New Reviews by Title: A-D

In this vivid short story, listeners meet 13-year-old Ravi during a summer in New Jersey in the 1960s. Even though the story is written in the third person, Fajer Al-Kaisi's use of a clear, deep voice for the narrative suggests an adult Ravi who is thinking back on a day in his youth that changed his life. For Ravi's remembered dialogue as a teen, Al-Kaisi uses a voice that is... Read More

British Nigerian actor Wunmi Mosaku ushers listeners into a sinister "land of wonders" inspired by--and darker than--Lewis Carroll's Alice stories. Afia, 16, who longs for adventure, impulsively follows an itinerant market vendor into the forbidden forest that encircles her home of Dafra. There, she encounters wonders aplenty--along with terrors. Mosaku modulates between a... Read More

Can we make lifestyle changes that will help our brains live to 100? Golden Voice narrator Robert Petkoff brings tremendous energy to this exploration of how brains age and lose function, and what can be done about it. Dr. Bredesen's research into neurodegeneration and its reversal ranges from the basics of common-sense behavior--get more sleep and eat more vegetables--to... Read More

This audiobook discussing the hype surrounding artificial intelligence is one long unsubstantiated finger wag at the technology and anyone in favor of using it. The audiobook's 100% negative take on AI makes the choice of narrator Jade Wheeler--whose robotic cadence sounds AI generated--perplexing. One of the authors was personally insulted by ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman, and the... Read More

Ruffin Prentiss captures the angst of 13-year-old Malcolm Montgomery as the teen balances the uncertainty of foster care with the daily turmoil he experiences in middle school. Tops on Malcolm's list of things to do: Be adopted "before it's too late." When his new school begins to implement an AI-powered robot in the classroom and he is chosen to maintain it, the bullies pounce... Read More

Golden Voice narrator Cassandra Campbell becomes the characters in this enchanting novel set in the gardens of Le Château du Paradis. Soft-spoken Eloise Bourn, a flower whisperer who is hoping to remake her life, has taken a job at the Château, where she's bound to strict rules set by the owner. But Eloise senses all is not as it appears and is ever questioning as she settles... Read More

Greta Jung's narration quickly establishes the reasons for 17-year-old Korean American Winter Moon's sarcasm. Her tone becomes understandable when Winter's selfish, caustic mother comes into the picture. Jung also depicts Winter's tenderness toward her loving grandmother, Halmoni, and her heartbreak at Halmoni's death. These are only some of Jung's portrayals of complex... Read More

Pickleball is front and center in Spencer's latest audiobook, narrated by the excellent Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. Bex has been managing her family's struggling pickleball club since her mother's death. Niko, a pompous former tennis star, comes to town and immediately clashes with Bex. When a rival racquet club hosts a pickleball tournament, Bex and Niko put aside their differences... Read More

The full cast does a great job delivering this Grant Morrison-written comic series, but be warned: It's complicated stuff. The actors channel the comic characters, even down to voicing differences between Superman and Clark Kent, though the performer doesn't do justice to Jimmy Olsen. Veteran narrator Scott Brick stands out among the rest, thanks to his unique style. This... Read More

Amina AlTai teams up with Maria Shriver to deliver a compassionate personal growth audiobook that blends encouragement with practical strategies for self-improvement. Shriver's soothing narration pairs with AlTai's warm guidance as a mindset trainer to create an inviting tone for listeners who are navigating career setbacks. The audiobook highlights how social systems can shape... Read More

Join spirited narrator Caitlin Kinnunen for a coming-of-age story filled with quirky adventures. Amelia is panicking after asking her celebrity crush, famous YouTuber Walter Holland, to her prom online. Then she takes her dream a step further and plans a road trip with friends to see him in person. Surely, he'll then notice her, and her romantic fantasies will come true!... Read More

Three generations of women face love, war, friendship, and death in Dasher's new audiobook, gracefully narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers. WWI veteran Charles woos Dellie, the daughter of an oilman in Oklahoma. Rodgers delivers just the right notes of love and respect between Charles and Dellie, along with the grit of their daughter, Georgeanne, whose passion is flying. During WWII,... Read More

Narrators André Santana and Angel Pean add emotional depth to this moving story. In the aftermath of the Civil War, emancipated siblings Coleman and June cannot escape the Harper family of Baton Rouge. Mr. Harper, seeking his fortune in a Mexican silver mine, forces June to accompany him and later demands that Coleman bring his wife's jewelry for barter. Coleman obeys but also... Read More

Will Watt's warm, empathetic performance makes this stand-alone fantasy set in the world of SERAPHINA a must-listen. In a story in which past crimes and present troubles converge, Watt flawlessly moves from character to character, giving each one a distinct and instantly recognizable voice and keeping listeners spellbound as the action unfolds. Charl's unassuming town of St.... Read More

