Every month, AudioFile Magazine reviewers and editors select the best new audiobooks just for BookTrib’s readers. This month, listeners will hit the streets of 1960s NYC, bask in the history of Broadway, blast into outer space and more. So, grab your earbuds and queue ’em up!
by Colson Whitehead | Read by Dion Graham
Random House Audio | 10.5 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Dion Graham’s performance invites listeners into the world of New York in the early 1960s. As his voice captures the feel of the times, he skillfully brings listeners to the coffee shops, storefronts and conversations of the era. Whitehead’s audiobook centers on Ray Carney, who operates a struggling furniture store but is unable to escape his background in crime. Graham embodies the audiobook’s many characters vividly, hitting all of the rhythms and nuances of Whitehead’s outstanding period novel. (Read BookTrib’s review here.)
by Lauren Groff | Read by Adjoa Andoh
Penguin Audio | 8.75 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Adjoa Andoh’s masterful narration channels the power running throughout Groff’s much-anticipated novel. Distressingly tall and awkward, Marie de France, half-sister of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, is exiled to a decrepit, far-flung abbey. First, as prioress and, then, as abbess, Marie begins her life’s work, audaciously transforming the abbey into an empowering and wholly unique sanctuary for the women within. Andoh allows listeners to fully experience the nuns’ rich personalities, using an impressive range of accents, timbres and rhythms throughout. This resonant and authentic narration honors the novel and makes for a truly compelling audiobook.
by Agatha Christie, Kate McAll [Adapt.] | Read by Alfred Molina, Simon Helberg, and a Full Cast
L.A. Theatre Works | 1.5 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
This adaptation of a classic Christie whodunit to vintage radio drama format is absolutely delicious. Evocative music and portentous sound effects greatly enhance the fun, and the cast is superb. Many great actors have taken on the fussy little Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, but none better than Alfred Molina here. His Poirot is still punctilious and obsessive, but also warm and funny as he sorts out a blindingly baroque murder plot and keeps insisting it is totally obvious. High praise to all.
by Megan Abbott | Read by Cassandra Campbell
Penguin Audio | 11.75 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Rarely will listeners find a dark contemporary fiction so exquisitely narrated that it becomes an instant classic. Cassandra Campbell portrays the story of two sisters, Dara and Marie, who continue the legacy of the Durant School of Dance, started by their mother. Approaching the annual performance of The Nutcracker, the Durants hire a contractor, Derek, who becomes Marie’s unhealthy obsession. Campbell vividly captures the paranoia, the world of ballet and family secrets. (Read BookTrib’s review here.)
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Read by Gisela Chípe
Random House Audio | 10 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Narrator Gisela Chípe successfully juggles the many characters and subplots in this exciting, odd (in a good way) mystery set in 1970s Mexico. The government underwrites a group of thugs to do whatever’s necessary to keep down student protests and civil unrest. Chípe delivers a perfect Maite, a bored 30-year-old secretary with a Walter Mitty dream life inspired by her favorite magazine, Secret Romance. Maite agrees to cat sit for a neighbor, but the neighbor, Leonora, never returns. An artful narration by Chípe and an ingeniously plotted thriller by Moreno-Garcia (Mexican Gothic) make this prime listening. (Read BookTrib’s review here.)
by Takerra Allen | Read by Shayna Small
Podium Audio | 11.75 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Narrator Shayna Small delivers a poignant coming-of-age performance. Skillfully voicing a wide-ranging cast of characters, her nuanced narration enlightens, inspires and devastates listeners. Small presents an honest and raw portrayal of passion, agony, and the beauty of a powerful young woman. Protagonist Amore Brown spends her summer before college with her estranged father in Jersey City in the 90s. Listeners will be emotionally invested and immersed in every scene as Small compellingly delivers desire, humor, heartbreak and hope.
by Wiley Cash | Read by JD Jackson
Harper Audio | 10.25 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
JD Jackson’s performance is particularly skillful as he shifts among the multiple points of view of key characters whose stories are intertwined in this tense thriller. Cash’s audiobook is set in a North Carolina beach town, a calm place that belies the intrigue and fear below its surface. Winston, the sheriff, responds to an early morning call and finds the body of a murdered man. The case inflames racial tensions in the community, forcing Winston to reckon with people he thought he could trust. Jackson’s voice effectively captures the character’s frustration, fear and need for justice.
Putting it Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday In the Park With George
by James Lapine | Read by Adam Grupper, Alyssa Bresnahan, Eva Kaminsky, T. Ryder Smith, Graham Winton, Len Cariou
Recorded Books | 7.25 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Narrator Adam Grupper is impressive as he portrays writer-director James Lapine in this mixed bag of an audiobook — part oral history, part memoir and part description of how a musical gets written and produced. The musical? Stephen Sondheim and Lapine’s Tony Award-winning Sunday In the Park With George (1984). Lapine interviewed 40 people connected with the show, and the cast provides the voices for those interviewed, expressing their conflicting memories, personal anecdotes and varying points of view. This is a valuable addition to Broadway theater history.
Beyond: The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space
by Stephen Walker | Read by David Rintoul
Harper Audio | 15.5 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
In this riveting production, Stephen Walker’s accessible scholarship illuminates Soviet Union cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s groundbreaking 1961 Earth orbit. Narrator David Rintoul’s pleasant baritone is the perfect companion to this revelatory slice of history. He seamlessly shifts between the aeronautic developments of competing nations to the launch of the first person into space. Given the Soviet Union’s intense secrecy, many interviews woven into this narrative add fresh perspectives. A must-listen for all Space Age enthusiasts.
by Saki | Read by Rupert Degas
Naxos AudioBooks | 22 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
English-Australian narrator Rupert Degas has a grand time giving voice to Saki’s (Hector Hugh Munro, 1870-1916) many tales of blustering, tyrannical aunts; mischievous children; and that most important of all English inventions — the twit. Saki was a master of light journalism and short fiction and was known for his barbed descriptions of upper-crust English life and his ingenious plot twists. Degas is especially deft at accentuating the darker and more cynical tones in some of Saki’s best-known works.
This story appears through BookTrib’s partnership with AudioFile and contains material originating from the AudioFile website.
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Dion Graham’s performance invites listeners into the world of New York in the early 1960s. As his voice captures the feel of the times, he skillfully brings listeners to the coffee shops, storefronts and conversations of the era. Whitehead’s audiobook centers on Ray Carney, who operates a struggling furniture store but is unable to escape his background in crime. Graham embodies the audiobook’s many characters vividly, hitting all of the rhythms and nuances of Whitehead’s outstanding period novel. (Read BookTrib’s review here.)
Matrix by Lauren Groff
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Adjoa Andoh’s masterful narration channels the power running throughout Groff’s much-anticipated novel. Distressingly tall and awkward, Marie de France, half-sister of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, is exiled to a decrepit, far-flung abbey. First, as prioress and, then, as abbess, Marie begins her life’s work, audaciously transforming the abbey into an empowering and wholly unique sanctuary for the women within. Andoh allows listeners to fully experience the nuns’ rich personalities, using an impressive range of accents, timbres and rhythms throughout. This resonant and authentic narration honors the novel and makes for a truly compelling audiobook.
![The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie, Kate McAll [Adapt.]](https://booktrib.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/MurderLinks_audio.jpg "The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie, Kate McAll [Adapt.]")
The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie, Kate McAll [Adapt.]
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
This adaptation of a classic Christie whodunit to vintage radio drama format is absolutely delicious. Evocative music and portentous sound effects greatly enhance the fun, and the cast is superb. Many great actors have taken on the fussy little Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, but none better than Alfred Molina here. His Poirot is still punctilious and obsessive, but also warm and funny as he sorts out a blindingly baroque murder plot and keeps insisting it is totally obvious. High praise to all.
The Turnout by Megan Abbott
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Rarely will listeners find a dark contemporary fiction so exquisitely narrated that it becomes an instant classic. Cassandra Campbell portrays the story of two sisters, Dara and Marie, who continue the legacy of the Durant School of Dance, started by their mother. Approaching the annual performance of The Nutcracker, the Durants hire a contractor, Derek, who becomes Marie’s unhealthy obsession. Campbell vividly captures the paranoia, the world of ballet and family secrets. (Read BookTrib’s review here.)
Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Narrator Gisela Chípe successfully juggles the many characters and subplots in this exciting, odd (in a good way) mystery set in 1970s Mexico. The government underwrites a group of thugs to do whatever’s necessary to keep down student protests and civil unrest. Chípe delivers a perfect Maite, a bored 30-year-old secretary with a Walter Mitty dream life inspired by her favorite magazine, Secret Romance. Maite agrees to cat sit for a neighbor, but the neighbor, Leonora, never returns. An artful narration by Chípe and an ingeniously plotted thriller by Moreno-Garcia (Mexican Gothic) make this prime listening. (Read BookTrib’s review here.)
Last Stop From Innocence by Takerra Allen
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Narrator Shayna Small delivers a poignant coming-of-age performance. Skillfully voicing a wide-ranging cast of characters, her nuanced narration enlightens, inspires and devastates listeners. Small presents an honest and raw portrayal of passion, agony, and the beauty of a powerful young woman. Protagonist Amore Brown spends her summer before college with her estranged father in Jersey City in the 90s. Listeners will be emotionally invested and immersed in every scene as Small compellingly delivers desire, humor, heartbreak and hope.
When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
JD Jackson’s performance is particularly skillful as he shifts among the multiple points of view of key characters whose stories are intertwined in this tense thriller. Cash’s audiobook is set in a North Carolina beach town, a calm place that belies the intrigue and fear below its surface. Winston, the sheriff, responds to an early morning call and finds the body of a murdered man. The case inflames racial tensions in the community, forcing Winston to reckon with people he thought he could trust. Jackson’s voice effectively captures the character’s frustration, fear and need for justice.
Putting it Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday In the Park With George by James Lapine
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Narrator Adam Grupper is impressive as he portrays writer-director James Lapine in this mixed bag of an audiobook — part oral history, part memoir and part description of how a musical gets written and produced. The musical? Stephen Sondheim and Lapine’s Tony Award-winning Sunday In the Park With George (1984). Lapine interviewed 40 people connected with the show, and the cast provides the voices for those interviewed, expressing their conflicting memories, personal anecdotes and varying points of view. This is a valuable addition to Broadway theater history.
Beyond: The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space by Stephen Walker
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
In this riveting production, Stephen Walker’s accessible scholarship illuminates Soviet Union cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s groundbreaking 1961 Earth orbit. Narrator David Rintoul’s pleasant baritone is the perfect companion to this revelatory slice of history. He seamlessly shifts between the aeronautic developments of competing nations to the launch of the first person into space. Given the Soviet Union’s intense secrecy, many interviews woven into this narrative add fresh perspectives. A must-listen for all Space Age enthusiasts.
The Complete Short Stories by Saki
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
English-Australian narrator Rupert Degas has a grand time giving voice to Saki’s (Hector Hugh Munro, 1870-1916) many tales of blustering, tyrannical aunts; mischievous children; and that most important of all English inventions — the twit. Saki was a master of light journalism and short fiction and was known for his barbed descriptions of upper-crust English life and his ingenious plot twists. Degas is especially deft at accentuating the darker and more cynical tones in some of Saki’s best-known works.
