Sasha LaPointe is an Indigenous artist--a descendant of the Upper Skagit and Nooksack Indian tribes--as well as a poet and now an author/narrator. She voices her coming-of-age memoir in soft, melodic tones while recounting a nomadic childhood full of identity conflict. LaPointe is an engaging storyteller who shares her various journeys, which range from expanding her... Read More

Laural Merlington narrates with intelligence, clarity, good pace, and timing that suits this scientific send-up of how farming practices have devolved. Her serious yet approachable tone and sure cadence work for this detailed and demanding manifesto on regenerative farming. Merlington does especially good work on the profiles and interviews that underpin the husband-and-wife... Read More

Soft-voiced Anne Flosnik narrates this fourteenth-century tale of a convent in England. In the aftermath of the Black Death, the aging Mother John, abbess of Gaerdegen, leads her nuns, using the controversial Book of Ursula, much to the dismay of the local priest-confessor. Flosnik's steady voice allows this story, filled with long-winded backstories of the nuns' lives, the... Read More

Narrator Eric Martin's deliberate narration makes listening to this unusual novel about life's challenges both intriguing and troubling. The story of Benjamin, an elderly father, and his estranged daughter, Helen, explores what happened when she disappeared in Mount Rainier National Park at the age of 11. Martin plumbs the crevices of the father-daughter relationship and also... Read More

Kyla García performs Maria Gainza's brief, richly detailed jewel of a novel with just the right touch of insouciance to capture the essence of the duplicitous unnamed narrator. The story takes place in the clandestine world of art forgery in Buenos Aires and features the lives of its eccentric artists and would-be forgers. García delivers the story as if the narrator, an art... Read More

This detailed history of how economics swayed public policy during the last 60 years has sentences and conceptual threads that would challenge any voice pro. Narrator Suzie Althens has a pleasing vocal tone and melodic pitch range that any narrator would envy. But occasionally her vocal flourishes and placement of pauses interrupt a sentence or conceptual thread that needs more... Read More

Mike Lenz narrates in a thoughtful style and measured tone that work well for this history of nineteenth-century Manhattan. His thoroughly professional performance lets the dozens of compelling anecdotes tell themselves. The listener is engaged by the sometimes chaotic, often revealing stories of fires, riots, diseases, famous people such as John Jacob Astor and P.T. Barnum,... Read More

This postapocalyptic novel is sparse with concrete details, leaving out dates and place names. Only one city is identified, Toronto, and only two countries, the U.S. and Canada. Nor are most of the characters named. The world being painted is one in which the future is uncertain for American exiles, and exile is the only safe course of action remaining for Americans, including... Read More

Author/narrator Melissa Febos delivers a rousing manifesto on the transformative power of personal storytelling. This part-memoir, part-writing guide is presented as a series of candid essays that explore writing about traumatic experiences. Febos draws listeners in with her clear, unapologetic narration of practical advice about how to write about ourselves and/or others. She... Read More

Sandro Galea's analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic is a public health call to action, and narrator Roman Howell capably conveys this message. After each solemn chapter title announcement, Howell amps up the urgency as he describes the pandemic's effects on geography, politics, economics, racism, and history itself. Howell's narration reinforces Galea's tenet: Medicine and... Read More

Matthew Lloyd Davies's performance is intelligent, honest, and compelling in this intriguing story filled with spycraft and surprises. Robert Harland, ex-British spy, currently works for the UN secretary- general. After surviving a plane crash, which was possibly sabotage, he's drawn back into intelligence work. Years earlier, as an agent in Czechoslovakia, Harland's career and... Read More

An echo of adolescent enthusiasm underlies William Sarris's lively narration--a fitting tone for this history of the world's favorite and most enduring games. Checkers, backgammon, chess, Go, poker, Scrabble, bridge--even before you've finished the first chapter and heard all the possible opening moves in a checkers match, you realize that these are no passing adolescent... Read More

Narrator Eunice Wong delivers an emotionally absorbing performance of this poignant novella and five short stories. This fictional compilation explores complexities of the Asian-American experience, including issues such as assimilation and intergenerational trauma. In the titular novella, HUNGER, Wong magnificently renders the heartbreaking tone and presents authentic... Read More

Listeners often find that an audiobook performance enhances and sometimes redefines the written narrative, and this example is an interesting case in point. The author is male, the narrator female. The point of view is third-person omniscient, but our sympathies are solidly with the novel's beleaguered heroine. Mark Prins's story of a senior professor stifling the career of... Read More

Narrator Joyce Bean, the voice of this series, returns to bring listeners Native American Jane Whitefield. In helping a young woman disappear from a murderous boyfriend, Jane triggers a blood-thirsty pursuit by the Russian mob, pushing her to leverage her well-honed survival skills. Bean portrays Jane with an even-paced, somewhat monotone voice that conveys calm intelligence.... Read More

Aiden Kelly gives a masterful narration of this brief novel, set in a small Irish town in 1985. Bill Furlong, the son of an unwed mother and now a coal merchant with a family, leads a comfortable life. But menace gradually creeps into Kelly's brogue, reflecting the shattering of Furlong's complacency. During a coal delivery to the town's convent, he finds a young woman locked... Read More

Narrator Rachel Coates captures the vitality of Primi Peregrino, a passionate booklover. The Marcos regime has brought the economy in the Philippines to its knees. Primi and her sister are orphans, yet while the world around her is in flux, Primi thinks only of books, sex, books, and more sex--preferably with a book nearby. Primi's creed is "I read, therefore, I am." Although a... Read More

This trio of narrators hits the mark. Poker and crime play a role in these short stories, which come to life with their deft narrations. Many of the authors are well known; for example, Joyce Carol Oates, Laura Lippman, and Michael Connelly. For the characters at a party in "Pitch Black," narrator Keith Sellon-Wright creates an exceptional range of voices, alternating mostly... Read More

Raquel Beattie masterfully engages listeners with her calm, clear voice as she performs this audiobook. For the first-person protagonist, living in Chile during the brutal dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet is like living in another dimension--not unlike the one depicted in the 1960s television series "The Twilight Zone." Nothing is what it seems; people change their names, have... Read More

Narrator Jennifer M. Dixon sets the perfect pace for this clever series debut set at the fictional estate of mystery writer Agatha Christie. Phyllida Bright, Christie's capable housekeeper, channels her boss's famous character, private detective Hercule Poirot, when she investigates the murder of an unexpected guest at a weekend house party. Dixon animates the dialogue,... Read More

Author Eyal Press asks listeners to consider his view that grave moral injuries are being inflicted upon workers in a variety of "dirty" industries. Narrator Neil Shah sounds like a seasoned survival show narrator as he brings seriousness, tension, and concern to the author's probing interviews with a panoply of workers. They include mental health professionals in prisons,... Read More

FROM THE PUBLISHER: Frank and funny, Dr. Jen Gunter debunks misogynistic attitudes and challenges the over-mystification of menopause to reveal everything you really need to know about: perimenopause, hot flashes, sleep disruption, sex and libido, depression and mood changes, skin and hair issues, outdated therapies, breast health, weight and muscle mass, health maintenance... Read More

Narrator Danny Campbell uses a raspy, scratchy timbre to create the voice of a 115-year-old Sam Cunningham, who, on his deathbed, is reviewing his life with God. Sam's remarkable life begins in Louisiana under the thumb of an abusive father. After serving in WWI, Sam begins an illustrious career in journalism. Campbell's expressive voice guides listeners through Sam's reporting... Read More

Listeners who enjoy a moving historical novel will appreciate Peter Berkrot's narration as two California families are shaped by war, bigotry, and disastrously entangled relationships. Berkrot brings to life the Wilsons and Takahashis, whose lives are forever altered by the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Takahashis, tenants of the Wilsons, are sent to an internment camp. Their... Read More

Blake Scott Ball uses subtlety and understatement, much like "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz himself did, to paint a thoughtful portrait of Schulz's life and the political commentary he quietly placed in his renowned comic strip and later animated television specials. Sadly, Johnny Heller's delivery style is more like that of an anchorman. (Think: "Here now--the news!") It... Read More

