Audiobook Café

Episode 122: Interview with Author/Narrator Julia Whelan

13 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re so excited to have one of our favorite audiobook narrators, Julia Whelan, on the show. Julia Whelan is an author, audiobook narrator of over...

Episode 121: The Best Audiobooks of 2023

06 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On today's episode: With 2023 behind us, Karen Mackay of CELA is here to help us break down the best and most notable audiobooks of the year. Plus,...

Episode 120: Harry Potter Universe

23 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The last book in the Harry Potter series was published back in 2007, over 15 years ago. That’s 15 years for the millions of fans around the world, i...

Episode 119: The Strange World of Co-authoring

16 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today's episode: Being an author is typically thought of as a lonesome affair, but it doesn’t need to be. Enter the strange world of co-authoring...

Episode 118: Rapid-Fire Review Bonanza

09 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a rapid-fire review bonanza and Ramya, Nisreen and Jacob are finally participating; Julie Martin, Community Reporter on AMI's Kelly and Ramya, ...

Episode 117: Audiobooks In The Wild With Lawrence Gunther

02 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's episode: Sometimes, we need to take a step back from our busy lives and just appreciate the simple things. And what better way to do ...

Episode 116: My Life In Books with Red Széll

25 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Red Széll, host of My Life in Books with Red Széll, is with us, all the way from some place called England. Drawing on his years of experience as ...

Episode 115: Genres and How Far Can They Go

18 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is our obsession with rigidly classifying every book into a set list of genres a bad habit that desperately needs breaking? That’s a loaded question...

Episode 114: Deep Dive on Brandon Sanderson & Know Your Narrator

11 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re discussing the always-fascinating fantasy author, Brandon Sanderson, who’s fully embraced the audiobook revolution despite using his massiv...

Episode 113: Reviewing Britney Spears' Memoir, The Woman in Me

04 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Karen and Theresa of CELA, the Center for Equitable Library Access, join us for another book review, this time for the highly-anticipated memoir, The ...

Episode 112: Reviewing Success by Martin Amos with Dave Brown

28 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dave Brown, of the world-famous NOW with Dave Brown, which airs live weekdays at 9 a.m. Eastern on AMI-tv, joins us for an in-depth review of Success ...

Episode 111: Our Thriller/mystery and non-fiction recommendations

21 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we finally take a moment to present our own book recommendations, in the thriller/mystery and non-fiction categories. On the second half of...

Episode 110: Why do we read horror?

14 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Karen and Theresa make their monthly appearance on the show. This time, we discuss the many reasons why so many people read horror. Why do we willingl...

Episode 109: Plot, writing, characters and setting

07 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ramya and Jacob convene with the book club to have an in depth discussion on what specifically makes a book enjoyable. Everyone shares thei...

Episode 108: The Invisible Life of Addy Leroux

30 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’ll actually make an effort to live up to this show’s name and review a book for once. The invisible Life of Addy Leroux, by V.E. Schwab, is w...

Episode 107: Avid Readers & Rapid Fire Reviews

23 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode, two avid readers are coming on to discuss their recent reading adventures. Karen Magee, Content Development Specialist at AMI is...

Episode 106: 50 Shades of Taboo

16 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The meat of this episode is our Know your Narrator chat with Sara Hillis, she features long time, legendary narrator, George Guidall. And we touch bas...

Episode 105: Letters With Smokie

09 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We speak with Rod Michalko and Dan Goodley, authors of Letters with Smokie, a collection of letters providing a lively exploration of human-animal rel...

Episode 104: Provocative, Edgy and Taboo Literature

02 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We introduce a new member to the Audiobook family and discuss books that are purposely provocative, edgy, and explore taboo topics. Also, we're back w...

Episode 103: Pulitzer Prize Winners

26 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Aamer Khan features three Pulitzer Prize Winners, books focusing on important, melancholic times in history, where the main characters are on a journe...

Episode 102: Cozy Mysteries

19 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today's episode: Bill Shackleton, a live reporter at AMI, brings us up to speed on cozy mysteries. This is a genre of light, dip your toes in, sma...

Episode 101: Know Your Narrator - Kevin R. Free

12 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Know Your Narrator, Sara Hillis features the 2023 Audiofile Magazine Golden Voice, Kevin R. Free, whose voice is on over 450 fiction, non-fiction, ...

Episode 100: Obama's Booklist

05 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss Obama's Booklist with Karen McKay and Theresa Power from the Centre for Equitable Library Access, getting into why his booklists are unique...

Episode 99: Amnesia, Oxford and Pakistan

29 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Aamer Khan brings us his book reviews of July, including My Oxford year by Julia Whelan, a title he’s giving a standing ovation to Audiobook Café i...

