New Reviews by Title: B

This audiobook is a gripping historical epic about Semiramis, the only female ruler of the Assyrian Empire. Ayesha Antoine's mesmerizing narration captures the raw intensity of Semiramis's journey. Born an orphan, she rises to power through intelligence, ambition, and sheer will, navigating a treacherous world of war, politics, and forbidden love. Her relationships with King... Read More

English narrator Chris Devon provides a warm background while bringing to life the characters in this simple and compelling tale of friendship. While Septimus loves listening to opera in his cottage by the sea, he knows that he's a bad badger--and even questions whether he's a badger at all. For these reasons, he's both relieved and happy when a gull begins visiting him. The... Read More

When their children are grown, some people take up golf. Author Paula Whyman bought 200 acres of Blue Ridge mountaintop to rewild. Narrator Kimberly Farr strikes just the right tone in this insightful memoir. Her warm, wry voice embodies the author's passion for the land she wants to turn into a haven for native plant, animal, and insect species. Farr successfully intermingles... Read More

Classical music provides an enjoyable background to the story of Cecilia Chiang. She first watched cooking in her family home in China and then was introduced to its varied cuisine as she crossed the country during WWII. Later, she immigrated to the US. Cindy Kay's soft voice transmits Cecilia's dedication to the dishes she loves and grows stronger and more determined as she... Read More

In the days before typewriters and copy machines, there were scriveners--people who meticulously copied documents for lawyers and businessmen. Golden Voice narrator Edoardo Ballerini captures the intelligent, genteel, and, finally, compassionate voice of the narrator of this classic story, who hires a quiet scrivener named Bartleby for his law firm. At first, all is well as... Read More

Natalie Naudus embodies anxiety and fear of the supernatural with razor-sharp precision. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cora Zeng's sister, Delilah, is murdered in a hate crime: The killer shouts "bat eater" before pushing her in front of a train. Now Cora is a crime- scene cleaner, and she's noticed an increase in the unexplained murders of Asian women whose bodies... Read More

Narrator David Chandler returns to narrate the newest installment in the Sheriff Joe Pickett series. Pickett might be retired, but that doesn't stop the governor from pressing him into service to find a family member who is missing in the rugged Wyoming backcountry. Chandler's calm, confident portrayal of Pickett is the heart of this series, and he also provides new depth for... Read More

Tanya Eby narrates this story of friendship, romance, and betrayal. Beth owns a sandwich shop in Malibu and also volunteers at a food bank, where she develops a friendship with single mother Jana. Beth's brother, Rick, starts to date Jana, and, later, Beth begins a relationship with Jana's widowed brother, Teddy. Subsequently, Beth learns that Rick is cheating on Jana. Eby... Read More

Leon Nixon deftly recounts the endlessly fascinating life of Barack Obama, beginning with magnificent descriptions of his early life in Hawaii and Indonesia, and his sadness at first encountering world poverty. Young listeners meet "Barry," who'd been insulted by classmates but later, as an adult, felt he'd come home when he arrived in Chicago. An African visit to his birth... Read More

Will Damron give a straightforward delivery of this slow-burning thriller set in the American West. Two brothers who were left to raise themselves after their mother disappeared go about their daily lives. Their days are filled with odd jobs; nights they spend in a ramshackle cabin. Into their lives comes a mysterious figure who entices them to steal natural resources around... Read More

Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton breathe new life into this suspense novel. Armitage portrays Grady Green, who is married to Abby, portrayed by Middleton. On the very evening that Grady learns he's a NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novelist, Abby disappears. Grady frantically searches for her, finding her car with a door open, its headlights on, and her phone inside. A year... Read More

Erika LeonGuerrero narrates this speculative family drama, taking listeners into a world in which human extinction is scientifically predicted to occur within the next four generations. Charlie and Maggie Tannehill, twin sisters on the brink of adulthood, become involved in a government-led program aimed at delaying humanity's decline through incentivized reproduction.... Read More

Narrator Kim Staunton communicates a buoyant pride in this very short story highlighting the contributions of Africans before the slave trade began. Original music and gentle sound effects of waves and wildlife accompany a storied list of African accomplishments in the fields of art, music, warfare, science, and math. Staunton's fluid delivery highlights the author's careful... Read More

Narrator John Pirhalla sets a slow rhythm in this mystery. Mitt Fuller begins his surgical residency at Bellevue Hospital, where his father and ancestors began their careers. He is assigned to three patients who had routine surgeries, and all three die unexpectedly. Pirhalla infuses Mitt's voice with confusion and guilt as he tries to understand why. During his few catnaps,... Read More

Traci Kato-Kiriyama's delivery of this memoir about life and reading matches its deeply personal subject matter with an introspective tone. Kato-Kiriyama gives equal weight to the author's reflections on her academic career; personal struggles, including breakdowns and identity issues; and literary encounters. As narrator, Kato-Kiriyama maximizes the author's discussion of... Read More

