With another year gone, we can look back at the amazing crop of audiobooks from 2012 and find a little something for everyone. Whether you're a fan of literary fiction or thrillers, celebrity memoirs or classic literature, history, theater, or romance, the audiobook industry had you covered. Among my personal highlights from 2012 are Symphony Space's great Edgar Allan Poe collection, Selected Shorts: Poe!; David Colacci's brilliant reading of Michael Chabon's Kavalier & Clay; Joan Rivers's performance of I Hate Everyone... Starting with Me; Johnny Heller's narration of Superman Versus the Ku Klux Klan; and Alan Cumming's one-man interpretation of Macbeth. Of the hundreds of audiobooks PW reviewed last year, here are the very best.
Fiction
★ Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer, read by Joshilyn Jackson (Macmillan Audio)
PW said: “While Jackson conveys all the book's humor, her reading is also full of empathy, and she brings out the characters' underlying humanity. This masterful, flawless narration of an imaginative novel is something special and not to be missed."
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, read by Tom Hollander (Hachette Audio)
Silent House by Orhan Pamuk, read by a full cast (Random House Audio)
Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers, read by Dion Graham (Recorded Books)
Goats by Mark Jude Poirier, read by Ray Porter (Dreamscape Media)
Selected Shorts: Poe! by Edgar Allan Poe, read by multiple narrators (Symphony Space)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, read by David Colacci (Brilliance Audio)
Blind Goddess by Anne Holt, read by Kate Reading (Blackstone Audio)
A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama, read by Simon Vance (Macmillan Audio)
Pocket Kings by Ted Heller, read by William Roberts (HighBridge Audio)
The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy, read by Sneha Mathan (Dreamscape Media)
Nonfiction
★ Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe, read by Dion Graham (AudioGO)
PW said: “Dion Graham delivers a stellar performance.... His poise, pacing, pronunciation, and delivery are all top-notch, and—from the very beginning—he embodies Davis perfectly.... This audio is a treat, sure to please hardcore jazz fans and everyday listeners."
Joseph Anton: A Memoir by Salman Rushdie, read by Sam Dastor (Random House Audio)
Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz, read by Kimberly Farr (Random House Audio)
Fully Alive: Lighten Up and Live—A Journey That Will Change Your Life by Ken Davis, read by the author (Oasis Audio)
The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat: Craig Claiborne and the American Food Renaissance by Thomas McNamee, read by Dick Hill (Tantor Media)
American Desperado: My Life—From Mafia Soldier to Cocaine Cowboy to Secret Government Asset by Jon Roberts and Evan Wright, read by Mark Bramhall and multiple narrators (Random House Audio)
American Sniper by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice, read by John Pruden (HarperAudio)
Superman Versus the Ku Klux Klan by Rick Bowers, read by Johnny Heller (Recorded Books)
Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World by H.H. the Dalai Lama, read by Martin Sheen (Brilliance Audio)
From Pearl Harbor to Calvary: The Story of the Lead Pilot of the Pearl Harbor Attack and His Conversion to Christianity by Mitsuo Fuchida, read by Karl Choi (christianaudio)
Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies by Ben Macintyre, read by John Lee (Random House Audio)
YA/Children's
★ A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, read by Hope Davis (Listening Library)
PW said: “Davis delivers pitch-perfect narration.... Listeners are in for a real treat—and longtime L'Engle fans will delight in Davis's outstanding performance, which breathes new life into this acclaimed fantasy title."
Every Day by David Leviathan, read by Alex McKenna (Listening Library)
Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead, read by Jesse Bernstein (Listening Library)
The Boy Who Owned the School by Gary Paulsen, read by Nick Podehl (Brilliance Audio)
The Schernoff Discoveries by Gary Paulsen, read by MacLeod Andrews (Brilliance Audio)
Changeling by Philippa Gregory, read by Charlie Cox (Simon & Schuster Audio)
The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case by Alexander McCall Smith, read by Adjoa Andoh (Listening Library)
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, read by Shannon McManus (Listening Library)
The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright, read by Katherine Kellgren and Robin Sachs (Listening Library)
The Flint Heart by Katherine Paterson and John Paterson, read by Ralph Lister (Candlewick on Brilliance Audio)
Super-Sized Slugger by Cal Ripken Jr. and Kevin Cowherd, read by Stephen Hoye (Listening Library)
Classics
★ The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, read by David Timson (Naxos AudioBooks)
PW said: “Timson embraces this intimidating assignment with admirable aplomb. Whatever the scenario presented in prose, he matches the tone and keeps the story moving at a steady clip. He perfectly captures the author's many characters, providing spot-on vocal characterization for each one."
Flush by Virginia Woolf, read by Eileen Atkins (AudioGO)
Farewell Waltz by Milan Kundera, read by Richmond Hoxie (HarperAudio)
Macbeth by William Shakespeare, read by Alan Cumming (Simon & Schuster Audio)
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré, read by Michael Jayston (Penguin Audio)
Wessex Tales by Thomas Hardy, read by Neville Jason (Naxos AudioBooks)
Read by the Author
★ This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz (Penguin Audio)
PW said: “Díaz delivers a winning performance; his narration is clear, nuanced, and true to the text, his voice as engaging and confident as that of any professional narrator. Díaz's reading ably captures the emotional states of his characters, his voice conveying all the humor, sorrow, and anger of the prose."
Kicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock and Roll by Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson (HarperAudio)
Dan Gets a Minivan: Life at the Intersection of Dude and Dad by Dan Zevin (AudioGO)
Rather Outspoken: My Life in the News by Dan Rather (Hachette Audio)The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje (Random House Audio)
I Hate Everyone... Starting with Me by Joan Rivers (Penguin Audio)
Full-Cast Production
★ 8 by Dustin Lance Black (L.A. Theatre Works)
PW said: “Educational, affecting, funny, and absolutely gripping, this important audiobook should be required listening for all Americans."
Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie (AudioGO)
Trouble on His Wings by L. Ron Hubbard (Galaxy Audio)
Jeeves & Wooster: The Collected Radio Dramas by P.G. Wodehouse (AudioGO)
Macbeth by William Shakespeare (L.A. Theatre Works)
Dreadtime Stories: Volume 1: From Fangoria, America's #1 Source for Horror! (AudioGO)
Audiobook Reader of the Year
★ Dion Graham for Miles: The Autobiography (AudioGO) and Hologram for the King (Recorded Books)
PW said about Miles, “His tone is steeped in wisdom, and listeners will feel as if the great musician himself is speaking to them"; about Hologram for the King, “Graham... turns in a standout performance. His reading is clear, crisp, well paced, and thoroughly entertaining. He fluidly switches between dozens of dialects and creates unique voices for a host of characters."
Joshilyn Jackson for Shine Shine Shine (Macmillan Audio)
Simon Vance for A Hundred Flowers (Macmillan Audio)
David Timson for The Pickwick Papers (Naxos AudioBooks)
Hope Davis for A Wrinkle in Time (Listening Library)
Dick Hill for The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat: Craig Claiborne and the American Food Renaissance (Tantor Media)
Audiobook of the Year
★ Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe, read by Dion Graham (AudioGO)
This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz (Penguin Audio)
Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz, read by Kimberly Farr (Random House Audio)
The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy, read by Sneha Mathan (Dreamscape Media)
Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer, read by Joshilyn Jackson (Macmillan Audio)
A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama, read by Simon Vance (Macmillan Audio)