Episode 98: The Nameless Restaurant

22 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Hooey is back to recommend one of his favourite listens this year, The Nameless Restaurant: A Cozy Cooking Fantasy, by Tao Wong. Audiobook Café ...

Episode 97: Jean Little

15 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We welcome Meagan Gillmore, Host of the Connecting Disability podcast on AMI, to discuss her favourite children's author, Jean LIttle. Plus, we hit Pa...

Episode 96: Know Your Narrator - Marin Ireland

08 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sara Hillis introduces us to this month's Know Your Narrator, Marin Ireland, one of the 2023 Audiofile Magazine Golden Voices. Audiobook Café is broa...

Episode 95: Summer reads

01 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's continue understanding why we choose summer reads as summer reads, with Karen McKay and Theresa Power from the Centre for Equitable Library Acce...

Episode 94: Aamer’s Summer Reads

24 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Aamer Khan breaks down our book preferences into what's Comfortable, what's expected, and what's still to come. We chat through our own nostalgic read...

Episode 93: Winning Fixes Everything

17 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We welcome Ali Moosa, Host of the podcast All Over The Map, with his book recommendation, Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball's Brightest Minds Cre...

Episode 92: Know Your Narrator - Nicholas Boulton

10 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nicholas Boulton is one of three new Golden Voices named this year by Audiofile Magazine. This designation is given to narrators who have made a defin...

Episode 91: Pride Month

03 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrating Pride! Let's flip through titles in recognition of Pride Month, with Karen McKay from the Centre for Equitable Library Access. Audiobook C...

Episode 90: Pride and Prejudice

27 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Aamer Khan has reached into the classic literature archives and pulled out Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. He reviews the read, and discusses how ...

Episode 89: Western stories

20 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss modern Western stories with Kelly MacDonald, who picked up Westerns after years of avoiding the genre. He highlights one of his favourite a...

Episode 88: Know Your Narrator - Rosamund Pike

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We dive into this month's Know Your Narrator feature with Sara Hillis. Let's highlight Rosamund Pike: the 2023 Audie winner for Best Female Narrator, ...

Episode 87: Book club influences

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s get into recent book club picks with Theresa Power and Karen McKay from the Centre for Equitable Library Access. We highlight three hot new ti...

Episode 86: The Ninja, The Crowd Pleasers and Mad Honey

29 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What makes for a satisfying book? We ponder through Aamer Khan's three latest listens, The Ninja, The Crowd Pleasers, and Mad Honey. Audiobook Café i...

Episode 85: Athlete biographies

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jeffrey Rainey, Producer of the Living Blind podcast, is back to examine memoires by competitive athletes who've penned the truth behind their experie...

Episode 84: James Fox's Revolution

15 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On March 15, 2023, Leonardo Audio produced a multi-cast production of James Fox’s space opera, “Revolution”, the first book in his “The Sol Sa...

Episode 83: Know Your Narrator - Seth Numrich

08 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we have Know Your Narrator with Sara Hillis. The 2023 Audie award winner for Best Male Narrator was Seth Numrich for his performance in Fairyta...

Episode 82: Books to movies

01 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We dissect the transformation of literature to the big screen. Karen McKay and Theresa Power from the Centre for Equitable Library Access share their ...

Episode 81: Aliens, Jaguars, and the Pandemic

25 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week with Aamer Khan, let's get into Aliens, Jaguars, and the Pandemic, as he reviews his latest audiobook highlights. Audiobook Café is broadca...

Episode 80: Competitive athletes

18 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We welcome back Jeffrey Rainey, Producer of the Living Blind podcast, Hosted by Balance for Blind Adults. We examine memoires by competitive athletes ...

Episode 79: Know Your Narrator - Lorelei King

11 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sara Hillis features the voice work of Lorelei King, Co-author of Storyteller: How to be an Audiobook Narrator. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-au...

Episode 78: Freedom to Read

04 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We check in with Karen McKay and Theresa Power of the Centre for Equitable Library Access. Off the heals of Freedom to Read week 2023, we consider the...

Episode 77: Romance, fantasy and mystery

25 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's highlight titles of Romance, Fantasy and Mystery with Aamer Khan. Plus, what weighs more to you, the reader, production or narration? We discuss...

Episode 76: Black History book talk

18 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's celebrate Black writers, recognize Black stories, and explore Black identities. Sehdeen Lowe shares her love and joy of picking up books by Blac...

Episode 75: Know Your Narrator - Robin Miles

11 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Robin Miles is a narrator with a passion for reading, voicing, and training others to voice. We get to know her work on Know Your Narrator, with Sara ...

Episode 74: Book goals for 2023

04 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do last year's reading goals affect our goals of 2023? Let's get into setting book goals with Karen McKay and Theresa Power from the Centre for Eq...

Episode 73: Highlighting authors

28 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Inspiration is everything. Aamer Khan highlights three authors, their popular works, and the related background experiences that seep into the authors...