In 1979, V.S. Naipaul took a break from writing novels and explored the nature of Islam in several Asian countries: Iran (not long after the fall of the shah), Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. As Raj Ghatak narrates the varied ways that Islam manifests in different nations, the feelings that Muslims have about their faith are strongly evoked. Ghatak suggests voices, rather... Read More

Kirby Heyborne narrates a cinematic fever dream in which five soldiers confronting the horrors of WWI stumble across a supernatural being. The audiobook has a unique structure consisting entirely of a single sentence relentlessly weaving poetic brutality with moral tension. Heyborne adeptly navigates the unusual rhythm of the format with a narration that maintains momentum... Read More

Narrator Mary Jane Wells's outstanding performance transports listeners to 1911 Vienna. When Gustav Klimt spies a nude woman floating in the Danube, he can't resist sketching her. But it turns out that she's alive, and he takes her to his studio. With a little help from Freud and Jung, she recovers her memory. She realizes that she's more than 100 years old and the involuntary... Read More

Ramon de Ocampo's prosaic narration adds to the uneasy mood of this middle-grade horror story. After an embarrassing school incident, Casey becomes a social outcast. His family worries about him--until a local dad drops a new friend at Casey's home. Morel doesn't speak, has no eyes, and appears to be made of clay. Oddly, only Casey seems to notice these peculiarities. De Ocampo... Read More

Mitch Crawford's narration of this business advice is youthful and workmanlike. Today's venture capitalists often make fortunes by buying in, reorganizing (i.e., laying off), and then selling. Silicon Valley venture capitalist Dave Whorton argues for a better way: creating long-lasting companies, which he calls "evergreen." White Castle is an example of one such company.... Read More

Dual narrations by Sophie Roberts and Justin Avoth make following this twisty historical confection an absolute treat. Roberts hits all the right notes for Hannah, who, when widowed by her husband's murder in eighteenth-century London, is left with a confectionary shop, mounting debt, and hostile suppliers who want her out of the business. Avoth embodies Devereaux, a... Read More

Ferdelle Capistrano enlivens this biography about WWII Filipina resistance fighter and Hansen disease survivor Josefina "Joey" Guerrero. Capistrano deftly manages the action of Joey's story, along with the many explanatory passages scaffolding it. She adds a visceral tenderness when Joey describes her reverence for Joan of Arc and the deplorable conditions people with leprosy... Read More

Narrator Angela Dawe returns listeners to a world of humans, psychics, and changelings. Justice Psy Eleri is hunting a serial killer in falcon changeling Adam Garrett's territory. Eleri and Adam have a past that Eleri wants to atone for before she has a complete psychic break. After having been reconditioned, most of her emotions have been eliminated, and Dawe gives her an... Read More

William DeMeritt's low, gravelly timbre and Bahni Turpin's delicious drawl utterly capture the emotional ride as two former lovers reunite in their Southern hometown after years of betrayal and heartbreak. One-hit wonder Luke Randall stole the song his first love, August Lane, wrote for him years ago. Now her mother, a country music star who is Luke's idol, wants him to sing it... Read More

Narrator Lucy Scott is quite good as Aurora Leigh, who tells her own story in Elizabeth Barrett Browning's novel in verse. Scott hints at the various voices and deftly expresses the Victorian (often exaggerated) passions of the characters. The poetry is clear without undue vocal emphasis. There's not much she can do, however, to speed up the story. To a contemporary listener,... Read More

Although six narrators are at work on this short story collection, they all share the same vocal palette. The narrative tone features absurdity and black humor, two examples of which are Sacha Chambers's narration of "The Future Is Not What It Used to Be," which combines time travel and weight loss, and Matt Godfrey's delivery of "A World Without Selfie Sticks," in which a man... Read More

Em Grosland deftly juggles robotic voices and human emotions in this cozy postwar sci-fi. Four robots--Sweetie, Hands, Cayenne, and Staybehind--have survived a devastating war, only to be left alone in a flooded San Francisco burger joint. With no humans to interfere, the robots decide to turn the old restaurant into a sophisticated noodle bar, using their wartime skills to... Read More

An emotive narration by Stella Bloom lands listeners in a madcap adventure. As Harlow and her group of stylish crime fighters investigate an unscrupulous online dater, her romance with investigator Javier Montoya heats up. Bloom makes this Avenging Angels installment a must-listen by fully expressing Harlow's rapid-fire dialogue. Whether Harlow is pondering an impromptu... Read More

If social media numbers and my math are correct, Jen Hatmaker has 1,518,500 combined followers on Facebook, Instagram, and X--and they will love this book. Those who have watched her videos or listened to her podcasts will immediately recognize her distinctive speaking style in this memoir recounting her journey from the trauma of divorce and evangelicalism to the healing and... Read More

