Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine
Find your next great audiobook on our podcast, Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine. Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile Editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. All in 6 minutes or less. It’s short, sweet, and just what your ears need. Want more? Listen to our bonus episodes featuring conversations with the best voices in the audiobook industry.
Episodes
June 25, 2025 • 7 mins
AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed discuss narrator Yu-Li Alice Shen’s delivery of a wild, bingeable listening experience in this fast-paced debut. Identical twins Julie and Chloe, who lost their parents at age 4, grew up worlds apart. Julie, who was raised by their miserable, greedy aunt, works a dead-end job, while Chloe, who was adopted by a wealthy family, lives a life of luxury and is a popular influencer. Shen masterfu...
Mark as Played
June 24, 2025 • 7 mins
Kristen Sieh's performance brings the listener into the life of a complicated woman whose sexual desire is fixated on commercial airliners. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb highlight how Sieh's voice captures Lisa's desires in a skillful delivery that never wavers. Lisa works as an online comment moderator in San Francisco. She's good at her job, but she reserves her passion for airplanes. She perceives flights as dates, t...
Mark as Played
June 23, 2025 • 7 mins
Ariel Blake narrates this story of nine-months-pregnant Annie, who must find a way to reach her husband and make her way home from crib-shopping after an earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed discuss how Blake’s dramatic narration captures Annie's fears and concerns as she talks to "Bean," her unborn child. Blake's voice quavers as she presents a mother-to-be who is full of emotion and self-ref...
Mark as Played
June 19, 2025 • 45 mins
Kimberly Farr has had a long and distinguished career as an actor on stage and screen and as a celebrated audiobook narrator. A gifted performer with an impressive range, Kimberly has brought characters and stories to life, in fiction and nonfiction alike. Whether it’s Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge novels, Joan Didion’s essays, the biography of Julia Child, or the poetry of Mary Oliver, Kimberly captures their voices with rar...
Mark as Played
June 19, 2025 • 7 mins
Golden Voice Bahni Turpin's performance takes listeners to that time in the early 1990s when the world was changing and the latest alternative rock bands were everything. Jane meets burgeoning rock star Elijah in an Internet chat room, a connection that leads to a deep professional and personal bond. They form The Lightning Bottles and amass a devoted fan base, with Jane providing the backbone of their hits. Join AudioFile’s Stephe...
Mark as Played
June 18, 2025 • 7 mins
Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Stephen Cummings agree that music enthusiasts will enjoy this debut audiobook, invitingly narrated by Jayme Mattler. The story is part slow-burn romance and part new adult fiction. In the early 2000s, Berkeley students Percy and Joe meet at a campus bar. Joe is fascinated by Percy's strong opinions on music and asks her to help him with his songwriting. After their collaboration, Joe's indie music caree...
Mark as Played
June 17, 2025 • 7 mins
Profanity seems to be the only way to adequately describe the outrageous behavior of a classmate of Florence’s 10-year-old son, Dylan. Narrator Georgina Sadler’s resigned matter-of-fact delivery sets a hilariously irreverent tone in this addictive listen, says AudioFile’s Stephen Cummings and host Jo Reed. Just as it seems there might finally be an opening for Florence to revive the pop band career of her youth, Dylan’s classmate g...
Mark as Played
Host Jo Reed is joined by AudioFile’s Stephen Cummings, who dives into this absorbing look at contemporary Namibian life. Loosely threaded together into "A" and "B" sides, like a mixtape, the material has a natural rhythm. Anthony Oseyemi portrays the brash writer-on-the-make voice of the "A-side," which recounts how his dreams of becoming a successful writer were confounded by his struggles with women. The "B-side" provides the c...
Mark as Played
June 13, 2025 • 47 mins
Vikas Adam is one of the most dynamic and skilled audiobook narrators working today, with a voice that brings dragons, detectives, and deeply human characters to life. His talent behind the mic has set him apart in the field and has earned him a place as one of AudioFile magazine’s Golden Voices. As actor, director, and teacher, Vikas brings a deep well of theatrical experience and empathy to every performance. He effortlessly voic...
Mark as Played
June 12, 2025 • 8 mins
Narrator Matt Godfrey evokes a dark mood in this Appalachian thriller set in Eastern Kentucky. AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester and host Jo Reed discuss the way crime boss Burl Spoon’s world is turned upside down. Spoon built his business empire by becoming the top cannabis seller in Jackson County. He thinks he has everything under control, until his daughter relapses into drug addiction and goes missing. Godfrey delivers the perfec...
