Behind the Mic With Kirkus Reviews

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss an audiobook for teens where four narrators in alternating chapters depict intergenerational Filipino sons and fathers over the course of a century. Ramón de Ocampo portrays young Francisco, who left the Philippines and works on California farms in the 1930s. JB Tadena captures angry Emil, whose father Francisco, now an adult, deserts his family to pursue Filipino rights in 1965. Manny Jacinto portrays cowed, bitter Chris in 1985, whose father, Emil, pushes him to assimilate. During the pandemic, Jesse Inocalla reveals sensitive Enzo’s worry about disease and his father’s relationship with Lolo Emil, who moves into their home. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Listening Library. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for our podcast comes from Hachette Audio, the publisher of CONNIE, this behind the scenes look into Connie Chung's life, read by Connie Chung herself. Find out more at Hachette Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Victoria Villarreal and an ensemble cast narrate a thrilling epic set in 1950s Hollywood. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this lush historical novel based around a Biblical sword-and-sandal film. When an unknown actress from Mexico is cast to play Salome in the latest picture, tempers flare. Villarreal capably narrates the three main storylines: Vera Larios, the unknown Mexican ingénue; Nancy Hartley, a bit player who feels cheated out of a starring role; and Salome herself. Additional narrators voice brief interviews and gossipy articles to give listeners further insight into the tragic tale. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. The sponsor for today's podcast is Hachette Audio, the publisher of CONNIE, a witty memoir about legendary journalist Connie Chung's experience as the first Asian woman to break into the overwhelmingly white male dominated news industry--read by Connie Chung! Find out more at Hachette Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jorjeana Marie’s captivating narration brings this portal fantasy to life. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss a story of lost children, fractured friendships, and magical worlds. Mourning the loss of her adoptive mother, Emilie Wendell vows to find her half-sister she never knew, who disappeared in a West Virginia forest years ago. Desperate for a lead, she enlists the help of Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell—estranged friends who emerged from the same forest after an unexplained disappearance 15 years earlier. Marie tells the story with a gentleness and warmth that add to its nostalgic premise. It’s an immersive experience that mirrors Emilie’s descent into a dark yet enchanting realm and her companions’ traumatic memories. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today's podcast is brought to you by the audiobook edition of CONNIE, read by Connie Chung, on sale this September 17th from Hachette Audio. Find out more at Hachette Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emma Galvin and Max Meyers voice the perspectives of sommelier-in-training Theo Flowerday and French pastry chef Kit Fairfield. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this story of two bisexual exes who wind up on a three week European food tour together—the same tour they were meant to take together before they broke up four years earlier. Their skills at narrating Theo and Kit, along with everyone they encounter along their decadent tour, make for a true feast of vocal work and culinary descriptions. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Macmillan Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for our podcast comes from Hachette Audio, the publisher of CONNIE, this behind the scenes look into Connie Chung's life, read by Connie Chung herself. Find out more at Hachette Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A master performer, Grover Gardner elevates Dreiser’s naturalistic 1925 novel, an account of the strivings and disappointments of Clyde Griffiths, a flawed but fascinating protagonist whose rise and fall end when he commits a heinous crime and is executed for it. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss a title that Alan says will make even the most hard-hearted listener yearn for restorative justice, thanks to its precisely chiseled anti-capitalist details of a stratified collar factory with its nepotistic organization and its evocation of prison life—rigid, punitive, and unyielding. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Blackstone Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for our podcast comes from Hachette Audio, the publisher of CONNIE, this behind the scenes look into Connie Chung's life, read by Connie Chung herself. Find out more at Hachette Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TV writer/producer Janetti is a fine traveling companion as he takes the listener on a grand tour of his favorite places. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Janetti packs this audiobook with observations on such topics as the decline of fashion on airplanes, along with tips on how to shut off unwanted conversations and how to only pack for three days. An entertaining storyteller, Janetti pitches an idea to Maggie Smith (a no), falls in love on Mykonos (an everlasting yes), and lovingly recounts a family cruise. Worth your time. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. The sponsor for today's podcast is Hachette Audio, the publisher of CONNIE, a witty memoir about legendary journalist Connie Chung's experience as the first Asian woman to break into the overwhelmingly white male dominated news industry--read by Connie Chung! Find out more at Hachette Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paige McClanahan gives this audiobook a sense of her lived experience as a travel writer, reporter, and thoughtful interpreter of the world of travel. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss her exploration of this reconsideration for how we travel, told in her appealing voice and persuasive narration. The listener goes along on forays to Iceland and Hawaii, as well as to overly visited Amsterdam and Barcelona, where travel is meaningful to the economies but not always to the locals. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today's podcast is brought to you by the audiobook edition of CONNIE, read by Connie Chung, on sale this September 17th from Hachette Audio. Find out more at Hachette Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Anthony Fauci’s new memoir on audio. Doctor Fauci's public career spans five decades, and gained prominence during the COVID-19 epidemic for his confrontations with the former president and far right members of Congress. Tinged with his Brooklyn accent, his reading is authentic, if not melodic. He ably simplifies the scientific concepts he encountered in his life in medicine. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for our podcast comes from Hachette Audio, the publisher of CONNIE, this behind the scenes look into Connie Chung's life, read by Connie Chung herself. Find out more at Hachette Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Alexandra Cohler has the right tone, tempo, and style for this polemical and highly informed audiobook on propaganda. She can sound like she’s reporting on a real-life scene or immersed in a sci-fi setting. Her narrative approach works well with this provocative work by journalist/science fiction novelist Annalee Newitz, who challenges preconceived notions about messages and messaging. An idea-rich listen. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by HighBridge Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today's podcast is brought to you by the audiobook edition of CONNIE, read by Connie Chung, on sale this September 17th from Hachette Audio. Find out more at Hachette Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This audiobook reveals that Tommy Orange is among the most insightful novelists writing today and a poet of pain. In their conversation from earlier this year, host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this immersive novel set in Oakland that makes for a powerful listening experience. Among the segmented novel’s stellar performances, Charley Flyte’s reading of Victoria Bear Shield’s dramatic monologue to her unborn daughter is a tour de force—a haunting performance with an expressive tone and intimate voice. Alma Cuervo portrays Jacquie Red Feather and Victoria—the unborn infant, now a grandmother—with candor, compassion, and a thoughtful pace. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The sure touch of Golden Voice narrator Julia Whelan transforms Kristin Hannah’s absorbing novel about Vietnam War combat nurses into an addictive listen. In their conversation from this winter, host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this intimate portrait and sprawling account of a searing time. The story focuses on 20-year-old Frances McGrath, who, in 1965, impetuously chooses the Army Nurse Corps over cotillions and marriage. As the novel interweaves historical research with the characters’ Vietnam and post-war lives, Whelan’s intensity and warmth help listeners empathize with the personal and understand the big picture. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Macmillan Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicole Lewis performs this sophomore novel from Booker longlisted author Kiley Reid. In their conversation from earlier this year, host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester talk about how Reid excels at writing dialogue, and how Lewis’s performance of those conversations takes them to a whole new level. Millie Cousins is a senior resident assistant at the University of Arkansas with big dreams, and when a visiting professor and journalist offers her money in exchange for eavesdropping on her dorm’s residents, she takes the risk. As the drama twists and turns, Lewis’s narration keeps listeners enraptured until the very end. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listeners will be convinced there’s a full cast delivering this fast-paced thriller from Ashley Elston. Yet it’s just one narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, who masterfully voices all of the characters. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this mystery audiobook in their conversation from earlier in 2024. Evie Porter has many names and personas she has adopted for her work for the mysterious Mr. Smith. The narrative goes back and forth in time, revealing the successful and disastrous assignments that have landed her in a small town in Louisiana, where she’s building a loving relationship with her next target. The twists and turns will keep listeners glued to their earbuds all the way to the satisfying conclusion. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re revisiting discussions of favorite audiobooks from this year. Narrators Natalie Beran and Jackson Bliss portray queer Russian-Maori siblings Greta and Valdin. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Rebecca K. Reilly’s wise, hilarious audiobook about a loving and chaotic New Zealand family. Beran depicts Greta, a 20-something PhD student in a perky, wry tone that is dripping with millennial angst. Bliss narrates Valdin’s sections with a mix of earnestness and detachment. A year after being dumped by his boyfriend, he’s just (maybe) starting to get his life back on track. The narrators’ varied New Zealand accents and ease with snappy dialogue make every moment of this joyful audiobook a pleasure. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author J. Michael Straczynski joins AudioFile’s Michele Cobb for a conversation about his new audio original, EARTHLIGHT. Straczynski is well known as the creator of the “Babylon 5” TV series and has written comics for Marvel and DC. His newest book, EARTHLIGHT, is a high-stakes military sci-fi audiobook performed by Erik Braa and a full cast with immersive sound effects and music. Listen in to learn about the approach Straczynski took when writing an audio original and why this story fits so well with the audio format. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is sponsored by Random House Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Asha Elias’s new audiobook, performed by an ensemble cast. The action centers around the PTA at an elementary school. Things get ugly when Melody Howard’s family moves from Kansas into the land of wealth and privilege for her husband’s new job in Miami. Melody, portrayed by Andi Arndt, gets sucked into this glamorous world, challenging PTA president Charlotte, played by Saskia Maarleveld. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Espinoza’s riveting audiobook delves into the lives of three generations of luchadores, masked Mexican wrestlers, who are grappling with love and family secrets in Mexico City and Los Angeles. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this powerful story where narrators Gisela Chípe, Tony Chiroldes, Lee Osorio, and André Santana bring depth and authenticity to their characters. Their nuanced performances enrich Espinoza's poignant narrative, making this audiobook a captivating exploration of heritage, identity, and familial bonds. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

M.K. Asante's performance captures the essence of what makes the audiobook medium vital: a living experience that grabs listeners from start to finish. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss a book that Michele calls memorable and affecting. Asante unfolds the story of his nephew Nasir's emergency treatment in intensive care after multiple gunshot wounds. Supporting performances by Dion Graham as Nasir's estranged father, Uzi, and Adenrele Ojo as the family matriarch are equally moving and, at times, heartbreaking. Listeners experience a collective performance that captures the power of art to touch the soul. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beatriz Williams’s new romantic audiobook is rendered perfectly by two narrators, Helen Laser and Caroline Hewitt. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this story about two women who are separated by decades and continents but joined by blood, tragedy, and a jeweled cobra bracelet. Laser portrays the contemporary New England heroine, Mallory, a single mom. Hewitt depicts Hannah, who in 1952 is living in Cairo, where it is seething with revolution. This production is filled with memorable characters, family secrets, passionate romance, and historical drama. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss Liz Moore’s fascinating listen brought to life by Saskia Maareleveld. Thirteen-year-old Barbra Van Laar goes missing from her bunk at an Adirondack summer camp in 1975—and her brother vanished from the same location 16 years earlier. Maareleveld explores the impact the disappearances have on the Van Laar family and the surrounding working-class community amid the search for Barbra. She immerses listeners in the mystery, delivering subtle drama as the fallout from both disappearances leads to complications no one expects. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Georgina Campbell performs Donyae Coles’s gothic tale set in 1840s England. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this sinister listen. Orabella Mumthrope finds herself marrying a mysterious, wealthy stranger to help settle her uncle’s debt. At her new husband’s historic home, she finds his family seems to have far too many secrets. As Orabella struggles against restrictions and tries to figure out the key to her new family’s strange behavior, Campbell’s voice rises and falls with twists and turns in the story, maintaining the listener’s attention with every new revelation. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance Publishing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicholas Guy Smith evokes the Arthurian legends of old in Lev Grossman’s tongue-in-cheek Knights of the Round Table-inspired novel. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss a story of Collum, who dreams of joining King Arthur’s knights, but when he arrives in Camelot, King Arthur is dead. Smith shines in this grand, ambitious novel, especially as he performs the dialogue of the various knights. Full of humor, magic, and endless quests, this story is perfect for any lover of King Arthur tales. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher P. Brown performs Jonathan Corcoran’s intimate memoir of his relationship with his mother after she discovers he’s gay. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this moving listen. Corcoran’s mother dies during the first years of the Covid pandemic, leaving him and his two sisters to handle her affairs. From there, Corcoran takes listeners back through their complex relationship, sharing how his mother’s homophobia has followed him his entire life. Brown beautifully performs both the tense and heartfelt moments and deftly handles the West Virginia accents of Corcoran’s family, making each character unique. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Tantor Media. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ramiz Monsef performs Taylor Brown’s historical novel set during the Battle of Blair Mountain in the early 1920s. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this listen that will keep listeners on edge until the very last second. Lebanese American “Doc Moo” Muhanna serves as a medical doctor during the Mine Wars. Monsef’s narration enlivens the characters as they give listeners various perspectives on these historical events. Monsef skillfully performs many different accents, and maintains the tension as the action of the novel picks up. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Recorded Books. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Vance affably narrates George Smiley in this first novel by John le Carré, published in 1961. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss the thrill of listening to Vance narrate this classic mystery and Smiley’s origin story. It centers around a faux suicide, East German espionage agents, and a Secret Service that prefers to sweep things under the rug. Vance’s mastery of British Isles accents, especially his upper-class inflections, contributes to le Carré's vivid storytelling. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/251210/ Published by Dreamscape. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/ Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Davis digs deep into his narration toolbox in Joseph Kanon’s atmospheric audiobook set in 1939. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this tense listen. As the world prepares for war, displaced European Jews attempt a departure to parts unknown. Davis employs a stoic tone when describing Kristallnacht, the beatings, and the rounding up of family members. When the disparate citizens gather on a last-chance trip to Shanghai, Davis modulates the tempo and emotion throughout the remainder of the audiobook, ratcheting up the anticipation for the protagonist’s final confrontation with the Japanese Gestapo. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Narrator Matthew Lloyd Davies brings his considerable talent to one of Graham Greene’s best-known novels. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss the story of how James Wormold, a vacuum cleaner retailer, invents a spy ring in order to cover his daughter’s extravagances. Davies manipulates accents, vocal tones, and pitch ranges to bring the characters to life. He enhances the novel’s dark (sometimes very dark) humor, as well. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Tantor Media. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Susan Elia MacNeal’s 12th and final Maggie Hope novel. Susan Duerden gives a strong performance as the intrepid heroine takes on a frightening mission, meeting up again with Coco Chanel, the French fashion designer and Nazi collaborator. British concerns about the Germans acquiring a fission bomb lead Maggie to Madrid, where danger lurks around every corner and double agents will stop at nothing to thwart Allied efforts. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile Golden Voice Soneela Nankani immerses listeners in 1920s India. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this third installment in Harini Nagendra’s Bangalore Detectives Club series that’s rife with intrigue, politics, and the fight for autonomy. Nankani’s brisk, distinctly voiced performance is riveting as she expertly distinguishes among the large cast of characters, and she’s particularly effective as Kaveri Murthy, mathematician, feminist, and intrepid organizer of the amateur detectives club. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Tantor Media. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at Brilliance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Huda Fahmy’s hilarious graphic novel for teens will delight listeners. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the fun of listening to this lively audio adaptation. Huda’s having a bit of an identity crisis. Her family’s just moved from a small town to Dearborn, Michigan, and suddenly her personality can’t just be “the hijabi girl” because she’s not the only one. Fahmy’s wry narration perfectly captures the many ups and downs of freshman year. A full cast of narrators, music, and sound effects help tell Huda’s story as she bounces around between cliques, bickers with her sisters, makes new friends, faces down bullies and Islamophobes, and survives a raucous year of high school. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Listening Library. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at brilliancepublishing.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this dramatic Japanese thriller from Akira Otani. Cindy Kay’s steely voice ensures the listener feels every bit of tension in this short and memorable audiobook. After Yoriko Shindo is kidnapped, she finds herself forced into working for an arm of the yakuza—she has to serve as the driver for Shoko, the daughter of the brutal boss. It’s a violent, disturbing world that Shindo is pulled into, but she’s unusually tough, and listeners hear her taunt her attackers as she fights back. Slowly, Shindo and Shoko form a sort of friendship, putting them both at risk. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Recorded Books. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. The Sound of Storytelling. Discover your next great listen at brilliancepublishing.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ros Watt’s narration highlights all the charm of Joanna Lowell’s queer historical romance. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss a story set in Cornwall’s countryside, complete with a bicycle race, a botanist, and a rake. Kit Griffith is a dashing bicycle shop owner who left his old life behind, in which he belonged to a sisterhood of women artists. He’s now building a new life in Cornwall, where he encounters the indefatigable botanist, Muriel Pendrake. Watt conveys the lively conversations with their rounded British accent, shifting smoothly between Muriel’s bright voice and Kit’s deeper pitch. Watt’s warm voice captures the adventure and blossoming romance as Kit and Muriel cycle the coastline together. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicol Zanzarella brings heaps of charm to her narration of this engaging fantasy romance. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the sequel to Megan Bannen’s THE UNDERTAKING OF HART AND MERCY. Twyla and Frank have been neighbors, then best friends, then partners in the Marshals, spending 8 years patrolling the dangerous Tanrian world together. But they’re never going to be more than friends—right? Zanzarella performs Twyla’s wonderful blend of boldness and grandmotherly sweetness, while Frank has a rumbly, deep voice and an appealing twangy drawl in Zanzarella’s performance. Zanzarella’s narration is utterly delightful, as is the story, complete with an intriguing mystery, a fascinating fantasy world, and a heartwarming, slow-burn romance. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Hachette Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss how narrator André Santana skillfully performs Chuck Tingle’s thrilling Hollywood horror novel. Screenwriter Misha Byrne has just received an ultimatum from the studio executives — their algorithm says to kill off his beloved queer TV characters, or else. Misha refuses, and Santana captures Misha’s initial angry exasperation, then his escalating terror as he suddenly faces deadly characters from his horror films. Scripts of certain mysterious scenes are performed by a full cast of authors. It’s both a spine-tingling horror story and a moving exploration of queer identity, humanity, and storytelling. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Macmillan Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Lucy Strange joins host Michele Cobb for a conversation about Lucy’s award-winning audiobooks, which she narrates herself. Listen to their conversation to hear more about how Lucy’s background in acting and teaching influences her approach to storytelling, her experiences with narrating her own audiobooks and those by other authors, and what challenges and surprises her most about narrating. Her 2023 audiobook SISTERS OF THE LOST MARSH was an Earphones Award winner as well as a 2024 Odyssey Honor Audiobook, and it is a memorable listen. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Scholastic Audiobooks. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Today’s episode is sponsored by Scholastic Audiobooks. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Ally Condie’s engaging mystery that’s just right for summer listening. Christine Lakin captures Ellery Wainwright’s unsteady state of mind so effectively that the tension in this mystery builds exponentially. Ellery finds herself alone at an exotic Big Sur resort after her husband leaves her. As she struggles through her major life change, she finds herself embroiled in a possible murder. Condie’s audiobook transports listeners to the perfect summer locale with exquisite twists. Throughout, Lakin’s authentic performance is layered and vulnerable, making Ellery’s plight even more frightening. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Hachette Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andia Winslow narrates WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner’s memoir, which has a strong focus on her imprisonment in Russia. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Griner’s harrowing tale. Winslow’s delivery is outstanding; she recounts the fear and frustration that Griner went through and deftly projects Griner’s emotions every step of the way. Griner is open about the perceptions of her sexuality and deftly weaves in recollections of her upbringing. Coupled with its honest account of what happened in Russia, this memoir is a fascinating listen. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Griffin Dunne’s narration of his memoir pairs a tender conversational tone with occasional moments of drama that embrace his gifts as a writer and actor. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this engrossing listen chronicling Dunne’s life within an interesting family, sparing no details. Whether he’s telling stories of privileged, Hollywood familiars, political well-knowns, family members, or famed relatives like writers John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion, each vignette commands attention. Dunne stitches stories into a powerful arc that compels from beginning to end. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/251186/ Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/ Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com/riftsandrefrains/ to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talented cast of voice actors, including playwright Barrie Kreinik, dazzles in this audio original. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss the story of Eva Le Gallienne, a queer actor and director who founded The Civic Repertory Theatre in 1926. Her work revolutionized theater, but she struggled to keep her creation going in the Depression. Kreinik is stunning as Eva, capturing her larger-than-life personality, while the remaining actors portray her various girlfriends, company actors, mentors, friends, and others. The production’s impeccable sound design brings 1930s New York to life. This is audio theater at its absolute best. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Hachette Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Darrell Dennis navigates this touching novel about a family in distress; it’s a gritty story about addiction, dementia, and obligations. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this debut novel from the author of the short story collection NIGHT OF THE LIVING REZ. Charles Lamosway is a white man raised on Maine’s Penobscot reservation—an outsider. With the empathy created by Dennis, listeners will root for Charles as he deals with losing his mother and trying to connect with an estranged daughter. Talty’s debut novel is a virtuoso story of blood, heritage, beliefs, and the legacy of how we are indebted to others. Dennis’s youthful tone and empathy for these troubled characters make this listen triumphant and bittersweet. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Recorded Books. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grant Overstake’s audio drama details racial strife in Wichita, Kansas, in 1968. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss the full cast and fine production values. A seventh-grade boy’s life becomes upended when a Black family moves in next door. The narrators of this fraught coming-of-age story are excellent. The audio drama has moments of remarkable verisimilitude: from the play-by-play announcing of a basketball game to the whirring of a helicopter in Vietnam. Performed by a gifted cast, this slice of our history stays with the listener. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Grant Overstake. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mozhan Navabi performs Marjan Kamali’s audiobook with the right tone and tempo. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how this audiobook evokes the contemporary history of Tehran and Iran, from the 1950s to 1970s. Navabi captures the guilt-ridden Ellie, who is tormented by her past. Ellie’s best friend Homa, voiced with a younger sound and tone by Nikki Massoud, is an Iranian revolutionary who champions women’s rights and is jailed for her beliefs. An immersive listen. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claire Kilroy’s novel details a young mother’s fatigue, frustrations, and joys at raising a trying infant who becomes a willful toddler. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this dramatic monologue on motherhood and marriage, narrated with an intimate and persuasive tone and lovely Irish lilt by Simone Collins. Her performance resonates as her tone, pace, and intonation reveal the struggling mom’s love. This brief, powerful depiction of motherhood rings true and creates an immersive listening experience. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listeners will find much to learn in Nadina Galle’s audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss a study from the ecological engineer who coined the term Internet of Nature. Galle has a refreshingly positive and heretical assertion that nature and technology can be allied. Eileen Stevens earns high praise for her thoughtful, almost conspiratorial tone. It’s as if she’s saying, “Pay attention, and you’ll be surprised.” Burn bots, nature apps of all types, and cures for eco anxiety are just a few of the positive insights in this revelatory work. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Golden Voice narrator Robert Petkoff joins host Jo Reed to discuss his talented performances of hundreds of audiobooks, spanning a wide range of genres. Robert has brought to life everything from thrilling mysteries and science fiction epics to deeply researched nonfiction. He’s able to create distinct and memorable voices for each character, and he has a knack for engaging storytelling. Listen in to his conversation with Jo to hear more about how he got his start on the stage and behind the mic, how he prepares for narrating fiction like Andrew Sean Greer’s LESS IS LOST, the fun of narrating thrillers, and the distinct skills needed for making nonfiction engaging and conversational. Read reviews of Robert Petkoff’s audiobooks at our website. Visit AudioFile’s website for a full list of AudioFile’s Golden Voice narrators. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Miranda July perfectly delivers the overanxious voice of her quirky, unnamed protagonist who realizes, too late, that she’s having a midlife crisis. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this story of a solo drive across the country that turns into a bizarre stay in a motel close to home. That one decision sends the protagonist on a perimenopausal coming-of-age adventure full of awkward sex and complex feelings. July’s intimate narration teases out the complex emotions the protagonist is just now realizing she’s always kept under wraps. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earphones Award-winning narrator Natalie Naudus performs her debut young adult novel. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss how Naudus shines performing her own novel. Valerie Danners realizes two things almost at the same time: She’s probably bisexual, and she’s most definitely in a cult. Naudus’s performance captures Valerie’s teen voice, portraying the depth of emotion she feels as she meets a new crush and falls in love for the first time. Naudus creates increasing tension that emphasizes Valerie’s desperation to escape her hyper-religious community. As Valerie comes into her own, Naudus’s voice carries all the warmth and love that she’s experiencing for the very first time. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Little Mountain Media. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ari Fliakos and a full ensemble perform Paul Tremblay’s gripping story of movie making gone wrong. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester talk about this suspenseful listen. “The Thin Kid,” performed by Ari Fliakos, played a pivotal role in a never-released indie horror movie filmed in the ’90s. Now, he’s been asked to reprise his role in the remake. An ensemble of narrators performs the two versions of the screenplay, moving back and forth between the original version and the remake’s revised script. The cast of narrators creates an incredible listening experience, making HORROR MOVIE one of the must-listen horror audiobooks of the year. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Golden Voice narrator Marin Ireland performs Emma Copley Eisenberg’s debut novel, which features two queer artists. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this heartfelt and delightful audiobook. Housemates Bernie and Leah set off on a road trip to capture the heart of Pennsylvania in photographs and words. While they travel across the state, their relationship grows deeper as they try to make sense of the world around them through their art. Ireland makes Bernie and Leah come alive, and she excels at expressing their depth of emotion as they work through their ideas together. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss a charming children’s story about Olivetti, a typewriter spilling his tapestry of tales in order to find his missing owner. Golden Voice Simon Vance brings a gentle, snarky tone to Olivetti as he dismisses books as “one-hit wonders” and the laptop as a “show-off.” Ernest is an angsty 12-year-old portrayed expertly by Christopher Gebauer with an appealing mix of anxiety, heart, and wry humor. Ernest prefers dictionaries and solitude, but he must trust a sentient typewriter and make a friend to find his mother. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Recorded Books. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Media, featuring their new audiobook Rifts and Refrains. Follow Amara Johnson's journey through music, mystery, and romance, available exclusively on Dreamscape First. Don't miss out on this captivating tale… please visit Dreamscape to learn more and start listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices