovered that leaving her unhappy marriage gave her more fulfillment and love than she ever had before. Using her personal experience as a springboard, Lenz delves into the... Read More
Pascal Casimier narrates the life of award-winning author Eddie Chuculate with even pacing and a determined tone. Chuculate, who is Creek and Cherokee, grew up in Oklahoma in the 1970s and '80s and discovered his passion for writing in high school. Music plays at the opening and closing of the production, enhancing the listener's experience. Casimier's voice sounds slightly... Read More
Anyone who wants to know what's going on in contemporary Black poetry should seek out this anthology. Most of the big names, including Rita Dove and Nikki Giovanni, are here, as are a great many less famous but highly skilled poets. The quality of the poems ranges from quite good to fabulous; there's not a lemon in this bushel. Performers Mahogany L. Brown and Joel Damany... Read More
With his lovely Irish brogue, Dan Murphy narrates this follow-up to SOLAR BONES. Nealon, just released from prison, returns to his home in West Ireland, now devoid of his wife and young son and their possessions. Almost immediately, he is telephoned by a mysterious man whom Murphy fills with enough menace and specific knowledge about Nealon to make him and listeners wary of... Read More
Narrator Khaya Fraites enchants listeners with this charming friends-to-lovers romance. Recently dumped by her long-term boyfriend, Gemma decides to drown her sorrows in one too many margaritas with her family and her best friend, Dax. Persuaded to perform a love-cleansing spell, Gemma is swept away to an alternate reality where she gets a taste of what life could be like if... Read More
Eli Grober narrates his collection of dystopian satires with deadpan self-assurance. It's the ideal voice for the 100 essays--none longer than eight minutes--with titles such as "'I'm Only Joking,' I Say As I Kill You" and "How I Saved Enough To Buy a House With My Parents' Money." One of Grober's more sincere readings can be heard in "The Telescope We Sent to Deep Space Wants... Read More
Pete Cross uses an arch tone and deliberate pacing to deliver this dark satire of contemporary life. Office drone Melvin Levin's existence is flat as a pancake until he receives an anonymous and seemingly unmotivated death threat in the mail. The threat breaks the spell of his drone life and pushes him into a frenzy of paranoia and frustration, but for the first time in a long... Read More
In stately British tones, Rachael Beresford presents this novella fictionalizing the life of Fra Girolamo Savonarola, a fanatical and virulently anti-Semitic Dominican friar who lived in Florence at the end of the fifteenth century. Beresford's crisp recitation seeps through the life, actions, sermons, and ultimately forced confession of Savonarola at the Inquisition trial that... Read More
David de Vries narrates the autobiography of Ludwig Bemelmans, known best as the creator of the beloved Madeline children's books and for his distinct style of illustrations. The audiobook includes the author's observations and activities in Hollywood during the 1950s, with a particular focus on his friendship with the glamorous late-in-life "First Lady of Interior Decoration,"... Read More
Gabrielle Baker's posh London accent adds a classy touch to this intriguing study of financial devolution. As defined by the author, tokens are "things that are almost but not quite money." For example, ancient Mesopotamia's clay tokens signified a share in the grain harvest. In modern times, tokens include phone cards, discount coupons, frequent-flier miles, pre-loaded EBT... Read More
Leon Nixon narrates this novella like it's the latest news from a friend who just experienced something eerie and revelatory. The story features a man named Martin, aka Temple, who himself is the cure for a deadly virus. Nixon's pace and tone are engaging as he believably embodies characters who are rivals. However, he sounds slightly odd when he narrates the sultry voice of... Read More
This fantasy romance narrated by Gomez Pugh and Lola James features Valente Correa, a Magi who delivers toys for the House of Correa. When he's assigned to escort his brother's intended bride, Kessina Macias, through the Andes, their journey takes an unforeseen and passionate turn. Pugh's narration captures Val's complexity, deftly conveying his brooding nature and intense... Read More
This compact yet intense fantasy may confuse many listeners, as well as beguile them. British actor Robert Powell narrates the magical story of an English boy, Joe Coppook, who encounters strange folkloric characters who confound him as he wrestles with the nature of time and of good and evil. Powell shows his theatrical skills in his portrayals. Whimsical characters--such as... Read More
This revealing and provocative audiobook argues that the 1960s weren't the birth of psychedelic research--but the end of a long first chapter dating back to the 1920s. Golden Voice narrator Suzanne Toren effectively balances an account filled with ironies and reversals. The protagonist is famed anthropologist Margaret Mead, an undeserving casualty of the backlash against '60s... Read More
Petrea Burchard channels the exhilaration and terror of eighteenth-century pirate life. In Boston in 1726, 17-year-old Hannah Masury finds herself in dire straits when she witnesses the death of a young sailor at the hands of ruthless privateers. Knowing that she must flee Boston, she disguises herself as a cabin boy aboard a pirate vessel captained by the infamous Ned Lowe. In... Read More
Lincoln Hoppe demonstrates his skills with a stellar narration of this audiobook. His ability to subtly shift his tone and tempo from character to character, giving each a specific voice, makes this immersive novel stand out. Chip, an elderly river guide, has a gruffer, deeper voice than those of the other main characters, Sam and Swami Brecht. In a work with some... Read More
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