BEST VOICES OF 2010- FICTION

Dan John Miller — Dan John Miller always expertly captures the emotional heart of a novel with his audiobook performances, whether he's narrating classic Philip Roth (MY LIFE AS A MAN) or classic Pat Conroy (THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE). How does he do it? "I want to get into the mindset of the author," Miller says. "The book is someone else's work of art, and I want to respect that."

Cassandra Campbell
BRAVA, VALENTINE by Adriana Trigiani
JULIET by Anne Fortier

Emily Janice Card
THE LOST SUMMER OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT by Kelly O'Connor McNees

Rosalyn Landor
THE CHILDREN'S BOOK by A.S. Byatt

David Ledoux
FREEDOM by Jonathan Franzen

Dan John Miller
MY LIFE AS A MAN by Philip Roth
THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE by Pat Conroy

Bronson Pinchot
MATTERHORN by Karl Marlantes

Simon Prebble
THE CORAL THIEF by Rebecca Stott
DRACULA: THE UN-DEAD by Dacre Stoker, Ian Holt

Bahni Turpin
PRECIOUS by Sapphire

Simon Vance
PARADISE LOST by John Milton
A SECRET KEPT by Tatiana de Rosnay

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BEST VOICES OF 2010 - CHILDREN & FAMILY LISTENING

Daniel Bostick -- Visit Full Cast Audio's studio in Syracuse, New York, and you're just as likely to find Daniel Bostick on one side of the recording booth glass as on the other. Along with producing audiobooks for Full Cast Audio, Bostick also takes his turn behind the microphone, narrating single-voice performances (Michael J. Daley's SPACE STATION RAT, which stars what AudioFile called "the most appealing rat to appear in public since Disney's Ratatouille") as well as performing as part of the Full Cast Family ensemble of readers. In a behind-the-scenes feature, Bruce Coville, who directed SPACE STATION RAT, relates, "I really enjoy directing Dan, because Dan has always said to me that he thinks the better the actor, the more direction they actually require. And Dan is the best actor I know, and I love directing him because he's very susceptible and responsive to the suggestions that I make."

Jessica Almasy
CLEMENTINE: FRIEND OF THE WEEK by Sara Pennypacker
FALLING IN by Frances O'Rourk Dowell

Daniel Bostick and The Full Cast Family
SPACE STATION RAT by Michael J. Daley

Laura Hamilton
WINNIE, DANCING ON HER OWN by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Katherine Kellgren
ALCHEMY AND MEGGY SWANN by Karen Cushman
THE INCORRIGIBLE CHILDREN OF ASHTON PLACE by Maryrose Wood
THE RED PYRAMID by Rick Riordan

Channie Waites
ZORA AND ME by Victoria Bond, T.R. Simon

Bill Wallis
TUMTUM AND NUTMEG by Emily Bearn

Jim Weiss
CARRY ON, MR. BOWDITCH by Jean Lee Latham

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BEST VOICES OF 2010 - MYSTERY & SUSPENSE

Susan Ericksen -- "I have a great love of literature, music, the spoken word, as well as theater, dance, and history," Susan Ericksen says. "There's a kind of pleasure I get from bouncing around the different genres that I read." She may narrate a great variety of audiobooks, but Susan is firmly entrenched in the world of mystery and suspense, excelling at giving voice to the works of three powerhouse authors of the genre: Sara Paretsky, J.D. Robb, and Meg Gardiner.

Dennis Boutsikaris
THE BURNING WIRE by Jeffery Deaver
FIRESTARTER by Stephen King

Susan Ericksen
BODY WORK by Sara Paretsky
FANTASY IN DEATH by J.D. Robb
THE LIAR'S LULLABY by Meg Gardiner

Richard Ferrone
HEAD WOUNDS by Chris Knopf

Grover Gardner
THE WYCHERLY WOMAN by Ross Macdonald
THE GALTON CASE by Ross Macdonald

Phil Gigante
THE TWO-BEAR MAMBO by Joe R. Lansdale
THE REMBRANDT AFFAIR by Daniel Silva

George Guidall
THE MIDNIGHT HOUSE by Alex Berenson

Dick Hill
61 HOURS by Lee Child

John Lee
THE BELL RINGERS by Henry Porter
THE PRICE OF LOVE AND OTHER STORIES by Peter Robinson

Ron McLarty
THREE STATIONS by Martin Cruz Smith

Barbara Rosenblat
A RIVER IN THE SKY by Elizabeth Peters
206 BONES by Kathy Reichs

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BEST VOICES OF 2010 - HISTORY & HISTORICAL FICTION

John Lee — If it's possible to specialize in epically long audiobooks, then John Lee must certainly feel secure in his niche. Lee's 31-hour narration of Ken Follett's historical novel, FALL OF GIANTS, comes on the heels of the 29-hour marathon that is James Joyce's ULYSSES and the 22-hour HISTORY OF THE MEDIEVAL WORLD--and that's just this year (and not counting the score of audiobooks of more modest length he's also recorded recently). "That's what narrators say to each other, you know," Lee confides. "'Whoo, that was a long one!' They very rarely go, 'That was fantastic.'" Luckily for listeners, John Lee's performances are fantastic. Lee explains that his secret is stamina: "My dad worked as a carpenter until he was 79. The rest of the men in his family were blacksmiths. Some of my cousins are bricklayers and pipe fitters. We've got stamina. I've done farm laboring, so I know that narrating audiobooks ain't as hard as picking fruit. But it is effort. It gets insanely claustrophobic. Not because of the size of the studio, although you do work in tiny rooms, but because you're concentrating so hard." He says that his voice--English, with an echo of the family's Irish heritage--will hold out "for a pretty long recording day. Maybe 90 minutes at a stretch for five to six hours."

BEST VOICES OF 2010 - BIOGRAPHY & CULTURE

Karen White — Passionate, flawless, steady, compelling: These are just some of the words AudioFile's reviewers use to describe Karen White's narrating style. Whether she's dissecting financial scandals (Erin Arvedlund's TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE) or giving listeners access to the inner lives of dogs (Alexandra Horowitz's INSIDE OF A DOG), White draws listeners into compelling nonfiction accounts and then takes a step back, letting the facts take the stage, front and center, just where they should be. Listeners are guided but never overwhelmed, no matter how complicated a story she's telling.

BEST VOICES OF 2010 - AUTHOR-READERS

Frank Delaney — "Reading my own books on audio has an effect on the way I write," Frank Delaney says. Delaney's BBC radio training serves him well--narrating his own audiobooks, he uses his gentle, thoughtful voice to full effect. "The relationship between writer and reader is an intimacy between strangers, people who would never meet, and the relationship between the audiobook listener and the narrator of the audiobook is the same relationship." With such regard for the art of the spoken word, it's no surprise that Delaney's reading of VENETIA KELLY'S TRAVELING SHOW is perfectly rendered as audio listening, a feast of hilarious, improbable details and memorable characters, all magically intimate and emotionally real. Delaney promises a new book in 2012--we can't wait to hear it!

Elizabeth Gilbert — Where we most often appreciate hearing an author's own voice is in autobiographical accounts--the intimate experience of hearing authors sharing their own personal stories can make up for even a less-than-professional narration. Happily, Elizabeth Gilbert is warm and competent in the role of narrator. COMMITTED continues the story begun in EAT, PRAY, LOVE, and delivered in Gilbert's friendly voice, it's akin to a fascinating story shared with a friend over many cups of tea. Gilbert's humor and acknowledgment of her own foibles come through clearly in her delivery, making her story easy for any listener to relate to.

Carol Burnett — How could anyone less than Carol Burnett herself do justice narrating her memoir, THIS TIME TOGETHER? AudioFile's review raves: "One of the things Carol Burnett is famous for is her practice of 'bumping up the lights' in the TV studio and skillfully fielding candid and often-hilarious questions from her audience. Inspired by those moments, the award-winning comedian warmly presents engaging anecdotes from her personal life and career, ranging from her adolescence in Hollywood and early television and Broadway experiences to her TV successes, marriages, famous and infamous friends, and family. Burnett's bright and engaging tone brings to life both funny and sometimes-strange experiences with Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, and her variety show cast, among others. As she tells stories about her remarkable life, this upbeat audio provides keen insights on an American treasure."

Anthony Bourdain
MEDIUM RAW

Carol Burnett
THIS TIME TOGETHER

Michael Chabon
MANHOOD FOR AMATEURS

Frank Delaney
VENETIA KELLY'S TRAVELING SHOW

Elizabeth Gilbert
COMMITTED

Mary Karr
LIT

Lisa Scottoline
WHY MY THIRD HUSBAND WILL BE A DOG

Alice Walker
THE COLOR PURPLE

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BEST VOICES OF 2010 - YOUNG ADULT

Dion Graham — Whether he's narrating a celebrated novel about a young man's coming-of-age during the Civil Rights movement (Kekla Magoon's THE ROCK AND THE RIVER) or an illuminating history of the Ku Klux Klan (Susan Campbell Bartoletti's THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE K.K.K.), Dion Graham's rich voice makes young adult audiobooks glow with life. Graham has also narrated some stellar adult fare, including several works by Dave Eggers (we called his performance of A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS a tour de force, "transforming the words on a page into a vibrant experience"), but we hope he'll save a place in his repertoire for more audiobooks for teen listeners.

Dion Graham
THE ROCK AND THE RIVER by Kekla Magoon
THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE K.K.K. by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Nick Podehl
CHAOS WALKING Series by Patrick Ness
SWIM THE FLY by Don Calame
WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green, David Levithan

Joshua Swanson
SHIP BREAKER by Paolo Bacigalupi
SPLIT by Swati Avasthi

Julia Whelan
THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson

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BEST VOICES OF 2010 - MULTI-VOICE PRODUCTIONS


L.A. Theatre Works' audio theater collection spans everything from modern dramas to classic plays such as Moliere's SCHOOL FOR WIVES. With an all-star stable of Hollywood actors, including Mark Ruffalo, Edward Asner, Mary Stuart Masterson, Steven Weber, Richard Dreyfuss, and many, many more, LATW's unique repertoire and performances are unequaled. "The entire cast brings an easy charm and decidedly American accent to Moliere's comedy," AudioFile's review said about School for Wives. "They excel at clearly communicating the meaning of Richard Wilbur's rhymed-verse translation of the original French. A classic delight." And just one of many delights that await listeners looking for outstanding theater performances on audio.

Who could have guessed that pulp fiction would make a comeback, finding new life in the form of delightfully over-the-top audio theater performances? Someone at Galaxy Audio obviously knew, because 150 stories later, the "Golden Age Stories" have been made enduring all over again. Jim Meskimen, who directed the audio dramas as well as acted in them, characterizes the appeal for everyone involved: "I know for a fact that all the actors who get a chance to perform the pulp stories by L. Ron Hubbard in front of a live audience think it's a special and fun experience; there's nothing like it. The audience response is always strong--they're creating it along with you, and the stories are colorful and exciting. It's a forgotten art form, but in its simplicity and immediacy it has a lot of power to entertain."

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BEST VOICES OF 2010 - ENSEMBLE

Jonathan Davis, Dennis Holland, Kevin Pariseau, Victor Bevine, Jay Snyder, Brian Nishi, L.J. Ganser, Oliver Wyman, Marc Vietor
BURNING CHROME by William Gibson

Rich Orlow, Andy Paris, Nicole Poole, Mark Turetsky, Christopher Evan Welch
HOUSE RULES by Jodi Picoult

Richard Poe, Gerard Doyle, Carol Monda, Johanna Parker, Ramon de Ocampo, Chris Sorenson, Patricia Floyd
LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN by Colum McCann

Mark Bramhall, Kirby Heyborne, Lincoln Hoppe, Simon Vance
NOCTURNES by Kazuo Ishiguro

Michal Friedman, Ellen Archer, Robert Petkoff, Suzanne Toren
ROOM by Emma Donoghue

Treat Williams, Anne Heche, Erin Cottrell, Sarah Zimmerman, John Lee
THE SWAN THIEVES by Elizabeth Kostova

Joshua Swanson, Cassandra Morris, Bryan Kennedy, Peter Kim, Suzanne Toren, Gabra Zackman, Robert Petkoff
THIS BOOK IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU by Pseudonymous Bosch

BEST VOICES OF 2010 - FULL CASTS

Bryce Chamberlain, Coleman Creel, and a Full Cast
BRADBURY THIRTEEN by Ray Bradbury

R.F. Daley, Jim Meskimen, and a Full Cast
GOLDEN AGE STORIES Series by L. Ron Hubbard

Stacy Keach and a Full Cast
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF MICKEY SPILLANE'S MIKE HAMMER by Mickey Spillane, Max Allan Collins

Amy Irving, Edward Herrmann, and a Full Cast
SAINT JOAN by Bernard Shaw

William Brown, Kevin Fox, and a Full Cast
THE SCHOOL FOR WIVES by Moliere

Andy Serkis, Geoffrey Palmer, and a Full Cast
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS by C.S. Lewis

David Kelly and the Full Cast Family
STARCLIMBER by Kenneth Oppel

Robert Glenister and a Full Cast
THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells

Simon Russell Beale and a Full Cast
TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY by John le Carre

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