The majority of the poets Ben Palpant interviewed for this book write mostly overtly Christian poetry, and all of them are people of faith whose work is shaped by that to a greater or lesser degree. In this audiobook, Palpant delivers both sides of the interviews, as well as a poem by each interviewee. He doesn't try to replicate their voices, but there is never any doubt about... Read More

It's common in twentieth-century American fiction to decry the emptiness of middle-class life, and BABBITT has become the eponym of that theme. Nobel Prize winner Sinclair Lewis is well served by narrator Adam Sims, who makes the shallow, hypocritical, money-grubbing George Babbitt more and more sympathetic as he learns--and struggles against--the limitations of his own nature.... Read More

Narrator Marisa Calin transports listeners to London 1898. Disgraced spinster Lady Kay Matheson has plans to marry an American millionaire, Wilson Roycroft, when she encounters her former fiancé, Devlin Sharpe, the man who broke her heart. Devlin now has marriage plans of his own. Calin effectively contrasts Devlin's British accent and Wilson's American speech. Kay's finances... Read More

Lucy Boynton gives an emotionally wrenching performance of this enemies-to-lovers story. She uses differentiated voices for Andie, a New York City senior publicist from England, and her newest author, the suave Jack Carlson. Thrown together, they keep secret their earlier relationship at Edinburgh University. Andie still feels deeply wronged by Jack. As the pair stumble into a... Read More

Social media personality B. Dylan Hollis narrates his audiobook on American desserts with charm and charisma--making his storytelling almost sweeter than the treats. Hollis takes listeners on a culinary trip around the country. Beginning with the Northeast and ending with the Pacific Northwest, he discusses nostalgic and iconic desserts from all over. The audiobook doesn't have... Read More

Karissa Vacker and Brandon Francis delight listeners with their narration of this rivals-to-lovers contemporary romance. Josie manages a literary fiction bookstore, and Ryan manages a romance novel bookstore. Neither has ever interacted with the other until the owner of both their shops decides to merge their stores into one. Now they're competing even harder--yet they're also... Read More

Emotive piano music introduces this biography of Civil Rights activist Angela Davis. Zoleka Vundla's gentle voice describes Angela's carefree youth in the Alabama countryside. When the family moves to Dynamite Hill in Birmingham, things change: The KKK is terrorizing people, and signs proclaim "Whites Only," a phrase Angela hates and that Vundla delivers with outrage. Angela's... Read More

Nano Nagle chronicles the lives of three sun bears--Tan-Tan, Kitud, and Boboi--from the time they're saved as cubs to their release back into the Borneo rainforest. Nagle's caring tone perfectly complements the story. While describing the bears' stay at Dr. Wong's Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center, Nagle uses a dramatic voice to inform listeners about this special species... Read More

Matt Godfrey narrates the emotionally charged story of Connor Bradley, a secondary character in Bowling's other Cactus audiobooks. Connor has Tourette syndrome, and Godfrey uses a sarcastic tone as Connor describes his recent move and his anxiety over attending a new high school where no one knows him. As Connor's estranged father reenters his life, Godfrey recounts the painful... Read More

Aymann Ismail, a SLATE journalist and podcaster, narrates his memoir, giving it the genuineness he intended when he wrote it. Growing up the youngest son of immigrants, Ismail struggled with his identity as a Muslim and an Egyptian American. He narrates with the kind of self-questioning that adds credibility to his journey to form an honest relationship with his religion and... Read More

Barrett Leddy lends his youthful-sounding voice to this YA sci-fi set in the near future when the climate crisis and pandemics have worsened. Xavier Oaks reluctantly spends the night at the lake house with his father and his pregnant stepmom. When he wakes up, he finds their cabin has been transplanted to a farm inside a dome. Three years later, another family arrives, raising... Read More

Author Cara Bastone's latest Audible Original is reminiscent of a radio play, complete with a full cast of narrators, sound effects, and singing. When former BFFs Mona and Duncan travel to their hometown for a New Year's Eve party, they manage to drive through a snowstorm--and a wormhole. Why their families now seem to believe they're a married couple who are divorcing is as... Read More

Gisela Chípe's immersive narration makes for an excellent companion to this multigenerational horror story. In 1908, Alba suspects supernatural forces are behind the mysterious disappearance of her brother in Mexico. Chípe narrates this section in a Spanish accent. In 1934, Beatrice, a budding horror writer, is inspired by the disappearance of her college roommate. In this... Read More

Emely Rumble, LCSW, has written an important and meaningful resource for those working in counseling, social work, and public libraries or for anyone interested in achieving emotional growth through literature. It's wonderful that there's an audio version. That said, Wesleigh Siobhan is not the best choice for its narration. Her lilting, animated tones and emphasis on verbs and... Read More

Erin Tripp narrates this brief and interesting history highlighting scientists, events, and discoveries that led to our modern science of biology. From the Islamic Golden Age of the 8th century through the Renaissance, the field of biology lurched forward in fits and starts until the scientific method firmly took hold and erased millennia of superstition and philosophical... Read More

This translated French memoir by Jean Boucault and Johnny Rasse recounts their youth and mutual passion for birdsong. The boys' backgrounds are differentiated by the accents of narrators Jean-Marc Berne and Jean Brassard. Berne gives Johnny a rural working-class dialect represented by heavily accented English, while Brassard represents Jean's wealthier upbringing with... Read More

Mimi doesn't like Waipo's favorite tea. How long can she avoid drinking it without hurting her grandmother's feelings? Katharine Chin delivers the answer in a heartfelt performance. Waipo repeatedly offers liangcha to Mimi, who thinks it's gross and yucky. Chin captures the humor in Mimi's efforts to get rid of the tea, as well as the tension when Waipo and Mimi clash over the... Read More

The embarrassment of riches among Naxos's narrators doesn't benefit this production, sadly. Wilkie Collins's melodramatic romance involves troubled marriages and religious intrigue. Nicholas Boulton's third-person narration also includes interpolated sections (mostly letters), in which the same characters Boulton has portrayed are acted by others. A long, final section of diary... Read More

This Three Pines audiobook is narrated by Jean Brassard, whose exquisite Québécois accent nails the characters in Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series. Her previous novel, THE GREY WOLF, sets the stage for the stunning denouement that plays out here. It involves climate change, along with a border conflict, treason, and conspiracies. Brassard keeps the plot and its large cast... Read More

Narrator Caroline Hewitt deftly presents this novel about a fictional friendship between Marilyn Monroe and a young Reno hotel maid. The story takes place in 1960 during the dissolution of Monroe's marriage to playwright Arthur Miller. Chambermaid Pauline fails to recognize the actress when she first cleans her suite--but soon observes Marilyn's transition from sleepy Mrs.... Read More

Keylor Leigh's narration makes it immediately understandable why Kaylani McKinnon doesn't want to leave Brooklyn for a summer in Martha's Vineyard with family friends. Once there, she finds herself sharing a room with one of the mean-girl siblings and unable to communicate with her beloved dad, who's incarcerated. That's before Chadwick, a popular boy and one of the only people... Read More

Cassandra Campbell gives a crisp and consistently powerful delivery of this deep dive into the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. One of the deadliest recent mass casualty events on U.S. soil is given a detailed examination. Based on her research and interviews, Roberts posits that the official federal story of just four perpetrators-- leading to the execution of Timothy McVeigh, the... Read More

Vikas Adam narrates this remarkable historical novel with warmth and gravity, capturing its sweeping drama and intimate emotions. As WWI draws to a close, Cora Trent, a Midwestern graduate student, meets Indra Mukherjee, an Indian revolutionary who is grappling with loss and political conviction. Adam's nuanced performance illuminates both the tenderness of their romance and... Read More

Actor Charlie Sheen, son of actor Martin Sheen and brother of actor Emilio Estevez, offers an unusual, bizarre, and extremely convoluted series of brief recollections, espousing his life philosophies and perspectives and occasionally referencing semi-chronological actual experiences. Sheen's narration is professional, warm, well enunciated, sincere, and appealing. Listeners... Read More

Mark Bramhall gives an excellent performance of this WWII story. Nina Willner weaves the lives of her father, Eddie Willner, and his Jewish family in Germany with the lives of several American GIs who saved his life at the end of the war. Her father and another companion were found by members of the 32nd Armored Regiment just before V-E Day. The two Germans assisted the GIs in... Read More

Author, narrator, and neuroscientist Joseph Jebelli deftly introduces listeners to a revolutionary discovery--the human brain's default network. With the vocal delivery of a seasoned narrator, the author describes what the default network is, why it's been traditionally excluded from neuroscientific research, and how listeners can activate it. Surprisingly, this network of... Read More

In her cool tone and British accent, Evie Butcher narrates the indecision and fear of two characters who echo the emotions of everyone around them as Hitler attempts to invade England. Eleanor Rand is a brilliant military mathematician working in the British RAF. Using probability theories, she predicts where the Luftwaffe will attack next. Johnnie Shaux is a Spitfire pilot and... Read More

Golden Voice Narrator Michael Crouch brings his expert skills to this complex historical drama. While WWII still rages in the Pacific, a secret spanning generations begins in Bonhomie, Ohio. Cal Jenkins and Margaret Salt, who are married to other people, share a kiss in a hardware store upon the news of victory over Germany, and this starts a massive trickle-down effect... Read More

Emily Rankin's performance is so subtle that she disappears completely into this novel. Michelle Huneven's family saga combines tenderness, sadness, joy, and grief with exquisite prose and psychological insights. The story begins in the 1970s and spans decades. An upper-middle-class family with issues, the Samuelsons, fractures after their golden-boy son, Ellis, dies in a... Read More

Logan Rozos expertly narrates a heartfelt queer romance. Eli, an editorial assistant who wants to be a writer, has sworn off romance. Finally, his friends set him up on a date with handsome but awkward Peter--which turns out to be a bust. Now Eli's boss wants him to continue seeing Peter and to write a series of articles about it to provide dating tips for readers. Eli's first... Read More

Narrator Kitty Bang breathes life into the romance between contractor Harper Ross and designer Reid Dorsey. The two have teamed up to renovate a brownstone in New York City as part of a reality TV show. At first, they butt heads, and Bang demonstrates liveliness in their dialogue as they trade barbs. Harper's mother harasses her about the family business, and Bang gives her a... Read More

Ciaran Saward's zany delivery is perfect for a young audience that thrives on silly nonstop action and striking sound effects. Selfish, bullying Monkey is sent into space but soon crash-lands in a forest, which he decides to colonize. When genial Bunny realizes this, he gathers Pig and Weenie Squirrel--all humorously rendered--to save their peaceful home from the intruder.... Read More

A full cast of experienced narrators breathe life into this thrilling supernatural tale filled with magic, mystery, and a hunt for objects with enormous power. Marissa Clay portrays kindhearted, self-assured private investigator Nevada Baylor, whose power is instantly recognizing lies. She teams up with Connor "Mad" Rogan, portrayed by Henry Kramer, a ruthless killer who has a... Read More

S.M. McVicar narrates his novel, a mélange of science fiction, dystopian adventure, and political commentary. In the future, Cal Shook, an outcast in the highly controlled and environmentally ruined society in which he exists, tries to take down "The 31" a secret group of billionaire oligarchs who rule the world. McVicar's narration is breathlessly rapid-fire. He is clearly... Read More

Caitlin Kinnunen narrates this middle-grade story, showcasing its verse form. Twelve-year-old Opal lives at the top of a fire tower in the Gila National Forest, New Mexico. Her mother and grandmother are responsible for spotting fires, determining their locations, and alerting the authorities. However, Opal longs to be in town, where she can attend school and not be constantly... Read More

Daphne Kouma impressively brings to life an array of endearingly eccentric characters in this delightful book-oriented mystery. Listeners meet flighty Nova, who initiates a reading club at the community center; outspoken Miss Marple superfan Phyllis; shy Star Wars loner Ash; sweet romantic fiction enthusiast Arthur; and new mysterious member Michael. When $10,000 is stolen and... Read More

This expansive audiobook by a thoughtful journalist with a longstanding interest in linguistics looks at the biological, cultural, and historical evolution of language. Narrator Stephen Caffrey projects a consistent connection with the author's views and dedication to his subject. It takes several chapters for the philosophical musings to coalesce around a focus, but once they... Read More

Unless you have a time machine, the best way to visit the court of Henry VIII is to listen to this flawlessly researched audiobook. Accomplished narrator Rosalyn Landor delivers this lengthy fictionalized account of the life of Cardinal Wolsey in a low-pitched smoky voice that captures the drama, intrigue, and uncertainty of the time and place. Listeners learn how powerful... Read More

The wonderful delivery of Stephanie Nemeth-Parker and Joel Richards saves this predictable yet still entertaining mystery. Morgan, portrayed by Nemeth-Parker, is near the breaking point as she cares for her mother and four-year-old twins. Hiring Dana, a relative stranger, to be her mother's live-in caregiver seems like the perfect solution. Problems begin when Morgan's mother... Read More

Kristen Price narrates this guide in a tone that conveys genuine empathy for those immersed in the care of a loved one with dementia. With her deeper register and audible desire to help, she is an excellent messenger for this kind of resource. The well-informed authors describe strategies for handling issues that have to be addressed as a loved-one's faculties deteriorate,... Read More

Gabra Zackman's performance effectively demonstrates a kind of narration multitasking. In one way, she's conveying a diabolical true-crime mystery, complete with myriad details and dead ends. In Los Angeles, the mysterious death of a wealthy couple in an apparent car accident appears to be suspicious. Zackman also captures the human need for connection. A group of women,... Read More

Narrator Matthew Lloyd-Davies takes on the first installment of this series featuring a somewhat OCD barrister who becomes involved in a copyright case and a murder investigation. In a story based on true events in the Inner Temple of the Inns of Court (UK) in 1901, Ward stumbles upon the dead body of the Lord Chief Justice of England. Pompous magistrates and judges team up... Read More

Narrator Nathan Agin empathetically delivers this delectable tale of how "Cato's Cheesecake," an ancient Roman recipe believed to be the oldest ever found, changes the lives of Greek immigrants on the Upper West Side of New York City. Agin modulates his tone and adds dramatic pauses to enhance this story of risk, opportunity, and love. It's the 1970s, and the Katsikases's... Read More

In this engaging memoir, author Joe Dunthorne narrates his own investigation into the dubious moral legacy of his grandfather, a chemist whose career evolved from creating mundane consumer products to developing chemical weapons for Nazi Germany. Dunthorne's skill as a novelist and storyteller comes through in both his prose and his narration. His tone is energetic and well... Read More

This unusual story opens with the listener learning that Christa, expertly portrayed by narrator Jesse Vilinsky, is about to receive life-altering news. In short order, the island where she hides from the public while conducting snail research implodes. Two men--specifically, a love interest and her long-lost father, both portrayed by Jonathan Todd Ross--turn her carefully... Read More

Narrator Michael David Axtell excels in ease, clarity, and pacing, qualities essential to audiobooks that address the active mind, rather than the edge of the seat. In Poland in the 1980s, copies of Orwell's 1984 and other forbidden books circulated hand to hand, fueling a popular uprising that by decade's end had spread across Eastern Europe. American operatives fueled this... Read More

Richard Armitage brings the Great Plains of England in 2500 BCE vividly to life. His deft use of tone, pacing, and nuance differentiates the large cast of characters. The kindness and intelligence of Seft, a miner, sharply contrast with the brutishness of his father and brothers. Troon has an autocratic tone that reflects his ironfisted rule of the farmers and his scheming to... Read More

Anelise Chen narrates her memoir quietly--as if depicting the timidity that led to her reclusiveness after her divorce. She dubs herself "Clam," a name suggested by her mother's oft-sent misspelled texts to "clam down" when she was in a high emotional state. These texts launch Chen's discoveries of truths about herself. Led by serendipity, reading, introspection, and insights,... Read More

The author of this audiobook, Shawn Levy, treads carefully between other authors' efforts--some too fawning, others too critical--in this exhaustively researched, articulate, and absorbing biography of screen legend Clint Eastwood. Mike Chamberlain brings a well-suited tone to his narration. His performance provides crisp diction, enthusiasm, and optimism. Nearly every... Read More

With his easy wit and comfortable Irish lilt, Gerard Doyle is once again the go-to narrator for Mick Herron's bestselling Slough House series. It's business as usual in this ninth story, in which the "slow horses"--demoted and/or disgraced British intelligence officers--are once again left to stand down and watch their careers crumble. Instead, they take on the case in question... Read More

The existence of the American Girls Club in Belle Epoque Paris (1871-1914) had been all but lost to history before author/narrator Jennifer Dasal unearthed details about it. This audiobook is pieced together from artists' autobiographies and American journalists' coverage of the expatriates. Bubbly, enthusiastic Dasal recounts the highs and lows of bohemian life in the famed... Read More

Narrator Adenrele Ojo returns to portray intrepid attorney Avery Keene and her resourceful crew of talented friends. Author Stacey Abrams tackles the world of AI and its potential for enhancing patient care and reducing biases in medicine. Ojo masterfully differentiates a wide cast of characters ranging from human players to the AI entities central to the story. Listeners will... Read More

This romantasy unfolds through alternating chapters featuring Brenda, portrayed by Elyse Dinh, and Kat, portrayed by Emily Woo Zeller. The two meet when Brenda is desperate to find a working internet to use to submit her scholarship application before the deadline and wanders into a coffee shop owned by Kat's family. The shop, it turns out, is in an alternate universe that is... Read More

Gregory Abbey's excellent narration creates a diverse cast of characters who work for the National Park Service's Investigative Services Branch. Agent Michael Walker is investigating the smuggling of artifacts in Alaska. When he uncovers clues linking the crimes to FBI Agent Gina Delgado's investigation of the death of an environmental science intern in Florida, the two find... Read More

Mia Hutchinson-Shaw delivers a heartfelt performance of this quirky YA romance. Evie is tired of being the nice girl. At her new boarding school she asks her dorm mate, Salem, an easygoing slacker, to help her become cool. In exchange, Evie will help Salem become a model student. They grow closer, but Evie is harboring a secret relating to why she's enrolled at this school.... Read More

Narrated by the author, this collection of 12 short stories, a finalist for the National Book Award, is an exploration of being human--the good, the bad, and the ugly. The accounts of love, loss, family, passion, and heartbreak are enhanced by Amy Bloom's experience as a psychotherapist. Her pacing and conversational delivery engage listeners, as does the diversity of the... Read More

For a comedy audiobook, the words "over-the-top" should be welcome. Alas, Larry Charles's narration of his memoir about 40 years in show business is just too much. His delivery pushes so hard that he ends up sounding like an amateur actor trying to impress. A winner of many prestigious awards, the writer and director of such successful shows as "Seinfeld," "Curb Your... Read More

Because he's extremely short, Robert Reich has been bullied his entire life. But standing up to bullies--socially and politically--has been his hallmark and is a major theme of this memoir. His most important message is a plea for Americans to stand up to the man he considers the bully-in-chief: President Trump. Reich narrates his audiobook, so the emotions he expresses are... Read More

Narrator Lucy Boynton conveys an unsettling blend of glamour, paranoia, and detachment when 20-something Lily wakes up and inexplicably finds herself participating in a reality TV show. Boynton's calm tone aligns with Lily's internal disconnection, giving the listener space to feel the tension mounting as contestants are placed in increasingly dangerous challenges. Boynton... Read More

Narrator Stina Nielsen portrays Bernadette, a copy editor at a New York publisher in the 1960s. After joining a feminist book club, she pursues a much-deserved promotion and advocates for equal rights. She finds two unexpected allies at her job who bolster her influence. Nielsen's clear voice delivers the narration at a steady pace that aligns with Bernadette's calm demeanor... Read More

Lydia Leonard's narration of a rocky yet meaningful relationship will ring true for many listeners. Australian Coralie moves to London for work and meets Adam, a political writer with a young daughter, Zora. Leonard chronicles Coralie's romance with Adam through the arrival of two more children--all of which takes place amid the additional stresses of Brexit and the pandemic.... Read More

Yuriri Naka's gentle tones suit the quiet, introspective atmosphere of this comforting collection of interconnected stories set in the coastal town of Mojiko, Japan. The sweetness in Naka's voice conveys the community's awe for the magic of the convenience store called Tenderness. What Naka's narration may lack in vocal resonance, she skillfully makes up for by capturing the... Read More

Jason Culp delivers a top-notch narration of this entertaining biography of writer Elmore Leonard. Culp's relaxed pacing and acting chops come in handy when he delivers excerpts from Leonard's work and when he quotes the myriad sources for the bio. There's a wealth of information on Leonard's private life, including significant events like his battle with alcohol, as well as... Read More

This short performance by Mark Sanderlin will surely charm listeners. A crow, who only responds in caws, sits on a telephone pole and squawks up a storm, refusing to move whenever his animal neighbors ask him to come down. He ignores Squirrel, Hummingbird, Rat, and Bat as they ask him to play or spend time with them, and none of them can understand why he's so cranky. But... Read More

Listeners are introduced to forthright Egyptologist Amelia Peabody in this new full-cast adaptation. Nanette Savard consistently presents Amelia as she travels through Egypt on her way to Cairo, recounting her knowledge of the archaeological wonders around her. Amelia maintains her calm as she manages her companion; spars with the growly, brooding Emerson Radcliffe, voiced by... Read More

Artist Robert Crumb did the impossible--he turned the medium of comic books into something both inspiring and repellent while securing a place in comic history. Rob Shapiro's understated delivery of this authorized biography is as captivating as Crumb's bizarre life. Listening to it will make people seek out not only Crumb's work in Zap Comix, Fritz The Cat, and others, but... Read More

Comedian Tamara Yajia narrates her debut memoir with dynamic energy. Her stories of her childhood in Argentina feature her hilarious yet often inappropriate Jewish family. After they move to the U.S., her grandfather's declining health brings them back to Argentina. Inspired by Madonna, Yajia almost becomes a child star, but an economic crisis forces another move to America,... Read More

A hundred years ago, Arsène Lupin, a thief who solves crimes, was popular enough to be the hero of 30 books. The character is brilliant in the manner of Sherlock Holmes, very French, and the marvelous performance by David Timson makes him almost believable. Timson deploys an arsenal of voices, accents, and tones that keep the listener involved even through the mechanical... Read More

Stacy Carolan convincingly delivers most of this AI-focused novel. He is an engaging narrator with a good tone and a tempo that adapts to the story's sometimes urgent pace. Noah, a lawyer, is the husband of AI genius Lorelei Shaw. In a tragic accident, the family's autonomous-driving minivan hits a car and kills an elderly couple. January LaVoy does an exceptional, though... Read More

Like a singer-songwriter performing her own work on stage, Niko Stratis really HAD to be the narrator of her own memoir. In a gentle voice tinged with strength, humor, and vulnerability, she shares stories as a kind of "soundtrack of my life," weaving commentary on popular music with her experiences as a trans woman. Reflecting on the lyrics of bands such as R.E.M., Pearl Jam,... Read More

