New Reviews by Title: E-J

Narrators Lauren O'Leary and Barry McStay deliver a chilling performance of this horror audiobook about a possessive orchid and the humans it wants to consume. Shell's life has fallen off the rails, and a job helping at a local flower shop, owned by the beautiful florist Neve, is exactly the change of pace she wants. O'Leary seamlessly delivers Irish and American accents,... Read More

Cohen's latest audiobook, narrated by Rebecca Norfolk, Katherine Press, and Clare Corbett, introduces listeners to three very different women: Lilah, an engaged librarian who's just won the lottery; Marina, a newly divorced mother of three; and Opal, a fitness influencer with a bad attitude. The women are strangers until they realize they've all been deceived by the same man... Read More

A progressive podcaster and well-known YouTube host, Pakman narrates in a clear tone, crisp voice, and engaging style. His delivery is professional and persuasive. And he has a lot to share about politics, media, and education. He lambastes the GOP for abandoning policies and principles and settling for cultural tropes and a cult of personality. He argues that the left needs to... Read More

What a treat it is to listen to Alix Dunmore's splendid narration of this novel about the first class of women to matriculate at Oxford University in 1920. The story revolves around four young women who all reside on Corridor 8. Dunmore portrays aristocratic Ottoline, the ringleader of the group, with a posh London accent and an imposing intonation. Beatrice, the daughter of a... Read More

Ella Fields is released from prison after serving 5 years of a 14-year sentence with one thing on her mind, and that's to kill Washington, DC, troubleshooter Joe DeMarco, whom she blames for ruining her life. Joe Barrett demonstrates his strong narration skills as he creates authentic-sounding characters in both Joe and Ella. He gives insight into each character's backstory and... Read More

Thanks to James Aaron Oh, listeners don't need to have grown up in New England to fall in step with the East Gladness transients in this audiobook. Oh introduces listeners to the region through the poetic perspective of Hai, a troubled Vietnamese son whose failure to realize the American dream haunts him so much that he's preparing to jump off a bridge. Above the churning... Read More

In this colorful history of how shipping practices across the globe have impacted worldwide commerce, the author examines the travels and various uses of a particular Swedish-built shipping barge. Weaving together details about the challenges of global commerce faced by governments and cultures, these stories show how container shipping supercharged international trade and how... Read More

Marissa Davis's poems are on the difficult side. Her reading of them is clear, but her idiosyncratic syntax often makes the work hard to follow. The lack of variation in her delivery doesn't make listening any easier. The poems are good, if somewhat limited in range of subject matter, but they're just too complex for even a careful listener to parse in any detail at first.... Read More

Melissa Arnot Reid is the first American woman to conquer Everest without oxygen. But this success seems less taxing than her long battle to find peace and love within herself. There is a resoluteness in Reid's tone that fits the hard exterior she needed to survive her complicated childhood, the mountains, and the male-dominated guiding milieu. It takes a Tibetan goddess and a... Read More

Délé Ogundiran's narration brings intensity and clarity to an international thriller with a sprawling cast. Detective Ethan Krol has a lot to untangle in his latest murder case. All signs of guilt point to Abidemi, a Nigerian woman in England who claims to right ancestral wrongs by returning long-lost heirlooms. Ogundiran shifts smoothly between British and Nigerian-inflected... Read More

Joy McCullough's narration of her novel written in prose and verse revolves around 16-year-old Carmela Tofana, whose mother, Giulia, finally allows her to apprentice as an apothecary in 17th-century Rome. The story is full of drama as the women who run the apothecary deal with threats after Carmela gives a poison to a woman with an abusive husband. Giulia is blamed and has to... Read More

Ashraf Shirazi's narration brings quiet strength and emotional resonance to the author's contemplations of imprisonment in Iran--her own and that of other feminist figures, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Narges Mohammadi. This unique audiobook focuses on a group of women who bake sweets as expressions of solidarity with those who are imprisoned. Shirazi's delivery... Read More

Joey Florez juggles the many facets of this audiobook. Depicting seventh grader Alex Ramirez, a neurodivergent student, Florez honors both the character and the verse format of the story. He gives his narration a definitive rhythm. Periodically, Ramirez uses fluid Spanish that reflects Alex's heritage and adds another rhythm to the narration. Alex has been in an SC... Read More

