New Reviews by Title: U-Z

Annie Wildwood uses magic to present herself as the perfect baker, fashionista, friend, witch, and conversationalist in order to appease everyone around her. Unexpectedly becoming a mentor to a chaotic teen witch forces Annie to face her insecurities and to reconsider what is really important in her life. Narrator Evie Hargreaves' northern English accent accentuates the... Read More

Crowe shares the stories behind his careers in music journalism, filmmaking, and musicals with a storyteller's relish. The idea of "uncool," a badge of honor bestowed on a young Crowe by rock critic Lester Bangs, underlies this memoir about a kid from San Diego. The author, whose early career as a teenage rock journalist for Rolling Stone in the 1970s became the inspiration for... Read More

The tag team of Sarah Skaer and Arthur Keng narrates the interconnected episodes in this novel featuring different characters spread throughout thousands of years. Some of the protagonists are children, others are adults; some are humans, others are mutants or clones. They live in isolated communities, each with a different culture and history. AI mothers raise the children,... Read More

Jaunty, crisp, and irreverent, Genevieve Gaunt's performance of this audiobook suits the content well. Emma is a 19th-century British heroine whose fictitious journal captures a wide array of characters and period-appropriate shenanigans. Gaunt provides a distinctive accent, attitude, and voice for every character, and the result is engaging. The pace is consistent and... Read More

"Bridgerton" heartthrob Luke Thompson performs this novel with restraint, ensuring that the self-deluded first-person narrator is fully believable. The setting, Venice in 1899, has a gloss of wrongdoing. The protagonist, an unsuccessful English writer named Evelyn Dohlman, is a morally ambiguous soul. He speaks no Italian, and his recent bride, an American heiress, has cooled... Read More

In her clear, expressive voice, bilingual narrator M.L. Sanchez tells the exciting story of mouse siblings Vida and Máximo. The town of Moustepec was once happy, but the threat of a cat forces residents to stay home. There are no more fiestas, no more fireworks, and no more music. When a scary encounter with the cat results in Vida's dream about a fantastical creature called an... Read More

This atmospheric, otherworldly, splendidly performed novel has a serious premise: the cost of greed. K.J. Boone, a rapacious oilman at the end of his life, is visited by ghosts. The three main narrators are splendid. Judy Greer, as the youthful Jill "Doll" Blaine, the wraith tasked with Boone's exit, plays the role with empathy, remarkable pace, and just the right tone. MacLeod... Read More

Satirizing the upper classes has long been popular in literature, and this audiobook takes the genre to the next level, thanks to a dizzying performance by Nico Evers-Swindell. Set between the World Wars in the era of "bright young things," the story has an on-again, off-again romance (of sorts) at its heart. A wide array of characters orbits the silly couple, and... Read More

Jensen Olaya and Joel de la Fuente share narration duties in this tale of a family haunted by the shadows of their past. Olaya primarily plays the part of Sophie, an outsider invited to the ancestral home of the Filipino Sepulveda family. Fuente takes over the role of Javiar, an exiled member of the family. While Sophie and Javiar have distinct points of view that might merit... Read More

Easterly's examination of the history, economics, and ethics of colonialism and the often demeaning "development" of the Third World is delivered by Fred Sanders. Generally, he narrates at a good pace with clarity, textual understanding, and an amiable manner. His slightly hoarse timbre is agreeable enough, but there's a certain woodenness to his diction, partly due to... Read More

The bestselling author, a Harvard instructor and renowned communication coach, teaches listeners how to apply his winning strategies in the digital landscape. He draws upon communication luminaries to illustrate each of his lessons. Hearing a recording of President John F. Kennedy convincing the country to explore space, Malala Yousafzai talk about why culturally-specific... Read More

Christian Coulson's narration is beautifully enhanced by inspiring flute music and immersive sound effects. Norbury's story introduces listeners of all ages to the fundamental principles of a peaceful life rooted in Zen Buddhism. Coulson's portrayals of Big Panda and Tiny Dragon offer teachable moments filled with gentle warmth and practical insights as they address complex... Read More

Brian Buckbee gives his memoir a careful, unadorned narration. He pulls listeners in close as he weaves the story of his encounter with an injured pigeon in Montana after the loss of his partner and the onset of a debilitating neurological condition. As Buckbee describes taking in the bird he eventually names Two-Step, his pacing reflects the slowed, pensive tone of days shaped... Read More

The diverse narrations that make up this anthology are consistently captivating. This audiobook started as a social justice project, with authors invited to envision possible futures. The result is a fascinating collection of speculative pieces, each delivered with powerful performances. Some highlights: Je Nie Fleming captures the vulnerability of an athlete whose genetic... Read More

With understated naturalism, Rob Shapiro introduces listeners to Sid Caesar, the first comic superstar of television. From 1949 to 1957, as many as 60 million viewers tuned in weekly to Caesar's inspired improvisational sketch comedy juggernauts, "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour." Caesar's writers' room of protégés such as Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Neil Simon went on... Read More

