Audiobook Café

Sara Hillis and Jacob Shymanski review The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, a slow-burn story weaving together a rich tapestry of characters, over a decade of time. Part mystery, part thriller, part family drama—we unpack the eerie summer camp setting, the tangled secrets of the Van Laar family, and the masterful narration by Saskia Maarleveld. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and...

Danielle McLaughlin reviews We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, a unique narrative of a transient clinic offering cats as solutions to personal dilemmas. We also examine the portrayal of cats in other literary works, namely Japanese literature, highlighting the animals’ metaphorical roles. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fri...

Métis history, generational pain, and the lies of reconciliation—Avenue of Champions doesn’t hold back. Jacob breaks down Connor Kerr’s powerful reality checks on Indigenous truths, before Ramya dives into Greenlights, where Matthew McConaughey’s larger-than-life personality takes us on a ride through Hollywood games, questionable family ties, and McConaughey’s over-the-top poetic philosophy of “c...

Audiobook narration: is it pure performance or a faithful reading of the text? We get into it with Simon Mattacks, a narrator who’s voiced more than 100 books (including some for Ann Cleeves fans). He shares how he approaches characters and accents, whether it’s just a performance or if there’s more to connecting with the listener, and of course we get into his own takes on the listening experienc...

Book bans are back in the spotlight after The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill was pulled from the London, Ontario Catholic School Board. The novel, which confronts the history of slavery and racial injustice, has faced controversy over its unflinching portrayal of difficult themes. Kelly MacDonald is here to explore the censorship debate, the role of literature in education, and what it means for...

What happens when Joline, a complicated character with a penchant for self-destruction, gains access to everyone's emails at work? From the presentation of petty office drama to complex relationships, Aamer Khan and Sharon Johnston help Jacob figure out if this book truly delivers on its clever premise. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a wee...

We examine Éric Chacour’s What I Know About You, a powerful Canadian LGBTQ+ novel originally published in French, set in late 20th-century Egypt. The story follows a father, his son, and the complexities of identity and belonging. Our conversation moves from poetic to searching, with thoughts from CELA’s Karen McKay and Theresa Power. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishe...

We welcome back Andy Frank, Manager of AMI-audio, for a deeper than usual Rapid Fire Review. Andy shares five intriguing memoirs and biographies, and gives us his impressions of Nick Drake’s haunting journey, to Matthew McConaughey’s unconventional wisdom, and Dave Grohl’s storytelling charm. The five books discussed in this episode are… Nick Drake: The Life by Richard Morton Jack Greenlights by M...

We uncover the untold stories of Vietnam with Kristin Hannah's The Women. Sara Hillis shares perspectives on the novel’s intricate look at female friendships, PTSD, and the sacrifices of women in wartime. From unforgettable settings to emotional highs and lows, this episode is a tribute to those stories in the shadows that deserve to be heard. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and...

We welcome back a friend of AMI who lets us in on her latest reads. She joins us for Rapid Fire Review: Kathrine Vatcher Books discussed in this episode… Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris The Tide Between Us by Olive Collins The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington Captivity of The Oatman Girls by R.B. Stratton Carleys Voice: Breaking Through Autism by Arthur Fleischman  Audiobook Café i...

We dive into Kathryn Cole’s life in authoring, illustrating, editing, and much more of her fascinating career in Canadian Lliterature. Kathryn has a lot to say about the changes in the publishing process, her experience editing other peoples works versus her own writing adventures, and a whole lot on what it was like adopting children as a young, single mother. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-a...

Danielle McLaughlin lets us in on her love for swimming, and ties the hobby right back in with her love for literature. With books like Swell: A Waterbiography by Jenny Landreth, there is much to talk about around the world of water. Danielle takes us on a literary plunge, and it’s nothing less than fascinating. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episo...

Karoline Bourdeau introduces us to BetaBooks, a platform where authors open up their writing for crowd-sourced consultation. Plus, we ponder about our own 2025 reading goals, and consider how Spotify is changing the competition for audiobook consumption. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET.  Fol...

Here’s our Year in Reading, one-hour special episode, featuring your top lit picks of 2024. From page-turning thrillers to memorable memoirs, and even the unforgettable guilty pleasures, you have us covered. AMI’s Dave Brown helps us crank out the list of your best book experiences of the year. Karoline Bourdeau • But You Don't Look Arab: And Other Tales of Unbelonging by Hala Gorani • The Rulebre...

An emergency landing during a flight to Toronto has a group of strangers, including an entire bridal party, snowbound at the quirky Snow Falls Inn in a picture-perfect town. As romances unfold and movies are filmed, they soon realize there’s no place they’d rather be for the holidays. We review this fun, cozy Holiday read with Aamer Khan. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publ...

Karen Magee steps right into the rabbit hole if she enjoyed the first book an author wrote. She also can’t remember the last time she didn’t finish a book she started, no matter how painful it was to keep reading. She shares her five most recent reads, under the 15-second pressure clock, on Rapid Fire Review. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes...

In a society where people with disabilities remain largely invisible, what does it mean to parent a child born With Down syndrome? Adelle Purdham began unpacking a lifetime of her own ableism and society’s role in it, after the birth of her daughter. We explore her collection of essays, I Don’t Do Disability and Other Lies I’ve Told Myself, describing her honest, resilient journey. Audiobook Café...

Alexei Navalny’s Patriot is an unpolished memoir, mostly written from prison, chronicling his fight against corruption in Russia through his deeply personal journey. With humorous passages, pro references to Harry Potter, Navalny’s reflections on family and love give Sara Hillis and the gang much to review around this this intense political narrative. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Ca...

Do book lists even matter? Karen McKay and Theresa Power from the Centre for Equitable Library Access to chat about the year’s hottest book lists. We dive into picks from the Globe and Mail and New York Times, while discussing the place of these lists in today’s book world. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at...

Jacob Shymanski and Ramya Amuthan defend their beloved picks on Read and Tell. Today’s prompts are: "The best recommendation I’ve gotten in a while is…” and "The tearjerker I need to tell you about…” Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET.  Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCafe ...

We’re inviting a brand new contributor on the show – though she is an old friend and known voice on the network, Danielle McLaughlin. Let’s give her a very warm welcome by putting her mental timer and linguistics to the test with a healthy dose of Rapid Fire Review. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. E...

Aamer Khan, Jacob Shymanski, and Ramya Amuthan review “The Maid” by Nita Prose.  A 2022 New York Times Best Seller, it sold over 2 million copies, but that doesn’t mean we’re sold on it. Jacob plans to approach this review with ruthless efficiency and discipline, but the rest of us are only in it for the chaos. Highlights Introducing “The Maid” by Nita Prose (00:00) The Agenda (00:51) Synopsis (01...

“You’re only as good as the last person who remembers you.” This is the first line in Potential to Purpose by Marco Pasqua. Marco is an award-winning entrepreneur and accessibility advocate, and he shares his insights on writing the book on how fostering authentic relationships and focusing on creativity can genuinely transform our lives. This is not his auto-biography, but his personal stories ce...

As the days get cold and dark, we settle in and hibernate with our books, maybe revisiting old favourites. But what draws us back to books we’ve already read? Is re-reading a waste of time? Karen McKay from the Centre for Equitable Library Access joins us to share her top cozy reads, and we explore the reasons we turn to our comfort books over and over again. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-aud...

Literary characters make for good friends, great enemies, andrealistic mirrors of who we are. Sometimes, we use them to imagine our lives in different ways; other times we just can’t believe what they would get up to. We dive into the ‘why’ of connecting with fictional characters, and the depths of what makes them stick with us.   Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes tw...