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.

Book of Lies

I just got back from the beach and I am SO relaxed that I don't even really mind that I'm still in the office at close to 7pm. I had an amazing time; my first visit out to Fire Island, and I am hooked. I never really thought of myself as a beach person before, but after a trip to Kiawah earlier this summer and then this jewel of a long weekend, I'm beginning to revise that opinion. As planned, I began listening to Brad Meltzer's BOOK OF LIES while I was out there, and I have to say how impressed I am with both the writing of the opening scene and the production--really beautiful swelling music and, of course, expert narration by Scott Brick. I didn't get enough alone-time with the audiobook because I was so surrounded by friends at almost every turn, but the few minutes I stole away to listen were totally worth it. Now in my memory that haunting first scene will always appear in tandem with darkening crashing waves and a gorgeous empty beach.

There's a new trailer for the book which I'll post as soon as I figure out where it's hosted on our servers. It stars Joss Whedon, Damon Lindelof, Christopher Hitchens, Brian K. Vaughn, and A.J. Jacobs.

Assorted linky update with a New York Times focus

I was tempted to try to back-date this entry, but instead I will simply apologize for another long absence. You didn’t miss much anyway. July was horribly hot here in New York and I don’t think anyone was in the best mood. Now that a hint of autumn is in the air, we should be able to have much more congenial discussion about our favorite audiobooks. I'm currently a little behind in my listening, having been busily away a lot lately for weddings and family vacations, but I'm really looking forward to listening to THE BOOK OF LIES by Brad Melzter, read by Scott Brick, and OFF SEASON by Anne Rivers Siddons, read by Jane Alexander. Perhaps I’ll finish one this weekend and post about it next week!

In other news from the office, Hachette Audio was featured in a New York Times article today! I’m getting good feedback from people who read the feature; they think the idea of including the audiobook in the DVD release of the Gossip Girl television series was a great idea, (we're even getting tweeted about on twitter!) and I’m excited that people are reacting so positively. Christina Ricci reads the audiobook, which is another draw for listeners (and that reminds me that I need to move Penelope up my netflix queue). I feel I’ve been hearing a lot lately about how teens don’t read anymore, so anything to get a book in front of them is a positive. It's cool to think of our audiobook getting to as large an audience as loves the show. Plus, I think that the DVD is pretty neat from a TV-watcher's point of view, too. It’s got so many great multimedia extras! I think I’ll have to go out and buy one for the department. Oh, and while I’m talking about wonderful NYT coverage, I’ll include another link, to the article Andrew Adam Newman wrote about our wake for the cassette. This one got a lot of pickup around the nostalgic internets... people are really going to miss our old pal.

Ron Paul's Audiobook: THE REVOLUTION

I have to let you know that Ron Paul's audiobook THE REVOLUTION is something that should be heard! If you voted for Bush (or love to hate him), enjoy history, or consider yourself an American patriot, you must hear THE REVOLUTION. This eye and ear opening account is read by Bob Craig, produced by Hachette Audio, and will remain relevant for many years to come.

PARTY AT HACHETTE AUDIO (waking the cassette)

Yes, it’s true! We were still producing audiobooks on cassette.
As of July 2008, we’re not.

Today the audio group at Hachette will gather with coworkers to reminisce about the good old days of bygone technology over drinks and snacks. We'll bemoan the ignoble loss of the 8-track player, wax nostalgic over our first vinyl records, and of course, above all else, honor the old cornerstone of the audiobooks industry, the humble cassette tape, with a toast.