Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

In case you missed it, there has been lots of controversy about Yann Martel's new audiobook, Beatrice and Virgil.  For a Canadian perspective, there's Quill and Quire's review: 

Martel’s prose is never boring, and his authorial voice is as playful, witty, and downright smart as ever.  Click here for more.

For a slightly less enthusiastic stance, there's the New York Times review:

Mr. Martel’s new book, “Beatrice and Virgil,” unfortunately, is every bit as misconceived and offensive as his earlier book was fetching.  Click here for more.

But not to be outdone, the National Post responds with a list of positive reviews.  Click here to read it. 

If anyone else would like to join the debate, let us know!  There's nothing like a good book review war to keep things interesting.

Is it cheating if you listen to the audiobook that doesn't exist?

Neil Gaiman is the latest author to create an imaginary book at The Hypothetical Library, and this time there's an accompanying audiobook (which is also imaginary).  About the project: 

The idea for this blog is to create an opportunity for a part-time book cover designer (me) to collaborate, with a wide range of amazing, contemporary writers on a project outside of their normal body of work.

The catch is that these books will never exist.  [read more]

Gaiman's contribution is called If You Read This Book the World Will End.  If you'd like to listen to some of the audiobooks Neil Gaiman has actually written, try Anansi Boys and The Graveyard Book--they're both fantastic.  Gaiman blends humor and fantasy to create entirely believable worlds that would definitely keep you entertained this summer.

Non Fiction New Releases

True Compass by Edward Kennedy 

Edward M. Kennedy is widely regarded as one of the great Senators in the nation's history. He is also the patriarch of America's most heralded family. In this landmark autobiography, five years in the making, Senator Kennedy speaks with unprecedented candor about his extraordinary life. [read more] 

The Genius in All of Us by David Shenk 

With irresistibly persuasive vigor, David Shenk debunks the long-standing notion of genetic "giftedness," and presents dazzling new scientific research showing how greatness is in the reach of every individual.
DNA does not make us who we are. "Forget everything you think you know about genes, talent, and intelligence," he writes. "In recent years, a mountain of scientific evidence has emerged suggesting a completely new paradigm: not talent scarcity, but latent talent abundance." [read more]

The Big Short by Michael Lewis 

When the crash of the U.S. stock market became public knowledge in the fall of 2008, it was already old news. The real crash, the silent crash, had taken place over the previous year, in bizarre feeder markets where the sun doesn't shine, and the SEC doesn't dare, or bother, to tread: the bond and real estate derivative markets where geeks invent impenetrable securities to profit from the misery of lower and middle-class Americans who can't pay their debts.  [read more] 

Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki 

In late January, 2009, Robert Kiyosaki launched Conspiracy of the Rich - a free online book which was written in serial basis to help people understand how the current recession came about, and what they need to learn on how to survive through the coming rough years. An unprecedented publishing event for Kiyosaki and The Rich Dad Company, Conspiracy of the Rich is an interactive project in which Kiyosaki has invited feedback, commentary, and questions from readers across the globe. Millions and millions of readers have flocked to the website, and some of their comments have made them contributors to the project, and ultimately this audiobook!  [read more] 

Linchpin by Seth Godin 

There used to be two teams in every workplace: management and labor. Now there's a third team, the linchpins. These people invent, lead (regardless of title), connect others, make things happen, and create order out of chaos. They figure out what to do when there's no rule book. They delight and challenge their customers and peers. They love their work, pour their best selves into it, and turn each day into a kind of art. [read more] 

Rework by Jason Fried  

Most business books give you the same old advice: Write a business plan, study the competition, seek investors, yadda yadda. If you're looking for a book like that, put this one back on the shelf.  Rework shows you a better, faster, easier way to succeed in business. Read it and you'll know why plans are actually harmful, why you don't need outside investors, and why you're better off ignoring the competition. The truth is, you need less than you think.  [read more] 

Embracing Change by Louise Hay 

In this powerful 2-CD lecture, Louise L. Hay discusses the profoundly emotional experiences that have shaped and altered her belief system--and reveals how you can also "change your thinking . . . and change your life!" Louise explains how she evolved from a fearful, abused young woman without an ounce of self-esteem . . . to the successful, empowered, internationally renowned teacher/author that she is today. [read more] 

Fiction New Releases

Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson

Mikael Blomkvist, crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government.  [read more] 

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family. Among them is Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson's wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, Major Pettigrew is one of the most indelible characters in contemporary fiction, and from the very first page of this remarkable novel he will steal your heart. [read more] 

Deliver Us from Evil by David Baldacci 

In South America a 96-year-old man of great wealth reads a book late one night and an hour later he lies dead in his bed, the secrets of his past starkly revealed. Six months later another mystery man lies dead at the bottom of his pool in a villa in Provence. This time, however, there's a witness at the scene: Shaw, the shadowy operative from "The Whole Truth," who barely escapes with his life.  [read more] 

9th Judgment by James Patterson 

With two elusive criminals on the loose, Detective Lindsay Boxer calls on the Women's Murder Club to help her stop them before they continue their spree. But before they can break either case, the Lipstick Killer changes his act and demands a ransom--not for a single victim, but for all of San Francisco. Lindsay puts her own life on the line--but will it be enough to save the city from this deranged killer?  [read more] 

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake 

It is 1940. France has fallen. Bombs are dropping on London. And President Roosevelt is promising he won't send our boys to fight in "foreign wars."  But American radio gal Frankie Bard, the first woman to report from the Blitz in London, wants nothing more than to bring the war home. Frankie's radio dispatches crackle across the Atlantic ocean, imploring listeners to pay attention--as the Nazis bomb London nightly, and Jewish refugees stream across Europe. Frankie is convinced that if she can just get the right story, it will wake Americans to action and they will join the fight.  [read more] 

Caught by Harlan Coben 

Seventeen-year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents can pin on her. Which is why, when her mother wakes one morning to find that Haley never came home the night before and three months quickly pass without word from the girl, the community assumes the worst. [read more] 

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay  

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah.  [read more] 

Bright-Sided by Barbara Ehrenreich

Anyone who isn't interested in self-help advice, but does like good cultural critique, should check out this review of Barbara Ehrenreich's Bright-Sided: 

"Ehrenreich wonders why, if we are so positive and happy, are so many of us on anti-depressants, the most commonly prescribed drug in the U.S. and represents two-thirds of the global market for the drug?"

Click here for the rest of the article. 

Ehrenreich is cantankerous as always in Bright-Sided, and it's a quick and entertaining listen if you've enjoyed her other books, or if you're tired of hearing about The Secret.  If nothing else, it's always fun to get the opposing point of view on huge pop culture trends.

On the Road the movie

It had to happen eventually--Jack Kerouac's classic On the Road is being made into a movie.  Sam Riley stars as Sal Paradise, while Twilight star Kristen Stewart plays Dean Moriarty's wife. 

[Click here for more info on the film.]

So, might as well read (or re-read) the book now so you can impress others with your knowledge of how they changed the story!

For those who need a bit more convincing, On the Road is a classic 20th century American novel that everyone should read/listen to at some point.  It draws from the experiences of author Jack Kerouac as he traveled around the country, meeting friends and other Beat writers, and it perfectly captures its era.

On the Road makes an excellent audiobook because of its casual, almost stream of consciousness narration.  Matt Dillon does a fantastic job of making it sound completely natural and not dated, and being able to listen while you drive really adds to the experience.  If you're taking any road trips this spring, definitely consider it.

Choose your own audio adventure

If you loved choose your own adventure stories as a kid, check this out: 

http://pc.ign.com/articles/108/1086803p1.html 

"Inspired by his own, personal challenges — loss of hand and wrist mobility, chronic pain and, now, hepatitis — and those of others, Earls has created an audiobook where listeners experience what it might be like if they were blind...and thrust into the adventure of a lifetime! 

'This can really be enjoyed by those with visual impairments and those without,' said Earls. 'It's very audio-driven, but there's an important, integral reason it is. It's not just an audio choose-your-own-adventure story. About half-way through, there's a pivotal revelation that blows peoples mind.' "

classic business titles

With all the business books that come and go, you would think older titles would be forgotten quickly, but actually some of our most popular titles are classics.  Most of them write on interpersonal and self-development issues rather than specific financial advice, so they don't become outdated. 

"Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain - and most fools do." *

Dale Carnegie (author of How to Win Friends and Influence People) is known for common sense advice on how to improve business skills like communication.

"First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination."*

Napoleon Hill (author of Think & Grow Rich) recently became popular again with the success of books like The Secret.  He offers a methodical approach to applying the law of attraction to your life in order to attract wealth and success.

"You can not entertain weak, harmful, negative thoughts ten hours a day and expect to bring about beautiful, strong and harmonious conditions by ten minutes of strong, positive, creative thought."  **

Charles F. Haanel (author of The Master Key System) is another author who gained new attention due to The Secret.  His works focuses on training your mind through a series of exercises.


* (Quotes from http://www.quotationspage.com).
** (Quote from http://www.goodreads.com).