New Reviews by Title: U-Z

Author Courtney Ellis provides a candid narration of her audiobook about focusing on the essentials in life. Ellis shares how, in the midst of her own seemingly fulfilled life, she began to have panic attacks that made her reevaluate her priorities. Ellis infuses honesty, humility, and humor into her story of her ongoing journey to maintain a pared-down life that has provided... Read More

Karen Chilton narrates a powerful story about freedom, choice, and responsibility during the Civil War. Daniel Cumberland and Janeta Sanchez have been paired up and sent on a mission for the Loyal League--a secret group of black spies. Neither is happy with the arrangement. Chilton captures Daniel's struggles after his experience with abduction into slavery: He is a broken man... Read More

Narrator Bianca Amato takes listeners to England in the days following the death of Queen Victoria. Lady Emily and Sir William Hargreaves become aware that a plot against the new king is being hatched. In alternate chapters, Amato takes listeners back to 1415 as Sir Colin Hargreaves, ancestor of Sir William, fights alongside King Henry V at Agincourt while his bride waits at... Read More

Tom Zingarelli has a sonorous, even tone as he narrates an important story that demands outrage. Isaac Woodard was an African-American soldier returning home from war in 1945 when he was removed from a bus in South Carolina and savagely beaten by a police chief until he was permanently blinded. The trial of Woodard's attacker got the attention of President Truman, and it... Read More

Author Soniah Kamal delivers a passionate and jovial narration of her Pakistani retelling of the classic novel PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Alys would be perfectly comfortable to remain a single woman employed as a literature teacher despite the social climbing, fashion consciousness, and marriage focus of her culture. She and her sisters, however, are under constant pressure to make... Read More

This audiobook will reconfirm fears you may have about the food industry. It likely doesn't come as a surprise that Big Food tries to mislead consumers into eating unhealthfully. And therein lies the problem with this audiobook. Nora Tocci does a fine, if somewhat antiseptic, presentation of what is undoubtedly an important book. Her narration conveys the importance of... Read More

Seventeen-year-old Moses gets caught up in a simple prank that quickly turns into arson with his mischievous cousin. The criminal justice systems assigns him community service: working as a camp counselor for children. Narrator Graham Halstead creates an authentic voice that reflects the raw pain that Moses feels because of his involvement in the crime and the traumatic... Read More

A stellar ensemble cast brings crowd-pleasing personality to a diverse group of misfit students and their teacher in this funny classroom story. Mr. Kermit is counting the days until his retirement, but in his final year of teaching, he is relegated to the "Self-Contained Special Eighth-Grade Class"--a.k.a. "The Unteachables." Over the course of the school year, this underdog... Read More

Narrator Amanda Leigh Cobb portrays Winter Meadows, a meditation therapist, and Jack Lancaster, an investigator of cold cases who is her client. Jack is hunting the man who murdered his mother, and Winter assists him in his quest. Cobb brings the story to life as Jack and Winter grow closer romantically during the investigation. Cobb gives Winter's voice a steady, even rhythm... Read More

Narrator Emily Woo Zeller delivers one gut punch after another as she beautifully expresses the author's emotions while confronting her mortality. Yip-Williams cheated death as an infant when her grandmother ordered her parents to visit an herbalist to have her poisoned (he refused) and again when her family escaped North Vietnam on an overcrowded boat, but she can't beat... Read More

Narrator Robin Miles's vocal repertoire shines as she brings the Vanderbeeker world to life. Casting about for summer vacation activities, the four find refuge with their beloved upstairs neighbors and then witness a medical emergency. What can a 5-, 7-, 9-, and two 13-year-olds do to calm their fears and be helpful? As they alight on a plan to create a garden in a seemingly... Read More

James Langton offers a splendid narration of this second prequel to the Charles Lenox series. Part of a proposed trilogy, this middle story is set in 1853. Charles Finch's Victorian detective, Lenox, is called upon to find out who stole a painting of the Duke of Dorset's great-grandfather. Untroubled by the loss of the ancestral portrait, the Duke owns the only existing... Read More

True-crime buff Stevie Bell returns to elite Ellingham Academy in Book 2 of the Truly Devious series, a teen Sherlock Holmes/Nancy Drew mash-up. Narrator Kate Rudd is back with a conversational tone that matches the rapid-fire workings of Stevie's mind. As the 1936 crimes Stevie investigates are revealed in flashbacks, Rudd employs sultry notes and noir-worthy New York accents... Read More

Symbiote superhero Venom's voyage to San Francisco comes to life with a full cast and a variety of sound effects that immerse the listener in the story. The sound effects in many ways enhance the listening experience but at the same time can be a bit repetitive. The real power of this adaptation is the cast. Having such a variety in the narration layers on the detail, ensuring... Read More

This new entry in the popular long-running series featuring FBI special agent Pendergast adds two new wrinkles for the sharp-as-a-tack investigator: a new boss and a new partner. Narrator Rene Auberjonois brings an acerbic delivery and deliberate pacing to his performance, encapsulating the tension between the two agents as they investigate a series of gory murders on the East... Read More

Narrator Allison Riley brings vibrancy and gravitas to the intertwining stories of a girl abandoned by her mother and a mute egg seller who hears the secrets of all those who buy from her. In a tiny town in Canada, two middle-aged women go missing in the middle of the night, bringing chaos to the inhabitants. Years later, most expect that the women are dead, but Lulu Parsons... Read More

In the small town of Lavender Tides, Shauna McDade, a grieving widow and pilot, gets swept up in a string of vicious murders. Narrator Devon O'Day's cool, steady performance moves at a moderate pace and is a perfect match for the Pacific Northwest town where danger lies at every turn. Shauna teams up with her late husband's best friend, Zach, to keep herself and her son safe... Read More

In this audio story collection, the characters' relationships range from developing love to instant attraction. All but one of the stories is narrated by a single voice, while "Can't Get Used to Losing You" is performed by Mark Turetsky and Tara Sands, who alternate chapters. The mix of long and short stories is set in a time before email, the Internet, and cell phones. Each... Read More

Narrator Jacques Roy's performance of this novel, which takes place in a restaurant in Oslo, captures the unnamed waiter's transition from impeccable to flustered when his daily routine is pushed off course by the arrival of a new customer. From the moment the beautiful young woman enters The Hills restaurant, the natural order of things begins to fall apart: Regular diners who... Read More

After the author's serviceable reading of the introduction, narrator Arthur Morey takes over to deliver, with smooth professionalism, this sweeping history of walls from the Sumerians to Trump, those who live within them, and those who assail them from without. Morey has a fine command of sense, naturally good pacing, and an effortless variation in tone that avoids monotony or... Read More

Andrew Eiden deftly delivers the author's examination of a popular literary genre through the lens of history. Through books, movies, and more, noted historian Poole traces the roots of modern horror to a singular event that shaped the world forever: WWI. His thesis is that the barbarism of war never fades. With his earnest intensity, Eiden sounds like an energetic history... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini does a top-notch job of narrating this story. Listeners join Travis Cornell, who is hiking while trying to make sense of his life. When he chances upon an apparently stray golden retriever, things will never be the same. Ballerini creates a balance of warmth and suspense that reflects the heartwarming, yet at times frightening, aspects of the plot. He helps to... Read More

British narrator Gabrielle Glaister unravels Lisa Jewell's latest murder mystery with emotional authenticity and true English intonation. Headmaster Tom Fitzwilliam is admired by many in the English town of Melville Heights, including neighbor Joey Mullen, who develops a fixation on the married father. However, Jenna Tripp, one of Tom's students, doesn't think Tom is as perfect... Read More

Three narrators deliver this grim dreamlike story about young women raised on an isolated island in a dystopian future. When their father disappears and three strange men wash up on their beach, the sisters' world crumbles. Morfydd Clark's cool, clipped delivery emphasizes the eldest sister, Grace's, flinty personality. Hannah Murray portrays the third-person plural chapters,... Read More

The death of Nobel Prize winner V.S. Naipaul this past year at age 85 has occasioned the release of a series of audiobook versions of his important works, several of them, including this one, memorably narrated by Simon Vance. Vance is the very expression of the voice we hear when we read Naipaul: measured, judicious, worldly-wise. This particular collection, although in print... Read More

This engrossing audiobook takes a bit of getting used to, but the reward of a good story is worth the investment of patience. At first, narrator Josh Hurley's delivery is hasty, and the transitions between vignettes are too fast and abrupt. However, as the story unfolds, his rather well-nuanced delivery of a large cast of characters takes over, and the pace, for the most part,... Read More

Listeners will especially enjoy the foreword of this audiobook, narrated by Malala Yousafzai, in which she acknowledges that her well-known background will provide context for the many personal stories of loss that are told by refugee girls. Before each affecting story, listeners are given a brief introduction that recounts how Malala met the contributor. These intros provide... Read More

Nine narrators lend their voices and talents to the intimate stories of undocumented immigrants who were brought to America as children and who lived in the shadows until the passage of Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The stories are presented as interviews, and the first-person confessional style lends itself well to audio, creating powerful performances that... Read More

Cargill's stories unfold like nightmares, starting with the familiar and believable and rapidly transforming into the phantasmagorical, the horrible, and the weird. Narrators James Cronin and Vikas Adam follow him every treacherous and terrifying step of the way. Neither attempts to lend unnecessary drama to his narration. Instead, their calm, even deliveries provide the... Read More

Narrator Dion Graham gives an adrenaline-filled narration of a father's obsessive drive to save his son from being marked for life. With darkly comic singled-mindedness, the nameless black protagonist pursues a promotion at his law firm that would finance the removal of the birthmark spreading across the face of his otherwise "perfectly white" biracial son. Graham's... Read More

Johnny Heller and Chris Curry narrate this story of two turtles who find a hat--but only one hat--and the dilemma that ensues. With only one hat that looks so good on them both, who will get to wear it? Children will enjoy listening to Heller and Curry's charmingly crusty renditions of the elderly pair of turtles while looking at Klassen's illustrations. A desert soundscape... Read More

Jonathan Davis gives a splendid narration of this war story, which was adapted for the big screen by Mel Gibson. It covers what is considered to be the first battle between United States troops and those of North Vietnam. Then Lieutenant-Colonel Moore, who was commander of the U.S. troops in this battle, and Galloway, who was the only journalist on the ground throughout,... Read More

Narrator John Rubinstein draws listeners into this Alex Delaware mystery as layer upon layer of complications falls away. A beautiful unidentified young woman dressed in red is found dead in an upstairs bathroom at a wedding reception. Listeners hear the distressed bride and groom lamenting their choice of an unconventional theme and location for their wedding, which caused... Read More

The popular podcaster serves up novel parenting approaches that she's gathered from friends and her online fans. An assortment of talented voice pros presents these ideas with appealing gusto while Hillary Frank offers running commentary delivered with irresistible vocal charm. It's great fun to hear, and quite enlightening. The creative ideas she's selected will expand the... Read More

Narrator Lyle Blaker takes the sometimes confusing facts and figures disseminated by the Christian humanitarian organization called World Relief and helps the listener make sense of it all in this updated edition of WELCOMING THE STRANGER. Blaker's verbal style is reminiscent of an interesting college professor. His voice is full of sincerity as he details how the Bible... Read More

The audiobook WEST has just as much adventure and enchantment as its predecessor, EAST. It opens three years later as Rose's blissful marriage to Charles, who was formerly a white bear, is again challenged by the Troll Queen's magic. Narrator Renee Raudman takes the role of the determined and romantic Rose, who is bent on rescuing Charles. Robertson Dean's sonorous voice... Read More

Chris Andrew Ciulla is the perfect narrator for this twisted family drama. Forensic specialist Liam Dwyer and his older brother, Sean, a detective, are bound by a childhood tragedy and the resulting fallout. When Liam is called to a brutal murder, he discovers the victim is the woman he was having an affair with, and he can't remember the night before. Things spiral out of... Read More

Decades after becoming an icon for speaking openly of her own rape in THE YEAR OF THE TIGER, Sohaila Abdulali sheds further light on the pain, challenges, and nuances of navigating a world in which rape is still prevalent. Her narration enhances the listening experience as both her emotional emphasis and straightforward delivery provide intensity to her words. In the more... Read More

Authors Elizabeth Foley and Beth Coates team up on a delightful compilation of feminine advice for today's women. Using the stories of 50 heroines throughout history, they blend antiquity with contemporary concerns. Narrator Madeleine Maby's approach is poised and friendly yet sophisticated in tone. She recounts each iconic woman's story with clarity, adding a playful tone as... Read More

Pete Cross provides a calm and compelling narration as he gently invites listeners to partake in enlightening lessons intended to inspire mindfulness. Enriching chapters accessibly explore aspects of mindfulness relating to such topics as aging, awakening, authenticity, war, empathy, and emotional domination. Cross's narration is engaging, at once persuasive and inquisitive but... Read More

Cassandra Campbell narrates this unique exploration of grief. When her teenage son commits suicide, author Yiyun Li is left with just her memories of her dear son and many unanswered questions. What follows is a unique work that documents imaginary conversations she has with Nikolai, a coping mechanism she adopts as she struggles to come to terms with her loss. Campbell adopts... Read More

With even pacing and a down-to-earth tone, narrator Jennifer Jill Araya vividly portrays 13-year-old Rachel in the summer before eighth grade. Her longtime best friend, Micah, wants more than just friendship, but Rachel isn't sure if she is attracted to boys at all. Listeners hear Rachel's confusion, frustration, and pain as she comes to terms with her changing friendship with... Read More

Narrator Cris Dukehart's sweet tone brings the four members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society to life in this new mystery. A girl dressed in rags appears one day at Nora's bookstore. Around the same time, one of her neighbors in Miracle Springs, an elderly lady who has fallen into disgrace, is found dead in the pond close to her house. The four characters in the Secret,... Read More

Narrator Grover Gardner captures the essence of an underrated science fiction classic while highlighting its introspective musings. At the height of the Cold War, Dr. Lucas Martino works tirelessly on a mysterious project that explodes, leaving him disfigured. Martino stumbles home months later, rebuilt with robotic parts and unable to prove his identity. Gardner subtly layers... Read More

Narrator Jeff Cummings uses a matter-of-fact tone to share the history of The Whydah, a pirate ship that was recovered from the depths of the deep off Cape Cod, where it sank centuries ago. Cummings keeps listeners on edge by maintaining a quick pace while describing the day-to-day operations of the ship, the politics that ruled the sea, and the adventurers who chose this... Read More

Narrator Caitlin Kelly returns for this addition to the author's Folk of the Air series. In a land called Faerie, Jude plans a way to bind herself to the wicked, sadistic King Cardan in order to keep her brother, who is the rightful heir to the crown, safe. Although Kelly succeeds in portraying the urgency and thrills in this complex fantasy, her performance highlight is her... Read More

Two widows in an Appalachian mining town in 1924 have nothing in common--until they discover a shared love for the same man and a remarkable courage to stand up for social justice. Narrator Susan Bennett portrays the resolve of well-bred Lily Ross, who is determined to discover who killed her husband, the sheriff. Bennett provides a less-mannered, slightly accented voice for... Read More

Audiobook lovers will be drawn to Miller's latest mystery because of its catchy title; its seasoned narrator, Nancy Wu; and an engaging premise. An ex-wife, the current wife, and her daughter join together to uncover malfeasance and murder. In a story of guns, gangsters, ruthless lawyers, and money laundering, the three women become caught up in violence. Wu narrates in a cool... Read More

Johnny Heller does a fine job narrating Clavin's well-researched and entertaining biography of the famous Western lawman and scout Wild Bill Hickok. Sifting through the legends and folklore, Clavin presents the real Wild Bill, who was more than a dime-novel titan and every bit a larger-than-life character. An active participant in the "Bleeding Kansas" troubles, he served as a... Read More

In this evocative conclusion to the Winternight trilogy, a fairy-tale spin on Russian history, Arden's high-stakes writing and Kathleen Gati's immersive performance weave a listening experience worthy of note. Gati's adept Russian accent enhances the cultural magic of the story. She further adds to the listening experience by clearly differentiating characters, giving some a... Read More

Emily Rankin narrates this contemporary reimagining of REBECCA, set in the Cayman Islands and New York's Hamptons. Daphne du Maurier's original 1938 novel is among the most popular suspense novels of all time. In the new version, the unnamed main character is working at a charter boat company in the Caymans when she meets and falls in love with Max Winter, a recently widowed... Read More

Few animals have been more tragically misunderstood than wolves, but perhaps this aptly titled audiobook will go some way toward correcting this. The Dutchers are the husband-and-wife team who made several acclaimed documentaries about the social lives of wolves beginning in the 1990s, and their narrative is shared by Traber Burns and Kate Mulligan, who assume the voices of Jim... Read More

In a breathy voice full of wonder, Elizabeth Knowelden narrates this supernatural tale of historical fiction. After Alyce's mother is burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft, Alyce is left to seek out a man named John Dee. A chance encounter introduces her to Solomon, an actor whose own mother was accused of witchcraft. Actual historical figures and places, including Mary... Read More

Narrator Jason Culp deftly gives voice to both sides of a dialogue between a student and a teacher that focuses on Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel's storied life and unparalleled career as a human rights advocate. Culp subtly brings out Wiesel's distinct Eastern-European accent, contrasting it with the devout and curious tone of the young American Ariel Burger, who first met Wiesel... Read More

James Geary's essays on wit--what it is, how it's manifested--give narrators David De Vries, JD Jackson, and Janet Metzger vocal workouts. His discussions of topics such as jive and stand-up comedy become examples of the forms themselves. He starts with a mock Alexander Pope poem; De Vries narrates the couplets in a British accent that makes them sound like Shakespeare. As... Read More

Three female narrators work together in this Palestinian family epic. Ariana Delawari, Dahlia Salem, and Susan Nezami provide variations in accent, rhythm, and speed so listeners can distinguish between the main characters. Delawari is the voice of teenage Isra, a daydreaming village girl who leaves behind all she knows in a move to America after an arranged marriage. Listeners... Read More

Being an evangelical and a hard-core pop culture consumer may seem at odds, but here Knox McCoy unpacks how pop culture--books, movies, TV, and music--has enhanced his spiritual beliefs. His experience feels all the more palpable in his narration; no doubt his experience as a podcaster has helped him create a lively narrative voice. He knows how to vary tone to draw out... Read More

Narrator Nina Alvamar delivers an energetic tone for soon-to-be- fifth-grader Mavis, who finds herself moving once again when her mother finds a new job as a housekeeper in Landry, Alabama. Mavis decides that this time she will make a best friend, and Rose, the daughter of her mother's employer, seems like a perfect fit. They spend the summer together, going on adventures and... Read More

Revisiting this literary classic is both bittersweet and heartwarming. The new introduction to this 40th anniversary edition, written and read by the author, brings a fresh perspective to the groundbreaking novel. This feminist story of colorful characters is a still a Dickensian depiction of sexual repression, prejudice, and bias. Narrator MacLeod Andrews delivers a... Read More

Author-narrator Ayser Salman regales listeners with stories of her misfit childhood as an Iraqi immigrant in America's Midwest. She looks back with humor at the ups and downs of being the odd one out most of the time in school. As narrator, Salman sets a rapid pace that carries listeners along from pre-Saddam Hussein Baghdad to day care in Lexington, Kentucky. She recounts... Read More

The seventh volume in the Highland Brides series, narrated by Gary Furlong, is a tale of mistaken identity. When Lady Evina inaccurately takes Conran for his brother Rory, a skilled healer, she is thinking only about healing her father--not marriage. Luckily, Conran has enough skills to save the laird. Does he have enough to protect the independent Evina from a murderous... Read More

Listeners are in for an experience of 22 "amuse-oreille" (small sound bites of delight to amuse the ear) in this anthology, which pairs award-winning narrators with varying stories on the theme of taking a wrong turn--sometimes literal, other times metaphorical. A standout is Jim Shaffer's "All That The Case Is," in which narrator Peter Berkrot brings to life a small town of... Read More

This audiobook is given a nuanced and able narration by Graham Halstead. However, despite its ostensible subject, Parisian seasons, it ranges widely, inexplicably, with whistle stops in Los Angeles, around Australia, and other parts of France. The author spends much time on the short-lived Republican Calendar that came out of the French Revolution and its scoundrel creator,... Read More

The listener becomes underachieving sophomore Kyle Chase in this thriller written in the second person. Narrator David Baker's deadpan tone tells you what you think, feel, and do as Kyle navigates a dreary high school existence full of judgmental adults, cruel teens, and boring classes. Baker's flat style makes it possible for listeners to easily put themselves in Kyle's shoes.... Read More

Author Robert Brown uses a soft-spoken tone and steady pace as he reads the prologue of his memoir, both of which narrator Dominic Hoffman picks up on and delivers throughout the bulk of this audiobook. The love of his grandmother, his faith, and his moral code shaped Brown's life, and these shine through as he chronicles his ascent from poverty in the Jim Crow South to a life... Read More

In this often twisted short story collection, the talented narrators capture the willful discomfort of women as they destroy others or find themselves destroyed. The performances have an anxiously expectant tone that keeps the listener wondering where each story is headed. The authors' sometimes surreal works are blessed with the talents of many familiar voices, including the... Read More

Four narrators bring Deborah Eisenberg's highly anticipated story collection to life, and listeners will be delighted with the variety. Eisenberg herself narrates two of the stories, and, while she doesn't have the vocal gifts of the other three narrators, her voice suits the intimate tone of the works. Julianne Moore narrates a wonderful story, "Cross Off and Move On," using... Read More