Behind the Mic With Kirkus Reviews

Harlan Coben’s new audiobook is an edge-of-your seat gripper. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Steven Weber’s Earphones Award-winning performance in this second installment of Wilde. In THE BOY FROM THE WOODS we learn the story of Wilde, a child found in the woods with no memory of how he got there. In MATCH, Wilde still doesn’t know his story, but an ancestry website identifies...

Emmett Grosland narrates with the perfect tone for Becky Chamber’s delightful and introspective sequel to A PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT. AudioFile’s Emily Connelly tells host Jo Reed about the joy of spending time with tea monk Sibling Dex and their always inquisitive robot companion, Mosscap. The two are leaving the woods behind and venturing out into the human villages on their moon, Panga, to help...

Hayden Bishop performs Alex White’s symphonic first entry into a unique space opera that blends sci-fi and music. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this audiobook that begins just as humanity is about to end — but fortunately, August Kitko steps in as an unlikely hero. A virtuoso pianist, Gus is unprepared to be scooped into a gigantic mech suit and thrust into battle, but his mu...

Science writer Ed Yong is an enthusiastic guide through the world of animal senses—many very different from our own. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the incredible examination of the multifaceted world of animal senses. Listeners join Ed as he visits labs, talks with researchers, and gets out in the field. He is a capable translator of scientific descriptions, keeping listeners...

Author and Golden Voice narrator Julia Whelan tells the story of Sewanee, an actress turned audiobook narrator. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly talk about the fun of listening to Julia narrate her own work. Sewanee grew up longing to act, but a tragic accident sends her life down a different past. Now well-loved for her audiobook narrations under her real name, she’s called upon to co-...

Alex Williams and Becca Hirani give impassioned performances in a captivating retelling of Emily Brontë’s WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Tashi Suri’s marvelous, haunting addition to the Remixed Classics series. A dark-skinned “boy from nowhere,” Heathcliff flees the Heights after hearing Cathy say he’s too lowborn to marry her. Williams embodies Heathcliff’s...

James Naughton has narrated several of the late Barry Lopez’s audiobooks, and he performs in a deep, calm, resonant tone. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Naughton’s distinctive voice and apt delivery suit these valedictory essays. The audiobook takes the listener around the globe and captures Barry the writer and naturalist engaged in field work in places “remote, elemental,...

Graham Halstead performs Laura Stanfill’s audiobook with the right balance of storyteller and conspirator. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss an immersive novel set primarily in rural France in the 19th century. Halstead narrates the galloping historical novel with just the right pace and intonation. Music runs through the text as well, as the family business of Heri Blanchard is c...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this audiobook that marks the convergence of two Golden Voice narrators with one of the country’s finest fiction writers. Author Jess Walter’s writing ennobles his characters, making the ordinary extraordinary. Edoardo Ballerini and Julia Whelan narrate these empathic, witty, and finely wrought short stories. Whelan sparkles with her persuasive st...

Brian Nishii gives Shuan Xuetao’s three novellas a vivid, unforgettable performance. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how these stories give insights to life in Shenyang, China, written in spare revelatory prose. Nishii illuminates the harsh existences of the characters but there’s wit and whimsy, too. Shuang Xuetao is among China’s most honored young writers; ROUGE STREET is his...

Darrell Dennis narrates Morgan Talty’s collection of interconnected short stories with calculated restraint, empathy, and a sure sense of the author’s voice. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this debut collection from Talty (Penobscot Indian Nation), a gifted young writer from Maine. Dennis voices central character David, who is Penobscot, with a convincing tone and careful caden...

Joy Harjo, the first Native American U.S. poet laureate, narrates a stunning memoir filled with wisdom and compassion. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Sandi Henschel discuss how Harjo’s voice invites listeners in, as she narrates with a calm, lyrical narration. She shares tales of her Muscogee/Creek ancestors, personal anecdotes and remembrances, and her growing awareness of messages found in the nat...

In today’s bonus episode, host Jo Reed interviews Adjoa Andoh, named one of AudioFile’s 2022 Golden Voice narrators this June. Listen to their conversation to hear more about her career in acting and audiobooks, the power of acting, and the incredible success of “Bridgerton,” the Netflix series in which she plays the scene-stealer Lady Danbury. Adjoa Andoh is a well-loved British actor of stage, s...

