As readers of AudioFile Magazine know, we have a feature called “Listening With,” where AudioFile talks with top authors, narrators, and many others about how and why they listen to audiobooks. It's such a popular feature that we decided to expand it to the podcast, and our first guest for our Who's Listening bonus episode is Patti Callahan Henry, an award-winning and bestselling author of some 18 novels. She's known for books that combine historical detail with character driven storytelling, an...
Jul 04, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1843
Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alex Richey discuss Emma Rydal’s intense performance of this horror audiobook. Rydal’s portrayal of Margot, a child living with her cannibalistic mother (“Mama”), will remain with listeners long after the devastating climax of this audiobook. Throughout her childhood, lost and wayward travelers of all ages, people deemed “strays,” are lured inside their home, where they’re murdered and eaten. Rydal deepens the visceral experience of this must-listen production with h...
Jul 03, 2025•9 min•Ep. 1842
Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alex Richey chat about this horror audiobook about a Haitian American teen whose zombie abilities are grounded in Haitian folklore. Melinda Sewak primarily narrates with tender, sometimes sinister, delivery of food descriptions which enhances the story’s evocative language. Her narration smoothly transitions between Brielle’s American accent and her mother’s French Creole. Other narrators present as a cast, voicing Brielle’s sisters as a Haitian chorus. Read our revi...
Jul 02, 2025•9 min•Ep. 1841
Narrated primarily by Helen Laser, this fast-paced horror story starts with a bang. Jess, a struggling actress, finds a scared 5-year-old boy hiding outside her apartment. When the boy’s angry father attempts to retrieve him, a monstrous creature attacks Jess’s neighbors and roommate, leaving behind death and destruction. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alex Richey discuss Laser’s portrayal of the boy with a careful balance of youthful fear and sad resolution. Her authentic depiction of Jess though...
Jul 01, 2025•8 min•Ep. 1840
Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alex Richey explore this horror audiobook about a possessive orchid and the humans it wants to consume. Narrators Lauren O’Leary and Barry McStay deliver a chilling performance. O’Leary seamlessly delivers Irish and American accents. McStay voices Baby, the orchid, by adopting a callous, judgmental voice as he describes the thoughts and actions of the humans around him, speaking primarily in an Irish accent. An immersive, spooky overlap of voices near the end cleverl...
Jun 30, 2025•8 min•Ep. 1839
AudioFile’s Michele Cobb is joined by narrator Nile Bullock, producer Brian Ramcharan, and Penguin Random House Audio Senior Vice President of Content Production Dan Zitt for a conversation about Jason Reynolds’s SOUNDTRACK—an audiobook original about New York City teens whose talent and love of music lift them to unexpected heights. Listen as the group discusses capturing the feel of New York City through sound, Nile’s superbly relatable performance as main character Stuy, and how the incorpora...
Jun 27, 2025•31 min•Ep. 1838
Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb chat about Catherine Ho’s masterful performance of Susanna Kwan’s poignant debut novel. Set in a rain-drenched near-future San Francisco, the story follows Bo, a young elder-care worker who faces uncertainty after her mother’s disappearance. When Mia, Bo’s centenarian neighbor, offers the solitary Bo a job, she readily accepts. Ho blends dulcet tones and resonance to provide an impressive emotional range that captures Bo’s reluctance to live in Canada wi...
Jun 26, 2025•8 min•Ep. 1837
AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed discuss narrator Yu-Li Alice Shen’s delivery of a wild, bingeable listening experience in this fast-paced debut. Identical twins Julie and Chloe, who lost their parents at age 4, grew up worlds apart. Julie, who was raised by their miserable, greedy aunt, works a dead-end job, while Chloe, who was adopted by a wealthy family, lives a life of luxury and is a popular influencer. Shen masterfully captures the dark humor and keeps listeners entertained with ...
Jun 25, 2025•8 min•Ep. 1836
Kristen Sieh's performance brings the listener into the life of a complicated woman whose sexual desire is fixated on commercial airliners. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb highlight how Sieh's voice captures Lisa's desires in a skillful delivery that never wavers. Lisa works as an online comment moderator in San Francisco. She's good at her job, but she reserves her passion for airplanes. She perceives flights as dates, turbulence as flirtation—and a smooth flight could lead to somethi...
Jun 24, 2025•7 min•Ep. 1835
Ariel Blake narrates this story of nine-months-pregnant Annie, who must find a way to reach her husband and make her way home from crib-shopping after an earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed discuss how Blake’s dramatic narration captures Annie's fears and concerns as she talks to "Bean," her unborn child. Blake's voice quavers as she presents a mother-to-be who is full of emotion and self-reflection. Blake conveys Annie's worries, as well as the day-to-day...
Jun 23, 2025•8 min•Ep. 1834
Kimberly Farr has had a long and distinguished career as an actor on stage and screen and as a celebrated audiobook narrator. A gifted performer with an impressive range, Kimberly has brought characters and stories to life, in fiction and nonfiction alike. Whether it’s Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge novels, Joan Didion’s essays, the biography of Julia Child, or the poetry of Mary Oliver, Kimberly captures their voices with rare clarity, nuance, and a deep understanding of language. So it’s ...
Jun 20, 2025•46 min•Ep. 1833
Golden Voice Bahni Turpin's performance takes listeners to that time in the early 1990s when the world was changing and the latest alternative rock bands were everything. Jane meets burgeoning rock star Elijah in an Internet chat room, a connection that leads to a deep professional and personal bond. They form The Lightning Bottles and amass a devoted fan base, with Jane providing the backbone of their hits. Join AudioFile’s Stephen Cummings and host Jo Reed as they discuss Turpin’s narration, w...
Jun 19, 2025•8 min•Ep. 1828
Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Stephen Cummings agree that music enthusiasts will enjoy this debut audiobook, invitingly narrated by Jayme Mattler. The story is part slow-burn romance and part new adult fiction. In the early 2000s, Berkeley students Percy and Joe meet at a campus bar. Joe is fascinated by Percy's strong opinions on music and asks her to help him with his songwriting. After their collaboration, Joe's indie music career takes off, but he fails to give her songwriting credit. Mattler...
Jun 18, 2025•8 min•Ep. 1831
Profanity seems to be the only way to adequately describe the outrageous behavior of a classmate of Florence’s 10-year-old son, Dylan. Narrator Georgina Sadler’s resigned matter-of-fact delivery sets a hilariously irreverent tone in this addictive listen, says AudioFile’s Stephen Cummings and host Jo Reed. Just as it seems there might finally be an opening for Florence to revive the pop band career of her youth, Dylan’s classmate goes missing. When Dylan is identified as a suspect, Florence must...
Jun 17, 2025•8 min•Ep. 1830
Host Jo Reed is joined by AudioFile’s Stephen Cummings, who dives into this absorbing look at contemporary Namibian life. Loosely threaded together into "A" and "B" sides, like a mixtape, the material has a natural rhythm. Anthony Oseyemi portrays the brash writer-on-the-make voice of the "A-side," which recounts how his dreams of becoming a successful writer were confounded by his struggles with women. The "B-side" provides the compelling backbone to the audiobook's themes of growth and surviv...
Jun 16, 2025•9 min•Ep. 1829
Vikas Adam is one of the most dynamic and skilled audiobook narrators working today, with a voice that brings dragons, detectives, and deeply human characters to life. His talent behind the mic has set him apart in the field and has earned him a place as one of AudioFile magazine’s Golden Voices. As actor, director, and teacher, Vikas brings a deep well of theatrical experience and empathy to every performance. He effortlessly voices a host of accents and easily shifts between genders, whether h...
Jun 13, 2025•47 min•Ep. 1828
Narrator Matt Godfrey evokes a dark mood in this Appalachian thriller set in Eastern Kentucky. AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester and host Jo Reed discuss the way crime boss Burl Spoon’s world is turned upside down. Spoon built his business empire by becoming the top cannabis seller in Jackson County. He thinks he has everything under control, until his daughter relapses into drug addiction and goes missing. Godfrey delivers the perfect Kentucky accent and maintains the story’s tension throughout. Re...
Jun 12, 2025•8 min•Ep. 1827
Vera Wong is back, bringing with her characters from Sutanto’s previous audiobook, along with a host of new suspects and friends. Narrator Eunice Wong’s attention to pitch and pacing perfectly re-creates the voices of Vera’s original community while fashioning a new set of personalities, young and old. Join host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester as they discuss the second audiobook in the series, featuring the 60-year-old Chinese mother and self-styled super sleuth, which is just as ente...
Jun 11, 2025•8 min•Ep. 1826
Traci Kato-Kiriyama’s delivery of this memoir about life and reading matches its deeply personal subject matter with an introspective tone. Kato-Kiriyama gives equal weight to the author’s reflections on her academic career; personal struggles, including breakdowns and identity issues; and literary encounters. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss how Kato-Kiriyama maximizes the author’s discussion of specific books. As Kato-Kiriyama’s delivery supports the emotional weightiness...
Jun 10, 2025•9 min•Ep. 1825
Heidi Franklin narrates this queer romance with emotional depth and chemistry in every spicy scene. Newly single serial dater, Taylor Cameron, makes a bet with her best friend that she won’t sleep with anyone until the end of the summer. Enter Avery Jensen, an also newly single woman looking to venture into dating women for the first time. Taylor offers to tutor Avery in flirting lessons, and the rest is history. Join AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester and host Jo Reed as they kick off the week with ...
Jun 09, 2025•8 min•Ep. 1824
AudioFile is thrilled to name Hillary Huber one of our 2025 Golden Voices—our narrator hall of fame and lifetime achievement award. Hillary’s voice is well known to audiobook lovers everywhere: It’s compelling, nuanced, and instantly engaging. With more than 700 audiobooks to her name, she’s brought life to everything from chilling thrillers to intricate literary fiction, including Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet and Lisa Gardner’s Frankie Elkin series. Hillary brings care and craft to every...
Jun 06, 2025•42 min•Ep. 1823
AudioFile’s Robin Whitten joins host Jo Reed to celebrate Kimberly Farr and her remarkable narration career, culminating in her 2025 Golden Voice honor. Together, they explore Farr’s expansive body of work—spanning more than 100 titles across fiction, biography, and poetry. From the delight of narrating Julia Child’s biography to her profound sensitivity in voicing poetry, Farr’s deep respect for language, her emotional range, and the artistry she brings to every performance are worthy of celebr...
Jun 05, 2025•10 min•Ep. 1822
AudioFile’s Robin Whitten joins Jo Reed to celebrate Vikas Adam’s dynamic approach to audiobook narration and his recognition as a 2025 Golden Voice narrator. Adam shares insights into the craft of authentically embodying a wide spectrum of characters—across genders, cultures, and accents—infusing each performance with vitality and depth. Renowned for his graceful delivery and emotional precision, we honor Vikas Adam and his outstanding achievement as a 2025 Golden Voice. Read reviews of Vikas A...
Jun 04, 2025•9 min•Ep. 1821
AudioFile’s Robin Whitten joins host Jo Reed to celebrate Hillary Huber’s prolific audiobook career and her recognition as a 2025 Golden Voice narrator. They highlight standout moments from Huber’s narration of more than 500 titles, including her acclaimed performances of Elena Ferrante’s novels. The conversation offers insights into Huber’s versatile approach across genres and her ability to engage listeners with authenticity, nuance, and attitude. Congratulations to Hillary Huber, a 2025 Golde...
Jun 03, 2025•8 min•Ep. 1820
AudioFile Magazine’s Golden Voice narrators are the stars of the audiobook universe. Today host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten are announcing the new Golden Voice honorees for 2025: Hillary Huber, Vikas Adam, and Kimberly Farr. AudioFile Magazine has bestowed the Golden Voice honor on 53 audiobook narrators; it’s an accolade that honors those who have made significant contributions to the audiobook art form. We’re celebrating the iconic skills these narrators bring to their performances, ...
Jun 02, 2025•11 min•Ep. 1819
AudioFile awards Earphones to exceptional audio experiences—it’s our version of a starred review, specifically for the audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Laura Rossi highlight three recent Earphones Award-winning audiobooks and share why they’re worth your listening time. Author/narrator Brad Meltzer’s inspiring MAKE MAGIC, based on a commencement speech he gave, is perfect for graduation season. Then it’s time to kick off the season with two summer listens. THE SUMMER GUESTS by Tess Gerrit...
May 30, 2025•12 min•Ep. 1818
Golden Voice narrator Julia Whelan delights listeners with this heartfelt contemporary romance. Alice and Hayden are both writers who find themselves on Little Crescent Island for the same reason: They’re competing to write the biography of an elusive heiress, the daughter of one of the most scandalous families of the twentieth century, whom no one has actually seen in years. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Leslie Fine discuss Whelan’s expressive yet nuanced performance, which expertly conveys Alic...
May 29, 2025•9 min•Ep. 1817
Narrator Sophie Jo Wasson transports listeners to Ireland in 1847 with her poignant performance. Like many throughout the country, Nell’s family’s potato crop is infected with a black rot that makes the potatoes inedible. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Leslie Fine discuss the way that Wasson’s lilting intonation and Irish accent take listeners into Nell’s world, capturing the devastation, terror, and dashes of hope experienced by the teenager. Simply exquisite. Read our review of the audiobook at ...
May 28, 2025•10 min•Ep. 1816
Narrators Julia Whelan and Connor Crais deliver unique performances in Abby Jimenez’s short yet moving audio romance. AudioFile’s Leslie Fine and host Jo Reed chat about two neighbors who meet due to a construction mix-up. Seth and Charlotte connect and talk about their isolated lives, and their conversations come alive with the narrators’ expert deliveries. While most romances cover a longer time period, this one emphasizes the impact of a moment and the potential of a fresh start. Read our rev...
May 27, 2025•9 min•Ep. 1815
The Early Modern English of Shakespeare’s time sets up an immersive auditory realm where listeners find 61-year-old apothecary and midwife Judith. She is the last of the Bard’s progeny, and she must leave town after being accused of witchcraft. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile contributor Leslie Fine discuss the way that narrator Mary Jane Wells’s fluted tones and English accent add to the authenticity of the characters as Judith and her traveling companion struggle to deal with the upheaval wrought b...
May 26, 2025•10 min•Ep. 1814
