I Am America (And So Can You!) the Audiobook Remix!!!

Last night, our good friend Stephen Colbert dedicated a portion of his show to discuss the dangers of copyright infringement and highlight the usefulness of his Grammy-nominated audiobook.

Colbert reminds everyone that he does NOT want his public to remix his audiobook, particularly chapter 7, with jaw-droppin’ beats.

Here’s a link to the Remix segment and his incredible black-lit music video, which must be seen to be believed.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/216595/january-21-2009/stephen-s-remix-challenge


Enjoy!

Testimony

For my very first audiobook review post, I'm going to talk about Testimony by Anita Shreve. More firsts - this is the only Anita Shreve book I've ever read (or listened to) AND it was my first multi-cast performance audiobook.

I don't want to give too much away about the story, with the hope that you'll decide to listen to it to, but it centers around a shocking videotape that's discovered at a prestigious New England Boarding school. It is of a sexual nature and the people in the video are minors. The repercussions surrounding the surfacing of the tape affects the lives of many, not just those directly in the tape. 

Well, from the moment the story began, I was hooked. Since the story is broken down into short sections narrated by 14 different actors (some playing more than one part), it was easy to pay attention to. Having a different voice for every character really created a multi-layered performance that lent itself to elevating the dramatic tension of the story even more - but I never felt like the delivery was overly done. The perfect amount of tension was created. Since there are so many characters to keep track of, what’s great is that there’s a PDF included on CD #8 that contains a detailed character listing. (I never needed it, but it was nice to know it was there if I ever did.)

Of course, I can’t give away the ending, but it definitely did not disappoint. I can’t say from this one book that I’m an Anita Shreve fan, but I’d be willing to give her other books a try since I did enjoy this one so much. Hopefully, you will too!

P.S. I Loathe You

Don't worry, I don't loathe you. P.S. I Loathe You is the title of Lisi Harrison's latest novel from her hit series The Clique!

You've read the books, seen the movie, and now it's time to listen to Massie and the Pretty Committee's adventures.

I had the honor of directing actor and narrator extraordinaire, Cassandra Morris. What's it like directing an audiobook? It's like a really fun car ride. And since Cassandra is so talented, this title was really entertaining to produce! I hope you enjoy listening to P.S. I Love You, available on itunes February 10, 2009.

P.S. I love you!

BEAT THE REAPER

Everyone needs to listen to this audiobook!

Not only is the story amazing, somehow taking elements from a violent mob story, a sexy behind-the-surgical-mask hospital procedural, a holocaust mystery, and a revenge tale, Josh Bazell makes it all come smoothly together via really fast-paced action and well-placed backstory. It's the kind of audiobook that makes you miss your stop on the subway. And not really care.

I can't say enough about the sound design in it. It's subtle, but incredibly, adds to what I already thought was a perfect book when I read it a couple months ago. Robert Petkoff, who is a seasoned actor, but working on his first audiobook for Hachette Audio, did such an incredible job with the voices and accents, from the Jersey mob guys to an old Polish lady, that I'm sure we'll be seeing more of him soon.

And now it's on sale! Lucky you!

Check out the website if you have a minute- its design is slick and there's a game! www.BeatTheReaper.com