Audiobook narration: is it pure performance or a faithful reading of the text? We get into it with Simon Mattacks, a narrator who’s voiced more than 100 books (including some for Ann Cleeves fans). He shares how he approaches characters and accents, whether it’s just a performance or if there’s more to connecting with the listener, and of course we get into his own takes on the listening experience of audiobooks. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast ep...
Feb 05, 2025•28 min•Ep. 196
Book bans are back in the spotlight after The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill was pulled from the London, Ontario Catholic School Board. The novel, which confronts the history of slavery and racial injustice, has faced controversy over its unflinching portrayal of difficult themes. Kelly MacDonald is here to explore the censorship debate, the role of literature in education, and what it means for authors, educators, and readers. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes t...
Jan 31, 2025•30 min•Ep. 195
What happens when Joline, a complicated character with a penchant for self-destruction, gains access to everyone's emails at work? From the presentation of petty office drama to complex relationships, Aamer Khan and Sharon Johnston help Jacob figure out if this book truly delivers on its clever premise. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCafe We wan...
Jan 28, 2025•30 min•Ep. 194
We examine Éric Chacour’s What I Know About You, a powerful Canadian LGBTQ+ novel originally published in French, set in late 20th-century Egypt. The story follows a father, his son, and the complexities of identity and belonging. Our conversation moves from poetic to searching, with thoughts from CELA’s Karen McKay and Theresa Power. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on In...
Jan 24, 2025•29 min•Ep. 193
We welcome back Andy Frank, Manager of AMI-audio, for a deeper than usual Rapid Fire Review. Andy shares five intriguing memoirs and biographies, and gives us his impressions of Nick Drake’s haunting journey, to Matthew McConaughey’s unconventional wisdom, and Dave Grohl’s storytelling charm. The five books discussed in this episode are… Nick Drake: The Life by Richard Morton Jack Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey Open: An autobiography by Andre Agassi Miracle and Wonder: conversations with Pau...
Jan 21, 2025•30 min•Ep. 192
We uncover the untold stories of Vietnam with Kristin Hannah's The Women. Sara Hillis shares perspectives on the novel’s intricate look at female friendships, PTSD, and the sacrifices of women in wartime. From unforgettable settings to emotional highs and lows, this episode is a tribute to those stories in the shadows that deserve to be heard. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook C...
Jan 17, 2025•28 min•Ep. 191
We welcome back a friend of AMI who lets us in on her latest reads. She joins us for Rapid Fire Review: Kathrine Vatcher Books discussed in this episode… Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris The Tide Between Us by Olive Collins The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington Captivity of The Oatman Girls by R.B. Stratton Carleys Voice: Breaking Through Autism by Arthur Fleischman Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Satur...
Jan 14, 2025•31 min•Ep. 190
We dive into Kathryn Cole’s life in authoring, illustrating, editing, and much more of her fascinating career in Canadian Lliterature. Kathryn has a lot to say about the changes in the publishing process, her experience editing other peoples works versus her own writing adventures, and a whole lot on what it was like adopting children as a young, single mother. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. ...
Jan 10, 2025•31 min•Ep. 189
Danielle McLaughlin lets us in on her love for swimming, and ties the hobby right back in with her love for literature. With books like Swell: A Waterbiography by Jenny Landreth, there is much to talk about around the world of water. Danielle takes us on a literary plunge, and it’s nothing less than fascinating. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCa...
Jan 07, 2025•32 min•Ep. 188
Karoline Bourdeau introduces us to BetaBooks, a platform where authors open up their writing for crowd-sourced consultation. Plus, we ponder about our own 2025 reading goals, and consider how Spotify is changing the competition for audiobook consumption. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCafe We want your feedback! Be that comments, suggestions, ho...
Jan 03, 2025•31 min•Ep. 187
Here’s our Year in Reading, one-hour special episode, featuring your top lit picks of 2024. From page-turning thrillers to memorable memoirs, and even the unforgettable guilty pleasures, you have us covered. AMI’s Dave Brown helps us crank out the list of your best book experiences of the year. Karoline Bourdeau • But You Don't Look Arab: And Other Tales of Unbelonging by Hala Gorani • The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters by Susan Page • This Summer Will Be Different by Carley ...
Dec 24, 2024•56 min•Ep. 185
An emergency landing during a flight to Toronto has a group of strangers, including an entire bridal party, snowbound at the quirky Snow Falls Inn in a picture-perfect town. As romances unfold and movies are filmed, they soon realize there’s no place they’d rather be for the holidays. We review this fun, cozy Holiday read with Aamer Khan. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café o...
Dec 23, 2024•30 min•Ep. 186
Karen Magee steps right into the rabbit hole if she enjoyed the first book an author wrote. She also can’t remember the last time she didn’t finish a book she started, no matter how painful it was to keep reading. She shares her five most recent reads, under the 15-second pressure clock, on Rapid Fire Review. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCafe ...
Dec 20, 2024•30 min•Ep. 184
In a society where people with disabilities remain largely invisible, what does it mean to parent a child born With Down syndrome? Adelle Purdham began unpacking a lifetime of her own ableism and society’s role in it, after the birth of her daughter. We explore her collection of essays, I Don’t Do Disability and Other Lies I’ve Told Myself, describing her honest, resilient journey. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Sat...
Dec 17, 2024•29 min•Ep. 183
Alexei Navalny’s Patriot is an unpolished memoir, mostly written from prison, chronicling his fight against corruption in Russia through his deeply personal journey. With humorous passages, pro references to Harry Potter, Navalny’s reflections on family and love give Sara Hillis and the gang much to review around this this intense political narrative. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Aud...
Dec 13, 2024•32 min•Ep. 182
Do book lists even matter? Karen McKay and Theresa Power from the Centre for Equitable Library Access to chat about the year’s hottest book lists. We dive into picks from the Globe and Mail and New York Times, while discussing the place of these lists in today’s book world. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCafe We want your feedback! Be that comme...
Dec 10, 2024•30 min•Ep. 181
Jacob Shymanski and Ramya Amuthan defend their beloved picks on Read and Tell. Today’s prompts are: "The best recommendation I’ve gotten in a while is…” and "The tearjerker I need to tell you about…” Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCafe We want your feedback! Be that comments, suggestions, hot-takes, audiobook recommendations or reviews of your o...
Dec 06, 2024•28 min•Ep. 180
We’re inviting a brand new contributor on the show – though she is an old friend and known voice on the network, Danielle McLaughlin. Let’s give her a very warm welcome by putting her mental timer and linguistics to the test with a healthy dose of Rapid Fire Review. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCafe We want your feedback! Be that comments, sug...
Dec 02, 2024•30 min•Ep. 179
Aamer Khan, Jacob Shymanski, and Ramya Amuthan review “The Maid” by Nita Prose. A 2022 New York Times Best Seller, it sold over 2 million copies, but that doesn’t mean we’re sold on it. Jacob plans to approach this review with ruthless efficiency and discipline, but the rest of us are only in it for the chaos. Highlights Introducing “The Maid” by Nita Prose (00:00) The Agenda (00:51) Synopsis (01:36) Addressing the Elephant in the Room / Is it Icky? (04:01) Beefing with The Maid (13:41) Redeemin...
Nov 29, 2024•33 min•Ep. 178
“You’re only as good as the last person who remembers you.” This is the first line in Potential to Purpose by Marco Pasqua. Marco is an award-winning entrepreneur and accessibility advocate, and he shares his insights on writing the book on how fostering authentic relationships and focusing on creativity can genuinely transform our lives. This is not his auto-biography, but his personal stories certainly lead the way. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podca...
Nov 26, 2024•32 min•Ep. 177
As the days get cold and dark, we settle in and hibernate with our books, maybe revisiting old favourites. But what draws us back to books we’ve already read? Is re-reading a waste of time? Karen McKay from the Centre for Equitable Library Access joins us to share her top cozy reads, and we explore the reasons we turn to our comfort books over and over again. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Fo...
Nov 22, 2024•30 min•Ep. 176
Literary characters make for good friends, great enemies, andrealistic mirrors of who we are. Sometimes, we use them to imagine our lives in different ways; other times we just can’t believe what they would get up to. We dive into the ‘why’ of connecting with fictional characters, and the depths of what makes them stick with us. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagra...
Nov 18, 2024•30 min•Ep. 175
Living with narcolepsy and cataplexy, Michelle Weger (rhymes with eager) has turned her toughest experiences into fuel to power her success. Don't Snooze Your Dreams, her memoir and self-help guide, takes us on her journey-from managing a rare debilitating sleep disorder to launching a successful business and becoming an advocate for narcolepsy awareness. Michelle and Jacob get into what it means to be diagnosed, the real role writing a book played in Michelle’s rehabilitation, and more about Mi...
Nov 15, 2024•28 min•Ep. 174
Well… Can you? Some of us are not picking up a book if it’s labelled as anything other than human-narrated. With AI in the mix, others of us can’t even tell it’s not even recorded by a real human. Then there are a handful of us who are soothed by the familiar tones of our own screen-readers. We go through your hot takes on the topic. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Ins...
Nov 12, 2024•32 min•Ep. 173
Jacob Shymanski thought he was Stevie Wonder’s Number 1 fan, until he heard Barack and Michelle Obama’s relationship started with bonding over the guy. We get into it when we review The Wonder of Stevie, an Audible Original Production, written and Hosted by New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning culture critic, Wesley Morris. Sara Hillis, Ramya Amuthan, and Jacob Shymanski have a whole lot to say on the Audible production, and their impressions of Stevie Wonder after checking out this project. Au...
Nov 08, 2024•33 min•Ep. 172
Do ratings and reviews make an impact on what book we pick up next? Is mandatory reading during school prepping us to enjoy reading as adults? Where do we draw the line when it comes to taking Reddit recommendations. Jacob Shymanski and Ramya Amuthan hash out their thoughts around these questions. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCafe We want your...
Nov 05, 2024•30 min•Ep. 171
There are numerous online resources that audiobook listeners can use for recommendations, reviews, summaries' discussions, etc. Ramya Amuthan is here today to explore the various options you can use to supplement the audiobook listening experience. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCafe We want your feedback! Be that comments, suggestions, hot-take...
Oct 28, 2024•31 min•Ep. 170
Our friends at the Centre of Equitable Library Access, Karen McKay and Theresa Power join us to talk about why people may be fiction adverse, and prefer non-fiction books. Host Jacob Shymanski and his guests from CELA chat about fiction stories, escapism, and the benefits of reading non-fiction books too! Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCafe We w...
Oct 25, 2024•27 min•Ep. 169
Our very own Ramya Amuthan and our regular contributor, Aamer Khan join us for an Audiobook review. Today we review, Reuniting with Strangers: A Novel by Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCafe We want your feedback! Be that comments, suggestions, hot-takes, audiobook recommendations or reviews of your own… hit us up! Our ...
Oct 21, 2024•32 min•Ep. 168
Steve “Dangle” Glynn is a hockey analyst, broadcaster, author and the host of the popular Steve Dangle Podcast. He has a Youtube channel where he uploads post-game reaction videos after every single Toronto Maple Leafs game. He’s also a co-founder of SDPN, a popular sports podcast network. On October 15th, Steve released his new (and second) book, Hockey Rants and Raves. He stopped by the show to chat all about it. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast ...
Oct 16, 2024•33 min•Ep. 167
