Check Out This Week’s New Audio Books!
This week saw a huge number of new releases in the memoir and biography category! Check out these audio books for tales of incredible lives.
There is also a great new audio book for younger listeners! Jeff Kinney is back with the latest in the Diary of Wimpy Kid series: Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Cabin Fever.
What audio book do you plan on spending some of your weekend listening to?
The Lady of the Rivers – A Review
This week’s audio book review is Philippa Gregory’s latest, The Lady of the Rivers. This audio book tells the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford and mother of Elizabeth Woodville who later became The White Queen.
Jacquetta is from Luxembourg and is said to be descendent from Melusina, the river goddess. She has the gift of The Sight but in these dangerous times is very hesitant to use it. Her first husband married her for her gift in hopes that she would be able to see the future for him and help him with his quest to discover the Philosopher’s Stone. After he passes away she is too afraid to continue using her Sight but on occasion she does read the cards for others and sees the dangers that lie ahead.
This audio book will be a delight for fans of Philippa Gregory’s work. It has the passion, danger and legends that have made her previous audio books best sellers. I really enjoy her take on the English court and the way she brings history to life, giving voices to these illustrious people.
I thought the narration was fantastic. Very recently I listened to The Red Queen and was very impressed with the narration, also by Bianca Amato, and was excited to hear her again. Bianca is a wonderful narrator but it took me an hour or so to get used to the fact that this audio book was narrated by Jacquetta. Both The Red Queen and The Lady of the Rivers are written with a first person narration so when Bianca said “I did”, “I thought”, “I said” etc., it took some time for me to adjust to the new protagonist, but I thoroughly enjoyed it once I did.
Do you prefer Philippa Gregory’s audio books about the Tudors or The War of the Roses?
Happy Birthday Kurt Vonnegut
One of the famous American writers of the 20th century would have been celebrating his 89th birthday this year. Author of 14 novels and various other works, Kurt Vonnegut is famous for his satirical writing and his humanism.
Many of his novels have been produced as audio books. In fact the very first audio book I ever listened to was Slaughter House Five. Although back then it was a book on tape, not an audio book download! His time serving as a soldier in Dresden during World War II served as the inspiration behind this story. It is my favorite of his and I highly recommend that you listen to it if you haven’t already.
His works are still widely read and listened to today. The Twitter Book Club, 1book140 is celebrating Dead Authors this month and they have selected Slaughter House Five for November. Tweet with the hashtag #1book140 to join the discussion.
With so many great stories to choose from, what’s your favorite Vonnegut audio book?
The Passage – A Review
Pam is constantly listening to new audio books and has recently listened to The Passage. Read on for her review…
Don’t let the length of this audio book deter you from a great listen! The Passage by Justin Cronin is a fresh take on Vampires (known as Virals in the book, and they definitely do not sparkle), and a post-apocalyptic world where human life has all but vanished. Yes it’s long (36 hours for the unabridged. The abridged is much shorter), but it is worth the time and will have you hooked from the very beginning.
The first in a trilogy, The Passage is an epic novel about a classified government experiment that experiences a major security breach, a virus that goes horribly wrong, and the ensuing aftermath of the outbreak of the test subjects. Just when you find yourself getting into the rhythm of this first story line, you are then thrust a century into the future to see a struggling human race barely surviving. Humans now live in walled compounds, dependent on the lights to keep the virals at bay. With the battery supply that these lights run on about to run out, a small group sets out to try and find help. Of course this journey is not a smooth one, and another edge of your seat storyline unfolds.
It’s hard to place this epic novel into one genre. With undertones of horror, romance, action, suspense and science fiction, The Passage will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Cliff-hangers are abundant and can get somewhat frustrating but on the whole work well for the horror/suspense aspect of the novel.
Scott Brick lends his amazing voice talents to this book and listeners will not be disappointed. Brick does a wonderful job of bringing a voice of authority, calm, and excitement to the story. At times beautiful and at times horrifying, The Passage by Justin Cronin is sure to leave you wanting more and counting down the months till book 2 is released in spring 2012.