Episode 72: Library lending

21 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We welcome Em Williams, Supervisor for Media Accessibility at AMI. She recommends Demystifying Disability, by Emily Ladau, a welcoming read for anyone...

Episode 71: January LeVoy

14 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sara Hillis features one of the Golden Voices of Audiophile Magazine, January LeVoy - an actress turned versatile audiobook storyteller, on Know Your ...

Episode 70: Celebrity memoirs

07 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do we enjoy getting a peak into influencers' lives? To kick off our first conversation of 2023, we dive into celebrity memoirs, with Karen McKay and T...

Episode 69: Top audiobook picks of 2022

31 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Friends, we've dedicated this entire episode to featuring your top audiobook picks of 2022. We chat with lovely individuals on this show every week, ...

Episode 68: How books can take you places

24 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's theme is Immersive Reading: how books can take you places. Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast e...

Episode 67: Pal Reading Services

17 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Danielle McLaughlin is the President of Pal Reading Services. She speaks to the important work done by the organization. Plus, Danielle highlights Ol...

Episode 66: Know Your Narrator - Simon Vance

10 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Know Your Narrator, Sara Hillis features Simon Vance, a narrator who's lent his voice to every kind of title you can imagine. Audiobook Café is br...

Episode 65: CELA Holiday Cheer

03 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Notable literary awards were handed out in November. We review the winners and prizes with Karen McKay and Theresa Power from the Centre for Equitable...

Episode 64: Mystery, Romance and some Real Confusion

26 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Aamer Khan reflects on his month of audiobook listening as "Mystery, romance and some real confusion." We dive into these categories with him. Plus, ...

Episode 63: The Graphic Novels Project

19 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest this week is Joeita Gupta, Host of The Pulse on AMI-audio. We dissect the translation of Graphic Novels into audio formats, and compare our ...

Episode 62: Know Your Narrator - Dick Hill

12 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In October, 2022, we lost one of the great narrators of our time, Dick Hill. Sara Hillis tributes this month's Know Your Narrator to his 30-year vocal...

Episode 61: Transgender Awareness Month

05 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Karen McKay and Theresa Power highlight the Governor General’s Awards shortlists announced recently. Plus, we feature books in recognition of Transg...

Episode 60: Toronto Book Awards

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Aamer Khan visited the Toronto Book Awards! He reviews the walks and talks he engaged in with authors. Plus, we catch up on Aamer's ongoing book coun...

Episode 59: The Audiobook Industry

29 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We welcome Andy Frank, Manager of AMI-audio, for his insights on the industry of audiobooks and where listening is headed. We hit Pause or Play on th...

Episode 58: Finding ourselves in others' stories

15 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rozina Issani shares why reading The Doctor will not see you now, by Jane Paulson, left such a significant mark on her. Plus, we hit Pause or Play on...

Episode 57: The Voice Behind Harry Potter Audiobooks, Jim Dale

08 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Dale's narration of the Harry Potter audiobook series holds the top six places in the top ten audiobooks in America and Canada. Sara Hillis introd...

Episode 56: Sometimes, it takes two

24 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Aamer Khan highlights co-authored books, and shares a unique example of group-writing, in which one author picked up the end of another writer's begin...

Episode 55: Books in different languages,

17 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Can books feel lost in translation? We hear from Peter Tsatsanis, Host of Peter's Book Club, who expresses his love for reading books in other languag...

Episode 54: Scott Brick highlights

10 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Know Your Narrator, Sara Hillis highlights Scott Brick, who started his voice career in 1999, and is now Audible's "most prolific narrator." We fin...

Episode 53: The Aurora Awards

03 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Karen McKay and Theresa Power, from the Centre for Equitable Library Access, feature titles from the Fantasy genre, recognized from this year's Aurora...

Episode 52: True Crime Titles

27 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How often do we check out True Crime in books, rather than podcasts or TV series? Aamer Khan takes us through his thoughts on the subject. Plus, he re...

Episode 51: This is how books leave marks

20 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Embers, by Richard Wagamese, is a title that has left a huge mark on Melanie Marsden. We learn why. Plus, we hit Pause or Play on All the things we do...

Episode 50: Davina Porter highlights

13 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's get to another Know Your Narrator feature, with Sara Hillis. Today we discuss one of Sara's all-time favourite voices, Davina Porter, best recog...

Episode 49: Books being converted to film and TV shows

06 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Karen McKay and Theresa Power from the Centre for Equitable Library Access feature books being converted to film and TV shows. Plus, we discuss the St...

Episode 48: Last Saturday of July, end it with romance

30 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Though it’s impossible, AMI Content Development Specialist Karen Magee tries her best to pick her favourite book. Plus, we hit Pause or Play on Riv...

