Bruuuuuuce Born to Read for S&S
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen has recorded his critically acclaimed bestselling memoir, Born to Run, as an 18-hour audiobook, published December 6. The audiobook contains bonus material, including musical transitions that Springsteen recorded at Stone Hill Studio in New Jersey and excerpts from the original studio recordings of “Born to Run,” “Living Proof,” and “Long Time Comin.’ ”
In a statement announcing the release, Chris Lynch, president and publisher of Simon & Schuster Audio, said, “As a lifelong Bruce Springsteen fan, I’ve spent countless hours listening to him tell stories of the most unforgettable characters in rock and roll. To now hear Bruce tell his own intimate story with the same charisma and force that he brings to his performances is simply magic.”
Block’s Anthology Shines for Dreamscape
An ensemble cast of narrators including George Newbern, Hillary Huber, and Carrington MacDuffie recently recorded the audiobook In Sunlight or in Shadow, a collection of 17 new stories inspired by the paintings of American artist Edward Hopper and edited by author Lawrence Block, published by Dreamscape Audio on December 6. Among those who contributed works to the anthology are Lee Child, Jeffrey Deaver, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, and Block himself.
Audible Catches a Good Night’s Sleep with Huffington
Author, entrepreneur, and founder of the Huffington Post Arianna Huffington was in Audible Studios last month to record Goodnight Smartphone, a parody for adults living in an increasingly digital world. Huffington was inspired to write the book when she visited Audible several months ago to speak about the benefits of sleep, a topic she has tackled in her recent titles Thrive and The Sleep Revolution. She had joked that there should be a version of the classic children’s book Goodnight Moon for adults that includes sentiments like “Good night cares of the day, good night worries about tomorrow, good night laptop!” Now there is one. Audible will release the audiobook Goodnight Smartphone free of charge on Jan. 17, 2017.
Hey, Man, Hachette Has Cheech’s Memoir
Cheech Marin, the actor, writer, and collector of Chicano art who is widely known as half of the 1970s comedy duo Cheech and Chong, stepped behind the mike in November to record Cheech Is Not My Real Name... but Don’t Call Me Chong, his memoir for Hachette Audio. In the book, Marin chronicles his experiences as a draft dodger and the face of the recreational drug movement, his wild success with partner Tommy Chong, and his more recent acting roles and cultural pursuits. Cheech’s fan base continues to grow, with 1.5 million followers on Facebook and 87,600 on Twitter; the Cheech and Chong handle boasts 984,000 followers on Instagram and 90,000 on Twitter. The Hachette audio version of Cheech Is Not My Real Name will be released Mar. 14, 2017.
Holy Audiobook, Batgirl!
Actress Mae Whitman (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, TV’s Parenthood) narrates Batgirl at Super Hero High, the third installment in author Lisa Yee’s DC Super Hero Girls series, for Listening Library. The title has a Jan. 3, 2017, pub date. Whitman is the voice of young Barbara Gordon, who becomes Batgirl as she also navigates high school, where her fellow students are some of the most powerful teenagers in the galaxy. The actress felt right at home in this audiobook role, as she has already been the voice of Batgirl/Gordon in Cartoon Network’s DC Super Hero Girls and the franchise’s first film, the animated direct-to-video DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year, released last August.
