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.
1801
NOBODY KNOWS MY NAME by James Baldwin, read by ...
Baldwin’s 1961 essay collection is an audiobook for the first time and sheds light on one of America’s great writers and social observers. THE FIRE NEXT TIME was published two years later. Narrator Kevin Kenerly gives a knock-out performance.
4 min
1802
IN THE HURRICANE'S EYE by Nathaniel Philbrick, ...
Maritime historian Philbrick (IN THE HEART OF THE SEA) explores the key role the French navy played in the American Revolution prior to the 1781 Battle of Yorktown. An AudioFile Earphones Award goes to narrator Scott Brick.
4 min
1803
AMERICAN EDEN by Victoria Johnson, read by Susa...
The attending doctor at the duel between Hamilton and Burr, David Hosack was also a pioneer in medicine and in botany. This captivating biography looks at both daily life and aspects of medical and political history in the early 1800s.
5 min
1804
ELEVATION by Stephen King, read by Stephen King
Not another macabre tale from Stephen King, but instead a timely tale about finding common ground set in the familiar town of Castle Rock—a place where people have deep-rooted differences. Narrated by the author, and includes a bonus short story!
5 min
1805
INVISIBLE by Stephen L. Carter, read by Karen C...
This biography of Manhattan District Attorney Eunice Carter is remarkable—both for her accomplishments—including helping to take down the notorious mobster “Lucky” Luciano—and also for being a trailblazer as an African-American woman in the 1930s.
4 min
1806
TIME'S CONVERT by Deborah Harkness, read by Sas...
Dive into a magical world where vampires, witches, and daemons live among humans. As with her All Souls Trilogy, Harkness offers a rich tapestry of intersecting stories revisiting Diana and Matthew and examining the complexities of becoming a vampire.
5 min
1807
PRIDE by Ibi Zoboi, read by Elizabeth Acevedo
A contemporary retelling of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE set in contemporary Bushwick. Ibi Zoboi is known for last year’s celebrated YA novel, AMERICAN STREET. Narrator Acevedo—an award-winning slam poet—gives these verses a perfect flow.
5 min
1808
THE LADYS GUIDE TO PETTICOATS AND PIRACY by Mac...
A perfect listen for fans of adventure stories, with strong women carving out lives on their own terms. A young woman in the 1700s has the single-minded ambition to become a doctor. A sequel to THE GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE.
5 min
1809
ALL YOU CAN EVER KNOW by Nicole Chung, read by ...
A contemporary exploration of identity that will resonate with many listeners. Narrator Song conveys the complex emotions of adopted children in this memoir by Nicole Chung, a Korean-American who was adopted by a white family and raised in a small town.
5 min
1810
ROSIE REVERE AND THE RAUCOUS RIVETERS by Andrea...
Do you already love Rosie Revere and her fellow Questioneers? Fans of the picture books will find lots to love in Rosie’s second audiobook. Sound effects and music add to the fun, along with inspiration for problem solving and inventions.
4 min
1811
A TERRIBLE COUNTRY by Keith Gessen, read by Ari...
In a charming and also depressing novel of life in contemporary Russia, Russian-born American grad student Andrei returns “home” to take care of his grandmother—Baba Seva steals the show in Ari Fliakos’s wonderful performance.
4 min
1812
THE DARK DESCENT OF ELIZABETH FRANKENSTEIN by K...
If Gothic tales are your listening pleasure, this YA retelling of Victor Frankenstein’s companion/fiancée Elizabeth is for you. Imagine all the film adaptation of the Frankenstein story, and settle in for actress Katharine McEwan’s smooth take.
4 min
1813
LETHAL WHITE by Robert Galbraith, read by Rober...
JK Rowling writing as Galbraith has created detective Cormoran Strike, war veteran turned private eye and new darling of gritty British crime fiction. Narrator Robert Glenister is perfecting his command of the audiobook series.
4 min
1814
THE WHITE DARKNESS by David Grann, read by Will...
The isolation and fortitude of Henry Worsley’s solo expedition to cross the freezing landscape of Antarctica is fascinating. The ghost of Ernest Shackleton haunts and inspires the British explorer. Will Patton will keep you frozen to your headphones.
5 min
1815
DEPTH OF WINTER by Craig Johnson, read by Georg...
Sheriff Walt Longmire chases the kidnapper of his daughter Cady. Drug lord Tomas Bodarte is a cruel and devious opponent for Walt, who is totally out of his Montana surroundings in the remote Mexican desert. One of narrator Guidall’s best series.
4 min
1816
Michael Imperioli Interview
How did SOPRANOS veteran Michael Imperioli come to write and perform his first audiobook—a coming-of-age drama about a young man and his friendship with rock god Lou Reed? Michael chats about his 30-year acting career and his evolving life as a writer.
27 min
1817
FASHION CLIMBING by Bill Cunningham, Hilton Als...
Cunningham’s posthumous memoir chronicles his early life as a milliner in New York City, long before he was capturing street style and covering high society. Arthur Morey’s performance brims with spirit and appreciation.
4 min
1818
THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ by Heather Morris, r...
This portrait of Holocaust survivor Ludwig Sokolov, based on his own account revealed to the author, becomes a mesmerizing account for listeners. Sokolov was sent to Auschwitz in 1942 and assigned the role of tattooing Jewish prisoners.
5 min
1819
THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS by Pat Barker, read by...
This extraordinary collaboration between Booker Prize-winning novelist Pat Barker and two superb narrators reimagines the passionate, bloody, mythic Trojan War of Homer’s ILIAD, including the mighty and petty human drama of Troy’s siege.
5 min
1820
IN PIECES by Sally Field, read by Sally Field
In a powerhouse performance of her first memoir, Sally Field touches listeners with her honest and heartfelt narrative and her engaging personal presentation style—even through the tough family issues that formed her life and outlook.
3 min
1821
WASHINGTON BLACK by Esi Edugyan, read by Dion G...
Root for the heroes of this adventure who escape by hot air balloon from an 1830s Caribbean plantation to the arctic plains of Canada. Narrator Dion Graham pulls out the stops to sweep listeners along with the eleven-year-old enslaved boy and his master.
3 min
1822
MEDITATION IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK by Jon Kabat-Z...
Discover an enlightening explanation of what mediation is—and what it is not. Jon Kabat-Zinn uses quiet encouragement to reveal that meditation is simpler and more fluid than many expect. Listen and be inspired to find peace and awareness this weekend.
4 min
1823
WORD WARRIOR by Sonja D. Williams, read by Robi...
Golden voice narrator Robin Miles reads a biography of Richard Durham, an African-American radio broadcaster who was posthumously inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Perfect listening for anyone interested in African-American history.
4 min
1824
DON'T MAKE ME PULL OVER! by Richard Ratay, read...
The perfect audiobook for a road trip. This lighthearted listen highlights the evolution of travel, cars, and roads in the U.S., and the “joys” of family road trips. Jonathan Todd Ross delightfully narrates the tales of personal and American history.
4 min
1825
#NEVERAGAIN by David Hogg, Lauren Hogg, read by...
This moving audiobook from two young leaders of the #NEVERAGAIN movement details their experiences in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the 2018 shooting, and their role in helping to inspire a gun safety movement. An inspiring listen.
5 min