The Language of Flowers – A Review
How do you select the next audio book that you’re going to listen to? Do you search through other reviews, ask your friends for a recommendation, or just grab something from one of your favorite authors? These are great ways to discover a wonderful story, but sometimes I like to try something a little different. I’ll grab an audio book based solely on a great cover illustration or just a spectacular title. That is how I chose Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s The Language of Flowers.
The Language of Flowers has a beautiful image of white flowers on the cover, and so I was expecting a love story. As the saying goes, you shouldn’t judge a book by the cover, and while it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, it is a beautifully told story revolving around the language of flowers.
Victoria Jones was abandoned at birth and grew up in a series of foster and group homes. When she turns 18 she is emancipated and has to start fending for herself. She ends up sleeping in a park (thankfully she lives in San Francisco) and with her knowledge of flowers and their Victorian meanings, she starts a part time job at a florist. While moving forward through the story, Victoria also tells the listeners about her past, focusing on the time she lived with Elizabeth, a woman who was hoping to adopt her. The past and present are woven together beautifully, moving forward at a similar pace and truly adding to the story.
Tara Sands does an exceptional job narrating the audio book. The different voices she uses for 18 and 10 year old Victoria are spot-on and her tone is perfect. She also does a marvellous job with the other characters, including Grant. I can only imagine that this is exactly how Vanessa Diffenbaugh would have wanted it read.
I may start picking more books by their covers from now on! Have you listened to The Language of Flowers? Share your thoughts in the comments and tell me how you select your audio books!
New Audio Book Releases
This has been a great week for audio books! The Steve Jobs Biography is out as well as many other hot new titles. If you’ve finished your audio book and are looking for a new favorite, check out some of these recently released titles.
Halloween is almost here and that means that Christmas is just around the corner. For those of us who just aren’t ready for the sappy tv-specials or all the decorations and cheer, this is probably the best Christmas themed audio book we could pick up. When Elves Attack, written by Tim Dorsey, is a zany tale of a holiday season in Florida featuring Serge Storms the psychopath instead of Santa. Pick up this audio book if you’re in the mood for a laugh!
The latest celebrity biography has hit the shelves, this one featuring the musician, Prince. With three decades of recording Prince is the only artist since the Beatles to have a number one song, movie and single all at the same time. Ronin Ro maps Prince’s life from anonymity to stardom and shows the man behind the mask.
Want to know more about Amazon’s huge leap to success? Check out Richard Brandt’s biography, One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com. Brandt interviewed numerous employees, competitors and observers to get his unique perspective. This is an insightful journey which tells readers not only about the huge accomplishments of the company, but the man who founded it and lead the team to success.
John Grisham is back with another legal thriller, The Litigators. The partners at a small law firm have been working together for so long that they squabble like an old married couple. Day in, day out they work on the same types of cases without a lot of drama. Then one day a young burned out attorney coming off a bender lands on their doorstep and turns their world upside down. When opportunity knocks they jump at the chance of a big pay off without much work. They have yet to learn that when something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
What audio book are you listening to this weekend?
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Earlier this week I blogged about All Hallows Listen, and I have found my recommendation! Gather your family and friends around your computer or stereo system and get ready for an exceptional audio production! Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury is not your typical audio book. This is a production with a full cast, music and sound effects. It’s an engaging story and has been created in the format of radio theater.
In this story, a creepy carnival comes to town a week before Halloween and two thirteen year old boys, Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, are swept up in the excitement. There’s a house of mirrors, a maze and of course, a curious carousel. The carnival promises to bring you everything you wish for, but the boys will soon learn that what you wish for isn’t necessarily what you want. And if something is too good to be true, it probably is.
This wonderful audio production really adds to the story; you’ll feel like you’re walking (and running) through the carnival with the boys. The audio book was spooky, but not too scary. If you’re still looking for your All Hallows Listen pick, this would be a really fun audio book to listen to with a group on Halloween.
Have you listened to an audio book that was an amazing audio experience? Share your story in the comments section below!
All Hallows Listen!
Last year author, Neil Gaiman started a new trend, instead of just giving candy for Halloween, give someone a scary book! If you have a Twitter account you can join in the conversation with the hashtag #allhallowsread. I love this idea and have put together a list of scary audio books guaranteed to have chills running down your spine!
Here are a few books for younger listeners:
What audio book would you give for All Hallows Listen?
New Audio Book Releases
It’s Friday again and everybody’s looking forward to the weekend! Will you be spending some of your weekend with an audio book? If you don’t have a title ready here are a few suggestions of new audio books that have been released this week.
“Are you there, Satan? It’s me, Madison,” declares the whip-tongued narrator of Damned, Chuck Palahniuk’s subversive new work of fiction. The daughter of a narcissistic film star and a billionaire, Madison is abandoned at her Swiss boarding school over Christmas, where she dies of a marijuana overdose—and the next thing she knows, she’s in Hell. Madison shares her cell with a motley crew of young sinners united by fate to form the six-feet-under version of everyone’s favorite detention movie. Madison and her pals trek across the Dandruff Desert and climb the treacherous Mountain of Toenail Clippings to confront Satan in his citadel.
Passion, Danger and Witchcraft are the focus of Philippa Gregory‘s latest audio book, The Lady of the Rivers. The Lady of the Rivers is the remarkable story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the Wars of the Rose. A sweeping, powerful story rich in passion and legend and drawing on years of research, The Lady of the Rivers tells the story of the real-life mother of the white queen.
New York Times bestselling author John Connolly is back with a sequel to The Gates. The Infernals is a wonderfully strange and brilliant novel about a boy, his dog, and their struggle to escape the wrath of demons. Young Samuel Johnson is in trouble. Not only is his eyesight so poor that he mistakenly asks out a letter box on a date, but an angry demon is seeking revenge for Samuel’s part in foiling the invasion of Earth by the forces of evil. It wants to get its claws on Samuel, and when Samuel and his faithful dachshund, Boswell, are pulled through a portal into the dark realm, the home of the Infernals, it gets its chance.
Jeff Lindsay is back with latest audio book in the Dexter series. Dexter Morgan is not your average serial killer. He enjoys his day job as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, but he lives for his nighttime hobby of hunting other killers. Dexter is therefore not pleased to discover that someone is shadowing him, observing him, and copying his methods. Dexter is not one to tolerate displeasure, in fact, he has a knack for extricating himself from trouble in his own pleasurable way.
I’ve already listened to Damned, and am excited for The Infernals and The Lady of the Rivers, (I guess I have a lot of listening to do this weekend!). Which of these new audio books sparks your interest?
Searching for Something Spooky? – A Review of The Night Strangers
Chris Bohjalian’s new audio book, The Night Strangers is sure to send shivers down your spine. Chip and Emily Linton and their twin ten year old girls move into an old Victorian house in northern New Hampshire after double engine failure causes Chip to ditch his plane in Lake Champlain. Unlike the Miracle on the Hudson, 39 of the passengers on board the plane die in the crash. Coincidentally, the Linton’s new house has a strange door in the basement that has been sealed shut with 39 six-inch-long carriage bolts. This is definitely not lost on Chip who is immediately concerned about his unfortunate passengers and curious about what is hiding behind the door.
The door in the basement is not the only creepy thing in this new town, the women are very strange. They are called “The Herbalists” and they are all named after herbs, flowers and other plants. The women take quite an interest in the Linton twins as well as their father. This is rather unsettling as the previous owners of this old house also had a set of twins and one of them committed suicide in his early teens.
This thrilling tale is captivating from the very beginning. From the description I was expecting a tale of a haunted house, but this is much more than that. I listened to the last 6 hours straight through because I needed to know what was going to happen next. The narrators, Alison Fraser and Mark Bramhall do a wonderful job and heighten the suspense.
I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to get in the Halloween spirit with a good ghost story or anyone who enjoys the anticipation and excitement that comes with trying to solve a mystery.
Have you listened to this audio book? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