Allison Epstein's novel has all the darkness and gravitas of a Dickens work, and narrator Will Watt provides a voice that is appropriately grim. He delivers Epstein's clever imagining of the life of Fagin, from Dickens's OLIVER TWIST, ranging from his early life, including his first name (Jacob), to his ultimate end. Fagin grows up in London's Jewish quarter, poor, despised by... Read More

Like many sci-fi authors, Bradbury predicted many of today's less admirable achievements, such as earbuds and huge TVs. So not surprisingly, this 1953 title is timeless. Penn Badgley, pleasant-voiced and convincing, is an outstanding narrator. His tone resonates with personality, and his subtle character shifts are effective, especially as he portrays this novel's antihero, a... Read More

This audio thriller set in the remote Maui town of Hana is brimming with psychological suspense. Kati, steadily voiced by Cynthia Farrell, is living off-the-grid in the jungle with her teenage daughter, Zoe, who is portrayed by Ellen Quay with skillful nuances that reflect the uprooted teen's sense of isolation and resentment. The reason that the duo is in hiding is revealed as... Read More

Bahni Turpin portrays a cast of colorful characters in this story about family, loss, and a decades-old betrayal. When Dawn returns home to inter her husband's ashes, she encounters a journalistic nemesis who, decades before, stole her story and won a Pulitzer for it. Joe, who is in town to make a movie about the story, claims that Dawn is delusional and a liar. When... Read More

VyVy Nguyen and David Lee Huynh bring distinct voices to this complicated, humorous, intergenerational family story of siblings fighting over a sizable inheritance--and their eventual healing. With retirement soon upon him, sandwich mogul Duc Tran challenges his five children to reconcile before their brother gets married and inherits everything. Huynh narrates the first... Read More

Sarah Moon's middle-grade audiobook evokes the joys of summer vacation and the growing pains of adolescence. Avi Roque portrays the four children of three LGBTQ+ families who rent a house together every summer during Provincetown's Family Week. But this year, not all is well: Avery's dads are getting divorced, Mac flunked seventh grade, and twins Lina and Milo are struggling... Read More

Author and narrator are both at their best here. This second installment brings Atkinson's monumental history of the Revolutionary War to nearly 60 hours, with the conclusion still to come. It's an investment timely and richly rewarded. Grover Gardner isn't the most melodic of narrators, but he is steady, consistent, and subtly expressive, the very qualities needed for serious... Read More

Mia Hutchinson-Shaw and André Santana deliver alternating narratives of two unique teens--Viv, who fights for the environment, and Dex, who struggles with poverty. Hutchinson-Shaw's narration is tense and energetic as Viv confronts the people who support her town's economic base: fracking and its associated pipeline. She also captures Viv's quick mood changes and sensitive... Read More

Will Damron embodies the wacky characters in Hiaasen's latest sardonic look at contemporary America. Damron shines as he portrays the dim-witted Dale Figgo, who, in an afternoon rainstorm, happens upon hitchhiker Viva Morales, a clever but broken divorcee. Damron gives a sympathetic tone to Viva as her troubles increase while working at the Mink Foundation, a crooked... Read More

Award-winning journalist Mirta Ojito recounts her family's escape from Cuba via the Mariel Boatlift in 1980. Ojito narrates the chapters that pertain to her personal history. In contrast, Juan Arturo voices the stories of other refugees and the political and social events that led to the 1980 exodus. Ojito recalls her hesitation to leave the only home she'd ever known, but... Read More

Andrea Currie narrates her memoir with the perfect balance of clarity and courage. Her voice may be gentle, but that doesn't conceal or betray the power of her lived experience. Currie is one of the many thousands of Indigenous children who were taken from their families during Canada's "Sixties Scoop," a government adoption policy that forced such children to be raised in... Read More

Katie Anvil Rich brings her joyful narration to this children's book about two girls from different backgrounds who form a close bond. Each summer, 7-year-old Native American Piper goes to visit her cousins on their tribal land. Once back home, she forms a friendship with her new Indian neighbor, Sumi, who is 4. The two grow close over the next year, so when Piper learns her... Read More

The latest political thriller by Bill Clinton and James Patterson comes alive through the dynamic performances of a skilled team of narrators. The plot revolves around First Gentleman Cole Wright, who is on trial for the unsolved murder of a New England Patriots cheerleader during his days as an NFL star. Spanning the years between the crime and the trial, the story follows... Read More

Author and activist George M. Johnson skillfully narrates their audiobook about several Black queer artists and performers from the Harlem Renaissance. Their lively delivery keeps listeners interested as they share brief biographies of Langston Hughes, Josephine Baker, and other greats of the era. Each chapter is delightfully introduced with music from the period that... Read More

This new space opera is narrated by Savy Des-Etages. Nimah has worked hard to excel as a cadet, and now she's ready to begin her job as an agent for the Stars Intelligence and Government Authority. But her future is threatened when people learn she's the granddaughter of a famous pirate who has been accused of terrorism. Nimah has little choice but to join the motley crew who... Read More

Heidi Franklin infuses this queer romance with blush-worthy sexual tension. Newly single serial dater Taylor Cameron makes a bet with her best friend that she won't sleep with anyone until the end of the summer. Enter Avery Jensen, who is also newly single and looking to venture into dating again. Taylor offers to tutor Avery in flirting, and the rest is history. Franklin's... Read More

Soneela Nankani delivers a heartwarming performance of this romance novel set in Houston. D.C. lawyer Meena is on a mission to finally divorce her husband, Nikhil, whom she hasn't seen or spoken to in years. They got married on a whim in Las Vegas years earlier, but now Meena is ready to move on. When a massive hurricane forces Meena to seek refuge with her ex, they have the... Read More

Thanks to Amy Scanlon's virtuosic narration, paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey's personal and professional lives become historical fiction at its finest. Her story ranges from the 1930s, when she was in her 20s, to the 1970s, when she was a cigar-smoking scientist in her 70s. Listeners hear Mary fall in love with Louis as she illustrates his books on human evolution. The story... Read More

Joy Harjo, the first Native American poet laureate in the U.S. and only the second to be named to three terms, provides a soothing rendition of her new work. Generations of a family welcome a baby girl, providing her with advice, asking her questions, and telling her about her relatives and the world around her. As the verse is spoken directly to the girl, Harjo adds soothing... Read More

With wonder and reverence, Aven Shore narrates this exuberant audiobook about the abundance of queerness in nature. As a child, Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian found a sense of belonging in the woods and swamps of her Hudson Valley home and saw her queerness reflected in the lives of snakes, turtles, fungi, and other creatures. In this poignant memoir of queer and scientific... Read More

Sparkling wit, ingenious plotting, and a superb performance by Elizabeth Knowelden make this debut novel a listening joy. As WWII threatens, a fundraising gala for the Women's Voluntary Service is held at Sir Henry Heathcote's manor. The period's four most popular mystery novelists, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, act as hosts. All goes... Read More

Barrie Kreinik narrates a sci-fi story that mixes alien politics with communication mishaps. Dalton is the first representative to join Unity--a galactic confederation of various species--but he fumbles through his first assignment with an alien soldier known as "Stickman." Kreinik moves smoothly through the varied accents of characters. Conversations between Dalton and the... Read More

Versatile performances by Amanda Troop and A.W. Miller heighten the drama in this Parisian getaway. When Taylor Quinn checks into a Paris hotel alone for her honeymoon, she busies herself by observing newlyweds Cassie Quinn and Olivier, a Frenchman who is desperate for an American visa. Troop brings depth to her portrayals of the conflict-averse Taylor and the manipulative... Read More

Caroline Hewitt's superb narration takes listeners on a powerfully emotional journey in this dual-timeline audiobook. In 1942, as German officers arrive at their French countryside home, 7-year-old Martine is hidden in a cabinet by her Jewish father with a valuable bottle of wine. Alone on the streets, Martine is brought to an abbey by Sister Ada, who is hiding her own secret.... Read More

Jacques Roy's superbly paced narration is perfectly matched to this story. When Helen asks Jerry to help her wreak a little revenge on her ex-husband, Jerry seeks the help of his friend, Bunny. This triggers a series of events that puts Jerry and Bunny in increasing danger as their lives spiral out of control. Roy creates a strong and believable character in Helen, while also... Read More

Golden Voice Cassandra Campbell narrates this story told almost entirely in dialogue. It takes place at a major New York City museum and spans 24 hours, beginning at 5 a.m. on the day of an important fundraising gala. The various characters grapple with dramas both personal and professional. Campbell creates distinct voices for the vulnerable director, her overworked assistant,... Read More

Lauren Graham's approachable yet flawed performance gives voice to this ironically titled exploration of family, love, loss, and secrets. The Endicott siblings--Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude--who once enjoyed a close bond, have not seen each other in three years. Their estrangement plays out in chapters alternating across both time and characters as they are brought together... Read More

Sarah Slimani gives an engaging and often funny performance of this satirical debut novel. Nadia is a London lecturer who, after writing an academic article about the deradicalization of ISIS brides, takes a job in Iraq to head a UN program to repatriate those women to their homes. Slimani captures the many layers of the novel, which uses satire as a vehicle to explore... Read More

Listeners will be rooting for soccer (football) star Gabi Piña all the way in this winning new adult romance. A college freshman in Corpus Christi, Texas, Gabi has staked out his future: playing for a pro team in Mexico or the U.S. But then, thanks to his philosophy classmate and tutor, Vale, Gabi has a bisexual awakening, and he's not sure how these two parts of himself will... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini's excellent storytelling turns this biography into a fascinating listen. Born in New Jersey to working-class parents, James Gandolfini focused on acting after moving to New York City. Before becoming Tony Soprano, he was a hardworking stage actor, who earned the respect and friendship of actors, directors, and critics. Ballerini details a bighearted, generous,... Read More

Mesmi Chu narrates this fantasy infused with Chinese folktales. A lion couple and their cub, Jin, guard the Old City Gate, the entry to their unseen world of stone spirits, Gongshi, who protect the modern city's residents. Jin shirks that responsibility; he resents his father's devotion to duty and the Sacred Sphere that binds their worlds. Chu highlights Jin's selfishness with... Read More

This audiobook is a carefully crafted blend of a classic amateur detective story and a beloved literary classic. Listeners again have the opportunity to cavort with Jay Gatsby and his hedonistic cronies at the mansion in West Egg. In this retelling of Gatsby's story, he's not found dead in his pool, but rather his guest, Tom Buchanan, is shot dead on Gatsby's boat. Narrator... Read More

Joe Mantegna's calm, resonant voice conveys authority with minimal effort. It's the ideal voice for Chili Palmer, a loan shark who eschews violence when recovering debts. Palmer has fallen in with several morally ambiguous Hollywood types, including Harry Zim, the producer of B-movie exploitation flicks; the Bear, a former stuntman; and Bo Catlett, a drug-dealing movie... Read More

Narrator Cassandra Morris deftly portrays Evey, an anxious preteen who is living in an alternative Savannah, Georgia, where ghosts stalk the streets, perceived only by children. Reeling from having been abruptly dumped by her former best friend, Evey joins the Ghost Scouts, an organization dedicated to keeping the unquiet dead under control. As she struggles to connect with her... Read More

PR executive Gwendolyn has a lucrative career, but when disturbing supernatural episodes derail her work events, she reconnects with her estranged cousin, Fonsi, a queer Panamanian American who owns a botanica and communes with the dead. Together, they must confront their pasts and harness their power to protect the living from the dead. Expressive narrations by Brittany... Read More

This audiobook follows three magically gifted siblings who reunite after the death of their father, a tech mogul. Each is vying for control of the family legacy. Meredith is a brilliant yet fraudulent biotech mogul, Arthur is a young congressman facing political and personal collapse, and Eilidh is a former ballerina working a forgettable job at their father's company. As old... Read More

Vanessa Johansson delivers a captivating performance of this dark romantic thriller, expertly transitioning among French, Romanian, and American accents. Maarja was scarred by a childhood tragedy involving her mother and mob boss Benoit Arundel. Later in her life she meets Dante Arundel at his family mansion through her job as a fine arts mover. Maarja's trauma has left her... Read More

Mona Glass sees herself as her own woman--in sole control of her life. In 1970s New York City, Mona is involved with a married man. The two stage a fake wedding to appease Mona's traditional parents, and the narrative that follows recounts Mona's life story after that. Golden Voice Cassandra Campbell's voice is nimble and adept as she unfurls the various events and characters.... Read More

Anthony Rey Perez's adaptability as a narrator is showcased in this crime story/police procedural, the first unabridged audio version of Elmore Leonard's 1985 breakout novel, GLITZ. Perez masters the snappy dialogue--including accents native to Puerto Rico, Miami, Atlantic City, and Detroit--and his hushed delivery aligns with one of Leonard's darkest crime stories. When... Read More

Author/narrator William Dalrymple shares his fascination with the remarkable history of India's profound worldwide intellectual influence. His idiosyncratic and charming British speech and manner, along with his amiability and intelligence, are engaging throughout. His pacing and phrasing are natural, unaffected, and dictated by the material. He varies longish pauses--which... Read More

This first novel in a Christian fiction trilogy introduces Sasha Renee Billingsly, who has been searching for true love her whole life as a result of having been raised by a distant and cold father. Narrator Bahni Turpin recounts Sasha's life, complete with internal dialogue that illuminates her many mistakes. The novel is funny, sad, and relatable. Sasha really doesn't want to... Read More

Dorothy Wordsworth may not have had the gift for words that her brother William did, but she was a very good descriptive writer. Sarah Lambie brings her to life with a charming and appropriate Northern English accent. The listener gets a vivid portrait of country life in rural England at the beginning of the nineteenth century and some interesting background on the lives and... Read More

Coincidently, narrator Justice Smith evokes the sensibility and behavior of a man named Smith. He performs this debut novel thoughtfully and keeps the lid on some wild moments of debauchery in New York's demimonde of partying and self-indulgence. The plot concerns the tribulations of an entitled Stanford graduate--his father was a college president and his mother, a surgeon.... Read More

Dickens is one of those classic authors whose works are wonderfully suited to the audiobook format. With strong dialogue, unexpected plot twists, and a wide array of characters, this production is superb, thanks to British actor Stephen Fry's expert narration. His exuberant performance brings Pip's coming-of-age story to life with glorious British accents. Dickens is well-known... Read More

Kate Coventry sounds fully believable as she narrates this bewitching story featuring a talking goldfish, a plant, and a spider. Listeners meet feisty Jillian, whose parents ignore her while they concentrate on their antique shop; grumpy goldfish Toasty; braggart plant Ivy; and brave spider Arthur. Most enjoyable are the critters' amusing arguments as they try to outwit each... Read More

Gail Shalan and Rock Engle introduce a flawed, hilarious couple: Hannah, a librarian, and Jack, a hitman. After an airplane encounter, Jack pursues Hannah to her Colorado town for a steamy committed relationship. Engle portrays Jack in a breezy, slightly nasal voice. Engle's jocular persona works because Jack doesn't take himself or his work too seriously. Shalan voices... Read More

Bahni Turpin and Ashley J. Hobbs dazzle with their performance of this historical novel inspired by true events. When Nikki drives into the mountains of North Carolina to visit her grandmother for the first time, she doesn't know what to expect. Soon, she's learning all about her ancestor, Luella, who was queen of a small kingdom there called Happy Land. Hobbs narrates from... Read More

Imagine a world in which Harriet Tubman and four of her compatriots enter the present time to tell their own stories on the hip-hop stage. Then imagine this same story expresses empathy for being queer in the US and in the hip-hop music scene. Listeners may know author/narrator Bob The Drag Queen from "RuPaul's Drag Race" or from HBO's "We're Here," and he does not disappoint... Read More

Narrator Beverley A. Crick transports listeners to England just after the Napoleonic Wars. Jonathan, Duke of Leighton, has returned home after having been held captive for years in France with his mentor, Morris. When Morris was on his deathbed, Jonathan promised he would look after Morris's daughter, Victoria, and see that she married. Crick gives crisp British accents to... Read More

A cast of eight narrators, including the author himself, portray the 21 residents of a small town in Ireland who are featured in this exploration of a community in transition. Seven of the narrators have Irish brogues, and one has an English accent. The performances range from a very feminine sounding set of characterizations of younger women by Toni O'Rourke, a more... Read More

A full cast tells the story of missing hiker Valerie Gillis and the extensive search to bring her home. When 42-year-old Valerie Gillis goes missing from the Appalachian Trail in Maine, game warden Beverly jumps into action to bring her home. Hundreds of miles away, an elderly woman named Lena begins to piece together what may have happened to Valerie, based on the strange... Read More

January LaVoy draws the listener into the story of Sloan Cooper, a natural resources police officer. Sloan has returned home to recuperate after having been shot. At the same time, Nash Littlefield and his brother, Theo, have moved to Heron's Rest to start a contracting business. While recovering, Sloan becomes interested in missing persons cases. It turns out the missing have... Read More

In this raw and poetic memoir, Sarah Aziza traces her own history of anorexia, trauma, and hospitalization alongside her family's history of occupation, violence, and displacement from Palestine. The beauty of Aziza's remarkable prose becomes apparent in her narration, which is quiet, vulnerable, and utterly compelling. There is a lot of Arabic scattered throughout; often Aziza... Read More

Gareth Armstrong and Michael Fenner portray Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Dr. Watson, along with their archenemy, Moriarty, and the psychopath Colonel Sebastian Moran. The surprise in this story is that the four are working together against the forces of evil. Armstrong and Fenner's distinctive tones make the plot easy to follow, and they cope well with the cast of... Read More

Elena Rey ably voices a bustling cast of humans and monsters in this sequel to THE SCHOOL FOR INVISIBLE BOYS. Here, 12-year-old Kairos agent Sam Osborne takes center stage when he's assigned to find the papers of a deceased operative. Embedding in Seattle with his family, Sam assumes the identity of a Texas cousin, a device that allows Rey to slip nimbly between accents. She's... Read More

Fred Sanders narrates clearly, does accents credibly, shares data faithfully, and tells stories with a fine tone and tempo. Weisman's science-driven audiobook ranges around the world to find individuals who are working on innovative projects aimed at saving species and habitats to mitigate climate change. Weisman profiles individuals who are making a difference. They include... Read More

Emily Woo Zeller delivers a sharp and nimble performance of this offbeat romantic comedy. Joannie has the opportunity to revive a childhood crush on an unpredictable guy or proceed with the dependable guy next door. Golden Voice Zeller balances the tangled web of relationships with clarity, adapting her delivery to reflect the shifting dynamics of a dizzying list of sound-alike... Read More

In a fast-paced world in which everyone wants quick answers, Elizabeth Weingarten's goal is to help listeners turn their struggles with uncertainty into pivotal moments for growth. Sadly, narrator Lauren Ezzo's pleasant but monotonous delivery undercuts this audiobook's dynamic energy. As listeners are advised to embrace uncertainty as a conduit for creativity and personal... Read More

This deeply personal and powerful memoir, though witty and snarky, has a bittersweet tone and an often self-critical pose. Political journalist and TV commentator Jong-Fast is a hyper-aware writer whose famous mother, Erica Jong, the author of FEAR OF FLYING, was a narcissistic drunk with little time for her daughter. In this meditation on fame, Jong-Fast explores midlife... Read More

Rooted in author Kate Williams's own quest to stop her relentless striving and self-condemnation, this affecting audiobook explores the many ways we can internalize negative judgments about ourselves when we fall short of society's imperatives and standards. Her struggles with ADD, depression, and anxiety are part of the story, but the broader narrative is about how... Read More

Born in Australia, food critic Besha Rodell lived in the US for many years, but her voice still has the lilt and distinctive accent of an Aussie. She narrates at a good pace and with strong emotion. What sets her apart is that she has had to struggle to succeed in the posh world of fine dining criticism. Her backstory includes being raised by hippies--Australian academic dad... Read More

In a short audio program Clint Hurdle, former player and manager in Major League Baseball, offers 25 nuggets of wisdom gleaned from the sport. In an enthusiastic and almost impish tone, narrator Chris Sorensen presents the lessons, such as: Don't keep score (1), build the house (14), and celebrate others' successes (25). In the preface, Hurdle lists each bit of wisdom, and in... Read More

In Nell's family young women receive magic at the age of 15. Hayley Chewins narrates her novel in verse in quiet tones that make this remarkable story seem perfectly normal. Chewins's native South African accent helps listeners imagine the Cape Town setting where Nell's mother shifts her age from one day to the next and her sister is institutionalized for self-harm as she tries... Read More

Richard E. Grant showcases the compelling life of legendary restaurateur Keith McNally, who does not shy away from the complicated stories that make up his life and choices. Having started out in the film industry, McNally discovered true theater in building successful restaurants, including New York's Balthazar, where the right environment and staff made the perfect dining... Read More

Set sail with Andi Arndt and Patrick Zeller as they delight listeners with this heartfelt enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance. When Josie, an elementary school nurse, shows up for her annual summer vacation with her brother, she finds herself stuck with her brother's best friend. Wyatt is a grumpy pro hockey player who is currently healing from an injury. When Josie learns... Read More

Angel Pean narrates Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles's memoir with the right emotional tone and clear enunciation while getting across the frustration endured by the young, Black gymnast. Pean's tone captures the challenges faced by Chiles: systemic racism, a dysfunctional and overbearing coach, and the incredible incident of the Bronze medal being stripped from her. Pean's voice... Read More

Phil Dunster's narration draws listeners into this mystery revolving around the now illegal collection of birds' eggs. The story is based in Yorkshire, England, in the 1920s and then jumps to current times. Listeners follow the journey of a rare egg that is found by a girl who risks her life by joining the many men who are precariously dangled over the edges of cliffs to obtain... Read More

Part memoir, part biography, part poetry, part science, part history-- this audiobook defies a simple description. Mia Hutchinson-Shaw offers a practical, no-nonsense narration of a wide-ranging work. Her pace is consistent, and her voice is clear and thoughtful as she moves through Christle's text. Transitions among the many narrative turns are fine--if often sharp and... Read More

In this queer dark academia fantasy, narrator Zara Ramm is so committed that it's hard to know where she ends and Chetwood Academy's Director of Magic, Dr. Walden, begins. Walden is a magician in her late 30s, a powerful demon wrangler, and an excellent teacher. She's equally responsible for managing teenage angst in the classroom and keeping the demons that infiltrate campus... Read More

Candace Fitzgerald narrates the story of Addy, a 12-year-old from a remote mountain town who has studied her whole life for this one summer at a survival camp. But when a superstorm knocks out the power of the whole county and a flash flood destroys the one bridge out of town, she might not be able to get to camp in time. What's more important--taking care of her traumatized... Read More

Anyone who believes the American entrance into WWII was easy and inevitable will be shocked to hear that the path was difficult and paved with spies, lies, and coercion. Stephen Graybill performs this audiobook with the skill of a newscaster who's recounting revelation upon revelation about the spies on both sides of the war (and the Atlantic) who were using their skills to... Read More

British nature writer Macfarlane travels to Ecuador, India, and Quebec, Canada, to affirmatively answer the question that the title poses. He explores, explains, and experiences the dark fate of some urban rivers, as well as the grandeur of unspoiled waterways. The Cambridge Fellow's British accent gives the text a kind of authority. He narrates in a poetic enrapt style,... Read More

Amusing, quirky characters and talking animals and plants are narrated well by author Oliver Darkshire in this debut novel. His fast-paced cadence and strong British accent provide an entertaining listening experience. When Isabella decides to try some magic from a stolen spell book, mayhem ensues. Darkshire handles voices well, using pitch and pace variations. His inventive... Read More

Canadian disability activist and YouTube sensation Molly Burke delivers an upbeat narration that draws listeners into her memoir. Burke's style is so warmly infectious that listeners will feel like they're chatting with a friend. At age 14, Burke lost most of her eyesight to an aggressive form of retinitis pigmentosa. Yet her drive and determination led her to become an... Read More

Yoinks! Prepare to get "meta" with this hilarious mash-up of comics, prose, poetry, and real-life author rivalry. In a thinly disguised reference to themselves, award-winning authors/narrators Jerry Craft and Kwame Alexander portray fifth-grade rivals who plan to compete in their school's annual story contest. K is a writer; J is a comic book artist. You can probably guess the... Read More

Chris Addison provides a BBC-quality narration of this insightful songwriter bro-mance. Addison's relaxed performance is colorful and sincere, ideal for exploring the collaborative relationship of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The audiobook methodically presents these two confederates' musical and personal trajectories, starting with Paul's audition for John's band, the... Read More

Narrator Yu-Li Alice Shen delivers a wild, bingeable listening experience in this fast-paced debut. Identical twins Julie and Chloe, who lost their parents at age 4, grew up worlds apart. Julie, who was raised by their miserable, greedy aunt, works a dead-end job, while Chloe, who was adopted by a wealthy family, lives a life of luxury and is a popular influencer. One day,... Read More

Narrators Connor Crais and Samantha Cook combine their talents to tell of the romance that sparks between artist Fallon Sterling and lawyer Noah Powers. The pair meet when Noah's twin daughters run off and end up in the gallery where Fallon works. Both narrators give the girls playful voices matching their mischievous personalities. Crais provides a deeply masculine tone for... Read More

Vikas Adam narrates this second book in the Valerius Mysteries series, which is set in ancient Rome and features investigator Aemilius Valerius. As playwrights, poets, and artists prepare for Nero's birthday celebration, a poet is attacked, and Valerius must solve the case. Concurrently, a bloodless corpse is found, and Junius Atreus must find the murderer. The two friends work... Read More