Podcast appearances and mentions of jo reed

Three audiobooks explore people whose patience, curiosity, and determination changed how we understand—and protect—the natural world. Contributor Alan Minskoff joins host Jo Reed to discuss Homesick for a World Unknown: The Life of George B. Schaller by Miriam Horn, a biography of the pioneering wildlife biologist whose decades of patient fieldwork transformed our understanding of animals in the wild. Timothy Andrés Pabon's restrained narration mirrors Schaller's own quiet, methodical approach, allowing the extraordinary scope of his life and work to unfold naturally. Next comes Bernd Heinrich's The Common Uncommon: A Forest Journey, warmly yet authoritatively read by Steve Marvel, which blends memoir, science, and quiet delight in the natural world, inviting listeners to experience it with Heinrich's infectious sense of wonder. Rounding out the episode is James H. McCommons' The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America's Birds, narrated by Colin White, whose calm, measured narration keeps the focus on the remarkable history of America's birds, the people who nearly destroyed them, and the unlikely coalition that fought to save them. Together, these audiobooks make a fascinating trio about discovery, conservation, and the enduring rewards of paying close attention.   Audiobooks Discussed: Homesick for a World Unknown: The Life of George B. Schaller by Miriam Horn, read by Timothy Andrés Pabon & Claudia Dunn (Penguin Audio) The Common Uncommon: A Forest Journey by Bernd Heinrich, read by Steve Marvel (Tantor Media) The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America's Birds by James H. McCommons, read by Colin White (Tantor Media) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed talks with contributor Alex Richey about three audiobooks whose outstanding narrators bring emotional depth to stories of ghosts, murder, and terrifying change. They begin with The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean, in which Natalie Naudus' emotionally precise narration guides listeners through a haunting tale set in wartime Hong Kong, balancing gothic fantasy and historical fiction. Next is Craig DiLouie's The Summer Fun Massacre; here narrator Garrett Michael Brown anchors a grisly summer camp mystery with understated authority, while Elizabeth Cappuccino's brief appearances as survivors add an intimate counterpoint. Jo and Alex conclude with Luke Dumas's Nothing Tastes as Good, where Graham Halstead's deeply empathetic performance and an ensemble cast narrating news reports and social media posts transform a horror novel into a thoughtful examination of fatphobia, shame, and public judgment. Whether confronting ghosts, revisiting old crimes, or exploring the consequences of impossible choices, these audiobooks demonstrate how exceptional narration adds emotional depth to even the darkest stories.   Audiobooks Discussed: The Girl With a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean, read by Natalie Naudus (Macmillan Audio) The Summer Fun Massacre by Craig DiLouie, read by Garrett Michael Brown and Elizabeth Cappuccino (Hachette Audio) Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas, read by Graham Halstead with Ali Andre Ali, Raquel Beattie, Cassandra Campbell, and James Anderson Foster (Simon & Schuster Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed talks with contributor Laura Rossi about three Earphones Award–winning audiobooks whose narrators transport listeners in strikingly different ways. Recorded live before audiences across the country, The Land and Its People captures David Sedaris at his best: His impeccable timing and disarming honesty create an immersive listening experience that can be as moving as it is funny. Andrew Sean Greer's Villa Coco, read by Edoardo Ballerini, carries listeners to Tuscany, where Ballerini's exceptional performance turns a wonderful book into an unforgettable listen. Jo and Laura close by previewing Hallie Cantor's novel, Like This, but Funnier, with Helen Laser's deft narration capturing both the wit and vulnerability of a flawed screenwriter at a professional crossroads. From David Sedaris's unmistakable voice to Edoardo Ballerini's immersive storytelling and Helen Laser's razor-sharp comic timing, this episode celebrates narrators whose performances don't simply accompany a book—they shape the entire listening experience.   Audiobooks Discussed: The Land and Its People, written and read by David Sedaris (Hachette Audio) Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer, read by Edoardo Ballerini (Random HouseAudio) Like This, But Funnier by Hallie Cantor, read by Helen Laser (Simon & Schuster Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed talks with contributor Michele Cobb about three audiobooks full of unexpected turns, each narrated by Golden Voice performers at the top of their craft. Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Howard Hughes feel uncannily real in The Original by Priya Parmar, as Cassandra Campbell's nuanced narration blurs the line between historical fact and imaginative fiction. Walter Mosley's Ghalen: A Romance in Black begins as a love story before shifting into a coming-of-age story of family, grief, and community, a transition made seamless by Dion Graham's emotionally intuitive narration. They wrap up with The Divorce by Frieda McFadden, where Marin Ireland, January LaVoy, and Edoardo Ballerini deliver performances that keep a fast-moving psychological thriller compelling through every twist, turn, and implausible revelation. Whether it's historical fiction that feels like memoir, a romance novel that defies expectations, or a thriller powered by an exceptional ensemble cast, these audiobooks show how masterful narration can make every surprise land.   Audiobooks Discussed: The Original: A Novel written by Priya Parmar, read by Cassandra Campbell (Random House Audio) Ghalen: A Romance in Black written by Walter Mosley, read by Dion Graham (HarperAudio) The Divorce written by Frieda McFadden, read by January LaVoy, Marin Ireland and Edoardo Ballerini (Dreamscape) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed talks with contributor Stephen Cummings about three celebrity memoirs that reveal the many ways that authors tell their own stories in audio. They begin with Arsenio by Arsenio Hall and Alan Eisenstock, narrated by Hall, whose lively, charismatic performance revisits the groundbreaking years of The Arsenio Hall Show and its cultural impact. Then they discuss Famesick, written and read by Lena Dunham, a candid and often unsettling memoir that examines fame, illness, ambition, and the costs of living in public. Finally, they turn to True Crime, narrated by Patricia Cornwell, whose measured delivery guides listeners through a difficult Southern childhood and the winding path that led her to create Kay Scarpetta. Together, these audiobooks show how memoir narration can become a second act of storytelling, with each author using voice, pacing, and perspective to reshape the stories they tell about themselves.   Audiobooks discussed: Arsenio by Arsenio Hall with Alan Eisenstock, read by the Arsenio Hall (Simon & Schuster Audio) Famesick, written and read by Lena Dunham (Random House Audio) True Crime, written and read by Patricia Cornwell (Hachette Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this life-changing episode of In A World with Real Media, Brad Burrow speaks with Bobbi Jo Reed, founder of The Healing House, to uncover her powerful story of resilience, faith, and restoration. Bobbi Jo shares her journey from addiction, trauma, and homelessness to becoming a beacon of hope for thousands. Through her unwavering faith in Jesus, she built a thriving recovery community that has transformed countless lives. Discover how God's grace led her to break chains of despair and create a safe, loving home for those seeking redemption. This is a testament to the power of faith, second chances, and the life-changing love of Christ. Don't miss this inspiring story of miracles, community, and hope.