Brian Nishii is the perfect narrator for this outstanding alternate history. A U.S. bomber carrying an atomic bomb heads for Japan in early August 1945, but the B-29 crashes and the undetonated bomb falls into the hands of the Japanese. Nishii's performance is riveting as he delivers the events that follow. The Japanese don't know what the bomb resembling a "big, black daikon... Read More

Many listeners will recall Edoardo Ballerini's lucid narration of Stephen Greenblatt's 2013 audiobook, THE SWERVE. It was an inspired match between one of today's finest Renaissance scholars and one of the very finest audiobook narrators. Author and narrator match again in this insightful biography of Shakespeare's predecessor and early model, playwright Christopher Marlowe. In... Read More

Author Drew Daywalt serves as primary narrator of this first book in a new Crayon series. Daywalt describes Duncan's surprise when he learns his errant crayons have left again. They all send back letters that recount their adventures and discoveries, and the new friends they've met. A large cast, including narration luminaries like Michael Crouch and Tara Sands, portray the 10... Read More

Imogen Church demonstrates her superb narration skills in this fun mystery revolving around Jo Jones, an American who is settling into a new life in the north of England. Intending to uncover her English ancestors and their secrets, she rents a room in her home to a mysterious guest. When her policeman friend discovers the dead body of her guest, Jo can't help but get involved.... Read More

Tanya Eby's bright voice and precise delivery help illuminate the story of Frances Perkins's humanitarian work during World War II. Perkins was a woman of firsts. The first female to serve in a presidential cabinet (Franklin Roosevelt's), she became the country's longest serving labor secretary and an architect of the New Deal. As historian Rebecca Brenner Graham discovered... Read More

Near a picturesque Dorset village, the corpse of a publican is found seated in a chair on an empty road with antlers glued to his head. This dramatic opening certainly captures the attention of listeners, who will be caught up in this police procedural by the creator of the television series "Broadchurch." Jessica Gunning, an actor familiar to many television viewers, narrates... Read More

Set in a small island community off the coast of Iceland, this audiobook immediately captures the attention of listeners. A death at a diplomatic dinner sets the stage for all that follows. Denica Fairman depicts a wide range of characters, but the majority of the story is told from the perspective of Jane Shearer, the wife of the Canadian ambassador to Iceland. After the... Read More

Journalist Todd S. Purdum narrates his absorbing, well-researched, and beautifully delivered examination of actor, producer, and musician Desi Arnaz--also known as comedienne Lucille Ball's husband in the sitcom "I Love Lucy" (1951-1957) and in real life. This enjoyable performance is pure perfection--well enunciated, paced for understanding, and delivered in an entertainingly... Read More

This oral history of the Manhattan Project and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is dramatically made aural, thanks to the talents of some 30 narrators, plus the author. Like its predecessor, WHEN THE SEA CAME ALIVE, this audiobook features snippets of first-person accounts of those who lived the history. Artfully arranged into a cohesive whole, they vocalize the... Read More

Jacinda Ardern believes empathy and kindness should be central to politics. Her warm voice and Kiwi accent embody authenticity, earnestness, and self-effacing humor. At a young age and newly pregnant, Ardern unexpectedly became New Zealand's prime minister, heading a coalition government from 2017 to 2023. She was the face of the government's response to a terrorist attack at... Read More

Daniel Henning's talent for voicing larger-than-life characters brings a group of drag queen witches to life. It's 1989, and Joe plans to spend a summer bartending on Fire Island, a known gay hotspot. Joe is heartbroken over the loss of his boyfriend and is quickly taken in by a couple of older gay men who are secretly disco witches tasked with protecting the island and other... Read More

Narrator Alexandra Hunter establishes an apathetic voice for 13- year-old Kass, who has switched from public school to a fancy private school in order to join the diving team and have better opportunities for academic success. Kass struggles to fit in at her new school and even starts questioning economic disparity and its causes when she meets 17-year-old Miles, who dumpster... Read More

Amanda Stribling juggles a gentle-sounding Southern character, a dangerous redneck, and a Northern gangster in Book 5 of Burke's Holland Family Series. At the turn of the 20th century, 14-year-old Bessie Holland faces a violent and racist world. She figured out her father was dating a madam and that the local sheriff was trying to run her teacher out of town for being gay--and... Read More

Listeners must pay close attention to follow the many personas of this mystery's frighteningly sinister main character, expertly performed by Richard Armitage. The man shifts names, identities, and relationships as he jumps from one woman to another--each of whom he's conning, may be married to, or has children with. The women, all emotionally entangled, are masterfully voiced... Read More