Adriana Trigiani is an award-winning playwright, television writer, producer, filmmaker, podcaster, and the bestselling author of some twenty books both fiction and nonfiction, including THE SHOEMAKER’S WIFE, the BIG STONE GAP series, and LUCIA, LUCIA. Adriana’s latest book is THE VIEW FROM LAKE COMO, narrated by Academy Award-winner Mira Sorvino. As with all of her titles, THE VIEW FROM LAKE COMO is filled with complex characters with complicated and deeply felt family relationships. In this episode, host Jo Reed and Adriana Trigiani talk about her work, swoon-worthy audiobooks, and Mira Sorvino’s great talent.  Read our review of THE VIEW FROM LAKE COMO, published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website   Support for Behind the Mic comes from Hachette Audio, publisher of the audiobook edition of KISS HER GOODBYE by Lisa Gardner, read by Hillary Huber. 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. Laura and Jo highlight WHALE EYES: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen written and read by documentarian James Robinson; WHERE THE RIVERS MERGE, Mary Alice Monroe’s novel set in the South Carolina Low Country and performed by Cassandra Campbell and Jenna Lamia along with the author; and NEVER FLINCH, Stephen King’s crime thriller, read by Jessie Mueller. Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  WHALE EYES Published by Listening Library WHERE THE RIVERS MERGE Published by Harper Audio NEVER FLINCH 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, publisher of the audiobook edition of KISS HER GOODBYE by Lisa Gardner, read by Hillary Huber. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile’s Michele Cobb is joined by author Cadwell Turnbull and Golden Voice narrator Dion Graham to talk about TRANSMENTATION | TRANSIENCE, the first installment in a sprawling and ambitious multiverse filled with adventure and political intrigue. Graham’s intense yet soft-spoken presentation of the narrative sets the background for the dialogue, which he delivers with a masterful use of tone, inflection, volume, and accents. Listen as they discuss moments that influenced Graham’s narration process, Turnbull’s vision on the ultimate sound and feeling of the audiobook, and what it’s like to be one of five authors in a trenchcoat. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Blackstone Publishing. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website Today’s episode is sponsored by Blackstone Publishing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile’s Robin Whitten and host Jo Reed discuss this gripping audiobook. Colter Shaw—tracker and survivalist—is hired to locate a missing family trapped after a levee collapses during a catastrophic storm. As he searches, Shaw uncovers a sinister plot that suggests the disaster may not have been entirely natural. Narrator Kaleo Griffith delivers a masterful performance, giving each character a distinct and memorable voice. With layered characters brought to life with escalating tension and outstanding narration, this latest installment in the series is a taut thriller that showcases Jeffery Deaver's storytelling and Griffith's exceptional vocal range.  Read our review of the audiobook at our website Published by Harper 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

Golden Voice Rupert Degas returns to transport listeners to New Zealand and Indonesia in the fourth Yoga Mat mystery. Fans will recognize returning characters, while listeners new to the series will find enough backstory to follow along. Australian secret agent Ric Peters wrestles with the dangers of his job and his need to protect his fiancée, a lawyer and yoga instructor. A visit to Ric’s parents in New Zealand leads to two missing-person cases linked to a toxic waste site. Join host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten as they uncover Degas’s masterful delivery of the fast-paced, nonstop, life-and-death situations. Read our review of the audiobook at our website Published by Harper 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

Narrator Adam Lazarre-White once again immerses listeners in a dark, complex world crafted by S.A. Cosby. Join AudioFile’s Robin Whitten and host Jo Reed as they discuss this gripping story which explores identity, justice, and long-buried family trauma. When Roman Carruthers returns to his hometown to care for his dying father and support his sister, he’s drawn into rescuing his troubled brother. As past and present collide, the mystery of their mother’s decades-old disappearance resurfaces. Lazarre-White masterfully voices a wide range of characters—male and female—capturing both external conflict and internal turmoil with emotional depth.  Read our review of the audiobook at our website Published by Harper 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 Robin Whitten discuss Peter Swanson’s intriguing mystery, superbly delivered by Steven Weber. The audiobook’s structure goes backwards from 2023 to 1982—telling a story that’s like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Thom and Wendy Graves have been married for 25 years. When Wendy discovers Thom is about to reveal a terrible secret, she decides she must kill him. With timing, keen sensibilities, and touches of dramatic irony, Weber makes each important moment in the couple’s lives as real as the moment before. A clever premise does not disappoint, and Weber’s performance makes it even better.  Read our review of the audiobook at our website Published by Harper 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’s Michele Cobb is joined by Golden Voice narrator Bahni Turpin to talk about THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SASHA RENEE, the first entry in THE GOSPEL OF GRACE WOMEN trilogy. Turpin’s masterful performance breathes relatability into the character of Sasha Renee Billingsly as she navigates her views on herself, love, and spirituality. Listen as Turpin discusses how she engaged aspects of her craft to embody a variety of characters in the audiobook, and how the audio-only format offers a unique storytelling experience. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Dreamscape First. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website Today’s episode is sponsored by Dreamscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile’s Leslie Fine and host Jo Reed discuss Annie B. Jones’s essay collection, which she also narrates, about all the ways an ordinary life can feel extraordinary. An independent bookstore owner and host of the popular podcast “From the Front Porch,” Jones narrates with confidence, a lively intonation, and expert pacing. The Florida native has a sweet voice with an audible smile that welcomes listeners into her life as she tells thoughtful, often funny anecdotes that explore what makes life meaningful. Read our review of the audiobook at our website Published by Harper 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 Leslie Fine dive into the latest novel by the talented Swedish novelist Fredrik Backman. Golden Voice narrator Marin Ireland grandly performs this story of art, friendship, and what it means to be a teen. Ireland replicates the snarky tone of Louisa, who has just released herself from foster care to go see the work of art that is the fulcrum of the plot. Backman has created indelible characters and laugh-out-loud moments. Ireland is simply splendid. 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

AudioFile’s Leslie Fine and host Jo Reed explore Brian Nishii’s exceptional performance of this touching, well-documented personal growth audiobook. The author, a psychology professor and native of Japan, explains through vivid personal stories and accessible research that a psychologically rich life can be ours by nurturing our curiosity, exploring the novel and unfamiliar, and becoming open to experiences that provoke strong emotions and memorable moments.  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   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 Leslie Fine as they discuss John Kenney’s latest novel, which successfully walks a tightrope between dark humor and genuine warmth. Sean Patrick Hopkins’s narration provides the necessary balance. Bud Stanley is a newspaper writer who one night drunkenly writes and publishes his own obituary, setting in motion a grimly amusing series of events. Together, author and narrator have created a funny and affirming novel about how understanding death can transform one’s life. Read our review of the audiobook at our website Published by Zibby Publishing 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

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

Siobhan McSweeney captures each nuance of this creepy yet moving mystery set in 1952 in a decaying English seaside town. Join AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester and host Jo Reed as they meet Nora, who leaves a convent after 30 years to search for a young novice named Freda. McSweeney sounds determined as Nora subtly observes and questions the odd and secretive residents, who have varied accents and post-WWII memories. The atmospheric weather, scenic promenade, and gentle humor, including religious wordplay, keep listeners fully involved. Read our review of the audiobook at our website: https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/269067/. Published by Simon & Schuster Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website https://www.audiofilemagazine.com.   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