April 2025 Earphones Award Winners

Profanity seems to be the only way to adequately describe the outrageous behavior of a classmate of Florence's 10-year-old son, Dylan. Narrator Georgina Sadler's resigned matter-of-fact delivery sets a hilariously irreverent tone in this addictive listen. Just as it seems there might finally be an opening for Florence to revive the pop band career of her youth, Dylan's... Read More

Karen Russell, the magical realism and prose virtuoso, conjures the American Dust Bowl. Her vibrant imaginings are voiced by a stellar cast. Sophie Amoss shimmers as the Antidote, a "prairie witch" who takes verbal deposits; Asphodel Oletsky, a teen recently orphaned when her mom was murdered, is vividly portrayed by Elena Rey; and the masterful Mark Bramhall inhabits the sane,... Read More

Natalie Naudus embodies anxiety and fear of the supernatural with razor-sharp precision. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cora Zeng's sister, Delilah, is murdered in a hate crime: The killer shouts "bat eater" before pushing her in front of a train. Now Cora is a crime- scene cleaner, and she's noticed an increase in the unexplained murders of Asian women whose bodies... Read More

Narrator Kim Staunton communicates a buoyant pride in this very short story highlighting the contributions of Africans before the slave trade began. Original music and gentle sound effects of waves and wildlife accompany a storied list of African accomplishments in the fields of art, music, warfare, science, and math. Staunton's fluid delivery highlights the author's careful... Read More

Award-winning NBC News Anchor and Chief Consumer Investigative Correspondent Vicky Nguyen delivers her memoir with the same passion and rapid-fire delivery that she brings to her television work. This audiobook offers great insight into the talented journalist. Born in Saigon, Nguyen fled to a Malaysian refugee camp with her family, finally immigrating to the U.S., where she... Read More

Ell Potter delivers a smashing performance of Galland's engrossing novel. The title character is Sander Cooke, an androgynous actor with the Chamberlain's Men in Elizabethan London whose brilliant performances in female roles have made him a celebrity. His best friend, Joan, longs to study, but scholarship is forbidden because she's a woman. So Joan employs cross-dressing to... Read More

The ensemble of narrators adds great depth to this audiobook, allowing listeners to immerse themselves in the richness of well-defined characters. In Garcia's debut thriller, the listening experience is memorable because each of the narrators is superb. There is Hillary Huber as Stephanie, who is presumably murdered on a business trip. There is Jennifer Pickens as Jasmine, the... Read More

Loretta J. Ross delivers her audiobook in an authentic-sounding voice. A longtime activist, Ross provides a detailed discussion on the practice of "calling in" people who need education and support on difficult issues. This is different from "calling out" someone, either in person or on social media, an approach Ross asserts may feel good in the moment but has limited positive... Read More

This dystopian novel, set in an uncomfortably near future, features an innocent woman who is incarcerated for her dreams. Exceptionally well narrated by Frankie Corzo, with brief bursts of affectless officialese delivered by Barton Caplan, the story works remarkably well as an audiobook. Much of the narrative is the protagonist Sara's thoughts, feelings, and reactions. Corzo... Read More

The talented Andrew Fallaize reprises his narration of THE TAINTED CUP, the first in this series. Fallaize aptly narrates this imaginative and suspenseful story in which older, experienced Ana and young Din investigate the unsettling murder of a treasury officer. Through Din's perfect memory and Ana's brilliance, they discover a plot that runs deep, threatening the empire's... Read More

Narrators Julia Whelan and Connor Crais deliver unique performances in this short yet moving audiobook. Seth and Charlotte are neighbors who meet over the disappearance of their stairs from a construction mix-up. Deciding to remain on their floor over the weekend, the two connect and talk about their isolated lives. The narrators' performances offer a full experience. Each... Read More

Narrating this exceptional audiobook with power and confidence, Alexis Fernandez-Preiksa, the host of a popular podcast, uses her training in neuroscience and her own personal growth adventures to explain the mindset and strategies needed for each of us to live our best life. The implicit message in her muscular voice and matter-of-fact tone is that all of us have the ability... Read More

Sid Sagar immediately draws listeners into this riveting novel, set in ancient Thebes. Phaidros is a soldier who was raised to fight. Now he's in his 30s, lonely and grieving the loss of his sworn companion even as he trains a new generation. He's immensely likable, and the first-person perspective and colloquial language mean that Sagar is able to bring listeners intimately... Read More

With deft interpretations and stunning vocal control, Emily Rankin and Caroline Hewitt bring this fascinating historical mystery to life. The casting is on point, bringing enough variation to the main characters to allow easy differentiation. The story spans a century of time and three generations of women. Rankin brings the listener along as Tildy Barrows, head curator of an... Read More

Writer Brad Meltzer is one of those rare people whose voice exudes sincerity, honesty, and a love of humanity. This brief work is largely based on the commencement speech he gave at his son's graduation from the University of Michigan. As anyone who's ever attended a speech by Meltzer knows, his words are always inspiring and real. Here, he talks about his own career and life,... Read More

Author and mortality expert Joanna Ebenstein sounds lovely in this sincere and well-organized reminder that death is coming, so live now as well as you can. Performing this audiobook (whose title is Latin for "remember you must die"), she is a gentle messenger, full of grace and charm as she explains how writers, thinkers, and people in ancient cultures embraced mortality to... Read More

Fans of "Bridgerton" will devour this audio-only contemporary romance narrated by screen actors Nicola Coughlan and Gwilym Lee. Hattie Murton, reluctant star of the fictional TV show "Leicester Square," lives her worst nightmare when the screenwriters create a love arc for her with her unpleasant costar, Anthony Rafe. Coughlan channels Hattie's underdog quality, and her... Read More

Boyd Barrett flawlessly brings to life the eccentric but lovable residents of a small town in Georgia. Listeners meet independent Sarah Lapis Harris--"Slappy"--who buys her family's home at auction, angering her seven brothers. As she settles in, she's continually interrupted by her junk-collecting, sermonizing, flirty neighbor, Fin--who is rendered to perfection. The town is... Read More

Evan, an orphan and trained killer, is back in this riveting thriller. While the author does a magnificent job with pacing and story development, he shines with dialogue. And Scott Brick is sensational. Anything Brick narrates is a sure bet, and he really is at his best here. Evan and his pal Tommy have a falling out and find themselves at odds with each other. Complicating... Read More

Vikas Adam masterfully draws listeners into this nonstop thriller featuring disgraced former NYPD detective Sami Kierce. The story begins with a secret from more than 20 years earlier, when Sami, fresh from college, backpacked through Europe and had a brief romance with a beautiful American woman. Fast-forward to the present: Twists and turns come quickly as Sami investigates... Read More

Atkins's historical audiobook novel-in-verse shines a light on an important chapter of American history, beginning with the 1913 Women's March and ending with the 1920 ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. Chanté McCormick gives the historical, mostly forgotten, Matilda Young a compelling voice. Matilda's voice gains confidence and strength as she grows from a shy... Read More

Period music provides an apt background for a note in the initial credits informing listeners that the pronunciation in this production will be performed in the Early Modern English of Shakespeare's time. That sets up an immersive transition to the world of 61-year-old Judith, apothecary, midwife, and the last of the Bard's progeny, who must leave town after being accused of... Read More

Narrator Amanda Ronconi enlivens the story of Jess Bricker, a wedding proposal orchestrator, as she accompanies Diana, a snobby former classmate, on a pre-bridal retreat. Jess is dragged off to the exclusive Golden Ash resort by Diana, whose "surprise" proposal Jess has been hired to plan. While there, Jess finds two dead bodies and develops a friendship with the owners of the... Read More

Is this audiobook delivered by a full cast? No, just the immensely talented Hillary Huber. In this second installment of The Martini Club series, Huber crafts distinct voices for each male and female character, immersing listeners in the search for a missing teenage girl in the club's hometown of Purity, Maine. The retired CIA agents of the Martini Club use their skills to stay... Read More

Jefferson White shows remarkable skill balancing a youthful cast with the sobering reality they must face. Twenty-four years before Katniss's games, Haymitch, from District 12, must compete in the Hunger Games--with twice the tributes (competitors). White's perfect pacing adds intensity to the brutality of the games and lingering melancholy as Haymitch struggles to maintain his... Read More

This is the ideal audiobook for those who enjoy literate, dark family dramas with a gothic vibe. The crisp, posh English voice of Nathalie Buscombe introduces a quartet of young women whose lives are ruined by a freak shooting accident and the destructive aftermath that follows. Lonely, middle-class Gillian longs to be a part of the social elite, who are represented by the... Read More

Vera Wong is back, bringing with her characters from Sutanto's previous audiobook, along with a host of new suspects and friends. Narrator Eunice Wong turns in another stellar performance, ensuring that this second audiobook featuring the 60-year-old Chinese mother and self-styled super sleuth is just as entertaining and thought-provoking as the first. This time, Vera gets... Read More

Author and narrator James Robinson combines his documentary filmmaking skills and familiarity with audiobooks to render his experience with serious visual disability in audio. Sound effects immerse the listener in Robinson's memories, like the ticking of the school clock as impatient classmates wait while he struggles to read. Slow pacing reflects the gravity of each memory. He... Read More

Golden Voice Ramón de Ocampo, who narrated each of the author's memoirs, delivers this hard-hitting YA novel in verse. De Ocampo guides listeners on its emotional journey, using the genre's rhythms to illuminate the relationship between high school seniors Diego and his best friend, Lawson. De Ocampo's poignant delivery highlights the contrast between anxious, rule-following,... Read More

Sophie Jo Wasson transports listeners to Ireland in 1847 with her poignant performance. Like many throughout the country, Nell's family's potato crop is infected with a black rot that makes the potatoes inedible. Farmers are forced to choose between paying their rent from the sale of their oat crops, or feeding their families and facing eviction. Amid those tragedies, Nell and... Read More

Aoife McMahon and Aidan Kelly manifest a pantheon of Irish gods in this enchanting story of family and loss. After killing dozens with a never-ending frost, Cailleach is forced to live multiple lives to learn the responsibility of godhood. Newly human and fragile, Cailleach forms unshakable bonds with a small dog, several lovers, and her daughter--only to lose them again and... Read More