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.
1551
THE LAGER QUEEN OF MINNESOTA by J. Ryan Stradal...
This family saga and story of a family business (beer) has a lot of appeal. We credit Judith Ivey’s narration for delivering all of the Midwestern pragmatism as the women bake pies, brew beer, nurture unlikely friendships, and find redemption.
4 min
1552
THE MARYLEBONE DROP by Mick Herron, read by Ger...
The tradecraft of espionage is the focus of the short and satisfying audiobook from a classic pair—British author Mick Herron and Golden Voice Gerard Doyle. Our conversation reveals just enough to get you listening.
4 min
1553
AKIN by Emma Donoghue, read by Jason Culp
Unlikely traveling companions Noah—a 79-year-old retired professor—and Michael—his 11-year-old grand nephew—embark on a trip of emotional intensity. Our conversation focuses on how narrator Jason Culp’s nails the dialogue. From the author of ROOM.
5 min
1554
WAYWARD SON by Rainbow Rowell, read by Euan Morton
Listeners will be hard-pressed to believe they aren’t listening to a full-cast production. Narrator Euan Morton of Broadway fame brings this highly anticipated sequel to life. Simon Snow defeated the Insidious Humdrum in CARRY ON. What comes next?
6 min
1555
THE LONG CALL by Ann Cleeves, read by Ben Aldridge
Journey to North Devon in a new mystery series from Ann Cleeves. DI Matthew Venn’s team finds a man stabbed on the beach, and clues are connecting the murdered man to Matthew’s past, and to his sweet husband. Ben Aldridge captures Matthew’s cool exterior.
6 min
1556
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
1557
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
1558
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
1559
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
1560
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
1561
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
1562
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
1563
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
1564
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
1565
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
1566
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
1567
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
1568
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
1569
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
1570
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
1571
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
1572
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
1573
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
1574
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
1575
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