A spirited performance by Alison Larkin enlivens the second Electra McDonnell historical mystery. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Sandi Henschel discuss Ashley Weaver’s novel set before the Blitz in London, 1940. The body of a woman found in the Thames is wearing a cuff bracelet requiring unlocking. The Major calls upon Ellie and her less-than-legal skills to unlock it. Larkin captures Ellie’s smart-...

Julia Whelan becomes former child star Fiona St. James, offering just the right amount of backstage gossip, romance, and mystery to keep listeners engaged. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Sandi Henschel discuss this Golden Voice narrator’s talented performance. Fiona was a pivotal character in the TV sitcom “Birds of California.” When the producers want to reboot the series and co-star Sam Fox tries...

Tanya Eby delivers a sweet treat in this delightful new audiobook mystery series from Misha Popp. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Sandi Henschel discuss this tale of Daisy, a pie-baking, vigilante, serial-killer-witch who bakes up “murder pies” to settle scores for women who have abusive men in their lives. Daisy, a most unusual heroine, confesses, “The first time I killed a man with a pie, it was an...

Matthew Lloyd Davies’s performance is intelligent, honest, and compelling in Henry Porter’s intriguing story filled with spycraft and surprises. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Sandi Henschel discuss the many twists and turns that Davies takes listeners down as he performs this terrific audiobook. Robert Harland, ex-British spy, currently works for the UN secretary-general. After surviving a plane cr...

English actor Minnie Driver’s captivating performance of her exceptional memoir will have you listening 24/7. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss the memoir told in a series of emotional essays providing insights into Driver’s life as a human, rather than as a star. In witty prose and with great storytelling skill, Driver offers beautifully crafted, often funny, always wise snapshots...

Excellent narration from a bevy of capable narrators enhances Maggie Shipstead’s incisive collection of 10 short stories. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss the collection that showcases Shipstead’s work and breadth of characters from stories written over the past decade. Alex McKenna’s rendition of an actor breaking away from a cult is especially memorable. Shipstead’s complex, fla...

Lucy Liu, Dennis Boutsikaris, and other talented performers rivet listeners with Tom Perotta’s sequel to ELECTION. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss the multi-cast performance reintroducing us to Tracy Flick, now a middle-aged assistant principal hoping for a promotion. When a rich alum insists that Green Meadow High School create a Hall of Fame featuring successful graduates, it s...

Marin Ireland offers an adroit and heartfelt performance of Emma Straub’s clever new novel. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss the time-traveling adventures of Alice, who goes to sleep at 40 worried for her ailing father and wakes as a 16 year old again, back in time. Alice wrestles with big questions and funny situations, and Ireland’s welcoming voice and deft pacing keep listeners...

Narrator Catherine Ho delivers a stellar performance of this fast-paced caper from Kirstin Chen. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss how Ho perfectly inhabits Ava Wong, a frazzled wife and mom, and Winnie Fang, Ava’s formerly shy classmate who is now rich and full of confidence. Winnie entangles Ava in a global fake handbag scheme. Ho channels both characters’ manipulative and subver...

Listeners are treated to Zachary Webber’s perfect portrayal of ex-Army Ranger Travis Devine, a trained fighting machine. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this audiobook that they call an excellent vacation listen. Christine Lakin and Mela Lee share the women’s dialogue, providing well-matched voices for the various characters, while Webber narrates the male characters with skill....

David Henkin’s encyclopedic audiobook is equal parts sociology and arcane history about the human impact of the seven-day week. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss how this mix of history, psychology, sociology, and social observations makes for fascinating listening with Pete Cross at the narrative helm. The author is an expert on the uses and impact of the seven-day week, and he w...

Rupert Degas channels the characters in Sulari Gentill’s charming historical mystery. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss the excellent narration of new Golden Voice narrator Rupert Degas. Australian Roland Sinclair, an artist and a gentleman, has a penchant for scandal and finds plenty while in Shanghai. Degas creates fully formed vocal portraits of each of the characters, and his...