2023 AudioFile Earphone Awards

Codename Charming

A Novel

By: Lucy Parker
Narrated by: Anne-Marie Piazza
Length: 12 hours 45 minutes

Following Battle Royal, beloved author Lucy Parker pens another delicious romantic comedy about a fake relationship between a grumpy royal bodyguard and the charming, sunny assistant who melts his cold, hard exterior.Petunia De Vere enjoys being the personal assistant to lovable, bumbling Johnny Marchmont. But the job has its share of... Read more

Tom Lake

A Novel

By: Ann Patchett
Narrated by: Meryl Streep
Length: 11 hours 22 minutes

“This is a story of love for family, of past passions and people once loved, and their continuing influence on the present. With Ann Patchett’s wit and wryness finely tuned, Tom Lake is the perfect book for a summer weekend read. Read more

Give Me a Sign

By: Anna Sortino
Narrated by: Elizabeth Robbins
Length: 9 hours 23 minutes

Jenny Han meets CODA in this big-hearted YA debut about first love and Deaf pride at a summer camp.

Lilah is stuck in the middle. At least, that’s what having a hearing loss seems like sometimes—when you don’t feel “deaf enough” to identify as Deaf or hearing enough to meet the world’s expectations. But this summer, Lilah is ready for a... Read more

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

A Novel

By: James McBride
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 12 hours 21 minutes

“In turns witty, heart-wrenching, and profound - filled with memorable, quirky characters brought vividly to life by narrator Dominic Hoffman, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store is James McBride at his best. This is the book I am telling everyone about. Bravo! Read more

The Road to Roswell

A Novel

By: Connie Willis
Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky
Length: 14 hours

A delightful novel about alien invasions, conspiracies, and the incredibly silly things people are willing to believe—some of which may actually be true—from the Nebula and Hugo award-winning author of Blackout and All Clear

“An absolute blast with abundant humor, copious references to old westerns, and . . . a delightful, intergalactic twist on... Read more

The Bookbinder

A Novel

By: Pip Williams
Narrated by: Annabelle Tudor
Length: 13 hours 37 minutes

A young British woman working in a book bindery gets a chance to pursue knowledge and love when World War I upends her life in this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club pick The Dictionary of Lost Words.

“Williams spins an immersive and compelling tale, sweeping us back to the Oxford she painted so... Read more

The Apology

By: Jimin Han
Narrated by: Kathleen Kim
Length: 9 hours 47 minutes

“I ended up loving this book! In the beginning, Jeonga was a bit grating, but the visuals and voices rang true to me. The references to age and family hierarchy seemed spot on! I really liked hearing about North Korea too! But, by far, my favorite part was the after-life! So good, and hopeful! Read more

Wasteland

The Secret World of Waste and the Urgent Search for a Cleaner Future

By: Oliver Franklin-Wallis
Narrated by: Chris Harper
Length: 11 hours 2 minutes

An award-winning investigative journalist takes a deep dive into the global waste crisis, exposing the hidden world that enables our modern economy—and finds out the dirty truth behind a simple question: what really happens to what we throw away?

In Wasteland, journalist Oliver Franklin-Wallis takes us on a shocking journey inside the waste... Read more

Learned by Heart

By: Emma Donoghue
Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio
Length: 8 hours 50 minutes

“Immersive, heart wrenching, and meticulously researched, Learned by Heart is everything fans of historical fiction are looking for. Arserio's narration brought the text to life in an almost dreamlike way. I couldn't have loved it more. Read more

Silver Nitrate

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Gisela Chípe
Length: 13 hours 3 minutes

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the New York Times bestselling author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic comes a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film—and awakens one woman’s hidden powers.

“No one punctures the skin of reality to reveal the... Read more

Crook Manifesto

A Novel

By: Colson Whitehead
Narrated by: Dion Graham
Length: 10 hours 47 minutes

“I loved the precursor to this book, Harlem Shuffle, and I love the return of Ray Carney and Pepper in this novel. These characters and the 1970s Harlem they inhabit are so vivid. Loved it! Read more

Beware the Woman

By: Megan Abbott
Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
Length: 9 hours 12 minutes

“In what reads like a 21st century homage to Rosemary’s Baby, Rebecca, and other claustrophobic tales of imperiled women, Megan Abbott has written a dark and haunting gothic novel about gaslighting, bodily autonomy, and controlling men set in the Upper Peninsula. Is there a BISAC category yet for contemporary Midwestern feminist gothic? If not, I... Read more

Flags on the Bayou

A Novel

By: James Lee Burke
Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews, Michael Crouch, Dana Gourrier, Marin Ireland, January LaVoy & Ray Porter
Length: 8 hours 59 minutes

From American master James Lee Burke comes a novel set in Civil War-era Louisiana as the South transforms and a brilliant cast of characters—enslaved and free women, plantation gentry, and battle-weary Confederate and Union soldiers—are caught in the maelstrom.

In the fall of 1863, the Union army is in control of the Mississippi river. Much of... Read more

All the Sinners Bleed

A Novel

By: S. A. Cosby
Narrated by: Adam Lazarre-White
Length: 13 hours 5 minutes

“Truly excellent read. Great writing and perfect pacing. Definitely couldn't put it down! I listened to the audio and the narrator, Adam Lazarre-White, did an amazing job. Read more

Banyan Moon

A Novel

By: Thao Thai
Narrated by: Cindy Kay, Catherine Ho & Elyse Dinh
Length: 12 hours 23 minutes

“Taking place across different periods of time in Vietnam and Florida, Banyan Moon follows a multi-generational family of Vietnamese-American women and the secrets they keep and sacrifices they make for their loved ones. Told in three different perspectives, follow Minh's journey from a naive, love struck teenager to a determined woman fighting... Read more

The Art Thief

A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

By: Michael Finkel
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini & Michael Finkel
Length: 5 hours 39 minutes

“The Art Thief tells the true story of the world's most prolific art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser. In this gripping portrait of obsession, love, and crime, you will read all about Stéphane's heists and how he amassed a collection of art in his mother's attic, worth an estimated two billion dollars. And no, that was not a mistype - an estimated two... Read more

King: A Life

By: Jonathan Eig
Narrated by: Dion Graham
Length: 20 hours 45 minutes

This program is narrated by Dion Graham, narrator of over 300 audiobooks and an AudioFile Golden Voice. Dion has won multiple Earphones and Audie Awards.

"Dion Graham superbly narrates this riveting audiobook, emulating the majestic cadence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, speeches. He captures the Civil Rights leader's deep, resonant tone;... Read more

Translation State

By: Ann Leckie
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
Length: 12 hours 3 minutes

“If you’re looking for sci-fi with incredible characters and intricate world-building, look no farther than Translation State. Set in the Ancillary universe, this novel gives readers a deep-dive into the world of the Presger aliens and an understanding of the wider political landscape behind the treaty that precariously keeps the peace between... Read more

The Late Americans

A Novel

By: Brandon Taylor
Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
Length: 9 hours 16 minutes

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR BY VOGUE, ELLE, OPRAH DAILY, THE WASHINGTON POST, BUZZFEED AND VULTURE

“Erudite, intimate, hilarious, poignant . . . A gorgeously written novel of youth’s promise, of the quest to find one’s tribe and one’s calling.” —Leigh Haber, Oprah Daily

The Booker Prize finalist and... Read more

Yellowface

A Novel

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Helen Laser
Length: 8 hours 39 minutes

“I hated every character in this book but could not put it down. It was so compelling and truly made you think about how awful people can be. The main character basically murdered her friend and stole her manuscript. Wanting the celebrity that her friend afforded, she is overwhelmed with the publishing world. Such great storytelling Read more