Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine

Pulitzer Prize-Winner Richard Russo’s novel of three men who met in college and are now in their sixties. They have come together on Martha’s Vineyard, where in 1971 a woman whom they all loved disappeared.

How does the humble (or not so humble) truffle inspire this “Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and Manipulation in the Shadowy Market of the World's Most Expensive Fungus”? The listener enters a demimonde of intense competition and extraordinary profit.

The first in a trilogy about the American Revolution by Pulitzer Prize-winner historian Atkinson. George Newbern’s engaging narration makes the history come alive through pace and emphasis, allowing listeners to absorb minute details.

African-American jazz culture sets the stage for this must-listen audiobook. A young jazz trumpeter crisscrosses the country, searching for a recording of her father’s last jazz performance. An Earphones Award winner.

A brilliant, timely exploration of marriage, divorce, and the challenges women face in relationships—in working, parenting, and partnering. Narrator Ryan delivers just the right amount of sympathy, skepticism, and when called for, great emotional force.

In this cross between THE WIZARD OF OZ and HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE, 16-year-old Truckee Wallace, our unlikely, unwilling hero, finds himself in the middle of an international incident. The year is 2085. Two narrators make the humor and satire memorable.

While CJ Katsuyama is happy helping out at her family’s flower shop, she’s never lived up to her mother’s high expectations. Then, everything changes. Joy Osmanski highlights all the emotions and wit as CJ’s confidence grows in the face of injustice.

Two rival agents face each other across a burning battlefield. One leaves a note that says “burn before reading.” Farrell and Woo Zeller’s dual narrations emphasize the agents’ divergent personalities and their conflicting emotions as they fall in love.

Follow a year of Cherokee celebrations with this read-along for the award-winning picture book. Five narrators lend their voices to a story of contemporary Cherokee life while crackling campfires, lively music, and quiet conversations add ambience.

An inspiring memoir narrated with confidence by a masterful writer. Now known for her Africanfutirist fiction for teens and adults, Okorafor tells the story of the surprising source of her passion and skill for creating fictional worlds.

Elwood Curtis is an earnest high school student on his way to college classes when he’s sentenced to serve time at Nickel Academy, a segregated reform school. Whitehead’s new novel is a haunting tale of America’s buried legacy of racism and violence.

Two narrators deliver a long, lush story of two sisters who grew up in a Jewish household in Detroit from the 1950s up to 2016. As their paths diverge, listeners think about women and how they move through all the challenges in their lives.

A scholarship student doesn’t connect with her rich female classmates, until—against her better judgment—she goes to one of their parties. Narrator Sophie Amoss get an Earphones Award for her animated performance that enhances the story’s emotional punch.

A Reese’s Book Club pick. The narrator’s skill and energy ease this intense listen about women who triumph over injustice in the workplace. Four women are determined to make sure that a man known to sexually harass women isn't chosen as their next CEO.

Are you a fan of the true crime podcast MY FAVORITE MURDER? The dual memoir by hosts Kilgariff and Hardstark offers a combination of not-so-happy moments in their lives with laughs. A section recorded in front of a live audience is a standout.