Sound Commentary - Your Wise Guide to Audiobooks and Audio Book Reviews

Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

by Miles Klein

Tue, Mar 02, 2010

ALEXANDER GORDON SMITH lives in Norwich, England. Lockdown: Escape from Furnace is his first novel published in the United States.

Ravens by George Dawes Green

by Carol Kellerman

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

George Dawes Green is the author of the highly acclaimed novel The Caveman's Valentine, as well as a poet whose work has appeared in The Ontario Review, Carolina Quarterly, and other literary publications. He lives in Key West, Florida.

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

by Francine Levitov

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Zadie Smith was born in northwest London in 1975. White Teeth, was the winner of the Whitbread First Novel Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction, and the Commonweatlh Writers First Book Prize. She is currently living in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Crowner Royal by Bernard Knight

by Janet Julian

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Professor Bernard Knight CBE Bernard Knight has been writing for over forty-eight years. He has written crime novels, 'straight' historical novels, and many historical mysteries, as well as biography, medical and medico-legal textbooks, popular books on forensic medicine and on the history of medicine. In addition, he has written many radio and television drama and documentary scripts, as well as acting as technical advisor and presenter of several television series. He is a founding member of the 'Medieval Murderers' promotion group and for many years has regularly reviewed crime books for the Tangled Web site (www.twbooks.co.uk). He is also both a physician and a barrister.

Just Another Hero by Sharon M. Draper

by Shirley Fetherolf

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Sharon Draper, a two-time Coretta Scott King Award-winner and popular conference speaker. lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she taught high school English for twenty-five years.

The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau

by Shirley Fetherolf

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

With a background in cultural anthropology and ESL-teaching, award-winning author Laura Resau has lived and traveled extensively in Latin America.

Chemistry for Beginners by Anthony Strong

by Shirley Fetherolf

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

ANTHONY STRONG is the author of two previous novels written under the name Anthony Capella--The Wedding Officer and The Food of Love, which has been translated into 22 languages. He lives in the United Kingdom. (from the author's Anthony Capella website)

The Wolf in the Parlor by Jon Franklin

by Pat Dole

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Jon Franklin is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism and the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing, among numerous other awards. He was a science writer for the Baltimore Evening Sun and is now a journalism professor at the University of Maryland. He is also the author of The Molecules of the Mind a New York Times Book of the Year.

Three Hands in the Fountain by Lindsey Davis

by Janet Julian

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

LINDSEY DAVIS is the author of the internationally bestselling Falco novels. She lives in London, England.

Divine Misdemeanors by Laurell K. Hamilton

by Jodi Israel

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Laurell K. Hamilton is the New York Times bestselling author of the Meredith Gentry novels: A Kiss of Shadows, A Caress of Twilight, Seduced by Moonlight, A Stroke of Midnight, Mistral's Kiss, A Lick of Frost, and Divine Misdemeanors, as well as seventeen acclaimed Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, novels. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

by Francine Levitov

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Malcolm Gladwell has been a staff writer with The New Yorker magazine sine 1996, and all of the essays in What the Dog Saw first appeared in the pages of that magazine. He is the author of three other books, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference; Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking; and Outliers: The Story of Success, all of which were number one New York Times bestsellers.

Crashed by Robin Wasserman

by Shirley Fetherolf

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Robin Wasserman enjoys writing about high school -- but wakes up every day grateful that she doesn't have to relive it. She recently abandoned the beaches and boulevards of Los Angeles for the chilly embrace of the East Coast, as all that sun and fun gave her too little to complain about. She now lives and writes in New York City, which she claims to love for its vibrant culture and intellectual life. In reality, she doesn't make it to museums nearly enough, and actually just loves the city for its pizza, its shopping, and the fact that at three A.M. you can always get anything you need -- and you can get it delivered. Wasserman is also the author of another teen series called The Seven Deadly Sins.

The Case for God by Karen Armstrong

by Pat Dole

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Karen Armstrong is the author of numerous books on religious affairs, including A History of God, The Battle for God, Holy War, Islam, Buddha, and The Great Transformation; and two memoirs, Through the Narrow Gate and The Spiral Staircase. In February 2008 she was awarded the "TED" prize ("Technology, Entertainment, Design:" ideas worth spreading) and is currently working with TED on a major international project to launch and propagate a Charter for Compassion, created online by the general public and crafted by leading thinkers in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. It is to be signed in the fall of 2009 by a thousand religious and secular leaders.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

by Mary Purucker

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Jack London (1876-1916), by turns a renegade adventurer, a war correspondent, and an avowed socialist, first achieved fame with The Son of the Wolf (1900), a collection of short stories drawn from his experiences in the Klondike gold rush. "The greatest story Jack London ever wrote was the story he lived, said Alfred Kazin.

Rescue Ink by Dennis Flaim

by Miles Klein

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Comprised of motorcycle and tattoo aficianados, Rescue Ink is a nonprofit animal rescue organization based in Long Island, New York. They have been featured in People and The New York Times. Denise Flaim was a staff writer at Newsday from 1994 to 2008 and is the author of The Holistic Dog Book and Getting Lucky: How One Special Dog Found Love and a Second Chance at Angel's Gate.

Delicate, Edible Birds by Lauren Groff

by Carol Kellerman

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Lauren Groff was born in Cooperstown, New York, from which she drew inspiration for her first novel, The Monsters of Templeton. Her short stories have appeared in several literary publications, and she has won fellowships to the Vermont Studio Center and Yaddo. She received a Pushcart Prize for her story "Lucky Chow Fun."

The Spire by Richard North Patterson

by Jean Palmer

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Richard North Patterson is the author of Eclipse, Exile, and fourteen other bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, he was the SEC liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups.

The Monster in the Box by Ruth Rendell

by Jean Palmer

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Ruth Rendell, who also writes as Barbara Vine, is the author of more than 70 books. She has won numerous awards, including the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for 1976's best crime novel with A Demon in My View; a second Edgar in 1984 from the Mystery Writers of America for the best short story, The New Girl Friend; and a Gold Dagger Award for Live Flesh in 1986. She was also the winner of the 1990 Sunday Times Literary award, as well as the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger. In 1996 she was awarded the CBE and in 1997 became a Life Peer, a four-time winner of the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger for Fiction award, the recipient of a CBE and in 1997 of a lifetime peerage.

The Disappeared by M.R. Hall

by Jean Palmer

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

M. R. Hall is a screenwriter, producer and former criminal barrister. English barristers must prosecute as well as defend, and Hall found he couldn't prosecute children so he left the profession. Educated at Hereford Cathedral School and Worcester College, Oxford, he lives in Monmouthshire with his wife and two sons. Aside from writing, his main passion is the preservation and planting of woodland. In his spare moments, he is mostly to be found amongst trees.

Noah's Compass by Anne Taylor

by Jean Palmer

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Anne Tyler was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. This is her eighteenth novel. Her eleventh, Breathing Lessons, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Lying Carpet by David Lucas

by Pat Dole

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

David Lucas studied illustration at the Royal College of Art. His books have been translated into seven languages.

Kim by Rudyard Kipling

by Betsy Woodman

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1907 and was wildly popular for his poems, short stories, novels, and children's books. As the British Empire waned, he was dismissed as a "jingoistic imperialist," but in more recent times his reputation has been at least partly rehabilitated. In 1990, for example, Reader's Digest included Kim on a list of "The World's Best Reading," and for those who can accept its old-fashioned language and world view, the book still offers mystery, fun, and a kaleidoscopic view of India in the late 19th century

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

by Jodi Israel

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Award-winning author Rick Yancey has captivated young adult readers with his popular Alfred Kropp novels, the first of which was named a Best Book for Children by Publishers Weekly and was a finalist for the Carnegie Medal.

Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson

by Mary Purucker

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

James Patterson is the author of the two most popular detective series of the past decade, featuring Alex Cross and the Women's Murder Club. He has won an Edgar Award--the mystery world's highest honor--and his novels Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider were made into feature films. His lifelong work to promote books and reading is reflected in his new Web site, ReadKiddoRead.com, which helps parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians find the very best children's books for their kids. He lives in Florida. Richard DiLallo is a former advertising creative director. He has had numerous articles published in major magazines. He lives in Manhattan with his wife.

