One look at this fall's announcement listings , and it's clear that audio publishers have pulled out the stops to offer a vast array of works, and more of them than ever by top-tier authors and high-profile performers. From category fiction to financial guides, from poetry to audio theater, there's something for everyone—selections sure to please retail buyers and consumers alike.
Listeners looking for the hottest whodunits can turn on Rumpole Rests His Case by John Mortimer, read by Tony Britton, a new collection of seven short stories starring the popular barrister (Audio Partners); Blood Orchid by Stuart Woods, read by Alison Fraser, set in the cutthroat world of Florida real estate (Putnam Berkley); Shrink Rap by Robert Parker, in which PI Sunny Randall faces a stalker (New Millennium); and Lawrence Sanders: McNally's Alibi by Vincent Lardo, read by Boyd Gaines and featuring playboy detective Archy McNally (Simon & Schuster).
Suspense spurs listeners on in Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs, a tale of homicide (S&S); Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy, a return to Jack Ryan's early days (Random House); Seizure by Robin Cook, a clash between politics, religion and bioscience (Putnam); Killjoy by Julie Garwood (Brilliance); Full House by Janet Evanovich (Audio Renaissance); Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly (Time Warner); and Reversible Errors by Scott Turow (Random).
Top fiction releases include Nights at Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks, read by JoBeth Williams (Time Warner); Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, about a gene that has traveled through three generations of a Greek family (Audio Renaissance); Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott (Brilliance); Blessings by Anna Quindlen (Random); Seek My Face by John Updike (Random); The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster (Harper Audio); Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros (Harper Audio); The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Recorded Books); and The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith (Recorded Books).
Among anticipated nonfiction titles are Bush at War: Inside the White House by Bob Woodward (S&S), Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Aggression in Girls by Rachel Simmons (Recorded Books), My Losing Season by Pat Conroy, the story behind The Great Santini (Random); In Search of America by Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster, read by Jennings (Hyperion Audiobooks); and Joined at the Heart by Al and Tipper Gore (Audio Renaissance).
Several titles inspired by or related to September 11 appear on fall audio lists. These include No One Left Behind by Amy Waters Yarsinke, the true story of a U.S. Navy pilot shot down in the Gulf War and now believed to be alive and in Iraqi custody (Listen & Live); Leadership by Rudolph Giuliani (Hyperion Audiobooks); The Age of Sacred Terror by Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simons (S&S); and The Cell: The Story of the FBI, the CIA, and the Terrorists Next Door by John Miller and Michael Stone (S&S).
Accomplished stage, screen and TV actors have increasingly lent their voices to audiobooks over the years, running the gamut of narrating duties. This fall is no exception, with the likes of Dylan Baker, Derek Jacobi, Alison Janney, John Ritter and Tim Robbins stepping into the recording booth. Several celebrities will read their own work this fall, including Ethan Hawke reading his novel Ash Wednesday (New Millennium Audio, Sela Ward giving voice to her memoir, Homesick (Harper Audio); Patricia Heaton sharing advice in her Hollywood and Motherhood: How to Get a Job Like Mine (Random); and Christopher Reeve reading his latest inspirational work, Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life (S&S). Buzz-generating TV family the Osbournes brings their wackiness to Meet the Osbournes by the Osbournes with Todd Gold (S&S). And TV cable talk-show hosts make a showing as well, with American by Chris Matthews (S&S) and Let Freedom Ring by Sean Hannity (Harper Audio).
On the children's audio scene, the big news of fall includes the children's book/ audiobook debuts of several bestselling adult authors. Pulitzer Prize—winner Michael Chabon reads his baseball-inspired fantasy, Summerland (HighBridge) and fantasy/horror author Neil Gaiman performs his shivery middle-grade novel from Harper Audio, Coraline. (Also for Harper, Gaiman has penned an original audio drama for adults, Two Plays for Voices, performed by Bebe Neuwirth and Brian Dennehy.) Actor Chad Lowe reads Hoot by Carl Hiaasen (Listening Library) and Blair Brown provides the narration for City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende (HarperAudio). And among kids' classics, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys continue to roll out on Listening Library's list; beloved author Judy Blume reads her first new Fudge novel in 12 years, Double Fudge (Listening Library); Mary Beth Hurt reads the Newbery-winning novel The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare; and a number of Roald Dahl's works appear in new, unabridged recordings from Harper Children's Audio.
In addition to these many highlights, listeners can tune into new recordings of titles by Stephen King, Nora Roberts, Greg Iles, Sandra Brown, Iris Johansen, Sue Grafton, Maeve Binchy, Patricia Cornwell, Jonathan Franzen, David Almond, Meg Cabot and Lemony Snicket. Happy listening!
