New Reviews by Title: U-Z

Listeners will notice the skepticism in Stefan Rudnicki's voice as he narrates some beliefs about Ukrainian history, like the theory that Attila the Hun was Ukrainian. The story illustrates the wide range of conflicting views that exist about the nation's past. Mostly, his deep voice clearly navigates about a thousand years of history, with author Andrew Wilson paying special... Read More

Josiah Osgood's story of the rivalry between Julius Caesar and Cato the Younger, and the civil wars that resulted, is a cautionary tale: Money in politics and toxic partisanship led to the end of the Roman Republic. Ana Clements's narration brings out the qualities of the text--she crafts it into a long, complex yet fairly compelling docudrama. Her voice, though not the... Read More

Matt Braver splendidly captures a world of superheroes and an endearing orphan named Logan Foster. Listeners accompany Logan as he meets and asks inappropriate questions of his seventh pair of potential adoptive parents, Margie and Gil. Since many superheroes are orphans, kids without parents often believe being a superhero might be their destiny, too. Braver conveys Logan's... Read More

Barrie Kreinik narrates this reimagining of Mary Shelly's classic novel FRANKENSTEIN. Set in the late eighteenth century, when revolutions are rife in Europe, the story is told through three women in Victor's Frankenstein's life. Kreinik develops a strong persona for his mother, Caroline, who is devoted to her son, the rest of her family, and the less fortunate. One such... Read More

Narrator Hillary Huber conveys the variety of emotions found in these personal essays, which urge listeners to rethink how they view climate change. A mix of science, history, and pop culture is all included in this discussion of the impact that colonialism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and other systems of oppression have on the environment. Coming out as queer and... Read More

Author/narrator Estella Juarez takes listeners on the heartrending journey of her family's immigration struggle. Estella's mother arrived in the U.S. illegally when she was 18. When Estella was eight years old, her mother was deported back to Mexico. The family tried everything to get her back to the U.S. Estella wrote to newspapers, magazines, and even to the president of the... Read More

Jemele Hill may be infamous for comments she made on Twitter about President Trump, but she is also a respected sports journalist with a career that spans several decades. In this memoir she narrates events from her personal and professional lives. Hill describes her sometimes challenging upbringing, as well as her rocky relationship with her mother, without descending into... Read More

Author and narrator Rolf Potts explores the wonder of vagabonding, loosely defined here as a new life perspective achieved through wandering and extended travel. Potts's performance blends the narrative voices of other vagabonds, who share their personal travel experiences and tips. Each is unique, yet the resounding message is to adopt the vagabond's expansive attitude of... Read More

Andrew Eiden's narration is fantastic in this new installment in the Bromance Book Club series. The title can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone. Colton, a music star, and Gretchen, an immigration attorney, had one romantic night a year ago. Colton hoped it would turn into more, but Gretchen felt differently. When Gretchen's wealthy family asks her to persuade Colton to be the... Read More

Narrators Deepti Gupta, Soneela Nankani, and Anita Kalathara come together to represent three generations of the Desai clan. Gupta is the taboo-breaking Bindu, the feminist grandmother and mother-in-law every South Asian woman longs for. Nankani evokes sympathy for the overworked and frustrated Aly, who is beloved by her mother-in-law because of their shared Goan roots, despite... Read More

The impact of viruses on human psycho/social/sexual development is the timely topic of this audiobook, narrated by the author, a biologist who loves the art form of writing. Light on actual science, the work sounds like a collection of diary entries, eulogies, and stream-of- consciousness musings. Osmundson excels at expressing his emotional connection to the subject matter,... Read More

Rory Barnett's narration strikes a hopeful tone in this evenhanded look at the past and future of green vehicles. With his clipped BBC accent, Barnett details the high cost and human capital of green vehicle development, along with the environmental impact of acquiring the raw materials needed. A Tesla, for example, uses a mile of copper wiring, and at the rate we are consuming... Read More

Sam Heughan, OUTLANDER's Jamie Fraser, recounts his journey across the 96 miles of Scotland's West Highland Way. The story becomes a metaphor for Heughan's life as an actor in this atmospheric and absorbing memoir. He gives a spirited and heartwarming performance as he interweaves stories of how he became a successful working actor into the details of his arduous trek across... Read More

Cassandra Campbell adds urgency and vivid characterizations to her melodic narrative voice in this novel about an illusionist during WWII. The plot revolves around young Fenna Vos, who emerged from a difficult Michigan childhood with secrets to conceal, even from herself. After becoming a talented professional magician, she's recruited to join a specialized unit of British... Read More

Amy Landon's strong narration anchors this in-depth history of the Toledo Troopers, a dominant, Ohio-based women's football team during the short-lived era of the National Women's Football League. Landon balances the author's appreciation for the players' tenacity and toughness, skill and sacrifice with a clear-eyed examination of the demanding physicality and business sides of... Read More

Tamika Katon-Donegal poignantly defines the characters who enter the world of 17-year-old biracial, queer Avery one summer. Avery is uprooted from her home in DC and moved to the small Georgia town where her grandmother, Mama Letty, is terminally ill. Immediately, she addresses numerous challenges. The first is clearly defined by Katon-Donegal's portrayal of the cantankerous... Read More

Robin Miles provides such a commanding performance that she maintains a grip on the listener even as events of this story become less clear. Penny is an artist recently widowed by her prolific partner. After a fall at home, thoughtful and reserved Penny finds herself spirited to an assisted living home, where she finds just a few other residents living under increasingly... Read More

In these poignant, insightful essays, writer Evette Dionne shares her experiences as a fat Black woman in a world that vilifies fat people. Her narration is beautifully matched to the content and tone of her audiobook--it's comfortable and inviting but urgent. She's not fooling around. In fact, she writes about life-or-death issues, including the way medicine and doctors often... Read More

Olivia Vinall narrates this debut audiobook set in the pre-war English countryside and in WWII Paris. Months after a dead whale washes up on the beach by their home, the children of Chilcombe Manor transform its skeleton into a theater. The theater's annual performances draw increasingly larger audiences until WWII halts the productions. Now adults, the siblings find themselves... Read More

"Star Trek" alum and narrator Wil Wheaton perfectly matches his big and generous vocal style to the absurdly educational feel of this second installment by Randall Munroe. Once again, the cartoonist/author/roboticist/xkcd webmaster offers witty and amazingly well-researched ruminations on dozens of off-the-wall, out-of-this-universe topics. Infinitely huge numbers, complicated... Read More

Author and narrator Seema Yasmin is on a mission to encourage the critical evaluation of information and its delivery systems. This expansive audio goes into depth on the variety of ways we receive and assess both accurate and flawed information, and incorporate it into our daily lives. Yasmin's peppy and conversational delivery keeps the tone reassuring. She is skilled at... Read More

William MacAskill presents his philosophical concept of improving the long-term future by prioritizing moral action now. The core principle he espouses is that future people matter, especially considering the potential duration of humanity. Through engaging thought experiments and heavy research, MacAskill has consolidated his theory into an optimistic and compelling... Read More

Joe Polish, founder of the Genius Network and an expert marketer, shares his nine principles to help listeners get what they want by helping others get what they want. Polish's experience as a speaker and podcaster comes through in his confidence and ease in narrating his own work. The audiobook includes a 53-page downloadable pdf of the key points and exercises. Polish's main... Read More

This audiobook is a lively assemblage of literary genres, including historical fiction, magical realism, coming-of-age fiction, and humor. Narrator Lilly Ganser gives voice to Franny Steinberg, who longs to be a stand-up comedian. The story takes place in post-WWII Chicago and moves from a nightclub run by a mobster's wife to the suburban home of a respectable working-class... Read More

A few notes of birdsong create the perfect prelude to this heartwarming story, beautifully narrated by Katie Schorr and George Guidall. In the midst of birdcalls, fluttering wings, and other environmental sounds, a girl remembers her grandfather's passion for birds and for sharing that joy with his grandchildren. The older man's relationship with her family--particularly his... Read More

Actor Donald Corren brings his vocal skills to this tale of an angel and a demon who leave the shtetl for America to do a mitzvah and to seek excitement. Their fortunes become entangled with a human girl's in an adventure that balances laugh-out-loud humor, Jewish tradition, and gentle affirmation of queer identities. Corren expertly manages it all with his Yiddish-inflected... Read More

This audiobook opens when three young nurses stationed in the Philippines become fast friends at the outset of U.S. involvement in WWII. Saskia Maarleveld captures the naïve optimism of Army nurse Penny, Navy nurse Eleanor, and Filipina nurse Lita in their early, glamorous days together in Manila. With the arrival of the Japanese army, the trio's tropical idyll turns to... Read More

When poets become novelists, their prose can have a lyrical, mesmerizing quality. This is definitely the case with this heartfelt family drama about three orphaned sisters, beautifully performed by Farah Kidwai, Kamran Khan, and Deepti Gupta. The trio of narrators shine as Noreen, Aisha, and Kausar, who are left with a mercenary uncle after their father's untimely death. This... Read More

CNBC Senior Media and Tech Correspondent Julia Boorstin narrates her audiobook about women's leadership in business. Drawing from her interviews as a reporter and extensive research, she shares insights and the stories of more than 60 women leaders. She describes three common characteristics of women who are successful in business: authenticity, humility, and a sense of purpose... Read More

Beautifully written, with a perfectly matched narration by Tori Danner, this audiobook immerses listeners in its multilayered love story. After 12 years away, Dunni returns home to Lagos, Nigeria, for the wedding of a close friend. While there, she reconnects with her teenage love, Obinna. From very different socioeconomic backgrounds, Dunni and Obinna were star-crossed lovers.... Read More

Scott Takeda dazzles in his narration of this thought-provoking novel. After a Black man is killed at the hands of an Asian American police officer, Reed decides he's going to drop out of college and devote himself to activist work full time. But both his parents used to do activist work, and in a series of conversations with them and their former comrades, Reed begins to... Read More

Narrator Danielle Cohen merges lyrical descriptions of 1954 Cornwall with portrayals of intriguing main characters. Burdened by secrets, a mother and daughter must find a new home. Cohen portrays the mother, Magda, with a Polish intonation and tones of sharpness and sarcasm. Magda's determination to renovate a derelict estate is contrasted with the longings and fears of her... Read More

Expertly narrated, richly detailed, and charged with drama, this history of the courageous Germans who stood up against the Nazis will linger in the mind well after one has finished listening. Expect no German accents here, no overtones of menace or impending tragedy. Jamie Renell's restrained, finely nuanced narration vividly conveys the dilemma of Germans who opposed the... Read More

The narrators match the warmth of the authors in delivering these interconnected stories in this follow-up to BLACKOUT as a group of teenagers combat a winter storm, and mistakes they have made. While the authors of the individual stories are not identified, each story offers both humor and emotional moments in this celebration of Black love. Danielle Shemaiah and Shayna Small... Read More

The author, an Australian actor, yoga teacher, and health coach, narrates the introductory segments and closing acknowledgements in this potpourri of recovery and personal growth advice. As a speaker, she sounds clear and earnest. But when actor and writer Myfanwy Hocking begins her performance, she adds something to the mix that is so uplifting that it's easily the most... Read More

In the second book in the Black Harbor series, narrators Xe Sands, voicing photographer Morgan Mori, and Adam Verner, portraying police detective Ryan Hudson, alternate chapters. Mori returns to her hometown to solve the mystery of a key she anonymously received. Mori and Hudson connect after she witnesses a robbery that results in the death of Hudson's colleague. While intent... Read More

There always will be a wide variety of people living on the border of civilization. That is certainly the case in this audiobook spin-off from the authors' popular sci-fi series, Trackers. Charged with animating a cross section of humanity is narrator Bronson Pinchot, best known as Balki Bartokomous from the classic '80s sitcom "Perfect Strangers." The verbally agile Pinchot... Read More

Narrator Ruth Urquhart takes on this long-winded tale of a mysterious disappearance and the hunt for a missing lad on a sparsely populated Scottish island. Leigh Welles, depressed and disappointed with life, believes in the mysterious sluagh--legendary, bloodthirsty, soul-stealing Celtic creatures who haunt the island in October. When a local boy goes missing, Welles searches... Read More

Narrator Anna Caputo draws listeners into Lang's novel immediately, suggesting that this story has more depth than the plot at first might lead one to believe. With the magical realism and psychic phenomena infused into the plot, the narration will have listeners eagerly anticipating what will happen next. In present-day Chile, sisters Zadie and Finn set out on a trip to locate... Read More

In a memoir almost as graceful as her dancing, author/narrator Misty Copeland delivers an elegant account of how she made history when she became the first Black principal ballerina with the formerly all-white American Ballet Theatre company. Copeland's voice lifts with delight as she speaks of her mentor, Raven Wilkinson (19352018), the first Black woman contracted to dance... Read More

Waceke Wambaa flawlessly delivers this harrowing but essential look at the slave trade in the 1780s from the perspectives of both the brutal staff of the enslavers and the human cargo. Listeners will be appalled to hear the captain proclaim: "To guarantee a ship's success, no humanity must exist on board!" The voices of both young and elderly Africans and European colonizers,... Read More

By now, the Beartown series without Marin Ireland's confident narration would be unimaginable. She maintains her consistently high standard, often with moving and ultimately heartbreaking results. Backman's latest installment finds the residents of the beleaguered hockey town grappling with a severe approaching storm, while a mounting series of backdoor deals threaten the... Read More

Narrator Michael Gallagher creates a determined voice for 12-year-old Nyl as his family experiences the horrors of Stalin's five-year-plan in 1930s Ukraine. When two Canadians, Comrade White and his daughter, Alice, arrive at their home to persuade them to join the collective and give up their farm, everything begins to change. Soldiers start to terrorize and kill Ukrainians... Read More

Brisk as the winter wind, Katia Kapustin manifests the witch Yaga with a surprisingly youthful timbre, as befits this reinterpretation of the famed Slavic folklore villain Baba Yaga. Here Yaga is a young heroine who is half goddess, rather than a deformed, ferocious old woman. Kapustin's precise enunciation of tricky Russian names and places draws the listener into the harsh... Read More

Part history lesson and part manual for social change, this audiobook is an inspiring listen. Hillary Huber pulls listeners in with an engaging optimistic tone as she narrates Cassedy's compelling memoir of founding the 9 to 5 movement and all that followed, including the iconic movie. In 1973, 10 women came together in Boston to address problems in the workplace, including... Read More

Franny Choi delivers these hopeful, heartbreaking, beautiful, sorrowful poems with quiet ardor. Her voice is soft and expressive, perfectly capturing the musical yet conversational tone of the whole collection. The poems are about everyday apocalypses and historical apocalypses; small moments of terror and joy; and the paradox of living on this planet, full of so much suffering... Read More

Robert Bathurst performs this 18th Inspector Gamache mystery with the assurance of one who knows the village of Three Pines and its (mostly) gentle residents well. Years after Gamache and Beauvoir investigated the murder of a mother, her two adult children arrive in the village. Their surprise arrival triggers Gamache's and Beauvoir's remembrances of things past. Penny's clever... Read More

Robin Miles narrates a multidimensional battle between good and evil, an attack on the literal soul of a city. The avatars of New York continue to fight for their right to exist, both as individuals and as metaphysical entities. Miles gives a masterful performance, truly transforming the essence of each of the five boroughs, and the city itself, into their physical... Read More

Todd McLaren captures the romance between Sheriff Cody Banks and Abby Brennan in this story set in Wyoming. Cody is grieving for his beloved late wife, and he blames Abby for her illness. McLaren expresses all of Cody's anger toward Abby when she returns to town. But when Cody realizes the truth about what happened, McLaren's voice morphs from bitterness to regret. The story... Read More

This young adult title offers a plot revealed in reverse: The audiobook begins a year to the day after Nina's death; her little sister Leo's grief moves backward toward the fateful night of the accident, bringing listeners along to discover the painful details. Sarah Goer's performance is clear and quiet, punctuated by moments of enthusiasm. For the most part, the audiobook is... Read More

Author/father/narrator Bao Phi zestfully delivers poems he wrote for his child when anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S. escalated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Listeners will revel in his sparkling examples of Asian American culture and the creative people behind it. Gentle background music and vibrant sound effects, such as ebbing ocean waves and the cries of seagulls, excited... Read More

The younger members of the Bloomsbury group didn't change the world as their elders did (Keynes, Lytton Strachey, Virginia Woolf), but their sexual adventures laid the groundwork for our changing mores. Nino Strachey (yes, a relative of Lytton) delivers her own text with little drama but considerable clarity. Much of her focus is on those sexual relationships, so it is just as... Read More

Anne Flosnik generally does a lovely job with the latest H.G. Wells biography, this one by the award-winning Claire Tomalin. Although the word "young" in this audiobook stretches past the age of 40, Wells's behavior justifies the adjective. The period includes the bulk of his best and most influential work. Flosnik does not attempt to create voices for Wells's friends,... Read More

Trained in acting and a lifer in the restaurant business, Michael Cecchi-Azzolina doles out opinions in the tone of an authentic New Yorker. He narrates with a good pace and rhythm. The inner workings of the restaurant world as revealed are exhilarating but often sordid and salacious. Drugs, sex, gambling, and problem drinking accompany great food and glittering guest lists. In... Read More

Listeners will become engrossed in this warm performance by Mark Sanderlin. Matthew Prince comes from all kinds of money, but his parents cut him off after he purchases an island. To his dismay, he's sent to live with his grandparents in a quaint town, and, even worse, has a roommate, a sarcastic yet attractive young man named Hector. While the reluctant romance that develops... Read More

Ariana Delawari is a strong-voiced narrator for this memoir by Afghanistan's first female mayor. Delawari is measured, precise, and deliberate in her delivery of Zarifa Ghafari's story. Delawari transmits the pain Ghafari endured and the grit she exhibited in the face of no less than six attempts on her life, along with the murder of her father, as a consequence of her taking... Read More

Married Duluth police detectives investigate the kidnapping of the wife of a lawyer while struggling with crushing physical and psychological challenges. Narrator Joe Barrett brings these characters vividly to life. Listeners share the struggles of Detective Serena Stride as she investigates the crime while dealing with the recent death of her abusive mother. She channels her... Read More