Talking Book World Audiobooks

The Litigators by John Grisham

2012-01-13T13:06:00.000-05:00

It's no surprise that John Grisham's newest audiobook, The Litigators, is a big hit here. His formula of a lone lawyer taking on a massive corporation draws people in every time. But what is surprising is he includes a substantial amount of humor in The Litigators. From The Guadian's review:

"[T]here is a thick vein of sly, black humour running through the heart of this novel, thanks in large part to the magnificently unsavoury, wonderfully charismatic Finley and Figg. This is Grisham in Chicago, out of his southern comfort zone and revealing a hitherto-unsuspected wicked sense of humour. The Litigators is all the better for it."

Click here for the rest of the review, or click here for the audiobook.

New Year's resolution time!

2012-01-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

If you want to actually keep your New Year's resolutions this year, why not maximize efficiency by listening to an audiobook when you'd normally just be listening to ads on the radio anyway? There are lots of options, from self-help to productivity to education. Here are some of our picks for a great fresh start:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Marriage (Improve your relationship!)

In today's world, the desire to create a strong marriage and family is not enough, it takes a new mind-set, a new skill-set, and a new tool-set to deal with the challenge. The principles of The 7 Habits provide a time-tested mind-set and skill-set. In this program, Dr. Stephen R. Covey and his wife Sandra along with his brother John and his wife Jane offer insights and personal experiences in applying these proven principles to marriage and home. [read more]

Unlimited (Improve yourself!)

A lifetime’s worth of struggle is not overturned in a small moment of positive thinking. But if you have the right attitude - attitude and skills - you can and will accomplish anything and everything you want. This book gives you both, attitude and action. By its end, you will have all the tools you need to change your life. No hype. No false promises. [read more]

Getting to Yes (Polish up your business skills!)

Getting to Yes is a straightforward, universally applicable method for negotiating personal and professional disputes without getting taken - and without getting angry. It offers a concise, step-by-step, proven strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict - whether it involves parents and children, neighbors, bosses and employees, customers or corporations, tenants or diplomats. [read more]

Quick and Simple Spanish (Learn a language!)

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Spanish structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Spanish can actually be enjoyable and rewarding. [read more]

Postwar (Brush up on your history!)

Almost a decade in the making, this much-anticipated grand history of postwar Europe from one of the world’s most esteemed historians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first modern history that covers all of Europe, both east and west, drawing on research in six languages to sweep listeners through 34 nations and 60 years of political and cultural change—all in one integrated, enthralling narrative. [read more]

The Body Fat Solution (Improve your health!)

By now, we all know that we gain fat when we take in more calories than we burn. But we’re not always rational creatures when it comes to food. Venuto provides a sound plan that will help us put the brakes on overeating by pinpointing the mental roadblocks and emotional eating patterns that are preventing us from losing weight for good. [read more]

Best Audiobooks of 2011

2011-12-30T13:39:00.000-05:00

It's that special time of year when we are required to come up with a list of the year's best books. There were some fantastic audio titles this year, combining perfect narration with gripping stories. If you haven't heard these, we highly recommend them, whether or not they're the sort of audiobook you'd normally listen to.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Part memoir, part humourous essays, all wonderful. Tina Fey relates key moments of humiliation in her life and shows you exactly why 30 Rock is as funny as it is.

Life by Keith Richards

You wouldn't think that a guy who claims to have only slept a couple of days a week for years would still be able to pump out 20 discs worth of a life story, but he does! Everything is Richards' life is so bizarre and improbably that it's compelling, even if you're not the biggest Stones fan.

At Home by Bill Bryson

Bryson excels at relating history in a way that makes you care. In At Home, he uses his house as a jumping off point to discuss the origin of all kinds of domestic things, including windows, spices, and home surgery (that one, thankfully, remains in the past).

A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin

Martin's fans had waited for this one for years, but it also brought in a massive new audience (along with the TV version of A Game of Thrones). Don't jump into the series with this fifth book (do start at the beginning, though!), and beware the cliffhanger ending.

The Reversal by Michael Connelly

Connelly's Harry Bosch series can do no wrong, and many fans said The Reversal was the best entry yet. Bosch and his half-brother are both working to keep a convicted child molester behind bars--you won't be able to stop listening.

Room by Emma Donoghue

For the more literary among us, try Room. Even though it's about a child and his mother kept prisoner in a room, the writing and narration make it gripping. It's rare for an author to let you into the character's head the way Donoghue does with Jack, and fans of The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-time shouldn't miss it.

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

Follett is best known for his medieval Pillars of the Earth series, but has now moved on to the 20th century, crafting a saga of five families as they move through World War I. Thrilling enough for thriller fans, and with enough detail to please history buffs, Fall of Giants has proved to be one of the most popular audiobooks this year.

Listening vs. reading

2011-12-15T11:10:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder whether there's a difference in how the brain processes audiobooks versus paper books? As it turns out, the brain actually creates images better when being read to than when reading from a book. This will probably come as no surprise to anyone who has listened while staring into space, envisioning the action of the audiobook. PsychCentral has collected links to the research proving this in a great article:

"What this research revealed perhaps argues for the superiority of the audio book: Reading interferes with imagery.
When you think about it, this makes sense because (as the researchers explain) reading and imagining both require visual representation. It appears that when the visual bits of our brain are busy taking in the written word, there’s less of them available for creating an image of the content."

Click here for the rest of the article--it's definitely worth it!

Death Comes to Pemberley = "incomparably perfect"

2011-12-09T12:06:00.000-05:00

PD James's new audiobook, Death Comes to Pemberley, has just gotten possibly the most positive book review we've ever seen over at USA Today:

"Countless authors writing in a plethora of genres have tried to re-create Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but James' new novel is incomparably perfect. . . Now 91, she's released this magnificent novel. We can only hope for a sequel. We wish P.D. James all the time in the world."

We already have a lot of PD James fans around here, but it sounds like this one should make many more!

Click here for the rest of the review.

Or click here for the audiobook.

Thinking, Fast and Slow

2011-12-02T14:40:00.000-05:00

The New York Times has just rated Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow one of the 10 best books of 2011, and it's been getting a lot of positive buzz in the stores as well. Kahneman delves into human thought processes, particularly how we make snap decisions versus reasoned, logical conclusions. We could quote the New York Times telling you how important and memorable the book is, but instead here's what they say about why experiences that end unpleasantly are remembered as worse than those that are consistently unpleasant:

"As with colonoscopies, so too with life. It is the remembering self that calls the shots, not the experiencing self."

Click here for the rest of the review.

Or click here for the audiobook.

The Drop by Michael Connelly

2011-12-01T14:55:00.000-05:00

Fans of the long-running Harry Bosch series will be happy to hear there's a new installment out: The Drop. This time Harry is closing in on retirement when he gets pulled into two cases, a suicide and a cold case. CNN interviews Michael Connelly about the new audiobook:

"CNN: What was the spark behind your latest book?
Connelly: Actually, there were a couple different sparks. The book has two parallel stories going through it. One I call the political story. In a turnabout, Harry ends up more or less working for a guy who's been his nemesis in other books. That was an idea suggested to me by a cop a long time ago, and I've been holding on to it, carrying it around with me, waiting for the right time to write that story."

Click here for the rest of the interview.

Click here for the audiobook, or here for more Michael Connelly titles.

Fiction New Releases

2011-11-25T12:13:00.000-05:00

Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston

In Jurassic Park, he created a terrifying new world. Now, in Micro, Michael Crichton reveals a universe too small to see and too dangerous to ignore. In a locked Honolulu office building, three men are found dead with no sign of struggle except for the ultrafine, razor-sharp cuts covering their bodies. The only clue left behind is a tiny bladed robot, nearly invisible to the human eye. [read more]

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Not so very long ago, Eragon - Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider - was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders. Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. [read more]

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

It’s the early 1980s—the country is in a deep recession, and life after college is harder than ever. In the cafés on College Hill, the wised-up kids are inhaling Derrida and listening to Talking Heads. But Madeleine Hanna, dutiful English major, is writing her senior thesis on Jane Austen and George Eliot, purveyors of the marriage plot that lies at the heart of the greatest English novels. [read more]

Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson

The president's son and daughter are abducted, and Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene. But someone very high-up is using the FBI, Secret Service, and CIA to keep him off the case and in the dark. A deadly contagion in the water supply cripples half of the capital, and Alex discovers that someone may be about to unleash the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced. [read more]

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

A woman with a murky past who kills herself--or was it murder? A spoiled kid awash in gambling debt who thinks he can beat the system. A lovely woman whose life is about to splinter into a thousand fragments. A professional shoplifting ring working for the Mob, racking up millions from stolen goods. A wandering husband, rich and ruthless. A dirty cop so entrenched on the force he is immune to exposure. [read more]

The Night Eternal by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan

It’s been two years since the vampiric virus was unleashed in The Strain and the entire world now lies on the brink of annihilation. There has been a mass extermination of humans orchestrated by the Master - an ancient vampire possessed of unparalleled powers. The future of humankind lies in the hands of a ragtag band of freedom fighters - Dr. Eph Goodweather, Dr. Nora Martinez, Vasiliy Fet, and Mr. Quinlan, the half-breed offspring of the Master who is bent on revenge. [read more]

The Next Always by Nora Roberts

The historic hotel in Boonsboro has endured war and peace, the changing of hands, and even rumored hauntings. Now it’s getting a major face-lift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect in the family, Beckett’s social life consists mostly of talking shop over pizza and beer. But there’s another project he’s got his eye on: the girl he’s been waiting to kiss since he was sixteen. [read more]

Non Fiction New Releases

2011-11-24T15:16:00.000-05:00

That Used to Be Us by Thomas Friedman

America has a huge problem. It faces four major challenges, on which its future depends, and it is failing to meet them. In That Used to Be Us, Thomas L. Friedman, one of our most influential columnists, and Michael Mandelbaum, one of our leading foreign policy thinkers, analyze those challenges - globalization, the revolution in information technology, the nation's chronic deficits, and its pattern of energy consumption - and spell out what we need to do now to rediscover America and rise to this moment. [read more]

Midas Touch by Donald Trump & Robert Kiyosaki

What makes some business owners wildly successful? What separates the entrepreneurs who build businesses from ones who just seem to create more work for themselves? How, exactly do the world’s most prominent business builders seem to hit home run after home run? The answer: They have the Midas Touch. [read more]

Great by Choice by Jim Collins & Morten T. Hansen

The new question: Ten years after the worldwide best seller Good to Great, Jim Collins returns to ask: Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty, even chaos, and others do not? In Great by Choice, Collins and his colleague, Morten T. Hansen, enumerate the principles for building a truly great enterprise in unpredictable, tumultuous, and fast-moving times. The new study: Great by Choice distinguishes itself from Collins’s prior work by its focus on the type of unstable environments faced by leaders today. [read more]

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

The guru to the gurus at last shares his knowledge with the rest of us. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's seminal studies in behavioral psychology, behavioral economics, and happiness studies have influenced numerous other authors, including Steven Pinker and Malcolm Gladwell. In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman at last offers his own, first book for the general public. It is a lucid and enlightening summary of his life's work. It will change the way you think about thinking. [read more]

War of the Worldviews by Deepak Chopra & Leonard Mlodonow

Two bestselling authors first met in a televised Caltech debate on “the future of God,” one an articulate advocate for spirituality, the other a prominent physicist. This remarkable book is the product of that serendipitous encounter and the contentious - but respectful - clash of worldviews that grew along with their friendship. In War of the Worldviews these two great thinkers battle over the cosmos, evolution and life, the human brain, and God, probing the fundamental questions that define the human experience. [read more]

Now You See It by Cathy Davidson

Using cutting-edge research on the brain, Davidson shows how the phenomenon of "attention blindness" shapes our lives, and how it has led to one of the greatest problems of our historical moment: Although we blog, tweet, and text as if by instinct, far too many of us still toil in schools and workplaces designed for the last century, not the one we live in. To change this, we must ask ourselves critical questions: How can we redesign our schools to prepare our kids for the challenges they'll face as adults? [read more]

Civilization by Niall Ferguson

2011-11-18T16:01:00.000-05:00

Niall Ferguson's last audiobook, The Ascent of Money, was such a smash hit that we're expecting good things of his new one. Civilization: The West and the Rest is out this week and should be a great listen for history buffs. From the New York Times review:

"What keeps the reader pushing on through “Civilization” is the author’s knack for making long-ago events as vivid and visceral as the evening news, for weaving anecdotes and small telling details together with a wide-angled retrospective vision. "

Click here for the rest of the review.

Or click here for the audiobook.

Non Fiction New Releases

2011-11-11T11:50:00.000-05:00

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Based on more than 40 interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries. [read more]

The Time of Our Lives by Tom Brokaw

Tom Brokaw, known and beloved for his landmark work in American journalism and for the New York Times bestsellers The Greatest Generation and Boom!, now turns his attention to the challenges that face America in the new millennium, to offer reflections on how we can restore America’s greatness. “What happened to the America I thought I knew?” Brokaw writes. [read more]

Back to Work by Bill Clinton

President Bill Clinton gives us his views on the challenges facing the United States today and why government matters--presenting his ideas on restoring economic growth, job creation, financial responsibility, resolving the mortgage crisis, and pursuing a strategy to get us "back in the future business." [read more]

Here Comes Trouble by Michael Moore

Michael Moore-Oscar-winning filmmaker, bestselling author, the nation's unofficial provocateur laureate-is back, this time taking on an entirely new role, that of his own meta-Forest Gump. Breaking the autobiographical mode, he presents twenty-four far-ranging, irreverent, and stranger-than-fiction vignettes from his own early life. [read more]

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?” [read more]

Fiction New Releases

2011-11-11T11:30:00.000-05:00

The Litigators by John Grisham

The partners at Finley & Figg--all two of them--often refer to themselves as "a boutique law firm." Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who've been in the trenches much too long making way too little. [read more]

Aleph by Paulo Coelho

In his most personal novel to date, internationally best-selling author Paulo Coelho returns with a remarkable journey of self-discovery. Like the main character in his much-beloved "The Alchemist, " Paulo is facing a grave crisis of faith. As he seeks a path of spiritual renewal and growth, he decides to begin again: to travel, to experiment, to reconnect with people and the landscapes around him. [read more]

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

In the spring of 1984, high school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably in love. Though they were from opposite sides of the tracks, their love for one another seemed to defy the realities of life in the small town of Oriental, North Carolina. But as the summer of their senior year came to a close, unforeseen events would tear the young couple apart, setting them on radically divergent paths. [read more]

Lethal by Sandra Brown

When her four year old daughter informs her a sick man is in their yard, Honor Gillette rushes out to help him. But that "sick" man turns out to be Lee Coburn, the man accused of murdering seven people the night before. Dangerous, desperate, and armed, he promises Honor that she and her daughter won't be hurt as long as she does everything he asks. She has no choice but to accept him at his word. [read more]

Robert Ludlum's The Ares Decision by Kyle Mills

A COVERT-ONE novel by Kyle Mills

With U.S. intelligence agencies wracked by internal power struggles and paralyzed by bureaucracy, the President was forced to establish his own clandestine group-Covert-One. It is only activated as a last resort, when the threat is on a global scale and time is running out. [read more]

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
It’s Christmastime, and the precocious Flavia de Luce—an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-solving—is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to ensnare Saint Nick. But she is soon distracted when a film crew arrives at Buckshaw, the de Luces’ decaying English estate, to shoot a movie starring the famed Phyllis Wyvern. [read more]

Time travel with Stephen King

2011-11-09T15:59:00.000-05:00

If you ever thought about what would happen if you could travel back in time and stop a pivotal event, Stephen King's new audiobook 11/23/63 is the audiobook for you. In a bit of a departure from his normal horror fare, King writes about a teacher who gets sent back in time and becomes obsessed with preventing the Kennedy assassination. The New York Times approves:

"The pages of '11/22/63' fly by, filled with immediacy, pathos and suspense. It takes great brazenness to go anywhere near this subject matter. But it takes great skill to make this story even remotely credible. Mr. King makes it all look easy, which is surely his book’s fanciest trick."

Click here for the rest of the review.

Click here for the audiobook.

Ellen Degeneres and audio - a perfect combination

2011-11-04T16:17:00.000-04:00

To end the week on a lighter note, check out Ellen Degeneres's new audiobook, Seriously. . .I'm Kidding. It's perfect for fun weekend plans or for holiday gifts for just about anyone (if you're shopping this early!). Here's an excerpt from Today Books that ought to make you want to listen to the rest:

"Perhaps you might like to hear about some of the highlights that have occurred throughout my life and career, but it’s hard to know what highlights you would find exciting versus the highlights I think are exciting. For example, a few years ago I called my credit card company and got a late fee reversed that quite honestly I didn’t think they’d reverse."

Click here for the rest of the excerpt.

Or click here for the audiobook.

Blue Nights by Joan Didion

2011-11-03T16:30:00.000-04:00

Joan Didion's Blue Nights is not the audiobook to listen to if you're already feeling down. Picking up where The Year of Magical Thinking left off, Didion explores her daughter's death and her own struggle with grief. The Wall Street Journal provides a good reason to listen to it:

"Yet, with her poignant descriptions of a much-loved little girl who grew up to be a troubled but still cherished woman, Ms. Didion has created something luminous amid her self-recrimination and sorrow. It's her final gift to her daughter—one that only she could give."

Click here for the rest of the review.
Or click here for the audiobook.

Non Fiction New Releases

2011-10-28T16:21:00.000-04:00

How to Win Friends & Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie

Dale Carnegie could never have predicted the trajectory that new media would take, and the ways that the simple television screen would be adapted into computers and handheld communication devices. He didn't know the term "social media" and Facebook was something not even dreamed of in Buck Rogers cartoons. And yet his lessons remain relevant for everyone who communicates online today. [read more]

The Secrets of the FBI by Ronald Kessler

The Secrets of the FBI, by New York Times best-selling author Ronald Kessler, reveals the FBI's most closely guarded secrets and the secrets of celebrities, politicians, and movie stars uncovered by agents during their investigations. Based on inside access, the book presents revelations about the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, the recent Russian spy swap, Marilyn Monroe's death, Vince Foster's suicide, and J. Edgar Hoover's sexual orientation. [read more]

The 3rd Alternative by Stephen Covey

The 3rd Alternative introduces a breakthrough approach to conflict resolution and creative problem solving. One of Time magazine’s 25 most influential Americans, Dr. Stephen R. Covey has helped millions transform their lives. In The 3rd Alternative, Covey turns his formidable insight to a powerful new way to resolve professional and personal difficulties and create solutions to great challenges in organizations and society. [read more]

Willpower by Ray Baum

For years, our concept of the self and well-being has been dominated by the notion of self-esteem, while the old fashioned value of willpower has been disparaged by psychologists who argued that we’re largely driven by unconscious forces beyond our control. In Willpower Baumeister and Tierney turn this misinformation on its head to reveal self-control as arguably the single most powerful indicator of success. [read more]

Fiction New Releases

2011-10-28T16:10:00.000-04:00

The Affair by Lee Child

Everything starts somewhere.... For elite military cop Jack Reacher, that somewhere was Carter Crossing, Mississippi, way back in 1997. A lonely railroad track. A crime scene. A coverup. A young woman is dead, and solid evidence points to a soldier at a nearby military base. But that soldier has powerful friends in Washington. Reacher is ordered undercover - to find out everything he can, to control the local police, and then to vanish. [read more]

Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke

Celebrated crime master and two-time Edgar Award winner James Lee Burke returns with a gorgeously crafted, brutally resonant chronicle of violence along the Texas-Mexico border. Sheriff Hackberry Holland patrols a small Southwest Texas border town, meting out punishment and delivering justice in his small square of this magnificent but lawless land. [read more]

The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta always has had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she met his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and saw her own power reflected in the young woman accused of witchcraft. They share the mystery of the tarot card of the wheel of fortune before Joan is taken to a horrific death at the hands of the English rulers of France. Jacquetta understands the danger for a woman who dares to dream. [read more]

The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje

In the early 1950s, an eleven-year-old boy in Colombo boards a ship bound for England. At mealtimes he is seated at the “cat’s table” - as far from the Captain’s Table as can be - with a ragtag group of “insignificant” adults and two other boys, Cassius and Ramadhin. As the ship makes its way across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean, the boys tumble from one adventure to another, bursting all over the place like freed mercury. [read more]

Interview with Nora Roberts

2011-10-24T13:05:00.000-04:00

No romance author is more popular around here than Nora Roberts, so we were excited to see this great interview with her at USA Today's Happy Ever After blog. Did you know she owns an inn? Or that she's second only to Oprah in charitable donations amongst celebrities?

Click here for the rest.

Click here for Nora Roberts audiobooks.

Sample of the new Walking Dead audiobook

2011-10-21T11:45:00.000-04:00

For those of you who follow the TV series The Walking Dead (or the original comic books), here's a link to a sample of the new audiobook version. It should be perfect Halloween listening.

Click here for "Exclusive Audiobook Excerpt: 'The Walking Dead - Rise of the Governor'"

Free samples of Stephen King's newest audiobook

2011-10-17T10:50:00.000-04:00

For all you Stephen King fans out there, here's a link to free samples of his upcoming audiobook, 11/22/63, which will be about the assassination of JFK:

Click here for the details.

Wilbur Smith, still popular after all these years

2011-10-13T13:40:00.000-04:00

Once in awhile, an author's popularity slowly and unexpectedly creeps up on us. They may have been writing for years, but suddenly everyone is interested. Wilbur Smith is one of the authors of the moment in our stores, and he's excellent for people who like a good thriller along the lines of Clive Cussler. Check out his newest audiobook if you haven't yet: Those in Peril.

Not convinced? Here's what Milo's Rambles has to say:

"The narrative is astonishingly fresh and grabs you from the start. I found the flow interesting – on the edge action scenes, realistic scenarios and fluidity that will leave you breathless counteract Smith’s steady scene building prose – unquestionably masterful, why on earth had I left it so long between novels?"

Click here for the rest of the review..

Click here for the audiobook.

Also new this week: is Richard Dawkins mellowing?

2011-10-07T10:43:00.000-04:00

Richard Dawkins is not known for his delicate approach in persuading people that atheism is the way to go, but his new audiobook looks decidedly less abrasive. The Magic of Reality, out this week, explains the many cool things that scientists agree definitely exist in the world. It probably still won't please the devout, but that's probably not his goal in any case. The Washington Post has an interview with Dawkins with a surprising revelation:

"Despite his criticism of superstitions, he allows, with a chuckle, 'I’m only human. Intellectually I don’t believe in ghosts, but I might be reluctant to spend the night in a haunted house, being there alone in the middle of the night.'"

Click here for the rest of the interview, or click here for the audiobook.

New this week: Boomerang by Michael Lewis

2011-10-04T16:17:00.000-04:00

Michael Lewis is on a roll--his last audiobook, The Big Short, was a huge bestseller, and the film adaptation of Moneyball is a hit in theatres. New this week, check out Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World, about the recent financial crisis. From the New York Times review:

"Mr. Lewis’s ability to find people who can see what is obvious to others only in retrospect or who somehow embody something larger going on in the financial world is uncanny. And in this book he weaves their stories into a sharp-edged narrative that leaves readers with a visceral understanding of the fiscal recklessness that lies behind today’s headlines about Europe’s growing debt problems and the risk of contagion they now pose to the world. "

Click here for the rest of the review, or click here for the audiobook.

Cozy fall covers

2011-09-30T11:52:00.000-04:00

There's a distinct chill in the air, and tomorrow promises to be even colder, so here are some cozy looking audiobook covers to cheer you up! (The audiobooks themselves might also help.) You can listen while baking, crafting, or cleaning up in preparation for cold weather ahead.

An Irish Country Courtship

Welcome to the colorful Ulster village of Ballybucklebo, where two doctors work hand in hand to mend the bodies and spirits of the town's diverse and engaging inhabitants. But who is looking after the wounded hearts of the doctors? [read more]

The Vintage Caper

Set in Hollywood, Paris, Bordeaux, and Marseille, Peter Mayle's newest and most delightful novel is filled with culinary delights, sumptuous wines, and colorful characters. It's also a lot of fun. The story begins high above Los Angeles, at the extravagant home and equally impressive wine cellar of entertainment lawyer Danny Roth. Unfortunately, after inviting the "Los Angeles Times" to write an extensive profile extolling the liquid treasures of his collection, Roth finds himself the victim of a world-class wine heist. [read more]

Walking in Circles Before Lying Down

Dawn's only source of security and comfort, it seems, is Chuck, a pit-bull mix from the pound. So, when her boyfriend announces that he's leaving her for another woman, a despairing Dawn turns to Chuck for solace. "I should have said something sooner," Chuck confides, as he tries to console her. "Couldn't you smell her on his pants?" Dawn is stunned. It's one thing to talk to your pets, but what do you do when they start talking back? [read more]

A Story-Gram from Vinyl Cafe, Inc.

