ABUNDANCE by Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson, read by Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson

Popular podcasters Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson ask a complicated question: What’s wrong with how our government operates, and what needs to change? Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb dive into this thorough and intelligent discussion that sounds the alarm without sounding alarmist. Operation Warp Speed’s federal/private partnership to quickly create a COVID-19 vaccine is presented as a healthy example of how focus and efficiency can meet a nation’s most dire needs. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Actor Jeremy Renner narrates his memoir about a freak accident and the resulting horrendous injuries he suffered on New Year’s Day 2023. AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed discuss Renner’s moving efforts as he describes the support he received from loved ones and many others as he made a truly miraculous recovery. With audible emotion, Renner navigates his reflections on life and death. He makes clear his desire to help others who are experiencing daunting challenges. Read our review of the audiobook at our website Published by Macmillan Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed dig into this tell-all exposé written and performed by a former insider at Facebook. Author Sarah Wynn-Williams tells her personal story of her climb to the upper branches of management at Facebook and the disappointment she felt at every move. While acknowledging that most users consider Facebook a friendly, useful tool, Wynn-Williams perfectly articulates her concerns about what goes on behind the curtain.  Read our review of the audiobook at our website  Published by Macmillan Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Golden Voice narrator Marin Ireland’s narration of this family dramedy maximizes the humor behind finding a half-sibling—only to find out there may be dozens more. Join host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb as they discuss Ireland’s subtle vocal shifts in balancing the story's deadpan humor and emotional depth. Ireland’s interpretation deepens the story’s themes of identity, family, and forgiveness, making the audiobook an immersive experience. Read our review of the audiobook at our website Published by Harper Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re revisiting host Jo Reed’s conversation with author Cynthia Leitich Smith and narrator Shaun Taylor-Corbett about collaborating on audiobooks, writing and narrating for young people, and representing Indigenous experiences and voices. Cynthia’s newest audiobook, FIREFLY SEASON, under her Heartdrum imprint for Harper Audio, has just been released.  Looking for a teen summer listen? Check out AudioFile’s Teen AudioBook Club Pick: REZ BALL by Byron Graves and narrated by Jesse Nobess—also from Cynthia’s Heartdrum imprint. Find videos, discussion questions, and more at AudioFile’s website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This thrill ride of an audiobook tells the many stories of those onboard Train 721, which crashed in Montparnasse station in October 1895. AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff and host Jo Reed discuss narrator Justin Avoth, who performs the drama at a good pace and keeps the story moving. Donoghue brings her plotting skills, eloquent style, and eye for social mores to the cast of fictional people who are on the train. Tension mounts as a young anarchist carries a homemade bomb, a baby is born, and, inexorably, the train plows into the station. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this audiobook’s stellar cast as they conjure the American Dust Bowl. Sophie Amoss’s narration shimmers as the Antidote, a "prairie witch" who takes verbal deposits; Asphodel Oletsky, a teen recently orphaned when her mom was murdered, is vividly portrayed by Elena Rey; and the masterful Mark Bramhall inhabits the sane, sensitive, long-suffering wheat farmer, Harp Oletsky. Highlights include dramatic dust and wind descriptions, a talking scarecrow, and a camera that makes its own photos of the past, the present, and a possible future. Read our review of the audiobook at our website Published by Random House Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website h  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff talk about Laila Lalami’s dystopian novel, set in an uncomfortably near future. It’s narrated by an exceptional Frankie Corzo, who voices an innocent woman incarcerated for her dreams. Much of the narrative is the protagonist Sara’s thoughts, feelings, and reactions. The novel is reminiscent of Kafka and Orwell, had they lived in the Internet Age. Sara and her cohorts’ mysterious plight seem frighteningly possible. This eloquently written, Earphones Award-winning audiobook lingers with the listener.   Read our review of the audiobook at our website Published by Random House Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shaun Taylor-Corbett narrates Jon Hickey’s powerful story of politics, corruption, and loyalty. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss the way that Taylor-Corbett, in an Earphones Award-winning performance, delivers the dialogue with restraint and intelligence and is masterful in bringing this compelling novel to life. Protagonist Mitch Caddo leads a conflicted life as an outsider with an Ivy League law degree and a "fixer" for the fictional Passage Rouge Nation. The plot revolves around the days just before a tribal election when issues arise involving tribal membership and past suspect business dealings.  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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile Editor Robin Whitten and host Jo Reed shine a spotlight on three delicious audiobooks all about the rich history of Chinese cuisine. For the youngest listeners, A BANQUET FOR CECILIA by Julie Leung and read by Cindy Kay tells the story of restaurateur Cecilia Chiang. For middle-grade listeners, Grace Lin’s CHINESE MENU, read by Lisa Ling, shares tales of iconic dishes and dragons, monks, emperors, and other heroes. And for grown-ups, the mouthwatering INVITATION TO A BANQUET, written and read by Fuchsia Dunlop, takes listeners on a tour of China and regional foods. Don’t listen hungry! Read our reviews of the audiobook at our website:  A BANQUET FOR CECILIA INVITATION TO A BANQUET CHINESE MENU Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices