RSS 2.0 FeedFROM THE EDITORS' DESKS: Ring in the New Year with A Free Subscription
Wed, Dec 31, 2008
To our friends, families, subscribers, publishers and advertisers, to audiobook lovers everywhere, we wish one and all a happy, healthy 2009.
Cover Story
THE BEST OF 2008
Wed, Dec 31, 2008
2008 gave us some wonderful listening material. Here are our favorites.
SOUNDS GOOD TO ME
Thu, Dec 25, 2008
SOUNDS GOOD TO ME is a new column that will highlight a personal anecdote or memorable experience involving audiobooks. Readers are invited to submit one of their own for possible future publication. If you have one you'd like to share, email it to francine@SoundCommentary.com. We will be happy to hear from you and consider your piece.
Featured Stories
The Art of Cheating by Jessica Dorfman Jones
Thu, Dec 25, 2008
Jessica Dorfman Jones is an editor and journalist. This is her first full length book.
In Search of Mockingbird by Loretta Ellsworth
Thu, Dec 25, 2008
Loretta Ellsworth is the author of the acclaimed middle-grade novel The Shrouding Woman. A former schoolteacher and mother of four grown children, Loretta lives in Lakeville, Minnesota.
Blackwater by Jeremy Scahill
Thu, Dec 25, 2008
JEREMY SCAHILL is an unembedded, international journalist. He is a correspondent for the national radio and television show "Democracy Now!" and a frequent contributor to The Nation magazine. He lives in Brooklyn.
Silks by Dick Francis
Mon, Dec 15, 2008
Dick Francis is the author of more than 30 mysteries set against a horse racing background. A three-time Edgar Award winner, he was named Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America in 1996. Felix Francis, a graduate of London University, is an accomplished outdoorsman, marksman, and pilot who has assisted with the research of many of his father’s novels
Madapple by Christine Meldrum
Thu, Dec 25, 2008
Christina Meldrum is a former attorney who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Madapple is her first novel.
Identical by Ellen Hopkins
Thu, Dec 25, 2008
ELLEN HOPKINS is the New York Times bestselling author of Crank, Burned, Impulse, and Glass. She lives in Carson City, Nevada, with her husband and son.
The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher
Thu, Dec 25, 2008
Liz Gallagher is a former children’s bookseller and early education teacher. She received her MFA in writing for children from Vermont College. This is her first novel. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
Paper Towns by John Green
Thu, Dec 25, 2008
John Green (whose full name anagrams to rejig, ole henchman) is the Printz Award-winning author of Looking for Alaska. John has also written for National Public Radio¹s All Things Considered and for The New York Times. He lives in New York City with his wife. Before he got married, he was dumped fifty-three times. But never by a Katherine. You can visit John on the Web at www.sparksflyup.com.
Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
Shannon Hale is the author of a number of books for children, including her stunning debut novel Goose Girl. Her novel Princess Acadmey won the Newbery Honor. Shannon lives in America.
The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfefer
Susan Beth Pfeffer is the author of many acclaimed young adult novels, including About David, Getting Even, Family of Strangers, The Ring of Truth, and Twice Taken.
Snoop by Sam Gosling
Sam Gosling is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. He has spent the last decade conducting research on how personality is expressed and perceived in everyday contexts. He has been profiled by the New York Times, Psychology Today, and other publications, and he is featured in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. This is his first book. He lives in Austin, Texas
The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark
Dame Muriel Spark, born and educated in Edinburgh, published her spectacularly original first novel, The Comforters, in 1957. Among her twenty novels, it was The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (and its stage and screen adaptations) which made her internationally famous. She has also published several volumes of poetry, criticism, and stories, as well as a play, an autobiography, and three books for children. New Directions also publishes the following titles by Muriel Spark: The Abbess of Crewe, The Comforters, The Driver's Seat, Open to the Public: New & Collected Stories, and The Public Image.
The Night Villa by Carol Goodman
Carol Goodman is the author of The Night Villa and The Lake of Dead Languages. Her work has appeared in such journals as The Greensboro Review, Literal Latté, The Midwest Quarterly, and Other Voices. After graduation from Vassar College, where she majored in Latin, she taught Latin for several years in Austin, Texas. She then received an M.F.A. in fiction from the New School University. Goodman currently teaches writing and works as a writer-in-residence for Teachers & Writers. She lives on Long Island.
A Dead Man in Tangier by Michael Pearce
Michael Pearce has written two previous mysteries starring Sandor Seymour, A Dead Man in Istanbul and A Dead Man in Trieste. He has also penned several novels in his award-winning Marmur Zapt series, including The Face in the Cemetery and Death of an Effendi.
Deaf Sentence by David Lodge
David Lodge is the author of twelve previous novels, two of which have been Booker Prize finalists, a novella, and numerous works of literary criticism, essays, and drama.
Attack of the Theater People by Marc Acito
Wed, Dec 24, 2008
MARC ACITO’s debut novel, How I Paid for College, won the Ken Kesey Award for the Novel and was also selected as an Editors’ Choice by the New York Times. Acito is a popular contributor to the New York Times and National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs
Wed, Dec 24, 2008
Kathy Reichs, like her fictional creation, Temperance Brennan, is forensic anthropologist for the province of Quebec. She is Vice President of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, serves on the Canadian National Police Services Advisory Council, and is one of only fifty-six forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. A professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Dr. Reichs now divides her time between Charlotte and Montreal. Déjà Dead, her debut novel, brought her fame when it became a New York Times bestseller and won the 1997 Ellis Award for Best First Novel. In 2007 Break No Bones was short-listed for the Ellis Award for Best Novel. Kathy Reichs is the inspiration for the television drama Bones; her latest novel featuring Temperance Brennan is Bones to Ashes.
Dewey by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter
Wed, Dec 24, 2008
Bret Witter has ghostwritten nine books. Before becoming a professional writer, Bret spent three years as the Editorial Director of HCI, the publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Bret lives in Louisville, Kentucky.
Ghost Radio by Leopoldo Gout
Wed, Dec 24, 2008
Leopoldo Gout is a producer, director, graphic novelist, writer, and composer. He is currently producing an animated film with NBC and Curious Pictures. He lives in New York City. Ghost Radio is his first novel.
Untamed by P.C. and Kristen Cast
Wed, Dec 24, 2008
P.C. Cast is an award-winning fantasy and paranormal romance author, as well as an experienced speaker and teacher. She lives and teaches in Oklahoma. Her daughter, Kristin Cast, has won awards for her poetry and journalism. She also lives in Oklahoma, where she attends the University of Tulsa as a communications major.
Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton
Wed, Dec 24, 2008
SANDI KAHN SHELTON is the author of the novel, What Comes After Crazy, and three nonfiction books on parenting. A feature writer for the New Haven Register, she is also a frequent contributor to Working Mother, Family Circle, Woman's Day, and Redbook.
My Sister, My Love by Joyce Carol Oates
Wed, Dec 24, 2008
Joyce Carol Oates’ many awards include the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in short fiction. Her most recent novel is Blonde, about Marilyn Monroe.
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
Wed, Dec 17, 2008
Joseph O'Neill was born in Ireland and raised primarily in Holland. He received a law degree from Cambridge University and worked as a barrister in London. He writes regularly The Atlantic Monthly and is the author of two previous novels, This Is the Life and The Breezes, and a family history, Blood-Dark-Track, which was a New York Times Notable Book. He lives with his family in New York City.
Undercover by Beth Kephart
Mon, Dec 15, 2008
Beth Kephart is the author of House of Dance and Undercover. Her forthcoming novel, Nothing But Ghosts, will be released in Summer 2009. She was nominated for the National Book Award for her book A Slant of Sun. Her writing has been anthologized many times and has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post Book World, the Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Baltimore Sun. In 2000 she received a National Endowment for the Arts grant. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family.
Double or Die by Charlie Higson
Wed, Dec 17, 2008
Charlie Higson is an acclaimed comedy writer, producer, and actor. His previous novels written for adults include Getting Rid of Mister Kitchen, Full Whack, Happy Now, and King of the Ants. He lives in London.
The Necklace by Cheryl Jarvis
Wed, Dec 17, 2008
Cheryl Jarvis is a journalist and essayist and the author of The Marriage Sabbatical: The Journey That Brings You Home. She has written for The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and Reader’s Digest. A former television producer and magazine and newspaper editor, she has taught writing at the University of Southern California and at Washington University and Webster University in St. Louis
Red Knife by William Kent Kruger
Wed, Dec 17, 2008
For the last twenty years, William Kent Krueger has made his home in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife and two children. His Cork O’Connor novels, Iron Lake (winner of the 1998 Anthony Award for Best First Novel and the Barry Award), Boundary Waters, Purgatory Ridge, Blood Hollow (winner of the 2004 Anthony Award for Best Novel), and Mercy Falls (winner of the 2005 Anthony Award for Best Novel) - as well as the political thriller The Devil’s Bed - are available from Atria Books.
Izzy and Lenore by Jon Katz
Wed, Dec 17, 2008
Jon Katz has written eighteen books–six novels and twelve works of nonfiction–including A Dog Year, The Dogs of Bedlam Farm, A Good Dog, and the New York Times bestseller Dog Days. A two-time finalist for the National Magazine Award, he writes columns about dogs and rural life for the online magazine Slate, and has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, and the AKC Gazette. Katz is also a photographer, a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and co-host of the award-winning radio show Dog Talk on Northeast Public Radio. He lives on Bedlam Farm in upstate New York with his wife, Paula Span, and his dogs, sheep, steers and cows, goats, donkeys, barn cats, irritable rooster, Winston, and three hens.
Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse
Mon, Dec 15, 2008
Karen Hesse is the acclaimed author of over a dozen books for young readers, including the 1998 Newbery Medal winner, Out of the Dust. In 2001 she won the Christopher Medal for her young adult novel, Witness; in 2002 she was the recipient of a MacArthur Prize, only the second author of books for children to win this prestigious award. She lives in Brattleboro, VT.
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale
Wed, Dec 17, 2008
Kate Summerscale is the former literary editor for the Daily Telegraph and author of The Queen of Whale Cay, which won the Somerset Maugham Award and was shortlisted for the Whitbread biography award. Summerscale lives in London.
Steinbeck's Ghost by Lewis Buzbee
Thu, Dec 25, 2008
Lewis Buzbee’s favorite time at the library is a rainy, gray afternoon, because you can spend forever there. He’s been writing since he was fifteen, and his most recent book is The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop. A native Californian, he lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter and is working on a new book about Charles Dickens.
Lead Stories
EDITOR'S CHOICE: McTeague by Frank Norris
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
LA Theatre Works has been producing classic and contemporary works as audio theatre since 1974. They first published McTeague in 1989 in a cassette edition that has long been out-of-print. LATW updated and re-released this classic in 2008.
EDITOR'S CHOICE: The English Major by Jim Harrison
Wed, Dec 17, 2008
Harrison's last novel, Returning to Earth, was one of his most praised in years, hailed by The Plain Dealer as an artistic achievement worthy of Faulkner. Now Harrison gives us The English Major, a wryly funny novel that sparkles with the generous humanity of his vision.