Host Jo Reed talks with contributor Kendra Winchester about three inventive story collections that reveal just how expansive audiobook storytelling can be. They begin with Fat Swim by Emma Copley Eisenberg, performed by a seven-person cast including Marin Ireland and Samantha Desz, where stories centered on fatness, vulnerability, and community take on added intimacy through distinct narrative voices. Then they discuss My Dear You by Rachel Khong, narrated by Xiaoling Pan, Rachel Khong, Zhen Zhao, and Annie Q. Riegel, a wildly imaginative collection that moves effortlessly between speculative fiction, satire, emotional realism, and the uncanny. Finally, they turn to Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar, with narrator Rachel Elizabeth Smith bringing warmth, precision, and quiet intensity to stories filled with fairy tales, scholarship, women's lives, and acts of self-rescue. Together, these audiobooks demonstrate how short fiction thrives in audio—each narrator shaping tone, atmosphere, and emotional texture in ways that make every story feel immediate and distinct.   Audio Books Discussed: Fat Swim by Emma Copley Eisenberg, read by Kristen DiMercurio, MW Cartozian Wilson, Marin Ireland, Lindsey Dorcus, Chrysanthy Balis, Samantha Desz, and Kristen Sieh (Random House Audio) My Dear You by Rachel Khong, read by Jialing Pan, Rachel Khong, Jen Zhao, and Annie Q. Riegel (Random House Audio) Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar, read by Rachel Elizabeth Smith (Macmillan Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed talks with Kirkus young readers' editor Laura Simeon about three middle-grade audiobooks that explore difficult subjects with honesty, empathy, and respect for young listeners. In Phoenix by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, narrator Emma Ladji brings warmth and steadiness to young Harper's story as she navigates her parents' divorce, shifting friendships, and the rescued horse who becomes central to her new life. Karise Yansen's calm, measured narration of Matthew Fox's The Lovely Dark grounds a lyrical story of grief, loss, and the afterlife in vivid emotional reality. And in Tae Keller's When Tomorrow Burns, a seamless ensemble cast—Eddy Lee, Annie Q. Riegel, Sara Matsui-Colby, Emily Woo Zeller, and Tae Keller—captures the uncertainty and intensity of middle school friendships unfolding against the backdrop of climate anxiety and change. Together, these audiobooks recognize that middle-grade kids confront complicated situations and deserve stories that speak to those uncertainties with honesty and care.   Audiobooks Discussed: Phoenix by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, read by Emma Ladji (Listening Library)   The Lovely Dark by Matthew Fox, read by Karise Yansen (Hachette Audio)   When Tomorrow Burns by Tae Keller, read by Eddy Lee, Annie Q. Riegel, Sara Matsui-Colby, and Emily Woo Zeller (Listening Library)     Support for Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Bob Goff, Savannah Guthrie, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and many more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed talks with contributor Leslie Fine about three audiobooks that range from memoir to thriller to literary biography. They begin with Unread: A Memoir of Learning (and Loving) To Read on TikTok by Oliver James, where narrator James Shippy brings warmth and enthusiasm to the author's account of achieving literacy as an adult and discovering the enduring pleasures of books. Then, they turn to Tiffany Crum's This Story Might Save Your Life. Driven by the energetic, emotionally layered narration of Julia Whelan and Sean Patrick Hopkins, its use of podcast clips, voicemail messages, and layered audio production heightens a suspenseful missing-person mystery. And they end with Judy Blume: A Life by Mark Oppenheimer; Molly Ringwald's warm, quietly authoritative narration guides listeners through the career of an author whose books have shaped generations of readers. Together, these audiobooks prove that the right narrator can turn a good story into an irresistible listen. Audiobooks Discussed: Unread: A Memoir of Learning (and Loving) To Read on TikTok by Oliver James, read by James Shippy (Hachette Audio) This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum, read by Julia Whelan and Sean Patrick Hopkins (Macmillan Audio) Judy Blume: A Life by Mark Oppenheimer, read by Molly Ringwald and Mark Oppenheimer (Penguin Random House Audio)   Support for Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Bob Goff, Savannah Guthrie, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From haunted New Jersey suburbs to melancholy Irish landscapes to the contested wilds of the American West, Alan Minskoff joins host Jo Reed to discuss three sharply different works of fiction in audio. Tom Perrotta's Ghost Town, narrated by Robert Petkoff, blends grief, adolescence, and the supernatural through Petkoff's nuanced character work, while Derbhle Crotty and Darragh Shannon bring quiet emotional precision to The News From Dublin, evoking the atmosphere of longing and displacement in Colm Tóibín's story collection. The conversation closes with Taylor Brown's Wolvers, read by Ramiz Monsef, whose vivid performance captures the tensions between ranchers, militias, environmentalists, and wolves in the modern West. These audiobooks may share little besides the genre of fiction, but each narrator creates a fully realized world listeners can step into and stay with long after the final chapter.   Audiobooks Discussed: Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta, read by Robert Petkoff (Simon & Schuster Audio) The News From Dublin: Stories by Colm Tóibín, read by Derbhle Crotty and Darragh Shannon (Simon & Schuster Audio) Wolvers by Taylor Brown, read by Ramiz Monsef (Recorded Books Inc.)   Support for Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Bob Goff, Savannah Guthrie, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and many more.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three women tell deeply personal stories in audiobooks that gain even more force through performance. Michele Cobb joins host Jo Reed to discuss A Hymn to Life by Gisèle Pelicot, who discovered that her husband had drugged her and arranged to have dozens of men assault her over the course of many years. The book recounts her life, the trial, and the reckoning that followed, all narrated by Emma Thompson with remarkable restraint and empathy. Next comes a discussion of The End of My Life Is Killing Me by Annabelle Gurwitch, read by the author with warmth, comic timing, and mischievous candor as she navigates stage 4 lung cancer and divorce. Finally, they discuss You With the Sad Eyes, written and read by actor Christina Applegate, who reflects on childhood trauma, fame, cancer, and living with multiple sclerosis; her unguarded narration—complete with journal entries, cracked laughter, and tearful moments—gives the book unusual emotional immediacy.  These memoirs don't offer neat resolutions, but they do reveal the special intimacy that happens when difficult stories are spoken aloud.   Audiobooks Discussed: A Hymn to Life: Shame Has To Change Sides by Gisèle Pelicot with Judith Perrignon; translated by Natasha Lehrer and Ruth Diver; read by Emma Thompson (Penguin Random House Audio)   The End of My Life is Killing Me: The Unexpected Joys of a Cancer Slacker by Annabelle Gurwitch, read by the author and Andie MacDowell (Zibby Books)   You With the Sad Eyes: A Memoir written and read by Christina Applegate (Hachette Audio)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contributor Stephen Cummings joins host Jo Reed to talk about David Pogue's Apple: The First 50 Years, which Pogue narrates with the confidence and curiosity of a longtime tech journalist, weaving in archival clips and company lore. They turn to Noam Scheiber's Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class, where André Santana's restrained and intelligent narration underscores the frustrations of workers organizing at companies like Starbucks, Amazon, and Apple. Finally, Woody Brown's Upward Bound employs a strong cast led by T. R. Knight to explore life inside an underfunded adult day program, giving its central character a vivid and deeply affecting inner voice. All three audiobooks look closely at ambition, labor, and the gap between how work is imagined and how it's lived. Audiobooks Discussed: Apple: The First 50 Years written and read by David Pogue (Simon & Schuster Audio)   Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class by Noam Scheiber,  read by André Santana (Macmillan Audio)   Upward Bound  by Woody Brown, read by T.R. Knight, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Alex Edelman, Pete Holmes, Midori Francis, Carlos Miranda, Brandon Flynn, and Nikki M. James (Random House Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed is joined by contributor Alex Richey to explore three horror audiobooks that favor atmosphere and interiority over jump scares. We begin with The Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehmann, where Florence Howard's finely tuned vocal shifts capture Anne Boleyn's intellect and fury in an intimate, reflective alternate history. We then turn to The Body by Bethany C. Morrow, with Nesta Cooper delivering a grounded, emotionally precise performance that deepens the novel's psychological unease. The episode closes with Mother Is Watching by Karma Brown, as Karissa Vacker navigates a tightly controlled world of surveillance and a deeply unsettling mystery, moving seamlessly among characters as the tension gradually tightens.   Audiobooks Discussed:   The Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehmann, read by Florence Howard (Random House Audio)   The Body by Bethany C. Morrow, read by Nesta Cooper (Macmillan Audio)   Mother Is Watching by Karma Brown, read by Karissa Vacker (Penguin Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laura Rossi joins host Jo Reed to talk through three recent Earphones Award winners, each offering a distinct listening experience. They begin with Judge Stone by James Patterson and Viola Davis, on which Davis also delivers exceptional narration, bringing authority and emotional precision to a fast-moving legal thriller. Then it's Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi, where Adjoa Andoh delivers a commanding performance that makes the iconic queen feel regal, immediate, and fully human. They close with Trust No One by James Rollins and read by Simon Vance, who guides listeners across countries and centuries on a suspenseful hunt for a mysterious text said to hold the secret to immortality. Audiobooks Discussed: Judge Stone by James Patterson and Viola Davis, read by Viola Davis (Hachette Audio) Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi, read by Adjoa Andoh (Random House Audio) Trust No One by James Rollins, read by Simon Vance (Harper Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contributor Kendra Winchester joins host Jo Reed to discuss three audiobooks that each spotlight a different side of Toni Morrison. In Language as Liberation, narrator Bahni Turpin guides listeners through Morrison's own lectures, bringing an immediacy to her literary analysis of the American canon. Toni at Random, read with clarity and momentum by Deanna Anthony, highlights Morrison's role in championing major Black writers as an editor at Random House. And January LaVoy's reading of On Morrison carries Namwali Serpell's close readings of the novels, making Morrison's work feel newly alive. Three books, three authors, three narrations—each one sharpening a different view of Morrison's lasting impact. Audiobooks Discussed: Language as Liberation: Reflections on the American Canon by Toni Morrison, read by Bahni Turpin (Random House Audio)   Toni at Random: An Iconic Writer's Legendary Editorship by Dana A. Williams, read by Deanna Anthony (Harper Audio)   On Morrison by Namwali Serpell, read by January LaVoy (Random House Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed talks with contributor Leslie Fine about three audiobooks that circle around questions of identity, family, and belonging. In Kin by Tayari Jones, dual narrators Angel Pean and Ashley J. Hobbs give distinct voices to two lifelong friends shaped by maternal absence as well as the racial and class realities of the 1950s South. Boy From the North Country, written and read by Sam Sussman, blends autofiction and grief as a son returns home to his dying mother, while My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner, narrated by Joy Ozymanski, follows two teenagers navigating questions of heritage, class, and family.  Three very different audiobooks, each asking—through story and performance—how we come to understand where we belong.   Audiobooks Discussed: Kin by Tayari Jones, read by Angel Pean and Ashley J. Hobbs (Random House Audio) Boy From the North Country written and read by Sam Sussman (Penguin Audio) My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner, read by Joy Osmanski (Penguin Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed is joined by Michele Cobb to look at three audiobooks that use multiple narrators to tell stories from distinct perspectives. In Joan Silber's Mercy, a cast of voices traces how an experience reverberates across lives and decades, with narration providing the emotional throughline. Rachel Hawkins's The Storm leans into suspense and atmosphere, with strong performances sharpening a layered, true-crime-tinged mystery. And in Craig Thomas's That's Not How It Happened, four narrators bring clarity and texture to the story of a family and the uneasy overlap between private life and public storytelling.  Three very different books, each shaped by shifting perspectives—and in each case, it's the narration that makes the whole story cohere.   Audiobooks Discussed: Mercy by Joan Silber, read by L.J. Ganser, Nan McNamara, Christina Moore, Alyssa Bresnahan, Helen Laser & Nick Walther (Recorded Books Inc.)   The Storm by Rachel Hawkins, read by Stephanie Németh-Parker, Alex Knox, Cathi Colas, Dan Bittner, Jane Oppenheimer, Patti Murin, and Petrea Burchard (Macmillan Audio)   That's Not How It Happened by Craig Thomas, read by Marli Watson, Cobie Smulders, Josh Radnor, and Kevin Iannucci (Harlequin Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed is joined by Kirkus fiction editor Laurie Muchnick for a deep dive into Rachel Reid's six-book Game Changers series. The basis for the HBO sensation Heated Rivalry, the books are a blend of pro hockey, queer romance, and unapologetic “spice.” The conversation zeroes in on two key audiobooks—Game Changer, read by Tor Thom, and The Long Game, read by Cooper North—highlighting how each narrator shapes character, tone, and emotional depth in very different ways. Along the way, Jo and Laurie consider what these romances promise (yes, a happily-ever-after), what they explore (from homophobia in sports to mental health), and how listening—especially to scenes of intimacy—changes the experience. A lively look at a very hot series—where performance shapes the story as much as the writing, and the chemistry comes through loud and clear.   Audiobooks Discussed: Game Changer by Rachel Reid, read by Tor Thom (Tantor Media) The Long Game by Rachel Reid, read by Cooper North (Harlequin Audio)   Other audiobooks in the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid:  Heated Rivalry and Tough Guy, read by Tor Thom (Tantor Media) Common Goal and Role Model, read by Cooper North (Harlequin Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauren Groff's narration of Brawler brings listeners directly into the cadence and emotional undercurrent of her prose. In this episode of Behind the Mic, she talks with host Jo Reed about building a collection as a series of evolving questions, from the opening story “The Wind” to the final piece “Annunciation,” which, as she puts it, is “shining a light outward” while gesturing back toward what comes before.  The conversation also explores how reading her work aloud—both while writing and in the recording studio—sharpens rhythm, shifts meaning, and keeps every sentence in motion. In an interview interspersed with excerpts of the audiobook, Lauren reflects on voice, structure, and the intimacy of hearing a writer tell her own stories.   Audiobooks Discussed: Brawler, written and read by Lauren Groff (Penguin Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contributor Alan Minskoff joins host Jo Reed to talk about three notable books—from George Saunders, Xochitl Gonzalez, and Lauren Groff—that offer rich and rewarding listening. They begin with George Saunders's Vigil, an inventive, full-cast production featuring Judy Greer, Stephen Root, and McLeod Andrews, where a youthful ghost serves as a death doula to an unrepentant oil tycoon. The conversation then turns to Xochitl Gonzalez's Last Night in Brooklyn, narrated compellingly by Elizabeth Rodriguez, a sharp, observant look at friendship, ambition, and gentrification in mid-2000s Brooklyn. They conclude with Lauren Groff's Brawler, a collection of emotionally resonant stories read with empathy and thoughtful restraint by the author herself.  Together, these audiobooks show how skillful narration—from full casts to author performances—can deepen the emotional and imaginative reach of contemporary fiction.   Audiobooks Discussed: Vigil by George Saunders, read by Judy Greer, Stephen Root, MacLeod Andrews, Kimberly Farr, Mark Bramhall, Barrett Leddy, Eric Jason Martin, Karissa Vacker, Sunil Malhotra, Cassandra Campbell, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Aaron Goodson, Maggi-Meg Reed, George Saunders, and a Full Cast (Random House Audio) LastNight in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez, read by Elizabeth Rodriguez (Macmillan Audio) Brawler by Lauren Groff, read by the author (Penguin Audio)   Support for Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollinsFocus and HarperCollinsChristianPublishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Colleen Coble, Mark Harmon, Jennie Allen, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and many more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and contributor Stephen Cummings begin with Escape by Stephen Fischbach, an Earphones Award winner narrated by Julia Whelan, Imani Jade Powers, and Sean Patrick Hopkins; it's a debut novel that digs into the machinations of reality TV and the costs of reinvention. Next they turn to Paper Cut by Rachel Taff, narrated by Helen Laser, a sharp exploration of true crime culture that follows a former cult member facing renewed scrutiny when a documentarian wants to revisit her past. Finally, they discuss the Earphones-winning Crown City by Naomi Hirahara, narrated by Brian Nishii, a richly observed social history threaded with a mystery as a newly arrived Japanese immigrant navigates 1903 Pasadena. Together, the three audiobooks—and their narrators—offer distinct portraits of pressure, survival, and the long reach of the past.   Audiobooks Discussed:   Escape! by Stephen Fishbach, read by Julia Whelan, Imani Jade Powers, Sean Patrick Hopkins, and Stephen Fishbach (Penguin Audio)   Paper Cut by Rachel Taff, read by Helen Laser (Harper Audio)   Crown City by Naomi Hirahara, read by Brian Nishii (Recorded Books)   Support for Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollinsChristianPublishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Colleen Coble, Mark Harmon, Jennie Allen, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and many more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and contributor Alex Ritchie dive into three striking audiobooks, beginning with Half His Age, Jennette McCurdy's unsettling and sharply observed debut novel, narrated by the author in a style that mirrors its protagonist's fragile bravado. Jo and Alex then travel to 15th-century Italy with Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez, where Beatrice Grannò's lyrical narration illuminates both the sensuality of the setting and the pulse of magic running through the novel's political intrigue. Finally, they explore The Book of Blood and Roses by Annie Summerlee, brought into vivid focus by Katie Leung's clear, quietly magnetic delivery, which grounds the paranormal elements while sharpening the story's emotional undercurrents. The conversation highlights how a narrator can deepen a book's atmosphere, shape its emotional stakes, and transform the entire listening experience.   Audiobooks Discussed: HalfHis Age, written and read by Jennette McCurdy (Random House Audio)   Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez, read by Beatrice Grannò  (Macmillan Audio)   The Book of Blood and Roses by Annie Summerlee, read by Katie Leung (Penguin Audio)     Support for Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollinsFocus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Colleen Coble, Mark Harmon, Jennie Allen, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and many more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and contributor Leslie Fine kick off their discussion of rule-breaking new thrillers with Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino, performed by Cia Court, in which a competitive housing market becomes the breeding ground for obsession. They turn to The Sunshine Man by Emma Stonex, narrated by Edward Rowe and Meg Salter, a tense story of revenge that widens into an exploration of class, trauma, and the moments that define a life. Finally, they consider Girl Dinner by Olivie E. Blake, a sorority-set satire with sharp dialogue and darker implications, told through the alternating performances of Stephanie Nameth-Parker and Rita Amparita. Across all three titles, the conversation underscores how the right voices can amplify a thriller's tension, humor, and emotional stakes. Audiobooks Discussed: Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino, read by Cia Court (Macmillan Audio) The Sunshine Man by Emma Stonex, read by Edward Rowe and Meg Salter (Penguin Audio) Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake, read by Stephanie Nemeth-Parker and Rita Amparita (Macmillan Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and contributor Kendra Winchester open this episode with Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley, narrated by Isabella Star LaBlanc, a YA mystery that explores community and belonging through a performance rich in emotional nuance. The conversation turns to We Survive the Night, written and read by Julian Brave NoiseCat, a memoir that moves fluidly between family history, Indigenous storytelling, and themes of cultural survival. They close with The Devil Is a Southpaw by Brandon Hobson, performed by Shane Ghostkeeper, whose steady, grounded narration helps orient listeners inside a surreal, character-driven story of rivalry and unreliable memory. The three titles underscore how Native authors use voice, history, and perspective to shape memorable listening experiences. Audiobooks Discussed: Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley, read by Isabella Star LaBlanc (Macmillan Audio). We Survived the Night, written and read by Julian Brave NoiseCat (Random House Audio). The Devil Is a Southpaw by Brandon Hobson, read by Shane Ghostkeeper (HarperAudio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and Laura Rossi dive into three Earphones Award–winning audiobooks: James Patterson's Return of the Spider, Margaret Atwood's Book of Lives, and Ryan Goldberg's Bird City. They talk about Dion Graham and Fred Berman's gripping dual performance in Patterson's 34th Alex Cross thriller; Atwood's reflective memoir in her own gravelly, unmistakable voice; and the charm of an unexpected New York City birding adventure to which Evan Sibley brings a naturalist's clarity to the narration. Together, they explore how each audiobook offers a distinct listening experience—from high-stakes suspense to literary self-examination to close observation of the natural world. Audiobooks Discussed: Return of the Spider: An Alex Cross Thriller by James Patterson, read by Dion Graham and Fred Berman (Hachette Audio) Book of Lives, written and read by Margaret Atwood (Random House Audio) Bird City: Adventures in New York's Urban Wilds by Ryan Goldberg, read by Evan Sibley (Hachette Audio)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and contributor Alan Minskoff dive into three remarkable audiobooks: Zadie Smith's Dead and Alive, John Banville's Venetian Vespers, and Thomas Pynchon's long-awaited Shadow Ticket. They explore Smith's incisive essays, read by the author with clarity and authority; Venetian Vespers, with Luke Thompson navigating Banville's long, sinuous sentences; and Pynchon's noir caper, handled with virtuosic range by Edoardo Ballerini. It's a conversation filled with sharp insights into writing, narration, and what makes these audiobooks such compelling listens.   Audiobooks Discussed:  Dead and Alive, written and read by Zadie Smith (Penguin Audio) Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon, read by Edoardo Ballerini (Penguin Audio) Venetian Vespers by John Banville, read by Luke Thompson (Random House Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Michele Cobb joins host Jo Reed to dig into audiobooks built on backstory, beginning with Expert Witness, where Gabra Zackman delivers Anne Wolbert Burgess' account of trauma, justice, and the evolution of expert testimony with clarity and restraint. Next, they turn to A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever, a joyful, detail-packed oral history of the 1984 film Spinal Tap—an ensemble cast production led by Rob Reiner, where seemingly spontaneous commentary makes the audiobook the definitive way to experience the story. The episode closes with We Did OK, Kid, a reflective memoir in which Kenneth Branagh's elegant narration frames Anthony Hopkins's vulnerable reflections on craft, ambition, and a life shaped by performance. Together these audiobooks show how lived experience—whether in the courtroom, on a film set, or across a lifetime in acting—gains depth and resonance when shaped by a narrator who knows when to be restrained, playful, or quietly vulnerable. Audiobooks Discussed: Expert Witness: The Weight of Our Testimony When Justice Hangs in the Balance by Ann Wolbert Burgess with Steven Matthew Constantine, read by Gabra Zackman A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap, written and read by Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer  We Did Ok, Kid: A Memoir by Sir Anthony Hopkins, read by Kenneth Branagh with the author Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Cummings joins host Jo Reed to talk about Laurie Gwen Shapiro's immersive dual biography of Amelia Earhart and George Putnam, The Aviator and the Showman; Elliot Ackerman's unlikely and darkly comic caper, Sheepdogs; and Mike Albo's candid, audio-exclusive memoir, Hologram Boyfriends. Cummings reflects on what surprised him about each audiobook and why these very different works held his attention to the end. Altogether, the conversation highlights how form, tone, and performance shape the listening experience.   Audiobooks Discussed: The Aviator and the Showman by Laurie Gwen Shapiro, read by Stefanie Powers (Penguin Audio) Sheepdogs by Elliot Ackerman, read by Chris Andrew Ciulla (Random House Audio) Hologram Boyfriends, written and read by Mike Albo (Macmillan Audio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contributor Alex Richey joins Behind the Mic host Jo Reed to talk about three fantastical audiobooks and how their different forms shape the listening experience. The conversation moves from Brandon Sanderson's story collection Tailored Realities to two intergenerational stories centered on daughters—Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite and As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel—where voice and perspective carry particular emotional weight. As Alex observes, these audiobooks demonstrate how narration can enhance both broad narrative structures and more focused, character-driven works. Books Discussed: Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson, read by Dion Graham, January LaVoy, Michael Kramer, Ray Porter, Andre Santana, Avi Roque, Dylan Reilly Fitzpatrick, Imani Jade Powers, MacLeod Andrews, Shahjehan Khan, and Stephanie Nemeth Parker Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite, read by Weruche Opia, Nnei Opia Clark, and Diana Yekinni As Many Souls as Stars, written by Natasha Siegel, read by Kristin Atherton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed is joined by narrator Karen Murray to talk about HOW SWEET THE SOUND by Kwame Alexander, one of our picks for the Best Children and Family Audiobooks of 2025. Karen shares how she dove into this musical exploration of Black music in America, which “felt like home to her.” The experience begins with a poem as the listener is guided through the talking drums of Africa, to the blues, jazz, funk, and soul, and eventually hip-hop. Jo and Karen share why this listen is perfect for families, even down to the final, fascinating glossary.  