Every month, AudioFile Magazine reviewers and editors give “Earphones Awards” to the best new audiobooks — the listens that combine blow-you-away narrations with standout writing. BookTrib, thanks to our new partnership with AudioFile, offers this month’s picks of the newest do-not-miss titles – fiction first, then non-fiction. Don’t forget your earbuds.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
read by Julia Whelan
Narrator Julia Whelan lures listeners into the prescription drug-enhanced fog in which the protagonist seeks temporary refuge from oh-so-contemporary alienation. Whelan’s characterizations are spot-on, nailing everyone from the detached protagonist to hip bodega clerks to the world’s least attentive psychiatrist.
Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
read by Kimberly Farr
Narrator Kimberly Farr delivers a subtle, wry portrayal of Willa Drake, a middle-aged woman who thought her life was settled until she makes a momentous decision that changes everything. From the wise Pulitzer Prize-winning author who always knows the way into our hearts.
Madness is Better than Defeat by Ned Beauman
read by Eric Meyers
Chaos reigns in Ned Beauman’s absurdist comedy reminiscent of the Coen brothers’ films, and narrator Eric Meyers delivers an upbeat, nuanced narration–even with his tongue planted firmly in cheek. It’s 1938 and rival groups, including the CIA, are battling over an ancient Mayan temple in Honduras. Why? Who cares? Meyers adds zing to the clever dialogue and turns Beauman’s outrageous situations into giggles and belly laughs.
What I Leave Behind by Alison McGhee
read by Michael Crouch
Michael Crouch’s honest, gentle rendering of 16-year-old Will, who is trying to make sense of his father’s suicide, is rendered in 100 chapters of 100 words apiece. Walking the streets of LA, he pounds out his pain and learns about kindness. Crouch perfectly connects to Will’s emotional turmoil at the loss of his father, suggesting Will’s mood through an understated pitch and an unhurried cadence that keep this sorrowful story from slipping into sentimentality.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
read by Lisa Flanagan
Lisa Flanagan’s steady narration, especially her accents and inflections, elevate this wildly original fantasy version of Rumpelstiltskin, which has all the markings of a future classic. Every character benefits from a distinct and engaging voice, particularly the raspy growl of the fire demon. A fantastical tale for everyone from the best-selling author of the Nebula Award-winning Uprooted.
Madness From the Inconstant Moon by Larry Niven
read by Bronson Pinchot
Pinchot’s nuanced reading of this collection of the classic works of a science-fiction master simultaneously charms and intrigues. Best-loved titles are included, including The Jigsaw Man and Passerby. First published in 1971, this volume is enriched by a new introduction and commentary on each story, all written by the author.
A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay
read by George Newbern
George Newbern masterfully narrates Linwood Barclay’s spine-tingling thriller in which a man who survived an attack is taunted by strange sounds and messages issuing from an antique typewriter. Newbern beautifully voices everyone from the affable protagonist to the, hmm, not-so-affable others and channels enough terror to have you listening with a blanket over your head.
The Other Woman by Daniel Silva
read by George Guidall
Dulcet-toned George Guidall, an AudioFile Golden Voice, does it again with his confident delivery of Silva’s latest Gabriel Allon mystery. Longtime series narrator Guidall colors Allon’s search for a mole in the highest levels of Western intelligence with informative shadings of character and an impressive array of accents for the international cast.
The Road to Dawn by Jared Brock
read by Ryan Vincent Anderson
Ryan Vincent Anderson offers a solid narration of this compelling exploration of the life of Josiah Henson, the former slave who inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Anderson’s facility with dialects sparks the listener’s imagination, while his even-toned delivery never gets in the way of the dramatic real-life events of the amazing man who went from slave to honored White House guest.
The Last Cowboys by John Branch
read by John Pruden
Narrator John Pruden pivots skillfully from the megawatt excitement of saddle bronc riding to the lonely drudgery of driving long distances between rodeos in his performance of this compelling memoir of the Wright family of southern Utah. Award-winning New York Times reporter John Branch has created an unforgettable portrait of an iconic way of life that’s changing, and Pruden’s narration honors every word.
