Listeners can look forward to a bounty of audio selections this fall. Those who follow politics will find memoirs from members of the previous administration (Condoleezza Rice and President George W. Bush) as well as titles critical of the current White House residents (The Manchurian President; Washington Rules). Plentiful mysteries, thrillers, and sci-fi, old and new (a Stephanie Plum spin-off; the return of the Stainless Steel Rat) provide escape. And a bumper crop of humor titles (Jon Stewart and the The Daily Show, David Sedaris, and some "Old Jews Telling Jokes") will serve up big laughs. Our selected highlights of new releases follow.
Fiction
As Husbands Go by Susan Isaacs, read by Hillary Huber. Multiple-Audie nominee Huber tackles Isaacs's latest suspenseful, satirical novel. PW praised Huber's narration of The Three Weissmanns of Westport: "This audio is a pleasure to listen to—a perfect marriage of novel and narrator." (Blackstone Audio, July)
Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons, read by James Adams. Adams, who is also the CEO of Bee Audio, narrates a bittersweet, comic love story filled with World War II nostalgia. Film rights have been acquired by Film4 (Slumdog Millionaire) and the title will be promoted online to audio book clubs. (HighBridge Audio, July)
Savages by Don Winslow, read by Michael Kramer. Winslow's thriller will soon be a feature film directed by Oliver Stone. Kramer has recorded more than 100 audiobooks and received numerous Earphones distinctions from AudioFile magazine. (Tantor Audio, July)
The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay by Beverly Jensen, read by Bernadette Dunne. Dunne gives voice to Jensen's debut—and posthumously published—novel that chronicles the lives of two sisters over a 70-year span. According to Stephanie Stanton at Blackstone Audio, "During production, the author's family provided tapes of the author reading portions of the book and advised the narrator on style, accents, and atmosphere." (Blackstone Audio, July)
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, read by Roxana Ortega. This recording of Egan's much buzzed about novel includes a bonus PowerPoint chapter on PDF. Egan is one of the authors featured in the Audio Publishers Association's Get Caught Listening and June Is Audiobook Month campaigns, and she was also a featured speaker at BookExpo America. (BBC Audiobooks America, July)
Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich, read by Lorelei King. The debut title in a new mystery series starring Diesel, a character from Evano-vich's Stephanie Plum books. Audie Award–winner King has recorded 14 titles as the voice of Plum, and this longstanding author-narrator pairing was recently featured in PW. (Macmillan Audio, July)
Dracula, My Love: The Secret Journals of Mina Harker by Syrie James, read by Justine Eyre. Eyre won a 2010 Audie for her narration of Darling Jim by Christian Moerk, also published by Tantor. (Tantor Audio, Aug.)
Juliet by Anne Fortier, read by Cassandra Campbell. Fortier's debut novel explores a contemporary woman's connection to the girl who inspired Shakespeare's Juliet. Film rights optioned by Universal. (Random House Audio, Aug.)
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, read by Jasper Britton. "I hadn't read the novel for some years when Naxos asked me to record it unabridged, and I was very pleased," says Britton. "I found myself having to stop because I was laughing out loud. And though it was written as a satire on 18th-century political life, you can see the parallels for today. Nothing much has changed!"' This release coincides with the new film adaptation starring Jack Black. (Naxos AudioBooks, Aug.)
The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund, read by Katherine Kellgren, Eric Singer, and Reg Rogers. This vacation thriller is a multi-cast production—"something we're moving to do more of with select Patterson titles," according to Megan Fitzpatrick at Hachette Audio. Multiple Audie–winner Kellgren, best known for her YA work, will reach a new audience. (Hachette Audio, Aug.)
The Stainless Steel Rat Returns by Harry Harrison, read by Phil Gigante. Beginning with this title, Audie Award–winner Gigante will narrate the entire 11-volume Stainless Steel Rat series, an enduring science fiction favorite that debuted in 1961. (Brilliance Audio, Aug.)
