Narrator Hewot Tedla captures the tone of brassy independence, fiery romance, and chilling terror in this teen thriller by Kalynn Bayron. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Charity’s unusual job — being the “final girl” in a live action horror film experience at Camp Mirror Lake. When employees go missing and strange happenings pile up, Tedla’s tone devolves into gut-wrenching emotion as Charity uncovers the real evil lurking in Mirror Lake. A taut slasher-movie homage.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Bloomsbury Publishing.

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Fairuza Balk’s talented narration will draw listeners into this retelling of a mysterious Tyrolean folktale. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the rich sound effects and music that bring Jon Klassen’s tale to life. Balk captures the youth and curiosity of Otilla, a young girl fleeing into the forest who discovers a mysterious home inhabited by a skull. Balk renders Otilla and the skull’s warm dialogue, conveying their easy friendship and growing trust. When the skull confesses the scary truth about what haunts him every night, Otilla bravely stands up for her friend. The author narrates his afterword, explaining how he transformed the original tale.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Dreamscape.

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Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Publishing. Dreamscape is an award-winning independent publisher and multimedia studio that is committed to producing a diverse catalog of high-quality audiobooks.

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Nina Yndis narrates a bewitching short story about a girl, Judith, who longs for adventure and romance in her quiet life. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this atmospheric tale from Silvia Moreno-Garcia that reads like an enchanting—and slightly sinister—fairy tale. Judith dreams of the world beyond her small village, and resents her lot working for her beautiful and cruel older sister. Listeners hear her thrill as a handsome stranger comes to town—and devastation when he chooses her sister over her. The winter brings snow and hungry wolves to the village, and Judith falls into sensuous entanglements in the wintery woods. Yndis’s light Norwegian accent and engaging voice will draw listeners into this romantic tale.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Brilliance Audio.

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Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Publishing. Dreamscape is an award-winning independent publisher and multimedia studio that is committed to producing a diverse catalog of high-quality audiobooks.

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Four talented narrators voice a compelling story of teenagers finding community and struggling with loss over a tumultuous week in their small Canadian town. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Jen Ferguson’s skilled writing, creating a window into the lives of four teens who all worked at the Pink Mountain Pizza parlor, and were impacted by the ongoing missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls crisis. Each narrator voices their characters with care as the teens discover a plan to sell the beloved pizza parlor and launch a protest. As they dig for the truth, they find much more than they expected.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio.

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Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Publishing. Dreamscape is an award-winning independent publisher and multimedia studio that is committed to producing a diverse catalog of high-quality audiobooks.

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Steve West gives a lively performance of this romantic fantasy audiobook, voicing each mortal, immortal, and undead character with the humor, sarcasm, and sinister whispers required. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the fun of diving into this fantasy world from Olivie Blake. Fox D’Mora is a bit of a rake posing as a medium, though as the godson of Death he has an unusual connection to those beyond the veil. When Viola Marek, a vampire and real estate agent, calls on him with a poltergeist problem, Fox is alarmed to find Death no longer answering his summons. They soon find themselves players in a deadly game alongside angels, demons, werewolves and, much to Fox’s dismay, his ex lover. West voices the narrative with a rich British accent, and shifts smoothly into each character’s voice making for a marvelous listening experience.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Macmillan.

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Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Publishing. Dreamscape is an award-winning independent publisher and multimedia studio that is committed to producing a diverse catalog of high-quality audiobooks.

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Five talented narrators join forces to deliver a nuanced performance of Jhumpa Lahiri’s new collection of short stories. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this collection written originally in Italian, the author’s third language, and translated into English. The contemplative and elegant stories revolve around outsiders drawn to the City of Light. The mix of voices - Indian subcontinent, mid-American, British-African, Italian-American - highlights the atmosphere of displacement. Their voices create a tapestry of a story, weaving together these very different lives of those who live and long to belong in Rome.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio.

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Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Publishing. Dreamscape is an award-winning independent publisher and multimedia studio that is committed to producing a diverse catalog of high-quality audiobooks.

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Mike Ortego artfully performs Gay Talese’s polished sentences and captures the flavor of his urbane worldview with a writerly tone. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Talese’s audiobook focused on three of his works. He returns listeners to the sights and sounds of his most famous piece of creative nonfiction, “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” entertaining listeners with the backstory. There is a fine new piece on the bizarre death of Dr. Nicholas Bartha, and an insightful profile of the famous NEW YORK TIMES obituary writer, Aldon Whitman. Indeed, there is much about the TIMES in the 1960s, where the now 91-year old Talese got his start.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio.

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Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Publishing. Dreamscape is an award-winning independent publisher and multimedia studio that is committed to producing a diverse catalog of high-quality audiobooks.

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Lauren Fortgang performs Julia Taranto’s clever satirical novel with a quick pulse and snappy cadence. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Fortgang gets the tone just right for the story’s protagonist, a self-referential narrator with a sense of the absurdity of her situation and plight. A brilliant scientist, Helen follows her mentor to a research university set on an imaginary island, a kind of home for anti-woke academics and other culture warriors. A fun and worthwhile listen.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Hachette Audio.

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Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Publishing. Dreamscape is an award-winning independent publisher and multimedia studio that is committed to producing a diverse catalog of high-quality audiobooks.

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Gisela Chípe, Vas Eli, and Arthur Morey enrich these tilt-a-whirl stories from Steven Millhauser. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this Earphones Award-winning audiobook full of a remarkable variety of imaginary worlds. Three different yet all very convincing narrators voice simple characters whose lives become fantastically disrupted. Mischief, restrained malevolence, and twisty plots abound. Millhauser’s resourceful imagination is well served in this rich audiobook.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio

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Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Publishing. Dreamscape is an award-winning independent publisher and multimedia studio that is committed to producing a diverse catalog of high-quality audiobooks.

https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com/

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Shaun Taylor-Corbett performs Brendan Shay Basham’s immersive audiobook in a restrained style. Magical realism colors this fine debut novel. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Taylor-Corbett shifts his tone to reflect the various characters and authentically delivers the Diné language in the text. He inhabits the soul of Damien, who has just lost his younger brother, and seeks refuge from his wounds by traveling to a mysterious seacoast town. The author takes listeners on a journey that is part origin story, part evocation of climate disasters, and entirely worth listening to.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Dreamscape Publishing. Dreamscape is an award-winning independent publisher and multimedia studio that is committed to producing a diverse catalog of high-quality audiobooks.

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