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The Searcher by Tana French
The Law Of Innocence by Michael Connelly Read by Peter Giles
The White Coat Diaries by Madi Sinha
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
The Neil Gaiman Reader by Neil Gaiman
Shit, Actually by Lindy West
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
His Truth Is Marching On by Jon Meacham
A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin
The Once And Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

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Every month, AudioFile Magazine reviewers and editors select the best new audiobooks for your listening pleasure. Our current list suggests some gems of mystery, science fiction, and fantasy. We also include a classic — The Hobbit — which gets a new recording by Andy Serkis. Neil Gaiman may well be many listeners’ favorite author/narrator, and the new collection should be on your TLT list. 


 width=The Searcher
by Tana French | Read by Roger Clark (Penguin Audio)

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

Roger Clark’s American-Irish-British background makes him uniquely qualified to narrate Tana French’s tense story of a Chicago cop who is trying to solve a mystery far outside his jurisdiction. Divorced and weary with police work, Cal wants nothing more than a quiet retirement in the Irish countryside, fishing and renovating an old cottage. But against his will, he’s drawn into the disappearance of a local youth and soon discovers that his quiet retreat holds many secrets and hidden dangers. (Read BookTrib’s review of the book here.)


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The Law Of Innocence
by Michael Connelly Read by Peter Giles (Hachette Audio)

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

Peter Giles, who has become the voice for Mickey Haller in the Lincoln Lawyer series, returns to take listeners on a powerful legal roller coaster ride. What could be more dramatic than Haller defending himself against a murder charge while having to prepare for his trial in prison? Giles masterfully conveys the fear and frustration that Haller experiences facing the prospect of conviction while his team, including Harry Bosch, works on finding the real murderer.


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The White Coat Diaries
by Madi Sinha | Read by Soneela Nankani (Penguin Audio)

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

Norah Kapadia, a brilliant medical student, knows all about drugs and their side effects, but the human aspects of patient care baffle her. Narrator Soneela Nankani creates a memorable portrait of Norah with depth, emotion and humor. Even her performance of Norah’s friends; mother; and, in particular, Chief Resident Ethan Cantor, Norah’s mentor and love interest, are all striking. Listeners will enjoy this medical novel full of heart and wit, especially as delivered by the talented Nankani.


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To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
by Christopher Paolini | Read by Jennifer Hale (Macmillan Audio)

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

Narrator Jennifer Hale’s outstanding performance brings this story of alien invasion to life. Kira Navárez is a quiet, unassuming xenobiologist working on the fringes of human-settled space. When she comes in contact with unknown organic matter, a biosuit called “Soft Blade,” it changes her world forever. She discovers she must rally her courage to save the universe from destruction. From the rough, snarky slang of an ex-military woman to the half-mad musings of a human “ship mind,” every unique voice enhances the listening experience. (Read BookTrib’s review of the book here.)


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The Neil Gaiman Reader
by Neil Gaiman | Read by Neil Gaiman, George Guidall, Lenny Henry, Leon Nixon (HarperAudio)

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

With a natural ease and a British accent, award-winning author Neil Gaiman reads 52 handpicked selections from this darkly comic, career-spanning collection. Whether the topic is discovering the Holy Grail in an antique shop; retelling a much creepier, bloodier version of Snow White; or choosing a half-man/half-god to battle a demon on the Scottish Highlands, Gaiman is at his best reimagining and interweaving the broad styles of classic myth, ghost stories, fairy tales and graphic novels. All these stories sound like they were meant to be read aloud in an old-time parlor with the lights down low.


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Shit, Actually
by Lindy West | Read by Lindy West (Hachette Audio)

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

After defending The Fugitive as the “only good movie,” author/narrator/comic Lindy West deconstructs more than 20 fan-favorite films, rating them against Fugitive criteria. She lovingly eviscerates everyone’s favorite rom-com, Love, Actually, to hilarious effect. It’s her friendly voice and her surprising comparisons that make for laugh-out-loud moments. Her tone and attitude are brutal, honest and outrageously funny.


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The Hobbit
by J.R.R. Tolkien | Read by Andy Serkis (Recorded Books)

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

Narrator Andy Serkis, whom many will recognize as the voice of Gollum from The Lord of the Rings movies, delivers a magnificent listening experience of the familiar classic. Serkis perfectly captures the nuances of each character, offering an engrossing performance of the story of a hobbit who is averse to adventure journeying with 13 dwarves to reclaim their treasure from a deadly dragon. Both new listeners and old ought not miss this audiobook. 


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His Truth Is Marching On
by Jon Meacham | Read by JD Jackson, Jon Meacham (Random House Audio)

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner

This stirring audiobook offers a memorable merging of author, subject and narrator. JD Jackson voices John Lewis with an authentic and nuanced nod to his rural Alabama roots. He adroitly does the New England intonations of JFK and RFK and the drawls of LBJ and George Wallace. But it is the powerful retelling of John Lewis’s life’s work fighting to bring civil and voting rights to Black Americans that stays with the listener. The late congressman added a fitting afterword to this audiobook.


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A Song for the Dark Times
by Ian Rankin | Read by James Macpherson (Hachette Audio)

James Macpherson is the perfect narrator for the latest Inspector Rebus mystery. His rich Scottish brogue immediately transports the listener to the wilds of Scotland while creating a wonderfully curmudgeonly Rebus. After Rebus gets a phone call from his daughter, Samantha, to say her husband is missing, things quickly get complicated when Samantha becomes a suspect in the disappearance and another murder inquiry is being investigated by his old team in Edinburgh.


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The Once And Future Witches
by Alix E. Harrow | Read by Gabra Zackman (Hachette Audio)

Gabra Zackman enchants as the narrator of an intricately layered alternative history. In New Salem in 1893, a trio of sisters meet after many years apart on the same night that a fabled dark tower appears. Witchcraft has been all but extinguished from the world, but the sisters may hold the secret to its return. Zackman gives this lushly detailed story room to breathe as she carefully delivers each spell, charm and curse in quiet, sibilant tones.


This story appears through BookTrib’s partnership with AudioFile and contains material originating from the AudioFile website.

The Searcher by Tana French

The Searcher by Tana French

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

Roger Clark’s American-Irish-British background makes him uniquely qualified to narrate Tana French’s tense story of a Chicago cop who is trying to solve a mystery far outside his jurisdiction. Divorced and weary with police work, Cal wants nothing more than a quiet retirement in the Irish countryside, fishing and renovating an old cottage. But against his will, he’s drawn into the disappearance of a local youth and soon discovers that his quiet retreat holds many secrets and hidden dangers. (Read BookTrib’s review of the book here.)


The Law Of Innocence by Michael Connelly Read by Peter Giles

The Law Of Innocence by Michael Connelly Read by Peter Giles

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

Peter Giles, who has become the voice for Mickey Haller in the Lincoln Lawyer series, returns to take listeners on a powerful legal roller coaster ride. What could be more dramatic than Haller defending himself against a murder charge while having to prepare for his trial in prison? Giles masterfully conveys the fear and frustration that Haller experiences facing the prospect of conviction while his team, including Harry Bosch, works on finding the real murderer.


The White Coat Diaries by Madi Sinha

The White Coat Diaries by Madi Sinha

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

Norah Kapadia, a brilliant medical student, knows all about drugs and their side effects, but the human aspects of patient care baffle her. Narrator Soneela Nankani creates a memorable portrait of Norah with depth, emotion and humor. Even her performance of Norah’s friends; mother; and, in particular, Chief Resident Ethan Cantor, Norah’s mentor and love interest, are all striking. Listeners will enjoy this medical novel full of heart and wit, especially as delivered by the talented Nankani.


To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

Narrator Jennifer Hale’s outstanding performance brings this story of alien invasion to life. Kira Navárez is a quiet, unassuming xenobiologist working on the fringes of human-settled space. When she comes in contact with unknown organic matter, a biosuit called “Soft Blade,” it changes her world forever. She discovers she must rally her courage to save the universe from destruction. From the rough, snarky slang of an ex-military woman to the half-mad musings of a human “ship mind,” every unique voice enhances the listening experience. (Read BookTrib’s review of the book here.)


The Neil Gaiman Reader by Neil Gaiman

The Neil Gaiman Reader by Neil Gaiman

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

With a natural ease and a British accent, award-winning author Neil Gaiman reads 52 handpicked selections from this darkly comic, career-spanning collection. Whether the topic is discovering the Holy Grail in an antique shop; retelling a much creepier, bloodier version of Snow White; or choosing a half-man/half-god to battle a demon on the Scottish Highlands, Gaiman is at his best reimagining and interweaving the broad styles of classic myth, ghost stories, fairy tales and graphic novels. All these stories sound like they were meant to be read aloud in an old-time parlor with the lights down low.


Shit, Actually by Lindy West

Shit, Actually by Lindy West

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

After defending The Fugitive as the “only good movie,” author/narrator/comic Lindy West deconstructs more than 20 fan-favorite films, rating them against Fugitive criteria. She lovingly eviscerates everyone’s favorite rom-com, Love, Actually, to hilarious effect. It’s her friendly voice and her surprising comparisons that make for laugh-out-loud moments. Her tone and attitude are brutal, honest and outrageously funny.


The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 

Narrator Andy Serkis, whom many will recognize as the voice of Gollum from The Lord of the Rings movies, delivers a magnificent listening experience of the familiar classic. Serkis perfectly captures the nuances of each character, offering an engrossing performance of the story of a hobbit who is averse to adventure journeying with 13 dwarves to reclaim their treasure from a deadly dragon. Both new listeners and old ought not miss this audiobook. 


His Truth Is Marching On by Jon Meacham

His Truth Is Marching On by Jon Meacham

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner

This stirring audiobook offers a memorable merging of author, subject and narrator. JD Jackson voices John Lewis with an authentic and nuanced nod to his rural Alabama roots. He adroitly does the New England intonations of JFK and RFK and the drawls of LBJ and George Wallace. But it is the powerful retelling of John Lewis’s life’s work fighting to bring civil and voting rights to Black Americans that stays with the listener. The late congressman added a fitting afterword to this audiobook.


A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin

A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin

James Macpherson is the perfect narrator for the latest Inspector Rebus mystery. His rich Scottish brogue immediately transports the listener to the wilds of Scotland while creating a wonderfully curmudgeonly Rebus. After Rebus gets a phone call from his daughter, Samantha, to say her husband is missing, things quickly get complicated when Samantha becomes a suspect in the disappearance and another murder inquiry is being investigated by his old team in Edinburgh.


The Once And Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

The Once And Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Gabra Zackman enchants as the narrator of an intricately layered alternative history. In New Salem in 1893, a trio of sisters meet after many years apart on the same night that a fabled dark tower appears. Witchcraft has been all but extinguished from the world, but the sisters may hold the secret to its return. Zackman gives this lushly detailed story room to breathe as she carefully delivers each spell, charm and curse in quiet, sibilant tones.


AudioFile

AudioFile (www.audiofilemagazine.com) is the magazine for discovering more about audiobooks. It reviews and recommends the best listening, most interesting performances, and what audiobooks are worth your listening time. AudioFile reviews about 50 audiobooks per week, features narrator profiles, and awards exceptional performances with AudioFile’s Earphones Awards. AudioFile publishes in print, newsletters and a blog, and podcasts daily recommendations on "Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine."

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