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 partnership with AudioFile, offers this month’s picks of the newest do-not-miss titles – memoirs and bios first, some fiction, and a history book that reads like the best thriller. Don’t forget your earbuds.
Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain | Read by Susan Bennett | Macmillan Audio
Narrator Susan Bennett offers a moving performance of this multilayered story of two women whose lives are affected by a New Deal art mural. In 1940, Anna, a young artist from New Jersey, faces hostility from the townspeople in Edenton, North Carolina, when she is hired to paint the post office mural. In 2018, Morgan, who is just out of prison, uncovers disturbing details and sinister events while restoring the long missing, now decaying mural. Bennett adds an exciting dimension to a gripping story of racism, madness, murder, and even romance.
Burn The Place by Iliana Regan | Read by Eileen Stevens | Blackstone Audio
This audiobook divulges an extraordinary life story as narrator Eileen Stevens zigzags through the highs and lows of Regan’s rise to chef/owner of the Michelin one-star restaurant ‘Elizabeth’s’ in Chicago. Stevens’ familiar tone and conversational cadence work perfectly for this coming-of-age story of a survivor who prevails.
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi | Read by Bahni Turpin | Macmillan Audio
Bhani Turpin exquisitely narrates the second book in this fantasy series, Legacy of Orïsha. Her steady pace and West African accent draw us into the story of Zélie, a Maji warrior, and Princess Amari– both of whom fight against a monarchy that threatens to destroy the people of Orïsha. They are relatable, overwhelmingly passionate, and humanly flawed. A riveting audiobook!
Eating the Sun by Ella Frances Sanders | Read by Imogen Church | Penguin Audio
Imogen Church’s stellar narration highlights the vivid detail and poetic language of this beautiful contemplation of our cosmos. In just under three hours, author Ella Frances Sanders whimsically explores our universe, considering carbon, stars, and our planet–among a myriad of other things–and how they relate to us. This is a performance that is as out of this world as its subject matter.
Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay | Read by Johnathan McClain | Harper Audio
This suspense, narrated superbly by Johnathan McClain, shows how the best audiobooks grab the listener at the outset and maintain their attention to the end. The story begins when four people board a New York office building elevator, which ascends to the top floor and then suddenly plummets. What seems to be a random accident repeats the next day and the next, creating a frenzy of fear that paralyzes the city, and intensifies with subsequent events. As the suspense builds, so do the plot twists and McClain’s narration captures every moment with a deft change of pace, tone, or intensity.
The German House by Annette Hess, Elisabeth Lauffer [Trans.] | Read by Nina Franoszek | Harper Audio
Finding answers and hope through post-Holocaust fiction is a challenge, yet this gripping audiobook succeeds because of the power of the dialogue as delivered by narrator Nina Franoszek. Franoszek captures Eva’s emotions with intensity and, at times, a surprisingly realistic tone of wonderment, both of which highlight the questions and anger bottled deep inside. The result is a powerful performance by Franoszek that complements the novel superbly.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid | Read by Nicole Lewis | Penguin Audio
Narrator Nicole Lewis hooks listeners with her lively pacing and vivid characterizations in this gripping debut audiobook on race, privilege, and money. In an upscale Philadelphia grocery shop, 25-year-old black college graduate Emira is improperly detained by a security guard who refuses to believe that she is the babysitter of her white employer’s 3-year-old daughter. Lewis superbly captures the fallout from this disturbing encounter– including Emira’s growing unease and complications from her romantic entanglement with Kelly, a young white man who filmed the incident.
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha | Read by Greta Jung, Glenn Davis | Harper Audio
The story may be fiction, but listeners will feel like they’re hearing true crime–so captivating are the performances of narrators Greta Jung and Glenn Davis. The mystery involves Grace Park, a sheltered Korean pharmacist, and Shawn Matthews, who find themselves intertwined following a horrendous crime that rocks Los Angeles, where they both live. The result is a gripping story with two compelling characters whose lives and challenges are brought to life by Jung and Davis.
HI FIVE: IQ, Book 4 by Joe Ide | Read by Zeno Robinson | Hachette Audio
Zeno Robinson narrates the fourth audiobook in the series featuring private investigator Isaiah Quintabe (IQ). It’s a complicated story with many subplots, but it’s still completely entertaining, thanks to the sharp writing and Robinson’s stellar performance. While providing narrative clarity and excellent pacing, Robinson expertly voices a large cast of characters to the point where it’s hard to believe he’s this audiobook’s sole narrator.
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro | Read by Nicholas Guy Smith | Random House Audio
Stevens, the repressed and self-denying butler at the center of this audiobook, is in some ways one of the most appalling protagonists in all of literature. Not until close to the end does he allow himself to show, or have, an emotion. Stevens comes across as a fascinating monster, utterly heedless of the consequences of his actions and incapable of authentic human relationships. Smith brings him to existence, if not exactly life, and brings the listener to understanding, if not quite sympathy.
Burn The Place by Iliana Regan
Read by Susan Bennett
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
Narrator Susan Bennett offers a moving performance of this multilayered story of two women whose lives are affected by a New Deal art mural. In 1940, Anna, a young artist from New Jersey, faces hostility from the townspeople in Edenton, North Carolina, when she is hired to paint the post office mural. In 2018, Morgan, who is just out of prison, uncovers disturbing details and sinister events while restoring the long missing, now decaying mural. Bennett adds an exciting dimension to a gripping story of racism, madness, murder, and even romance.
Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay
Read by Eileen Stevens
![The German House by Annette Hess, Elisabeth Lauffer [Trans.]](https://booktrib.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/the-german-house-annette-hess-200x200-1.jpg "The German House by Annette Hess, Elisabeth Lauffer [Trans.]")
The German House by Annette Hess, Elisabeth Lauffer [Trans.]
This audiobook divulges an extraordinary life story as narrator Eileen Stevens zigzags through the highs and lows of Regan’s rise to chef/owner of the Michelin one-star restaurant ‘Elizabeth’s’ in Chicago. Stevens’ familiar tone and conversational cadence work perfectly for this coming-of-age story of a survivor who prevails.
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
Read by Bahni Turpin
HI FIVE: IQ, Book 4 by Joe Ide
Bhani Turpin exquisitely narrates the second book in this fantasy series, Legacy of Orïsha. Her steady pace and West African accent draw us into the story of Zélie, a Maji warrior, and Princess Amari– both of whom fight against a monarchy that threatens to destroy the people of Orïsha. They are relatable, overwhelmingly passionate, and humanly flawed. A riveting audiobook!
Read by Imogen Church
Imogen Church’s stellar narration highlights the vivid detail and poetic language of this beautiful contemplation of our cosmos. In just under three hours, author Ella Frances Sanders whimsically explores our universe, considering carbon, stars, and our planet–among a myriad of other things–and how they relate to us. This is a performance that is as out of this world as its subject matter.
Read by Johnathan McClain
This suspense, narrated superbly by Johnathan McClain, shows how the best audiobooks grab the listener at the outset and maintain their attention to the end. The story begins when four people board a New York office building elevator, which ascends to the top floor and then suddenly plummets. What seems to be a random accident repeats the next day and the next, creating a frenzy of fear that paralyzes the city, and intensifies with subsequent events. As the suspense builds, so do the plot twists and McClain’s narration captures every moment with a deft change of pace, tone, or intensity.
Read by Nina Franoszek
Finding answers and hope through post-Holocaust fiction is a challenge, yet this gripping audiobook succeeds because of the power of the dialogue as delivered by narrator Nina Franoszek. Franoszek captures Eva’s emotions with intensity and, at times, a surprisingly realistic tone of wonderment, both of which highlight the questions and anger bottled deep inside. The result is a powerful performance by Franoszek that complements the novel superbly.
Read by Nicole Lewis
Narrator Nicole Lewis hooks listeners with her lively pacing and vivid characterizations in this gripping debut audiobook on race, privilege, and money. In an upscale Philadelphia grocery shop, 25-year-old black college graduate Emira is improperly detained by a security guard who refuses to believe that she is the babysitter of her white employer’s 3-year-old daughter. Lewis superbly captures the fallout from this disturbing encounter– including Emira’s growing unease and complications from her romantic entanglement with Kelly, a young white man who filmed the incident.
Read by Greta Jung, Glenn Davis
The story may be fiction, but listeners will feel like they’re hearing true crime–so captivating are the performances of narrators Greta Jung and Glenn Davis. The mystery involves Grace Park, a sheltered Korean pharmacist, and Shawn Matthews, who find themselves intertwined following a horrendous crime that rocks Los Angeles, where they both live. The result is a gripping story with two compelling characters whose lives and challenges are brought to life by Jung and Davis.
Read by Zeno Robinson
Zeno Robinson narrates the fourth audiobook in the series featuring private investigator Isaiah Quintabe (IQ). It’s a complicated story with many subplots, but it’s still completely entertaining, thanks to the sharp writing and Robinson’s stellar performance. While providing narrative clarity and excellent pacing, Robinson expertly voices a large cast of characters to the point where it’s hard to believe he’s this audiobook’s sole narrator.
Read by Nicholas Guy Smith
Stevens, the repressed and self-denying butler at the center of this audiobook, is in some ways one of the most appalling protagonists in all of literature. Not until close to the end does he allow himself to show, or have, an emotion. Stevens comes across as a fascinating monster, utterly heedless of the consequences of his actions and incapable of authentic human relationships. Smith brings him to existence, if not exactly life, and brings the listener to understanding, if not quite sympathy.
