Find your next great audiobook on our podcast, Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine. Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile Editors recommend the best in audi...
A SEA OF UNSPOKEN THINGS by Adrienne Young, read by Christine Lakin
Christine Lakin performs Adrienne Young’s atmospheric mystery novel set in a small town in Northern California. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss a story full of twists and turns. When James receives a call that her twin brother Johnny has unexpectedly died, she travels back to her tiny hometown to take care of his affairs. But when she arrives, James begins to suspect that Johnny’s death may not have been an accident. As James investigates her brother’s death and the tension rises, Lakin’s performance matches the tense tone of the story. Lakin’s narration keeps listeners’ attention until the very end.
Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Random House Audio.
Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
6:58
PRIVATE RITES by Julia Armfield, read by Hannah van der Westhuysen
Hannah van der Westhuysen gives a quiet, melancholic performance of this contemplative, grief-filled reimagining of KING LEAR. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss Julia Armfield’s story set in a vague future of drowned cities and constant rain. The story revolves around three queer sisters after the death of their famous father, an architect. Van der Westhuysen captures the meandering, watery quality of the novel with their soft, almost musical narration. A sad and beautiful listen; Armfield fans will not be disappointed.
Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Macmillan Audio.
Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
6:43
WE DO NOT PART by Han Kang, E. Yaewon, Paige Aniyah Morris [Trans.], read by Greta Jung
Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss Nobel Prize winner Han Kang’s latest novel, a haunting story focused on the friendship of two women. Greta Jung performs the story of Kyungha, who receives an urgent request from her friend, Inseon, to come see her at a hospital in Seoul. Inseon asks Kyungha to care for her bird, Ama, at her home on Jeju Island, and Kyungha arrives just as a snowstorm consumes the island. Jung’s wistful narration evokes the dreamlike prose and wintery atmosphere as Kyungha trudges through the snow, trying to reach Ama. As the plot unfolds, Jung’s pacing is impeccable, and she maintains the mysterious tension of the story until its rapturous conclusion.
Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Random House Audio.
Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
6:37
LIFE HACKS FOR A LITTLE ALIEN by Alice Franklin, read by Sally Phillips
Sally Phillips’s heartfelt performance of Alice Franklin’s novel has perfect pacing and inflection. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss a story of a young girl who believes she is an alien. From Little Alien's first attempt at language, listeners sense something extraordinary about her. The story’s narrator, an analytical linguist, breaks down Little Alien's sentences with empathy, while Phillips’s detached tone and well-timed pauses emphasize the complexities of English and the narrator’s snarky undertones. Phillips’s mastery of cadence deepens the emotional connection to Little Alien, making her journey relatable and poignant.
Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Hachette Audio.
Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
--------
7:07
NO ONE GETS TO FALL APART by Sarah LaBrie, read by Sarah LaBrie
Sarah LaBrie, a successful television writer based in Los Angeles, narrates her gripping memoir of family trauma in a calm, sweet voice that keeps listeners engaged. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this deeply personal memoir that explores mental health and self-acceptance. Throughout LaBrie’s childhood her mother ricocheted from one psychiatric episode to another, terrifying and caring ineptly for the girl. With hard work and luck, LaBrie made it to an Ivy League college. There, a Black woman in a predominantly white school, she encountered new challenges. When, at last, her mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, LaBrie began to explore the family’s history of mental illness and her own survival. A harrowing and engrossing listen.
Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Harper Audio.
Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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.
Ireland