Episode 47: A Contemporary Romance

23 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s put families on top! Aamer Khan highlights family-friendly titles, and some serious reads focusing on family dynamics. Plus, we hit Pause or P...

Episode 46: The Social Distance Between Us

16 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jeffery Reiney highlights Darren McGarvy, a rapper, social commentator, and activist, who wrote the title The Social Distance Between Us. Plus, we hit...

Episode 45: Know Your Narrator

09 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sara Hillis debuts our brand new segment: Know Your Narrator. First up, we feature the classic Recorded Books voice of Frank Muller, known for his rec...

Episode 44: Popular books and their read-alikes

02 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We get to major awards and literary news with Karen McKay and Theresa Power, from the Centre for Equitable Library Access. Plus, they feature titles u...

Episode 43: The Beginning the Middle and The End

25 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah, is an absorbing account by a young man who gets swept up in Sierra Leone's civil war; we ...

Episode 42: Time flies when you’re driving with an Audiobook

18 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

No matter how busy life gets, Sehdeen Lowe gets her daily dose of Audiobooks in; she highlights some of her top listens. Plus, we hit Pause or Play on...

Episode 41: Rethinking your reads

11 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Julie Martin has several thought-provoking book recommendations for us. Plus, we hit Pause or Play on Love that story: Observations from a gorgeously ...

Episode 40: Let’s Celebrate Pride Month

04 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Karen McKay and Theresa Power feature titles written by LGBTQ+ authors for Pride Month. Plus, we hit Pause or Play on The girl in the middle, a Biogra...

Episode 39: Slow Down and slow Listen

28 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Aamr Khan encourages us to take a step back on binge-listening, and slow down the pace for an intentional, unhurried experience. Plus, We highlight As...

Episode 38: The Human Element of Non-fiction Literature

21 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Avid reader Kathrine Vatcher gives us her recommendation of a non-fiction favorite in her library, and explains her fascination of reading real-life s...

Episode 37: Historical fiction

14 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Does the clarity of audio make or break your listening experience? We talk through this question with Host of Mushroom FM, Sara Hillis. Plus, we hit P...

Episode 36: Festival of Literary Diversity

07 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Centre for Equitable Library Access now offers its services in Manitoba. We get the details on that, plus a list of featured titles at this year’...

Episode 35: Narrator impressions

30 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Greg David is dipping his toes into Audiobook-listening, and he has a lot to share on his impressions. Plus, we hit Pause or Play on Consuming History...

Episode 34: Springing into Antarctica

23 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We Spring into Antarctica with Aamer Khan! Plus, let’s explore the self-development title Didn't See That Coming: Putting Life Back Together When Yo...

Episode 33: Fantasy trilogies

16 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Wendy Hoang brings us deep into the world of fantasy behind the series, His Dark Materials. Plus, We hit Pause or Play on the title Moon Witch, Spider...

Episode 32: Short stories

09 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Feir is going through a short-story listening phase! We get his recommendations of authors and collections. Plus, We press Pause or Play on Ru...

Episode 31: Our favourite punny books

02 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Karen McKay and Theresa Power from the Centre for Equitable Library Access share their favourite books with puns in the titles! Plus, we press Pause o...

Episode 30: "She is a dreamer, she is a believer.... she is you."

26 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss Beyond vision: the story of a blind rower, by Victoria Nolan. Plus, Aamer Khan catches us up on his list of reads for March, and it’s a l...

Episode 29: The Memoir Maid

19 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s meet Jacob Shymanski, Technical Producer at AMI-audio, with an appreciation for audiobooks. Plus, we press Pause or Play on the Memoir Maid, w...

Episode 28: Women in literature

12 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Hooey of Kelly and Company’s Chatty Bookshelf joins us with his latest audiobook recommendations! Plus, let’s press Pause or Play on Black Mi...

Episode 27: International Women's Day reads

05 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

CELA Library’s Karen McKay and Theresa Power highlight empowering, honest literature written by women. Plus, we hit Pause or Play on the The midnigh...

Episode 26: Celebrity memoirs

26 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do celebrity memoirs appeal to you? Kim Kilpatrick gives us her thoughts and recommends All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Dohr. Audiobook Café i...

Episode 25: Romance, Murder Mysteries and a touch of Vampires

19 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We get talking Romance, Murder Mysteries and a touch of Vampires with Aamer Khan. Plus, we press Pause or Play on The Red Palace By June Hur, a tale o...

Episode 24: The longer the series, the better?

12 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We get to know avid Audiobook listener Sarah Patel, and her take on choosing audiobooks and where to find them. Plus, we press Pause or Play on the bo...

Episode 23: Contemporary Romance

05 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We get to CELA news and announcements with Theresa Power and Karen McKay. Plus, they shout out some Contemporary Romance recommendations with diverse ...