New Reviews by Title: U-Z

Eloise Oxer provides an exceptional narration of this mystery. Trauma has long-lasting effects, including flashbacks, physical symptoms, and nightmares. In this tragic story of kidnapping and murder, Australian author Anna Romer chillingly examines the effect of those events over time. Twenty years ago, 12-year old Abby was kidnapped but managed to escape. Three other girls... Read More

Listeners will feel claustrophobic as they wend their way through this audiobook, but not because of narrator Matthew Waterson. On the contrary, Waterson's even pacing and soft British accent make for an ideal guide. It's the subject matter that takes us to dark, cramped spaces. In this follow-up to his previous titles on mountains and remote places, Robert Macfarlane explores... Read More

The young author's over-the-top language and discussions about every type of sex you can imagine make this useful audio a challenge to narrate authentically. Erin Bennett's performance has few, if any, interpretive flaws, but her vocal personality--somewhat conservative and mature--doesn't fit the author's streetwise persona. Though the mismatch is obvious, Bennett's... Read More

The Iranian-American novelist's quick, steady pace creates an adventurous narration as she asks pivotal questions about what it means to be a refugee. Nayeri also explores what it means to call a place home. Her words and tone are filled with contrasting levels of discomfort and youthfulness that underscore the trauma of the experiences she describes and their long-term effect... Read More

Clancy Lang has had a hard life, and Todd McLaren reflects that in his narration. Clancy is left to care for her young stepbrother, Tad, after his abusive brother is sent to prison. Clancy's boss is Colter Banks, a Texas Ranger who works cold cases including, unbeknownst to him, the disappearance of Clancy's grandfather. McLaren gives Colter a deliberate voice sounds... Read More

New Zealand native Calum Gittins portrays a host of characters in this mash-up of classic and contemporary literature. Charlie, a "summoner" who has the power to read objects and people out of books, is voiced in a soft and often frazzled tone that sometimes reaches an excited pace. Charlie's older brother, Rob, has a thicker New Zealand accent and a stern voice that gives way... Read More

The smooth and elegant voice of Robin Miles guides listeners through a world out of time. This is the world in which Dr. Miranda Ecouvo, a forensic therapist, finds herself after a near-death experience. Here she meets the immortal brothers, Chance and Trickster, who help her finish an investigation of seven unusual murders. While Miles's narration is solemn and steady, she... Read More

Though his delivery is low-key, narrator John Kroft effectively voices the enthusiasm of a boy who is thrilled with his brand-new Schwinn bicycle. At the end of WWII, in a South Carolina town, 12-year-old Gabriel Haberlin pedals through a red light and is pushed from the path of an oncoming car by Meriwether Hunter, an African-American veteran. After the near accident, Kroft... Read More

Narrator Rupert Channing returns to deliver Book 2 of the Ravenswood series, serving up a dynamic performance full of humor, reluctant emotional engagement, and sizzling attraction. Hannah Kabbah gets a second chance when her teenage crush, Nate Davis, a widower, comes back to town to care for his ailing mother. He hires Hannah to help care for his two kids. Trying to keep... Read More

An ad from Redwood Poultry Farms offers "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer." Immediately, narrator Kyla Garcia establishes the audiobook's unusual structure and the personality of 12-year-old Sophie Brown, who has just moved to farm country from Los Angeles. In addition to narrative, the story is told through letters ("Dear People Who Send Catalogs to People... Read More

This audiobook is an epic fantasy retelling of THE MAHABHARATA, an Indian classic about three heirs to a powerful throne whose fight to claim their inheritance could tear apart the very nation they wish to rule. Banker offers listeners exotic imagery that comes from viewing storytelling through the lens of a different culture. Vikas Adam narrates with infectious energy that... Read More

Narrator Josh Hamilton expertly captures what two prominent Americans, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, may have sounded like. While this audiobook focuses on their friendship, it's also a history lesson and a look back at a time when automobiles were just beginning to change the country. The story of Ford and Edison's road trips together has its ups and downs. Ford was a taciturn... Read More

Heather B. Armstrong narrates her own memoir of treatment- resistant depression with groundbreaking vocal intensity. She bravely welcomes listeners inside her painful, yet often hilarious, internal dialogue. She isn't portraying emotional desperation--she relives it for listeners. Her voice cracks because she is really crying as she screams for relief from her ceaseless desire... Read More

The unsolved disappearance of three girls from their small town in Australia is recounted by 11-year-old Tikka Malloy, portrayed by Cat Gould. In a time shift, the adult Tikka remains haunted by guilt, as she and her older sister knew the girls were planning to run away yet never told anyone. Gould's native Australian accent lends a useful authenticity to the narrative, but the... Read More

Narrating the 49th book in this series, Susan Ericksen is abundantly familiar with its heroine and wide cast of characters. In the mid-21st century, a self-proclaimed Lady Justice seeks to right wrongs committed against women by murdering the perpetrators in the most brutal ways. Lieutenant Eve Dallas from the New York Police and Security Department (NYPSD) must discover who is... Read More

Australian narrator Belinda McClory adeptly takes listeners through three generations of traumatic history that erupts in one very public scandal in Sydney, Australia. She guides listeners through war-torn Poland, London, Paris, and Sydney to follow the tragic family story of Eve, a high-profile media star who is focused on achieving justice for her savagely mistreated mother.... Read More

Marisa Calin gives a spirited narration of this introspective novel, which imagines the life of eccentric French composer Erik Satie. His story, told by his sister, Louise, includes his early years, his struggles to become accepted in legendary Montmartre, and his eventual success among the avant-garde. Calin delivers the narrative in a crisp British accent, with a gruff timbre... Read More

In her new audiobook, Pam Grossman converts her popular podcast, "The Witch Wave," into a guide for listeners to wake the witch inside them. As both writer and narrator, Grossman provides a history of witchcraft as well as a discussion of its connections to modern feminism, politics, and pop culture. Even those who are not interested in the topic will find that Grossman's... Read More

The first in a series of mysteries is narrated by Francis G. Kearney, with believable Canadian intonations. Sergeant Winston Windflower is a full-blooded Cree transplant who has taken a post in the small fishing town of Grand Bank. When a widower's body is discovered, Windflower learns there is much more to the investigation than initially meets the eye. Along with portraying a... Read More

Narrators Everest de Montebello and Marc Thompson provide a young knight with a youthful voice and a large ogre with a deep and gravelly voice in this examination of children's perception. At the beginning of the audiobook, the characters confidently inhabit their own sides of a brick wall. As the story unfolds, things are not exactly what the knight thinks they should be.... Read More

This audiobook is for fans of history, WWII stories, and tales of real-life ingenuity and cunning. Fans of John le Carré will also enjoy this account of a top-secret operation to gather intelligence from German prisoners being held by the British. Narrator Jean Gilpin sets just the right tone in telling the almost-forgotten story of how a brilliant British spymaster came up... Read More

In this sprawling apocalyptic audiobook, people in the U.S. are infected with a mysterious sleepwalking sickness. The sleepwalkers increase steadily in number as they march inexorably west across the country, and attempts to stop them by force produce grisly results. Narrators Dominic Hoffman and Xe Sands portray the many characters who converge around the sleepwalkers, trying... Read More

Author Jeff Henigson takes full advantage of the opportunity to narrate the funny, frequently bittersweet story of his teenage battle with brain cancer and the life-changing journey that arose from it. Henigson manages to project the wistfulness, angst, and fear of a 15-year-old whose biggest hope morphs from wanting to launch a rocket with his dad to hoping to survive cancer.... Read More

Joe Morton doesn't just give a stellar performance of Coates's audiobook. He embodies its characters completely, making the listening experience cinematic. In Virginia, before the Civil War, White people are referred to as "Quality," while black people are "the Tasked." Hiram Walker, one of the Tasked, is moved from field labor to a plantation house. Soon after, he is recruited... Read More

Narrator Tia Rider's distinctly youthful voice and positive tone resonate throughout this optimistic audiobook. Rider delivers Schwartz's thoughtful text with just the right pace and emphasis. Seeking solutions to the planet's water issues, Schwartz takes the listener on a remarkable journey beginning in a remote corner of Zimbabwe and traversing the globe, with stops in... Read More

Narrator Peter Capaldi's resonant voice is perfect for this rerelease of Adams's 1972 epic. Besides his natural Scottish accent, Capaldi crafts more than 20 distinctive voices for this story of a small group of rabbits who are fleeing an impending disaster. Hazel, the group's leader, sounds likable and capable--but without the machismo of Bigwig, the group's strongest defender.... Read More

Narrator Bernadette Dunne leads listeners through this memoir, which winds through the author's inner landscape of grief into her growing absorption with the world of mushrooms. Woon's fascination with foraging for mushrooms began the day her life as she knew it ended--when her husband and soulmate died suddenly. In freefall, she found answers on how to go on living where she... Read More

Euan Morton brings his exceptional narration skills to Rowell's highly anticipated sequel. After defeating the Insidious Humdrum, Simon Snow, unsure what to do with his new life, falls into depression. At the urging of best friend Penelope and boyfriend Baz, the trio embark on a trip to America, driving across the West to "rescue" their friend Agatha from her self-imposed... Read More

The sounds of crickets, a crackling campfire, and music greet listeners as five narrators share the meaning of the term "otsaliheliga," a Cherokee word meaning "We are grateful." Each narrator lends a unique voice to the story, complementing the diverse contemporary Cherokee families who are depicted celebrating every season. Cherokee pronunciations are beautifully delivered to... Read More

Broadcaster and political commentator Cokie Roberts narrates this revised and expanded edition of her bestselling essay collection with grace, perfect timing, and an expert knowledge of how to tell a story. The essays are an engaging mix of the personal and reportage, all focused on how women work together to build the political, cultural, and social world we know. They're... Read More

Narrating his own work, Jonathan Safran Foer admits he doesn't have the answer to the world's most imminent problem, which he is purposely slow to identify and confront. The thing is, climate change is overwhelming and heady. The problem isn't that we don't know about the threat it presents--it's that we don't believe in the threat enough to make the necessary radical changes.... Read More

This epistolary audiobook is told through the letters of Kurl and Jo. Kurl, portrayed by Matthew Gouveia, is a football player who is repeating twelfth grade when he is assigned a tenth-grade pen pal by his English teacher. Jo, portrayed by Tony Kim, is an openly gay Walt Whitman fanatic who is mercilessly bullied at school. Gradually, they fall in love and support each other... Read More

In this audio memoir narrated by the author, D. Watkins argues that he is a more authentic black voice than other writers of color who speak about black community from a privileged distance. He delivers his narration in a vocal style that reflects his upbringing in a crime-ridden Baltimore neighborhood. The style works effectively and generates a sense of authenticity in... Read More

Narrator Kate Harper is the new voice of the Brigid Quinn mysteries. In this thriller, which can be listened to as a stand-alone, two storylines converge. The first involves the relationship between ex-FBI agent Brigid and her husband, a professor, and the second follows a drug dealer just released from prison. This is no ordinary ex-con, however; when Jerry was a teen, he... Read More

With an upbeat tone and a spirited pace, Greg Tremblay narrates this scientific adventure, which takes an appreciative look at a much-maligned topic--the weather forecast. Inspired by the accuracy of the prognosticators of 2012's Superstorm Sandy, Andrew Blum explores what he calls the "weather machine"--an expansive infrastructure of technology that has moved weather... Read More

Shakespearean actor Nigel Gore narrates an epic historical drama centered on the early American colonies. Gore injects a somber tone into parallel stories, one focused on Captain John Smith and Pocahontas and the other a quasi-flashback to Francis Drake and his Spanish raids. The prose features a heavy reliance on colonial English that's both dense and poetic, often obscuring... Read More

Brittany Pressley brings humor and tenderness to this story about family, finding love, and playing pirate. After her older sister's car accident, 25-year-old Emily helps out with the care of her 15-year-old niece--which includes signing up to be a wench at the upcoming Renaissance Faire. Pressley is a dynamic performer who brings out Emily's increasing ease as she gets to know... Read More

This audio biography begins when Ruth Rappaport, who grew up in Leipzig, emigrated to the U.S. at age 15. Escaping the Nazis, Rappaport ended up in Seattle and ultimately became a librarian. In 1959 she set up libraries for the Army, first in Okinawa and then in Saigon; after that, she was a cataloguer for the Library of Congress (1971-1993). Shifting effortlessly from German,... Read More

Damon Young's deep, gravelly voice rolls through one's ears like a musical bass line that one does not want to stop. Whether delivering jokes or speaking about how he struggled with the loss of loved ones, his voice commands attention and delivers catharsis time and again. From growing up in Pittsburgh to becoming a successful writer to navigating the politics of race in the... Read More

Erin Bennett's intense narration is not out of place in this wake-up call for people who don't prepare for death, leaving their loved ones to deal with dozens of end-of-life responsibilities large and small. Her performance is enjoyable despite the direness of the subject matter because she's so engaged with the material and the listener, and because of her skill in modulating... Read More

In this audiobook unflinching essayists peel back layers of long-held pain in their lives. Writer/editor Michele Filgate narrates the introduction in a tone of earnestness that pulls the listener in as she reflects on her life-changing essay about being abused by her stepfather, along with the universal expectations of motherhood. Fajer Al-Kaisi, Roger Casey, Janina Edwards,... Read More

Fans of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series will find this stand-alone audiobook a totally different listening experience. Narrator Kate Burton portrays Rose, a woman in her 60s who has escaped an institution's Memory Unit. Rose is convinced that she has been falsely committed for dementia. Burton dramatically portrays Rose's metamorphosis as the drugs that have fogged her brain... Read More

Elisabeth Rodgers narrates this audiobook eloquently, paying attention to the author's encyclopedic knowledge of her subject. Her tone, style, and pace suit this thoughtful work's wide-ranging content. The author, a professor of the history of the book, leads the listener on a world tour of this iconic object, which she convincingly argues was the original mass-marketed... Read More

Narrator James Langton's voice is as smooth as warm chocolate sauce--and just as yummy. This sophisticated Regency romance is filled with smart dialogue, well-done accents, and acting so good the listener won't want to pause between chapters. Fate, poachers, and a trapped rabbit bring handsome and disillusioned Duncan Wentworth into the path of the mysterious, lovely widow... Read More

This full-cast performance of Thomalen's dramatic adaptation re-creates a day that Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, spent with the three Liddell sisters, who inspired his books. As Paul Rogan portrays Dodgson, his enthusiastic, lighthearted tone fits the character perfectly. The contrast between his nervous stuttering in conversation and his confident... Read More

Narrator Bahni Turpin delivers this audiobook about a mixed-race teen living in British-controlled Swaziland in the mid-1960s. Though Adele's white father lives with his other family in South Africa, her popularity at her mixed-race boarding school is unquestioned due to the expensive gifts he lavishes upon her. When a new girl with higher social status comes to school, Adele... Read More

Michael Crouch's narration manages to give Ezra Slevin, the protagonist of North's novel, pathos and humor when he finds himself in a different body after a lunar eclipse. When Ezra finds himself stuck in the body of his erstwhile nemesis, Wynonna Jones, the plot takes off as he personally encounters the physical trials of a teenage female. Crouch portrays the two having... Read More

Narrator Yareli Arizmendi is the sassy voice of Nina, a single woman living in a border town in Texas. Arizmendi sets a quick pace and a smooth cadence for a story about family, belonging, and government encroachment. She provides authentic pronunciations of the Spanish words that are liberally sprinkled throughout the chapters. Orly, Nina's tween godson, comes to spend the... Read More

Phil Proctor, co-founder of the comedy troupe Firesign Theatre, talks about the world, society, comedy, and, most of all, his place in them. He performs his own work, perhaps spending too much time on his childhood. But he gives Firesign fans everything they want to know and more. He wisely includes comedy clips from performances to demonstrate what he is talking about,... Read More

Kate Forbes narrates an audio mystery that alternates between 2018 and 1787. In the midst of hunting trials held by the Hounds for Heroes charity for wounded veterans, a former Foreign Service officer gets his throat slit. Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen investigates this death while also looking into the discovery of a murdered African-American woman wearing a necklace worth... Read More

Listeners looking for creepy will find it in full force in Alex North's dark thriller, narrated by British actor Christopher Eccleston. The "whisper man" was the moniker given to Frank Carter, a serial murderer who sought vulnerable boys and whispered to them outside their windows at night. Although Carter was captured and incarcerated years ago, similar crimes are once again... Read More

An ensemble cast speaking French and English brings this graphic novel to life on audio. Fans of WONDER will recognize Julian as his grandmère Sara tells the story of his namesake, a boy from her childhood in France. In 1940, when Nazi soldiers arrive at her school to take the Jewish children, Sara hides and is rescued by a bullied, crippled classmate named Julien. Music and... Read More

Jivani shares his experiences and observations after years of working with problematic and violent youth across the world--but it is JD Jackson's narration, with his deep and raspy voice, that gives those insights much more gravitas than a reader might glean from the page. Using different examples of cases on which he worked, as well as those he witnessed from afar, Jivani... Read More

Audiobook narrator Emily Woo Zeller voices an array of characters both magical and mundane in this romantic urban fantasy, set in contemporary Seoul. Gu Miyoung appears human, but she's actually a GUMIHO, an immortal nine-tailed fox who feeds on the life force of men. Though her exacting mother cautions her to keep a low profile, Miyoung reveals herself when she rescues a human... Read More

Narrators Eileen Stevens and Jesse Vilinsky tap into the current of desperation that runs throughout Rory Power's stunning debut--part thriller, part queer romance, and part horror. On a remote island, students at the Raxter School for Girls have been left to fend for themselves, grimly watching as an insidious sickness wreaks havoc on their bodies and minds, and waiting for a... Read More

Listeners unfamiliar with mortician Caitlin Doughty's opinions and experience with mortality from either YouTube or NPR will get a firsthand introduction with this audiobook. It continues her no-nonsense approach to educating people about the realities of what happens when we die. Here, she addresses questions posed by children. Their curiosity ranges from the absurd to the... Read More

Elaine Claxton narrates the hopeful story of Masha, a grieving mother starting to learn to live again with the help of some strange and wonderful people in her life. After losing her son 12 earlier, Masha spends her time at the local pool, practicing drowning and reading the history of mourning so that someday she can lead tours in a local cemetery. It will take a strange opera... Read More

In this audiobook, Toler ranges through history to argue that women have always been warriors, countering biased male attempts to deny their role, now and in the past. The evidence is persuasive, but Toler belabors it, and narrator Rosemary Benson follows that tack assiduously, using an exasperated, admonitory, or waspish tone sometimes even when it's uncalled for. The acerbic... Read More

First and foremost, this audiobook is a "how to" survival manual for would-be performance professionals. Becoming a working actor does not necessarily mean becoming a star. It does mean becoming someone who can earn a living in show business. David Dean Bottrell offers his often humorous, sometimes sad, always honest bits of wit and wisdom through personal anecdotes and... Read More

Narrator Jessica Almasy expresses the annoyance and frustration of middle schooler Elle, whose Grandpa Joe runs drills all too often to prepare for the end of the world. Then Elle discovers a credible scientist who predicts an asteroid will hit earth in a few months. Almasy emphasizes the tension in the story's timeline, increasing the intensity with Elle's growing fears.... Read More

Hoffman works her magic once again in this unique audiobook. Judith Light's intensely dramatic narration suits the subject matter well. She delivers the dialogue passionately, and the narrative is brisk and sharp. Set in Europe during WWII, this unconventional story traces the steps of women so desperate that they are driven to create a golem to serve as a protector. The... Read More

David Sadzin offers a solid narration that reflects the author's straightforward style in this biography. Marshall "Major" Taylor was a professional bicycle racer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Because he was black, he had to battle more than speedy competitors. While he fought bigotry both on and off the track throughout his career, racial prejudice... Read More

Narrator Hillary Huber never gives into the temptation to soften the edges of Priscilla, a prickly 40-something producer. Listeners may initially feel impatient with Priscilla's focus on beauty, and her belief that women become less appealing as they age. Nonetheless, Huber never rushes Priscilla's more serious reveals as she paces the story to suit the growing tension.... Read More

Lauren Ezzo enthusiastically narrates Krull's biographical sketches of famous authors. The short pieces are related thematically by commentary on the writers' relationships to their pets, after a longer discussion of their lives and works. Given the variety of authors discussed--Beatrix Potter, Ernest Hemingway, Charles Dickens, and more--the title will have wide appeal,... Read More

In 1969, Yale University first welcomed women undergraduates. Erin Bennett's narration is an excellent companion to this account of the challenges these women faced amid this monumental change. Bennett's voice is clear and precise, never wavering even as she describes the isolation, sexual harassment, flagrant injustices, and rampant sexism these women had to navigate in order... Read More

Narrator Katharine McEwan is the voice of Rivka Anoa, a magistrate who travels among the stars meting out justice. Thanks to some special abilities, she is able to determine the guilty from the innocent, combining the roles of judge, jury, and executioner into one. McEwan does an adequate job articulating the character's sass and groan-worthy sense of humour as she puts... Read More

Narrator Edward Bauer sounds like a friendly college instructor who wants to spare you the anguish you've had trying to get your financial life in order. He has a wonderful phrasing palette, smooth and natural sounding, and what stands out is how he finesses the author's desire to help: He's assertive enough with the direct advice and many lists offered by the... Read More

Calm gives way to rising tension in Patrick Lawlor's voice as the real-life story of the zoo in Royal, Nebraska, unfolds. A chaotic scene with escaped chimpanzees is its sad climax. Journalist Carson Vaughn's account begins when Dick Haskin returns to his hometown to start a primate center. Lawlor creates voices for the many people who knew and worked with Haskin as they tell... Read More