Golden Voices in Audio Books!

This is the conclusion to my audio book award winners series. The Golden Voice award represents the top narrators in audio book work as selected by the AudioFile editors. The award is a celebration of great actors who are committed to creating an amazing listening experience for the reader.

The narrator is the voice of the book. A good narrator or raconteur will capture the listener and keep them waiting with baited breath for what happens next. This is especially true for Jim Dale's brilliant readings of the Harry Potter series.  

A golden voice winner does not just recite the author's words, but creates a work of art. When a story is read well, I can visualize (yes, that's right, visualize) the characters speaking.  Remember I was not a fan of audio books, I could not see the point, but oh the difference an amazing narrator makes.  I actually find myself waiting anxiously for the next CD to begin and heaven forbid I arrive home before the chapter ends and the story has hit a climactic part. 

Imagine they have just found,... that's right you are home; you have no idea what they found, you are supposed to get out of the car! Perhaps you hear a piercing scream.... your mind races and you wonder, "What happened?!" Do you turn off the car and go fix dinner or do you sit in the car for a few more minutes to learn what happens next? What would you do? I personally have found myself sitting in the car until my son comes out and asks, "What's for dinner?" (sigh) "Really just a minute there's a big fight and.... 'Oh, ok, yes I'm coming(sigh). No, I'm coming right now.'"  Do you get the picture? 

If you are looking for a great book to listen to try one read by one of these golden voices. If you would like a complete listing of AudioFile's Golden Voice winners click here. Listed below are a few of the narrators we have in our audio book collection, but believe me we have many more great narrators in our collection!

Alyssa Bresnahan
Scott Brick
Barbara Caruso
David Case 
Jim Dale
John Lee
Robin Miles
Simon Prebble
Simon Vance

With or Without You

In previous blogs, I’ve mentioned my love of memoirs. There is something unique about being able to connect with a person through their written story. Biographies are dry, factual, not at all (ok, not always) narrative, but memoirs skate that line of fact and fiction by providing dialogue and setting through the recreation of the writer’s memory.

Recently, I read With or Without You by Domenica Ruta. This is Ruta’s first published book, but watch for more as I anticipate a wide following of her works. She was born and raised in Danvers, Massachusetts. Ruta is also a graduate of Oberlin College and holds an MFA from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin. She was a finalist for the Keene Prize for Literature and has been awarded residencies at Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, the Blue Mountain Center, Jentel, and Hedgebrook. Pretty impressive credentials, if you ask me.

Be forewarned that most people that have published memoirs did not enjoy the best childhoods, but their writing offers catharsis for what they’ve been through and guidance for the rest of us. Domenica Ruta’s life was no picnic, but her memoir is very unapologetic. Not that she has anything to apologize for, but her writing holds no trace of the anger and resentment that you would expect. It is laid out as a “this is what happened, here I am now” style. Late in the book she does express anger for some of her mother’s actions (or lack of action), while at the same time acknowledging how much her mother did give her. Ruta’s memoir serves as encouragement to anyone that must make a choice between family and health. Recognizing that you may not be able to overcome addiction without stepping away from a loved one is an issue that many people face.  Being able to say “I was there, I participated, and I want out” is a significant achievement for a person.

I expect many great things of Domenica Ruta. Considering her age, I’m also hoping that she continues down the path of Mary Karr and gives us more memoirs in the future. Reading a memoir is a good reminder of what it is to be human. If you read one and feel relief that someone else has shared your experiences, you can take solace in their words. If you read one and feel grateful that it is not your story, you can feel compassion for another human’s trials. Either way you are better connected to the human race.

Hunger Games Read-Alikes and Other Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi

If you have already read the Hunger Games trilogy multiple times, eagerly watched the movie, and can't wait until November for Catching Fire to be in theaters then here are some good reads to tide you over:

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
A religious leader has long predicted an Earth altering disaster.  Now it has occurred.

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
Bangkok is struggling for survival in an era of rising sea levels and mutations run amok.

Jennifer Government by Max Barry
In a future where people take the names of companies, Hack Nike tries to get out of a deadly contract.

Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks
In a futuristic world, evil controls the ruins of the United States and one man must search for a child that could save the world. A trilogy.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
In 2025, after her neighborhood is destroyed, a young woman named Lauren begins a journey.  Sequel is Parable of the Talents.

Player One: What is to Become of Us by Douglas Coupland
During a global disaster, an airport cocktail lounge becomes a refuge for five total strangers.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
A hopeful science experiment exacts a terrible price in this moving story of love and friendship.

The Children of Men by P. D. James
In 2021 humans are infertile and a historian and an unlikely band of rebels may hold the key to survival.

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
The story of a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of a not-too-distant future.

The Long Walk by Stephen King
In a futuristic America, 100 boys must endure a 500 mile, lethal race in order to win fame and fortune.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, and a psychologically charged tale that draws on Orwellian themes.

Blindness by Jose Saramago
A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" and the victims are confined to a vacant mental hospital.

Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut
An engineer must find a way to live in a world dominated by a supercomputer and run completely by machines.

Some classic titles:


Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle
In 1963 this terrifying novel launched one of the greatest science-fiction franchises in history.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
A future in which books are illegal and firemen burn books.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
This novel about a futuristic utopia, explores themes that still remain relevant even 70 years after it was published.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Set in a futuristic world in which all wildlife is extinct and cannibals roam about, a man and his young son journey to the sea.

Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell
One man's journey through a world that controls not only information but all individual thoughts and memories.

Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling
A tale of the aftermath of the failure of engines, electricity, and gunpowder.  What will humans do without their precious conveniences?

When the Sleeper Wakes by H. G. Wells
An 1890's printer falls asleep for 200 years.  He awakes and is master of the world and adored by all.  Or is he?

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Do you like fairy tales? I'm talking real-deal fairy tales: mysterious, otherworldly, and dark. If this is your cup of tea (it's certainly mine), then Neil Gaiman has a book for you. Several, really, but we'll stick to his latest: The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It's a slim novel, slightly autobiographical, and written in Gaiman's signature understated style, but don't let the sparseness of the prose fool you into thinking it lacks depth. This book will stay with you for awhile, and it may have you plumbing the depths of your own childhood in search of some not-so-golden memories.

In the book, an unnamed narrator, a middle-aged man, returns to his boyhood home in Sussex, England, to attend a funeral. After driving around a bit afterwards to kill time before putting in an appearance at his sister's, he finds himself looking for the house in which he spent several of his childhood years. Of course, he knows it's not there anymore. It was torn down and replaced with the "new house" his parents had built and later sold. But while everything else in the old neighborhood seems to have changed, there is one thing from his past that remains standing: the red-brick farmhouse that belongs to the Hempstocks, his beautifully strange neighbors from long ago who in fact still live there, and who appear to be human but are of much older, magic stock. And upon visiting that comforting house and the pond that sits out back in the farmyard, our narrator begins to remember the inexplicable and, frankly, terrifying events of his seventh year--the year no one came to his birthday party, the year his kitten was killed, the year he learned that magic and monsters are real. And the year he met Lettie Hempstock, the plucky girl who saved his life. 

I was a very sensitive kid, quite awkward, painfully shy, and far more comfortable around books than people, so I identified quite a bit with the narrator as he related the events--fantastic and horrific though they were--of that fateful year from his childhood. But Lettie? I loved her almost immediately! She's the sort of friend everybody needs and few have, the one who won't hesitate to push you behind her when the monsters come, the one who squeezes your hand reassuringly and says, "I'm not afraid of them." And believe me, you'll never have to worry about her letting you go.    

The Ocean at the End of the Lane unfolds like a dream you just can't quite seem to wake from, tender in parts and terrifying in others. Read it. Yes, it's a strange tale, but I've come to expect wonderful things from Neil Gaiman, and he has yet to disappoint me.