On one level, this remarkable audiobook focuses on Gala, a trans woman who is looking for meaning in contemporary New Mexico. Deeper focus, however, is given to Gala's quasi-biographical fan letters to (and about) B--, the genius behind 1960s surf band the Get Happies. Intensity mounts as Gala's and B--'s experiences of gender and displacement overlap, and author Jeanne... Read More

Memoirist Diane Wilson's first novel celebrates the role of Dakota women who kept their seeds and culture alive across generations. Narrator Kyla Garcia portrays four generations of women who preserve seeds and stories. She brings Rosalie Iron Wing to life as she struggles to overcome her past as a foster child, live as the wife of a white farmer, and search for her family and... Read More

Narrating this broad history, Susan Ericksen combines respect for the author's work with the tone and phrasing needed to make listening enjoyable. Ericksen's slow enunciation is fitting but will challenge some listeners' ability to track the ideas in longer sentences. But with her grasp of the author's intentions never in doubt, the work holds together with satisfying... Read More

George Newbern's narration keeps listeners focused throughout scenes of heartbreaking choices. His voice sounds just a bit removed; however, this is in keeping with the audiobook's third-person narration and doesn't diminish its impact. Listeners hear how Henry and his 6-year-old son get by living out of a truck. Henry negotiates life based on the fluctuating amounts of money... Read More

Christina Delaine delivers a fable in a tone of childlike wonder as she begins her narration of the story of conservation. The tone continues as author Michelle Nijhuis describes her summer job of watching a desert tortoise. That magical feeling continues to pop up from time to time, as when Delaine describes Nijhuis's first visit to the Smithsonian. Conservation and the people... Read More

Narrator James Cameron Stewart delivers a tongue-in-cheek WWII adventure featuring British spy Basil St. Florian. Listeners meet the real-life code breaker Alan Turing and learn that St. Florian must locate a rare 1789 manuscript called "A Path to Jesus" to crack a code and possibly end the war. Stewart's approach is laugh-out-loud funny as St. Florian gets himself into and out... Read More

This audiobook collection of Russian mystery and crime short stories and excerpts from larger works includes classics from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as some lesser-known works. Authors include Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy, Bunin, and Nabokov, among others. BJ Harrison provides a spirited and expressive narration of all the works. His voice is clear, and he... Read More

In 1933, a man lost his 13-year-old daughter in a poker game. The girl went off to live with a man she had never met. And so, in an easy Kentucky drawl, narrator Courtney Patterson begins the hardscrabble story of Carol, who unquestioningly takes the world, in all its brutality and wonder, as it comes. The audiobook trades chapters between the voices of Carol and her grandson,... Read More

Goldberg's collection of crime stories has plenty of dark humor, but narrator Johnny Heller never plays it for laughs. Heller stays true to the characters, who may say funny things but are not funny people. The production excels when Heller enters the minds and mouths of the tough guys and gals. (Many appear in earlier Goldberg novels.) Check out Heller as Peaches Pocotillo,... Read More

Narrator Rosemary Benson creates the voices of the major and minor figures in this biography of Levon Helm, drummer for The Band. She delivers a convincing voicing of Helm's soft Arkansas dialect and even mimics incidental characters such as saxophonist Bobby Keys and folk singer Happy Traum. Author Tooze's excellent research keeps the biography interesting (odd fact--Helm... Read More

Courtney Zoffness narrates her reflections on motherhood, gender, and contemporary life with unflinching directness. The questions she raises are not easy, but she introduces them with a frankness that makes them engaging. Listeners who are looking for an interesting mix of topics will find much to admire in these essays, which can be listened to in order or chosen at random.... Read More

Charlie Thurston's performance of Marcia Butler's novel about a wandering moose and the townsfolk of a small mill town in central Maine is a pleasure. Evidently inspired by people she met when visiting the state, the author populates the audiobook with quirky personalities who elicit affection and sympathy without becoming caricatures. Thurston supports the author's choices by... Read More

Suzanne Toren is an experienced narrator, one of the AUDIOFILE's Golden Voices, who confidently takes the listener into this complicated family drama about a girl in provincial France in the early 1900s. Listeners hear the ups and downs of Maud's early years with an absent father and a negligent mother. In dreamy tones, Toren creates sympathy for the young Maud, who tries to... Read More

Narrator Joana Garcia is an excellent choice for this novel about familial and ancestral trauma. She conveys the difficulties Rufina faces as she tries to keep her half-brother, Rafa, alive. Listeners are drawn into this reckoning as the two wrestle with their mother's past. Garcia maximizes the drama in each scene as ghosts and angels populate the narrative alongside the human... Read More

Migrating birds navigate from one end of the earth to the other, somehow knowing exactly where and when to stop for critical food sources. Narrator Mike Lenz captures the author's wonder and inquisitiveness as he follows godwits, hummingbirds, snowy owls, great knots, and many others on their journeys. The recovery of Swainson's hawks after the reduction of pesticide use in... Read More

Machelle Williams is a steady narrator who provides a solid performance of this diverse short story collection. She shifts smoothly between the mostly female characters living in Florida, each of whom is struggling with her own losses. With a melodic intonation Williams presents the deepest dilemmas of mothers, daughters, and other women. From miscarriage to a parent's death,... Read More

Narrator Sarah Mollo-Christensen provides a lovely feminine voice for the free-spirited Emma Lewis Swan, a sculptor who lives in Boston with her husband, Tom, a doctor. When he leaves for France to aid wounded soldiers during WWI, Emma befriends Linton Bower, a handsome artist, and becomes the victim of malicious gossip. Hoping to rekindle her passionless marriage, Emma goes to... Read More

JD Jackson narrates this essay collection about the social effects of the film BLACK PANTHER. The premise is that it is more than a comic- book movie--it is an inspirational work of art that will change the lives of those who see it. In order for this premise to work, the narrator has to sell it, and Jackson brings the gravitas that the audiobook needs. His powerful voice and... Read More

Narrator David de Vries takes a straightforward approach to this journalistic account of how three teenagers--sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen and friend Jo Schaft--became actively involved with the Nazi resistance movement based in Haarlem, The Netherlands. De Vries's expressive delivery emphasizes the girls' improvisational training as they learned to lie, steal, plant... Read More

Narrator Elizabeth Wiley provides steady, empathetic guidance through this speculative story featuring time travel and Wild West heroine Annie Oakley. Ruth McClintock continues to work on her theory that Oakley was sexually abused as a child--despite that theory having caused Ruth to fail her doctoral thesis in history. Wiley brings insight and tenderness to disparate... Read More

Narrator Chloe Cannon has a great voice--but not one you'd necessarily choose to describe the dissecting of ancient archaeological sites. Narrator and narrative aren't at odds here, exactly. But neither are they in any way a match. Journalist Annalee Newitz's on-the-spot depictions of Catalhoyuk, Pompeii, Angkor, and Cahokia are close up and personal, and her choices have a... Read More

Performed with grace and care, Daniel Henning's outstanding narration of this fine biography reveals, warts and all, the larger-than-life James Beard. The renowned chef--who was six foot three and 300 pounds-- is considered the dean of American cookery. Henning narrates with intelligence at a good pace, and he gives the elegant prose its due. This is an audiobook filled with... Read More

Jan Morris's piquant, irreverent daily diary about life as a nonagenarian in the 21st century is brought to vibrant life by narrator Jennifer M. Dixon. As she did in her first book of jottings, the famous Welsh author and historian, who died in 2020, observes everything from world politics to neighborhood birds--from aging, family, and love to the pleasures of jam on toast in... Read More

Set in nineteenth-century London, this entertaining mystery is made all the more fun by Charles Armstrong's animated narration. The disappearances of a lord, a clergyman, and several women; the drugging of a young milliner; the suicide of a seamstress; and rumors of an occult society bring together the unlikely duo of Scotland Yard's Inspector Cutter and Cambridge University... Read More

