A very exciting new project

Please check out the wonderful site for this new audiobook that will be published in time for Mandela's 91st birthday, featuring amazing performances by an international cast of actors and musicans.

The Alchemist!

So, I think this is the first time I'm writing in about an audiobook not our own, but I finished listening to The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), and it was an absolutely amazing listen! The kind you miss your subway stop for! Jeremy Irons reads, and his voice is just gorgeous, and the book is inspirational in a lot of ways and plain good storytelling in a lot of other ways. Loved it, and would recommend it for anyone- and I think it's especially a good story for family car rides or for young people, so a great one to pick up for summer listening!

More on Drood...(MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW IN THIS POST)

I have just finished listening to Drood by Dan Simmons. Narrator Simon Prebble has made this a fantastic production. It was so good that I got the book. I am only a chapter in, but I suspect that one might be better off listening to Drood. Although it is abridged, Drood is so dark and disturbing that my nerves were probably better off. If it had been any longer than the 10.5 hours, I might have had to resort to a few glasses of laudanum just like Wilkie Collins. I could go on and on so I’ll just leave you with a few of discussion points:

1.Simon Prebble sounds just like Paddington Bear. I can’t figure out what is more disturbing: Dan’s ability to create such a tortured character as Wilkie, or the thought of Paddington Bear carrying out Wilkie’s malicious deeds?
2.I have had nightmares about the fate of poor-pitiful Agnes. Was anyone disturbed by this as much as me?
3.Charles Dickens is the heart of Drood and after finishing Drood I’m inspired to do some research on his life as well as reread some of his works. Are you?
4.I’m still confused about this Drood. Help Megan!
5.Wilkie is clearly out of his mind. What do you think is wrong with him? Too much time in the opium dens? Schizophrenia? Gout? Obsessive jealousy of his frenemy Charles Dickens? Droooooood?

DROOD

Amber and I both listened to Dan Simmons' DROOD this week. She'll be updating the blog soon with some thoughts on the nightmares it gave her, but I just wanted to check in, too, to praise both the gorgeous (and at times horrific) detail in the language and voyages into undertown that Simmons creates and the absolutely wonderful narration of Simon Prebble, who really made Wilkie Collins come alive for me. At times, they made me dislike poor Wilkie so much that I felt that he really deserved anything that was coming to him (and throughout the story, the listener is really kept guessing at the depths of what that would be)! The locales and characters were such great company that I am sorry to have to move on now that I've reached the final chapter, but I look forward to loading a new book onto my ipod!

A Sad Day at Hachette Audio

Surprise!

So, as it turns out, Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth won our Grammy. Don't get me wrong, I like Al Gore, but he's won enough prizes for that piece of work, and I selfishly would have loved to see the prize go to one of our writers. Our odds seemed pretty good with two out of the five nominees!

Both Sedaris and Colbert had wonderful entries, but I'm thinking now that the humor vote must have been very split, with Steve Martin competing in our category as well. Looking on the bright side, I'm thinking that at least continued publicity for An Inconvenient Truth might help the world, right? Right!

I didn't travel to LA for the Grammys this year, but it hardly mattered as far as keeping up with what was happening there. While in years previous, you might have to wait for a call from LA late at night, or read the results in the paper the next day, this year there was access granted to all, through technology and social media tools. I was on Twitter all afternoon following fellow Hachette Audioers in LA as well as TheGrammys official tweets, and was sad to get the bad news in real time, but really liked the immediacy of knowing what was going on at the award ceremony even though I was out with friends in Brooklyn. The Recording Academy also streamed the non-televised portion of the ceremony, which I'm not sure they've done before. What a wonderful idea! They might even find that certain awards that passed without mention in the media before getting picked up for stories now that there's more universal access.

For those of you who are still sad about our loss, as a consolation prize, here's a link to a segment (presciently) called “Who’s NOT Honoring Me Now” from an episode of last week's The Colbert Report (Grammy nominations featured from 2:34 on). I can't wait to tune in tonight and see if Stephen addresses the victory of his nemesis, GORE!

In happier news, I continue to listen to DROOD and am loving Simon Prebble's voice and accent.


Oh, and I almost forgot! Congratulations to our friends at Simon & Schuster Audio!

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

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I'm on my way out the door, again in the office at 7pm on a Friday, which is too wrong, but just wanted to check in with all the faithful readers of this blog to let you know I plan and hope to write an update or two while I'm on vacation the next couple weeks. However, I wouldn't be massively shocked if I don't.

In the meantime, know that I am listening to BEAT THE REAPER and it is SO GOOD. But don't worry about not getting an update on it now; it doesn't go on sale until Jan 7, so you have some time to start wishing for it. It's going to be huge! Also, the production team put some great little flourishes in that are making it super fun to listen to.

