The Bookshelf

The Audies nominations have been announced!  Just as exciting as the Oscars, but instead of the best in movies, the Audies celebrate the best in audio books.  We won’t know the winners until May 25, but you can access the full list of the nominees right now.   SPL owns several of the nominated titles, so be sure to visit our audio book section, right next to the Reader’s Services desk, to check them out.

This is my “beach book” list (part 1 teens and kids). Yes, these are written for a younger audience. But I enjoyed them. All are light reads and recommended. The 39 Clues series is my favorite so far.

The Sword Thief (39 Clues, bk. 3) by Peter Lerangis, audiobook

One False Note (39 Clues, bk. 2) by Gordon Korman; audiobook

The Maze of Bones (39 clues, bk. 1) by Rick Riordan; audiobook

The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn; audiobook

Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn; audiobook

Vibes by Amy Kathleen Ryan; audiobook

The Magician (Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Famel, bk. 2) by Michael Scott; audiobook

The Alchemyst (Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flam, bk 1) by Michael Scott; audiobook

Being Nikki by Meg Cabot; audiobook

The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler; audiobook

Gilda Joyce: The Ghost Sonata by Jennifer Allison; audiobook

Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake by Jennifer Allison; audiobook

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale; audiobook

Cupcake by Rachel Cohn; audiobook

The Princess Plot by Kirsten Boie; audiobook

A young woman came up to the desk seeking an audio-book copy of The Audacity of Hope read by Barack Obama.  She was on her way to the inauguration and thought it would be perfect as an introduction. Amazed to have found a copy on the shelf, I happily sent her on her way with cautions to dress warmly. I envy her the moment, but this interaction made me begin thinking about authors reading their own writing. With Obama, there is no problem. His ability to speak, his sense of timing as well as the timbre of his voice are hallmarks of a good narrator.  In fact, the narrator of an audio-book can be as important as the author. Most of them are actors with considerable training and experience speaking in public.

Very often, however, an author writes a popular new book and their agent or publisher or the wicked witch under a neighboring rock convinces them to read it themselves for the audio-book version. Perhaps, they themselves envision driving across the miles listening to their own pearls of wisdom in their very own voice.

In the case of Barack Obama, it merely enhances the experience of the listener. David Sedaris is another author who must read his audiobook for the sheer enjoyment of listening for his emphasis and meaningful pauses.

Others are not so good. I distinctly remember checking out Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, eagerly awaiting lush descriptions of the Tuscan countryside and mellow wine and quaint characters met along the way, only to hear the twang of a deep southern accent literally mangling Italian names. Disaster! A complete disconnect from expectations. Thankfully the library also purchased another copy of the same title, this time read by Barbara Caruso, a professional narrator. We can’t always get an alternative version, and it is not apparent when ordering which author is a fine narrator of their own works and which are not…and professionalism is not always a good determiner..Another older title by E.M Delderfield, God is an Englishman, was read by a narrator with such an unintelligible British accent as to be impossible to understand. Normally I enjoy British or Scottish accents, but this was not a keeper. I snatched it out of my player in two minutes flat.   So we will continue to listen and hope for good readers.