Devourer of Books » Audiobook Week 2012

D.E.A.R. – Audiobook Week-Inspired TBL Pile (Sound Bytes)

Jul 062012

Do you remember D.E.A.R? At my elementary school that meant “Drop Everything And Read,” something we typically did for 10 or 15 minutes every day. Best part of my day, really. As my TBR and Library piles are battling for supremacy and trying to sneak in around the review copies who have staked out places on my calendar, I’m thinking back to the simpler days of D.E.A.R., when I believed I had time to get to any book I wanted. And that, of course, got me fantasizing about a world where I really could just Drop Everything And Read for more than just 15 minutes a day.

The thing about Audiobook Week, it wreaks havoc on your audiobook wishlist. The good news for me is that in the next few days I’m going to have two infants, and I’m thinking that my ipod will be easier to balance while feeding them than my Nook – let alone than something in print.

Here are some of the audiobooks that most intrigued me as I perused Audiobook Week posts last week, in roughly the order I discovered them:

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Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, narrated by Khristine Hvam
Mentioned by: Oddophile, Alaskan Bookie, A Patchwork of Books, Reading Thru the Night
Bonus: This will be a free download from SYNC from August 2-8.

The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell, narrated by Tai Sammons
Mentioned by: Bay State RA

Cinder by Marissa Meyer, narrated by Rebecca Soler
Mentioned by: Unabridged Andra

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, narrated by Libba Bray
Mentioned by: My Little Pocketbooks

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga, narrated by Charlie Thurston
Mentioned by: Books and Wine

Plus, a whole mess of books mentioned by Literate Housewife. I wanted to listen to everything she mentioned that I hadn’t already heard, because our tastes tend to be quite similar:

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soundbytes picture Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Connor, narrated by Bronson Pinchot, Karen White, Mark Bramhall, and Lorna Raver
American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar, narrated by Ayad Akhtar
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian, narrated by Mark Bramhall

I encourage you to review your audiobooks on Fridays and include the link here. If you have reviewed an audiobook earlier in the week, please feel free to link that review as well. Thanks to Pam for creating the button.

Narrated by the Author Audiobook Giveaway – US-only

Jun 292012

Audiobooks narrated by the author can be a little bit hit or miss, but when they’re good – especially with memoir – they are VERY good. Today’s prize pack consists of three audiobooks narrated by the author. Title links go to the audiobooks’ pages on the publishers’ websites.

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen, narrated by Anna Quindlen from Random House Audio
Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green Jane Green from Macmillan Audio
Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch narrated by Jane Lynch and Carol Burnett from Harper Audio

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This is the last of five Audiobook Week prize pack giveaways, and it is available for listeners with US mailing addresses only. To enter, please fill out the form below by noon Central on Sunday, July 1st.

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Listen Up! – Audiobook Week Discussion

Jun 292012

If you wrote a post on this or any of my other discussion topics today, Friday, June 29th please leave your link in the Mr. Linky before midnight Central time (US) and you will be eligible to win a prize. AudiobookWeek2012 picture

Where do you learn about great audiobook titles? Find reviews? Buy your audiobooks? Share your secrets with the rest of us!

Here are some of my favorite audiobook resources:

Audiofile Magazine

I’m slightly biased, because I review for Audiofile Magazine, but I think they provide a really great audiobook resource. There is an actual, physical magazine that will introduce you to many audiobooks you might otherwise never have heard of. The magazine comes every other month, and a year’s subscription is under $20, or two years’ subscription costs less than $30. You can check out the reviews and some of the content for free online. When I’m considering getting an audiobook, I often go first to AudioFile to see what the reviewer there thought about it, to decide whether or not it is worth my time.

Audiobook Jukebox

Do you want to know what a bunch of bloggers think about an audiobook? Audiobook Jukebox is the place to find that out. You can add links to your reviews, and find links to other people’s reviews. A must-visit if you want to determine what the blogosphere’s consensus on an audiobook is.

Sound Bytes

Another one where I’m biased! If you want the audiobook camaraderie of Audiobook Week all year ’round, check out my Sound Bytes meme, started after Audiobook Week last year. Every Friday I review an audiobook (or occasionally have other audiobook-related content). I encourage other bloggers to review their audiobooks on Friday as well, but I welcome links to any and all audiobook reviews/content from that given week.

What are your favorite audiobook resources?

Audio Drama Audiobook Giveaway – US-only

Jun 282012

Audiobooks have a proud lineage, from oral storytelling to old radio drama shows. While most audiobooks that I listen to have one narrator (or occasionally up to three or four), we have not completely moved beyond the days of the old radio drama, and audio dramas are still very popular. Today’s Audiobook Week prize pack consists of two audio dramas from Blackstone Audio, both of which were nominated for the Audio Drama Audie – The Mark of Zorro was also nominated for Distinguished Achievement in Production. Title links go to the audiobook’s page on Blackstone Audio’s website.

The Mark of Zorro based on the novel by Johnson McCulley, dramatized by Yuri Rasovsky, narrated Val Kilmer and a full cast
We’re Alive: Season 1 by Kc Wayland, narrated by a full cast

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This is the fourth of five Audiobook Week prize pack giveaways, and it is available for listeners with US mailing addresses only. To enter, please fill out the form below by noon Central on Saturday, June 30th.

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What Makes a Good Narrator? – Audiobook Week Discussion

Jun 282012

If you wrote a post on this or any of my other discussion topics today, Monday June 25th please leave your link in the Mr. Linky before midnight Central time (US) and you will be eligible to win a prize. AudiobookWeek2012 picture

Who are your favorite narrators and why? What do you look for in a narrator? Have a preference between male or female narrators?
Alternate suggestion: Narration preferences – single narrator, multiple narrators, full cast, etc.

What I Look for in a Narrator

The very most important thing to me is, does the narrator fit the audiobook? There are some narrators that are great, but just don’t really fit. For instance, Carolyn McCormick narrating the The Hunger Games series. She’s undoubtedly a talented narrator, but in my opinion she sounds way too old for a first person narrative from the point of view of a teenager, even though she does a wonderful job with the rest of the voices. I know not being cast well is not a narrator’s fault, but it makes a huge difference in my enjoyment of an audiobook
Expression: what exactly this means will depend on the book you’re listening to, but is the level of expression appropriate for the book? Do they avoid falling into melodrama? Do they provide enough emotion to make you invest in the story? If they are narrating nonfiction, do they sound interested in their subject matter?
Accents and vocal differentiation: Are any necessary accents believable? Can you tell one character from another?
Voice: Do I want to sit and listen to this person for 8-20 hours?

Some favorite narrators (a by-no-means exhaustive list):

Mad Women by Jane Maas – Audiobook Review

Jun 282012

Mad Women: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the ’60s and Beyond by Jane Maas, narrated by Colleen Marlo
Published in audio by Tantor Audio, published in print by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of Macmillan

If you reviewed an audiobook today, Thursday June 28th please leave your link in the Mr. Linky before midnight Central time (US) and you will be eligible to win a prize.

Synopsis:

America loves Mad Men, but was was it really like to be a woman on Madison Avenue in the 1960s? Is Peggy’s story accurate? Joan’s? If anyone has the answers, it is Jane Maas. Maas was an advertising copywriter in the 1960s who grew to a great success within the industry, and she’s not afraid to tell it like it is (and was).

Thoughts on the story:

Here’s where I admit I never really got into Mad Men. I watched the first season, or most of it, on dvd, but was never really motivated to start the second season. Having watched the first season did give me a bit of background to what Maas discusses in Mad Women, but watching the show is not really a prerequisite to enjoying the book. Maas weaves feminist issues effortlessly together with advertising history and lore in an absolutely fascinating package. There’s quite a bit of sex, drugs, and alcohol in Mad Women, but it is in an attempt to set the scene and explain what was really going on, not in an attempt at being salacious, or gossip-mongering.

Thoughts on the audio production:

Colleen Marlo largely became Maas in her narration, she had the same mix of confidence and knowledge that comes across in Maas’s writing, making them a very good fit, and making the already interesting material all the more compelling.

Overall:

You don’t need to be a fan of Mad Men to find Mad Women intereting, but it will hold a special attraction for fans wondering, “was it really like that?” Although I’m sure it is still fascinating in print, Marlo’s narration is a great experience.

Buy this book from:
Powells: Audio/Print*
Indiebound: Audio/Print*

Source: Publisher.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

Dive into Audio Giveaway – US-only

Jun 272012

Audiobooks are huge in the summer when everyone is heading out on road trips. What better to listen to, then, than audiobooks that are beach/swimming-related? I’ve got a great, watery prize pack for you today (title links go to the book’s page on the publisher’s website):

Skinnydipping by Bethanney Frankel, narrated by January LaVoy from Simon & Schuster Audio
Island Apart by Steve Raichlen, narrated by Susan Boyce from AudioGo
Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand, narrated by Erin Bennett from Hachette Audio

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This is the third of five Audiobook Week prize pack giveaways, and it is available for listeners with US mailing addresses only. To enter, please fill out the form below by noon Central on Friday, June 29th.

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Mid-Week Meme – Audiobook Week Discussion

Jun 272012

If you wrote a post on this or any of my other discussion topics today, Wednesday June 27th please leave your link in the Mr. Linky before midnight Central time (US) and you will be eligible to win a prize. AudiobookWeek2012 picture

Here’s something quick and easy for the middle of the week, just a short meme. Just copy and paste to your own post (and, you know, obviously change the answers so they’re yours and not mine).

Current/most recent audiobook:

Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, narrated by Simon Vance

Impressions:

This is definitely an audiobook you have to pay attention to, Mantel is a complex writer, but Vance seems to be a perfect fit as narrator, and I’m very much enjoying it.

Current/most recent favorite audiobook:

I have listened to a LOT of great audiobooks lately, but there are two that really stand out, and which I can’t seem to stop recommending. The first is A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash, narrated by Lorna Raver, Mark Bramhall, and Nick Sullivan. The other is also a multi-narrator cast, May the Road Rise Up to Meet You by Peter Troy, narrated by John Keating, Barrie Krinik, Allyson Johnson, and Adam Lazarre White. I don’t necessarily have a preference for multi-narrator casts over single-narrator casts, but I think they have the ability to be all that much more impressive when done very well, and both of these were. Plus, both of these had incredibly engaging plots and wonderful writing. Win-win-win!

Favorite narrator you’ve discovered recently:

Two words: DAN STEVENS. Yes, that Dan Stevens, the one who plays Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey. I’m often somewhat hesitant about narrators who are actors, but I’ve found that actors who have performed on stage, not simply in television and movies, tend to make absolutely phenomenal narrators and Stevens is no exception. I listened to him narrate Stef Penney’s The Invisible Ones and he was OMGAMAZING, bringing every single character vividly to life.

One title from your TBL (to be listened) stack, or your audio wishlist:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern has been in my TBL virtual pile ever since it was released, I’m not exactly sure how I haven’t listened yet – although maybe it was good to step back from the crazy hype this title received last fall. Jim Dale narrates, and he seems to be the perfect complement to Morgenstern’s magical story.

Your audio dream team (what book or author would you LOVE to see paired with a certain narrator, can already exist or not):

You know, I think the Best. Pairing. Ever. may have already been made, with Wil Wheaton narrating Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One. 80s geek nostalgia plus 80s geek icon (who is even referenced in the text) = amazing.

Nonfiction Audiobook Giveaway – US-only

Jun 262012

Something that I didn’t anticipate when I first started listening to audiobooks was just how well nonfiction can work in audio, everything from semi-technical scientific stuff like The Emperor of All Maladies to memoirs. In honor of Audiobook Week, I have a rather varied prize pack of nonfiction audiobooks for you (title links go to the book’s page on the publisher’s website):

The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man’s Quest to Be a Better Husband by David Finch, narrated by David Finch from Tantor Audio (see my review of the print version)
My Korean Deli: Risking it all for a Convenience Store by Ben Ryder Howe, narrated by Bronson Pinchot from Blackstone Audio (Nominated for the Non-fiction Audie)
The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible by Matti Friedman, narrated by Simon Vance from Highbridge Audio

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This is the second of five Audiobook Week prize pack giveaways, and it is available for listeners with US mailing addresses only. To enter, please fill out the form below by noon Central on Thursday, June 28th.

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So You Want to Review Audiobooks… – Audiobook Week Discussion

Jun 262012

If you wrote a post on this or any of my other discussion topics today, Tuesday June 26th please leave your link in the Mr. Linky before midnight Central time (US) and you will be eligible to win a prize. AudiobookWeek2012 picture

Discuss the essentials of audiobook reviewing. What do you make sure to include? What do you want to see when you read other people’s reviews?

Like regular book reviews, what is included in audiobook reviews varies from person to person. Some people, for instance, include release date and page number or audiobook length in their reviews. I am personally less interested in that information, so I don’t include it. I do like to know information about the publishers, both print and audio, because I find it tells me quite a lot about the book or audiobook, so I include imprint and publisher information for print editions, and for audiobooks I include all of this information, plus information on who published the audiobook. These pieces of information are definitely personal, and reasonable people can absolutely disagree on what should be included.

What I think is non-negotiable in an audiobook review, though, is some sort of information about the narrator and/or production. Who was the narrator? Did he or she fit the story? Were there studio noises that distracted you? Did the narration pull you farther into the story?

There are two reasons that this sort of information is important. First of all, other people who are considering the audiobook will want to know if the narrator and production were any good. The other reason is that an audio production can seriously influence how you feel about a book. An amazing production can elevate a mediocre book and a bad production can keep you from enjoying a great book. Even the people reading your review who will never listen to an audiobook need to know what you thought about the production, so that they can assess how the production influenced how you felt about the book itself.

Candace from Beth Fish Reads also has a great post about How to Write an Audiobook Review that you should check out if you feel that you need more pointers, or check out the responses of some of your fellow bloggers below.

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