New Reviews by Title: U-Z

Kevin R. Free's upbeat approach to this fun deep dive into the making of a dictionary adds to its charms. Well suited to word geeks, the audiobook explores the evolution of the modern dictionary while chronicling the author's stint as a lexicographer in training at Merriam-Webster. There, he encounters past and present word-mad professionals; learns the stringent, sometimes... Read More

Dr. Vonda Wright skillfully narrates her manifesto on unlocking the miraculous design of the body to challenge the biological time bombs of aging. Her mission is to help women achieve healthy longevity down to the cellular level. A renowned orthopedic surgeon, researcher, and health advocate, Dr. Wright brings her scientific and clinical expertise directly to listeners. Her... Read More

Mia Hutchinson-Shaw narrates this contemporary paranormal romance featuring a small-town Christmas with a vampire twist. Tiffenie Ruba is a 300-year-old vampire who desperately needs to get her life in order. When she unexpectedly inherits a bed-and-breakfast business in rural Vermont, she'll finally have the opportunity to live her Hallmark fantasies. However, she'll have to... Read More

Narrator Angel Pean brings to life this beautiful coming-of-age story written in verse. Jaelyn Coleman is 16 years old, and her world revolves around WestSide Roll, a roller skating rink in her community. Her parents met there, and they're the ones who taught her to skate. Her friendships are tied to skating. Her community remains linked because of the music, history, and... Read More

David Horovitch's performance has a professorial quality that suits this novel well. It's the early 20th century, and Razumov, a Russian student, becomes a revolutionary, reluctantly turning to life as a spy. Horovitch's deep voice and regal phrasing make Conrad's complex syntax accessible to listeners. Themes of betrayal, identity, and freedom all take part in the development... Read More

Austin Ku's understated narration evokes the melancholy atmosphere of this haunting coming-of-age story set in the world of competitive table tennis. The novel opens with a tragedy: Ryan Lo, a table tennis prodigy, is dead at age 24. At his funeral his parents wait for his usually punctual longtime coach, Kristian, to arrive. The narrative then moves back in time, unfolding... Read More

Mitch Crawford narrates this nonfiction account of the Fountain Grove utopian community in California in the late 1800s. Run by minister, spiritualist, and poet Thomas Lake Harris, the community went through a large public scandal involving gender, race, and sexual mores. As a result, it was dubbed the first "cult"--and Harris the first "cult leader." Crawford narrates with a... Read More

Krysta Gonzales' energy propels listeners through a vivid urban-fantasy world. As Joan Greenwood returns to New York City and becomes entangled in a supernatural power struggle, Gonzales' narration keeps the momentum strong and the characters engaging. Her delivery captures Joan's insecurity about her limited magic skills while allowing listeners to observe her determination... Read More

Blind disability activist Molly Burke returns to narrate her second memoir, which is focused on feeling unseen in a sighted world. While this second effort mines territory similar to that in her earlier memoir, "It's Not What It Looks Like," there's more good information and inspiration. Burke's positive tone and down-to-earth personality make this a delightful listen. She's... Read More

Janina Edwards narrates this homage to the eldritch horror of Lovecraft and King. A diverse group of people become stranded on an island off the coast of Antarctica after an unspecified cataclysm. Throughout the story, breaks in the narrative are represented by white noise. While their purpose is to simulate the memory lapses of the protagonist, the jarring results initially... Read More

Actor Tim Curry narrates his memoir recounting five decades of his work on stage, screen, and television. Curry's early life gave him the "heart of a vagabond," a path he's continued throughout a diversity of famed roles. As only he can, Curry gives detailed views of his legendary parts in movies such as THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and SPAMALOT. His narration conveys his... Read More

Listeners will enjoy an enemies-to-lovers romance as grumpy Parker Harris repeatedly meets Amy Gibson at singles events. Amy remains determined to find herself a boyfriend despite a series of awkward encounters and first dates from which the cynical Parker ends up rescuing her. Vanessa Moyen and Lee Samuels shine at portraying the pair as they maintain their distance while... Read More

This audiobook will be equally enjoyable for middle-grade and gentle young adult listeners. Jennifer Hale narrates the story of a teen witch-in-training who is determined to help the isolated town of Foxfire. Twenty years earlier, a magician traveled to the Appalachian town, seeking more power. Slowly, he became more and more malicious until he cast a curse over the town. But... Read More

Narrators Cris Dukehart and Eric G. Dove return to the North Carolina/Tennessee town of Rocky Start, where most of the inhabitants are former spies. Max Reddy, also a former operative, had been hiking the trail when he stopped in Rocky Start and formed a relationship with Rose Malone. Dukehart portrays Rose and her daughter, Poppy, while Dove portrays Max. Max wants to get back... Read More

