Maggie Murphy – Audible Editor

AUDIBLE EDITOR

Maggie Murphy

Equal parts rom-com lover and history buff, Maggie goes back and forth between genres, from Maria Semple’s Where'd You Go, Bernadette, to Ron Chernow’s Grant. And to further expand her areas of expertise, she is currently working her way through Audible’s incredible catalogue of self-help books for the 25 very best inspiration-seeking listens.

Maggie's Recent Reviews

Product List
  • The State of Affairs Audiobook By Esther Perel cover art

    • The State of Affairs

    • Rethinking Infidelity
    • By: Esther Perel
    • Narrated by: Esther Perel
    • Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
    • Release date: 10-10-17
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 4,536 ratings
    • The Heart of the Matter
    • We invest millions of hours on apps and at bars searching for our true love. We spend thousands on weddings to celebrate the perfect union. We promise to love, honor, and cherish. So, when someone cheats, it means they’re rejecting their beloved, right? Wrong. In The State of Affairs, Esther Perel (respected relationship expert and host of the Audible Original series, Where Should We Begin?) makes a case, based on countless sessions and the couples she's counseled, that affairs are not really about rejecting our mates, or an unsatisfying sex life, but are a desire for self-discovery, among many other centuries-old notions and motives. Perel unpacks the secrecy around infidelity to better understand why it exists and persists no matter how much we love someone else. Her insights don’t dismiss the pain and bitterness of "the ultimate betrayal," but it helps tone down the judgment, which leads to better understanding and clarity. This is a vivid dialogue around a taboo topic. And nobody does it better than Perel.
  • How to Win Friends & Influence People Audiobook By Dale Carnegie cover art

    • How to Win Friends & Influence People

    • By: Dale Carnegie
    • Narrated by: Andrew MacMillan
    • Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
    • Release date: 09-16-04
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 100,292 ratings
    • Still Winning Listeners After All these Years
    • This is the undisputed great-granddaddy of business advice books—if you don’t count Machiavelli’s The Prince. But here’s an Audible truth: My fellow editors don’t love that so many of you make this your first listen. The narration by Andrew Macmillan is bit too “voice of God.” There are references to John D. Rockefeller, President Taft and Francis “Two Gun” Crowley (um, who?). And the reading of letters written on transatlantic steamers make it all feel disconnected and out of step with the way we record books today, not to mention the tone of 21st century offices. But around chapter three or four, it hit me: Carnegie’s low-key fundamentals are still the cornerstones of business transactions and office culture. Basic behaviors such as remembering people’s names, listening well, smiling, dispensing criticism with kindness, the importance of empathy and sincerity, allowing your opposition to save face and, most of all, acting like a leader never go out of style. At a time when companies have to write “no a-holes” policies into their rules of conduct to remind people to not behave like ones, this old-ish sounding advice is shockingly apt. Start here, but then keep on listening.
  • Grit Audiobook By Angela Duckworth cover art

    • Grit

    • The Power of Passion and Perseverance
    • By: Angela Duckworth
    • Narrated by: Angela Duckworth
    • Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
    • Release date: 05-03-16
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 26,515 ratings
    • Grit is Good
    • This winter, as you watch the Olympics, you'll witness extraordinary skill, endurance and boundless talent on display. But if this leads you to think this sort of exceptionalism is mystical and not attainable, social scientist Angela Duckworth says you are drawing the wrong conclusion. The neurobiologist and MacArthur Genius scholar argues, in study after study—whether it's West Point cadets, or gifted and talented high schoolers, or world-class athletes—the secret sauce of winning isn't immeasurable talent, but passion and perseverance. How to define this magical quality called grit, uncover it in yourself and mentor others to grittiness is the real meat of this book. Duckworth’s insights are a must-listen for parents and teachers eager to motivate kids, coaches training athletes, and companies who wish to level up a workforce. We shouldn't strive for greatness; we should aim for grit. That's the real medal that matters.
  • Principles Audiobook By Ray Dalio cover art

    • Principles

    • Life and Work
    • By: Ray Dalio
    • Narrated by: Ray Dalio, Jeremy Bobb
    • Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
    • Release date: 09-19-17
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 19,066 ratings
    • Head of the Business Class
    • As the head of one of the world’s largest hedge funds, Ray Dalio has learned a thing or two, or 150. Gathered here are his Principles for business and life that have helped him transform from a middle-class kid from Long Island to the billionaire founder of Bridgewater. Along the way, Dalio discovered the power of meditation, the critical need for transparency, and superior ways for analytical data to back up gut reaction. He gained and lost fortunes but always learned from his mistakes. By following a “simple but practical” understanding of the economy, Dalio’s firm weathered the Great Recession better than most. This is definitely required reading for anyone with an interest in finance or on an MBA track—even if a lot of the personnel decisions made by Bridgewater for “radical transparency” seem harsh and grueling. What’s unique is Dalio himself. It’s rare to hear a Wall Street titan speak with such candor and self-reflection. There’s a lot of prowess here, and positive takeaways no matter what business you’re in.
  • The Wisdom of Sundays Audiobook By Oprah Winfrey cover art

    • The Wisdom of Sundays

    • Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations
    • By: Oprah Winfrey
    • Narrated by: Oprah Winfrey, full cast
    • Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
    • Release date: 10-17-17
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 4,522 ratings
    • Oprah: From Sole to Soul
    • When I worked at Entertainment Weekly in the late 90s, I got a chance to be on the Oprah show. I was there to share factoids about The Wizard of Oz's ruby red slippers, and the popularity of Hollywood memorabilia. The audience, me included, radiated love and excitement at being in HER presence. But Oprah, who was filming multiple shows that day, was more business-like and reserved than I had expected. Though warm and stunningly beautiful, she was not as emotionally generous as I imagined she would be. It was almost as if she was preserving her energy from those of us so eager to consume every scrap of wisdom. That is, until an audience member stood up and shared her story: This woman had gone to the Oprah clothes auction a few years before and purchased a pair of Oprah’s shoes. They were not her size, but on her toughest days, this woman would squeeze her feet into these heels, and ask herself, “What Oprah would do?” The audience fought back tears. Oprah embraced her. And I had an a-ha moment: One day, Oprah will be a religion. It didn’t take a century, but in these Super Soul Sunday conversations, you hear an open and eager Oprah discussing what it means to live with intention, authentic power, embrace mindfulness and mercy. While on the show, I had asked Ms. Winfrey if she would bid on the shoes, which she clearly loved. In a calm and velvet-soft voice, she told me she didn't need the shoes, themselves, because she had learned the lesson of the slippers. Much like Dorothy of Kansas, the Oprah of The Wisdom of Sundays urges you to find the power within.