On the outskirts of Lahore, violence shatters Lalloo's family when his brother is murdered outside their home. Narrator Jassa Ahluwalia brings empathetic intensity to this novel as Lalloo leaves his family in order to earn enough to free his parents and sisters from generations of debt bondage forcing them to work as brickmakers. Giving space to both memories and present... Read More

Su Ling Chan narrates a dark historical fantasy set in 1970s Singapore. It centers on a secret society capable of channeling ancestral gods and a schoolgirl swept up into it. After Adeline's mother dies in a mysterious fire, she tracks down a girl emblazoned with the same butterfly symbol that marked the fire. Chan maintains a fantastic narration that is bright, clear, and... Read More

This history of special prosecutors--think Ken Starr, Robert Mueller, Jack Smith--is full of insider information and legal strategies that will fascinate ordinary news watchers, as well as ardent followers of Washington politics. The author, a CNN legal commentator and former U.S. attorney, uses interviews and his own impressive analytical skills to detail the histories of... Read More

Podcaster and author Don Martin takes an in-depth look at why half the U.S. population reports feeling lonely. He's a diligent and personable researcher and writer who shares personal stories and explores cultural trends that explain people's increased feelings of isolation. Martin narrates his well-organized writing with clarity and in a pleasing manner. His enthusiasm sounds... Read More

Shaun Taylor-Corbett takes listeners to the Louisiana reservation of the fictional Takoda nation, where only fools whistle in the dark. We meet protagonist Henry Hotard in two interwoven timelines. In one, a spinal injury finds Henry in a wheelchair, angry and despairing. In the other, set roughly a year earlier, Henry chases internet fame as a ghost hunter. In both,... Read More

Mei Mei MacLeod narrates a magical romance that spans decades. Art appraiser Eve Shaw goes on a remarkable journey after a chance encounter in 2015 sends her to the White Octopus Hotel. MacLeod's portrayal of the relentless psychological suffering modern-day Eve experiences due to a tragic childhood accident is heartbreaking. When Eve goes back in time and visits the same hotel... Read More

A found-footagestyle horror tale narrated in two voices finds a group of ghost hunters and a bevy of headless mannequins facing off at the accursed Widow's Point Lighthouse in Nova Scotia. Tristan Morris shoulders most of the load, reading out camera locations and timestamps as the group members begin to unravel. Mia Barron reads the occasional, impossibly stuffy journal... Read More

Narrator Brittany Pressley transports listeners to the Tumbleweed Diner in a small Texas town. Carla is a professional poker player and is down to her last dime when she wins the Tumbleweed. When Carla arrives in town, she meets Rosie the cook and Scarlett the waitress, and she is drawn into their world. Pressley voices a range of ages, and she communicates Rosie's shift from... Read More

Ranjit Madgavkar narrates these essays on how forces beyond their control--for example, war, imperialism, language, climate change--influence people's lives. His strong but clear Indian accent never lets listeners forget that author Ghosh is a native of West Bengal, a fact that explains Ghosh's strong interest in colonialism, anti-colonialism, and the history of South Asia. The... Read More

John Pirhalla deftly embodies the former Marine sniper Lew Gale, now an Orange County, California, Sheriff's Department detective, who is called to find a mountain lion that has killed a man. With experience as a tracker, he sets out to kill it. Then Gale discovers that the victim, Bennet Tarlow, a real estate-developer, was actually murdered. Gale and his new homicide... Read More

Rishøi's book includes three short stories. In the first, about a struggling mother and her daughter, narrator Jesse Vilinsky provides different voices for the characters, but these tend toward exaggeration. In the second story, a man is released from prison. Ulf Bjorklund's narration has a slight accent, with a touch of softness and rasp as the protagonist converses with a... Read More

Narrator Lynnette R. Freeman makes this audiobook sound like a full-cast production. This historical fiction, based on the real-life pianist, actress, and Civil Rights activist Hazel Scott, opens in 1943. She meets Adam Clayton Powell Jr., a married preacher and aspiring congressman, who becomes infatuated with the young Hazel. After divorcing his wife, he marries Hazel, and... Read More

It's 1975, and eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, a Hmong girl, is living in the highlands of Laos in a one-room house with her family. Then they are forced to flee. Narrator Robyn Morales lends a soft, feminine huskiness to the protagonist's voice as she describes the family's journey to a refugee camp, to gentle and thoughtful effect. The listener is transported alongside Gao Sheng... Read More

This psychological thriller has all the right chilling elements: ghosts, animal sacrifices, and a haunting Pacific Northwest island setting that entraps its characters. Narrator Brittany Pressley keeps listeners on edge while also developing a compelling queer romance. After the disappearance of her best friend, Caitlyn goes off the grid as a nanny to disgraced influencer Bella... Read More