Amani Minter's quiet and heartfelt narration grounds the listener in this story of an all-consuming friendship and a fierce first love. Listeners meet two unnamed Black teenage girls. The story is told primarily through one girl's point of view as she addresses the other girl as "you." Minter's pleasantly husky voice recounts a tense and emotional day when the pair set fires,... Read More

Rebecca Mozo and Alastair Haynesbridge narrate a fake-dating rom-com. Solange Pereira interrupts a wedding to stop the groom from making a terrible mistake, and now that groom, Dean Chapman, has to completely reconstruct his life plan because of a wedding crasher. Mozo's charming and funny portrayal of Solange plays up her tendency to be witty and sarcastic while hiding deep... Read More

This exceptional listening experience features tributes to 40 incredible Black women. Poet Harold Green's narration matches the passion, eloquence, and breadth of knowledge that he infuses into each of his powerful odes. Green shares his own motivation and influences, and also emphasizes the importance of the affirmation, appreciation, and emotional equity given to the wide... Read More

This audiobook begins with a fascinating premise. Nine people receive an identical list of names of nine people, including themselves, with no other context provided. Then people start dying. Narrator Jacques Roy does an excellent job creating distinct personalities for all nine on the list, voicing their journeys from bewilderment to skepticism to introspection to fear.... Read More

A thoroughly engaging narration by Tracey Leigh re-creates the depravity rampant in the Puerto Rican slave trade in the nineteenth century. Leigh's voice is clear, her Spanish diction is exceptional, and her pacing and tone bring life to the period and the large cast. Pola, a young African woman, is captured and sent to a Puerto Rican plantation to be a breeder. With an... Read More

Ama Asantewa Diaka narrates her collection of poetry in this deeply personal audiobook. Diaka explores several topics relating to the female body, such as misogyny, motherhood, pain, and pleasure, along with her experiences as a Black Ghanaian woman. Her delicate voice delivers meditations on a female body broken down into pieces and chiseled to a version of herself others... Read More

Poet Elizabeth Acevedo's narration of her groundbreaking spoken-word poem resonates with love, understanding, and heartbreak. Originally titled "Hair," the work achieved viral fame during her 2014 poetry slam circuit. With a thrumming rhythm and exquisitely placed pauses, Acevedo celebrates the beauty and import of Black hair. Her voice dips in sorrow as she notes that too many... Read More

Actor Viola Davis doesn't mince words. Her audiobook captures the voice of a woman with a fascinating, heartbreaking lived experience. Davis's performance here is essentially a one-woman show, bringing listeners in close from the first moments. While she was growing up in a condemned property, her family struggled with poverty. But her hard work and talent brought her to the... Read More

Musician and actor Janelle Monáe adds author and narrator to her considerable list of accomplishments with this story collection based on the themes of her 2018 album DIRTY COMPUTER. In this Afrofuturist dystopia, the totalitarian entity New Dawn seeks to hunt down and strip away all perceived deviance from humanity. Monáe's narration of the eponymous first story is softly... Read More

Actor Wil Wheaton--from "Star Trek: The Next Generation"--has managed something many of us have wished for at one time or another--a do-over. With humor and humility, he explains and mostly apologizes for his 2004 memoir JUST A GEEK. Using the acting skills he honed at an early age, he indulges in audiobook therapy. He invites us into his inner circle of friends and confesses... Read More

Simu Liu is a natural narrator, conversational and appealing as he shares his engaging story of pursuing acting and finding eventual stardom as the headliner of a Marvel superhero movie. What makes this much more than a celebrity memoir is that Liu also tells his parents' stories of growing up in China during and after the Cultural Revolution. While Liu spent his first years... Read More

This fantastical debut audiobook will enchant listeners. Gifted vocal artist Marin Ireland portrays Tova, a 70-year-old widow with a heart of gold whose teenage son died under mysterious circumstances 30 years earlier. Ireland's encouraging tones suit Tova, whose compassion touches everyone, and every creature, in her small Washington town. After she injures herself at her job... Read More

Listeners who enjoy a classic police procedural will enjoy following retired Seattle Homicide Detective J.P. Beaumont as he travels to Alaska to discover whatever happened to the son of his murdered ex-partner. The missing person investigation turns into a search for a cold-blooded killer. Narrator Mike Ortego gives Beau the sort of hard-bitten, overtaxed voice of a pro who's... Read More

Narrator Mela Lee's invigorating and multifaceted performance will have listeners eagerly anticipating the ups and downs of Angie--a Ghanaian-American third-year medical student. Plucky Angie has sworn off love, but fate keeps bringing her and Ricky, an empathetic young artist, together. Lee adopts a softer tone for Ricky, whose kindness and big heart draw Angie in. Angie... Read More

This debut sci-fi/fantasy blend gives narrator Jeanette Illidge a strong young woman to portray. Ikenna is engaged in a life-or-death trial to qualify for the elite Praetorian Guard. Illidge captures Ikenna's determination to survive, especially as she finds out the truth about her grandfather's death. Illidge also conveys Ikenna's bravado and healthy distrust of authority in a... Read More

Narrator Elizabeth Wiley commendably introduces a WWII-era Virginia family that is coping with the little-known phenomenon of U-boats bombing watercraft on the U.S. coast. Listeners meet 12-year-old Louisa June Wallace, who is brokenhearted after her family's tugboat is attacked, an act that kills her brother, Butler. Wiley ebulliently paints country life; family book... Read More

This well-researched audiobook provides listeners with the facts behind the purported restorative power of spending time in natural spaces. The author dives right into explaining why nature is so healing physically and emotionally. Narrator Eileen Stevens reflects to listeners the peace and relaxation found in the natural world. However, she narrates slowly and deliberately,... Read More

Narrators Stephanie Racine, Polly Baron, Silvia Presente, and Olivia Dowd portray friends in a formerly tight-knit group in this ensemble thriller. Once known as the "Wild Girls," the women are excited to escape their boring lives for Felicity's safari birthday bash. Alice is now a teacher, Grace is a homebody, and Hannah is a mother. Each woman has secrets, and this breeds... Read More

Sarah Durham narrates a dark domestic thriller. It features an intense and unreliable narrator and a cast of complex and multifaceted characters rife with family secrets, paranoia, and lost sleep. The atmospheric story builds slowly, then speeds up in the days before Emma Averell's fortieth birthday, leaving listeners feeling that something darker is in play. Durham's... Read More

Narrator Bahni Turpin employs a Caribbean accent to take young listeners to St. Rita for this haunting combination of folklore and contemporary life. Young Kela is freshly mourning the loss of her mother when she finds a sea woman's comb in an exposed cave. Maybe that's why she can't help making a wish and why she fights so hard when things go wrong. If you're not familiar with... Read More

Former ambassador and long-term Foreign Service Officer Marie Yovanovitch narrates with a clear purpose and a sure sense of pacing and timing. She has a pleasing voice that ably captures her story. In her 33-year career she had postings in Somalia, England, Russia, Armenia, and, famously, as ambassador to Ukraine. Both authoritative and prescient, her audiobook is especially... Read More

Quyen Ngo narrates this poignant story of a girl's loving relationship with her Vietnamese grandparents. An's grandmother, Bà, suffers from progressive memory loss. To help disentangle her memories, An's grandfather, Ong, encourages Bà's memory by using photographs and other reminders of their many happy years together. Listeners follow An and Ong as they prepare a special... Read More

Billie Fulford-Brown masterfully narrates this fascinating hybrid tale--part journalism, part memoir--of a 30-something woman who leaves London for Scotland to learn about the workers of offshore oil rigs. Against the backdrop of hardscrabble Aberdeen, Fulford-Brown brings a clear, inviting voice to the author, allowing a touch of Lasley's Liverpool background to enter the posh... Read More

Emily Lawrence offers a chilling performance of this dark, witchy audiobook. Amity is chosen to become a saint of Haven, an opportunity that can rid her family of her mother's shame and stop the men of her village from dying. Gentle moments of budding sapphic romance are juxtaposed with mystery and horror. Lawrence perfectly conveys the pseudo-Puritan rhetoric of Haven in an... Read More

