AFTERTASTE by Daria Lavelle, read by Ari Fliakos, Tessa Albertson, André Santana, Kristen Sieh

In celebration of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Margaret Pinard take a deep dive into one of Austen’s later novels, PERSUASION, marvelously narrated by Golden Voice Juliet Stevenson. Stevenson’s vocal interpretations make the characters pop with life, and her narration enhances the text so beautifully that one thinks the author must have coached her. It’s the perfect time to revisit this classic, or to listen to it for the first time. Happy birthday, Jane Austen! Read our review of PERSUASION at our website. Published by Naxos AudioBooks. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.   Support for Behind the Mic comes from Hachette Audio and NIGHT WATCHER, by Daphne Woolsoncroft (of the Going West podcast), who read an audio-exclusive author's note before the stunning dual-narration by Will Collyer and Helen Laser. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff and Host Jo Reed as they share an audiobook for the soul. This exquisite work of nature writing celebrating Scotland’s Cairngorms mountains remains a classic of ecological observation. Tilda Swinton’s rendition of Nan Shepherd’s poetic prose mesmerizes. Her tone is exceptionally clear, her pace adds drama, and her style of narrating is immersive. Written in the 1940s, the book remained unpublished until the 1970s. Shepherd appreciated these mountains in all seasons and lived near them for much of her life. The language sings, “Nothing is so ghostly as mist over snow.”  Read our review of the audiobook at our website Published by Simon & Schuster Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website   Support for Behind the Mic comes from Hachette Audio and NIGHT WATCHER, by Daphne Woolsoncroft (of the Going West podcast), who read an audio-exclusive author's note before the stunning dual-narration by Will Collyer and Helen Laser. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ari Fliakos's exceptional performance of haunted Kostya Duhovny is among the many pleasures of this immersive debut, says AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff. In discussion with Host Jo Reed, they delve into Kostya’s supernatural ability to bring back the dead through food. Fliakos is ably aided by Tessa Albertson, André Santana, and Kristen Sieh, who all do fine work. But it’s Fliakos’s tour-de-force narration that elevates this listening experience.  Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Simon & Schuster Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website Support for Behind the Mic comes from Hachette Audio and NIGHT WATCHER, by Daphne Woolsoncroft (of the Going West podcast), who read an audio-exclusive author's note before the stunning dual-narration by Will Collyer and Helen Laser. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This audiobook tells the story of the 1970 legal action that first attempted to desegregate Detroit’s schools. Join AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff and Host Jo Reed as they discuss this audiobook subtitled “Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North.” Janina Edwards narrates in a compelling tone, a vivid style, and a clear sense of the importance of this action. Generations of Black people were contained in neighborhoods within the infamous Eight Mile Road in Detroit, attending schools that were inferior to those in other almost all-white suburbs.  Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Macmillan Audio.  Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website Support for Behind the Mic comes from Hachette Audio and NIGHT WATCHER, by Daphne Woolsoncroft (of the Going West podcast), who read an audio-exclusive author's note before the stunning dual-narration by Will Collyer and Helen Laser. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff kick off the week with this compelling and comprehensive audiobook delivered by Jason Culp. He convincingly portrays the great humorist in all his guises—raconteur, lecturer, parent, public figure, wit, and philosopher—homespun and not. Culp expertly narrates the exposition (and in a 44-hour biography there’s plenty) and modulates his voice and pitch for different speakers. Chernow, master biographer of Washington, Hamilton, and Grant, turns his considerable skills as a researcher, writer, and interpreter to America’s greatest wit.  Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Penguin Audio.  Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website Support for Behind the Mic comes from Hachette Audio and NIGHT WATCHER, by Daphne Woolsoncroft (of the Going West podcast), who read an audio-exclusive author's note before the stunning dual-narration by Will Collyer and Helen Laser. 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 and why they are well worth your listening time. Elmore Leonard’s classic, GET SHORTY, gets a fresh narration from actor Joe Mantegna, just in time for Leonard’s centennial celebration in October 2025. Brian Nishii gives an exceptional performance of Shigehiro Oishi’s LIFE IN THREE DIMENSIONS: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life. And Jason Culp will make you want to spend 44 hours with Mark Twain in Ron Chernow’s latest blockbuster biography. Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  GET SHORTY Published by Harper Audio LIFE IN THREE DIMENSIONS Published by Random House Audio MARK TWAIN Published by Penguin Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website .   Support for Behind the Mic comes from Hachette Audio and NIGHT WATCHER, by Daphne Woolsoncroft (of the Going West podcast), who read an audio-exclusive author's note before the stunning dual-narration by Will Collyer and Helen Laser. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester as they dive into narratives of two unique teens—Viv, who is fighting against fracking in her town, and Dex, who struggles with poverty and hopes his mother’s new job with the pipeline will provide security. André Santana’s calm delivery of Dex’s dialogue presents a counterpoint to Viv’s emotionality, narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. Both narrators build the interior and exterior tensions as the teens grow to care for each other. Read our review of the audiobook at our website    Published by Hachette Audio.  Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester as they dive into narratives of two unique teens—Viv, who is fighting against fracking in her town, and Dex, who struggles with poverty and hopes his mother’s new job with the pipeline will provide security. André Santana’s calm delivery of Dex’s dialogue presents a counterpoint to Viv’s emotionality, narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. Both narrators build the interior and exterior tensions as the teens grow to care for each other. Read our review of the audiobook at our website.   Published by Hachette Audio.  Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To push back against the stereotype that all autistic people are cisgender white men, editors Clem Bastow and Jo Case have brought together twenty-five women and gender-diverse autistic writers. AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester and host Jo Reed discuss these writers and their lived experiences. Together, the ensemble of narrators creates emotional depth and gives each essay an unique feel and voice. Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Penguin Audio.    Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website .   Support for Behind the Mic comes from Hachette Audio and NIGHT WATCHER, by Daphne Woolsoncroft (of the Going West podcast), who read an audio-exclusive author's note before the stunning dual-narration by Will Collyer and Helen Laser. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester dive into dazzling performances by Bahni Turpin and Ashley J. Hobbs in this historical fiction audiobook. When Nikki drives into the mountains of North Carolina to visit her grandmother for the first time, she doesn’t know what to expect. Soon, she’s learning all about her ancestor, Luella, who was queen of a small kingdom in Happy Land. Together, Hobbs and Turpin pair perfectly, bringing vibrant energy to their performances. Read our review of the audiobook at our website Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.  Support for Behind the Mic comes from Hachette Audio and NIGHT WATCHER, by Daphne Woolsoncroft (of the Going West podcast), who read an audio-exclusive author's note before the stunning dual-narration by Will Collyer and Helen Laser. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices