Although audiobooks are just part of Priya Ayyar’s acting career, demand for her narrative talents shows no signs of slowing down. Recent highlights from Ayyar’s audio career are the focus of the “Now Hear This” column in the November 1 issue of Booklist, but Ayyar most definitely has plenty more to say. “Bringing these diverse books to life” is why Ayyar does what she does. She narrates the books she didn’t have when she was growing up, books that resonate with her experiences as a California-born Indian American. “To think that someone who’s Muslim American or Hindu American or Buddhist Ame ..read more

The 2019 Audie Awards, presented by Audio Publisher’s Association to honor excellence in audiobooks and spoken entertainment, were announced last night at the Audies Gala at Guastavino’s in New York City. The ceremony was hosted by Queer Eye fashion expert and upcoming author and audiobook narrator, Tan France. Taking the prized audiobook of the year award is Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone, narrated by the prolific Bahni Turpin. Adeyemi’s debut novel in audio is no stranger to top spots this year; it was also selected as Booklist’s Top of the List youth aud ..read more

The Audio Publisher’s Association has announced the nominees for the 2019 Audie Awards, honoring excellence in audiobooks and spoken entertainment. Winners will be announced at the Audies Gala at Guastavino’s in New York City on March 4, and hosted by Queer Eye fashion expert and upcoming author and audiobook narrator, Tan France. Congratulations to the distinguished nominees! Below is a complete list of finalists, linked to their Booklist reviews when available. Audiobook of the Year An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones, narrated by Eisa Davis and Sean Crisden  Beastie Boys Book, by M ..read more

This regular feature gives Booklist critics the opportunity to shout about a recently published book they adored. They’ll tell us why we should read it, then provide five read-alikes for the title.    Washington Black, by Esi Edugyan and read by Dion Graham George Washington Black—called “Wash” for short—is an enslaved ten- or eleven-year-old (he “cannot say for certain”) on Faith Plantation in 1830s Barbados. He is first owned by one brother, then stolen by another. Recognizing Wash’s intellectual and artistic gifts, that brother, rebel scientist Titch, makes Wash his assist ..read more

This regular feature gives Booklist critics the opportunity to shout about a recently published book they adored. They’ll tell us why we should read it, then provide five read-alikes for the title.   The Labyrinth of the Spirits, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and read by Daniel Weyman Casting a male narrator for a novel featuring a female protagonist might initially seem like a bad idea, but actor Weyman (who also narrated Zafón’s Marina) makes sure Alicia Gris, the star of this stupendous, well-worth-the-wait finale of Zafón’s Cemetery of Forgotten Books tetralogy, is well ..read more

Our newest feature gives Booklist critics the opportunity to shout about a recently published book they adored. They’ll tell us why we should read it, then provide five read-alikes for the title.    Transcription, by Kate Atkinson and read by Fenella Woolgar Actress Fenella Woolgar and author Kate Atkinson have shared many creatively fruitful unions. Seasoned fans will recognize Woolgar from the 2011 BBC screen adaptation of Atkinson’s Case Histories, in which she played the sister of protagonist Jackson Brodie’s lover. Woolgar’s performance of Kate Atkinson’s stupendous ..read more

Time travel, time paradoxes, time shells, time hollows—are they fantasy? Reality? The following titles are billed as fiction, but they’re also a look into endless possibilities. Last week, we brought you audiobooks about time travel for adults, but it’s time (sorry) younger readers got their due. Go ahead—or back.   47, by Walter Mosley, read by Ossie Davis Bestselling author Mosley has the only sci-fi slavery narrative for younger readers that I’ve ever read. (Although Octavia Butler’s Kindred features a young Los Angelean who time-travels and meets her enslaved ance ..read more

Time manipulation—obsession with, desire for, and attempts at—is a timeless conundrum and, thus far, an elusive temptation. Our ever-waxing fascination is evident in classic stories and sci-fi favorites. Contemporary pop culture continues to feed the frenzy, from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, with its foray backward, to the new Benedict Cumberbatch vehicle How to Stop Time, based on Matt Haig’s bestselling book. Books are—as always—the perfect portal into the unknown, and audiobooks have the added bonus of being especially adept at transporting you elsewhere while you’re ..read more

This year’s Audie Award winners were just announced at the 2018 Audies Gala, hosted by Award-winning narrator Simon Vance, at the New York Historical Society in New York City. Lincoln in the Bardo—a production that involved a record 166 narrators—took home the award for Audiobook of the Year. You can read our interview with author George Saunders and the team behind Lincoln here. (And read Joyce Saricks’s Booklist interview with Simon Vance here, and her interview with Young Adult Narrator winner Bahni Turpin here.) The president of the Audio Publishers Association, Linda Lee ..read more

Y’all know My Favorite Murder, right? The super-popular podcast that, through some alchemical magic, blends true crime and comedy as told by two women who do the bare minimum of research and spend as much time detailing personal anecdotes as they do the murders they’re ostensibly covering? MFM has a huge and devoted following—search Etsy and you’ll find cross stitch samplers with MFM slogans like “Stay Sexy, Don’t Get Murdered” and “You’re in a cult, call your dad,” t-shirts emblazoned with “Triflers need not apply,” and mugs with my personal fave mantra, “Fuck politeness.” Because MFM is so ..read more