Uncle Fred in the Springtime by P.G. Wodehouse, read by Martin Jarvis. Jarvis lends his voice to this comic tale. He is a passionate Wodehouse fan, and has been called "the Olivier of book readers," according to Victoria Williams of CSA Word. Jarvis reads the rest of CSA's Blandings titles and Jeeves stories, also by P.G.Wodehouse. (CSA Word, Aug.)
A Curable Romantic by Joseph Skibell, read by Jeff Woodman. An epic historical novel set in turn-of-the-century Vienna and Paris weaves together 50 years of Jewish tradition, history, and folklore along with a fresh take on Freud, the Esperantists, and life in Warsaw. Multiple award–winning narrator Jeff Woodman voices real characters from history (Sigmund Freud, Emma Eckstein, L. L. Zamenhof, and others) along with the fictional characters that make up this story. (HighBridge Audio, Sept.)
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, read by David Ledoux. To promote this darkly comedic novel about love and marriage, Macmillan Audio created sampler CDs to accompany the ARCs from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Ledoux is an accomplished narrator and recipient of two AudioFile Earphones Awards. (Macmillan Audio, Sept.)
Legacy by Danielle Steel, read by Arthur Morey. Morey has received five AudioFile Earphones Awards and an Audie nomination for Descent into Chaos by Ahmed Rashid and was named AudioFile's 2009 Best Voice in Nonfiction and Culture. Steel personally selected Morey to read her latest. (Brilliance Audio, Sept.)
Room by Emma Donoghue, read by Michal Friedman, Ellen Archer, Robert Petkoff, and Suzanne Toren. Donoghue's novel is narrated by a five-year-old boy who, with his mother, is held captive in a small room. According to Megan Fitzpatrick at Hachette, the author is a great fan of audiobooks with multiple voices, and let the production team know that she thought this approach would suit Room. Producer/director Michele McGonigle warns listeners that Michal Friedman, as the little boy, Jack, sounds uncannily authentic. (Hachette Audio, Sept.)
A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay, read by Simon Vance. This novel focuses on a family's troubling secrets and is performed by multiple Audie–winner Vance, who was named one of AudioFile's Best Voices in the Fiction & Classics category two years in a row for his work on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2008) and Great Expectations (2009). Macmillan Audio distributed full-program advanced listening copies for inclusion in the St. Martin's Press ARCs of the book. This production will also be a Macmillan Audio Breakroom Feature, with a review and exclusive excerpt in the company's e-mail newsletter blast. (Macmillan Audio, Sept.)
Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading. Midnight is Book 13 in the Wheel of Time, and the sequel to the bestseller The Gathering Storm. Kramer and Reading have been the voice of the series for many years, says Stephanie Hargadon at Macmillan Audio, and are again collaborating on this final installment. The Gathering Storm was nominated for a 2010 Audie Award in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category, and honored on iTunes and Audible.com's Best Audiobooks of 2009 lists. For Midnight, Macmillan Audio will be working closely with Tor's marketing efforts, including an exclusive "Read Chapter 1, Hear Chapter 2" promotion. (Macmillan Audio, Oct.)
The Reversal by Michael Connelly, read by Peter Giles. This hard-hitting legal thriller features Connelly's beloved detective Harry Bosch and defense attorney Mickey Haller, and marks the return of Giles as narrator. His work on Connelly's title The Scarecrow previously won a PW Listen Up! Award. A strong advocate for audiobooks, Connelly routinely promotes the format on his Facebook page. (Hachette Audio, Oct.)
The Valcourt Heiress by Catherine Coulter, read by Anne Flosnik, is a historical romance set in medieval England. Flosnik has over 300 audiobook titles in all genres to her credit, including several of Coulter's previous historical novels. She has received two AudioFile Earphone Awards and three Audie nominations. (Brilliance Audio, Oct.)
The Difference Engine by William Gibson. Brilliance Audio will publish this genre-defining novel— never before available on audio—as part of its own Steampunk Month, which will include extensive outreach to conventions and specialist Web sites. (Brilliance Audio, Nov.)
Dracula by Bram Stoker, read by Greg Wise and Saskia Reeves. This recording of the classic vampire novel includes the text as a bonus PDF e-book. (BBC Audiobooks America, Nov.)
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. A quartet of original, never-before-published stories, with King narrating an introduction to each tale. (Simon & Schuster Audio, Nov.)
Hell's Corner by David Baldacci, read by a dual cast. Fitzpatrick at Hachette Audio notes that Baldacci specifically requested a dual cast and that the company is looking to cast both male and female characters. Bonus material includes a discussion with the author about the book's enigmatic title. (Hachette Audio, Nov.)
A Good Man Is Hard to Find: And Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor. This is the first time that O'Connor's highly praised collection has been produced on audio. (Blackstone Audio, Dec.)
Other Notable Fiction
Star Island by Carl Hiaasen (Random House Audio, July); A Dog's Purpose: A Novel for Humans by W. Bruce Cameron, read by George K. Wilson (Tantor Audio, July); The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, read by Rupert Degas (Naxos AudioBooks, July); What Is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman, read by Bronson Pinchot (Blackstone, July); You Lost Me There: A Novel by Rosecrans Baldwin (Tantor Audio, Aug.); Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs, read by Linda Emond (Simon & Schuster Audio, Aug.); I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman, read by Linda Edmond (HarperAudio, Aug.); Palimpsest by Catherynne Valente, read by Aasne Vigesaa (Brilliance Audio, Aug.); Zombies of Lake Woebegone by Harrison Geillor (Brilliance Audio, Sept.); Zero History by William Gibson, read by Robertson Dean (Penguin Audio, Sept.); Ape House by Sara Gruen (Random House Audio, Sept.); Short Stories: The Vintage Collection by authors including Jerome K Jerome, Saki, P.G. Wodehouse, et al., read by Hugh Laurie, Martin Jarvis, and others (CSA Word, Sept.); The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass (Random House Audio, Sept.); The Mullah's Storm by Thomas Young, read by Scott Brick (Penguin Audio, Sept.); 1022 Evergreen Place by Debbie Macomber, performed by Sandra Burr (Brilliance Audio, Sept.); C by Tom McCarthy (Tantor Audio, Sept.); Djibouti by Elmore Leonard (HarperAudio, Oct.); Blood Trinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love (Brilliance Audio, Oct.); An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin, read by Campbell Scott (Hachette Audio, Nov.); The Box: Tales from the Darkroom by Günter Grass (Blackstone, Nov.); Crazy by William Peter Blatty (Tantor Audio, Nov.); Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane (HarperAudio, Nov.); Mary Ann in Autumn: A Tales of the City Novel by Armistead Maupin (HarperAudio, Nov.); The Athena Project by Brad Thor (Simon & Schuster Audio, Dec.)
Nonfiction
Spirituality and the Oil Spill by Marianne Williamson. Internationally celebrated spiritual teacher and a New York Times bestselling writer Williamson applies the 12-step program to America's dependence on oil and explores how Americans can heal from the devastating disaster in the Gulf. (BetterListen! July)
Everyday Mindfulness: Meditation for Beginners by Beryl Bender Birch. Yoga pioneer and bestselling author Birch offers a compelling introduction to the history and evolution of mindfulness meditation, a practice borrowed from Buddhist tradition, in this exceptional recording ideal for beginning meditators. (BetterListen!, July)
Behind the Wheel Express series: Spanish 1; Italian 1; French 1 by Mark Frobose. Barnes & Noble is using the Behind the Wheel language instruction line to launch its summer book club with the founder of the series and language expert Frobose facilitating a month-long Spanish Express course. Frobose will be doing radio shows nationwide this summer in conjunction with the new BTW Express programs. (Macmillan Audio, July)
My Life with the Saints by James Martin, S.J. On recording this audiobook, Father Martin says, "Recently, I gave a talk at a Catholic convention, in Milwaukee, on the topic of the saints and their sense of humor. (Typically, people picture the saints as dour and depressing, when most of them had fantastic senses of humor and loved to laugh.) Afterwards, a young woman came up to me and said, ‘Father, I've read your book, but it's so much better to hear you talk about the saints in person!' When I told her about the new audio version of My Life with the Saints her entire face lit up." (St. Anthony's Messenger Press, July)
The Manchurian President: Barack Obama's Ties to Communists, Socialists and Other Anti-American Extremists by Aaron Klein and Brenda J. Elliott, read by Sean Runnette. Runnette is an AudioFile Earphones Award winner who has also produced several Audie Award–winning audiobooks. (Blackstone Audio, July)
Angelina: An Unauthorized Biography by Andrew Morton, read by Bronson Pinchot. Pinchot, who won a 2009 Audie Award for his narration of humor title The Learners, turns his efforts to this portrait of actress Angelina Jolie by the Diana and Madonna biographer. (Blackstone Audio, Aug.)
The Murder Room by Michael Capuzzo, read by Adam Grupper. Bestselling author Capuzzo introduces the Vidocq Society, named for the first modern detective, the Parisian Eugène François Vidocq, the real-life sleuth who inspired Sherlock Holmes. The society is a team of the world's foremost forensic investigators that meets each month to reopen cold cases and bring murderers to justice. ABC TV's 20/20 will feature a full-hour segment on The Murder Room on August 6. (Simon & Schuster Audio, Aug.)
Washington Rules by Andrew Bacevich, read by Sean Runnette. Bacevich's latest offers a critical examination of the Washington consensus on national security and why it must change. Bacevich's Limits of Power was named one of 2008's Best Audiobooks in a review from the Associated Press. Audio plans include giveaway promotions with NPR shows and affiliates. (Macmillan Audio, Aug.)
Chicken Soup for the Soul® audio series: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk High School —101 Stories of Life, Love and Learning for Older Teens by various authors and narrators. This title launches an exclusive line of Chicken Soup for the Soul® audio programs from Brilliance Audio. Eight more titles, a mix of backlist and frontlist, will follow throughout the fall. (Brilliance Audio, Sept.)
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Pre-sents Earth (The Audiobook) by Jon Stewart, read by the author and the cast/writers of The Daily Show. Stewart and his team offer a volume that sums up the human race—what we looked like; what we accomplished; our achievements in society, government, religion, science, and culture—packaged in an audiobook of approximately 200 minutes with lots of bonus material in the form of color photos, graphs, and charts. Their previous title, America (The Audiobook), won the 2004 Grammy for Best Comedy Album. (Hachette Audio, Sept.)
Old Jews Telling Jokes: 5,000 Years of Funny Bits and Not-So-Kosher Laughs by Sam Hoffman and Eric Spiegelman. Hilarious, sometimes raunchy tales told by amateur comedians, all Jewish, all over 60. The recording has already benefited from word-of-mouth thanks to the two million video plays viewed at OldJewsTell-ingJokes.com. (HighBridge Audio, Sept.)
MacroWikinomics: Rebooting Business and the World by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams, read by Alan Sklar. Further exploration into the practice of mass collaboration. The audiobook of Wikinomics, Tapscott and William's previous title, was also narrated by multiple Audie Award–finalist Sklar, and was also published by Tantor. It was an AudioFile Editor's Pick and was a Library Journal Best Audio Pick of 2007. (Tantor Audio, Sept.)
Doctor Who: The Lost TV Episodes, Vol. 1 1964–1965 by various authors, read by William Hartnell and a full cast. Exclusive to audio, this five-story box set contains radio soundtracks of TV episodes that have been lost (in visual form) over time. The tracks are digitally remastered with additional linking narration by members of the original cast. Special bonus materials, such as PDFs of the shooting scripts for each lost episode, are included. (BBC Audiobooks America, Oct.)
Life by Keith Richards, reader TBA. The long-awaited autobiography from the British musician, singer, and founding member of the Rolling Stones awaits a voice. "We're still looking to cast a male British celebrity with just the right voice and just the right cred. The office is all abuzz with options," says Megan Fitzpatrick of Hachette Audio. Richards will contribute his voice for bonus material, including an introduction. (Hachette Audio, Oct.)
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris, read by the author and Dylan Baker, and Elaine Stritch. "A great fan of audio, David picked voices he loves" to do this recording, says Fitzpatrick of Hachette. (Sedaris can be heard talking about other audiobook performances he likes at http://shelf-life.ew.com/2010/05/27/ew-exclusive-david-sedaris-lends-his-support-to-national-audiobook-month). This audiobook edition will feature special bonus material from Sedaris not found in the hardcover, including at least one additional fable. (Hachette Audio, Oct.)
America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag by Sarah Palin. For Palin's bestselling previous book, Going Rogue, HarperAudio went back to press with the CD five times. It was also an all-time high seller for Audible.com. (HarperAudio, Nov.)
Buck Alice and the Actor Robot by Walter Koenig and the Colonial Radio Players. Award-winning radio drama production company Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air can be heard nationwide on XM/Sirius Satellite radio. Brilliance Audio is teaming up with Colonial Radio to bring radio plays to audiobook listeners. Among the other titles to follow in the fall 2010 launch are A Christmas Carol and Zorro and the Pirate Raiders. (Brilliance, Nov.)
Humorists: From Hogarth to Noël Coward by Paul Johnson. Johnson's latest book of biographical portraits. Blackstone's production of Johnson's A History of the American People was Audible.com's highest rated audiobook of 2009. (Blackstone, Nov.)
Napoleon Hill—The Road to Riches by Napoleon Hill with an introduction by W. Clement Stone, including audio commentary by John Assaraf, Les Brown, Sharon Lechter, and Bob Proctor, moderated by Greg S. Reid. The late Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, can be heard and seen in this unique audio original/DVD package that includes bonus archival footage from circa 1960. (Brilliance Audio, Nov.)
They Call Me Baba Booey by Gary Dell'Abate with Chad Millman. Dell'Abate, who produces The Howard Stern Show for Sirius Radio, is an audiobook fan and recently hosted the 2010 Audie Awards. (Random House Audio, Nov.)
Other Notable Nonfiction
Blessed Are the Bored in Spirit: A Young Catholic's Search for Meaning by Mark Hart (St. Anthony's Messenger Press, July); God and Career by Marianne Williamson (BetterListen! July); A Kabbalistic Approach to Fixing the World by Shlomo Carlebach (BetterListen! Aug.); Even Silence Has an End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle by Ingrid Betancourt (Penguin Audio, Sept.); A Journey: A Political Life by Tony Blair (Random House Audio, Sept.); The Hilliker Curse: My Pursuit of Women by James Ellroy (Random House Audio, Sept.); Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier (Macmillan Audio, Sept.); Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet by Deepak Chopra (BBC Audiobooks America, Sept.); Fragments by Marilyn Monroe, edited by Stanley Bucthal (Macmillan Audio, Sept.); White House Diaries by Jimmy Carter (Macmillan Audio, Sept.); Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi (Simon & Schuster Audio, Oct.); You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness by Julie Klam (Tantor Audio, Oct.); Conversations with Myself by Nelson Mandela (Macmillan Audio, Oct.); Talking by Garrison Keillor, performed by Garrison Keillor with Richard Dworsky, Pat Donohue, and Fred Newman (HighBridge Audio, Oct.); Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow, read by Scott Brick (Penguin Audio, Oct.); Play Their Hearts Out: A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine by George Dohrmann, read by Emily R. Speer (Blackstone, Oct.); The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood by Jane Leavy (HarperAudio, Oct.); Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family by Condoleezza Rice (Random House Audio, Oct.); Christmas Spirit by Joel Osteen (Simon & Schuster Audio, Nov.); All the Devils Are Here by Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera, read by Dennis Boutsikaris (Penguin Audio, Nov.); I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas by Lewis Black (Penguin Audio, Nov.); Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People by Amy Sedaris, featuring Paul Dinello (Hachette Audio, Nov.); In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks: And Other Complaints from an Angry Middle-Aged White Guy by Adam Carolla (Random House Audio, Nov.); Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories by Simon Winchester (HarperAudio, Nov.); Decision Points by George W. Bush (Random House Audio, Nov.).
Children's And YA Audio
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, read by Jenna Lamia, Pierce Cravens, Emma Galvin, and Dan Bittner. The second book in Stiefvater's popular Shiver series introduces two new characters, Isabel (Emma Galvin) and Cole (Dan Bittner). Lamia, who reads the part of Grace, won the 2010 Audie Award for Best Solo Female Narration for her reading of The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams. Stiefvater composed and performed the original music featured in this production, also included as separate bonus tracks. (Scholastic Audio, July)
The 39 Clues Book Ten: Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix, read by David Pittu. Bonus recorded material in this conclusion to the bestselling series includes a secret message Grace Cahill left for Amy and Dan. (Scholastic Audio, Aug.)
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, read by Carolyn McCormick. Eagerly awaited conclusion to the hot Hunger Games trilogy. Series narrator Carolyn McCormick was recently named AudioFile magazine's 2009 Best Voice in Young Adult for her readings of the first two books in the series, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Includes a bonus interview with Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic Audio, Aug.)
Nanny McPhee Returns by Emma Thompson. Academy Award–winning actress Thompson, who starred as the titular character in the 2005 hit film Nanny McPhee about mischievous children and their minder in wartime England, writes and narrates this sequel that hits shelves a month before the feature film of the same name. (Macmillan Young Listeners, Aug.)
Radiance by Alyson Noël, read by Kathleen McInerney. A spinoff of the teen Immortals series, for middle graders. Prolific narrator McInerney won an Audie Award in 2006 for her work on an ensemble cast recording of Raymond and Hannah by Stephen March. (Macmillan Young Listeners, Aug.)
They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, read by Dion Graham. This story of how a terrorist group took root in America's democracy is filled with chilling and vivid personal accounts unearthed from oral histories, congressional documents, and diaries. Narrator Graham was honored by AudioFile Magazine as the 2008 Best Voice in Mystery/Suspense for Chasing the Devil's Tail by David Fulmer. A bonus CD includes photographs and illustrations from the book. An Audible/Brilliance production. (Brilliance Audio, Aug.)
Dear America: The Fences Between Us—The Diary of Piper Davis by Kirby Larson, read by Elaina Erika Davis. This new title in the relaunched historical fiction series includes extensive bonus content: Larson reading her author's note, an enhanced-CD slideshow of the archival photos and documents pictured in the book, and a recording of FDR's address to Congress declaring war against Japan. (Scholastic Audio, Sept.)
Glee: The Beginning is a YA novel that acts as a prequel to the hit TV show. According to Hachette Audio, the musical focus of Glee presents a unique challenge to the audiobook producers, who have to contend with rights issues around using popular tunes that might appear in story lines. However, trying to match the energy of the TV series makes for a lot of fun in the recording booth. Multicast. (Hachette Audio, Sept.)
Monster High: Freaks and Shrieks by Lisi Harrison, read by Rebecca Soler. From producer/director Amber Fairweather: "Rebecca was a blast to work with and absolutely hilarious. As a producer, this is the most fun I've ever had recording a YA audiobook. Rebecca told us about her own awkward teen years where she had a really bad perm and Strawberry Shortcake glasses." (Hachette Audio, Sept.)
This Isn't What It Looks Like by Pseudonymous Bosch, read by Robert Petkoff, Joshua Swanson, Cassandra Morris, Bryan Kennedy, Peter Kim, Gabra Zackman, and Suzanne Toren. According to Hachette Audio, Kennedy and Morris are so believable in their roles as children that several listeners in house wondered about the casting policy for underage narrators! This Book Is Not Good for You was recently included in a "pillow drop" gift basket at an official BEA hotel for attendees. (Hachette Audio, Sept.)
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, read by Kevin T. Collins. Collins returns as the voice of teen Ethan, who confronts strange visions and deals with grave loss. The eerie song that haunts the book, "Seventeen Moons," will feature the same melody as "Sixteen Moons," from the previous book (Beautiful Creatures), but with new lyrics again voiced by multitalented producer Michele McGonigle. (Hachette Audio, Oct.)
My Senator and Me by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, read by David de Vries and Sen. Kennedy. De Vries and the late Senator Kennedy provide the voices in this dog's-eye-view of life in our nation's capital, as told from the perspective of Kennedy's Portuguese water dog, Splash. Bonus content includes author's notes and an updated bio of Kennedy, up to his death in 2009. (Scholastic Audio, Oct.)
Night Star by Alyson Noël, read by Katie Schorr. For this fifth title in the teen fantasy Immortals series, author and narrator will be interviewing each other and discussing the books in an insider video designed for fans. (Macmillan Young Listeners, Nov.)
Solitary by Alexander Gordon Smith, read by Alex Kalajzic. In Book 2 in the Escape from Furnace series—Alex is still locked up in the world's most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth's surface. Prolific narrator Kalajzic is the voice of Foster's "How to Speak Australian" beer commercials. (Brilliance Audio, Dec.)
Other Notable Children's Titles
Animal Rescue Team Collection #1: Gator on the Loose! and Special Delivery! by Sue Stauffacher, read by Harlie Vaughn (Listening Library, July); The War to End All Wars: World War I by Russell Freedman, read by Zach McLarty (Listening Library, July); The Wonder of Charlie Anne by Kimberly Newton Fusco, read by Ann Marie Lee (Listening Library, Aug.); The Danger Box by Blue Balliett, read by Alex Wyse, Veronika Dominczyk, and Jason Culp (Scholastic Audio, Sept.); Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston, read by Alan Cumming (Penguin Audio, Sept.); Return to Sender/Volver al remitente by Julia Alvarez (Listening Library, Sept.); Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt (Listening Library, Sept.); Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel, read by Daniel Di Tomasso (BrillianceAudio, Sept.); The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by Kody Keplinger (Brilliance Audio, Sept.); Invisible Order: Book One: Rise of the Darklings by Paul Crilley (Brilliance Audio, Sept.); Plain Kate by Erin Bow (Brilliance Audio, Sept.); The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (Brilliance Audio, Sept.); Immortal Beloved by Cate Teirnan (Hachette Audio, Sept.); Torment by Lauren Kate (Listening Library, Sept.); Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (Listening Library, Oct.); The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan (Brilliance Audio, Oct.); Annexed by Sharon Dogar (Brilliance Audio, Oct.); Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson (Brilliance Audio, Oct.); The Haunting of Charles Dickens by Lewis Buzbee (Brilliance Audio, Oct.); Wolves of the Beyond: The Lone Wolf by Kathryn Lasky, read by Erik Davies (Scholastic Audio, Oct.); The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (Listening Library, Oct.); The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (Listening Library, Oct.); Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck (Listening Library, Oct.); Virals by Kathy Reichs (Penguin Audio, Nov.); Vixen by Lila Fine (Listening Library, Dec.); Sapphique by Catherine Fisher (Listening Library, Dec.); The Jaguar Stones, Book Two: The End of the World Club by Jon and Pamela Voelkel (Listening Library, Dec.); Witch & Wizard: The Gift by James Patterson and Ned Rust, read by Elijah Wood and Spencer Locke (Hachette Audio, Dec.).
