RSS 2.0 FeedBest Audiobooks of 2011
Sun, Jan 01, 2012
Wishing all of our reviewers, subscribers, and friends a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. And lest we forget auld acquaintances, here are our staff's choices for the best audiobooks of 2011
Cover Story
Columns : EDITOR'S PICK OF THE MONTH
Young Adults/Children's
Sun, Jan 01, 2012
SoundCommentary is a Review Source on the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database, www.childrenslit.com.
*Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Tom Mueller’s eye-opening, entertaining expose Extra Virginity documents that the [Extra Virgin Olive Oil] industry is almost totally corrupt.”
Featured Stories
Sleeping with the Enemy by Hal Vaughan
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
" This is an excellent performance by Susan Denaker whose theater credits include numerous plays in London's West End and national tours."
*Salvation Boulevard by Larry Beinhart
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Beinhart definitely has a point of view in this novel and even while describing dramatic car chases, torture and complicated financial plots, he is also describing what he sees as the snake in the garden of religious fervor.”
Socrates by Paul Johnson
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Narrator John Curless sounds like a British philosophy professor and the Greek names trip off his tongue eloquently....”
*Black Mask 3 by Otto Penzler, Ed.
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Good listening for nostalgic remembering and for those who have never heard the story that is at the heart of the hardboiled detective genre.”
*Wormwood by Susan Wittig Albert
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
"The style of storytelling elevated what would have been an ordinary mystery into something that will spark an interest in this nearly extinct religious movement whose crafts still live on."
*The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“[Narrator Clare] Wille shows off vocal range with Spanish Marquessas, every age of person and station in life, including a very memorable gentleman with a cold, and all the time Sophy with a smile in her voice.”
*For the Love of Physics by Walter Lewin
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Narrator Kent Cassella sounds like the most interesting and quirky professor you’ve ever had....”
The Butterfly's Daughter by Mary Alice Munroe
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Pleasant to listen to, this audio book is recommended not only for the story, but also for the insight into certain Mexican customs and the intriguing information about ‘Las mariposas.’”
Claiming Ground by Laura Bell
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“[Narrator] Birmingham’s voice sets the perfect tone and her pacing is such that the listener can relish the beauty of the author’s writing, yet be eagerly anticipating the next personal adventure to be revealed.
A Spark of Death by Bernadette Pajer
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Reminiscent of the Canadian television series set in the 1890’s The Murdoch Mysteries, whose Detective Murdoch often utilized science in the investigation and solving of crimes, A Spark of Death will appeal especially to those who are scientifically inclined, particularly those with a general knowledge of electricity and the history of its development.”
*Violent Exposure by Katherine Howell
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
”Australian theater, film and television actor Caroline Lee’s excellent fully-voiced reading contributes significantly to Violent Exposure’s success.”
*Brain Bugs by Dean Buonomano
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Buonomano does an especially great job interspersing the more technical and dry material with fun illustrations and teasers. He clearly understands how our brains work.”
*Treason at Lisson Grove by Anne Perry
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“The novel, rich with Victorian Era details, is narrated by theater professor and actor Michael Page, who has a fine ear for accents.”
*White Truffles in Winter by N.M. Kelby
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“...French chef Auguste Escofier (1846-1935)... was a tiny man in stature but huge in ambition and accomplishment.”
No Buddy Left Behind by Terri Crisp
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Narrator Nicole Valencia deserves abundant kudos for an outstanding reading which can bring tears to the eyes of listeners even those who may not be dog or cat lovers.”
*The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Narrator Jonathan Keeble is a voice-over artist, TV documentary narrator and actor. His grasp of Wolf's search for truth and revenge is commanding, as he gives the story the full-voiced treatment.”
Blood Money by David Ignatius
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“It is refreshing to listen to a highly complex tale of espionage which is so clear and easy to follow, both in the writing and in Firdous Bamjii’s performance.”
The Measure of Magic by Terry Brooks
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Reader Phil Gigante’s semi-voiced reading enhances the action and excitement of this fine fantasy tale.”
Boomerang by Michael Lewis
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“The book reads like an Anthony Bourdin travelogue with strange finances instead of strange food as its focus...”
All Cry Chaos by Leonard Rosen
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Usually a nonfiction writer, Leonard Rosen blends finance, religion, science and intrigue into a story as intricate as it is compelling.”
*Just Kids by Patti Smith
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“...like [Patti Smith’s] music, Just Kids is poetic, edgy, and sometimes plain weird, focusing on the exciting and confusing time when she and her lover and best friend, Robert Mapplethorpe, were just kids.
The Oil Kings by Andrew Scott Cooper
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Using recently declassified documents, Andrew Scott Cooper pieces together a portrait of geo-petro-political intrigue.”
We're Alive by Kc Wayland and Shane Salk
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
"In this classic radio-style dramatization by KC Wayland and Shane Salk, the apocalypse comes to Los Angeles, beginning as a series of riots, and culminating in the chaos of hordes of cannibalistic zombies roaming the landscape"
*Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Pip's story is presented by actor, announcer, radio journalist, and audiobook narrator Simon Prebble, whose considerable talent makes him the perfect choice for a novel rife with many disparate characters.”
*Tiger Hills by Sarita Mandanna
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“A superb reading by Cassandra Campbell makes this tale of star-crossed lovers exceptional.”
The Big Sea by Langston Hughes
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“...fascinating as a glimpse into the mind of a successful poet before that success really hit.”
*Destiiny of the Republic by Candice Millard
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“Millard's brilliant book is ably narrated by Canadian-born actor Paul Michael, with a wide range of accents.”
The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“The Hangman's Daughter is the first book in a planned trilogy by Oliver Potzsch, a German TV screenwriter, who was inspired when he discovered that he is related to its main character, Jakob Kuisl, the hangman of Schongau in 1659.”
*I Am Half Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“This fourth (and seasonal) Flavia de Luce novel combines the required local murder with the holiday hijinx of trying to trap Santa with birdlime concocted in Flavia’s laboratory.”
Ghost in the Wires by Kevin MItnick
Sat, Jan 01, 2011
“This is a cautionary tale for listeners who’ve every thought they might want to be a computer hacker.”