Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine

Eunice Wong performs Lisa Ko’s novel about a decades-long friendship between three Asian American women. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss what Kendra calls one of the must-listens of the year. Giselle Chin, Chackie Ong, and Ellen Ng come of age in the ’80s and ’90s, trying to make their way in the world. Wong’s performance captures the friends’ perspectives, giving each a unique narrative voice. In Wong’s narration, one friend sounds brusque and efficient, while another’s voice is laid-back and easygoing. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Sound Reviews comes from Hachette Audio, and the audiobook edition of RELENTLESS by Luis A Miranda Jr, featuring a foreword read by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda. To find out more about this, and any other Hachette Audio productions, please visit www.hachetteaudio.com, or @HachetteAudio This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pete Cross performs Garrard Conley’s debut novel of a star-crossed love affair. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this beautifully devastating story of love between minister Nathaniel Whitfield and physician Arthur Lyman in Puritan New England. Cross’s narration captures the intense relationship between the two men; he performs their dialogue with deep emotion. As the two men’s families begin to suspect their secret, Cross imbues his performance with tension, communicating both families’ anxiety and feelings of helplessness. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Sound Reviews comes from Hachette Audio, and the audiobook edition of RELENTLESS by Luis A Miranda Jr, featuring a foreword read by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda. To find out more about this, and any other Hachette Audio productions, please visit www.hachetteaudio.com, or @HachetteAudio This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer Morgan Parker, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, performs her collection of essays that revolve around religious trauma, mental health, racial justice, and life as a single person in America. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this intimate collection. Parker’s performance expresses her complex feelings, giving her ideas additional emotional weight. A beautiful example of the magic that can happen when an author personally performs her essays. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Grasl performs Ned Blackhawk’s National Book Award-winning history of the Native peoples of what is now known as the United States. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this sweeping work that illuminates the histories of Indigenous peoples, from contact with early conquistadors of New Spain to the Indigenous activists of the mid-twentieth century. A must-listen for any history lover. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Tantor Media. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shaun Taylor-Corbett seamlessly narrates the majority of this haunted novel with a masterful assist by Charley Flyte. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss a magical addition to Cynthia Leitich Smith’s young adult novels. Hughie Wolfe, an avid actor, is asked to volunteer at a Halloween haunted house near the crossroads of his small Kansas town. Hughie and a group of friends have begun to learn of odd happenings and intimidating ghostly presences at the crossroads, and they start investigating to find the truth. On Halloween the haunted house and the spirits of the past collide. Hughie’s thoughtful nature shines through in Taylor-Corbett’s narration, and Flyte’s ethereal voice shines at the story’s dramatic climax. Be sure to listen to Jo Reed’s conversation with Cynthia Leitich Smith and Shaun Taylor-Corbett on our bonus edition of Behind the Mic. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Listening Library. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maya Saroya gives an expressive performance in Hafsah Faizal’s thrilling YA historical fantasy filled with vampires, action, romance, and tea. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this compelling story set in a richly built world packed with secrets—performed beautifully. Saroya portrays Arthie Casimir in a smooth, deadly tone that highlights her fierce determination to protect those she loves. Arthie’s an outsider in Etenia, but she’s created a safe haven in her tearoom, Spindrift, where her crew serves tea by day and blood to vampires under the cover of night. Saroya moves easily into the points of view of Jin, Arthie’s charming yet deadly brother, and Flick, a forger whose voice reveals her upper-crust background. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Macmillan Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hanif Abdurraqib’s latest book is a transcendent feat of poetry, memoir, and—well, magic. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Abdurraqib’s mesmerizing narration and rich writing. His narration is as breathless and beautiful as his prose, and you can hear the love in his voice as he performs it. It’s an ode to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio; a love letter to basketball; a meditation on home and belonging; and an exploration of faith, Blackness, music, and place. He delivers every word as if it is a matter of life and death. A masterpiece from one of America’s most creative, generous, and rigorous living writers. Don’t miss it. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julia Whelan performs Emily Henry’s funny story, much like a Shakespearean comedy is a funny story, of a woman who falls in love with her ex-fiancé’s new girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the joy of getting to hear another excellent Emily Henry and Julia Whelan audiobook pairing. When Daphne’s fiance, Peter, realizes he’s in love with his formerly platonic best friend, Petra, just days before their wedding, Daphne’s world falls apart. Desperate for a place to live, she moves in with Petra’s also devastated ex, Miles. The two start a tentative friendship and Daphne finds that there is much to love in this small town—including Miles. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Narrators Natalie Beran and Jackson Bliss portray queer Russian-Maori siblings Greta and Valdin in this wise, hilarious novel about a loving and chaotic New Zealand family. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Rebecca K. Reilly’s novel, now released in the U.S. Beran depicts Greta, a 20-something PhD student in a perky, wry tone that is dripping with millennial angst. Bliss narrates Valdin’s sections with a mix of earnestness and detachment. A year after being dumped by his boyfriend, he’s just (maybe) starting to get his life back on track. The narrators’ varied New Zealand accents and ease with snappy dialogue make every moment of this joyful audiobook a pleasure. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss a celebrated YA novel that is featured in AudioFile’s new Audiobook Club. Narrator Jesse Nobess establishes a determined voice for high school sophomore Tre Brun. After losing his older brother who was a star on their high school basketball team, he finds his own passion for the game. Nobess captures Tre’s emotions as he pushes himself to reach his maximum potential on the court, where he feels pressure to succeed not only for himself, but also for his family and his Ojibwe community. Stay tuned for more information about AudioFile’s new audiobook club this summer. Listeners, especially sports enthusiasts, will cheer Tre on through the tumultuous and unforgettable basketball season. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Narrator Dion Graham, with his ability to tap into a wide variety of voices, is the right pick for Ace Atkins’s blues-heavy novel first published in 1998. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Dion’s skill at voicing this blues-infused noir mystery. Nick Travers is a former pro football player turned blues historian at Tulane University in Louisiana. He’s sent to find a missing music professor, and the mission gets messy. Graham’s stellar narration helps listeners keep the many characters straight, going beyond different voices and pacing to vary entire dialects. A first-rate performance by a first-rate narrator. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Recorded Books. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The privileged world of the spirited Isabella Stewart Gardner is aptly captured by the patrician voice of narrator Maggi-Meg Reed. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this fascinating biography by Natalie Dykstra. Reed’s careful pacing and expression elicit genuine admiration for the eccentric and sometimes scandalous Isabella. Gardner leaves as her legacy the Fenway Court building, now the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, famous for its interior Venetian palazzo, eclectic collections, and of course, the still unsolved art heist. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roger Clark gives a thrilling performance of Tana French’s newest novel set in a ferociously insular Irish village. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this sequel to THE SEARCHER, continuing the story of Cal Hooper, a retired Chicago police detective in a town that makes its own law. Clark’s Irish dialogue is so rich and musical it’s addictive, but his American voice for Hooper is flawless as well, and his pacing, attention, and sympathy do splendid justice to this riveting story. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An inspiring original story gets a five-star narration from Lynnette R. Freeman. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss how Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s Civil War-era novel shines with Freeman’s narration. Sanite and her daughter, Ady, run from the brutality of John du Marche’s slave labor camp—also known as a plantation. Separated when Sanite is recaptured, Ady endures hardship alone in the woods until she’s eventually befriended by a free woman who runs a secret organization called “The Daughters.” Freeman delivers the tension, relief, dangers, and hope felt by these remarkable women. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Edoardo Ballerini’s narration of Amor Towles’s newest short story collection. By turns nuanced and dramatic, Golden Voice Ballerini uses his full range of techniques always in service of the author’s fine prose. His smart pace and rich tone work particularly well for the noir novella set in late 1930s Hollywood. Ballerini shines in the opening work, “New York: The Line,” about an average Russian, named Pushkin, who has a gift for helping others with Russia’s long food lines. These stories have Towles’s touch: finely detailed characters, distinct settings, and deserved comeuppances. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dorje Swallow’s performance of Helen Oyeyemi’s metafiction centers this whirligig of a novel in which story begets story. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Swallow’s assured narration—in particular, his ability to do voices and accents and adapt his tone to whatever the scene—makes this audiobook marvelous to listen to. Hero Tojosoa ostensibly comes to Prague to join her friend, Sophie, for a weekend. When Dorothea arrives as well, the plot thickens, spatters, and all manner of mayhem ensues. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron Goodson performs Vinson Cunningham’s coming-of-age novel in a conversational manner. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Goodson’s pleasing narrative style. His pensive tone works for the narrator and protagonist, David Hammons, the well-read but adrift young man who finds himself working as a fundraising assistant in the 2008 presidential election for the unnamed African American senator from Illinois. It’s a finely crafted story that includes smart and nuanced riffs on religion, money in politics, and life on the campaign trail. His observations create a timely listen. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carlotta Brentan narrates this near-future dystopian novel set in a time of ecological disaster in the mostly underwater community of Island City. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Téa Obreht’s newest novel. Brentan portrays the cast of characters smartly by subtly shifting tone, cadence, and timbre. The once stately Morningside building is now home to “repopulated” folks who are part of a government program. Mysteries shroud this imaginative work. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This audiobook reveals that Tommy Orange is among the most insightful novelists writing today and a poet of pain. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this immersive novel set in Oakland that makes for a powerful listening experience. Among the segmented novel’s stellar performances, Charley Flyte’s reading of Victoria Bear Shield’s dramatic monologue to her unborn daughter is a tour de force—a haunting performance with an expressive tone and intimate voice. Alma Cuervo portrays Jacquie Red Feather and Victoria—the unborn infant, now a grandmother—with candor, compassion, and a thoughtful pace. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s bonus edition of Behind the Mic, host Jo Reed welcomes author Cynthia Leitich Smith and narrator Shaun Taylor-Corbett for a lively conversation about making memorable audiobooks for children and young adults. Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee citizen) is a highly acclaimed author for young readers and curator for Heartdrum, a Native American-focused imprint from HarperCollins. Shaun Taylor-Corbett (Blackfeet) is a frequent narrator of audiobooks from Heartdrum, including Cynthia’s most recent, HARVEST HOUSE. Listen in to hear Cynthia and Shaun talk about the audiobooks they’ve collaborated on and the importance of showing true representation of Native kids and teens in books and audiobooks. Read reviews of Cynthia Leitich Smith’s audiobooks at our website, where you can discover more audiobooks narrated by Shaun Taylor-Corbett as well. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices