New Reviews by Title: K-O

Backed by snazzy, scratchy electronica, author-illustrator C.G. Esperanza raps an energetic ode to sneakers suspended from telephone wires. "Red kicks, green kicks, yellow kicks, blue./How'd they get up there? Only birds knew." Esperanza's execution of this refrain is so catchy that listeners will be chanting it with him by the end of this four-minute track. The sonic... Read More

Writer/comedian Jesse Joyce briskly narrates his version of the aftermath of President Lincoln's assassination, filling his account with humorous observations. Joyce adopts a casual, irreverent tone as he tells listeners that Thomas Boston Corbett, who killed presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth, was a hat maker who had been exposed to mercury. Joyce's history also covers... Read More

Janina Edwards and Leon Nixon deliver the poems Weatherford composed as she journeyed, literally and figuratively, to understand her family history. In particular, she renders how its power and continuity were interrupted by the horrors of enslavement by the Lloyd family on their Maryland plantation. Both narrators are dedicated to emphasizing line breaks and carefully chosen... Read More

Tim Campbell's rich baritone brings this comic mystery exactly what it needs to keep listeners engaged. A hit TV series, "The Lands Beyond," has had a profound influence on its fans--from their clothing choices to their babies' names. The author of the show, R.R. Reynard, maintains tight control over each script. Reynard goes to a fan-filled convention at the posh Chateau... Read More

Feodor Chin recounts this illuminating story of a Chinese American youth sent to an institution for those with leprosy, more benignly called Hansen's disease. Taking place in the 1950s, it is a coming-of-age novel that includes phobias, prejudice, teen romances, family obligations, and a considerable amount of medical information. Chin, an experienced actor, displays his skills... Read More

This is a listen about a tuna, an investigative reporter, a fisherman with an environmental bent, and so much more. Pinchin's passion for her work and her audiobook is evident throughout this real-life drama, which is centered on the fate of a tuna and a species that has meant so much to so many for so long. One can't help being drawn in as she narrates the story of a charter... Read More

Mary Jane Wells's performance sizzles in this explosive 1840s mystery- romance. Wells acts out the scenes with her lyrical voice, adding panache to the double entendres and sexy repartee. A string of explosions is occurring in East London. Sultry Lady Imogen Loveless, who is passionate about explosives, uses her considerable wit and steamy charms as she alternately butts heads... Read More

Courtney Patterson brings mid-century North Carolina to life with her narration of this coming-of-age story. Mattie Lee Watson, age 15, is living an ordinary life when salesman James T. Cullowee pulls into town. Patterson brings the innocence and passion of a teenager's crush to fruition as Mattie strives to gain his attention. When Cullowee organizes a kudzu festival, Mattie... Read More

What a treat it is to listen to Clare Wille perform this engrossing narrative by nineteenth-century British travel writer and naturalist Isabella Bird. The audiobook consists of a series of letters that Bird wrote to her sister during Bird's travels throughout the American West in the late nineteenth century. Wille's wonderfully expressive tone, bright English intonation, and... Read More

Adan Rocha narrates a story of self-discovery set in Florida during the COVID-19 lockdown. Eleven-year-old Lalo is confined to his apartment; he attends video school with a neighboring classmate while his widowed mother works long hours as a nursing assistant. On top of the pervasive fear and boredom of lockdown, Lalo struggles to remember both recent events and his father, who... Read More

Eunice Wong performs this immersive novel about a female Asian American chef who is experiencing an apocalyptic event in Earth's near future. The unnamed narrator is unable to return to the U.S. after smog covers the globe, blocking the sunlight and killing most of the planet's plants and animals. To escape impending disaster, the chef takes a job cooking for a billionaire who... Read More

Lovers of Renaissance art will enjoy this lengthy, detailed, and thoroughly researched audiobook about Florentine and other masterworks hidden during WWII. Two experienced narrators, Stina Nielsen and Christa Lewis, portray the two women who tell the story, namely a German photographer and an American stenographer. Both women become passionate about preserving the art, which is... Read More

Don't wake up! Seems simple enough, right? But nothing's that simple for the main character in this audiobook. Antonia Beamish's narration takes listeners down a mind-bending rabbit hole with verve. Her proficient range delivers flawless intensity and sets the tone for the protagonist's altered reality. Is she awake--or is she dreaming? Through Beamish's skillful use of pauses... Read More

Xe Sands's eerie performance beckons listeners into this horror story. Parts of the city of San Siroco are sinking, including the basement of Dr. Tamsin Rivers. At the same time, the room's dimensions are slowly stretching, revealing a door that shouldn't exist. Then, perfect doppelgängers of herself and her cat appear. The distortions can't be explained by science, and Tamsin... Read More

