Megan Tooley and Ussani Taylor deliver moving performances of Amanda Peters's short stories, which explore the Indigenous experience throughout American history. Peters, author of THE BERRY PICKERS, writes about such disparate people as a girl who is witnessing the arrival of the first white settlers and a boy who is struggling in a Christian boarding school. Tooley performs most of the stories, using a sweet lilting voice, gentle delivery, and subtle shading of personality to help listeners delight in a girl's first traditional dance and be brave during a group's environmental protest. Taylor, who reads four deeply moving, emotionally difficult pieces, gives a tough and perceptive performance, lowering his vocal register and flattening his tone to portray Native boys and men hanging tough during systemic injustice. Together, they create an important listening experience.
Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798895940464
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This uneven story collection can be difficult to follow on audio, making for a challenging listening experience.
Row's collection of 14 stories takes on academia, art, elitism, divorce, current events, and politics. Narrator Jim Meskimen takes an informal approach, portraying the various characters, from spouses to writers to edgy young folks, with distinctive vocal rhythms and effects. The variety in Meskimen’s performance can be distracting, and the stories vary in coherence, with an abundance of stream-of-consciousness passages and details that feel extraneous. In general, the stories share a satirical and scornful view of the cultural norms of the bourgeoisie.
This uneven story collection can be difficult to follow on audio, making for a challenging listening experience.Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063491670
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 3, 2026
All four narrators bring a smart edge to these stories.
Nunez's collection of short stories featuring thoughtful protagonists is well paired with a cast of four talented narrators: Hillary Huber, Rebecca Lowman, Catherine Ho, and Gabra Zackman. The stories are witty, smart, and somewhat cynical. Standout stories include “Philosophers,” drolly narrated by Huber, in which the protagonist remembers a Vietnam-era boyfriend; “Greensleeves,” in which a woman relates her thoughts to her therapist, with narrator Lowman employing an intriguing cadence and rhythm; “The Balloon,” in which the lead character remembers a lover, with narrator Zackman sounding mature, direct, and rational; and “The Naked Juror,” read by Ho, about a woman who wants to be a juror.
All four narrators bring a smart edge to these stories.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 12 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217336777
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
