Behind the Mic With Kirkus Reviews

Rosa Escoda’s dreamy narration sweeps listeners up into a captivating retelling of the Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong.” Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Axie Oh’s new YA fantasy set in the spirit realm. Deadly storms rage along the coast each year, only calming after a sacrifice to the Sea God. When Mina realizes her brother is desperately in love with this year’s “Sea...

Sarah Mollo-Christensen captures the lively voice of Ari Abrams, a Seattle weather girl worried about her stormy workplace. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Rachel Lynn Solomon’s swoon-worthy new contemporary romance. Ari and her charming sportscaster colleague Russell come up with an unlikely scheme to fix their toxic workplace—they will “Parent Trap” their divorced bosses back...

Cynthia Erivo is nothing short of amazing as she narrates Patti Callahan’s historical novella about Florence Nightingale. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Erivo’s spectacular narration that gets the emotional tone of this story exactly right. Callahan examines a few years of the famous nurse’s life as she struggled with shedding Victorian expectations and fulfilling her calling t...

Emily Woo Zeller delivers a terrific narration of S.J. Rozan’s newest mystery featuring New York City private eye Lydia Chin and her partner, Bill Smith. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this complex, fast-paced, and witty story that involves an old building threatened by development, Chinatown’s Tong gang, and the historic preservation society. Zeller shows off her skill with di...

Julia Whelan narrates a tale of psychological menace and suspense from Shirley Jackson, one of the genre’s greatest writers. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss how Whelan gives listeners all of the elegance of the language, building the emotional suspense exactly as Jackson intended. Whelan’s eager narration works to throw the listener off-balance with a bizarre story that is bette...

Narrator Lauren Ambrose performs Nita Prose’s creatively crafted mystery featuring Molly, a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel who discovers the body of a regular guest in his suite. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this zinger of a mystery with many possible suspects. Lauren Ambrose is exceptional at capturing this propulsive story, giving listeners a sense of all the details, and...

David Timson masterfully narrates Maurice Leblanc’s entertaining classic mystery in which two formidable opponents match wits. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss the fun of listening to this tale of famed English detective Herlock Sholmes called to Paris to investigate a diamond’s disappearance – and the prime suspect is the legendary gentleman thief, Arsène Lupin. Timson keeps the...

Narrator Catherine Ho gives a superb performance of Weike Wang’s audiobook about Joan, a first-generation Chinese-American ICU physician. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss how brilliantly Catherine Ho inhabits the character of Joan, making for a fascinating ride that delves into the psyche of someone who interacts with the world in an unusual way. Joan is grieving the loss of her f...

Since voice is central to this gripping audio memoir by award-winning performer Billy Porter, it’s only fitting that it’s narrated by the author himself. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Porter’s engaging narration and his own specific sound and style that he brings to telling his story. With his inimitable rasp and vocal flexibility, Porter tells of his family, childhood, and car...

Barrie Kreinik narrates Rachel Hawkins’s new twisty thriller perfectly. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this story of a fun trip to a remote island in the South Pacific that turns into a nightmare. Kreinik smoothly takes listeners through all of the twists and seamlessly shifts among the characters’ varied accents – a Brit’s clipped consonants, a charming Australian’s broad vowel...

Fans will be grateful that Kal Penn narrates his own memoir, because he brings his signature comedy to every moment. Host Jo Reed talks with AudioFile’s Michele Cobb about enjoying Penn’s story, his relaxed narration, and her delight in getting to speak with him in preparation for hosting this year’s Audie Awards. He narrates his memoir with a comfortable style as he switches between stories of gr...

Narrator Shiromi Arserio provides an expressive, youthful, and velvety tone throughout Noah Hawley’s cryptic plot. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss author and screenwriter Hawley’s latest dystopian thriller, set in the near future. Hawley himself speaks during pivotal moments, providing commentary that evokes an existential response. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioF...

Davina Porter is a Golden Voice narrator, well loved for voicing Diana Gabaldon’s OUTLANDER series and many more. She is known for her attention to detail, keen intelligence, subtle characterizations, and a range of voices and accents. In this bonus episode of Behind the Mic, Davina Porter tells host Jo Reed about the delights and challenges of narrating OUTLANDER, what brought her to the world of...

Blessed with a fine and resonant voice, James Fouhey eloquently performs James R. Gaines’s closer look at the 1950s. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Fouhey’s reading style fits the engaging profiles presented here. Gaines explores the decade he defines from 1946 to 1963 through the lens of central movements — gay rights, civil rights, feminism, the environmental movement, an...

Carl Bernstein’s investigative reporting on Watergate changed America for the better—or at least shook Americans out of our complacency regarding politicians. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this story of Bernstein’s career, which started at 16 working at the WASHINGTON STAR. Narrator Robert Petkoff, with an occasional assist from Bernstein, takes listeners back to the beginning...

Adam Barr adeptly voices most of Paco Underhill’s informed and informative audiobook about shoppers’ buying and eating habits. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Underhill’s expertise as a food consultant gives this study an insider’s view. Barr narrates with a conversational, intimate style that reflects the author’s insights into how our behavior is manipulated. Listen to lea...

William DeMeritt narrates Jonathan Evison’s mosaic of a novel, which ties together the 19th-century ancestors of 21st-century characters who are headed for a train disaster. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this story with fascinating characters in two distinct time periods. DeMeritt masterfully paces the intertwining stories with a keen sense of drama, smoothly takes on the acce...

Golden Voice Robin Miles narrates Zora Neale Hurston’s work with empathy and a sure sense of Hurston’s literary voice. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Miles’s talent at presenting Hurston’s essays, which range from stereotyped presentations of African Americans in literature to discussions of segregated education and detailed reporting on the 1952 Ruby McCollum murder trial. Lis...

In a podcast format well suited to audio, the incomparable Stephen Fry gathers together familiar and little-known facts about those irrepressible Edwardians. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile contributor Sandi Henschel discuss this companion piece to Fry’s delightful exploration of VICTORIAN SECRETS, presented in 12 lively episodes. Frequently joined by a number of historians, authors, and reenactors, Fr...

Leighton Pugh offers an engrossing narration of Émile Zola’s 1883 cautionary tale of capitalism and consumerism. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile contributor Sandi Henschel discuss how Pugh immerses listeners into the drama surrounding the “Ladies’ Paradise” department store in Paris. Pugh’s Parisian French is faultless as are his voices for the many characters. A fascinating look at nineteenth-century...

Rachel Atkins is a lively narrator for Ellen Wood’s 1861 melodrama. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile contributor Sandi Henschel discuss how Atkins handles the characters, plots, and subplots with aplomb. Lady Isabel Carlyle leaves her husband and children for a cad, and when she’s abandoned by her lover, returns in disguise as governess to her own children. Atkins juggles the love affairs, secrets, fals...

Narrator Adjoa Andoh delivers an intriguing epic journey through 50 years in the life of Charlotte Sophia, the first Moorish queen of England and wife of “mad” King George III. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile contributor Sandi Henschel discuss the engaging, theatrical narration Andoh brings to this new recording. Andoh shifts smoothly between emotions as she voices Charlotte caring for her sick husband...

Alison Larkin makes listening to Jane Austen’s classic an experience not to be missed. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Sandi Henschel discuss the fun of Larkin’s narration; she sounds as if she can’t wait to tell a delicious story. Larkin’s sparkling performance is a perfect fit for audio. Starting on February 15th, you can hear the complete audiobook of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, WITH SONGS FROM REGENCY E...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this newest audiobook from the always-inspiring Jason Reynolds. He deftly narrates “Take One” of this collaboration between himself and mixed-media collage artist Jason Griffin, bringing slam poetry sensibilities to a brief yet evocative glimpse into the life of an unnamed young Black narrator full of anxieties for his family. As Reynolds’s singu...

Upbeat, soulful jazz greets listeners as narrator Sullivan Jones’s warm, reassuring voice blends the lyrical rhymes and vibrant imagery in Andrea Beaty’s encouraging children’s audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this latest story in the “Questioneers” series, this time centered around Aaron Slater, a second grader full of courage and imagination who struggles with readi...