Every month, AudioFile Magazine reviewers and editors select the best new audiobooks for BookTrib’s readers. Spring is here, even if the weather hasn’t caught up yet. Enjoy these reads while you stay warm in the house, or venture out into the chilly spring air!
BRIDE by Ali Hazelwood
Read by Thérèse Plummer, Will Damron | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Penguin Audio | 12.75 hrs.]
Thérèse Plummer depicts the politically motivated marriage between tech savvy Misery Lark, daughter of an influential Vampyre councilman, and Lowe Moreland, newly ascended Were Alpha. The nuptials will have to create mutual trust between the lead characters in order for them to find Misery’s missing friend, uncover sinister plots, and figure out what they mean to each other. Plummer goes above and beyond, enhancing the script with sighs, chuckles, groans, and strained vocalizations. Will Damron’s one-sentence perspectives at the beginning of each chapter are beautifully juxtaposed with Plummer’s femininity.
THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN MEANINGS: A Memoir by RuPaul
Read by RuPaul | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Harper Audio | 7 hrs.]
Pop culture drag star RuPaul’s soft narration opens with sensory details that evoke the power of memory. His gentle voice allows listeners to enter early scenes of his life in San Diego that are not always easy. As his evolving eccentricities gain him popularity, RuPaul leads listeners through eras of disco, punk, and new wave music. His candid warmth is an invitation to accompany him as he discovers fame, love, sobriety and, most importantly, his unvarnished self.
HOW THE BOOGEYMAN BECAME A POET by Tony Keith, Jr.
Read by Tony Keith, Jr. | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Harper Audio | 5 hrs.]
Hip-hop artist Tony Keith, Jr., invites listeners to feel the power of his words and imagine his world in this free-verse coming-of-age memoir. His skill as a narrator is evident as he delivers lyrical imagery mixed with dialect. Sound effects illuminate the poems’ themes: Drums aid listeners in picturing the richness of African imagery in one poem; in another listeners hear the murmurs of a cafeteria. The growl of the Boogeyman occurs each time the figure appears, the personification of Keith’s doubts and fears about money, intelligence, performance, racism, and being gay.
WAITING FOR THE FLOOD: Spires, Book 2 by Alexis Hall
Read by Will Watt | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Dreamscape | 8.75 hrs.]
Will Watt expertly performs this re-release that includes additional stories and background materials featuring Edwin; his ex, Marius; and their new loves. As a flood hits his Oxford neighborhood, Edwin meets Adam, a civil engineer trying to lessen the impending damage. After leaving his parents’ home in an agitated rush and falling, Marius is rescued by Leo, and the two spend Christmas in his boathouse. Watt’s knack for capturing characters’ uniqueness shines brightly and his expressive delivery transports listeners to these slices of Edwin and Marius’s lives.
BURMA SAHIB by Paul Theroux
Read by Charlie Anson | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Harper Audio | 17.75 hrs.]
Charlie Anson authoritatively narrates Paul Theroux’s latest masterpiece. Eric Blair, a callow policeman in colonial Burma, will eventually become known as writer George Orwell. In a clear baritone, Anson describes the lush landscapes of Burma, its trees, dusty roads, and muddy rivers, along with the native people, who are subjugated by a bureaucratic corps of despotic British rulers. Young Blair is the opposite of the stereotypical ruthless British sahib. Anson is a master at creating the perfect accents for the colonial hierarchy, who range from Indians and native Burmese to the ruling class.
GIRLS WITH BAD REPUTATIONS: The Lillys, Book 2 by Xio Axelrod
Read by Benjamin Charles, Tyla Collier | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Dreamscape | 14.25 hrs.]
The chemistry between narrators Tyla Collier and Benjamin Charles is unmistakable in this compelling performance. Kayla is finally living her dream of becoming a rock star, but amid the glow of fame comes an unexpectedly public lifestyle. This and her budding romance with her tour bus driver, Ty, are making her life complicated but exciting. Collier and Charles offer different approaches to their characters: Collier sprinkles her performance with pep and fire, while Charles gives a lively performance at a smooth pace. Listeners wanting a diverse romance audiobook will surely be more than satisfied with this pick.
THE CARPET PEOPLE by Terry Pratchett
Read by David Tennant | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Harper Audio | 5 hrs.]
David Tennant is at his best with his narration of this whimsical fantasy for children and adults alike. The audiobook was Pratchett’s first published novel in 1971 and was rewritten 30 years later. Whether viewed as a parable of war, apropos of current events, or as a mere humorous tale of little creatures living in your carpet, it’s a story that begs to be listened to. Tennant thrives on portraying the large cast of characters. He has a seemingly endless store of accents, and the personalities he creates are expressive and multidimensional.
THE AMERICAN DAUGHTERS by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Read by Lynnette R. Freeman | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Random House Audio | 10 hrs.]
An inspiring original story gets a five-star narration from Lynnette R. Freeman. Her character voices are so believable that this audiobook sounds like a full-cast recording. Sanite and her daughter, Ady, run from the brutality of John du Marche’s slave labor camp—also known as a plantation. Separated when Sanite is recaptured, Ady endures hardship alone in the woods. Eventually, Ady is befriended by Lenore, a free woman who owns an inn. Freeman delivers the tension, relief, dangers, and hope felt by these remarkable women. Her performance is an intelligent, uncompromising portrait of a group of indomitable women who work to save themselves and future generations from the evils of enslavement.
CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS: A Novel of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe by Eliza Knight, Denny S. Bryce
Read by Karen Chilton, Caroline Hewitt | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Harper Audio | 11.25 hrs.]
Narrators Karen Chilton and Caroline Hewitt combine their considerable vocal talent to portray two legendary entertainers in this audiobook set primarily in the 1950s. Chilton mesmerizes listeners as she imbues Fitzgerald with subtle emotion, poise, and practicality. Listeners will be so convinced they’re hearing Fitzgerald that they’ll long for Chilton to break into song. Hewitt is no less dazzling as screen icon Marilyn Monroe. She brings layers of wit, savvy, and emotional fragility to her depiction of Monroe’s familiar story.
THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD: Alison Larkin Presents by Agatha Christie, Alison Larkin
Read by Simon Jones | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Alison Larkin Presents | 7.75 hrs.]
AudioFile Golden Voice Simon Jones delivers Agatha Christie’s classic locked-room mystery to perfection. After the overdose death of Mrs. Ferrars and the murder of his friend Roger Ackroyd a short time later, Dr. Sheppard recounts a story of guilt, blackmail, and despair. Hercule Poirot is renting the cottage next to Sheppard’s and soon is drawn into the investigation. Jones’s interpretation of Poirot is impeccable, and he provides varied accents for characters ranging from Sheppard’s plummy-voiced sister, a spinster, to stuffy butlers, eager maids, and the local police. The elaborate setup and misdirections of Christie’s 1926 novel offer a master class in mystery writing.
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