Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine
Find your next great audiobook on our podcast, Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine. Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile Editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. All in 6 minutes or less. It’s short, sweet, and just what your ears need. Want more? Listen to our bonus episodes featuring conversations with the best voices in the audiobook industry.
1526
THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY by Alix E. Ha...
January Scaller’s life changes when she discovers a secret—a Door that leads to another, brighter world. A hidden book shows her the infinite potential of hidden Doors. Narrator January LaVoy’s skilled performance makes this fantasy one not to miss.
5 min
1527
FRANKLY IN LOVE by David Yoon, read by Raymond ...
Narrator Raymond J. Lee captures the intergenerational family dynamics and magic of first love in this teen bestseller. Frank Li is falling in love with the wrong girl, according to his Korean parents. His fake dating scheme is the perfect answer. Right?
5 min
1528
THE TESTAMENTS by Margaret Atwood, read by Ann ...
Listening adds an entirely new dimension to a riveting tale. Discover what has happened in Gilead since Offred fled as a runaway handmaid fifteen years before. Listeners are privy to the secrets of a key player in creating Gilead—the imposing Aunt Lydia.
4 min
1529
ENDLESS NOVELTIES OF EXTRAORDINARY INTEREST by ...
Victorian oceanography? Extraordinary! Head out to sea with this history of H.M.S. Challenger, which led the first scientific studies of the ocean in the 1870s. Anyone who loves science and stories of discovery will enjoy this listen.
5 min
1530
THE MOSQUITO by Timothy C. Winegard, read by Ma...
Hear the history of how human civilization has been shaped by a tiny enemy—the mosquito. Narrator Mark Deakins skillfully delivers the story of how mosquitoes may have affected everything from the ancient Greeks to the American Revolution.
5 min
1531
THE MAN IN THE WHITE LINEN SUIT by David Handle...
Laugh along with ghostwriter Stewart Hoag in this clever mystery. When Hoag and his faithful basset hound Lulu find themselves entangled in a literary mystery, mayhem ensues. Berkrot’s spot-on delivery makes this a memorable listening experience.
4 min
1532
THE GRAMMARIANS by Cathleen Schine, read by Hil...
Twin girls share a deep love of language and words, until that love tears them apart. Hillary Huber’s performance captivates listeners as she narrates the young girls’ delight and wry commentary. The author’s wordplay shines through.
4 min
1533
STEALING THE SHOW by John Barelli, Zachary Schi...
What does it take to steal priceless works of art? The Met’s former Chief Security Officer has entertaining tales to share in this memoir, including famous heists from the Met and beyond—and all the work that goes into preventing thefts.
4 min
1534
AudioFile Favorites: BOSSYPANTS by Tina Fey, re...
The comedy is amplified through the author’s memorable performance of an audiobook that is part memoir, part career advice, and 100% going to make you laugh. Get a behind-the-scenes look into Tina Fey’s life in this AudioFile favorite listen.
5 min
1535
AudioFile Favorites: THE POET X by Elizabeth Ac...
Acevedo’s performance chops pull the listener into Xiomara’s world. X is a first-generation Dominican-American girl who finds her voice through poetry. Hearing the author narrate this award-winning audiobook is the ideal way to experience the novel.
5 min
1536
AudioFile Favorites: HIDDEN FIGURES by Margot L...
The true story of four black women who helped pave the way for space exploration. Robin Miles does an excellent job of voicing the women clearly and separately, and her narration brings out the heart in a story built on science.
5 min
1537
AudioFile Favorites: HAMILTON by Lin-Manuel Mir...
“Hamilton: the Musical” is a cultural phenomenon, and this audiobook is a must-listen to learn all about how a musical is made. Narrated by superfan Mariska Hargitay along with Lin Manuel Miranda himself reading the libretto footnotes.
5 min
1538
AudioFile Favorites: BELOVED by Toni Morrison, ...
The wounds of slavery run deep in this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, thoughtfully narrated by the author herself. A compelling and complicated tale with an emotional punch and a musical pace that will stay with the listener.
5 min
1539
AudioFile Favorites: THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT ...
Alan Furst offers one of his finest spy novels. In Paris in the late 1930s, journalist Carl Weisz takes over an antifascist newspaper and is swept deeper into the international émigré community and the increasing danger of work for the Resistance.
5 min
1540
AudioFile Favorites: BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noa...
Trevor Noah, the host of “The Daily Show,” injects his candor and uses his wry humor with his innate storytelling and mimicry to leaven his memoir of his South African childhood. This author-read memoir is an AudioFile Favorite.
5 min
1541
AudioFile Favorites: BEAUTIFUL RUINS by Jess Wa...
Listeners start in a coastal Italian town in the 1960s with a young innkeeper and move through present-day Hollywood with dozens of unforgettable characters. Lovers and dreamers, superstars and losers are warmly and vividly portrayed by Edoardo Ballerini.
4 min
1542
AudioFile Favorites: THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil...
Fans of AMERICAN GODS or GOOD OMENS may not know about Neil Gaiman’s children’s audiobooks. Host Jo Reed and Robin Whitten chat about why THE GRAVEYARD BOOK has garnered multiple awards and is an AudioFile Favorite.
4 min
1543
AudioFile Favorites: THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Phil...
The audiobook we’ve recommended for 20 years—THE GOLDEN COMPASS—gets a new shout-out for the exceptional full-cast performance. Listen or re-listen before the BBC/HBO series “His Dark Materials” debuts later this fall.
5 min
1544
THE VAGABONDS by Jeff Guinn, read by Josh Hamilton
Discover a truly remarkable chapter of American history. Josh Hamilton narrates the story of Ford, Edison, John Burroughs, and their ten years of summer road trips across the U.S. in the early 1900s—adventures that changed the way we travel.
6 min
1545
SEMICOLON by Cecelia Watson, read by Pam Ward
An unlikely yet lively audiobook. Narrator Pam Ward’s expressive narration delights as she recounts a tale of grammar’s most misunderstood punctuation mark, the semicolon. It’s a listen that’s brisk, witty, and provocative; a genuine pleasure for the ear.
5 min
1546
NEVER HAVE I EVER by Joshilyn Jackson, read by ...
When a newcomer to Amy’s neighborhood starts blackmailing her, she finds herself in a battle to conceal her deepest, darkest secret. Author Joshilyn Jackson breathes life into her characters, setting the scene in the Florida Panhandle.
5 min
1547
DEEP RIVER by Karl Marlantes, read by Bronson P...
An engrossing and commanding historical epic about one immigrant family’s shifting fortunes in Washington state. Bronson Pinchot’s extraordinary ear for language and his nuanced delivery enliven the prose and capture the heart of the listener.
4 min
1548
BEIJING PAYBACK by Daniel Nieh, read by Ewan Chung
An audiobook for anyone who likes a great crime novel performed by a truly talented narrator. Ewan Chung smoothly narrates as Victor, a Chinese-American college student whose father was murdered. Journey to Beijing in a fast-paced revenge thriller.
4 min
1549
MAGIC FOR LIARS by Sarah Gailey, read by Xe Sands
Ivy Gamble, P.I., has her first big case. A teacher’s body was found at Osthorne Academy for Young Mages, and Ivy gets caught up in the lives of and magic of teachers and students as she seeks the murderer. Sands’s gritty narration adds to the intrigue.
4 min
1550
DESIRE LINES by Elizabeth Kingston, read by Nic...
Gryff is a Welsh prince in hiding when he’s captured by violent men. He is astounded when a small, deadly woman slays his captors, and the two form an alliance. Nicholas Boulton’s smooth, rich voice will delight listeners looking for a medieval romance.
5 min