With vibrant versatility, Nicole Poole narrates this collection of five short stories and a novella. In "Other People's Lives," Poole exhibits impressive range as she executes a strident cacophony of dialogue, especially in her characterization of Maria, the German immigrant whose home the keenly observant Louise joins as a boarder. Each story is given the unique tenor of the... Read More

In an easygoing tone Nick Nikon narrates this hair-raising true story of bravery, resilience, and friendship. He brings to listeners the adventures of Matthieu Aikins and his friend, Omar, an Afghani driver/translator, as they attempt to leave Kabul for good in 2016. Nikon's style is initially casual and conversational but increases in tension while recounting the growing... Read More

When life overwhelms Robyn Caldwell, she escapes to her Great-Aunt Lillian's antique-filled California mansion, and narrator Tanya Eby brings the listener along. Robyn leaves behind her teenage son and spoiled daughter, and dumps her obnoxious boyfriend in Florida. Eby deftly portrays all the characters. She embodies Robyn's bridezilla daughter and captures her transformation... Read More

With its outstanding cast of narrators, this audiobook immediately draws listeners into the messy lives of the inhabitants of an elegant-looking Paris apartment building. Narrator Sofia Zervudachi masterfully portrays the edgy Jess, who is on a mission to uncover what has happened to her half brother, Ben, who has mysteriously disappeared. Residents of the apartment building... Read More

Tom Moutchi and Opia Weruche give a powerhouse performance of this intense novel set in a near-future London. Weruche gives the young athlete Rhia a brazen, tough tone, which adds dimension to Moutchi's soft-spoken Esso, Rhia's physics tutor with whom she discovers a surprising connection. Esso has the special gift of being able to enter into another dimension in which he can... Read More

With warmth and sensitivity, Justin Chien presents this tender story about honoring oneself and one's heritage. A Chinese boy tells his Baba that he is saddened by a friend's drawing of him with eyes "as lines stretched across his face." Standing him in front of a mirror, the boy's Baba explains that his eyes "rise to the skies and speak to the stars." The boy realizes that his... Read More

Karen Gundersen, Christa Lewis, B.J. Harrison, Sarah Mollo-Christensen, and Rob Shapiro narrate this audiobook composed of one connected story set in varying timelines. Harrison narrates as Mikhail, a zoologist in the 1800s who discovers an extinct breed of Mongolian horse. Harrison handles the era's dialogue deftly. Lewis portrays Karin, a vet who, in 1992, brings the now... Read More

At a time when misinformation about vaccines is rampant, Dr. Paul Offit's excellent history of immunization deserves a revival. The measured tone and news-anchor authority of Tim Dixon's narration is a perfect match for the subject matter. The book was first published in 2007, and this new audio edition includes a foreword that places it in the context of COVID-19. It tells the... Read More

In 2016, hot on the heels of her last investigation, and on top of Brexit, a new prime minister, and a surreal U.S. election, Queen Elizabeth II must deal with a body found at the palace. Narrator Jane Copland is perfection. She seamlessly switches between voicing men and women and between posh and flat south London accents in this fast-paced mystery, which blends fact and... Read More

A full cast of Asian-American narrators take listeners on a vibrant and thought-provoking journey through Asian-American pop cultural history. Journalist Yang, blogger Yu, and producer Wang's fun and poignant history is recounted through multilayered essays, playlists, and interviews. With deftness and conviction, the narrators alternate between playfully celebrating... Read More

Saskia Maarleveld, with her unusually beautiful voice and her talent for European accents, is especially well matched to an audio thriller set during the Soviets' WWII. Quinn's heroine, Mila Pavlichenko, based on a real person, is a gifted sniper fighting the "Hitlerites" in Ukraine, as well as sexism and misogyny in the Red Army and at home. On a 1942 propaganda trip to the... Read More

It's never a surprise to fans of the Leaphorn/Chee/Manuelito series when any one of the characters stumbles across a dead body--but this installment involves two characters and two bodies. Nonetheless, listeners won't be confused by the dual plotlines. At the outset, Navajo Tribal Police detective Jim Chee's vacation is interrupted by his discovery of a corpse while hiking. At... Read More

Narrator Karen Gundersen fully expresses the musicality of this literary novel as she carefully combines melodic snatches of Norwegian, musical themes, and the lyricism of mathematics into a powerful story. The author's and translator's notes are a must-listen, as they explain the intricate structure of the story. Gundersen illuminates the patterns and repetitions that take... Read More

January LaVoy narrates a chilling audiobook, complete with ghosts, madness, and secrets. LaVoy channels Sylvia Wren, a world-famous, reclusive Arizona artist. Currently, she's being hounded by a journalist who's threatening to reveal her real identity: She is the heiress to the Chapel Firearms fortune, Iris Chapel. One-upping the reporter, Sylvia writes her own memoir, offering... Read More

Julian Rhind-Tutt narrates a charming gothic fantasy about a girl's unusual experiences at a mysterious manor called Gallant. Olivia is a mute teen who is adrift at a school for girls. An invitation to come home to Gallant sets her on a journey filled with self-discovery, ghouls, and ominous secrets. Rhind-Tutt's patient pacing suits the story as spine-tingling elements slowly... Read More

Timothy Andrés Pabon and Gary Tiedemann adeptly narrate this story about middle-school angst and basketball. Issac and Marco have been neighbors and best friends since kindergarten. Marco is an A student whose parents' recent divorce has made him sad. He hopes that playing basketball will get his father's attention. Issac excels at sports but not academics. He hopes that better... Read More

Listeners who are up for a pandemic story will appreciate this thoughtful, slow-burn romance/postapocalyptic adventure. Two teenage boys are trying to survive--and falling in love--in a world drastically changed by a devastating virus. Narrator Barrett Leddy voices Andrew, who is traveling down the East Coast in search of survivors when he stumbles upon Jamie, portrayed by... Read More

Soneela Nankani and Vikas Adam narrate a rom-com loosely inspired by Shakespeare's TAMING OF THE SHREW. After a run-in that, unfortunately, goes viral, Kareena Mann and Prem Verma agree to fake a relationship so that their reputations can recover. Nankani captures the awkward combination of confidence, frustration, and doubt that Kareena experiences when it comes to her family... Read More

The celebrated author of READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN narrates her audiobook in a deliberate, serious, and passionate manner. Listeners need to be aware that while she is an eloquent writer, she does read with a distinct Iranian accent. This works to her advantage when she discusses Iranian literature and places in Iran. The work is written as a series of letters--each concerns a... Read More

For Jane Austen fans who are team Mary Bennet, narrator Sarah Beth Pfeifer is here for the win. High school senior Marnie Barnes is desperate to win her school's Hunt Prize and step out of her older sister Lindy's shadow. Pfeifer voices a jaded, high-strung, book-loving Marnie who is as sarcastic as she is lovable. Marnie's uber supportive roommate, Adhira, has a warm, charming... Read More

Narrator Jesse Vilinsky gives this first-person coming-of-age story a harsh sarcastic tone with an underlying note of resignation. Seventeen-year-old Bliss Walker has suffered neglect while traveling with her errant mother or, more often, while left in the care of relatives. Vilinsky allows listeners to see Bliss's softer side when she responds to her gentle friend, Blake, who... Read More

In 1976, in the oil fields of Odessa, Texas, 14-year-old Glory Ramirez escapes from a sexual assault and vicious beating, running through the fields until she reaches the home of a local woman. Narrators Gabriela Guraieb and Patricia Loranca Ochoa alternate as they portray several Odessa women who are taking turns sharing their outrage and pent-up frustration at the violence... Read More

Narrator Andi Arndt brings charm to the story of naïve and mentally unstable art copyist Emma Caan. Working as a legal forger of valuable masterpieces for owners who wish to store the originals, Emma is flattered to be accepted into the jet-setting world of Russian oligarch Leonard Sobetsky, one of her clients. But soon her new life in the high-end art world spirals out of... Read More

John Lee's thoroughly entertaining performance is so deft that listeners may take for granted what he's pulling off: shifting between two distinct points of view and worlds while keeping all the main and secondary characters unique and recognizable. Mann's spy novel weaves two stories and two protagonists. In the time of the Third Reich, Adrien de Groot is a German government... Read More

Narrator Homer Todiwala's voice is filled with weary, biting humor that captures the timing and tone of Raina's audiobook. In India, students look for any edge to perform well on national exams--top scores can lead to fame and a comfortable life. Rahul rises from poverty to coach students, eventually just taking the exams in place of the student to guarantee success. This... Read More

Chaucer's infamous Wife of Bath gets the opportunity to tell her story in this lively audiobook. Fran Burgoyne artfully delivers her performance, tackling the role with high spirits and theatrical verve. Even those unfamiliar with THE CANTERBURY TALES will be engaged by Burgoyne's chipper delivery, lovely accents, and distinctive voices. Never mind that the original tale takes... Read More

Narrator Orlagh Cassidy uses her talent with accents and voices to draw listeners into the world of the indomitable Maisie Dobbs. In addition to masterfully delivering the diverse personalities of the returning characters, including Maisie's American husband, Mark, Cassidy provides a convincing voice for visiting American First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Winspear imparts insights... Read More

Narrator Bahni Turpin joins returning narrators Jordan Cobb and A.J. Beckles in this thrilling conclusion to A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN. Cobb voices Karina with the ferocity of a queen who has been betrayed by her family and exiled from her kingdom while still allowing room for Karina's gentle compassion. Beckles's visceral depiction of Malik's anxiety is borderline... Read More

Here's another winning performance by Scott Brick, who gives resonance to the complicated characters Zig and Nola as they try to make sense of conspiracies and murder. Nola is a skilled warrior so driven by her personal demons that she is unable to trust anyone, even Zig, who once saved her life. Brick's breathy delivery underscores the danger that follows the two as they work... Read More

Narrator Jim Meskimen presents this argument, " A New History of Medieval Europe," in a voice both forceful and convivial. He speaks as if--like Demosthenes--he had water in his mouth, a pebble under his tongue. The authors have renamed the Dark Ages, calling them the Bright Ages. The Renaissance, they say, originated in this slandered era. Starting with an Italian chapel, they... Read More

The talented Emily Woo Zeller narrates this sequel, which picks up where LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI left off. Sophie Ha is beginning her first year at Dartmouth, and Xavier Yeh, against his will, is repeating his senior year of high school. Class projects bring them and other alumni back to Taipei. With an inexhaustible collection of voices and accents, Zeller sounds as wonderfully... Read More

Narrator Grace Rolek draws listeners into a Japanese-inspired fantasy packed with spirits, adventure, and danger. Otori Miuko has never lived up to her father's expectations, or fit into the restrictive patriarchal society of Awara. Rolek captures Miuko's spirited voice and longing for more. But when adventure arrives in the form of a transformative curse by a demon, she's... Read More

With her lovely voice and proper British accent, narrator Moira Quirk brings gravitas to the story of a poor, uneducated girl who became a trailblazing scientist. As a child in the early 1800s, Mary Anning loved to hunt for fossils along the beaches and cliffs of Lyme Regis, where she grew up in southwest England. Collecting was more than an enjoyable pastime; the sale of her... Read More

Narrator Ramon de Ocampo gets interpersonal relationships just right when describing the upheavals that erupt when 12 seventh graders from Fawn Creek (aka Yawn Creek), Louisiana, meet the newly arrived, mysterious Orchid Mason. Orchid, born in New York City and recently hailing from Paris, regales them with stories from all over the world until her true identity is revealed. De... Read More

A superb ensemble of narrators animates this exciting tale of friendships and betrayals, a cartographers' cabal, maps, murder, and towns that may not be there. Among her father's effects, Nell, a cartographer, discovers what appears to be a worthless 1930s highway map. However, this map hides dark secrets as well as a "phantom settlement" known only to "the Cartographers."... Read More

This historical fiction about Sylvia Plath and her circle of confessional poets is wonderfully performed by Maggi-Meg Reed, Karissa Vacker, and Teri Clark Linden. In 2019, three notebooks are discovered that are believed to be the handwritten notes of Plath's semi-autobiographical novel, THE BELL JAR. The story is told by Estee, curator of a contemporary auction house; Boston... Read More

Narrator Kathleen Early shines in this twisty, compelling listen. Hope Miller was in a car accident 15 years earlier and has no memory of her past. Lindsay Kelly, who found Hope at the accident site, became her best friend, and Hope became part of Lindsay's community. In the present day, Hope seeks independence with a new job and a move to East Hampton. But within a few weeks,... Read More

Vegans have a reputation for being strident, and Roanne van Voorst is occasionally guilty of this in her anti-meat manifesto. But Eileen Stevens saves the day with her narration: The soft edges and welcoming tone of her voice are anything but heavy-handed. Van Voorst, who calls herself an "anthropologist of the future," alternates between making the case for veganism and... Read More

This audiobook provides a new take--and a more feminist perspective--on the women in Greek mythology and the misogyny often associated with the stories. Author Natalie Haynes, who also shines as narrator, is conversational, sarcastic, and surprisingly entertaining as she shares the stories of 10 women who have long been vilified by historians and writers alike. Haynes asks... Read More

When she was only 4, actor/comedian Molly Shannon lost her mother and baby sister in a tragic auto accident that would change her life forever. Listeners are brought to tears as she describes the accident in her 4-year-old voice. This is one of Molly's many voices; they are all parts of her. How she uses these characters and voices is pure magic. It is a surround-sound... Read More

Narrator Roger Wayne uses a fast-paced approach in Graham's latest audiobook in the paranormal suspense/romance series Krewe of Hunters. Before New Orleans FBI agent Ryder Stapleton can retire, he needs to solve the case of a serial arsonist with the help of museum curator Sienna Murray and the messages she receives from Granny K.--her late grandmother. Wayne delivers a complex... Read More

Narrator Vikas Adam does a solid job of switching among genders, ages, and accents in this story. In doing so, he captures a pivotal year for five very different students at an elite boarding school. "Townie" Beth's anxiety makes life difficult. Amanda wants to be known for more than her looks and family money. Bullies in Ramin's dorm remind him of escaping persecution in Iran.... Read More

Zara Hampton-Brown narrates a romance between a rake in need of reform and a young lady who seeks to reject expectations. When Kieran Ransome does something unthinkably foolish, his father threatens to disinherit him unless he finds a suitable bride. But, apart from Celeste Kilburn, his best friend's sister, Kieran doesn't know any respectable women. Hampton-Brown portrays... Read More

Maybe Hannah Elias is not the ideal subject for a school Black history report, but she was a remarkable Black woman who became a millionaire during America's Gilded Age. Hannah's story is told by Golden Voice narrator Robin Miles. After a horrific childhood, Hannah worked in brothels in Philadelphia and New York and then re-created herself as a grand courtesan who used not only... Read More

Narrator Stacy Glemboski has a gift for shifting her tone as she portrays the two main characters in this novel. Her depiction of 43-year-old Claudia, an abortion counselor at a Boston clinic, is warm and compassionate. Glemboski effectively reflects Claudia's stress at the escalating threats of protestors. Glemboski's tone is colder when she voices the viewpoint of Victor, a... Read More

This intense allegorical tale is here translated twice, once into English from the Korean, and then into audio, and the listener has a sense of being estranged from the author's intentions by one or perhaps both of these processes. The title character, known only by her professional alias, Hornclaw, has been an assassin since she was 15. Now alone, aging, and beginning to make... Read More

Narrator Lauren Sweet draws listeners into the friends-to-lovers romance between movie assistant Hannah Bellinger and fisherman Fox Thornton. When her director is looking for a location for his movie, Hannah suggests the fishing village where her friend Fox lives. While Hannah has romantic feelings for Fox, he believes he is unworthy of her love. Sweet brings out all his... Read More

Displaying an impressive array of vocal ability, Golden Voice narrator Soneela Nankani does double duty breathing life into the characters Rani and Ria. They are a princess and an orphan who, due to their identical appearance, swap places to save their home from war. Rani's tone is imperious and decisive, while Ria's is softer and more timid. Nankani's spicy inflections of... Read More

A talented narrator can make listeners think they're listening to multiple people. Vikas Adam's crackling narration of this thrilling audiobook accomplishes exactly that difficult feat. During a rise of the machines, Pounce, a tiger-shaped nannybot, must keep alive his young charge, Ezra, while seeking a haven that may not even exist anymore. Adam brings Pounce's angst to life... Read More