Morgan Dalla Betta's warm narration transports listeners to a Colorado mountain village, where bookstore-owning sisters Ellie and Meg Christie reluctantly head out on a joint blind date arranged by their cousin, Lorna. When Meg's date is later found murdered and she becomes the prime suspect, the sisters and other family members set out to prove that Meg is innocent. Betta... Read More

Narrators Sura Siu and Caroline Hewitt deliver gripping performances of this suspenseful family drama. In the first-person, Siu voices Jasmine Yang, a young woman who flees to New York City from China to track down the daughter her husband gave up for adoption. Siu captures Jasmine's desperation and determination. In contrast, Hewitt's third-person narration portrays Rebecca, a... Read More

Donald Bogle's narration may fall short of sounding polished, but he performs with relaxed confidence that will draw listeners into this audiobook. His vocal character matches his status as an expert on Black cinema history and the life of the singer and groundbreaking actor Lena Horne. After her show business beginnings in Black New York City nightclubs, Horne worked in 1950s... Read More

In her own inimitable style, Leslie Jones tells listeners how she embraced and reveled in her self-worth, and learned more than a few hard lessons en route to becoming a larger-than-life comic performer. Before GHOSTBUSTERS and "Saturday Night Live," Jones came into her own at comedy clubs in Los Angeles and New York City, making a name for herself and developing her voice. No... Read More

Kay Smith has awoken from a coma and can't remember who she is. She's haunted by nightmares and an inner voice that warns her to stay hidden. Kimberly Wetherell gives an amazing performance as the distraught heroine who copes with amnesia and a sense of doom. Wetherell's presentation is stunning as Kay relentlessly sets out to learn who she is. Nelson Hobbs steps in as the... Read More

Diana Blue's vocal character is wonderful. Her positive tone provides an uplifting counterpoint to the topic of activism in the face of social injustice, environmental disasters, and other societal malfunctions. She helps the positive aspect of this guide to stay visible: the authors' belief that caring for others is a noble pursuit that has its rewards, as well as its... Read More

This audiobook puts into practice the idea that speaking quietly can have a more significant impact than shouting. Ward herself provides the quiet, gentle voice that tells the story of Annis, a young slave. With a patient, calm delivery, Ward narrates Annis's journey from North Carolina to New Orleans, and, while her tribulations are heartbreaking in themselves, somehow Ward's... Read More

Tim Gerard Reynolds returns with another installment in the rich sci-fi saga Red Rising. Eight months after DARK AGE, Darrow and his team defend Mars against Lysander, a force working against the Rising. Throughout his mission, Darrow must re-form long-forgotten relationships and create new alliances though he longs to return home to his family. Reynolds's expert performance... Read More

Cassandra Alling was clearly meant to narrate this poetic story bursting with magical realism in a small town in Pennsylvania. Listeners meet elderly, reclusive Ruby; betrayed 20-something Jenny; and troubled 12-year-old Lydia. Each of Alling's characters is distinct and compelling; past and present events seamlessly intermingle. Ruby, Jenny, and Lydia have tragedies to... Read More

Ann Richardson sounds natural and relaxed as she delivers myriad Danish place names and words as Dorthe Nors ventures up and down the coast of Denmark. But this isn't a warm travel memoir. It's windy and cold and tinged with menace and risk. Nors visits church frescoes, isolated lighthouses, bonfires with burning witches' effigies, shipwrecks, and chemical plants--there is no... Read More

Nancy Wu narrates these supernatural novellas. The primary story focuses on an unusual Canadian town called Home. Wenqi's family moved there in hopes of escaping the grief of her older brother's death. Years later the teenager and her family move to a town where the houses are haunted by the ghosts of deceased loved ones. With the residents so focused on the dead, Wenqi longs... Read More

Arinze Kene and Sheila Atim excel at narrating this cautionary tale--disguised as a #MeToo novel. Michael, portrayed by Kene, and Ola, portrayed by Atim, are a young, Black power couple who live in London. While they are planning their wedding, Michael's name appears on a list of abusers and rapists that quickly spreads all over social media. Kene and Atim's dramatic styles... Read More

Traber Burns presents Davenport's minute-by-minute account of San Francisco's 7.9 magnitude earthquake and the ensuing firestorm that lasted several days in 1906. The conflagration was due in part to greed, graft, and political policy relating to matters such as looting. Burns's anchorman style is at once gruff, workmanlike, and unemotional. The narration may well resemble how... Read More

