Behind the Mic With Kirkus Reviews

Narrator Matt Godfrey evokes a dark mood in this Appalachian thriller set in Eastern Kentucky.  AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester and host Jo Reed discuss the way crime boss Burl Spoon’s world is turned upside down. Spoon built his business empire by becoming the top cannabis seller in Jackson County. He thinks he has everything under control, until his daughter relapses into drug addiction and goes m...

Vera Wong is back, bringing with her characters from Sutanto’s previous audiobook, along with a host of new suspects and friends. Narrator Eunice Wong’s attention to pitch and pacing perfectly re-creates the voices of Vera’s original community while fashioning a new set of personalities, young and old. Join host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester as they discuss the second audiobook in the...

Traci Kato-Kiriyama’s delivery of this memoir about life and reading matches its deeply personal subject matter with an introspective tone. Kato-Kiriyama gives equal weight to the author’s reflections on her academic career; personal struggles, including breakdowns and identity issues; and literary encounters. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss how Kato-Kiriyama maximizes the a...

Heidi Franklin narrates this queer romance with emotional depth and chemistry in every spicy scene. Newly single serial dater, Taylor Cameron, makes a bet with her best friend that she won’t sleep with anyone until the end of the summer. Enter Avery Jensen, an also newly single woman looking to venture into dating women for the first time. Taylor offers to tutor Avery in flirting lessons, and the...

AudioFile is thrilled to name Hillary Huber one of our 2025 Golden Voices—our narrator hall of fame and lifetime achievement award. Hillary’s voice is well known to audiobook lovers everywhere: It’s compelling, nuanced, and instantly engaging. With more than 700 audiobooks to her name, she’s brought life to everything from chilling thrillers to intricate literary fiction, including Elena Ferrante’...

AudioFile’s Robin Whitten joins host Jo Reed to celebrate Kimberly Farr and her remarkable narration career, culminating in her 2025 Golden Voice honor. Together, they explore Farr’s expansive body of work—spanning more than 100 titles across fiction, biography, and poetry. From the delight of narrating Julia Child’s biography to her profound sensitivity in voicing poetry, Farr’s deep respect for...

AudioFile’s Robin Whitten joins Jo Reed to celebrate Vikas Adam’s dynamic approach to audiobook narration and his recognition as a 2025 Golden Voice narrator. Adam shares insights into the craft of authentically embodying a wide spectrum of characters—across genders, cultures, and accents—infusing each performance with vitality and depth. Renowned for his graceful delivery and emotional precision,...

AudioFile’s Robin Whitten joins host Jo Reed to celebrate Hillary Huber’s prolific audiobook career and her recognition as a 2025 Golden Voice narrator. They highlight standout moments from Huber’s narration of more than 500 titles, including her acclaimed performances of Elena Ferrante’s novels. The conversation offers insights into Huber’s versatile approach across genres and her ability to enga...

AudioFile Magazine’s Golden Voice narrators are the stars of the audiobook universe. Today host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten are announcing the new Golden Voice honorees for 2025: Hillary Huber, Vikas Adam, and Kimberly Farr. AudioFile Magazine has bestowed the Golden Voice honor on 53 audiobook narrators; it’s an accolade that honors those who have made significant contributions to the a...

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 highlight three recent Earphones Award-winning audiobooks and share why they’re worth your listening time. Author/narrator Brad Meltzer’s inspiring MAKE MAGIC, based on a commencement speech he gave, is perfect for graduation sea...

Golden Voice narrator Julia Whelan delights listeners with this heartfelt contemporary romance. Alice and Hayden are both writers who find themselves on Little Crescent Island for the same reason: They’re competing to write the biography of an elusive heiress, the daughter of one of the most scandalous families of the twentieth century, whom no one has actually seen in years. Host Jo Reed and Audi...

Narrator Sophie Jo Wasson transports listeners to Ireland in 1847 with her poignant performance. Like many throughout the country, Nell’s family’s potato crop is infected with a black rot that makes the potatoes inedible. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Leslie Fine discuss the way that Wasson’s lilting intonation and Irish accent take listeners into Nell’s world, capturing the devastation, terror, an...

Narrators Julia Whelan and Connor Crais deliver unique performances in Abby Jimenez’s short yet moving audio romance. AudioFile’s Leslie Fine and host Jo Reed chat about two neighbors who meet due to a construction mix-up. Seth and Charlotte connect and talk about their isolated lives, and their conversations come alive with the narrators’ expert deliveries. While most romances cover a longer time...

The Early Modern English of Shakespeare’s time sets up an immersive auditory realm where listeners find 61-year-old apothecary and midwife Judith. She is the last of the Bard’s progeny, and she must leave town after being accused of witchcraft. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile contributor Leslie Fine discuss the way that narrator Mary Jane Wells’s fluted tones and English accent add to the authenticity...

AudioFile’s Michele Cobb speaks with actor and author Whoopi Goldberg. Whoopi won the 2025 Audie Award for Narration by the Author for her memoir BITS AND PIECES: My Mother, My Brother, and Me. Whoopi is also a huge audiobook fan and dedicated listener, and in her acceptance speech at the Audies gala, she thanked all of the other narrators in the room for their work. Their conversation provides in...

Popular podcasters Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson ask a complicated question: What’s wrong with how our government operates, and what needs to change? Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb dive into this thorough and intelligent discussion that sounds the alarm without sounding alarmist. Operation Warp Speed’s federal/private partnership to quickly create a COVID-19 vaccine is presented as a he...

Actor Jeremy Renner narrates his memoir about a freak accident and the resulting horrendous injuries he suffered on New Year’s Day 2023. AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed discuss Renner’s moving efforts as he describes the support he received from loved ones and many others as he made a truly miraculous recovery. With audible emotion, Renner navigates his reflections on life and death. He...

AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed dig into this tell-all exposé written and performed by a former insider at Facebook. Author Sarah Wynn-Williams tells her personal story of her climb to the upper branches of management at Facebook and the disappointment she felt at every move. While acknowledging that most users consider Facebook a friendly, useful tool, Wynn-Williams perfectly articulate...

Golden Voice narrator Marin Ireland’s narration of this family dramedy maximizes the humor behind finding a half-sibling—only to find out there may be dozens more. Join host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb as they discuss Ireland’s subtle vocal shifts in balancing the story's deadpan humor and emotional depth. Ireland’s interpretation deepens the story’s themes of identity, family, and forgiv...

We’re revisiting host Jo Reed’s conversation with author Cynthia Leitich Smith and narrator Shaun Taylor-Corbett about collaborating on audiobooks, writing and narrating for young people, and representing Indigenous experiences and voices. Cynthia’s newest audiobook, FIREFLY SEASON, under her Heartdrum imprint for Harper Audio, has just been released.  Looking for a teen summer listen? Check out A...

This thrill ride of an audiobook tells the many stories of those onboard Train 721, which crashed in Montparnasse station in October 1895. AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff and host Jo Reed discuss narrator Justin Avoth, who performs the drama at a good pace and keeps the story moving. Donoghue brings her plotting skills, eloquent style, and eye for social mores to the cast of fictional people who are on...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this audiobook’s stellar cast as they conjure the American Dust Bowl. Sophie Amoss’s narration shimmers as the Antidote, a "prairie witch" who takes verbal deposits; Asphodel Oletsky, a teen recently orphaned when her mom was murdered, is vividly portrayed by Elena Rey; and the masterful Mark Bramhall inhabits the sane, sensitive, long-suffering w...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff talk about Laila Lalami’s dystopian novel, set in an uncomfortably near future. It’s narrated by an exceptional Frankie Corzo, who voices an innocent woman incarcerated for her dreams. Much of the narrative is the protagonist Sara’s thoughts, feelings, and reactions. The novel is reminiscent of Kafka and Orwell, had they lived in the Internet Age. Sara an...

Shaun Taylor-Corbett narrates Jon Hickey’s powerful story of politics, corruption, and loyalty. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss the way that Taylor-Corbett, in an Earphones Award-winning performance, delivers the dialogue with restraint and intelligence and is masterful in bringing this compelling novel to life. Protagonist Mitch Caddo leads a conflicted life as an outsider with...

AudioFile Editor Robin Whitten and host Jo Reed shine a spotlight on three delicious audiobooks all about the rich history of Chinese cuisine. For the youngest listeners, A BANQUET FOR CECILIA by Julie Leung and read by Cindy Kay tells the story of restaurateur Cecilia Chiang. For middle-grade listeners, Grace Lin’s CHINESE MENU, read by Lisa Ling, shares tales of iconic dishes and dragons, monks,...