Narrator Raphael Corkhill channels 100-year-old memoirist Eddie Jaku, sounding as thoroughly aged, German accented, dignified, and spirited as the author. Both author and narrator demonstrate master storytelling skills with pacing and verbal imagery that compel listeners to witness the experiences Jaku lived through. After a patriotic middle- class childhood, he was arrested on... Read More

Four able narrators keep the pace and the plot on track through most of this implausible thriller, but the denouement will disappoint listeners still hoping for a satisfying resolution. Though the story begins with a girl being held captive by a monstrous couple, the focus is on her family and neighbors. It's soon revealed that two women in the neighborhood are gone--one... Read More

Music and the hip-hop beat of the text come together to create an auditory treat for all ages. This combination joyful ode to graffiti and celebration of art is pure delight. Author Esperanza's pacing of his narration feels like spoken-word poetry. Added to the production are the voices of excited children expressing their joy and wonder at the art that surrounds them. As the... Read More

Narrator Kirby Heyborne captures the hilarity and wordplay of THE COUCH POTATO, which is part of the Food Group series. Couch Potato starts out bragging about all the joys of being lazy, having many devices and never-ending screen time, and having everything you need within reach at the tap of a button. But when a power outage causes Couch Potato to reexamine his idle ways, he... Read More

Serious themes can be found in this thriller, which revolves around the Quigley House, a full-contact horror-adventure site. Narrator JD Jackson gives characters from diverse backgrounds unique and appropriate personalities. The characters comprise a team that is trying to win a prize by successfully making it through the house. The author lays the groundwork for their... Read More

Narrator Anniwaa Buachie's talent is phenomenal; her flexibility and skill match the storytelling skill of the author, resulting in a tour-de- force audiobook. This coming-of-age debut features Esi Agyekum, a Nigerian-Ghanaian girl growing up in the 1960s. Esi's journey from girl to woman is fascinating; she is intelligent, hilarious, and curious. She's her father's favorite,... Read More

Narrators Georgina Campbell and Lucian Msamati enhance the extraordinary descriptions of the City in this gothic fantasy/steampunk saga. Listeners will be awestruck when a whale lands on a church steeple. When 13-year-old Ellie Lancaster lances its side, a bloody boy named Seth emerges. The City is the only inhabitable place left after legendary gods drowned the world. Now... Read More

When the Howell family moves from California to Brooklyn, they find the perfect house for their all-American family: mom, Nora; dad, Keith; and their two teenage daughters. Narrator Hillary Huber tells the story from the perspectives of several of the characters. She delivers their settling-in anxiety, followed by a straightforward tone as day-to-day life proceeds. Then they... Read More

Jennifer Jill Araya narrates the first-person viewpoint of 17-year-old Jess, a practiced imposter. Araya's wry tone works well for a girl who lies to her boyfriend and who plans to go to Harvard just to make her parents happy. When Jess discovers the journals of her late great-great-aunt, she hires brainy Evan to translate the Russian diaries into English. While the contrast... Read More

In this intricate, insightful, and deeply moving work of nonfiction, author/narrator Imani Perry meanders through the South, from New Orleans and DC to the Georgia coast and the West Virginia hills. With a blend of history and personal stories, she explores the South--its culture, language, geography, food, politics--and the crucial role it has played in American history and... Read More

Natalie Simpson gives a dynamic performance in this fast-paced drama about a trio of Anglo-Nigerian friends in London whose lives are dangerously disrupted by a newcomer. Ronke wants to be married and dreams of children, but dating hasn't been easy. Boo feels guilty for not appreciating her seemingly perfect family. Simi and her husband are the golden career couple, but the two... Read More

From the outset, narrator Erin Mallon captures the tension when strangers Levi and Jane are trapped on a swinging gondola in the middle of a blizzard. When they think they are about to die, Levi calls his mother and tells her Jane is his girlfriend. Mallon aptly expresses Levi's exasperation with his overbearing family but still allows his love to shine through her narration.... Read More

Shaun Taylor-Corbett's narration breathes life into this Navajo fantasy. Summer with grandmother and Uncle Jet on the Navajo reservation lacks many creature comforts for Nathan. To fill his time, he wanders into the nearby desert, where he finds a sickly water monster and then goes on a quest to obtain a cure for the Holy Being and, perhaps, his Uncle Jet. Taylor-Corbett dives... Read More

In this audiobook, the authors, cowriters of the "Within the Wires" podcast, have fashioned an expansive alternative-twentieth-century global history. The premise: The autobiographical manuscript of Dr. Miriam Gregory, a psychologist and spiritualist who specializes in rehabilitation from childhood trauma, has been found in an attic. Kirsten Potter's richly expressive narration... Read More

Lauren Sweet's narration is perfect for this sweet, funny, and sensual rom-com. Margot feels left out while helping her friends with their wedding planning. Her complicated emotions go into overdrive when she crosses paths with Olivia, her childhood friend and first love, who is now a wedding planner. A lot has happened in the decade since they parted ways, and each harbors... Read More

Soft-voiced Imani Jade Powers narrates the bulk of this novel set in Vichy, France. She is especially skilled at capturing nerve-wracking narrow escapes. Indomitable, gutsy American heiress Naneé Gold, portrayed alternately as a lighthearted socialite and a cautious spy, serves as "postmistress" to the French Resistance, delivering messages to artists and writers hiding from... Read More

Narrator Julia Whelan conveys the hallucinatory beauty of Oshetsky's unsettling fever dream of a novel. Tiny, a concert cellist, is pregnant, but her pregnancy is different. Thanks to a dream encounter with an owl-woman, she is now having an owl-baby. From the outset, Whelan's steady, intense tone introduces a note of foreboding, which is realized with the birth of the... Read More

Narrator Ariana Delawari excels at catching the ups and downs of 12-year-old Yasmeen Khoury, who unwillingly leaves Detroit to move with her parents to San Antonio. Having been embraced by an Arab-American community in Michigan, Yasmeen faces a Texas suburban community in which all the houses and most of the people look the same. Delawari's narration runs an emotional gamut:... Read More

Robin Miles narrates this audiobook with empathy and a sure sense of Hurston's literary voice. She arranges her pace and adapts her tone in ways that give listeners access to the author's idiosyncratic brilliance. Capturing Hurston's intonations and invigorating her varied essays with an understanding of the author's intentions help reveal her meanings and bring Hurston's world... Read More

Each of these suspenseful stories, written over 12 years, is told by a uniquely talented narrator. The variety contributes to the listener's sense of dipping into different perspectives. Dark plots and fierce females are common threads. The author herself delivers the afterword, in which she explains how she rewrote older stories that hadn't aged well. "Just One More" is a... Read More

Kristin Atherton, usually an expressive narrator, adopts a subdued and matter-of-fact tone here, sounding much like a prosecuting attorney summing up her case. She, like British historian and author Alex von Tunzelmann, is content to let history tell its own tale, and in just over nine hours the two of them badly batter the great man theory. The reputations of 12 famous... Read More

Narrator Saskia Maarleveld gives a magnificent performance of this assured debut concerning the suspicious death of 9-year-old Julien in his family's home in a Parisian suburb. Maarleveld is simply outstanding as she seamlessly shifts accents, tones, and pace to create a stunning depiction of the tensions underlying this seemingly ordinary neighborhood. Subtle social commentary... Read More

Welcome to a dystopian hellscape in which coastal cities are washed away and survivors scavenge for scraps of plastic to trade for food and goods. Narrator Brittany Pressley enhances the bleakness of this world. As her voice depicts the environment, every word is heavy with hopelessness. She brings grim resignation to Coral, a plastic "plucker" whose young son, Shanghai, is... Read More

McTiernan, whose Cormac Reilly series is set in Ireland, has ventured to the U.S. for this stand-alone legal thriller. The story is delivered by three talented narrators. Kate Orsini voices third-year law student Hannah with a mission-driven intensity. However, Orsini struggles to credibly convey a key male character who is British. Hannah's chapters, which take place in 2019,... Read More

Kevin Shen offers a heartwarming narration of Natsukawa's tale of a magical cat and a lonely boy who loves books. After the death of his grandfather, a withdrawn Japanese schoolboy named Rintaro takes over his grandfather's bookshop. Enter a talking tabby who enlists Rintaro in a series of book-rescue quests. Shen's skill with characterization nicely colors the adventuresome,... Read More

Narrator Sue Jean Kim's careful, measured performance does not enhance this intricate debut novel spanning twentieth-century Korean history. Among the large cast of characters is Jade, who is sold into the life of a courtesan, and JungHo, a poor orphan living in Seoul. They meet as children, and their paths continue to cross at various points throughout the story. Despite Kim's... Read More

Natalie Naudus narrates a sweeping romantic saga inspired by Chinese mythology. Xingyin, who was raised on the moon by her mother, Chang'e, makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom to try to obtain her mother's freedom. Xingyin initially struggles to find her place, and Naudus portrays both her fear at being alone in a new world and her determination to succeed in her quest. When... Read More

Xe Sands's inviting midrange voice and wry, reflective tone harmonize well with novelist Jami Attenberg's memoir. Writing in the form of linked essays, Attenberg, now in her 40s, considers the benefits and drawbacks of her unscripted and spontaneous approach to life. About a trip to Europe, for example, she writes, "There were cheap direct flights from New Orleans to Frankfurt.... Read More

Voting rights activist Stacey Abrams portrays herself when she was a schoolgirl who loved words and their different sounds. Listeners join her when a beloved teacher, Mrs. Blackeslee, invites her to represent her school at the county spelling bee. Abrams wants to participate but admits fearing she will "mess up." Most moving and fun are her "Extraordinary Words" notebook and... Read More

Listeners will be gratified that Christian Coulson has returned to narrate this satisfying conclusion to the Montague Siblings trilogy. Obsessed with his mother's death and with the mystery of the broken spyglass she left for him, Adrian discovers the older brother and sister he never knew he had. The close first-person point of view puts listeners in Adrian's head as he copes... Read More

In this stand-alone audiobook in Coulter's FBI Thriller series, narrators Saskia Maarleveld and Pete Simonelli deliver a suspense-filled weaving of stories that involve FBI agents Savich and Sherlock. In one, seven years after the disappearance of her best friend, a political reporter finds clues that involve a candidate now running for New York City's mayor. A second story... Read More

Narrator Amy Landon puts forth a strong performance in this near-future postapocalyptic story. Paige Miller, a 17-year-old basketball player, wakes up from a six-day flu to find her family and the world as she knew it destroyed. With her dog her only companion, Paige goes on the road to find anyone still alive. Landon keeps the suspense high and the story moving at a rapid... Read More

Tabitha Brown's rural North Carolina accent will be a challenge for listeners not familiar with the dialect. But 10 or 20 minutes into this production something else becomes more prominent--the heartfelt and hard-won perspectives of a wise person. The popular foodie and Instagram/TikTok star narrates with unassailable sincerity, and as the goodness of her heart takes center... Read More

Krizia Bajos and Frankie Corzo narrate this translated historical fiction audiobook set primarily in Cuba. Wondering about her mother's abandonment and dealing with her own dissatisfaction with life lead Nadia around the world. She uncovers family secrets while struggling to find her place and attempting to finish the story her mother could not. Bajos and Corzo perform two... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini's impressive narrative range is on full display in this globe-trotting work of climate disaster speculative fiction. Ballerini is asked to create a cast of culturally diverse characters, all with distinct speaking voices. Other audiobooks like this might be forced to hire a full cast, but Ballerini is beyond capable. He slips from Texan to Dutch to Scottish... Read More

Zafón writes gothic horror for grown-ups, and he writes with the heart of a poet. To present his stories on audio takes delicacy and impeccable judgment about atmosphere and pacing. The artful production and exquisite performance by Daniel Weyman hit all the right notes. Lovers of Zafón's classic novel THE SHADOW OF THE WIND will relish these shorter tales, reminiscent of Poe... Read More

Joy Nash's energetic narration matches the fast speech and upbeat personality of this audiobook's unusual heroine, Faith. Nash shows her understanding of the characters and relationships in this story of an atypical teen. At first, Faith seems like an average high school senior. But what doesn't show are her mind-based abilities to fly and to manipulate force fields. When she... Read More

It’s hard to imagine anyone else narrating musician Dave Grohl’s memoir. Not only is his voice familiar to Foo Fighters fans, his high-energy personality comes through in both his writing and his narration. The most engaging stories come early on, starting with Grohl’s quitting school to join a punk band at age 16. His post-fame recollections are entertaining and funny, as long... Read More

The well-known Emmy-winning journalist Anderson Cooper, who is the great-great-great-grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, offers a workmanlike narration of his well-researched history of the Vanderbilt family. Written with historian Katherine Howe, the story details family excesses over the years that all but entirely depleted their fortune. Cooper exhibits a pastiche,... Read More

This audiobook is a must for any fan of the long-running HBO show "The Sopranos," which has been off the air for more than 20 years. It's an opportunity to hear many of the voices of its actors again, this time casually talking about the show and what went on when the cameras were turned off. The audiobook is based on a podcast by Michael Imperioli (Christopher) and Steve... Read More

In reflective tones, Lisa Flanagan's narration chronicles the journeys of five young women from Maine's rural Washington county. Author Gigi Georges describes the girls' hopes and dreams and the geographically isolated region in which they're grounded. Flanagan's measured narration suits the documentary-like material as she shares the region's history and sometimes surprising... Read More

Hayden Bishop narrates the story of a sole robot that is orbiting Jupiter in this thrilling sci-fi adventure. Unit Four is programmed to carry out a simple edict: Defend a helium mine orbiting Jupiter under supervision from Earth. An attack on the mine sets Unit Four on a journey of self-discovery that challenges its artificial intelligence. Bishop complements the vivid writing... Read More

Susan Dalian puts her versatility to use in this legal thriller. She brings listeners the cadence and rhythms of African American culture through attorney Ellice Littlejohn, a rising star in a firm where all is not what it seems. Dalian establishes well-defined characters ranging from Ellice herself to Vera, a motherly figure who cares for Ellice's younger brother, and the... Read More

Jennifer Jill Araya narrates this intriguing adventure set during the Allied invasion of Nazi Germany. Thirteen-year-old Alice; her sister, Louise; and their parents belong to an organization called Rasa, which is part of the British Secret Service. Rasa agents are unique for their unremarkable faces, which make them ideal spies. Alice is prepared to receive her first top-level... Read More

A journalist and author of books on happiness offers a well-researched, heartfelt guide to accepting and recovering from sadness. The native Englishwoman has a pleasing voice and narrates with a natural connection to her message. She is a friendly, authentic observer of her own journey with sadness and an intelligent reporter of how researchers, professionals, and others view... Read More

Narrator Jacob McNatt creates a youthful voice for Donn Fendler, a 12-year-old boy who becomes separated from his group while hiking in Maine and must rely on his Scouting skills to survive for two weeks. This true story takes place in 1939 on Mt. Katahdin. McNatt's narration reflects Fendler's optimism as he turns to his faith to continue on despite all the obstacles and... Read More

Rachel Held Evans died in 2019, leaving behind a host of fans who valued her deconstruction of the conservative evangelicalism in which she was raised. A prolific writer, she was working on a book tentatively titled WHOLEHEARTED FAITH when she died. Her husband asked author and friend Jeff Chu to knit together her unfinished words, completing the book. Essentially a collection... Read More

A full cast sensitively presents Nagamatsu's somber novel illuminating humanity's trials and triumphs in the face of a world-ending pandemic and its aftermath. In 2030, scientists unearth an ancient alien plague from the melting Siberian permafrost. Initially affecting only children, the plague mutates over the years and introduces a common language of death and mourning across... Read More

This sequel to WHAT IF IT'S US, told in two voices, is full of hope and heartbreak and moments that are both swoon-worthy and laugh-out-loud funny. Ben and Arthur's romance sputtered out once they were no longer in the same city. But the universe gives them a second chance when a Broadway internship brings Arthur back to New York for the summer. Narrators Noah Galvin and Froy... Read More

Mims, a WALL STREET JOURNAL tech columnist, follows a notional USB cable from Vietnam to a U.S. consumer's door, bringing in a wide range of topics along the way: container ships, ports, trucking, Amazon, FedEx, UPS, robots, "scientific management," and industrial AI, with a nod throughout to the impact of Covid. Fouhey brings intelligence and care to the many details and... Read More

