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!