Stuart McLean’s The Vinyl Cafe, one of CBC Radio’s most popular programs, is a weekly ritual for tens of thousands of Canadians that continues to grow in popularity. The show is centred around a fictional small record store, The Vinyl Cafe, and the store’ s eccentric owner, Dave, who lends Stuart music for his show and tells Stuart stories about his life, his friends, and his family -- wife Morley and children Stephanie and Sam. Stuart shares these hilarious stories with his audience. [read more]

Good Grief

Thirty-six-year-old Sophie Stanton desperately wants to be a good widow-a graceful, composed, Jackie Kennedy kind of widow. Alas, she is more of the Jack Daniels kind. Self-medicating with ice cream for breakfast, breaking down at the supermarket, and showing up to work in her bathrobe and bunny slippers-soon she's not only lost her husband, but her job, house...and waistline. With humor and chutzpah Sophie leaves town, determined to reinvent her life. But starting over has its hurdles; soon she's involved with a thirteen-year-old who has a fascination with fire, and a handsome actor who inspires a range of feelings she can't cope with-yet. [read more]

The Globe and Mail's top 10 audiobooks

2011-09-23T12:21:00.000-04:00

In case you're tired of our opinions on the best audiobooks, you can try The Globe and Mail's! Each listing has a mini-review to help you choose, and there's something for everyone. Click here for the story, and here are the links to the audiobooks on our site:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
The Greater Journey by David McCullough
Grand Pursuit by Sylvia Nasar
Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin

New political audiobook arrivals

2011-09-19T14:38:00.000-04:00

Just in time for fall, we have a crop of new political audiobooks. Even if you don't agree with the authors, it can be interesting to hear their perspective in their own words.

In My Time by Dick Cheney

In this eagerly anticipated memoir, former Vice President Dick Cheney delivers an unyielding portrait of American politics over nearly 40 years and shares personal reflections on his role as one of the most steadfast and influential statesmen in the history of our country. [more]

Demonic by Ann Coulter

The demon is a mob, and the mob is demonic. The Democratic Party activates mobs, depends on mobs, coddles mobs, publicizes and celebrate mobs - it is the mob. Sweeping in its scope and relentless in its argument, Demonic explains the peculiarities of liberals as standard groupthink behavior. To understand mobs is to understand liberals. [more]

The Triple Agent by Joby Warrick

In The Triple Agent, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Joby Warrick takes us deep inside the CIA’s secret war against al-Qaeda, a war that pits robotic planes and laser-guided missiles against a cunning enemy intent on unleashing carnage in American cities. [more]

The Night Circus

2011-09-15T13:36:00.000-04:00

One of the most anticipated new audiobooks for the season is The Night Circus, Erin Morganstern's debut. Not only does it have a great story, but Harry Potter narrator and fan favorite Jim Dale is the reader! Fans of literary fantasy like Neil Gaiman and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell should definitely make sure not to miss this one.

If you're not convinced, check out how effusively the Winnipeg Free Press praises The Night Circus:

"Magical. Enchanting. Spellbinding. Mesmerizing.

Morgenstern — in much the same way as her cast of magicians and performers might — builds a fantastic creation out of words and spells and ink and paper and the power of imagination. And like her colorful characters, she's not dealing in illusions and sleight of hand.

This is real magic."

Click here for the rest of the review, or click here for the audiobook.

The Language of Flowers

2011-09-09T15:13:00.000-04:00

This one barely came in the door before the New York Times reviewed it! Vanessa Diffenbaugh's debut audiobook The Language of Flowers should appeal to the book club set as it interweaves extensive floral symbolism with a story of a woman's troubled past. The New York Times agrees:

"Ballantine is surely well aware that there are book clubs that have theme parties based on a literary work’s ambience. In this case the festive possibilities are mind boggling."

Click here for the rest of the review.

Click here for the audiobook.

And why not take advantage of the last bit of summer and have a floral themed book club this month?

Back to school!

2011-09-08T15:29:00.000-04:00

The chill in the air is a definite reminder that it's time to put aside the beach reads and pick up some non-fiction. If you want to join your kids in learning something new, why not try one of these?

The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do

A "Cliffs Notes for life," this practical guide features 100 original essays by leading experts from around the world who offer their unparalleled insights into how to perform everyday tasks, from remembering names to ironing a shirt. It features both the famous (like Suze Orman) and the lesser known (like the head groundskeeper at Fenway Park). [read more]

Find Out Who's Normal and Who's Not

Do you have to worry about your co-worker, nanny, neighbor, or date? If you’re concerned about a new relationship, or even an old one, you will no longer need to rely on instincts, hunches, or horoscopes. Even when interaction is limited to mere observation or a brief exchange, whether you’re at a bar, restaurant, park, or even in an elevator, you can discover how to assess the general emotional stability of a person in just minutes. [read more]

On China

In On China, Henry Kissinger turns for the first time at book length to the country he has known intimately for decades and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape. Drawing on historical records as well as on his conversations with Chinese leaders over the past 40 years, Kissinger examines how China has approached diplomacy, strategy, and negotiation throughout its history and reflects on the consequences for the 21st-century world. [read more]

Quick and Simple Spanish

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Spanish structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Spanish can actually be enjoyable and rewarding. [read more]

How to Study

The best-selling study book of all time, How to Study, has gained immense popularity among students of all ages. Now updated and expanded for the information age, this "A-Plus" read includes areas such as how to create a work environment, excel in class, use the library, do online research, and much more. [read more]

Interview with Laura Lippman

2011-09-02T10:33:00.000-04:00

Fans of genre fiction unite! In an interview with Vulture, mystery novelist Laura Lippman has some strong opinions on cultural treatment of successful crime novels:

"[I]t suggests that genre in and of itself is a limitation. And then you can’t win. I guess I feel that with all genre novels — and crime is treated the best out of all of them — but basically, at the moment that any genre book is deemed a literary success, it’s like the cutest kid in the orphanage. Suddenly Daddy Warbucks arrives and takes it by the hand. Now you’re an heiress! We’re going to anoint you as literary fiction. You’re not genre fiction because you’re really good."

You should definitely click here to read the rest of the article.

Or, click here for Lippman's excellent audiobooks.

Timothy Ferriss: still odd

2011-09-01T16:06:00.000-04:00

Can't get enough Timothy Ferriss? You're not alone--his audiobooks (The 4-Hour Workweek and The 4-Hour Body) are consistent bestsellers. Sometimes inspirational, sometimes a little strange, he's definitely a unique guy. The New Yorker profiles him this week, and here is a small taste of the oddness:

"[The 4-Hour Body], which is five hundred and forty-eight pages long, contains a lot of colorfully odd advice—he recommends increasing abdominal definition with an exercise he calls 'cat vomiting'—but it also reassures readers that they need not go so far as to have Israeli stem-cell factor injected into the cervical spine, as Ferriss did in the name of inquiry."

Click here for the rest of the article.

Or, click here for The 4-Hour Body.

What Would George Carlin Do?

2011-08-26T13:30:00.000-04:00

A question for the ages: what would George Carlin do? Catherine Galioto remembers Carlin in BrickPatch:

"Still it is hard not to think: What Would George Carlin Do, given news about the debt ceiling or trying to make sense of Twitter. No doubt, he’d weave them into a combination of observational humor and social commentary that made him so well-loved by fellow cynics, nihilists or cranky folk. The folks who root for the end to come and will have popcorn at the ready for the entertainment of destruction —another theme so prevalent in his works."

Click here for the rest of the article.

Or click here for Carlin's last audiobook, Last Words.

The Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku

2011-08-25T14:40:00.000-04:00

Audiobooks by physicists are not always among our bestsellers, but Michio Kaku's The Physics of the Future has been in high demand around here lately for its lively, accessible descriptions of what science may bring in the future. Interested in the short version? Check out this review by The Wall Street Journal:

"Looking further along, he sees humans colonizing the solar system, 'terraforming' Mars to make its climate more Earth-like and dispatching probes—perhaps tiny thimble-sized probes using molecular-level nanotechnology—to other stars."

Click here for the rest of the review.

Click here for the audiobook.

Jon Ronson essay

2011-08-19T15:57:00.000-04:00

For those of you who enjoyed Jon Ronson's newest audiobook, The Psychopath Test, here's even more fun with unusual people, this time in the form of people who dress up as superheroes:

"I am rushing to the emergency room to meet a real-life superhero called Phoenix Jones, who has fought one crime too many and is currently peeing a lot of blood. Five nights a week, Phoenix dresses in a superhero outfit of his own invention and chases car thieves and breaks up bar fights and changes the tires of stranded strangers. I've flown to Seattle to join him on patrol."

Click here to read the rest. You really, really want to read the rest.

Nickel & Dimed revisited

2011-08-17T12:56:00.000-04:00

In preparation for Nickel & Dimed's tenth anniversary, Salon.com has published an update from Barbara Ehrenreich that addresses how her experiment would work today: If you haven't listened to the original audiobook, it's well worth it.

"In 2000, I had been able to walk into a number of jobs pretty much off the street. Less than a decade later, many of these jobs had disappeared and there was stiff competition for those that remained. It would have been impossible to repeat my 'Nickel and Dimed' 'experiment,' had I had been so inclined, because I would probably never have found a job."

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Click here for the audiobook.

Americans in Paris

2011-08-12T12:29:00.000-04:00

The release of David McCullough's The Greater Journey brings us a lovely essay by Charles Rearick on the history of Americans in Paris. It's always a popular topic, and perfect if you have a French vacation in your future. From the article:

"But the French capital as the Ville lumière is just one of a handful of identities of Paris that have flourished in the last century and a half. One big secret about Paris, I concluded years ago, is how the several different Parises have emerged and contributed to the appeal and mystique of the modern city. Alongside the shining city of cultural modernity / Ville lumière there’s the historic Old Paris, studded with architectural gems and “monuments”— from the medieval era (or even further back, Roman times) to recent centuries, “old” being redefined periodically. And in counterpoint to the Paris of elegance and refinement, there’s the city of earthy “pleasures” and rollicking “high times,” symbolized by nightly scenes at the Moulin Rouge and Maxim’s. "

Click here for the rest of the essay.

Click here to check out the audiobook of The Greater Journey.

Interview with Cassandra Campbell

2011-08-08T16:04:00.001-04:00

Publishers Weekly brings us another great audiobook narrator interview, this time with Cassandra Campbell. Here's her opinion on not liking the story she's reading:

"The hardest thing is to stay engaged in a story that doesn’t pull you in or that you don’t love. I learned years ago from my theatre mentor that, when acting in plays that aren’t necessarily brilliant, you have to bring yourself to it no matter what. For every book there’s someone out there waiting to hear it and they deserve the best performance you can give."

Click here for the rest of the interview.

Also, check her out narrating The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks or Brava, Valentine.

Bedphones!

2011-08-03T16:16:00.000-04:00

Lots of people tell us they love to listen to audiobooks as they fall asleep, so here's a cool new gadget to make it easier.

Bedphones - the headphones designed for sleep.

And in case your trouble is not the headphones, but getting to sleep, here are a couple of highly recommended titles to get you sleeping in no time:

Healthy Sleep by Andrew Weil and Rubin Naiman

On Healthy Sleep, these two mind-body experts present practical tools to help you enjoy the life-changing health benefits of optimum sleep, covering the roots of insomnia, and natural means to overcome it. [read more]

Delta Sleep System by Jeffrey Thompson

Dr. Jeffrey Thompson’s breakthrough audio techniques, developed over 15 years of clinical research, are proven to increase levels of Delta brainwave activity. He has helped thousands of people to achieve regular, restful, revitalizing, sleep. [read more]

See the movie, hear the audiobook

2011-07-29T16:07:00.000-04:00

If you haven't heard, the book club favorite Sarah's Key now has a movie version out in theatres! It's not the lightest summer fare, but excellent if you're in the mood for more serious subject matter. Check out the USA Today review:

"Unflinching yet poignant, Sarah's Key asks just how deeply you want to delve into your past. Based on the real and underreported roundup of more than 13,000 French Jews in Paris in 1942, Sarah's Key occasionally drifts into melodrama. But this adaptation of Tatiana de Rosnay's best seller has the subtle power of The Lives of Others, the 2006 Oscar-winning drama about a couple who struggle against government intrusion."

Click here for the rest of the review.

Click here to check out the audiobook.

"So much depends upon the reader"

2011-07-28T14:29:00.000-04:00

The Poughkeepsie Journal reminds us this week of the joy of being read to by a great narrator:

"I learned that life was not all that it appeared. It had twists and turns and spectacular surprise endings. But most of all I learned that there's nothing more marvelous than listening to someone tell a story."

Click here for the rest of the article.

Why not rediscover being read to this long weekend? You can listen to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle while you garden, or Blood, Bones, & Butter while you fire up the grill. You could even check skip the Harry Potter movie and listen to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows while you lounge in the sun.

Or, if you're stuck commuting, follow Erica Freudenberger's lead and go for Bossypants. You won't regret it.

Simon Vance on audiobooks

2011-07-22T12:51:00.000-04:00

Publishers Weekly brings us another great interview with popular audiobook narrator Simon Vance, who has narrated such big-name titles at The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and The King's Speech. Here's a shocking discovery from the interview:

"Sometimes I have relied on CliffsNotes as a cheat — why not! — to ensure I’m as familiar with the story as I think I am. Non-fiction may not require a pre-read if I know the subject — British history, autobiographies, and so on."

Click here for the rest of the interview.

Summer Sale!

2011-07-21T12:06:00.000-04:00

Drop into either of our stores soon for great savings!

Game of Thrones review

2011-07-13T16:25:00.000-04:00

If you've been watching HBO's Game of Thrones and are missing it now that the season is over, why not check out the audiobook? Although the plot is very close, the audiobook fills in many details and gives a richer experience of the story--if you watch reruns you'll see things you completely missed the first time.

For listeners who don't usually listen to fantasy audiobooks, don't worry, you may enjoy Game of Thrones anyway. It's unusually character driven and there aren't wizards and unicorns running around everywhere. The story follows the various powerful families in a medieval England-like setting as they maneuver for power--fans of historical fiction and the weighty classics will be in familiar territory here. There are also many strong women, a rarity in certain types of fantasy novels.

Two warnings, however: you will get hooked on the series, and do not get too attached to anyone or anything, because there are regular major plot twists.

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

2011-07-11T16:18:00.000-04:00

Jon Ronson always writes strange books--he was the creator of Men Who Stare at Goats (about secret government mind control trials), Them (about extremists of all sorts), and now The Psychopath Test, which is his most interesting to date.

Central to the story is an patient in an institution who faked insanity to avoid a prison sentence, but then found it impossible to get out because the very act of faking branded him a psychopath. Ronson spends much of the book questioning authorities on psychopathy, and, as the inmate's story shows, it turns out it's not the kind of black and white issue you might assume. In one memorable and completely bizarre scene, Ronson determines that a well-known CEO is also a psychopath by running through a checklist in the man's home.

This is an audiobook not to be missed if you're interested in the bizarre, or if you've always wondered if there's something a bit off about certain powerful people.

Interview with Lorelei King

2011-07-06T16:01:00.000-04:00

With the release of Janet Evanovich's newest audiobook, Smokin' Seventeen, comes an interview with long-time series narrator Lorelai King. King is beloved by audio fans for her ability to capture the wacky, offbeat characters peopling Evanovich's novels. It sounds like the work isn't as easy as it might first seem--check out her thoughts in Publishers Weekly on preparing to record:

"I read the book through once, making two running lists — character and vocabulary. Preparation and research are crucial – if you have a clear idea of your character voices and know all your pronunciations ahead of time, it saves loads of time and stress in studio … I do very little marking up of the script — I like to be in the moment and see what happens. I might underline a word if the emphasis is not obvious, or I might indicate a break for breath in a long sentence, but not too much else."

Click here for the rest of the interview.

An evening with Lisa See

2011-07-05T16:07:00.000-04:00

The sequel to Lisa See's bestselling Shanghai Girls is out now, and it's not to be missed--both audiobooks are great for fans of historical fiction like The Help and Cutting For Stone. See appeared at Denver's Tattered Cover bookstore to speak about the new book (Dreams of Joy), but also gave some interesting insight into life as a bestselling author:

"After toiling for several years, See wrote her breakout book, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. She reports that everyone she knew -- agent, editor, friends -- advised her not to write the book. 'No one is going to read that book,' they said.

Nevertheless, she felt drawn to write it. It was a freeing experience."

Click here for the rest of the article from Yahoo.

It's almost Canada Day!

2011-06-30T10:54:00.000-04:00

Before heading to the beach or the cottage for Canada Day, why not pick up some audiobooks to make your drive more pleasant? You could try a light mystery (John Grisham, Michael Connelly) or chick lit (Danielle Steel, Nicholas Sparks) if you're in the mood for something easy, or you could celebrate Canadian literature! Here are some great authors to get you started:

Lawrence Hill - The Book of Negroes

Aminata Diallo (“an amazing literary creation,” Literary Review of Canada) is the beguiling heroine of Lawrence Hill’s Book of Negroes. In it, Hill exquisitely imagines the tale of an eighteenth-century woman’s life, spanning six decades and three continents. The fascinating story that Hill tells is a work of the soul and the imagination. [read more]

Margaret Atwood - The Year of the Flood

The long-awaited new novel from Margaret Atwood. The Year of the Flood is a dystopic masterpiece and a testament to her visionary power. The times and species have been changing at a rapid rate, and the social compact is wearing as thin as environmental stability. Adam One, the kindly leader of the God's Gardeners--a religion devoted to the melding of science and religion, as well as the preservation of all plant and animal life--has long predicted a natural disaster that will alter Earth as we know it. [read more]

Yann Martel - Beatrice & Virgil

When Henry receives a letter from an elderly taxidermist, it poses a puzzle that he cannot resist. As he is pulled further into the world of this strange and calculating man, Henry becomes increasingly involved with the lives of a donkey and a howler monkey--named Beatrice and Virgil--and the epic journey they undertake together. [read more]

Emma Donoghue - Room

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work. [read more]

Non Fiction New Releases

2011-06-24T13:33:00.000-04:00

Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler

The son of a classical pianist straight out of the Bronx of old Archie comics, Steven Tyler was born to be a rock star. Weaned on Cole Porter, Nat King Cole, Mick, and his beloved Janis Joplin, Tyler began tearing up the streets and the stage as a teenager before finally meeting his "mutant twin" and legendary partner, Joe Perry. In this addictively listenable memoir, told in the playful, poetic voice that is uniquely his own, Tyler unabashedly recounts the meteoric rise, fall, and rise of Aerosmith over the last three decades and riffs on the music that gives it all meaning. [read more]

From This Moment On by Shania Twain

In riveting and often heartbreaking prose, Shania takes the listener back to these pivotal moments, revealing the difficulties she and her family faced. Shania writes of being discovered, time spent performing in Nashville, and her sudden, dramatic rise to stardom. She also spares no details about her recent personal struggles and heartbreaks - struggles she's never discussed publicly. [read more]

Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin

In this dramatic, behind-the-scenes chronicle, Howard Wasdin takes listeners deep inside the world of Navy SEALs and Special Forces snipers, beginning with the grueling selection process of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL - the toughest and longest military training in the world.. .His explosive combat tales and inside details of becoming one of the world’s deadliest snipers combine to make this the most thrilling and important memoir by a navy SEAL since Lone Survivor. [read more]

The Greater Journey by David McCullough

The Greater Journey is the enthralling, inspiring - and until now, untold - story of the adventurous American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, architects, and others of high aspiration who set off for Paris in the years between 1830 and 1900, ambitious to excel in their work. [read more]

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind in Turbulent Times by T. Harv Eker

In his world-renowned live seminars, T. Harv Eker has shown hundreds of thousands of people how to install the "Millionaire Mind blueprint" into the deepest levels of their consciousness right there on the spot--with phenomenal results! In "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind in Turbulent Times," T. Harv Eker will show you how to quickly and completely recondition your mind so that money and financial opportunity flow to you effortlessly. [read more]

The Millionaire Messenger by Brendon Burchard

In The Millionaire Messenger, Brendon Burchard pulls back the curtains on the once-secretive "expert industry" and shows how to become an influential and highly paid advice expert through websites, books, speeches, seminars, coaching, consulting, and online programs. [read more]

In the Plex by Steven Levy

Few companies in history have ever been as successful and as admired as Google, the company that has transformed the Internet and become an indispensable part of our lives. How has Google done it? Veteran technology reporter Steven Levy was granted unprecedented access to the company, and in this revelatory book he takes readers inside Google headquarters—the Googleplex—to show how Google works. [read more]

Instant Influence by Michael V. Pantalon

With six simple questions, motivational specialist Dr. Michael V. Pantalon teaches you how to plant the seeds for change, help others discover their own powerful reasons for change, identify effective "change talk", make an action plan, and create successful outcomes, even with people who are resistant to change. [read more]

Unlimited by Jillian Michaels

Forget surviving; it’s your time to thrive. You do have the ability and potential to achieve unlimited health, wealth, and happiness. Getting there won’t all be easy - nothing worthwhile ever is - but take this journey and your life will change dramatically. [read more]

The Best Advice I Ever Got by Katie Couric

What was the tipping point for Malcolm Gladwell? What unscripted event made Meryl Streep who she is? How did Mario Batali cook up his recipe for success? In this inspiration-packed book, Katie Couric reports from the front lines of the worlds of politics, entertainment, sports, philanthropy, the arts, and business—distilling the ingenious, hard-won insights of leaders and visionaries, who tell us all how to take chances, follow our passions, cope with criticism, and, perhaps most important, commit to something greater than ourselves. [read more]

20 Years Younger by Bob Greene

It's time to turn back the clock! In 20 Years Younger, Bob Greene offers readers a practical, science-based plan for looking and feeling their best as they age. The cutting-edge program details easy and effective steps we can all take to rebuild the foundation of youth and enjoy better health, improved energy, and a positive outlook on life. [read more]

Born to Win by Zig Ziglar

For more than 50 years, in a style that is unquestionably his own, Zig Ziglar has used his quick wit, down-home charm, and abundance of energy to inspire excellence in people throughout the world. In Born to Win, Zig's nonstop passion inspires and informs as Zig speaks to you as if you're sitting front-row center in his sold-out seminar. [read more]

Fiction New Releases

2011-06-22T16:13:00.000-04:00

10th Anniversary by James Patterson

Detective Lindsay Boxer's long-awaited wedding celebration becomes a distant memory when she is called to investigate a horrendous crime: a badly injured teenage girl is left for dead, and her newborn baby is nowhere to be found. Lindsay discovers that not only is there no trace of the criminals - but that the victim may be keeping secrets as well. [read more]

007: Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver

The face of war is changing. The other side doesn't play by the rules much anymore. There's thinking, in some circles, that we need to play by a different set of rules too....

Fresh from Afghanistan, James Bond has been recruited to a new agency. [read more]

Those in Peril by Wilbur Smith

Hazel Bannock is heir to the Bannock Oil Corporation, one of the major global oil producers. While cruising the Indian Ocean, her yacht is hijacked by Somalian pirates and her 19-year-old daughter, Cayla, kidnapped. The pirates demand a crippling 20-billion-dollar ransom for her release, and complicated political and diplomatic sensitivities render the major powers incapable of intervening. [read more]

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

In 1665, a young man from Martha's Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Upon this slender factual scaffold, Brooks has created a luminous tale of love and faith, magic and adventure. The narrator of Caleb's Crossing is Bethia Mayfield, growing up in the tiny settlement of Great Harbor amid a small band of pioneers and Puritans. Restless and curious, she yearns after an education that is closed to her by her sex. [read more]

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, and anger at her mother and aunt for keeping them from her, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father—the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers in the communist regime. [read more]

The Final Storm by Jeff Shaara

In the spring of 1945, Japan’s empire has been pressed slowly back toward its home islands, and the Americans mount a furious assault on the last great stepping-stone to Japan itself - the heavily fortified island of Okinawa. The three-month battle will feature some of the most vicious combat of the entire war, as American troops confront an enemy that would rather be slaughtered than experience the shame of surrender. [read more]

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

2011-06-21T16:08:00.000-04:00

Ann Patchett, author of the phenomenally popular Bel Canto, is back with a new audiobook, and it's a hit already. Fans of audiobooks that take them to far away places should be interested in State of Wonder's Amazon rainforest setting, and those who like a little politics in their fiction will be interested in the plot about pharmaceutical company research. And, as always, Patchett fills her story with characters you won't soon forget. From the Independent's review:

"Patchett's sympathetic instinct, the magical trick she performs which ensures that every novel she writes is a work to be embraced, is always to pull the reader in, not to alienate her."

Click here for the rest of the review or click here for the audiobook.

Happy Bloomsday!

2011-06-16T14:09:00.000-04:00

Looking for a way to celebrate Bloomsday? The LA Times offers 8! Our favorite is:

"And for a little taste of the real thing, there's this rare recording of James Joyce reading from his own writing, pointed out by Boing Boing in 2009. The James Joyce Centre says that he was recorded reading from his work in 1924 and 1929 at the urging of Sylvia Beach, a woman who knew "Ulysses" was special -- she was its publisher."

Click here for the other 7.

We'd like to add #9 - Listen to the audiobook!

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

2011-06-15T13:30:00.000-04:00

For the robot fans out there, here's an interview with the author of the brand new audiobook Robopocalypse. There are, of course, important moral questions to be answered for when the robots unite and take over the world, and the article provides a perfect primer:

“I think that the question typically boils down to, ‘Should machines demand moral treatment?’ and I think the answer is yes,” he says. “What happens if there’s a robot that looks like a person and you punch it in the face? What happens if your kid has a toy robot dog that looks perfectly lifelike and it puts it in the microwave? These are things that clearly have some ethical axis.”

Click here for the rest of the article.

On the other hand, the description of Robopocalypse says the robots are out to get you, in which case presumably you'd be justified in punching back.

Click here for the audiobook.

Born to Run follow-up

2011-06-10T13:19:00.000-04:00

One of this year's hottest audiobooks has been Born to Run by Christopher McDougall--even non-runners can be inspired by his masterful combination of science and wacky personal stories. The New York Times has followed up with an interesting column about whether or not barefoot running (which McDougall advocates) is a good idea. The (fairly predictable) answer is maybe, but the article is well worth checking out if you were intrigued by the idea in Born to Run.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/are-we-built-to-run-barefoot/

Showbiz memoirs

2011-06-06T13:23:00.000-04:00

From the classic days of television comes memoirs from two of the best: Jeannie Out of the Bottle by Barbara Eden and My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke. As it turns out, both are just as likeable as you would expect from their screen personae. If you're worried that they aren't relevent, consider this point from the New York Times review:

"As much as television has changed in 50 years, you can trace '30 Rock' directly back through 'Mary Tyler Moore' to 'The Dick Van Dyke Show': beneath its oh-so-nuanced emotional firewall and the sophisticated embrace-rejection tango with cynicism, there’s at least as much insulation from the harsher facts of show business and personal misery as when Van Dyke was trading writers’-room one-liners with Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam."

Click here for the rest of the review, or click here for Jeannie Out of the Bottle, or here for My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business.

June is Audiobook Month!

2011-06-02T14:42:00.000-04:00

With gardening, walks outdoors, and trips to the cottage here at last, June is the perfect time for Audiobook Month. Check out the Audio Publishers Association page for some cool author and narrator interviews:

http://www.audiopub.org/events-jiabm.asp

The Nelson DeMille/Scott Brick discussion is especially good if you're interested in how audiobooks get made.

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

2011-05-27T14:18:00.000-04:00

Erik Larson always picks entertaining topics for his audiobooks, which is what makes him popular even with listeners who aren't generally interested in history. Instead of relating dry facts, he finds a way to create a lively narrative with memorable characters. In Larson's new audiobook, In the Garden of Beasts, he uses an innovative way to get into the zeitgeist of World War II era Germany. From the New York Times review:

"'In the Garden of Beasts' has the clarity of purpose to see the Germany of 1933 through the eyes of this uniquely well-positioned American family. There are hindsight-laden books that see the rise of Hitler as a parade of telltale signs. There are individual accounts that personalize the atmosphere of mounting oppression and terror. But there has been nothing quite like Mr. Larson’s story of the four Dodds, characters straight out of a 1930s family drama, transporting their shortcomings to a new world full of nasty surprises."

Click here for the rest of the review, or click here for the audiobook.

Also, don't forget about Larson's previous bestseller, The Devil in the White City, which elevates the true crime story to an art.

And the winner is...

2011-05-26T13:29:00.000-04:00

The winners of the Audie Awards have just been announced, and as usual they've chosen some great titles! For those not in the know, the Audies are the Audio Publishers Association awards for excellence in audiobooks. Here are some of the highlights:

Audiobook of the year:
Life by Keith Richards

As lead guitarist of the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the riffs, the lyrics, and the songs that roused the world. A true and towering original, he has always walked his own path, spoken his mind, and done things his own way.

Mystery of the year:
The Reversal by Michael Connelly

Longtime defense attorney Mickey Haller is recruited to change stripes and prosecute the high-profile retrial of a brutal child murder. After 24 years in prison, convicted killer Jason Jessup has been exonerated by new DNA evidence. Haller is convinced Jessup is guilty, and he takes the case on the condition that he gets to choose his investigator, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch.

Non-fiction of the year:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine.

Thriller/suspense of the year:
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

Lisbeth Salander--the heart of Larsson's two previous novels--lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She's fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she'll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders.

And some fantastic runners up:

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (Children)
This Time Together by Carol Burnett (Biography)
Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh (Business)
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (Fiction)
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (Fiction)
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris (Humor)

There are many more, so click here for the complete list!

Area 51 isn't full of aliens?

2011-05-20T13:16:00.000-04:00

Annie Jacobsen's new audiobook Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base will definitely disappoint UFOlogists. Although she does address the alien issue, the audiobook is more focused on the military history of Area 51, and the story of the the book's genesis is the stuff writers dream of. From the New York Times review:

"Ms. Jacobsen, a national security reporter and contributing editor to The Los Angeles Times Magazine, happened to be at a 2007 family dinner with her husband’s uncle’s wife’s sister’s 88-year-old husband, the physicist Edward Lovick, when Mr. Lovick leaned over and said, 'Have I got a good story for you.'. . .He plugged Ms. Jacobsen into a network of elderly scientists, pilots, engineers and other witnesses who had firsthand accounts of Area 51 and its surroundings, a test range located in southern Nevada."

Sounds like the perfect summer listen for those who enjoy a good debunking (and those who enjoy real military history and investigative journalism, of course).

Click here for the rest of the review.

Or click here for the audiobook.

Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me

2011-05-13T13:50:00.000-04:00

Chelsea Handler is a big ol' liar. She does not deny it--check out Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea for evidence. But her new audiobook, Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me, elevates her lies to a whole new level, with hilarious results.

Instead of the typical comedian's audiobook consisting of personal anecdotes, Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me is made up of stories written and read by Handler's friends and family about the ways in which Handler has fooled them. It takes guts to admit that you're a complete sucker who is willing to fall for stories told to you by a person you already know delights in tricking people, but somehow they pull it off without making Handler look like a complete ghoul.

Highlights include telling people she was pregnant and then drinking in front of them, nearly ruining a honeymoon, and way more bodily humor than you'd expect from a 35 year old. It may sound mean-spirited, but everyone agrees that she only messes with you if she loves you. It's a great listen (although not for those who are easily offended, it must be mentioned).

Click here for the audiobook.

For the romance fans

2011-05-06T15:19:00.000-04:00

Fans of JD Robb's brand of edgy, action-based romance (and authors whose names consist of initials) should check out J.R. Ward. Her new Fallen Angels series is filled with bad boys forced to redeem themselves, plus mysterious women and motorcycles. How can you go wrong?

Click here to check it Covet.

Non Fiction New Releases

2011-05-02T16:08:00.000-04:00

Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku

Imagine, if you can, the world in the year 2100.

In Physics of the Future, Michio Kaku—the New York Times bestselling author of Physics of the Impossible—gives us a stunning, provocative, and exhilarating vision of the coming century based on interviews with over three hundred of the world’s top scientists who are already inventing the future in their labs. The result is the most authoritative and scientifically accurate description of the revolutionary developments taking place in medicine, computers, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, energy production, and astronautics. [read more]

Change Anything by Kerry Patterson et al

A stunning new approach to how individuals can not only change their lives for the better in the workplace, but also their lives away from the office, including (but not limited to) finding ways to improve one's working relationship with others, one's overall health, outlook on life, and so on.

For example, why is it that 95% of all diet attempts fail? Why do New Year's Resolutions last no more than a few days? Why can't people with good intentions seem to make consistent and positive strides in the way they want to improve their careers, financial fitness, physical fitness, and so on? [read more]

The Lost Prosperity Secrets of Napoleon Hill

It isn't everyday that an opportunity comes along to hear newly discovered advice for success in tough times book by Napoleon Hill, the legendary author of Think & Grow Rich, The Magic Ladder to Success, and The Master Key to Riches.

The Lost Prosperity Secrets of Napoleon Hill consists of a series of magazine articles Napoleon Hill wrote between 1919 and 1923 for Success magazine, for which he eventually became an editor. [read more]

The Awakening Course by Joe Vitale

Why did Albert Einstein say “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it?” Because the only way to make all your problems disappear is to transcend them. But how? Now you can awaken to all that is possible in every area of your life with this breakthrough abridged audio program. [read more]

The Law of the Garbage Truck by David J. Pollay

Twenty years ago, while riding in the back of a New York City taxicab, syndicated columnist and business consultant David J. Pollay had an awakening - and he converted the lesson he learned that day into a life philosophy: By letting other people's garbage - their negativity - simply pass by, and not dumping garbage on others, you can become happier and more successful, both personally and professionally. [read more]

Flourish by Martin E.P. Seligman

“This book will help you flourish.”

With this unprecedented promise, internationally esteemed psychologist Martin Seligman begins Flourish, his first book in ten years—and the first to present his dynamic new concept of what well-being really is. Traditionally, the goal of psychology has been to relieve human suffering, but the goal of the Positive Psychology movement, which Dr. Seligman has led for fifteen years, is different—it’s about actually raising the bar for the human condition. [read more]

Fiction New Releases

2011-04-29T16:16:00.000-04:00

The Sixth Man by David Baldacci

Edgar Roy - an alleged serial killer held in a secure, fortress-like Federal Supermax facility-is awaiting trial. He faces almost certain conviction. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy's attorney, Sean's old friend and mentor Ted Bergin, to help work the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins-en route to their first meeting with Bergin, Sean and Michelle find him murdered. [read more]

The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly

Mickey Haller has fallen on tough times. He expands his business into foreclosure defense, only to see one of his clients accused of killing the banker she blames for trying to take away her home.

Mickey puts his team into high gear to exonerate Lisa Trammel, even though the evidence and his own suspicions tell him his client is guilty. Soon after he learns that the victim had black market dealings of his own, Haller is assaulted, too - and he's certain he's on the right trail. [read more]

44 Charles Street by Danielle Steel

The plumbing was prone to leaks, the furniture rescued from garage sales. And every square inch was being devotedly restored to its original splendor-even as a relationship fell to pieces. Now Francesca Thayer, newly separated from her lawyer boyfriend Todd, is desperate. The owner of a struggling art gallery, and suddenly the sole mortgage payer on her Greenwich Village townhouse, Francesca does the math and then the unimaginable. She puts out an advertisement for boarders. Soon her house becomes a whole new world. [read more]

I'll Walk Alone by Mary Higgins Clark

In I'll Walk Alone, Alexandra "Zan" Moreland, a gifted, beautiful interior designer on the threshold of a successful Manhattan career, is terrified to discover that somebody is not only using her credit cards and manipulating her financial accounts to bankrupt her and destroy her reputation, but may also be impersonating her in a scheme that may involve the much more brutal crimes of kidnapping and murder. [read more]

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Sarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children--Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus.

Between recruiting the best and brightest minds as the vice president of human resources at Berkley Consulting; shuttling the kids to soccer, day care, and piano lessons; convincing her son's teacher that he may not, in fact, have ADD; and making it home in time for dinner, it's a wonder this over-scheduled, over-achieving Harvard graduate has time to breathe. [read more]

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet 28-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness-until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group-the fabled "Lost Generation"-that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. [read more]

The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel

Ayla, one of the most remarkable and beloved heroines in contemporary fiction, continues to explore the world and the people around her with curiosity, insight, and, above all, courage.

As the story opens, Ayla, Jondalar, and their infant daughter, Jonayla, are living with the Zelandonii in the Ninth Cave - a shelter of stone. Ayla has been chosen as an acolyte and has embarked on the arduous task of training to become a spiritual leader. The wisdom that Ayla gained from her struggles as an orphaned child, alone in a hostile environment, strengthen her as she moves closer to leadership of the Zelandonia. [read more]

Mystery by Jonathan Kellerman

Alex Delaware finds himself drawn into a twisting, shadowy whodunit that's pure L.A. noir-and vintage Kellerman. The closing of their favorite romantic rendezvous, the Fauborg Hotel in Beverly Hills, is a sad occasion for longtime patrons Alex Delaware and Robin Castagna. And gathering one last time with their fellow faithful habitués for cocktails in the gracious old venue makes for a bittersweet evening. But even more poignant is a striking young woman-alone and enigmatic among the revelers-waiting in vain in elegant attire and dark glasses that do nothing to conceal her melancholy. Alex can't help wondering what her story is, and whether she's connected to the silent, black-suited bodyguard lingering outside the hotel. [read more]

Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Little else in life is as dangerous as fire jumping. Flying past towering pillars of smoke, parachuting down to the edge of an all-consuming blaze, shoveling and sawing for hours upon hours, days at a time, all to hold the line and push back against the raw power of Mother Nature.
But there's also little else as thrilling - at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are one of the most exclusive firefighting squads in the nation, and the job is in Rowan's blood: her father is a legend in the field. She's been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home - even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering in the air. [read more]

The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker

Two abandoned souls are on the hunt for one powerful man. Soon, their paths will cross and lead to one twisted fate.

Danny Hansen is a Bosnian immigrant who came to America with hopes of escaping haunted memories of a tragic war that took his mother's life. Now he's a priest who lives by a law of love and compassion. It is powerful men and hypocrites who abide by legal law but eschew the law of love that most incense Danny. As an avenging angel, he believes it is his duty to show them the error of their ways, at any cost. [read more]

Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

2011-04-25T12:21:00.000-04:00

If not for his bizarre yet personable role on Parks and Recreation, it would be a surprise to learn that Rob Lowe is a smart and likable guy, capable of appreciating the craziness that is his life. Based on the New York Times review of his new memoir, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, it sounds like an audiobook to watch out for!

From the review:

"False modesty was one option, but Mr. Lowe turns out to be too smart for that. Indignation and whining were others, but he’s too self-deprecatingly funny. So often in this book he marvels at the sheer absurdity of his circumstances, as when he sat weeping at the deathbed of his beloved grandma, only to have a nurse ask for his autograph."

Click here for the rest of the review, or click here for the audiobook

The Information by James Gleick

2011-04-21T13:51:00.000-04:00

James Gleick new audiobook, The Information, follows in the paths of the many science and history tomes that have followed a single thing through history (salt, cod, coal, etc.). This particular version is unusual for being much more conceptual. Check out the New York Times review:

"Information, he argues, is more than just the contents of our overflowing libraries and Web servers. It is 'the blood and the fuel, the vital principle' of the world. Human consciousness, society, life on earth, the cosmos — it’s bits all the way down."

Click here for the rest of the review, or click here for the audiobook.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

2011-04-15T13:53:00.000-04:00

Many comedians and actors write memoirs that end up disappointing, but Tina Fey is not one of them. Her new audiobook, Bossypants, is one of the best so far this year. Fans of 30 Rock should definitely not miss it, because it turns out some of the funniest parts of the show are based in reality (those jars in the male writers' offices are for real?!).

Bossypants does not give the listener a full biographical account of Fey's life, instead moving from one anecdote to another, but the overall picture is so relatable that it doesn't matter. Her account of her disastrous honeymoon cruise is funnier than a story about dating and marrying her husband would have been, for instance, because who hasn't had the perfect vacation go wrong? By keeping her stories based on her mishaps, she avoids coming across as a celebrity on a different plane from her fans.

The only thing wrong with the audiobook is that there isn't more of it.

Stephen King on writing

2011-04-14T15:36:00.000-04:00

The Atlantic is running an interview with Stephen King that should appeal both to his fans and to those of you interested in the process of creative writing. His best advice?

"Eat three meals a day and sleep eight hours a night. I read a lot. I'm still in love with what I do, with the idea of making things up, so hours when I write always feel like very blessed hours to me."

Click here for the rest.

For more of King's writing advice, try On Writing. If you just want more of his short stories, try his latest audiobook, Full Dark No Stars.

The last Artemis Fowl?

2011-04-08T15:07:00.000-04:00

There's going to be a new Artemis Fowl next year, but it looks like it will be the last one! According to the press release:

"The eighth, as yet untitled book, starring the teenage criminal mastermind will be published by Puffin in Spring 2012. The plot is being kept strictly under wraps and will not be revealed until publication."

Don't worry, though, Eoin Colfer will continue with a new series. Click here for the press release.

If you haven't heard of Artemis Fowl, it's a great kids' fantasty series that should appeal to fans of Harry Potter and Rick Riordan, so check out the rest of the books before the new one is released.

Interview with Henning Mankell

2011-04-06T16:14:00.000-04:00

There's a new Kurt Wallander audiobook out by Henning Mankell! Fans of Mankell's previous audiobooks, as well as fans of the wildly popular Stieg Larsson audiobooks, should definitely check out The Troubled Man. This time, the action takes an unusual twist. From the Globe and Mail's review:

"But this isn’t a typical Wallander police procedural, says Mankell on the phone during a visit to France: 'He is not actually solving a case. He himself is the case.'"

Check out the rest of the review here, or click here for Henning Mankell's audiobooks.

The Social Animal by David Brooks - review

2011-04-01T16:19:00.000-04:00

It's rare that you see a book review include phrases like:

"Whether you happily agree with him or have trouble down holding down your porridge, the guy writes like an angel. His sentences have about them the burnished glow of polished oak furniture at the Century Club."

Glorious writing aside, David Brooks's new audiobook The Social Animal promises to be a fascinating treatment of success and day to day American life. Fans of Malcolm Gladwell and Thomas Friedman should not miss it.

Click here for the rest of the review, or click here for the audiobook.

Turning down the Booker?

2011-03-31T12:53:00.000-04:00

In an unusual move, Booker Prize nominee John Le Carre has declined his nomination. From the Guardian:

"'I am enormously flattered to be named as a finalist of the 2011 Man Booker International prize,' Le Carré said in a statement issued through his publishers 'However, I do not compete for literary prizes and have therefore asked for my name to be withdrawn.'"

Click here for more, or check out his newest audiobook, Our Kind of Traitor.

A Discovery of Witches review

2011-03-25T13:14:00.000-04:00

Deborah Harkness has scored a hit with her first audiobook, A Discovery of Witches--it's sure to appeal to Twilight fans with more grown-up tastes, as well as people who like a little history and a little fantasy in their reading. Diana Bishop, the last in a powerful line of witches, inadvertently stumbles across a rare manuscript at Oxford. It turns out that the book has been sought by vampires, witches, and demons for more than a century, and they will do anything to get it back.

The story progresses at just the right pace--there's plenty of detail when you want it, but it's compelling enough to make you always want to know what will happen next. The historical backstory of the vampires and the manuscript adds a nice dimension to the story, too, spanning all the way back to 500AD. Diana's romance with one of the vampires will probably feel a bit familiar to most listeners, but Harkness's writing is good enough to make it interesting anyway. The narrator is perfect for the role, handling a wide variety of accents with surprising ease. Definitely not an audiobook to miss!

Blink: Revolutionary?

2011-03-22T16:22:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it's easy to forget that books we all read ages ago can still be inspirational. Check out this story about how Blink is being used in book groups in Saudi Arabia:

"Inspired by their counterparts in Tunisia, Egypt and other parts of the Arab world, Jiddah's 20-somethings are ablaze on Facebook, blogs and Twitter, tweeting away on iPhones and BlackBerrys about government corruption and the need for political reform, while organizing social gatherings such as those at the bookstore that have long been taboo."

Click here for more, or click here to check out Blink for yourself.

The Tiger's Wife

2011-03-18T10:37:00.000-04:00

Book club readers should be on the lookout for Téa Obreht's first novel, The Tiger's Wife--it's getting rave reviews for bringing a human touch to the tragic events in the Balkans in the 90s and should provide much fodder for discussion. The New York Times says:

"Ingeniously, Obreht juxtaposes Natalia’s matter-of-fact narration with contemporary folk tales that are as simple, enthralling and sometimes brutal as fables by Kipling or Dinesen."

Click here for the rest of the review, click here for yet another review, or click here for the audiobook.

If you haven't heard of Room...

2011-03-16T13:46:00.000-04:00

If you haven't heard of Emma Donoghue's Room yet, you should definitely check it out. Donoghue has just been nominated for the Orange Prize long list after already being nominated for the Booker Prize short list, and it's always nice to see a Canadian book with buzz get an audiobook edition. Fans of topical, contemporary fiction like Jodi Picoult should love this one, which is about a boy and his mother locked away in a room. From the Globe and Mail's review:

"One of the many virtues of Room – the London, Ont., resident’s book has just been short-listed for this year’s Man Booker Prize – is how it addresses this question by reminding us of not just the terror, but also the daily tedium and the resilient humanity of the victims."

Click here for the full review, or click here for the audiobook.

Fiction New Releases

2011-03-10T16:31:00.000-05:00

Tick Tock by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

New York City's number-one detective, Michael Bennett, has a huge problem: the Son of Sam, the Werewolf of Wisteria, and the Mad Bomber are all back. The city has never been more terrified.
Tick: a killer's countdown begins:
A rash of horrifying crimes tears through the city, throwing it into complete chaos and terrorizing everyone living there. Immediately, it becomes clear that they are not the work of an amateur, but of a calculating, efficient, and deadly mastermind. [read more]

The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards

With revelations that prove as captivating as the deceptions at the heart of her best-selling phenomenon The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards now gives us the story of a woman's homecoming, a family secret, and the old house that holds the key to the true legacy of a family. [read more]

The Twelfth Insight by James Redfield

In The Twelfth Insight, the long-awaited fourth book in the beloved Celestine Series, we again follow our Hero and his close friend Wil. They have just received a portion of another ancient and mysterious manuscript that describes a secret approach to spirituality that is silently arriving in the second decade of the 21st Century. But the manuscript is only available in fragments. [read more]

Three Seconds by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom

In this dark and gripping novel from number-one best-selling Swedish writing duo Roslund and Hellström, Piet Hoffman is the Swedish police’s most valuable secret operative. His cover is that of a lieutenant inside the ruthless Polish mafia, trying to take over amphetamine distribution within Sweden’s prison system. With this, his most dangerous assignment, success will mean a new identity and the freedom to start a new life with his wife and young sons. [read more]

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together. Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. [read more]

Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag

Marissa Fordham had a past full of secrets, a present full of lies. Everyone knew of her, but no one knew her. When Marissa is found brutally murdered, with her young daughter, Haley, resting her head on her mother's bloody breast, she sends the idyllic California town of Oak Knoll into a tailspin. [read more]

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

Award-winning author Alan Bradley returns with another beguiling novel starring the insidiously clever and unflappable 11-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce. The precocious chemist with a passion for poisons uncovers a fresh slew of misdeeds in the hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey—mysteries involving a missing tot, a fortune-teller, and a corpse in Flavia’s own backyard. [read more]

Non Fiction New Releases

2011-03-09T16:24:00.000-05:00

Scorecasting by Tobias Moskowitz

In Scorecasting, University of Chicago behavioral economist Tobias Moskowitz teams up with veteran Sports Illustrated writer L. Jon Wertheim to overturn some of the most cherished truisms of sports, and reveal the hidden forces that shape how basketball, baseball, football, and hockey games are played, won and lost. [read more]

The Tell-Tale Brain by V.S. Ramachandran

V. S. Ramachandran is at the forefront of his field - so much so that Richard Dawkins dubbed him the "Marco Polo of neuroscience". Now, in a major new work, Ramachandran sets his sights on the mystery of human uniqueness. Taking us to the frontiers of neurology, he reveals what baffling and extreme case studies can teach us about normal brain function and how it evolved. [read more]

Now...Build a Great Business! by Mark Thompson & Brian Tracy

Don’t be daunted by a challenging economy and fierce competition. Even in the toughest environment, innovative, highly profitable businesses abound. And yours can be one of them with Now, Build a Great Business! This essential success kit from business heavyweights and acclaimed authors Mark Thompson and Brian Tracy is filled with straightforward, powerful strategies to ignite growth in your business. [read more]

The Investment Answer by Daniel C. Goldie

What if there were a way to cut through all the financial mumbo-jumbo? Wouldn't it be great if someone could really explain to us - in plain and simple English - the basics we must know about investing in order to insure our financial freedom? At last, here's good news. Jargon-free and written for all investors - experienced, beginner, and everyone in between - The Investment Answer distills the process into just five decisions-five straightforward choices that can lead to safe and sound ways to manage your money. [read more]

Trust Agents by Chris Brogan & Julien Smith

There's no question that the Internet has changed the way we do business - especially when it comes to marketing. Consumer environments are short on trust and populated by consumers who are cynical, savvy, and informed. Though it's easier than ever to reach your customers, it's less likely that they'll listen. Today, the most valuable online currency isn't the dollar, but trust itself. [read more]

ScreamFree Marriage by Hal Edward Runkel

Through the best-selling ScreamFree Parenting, Hal Runkel showed thousands of parents how keeping their cool can revolutionize their family life. In his groundbreaking new book, ScreamFree Marriage, Runkel now shows couples how learning to stay calm, in the face of common marital conflicts, is the key to creating and enjoying a deep, lifelong connection. [read more]

The Yes Factor by Tonya Reiman

The premier guide to combining verbal and nonverbal communication to gain confidence, establish credibility, and make lasting impressions. Yes: a small word, but the key to opening doors both professional and personal. The power of The Yes Factor gets you the job, the promotion, or the second date. But getting a "yes" can be tricky. [read more]

You Already Know How to Be Great by Alan Fine

Most people who want to get better—at hitting golf shots, negotiating with clients, delivering presentations, or any other field of endeavor—seek out new information. They read a book, take a class, hire an expert tutor. But as Alan Fine has learned from many years of coaching athletes and businesspeople, this “outside-in” approach often doesn’t produce the results people want. More information becomes a distraction rather than a solution, and high performance remains elusive. Fortunately, there’s a better way. [read more]

A pair of reviews of Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton

2011-03-04T13:50:00.000-05:00

It sounds like Gabrielle Hamilton's new memoir Blood, Bones & Butter is going to be the next hot foodie title. Blurbed by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain as "Simply the best memoir by a chef ever," it's definitely one to check out. Here's what the New York Times has to say:

"On the page and in the kitchen, Ms. Hamilton can be charming, tempestuous, persnickety, vulgar, poetic, provocative and mothering, sometimes all in the course of a single flurry of sentences. Whatever scars she has, she is not inclined to cover them." Click here to read the rest of the review.