A surprisingly delightful audiobook takes what might be a dry topic--the migrations of forests and trees--and turns it into a compelling listening experience. Part of the credit goes to Daniel Henning's lively narration. He animates this fascinating collection of stories and scientific studies at a steady pace and gives a nuanced performance. Make no mistake--this audiobook... Read More

Narrator Kyla Garcia highlights the mistreatment of Puerto Rican farmers during the Spanish-American War in this tense audiobook. When the Puerto Ricans who were devastated by a hurricane in 1899 migrated to Hawaii in hope of a new life, they didn't expect to be treated inhospitably. Garcia commendably portrays the characters with laid-back pacing. As Vicente Vega, she shows... Read More

Paul Woodson's rapid-fire delivery of this nail-biting work of speculative fiction follows the race to develop rockets and space exploration by way of WWII and Hitler's rise to power. Woodson deftly navigates a melting pot of accents--often within the same scene--to depict major aerospace engineers Wernher von Braun from Germany, Sergei Korolev from Soviet Russia, and the... Read More

Michael Kramer returns to narrate the fourth audiobook in the Butcher's Boy series. Michael Schaefer, a retired hit man, has been enjoying the good life in England with his aristocratic wife. But one Mafia boss, who has a long memory and a particular grudge against him, seeks revenge. Kramer's voicing of Schaefer is easy to listen to and conveys the personality of this smart,... Read More

The dual narration of this audiobook is unique in that both characters are voicing the same character, Will, a forger being extorted into doing a special job. At first, it might take the listener aback, but it does not mar the performance as both voices are woven seamlessly into the story. When Will's wife, Meghan, speaks, Christina Delaine shapes her voice with appropriate... Read More

Charles Constant's narration is earnest and reflective, a good fit for Flynn's confessional memoir, which takes listeners into his memories and experiences at a granular level. The work is centered around the night his mother burned down his family's house and his attempts to understand her actions. He also focuses on his fame after the success of his first memoir, which was... Read More

With vivid descriptions; sharp, authentic dialogue; and a compelling plot, this audio mystery, set in Boston in 1985, is worth the listen. Narrator Keith Sellon-Wright pulls listeners in with his portrayal of former Army Special Forces soldier Andy Roark. Now an investigator, he's trying to figure out what comes next in his life. Sellon-Wright portrays him as smart, dedicated,... Read More

Narrator John Pruden shines in this political thriller. The story centers on a Maryland Congressional election between incumbent Democrat Hugh McKenzie and Republican newcomer Nelson Aguilar, a Hispanic media mogul. With ripped-from-the-headlines subplots and cringe-worthy partisan tactics, the story features an inside look at the highs and lows of political campaigns including... Read More

Nancy Wu provides a crisp, intelligent-sounding voice for historical information on the nation of Taiwan, which is presented alongside the author's personal memories of her childhood there. Wu captures the author's inquisitive spirit as shown through her discovery of family letters and her explorations of the flora, fauna, and history of the island that was once her family's... Read More

In this unusual collection of stories, Pinsker creates tales of the technological and the supernatural. Christina Delaine's performance provides a suitable voice for such explorations. Her pitch is deep and her delivery convincing, with solid dialogue exchanges and patient plot exposition. No matter what unfolds, Delaine is fully immersed in each role, and is confident and... Read More

Narrator Chistina Delaine rises to the challenge of portraying a cast of larger-than-life characters. Ex-CIA officer Valencia Walker is now a high-priced corporate fixer who has been called in to help a top New York law firm with damage control after a young associate loses his phone, which holds important corporate documents. The situation quickly goes from bad to worse as a... Read More

Astronomy professor Emily Levesque and narrator Janet Metzger take listeners behind the scenes with professional stargazers. Levesque interviewed numerous colleagues, whose many anecdotes are included in this production. Metzger is subtle in her conveyance of the seriousness and humor found in these stories, which highlight idiosyncrasies among individuals in the field.... Read More

Is contemporary evangelical Christianity Bible-based, or is it more inspired by pop culture and politics? Narrator Suzie Althens lends a compassionate and thoughtful tone to this new audiobook on how Christian media has informed and changed evangelical Christianity. The author also explores how the politics of the 1970s and beyond have inspired changes to the Christian religion... Read More

Narrated by author Sandra Tsing Loh, this hilarious memoir sets a frenetic pace. Right out of the gate, listeners will hear the chaotic thoughts of a 55-year-old woman who is raising two teenage daughters with a partner who seems ambivalent. Loh recounts her medical woes over the year with the appropriate panic and awe as she encounters each new and unwelcome surprise. Finances... Read More

A combination of deep critical analysis and deeply personal meditation, this audiobook presents an image of Walt Whitman as icon, man, poet, and queer activist. It is also, to a large extent, an autobiography of the highly acclaimed contemporary poet Mark Doty, who explores his life in terms of Whitman's life and poetry. Narrator Jonathan Yen is unobtrusive, letting the text... Read More

Narrator Jane Oppenheimer affects an authentic L.A. vibe when voicing this audiobook's many Hollywood elites. Maura Fielder's internal whirlwind begins when she finds her husband viewing a decades-old video of himself sleeping with another woman. Determined to investigate the woman in the video, Maura descends into a Google-frenzied madness that the author crafts into a... Read More

Zehra Jane Naqvi has a youthful sounding voice, which is put to good use as she narrates this novel about a young, unnamed Palestinian woman. Naqvi embodies the confusion, irritation, and rage of the heroine while growing up in Palestine. Naqvi gives voice to the narrator's ruminations about the gender double standards she increasingly confronts in her conservative society.... Read More

Chinese-Thai-American narrator Cindy Kay delivers a powerful performance in this audiobook. With daily negative messages from popular media, it can be easy to classify humans by categories such as refugees and immigrants without seeing the individuals behind them. In this compilation from CATAPULT magazine, the human aspects of those who have taken on those classifications... Read More

Narrator Laural Merlington conveys a sense of urgency as she recounts the contentious history of immigration reform in twentieth-century America. The years between 1924 and 1965 brought unprecedented change to immigration policies, moving from the overtly racist Immigration Act of 1924 to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which finally made it possible for Asian,... Read More

Narrator Rebecca Gibel offers a humorous performance of this collection of satirical essays that provide insight into several political topics. Gibel's crisp and understated yet energetic voice explains how safe spaces coddle American children and deny them the same struggles their parents experienced. With tongue in cheek, Gibel also states the author's "claim" that Trump is a... Read More

In this third collection of poems by the 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown, narrator JD Jackson steadily delivers a heartfelt narration of what Brown describes his book to be about: "the normalization of evil . . . and why these things, as heinous as they are, are normal in our time and in our culture." In this short audiobook, Jackson is clear, moderately... Read More

Narrators David Shih and Cindy Kay lend their voices to Vanessa Hua's compelling short story collection, which reveals the secrets and desires of individuals straddling different cultures. Raised in immigrant families, Hua's characters are torn between their families' expectations and their desire to forge their own unique lives. Shih's fluid narration is tender, imbuing even... Read More

Charlie Thurston's performance transports listeners into a modern fantasy laced with themes of cultural differences, gay romance, and the battle between science and religion. German native Max can bring dead animals back to life with his touch. After moving to Alabama, he enrolls in a Christian school, becomes engrossed in the "boys being boys" culture of the football team, and... Read More

Russ Giguere, the original member of the successful mid-sixties pop group The Association, offers a chatty memoir that serves as a mini-portrait of its evolution. The band is well known for the familiar and tuneful "Never My Love," "Cherish," and "Along Comes Mary." Narrator Peter Berkrot provides a workmanlike performance. His thin voice and matter-of-fact tone are somewhat... Read More

Ojibwa author Dennis Staples's first novel introduces Marion, a young Ojibwa man who has left the res but is often drawn back, searching for his identity and purpose. A mix of family history, mystery, and cultural exploration is unevenly brought to life by narrator Kaipo Schwab. Telling the story in the voice of Marion, Schwab gives listeners the feeling of connecting with this... Read More

Narrator John Lee's strikingly deep voice, crisp accent, and powerful enunciation constitute an admirable and powerful tool, but one that here overpowers his material. The topic is grand--the story of London as the center of British trade and exploration that transformed England from a backwater to a budding empire over the course of the sixteenth century. But it's still... Read More

Narrator Paul Heitsch walks a tightrope in this memoir. He must not tumble into rage or wallow in regret. Kennicott's mother was born to be a concert violinist. The wreck of her career wrecked the mother who survived. "Life gave her little joy, and when she died, it was in anguish, without any sense of peace." As the cancer triumphed, her son listened and listened to a Bach... Read More

In this indictment of the systematic expulsion of 80,000 indigenous people during the 1830s, narrator Stephen Bowlby's empathetic style smartly lets the stories' damning evidence speak for itself. He seamlessly captures the bureaucratic ineptitude and cruel governmental indifference underlying President Andrew Jackson's horrific plan to send the southeastern tribes to less than... Read More

This hypnotically narrated debut tells a dark story that takes place in rural Washington state. Narrator Cassandra Campbell captures unflinching depictions of rural poverty and the oppressions of capitalism as they affect a group of young white friends. Amid the atmospheric Pacific Northwest setting, meth, depression, a myriad of violent acts, and grief saturate the narrative.... Read More

Stockard Channing's eccentric, canny, and wholly absorbing performance is perfect for this quite riveting biography. The poet Honor Moore follows her bestselling life of her father, Episcopal Bishop Paul Moore, with a study of her grandmother, Margarett Sargent, a gifted painter, Boston Brahmin, and society "it" girl. Margarett is compellingly interesting in the way of Zelda... Read More

Doshi's novel is moving and poetic, and narrator Siiri Scott excels with its well-developed dialogue. Following a divorce, Grace Marisola finds herself leaving the U.S. and returning to Pondicherry, India, to cremate her mother and settle her estate. There she discovers she has an older sister who has been institutionalized. Grace's journey is compelling and entertaining as she... Read More

The author examines the fascinating relationship between franchise companies like McDonald's and black communities across the nation over the past half-century. Machelle Williams gives this rich history a straightforward narration that invites listeners to learn more about the resilience and ingenuity of black communities while also highlighting their struggles with fast food... Read More

Narrators Cindy Kay and David Shih unfold the questions behind a woman's death in this slow-moving mystery with elements of magical realism. Ryusei Yanagi falls head over heels in love with his fellow student, Miwako Sumida, a woman whose life has always been kept under wraps. Persistent as he is, she refuses his advances. Then, Miwako is found dead of suicide, having left no... Read More

Hard-boiled private eye Andy Roark has an accent that displays his South Boston roots, but his years around military personnel have given his voice a hint of the American South. Bringing the two speech patterns together sounds challenging, but narrator Keith Sellon-Wright manages to pull it off. Roark is on assignment, tracking down a father who abandoned his family. There are... Read More

The small town in this audiobook is decimated by the horrific aftereffects of a prison breakout. When, after two years, the 12 masterminds behind the breakout remain at large, police officer Leah Hawkins takes a leave of absence to hunt them down and take revenge. Christina Delaine's accomplished narration holds the listener's attention as Leah crosses the country, seeking out... Read More

Narrator Eric Jason Martin guides listeners through an apocalyptic world in which the last two humans on earth, an unnamed man and his unnamed daughter, try to survive in the wild and commune with nature. As this audiobook progresses and reality blurs, Martin remains steadfast and strong with his narration. The girl never seems too surprised by the strange happenings, and it is... Read More

Listeners will be captivated by the emotion in narrator Ramon de Ocampo's voice in this beautifully written account of a young man's life-changing journey. Alvarez sought to understand his own history and future on a run celebrating indigenous history and tradition. At age 19, the son of working-class Mexican immigrants drops out of college to join the Peace and Dignity... Read More

Danez Smith IS spoken-word art! This gender-neutral National Book Award finalist is full of funk and flavor, and is fearless in delivering personal poetic narratives. Smith opens by discussing why their audiobook is called HOMIE. This work is definitely not for the faint of heart. It wakes you up. Smith speaks of identity through experiences addressing race, queerness,... Read More

Narrator Matthew Josdal's delivery style--low-key, neutral, and occasionally skeptical--makes him the right voice for this fresh perspective on Donald Trump. The premise: Trump is a brand mascot, not much different than Mr. Clean or Colonel Sanders, who has "jumped off the cereal box" and into the White House. This triumph of brand over man has its roots in TV's populist... Read More

Piper Goodeve is the ideal narrator for this coming-of-age audiobook. The story is mainly told from the first-person perspective of Evie, who is awaiting the return of her fiancé, Liam, who may be lost at sea. Evie lives on an island off the coast of California with her charming but irresponsible father. Her mother has returned for Evie's upcoming wedding after several years'... Read More

JD Jackson's exemplary narration draws listeners into this account of the creation of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is part of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. With his warm and inviting tone, Jackson fully inhabits the thoughtful and perceptive persona of the author, who was the museum's founding director, to such a degree that... Read More

This fast-paced and deftly narrated medical thriller-cum-parable packs an emotional punch with a side of gore. Raj Ghatak narrates the story of a surgeon in rural India who one night is visited by a murdered family of three. The undead visitors come to the surgeon with a desperate request, and over the course of the long night, a series of decisions is made and secrets are... Read More

In April 1962, a fascinating collection of intellectuals and Nobel Prize winners gathered for a White House dinner hosted by President John F. Kennedys and the first lady. With his quintessentially American voice, narrator Tom Perkins delivers this well-researched narrative, which celebrates the achievements of mid-century American scholars, scientists, and literati and their... Read More

The destructive impact of gun violence comes to life in this stirring audiobook, narrated with intensity by Charlie Thurston. Set in the South, this debut novel reads like a documentary, which is an ideal format for Thurston, whose delivery is reminiscent of the best TV anchormen. The audiobook begins when a student kills 12 people at his university library, using his... Read More

Carmen Maria Machado's memoir of psychological abuse by a former girlfriend dissects their relationship from many perspectives, each described within the framework of a highly original metaphor (all of which the author claims are not metaphors). As she opens the doors on her experience, Machado's voice is soft and steady, simultaneously vulnerable and assured. Acclaimed for her... Read More

Narrator Peter Berkrot gives a perfectly pitched performance in this existential take on a midlife crisis. At the funeral of his mildly famous mother, a theologian, Calvin Bledsoe meets his long-lost Aunt Beatrice and embarks on an unexpected adventure across the globe with her. Berkrot's narration is wry and matter-of-fact, providing a counterpoint to the increasingly zany... Read More

In this sci-fi audiobook, two people, both portrayed by narrator Gabra Zackman, are trying to find their way back to each other. In the future, the global economy has collapsed, and the electrical grid has failed. Despite the chaos, Carson is travelling across the country to Beatrix, who is working to build a new way of life in her neighborhood. This is a hopeful... Read More

Traci Odom and Eric Michael Summerer narrate different stories in this collection, but they have something in common. They both are engaging storytellers. These 16 previously published stories gathered together in this audiobook form a disparate vision of the future. Each narrator adopts an easy conversational tone until the stories call for intensity, suspense, or some other... Read More

It is difficult to imagine that this extraordinary story could be even better, but Robin Miles's sublime narration accomplishes that feat. In 1958, just before Jamaica's independence, a childless couple adopts an abandoned infant and names him Moshe. His pale skin, mismatched- colored eyes, and hair brand him as unusual in his community, and his racial definition mirrors... Read More

Narrator Keith Sellon-Wright brings a workmanlike approach to his narration of this brief and balanced guide by Canadian historian Andrew Preston. Preston's writing is well ordered, if dry. Sellon-Wright does little to lift it from the page even when the author describes potentially dramatic challenges in international relations as the U.S. moved from a colony to a republic,... Read More

This engaging audiobook, expertly narrated by Allyson Johnson, sets out to fill a void in the literature about motherhood with stories by, for, and about single black adoptive mothers. When Austin decided to adopt, she found, to her disappointment, few resources for families like hers. Weaving together memoir, history, and critique, she examines the ways society stereotypes and... Read More

For those with a serious interest in the evolution of banking, this audiobook is a must-listen despite narrator Jonathan Cowley's lack of engagement. Walter Bagehot (pronounced "badget") was one of those multitalented Victorians whose ideas have continued to echo in the present. Although he also wrote biography, literary criticism, and political analysis, this audiobook focuses... Read More

A gripping, gorgeous story from start to finish is brought to life by narrator Almarie Guerra. Like author Jaquira Díaz, Guerra was born in Puerto Rico and is bilingual. In a smooth, engaging voice that isn't overly theatrical, she brings a balance of spirit and restraint to her delivery of Díaz's electric memoir. The listener follows Díaz from her childhood in the projects in... Read More

In a deep, gravelly voice, narrator Joe Barrett ably presents this account of the life of George Bird Grinnell, who is arguably the impetus behind the creation of the American conservation movement. A Yale-educated New Yorker, Grinnell was a scholar who excavated dinosaurs on the Great Plains, accompanied Custer in the Black Hills, assisted in mapping Yellowstone, and became a... Read More

Assaf Cohen is a capable narrator for this thorough examination of the many issues plaguing the nascent democracy of Burma. He is academic, earnest, and informative throughout the chapters that outline the promise and limitations facing the nation. Cohen makes clear the complex, intertwined factors of race, government, and economics that compete for dominance. He brings forth... Read More

Neil Shah gives an eloquently unadorned narration of this modern quest novel, set in Syria. On his deathbed, Abdel asks his eldest son, Bolbol, to return his body to his ancestral burial ground. The journey is not far, yet it traverses the most dangerous part of the war-ravaged country. Bolbol enlists the help of his criminally suspect brother, Hussein, and his flighty sister,... Read More

Both author and narrator deliver high-quality work in this audiobook. Kessler is journalist and teacher who went inside Oregon State Penitentiary to teach writing to men serving life terms for murder. Narrator Hollis McCarthy does a good job portraying both the teacher and the inmates. She conveys empathy for the men while evoking deep sympathy for their victims, both the dead... Read More

Narrator Simon Vance works his magic on this well-written WWII novel inspired by the contributions made to the war effort by homing pigeons. Not to worry--listeners will also find plenty of action scenes, terror behind enemy lines, and a sweet romance. Vance masterfully differentiates characters from Maine, several parts of the UK, France, and Germany. The lead female... Read More

Writer David Roberts originally sets out to follow the path of the two Franciscan priests who led an exploration through the U.S. Southwest in 1776. But he soon deviates from his mission, and those deviations show up in Robert Fass's faithful narration of this audiobook. Whether Roberts is waxing nostalgic for maps or grumbling about how little people know about Silvestre Vélez... Read More

Narrator Leon Nixon delivers author Terry's style flawlessly. With his deep voice and, at times, laconic pace, Nixon narrates with a nuanced tone that draws listeners into the internal struggles of a mixed-race young man who grapples to find his place in the world. While routinely alienated by white people, he seems incapable of validating his blackness and finds himself... Read More

Audiobook listeners will find lots to chew on in this compelling examination of the myths and belief systems that uphold patriarchy. Chloe Cannon's cadenced narration lends Doyle's work the gravitas it deserves. From nineteenth-century gothic novels and ancient Irish folklore to classic slasher movies and contemporary true-crime stories, Doyle explores how the myth of female... Read More

Christina Delaine's performance often feels like rock singer Stevie Nicks herself is telling her story. Delaine conjures up visions of Stevie with her melodious voice, which can turn sharp as a knife when the story makes it necessary. And what a story it is: Everyone wanted her, but no one wanted to love her. This audiobook relies heavily on interviews with friends and... Read More

In 1969, Yale University first welcomed women undergraduates. Erin Bennett's narration is an excellent companion to this account of the challenges these women faced amid this monumental change. Bennett's voice is clear and precise, never wavering even as she describes the isolation, sexual harassment, flagrant injustices, and rampant sexism these women had to navigate in order... Read More

Narrator Keith Sellon-Wright makes this friendly dose of musicology even friendlier with his relaxed delivery and mellow tone. The audiobook builds upon a thesis-like setup--a comparison of Duke Ellington's decentralized, opportunistic approach to musical collaboration and the egalitarian, fraternal approach of Lennon and McCartney. The work is populated by interesting... Read More

This appealing audiobook offers a new view of timeless concepts. As narrator Christa Lewis recounts the lives of Louise and her extended family members, the impact of time, art, and history echo through this novel. When a funeral reunites people long separated, the past is explored alongside the present. There is something welcoming in the broad expanse of human... Read More

If you admire Miss Marple's cleverness but secretly wish she would embrace crime rather than solve it, you'll enjoy Suzanne Toren's narration of these five stories about 88-year-old Maud. Toren gives Maud's machinations a dignity and even righteous indignation that belie Maud's actions. Toren also perfectly conveys Maud's clever ability to play upon people's underestimation of... Read More

The unsolved disappearance of three girls from their small town in Australia is recounted by 11-year-old Tikka Malloy, portrayed by Cat Gould. In a time shift, the adult Tikka remains haunted by guilt, as she and her older sister knew the girls were planning to run away yet never told anyone. Gould's native Australian accent lends a useful authenticity to the narrative, but the... Read More

It's tough to imagine anyone other than Sharon Gordon narrating this culture-rich novel about a Jamaican immigrant living in New York City. Gordon's portrayal of a variety of Jamaican voices--from softly melodic Jamaican-American dialect to hearty Kingston street patois--keeps this performance soaring despite the hardships of the characters. Longing for a better life, as well... Read More

Listeners will feel claustrophobic as they wend their way through this audiobook, but not because of narrator Matthew Waterson. On the contrary, Waterson's even pacing and soft British accent make for an ideal guide. It's the subject matter that takes us to dark, cramped spaces. In this follow-up to his previous titles on mountains and remote places, Robert Macfarlane explores... Read More

This audiobook draws listeners in slowly and holds on tight. Beautifully narrated by Hillary Huber, the story introduces an engaging protagonist and a compelling location. Emily, who is turning 40 and is questioning everything about her life after a miscarriage, has just inherited an abandoned summer camp with her husband. After moving there, she discovers an unexpected... Read More

Justine Eyre's breathless delivery of this genre-bending novel, especially its unvarying cadence, can quickly become monotonous for the listener. The three interconnected stories in this second work by the award-winning Argentine author are set in different time periods--the age of exploration, the nineteenth century; the beginning of the digital age, the 1980s; and the near... Read More

Narrator David Shih does a remarkable job with this audiobook about the contributions of Chinese immigrants in the building of the First Transcontinental Railroad. His deep, gentle voice is inviting, and he urges us to keep listening by pacing himself well and enunciating clearly. Shih gives Chang's story depth and heft by accentuating the trials these workers were forced to... Read More

David Shih delivers the quiet, contemplative voice at the center of this dystopian novel set in modern China. He creates the satirical figure of Ma Daode, a party official who is corrupt and plagued by his subconscious. Shih strikes the right chord of understated irony as listeners are led into an increasingly absurdist breakdown of reality. Ma Daode is supposed to create a... Read More

Narrator Bahni Turpin engages the listener with this complex dual biography of writers Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. While both are known as luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance, this audiobook explores the lesser known aspects of their friendship and collaboration throughout the 1920s and ‘30s, which ended in a bitter split. Turpin keeps the pace of the work flowing... Read More

Jeed Saddy brings to life the four buoyant women who educate us on the power within the downtrodden. Her range as a narrator is put to good use as she switches between Deepa, Joy, Rokshana, and Padma. The girls, and their mothers, work together to keep the city of Bangalore from demolishing their only home. Ironically named Heaven, the slum is all they have--except for each... Read More

Narrator Gabrielle Baker takes charge of a complicated and strange world, the setting for a dense tale of political exile, alchemy, and raw ambition. The two main characters are from opposite ends of every conceivable spectrum, but Baker recognizes and plays off of their similarities. This interplay between the two characters is central to the audiobook. Isten is a feisty... Read More

Listeners may find themselves checking for symptoms as they explore this well-researched volume detailing efforts to identify and eradicate better known and more obscure pandemics of the twentieth century, including Spanish influenza, parrot fever, AIDS and ebola. John Lee's narration appreciably enhances this illuminating audiobook. His steady voice, careful pacing, and... Read More

Lorene Cary does a fantastic job narrating her outstanding memoir, shading it with the nuanced emotions it requires. In a wonderfully paced storytelling voice, she captures the reverberations that occur when her grandmother, who lived to be over 100, moves into her home. Her story is filled with all the love, pain, frustration, guilt, sadness, and, most of all, the appreciative... Read More

With minimal emotional inflection, Paul Heitsch narrates this account of the fire that led to the rise of the gay liberation movement. On June 24, 1973, 31 men and one woman perished in an arson fire at The Up Stairs Lounge, a New Orleans bar. It was the worst attack against gays until 2016. Time and again, descriptions of the dead, dying, and burned are juxtaposed with news... Read More

Lara Prior-Palmer jokes that her upper-class British accent is full of entitlement, and narrator Henrietta Meire certainly possesses that posh undertone in her accent. But Prior-Palmer is also authentic and self-deprecating, and Meire expresses that likability with energy and vulnerability in her voice. At 19 years old, on a whim and with no experience or preparation,... Read More

Listeners expecting instruction on the art of doing nothing (especially those who hope to unplug, listen, and return to work refreshed and productive) will be surprised: This audiobook is less about HOW to do nothing than WHY to do nothing--it illuminates what we gain by doing less and unplugging from the "cult of productivity." Narrator Rebecca Gibel offers a spirited sense of... Read More

Jan Morris's quirky, endearing, stimulating collection of daily thoughts is given a wholehearted narration by Jennifer M. Dixon. Now that the renowned travel writer and essayist is in her 80s, opportunities for voyaging far and wide have diminished. Though she has settled into the Welsh countryside, her opinions haven't moderated. Dixon doesn't sound exactly like Morris, whose... Read More

Narrator Will Poulter takes on the role of Private Kavanagh, who reluctantly serves on the Wall. In this dystopia, the United Kingdom has built a wall to keep out rising sea levels as well as those who seek to escape "the change." Poulter's dispassionate narration tells the first-person story of a young man who is trained to be a protector of the wall. Poulter makes the right... Read More

Narrator Suzanne Toren employs her considerable vocal talent to help listeners view America's history through the lens of the female Jewish experience. The work begins in 1654 with the first arrivals and spans more than 350 years. Toren's steady voice and empathetic tone, clear diction, and comfortable pacing engage listeners with this survey of the personal stories of... Read More

Narrator Kyla Garcia provides a bright voice for the unnamed woman, an art gallery tour guide, at the heart of this Argentinian novel. Speaking in the first person, the protagonist finds her extensive knowledge of painting, both current and historical, blending into her own personal experiences. Approaching middle age and battling cancer, she reminisces about significant events... Read More

Tavia Gilbert and Robert Fass deserve only superlatives for their performances in Louis Bayard's outstanding historical fiction. Mary Todd and Joshua Speed tell compelling stories detailing the way their lives entwined with Abraham Lincoln's. In 1840, Mary comes to Springfield with marriage on her mind. She meets handsome, charming Speed and awkward Lincoln, an unimpressive... Read More

This powerful audiobook will give listeners a unique perspective on what may be the hottest topic in American politics today. The author visits detention centers on the U.S. border to defend people who are asking for asylum. Narrator Robertson Dean uses his inimitable smooth baritone to bring Sepúlveda's experiences to life. In addition to Dean's near-perfect diction, he adds... Read More

It seems almost contradictory to describe the narration of an autobiography as exuding a sense of humility—but that is the best description of this work by the youngish mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Buttigieg writes intelligently in a way that nearly any listener will understand. He is soft-spoken, yet it’s clear what’s important to him. Sections about his family and personal... Read More

Narrator Justine Eyre channels an uncertain and wistful teenager. Restless and hungry for adventure, 17-year-old Luisa, who lives in Mexico City, impulsively decides to run off to an Oaxacan beach with an acquaintance named Tomás. Starting with the dubious aim of finding a troupe of Ukrainian dwarves who have recently disappeared from a Soviet circus touring Mexico, Luisa is... Read More

Beresford Bennett's narration of this dramatic story set in Jamaica during the 1980s moves at a steady pace. The protagonist, Ferron, is dealing with the death of his father. The rhythm of Bennett's tone and pace changes when he portrays Ferron and speaks in a Jamaican dialect. His solemn yet energetic intonation reflects the political upheaval on this small island. When he is... Read More

Anthony Ferguson narrates this debut collection of 10 stories, all set in the fictional town of Glass on the coast of England. With a pace as steady as a metronome, he lets each story flow into the next. The stories focus on damaged characters who are preoccupied by hurts, secrets, and missed opportunities but still hopefully reaching out for human connection and finding grace.... Read More

Several popular audiobooks attempt to explain contemporary science, the best known being Bill Bryson's A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING. In this work Gross is unique in his focus on one central feature, the sublime--in nature, in the theories of scientists, and in scientific writing. Bob Souer proves an excellent choice as narrator for this challenging and provocative text.... Read More

Narrator Jeed Saddy tells the story of a woman known only as Mother. This novel, which focuses on the second-generation immigrant experience, takes place in a wealthy suburb of Atlanta over only one day. Saddy employs accents to differentiate characters. The accent of the protagonist's Bengali mother is especially effective, as is the childish lilt Saddy gives Middle Daughter... Read More

Narrator Christina Delaine effectively captures the strength, confidence, and smarts of Elle Stowell, the burglar at the center of Perry's latest audiobook. In the course of her well-planned burglary of a wealthy Los Angeles home, Elle comes upon a brutal murder scene and suddenly finds herself the target of a militaristic security force. She decides that she has to solve the... Read More

Once listeners adapt to Sally Kohn's abrupt tone and quick pacing, they'll recognize an authentic humanist with a knack for communicating passion when sharing an idea or a poignant story. The progressive CNN commentator offers remedies for the scourge of hatred gripping our country. She describes at the personal level how quickly we can hate or "otherize" people who don't look... Read More

Tavia Gilbert's narration of these unsettling stories is deeply satisfying. The first work in this excellent collection is about two longtime friends who have drifted apart but who are working together to figure out what to do if their synagogue is attacked. This piece, like the others in this book, is steeped in the current American realities of violence, politics, and... Read More

The ability to portray empathetic characters is one of narrator Hillary Huber's signature skills. Listeners will be moved by the gritty story of felon Jodi McCarty, who was convicted of murder at age 17, imprisoned for life, and then unexpectedly released 18 years later. In a tone of awe and loss, Huber lets Jodi's slow movement into her new world of freedom gradually unwind.... Read More

The four narrators of this story speak in the voices of two parents and their two children, all of whom, through their own faulty memories, are reflecting on the vacation that changed their lives forever. Filled with OCD, adultery, cancer, medical quacks, and characters who are unable to speak honestly, this story is made palatable by the distinct voices and personalities the... Read More

Decades after becoming an icon for speaking openly of her own rape in THE YEAR OF THE TIGER, Sohaila Abdulali sheds further light on the pain, challenges, and nuances of navigating a world in which rape is still prevalent. Her narration enhances the listening experience as both her emotional emphasis and straightforward delivery provide intensity to her words. In the more... Read More

Historian Ruby Lal extracts the real life of seventeenth-century Mughal (Mongul) Empress Nur Jahan from legend, romanticized tales, and political erasure in this engaging audiobook. Suzanne Toren ably narrates Lal's well-researched account of the Indian cosovereign's life--from her birth to aristocratic Persian parents to her short-lived first marriage and life as the twentieth... Read More

Left behind by her parents when they immigrate to the United States, young Inja grows up in war-torn Korea. Narrator Janet Song brings listeners this moving novel, based on a true story, telling it in a tender voice at a quick pace. She captures the confusion and loneliness of Inja's childhood by creating a gentle and youthful persona. Song also takes us into the frustration of... Read More