Fred Sanders uses a smooth, authoritative delivery to describe one of the South's most controversial Confederate generals. At the height of the Civil War, James Longstreet was one of the most tenacious leaders of Confederate troops. With perfect pacing and a tinge of sorrow, Sanders describes Longstreet's reactions to Gettysburg and the South's defeat. After the war, Longstreet... Read More

Tavia Gilbert captures the spirit of this text, especially the author's passionate belief that all members of society should be treated fairly. In 2012 and 2013, Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux kept a journal of her visits to her local Auchan superstore, a chain in France roughly equivalent to a Walmart supercenter. What happened there is not as interesting as what Ernaux... Read More

Tim Fannon narrates this world food tour crisply and deliberately. His delivery style is reminiscent of a news reporter's and captures the author's enthusiasm for discovering the unusual--for example, there's a long early chapter on insects. But listeners should persevere: Enlightening stories on Roman fish sauce, neolithic bread, British farmhouse cheese, and an endangered... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini returns to narrate another art-heist adventure involving New York artist Luke Perrone and his girlfriend, Alexis Verde, daughter of a famous art thief. Luke and Alexis discover what may be the missing final self-portrait of Van Gogh hidden under another painting. But when it's stolen from them, they embark upon a harrowing trip to the Netherlands, followed by... Read More

During a career that spanned from 1958 to his death in 2013, musician Lou Reed never became a pop star, but he made interesting music and was a New York City icon who knew everybody and lived a fascinating life. Music journalist Will Hermes narrates this history in a pleasing tone with consistent clarity while capturing his subject's moody cynicism. His vocal character works... Read More

Narrator Savannah Peachwood excels in her narration of the romance between free-spirited Star Shine Meadows and wealthy veterinarian Rafe Whitman. Star, who makes her living as a line sitter and a character actor, encounters Rafe at his niece's birthday party. Rafe's mother and sister-in-law have been shoving eligible women at him, so he hires Star to pose as his girlfriend.... Read More

Heather Long shows listeners the complexity of blame and forgiveness in a compelling Christmas-themed audio. Holly and her sister, Lily, are embarking on a Christmas trip to Devon, England, when a horrible accident occurs. Long details the suffocating blame Holly shoulders and the halting ways she attempts to exist without her sister. A series of karmic twists leads Holly back... Read More

Narrator Pippa Jayne delights listeners in this festive friends-to-lovers romantic comedy. Stella Bloom desperately wants to save her family's Christmas tree farm, which she has loved since childhood. To win a cash prize from a contest, she asks her best friend, Luka Peters, to fake date her to make Lovelight Farms seem like the ultimate romantic destination for the holidays.... Read More

Nina Yndis narrates a bewitching short story about a girl named Judith, who longs for adventure and romance in her quiet life. Judith dreams of the world beyond her small village and resents having to work for her beautiful but cruel older sister. Listeners hear the thrill in Judith's voice when a handsome stranger comes to her village--and her devastation when he marries her... Read More

Podcasters Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos have long engaged in conversations focusing on today's culture and its rocky connections to Christianity. In this audiobook, their warm voices outline the harsh realities dividing today's Christian communities--infighting, hatred, and factionalism, among them. Bringing harmony to this discord, Khang and Mikalatos present a method to... Read More

Narrator Carly Robins brings life to the romance between bookstore owner Jade Mackenzie and advertising expert Levi Donovan in the small town of Sweetbriar Ridge. Levi has been forced to return home after being fired from his job in Alexandria just as Jade is opening her new bookstore/coffee shop. Levi's sister is working for Jade as a baker. Obstacles keep getting in Jade's... Read More

Christopher Lee narrates this short picture book filled with Lunar New Year traditions. Gege has secretly made a present for his little sister, but there are so many activities to celebrate that he can't find the right time to surprise her. Lee performs the story with the exaggerated emotions appropriate to children's storytelling. He leaves pauses at the end of sentences,... Read More

Elise Arsenault expertly delivers a truly excellent and detailed look at singer Madonna's life. From her humble beginnings, Madonna has become an icon for her music, as well as the causes she has championed over the years, such as AIDS awareness. Despite her success, she, like many celebrities, has also endured criticism for her choices of artistic expression. Arsenault offers... Read More

Will Collyer narrates this tale set in 1868 in Texas. Nineteen-year-old Benjamin Shreve writes a letter to a boy named Tot, describing how he met Tot and his mother and the short time they spent traveling together. Collyer infuses Shreve with a heart of gold and a spine of steel. Listeners will feel the slow tug when Shreve first sees and then falls in love with fully pregnant... Read More