You can also check out a review and a clip from the audiobook at Culture Mob: click here.

And of course, click here for the audiobook.

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland - review

2011-02-28T13:49:00.000-05:00

Fans of Susan Vreeland's Girl in Hyacinth Blue will be pleased to hear Vreeland has a new audiobook out, and fans of historical novels should check it out too. Here's a review of Clara and Mr. Tiffany from the Star-Telegram:

"Clara and her band of artist friends, many of whom are gay (and many of whom are also based on real people) are fun and lively, and Vreeland's characterization of Tiffany as the son of the ultra-successful jeweler is entertaining."

Click here for the rest of the review or click here for the audiobook.

Atlas Shrugged gets a movie

2011-02-25T14:33:00.000-05:00

We have a lot of Ayn Rand fans around here, so be sure to check out the trailer for the new movie adaptation of Atlas Shrugged:

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/ayn-rand-atlas-shrugged-trailer-released_b23330

Click here for the audiobook.

Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks author gives back

2011-02-08T14:23:00.000-05:00

You rarely hear about the ways a bestselling book can benefit people other than its author, so it's fantastic to hear that Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, has set up a foundation to aid Lacks's family. The book focuses on a woman whose cancer cells were cultured in a lab and changed how many aspects of biological research were done. Her family, meanwhile, remained in poverty, never seeing the benefits of billions of dollars worth of research. Check out the New York Times story on how they're finally seeing the benefits of Henrietta's cells:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/05/books/05lacks.html?ref=books

And be sure to listen to the audiobook, because it is fascinating. Click here for more.

The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene

2011-02-04T15:38:00.000-05:00

Physicist Brian Greene is back with The Hidden Reality, a fascinating study of parallel universes that's sure to appeal to fans of science writing. In his previous book, Fabric of the Cosmos, he proved himself to be a challenging listen, but well worthwhile. He has a way of using pop culture anecdotes to explain difficult concepts that keeps you wanting to hear more, and the concepts he discusses are flat out fascinating. The New York Times agrees:

"Bottom line: It’s exciting and rewarding to read him even when the process is a struggle."

Click for the rest of the review, or click here for the audiobook.

The Society of S by Susan Hubbard

2011-02-03T16:20:00.000-05:00

Twilight fans (and vampire fans generally) should check out Susan Hubbard's The Society of S: a compelling story about a girl who discovers her family are vampires. There's much less hand-wringing over boys than in the Twilight saga, which gives the author more time to develop her protagonist, Ari, as an independent-minded teenager. Even people who don't generally listen to vampire fiction should be able to sympathize with Ari's process of self-discovery, since the vampirism is secondary to Ari's questions about her parents and the society she lives in.

The narrator does an excellent job of capturing Ari's voice without being overwhelmingly childish, which makes the audio well worth a listen. There's not too more blood, so The Society of S would be suitable for teens and adults alike.

Click here for more info.

Meditation audiobooks

2011-01-28T14:58:00.000-05:00

Many of us may have made New Year's resolutions to be more mindful and less stressed, but it can be hard to know where to start. Thankfully, there is a wide variety of meditation audiobooks available to help you on your way. The New York Times reports that there is scientific evidence that meditation works. From the article:

"M.R.I. brain scans taken before and after the participants’ meditation regimen found increased gray matter in the hippocampus, an area important for learning and memory. The images also showed a reduction of gray matter in the amygdala, a region connected to anxiety and stress. A control group that did not practice meditation showed no such changes."

Click here to read the rest.

And here are some great audiobook options:

Meditations for Relaxation

The three guided meditations offered in this accessible resource allow even the busiest people to enjoy the calming benefits of slowing their thoughts and resting their minds. The stress-reducing and tension-easing techniques are designed to help relax the body and mind, and thus, discover the enlightened experience of inner-serenity and harmony. [read more]

Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief

Mindfulness can transform pain. Over the past three decades, Jon Kabat-Zinn has clinically proven it. Now, with Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief, the man who brought mindfulness into mainstream medicine presents for the first time on audio his original practices for using conscious awareness to free us from physical and emotional suffering. [read more]

The Yoga of Sleep

Dr. Andrew Weil has called his colleague Dr. Rubin Naimana a true pioneer in integrative sleep and dream medicine. Dr. Naiman has given us a new understanding of human consciousness that weaves sleep, dreams, and waking into a unified whole. [read more]

Meditation for Beginners

Meditation for Beginners is Jack Kornfield's most popular entry-level training course, with over 60,000 copies sold. Created specifically for novices, this complete introduction to meditation features four classical mindfulness exercises. [read more]

Elmore Leonard brings the sunshine

2011-01-27T15:02:00.000-05:00

When it's grey and snowing (as it is likely to be for the next little while), what could be better than a funny mystery set in a sunny climate? If you're in the mood for something light, try Elmore Leonard. Pirates? He's got them! Daredevils, mobsters, and assorted other unsavory characters? Those are there too. If you're still not convinced, here's a review of Leonard's newest book, Djibouti, from the London Evening Standard:

"Famously, Leonard constructs his thrillers by leaving all the boring bits out, even at the level of a single sentence. It can't be as easy as he makes it look, because, after all these years, there's still nobody who does it better. Or even half as well. Ridiculously enjoyable book."

Click to read the rest of the review.

If you want more, check out Leonard's website at http://www.elmoreleonard.com or click here for a list of his audiobooks.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

2011-01-21T15:52:00.000-05:00

Christopher McDougall's Born to Run is one of the best audiobooks we've heard in awhile. It's a fantastic combination of memoir, anthropology, and science, all focused around the subject of ultra marathon runners--people who run 100 miles or more at a time. This unusual group includes college party-goers, doctors, and a small group of native Mexicans who live deep in a barely accessible canyon, and the best part of the audiobook is when they all come together to race.

Don't worry if you're not a runner yourself--Born to Run is still fascinating. You will never forget Caballo Blanco, a mysterious American who lives and runs in Mexico, or Barefoot Ted, who runs barefoot even in insanely harsh terrain. The story moves quickly, especially when it's describing ultra marathons, and the narrator is fantastic.

Snooki and Giller winners

2011-01-19T16:13:00.000-05:00

In news we never thought we'd see, here's a link to Giller Prize winners reading an excerpt from Snooki's novel, A Shore Thing.

http://www.cbc.ca/day6/blog/2011/01/07/giller-winners-read-snookis-book/

Fiction New Releases

2011-01-14T13:24:00.000-05:00

Hell's Corner by David Baldacci

John Carr, aka Oliver Stone-once the most skilled assassin his country ever had-stands in Lafayette Park in front of the White House, perhaps for the last time. The president has personally requested that Stone serve his country again on a high-risk, covert mission. Though he's fought for decades to leave his past career behind, Stone has no choice but to say yes. [read more]

Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy

Dead or Alive brings together - for the first time - an all-star cast of Clancy's greatest characters in a joint showdown with global terrorists.

Jack Ryan, the former president of the United States, is out of office, but not out of the loop about his brainchild, the "Campus" - a highly effective, counter-terrorism organization that operates outside the Washington hierarchy. But what Ryan doesn't know is that his son, Jack Ryan, Jr., has joined his cousins, Brian and Dominic Caruso, at the shadowy Campus. While a highly effective analyst, young Ryan hungers for the action of a field agent. [read more]

American Assassin by Vince Flynn

Before he was considered a CIA superagent, before he was thought of as a terrorist's worst nightmare, and before he was both loathed and admired by the politicians on Capitol Hill, Mitch Rapp was a gifted college athlete without a care in the world... and then tragedy struck.

Two decades of cutthroat, partisan politics has left the CIA and the country in an increasingly vulnerable position. Cold War veteran and CIA Operations Director Thomas Stansfield knows he must prepare his people for the next war....[read more]

What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz

In the late summer of a long-ago year, a killer arrived in a small city. His name was Alton Turner Blackwood, and in the space of a few months he brutally murdered four families. His savage spree ended only when he himself was killed by the last survivor of the last family, a 14-year-old boy.

Half a continent away and two decades later, someone is murdering families again, re-creating in detail Blackwood's crimes. [read more]

Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan

The Last Battle has started. The seals on the Dark One's prison are crumbling. The Pattern itself is unraveling, and the armies of the Shadow have begun to boil out of the Blight. The sun has begun to set upon the Third Age. Perrin Aybara is now hunted by specters from his past: Whitecloaks, a slayer of wolves, and the responsibilities of leadership. All the while, an unseen foe is slowly pulling a noose tight around his neck. To prevail, he must seek answers in Tel'aran'rhiod and find a way - at long last - to master the wolf within him or lose himself to it forever. [read more]

An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

Lacey Yeager is young, captivating, and ambitious enough to take the New York art world by storm. Groomed at Sotheby's and hungry to keep climbing the social and career ladders put before her, Lacey charms men and women, old and young, rich and even richer with her magnetic charisma and liveliness. Her ascension to the highest tiers of the city parallel the soaring heights - and, at times, the dark lows - of the art world and the country from the late 1990s through today. [read more]

The Outlaws by WEB Griffin

Things are not exactly what they used to be for Charley Castillo. The former Presidential Agent's Office of Organizational Analysis has been disbanded, he and his colleagues have been abruptly retired, and the sudden death of the President has brought a much more unsympathetic commander-in-chief into the Oval Office. [read more]

Dead Zero by Stephen Hunter

Who killed Whiskey 2-2? And why won't it stay dead?

A marine sniper team on a mission in tribal territories on the Afghan-Pakistan border, Whiskey 2-2 is ambushed by professionals using the latest high-tech shooting gear. Badly wounded, the team's sole survivor, Gunnery Sergeant Ray Cruz, aka "the Cruise Missile", is determined to finish his job. He almost succeeds when a mystery blast terminates his enterprise, leaving a 30-foot crater where a building used to be - and where Sergeant Cruz was meant to be hiding. [read more]

Non Fiction New Releases

2011-01-13T15:37:00.000-05:00

The Soul of Leadership by Deepak Chopra

Best-selling author and spiritual guide Deepak Chopra invites you to become the kind of leader most needed today: a leader with vision who can make that vision real. Chopra has been teaching leadership to CEOs and other top executives for eight years, and the path outlined in The Soul of Leadership applies to any business, but the same principles are relevant in every community and area of life, from family and home to school, place of worship, and neighborhood. [read more]

Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff

Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. Though her life spanned fewer than 40 years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. Ultimately she dispensed with an ambitious sister as well; incest and assassination were family specialties. [read more]

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane's bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War. [read more]

A Course in Weight Loss by Marianne Williamson

What is the connection between spirituality and weight loss? Best-selling author Marianne Williamson is about to answer that question for you in her groundbreaking new audiobook, bringing you 21 spiritual lessons to help you surrender your weight forever. These lessons form a holistic paradigm for weight loss, addressing the spiritual, emotional, and psychological elements involved in what Williamson refers to as "conscious weight loss." If you are a food addict, a compulsive eater, or someone who for any reason sees food as the enemy, this book is for you. [read more]

Shit My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

After being dumped by his longtime girlfriend, 28-year-old Justin Halpern found himself living at home with his 73-year-old dad. Sam Halpern, who is "like Socrates, but angrier, and with worse hair," has never minced words, and when Justin moved back home, he began to record all the ridiculous things his dad said to him. [read more]

Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi

Portia de Rossi weighed only 82 pounds when she collapsed on the set of the Hollywood film in which she was playing her first leading role. This should have been the culmination of all her years of hard work - first as a child model in Australia, then as a cast member of one of the hottest shows on American television. On the outside she was thin and blond, glamorous and successful. On the inside, she was literally dying. [read more]

Sell Like a Pro by Dale Carnegie

Among Carnegie Training's most popular and enduring courses are its seminars on sales and selling. Now Carnegie's classic sales training course---normally costing thousands of dollars and delivered over several days or weeks---is available in this new audio program for a fraction of the price! Sell Like a Pro will introduce listeners to a sales process that is second to none. [read more]

The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor

Conventional wisdom holds that if we work hard we will be more successful, and if we are more successful, then we'll be happy. If we can just find that great job, win that next promotion, lose those five pounds, happiness will follow. But recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology have shown that this formula is actually backward: Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. [read more]

Timothy Ferris might be a little strange

2011-01-06T14:36:00.000-05:00

How do you follow up a bestselling audiobook about how to achieve better work/life balance? Apparently by writing a really, really strange diet book. Whether or not you're a fan of Timothy Ferriss, it is well worth checking out the New York Times review of his new audiobook, The 4-Hour Body. Here's a sample:

"Everything about Mr. Ferriss’s book declares: This is not your auntie’s self-help book. No muffled 'I’m OK — You’re OK' tone here. The vibe is: I’m Superbad, bro, and I have dimples. You’re a mole person who, if you become an angel investor in my books, might someday touch the hem of my Speedo."

Do note that this review is not for the faint of heart--it goes into detail about some of the more unusual of Ferriss's suggestions.

Click here for the rest of the article, or click here for the audiobook.

New Lawrence Hill story

2011-01-05T16:08:00.000-05:00

For those of you who loved Book of Negroes, there's a new Lawrence Hill story posted on The Walrus. No audio edition, unfortunately, but hopefully his next book will have an audio version!

Click here for "Meet You At the Door"

Listening to audiobooks on your iPod

2010-12-30T16:33:00.000-05:00

We get a lot of questions about how to listen to audiobooks on iPods. PC World gives fantastic instructions here:

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/212265/ripping_and_playing_audiobooks.html

One hint that will save you a lot of trouble is that any time you're using a number to label your CDs, make sure you label it 01, 02, etc. instead of just 1, 2. That way, you won't end up with #1 at the bottom of your list, underneath #10, and your playlist will play in order.

An author's view of audiobooks

2010-12-27T16:11:00.000-05:00

Did you know that audiobook listeners actually tend to read more traditional paper books than non-listeners? Or that audiobooks are a billion dollar industry? It seems that many authors don't realize that, either. Karen Dionne educates herself in Daily Finance:

"I asked several bestselling thriller authors how their audio sales compare to print. Answers ranged from, 'I'm not quite sure,' to 'I would guess it's fairly small,' to 'I don't have a clue.'"

Read the rest of the story here.

Abigail Adams = saucy?

2010-12-23T13:10:00.000-05:00

Here's something you probably didn't know about John Adams and his wife, Abigail:

"For the irascible and highly volatile John, Abigail was a psychological anchor and trusted confidante; for the saucy and independent Abigail, John was a brilliant and courageous visionary who shared her love of books and playful sense of humor. She called him 'My Dearest Friend.' He called her 'Miss Adorable' and his 'Heroine.'"

Click here to read the rest of the review.

"Saucy" is probably not a word you'd usually associate with a first lady, but then, most presidential biographies don't delve so deeply into private lives. By all accounts, Joseph Ellis' new audiobook, First Family, is an accessible and fascinating listen. It should appeal to both history buffs and people who like a good historical story. Click here to check it out.

Voodoo Histories

2010-12-22T12:07:00.000-05:00

If you're in the mood for some real craziness to put your holiday madness into perspective, check out David Aaronovitch's Voodoo Histories. Moving more or less chronologically from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion (which claimed that Jewish people secretly ruled the world) to the "birthers" who claim Barack Obama is not American, Aaronovitch chronicles a century of "secret" histories that didn't exist. He also explores the motivations behind creating conspiracy theories, and the importance of finding a baseline of truth about historical events. It's easy to see how the various conspiracies flow together, creating an entirely alternate worldview.

A couple of the conspiracies may be a bit dull unless you're very interested in Soviet or British politics, but those are easily skipped, and it is entirely worth continuing on to learn that some people think that the US government disguised missiles with holograms to look like planes and aimed them at the World Trade Center. The narration fits the tone of the audiobook well, and overall it's a fascinating listen.

James Patterson: "I've got street smarts"

2010-12-17T15:43:00.000-05:00

Literary is not the first word you think of when you think of James Patterson, fan or not. He is, however, an undeniable master of marketing, producing many books a year with and without co-authors. Thankfully, Patterson himself does not have pretensions to literary greatness. From an interview with MediaBistro.com:

"I probably wouldn't try to write a literary novel. I think I can write an acceptably good novel, but I am not particularly interested in talking to that audience. I think a lot of the things that are praised are just kind of show-off prose, which is just not my thing. I can appreciate it, you know. I'm a big reader and I read all kinds of things, but it is not something I want to do."

Click here for the rest of the interview.

Or click here for the extensive list of Patterson audiobooks.

Atlantic by Simon Winchester

2010-12-13T16:17:00.000-05:00

Simon Winchester is always a customer favourite here, and his new audiobook is proving to be no exception. In past books, he has covered a range of topics, from the Oxford English Dictionary to the volcano Krakatoa. His new audiobook, Atlantic, covers the Atlantic Ocean, from the Minoans to the fishing industry. From the New York Times review:

"The author rolls through the age of exploration with typical Winchesterian prose: history infused with lively and colorful anecdotes, a spirit of bonhomie and a bit of British cheek."

Click here to read more.

Or click here for the audiobook.

Nora Ephron, good and bad

2010-12-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

Opinions have been pretty divided on Nora Ephron's new audiobook, I Remember Nothing. Depending on who you ask, Ephron is witty and insightful, or else tired and grouchy. Here's a sampling:

From the Globe and Mail:

"Yet her once razor-sharp wit now strays into grumpy Andy Rooney territory. Ephron is irascible and shallow, and occasionally verges on self-parody when she dedicates an entire essay to an eponymous meat loaf."

Click here for the rest of the article.

And on a cheerier note, from the New York Times:

"Yes, there’s some rehashing here, but that’s what we expect — what we love — from Ephron. She’s familiar but funny, boldly outspoken yet simultaneously reassuring. In much of her work, we get a story about betrayal, but the heroine picks up and moves on. Death of a friend or family member? Look on the bright side: there might be an inheritance somewhere, or at least a corn bread pudding recipe."

Click here for the rest of the article.

Looks like the only way to be sure is to listen for yourself. Decide for yourself by clicking here!

Fiction New Releases

2010-11-30T16:08:00.000-05:00

The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry

The tomb of China’s First Emperor, guarded by an underground army of terra-cotta warriors, has remained sealed for more than 2,000 years. Though it’s regarded as one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world, the Chinese government won’t allow anyone to open it. Why? That question is at the heart of a dilemma faced by former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone, whose life is shattered when he receives an anonymous note carrying an unfamiliar Web address. [read more]

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

Number-one New York Times best-selling author Nora Roberts cordially invites you to meet childhood friends Parker, Emma, Laurel, and Mac - the founders of Vows, one of Connecticut's premier wedding planning companies.

Parker Brown turned the quartet's childhood game of Wedding Day into their dream jobs. And now she's the face of Vows - the one who meets every bride's demands; keeps every event on schedule; and brings Emma's romantic flowers, Laurel's delicious treats, and Mac's stunning photography together in one glorious package. She knows how to make dreams come true. [read more]

Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler

Dirk Pitt returns, in the extraordinary new novel from the number-one New York Times-best-selling author.

In A.D. 327, a Roman galley barely escapes a pirate attack with its extraordinary cargo. In 1916, a British warship mysteriously explodes in the middle of the North Sea. In the present day, a cluster of important mosques in Turkey and Egypt are wracked by explosions. Does anything tie them together? [read more]

Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. [read more]

Djibouti by Elmore Leonard

Dara Barr, documentary filmmaker, is at the top of her game. Looking for a bigger challenge, Dara and her right-hand-man, Xavier LeBo, head to Djibouti to film modern-day pirates hijacking merchant ships. They learn soon enough that almost no one in the Middle East is who he seems to be. [read more]

I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

Meet Maggie Fortenberry, a still beautiful former Miss Alabama. To others, Maggie’s life seems practically perfect - she’s lovely, charming, and a successful real-estate agent at Red Mountain Realty. Still, Maggie can’t help but wonder how she wound up in her present condition. [read more]

Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane

Acclaimed New York Times best-selling author Dennis Lehane delivers an explosive tale of integrity and vengeance - heralding the long-awaited return of private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro.

Amanda McCready was four years old when she vanished from a Boston neighborhood 12 years ago. Kenzie and Gennaro risked everything to find the young girl - only to orchestrate her return to a neglectful mother and a broken home. [read more]

Non Fiction New Releases

2010-11-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

Life by Keith Richards

As lead guitarist of the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the riffs, the lyrics, and the songs that roused the world. A true and towering original, he has always walked his own path, spoken his mind, and done things his own way. Now at last, Richards pauses to tell his story in the most anticipated autobiography in decades. And what a story! [read more]

Chapters from My Autobiography by Mark Twain

Collected here is a wonderful selection of anecdotes from Mark Twain's life, as told with candor by the great man himself. This book is part memoir, part philosophical text, part study in human behavior, from one of America's greatest literary treasures. Narrated masterfully by Bronson Pinchot, this audiobook also includes Twain's popular short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", as well as a printable eBook in PDF format. [read more]

Pinheads and Patriots by Bill O'Reilly

In his latest spirited book, O'Reilly prompts further debate with the president and the American people on the current state of the union. While the changes that took place in America during President Obama's first 18 months in office are dizzying to just think about, their real-life impact on the average American is a helluva lot stronger than that. Tempers have reached the boiling point over the shifts in health care, immigration, national security, energy, and the environment. And then there's the economy. [read more]

The Last Boy by Mickey Mantle

As she did so memorably in her biography of Sandy Koufax, Jane Leavy transcends the hyperbole of hero worship to reveal the man behind the coast-to-coast smile, who grappled with a wrenching childhood, crippling injuries, and a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. In The Last Boy she chronicles her search to find out more about the person he was and, given what she discovers, to explain his mystifying hold on a generation of baseball fans, who were seduced by that lopsided, gap-toothed grin. It is an uncommon biography, with literary overtones: not only a portrait of an icon, but an investigation of memory itself. [read more]

Meditations to Change Your Brain by Rick Hanson and Rick Mendius

The structure of your brain changes constantly, in a dynamic, unfolding process that you yourself can direct to create the life you want. This is the exciting premise of Meditations to Change Your Brain, a breakthrough program from psychologist Rick Hanson, Ph.D. and neurologist Rick Mendius, M.D. Listeners join Dr. Hanson and Dr. Mendius to learn specific practices for making positive changes in their body and mind, plus four guided practices to strengthen their meditative abilities, and four guided meditations to heal and nourish their relationships. [read more]

I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas by Lewis Black

Christmas is supposed to be a time of peace on earth and goodwill toward all. But not for Lewis Black. He says humbug to the Christmas traditions and trappings that make the holiday memorable. In I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas, his hilarious and sharply observed book about the holiday, Lewis lets loose on all things Yule. It's a very personal look at what's wrong with Christmas, seen through the eyes of "the most engagingly pissed-off comedian ever." [read more]

Atlantic by Simon Winchester

From best-selling author Simon Winchester comes the immense and thrilling story of the world's most mysterious and breathtaking natural wonder: the Atlantic Ocean.

Atlantic is a biography of a tremendous space that has been central to the ambitions of explorers, scientists, and warriors, and continues to affect profoundly our character, attitudes, and dreams. Spanning the ocean's story, from its geological origins to the age of exploration, from World War II battles to today's struggles with pollution and over-fishing, Winchester's narrative is epic, intimate, and awe inspiring. [read more]

Amnesty International and Decision Points

2010-11-23T13:55:00.000-05:00

It's not every day that you see allegations of war crimes based on a presidential memoir, but then again, George W. Bush has always been controversial! According to Reuters, Amnesty International is calling for prosecution based on Bush's defense of waterboarding in his new memoir, Decision Points. From the article:

"Amnesty International's Senior Director Claudio Cordone said in a statement: 'Under international law, anyone involved in torture must be brought to justice, and that does not exclude former President George W. Bush.' "

Click here to read more.

If you're interested in hearing Bush's side of the story, you can check out his self-narrated audiobook here.