Behind the Mic With Kirkus Reviews

Join AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff and Host Jo Reed as they share an audiobook for the soul. This exquisite work of nature writing celebrating Scotland’s Cairngorms mountains remains a classic of ecological observation. Tilda Swinton’s rendition of Nan Shepherd’s poetic prose mesmerizes. Her tone is exceptionally clear, her pace adds drama, and her style of narrating is immersive. Written in the 1940s...

Ari Fliakos's exceptional performance of haunted Kostya Duhovny is among the many pleasures of this immersive debut, says AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff. In discussion with Host Jo Reed, they delve into Kostya’s supernatural ability to bring back the dead through food. Fliakos is ably aided by Tessa Albertson, André Santana, and Kristen Sieh, who all do fine work. But it’s Fliakos’s tour-de-force narra...

This audiobook tells the story of the 1970 legal action that first attempted to desegregate Detroit’s schools. Join AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff and Host Jo Reed as they discuss this audiobook subtitled “Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North.” Janina Edwards narrates in a compelling tone, a vivid style, and a clear sense of the importance of this action. Generatio...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff kick off the week with this compelling and comprehensive audiobook delivered by Jason Culp. He convincingly portrays the great humorist in all his guises—raconteur, lecturer, parent, public figure, wit, and philosopher—homespun and not. Culp expertly narrates the exposition (and in a 44-hour biography there’s plenty) and modulates his voice and pitch for...

AudioFile awards Earphones to exceptional audio experiences—it’s our version of a starred review, specifically for the audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Laura Rossi discuss three recent Earphones Award-winning audiobooks and why they are well worth your listening time. Elmore Leonard’s classic, GET SHORTY, gets a fresh narration from actor Joe Mantegna, just in time for Leonard’s centennial...

Siobhan McSweeney captures each nuance of this creepy yet moving mystery set in 1952 in a decaying English seaside town. Join AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester and host Jo Reed as they meet Nora, who leaves a convent after 30 years to search for a young novice named Freda. McSweeney sounds determined as Nora subtly observes and questions the odd and secretive residents, who have varied accents and pos...

Join host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester as they dive into narratives of two unique teens—Viv, who is fighting against fracking in her town, and Dex, who struggles with poverty and hopes his mother’s new job with the pipeline will provide security. André Santana’s calm delivery of Dex’s dialogue presents a counterpoint to Viv’s emotionality, narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. Both narrato...

To push back against the stereotype that all autistic people are cisgender white men, editors Clem Bastow and Jo Case have brought together twenty-five women and gender-diverse autistic writers. AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester and host Jo Reed discuss these writers and their lived experiences. Together, the ensemble of narrators creates emotional depth and gives each essay an unique feel and voice....

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester dive into dazzling performances by Bahni Turpin and Ashley J. Hobbs in this historical fiction audiobook. When Nikki drives into the mountains of North Carolina to visit her grandmother for the first time, she doesn’t know what to expect. Soon, she’s learning all about her ancestor, Luella, who was queen of a small kingdom in Happy Land. Together, Hob...

As readers of AudioFile Magazine know, we have a feature called “Listening With,” where AudioFile talks with top authors, narrators, and many others about how and why they listen to audiobooks. It's such a popular feature that we decided to expand it to the podcast, and our first guest for our Who's Listening bonus episode is Patti Callahan Henry, an award-winning and bestselling author of some 18...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alex Richey discuss Emma Rydal’s intense performance of this horror audiobook. Rydal’s portrayal of Margot, a child living with her cannibalistic mother (“Mama”), will remain with listeners long after the devastating climax of this audiobook. Throughout her childhood, lost and wayward travelers of all ages, people deemed “strays,” are lured inside their home, where the...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alex Richey chat about this horror audiobook about a Haitian American teen whose zombie abilities are grounded in Haitian folklore. Melinda Sewak primarily narrates with tender, sometimes sinister, delivery of food descriptions which enhances the story’s evocative language. Her narration smoothly transitions between Brielle’s American accent and her mother’s French Cre...

Narrated primarily by Helen Laser, this fast-paced horror story starts with a bang. Jess, a struggling actress, finds a scared 5-year-old boy hiding outside her apartment. When the boy’s angry father attempts to retrieve him, a monstrous creature attacks Jess’s neighbors and roommate, leaving behind death and destruction. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alex Richey discuss Laser’s portrayal of the bo...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alex Richey explore this horror audiobook about a possessive orchid and the humans it wants to consume. Narrators Lauren O’Leary and Barry McStay deliver a chilling performance. O’Leary seamlessly delivers Irish and American accents. McStay voices Baby, the orchid, by adopting a callous, judgmental voice as he describes the thoughts and actions of the humans around him...

AudioFile’s Michele Cobb is joined by narrator Nile Bullock, producer Brian Ramcharan, and Penguin Random House Audio Senior Vice President of Content Production Dan Zitt for a conversation about Jason Reynolds’s SOUNDTRACK—an audiobook original about New York City teens whose talent and love of music lift them to unexpected heights. Listen as the group discusses capturing the feel of New York Cit...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb chat about Catherine Ho’s masterful performance of Susanna Kwan’s poignant debut novel. Set in a rain-drenched near-future San Francisco, the story follows Bo, a young elder-care worker who faces uncertainty after her mother’s disappearance. When Mia, Bo’s centenarian neighbor, offers the solitary Bo a job, she readily accepts. Ho blends dulcet tones and r...

AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed discuss narrator Yu-Li Alice Shen’s delivery of a wild, bingeable listening experience in this fast-paced debut. Identical twins Julie and Chloe, who lost their parents at age 4, grew up worlds apart. Julie, who was raised by their miserable, greedy aunt, works a dead-end job, while Chloe, who was adopted by a wealthy family, lives a life of luxury and is...

Kristen Sieh's performance brings the listener into the life of a complicated woman whose sexual desire is fixated on commercial airliners. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb highlight how Sieh's voice captures Lisa's desires in a skillful delivery that never wavers. Lisa works as an online comment moderator in San Francisco. She's good at her job, but she reserves her passion for airplanes...

Ariel Blake narrates this story of nine-months-pregnant Annie, who must find a way to reach her husband and make her way home from crib-shopping after an earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed discuss how Blake’s dramatic narration captures Annie's fears and concerns as she talks to "Bean," her unborn child. Blake's voice quavers as she presents a mother-to-be...

Kimberly Farr has had a long and distinguished career as an actor on stage and screen and as a celebrated audiobook narrator. A gifted performer with an impressive range, Kimberly has brought characters and stories to life, in fiction and nonfiction alike. Whether it’s Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge novels, Joan Didion’s essays, the biography of Julia Child, or the poetry of Mary Oliver, Kimb...

Golden Voice Bahni Turpin's performance takes listeners to that time in the early 1990s when the world was changing and the latest alternative rock bands were everything. Jane meets burgeoning rock star Elijah in an Internet chat room, a connection that leads to a deep professional and personal bond. They form The Lightning Bottles and amass a devoted fan base, with Jane providing the backbone of...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Stephen Cummings agree that music enthusiasts will enjoy this debut audiobook, invitingly narrated by Jayme Mattler. The story is part slow-burn romance and part new adult fiction. In the early 2000s, Berkeley students Percy and Joe meet at a campus bar. Joe is fascinated by Percy's strong opinions on music and asks her to help him with his songwriting. After their col...

Profanity seems to be the only way to adequately describe the outrageous behavior of a classmate of Florence’s 10-year-old son, Dylan. Narrator Georgina Sadler’s resigned matter-of-fact delivery sets a hilariously irreverent tone in this addictive listen, says AudioFile’s Stephen Cummings and host Jo Reed. Just as it seems there might finally be an opening for Florence to revive the pop band caree...

⁠Host Jo Reed is joined by AudioFile’s Stephen Cummings, who dives into this absorbing look at contemporary Namibian life. Loosely threaded together into "A" and "B" sides, like a mixtape, the material has a natural rhythm. Anthony Oseyemi portrays the brash writer-on-the-make voice of the "A-side," which recounts how his dreams of becoming a successful writer were confounded by his struggles with...

Vikas Adam is one of the most dynamic and skilled audiobook narrators working today, with a voice that brings dragons, detectives, and deeply human characters to life. His talent behind the mic has set him apart in the field and has earned him a place as one of AudioFile magazine’s Golden Voices. As actor, director, and teacher, Vikas brings a deep well of theatrical experience and empathy to ever...