Erin Bennett draws the listener into the relationship between Rachel Lindquist and parapsychologist Bryan Hennessy. After years of being estranged from her mother, Rachel returns home to find her mother suffering from Alzheimer's. Bryan is living in her home as he searches for a ghost. Bennett aptly portrays Addie's frustration with her memory loss and her hostility toward... Read More

Narrator Melanie Crawley breathes life into the story of maid Alana Davison and Greek tycoon Ares Sarvis. Ares needs a wife in order to fulfill the terms of his estranged grandmother's will. Alana overhears him discussing his situation and volunteers herself as his bride. Ares had a horrible childhood and has cut himself off emotionally. Crawley gives him a stiffness that... Read More

Tara Sands deftly narrates this heartwarming debut novel. Poppy, a 32-year-old would-be writer, has been meeting secretly with her Aunt Margot, who is estranged from the rest of their family. When Margot dies, she bequeaths Poppy a vacation to the French Riviera. During a grueling dinner with her family, Poppy realizes the vacation is a real opportunity. Once in France, she... Read More

Yorkshireman Sir Patrick Stewart presents a revealing, clear, and beautifully written memoir, discussing the entirety of his journey from humble beginnings that included domestic violence to the heights of international film, stage, and television stardom. His performance is compassionate, sensitive, and powerful, with well-paced timing and notable precision exercised in every... Read More

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen narrates his new memoir in an understated tone that is a blend of tenderness and survival humor. His fierce dedication to telling his parents' stories comes through in his voice, which is by turns forthright and emotional. In fragmented, haunting prose, he interrogates what it means to be a refugee, an immigrant, and an... Read More

The rich voices and intelligent deliveries of seven talented narrators make it possible to keep this novel's many characters straight. After a huge lottery win, Nicole and Tom build their dream house on an estate in Gloucestershire. The state-of-the-art glass barn has everything, including glitches. When Tom is found dead in their swimming pool, Nicole is devastated. Was Tom's... Read More

Cloud Quinn gives a beguiling performance of this queer and atmospheric ode to Jane Austen. Bron is queer, gender fluid, lonely, and obsessed with Austen, Brontë, and other nineteenth-century British authors. After he's rejected from Oxford, he takes a job as a governess for Ada, a spirited girl who lives in a massive manor house. Soon he's knee deep in the family's secrets and... Read More

Ell Potter offers an outstanding narration of author Eekhout's speculative fiction. What might have inspired Mary Shelley's now classic horror story? Mary; her soon-to-be husband, poet Percy Bysshe Shelly; and her stepsister, Claire, spend the summer of 1816 in Switzerland with Lord Byron and his personal physician, Dr. John Polidori. One cold, rainy night, Byron proposes a... Read More

In his latest audiobook, bestselling author and mental health coach Brad Stulberg shares the attitudes and actions that lead people to success in making changes. Narrator Will Damron is efficient and straightforward as he delivers Stulberg's advice on how to handle societal and personal transitions. Damron keeps his tone clear and consistent while explaining the author's... Read More

Steve West gives a lively performance of this fantasy/romance, voicing each mortal, immortal, and undead character with the requisite humor, sarcasm, and sinister whispers. Fox D'Mora, a bit of a rake, is posing as a medium, though as the godson of Death, he has an unusual advantage. When Viola Marek, vampire and real estate agent, calls on him with a poltergeist problem, Fox... Read More

Katherine Littrell skillfully narrates a love-triangle romance set in New York City. Littrell ably navigates the multiple storylines and jumps in time periods. Thirty-something Maggie, portrayed by Littrell in a subtly determined tone, is an aspiring singer-songwriter. She finds herself in a unique predicament when two former loves come back into her life for her 35th birthday.... Read More

This collection of 70 of Mantel's writings is divided into five parts, each with a reflective, animating quality. Lydia Leonard narrates the first part, her tone intimate and conversational whether she's describing Mantel's theft of a book in her youth, her life in Saudi Arabia, the grace of Marie Antoinette, or Princess Diana's complicated image. Jane Wymark delivers the... Read More

Jonathan Todd Ross's performance captures the growing unreliability of this novel's narrator, while maintaining the story's humor and tragedy. This is no small feat because the audiobook requires this deft, complicated tone throughout its entire running time. Seth is an up-and-coming copywriter until he's let go. He finds work in a coffee shop, discovering the numbing effects... Read More

