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.
1626
STONY THE ROAD by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., read ...
Historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., creates a complex meditation on black identity in a racist America from Reconstruction to the Harlem Renaissance. Narrator Dominic Hoffman draws in listeners with his deep voice and smooth delivery.
4 min
1627
AMERICAN MOONSHOT by Douglas Brinkley, read by ...
As the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing approaches, American historian Douglas Brinkley celebrates the Kennedy administration’s role in the nascent aerospace industry. An excellent listening introduction to space history.
4 min
1628
THE PIONEERS by David McCullough, read by John ...
This history of the settlement of the Northwest Territory is a worthy companion to David McCullough’s other histories of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Panama Canal. Narrator John Bedford Lloyd gives an engaged narration of this unique saga of the making of America.
4 min
1629
CEMETERY ROAD by Greg Iles, read by Scott Brick
Two murders, one town, a lifetime of secrets—Bienville, Mississippi. Greg Iles’s thriller is both an absorbing crime story and an in-depth exploration of grief, betrayal, and corruption. Scott Brick masters this narration.
4 min
1630
PASTA, PANE, VINO by Matt Goulding, read by Wil...
Does the world need another book about Italian food? Food writer Matt Goulding asked Anthony Bourdain this question before starting the book. Listeners will say “yes” and “thank you” to Goulding and narrator Will Damron.
4 min
1631
WOMEN ROWING NORTH by Mary Pipher, read by Suza...
Mary Pipher, author of REVIVING OPHELIA, offers a memoir-like study of the various ways women transition into their later years. Suzanne Toren captures her highly personal style of writing.
3 min
1632
THE LITTLE FOXES by Lillian Hellman, read by Wi...
This classic American drama about gender politics and greed in a Southern family at the turn of the 20th century has had multiple film and stage adaptations. It’s just as powerful as an audiobook performance.
4 min
1633
RUN AWAY by Harlan Coben, read by Steven Weber
Great suspense with unexpected twists from thriller master Harlan Coben and a perfect performance by narrator Steven Weber. A couple’s search for their missing daughter takes unexpected turns.
3 min
1634
LESSONS FROM LUCY by Dave Barry, read by Dave B...
Lucy—Barry’s old dog and best friend—inspires his trademark humor. The author’s natural wry, understated presentation style is totally in sync with his writing. Barry treats us to good listening as he ruminates on old dogs and aging.
4 min
1635
THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR by Nicola Yoon, read by ...
Natasha is doing everything she can to keep her family from being deported to Jamaica. Daniel’s desperate for his Korean-American parents to take his dreams seriously. Three narrators tell their story. Listen before you see the movie.
4 min
1636
HORIZON by Barry Lopez, read by James Naughton
Barry Lopez’s autobiographical reflections cross broad swaths of time and boldy travel the world, and narrator James Naughton proves a worthy guide. The author of ARCTIC DREAMS tells of his concerns for our planet’s future, based on his own explorations.
3 min
1637
QUEENIE by Candice Carty-Williams, read by Shvo...
Laugh and cry through this hilariously honest novel about Queenie, a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman who just broke up with her long-term boyfriend and tumbles from one bad decision to another. Shvorne Marks’s narration will leave you in stitches.
4 min
1638
SAL AND GABI BREAK THE UNIVERSE by Carlos Herna...
When faced with a bully, Sal doesn’t take the usual tactics—he pulls a dead chicken from another universe and stuffs it in the bully’s locker. Listeners will love following Sal’s story as he meets friends in his new school, including the delightful Gabi.
4 min
1639
THE OTHER AMERICANS by Laila Lalami, read by Mo...
Driss, a Moroccan American, is killed in a hit-and-run in the Mojave desert. The tragedy resonates in his community, and a cast of narrators pieces all of the perspectives together as his daughter tries to find out why.
4 min
1640
DAISY JONES & THE SIX by Taylor Jenkins Reid, r...
A trip back to the ’70s with the story of a fake rock band in the real world. A star-studded cast recounts the band’s meteoric rise to fame and mysterious fall from grace as an oral history.
4 min
1641
SYNC Free Audiobooks for Teens
AudiobookSync starts an exciting tenth season this week. The free summer listening program lasts 14 weeks, offering audiobooks for teens—2 titles each week. This week’s theme: the tensions of friendships. More at AudiobookSYNC.com
5 min
1642
REDEMPTION by David Baldacci, read by Kyf Brewe...
In the latest Memory Man thriller, Amos Decker confronts a mistake he made in one of his first cases as a rookie detective. A dual narration by Kyf Brewer and Orlagh Cassidy puts listeners front and center.
4 min
1643
KADDISH.COM by Nathan Englander, read by Rob Sh...
Larry, formerly an observant Orthodox Jew, refuses to say Kaddish, the mourner’s prayer, for his recently deceased father. He uses an Internet-based alternative to avoid his obligation. An Earphones Award winner.
4 min
1644
NOTES FROM A YOUNG BLACK CHEF by Kwame Onwuachi...
Nominated for Rising Star Chef of the Year, Onwauchi narrates his own memoir with compelling emotion and passion. He dishes on the restaurant industry as he weaves the tale of his upbringing and career ups and downs.
4 min
1645
THE IMPOSSIBLE CLIMB by Mark Synnott, read by M...
A personal history of Synnott’s obsession with climbing since he was a teenager—through professional climbing triumphs and defeats. Alex Honnold’s “free solo” ascent of El Capitan is the central act he uses to explore the ethos of climbing.
4 min
1646
THE CATALOGUE OF SHIPWRECKED BOOKS by Edward Wi...
Christopher Columbus’s son, Hernando Colón, set out to create the greatest library on the world—what did that look like in 1506? A fresh perspective on the age of European exploration, the emergence of modern printing, and libraries.
4 min
1647
THAT THIN, WILD MERCURY SOUND by Daryl Sanders,...
"Why was Bob Dylan’s album “Blonde on Blonde” made in Nashville? Narrator Graham Halstead takes listeners through the process of recording Dylan's trailblazing album. A must for Bob Dylan fans or fans of great music. "
4 min
1648
JUDGMENT by Joseph Finder, read by January LaVoy
Juliana Brody, a well-regarded, righteous judge, allows herself a one-night stand, which results in putting her personal and professional life in jeopardy. Can she be as ruthless as the people who entrapped her?
3 min
1649
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN by T.C. Boyle, read by Johna...
Timothy Leary, the cult-like figure of the 1960s, extolled the virtues of psychedelic drugs, free love, and the search for enlightenment. Listeners explore the scientific and recreational forays into LSD and its mind-altering possibilities.
4 min
1650
GOOD RIDDANCE by Elinor Lipman, read by Mia Barron
Elinor Lipman’s smart dialogue and delicious irony blend into a fun romantic comedy, set in present-day Manhattan. Mia Barron’s audio performance is a perfect match for Lipman’s fully-formed characters.
4 min