Listeners will hear the prequel to CHOCOLAT from the voice of the author herself, Joanne Harris. After her nomadic mother's passing, pregnant 21-year-old Vianne follows the wind to Marseille. With her special magic and charm, Vianne learns to cook from both a grumpy bistro owner who has lost his son and wife, and an upstart chocolatier who fights for authenticity in his career... Read More

In this third entry in the series, narrator Jack de Golia portrays unofficial PI Bobby McGowan, who reluctantly agrees to unravel the truth behind a possible snuff video filmed 30 years earlier. De Golia portrays Bobby with a youthful guy-next-door voice that matches Bobby's personality. He skillfully differentiates male characters--young and old, heroes and villains. His... Read More

This gripping historical thriller is compellingly narrated by Gabrielle de Cuir. The story takes place in Vienna in 1938, just as Germany has annexed Austria and begun its relentless campaign against Jews. Greta Kolbe is an 18-year-old Jewish girl who joins the Austrian resistance and becomes a target of the Gestapo. The majority of the audiobook chronicles her perils,... Read More

Emma Ladji's narration ensures that this romantasy has engaging moments. Violet has spent her entire life carrying out the evil deeds of a dark sorcerer. Now that he's dead, she's determined to use her powers for good, so she reinvents herself as the owner of a flower shop. But reinvention is more difficult than she imagined. She must share her greenhouse with her prickly... Read More

British actor Matt Addis whisks listeners off to a star system 37 light years away. There, a gentleman explorer who is guided by a number of mystical women travels through several deserted surreal landscapes to better understand himself and his relationship to the world around him. This novel, first published in 1920, is a deep and demanding dive. A serious allegory, it caught... Read More

M.L. Sanchez introduces listeners to Wanda, a real-life Puerto Rican child who, after seeing the magic of the stars on a fishing trip, grows up to be an astrophysicist. She goes to college but, tragically, loses her vision to diabetes. Wanda's determination and dedication, along with her friends and assistants, are rivetingly portrayed by Sanchez. The moment that a friend... Read More

A full-cast performance of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS uses immersive soundscapes, realistic effects, and shifting musical tones to heighten the terror of an alien invasion. Voices are distinct and sharply drawn. Keith Burnett imbues his performance with calm authority that fractures into mounting dread, and Noelle Dupuis brings urgent emotional clarity. Supporting actors add texture... Read More

This extensive, thoughtful, and well-researched biography of the martial arts great Bruce Lee smoothly draws the listener in. Lee was an enigma in some ways, and author Chang has captured his life, which was cut short at age 32. Narrator James Chen deftly uses slight shifts in his voice when delivering quotes. He maintains control of his tone, making shifts when appropriate but... Read More

Amy Bowers Cordalis, general counsel and member of the Yurok Nation, tells the complex story of her family's multigenerational part in the restoration of the Klamath River. From time immemorial, Bowers Cordalis' people have fished the Klamath, which covers 257 miles from southern Oregon to northern California. But when the U.S. government dammed the river, the water became... Read More

Teen Korero has never met a stranger; her isolated island community and talking parrot are her entire world. Narrator Waikamania Seve's low pitch and warm tone subtly reflect Korero's fear as island resources dwindle. The arrival of mysterious travelers from the wealthy but brutal Tongan empire offers her people a chance at survival. To save them, Korero must use the wisdom of... Read More

Narrator Kathleen Early delivers a consummate performance of this complex crime novel, skillfully voicing every character--ranging from a sulky teen to a swaggering drunk--with distinction. Early's nuanced portrayals anchor the story, which introduces Deputy Emmy Clifton and her legendary North Falls family. The mystery begins with the disappearance of two teenagers during a... Read More

Somewhat Dickensian and somewhat Shakespearean, Anthony Hopkins' memoir is a fascinating, articulate, and deeply moving listen. Actor Kenneth Branagh, Hopkins' close friend, movingly performs the memoir, sounding in timbre, tone, and nuanced pacing very much like the listener might imagine Hopkins to sound today. In this loosely chronological effort, Branagh brings listeners... Read More

As Mona Awad returns to the dark academia of her cult classic, BUNNY, Sophie Amoss artfully handles the challenging narration. The plot unfolds mostly through monologue and dialogue. Amoss gives specific tones and styles to "the Bunnies," the quartet of entitled MFA students who are holding fellow former grad student Samantha captive because of the way she portrayed them in her... Read More