Narrator Eilidh Beaton wraps listeners in a warm Christmas blanket while introducing the delights of an Edinburgh holiday. Beaton chronicles Carmen's difficult year--her breakup with her Brazilian boyfriend, Oke, and her struggle to keep Mr. McCredie's ancient bookshop solvent. Every character becomes a person listeners will want to meet. From the tacky businessman Jackson... Read More

Narrating this chatty and informative audiobook, Simon Jones delivers a flawless performance full of lively interpretations and emotional resonance. The acclaimed British actor is enormously entertaining to hear, but he never steals the spotlight from the author's conversational writing and fascinating insights. The social scientist says conspiracy believers fall into an... Read More

Rebecca Lowman's narration is captivating! In this novel, "Mister Magic," a fictitious TV series for kids, was suddenly canceled 30 years ago. Now, the five members of its final cast are brought together to record a podcast. Suspiciously, no recordings of the original show exist, and there's no record of who filmed it, but fans still have its haunting kids' songs stuck in their... Read More

As a financial history chronicling the role of Jewish immigrants in America's evolving financial markets between the Civil War and WWI, this audiobook may be of limited interest. Jonathan Davis is skilled and effective, and the narrative is well researched. But what makes this story so compelling, and so relevant to today's events, is the historical link between Wall Street... Read More

Janina Edwards and Megan Tusing share the narration of this audiobook about an almost forgotten uprising over desegregation. In 1956, the town of Clinton, Tennessee, became one of the first schools to combine both Black and white students. What followed was a brutal series of death threats, beatings, cross burnings, and even the presence of the National Guard. Edwards and... Read More

This surely rates as one of the more challenging audiobooks to perform. (The novel was published in 1999.) The story's narrator, Lionel Essrog, has Tourette syndrome. Geoffrey Cantor delivers his eruptions of words effectively, seamlessly moving from Lionel's verbal tics to his straightforward storytelling. He does convincing New York accents and delivers the gangster patter... Read More

This scathing satire blows the lid off Texas politics, revealing the power that lobbyists have over politicians and how even the most well-intentioned can get caught in the meat grinder. Television and film actor Steven Weber is pitch-perfect as struggling ranch owner Sonny Lamb, who finds himself in the spotlight after he rescues a girl and her horse from a fire.... Read More

Danice Cabanela's exuberant narration enhances Manansala's fourth delicious mystery featuring Filipino cuisine. Lila Macapagal and her godmothers, April, Mae, and June, along with a quirky assortment of regulars, solve murders between bouts of unrestrained and joyful eating. The godmothers' newest business venture, a laundromat in Shady Palms, seems to be annoying someone who... Read More

Audiobook listeners, as well as nine paying guests, are invited to a 1930s murder mystery weekend at a faux gothic country house. The talented English actor John Hopkins narrates this lively mystery, creating the glamorous atmosphere of the best vintage whodunits. His deep voice captures the posh sound of the weekend's scheming host, Simon. Hopkins also does a fabulous job... Read More

Alison Larkin's crystalline voice adds verve to Gerald Elias's eighth mystery featuring Daniel Jacobus, who is blind. Elias, who is a violinist and composer, as well as a writer, clearly adores classical music and finds its adherents wonderful and quirky. Larkin's expressive narration lets the eccentricity shine in this tale about a musician's death in the midst of Mahler's 6th... Read More

Add Dr. Lydia Weston--who is featured in this well-narrated historical mystery--to your list of strong female protagonists. Gabra Zackman does an excellent job delineating the various characters by using tone, pitch, and accents; she excels, in particular, at the challenging job of depicting both male and female characters. Zackman's versatility allows listeners to become... Read More

Series narrator Kirsten Potter does her usual exceptional work in the fourth mystery in the Pentecost & Parker series. In 1947 Manhattan, Vera Bodine has gone missing. She's elderly, and an invalid now. But the fact that she once had a photographic memory and that her early life was fraught with enemies might be connected to her disappearance. As Willowjean "Will" Parker,... Read More

Twenty years after ERAGON, Gerard Doyle's familiar and compelling voice returns to narrate MURTAGH. Galbatorix has been defeated, and now Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn, must face the consequences of their roles as his reluctant servants. Doyle's talent for accents and passionate battle sequences shines, complementing the author's vivid world. Murtagh's voice resonates with a... Read More

Vikas Adam gives a wonderfully affecting performance of this audiobook about almost everything--parent/child relationships, family secrets, immigration, disability, adoption, elder care, marriage, and friendship. With his gift for illuminating moments of emotional complexity, Adam immerses listeners in the complex dynamics between 30-something Remy, who returns to India from... Read More

As one of the most distinctive vocalists in rock, Geddy Lee simply had to be the voice of his own memoir. The singer and bassist of the Canadian power trio Rush is known for his vocal range, but his delivery is surprisingly consistent here. Between stories of the band's forty-year career on the road and in the studio, Lee also shares the story of his parents, who survived the... Read More

Narrator Quyen Ngo delivers an emotionally intense performance in this raw YA coming-of-age story about a complex Vietnamese American family. The year is 1999, and Jane Vu is a 17-year-old who is getting ready to leave for college. She's living in San Jose with her 7-year-old brother, Paul, and their abusive father, Phúc. Jane and Paul's mother abandoned them three years... Read More

This is a nuanced, opinionated memoir written and narrated by one of the greatest entertainers ever, EGOT-winning Barbra Streisand. While the early chapters sound a bit tentative, she comes into her own quickly. Her voice is in a lower register than in many of her most famous recordings, and listeners will likely be charmed by the conversational style of both her prose and... Read More

Skyhorse's timely dystopian tale comes to life, thanks to Alejandra Reynoso, the voice of Iris, an American citizen born of undocumented immigrants. Iris's struggle to "be American" has taken a toll on her. When she was a child, her mother insisted that she speak only English and eschew bilingual education. Then there was the teacher who changed her name to Iris because Inez... Read More

This delightful Regency romance has a mystery and a handsome lord to be absolved of wrongdoing. Listeners will applaud the many voices of narrator Moira Quirk. She is the brash Lord Webb, who has a heart of gold, and the astonishing heroine, Marjorie Wynchester. Marjorie is deaf in her left ear, due to a bout with smallpox, and she's an excellent forger, who, along with her... Read More

While the word "diesel" is well known, few know it's actually the name of the man who invented the engine that now powers much of the world. Scott Brick narrates this biography of Rudolf Diesel magnificently. The twist in this work is that Diesel "died" under mysterious circumstances in September 1913. Brunt goes into great detail regarding Diesel's family and the times in... Read More

Lauren Ambrose returns as narrator of this sequel to Prose's first wildly popular cozy mystery, THE MAID. Ambrose is a charming actor and performs here with enthusiasm and heart, clearly wishing our heroine Molly well as she copes with (gasp) another murder at the fancy hotel where she is now head of housekeeping. Molly is neurodivergent and knows it. Hers is the voice of one... Read More

This memoir by the distinguished historian and past president of Harvard is ably narrated by the author, though at times her voice lacks the variation that a professional might bring. The result is a somber review of an unhappy youth spent rebelling against staid conventions of womanhood and whiteness. Covering the period from her childhood in the 1950s to her college... Read More

Cassandra Campbell's careful pacing and deliberate articulation complement this horror audiobook. Ana and Reid win an affordable housing lottery for the perfect apartment, which overlooks Central Park. Their new home is a balm after their daughter, Charlie's, complicated birth, which has left Ana paralyzed and depressed. But the building's strange residents, creepy elevator... Read More

Graham Mack masterfully introduces Lancashire, England, and its unforgettable residents. Listeners join Detective Inspector Freya Bloom and her eccentric team as they confront the tragic death of 13-year-old Simon, a special needs youth who had been mercilessly bullied. Mack particularly excels with diverse voices and accents, for example, the voice of Scottish Officer... Read More

Fearsome creatures, dangerous spirits, and horrifying humans abound in this riveting collection of stories written by 26 Indigenous authors and performed by 9 Indigenous narrators. Sheldon Elter's matter-of-fact portrayal of a frustrated son transforms into very believable terror in Cherie Dimaline's "Tick Talk." Tara Sky's youthful voice enlivens two disturbingly realistic... Read More

An editor of a men's self-improvement website offers a list of 13 toxic behavior patterns that he says can be avoided. Much of his message is about becoming a better person--practicing civility, respect, love, and compassion for other human beings, rather than acting out the domination and hostility that are becoming the norm for some men in American society. The sections on... Read More

As Harriett Foy guides listeners through the city at night, her voice is as warm as the sunny yellow interior scenes that contrast with the surrounding nighttime blues in this picture book. Its central character is a child of color who is going to bed as nighttime activity is carried out by a diverse group of adults with a variety of occupations: a nurse (the child's father), a... Read More

With precision and clarity, Traci Kato-Kiriyama narrates Lin's poignant memoir on mental illness, motherhood, and the loss of her father to cancer. The memoir is divided into four sections, in accordance with the traditional Japanese four-part narrative. Japanese mythology and language are interwoven throughout, and Kato-Kiriyama's ease with them creates a sense of... Read More