This audiobook is an amazing piece of work. Narrator Matthew Lloyd Davies's delivery could only have been made better with snippets of the punk songs that inspired a generation to defy the tyranny of the East Berlin regime in the 1980s. Davies provides a sincere narration. While Americans enjoyed the music of the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, and others, young East Berliners lived... Read More

RJ Young brings the listener into American gun culture through this humorous memoir of his life as the son-in-law of a gun enthusiast. He narrates his story with ease and a matter-of-factness that seems to say, "This is what it's like being on the inside. Nothing less, but most likely more." Although he shares stories of being a black man walking into areas that aren't quite... Read More

Depending who's talking, digital technology has been a boon for the increasing sophistication and economic opportunities in pop culture--or a contributor to the downfall of industries and the demise of morals in society. In this audiobook, Waldfogel leverages data, economic theory, and suitable analogies to argue that the reality is much more complicated. Narrator Mike... Read More

Naturalist and bestselling author Sy Montgomery narrates her memoir on animals that have shaped her life and her understanding of the world. She taps the full range of experience: Her stories are engaging and touching, humorous and terribly sad. Montgomery's narration captures her deep sense of wonder and affection for the creatures she studies--from Octavia the octopus to a... Read More

Dr. Barres's autobiography is a straightforward account of the life of one of the leading neuroscientists of our time who happened to be transgender. The audiobook has three themes: the discovery of the importance of a distinct type of brain cell and the promise it holds for understanding a wide range of debilitating conditions, gender discrimination within the scientific... Read More

This is an audiobook for people who want to know who was Beyoncé before Beyoncé, or Madonna before Madonna. Josephine Baker led a life that sounds more like that of a character in great literature than a groundbreaking entertainer, civil rights champion, and possible spy. But Baker was all of this and more. She was an international star, and Jones's fictionalized account of her... Read More

LJ Ganser delivers an easygoing conversational style in narrating these memoirs of the former U.S. Ambassador to Russia. McFaul recounts his journey from his high school days through his undergraduate and graduate studies and NGO work in Russia and, finally, his tenure as United States Ambassador to Russia. Deeply involved in politics, McFaul was both an observer and a... Read More

Listeners may not have heard of the 1901 Balangiga massacre in the Philippines. That's all the more reason we need Justine Eyre's strong performance in this reimagining of the conflict between the townspeople and American soldiers. Eyre creates smooth transitions between the perspectives of American filmmaker Chiara and Filipino translator Magsalin. Each of the women writes a... Read More

Narrator Karen White keeps the action moving in this contemporary thriller set in Boston. Hester Thursby, Harvard librarian and amateur sleuth, is hired to locate Sam Blaine, who has been missing for 12 years. He is easily found using an assumed name and mingling with a wealthy Beacon Hill crowd. Despite--or perhaps because of--not using a Boston accent, White excels at... Read More

JY Yang's immersive fantasy novellas span twins Akeha and Mokoya's lifetimes as they confront government machinations in this all-in-one audio production. Sold as infants by their imperious mother, The Protector, they emerge with diverging roles and gender identities, which are enhanced by narrator Nancy Wu's keen characterizations. Wu charges the siblings' personal journeys... Read More

Who are you? It's a simple question, and most people will answer it with a reference to race, gender, religion, and/or culture. It's also the question that launches this thoughtful, fascinating, remarkable audiobook. The author narrates his own work and does a terrific job. His reassuring, playful voice, tinged with a British accent, is immediately friendly and knowledgeable.... Read More

Narrator Adenrele Ojo has the vocal dexterity to keep up with the many stories in this collection. Presented together, they are a meditation on black identity in contemporary America. Ojo switches effortlessly between humor, anger, and despair, mirroring the characters' range of emotional experiences. She brings us snippy young mothers and depressed teenagers with equal... Read More

The author's knowledge and love of art come through in this audiobook in which a con man's deception kicks off the misadventures of Paulien Mertens. Narrator Xe Sands is challenged by a story that features characters from several countries, including real-life figures such as Gertrude Stein and Henri Matisse. Sands's unique velvety voice melts words and phrases into each other.... Read More

With a poet's eye and a playwright's gift for compression, Levy's observations range from philosophical ponderings to elegant details of the quotidian. Henrietta Meire's intimate narration gives flesh and blood to Levy's sketches. Just as her marriage is crumbling, Levy loses her mother. The stress of these developments forces her to reflect on her place in a world in which she... Read More

Narrator Janet Song explores the complex emotions of adopted children in this memoir about family. Song recounts the confusing upbringing of author Nicole Chung, a Korean who was adopted by Americans and raised in a small, mostly Caucasian town in Oregon. Song's narration is sensitive as she delivers details of subtle discrimination against Chung and her nagging questions about... Read More

Listening to Laural Merlington narrate these pieces--which reflect on the quietly central role seaweed plays in the life of the ocean and in our own earthly lives--is strangely addictive. Merlington's calmly intense delivery of Maine writer Shetterly's insights offers a sense of conviction and urgency without ever hitting a strident note. Merlington's mature thoughtfulness is... Read More

This is a listen that makes it easy to understand why Johnson's book was a National Book Award finalist. The story of David Hosack is one of those great untold stories of individuals who lived fascinating lives but for some reason are not remembered in most history books. Narrator Susan Ericksen does a fine job capturing the many interests, and interesting intersections, Hosack... Read More

Narrator Erin Bennett's clear, crisp articulation highlights the stories of five female pilots who sought to compete in air races from 1927 to 1936. The story culminates with the best-known event of the period, the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Bennett reflects the author's horror at the many accidents suffered by pilots over the years, as well as his indignation at the... Read More

After tasting a little-known red wine while on assignment in Jordan, journalist Begos set off to find the origins of that bottle and to learn why most commercial wine is produced from only a handful of grape varieties. Narrator PJ Ochlan's pleasant, expressive delivery takes listeners on this journey, which explores wine's role in ancient history, religion, culture, and... Read More

Narrator Pam Ward couldn't have provided more contrast between her delivery and this audiobook's title. Her sprightly, exuberant style shines a bright vocal light on what is otherwise a dark, troubling story. Ostensibly the story of the asylum on Roosevelt Island, then called Blackwell's Island, in New York's East River, it's really a tale of what nineteenth-century society did... Read More

Narrator Charlie Thurston deftly navigates this road story of a father and son on the run. Silas House's depiction of conflicted evangelical faith in the South begins with Pastor Asher Sharp, who makes an offer to help a gay couple following a flood and then loses his job and, after a messy divorce, custody of his precocious 9-year-old son, Justin, because of this act of... Read More

This quiet, character-driven novel, set in Chile, features four principal characters, but only three have a voice. After suffering a fall, 80-year-old Vera, a famous, reclusive author, is in a coma, unable to communicate. Narrator Nicol Zanzarella performs the chapters told from the perspective of Emilia, a Franco-Chilean graduate student who's researching Vera's life. Robert... Read More

Narrator Tavia Gilbert masterfully lures listeners into the flashy, sinister Los Angeles art world and keeps them on the edge of their seats throughout Hummel's provocative thriller. Gilbert uses her carefully articulated, sometimes breathless voice to tell the story of Maggie, a young museum publicity writer who is suddenly thrust into the search for artist Kim Lord, who has... Read More

The story of the Cambridge spies of the 1940s and '50s is already well represented in audiobooks--in several incisive histories and biographies, and in two classic espionage novels, John le Carré's TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY, available narrated and dramatized, and John Banville's THE UNTOUCHABLE, wonderfully narrated by Bill Wallis. This new biography of Donald Maclean, the... Read More

Living in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, Don, Caleb, Rebecca, and David are trying to make sense of life in their own ways. Tanya Eby is an upbeat and energetic narrator whose energy is put to good use in portraying these widely different characters. She uses a wry undertone to highlight the frustrations of teenage David. Lovesick Rebecca is portrayed as dreamy and somewhat... Read More

