Every month, AudioFile Magazine reviewers and editors select the best new audiobooks just for BookTrib’s readers. To kick of the year, listeners will be chilled, thrilled, emotionally pierced and more. So, grab your earbuds and press play, because this is just what your busy 2022 needs!
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by Jessamine Chan | Read by Catherine Ho
Simon & Schuster Audio | 12 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Narrator Catherine Ho quickly immerses listeners in the nightmarish story of Frida, a struggling Chinese American single mother of a young daughter who makes a terrible mistake that leads to devastating consequences. Ho embodies Frida in this terrifying and rich story of the impossible standards society sets for being a good mother, the dangers of big data and surveillance and the societal pressures placed on women in general. Ho’s exquisite narration channels a heartbreaking terrifying, and prescient story that leaves the listener gutted.
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by Isabel Allende | Read by Yareli Arizmendi
Random House Audio | 12 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Yareli Arizmendi’s masterful narration of this audiobook is astonishing — the author and narrator are perfectly paired. The year is 2000; 100-year-old Violeta Del Valle is dying, and she writes about her life so that her grandson knows her truth. Violeta witnessed phenomenal political, social and economic changes in her unnamed Latin American country. She reflects on the family we are born into and the family we form through the bonds of love and friendship. Arizmendi’s tone, pacing, and slight accent are a perfect match for this amazing story. Her engaging narration elevates it into something magical not to be missed.
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by Alison Stine | Read by Brittany Pressley
Harper Audio | 11.25 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Narrator Brittany Pressley enhances the bleakness of a dystopian hellscape in which coastal cities are washed away and survivors scavenge for scraps of plastic to trade for food and goods. She brings grim resignation to Coral, a plastic “plucker” whose young son, Shanghai, is forced to work in a factory. Pressley adeptly shifts between the voices of child slaves, erotic dancers, drugged-out factory guards and the violent “mayor” of Trashlands. When a journalist arrives to research life in “Scrappalachia,” Coral begins to envision a different future for herself and her son. Listeners are left feeling their engaging story is only just beginning.
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by Amanda Bestor-Siegal | Read by Saskia Maarleveld
Harper Audio | 11.5 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Narrator Saskia Maarleveld gives a magnificent performance of this assured debut concerning the suspicious death of nine-year-old Julien in his family’s home in a Parisian suburb. Maarleveld is simply outstanding as she seamlessly shifts accents, tones and pace to create a stunning depiction of the tensions underlying this seemingly ordinary neighborhood. Maarleveld flawlessly portrays six women, some of whom may have played a role in Julien’s death, and she creates an enthralling listening experience for fans of character-driven mysteries.
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by Hannah Morrissey | Read by Angela Dawe
Macmillan Audio | 9 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Narrator Angela Dawe assumes a millennial’s exasperated tone, endearing listeners to Hazel Greenlee, a wannabe novelist. Working the graveyard shift in a small Wisconsin town, the depressed, troubled Hazel is transcribing recorded reports in a grim police station. Hazel’s curiosity about a case involving a dead child thrusts her into a seamy murder. Dawe moves the narrative seamlessly between Hazel’s amateur detective life and her troubled home life. Dawe’s intelligent-sounding delivery of Hazel’s ambitious vocabulary and sometimes flowery observations continually reminds listeners of Hazel’s literary ambitions.
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by Jodi Picoult | Read by Marin Ireland
Random House Audio | 11.75 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Narrator Marin Ireland takes listeners on a journey they won’t forget. When Diana’s long-awaited dream vacation in the Galapagos with her boyfriend, a doctor, is sidetracked by the pandemic, he insists she go without him. Ireland sounds truly flummoxed as Diana’s dream becomes a nightmare — luggage is lost, her money runs low and she doesn’t speak Spanish. Ireland is utterly believable as Diana slowly connects with quarantined island locals, awakens to the beauty around her and begins to reassess her life.
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Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos
by Michael Imperioli, Steve Schirripa| Read by Michael Imperioli, Steve Schirripa, et al.
Harper Audio | 13.75 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
This audiobook is a must for any fan of the long-running HBO show “The Sopranos.” It’s an opportunity to hear many of the voices of its actors again, this time casually talking about the show and what went on when the cameras were turned off. The audiobook is based on a podcast by Michael Imperioli (Christopher) and Steve Schirripa (Bobby). Other members of the cast show up and talk about their hiring and what James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) was like in real life. The work is riveting — every minute reveals a new fact or twist in the “Sopranos” legend from the mouths of those who were there.
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by Laura Maria Censabella | Read by Medalion Rahimi, Jeff Marlow
L.A. Theatre Works | 1.75 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Narrators Medalion Rahimi and Jeff Marlow capture the complex relationship between a shy, intense and extremely intelligent 17-year-old Muslim student and her high school science teacher. She draws him out of his middle-aged doldrums into a swirl of excitement and discovery as they work to design an innovative experiment. The well-written dialogue seamlessly jumps from hope and trepidation to faith, politics and culture. But it’s the sound of trust, friendship and sacrifice in the actors’ voices that makes this production a standout. Compelling contemporary theater.
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by Maxim Jakubowski [Ed.] | Read by Maxwell Caulfield, Gabrielle de Cuir, Justine Eyre, Alex Hyde-White, John Lee, Juliette Mills, Kate Orsini, John Rubinstein, Stefan Rudnicki
Blackstone Audio | 11.5 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
19 prize-winning crime and mystery short stories are narrated by nine highly experienced voice actors. The stories dating from 1985 to 2020 were compiled by the gravelly-voiced Maxim Jakubowski, who narrates the detailed introduction. All the narrators vocally embrace these stories filled with tantalizing twists and surprising conclusions. The short story format provides ample opportunity to cogitate on endings, contemplate ironic turns, and revel in the mastery of short stories by outstanding writers of mysteries and thrillers.
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You Don’t Know Us Negroes: And Other Essays
by Zora Neale Hurston, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Genevieve West [Eds. & Intro.] | Read by Robin Miles
Harper Audio | 15.25 hrs.
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Robin Miles narrates with empathy and a sure sense of Hurston’s literary voice. She arranges her pace and adapts her tone to give listeners access to the author’s idiosyncratic brilliance. Capturing Hurston’s intonations and invigorating her varied essays with an understanding of the author’s intentions help reveal her meanings and bring Hurston’s world vividly to life. Listeners hear Hurston’s nuances and gain an appreciation for her as a folklorist, literary stylist and deft journalist.
This story appears through BookTrib’s partnership with AudioFile and contains material originating from the AudioFile website.
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner Narrator Catherine Ho quickly immerses listeners in the nightmarish story of Frida, a struggling Chinese American single mother of a young daughter who makes a terrible mistake that leads to devastating consequences. Ho embodies Frida in this terrifying and rich story of the impossible standards society sets for being a good mother, the dangers of big data and surveillance and the societal pressures placed on women in general. Ho’s exquisite narration channels a heartbreaking terrifying, and prescient story that leaves the listener gutted.
Violeta by Isabel Allende
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner Yareli Arizmendi’s masterful narration of this audiobook is astonishing — the author and narrator are perfectly paired. The year is 2000; 100-year-old Violeta Del Valle is dying, and she writes about her life so that her grandson knows her truth. Violeta witnessed phenomenal political, social and economic changes in her unnamed Latin American country. She reflects on the family we are born into and the family we form through the bonds of love and friendship. Arizmendi’s tone, pacing, and slight accent are a perfect match for this amazing story. Her engaging narration elevates it into something magical not to be missed.
Trashlands by Alison Stine
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner Narrator Brittany Pressley enhances the bleakness of a dystopian hellscape in which coastal cities are washed away and survivors scavenge for scraps of plastic to trade for food and goods. She brings grim resignation to Coral, a plastic “plucker” whose young son, Shanghai, is forced to work in a factory. Pressley adeptly shifts between the voices of child slaves, erotic dancers, drugged-out factory guards and the violent “mayor” of Trashlands. When a journalist arrives to research life in “Scrappalachia,” Coral begins to envision a different future for herself and her son. Listeners are left feeling their engaging story is only just beginning.
The Caretakers by Amanda Bestor-Siegal
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner Narrator Saskia Maarleveld gives a magnificent performance of this assured debut concerning the suspicious death of nine-year-old Julien in his family’s home in a Parisian suburb. Maarleveld is simply outstanding as she seamlessly shifts accents, tones and pace to create a stunning depiction of the tensions underlying this seemingly ordinary neighborhood. Maarleveld flawlessly portrays six women, some of whom may have played a role in Julien’s death, and she creates an enthralling listening experience for fans of character-driven mysteries.
Hello, Transcriber by Hannah Morrissey
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner Narrator Angela Dawe assumes a millennial’s exasperated tone, endearing listeners to Hazel Greenlee, a wannabe novelist. Working the graveyard shift in a small Wisconsin town, the depressed, troubled Hazel is transcribing recorded reports in a grim police station. Hazel’s curiosity about a case involving a dead child thrusts her into a seamy murder. Dawe moves the narrative seamlessly between Hazel’s amateur detective life and her troubled home life. Dawe’s intelligent-sounding delivery of Hazel’s ambitious vocabulary and sometimes flowery observations continually reminds listeners of Hazel’s literary ambitions.
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner Narrator Marin Ireland takes listeners on a journey they won’t forget. When Diana’s long-awaited dream vacation in the Galapagos with her boyfriend, a doctor, is sidetracked by the pandemic, he insists she go without him. Ireland sounds truly flummoxed as Diana’s dream becomes a nightmare — luggage is lost, her money runs low and she doesn’t speak Spanish. Ireland is utterly believable as Diana slowly connects with quarantined island locals, awakens to the beauty around her and begins to reassess her life.
Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos by Michael Imperioli, Steve Schirripa
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner This audiobook is a must for any fan of the long-running HBO show “The Sopranos.” It’s an opportunity to hear many of the voices of its actors again, this time casually talking about the show and what went on when the cameras were turned off. The audiobook is based on a podcast by Michael Imperioli (Christopher) and Steve Schirripa (Bobby). Other members of the cast show up and talk about their hiring and what James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) was like in real life. The work is riveting — every minute reveals a new fact or twist in the “Sopranos” legend from the mouths of those who were there.
Paradise by Laura Maria Censabella
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner Narrators Medalion Rahimi and Jeff Marlow capture the complex relationship between a shy, intense and extremely intelligent 17-year-old Muslim student and her high school science teacher. She draws him out of his middle-aged doldrums into a swirl of excitement and discovery as they work to design an innovative experiment. The well-written dialogue seamlessly jumps from hope and trepidation to faith, politics and culture. But it’s the sound of trust, friendship and sacrifice in the actors’ voices that makes this production a standout. Compelling contemporary theater.
Daggers Drawn by Maxim Jakubowski
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner 19 prize-winning crime and mystery short stories are narrated by nine highly experienced voice actors. The stories dating from 1985 to 2020 were compiled by the gravelly-voiced Maxim Jakubowski, who narrates the detailed introduction. All the narrators vocally embrace these stories filled with tantalizing twists and surprising conclusions. The short story format provides ample opportunity to cogitate on endings, contemplate ironic turns, and revel in the mastery of short stories by outstanding writers of mysteries and thrillers.
You Don’t Know Us Negroes: And Other Essays by Zora Neale Hurston, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Genevieve West
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner Robin Miles narrates with empathy and a sure sense of Hurston’s literary voice. She arranges her pace and adapts her tone to give listeners access to the author’s idiosyncratic brilliance. Capturing Hurston’s intonations and invigorating her varied essays with an understanding of the author’s intentions help reveal her meanings and bring Hurston’s world vividly to life. Listeners hear Hurston’s nuances and gain an appreciation for her as a folklorist, literary stylist and deft journalist.
