Thinking about heading south? Maybe the west coast is where you want to be? Any which way you head this summer it might be a smart idea to take along a couple of books on CD.
With so many choices out there where does one begin? Well, if you want something current then browse our new audiobook shelves. Each month we order fifteen or more new titles. On any given day a good variety of mainstream fiction as well as informative titles may be found. Recent additions include titles such as “Home” by Toni Morrison, “Both of us: my life with Farrah” by Ryan O’Neal, “The shoemaker’s wife” by Adriana Trigiani and a new thriller I recently enjoyed, “The expats” by Chris Pavone. Items on order to watch for include the titles, “The red house” by Mark Haddon and Alan Furst’s new spy novel, “A mission to Paris.”
If the reader is important to you then I have a few suggestions. Scott Sowers does a fantastic job with the John Hart thriller books. The titles are “The iron house”, “The last child”, and “Down river”. I’ve listened to all of these even though they are more dark and edgy than I like. I found Sowers husky voice to be a perfect fit for this drama. Look for Sowers latest narration of “Scarecrow returns” by Matthew Reilly. One of the reasons I like the Louise Penny mysteries so well is because of Ralph Cosham’s delightful accent for Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and the cast of characters from the village of Three Pines. I am equally taken with David Colacci as he narrates the investigations of Commissario Guido Burnetti in Donna Leon’s mystery series. Look for Leon’s latest title, Beastly things. And, then there’s George Guidall. In one word I would describe him as “exceptional.” I was introduced to his comfortable style while listening to the Lillian Jackson Braun cat series, but his credits extend far and wide beyond this series. New titles Guidall is currently narrating include “Chasing midnight” by Randy Wayne White, “Kill shot” by Vince Flynn and “The shadow patrol” by Alex Berenson. Other male readers I favor include Tom Stechschulte, Daniel Oreskes, Frank Muller and Simon Prebble.
Barbara Rosenblat is perhaps one of the most well known women narrators out there and certainly one of the most prolific readers. Not only does Rosenblat narrate the titles from bestselling authors like Diane Mott Davidson, Kathy Reichs, and Lisa Scottoline; she is also well known as the voice of Amelia Peabody in Elizabeth Peters mystery series. Her work extends far beyond these authors and includes many juvenile titles like the Judy Moody series from Megan McDonald. Like Rosenblat, I also enjoy the voice of Blair Brown. I’ve listened to her give voice to the many quirky characters in Anne Tyler’s novels and a couple of Sue Miller titles. Brown’s credits also include many works by Isabel Allende. Actress Kathleen McInerney does a fine job of narrating Linda Castillo’s riveting books. Start with the first title “Sworn to silence.” McInerney’s many narrations include books by Kristin Hannah, Emily Giffin, Danielle Steel and Judy Blume.
Non-fiction listeners will enjoy “Brothers, rival and victors” by Jonathan W. Jordan. This book describes the complex relationship between Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, and Omar Bradley. Wayne W. Dyer brings us a new title “Wishes fulfilled: mastering the art of manifesting.” Listeners continually ask for the gripping title, “Unbroken: a World War II airman’s story of survival, resilience, and redemption” by Laura Hillenbrand. I always like to recommend any of Bill Bryson titles as they are fun. Audiences will most certainly enjoy the 2011 Audie Award winner for non-fiction, “The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot; read by Cassandra Campbell and Bahni Turpin.
If your summer plans include a family vacation there are lots of options available for family listening. Any of the Harry Potter titles are always a good choice. Listeners will be held spellbound by the voice of Jim Dale. Jules Verne’s “Around the world in 80 days” is another fine performance by Dale. A perennial favorite among listeners is E.B. White’s own reading of his book “Charlotte’s web”. Listeners may also enjoy titles such as Kate DiCamillo’s, “The tale of Despereaux” or “Because of Winn Dixie” read by Cherry Jones. “Chasing Vermeer” by Blue Balliett and read by Ellen Reilly is sure to please. Carl Hiaasen’s titles transition well to audiobooks try “Scat” read by Ed Asner. Nathaniel Parker does a good job narrating “Artemis fowl” by Eoin Colfer. Look for these titles and more at your Library.
June is audiobook month. Choose an audiobook. Get caught listening.
*Image pulled from Google Images.
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