Narrators Emily Woo Zeller and Feodor Chin deliver 36 true stories of immigrants leaving behind war-torn countries and countries with vicious policies against whom one can love. While many of the stories feature those now living in the U.S., stories also include people who have moved to Canada, the UK, and Australia. All the stories in this audiobook were originally part of a... Read More

Narrator Susan Dalian delivers the story of smart and determined investigative journalist Jordan Manning. When the body of Black teenager Masey James is discovered at an abandoned playground, Jordan finds that those so eager to forget the past may hide the darkest secrets of all. Instead of shying away from danger, Jordan refuses to let the death of a girl of color fade from... Read More

Narrator Frankie Corzo delivers a coming-of-age story focusing on relationships and racism. Ri lives with her grandmother in a household that forbids talking about their Mexican heritage. When she finds a letter written in Spanish from her estranged mother, she secretly takes a Spanish class and connects with new Hispanic and Latino friends, which causes a rift with her... Read More

Narrator Chloe Dolandis finds all the lyrical rhythms in this magical yarn. Gussy's role as apprentice Protector of her desert town is put to the test when Grandpa Widow leaves on sudden business. Dolandis gives just the right twang and optimistic grit to Gussy as she tries to perform the rites and mysteries that keep the Great Doom outside the village gates. Doubts fill... Read More

Peter Noble's quiet yet expressive performance of Canton's consideration of the English oak highlights the audiobook's thoughtful mood and poetic language. Canton, a well-known English nature writer, began this spiritual diary after finding solace from a painful breakup while sitting beside the 800-year-old Honywood Oak in North Essex, England. Over the next two years, he... Read More

Narrator Susan Ericksen brings a fierce edge to the return of Dr. Kay Scarpetta. In the five years since the last book, Scarpetta has become the chief medical examiner of Virginia, where she has run-ins with rivals from the early days of her career. Ericksen's relentless portrayal accurately reflects Scarpetta's hunt for a possible serial killer in a Beltway suburb. Attacks... Read More

George V did not expect to become king, but as the monarch, he guided the British throne through the turmoil of WWI and the end of royal houses across Europe. In doing so, he set Britain on the road to the reign we know today. Joanna David offers a pleasant, even narration of this audiobook. Her English accent adds atmosphere without overwhelming American listeners. Her pace is... Read More

Narrator Moira Quirk delivers a WWII story focusing on a group of children who were sent from London to a rural location during the Blitz. The story features the stoic Bridget Kelly, a nurse-nanny (with questionable qualifications) for 10 children who were sent to Greenway House, the country estate of Agatha Christie. Quirk portrays multidimensional personalities, displaying... Read More

Deep-voiced narrator Rory Kinnear hits the performance sweet spot for this mystery, which doesn't take itself all that seriously. Former Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick scribe, Anthony Horowitz, are invited to a literary festival on the quiet English Channel island of Alderney, where murder ensues. Kinnear perfectly captures Horowitz's... Read More

Rebecca Front's narration is perfectly suited to the wry, dry, very British humor of this classic collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. A star-studded cast of actors chimes in with dialogue--including Michael Sheen and David Tennant reprising their roles from the streaming TV series. Sheen is a delightfully fussy Aziraphale, and Tennant captures a Crowley who,... Read More

Cassandra Campbell's haunting narration of Oates's latest novel amplifies the sad urgency that infuses the story. It is told from the point of view of Michaela, a writer who is facing the death of her husband from cancer. As the story progresses, that point of view becomes increasingly unreliable. Listeners may sometimes find themselves scratching their heads at the plot turns... Read More

An ensemble of narrators presents this novel featuring Marco Carrera, the metaphorical hummingbird who hovers in place in a changing world. He's an ophthalmologist who faces adversity and tragedy in all aspects of his life: in his romantic pursuits, in his care for and loss of family members, and in his friendships. Portraying Marco, Victor Vertunni provides British-accented... Read More

Dorothy Kalins, founding editor of SAVEUR magazine, keeps hearing voices while she cooks. THE KITCHEN WHISPERERS includes echoes of the renowned chefs whom Kalins has known--and others who are less known. All inform her as she cooks, guiding her as she seasons and stirs. With a narration that is by turns confidential, intimate, musing, and amused, Abby Craden shares Kalins's... Read More

The first in a series, this Swedish thriller starts with a body and connects it to a tortured history discovered through the sleuthing of young PI Eira Sjodin. Hillary Huber ably narrates, though with less drama than the plot--and the listener--deserve. But Eira comes through as a sympathetic investigator who wants to uncover what happened to Sven Hagström and to the man who... Read More

Narrator Vivienne Leheny takes listeners through a bizarre thriller that leaves one questioning what information to give strangers online. Wren is a popular podcast host and advice columnist looking for love on a dating application called Torch. After a whirlwind romance with a cybersecurity expert, his surprising departure leads to a compelling mystery that could leave many... Read More

Narrator John Lee approaches Stefano Massini's clever and diverting audiobook with a suitable mix of whimsy and gravitas. Massini, an Italian playwright and novelist, has created an alphabetical compendium of new words inspired by actual events. The events are as obscure as they are real, which adds to the fun. Thus, we have "annonism" and "anchorism" from Navy recruit Charlie... Read More

Seraphine Valentine narrates a delightful second-chance romance that embraces the complexities of modern life. Michelle Amato never expected to see her high school BFF (and secret crush) after he left for California, but when an email from Gabriel Aguilar shows up in her in-box, it could be a chance for a do-over . . . or not. Valentine captures all the fraught emotions that... Read More

Ann Patchett's warmth, intelligence and generosity of spirit come through in her inviting narration of her latest collection of essays. She sounds completely natural, almost as if she is puzzling out her concerns for the first time as she conveys each accomplished piece. A wide expanse of subject matter is thoughtfully presented. These include considerations in her decision to... Read More

Entomologist, bumblebee expert, and public scientist Dave Goulson narrates this audiobook in a pleasing British accent and non-dogmatic tone. His easy delivery of hard truths makes a powerful argument, which is subtitled "Averting the Insect Apocalypse." He presents his case for immediate and drastic action with the authority of a scientist who knows whereof he speaks, does the... Read More

Kelsey Navarro narrates a slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance. After one ill-advised barroom brawl, actor Alexander Woodroe finds himself saddled with a minder--the seemingly joyless Lauren Clegg, who is the antithesis of all that Alex appreciates. Navarro's wry tone is perfect for both Alex's relentless enthusiasm and Lauren's sardonic wit. While both Alex and Lauren are upset... Read More

Laurie Woolever, a former assistant to Anthony Bourdain, gathered a lot of voices—the list takes up seven pages—to create this “oral biography,” voiced by some of those who knew the chef and TV travel host, who took his own life in 2018. The most memorable voice is that of Bourdain’s brother, Christopher, whose affection and wry humor show in his recollections. A tone of... Read More

Narrator Elise Arsenault establishes a passionate voice for 12-year-old Marya Lupa, who longs to find purpose in Illyria, a world in which girls and women have little value. As boys come of age, those with magic become sorcerers who must defend their people from a magical force called the Dread. Soon after Marya's brother is passed over as a future sorcerer, she is required to... Read More

Olivia Vinall's narration of this psychological thriller is outstanding. Vinall vividly depicts Tess, a single mother, who is desperately protecting her 3-year-old daughter, who may have witnessed a brutal murder. Vinall's smooth and charming voice enriches the text with a swift yet comfortable pace. As conflict intensifies, the panic, uncertainty, and suspicion Tess... Read More

Poet Kate Baer narrates her collection of erasure poems with humor, warmth, and tenderness. The poems, which explore womahood, sexism, Internet culture, desire, and more, are composed from online messages Baer has received, both positive and negative. Her ability to extract wise, compassionate, and beautiful poems even out of hateful notes is truly extraordinary. The audiobook... Read More

This book, perfectly suited for narration, is supercharged by a full cast of award-winning voice actors, each, for the most part, voicing several characters. All are well matched to their multiple roles. The story is a contemporary reimagining of Theodore Dreiser’s AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY. Author L.R. Dorn is the pen name of Matt Dorf and Suzanne Dunn, two accomplished... Read More