Eric Summerer narrates Cherokee author Brandon Hobson's new novel. His deliberate pacing and almost dispassionate tone underscore 15-year-old Sequoyah's alienation and observations of his new foster family. While a coming-of-age story, this realistic account of some months in the 1980s from the later vantage point of full adulthood is not a young adult listen, although older... Read More

Author and narrator Michael Imperioli draws on his acting skills to elevate this coming-of-age drama about a young man and his friendship with rock god Lou Reed. It's New York in the mid-70s, and Matthew is moving with his mother to a posh apartment building in Manhattan. Imperioli lets the grit and grime of the streets infuse his delivery. With a tone of innocence and wonder... Read More

Narrators Wendy King and John McLain do fine work capturing the cadences and intonations of the sometimes-enigmatic characters in these linked stories. All but one of these fictions occurs in a frightening mythic construct called the Redoubt, loosely located in Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. The narrations are tricky as many of the characters talk and think in survivalist,... Read More

The rough-and-tumble life of a Nigerian army officer is rife with drama, and Robin Miles narrates the dilemmas confronting Chike Ameobi. Her measured, steady performance underscores Ameobi's decency and inner battle to remain an ethical man at a time of upheaval. Miles's delivery excels during the lengthy descriptions of scenery and during Ameobi's interior monologues. She... Read More

San Francisco is a crumbling near-future hellscape in Moore's latest audiobook, narrated by James Patrick Cronin. Homicide Inspector Ross Carver and his partner aren't sure what to make of a body they find that is seemingly being eaten away by a moss-like substance. Minutes after their discovery, they are shoved into a decontamination chamber and drugged unconscious by the FBI.... Read More

Ren Ishida's older sister, Keiko, has been brutally murdered in the small town where she chose to live, away from him and their parents. Narrator David Shih gives a thoughtful voice to this minimalist novel, which is one part murder mystery and two parts family drama. He helps listeners connect with Ren's interior life through the use of somber tones and a hushed pitch, making... Read More

Narrator Susan Nezami moves listeners through images of the conflict in Syria that may have numbed us on the nightly news. She begins somberly with the unrest that grew in 2011, telling listeners in precise detail how the nation was turned upside down. Nezami is a strong narrator who recounts current events through the lives of four real-life people, used as main characters.... Read More

This audiobook history of the first shots of the American Revolution will stir you to your patriotic roots. Author Daughan is anything but impartial, and his account of British intransigence and miscalculation is tempered by Mike Chamberlain's steady, evenly paced delivery. Chamberlain tends to parcel out his sentences, a little like reciting Anglo-Saxon poetry. But his... Read More

Janet Song narrates the author's explanation of a unique Chinese social phenomenon--significant numbers of educated, single Chinese women who are choosing independence over marriages defined by traditional gender roles. The Chinese government's one-child policy created long-standing gender inequality. As this imbalance grew, so did, for the first time, the number of only female... Read More

Narrator JD Jackson's baritone is perfect for this candid memoir of comic Richard Pryor, written in 1995 and now available on audio for the first time. Jackson's flexibility and confidence are evident throughout as he brings Pryor's quirky characters to life while performing many of his comedic reflections and monologues. Admittedly, the pronunciation of a handful of older... Read More

In this globe- and decade-spanning audiobook, author de Kretser follows a collection of loosely connected characters, most of them Australian immigrants or émigrés. As the novel travels from Australia to Sri Lanka and France, and back to Australia, narrator Shiromi Arserio capably moves through a wide range of accents. Pippa, a moderately successful, moderately talented author,... Read More

This novel comes alive as an audiobook because of narrator P.J. Ochlan's ability to create unique voices for each of Evison's characters. At its core, it's a coming-of-age story featuring Mike Muñoz, a Chicano landscaper who is seeking a break in a society that is seemingly stacked against him. As Muñoz meets the novel's other characters, his life changes, and in small ways, so... Read More

Corrie James narrates Miranda Kaufmann's well-researched history of a little-known aspect of England in the Tudor Age. Kaufmann, a senior research fellow at the University of London's Institute of Commonwealth Studies, delves into Tudor England and the position of blacks in that society. James matter-of-factly delivers the detailed individual accounts and anecdotes of the... Read More

Once the listener steps fully into the campus life depicted in this audiobook, the atmosphere is convincing and provocative. As the story gains speed, Emily Woo Zeller's performance becomes even more effective, warming to the conflicts and controversies that simmer between an infamous fraternity and a group of feminist housemates. Caught squarely between the two groups is... Read More

Iconic actors Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart's long friendship provides a pleasing and positive framework for an informal and episodic dual portrait of two very American men in a time they largely defined. Narrator David Colacci's deep and exacting baritone is a perfect choice for these quintessentially American stories. His precise, unhurried, and nuanced performance adds an... Read More

Narrator Emily Woo Zeller is an affable guide through this brisk introduction to paleoanthropology. Paleoanthropologist Sang-Hee Lee assumes that listeners aren't familiar with her field, and it's apparent in most of the lucid, bite-sized chapters on a variety of topics. Coupled with Zeller's polished delivery, the result is less a classroom experience and more akin to an audio... Read More

This compelling audiobook features a Nigerian woman named Ada who fights the various spiritual entities that appear in her body at a young age and steadily grow as she develops. Author Akwaeke Emezi navigates the different voices residing in Ada, who is also in constant dialogue with them. As narrator, Emezi’s consistent tempo rhythmically draws listeners into Ada’s chaotic... Read More

The audiobook begins with a scene depicting the rite of passage necessary for Kyra to become a markswoman--making her first kill. Narrator Emily Woo Zeller portrays vividly the ambivalence Kyra feels and the transformation that she undergoes as a result. As a member of one of the six orders of Kali, Kyra has earned her katari, the knife to which she is telepathically bound and... Read More

Poet laureate Tracy Smith's steady and deliberate narration has a sort of automated-sounding rhythm that works. Her poetry collection addresses both contemporary and historical issues that the United States has faced and continues to face. In a slightly pleading tone and unhurried pace, Smith unfolds the disheartening experiences of an African-American soldier in the Civil War... Read More

Narrator Charlie Thurston's mettle and vocal dexterity are tested in this collection of short fiction by the renowned postmodernist Robert Coover. These stories can be maddening (the repetitions in "The Elevator"); intensely sensual (the love scene in "You Must Remember This"); almost hallucinatory (in the multiple points of view in "The Babysitter"). In these, among others, in... Read More

Modern India is a place full of people teeming with ambitions, and narrator Sartaj Garewal brings them to life in Mukherjee's linked short stories. Garewal's narration depicts a range of people and places: fathers and sons, drivers and riders. Garewal maintains his enthusiasm across the wide range of characters who struggle to achieve their private dreams. At times, his... Read More

Heath Miller narrates a story that is equal parts scathing social commentary and hilarious send-up of music competitions. In order to prove to the rest of the galaxy that they are sentient and avoid complete annihilation, humanity must compete in an interstellar grand prix of song—if the band chosen to represent them can make it to the competition. Miller shines as the... Read More

As an American teenager, Jonathan's life is relatively uncomplicated. When he moves to Israel, however, his assumptions about his rights, his country, and his loyalties are turned upside down. Narrator Neil Shah describes Jonathan's turmoil in a somber voice. The steadiness of his pace strongly conveys the persistent violence and danger of living in a place where one's neighbor... Read More

We hurt those we love the most--or so husband-and-wife Adam and Anita find out. Narrator Teri Schnaubelt pulls us into the story of how this married couple falls apart. In an arch and knowing manner, Schnaubelt moves back and forth between Adam and Anita smoothly, alternating between their points of view and taking us firmly into the world of the story with her confident... Read More

With a supple voice that seems to shift from emotion to emotion effortlessly, Karis Campbell narrates this ingenious collection of monologues by the dead women of the urban fantasy DEADTOWN. As vividly imagined by Valente, Campbell creates varied voices for each of the sluts, mermaids, former punk rockers, and psychosis sufferers, as well as the Deadtown Public Radio talk show... Read More