I hope you all have a wonderful new year!!!

Update!

So, there is so much very exciting stuff happening here at Hachette Audio. Not only were the GRAMMY nominees announced last week, but on the tail of that news, we got some pretty incredible reviews, from AudioFile Magazine and a few other publications.

Some of the titles getting a lot of great attention lately include Christopher Buckley's SUPREME COURTSHIP, which is read by Anne Heche (PW's starred review says "Despite the preponderance of men in SUPREME COURTSHIP, it is the brilliant casting of Heche—who keeps Pepper present at all times—that gives this audiobook an edge over the print edition," Michael Connelly's THE BRASS VERDICT, and DEWEY, the little cat that is winning more and more people over in audio!

Also, and in one of the most exciting bits of news for me personally, the entire department gets to go listen to David Sedaris read at Lincoln Center on Monday. It is going to be SO AWESOME. I love his live readings! More about this next week, probably including a photo of our gorgeous department dressed up for the event.

GRAMMYs!!!

Hi Everyone!
First off, let me tell you how ashamed I am that it's been several weeks without a post. I was promised guest reviews by a few coworkers I cornered and bullied, but it looks like my vacation week passed without an update. I am chastened, and because I want to make it up to all you loyal readers, I'm not starting my weekend until I've given you this post. Yes, I am lame and in the office at 6:30 on a Friday. Hopefully, though, I will not be lame enough to still be in the office at 7pm. So... on to the big news!

Nominations for the 51st Annual GRAMMY® Awards were just announced by The Recording Academy®, and while Lil Wayne tops the list with 8 nominations, Hachette Audio is not too far behind the music superstar, having been awarded two of the five nominations in the Spoken Word category! Congratulations to everyone who worked on I AM AMERICA and WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES!

This is our third nomination for David Sedaris and first for Stephen Colbert. These two Hachette Audio titles are in some very impressive company; click the link for information on our competition and other nominees.

Winners will be announced at the GRAMMY Awards Sunday February 8, 2009. GRAMMY SITE Best Spoken Word Album Nominees (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling) I AM AMERICA (AND SO CAN YOU!) by Stephen ColbertWHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES by David Sedaris.

I have a ton of other news and some reviews to catch you up on, so look for a flurry of posts next week!

Two very different nonfiction audiobooks to recommend!

Hiya!
So, although I’ve been under the weather and have been spending most of my free time sleeping, I have two audiobooks to report on today! I finished OUTLIERS, which I LOVED! Gladwell is always interesting, but I thought the anecdotes and his recommendations for making fairer systems (especially those that effect young children) that will yield several times the success stories were really thought-provoking.

Oh, and I almost forgot- the interview that follows is SO GOOD. Buy the audiobook, and keep listening after it ends, because he tells great stories and some suprisingly personal, revealing stuff from his own past. It's not just a recap of the book - it's a substantial and revealing conversation.

The second audiobook I have to report on is DEWEY. Although it, too, is nonfiction, I imagine it's finding a different audience; however, I enjoyed listening to both of them a lot. I haven’t finished DEWEY because I let the final CD get a little too scuffed when I used it in a very rough manner as a photo prop with a disgruntled cat (hello Eleanor Roosevelt!), but I’m going to get another copy and finish it because the story is just so wonderful! I love cats, but I should admit that I was a little skeptical when I began. I thought it might be too sentimental or silly. However, by the middle of the audiobook, I was totally sold on the idea that this one little cat changed and inspired a town and dramatically affected the lives of several people in it, especially that of author Vicki Myron, who shared a telepathic kind of relationship with the special cat, and relied on him for comfort as she battled cancer. Recommended to all cat lovers and to people who like small-town stories and people who like libraries and people who like being inspired!

Okay ttfn and have a great weekend, everyone!

Outliers!

I just finished the first disc of OUTLIERS, and I am so psyched to hear the rest. The idea of the only way to become a genius athlete/scientist/musician/etc is to have 10,000 hours of practice under your belt is really interesting. On the one hand, it shows how in control each individual is of his or her own destiny: in a study Gladwell cites, it was consistently those who didn't practice enough who were amateur pianists, and those who were virtuosos were always those who practiced more hours.

On the other hand, Gladwell speaks at great depth about how to an equal extent our fates are determined by our pasts, even down to details like our birthdays. I'll weigh in further as I listen to more, but it's incredibly compelling. I especially like that Gladwell reads himself, since his way of thinking and pulling together information is so unique. He has a reassuring, mild voice, nice to listen to!

What's coming up

Okay, first I need to mention two productions that I'm so excited about, but that you won't be able to listen to for a few months. One is BEAT THE REAPER, which I'm going to try to post a clip of here (we'll see if my technical acumen and Blogger's template aloows for this), and the other is UNDRESS ME IN THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN, which I'm reading an advance copy of now. Look for more info about these two soon! I hope to listen to the entirety of BEAT THE REAPER before the end of the month, but it's an early audio release - it won't be available for purchase until January!

I don't know about you, but I was totally convinced by the last two reviews. Both HERETIC'S DAUGHTER and MIKE'S ELECTION GUIDE are going on my iPod, stat. Thanks, Amber and Anthony!

And I almost wish I had a long road trip coming up, because ROADS TO QUOZ by William Least-Heat moon seems like a dreamy companion.

Mike's Election Guide by Michael Moore

Please America, I plead with you to listen to this audiobook written and read by Michael Moore!It's a quick listen at 3 hours, and love him or hate him, he raises many valid and interesting points. Entertaining and educational, the MIKE'S ELECTION GUIDE audio is worth your every minute.

If you ever wondered what Jesus had to say about abortion, or gay rights...Why the French pay more taxes than the US, but don't complain...or How we can solve the Social Security woes of all future genrations of Americans with the strike of a pen...Mike's audiobook is for you.

There still time left to make a difference! OneLove. -AG

OFF SEASON

So, I promised a review of OFF SEASON and got a little sidetracked! I can't believe a whole week has passed since I finished listening. We've been busy planning Spring 09 and working on the catalog for that, so I've been living in the future a little bit. Let me tell you, it's a season to look forward to for more than warm weather! A lot of really exciting first-time authors in addition to our wonderful standards who return.

Anyway, OFF SEASON draws the listener in with a really great story. I'm watching MAD MEN right now, and a lot of the same 1960s issues are brought up in Siddons' audiobook, although in a completely different way. The main story is of a complex woman and her family, of her coming of age in a well-off family that experiences several tragedies, and of her growing up and her relationship with her adult daughters, but along the way it also addresses antisemitism, racism, and the changing roles of women in American society. Parent-child and husband-wife relationships are examined in unflinching ways without the audiobook ever becoming either maudlin or cynical, which I really appreciated.
There are almost two books in this one, including the flashbacks of Lilly's childhood and then her present-day reality of her coping with widowhood.
Jane Alexander does a truly amazing job voicing both the young Lilly and her mature self. She keeps the character consistent, but a listener can absolutely tell when Lilly is a child and when she is a woman, without it ever seeming forced or false.A very skillful narration job, and I look forward to listening to other books narrated by her.

Still to come: Anthony's take on MIKE'S ELECTION GUIDE, and perhaps a weigh-in from Jon Klemm on the same title. They both enjoyed it, so I don't think we'll exactly have a point/counterpoint here, but I think they had slightly different reaction to aspects, so we'll see if we can stir up some controversy here.

The Heretic's Daughter

Even if you don’t listen to audiobooks on a regular basis, you should listen to The Heretic’s Daughter. Kathleen Kent’s debut novel follows Martha Carrier (one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts) and her daughter Sarah during the Salem witch trials. The story is really fascinating because Kent is a direct descendent of Martha Carrier. She did research for five years in order to meticulously depict the superstitious and ascetic environment of the time that led up to the trials. On top of that, Mare Winningham’s narration is exceptional, so much so that it brought the author to tears.

Checking in

So, we have some great guest bloggers lined up for next week: Amber Fairweather on HERETIC'S DAUGHTER and Anthony Goff on MIKE'S ELECTION GUIDE.

I'm going to finally get the chance to listen to OFF SEASON, since I hope to have a little time free this weekend (no pressing manuscript to read, and our big presentation was done this week). I finally have a chance to relax!

More to come soon!

Long weekend followup

Finished BOOK OF LIES! I don't want to ruin it for anyone else who's planning on listening, so I won't go into too much detail about the plot, but I have to mention a few of my favorite bits. As a Cleveland native, I get excited whenever the city is mentioned in a book or movie or TV show, so the fact that Brad set a great deal of the action there was a wonderful surprise! By the end of the story, I was nostalgic for home, despite the fact that the downtown gun chases are a little removed from the, ah, more suburban experience I had growing up.

I also LOVED the Jerry Siegel/Superman/comicbook stuff. I was so intrigued when I heard the premise of the audiobook- how would Brad get Superman's creation story entwined with the Cain story from the Bible? It ended up being seamless! I highly recommend that anyone who listens sticks around for the extra note from the author at the end of the audiobook. He talks a little bit about his research and quest to find a real-life murderer, and it casts an interesting light on the historical realities included in the book.

Brad's in the office for a signing today, and I'm totally going to get my copy signed, plus a few for online giveaway. One of the best perks of this job is getting to meet the authors! I'll try to post a picture later.

Oh, and almost forgot! Everyone should check out www.BradMeltzer.com for more information on the book, to see the trailer, and for information on the campaign to Save the Siegel House.