New Reviews by Title: A-D

Narrator Jade Wheeler warmly draws listeners into this thought-provoking literary debut. The U.S. has elected its first female president, who signs the Forgiveness Act. To provide reparations for slavery, $175,000 is awarded to individuals who can prove they are descendants of enslaved people. The story explores varying viewpoints on the program and its possible implications.... Read More

With his fancy-free tone and a charming Irish lilt, Liam Gerrard has a great time reading this entertaining collection of classic Irish folktales, tall tales, and poems. All are centered on the larger-than-life exploits of the ancient clan leader, seer, and poet Finn MacCool. Finn is credited with building the Giant's Causeway, marauding with Druids, and eating the Salmon of... Read More

Sura Siu's and Emily Tremaine's alternating narrations plunge listeners into the events surrounding a government-sanctioned human-extinction event. Siu's performance shifts in tone and cadence as the AI called "Storyworker" tells the story of Sen, a teenage "Witness" to the end of humankind. The initially straightforward account merges with journals and surveillance footage of... Read More

Narrator Angela Lin's restrained pace and understated delivery channel the heartrending emotion of this literary family saga. In the devastating Tangshan earthquake of 1976, a seven-year-old girl, Xiaodeng, becomes separated from her twin brother, Xiaoda, and their mother, Li Yuanni. Xiaodeng, who grows up to become a successful writer in Canada thirty years later, continues to... Read More

In this informative and entertaining audiobook, Erika Howsare uses deer as a way to explore humanity's fraught and constantly shifting relationship with the natural world. Her narration--even, measured, and relatively unobtrusive--suits the book well. Howsare's observations are so nuanced that a dramatic narration would detract from them. She shares fascinating stories,... Read More

NEW YORK TIMES columnist Frank Bruni narrates his persuasive examination of the outrage that currently dominates American discourse with a tone of authority underlying his overall conversational delivery. Bruni's astute observations have a mix of gravitas and wit that keeps this topic from feeling quite so oppressive. His personal and political beliefs collide when he awakens... Read More

Deepa Samuel reads crisply and does well with the various languages in this globe-spanning audiobook. Her carefully articulated style makes this history/memoir with travel stories vivid. The author, a Muslim Indian woman now living in Brooklyn, brings a unique point of view to this "irreverent history of travel." As a woman of color, she has experienced what she describes as... Read More

Cisco Fernandez narrates this futuristic dystopian audiobook with an appropriately childlike reverence for the story's gravity. Leandro is a member of the Cascabeles, a Spanish-speaking group that is oppressed by the Pocatelans, the ruling class. When Leandro's sister is caught stealing fruit, Leandro takes the fall and ends up having his essence placed inside an ancient bird... Read More

Anna Caputo uses a blend of authority and compassion to deliver oncologist Elizabeth Comen's accounts of the ineffective and even harmful medical treatment given to women over four centuries. Comen's hands-on experience and extensive research inform her narrative of doctors' gross misunderstandings of women's bodies. Caputo delivers startling stories of bizarre treatments that... Read More

This moving audiobook imagining Lady Macbeth's early life receives extraordinary narrations by Angus King and Ell Potter. Ten years before the events of Shakespeare's play, "The Lady," at 15, is forced to marry the brutish Mormaer of Moray. They have a son, "The Boy," who displeases his sadistic father. Macbeth kills Moray in battle, occupies his castle, then falls in love with... Read More

Pete Cross performs this debut novel of a star-crossed love affair between minister Nathaniel Whitfield and physician Arthur Lyman in Puritan New England. As his congregation whispers about his relationship with Arthur and their wives begin to suspect what's going on behind closed doors, Nathaniel prays for an "Awakening" but fears his love for Arthur has brought God's... Read More

Sheila Heti's latest meditative work comes alive with Kate Berlant's expressive narration. This compilation has an unusual conceit: Heti chose sentences from 10 years of her journal-keeping and then organized them according to the first letter of the first word of each sentence. Consistent themes emerge, including romantic entanglements, financial struggles, writing joys and... Read More

An inspiring original story gets a five-star narration from Lynnette R. Freeman. Her character voices are so believable this audiobook sounds like a full-cast recording. Sanite and her daughter, Ady, run from the brutality of John du Marche's slave labor camp--also known as a plantation. Separated when Sanite is recaptured, Ady endures hardship alone in the woods. Eventually,... Read More

Rob Shapiro captures the viewpoint of Brent Cummings, an Iraq War veteran who leads cadets with his moral conviction. Shapiro emphasizes the shock Cummings feels at Donald Trump's election and his worry that his country is falling apart because of the president's divisiveness. Brent's neighbor, Michael, is a man with politically polar opposite views. Shapiro excels at dialogue... Read More

Byron Wagner sounds mostly straightforward as he tells listeners of possible Viking visits along the Canadian and New England coasts. Author Martyn Whittock thoroughly presents the archaeological finds and Norse sagas that raise this possibility. At the same time, he observes how Vikings have landed in the American psyche--whether in the right-wing assertions of groups such as... Read More

In this trilogy, which uses the horror genre to explore generational trauma, Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota actor Isabella Star LaBlanc leads an ensemble cast. Listeners return to Proofrock, Idaho, "murder capital of America." Voicing first-person narrator Jade "Slasher Girl" Daniels, LaBlanc walks the knife edge between anguish and rage as the young Blackfeet woman confronts a third... Read More

Kerr Lordygan narrates a fascinating science fiction tale in which a world hidden for centuries is forced to confront a conquering force. The Hidden Realm of Angolin follows a strict rule of self-imposed isolation until an enemy stirs across the Abyss. Dharmen Tate is a patriot who is struggling with loyalty after discovering a plot to betray Angolin. Lordygan plays with... Read More

With its compelling story and powerful narration, this audiobook keeps listeners invested until the very end. In 1985, Cuban artist Anita de Monte is found dead in New York City. Her death is briefly the talk of the town, but then she's essentially forgotten. In 1998, Raquel Toro, a Puerto Rican first-generation art student, is seeking a topic for her thesis. The story... Read More

At a moment when stories across genres are interrogating how AI and humanity will coexist, Jennifer Jill Araya's performance in this robot-led tale is a standout. Annie is a Cuddle Bunny, a sentient AI in a near-perfect human body designed to meet her owner Doug's every need. But as she reads, learns, and experiences new things, she becomes increasingly aware of her potential... Read More

Emilia Fox's stylish narration brings Freya and her eccentric Aunt Carol to life as they set out to discover the truth behind the death of their old friend and mentor, Arthur. Their adventure escalates as they find themselves sharing an English manor house with some shady individuals. Fox creates believable characters in both the protagonists, injecting just the right amount of... Read More

Alexandra Hunter narrates this complex exploration of grief with tender sincerity. Atlas James is utterly shattered by the death of her father, the only person she feels ever understood her. After a series of poor decisions, Atlas (newly rechristened "Maps") ends up alongside a group of total strangers in a community service project devoted to rehabilitating the wilderness... Read More

Author/narrator Amy Tan takes up bird watching to counteract the negativity and discord in the world. Tan is a joy to listen to--a charming and warm presence, with a dollop of self-deprecation, as she chronicles her learning journey. She exudes joy and wonder as a hummingbird feeds from her hand. There is anguish when, to avoid spreading a disease among the Pine Siskins, she... Read More

Emma Galvin's chilling narration will draw listeners into a small town where four people have mysteriously vanished. Teenaged Nora is shocked to discover that her best friend, Becca, is among the missing and has left behind clues for Nora to follow. Galvin is a seasoned narrator with an array of authentically youthful voices that are put to great use as Nora leans on classmates... Read More

Activist Ijeoma Oluo calls upon her years of experience and numerous contacts to assemble this collection of interviews with leaders across the social justice movement. As narrator, her gentle vocal tone does not diminish her steely resolve to call upon each listener to become more involved and to have a greater understanding of the needs of all people. First-person accounts... Read More

Andi Arndt narrates a peculiar and poignant coming-of-age story. Born the same day VOYAGER 1 was launched in 1977, Adina Giorno has always felt different from those around her. Could she be an alien sent to observe life on earth? Arndt's detached tone deftly manages the balancing act required of an omniscient narrator who is sympathetic to Adina's plight while merely an... Read More

Ali Nasser and Rasha Zamamiri take turns narrating this novel-in-stories centered on the lives of Palestinian Americans in Baltimore. Nasser takes on the stories from the men's perspectives and Zamamiri from the women's. Both narrators voice characters of various ages, from teenagers to elders, with grace and ease. Zamamiri is especially good at her portrayal of teenage girls.... Read More

Susan Katz Miller's enthusiasm for her premise is revealed by the excitement in her voice and her upbeat delivery. She not only believes wholeheartedly in teaching children two religions, she also lived that belief as the child of an interfaith couple back when it was difficult to find any clergy or rabbis to agree to the practice. Miller recounts many interviews with children... Read More

Listening to Alice Notley read her own poetry is rather like visiting her mind. It may take a while to get used to the strange environment, but eventually one adapts and starts to feel comfortable. The poetry still requires attention and investigation, but it is rewarding. Notley's voice is intense and immediate, almost as though she is not reading the poems but improvising... Read More

Narrator Jim Frangione returns listeners to the vampire world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Living among the unaware humans of Caldwell, New York, the vampires fight against the Lessening Society, which wants to destroy them. Nalla, the grown daughter of the fighter Zsadist, falls in love with Nate, a fighter with a tragic past. As Frangione conveys the passion that sparks... Read More

Sam Dewhurst-Phillips's sonorous narration sets the right tone for this true story of Frederick Rutland, a double-dealing British war hero who spied for Japan in the run-up to Pearl Harbor. Like his Hollywood friend Boris Karloff, Rutland was a man who wore many masks. He earned the nickname "Rutland of Jutland" for his heroics during the 1916 Battle of Jutland. His engineering... Read More

Big Panda's soothing voice as delivered by Jason Isaacs would calm the most agitated child (or adult). Isaacs creates a sharp contrast when he performs Tiny Dragon's voice with a bit of nervousness. Listeners will appreciate the Zen-like tone of Big Panda, who soothes his little friend as they take a journey through the seasons. While traveling, they discuss the world and... Read More

Rebecca Lowman was born to narrate Laurie Colwin's transcendent novel, published posthumously in 1993. Lowman's extraordinary performance transports listeners to the charming Manhattan enclave where Colwin's characters continue to enchant. There is a lovely continuity to Colwin's stories, and Lowman's pitch-perfect characterizations and witty delivery of dialogue captures this... Read More

Narrators Mia Hutchinson-Shaw and Evan Sibley are a winning team in this charming romance. Mom and teacher Celeste is trying to find herself again after a divorce; John is a woodworker hoping to get his idea for a bird-guiding business off the ground. She's a complete newbie to birding, but Celeste agrees to be John's partner in the 42-day Bird Binge competition--and to pose as... Read More

Entertainer Whoopi Goldberg's raspy timbre and amused tone make her the only person appropriate to narrate her memoir. As listeners hear just a trace of a New York City inflection at the ends of some sentences, the story of Goldberg's career is skillfully woven into anecdotes featuring her exceptional mother, Emma Johnson, and her unique older brother, Clyde. Born Caryn... Read More

Performing this revealing look at the complexities of the revered jazz pioneer Billie Holiday, actress Maya Days connects with every ounce of the brilliance and tragedy of the singer's life. Strategic pauses in Days's phrasing and spot-on dialect for dialogue make her sentences sing with auditory variety. But it's her heartfelt resonance with Holiday's difficult life that makes... Read More

What makes Dominic Hoffman such a fine narrator is the clarity of his delivery and his vocal agility. He sounds like he is inside Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s, brilliant mind, and he moves adroitly from the author's knowing perspective to "signifying" in the style of African American folklore. His voice is conversational and his tone thoughtful as he takes the listener from the... Read More

An all-star ensemble of historical fiction authors and talented narrators make this collection excellent listening. Each short story features a compelling female character who is breaking barriers, pushing back against limiting expectations, and finding her power. The stories span decades and showcase characters impacted by war, artistic and social movements, cultural shifts,... Read More

Rosemary Benson's clear, melodic narration aids the listener in following the myriad threads that Emily Monosson weaves in this fascinating audiobook on fungi. Some fungi are good. But there is also a parade of horribles--such as the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, which is decimating bat populations; rusts that have already pushed some chestnut trees into extinction;... Read More

Catrin Walker-Booth narrates this contemporary remastering of Arthurian legend with the plights of various women the focus. Arthur is CEO of a successful tech company that has issues with female employees. Gwen, an online influencer with plenty of haters, is his wife; Lance, a veteran, is Arthur's friend and Gwen's lover. Listeners will respond to Arthur's desperation to keep... Read More

Mollie Stark and Sebastian Grove narrate the first in a new fantasy romance series. With only three years until she meets her fated death at age 27, Althea knows time is running out to make her dream of becoming a warrior true--especially when women in her world aren't allowed to hold weapons. Then, an encounter with warrior Wilder Hawthorne provides the opportunity she's... Read More

This supernatural thriller provides an enjoyable wrinkle in narration. The audiobook doesn't feature a single narrator voicing all characters or a full cast with an individual narrator voicing each character. The members of the ensemble each take a major character and whomever that character interacts with. Rachel Fulginiti shines as Andi Wyndham, who buys a bone pendant that... Read More

Miranda Raison performs this magical adventure set on an alternative Earth, where a collection of mysterious books gives special powers to those who possess one of its volumes. When a customer dies in the bookstore where she works, Cassie discovers that he's left her an old, leather-bound work called THE BOOK OF DOORS, which can open almost any door across the world. In... Read More

January LaVoy performs this epic story of three teenagers who are brought back from the dead just long enough to compete in a mysterious game to see who gets to continue to live. In this debut novel by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kelly Link, characters Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves back in Lovesend, Massachusetts, one year after they died. Their families have no memory of... Read More

Amin El Gamal's winning performance endears Deaf, queer protagonist Jackson Ghasnavi to listeners. Jackson loves being the stage manager for his high school's theater department. When sweet, handsome Liam from the swim team gets the lead role in the musical, he and Jackson grow closer. The only problem? Jackson's older sister, Jasmine, likes Liam, too. Jasmine has had a string... Read More

It begins with a wedding. Thérèse Plummer depicts the politically motivated marriage between tech savvy Misery Lark, daughter of an influential Vampyre councilman, and Lowe Moreland, newly ascended Were Alpha. The nuptials will have to create mutual trust between the lead characters in order for them to find Misery's missing friend, uncover sinister plots, and figure out what... Read More

Stephan Watson presents the harrowing true-crime story that marred horse racing's Golden Age. In 1990, Alydar, a great racing stallion, was found in his stall with a broken hind leg. Author Kray, an animal lawyer, believes this injury was not accidental. Alydar's owners were in deep financial trouble, and he was insured for $46.1 million. After the horse recovered, he stumbled... Read More

Alisha Bailey moves easily between English and Jamaican Patois in this debut novel about grief, family, and coming home. After her younger brother dies, 20-year-old Akúa returns to Jamaica to visit the sister she hasn't seen in years. Longing for reconnection and to make sense of their fraught past, she finds home a lot more complicated than she remembered. The story switches... Read More

Ari Fliakos portrays Paul Bunyan, JD Jackson portrays John Henry, and Tanis Parenteau embodies Bright Eyes in this debut quest novel, which masterfully mixes myth, capitalism, and racism. Impoverished Paul Bunyan mines Lump, a toxic mineral that causes his wife to fall gravely ill. With a mythical creature guiding him, he races to find the one machine that could save her. In... Read More

Journalist Kara Swisher specializes in reporting on the Internet. Here she narrates her memoir with urgency and focus, providing a you-are-there history of Silicon Valley. With more than a decade of podcasting experience, Swisher has developed a well-honed, rapid-fire delivery; an aura of journalistic integrity; and a firsthand knowledge of tech history. Anecdotes abound on... Read More

Powerful, enlightening, and entertaining are some of the superlatives that might come to mind as listeners are transported to the world of trial attorney Jack Lee in Virginia in 1968--brought to life by a uniformly outstanding cast. Narrator MacLeod Andrews uses accent, tone, and pace to masterfully portray Lee and the other white male characters. Lee partners with attorney... Read More

Narrators James Urbaniak and Jesse Vilinsky grip listeners throughout the roller-coaster ride of this inventive thriller. The story features the California Bear, a serial killer who mysteriously disappeared decades ago. As interest in the long dormant case is reignited, an ex-police detective, Hightower, and his cohorts go on a mission to reveal the real Bear. The plot unfolds... Read More

Jaime Lincoln Smith skillfully narrates this long overdue biography. Smith's relaxed pacing, rich tone, and understated swagger embody Calvin Peete, one of the best Black golfers in history. This fascinating audiobook takes listeners from Peete's early days as the child of migrant laborers with limited opportunities for education to his incredible success in the PGA despite his... Read More

Narrators Emily Ellet and Joshua Jackson delight listeners with this endearing contemporary romance. Aurora Evans thought she would never again come face-to-face with Mike Martin, her fake Canadian boyfriend from the past. Now Mike is a pro hockey player and single dad in need of a nanny. Aurora and Mike discover they each have past traumas that they can overcome together. In a... Read More

Golden Voice narrator Robin Miles brings a sense of wonder to a near future fantasy that explores the consequences of climate change. Firefighter Syrah Carthan has been angling for a return to Sequoia National Park ever since her family's death there in a wildfire when she was young. After a terrible incident during a planned burn, Syrah discovers there are uncanny forces at... Read More

Alejandro Antonio Ruiz embodies all of the roiling emotions in this compelling queer teen love story. Rafie's intensity comes through clearly in Ruiz's passionate narration. Rafie learned his love of mariachi from his abuelo. He's devastated when his abuelo dies yet is determined to bring home another first-place trophy from the Mariachi Extravaganza. When his family moves to... Read More

The powerhouse authors and narrators of this aspirational audiobook are determined to help women succeed in the workplace. PepsiCo COO Grace Puma and former Nike President of Consumer Direct Christiana Smith Shi perform as if they were professional narrators. They effectively teach listeners how to create a "career GPS" that will guide them, with occasional course corrections,... Read More

Listeners will find author/narrator Carmen Agra Deedy's retelling of this folktale a delightful treat. Upbeat Caribbean music introduces listeners to the beautiful but gluttonous feline, Carina. She goes around town hilariously eating whatever she wants: crackers, a florist, a bride, and a boy. However, she meets her match when a pair of crabs help everyone escape her belly.... Read More

David Tennant is at his best with his narration of this whimsical fantasy for children and adults alike. The audiobook was Pratchett's first published novel in 1971 and was rewritten 30 years later. Whether viewed as a parable of war, apropos of current events, or as a mere humorous tale of little creatures living in your carpet, it's a story that begs to be listened to.... Read More

Barrie Kreinik performs this in-depth look at the life of literary prodigy Carson McCullers (THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, published in 1940). Dearborn presents a complex portrait of McCullers, who grapples with a toxic marriage and alcoholism. As she finds herself eternally entangled in messy relationships--both romantic and platonic--she experiences physical and mental... Read More

Torian Brackett ably portrays the members of a colorful spaceship crew in this debut adventure tale, the first of a planned series. Jal, a wary, emotionally wounded ranger, ends up aboard the Ambit, a rattletrap spaceship, with Saint, a quick-tempered XO; Nash, a sarcastic engineer/medic; and Eoan, a holographic ship-AI who loves humans. Responding to a distress call from a... Read More

Alma Cuervo's warm, rich timbre and measured style suit this captivating audiobook. Her delivery works perfectly as she emulates the author's empathetic tone and wit. This is a vividly imagined story of a novelist whose nom de plume is Scheherazade. She leaves Vermont and returns to her native Dominican Republic to bury her untold (unfinished) works. The plot takes a satisfying... Read More

Ellen Adair handles this biography of Pete Rose beautifully, with clear enunciation and pronunciation, letting the rich and troubled life of baseball's all-time hits leader stand for what it is. Rose was a homegrown Cincinnati guy who went on to star for the Reds. But his off-field pursuits--gambling, an extramarital affair, and a lack of solid friendships--mar his legacy.... Read More

Listeners will just have to imagine the piano music in this atmospheric novel, set in 1890s France. Léon Delafosse is a piano prodigy whose talents take him from the French countryside to Paris. But in order to advance his career and his standing in fickle Paris high society, he must secure a patron. While narrator Mark Sanderlin's pronunciation of French words is flawless, the... Read More

The privileged world of the spirited Isabella Stewart Gardner is aptly captured by the patrician voice of narrator Maggi-Meg Reed. Born in 1840 to a wealthy family in New York City, Isabella married Boston Brahmin Jack Gardner and proceeded to both dazzle and confuse proper Boston elites. Reed softens her tone when "Mrs. Jack" suffers the death of her only child, to recover,... Read More

Journalist Nicholas Kristof delivers his monumental memoir--by turns harrowing (think gunfire, rats, Darfur) and inspiring (he mentors young journalists, starts a nonprofit, and champions rural America). A practiced public speaker, Kristof sounds thoughtful as he covers his long and distinguished career. He's worked four decades as a reporter, foreign correspondent, bureau... Read More

Nicholas Boulton brings this bleakly energetic 1896 novel to life with intelligence. Set in the worst of the London slums, it focuses on the ill-starred Perrott family, especially the boy Dicky, but includes many other neighborhood characters. Boulton moves easily among all of them, fluently altering voices, accents, ages, and genders as if he's a one-man full cast. His deep,... Read More

Victoria Villarreal smoothly shifts between the languages, locations, humor, and heartache of Dolores Mendoza. Delores suffers with interstitial cystitis, a condition that caused a bladder accident in front of fellow eighth graders, a moment of shame that Villarreal powerfully conveys. Villarreal captures Dolores's curiosity in a priest's confessional, wit in the bathroom... Read More

Tanis Parenteau delivers Marcia Muller's latest intense Sharon McCone mystery. At first, Parenteau's scratchy voice is unappealing, but as she navigates more twists and turns than a carnival ride, her tone fits the story. Vandalism has hit several upscale San Francisco neighborhoods. PI McCone's agency is hired by a neighborhood watch group to keep an eye on local streets.... Read More

Pete Cross provides a suitably lighthearted narration for this quirky, twisty, high-flying murder mystery set in a circus called Mysterium. This second installment in the Hayden and Friends mystery series follows a pint-sized gay middle-school teacher, Hayden, and his best friend, Hollister, as they seek the culprit in the murder of one of the circus performers. Although... Read More

In the final book in the Danny Ryan Trilogy, a masterpiece of crime writing, Ari Fliakos delivers an astounding, empathetic performance. Rhode Island Irish mobster Danny Ryan's journey began decades ago when he evolved from a longshoreman to a small-time mobster and then to a multimillionaire Las Vegas hotelier. Winslow based Ryan's journey on the Greek tragedies THE ILIAD, THE... Read More

Mara Wilson does a wonderful job narrating the complex and sweeping story of Shiva Margolin, a young queer woman who finds herself mired in generations of family secrets and pain. Full of Jewish folklore, with flashes back to eighteenth-century Ropshitz, Poland, then known as the City of Laughter, this story could potentially be confusing for the listener. Using tone,... Read More

Kitty Parker narrates a lush and atmospheric romantasy. In each generation, the most talented Everly is taken as payment for a wrong committed centuries earlier--until Violet Everly decides to break the curse. Parker's impeccable delivery perfectly matches the dense and sensuous tone of the story, emphasizing the moody and mysterious world in which Violet finds herself cast... Read More

Ana Osorio narrates with youthful wonder and gentle breathiness, adding to the atmospheric quality of this young adult horror story. When Case arrives at her friend Drea's house in rural Texas after receiving an invitation, she meets strange and unhelpful housemates--and Drea is nowhere to be found. Osorio's voice shifts to a tone of anxiety as Case gradually realizes that... Read More

Rory Kinnear's performance of the fifth Hawthorne and Horowitz mystery is "something of a masterclass," says author Anthony Horowitz in a recorded postscript that praises Kinnear's flair and fluency. Indeed, Kinnear's voice--rich and resonant, with precise articulation--is one of the many pleasures in this outing of the comical, ill-matched pair as they investigate which... Read More

Charlie Thurston's narration engages whether in flashbacks of Colton Gentry's high school years or accounts of his present-day return to his hometown. Thurston's fluid transitions transcend leaps in time and credibly illuminate Colton's ongoing affection for Luann, his first love. While Colton speaks in a neutral tone, Thurston's expressions of his interior reveal his struggles... Read More

Karen Chilton's performance brings listeners close to the lives detailed in this story collection. Sanders's works are linked by the friction that emerges when family members and co-workers encounter each other in various shared spaces, sometimes begrudgingly. The stories revolve around a Black family, primarily in the Washington, DC, area, where a cross section of affluence,... Read More

Caitlin Elizabeth, Victoria Mei, Will Thorne, and Adenrele Ojo perform the first entry in a fantasy epic laden with erotic suspense. For thousands of years, a pact has existed between humanity and the gods: Every 100 years the current human king is bound to send a consort to the king of the gods, Ash, who has the ability to shift forms. Now the current human king is training... Read More

Ben Arogundade does a fine job performing this collection of science-fiction short stories set in Africa. His steady voice helps listeners through the unfamiliar terrain of places and things, though there is no "coming together" of these stories as the title suggests. Each is set in its own reality. Most intriguing is "Saturday's Song," an African folktale of seven godlike... Read More

Robert Downey, Jr., teamed up with prolific climate change author Thomas Kostigen to write and narrate a fun yet impactful audio guide to choosing food habits that will cool the planet. The passionate duo seek to popularize a new climate-friendly food category--cool food--to represent the best edible options for producers and consumers. Downey, Jr., is an absolute riot to... Read More

Mark Kurlansky brings an authoritative narration to his latest food history endeavor. In the first part, Kurlansky explores the history and science of the onion, delivering his insights with the matter-of-fact demeanor of a seasoned professor. In the second part, Kurlansky reveals his passion for historical recipes, which is evident in his brighter narration. The recipes are... Read More

Music and sound effects are beautifully paired with January LaVoy's inviting narration of this adaptation of Coretta Scott King's autobiography for adults. Hymns and soft lyrical strains play in the background as LaVoy describes King's church-based, family-strong youth. Her narration becomes agitated when Coretta asks about the prejudice surrounding her. The music and narration... Read More

With her beautiful British accent, Naomi Frederick narrates this story of two couples whose lives unravel. Lucy and Adam, and Cora and Scott are practically a blended family. Adam, Cora, and Scott were friends at university; their past is deep and rife with secrets unknown to Lucy. One day, Lucy sees a compromising picture of Scott with another woman. As she tries to piece... Read More

Voice actor Colleen Delany narrates the conclusion to the Court of Thorns and Roses series, set amid the Night Court of the High Fae. Proud, prickly, short-tempered Nesta Archeron, portrayed by Natalie Van Sistine, spars with her battle-scarred lover, silken voiced Cassian, performed by Jon Vertullo. Sometimes they tangle between the sheets in scenes of explicit sex; sometimes... Read More

Book 1 in the Myrtlewood Crones series gets a near-perfect narration from Bethan Dixon Bate. Bizarre things keep happening to 60-ish Delia Spark. She's attacked by a stranger, her daughter is being secretive, and things around her burst into flame spontaneously--for example, her ex-husband's girlfriend's underwear. To get away, Delia travels to remote Myrtlewood, where she... Read More

Laura Knight Keating brings this Stonewall Award winner, a Norwegian import, to English-speaking listeners. "Seventh grade sucks," observes Tuva as she struggles to navigate both changing friendships and her growing same-sex attraction to a new classmate. She pours out her feelings to her diary, writing and illustrating moments both sweet and painful. Keating's expertly pitched... Read More

A talented cast beautifully re-creates an old-time radio drama about an ambitious reporter and a strange group seeking gold and a missing silent film actress in the deep, dark Amazon jungle of the 1920s. Narrator Ken Jackson knows how to craft a story and lure listeners into the web of intrigue. Kimberly Gilbert dominates as the resourceful Ursula, matched by Holly Adams as the... Read More

Carol Dweck, author of MINDSET, narrates the Foreword of this audiobook in a workmanlike fashion, explaining her scholarly relationship with author Mary Murphy. Murphy argues that the creative and talented mindset transcends the innate gifts of an individual. Cultures of growth are explained as both revolutionary and helpful at Microsoft and many other well-known organizations.... Read More

Narrator Brianna Bronte exudes the drama of the romance between Katy Chavos and Dane Vanderale, who is a Breed--a combination of human and animal DNA. Years ago, when Katy worked at a diner that Dane frequented, she fell in love with him, but he rejected her. Bronte captures Katy's anguish at that time. Later, Katy returns to her hometown after having gone to work for a... Read More

Jeremy Carlisle Parker shows emotional breadth in her portrayal of 17-year-old Rosy Holt, who zealously guards her own and her grandmother's shape-shifting adventures in a remote forest. Parker heightens the initial tension during a dramatic scene in which Rosy saves the life of a princess. The taut plot continues as Rosy hides her secrets while attending magic school in the... Read More

Stephanie Willing, Xe Sands, and Steve Quinn work together beautifully to bring forth the emotional vibrancy, complicated family dynamics, and romantic entanglements in Leavitt's latest novel. With a youthful, textured intonation, Willing captures what it feels like to be Ella, a young woman who is coming out of a fraught situation in search of a fresh start. Sands's low,... Read More

The spirited, engaging voice of narrator Bronwen Price takes listeners back to Edinburgh, Scotland, where a detective duo is solving a very personal cold case in the late Victorian period. In the fifth adventure of the Angus Brodie and Mikaela Forsythe crime-solving team, Angus is searching for the person who murdered his mother 30 years earlier. Uninvited but undeterred,... Read More

Workplace enemies fall in love in this stand-alone contemporary romance, the third in the Paper Cuts series, narrated by Fiona Aarington and Nick Mondelli, who also narrated the series' previous two audiobooks. Tenley and Brooks are competing to become their law firm's next partner. Forced to work together on a case, each realizes that the other is the stranger they've been... Read More

This compelling audiobook about the beginning of the Civil War gains resonance from its parallels with today's divisions and drift toward violence. Will Patton's narration fits Larson's authorial voice, which is frank, factual, and artfully judicious in tone. Patton suggests historical voices, but his delivery is nuanced and understated, never showy. Brief chapters track the... Read More

Christina Wong is a multidisciplinary artist who wrote and now narrates this slice-of-life novel. It's about an elderly Chinese Canadian widow who pushes a cart through Toronto's Chinatown, gathering bottles, cans, and reliving memories. David Innes's outstanding pen-and-ink illustrations, available on an accompanying pdf, are described by the narrator as the story proceeds.... Read More

Tania De Rozario performs her essay collection, which revolves around her experience growing up as a fat mixed-race queer girl in Singapore. When she was a child, school administrators required her to eat smaller meals and exercise more. After her mother learned of De Rozario's sexuality, she called church leaders to exorcise her. De Rozario narrates each of her essays with... Read More

This post-Cold War thriller set in Moscow in 1976 is primarily a murder mystery with a cameo of Henry Kissinger. Its enjoyable listening benefits from David Aranovich's well-paced narration. The central character is Viktor Moroz, a Russian refusenik who stumbles on a murder scene and is given a choice: Find the murderer, or the KGB will name him the murderer. From there, the... Read More

With an easy conversational style, Hollywood stalwart Brendan Fraser leads an A-list crew of fellow Canadian actors in this audiobook. At a time in the future a group of astronauts and a group of hardened criminals are placed in a cryogenic state before their minds are uploaded to a massive quantum supercomputer. Suddenly, it's 500 years later, and the collection of misfits... Read More

Narrator Reena Dutt creates an energetic and determined voice for 13-year-old Pakistani American Deena, an aspiring artist who wishes to pursue her art despite the pressure from her mom to focus on a more practical future career path. Deena's mom is always worried about money, and her stress affects Deena as well. Dutt captures Deena's tumultuous emotions as she tries to... Read More

Narrator Kelli Tager creates a strong sense of place through the Dust Bowl denizens she gives voice to in this fairytale-esque historical drama. Driven by Hollywood dreams and the threat of Depression-era destitution, Stella Fischer operates a small moonshine still in Kansas with her friend Jane and works alongside her aunt and sisters at their boardinghouse. Tager creates... Read More