Read AudioFile's review of the audiobook Published by Hachette Audio.  AudioFile's 2025 Best Children & Family Listening are: AND SHE WAS LOVED by Andrea Davis Pinkney, read by Andrea Davis Pinkney BAD BADGER by Maryrose Wood, read by Chris Devon MILLIE FLEUR SAVES THE NIGHT by Christy Mandin, read by Elizabeth Knowelden THE POISONED KING by Katherine Rundell, read by Sam West HOW SWEET THE SOUND by Kwame Alexander, read by Karen Murray WHALE EYES by James Robinson, read by James Robinson Explore the full list of 2025 Best Audiobooks on our website Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Katee Robert. Discover your next great listen at dreamscapepublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Narrator Greta Jung joins host Jo Reed to discuss narrating ALL THE TOMORROWS AFTER by Joanne Yi, one of AudioFile's picks for Best Young Adult Audiobooks of 2025. Greta discusses her connection to the Korean language and her own childhood, both of which helped her deliver an impactful, emotional performance. Jo and Greta also talk about the importance of stories that are especially resonant for children and teen listeners.  Read AudioFile's review of the audiobook Published by Simon & Schuster Audio AudioFile's 2025 Best Young Adult Audiobooks are: AMONG GHOSTS by Rachel Hartman, read by Will Watt ONE STEP FORWARD by Marcie Flinchum Atkins, read by Chanté McCormick SISTERS IN THE WIND by Angeline Boulley, read by Isabella Star LaBlanc (S)KIN by Ibi Zoboi, read by Bahni Turpin, Robin Miles UNDER THE SAME STARS by Libba Bray, read by January LaVoy, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Major Curda ALL THE TOMORROWS AFTER by Joanne Yi, read by Greta Jung Explore the full list of 2025 Best Audiobooks on our website Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Katee Robert. Discover your next great listen at dreamscapepublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed is joined by narrator Maggi-Meg Reed to chat about her performance in one of AudioFile's selections for Best Multi-Voice audiobooks of 2025: THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans, read by Maggi-Meg Reed with an ensemble. Maggi-Meg talks about how she narrated this nuanced story about a 73-year old woman who is slowly going blind, while also dealing with a surprising DNA test. Together they discuss how a performer rides the line between a written conversation and a spoken one and the unique challenges that come with multi-voice narrations. Read AudioFile's review of the audiobook Published by Random House Audio.  AudioFile's 2025 Best Multi-Voice Audiobooks are: THE BIG FIX by John Mankiewicz, Jamie Napoli, Daniel Pyne, Katie Pyne, and Aaron Lipstadt, performed by Jon Hamm, Ana de la Reguera, Erin Moriarity, Omar Epps, Alia Shawkat, et al. THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans, read by Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, David Pittu, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Mark Bramhall, Petrea Burchard, Robert Petkoff, Kimberly Farr, Peter Ganim, Jade Wheeler, Jim Seybert, Cerris Morgan-Moyer, et al. THE DEVIL REACHED TOWARD THE SKY by Garrett M. Graff, performed by Edoardo Ballerini, Adam Grupper, Brian Nishii, Kevin R. Free, Matthew Lloyd Davies, Mirai, Rob Shapiro, Saskia Maarleveld, Vikas Adam, et al. LES NORMAUX by Janine Janssen and S. Al Sabado, performed by Janine Janssen, S. Al Sabado, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Jean Brassard, Xavier Casals, Alexander Cendese, Kyla Garcia, Ramón de Ocampo, Abby Manning, Christopher Salazar, André Santana, Devon Sorvari, Jeanne Syquia OF MONSTERS AND MAINFRAMES by Barbara Truelove read by, Chris Devon, Emana Rachelle, Charlie Albers, Eve Passeltiner, Zura Johnson, Cary Hite, Gail Shalan SOUNDTRACK by Jason Reynolds, performed by Nile Bullock, Mekhi Hewling, Jade Williams, Brandon Miles, Ryan Vincent Anderson, Amir Royale, et al. Explore the full list of 2025 Best Audiobooks on our website Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Katee Robert. Discover your next great listen at dreamscapepublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this bonus edition of Behind the Mic, host Jo Reed speaks with Sara DiVello, true crime writer, founder and host of interview series Mystery and Thriller Mavens, and co-chair of the Nantucket Book Festival. DiVello's latest book, narrated by Jordan Cobb, is BROADWAY BUTTERFLY, which is based on one of the most notorious unsolved murders of the roaring twenties. Together they talk about growing up on Nancy Drew, coming from a family of passionate readers, and the captivating pull of reading and writing true crime. Photo by Lisa Schaffer Photography Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Katee Robert. Discover your next great listen at dreamscapepublishing.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Award-winning narrator Shaun Taylor-Corbett joins host Jo Reed to tell listeners about narrating Jon Hickey's debut audiobook, BIG CHIEF, one of our picks for Best Fiction of 2025. It's a story about a political fixer, Mitch Caddo, who must navigate both political and personal dramas, while confronting his identity as a mixed-race Anishinaabe man. Taylor-Corbett shares how he found Caddo's voice in this audiobook, which is a unique look into tribal politics, identity, and how power is both given and taken. Read AudioFile's review of the audiobook: Published by Simon & Schuster Audio AudioFile's 2025 Best Fiction Audiobooks are: AMITY by Nathan Harris, read by André Santana, Angel Pean THE ANTIDOTE by Karen Russell, read by Elena Rey, Sophie Amoss, Mark Bramhall, Shayna Small, Jon Orsini, Natasha Soudek, Karen Russell, James Riding BIG CHIEF by Jon Hickey, Shaun Taylor-Corbett BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan, read by Michael Crouch JUNIE by Erin Crosby Eckstine, read by Angel Pean WHAT WE CAN KNOW by Ian McEwan, read by David Rintoul, Rachel Bavidge Explore the full list of 2025 Best Audiobooks on our website:   Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Katee Robert. Discover your next great listen at dreamscapepublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile's Robin Whitten joins host Jo Reed to discuss AudioFile's 2025 Best Audiobooks. Listen to their conversation to discover how AudioFile's editors choose the year's best audiobooks, which titles Robin is particularly excited about, and to hear all the details on our upcoming interviews with narrators of some of this year's honored titles.  Explore the full list of 2025 Best Audiobooks on our website. Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Katee Robert. Discover your next great listen at dreamscapepublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile's Laura Rossi highlight three recent Earphones Award-winning audiobooks. AudioFile awards Earphones to exceptional audio experiences—it's our version of a starred review, specifically for the audiobook. Laura and Jo discuss: THE SLIP a story about a missing teenage boy, by Lucas Schaefer, read by Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Renata Friedman; WE THE PEOPLE: A History of the U.S. Constitution by Jill Lepore, read by the author; and LIVING IS DYING: How to Prepare for Death, Dying, and Beyond, by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, read by Michael Imperioli. They share why these audiobooks won Earphones, and why they are well worth your listening time.  Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  THE SLIP: Published by Simon & Schuster Audio WE THE PEOPLE: Published by Recorded Books LIVING IS DYING: Published by Shambhala Publications Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website    Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus,, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Bob Goff, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and so many more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bobbi Jo Reed, Healing House Founder, In Studio Feature Friday Guest | 11-21-25See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Jo Reed welcomes AudioFile publisher Michele Cobb to discuss three powerful memoirs, narrated by their authors. Booker Prize–winning writer Arundhati Roy returns with a complex look at her relationship with her challenging and ‘visionary,' mother in MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME; an unflinching, polarizing memoir about Elizabeth Gilbert's sex and love addiction in ALL THE WAY TO THE RIVER; and VAGABOND, a restrained dive into the long, varied career of inimitable actor Tim Curry. Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME: Published by Simon & Schuster Audio ALL THE WAY TO THE RIVER: Published by Penguin Audio VAGABOND: Published by Hachette Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Bob Goff, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and so many more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today host Jo Reed welcomes AudioFile's founder and editor, Robin Whitten, to discuss Phillip Pullman's world and THE ROSE FIELD, read by Michael Sheen, the much anticipated conclusion of the extraordinary epic fantasy. It began in 1999 with THE GOLDEN COMPASS and with the story of Lyra Silvertongue, in an all-time-favorite full-cast performance. Lyra's story plays out over six audiobooks—a double trilogy, HIS DARK MATERIALS and THE BOOK OF DUST. We could revel in Pullman's alternate universe for hours, but for this episode, Jo and Robin compare the different narrations and storytelling styles of the audiobooks that bring Pullman's imagination to us.  Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  THE ROSE FIELD:  Published by Listening Library THE GOLDEN COMPASS: Published by Listening Library THE BOOK OF DUST: Published by Listening Library Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus,, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Bob Goff, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and so many more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today host Jo Reed welcomes AudioFile's founder and editor, Robin Whitten, to discuss Phillip Pullman's world and THE ROSE FIELD, read by Michael Sheen, the much anticipated conclusion of the extraordinary epic fantasy. It began in 1999 with THE GOLDEN COMPASS and with the story of Lyra Silvertongue, in an all-time-favorite full-cast performance. Lyra's story plays out over six audiobooks—a double trilogy, HIS DARK MATERIALS and THE BOOK OF DUST. We could revel in Pullman's alternate universe for hours, but for this episode, Jo and Robin compare the different narrations and storytelling styles of the audiobooks that bring Pullman's imagination to us.  Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  THE ROSE FIELD:  Published by Listening Library THE GOLDEN COMPASS: Published by Listening Library THE BOOK OF DUST: Published by Listening Library Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website   Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Bob Goff, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and so many more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed welcomes AudioFile contributor Alan Minskoff this week to dig into three new audiobooks that delight and satirize, often using humor to shed light on social issues. Three unlikely characters bond in an anger management class in SNAP, a comedic novel by Susin Nielsen and read by Carol Schneider; a failed poet with a snarky alter-ego struggles with an autoimmune disease and a polyamorous wife in the debut novel OLD SCHOOL INDIAN by Aaron John Curtis, read by Jason Grasl; and a teenage flag-twirler switches sides in the satirical Civil War-era novel HOW TO DODGE A CANNONBALL by Dennard Dayle, read by William DeMeritt. Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  SNAP: Published by Harper Audio OLD SCHOOL INDIAN: Published by Hillman Grad Books HOW TO DODGE A CANNONBALL: Published by Macmillan Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website   Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Bob Goff, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and so many more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Behind the Mic, host Jo Reed welcomes our resident horror expert, Alex Richey. Together they discuss three gripping audiobooks that are more about the spooky atmosphere than jump-scares. A catastrophic event kicks off a series of bizarre deaths in LUCKY DAY by Chuck Tingle, read by Mara Wilson; a woman falls into a mirrored world in HEMLOCK & SILVER, T. Kingfisher's unique take on Snow White, read by Jennifer Pickens; and a boy who can see and speak with ghosts hides in a haunted abbey in AMONG GHOSTS by Rachel Hartman, read by Will Watt. Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  LUCKY DAY: Published by Macmillan Audio HEMLOCK & SILVER: Published by Macmillan Audio AMONG GHOSTS:   Published by Listening Library Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website   Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, the publisher of The Intruder by bestselling author Freida McFadden. The Intruder is a deadly tale of survival that explores how far one girl will go to save herself. — on-sale 10/7. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this bonus edition of Behind the Mic, host Jo Reed speaks with actor Courtney B. Vance. His shelves are lined with awards—two Emmys, a Tony, a Critics Choice Award, and several NAACP Image Awards. Vance is also a dedicated audiobook listener and occasional narrator, nominated for a Grammy for his performance of Neil deGrasse Tyson's and Avis Lang's ACCESSORY TO WAR. Vance's latest project is a monumental one—narrating historian David Levering Lewis's two-volume Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of W.E.B. Du Bois, available as an audiobook for the first time. But it's a recording that might never have happened if Courtney B. Vance hadn't picked up the phone and called the author. Read our review of W.E.B. DU BOIS 1868-1919: Biography of a Race:   Courtney B. Vance photo by Matthew Jordan Smith Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website   Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, the publisher of The Intruder by bestselling author Freida McFadden. The Intruder is a deadly tale of survival that explores how far one girl will go to save herself. — on-sale 10/7. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed welcomes AudioFile contributor Kendra Winchester to Behind the Mic this week to discuss one memoir and two biographies which center three different writing lives: A deaf, mixed-race writer finding his voice in THE QUIET EAR by Raymond Antrobus, read by the author; a cultural biography of Octavia Butler, the groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy writer in POSITIVE OBSESSION by Susana M. Morris, read by Karen Murray; and an expansive biography of James Baldwin told through the lens of friendship and love in BALDWIN by Nicholas Boggs, read by Ron Butler. Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  THE QUIET EAR: Published by Random House Audio POSITIVE OBSESSION: Published by Harper Audio BALDWIN: Published by Macmillan Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, the publisher of The Intruder by bestselling author Freida McFadden. The Intruder is a deadly tale of survival that explores how far one girl will go to save herself. — on-sale 10/7. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile contributor Stephen Cummings is on Behind the Mic this week with host Jo Reed. This week's theme is all about dark academia—suspenseful and often fantastical audiobooks that take place in a campus or school setting. Two graduate students descend into hell to get a recommendation from their professor in KATABASIS by R.F. Kuang, read by Morag Sims and Will Watt; affairs are revealed in a creative writing thesis in SEDUCTION THEORY by Emily Adrian, read by Jennifer Pickens; and a teacher at a magical school needs help wrangling demons in THE INCANDESCENT by Emily Tesh, read by Zara Ramm. Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  KATABASIS: Published by Harper Audio SEDUCTION THEORY: Published by Hachette Audio THE INCANDESCENT: Published by Macmillan Audio.  Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website   Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, the publisher of The Intruder by bestselling author Freida McFadden. The Intruder is a deadly tale of survival that explores how far one girl will go to save herself. — on-sale 10/7. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile publisher Michele Cobb is on Behind the Mic this week with host Jo Reed. Together they dig into three True Crime audiobooks that tell haunting stories and that take place in three distinct institutions. THE FORT BRAGG CARTEL by Seth Harp, read by Dan John Miller, is a frightening tale of murders and drug trafficking at a military base; THE SLEEP ROOM by Jon Stock, read by Richard Armitage, Celia Imrie, and Antonia Beamish, is a revelation of the disturbing practices of Dr. William Sargant on his mostly female patients; and THE IDAHO FOUR by James Patterson and Vicky Ward, read by Elisabeth Rodgers, is an investigation of the infamous murders of four university students in 2022. Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  THE FORT BRAGG CARTEL: Published by Penguin Audio THE SLEEP ROOM: Published by Tantor Media THE IDAHO FOUR: Published by Hachette Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile Editor and Founder Robin Whitten joins host Jo Reed this week to discuss three gripping new mystery audiobooks that share a dark wit and anti-establishment protagonists. Martin Cruz Smith's HOTEL UKRAINE, narrated by Jeremy Bobb, is a compact suspense about Detective Arkady Renko and the early days of the invasion of Ukraine; CLOWN TOWN by Mick Herron is the ninth installment of the popular Slough House series, read by Golden Voice Gerard Doyle; and THE HALLMARKED MAN by Robert Galbraith is a lengthy but memorable 8th mystery in the Comoran Strike series, read by Robert Glenister. Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  HOTEL UKRAINE: Published by Hachette Audio CLOWN TOWN: Published by Recorded Books THE HALLMARKED MAN: Published by Hachette Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website   Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Blackstone Publishing: an independent, award-winning publisher of bestselling books and audiobooks. Find your next great listen at BlackstonePublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile awards Earphones to exceptional audio experiences—it's our version of a starred review, specifically for the audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile's Laura Rossi discuss three recent Earphones Award-winning audiobooks that delve deeply into the human experience. Laura and Jo discuss the controversial, posthumously published NOTES TO JOHN by Joan Didion, read by Julianne Moore; CRY FOR ME, ARGENTINA: My Life As a Failed Child Star by comedian Tamara Yajia, read by Tamara Yajia; and the highly anticipated memoir by Jen Hatmaker, AWAKE, read by the author. Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  NOTES TO JOHN: Published by Random House Audio CRY FOR ME, ARGENTINA:   Published by Bloomsbury Publishing AWAKE: Published by Simon & Schuster Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website   Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Blackstone Publishing: an independent, award-winning publisher of bestselling books and audiobooks. Find your next great listen at BlackstonePublishing.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Jo Reed and AudioFile contributor Leslie Fine review three new audiobooks that harbor family secrets and feature excellent character development. A woman grapples with her roles as wife, mother, and more in SAME AS IT EVER WAS by Claire Lombardo, read by Emily Rankin; a father and daughter are living off the grid in WHAT KIND OF PARADISE by Janelle Brown, read by Peter Ganim and Helen Laser; and a quiet English farm is disturbed by a murder mystery in BROKEN COUNTRY by Clare Leslie Hall, read by Hattie Morahan. SAME AS IT EVER WAS: Published by Random House Audio WHAT KIND OF PARADISE:   Published by Random House Audio BROKEN COUNTRY: Published by Simon & Schuster Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website   Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Blackstone Publishing: an independent, award-winning publisher of bestselling books and audiobooks. Find your next great listen at BlackstonePublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Jo Reed and AudioFile contributor Alan Minskoff review three new audiobooks, both fiction and nonfiction, that revolve around diverse types of turbulence a family might encounter: The tragic American family saga of THE SPINACH KING by John Seabrook, read by Dion Graham; ON ISABELLA STREET, a historical novel set in a pre- and post-Vietnam War Toronto, by Genevieve Graham, read by Liz Leafloor and Erin Moon; and SO FAR GONE by Jess Walter, read by Edoardo Ballerini, a satirical novel on the rise of religious fundamentalist militias. THE SPINACH KING: Published by HighBridge Audio ON ISABELLA STREET:   Published by Simon & Schuster Audio SO FAR GONE: Published by Harper Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website   Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Blackstone Publishing: an independent, award-winning publisher of bestselling books and audiobooks. Find your next great listen at BlackstonePublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices