Audiobook Café

Host Jacob Shymanski and guest Red Széll ask the question: why do readers enjoy heartbreaking stories?
They share their thoughts on how sad fiction helps build empathy and why the most powerful tragedies reflect the complexity of real life.
Books mentioned in this episode include:
Erich Maria Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front”
Amor Towles’ “A Gentleman in Moscow”
Éric Chacour’s “What I Know About You”
Erich Segal’s “Love Story”
John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars”
John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”, “The Grapes of Wrath” and East of Eden”
Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd’s “A Monster Calls”
Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”
This episode was produced by Andrika De Lanerolle.

Audiobook Café broadcasts on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two back-to-back podcast episodes every Friday at 5 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 email address is: AudiobookCafe@ami.ca
About AMI
AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.
Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+
Learn more at AMI.ca
Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online:
Instagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio
Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc
TikTok @AccessibleMediaInc

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Makenna Goodman’s novel “Helen of Nowhere” was longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize.
The book follows a disgraced professor as he visits a country house with a realtor who tells him about its mysterious former owner, Helen. As he becomes increasingly fascinated by Helen's alternative way of life, the ordinary house viewing turns into something much stranger and more psychologically charged.
Host Jacob Shymanski chats with Makenna about the novel’s themes and why the book is open to interpretation.
Spoiler alert at the 25:12 mark.
This episode was produced by Andrika De Lanerolle.


Audiobook Café broadcasts on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two back-to-back podcast episodes every Friday at 5 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 email address is: AudiobookCafe@ami.ca
About AMI
AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.
Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+
Learn more at AMI.ca
Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online:
Instagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio
Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc
TikTok @AccessibleMediaInc

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Disclaimer: This episode contains discussions surrounding suicide, self-harm and sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised.
Bestselling Canadian author Vivek Shraya is back with a new book fresh off the press!
“The Hystericals” is a chilling novel for the post-Me Too era. The story is set in an isolationist state where one woman’s death sparks a movement that could liberate women or destroy them all.
Host Jacob Shymanski speaks with Vivek about her inspiration behind the book’s themes of misogyny, women’s rights and allyship.
This episode was produced by Andrika De Lanerolle.

Audiobook Café broadcasts on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two back-to-back podcast episodes every Friday at 5 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 email address is: AudiobookCafe@ami.ca
About AMI
AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.
Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+
Learn more at AMI.ca
Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online:
Instagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio
Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc
TikTok @AccessibleMediaInc

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bestselling author Veronica Roth’s upcoming book “The Sixth Faction” is a reimagining of her dystopian hit trilogy “Divergent.”
The book provides an alternate universe that revisits a pivotal moment in the original story and asks what would happen if the character Tris made a different choice.
Host Jacob Shymanski catches up with Veronica to discuss the new book and to learn why she wanted to revisit the series.
The audiobook for “The Sixth Faction” comes out October 8 on Audible in Canada. The hard copy is out October 6!
This episode was produced by Andrika De Lanerolle.

Audiobook Café broadcasts on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two back-to-back podcast episodes every Friday at 5 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 email address is: AudiobookCafe@ami.ca
About AMI
AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.
Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+
Learn more at AMI.ca
Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online:
Instagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio
Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc
TikTok @AccessibleMediaInc

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host Jacob Shymanski and guest Red Széll discuss what readers want most from books to make them more engaging, memorable and satisfying. Together they explore the importance of hyper-specificity, good dialogue, character relationship building and embracing the cliff hanger.
Books mentioned in this episode include:
“The Martian” by Andy Weir
“The Lies of Locke Lamora” by Scott Lynch
“Teifi Valley Coroner” Series by Alis Hawkins
This episode was produced by Andrika De Lanerolle.

Audiobook Café broadcasts on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two back-to-back podcast episodes every Friday at 5 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 email address is: AudiobookCafe@ami.ca
About AMI
AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.
Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+
Learn more at AMI.ca
Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online:
Instagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio
Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc
TikTok @AccessibleMediaInc

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.