Good performances abound in this audiobook. At its heart is ConaLee, a child swept up in the cruelty and uncertainty of the antebellum South. Karissa Vacker, the primary narrator, is a strong voice throughout the production. Similarly, Theo Stockman's performance of male points of view and Maggi-Meg Reed's renditions of the female characters are well paced and emotionally... Read More

Millie Bobby Brown masterfully presents a story inspired by her grandmother's experiences in England during WWII. Listeners meet Nellie Morris as the war rages around her. Brown skillfully changes her delivery as the story demands. She's at her best introducing precious 7-year-old Flora and neighbor Billy, whose love for Nellie is heartbreaking and life-affirming. Evocative... Read More

With its title coming from one of the most iconic film lines ever, this audiobook tells the story of the making of the famed 1992 movie A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN. It dives into the life of director Penny Marshall. While the author digs into the creation of the movie and its actors, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw gives an emotional narration that reflects the energy and happenings on and off... Read More

Jane Ferguson narrates her memoir in a melodic Northern Irish brogue that has been softened by time and intention. With 15 years of reporting experience, she has a confident tone. The violence that spilled into Ferguson's childhood came from her verbally abusive mother, her manipulative father, and the actions of the Irish Republican Army. Her familiarity with fear and her... Read More

Pidgeon Pagonis's skillfully narrated memoir takes listeners on their coming-of-age journey as they struggled to fit in with other girls. Pidgeon's voice is calm and has a slight Latin accent. Along with typical disruptive changes during childhood, such as moving, parents separating, and new schools, there's also bladder surgery because of previous cancer when Pidgeon was too... Read More

It makes sense that a story this expansive would employ a wide array of audiobook narrators. The result is too good to miss. A secluded spot in Massachusetts becomes home to a wide expanse of life over a four-hundred-year span. With each tale of shifting inhabitants, the listener is treated to a performance by one of several gifted narrators. Simply put, there is not a weak... Read More

Carrie Coello's narration warmly welcomes listeners into the world of 12-year-old Dory Byrnes, adding additional appeal to her personality. Dory's mother is dead; her Pop is fighting in WWII. Fisher, her 17-year-old brother, is a loving guardian of Dory and their brilliant younger brother, Pike. Coello makes clear Fisher's frustrations at Dory's headstrong individualism and... Read More

Graham Halstead narrates a poignant fight for survival as a man who is trapped in an overturned boat at the bottom of the sea faces a ticking clock. Writer Lukas attempts to turn his life around with a series of stories about a rare shrimp boat. He connects with the crew, only to find himself entombed on the sea floor with little chance of rescue. Halstead narrates in a tone... Read More

American naturalist Sy Montgomery is obviously fascinated by turtles. Her voice is suffused with warmth and awe and compassion that just sweep the listener right along. Montgomery volunteers with the Turtle Rescue League in Massachusetts and gets to know Alexxia and Natasha, the founders of the TRL, as well as many turtles with excellent and hilarious names like Pizza Man,... Read More

Listeners are treated to the pleasing voice and manner of Canadian actor, director, and writer William B. Davis, made famous as the sinister Cigarette-Smoking Man in "The X-Files." Part memoir of his professional life, part acting handbook, Davis's work offers both an engaging, never sentimental look at the knowledge he's gained and his hard-won philosophy on the essential... Read More

Adjoa Andoh narrates this audiobook, which reveals how Christopher Robin and Pooh met their friends. Most listeners will know the characters and will likely have preconceived notions of how they should sound. Andoh's English-accented delivery keeps the spirit of the original Milne stories; however, her renditions of dialogue may not meet expectations. Eeyore speaks glumly in a... Read More

British actor Ben Onwukwe contributes the adamant and histrionic tone and British accent that are appropriate to a postcolonial audit of Britain's colonial past. The focal point of the narrative is September 29, 1923, the date that marked the Empire's greatest territorial expanse. All before that was acquisition; all after it, loss. And well-deserved loss, too, by this account.... Read More

Narrator Joe Arden delivers a powerful performance as he takes listeners back to the small town of Triple Falls, North Carolina, in this Ravenwood spin-off. Dominic King has always pursued retribution for the ills he's encountered. He's full of dark secrets until Cecilia, a fiery, strong-willed woman, makes it her mission to uncover them. Their unexpected and newfound love... Read More

Narrator Elizabeth Sastre adopts a gentle voice for this complex, sometimes puzzling, mystery about the disappearance of Lucy Theddle in 1951. The story is told in 2018 by Edie Green, an octogenarian with aphasia and dementia who was Lucy's best friend. Aided by her intrepid, cheerful granddaughter, Amy, soft-voiced Edie follows sketchy clues plumbed from her memories. In... Read More

Zuzu Robinson narrates this novel of family, trauma, and forgiveness. Sara Lancaster never wanted to return to her hometown of Savannah, Georgia. She especially did not want to bring back her daughter, Alana, whose birth was the result of a sexual assault that nearly broke Sara's spirit. But when circumstances demand her return, Sara seeks to forge a new path forward. Robinson... Read More

Peter Noble's British accent sounds appropriately scholarly as he gives voice to the author's attempts to simplify some of the biggest ideas in science. Marcus Chown has set himself a difficult task: to explain in laypersons' terms such phenomena as black holes, relativity, quantum computing, and the Higgs boson, each in about 20 minutes. You can strip out the equations, but... Read More

In this short, witty audiobook, author Christine Coulson briskly delivers the text of various museum wall labels that tell the long life story of Caroline Margaret Brooks Whitaker, known as Kitty, who is portrayed as a precious object to be admired--like a work of art. As Kitty's "provenance" grows through multiple marriages and the labels become hilariously longer, Coulson... Read More

Author Roxane Gay performs a collection of her nonfiction pieces from the last decade. The essays range from cultural criticism to celebrity profiles. For example, she interviews Janelle Monáe about how Afrofuturism influenced their album DIRTY COMPUTER and examines the future of the Black Panther franchise after the death of Chadwick Boseman. She also writes about big cultural... Read More

AudioFile Golden Voice narrator Grover Gardner comfortably inhabits McPhee's curious mind and captures the eloquence of his prose in this splendid rendition of his short classic. The audiobook brings together the supreme storyteller and the exceptional story performer. Gardner's singular voice and intelligent style were made to deliver McPhee--his voicing of the author's TABULA... Read More

Sarah Naudi offers a luminous narration of Harvey's latest sci-fi, which follows four astronauts and two cosmonauts aboard a space station orbiting the Earth. In a measured, thoughtful tone, Naudi provides a window on the crew's life in orbit, from the dreary mundanity of a malfunctioning toilet to the unsettling awe brought forth by a space walk. The crew members reach for... Read More

With precision and clarity, the author delivers seven definitions of the word "note," her voice rich in tone and meaning. Then she immerses listeners in each of the 248 lyrical notes she's written about poignant works she's read, powerful pictures she's seen, and meaningful experiences she's had. These notes, brief in expression, merit relistening, for their strong insights and... Read More

Adrienne Chung narrates this collection of haunting, vivid, playful poems in a tone full of questioning. Many of the poems themselves feel like questions: What do our dreams have to tell us about our lives? How does memory change over time? Is it possible to truly let go of the things that have shaped us? Chung's narration is smooth and rhythmic, beautifully capturing the many... Read More

Nneka Okoye delivers a lively performance as African Princess Aina, who is kidnapped and taken to Victorian England. Aina, showing intelligence beyond her years, is saved from slavery, renamed Sarah, and given to Queen Victoria as a "gift." Okoye presents a charming, spirited child who grows into an appealing woman. Sarah spends her formative years as the Queen's goddaughter,... Read More

Narrator Shiromi Arserio captivates listeners in this moving coming-of-age story. Ai, the daughter of Cambodian refugees, recalls growing up in Australia in the late 1990s and trying to figure out how to navigate dating and friendships. Seventeen-year-old Ai and her group of friends regularly encounter bigotry and anti-immigrant sentiment. After their close-knit group suffers... Read More

Mankind is facing a global climate crisis of our own making, and if we can learn from our past, we can save ourselves. But it will require worldwide cooperation. These are the key points of climate scientist Michael Mann's audiobook. Tim Campbell offers a straightforward narration. Listeners will be able to follow the author's logic and appreciate his discussion of climate... Read More

Jordan Peele introduces this horror anthology featuring 19 Black authors. Each of the stories blends realism with horror or science fiction, providing an insightful perspective while still remaining chilling. From cars with huge eyes that direct racist cops on whom to arrest, to a pair of stranded travelers in Alabama, each story captures the ear with unsettling horror and... Read More

Narrator Keith Szarabajka embodies the oddly charming Millennium "Mil" Harrison, a grumpy ex-military man living on the moon whose oxygen farm is steadily being overtaken by more modern technology. Days away from his final delivery run, Mil stumbles across an abandoned bunker awash in radiation and gets tangled up in a deadly interplanetary conspiracy. Szarabajka's character... Read More