Sharmila Devar's smooth narration is perfectly matched to this evocative mystery set in rural north India and the slums of Delhi. When the body of Chand's young daughter is found hanging from a tree outside their village, the religion of the main suspect raises the profile of the case. For that reason, local police officers Ombir Singh and Bhim Sain are joined by a senior... Read More

Rebecca Lowman performs this atmospheric novel--with a large dash of fabulism--set in the Alaskan wilderness. Birdie is a single mom who is waitressing at a lodge when a man walks in and changes her life. Arthur is an outdoorsman, a man of few words, but it's love at first sight. Birdie and her daughter, Emaleen, go to live with Arthur in his remote cabin, spending the summer... Read More

Small-town Louisiana detective John Bowie is convinced that a young woman's murder has been attributed to the wrong man. A maverick on the verge of losing his job, he persuades Beth Collins, a true-crime TV producer, to investigate whether the girl's disappearance might be connected to others. Narrator Kyf Brewer does well in portraying Bowie's gritty, uncompromising demeanor,... Read More

Euan Morton takes listeners through the twisted story of two successful brothers, former criminals with a wealth of ruinous secrets. The Opgard brothers have built a name for themselves as men who dream big. When a new highway threatens to bypass their small town, the brothers return to criminal means to try to keep their new business ventures afloat. This is the second novel... Read More

Award-winning NBC News Anchor and Chief Consumer Investigative Correspondent Vicky Nguyen delivers her memoir with the same passion and rapid-fire delivery that she brings to her television work. This audiobook offers great insight into the talented journalist. Born in Saigon, Nguyen fled to a Malaysian refugee camp with her family, finally immigrating to the U.S., where she... Read More

Resentment drips off of narrator Helen Laser's tongue in this enemies- to-lovers slow-burn romance set at an Elytheum Courts fan-fiction conference. Jennifer Worth uses the conference to escape a bad breakup only to discover that her co-worker/archnemesis Scott Daniels is an attendee. Laser plays up Jennifer's hurt feelings over Scott's denigration of her favorite genres and... Read More

In a conversational but serious manner, pediatrician and infectious disease specialist Adam Ratner explains that effective measles vaccines have existed for more than 60 years. Sadly, the very success of this technology has resulted in a kind of collective amnesia about the risks of measles. Ratner doesn't sound like he's going to give up his medical career to narrate... Read More

Ell Potter delivers a smashing performance of Galland's engrossing novel. The title character is Sander Cooke, an androgynous actor with the Chamberlain's Men in Elizabethan London whose brilliant performances in female roles have made him a celebrity. His best friend, Joan, longs to study, but scholarship is forbidden because she's a woman. So Joan employs cross-dressing to... Read More

Charles Johnston artfully narrates this lively look at witch hunts and trials in seventeenth-century rural England. Wealthy Jacob Standish and housemaid Abigail Harcourt are called in to help free diarist Samuel Pepys's sister, who is accused of witchcraft. Johnston portrays Jacob's insecure and often fumbling nature in contrast to socially inferior Abigail's determination to... Read More

English actor Hattie Morahan narrates this novel of a secret past, grief mixed with guilt, and the dangerous consequences that result. Beth is a quiet farmer's wife who is living a peaceful existence, but her happiness comes at the cost of keeping silent about her past. When a chance encounter brings wealthy Gabriel Wolfe back into the picture, Beth has to determine whether to... Read More

In a tone of authority and wry humor, narrator Adam Grupper portrays Lev Davidovich Bronshtein--better known as Leon Trotsky--as he visits New York City in 1917. Littell's Bronshtein becomes a hero to the socialists scrambling around the Big Apple's streets as he wrestles with questions relating to his revolutionary ideology, his place in his own family, his relationship with... Read More

With a rhythmic cadence and a call-and-response reminiscent of BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE? author Leslé Honoré narrates her uplifting book. Soft, warm music begins the narration as Honoré asks somber questions, such as "Brown girl, Brown girl / what did you do?. . . who will you be?" Honoré responds to the questions with solemn answers before the narrative moves to... Read More

Listeners don't just experience a fascinating historical drama--they also become steeped in a bloody gothic Western. Stellar performances are the center of this compelling listening experience. Narrator Marin Ireland fully embodies the beleaguered humanities professor who, while deep diving into the campus archive, discovers the story of her ancestors. At the same time, she is... Read More

The ensemble of narrators adds great depth to this audiobook, allowing listeners to immerse themselves in the richness of well-defined characters. In Garcia's debut thriller, the listening experience is memorable because each of the narrators is superb. There is Hillary Huber as Stephanie, who is presumably murdered on a business trip. There is Jennifer Pickens as Jasmine, the... Read More