We at Kirkus Reviews have a big New Year’s resolution for 2026: To expand our coverage by reviewing audiobooks alongside the approximately 10,000 print books that we review annually. In the Jan. 1 issue, readers will find our first-ever audiobook reviews section. Studies show that slightly more than half of all Americans have listened to an audiobook, so it only makes sense for us to review books in this popular format, too.

We couldn’t do it without the foundation laid by AudioFile magazine. AudioFile was launched by Robin Whitten in 1992 to provide libraries—and, by extension, listeners—with independent reviews of what were then abridged readings of books recorded on cassette tapes. As Whitten explained in an interview for the magazine’s 30th anniversary, “You know, [an audiobook] is a performance, it’s like a music performance, or…a film. There are creative choices made by the narrator. It should be reviewed.” It’s no exaggeration to say that Robin was a pioneer.

After more than three decades running the magazine, and nearly 65,000 reviews, Robin is ready for a change—and that’s where Kirkus comes in. As AudioFile wound down its print production, we brought on staffer Jennifer Dowell as our first audiobooks editor, and we’ll be publishing new reviews in every issue going forward. Reviews will also be posted to our website, and the AudioFile archive will find a home on kirkusreviews.com as well. Finally, we’ll be picking up the Behind the Mic podcast, in slightly altered form, as a complement to our weekly Fully Booked podcast. If you’re already an audiobook listener, you won’t want to miss the new coverage. And if you’re part of the 49% who’ve never listened to one, this is your invitation to give them a try.

I was one of those nonlisteners until I began commuting nearly three hours a day to a new job. I found that after a day in front of the computer screen I was happy to give my eyes a rest and open up my ears. Moreover, the audio format was the perfect way to reread a novel I had already devoured in print: Jess Walter’s Beautiful Ruins. Via narrator Edoardo Ballerini—a master of accents and nuanced delivery on this and dozens of other productions—I discovered the special bliss of hearing a book read aloud.

I was hooked, and I now keep at least one audiobook and one print book going simultaneously. Among my favorites in the past year: Ian Leslie’s John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs (Macmillan Audio, April 8), a special gift to Beatles fans infectiously read by British actor Chris Addison, and Candace Fleming’s Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown (Listening Library, April 29), in which Karen Murray’s hushed narration makes the horrific events all the more chilling.

In that anniversary interview, Robin observed, “Over time, the technology has changed, the audience has grown massively, the industry has grown massively, but AudioFile’s purpose continues to be the same, which is to review and recommend the best audiobooks, to help people find what is available that makes for terrific listening.” We at Kirkus are thrilled to carry on that mission. Let’s listen together.

Tom Beer is the editor-in-chief.