We are living in historic times. That’s what we keep hearing. Well, there are many moments these days when I would prefer to live in some other historic times, and that is when I turn to the expansive library of historical mystery audiobooks. Recent releases provide us with the choice of many different time periods and locations. Read more…
Whether you’re primarily a romance fan or a sci-fi and fantasy fan, these charmed romance audiobooks with fantastical elements all make for magical listening—so everyone wins! I know I’ll be sneaking some of these into my own listening queue. Enjoy!
Happy National Dog Day! Today’s holiday is all about celebrating our furry friends in all their varied splendor. More than giving us an excuse to shower our pets with extra love and treats, today is also a time to honor how important dogs are to our lives, both as home companions and as assistants to help us work and get through everyday life. Read more…
Lots of people loved NEW KID, the graphic novel written and illustrated by Jerry Craft. It was the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal. One thing that makes the audiobook so special is the full cast and scene-setting sound effects that really bring the illustrations to life and make listeners feel like they are experiencing a movie. If you are looking for more immersive audiobooks about friendship and family for ages 8 and up, here are a few of my recommendations. Read more…
I’m thrilled to welcome Phoebe Strole to this month’s Take 5 audiobook narrator spotlight. I’ve been a fan of Phoebe’s work for a few years now, and though she has adult fiction and nonfiction titles on her résumé, I think of her as one of my go-to narrators for middle grade and young adult audiobooks.
Her youthful, but not childish, inflections enrich stories about children and teens. At the same time, Phoebe conveys the full emotional intensity of the action or issues at hand. The following recommended audiobooks include some of my favorite examples of her vocal skills. Read more…
It’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere, which normally means spending a week at the beach, taking a family road trip or train trip, or booking a vacation to a foreign country. This year, most of us will be doing our traveling from the safety of our armchair or garden—and with the help of an absorbing audiobook.
The most travel I’ve done over the last several months is a quick walk around the neighborhood. Still, I haven’t stopped dreaming of new adventures, though I’m not sure where my wanderlust will take me in the years to come.
In the meantime, as I wait for the pandemic to run its course, I’ve indulged in some virtual vacations by listening to audiobooks that transport me far from home. This summer’s motto is, Have earbuds, will travel! Read more…
It should be obvious now that we ALL need to be having conversations with our children about antiracism and how unjustly Black people have been treated in America. This collection of fiction and nonfiction audiobooks from authors and/or narrators of color shows Black people as heroes of their own stories. These audiobooks are all perfect for family listening to spark important discussions about fairness in America, a concept which all children inherently understand. Read more…
The Kardashians, Will and Kate, Harry and Meghan, Will and Jada . . . what do they have in common? Being in the spotlight. As they say, fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Being royal, going viral, or dodging paparazzi can be a painful tradeoff for fame and fortune. Let’s run the tape on five romance audiobooks with fame and celebrity themes.
Jump right in with hot title TAKE A HINT, DANI BROWN by Talia Hibbert, read by Ione Butler. Ph.D. student Danika Brown and security guard and former professional rugby player Zafir Ansari go viral thanks to a romantic photo of Zafir carrying Dani to the elevator. They make the best of it with a fake romance to benefit Zafir’s charity, but will a viral moment lead to a forever relationship? Narrator Ione Butler plays up the sarcasm and the genuine romance with a light English accent. Read more…
Today’s guest voice performer may be relatively new to audiobooks, but in just a few years his work has already won several AudioFile Earphones Awards and the 2020 Audie Award for Best Thriller/Suspense.
Even if you haven’t yet listened to Santino as an audiobook narrator, I bet you’re already familiar with his skills because he’s the voice behind FROZEN’s Prince Hans. Santino brings his impressive stage and film talents to our earbuds and seems equally at home with fiction and nonfiction. I am always taken with his characterizations, which move beyond simply giving each individual a unique voice. Santino digs deeper to signal, for example, temperament, feelings, and maturation, giving each character extra dimensions.
When you listen to the following audiobook recommendations, you’ll note Santino’s impressive sense of pacing, which provides us the time to absorb the nuances of the author’s intent or to react emotionally to the plot. Read more…
When I posted the recent blog on audiobook series to indulge in during our continued state of captivity, I realized I had focused almost exclusively on male authors. Well, there are many female authors with new additions to their series recently out or about to be published. Below is a sampling. Read more…
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