Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens.

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If there ever was a piece of fiction suited to becoming an audiobook, Hell of a Book is it. AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff tells host Jo Reed of these two distinct yet interlocking stories of what it is to be Black in America. Narrator JD Jackson’s inspired portrayal of an unnamed author on a boozy book tour has the sandy sadness of a man coming to terms with fame, race, and death. Ronald Peet, whose voice has a fine and magisterial sound, delivers the parallel story of “Soot,” a 10-year-old Black boy. This bittersweet audiobook is moving and memorable.

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To listen to the whole archive of Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine, subscribe and listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or wherever else you find your favorite podcasts.

Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO, dedicated to producing top-quality fiction and nonfiction audiobooks written and read by the best in the business. Visit penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/audiofile now to start listening.

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Behind the Mic

Behind the Mic

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.