A trio of narrators brings the story of a bizarre murder case to life. Cassandra Campbell takes on the role of the narrator, Sophie Amoss plays an oft-maligned woman named Lizzie, and Chris Ciulla portrays an investigator named Bird. When a woman's body is discovered, including pieces of her face in a garbage disposal, the local police assume a domestic dispute is the cause.... Read More

A trio of superb performances anchors this complex story of reincarnation and belonging across millennia. With an air of youthful certainty, Carolina Hoyos narrates the story of teenage Mayan twins who are hoping to save their kingdom from ongoing decline in the year 1012. Kareem Ferguson's soothing tones guide the listener through the experiences of Leia in 2012 as she treks... Read More

Narrator Jonathan Keeble deftly conveys the majesty of the Amur River, which runs between Russia and China, while also realistically introducing 80-year-old author Colin Thubron. Listeners accompany him and various escorts, guides, and locals through Mongolia and Russia. Keeble's evocative descriptions of the vastly different settings, food and drink (aplenty), and colorful... Read More

Narrator Ines del Castillo sounds very much like the teenage heroine, Ines, who has been accepted to exclusive Catherine House, a college that boasts a host of successful graduates. After a rigorous application process, accepted students must agree to three years of absolute isolation, having no contact with their families or the outside world. In exchange, everything they... Read More

Alan Cumming's infectious warmth, sense of fun, and easy charm permeate this earnest and inspiring memoir. While he does briefly write about his abusive father and his struggles to rebuild his life after his first marriage, the overall tone of the audiobook is hopeful. He shares hilarious anecdotes from the sets of various movies and TV shows, offers a thoughtful reflection on... Read More

Narrator Debra Wise guides listeners through Gregory Maguire's latest series set in Oz's Wicked universe. Listeners are introduced to an enormous cast of characters, ranging from a girl to an old woman, with a cranky goose thrown in for good measure. The fact that at no point will listeners ever be confused as to who is speaking is a testament to Wise's vocal talents. Listeners... Read More

Journalist Cokie Roberts inspired women to pursue their careers and find fulfillment without sacrificing a good marriage, happy children, a spiritual life, close friends, and whatever else was important to them. In this perfect balance between well-written biography and loving tribute, author/narrator Steven Roberts, Cokie's husband, presents her life in a series of stories,... Read More

Narrators Natalie Naudus and Kevin Shen deliver a magical performance of this intense fantasy. Naudus voices Ahn, a peasant girl who is just trying to survive and protect her grandmother but who is also wielding a dangerous power. Shen voices Altan, an exiled prince who is ready to reclaim his throne and exact his revenge. The audiobook alternates between their perspectives... Read More

Louise Erdrich never disappoints in this engrossing, beautifully written novel. Her narration is breathy, poignant, often funny, and always engrossing. Tookie works at Birchbark Books, an independent bookstore in Minneapolis owned by Erdrich--who sometimes enters the novel as herself. Tookie is being haunted by the ghost of her most annoying customer, Flora, who won't leave the... Read More

Eva Kaminsky's range makes her the perfect narrator for this action- packed, suspenseful survival story. Biologist Alex is undeterred by threats from locals as she tracks wolverines by foot and camera traps at a Montana wildlife sanctuary. When Alex discovers images of an injured man on her camera, her efforts to find and help him put her in danger. She has stumbled onto an... Read More

Narrator Megan Tusing is authoritative and credible as she delivers Ashford's ideas in an easy-to-listen to and well-paced voice. She demonstrates her storytelling skills in bringing the important lessons of flexing to life. Flexing is about identifying personal development areas in communication, leadership, emotional responses, problem solving, and change management and then... Read More

Christian Coulson narrates a historical fantasy that turns the classic story of good versus evil on its head. Will is a 16-year-old dock boy in 1800s London who's hiding from the men who murdered his mother. He receives a dire warning of a great evil rising and must gather the Stewards to face the coming darkness. Coulson's patient narration captures the ear early on and never... Read More

Narrator Xe Sands has a wonderful voice to listen to--it is deep, sexy, and conveys emotion. However, it is a mismatch for the content of this well-researched nonfiction audiobook on how to improve your attention. The cadence, tone, and pace of Sands's delivery make it challenging for the listener to concentrate on the content, an ironic development in light of the author's... Read More

Narrator Kevin R. Free's spirited characterizations and enthusiastic pacing heighten this endearing spooky adventure. Esther Gold can't wait for this year's festivities, but she's not the only being who wants Halloween to last forever. The Queen of Halloween and her henchpeople have trapped Esther's hometown in their curse, and they will kill, enchant, and kidnap as many... Read More

Brandy Colbert, award-winning African-American children's novelist, delivers the moving foreword to her first nonfiction work. Kristyl Dawn Tift vividly narrates the truth of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, a tragic event often omitted from history books. With all the dramatic tension and horror that years of racism wrought, this contextual account explains connections such as... Read More

This audiobook is simply a delight. Entertainment icon brothers Ron and Clint Howard share a memoir that never strays far from being a sincere loving tribute to their late Midwest-born parents and grandparents for the values they instilled. With voices bright with high style and that special talent some actors have for making the conversation seem so intimate and direct, the... Read More

Senior CNN editor and Pulitzer Prize finalist Ronald Brownstein offers his treatise that 1974 was the year when Los Angeles rose to be the pinnacle of creative cultural output for all major media. Narrator Will Damron, with considerable ease and grace, raises the interest and entertainment levels significantly. Using pleasing tones, his spot-on phrasing and inflection rise to... Read More

Piper Goodeve returns as narrator of the latest installment of the Little Bridge Island series, which can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone romantic comedy. Jo, a children's book author, has been struggling with writer's block, and the offer of an all-expense paid trip to Little Bridge to participate in a book festival is appealing. Her agent promises that her literary nemesis,... Read More

Narrator Korey Jackson's acting skills burst through one's headphones or speakers as he narrates this epic work of fiction that could easily be classified as poetry. It tells the story of a boy on an odyssey to find his father in Syria after his family members in Louisiana have all passed away or turned against him. The characters range in age from the youngest of children just... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks takes the listener on a roller-coaster ride in this moving middle-grade story. Joy is sick of the changes in her life. She doesn't like having to share a room with her little sister now that her family has moved out of their house. She doesn't like the way she can hear her parents fighting all the time in their new apartment. Parks flawlessly captures Joy's... Read More

From the opening tale of a defiant Red Riding Hood to a final, bittersweet vision of a post-Neverland Wendy, this collection of reimagined fairy tales will hold listeners spellbound. While narrator Polly Lee's resonant British-accented voice may remind listeners of the customary storytelling style associated with European fairy tales, the stories herein are far from moralizing... Read More

Narrators Gabra Zackman and Julia Whelan bring fine individual skills and compatible vocal registers to their performance of Simone de Beauvoir's previously unpublished 1954 novella. The production also includes an introduction, an afterword, and a selection of letters between de Beauvoir and Zaza Lacoin, whose relationship inspired the book. Set in Paris, in the milieu of... Read More

Three narrators recount this tale about two hallmark periods for Leonardo DaVinci's MONA LISA: its creation in the fifteenth century and its rescue from the Nazis in the twentieth. Narrator Lisa Flanagan depicts Bellina, a servant in 1479 Florence whose mistress becomes the subject of Leonardo's portrait. When Leonardo--voiced with suitable gravitas and self-aggrandizement by... Read More

Nyambi Nyambi takes listeners on a rollicking outsized adventure as he narrates Killens's posthumously published novel. Hoping to connect to "the Motherland," Jimmy Jay Leander Johnson travels to the People's Democratic Republic of Guanaya, a tiny African country whose natural resources have attracted international interest. When a plot to assassinate the prime minister is... Read More

The author spends time with a high school football coach and his team in New Orleans, and the result is more of a socioeconomic portrait than a book on football. It's an excellent immersive piece of reporting whose seriousness comes across in every one of narrator Ryan Vincent Anderson's words. The plights of players with often-challenging home lives demand a calm and serious... Read More

Narrators Tara Divina, Sagar Arya, and Paul Panting bring us this intergenerational novel about a grandfather and granddaughter who are struggling through grief and falling in love with reading. Listeners are treated to a seamless listening experience as the narrators deliver warm, rich descriptions of Mukesh and Aleisha's separate grief-stricken paths. Divina portrays the... Read More

Narrator Robin Miles uses a unique cadence to fit this short, lyrical history of the Africans and their descendants who were brought by force to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade. Loosely rhyming, the story's audible backbone is Robin Miles's perfect pacing and well-placed emphasis. Her tone rises and falls as through generations, wars, births, deaths, and joys,... Read More

In a vibrant performance with well-paced comedic timing, narrator Natalie Naudus turns Jasmine Tran's attempt to save her love life, career, and donut shop into a satisfying listen. Naudus's slightly acerbic voice is well suited for Jasmine, who uses self-deprecation and sarcasm when confronting her problems. While attempting to make her family's donut shop go viral, Jasmine... Read More

Being stimulated into a delightful state--tickled--always happens in the moment and is different from the counting and analyzing we do every day, says business author Duff McDonald. In this moving account he describes how last year's COVID isolation inspired him to change the way he lives. The author's charm and calm thought processing are captured by narrator Sean Pratt. His... Read More

This examination of a changing Hollywood entertainment industry in the late 1960s is, of course, a self-described novelization of the highly acclaimed Quentin Tarantino film ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. Actor Jennifer Jason Leigh offers a predominantly tired, flat, and unenthusiastic narration of this profanity-laced audiobook. Rife with nonlinear storylines and extreme... Read More

At the start of this audiobook, author Robin Sharma shares the challenges of writing this book and discusses its overall impact on him. Narrator Adam Sims takes over from there with his everyman voice, which seems appropriate for a work that emphasizes the hero in each of us. As listeners follow a topically organized stream of inspirational insights, Sims's straightforward... Read More

Acknowledging the relationship she formed with listeners with her first book, author and narrator Gabrielle Union dives into a place of vulnerability and openness. The actor shares her experience of having her daughter via a surrogate. Union's voice gets quieter during the toughest parts, but she unfailingly sees the comedic aspects of life. This trait is highlighted when she... Read More

Journalist Stephen Kurczy took himself to Green Bank, West Virginia--"the quietest town in America " and home to the Green Bank Observatory. Narrator Roger Wayne ably explains that the Observatory requires locals to limit their use of electronic equipment, including wi-fi, microwaves, and cell phones, to avoid interference with their radio telescopes' ability to pick up signals... Read More

This powerful audiobook highlights the evil of the Nazis as told through the powerful letters between two friends, Martin and Max, whose lives and relationship are destroyed by the regime. Ably read by Rob Shapiro and George Newbern, this 68-minute novel grabs the listener from the start and never lets go. Shapiro and Newbern read the letters between Max, an art dealer who is... Read More

Narrator Erin Mallon transports the listener to Wildstone, California, as two former frenemies, Emma and Allison, are forced to open a doggy day care business together. The tension in their relationship is palpable. Emma is struggling to recover from being hit by a car with the help of physical therapist Simon. As she rallies, the listener experiences her mood lightening.... Read More

Narrator James Fouhey's talent for creating relatable personalities shines in this funny sci-fi adventure. Jake's parents found him 12 years ago when he was a shape-shifting glob of goo ejected from a distant planet. In human form, Jake has always appeared to be a regular kid, but lately he's been experiencing an inexplicable loss of control over his body. When a series of... Read More

JD Jackson's performance is particularly skillful as he shifts among the multiple points of view of key characters whose stories are intertwined in this tense thriller. Cash's audiobook is set in a North Carolina beach town, a calm place that belies the intrigue and fear below its surface. Winston, the sheriff, responds to an early morning call to an airplane crash, where he... Read More

Andrew Eiden and Jennifer Jill Araya share the narration of a story about how small choices can have world-altering consequences. Ash Bowman doesn't spend too much time thinking about the larger issues in life until he discovers that his football tackles are shifting reality. Eiden portrays Ash for most of the production as a perfectly pitched football bro: casually careless... Read More

The gentle, almost serene, style with which Feodor Chin and Natalie Naudus perform this audiobook provides a soothing contrast to the intense stories in this extraordinary collection. Author Jack Wang has written a series of short stories capturing the experiences of Chinese immigrants from their days in China to their lives in Canada, with numerous tales and struggles in... Read More

"How did this happen?" asks the author after working at Xerox for 29 years and becoming the first Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Having been raised by a poor, single immigrant mother in lower Manhattan didn't keep her from earning a graduate engineering degree and going on to lead an international business through turbulent economic times. Burns's narration is as... Read More

After 50 years in her tarot-reading booth by the sea in Brighton, Madame Burova is ready to retire--but first, she must keep a promise she made decades ago. Nina Wadia superbly narrates this tale of colorful characters from a holiday camp in the 1970s and a contemporary Londoner who is facing the simultaneous loss of her marriage, her job, and her father. Wadia portrays the... Read More

With the soul of a poet and the keen eye of a realist, author James Rebanks explores how greed and hubris have ruined British agriculture and are endangering its natural environment. Narrator Peter Noble does full justice to Rebanks's style. Phrases such as "puffy white stars floating in the black night sky" come off sounding natural, not forced. But Noble also captures the... Read More

Stacey Glemboski performs this unique audiobook about the power of human love for an animal with a convincing style and unswerving fairness. The warmth in her voice and her skilled pacing work well. She has a fine ability to get inside the thoughts of the characters--human and simian. An unusual love triangle--among a researcher, an assistant, and Sam the chimp--serves as the... Read More

This audiobook is a companion to an exhibit on Reconstruction at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. A variety of authors take a historical perspective on the period. The most poignant work is Kimberlé Crenshaw's essay, which looks at the era through the lens of the 2015 attack on the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Karen Chilton's... Read More

Roger Wayne embraces the author's enthusiasm and has many fun moments narrating this irreverent, informed guide to little known stories about food. From his emulation of a squeaky, pretentious English cookbook writer downgrading American pie to his imitation of a working-class Brit in a quote from TRAINSPOTTING, Wayne's voice work shines. The pie section is splendid: American... Read More

Narrator Marcella Cox's warm voice draws listeners into the story of Mari, a Black teenager getting a new start along with her blended family in a creepy Midwestern town. Mari has anxiety, and Cox skillfully portrays her overwhelming panic at the possibility of bedbugs. She seems to be the only one worried by unexplained creaks, missing objects, and confusing stenches in their... Read More

Mary Jane Wells bursts onto the scene in Sarah MacLean's newest historical romance series, Hell's Belles. As narrator, Wells captures Lady Sesily Talbot's bold spirit and confident tones, along with her working-class accent, which reflects her roots. Sesily has a reputation for scandal and learns to use it to her advantage when she joins a team of women who work in secret to... Read More

Narrator Ulf Bjorklund takes listeners on a leisurely stroll through a small Icelandic town. The performance is composed of several short stories featuring various townsfolk that give listeners windows into each of their lives. From the neighborhood gossipers to pensive resident scientists to nosy postmen, every relationship is intimately performed, and discovering the... Read More

This sequel to the well-known children's book, PAX, returns listeners to the world of Peter and his pet fox, Pax, who were separated by war. Here narrator Michael Curran-Dorsano transitions seamlessly between timeframes and points of view. A year after Pax and Peter's separation, Curran-Dorsano recounts Pax's joyful welcoming of fox cubs into the world. But his tone for Peter,... Read More

Author/narrator Joyce Maynard's embodiment of her characters is disarming. Her performance reaches a profound level of intimacy that is moving and heartbreaking. Spanning decades, Maynard's story centers on Eleanor, who loses her parents at 16 in a vehicle accident. Eleanor channels her grief into a successful career as a children's author, eventually moving to a farm and... Read More

Magic, monsters, and mayhem come together in this eerie YA audiobook. The story focuses on two women: Natasha, who is on a relentless quest to find her missing sister, and Della, who has some answers for her but seeks a few of her own. Dependent on each other to solve the mystery, they develop a touching relationship, which is beautifully portrayed by narrators Katherine... Read More

Narrator Nicole Poole returns listeners to the popular Chicago Stars football series with this romance between back-up quarterback Thad Owens and opera star Olivia Stone. The pair is thrust together on a promotional tour for high-end watches. Poole captures Olivia, the haughty diva, then skillfully switches to down-to-earth Thad, giving a pleasing contrast between the two... Read More