Mark as Played
June 11, 2025 • 8 mins
Vera Wong is back, bringing with her characters from Sutanto’s previous audiobook, along with a host of new suspects and friends. Narrator Eunice Wong’s attention to pitch and pacing perfectly re-creates the voices of Vera’s original community while fashioning a new set of personalities, young and old. Join host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester as they discuss the second audiobook in the series, featuring the 60-year-old C...
Mark as Played
June 10, 2025 • 9 mins
Traci Kato-Kiriyama’s delivery of this memoir about life and reading matches its deeply personal subject matter with an introspective tone. Kato-Kiriyama gives equal weight to the author’s reflections on her academic career; personal struggles, including breakdowns and identity issues; and literary encounters. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss how Kato-Kiriyama maximizes the author’s discussion of specific book...
Mark as Played
June 9, 2025 • 7 mins
Heidi Franklin narrates this queer romance with emotional depth and chemistry in every spicy scene. Newly single serial dater, Taylor Cameron, makes a bet with her best friend that she won’t sleep with anyone until the end of the summer. Enter Avery Jensen, an also newly single woman looking to venture into dating women for the first time. Taylor offers to tutor Avery in flirting lessons, and the rest is history. Join AudioFile’s K...
Mark as Played
June 6, 2025 • 42 mins
AudioFile is thrilled to name Hillary Huber one of our 2025 Golden Voices—our narrator hall of fame and lifetime achievement award. Hillary’s voice is well known to audiobook lovers everywhere: It’s compelling, nuanced, and instantly engaging. With more than 700 audiobooks to her name, she’s brought life to everything from chilling thrillers to intricate literary fiction, including Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet and Lisa Gardn...
Mark as Played
June 5, 2025 • 10 mins
AudioFile’s Robin Whitten joins host Jo Reed to celebrate Kimberly Farr and her remarkable narration career, culminating in her 2025 Golden Voice honor. Together, they explore Farr’s expansive body of work—spanning more than 100 titles across fiction, biography, and poetry. From the delight of narrating Julia Child’s biography to her profound sensitivity in voicing poetry, Farr’s deep respect for language, her emotional range, and ...
Mark as Played
June 4, 2025 • 9 mins
AudioFile’s Robin Whitten joins Jo Reed to celebrate Vikas Adam’s dynamic approach to audiobook narration and his recognition as a 2025 Golden Voice narrator. Adam shares insights into the craft of authentically embodying a wide spectrum of characters—across genders, cultures, and accents—infusing each performance with vitality and depth. Renowned for his graceful delivery and emotional precision, we honor Vikas Adam and his outsta...
Mark as Played
June 3, 2025 • 7 mins
AudioFile’s Robin Whitten joins host Jo Reed to celebrate Hillary Huber’s prolific audiobook career and her recognition as a 2025 Golden Voice narrator. They highlight standout moments from Huber’s narration of more than 500 titles, including her acclaimed performances of Elena Ferrante’s novels. The conversation offers insights into Huber’s versatile approach across genres and her ability to engage listeners with authenticity, nua...
Mark as Played
June 2, 2025 • 11 mins
AudioFile Magazine’s Golden Voice narrators are the stars of the audiobook universe. Today host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten are announcing the new Golden Voice honorees for 2025: Hillary Huber, Vikas Adam, and Kimberly Farr. AudioFile Magazine has bestowed the Golden Voice honor on 53 audiobook narrators; it’s an accolade that honors those who have made significant contributions to the audiobook art form. We’re celebratin...
Mark as Played
May 30, 2025 • 12 mins
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 highlight three recent Earphones Award-winning audiobooks and share why they’re worth your listening time. Author/narrator Brad Meltzer’s inspiring MAKE MAGIC, based on a commencement speech he gave, is perfect for graduation season. Then it’s time to kick off the...
Mark as Played
May 29, 2025 • 9 mins
Golden Voice narrator Julia Whelan delights listeners with this heartfelt contemporary romance. Alice and Hayden are both writers who find themselves on Little Crescent Island for the same reason: They’re competing to write the biography of an elusive heiress, the daughter of one of the most scandalous families of the twentieth century, whom no one has actually seen in years. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Leslie Fine discuss Whelan’...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!