January 2025 Earphones Award Winners

Andrea Davis Pinkney showcases her praise poem to Toni Morrison with a practiced delivery, addressing her subject as "you" throughout. Pinkney is gentle in describing Morrison's youthful love of letters; she deepens her voice as the future Nobelist gains confidence at Howard University. Her voice swells with pride as Morrison conquers the literary world as an editor and writer... Read More

Dion Graham continues his stellar work with Mosley's Joe King Oliver series, bringing heart and rough edges in equal measure. Here, the private investigator's Grandma B has a dying wish: Locate her long-missing son. Oliver's complicated relationship with his father is heightened as the search brings new insights into the man. Meanwhile, Oliver struggles with his own ethics as... Read More

Melancholy music opens this production, underscoring the pensive nature of Robertson's extraordinary research on safe communities Black people created to remake their lives. Narrator Dion Graham's smooth baritone carries gravitas and emotion as he presents this overview with examples of settlements developed specifically by and for Black men and women from the Reconstruction... Read More

A poet, performance artist, and devotee of Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes presents a selection of Hughes's early poems, songs, and other writings, created from 1921 to 1927. Danez Smith is extraordinary at performing their stirring introduction to Hughes's early creative output. With their clear baritone voice and extraordinary vocal talent, Smith's performance is... Read More

The former special assistant and speechwriter to President Reagan, Peggy Noonan, has been contributing a column to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL for 25 years. Noonan and her editor chose 80 of her best for this publication of relatively recent writings, all expertly narrated by Hillary Huber. The subjects, wide in scope, range from the artistry of Paul Simon and Bob Dylan to the... Read More

Samantha Bond is winning as Queen Elizabeth II in the fourth mystery in this delightful series. The Queen is in Paris on State business, when several mishaps occur that could be sabotage. Additionally, Philip is accused of a double murder in Chelsea but claims he's innocent and that she is his alibi. But is it the truth? The Queen contacts Joan McGraw, a brilliant palace... Read More

Carolina Hoyos gives a powerful performance of a parent's worst nightmare. In 1976, Argentina was in the grip of its Dirty War. Lorena Ledesma, a young mother, is kidnapped, leaving her 3-year-old son, Matías, with her mother, Esme. As time passes, Esme covertly meets with the mothers of others who have disappeared. Learning that while imprisoned Lorena gave birth to a... Read More

Narrator JD Jackson's enchanting gravelly voice is an inspired match for this roller-coaster ride of an audio. As a young medium in a family of magic workers, Theo Tatterly considers himself up to any ghostly challenge. But when a terrifying hag appears during a field trip and his aunt has a premonition of doom, Theo finds himself tested to his limits and fighting for his life.... Read More

Asian American actors Angela Lin and Jenapher Zheng are perfect as a determined lawyer who hires her independent-minded sister to be a Mandarin-English translator in a high-stakes multinational lawsuit. In this complex and compelling drama, emotions run high, and ethics run low when the Chinese government partners with an American tech giant to enhance the country's internet... Read More

Imani Jade Powers performs a cozy fantasy about a grieving witch who finds solace at a magical home under the watchful eye of a mythical beast named Frank. Saika lost her magical powers in the same series of events that took her beloved sister. She journeys to put her sister to rest and arrives at the famous Ash Gardens, where she's quickly taken in by Frank and then discovers... Read More

Set on an island off the coast of Maine, this compelling coming-of-age novel captures the listener's attention. Evan Sibley performs this audiobook with narrative drive, a convincing tone, and a sure sense of the unfolding drama. The setting is a posh but remote club on fictional Whaleback Island--just the place to retrain young misfits to work hard on land and sea to please... Read More

Narrator Emily Lawrence aids listeners in picturing Yocheved (Yoyo) Gold, eldest daughter of an Orthodox rabbi. Lawrence captures the intelligence, wit, and leadership that have made her a respected, responsible family member and friend. Lawrence also depicts Yoyo's sense of irony and inner turmoil when her best friend is sent away to a boarding school after kissing a boy.... Read More

Kelli Tager and Will Watt deliver dialogue that reflects how people actually talk. After New Yorker Sylvie Devereaux is cut off financially by her parents, temporarily marrying a wealthy Scottish brute for a huge payout seems like her only option. So what if the contract his sister drafts stipulates that at the end of 12 months she must sign over Killian Barclay's family manor... Read More

Sally Phillips's heartfelt performance of this novel has perfect pacing and inflection. From Little Alien's first attempt at language, listeners sense something extraordinary about her. The story's narrator, an analytical linguist, breaks down Little Alien's sentences with empathy, while Phillips's detached tone and well-timed pauses emphasize the complexities of English and... Read More

Sarah LaBrie, a successful television writer based in Los Angeles, narrates her gripping memoir of family trauma in a calm, sweet voice that keeps listeners engaged. Throughout LaBrie's childhood her mother ricocheted from one psychiatric episode to another, terrifying and caring ineptly for the girl. With hard work and luck, LaBrie made it to an Ivy League college. There, a... Read More

Narrator Michael Braun provides a flawless interpretation of this extensive look at the high-flying AI company Nvidia. Along with his inviting vocal tone, his creative phrasing is engaging--never repetitive and always in sync with the riveting dynamics of the company's rise to prominence. The captivating story details Jensen Huang's 31 years leading Nvidia and how he... Read More

It's been 38 years since we first met Rusty Sabich in PRESUMED INNOCENT. Narrator Grover Gardner, one of the best in the business, affects a smooth and evocative tone as he reminds us how Rusty was found innocent of murdering his mistress. Now he's entering the third act of his life with his engagement to the loving and insightful Bea. Gardner's tone and rhythm increase the... Read More

Narrator Ilvana Muratovic's Bosnian heritage adds power to Eskens's extraordinary historical novel of the 1990s War in Bosnia and its repercussions. Muratovic gives Hana Babic, a Bosnian now living in Minnesota, a subtle accent. It soon becomes clear that Hana's secret past, buried for the last 30 years, threatens to resurface and upend her quiet life. As the story flashes back... Read More

Harry Myers dives into the role of narrator for this "History of the London Police Force's Most Infamous Murder Cases." Beginning with the Ratcliffe Highway Murders in 1811, these detailed accounts of the force and a panoply of murders include Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel Murders. Myers uses a gritty tone and an educated London accent for the narrative and various... Read More

Cassandra Campbell's outstanding narration makes this history of Nazi efforts to eliminate Jewish and female academic opportunities in Germany an accessible and completely absorbing listen. While this subject is challenging, Campbell's investment in relaying the historical details of Nazi actions to eradicate women's roles in public professions and, indeed, in all aspects of... Read More

As narrated by Alex Boyles, this provocative audiobook will startle listeners who are fascinated with how AI will affect society. Humanist minister Greg Epstein sees parallels in the fervor people feel toward traditional religions and the exuberant devotion the business world feels toward tech innovations like Bitcoin and the godlike thinking machines that will likely dominate... Read More

Fans of Baldacci's Travis Devine series will find everything they've come to expect: a multilayered plot, high-stakes action, and bodies dropping everywhere. Narrator Zach Villa leads as Travis Devine, supported by a well-matched cast who heighten the listening experience. This time, Devine must protect 12-year-old Betsy Odom in Seattle. A complex web of conspiracies draws in... Read More

Greta Jung performs Nobel Prize winner Han Kang's latest novel, a haunting story focused on the friendship of two women. Kyungha receives an urgent request from her friend, Inseon, to come see her at a hospital in Seoul. Inseon asks Kyungha to care for her bird, Ama, at her home on Jeju Island, and Kyungha arrives just as a snowstorm consumes the island. Jung's wistful... Read More