John Scalzi’s The Human Division: Adventures in Diplomacy

Typically, I try to not do the same author twice on this blog, however, I am compelled to break my self-imposed rule with John Scalzi’s recent novel, The Human Division. First, the book itself is unique as each of the thirteen episodes was written to stand alone (each episode was published serially as an ebook) but to also function as a complete novel in the end. Since Scalzi did not think this was enough of a challenge, all thirteen tales take place in his Old Man’s War series, but arguably, can stand alone from the main books of the series. Now, added to this complex set-up, Scalzi departs from the majority of the characters being genetically augmented soldiers fighting for the very survival humanity, to ordinary diplomats negotiating for the very survival humanity. This diplomatic crew, with soldier-turned-tech-advisor Lt. Harry Wilson, are shuttled from one diplomatic emergency to the next, with little expectation of success. With critical details of each mission kept from them, the diplomats have to try to stave off impending conflict with myriads of other alien species, all vying for a limited number of habitable planets.

Now, the trials and tribulations of the diplomatic corps might not seem to be exciting or even the usual fare for science fiction tales, Scalzi, in is unique and humorous way, pulls it off. As the diplomats are negotiating, Lt. Wilson and his reluctant partner, Deputy-Ambassador Harry Schmidt manage to get themselves into plenty of non-diplomatic adventures, to include escaping from an exploding space station, rescue a Lhasa apso from a carnivorous alien plant, and generally avoid being blown up.

As an author, I cannot recommend John Scalzi enough. The Human Division is certainly in keeping with his excellent and humorous style. Also, if you are a fan of sci-fi or of Scalzi’s writing, and have not delved into the Old Man’s War universe, I would strongly suggest you do so soon.

Goodbye Vince Flynn

Best-selling author Vince Flynn, who wrote the Mitch Rapp counter terrorism thriller series, passed away Wednesday June 19, 2013.  His books sold more than 15 million copies in the US alone. 

Flynn was dyslexic and in an attempt to conquer his dyslexia he began reading everything he could. This was when he found espionage thrillers, fell in love and decided to try writing one of his own. His first novel, Term Limits was written before he became a well-known writer. It was a self-published novel that became a best-seller. After his first story became a sensation he signed a contract with Simon & Schuster.

His character of his spy thriller series, Mitch Rapp seems to be a super hero as he foils the terrorists plans to detonate a nuclear warhead in Memorial Day;  battles terrorists who seize the white house and take hostages in  Transfer of Power  and is out for revenge after a Saudi billionaire puts a bounty on his head in Consent to Kill.  One of my favorite things about Vince Flynn was that he was dyslexic and although he struggled with writing his creativity and perseverance made his novels amazing!  

Flynn's almost clairvoyant approach to espionage writing  led to discussions with the secret service and review of his books by the pentagon before they were released. Flynn had an amazing imagination and used what was happening in the world to make his spy novels realistic. 

The last book Flynn wrote was, The Last Man, which came out in November 2012.  His fans will miss him, but all is not gone. His incredible writing has led to a  Mitch Rapp movie which will be based on American Assassin. This novel was released in 2010 and as of now CBS Films has the movie on track to be released soon.   If you have not read any of his works, it is never too late to pick one up and be swept away.

Rest in Peace Brave Souls--You Will Forever Remain Heroes

On June 30, 2013, America lost 19 more heroes.  While fighting a 2000 acre wildfire south of Prescott, Arizona, 19 of 20 crew members of the elite Granite Mountain Hotshots perished.  It is just another example of how much fire fighters risk when they protect our homes and families. Thank you to all the fire personnel in the U. S. and around the world for keeping us safe.

Interagency hotshot crew (IHC) or hotshot crew is a handcrew of 20 firefighters specially trained in wildfire suppression tactics.  There are over one hundred IHCs in operation in the U. S. and the first hotshot crews started in California in the late 1940s.  A smoke jumper is a firefighter who parachutes into a remote area to combat wildfires.  Russia and the U. S. have employed smoke jumpers since the 1930s.

The following are books and movies that will familiarize us with the hazardous and extraordinary work of wildland firefighters:

Firestorm by Nevada Barr
The Big Burn by Timothy Egan
The Smokejumper by Nicholas Evans
Black Fire by Robert Graysmith
Fire by Sebastian Junger
Firestorm at Peshtigo by William Lutz
Fire and Ashes: On the Front Lines of American Wildfire by John N. Maclean
Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean
The Wildfire Season by Andrew Pyper
Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Always (DVD)
Firelight (DVD)
Fire Wars (DVD)



Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the lost.  Rest in Peace.