Julian Brave NoiseCat delivers a tribute, a social history, and an insightful series of reports from Indian Country. His knowledge of Northwest Salish languages and folkways informs this finely written and thoughtfully delivered audiobook. NoiseCat's witty and erudite pieces on the mythology of Coyote, his unflinching accounts of the horrors of Canadian boarding schools, and... Read More

In this clear, conversational, and often humorous retelling of Greek myths, Elizabeth Klett delivers Hera's chapters and Christian Black delivers those of Heracles. Together, they accentuate the intrigue, backstabbing, and good old-fashioned sex and violence in the stories. Hera, wife of Zeus, was one of the most powerful and ill-tempered gods on Mount Olympus. With her... Read More

Narrator Carlotta Brentan skillfully voices all the characters in this audiobook. As Cath goes through her late mother's effects, she discovers two nonrefundable tickets to a fake murder week in a quaint English town. She decides to go alone to discover why her mother wanted her to attend. Brentan demonstrates talent at both English and American accents. During her stay, Cath... Read More

Narrators Naruto Komatsu and Natsumi Kuroda capture the magic of cats and their influence on our lives. In an alley in Kyoto, a unique mental health clinic materializes when people who are struggling with problems need help. There, a playful doctor and his impossibly difficult nurse prescribe cats as a form of medication. Lighthearted bonds are presented between humans and the... Read More

Cousins Avery and Jax don't have much in common, including their feelings about a summer at their family's crumbling island vacation home. She thinks it's a great adventure, and he'd rather be anywhere else. Narrator Kate Coventry embodies Avery's open, exuberant, and sometimes thoughtless behavior, while Pete Cross makes clear to listeners how much quiet Jax is impacted by his... Read More

VyVy Nguyen delivers a powerful performance of this coming-of-age horror novel. Fourteen-year-old "Ronny" Nguyen's brother, Tommy, the pride of their Vietnamese immigrant parents, will soon be the first in their family to go to college. When Tommy dies in a car accident, the family is devastated. Ronny's world further collapses when she's sexually assaulted at a party. When she... Read More

The third installment of Kingfisher's Sworn Soldier series is once again masterfully performed by Avi Roque. When Alex receives an urgent telegram from their friend, Dr. James Denton, begging them to come to America immediately, they jump on a ship bound for Boston. Denton's missing cousin, Oscar, was last seen in a West Virginia mine that is rumored to be haunted. Roque adds... Read More

In this beautifully performed audiobook, three estranged 40-something siblings, the American-born children of Taiwanese immigrants, are thrown together on a road trip requested by their seriously ill mother. Narrator Vera Chok doesn't modify her delivery to portray the responsible Boston mom, the struggling son from Chicago, and the lesbian artist living in London. Long-held... Read More

Narrator Skye Alley introduces talented poet Fred, know-it-all Luisa, and monster-loving Drake, who've been chosen to write their school's holiday play. Adding to the pressure--and honor--Luisa's Uncle Reyes, a playwright, will assist. Alley's best creation, Fred, wants their play to illustrate the darkness of the winter season. As his writing partners reluctantly agree, they... Read More

Forty years after she wrote of her father's life in HOME BEFORE DARK, Susan Cheever, eldest daughter of renowned writer John Cheever, narrates her "sequel of sorts." Using the lens of her father's work, she analyzes and finds connections between his life and hers. Cheever's delivery gives equal weight to the strands she skillfully weaves. Excerpts from her father's literary... Read More

Fred Sanders delivers this audiobook about metacognition with a perfect balance of erudition and approachability. Psychology professor Pinker describes how we understand our thoughts and how we know what others are thinking. To frame this discussion, he evokes the classic moment from the '90s television show "Friends," the one in which Phoebe realizes "they don't know we know... Read More

Hudes's audiobook is a uniquely compelling experience. April Soto lives in a multigenerational home in Philadelphia. A teen mom, April is raising her daughter, Noelle, when "white-hot" rage takes over, and she walks away. The story is written entirely as a letter from April to Noelle, which Noelle is reading 10 years later. Daphne Rubin-Vega's narration is exceptional. The... Read More

Michael Beck brings his best Southern drawl to his portrayal of a wealthy, eccentric widow, Eleanor, and her small-town debt-ridden lawyer, Simon, who is eager to handle her fortune. When Eleanor dies under suspicious circumstances, evidence strongly points to Simon, who must find the true killer before he loses everything. Beck infuses his characters with drawls befitting... Read More

If you associate the Jane Austen you learned about in school with the words "prim" and "proper," then you need to listen to what one of the leading scholars of Austen's work has to say about the famous writer. This audiobook, which covers Austen's full body of work--the early short stories, as well as the published novels--adds greatly to the existing literature around the... Read More

This audiobook, narrated by Aja Naomi King, Ashley Nicole Black, and author Angela Flournoy, follows five young women over two decades as they navigate the uncertainty of early adulthood in New York City and Los Angeles. Desiree, Danielle, Nakia, Monique, and January are all dealing with grief, love, loss, and race amid the turbulent backdrop of the George Floyd demonstrations... Read More

Laura Knight Keating captures every nuance--both human and doll--in this contemporary yet old-fashioned fantasy. In front of a dollhouse shop, lonely, 11-year-old Tiph captures and returns a runaway dog to its elderly Hungarian owner, Nene (Aunt) Szilvia. Spunky Tiph and Nene are Keating's standout characters, with Nene's stunning voice and accent making every appearance a... Read More

Emily Pike Stewart's performance evokes the misty hollers of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Private investigator Annie Gore takes on a cold case in a rural Appalachian town. Ten years earlier, three girls vanished; apple head dolls were left in their place. As Annie questions the local townsfolk, she begins to suspect that whoever took the girls may still be... Read More

The lives of four women change course on Halloween when a dead body is found nearby in DeCarolis's story of deceit and abuse, deftly narrated by January LaVoy. Each woman has a secret that must be protected at all costs. LaVoy captures the apprehension that newlywed Hannah feels when she receives threatening notes in the mail. After Georgina takes Hannah under her wing, LaVoy... Read More

Max Meyers gives a formal performance in the vein of a dramatic play. That's no surprise since Meyers is an experienced stage actor. As a city built into the trunk of a tree is perpetually infested by gargantuan bugs, Meyers gives voice to a wide variety of characters of various stations. The production itself is crisp though some listeners might appreciate being given a... Read More

Helen Laser warmly narrates this family drama, closely matching its reflective tone. She shifts smoothly between comic observation and quiet unease as Rocky fixates on a local car accident and her own health concerns amid an otherwise uneventful middle-class life in Massachusetts. Laser captures Rocky's anxious humor and habitual self-questioning with a light touch, allowing... Read More

Kirsten Potter's resonant narrative voice guides listeners safely through the red herrings of Carol Goodman's locked-room mystery set on an isolated Greek island. A group of writers has reconvened on the island 15 years after their first traumatic meeting. Their apparently AWOL host has set in motion dangerous events with which the group copes as its members navigate their... Read More

Robb Moreira summons a mythic tone for this original spinoff of the Aztec creation story. In Higuera's story, the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl's lesser-known brother, Xolotl, recounts "what really happened." Xolo has a dog's head, paws, and, most importantly, a love of humankind. Moreira's declamatory tones suit the epic nature of the story but also sometimes flatten the... Read More

Author and environmental journalist Alix Morris writes of her experiences with studying seals, a species once on the verge of extinction that has been saved by conservation efforts. Narrator Anna Crowe delights listeners with her passionate presentation. She captures the wonder Morris has for these animals, ensuring that listeners are engaged and moved throughout the audiobook.... Read More

Mirai's narration gives emotional depth to 16-year-old Char Tang, who is provided an escape from her lack of prospects and her threatening stepfather by a last-minute invitation to a summer camp at MIT. Even though Char feels intellectually out of her depth compared to the other campers, she believes winning the camp's coding competition could mean a new start for her. She... Read More

Horror in the form of an alien invasion and a bug infestation is compelling and dramatic in this audiobook, and Max Meyers does an excellent job of narrating without overdoing it. Their tone and pacing allow the suspense to build naturally, even during frequent scenes of horror. Their voices are appropriately differentiated as they deliver dialogue and action, and they navigate... Read More

Narrator Soneela Nankani delivers a nuanced performance of this family drama. After Nikki's engagement party, her mother, Tara, announces that she's divorcing Nikki's father--a revelation that shocks the family even though Tara's unhappiness spans decades. The novel recounts Tara's journey from grad school in 1989 to her life as a mother in an arranged marriage, along with... Read More

Robert Fass's talents as a narrator shine as he inhabits a New Yorker named Bruno, who is newly arrived in Lisbon. While awaiting the arrival of his wife, Cecilia, a neuroscientist, he organizes their apartment. It soon becomes apparent that he's preparing for the end of the world. Fass carefully portrays Bruno's psychological breakdown. The fact that his only companion is his... Read More

This graphic audiobook is not for the tenderhearted. Dion Graham narrates the account of one of the most horrific incidents to occur during the Atlantic slave trade. The ZORG was a Dutch ship that was captured by British privateers off the coast of West Africa and then sent to Jamaica in 1781. As contagious illness swept through the crew and the 244 enslaved people aboard, a... Read More