The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slades

by Hugh M. Flick

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Arthur Slade was raised in the Cypress Hills of southwest Saskatchewan (on a ranch) and began writing at an early age. He received an English Honours degree from the University of Saskatchewan, spent several years writing advertising and now writes fiction full time. He is the author of the "Canadian Chills" series of books, "Dust" (which won the Governor General's award), "Tribes," "Monsterology" and "Megiddo's Shadow." He currently lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

A Cold Day in Paradise by Steve Hamilton

by Jean Palmer

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Born and raised in Detroit, Steve Hamilton graduated from the University of Michigan where he won the prestigious Hopwood Award for fiction. In 2006, he won the Michigan Author Award for his outstanding body of work. His novels have won numerous awards and media acclaim beginning with the very first in the Alex McKnight series, A Cold Day in Paradise, which won the Private Eye Writers of America/St. Martin's Press Award for Best First Mystery by an Unpublished Writer. Once published, it went on to win the MWA Edgar and the PWA Shamus Awards for Best First Novel, and was short-listed for the Anthony and Barry Awards. Hamilton currently works for IBM in upstate New York where he lives with his wife Julia and their two children.

Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen

by Nola Theiss

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Bich Minh Nguyen [Bit Min Nwin] is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir Stealing Buddha's Dinner.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

by Stephanie Squicciarini

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Justine Larbalestier is the author of How to Ditch Your Fairy and the acclaimed Magic or Madness trilogy. She was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, and now divides her time between Sydney and New York City.

The Entertainer and the Dybbuk by Sid Fleischman

by Miles Klein

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Since his autobiography, The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer's Life, was published in 1996, Sid Fleischman has been stealing the spotlight with his exuberant brand of nonfiction. Sir Charlie: Chaplin, the Funniest Man in the World is Fleischman's fourth true tale, following the widely acclaimed The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West and the best-selling Escape! The Story of The Great Houdini. Fleischman's books have been made into films, performed as plays, and translated into nineteen languages. The author was awarded the Newbery Medal for The Whipping Boy. His most recent novel is The Dream Stealer. Sid Fleischman lives in Santa Monica, California.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

by Hugh M. Flick

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Patrick Rothfuss always wanted to be a fantasy author when he grew up. Now that his first novel is published it's generally agreed that he has achieved his dream. However, there is some debate as to whether or not he has, in fact, grown up.

School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari

by Sherri Forgash

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

From Amazon: Former Contrafilms Director of Development, Gitty Daneshvari is the author of the adult novel The Makedown. This is Gitty's debut children's book, and it was inspired by her many childhood fears. She hoped that one day they'd help her, and, as it turns out, they did. She lives in New York.

I.O.U. by John Lanchester

by Jean Palmer

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

John Lanchester is the author of the novels The Debt to Pleasure, Mr. Phillips, and Fragrant Harbor; and a memoir, Family Romance. He is a contributing editor at the London Review of Books and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Observer, and The Daily Telegraph, among others. Among several other prizes, including the Whitbread and Hawthornden Awards, Lanchester was awarded the 2008 E.M. Forster Award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives in London.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

by Susan Allison

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Dave Eggers is the author of six previous books, including his most recent, Zeitoun, a nonfiction account a Syrian-American immigrant and his extraordinary experience during Hurricane Katrina and What Is the What, a finalist for the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award. That book, about Valentino Achak Deng, a survivor of the civil war in southern Sudan, gave birth to the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, run by Mr. Deng and dedicated to building secondary schools in southern Sudan. Eggers is the founder and editor of McSweeney's, an independent publishing house based in San Francisco that produces a quarterly journal, a monthly magazine (The Believer), and Wholphin, a quarterly DVD of short films and documentaries. In 2002, with Nínive Calegari he co-founded 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center for youth in the Mission District of San Francisco. Local communities have since opened sister 826 centers in Chicago, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Ann Arbor, Seattle, and Boston. In 2004, Eggers taught at the University of California-Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and there, with Dr. Lola Vollen, he co-founded Voice of Witness, a series of books using oral history to illuminate human rights crises around the world. A native of Chicago, Eggers graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in journalism. He now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two children.

Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga

by Rozell Overmire

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Aravind Adiga was born in India in 1974 and attended Columbia and Oxford universities. A former correspondent for Time magazine, he has also been published in the Financial Times. He lives in Mumbai, India. His debut novel, The White Tiger, won the 2008 Man Booker Prize.

Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving

by Steve Seddon

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

The Pyramid by Henning Mankell

by Janet Julian

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

Henning Mankell is the prizewinning author of the Kurt Wallander mysteries, which were adapted into a PBS television series starring Kenneth Branagh. His novels have been translated into forty languages and have sold thirty million copies worldwide. He is the first winner of the Ripper Award (the new European Crime Fiction Star Award) and has also received the Glass Key and Golden Dagger awards. He divides his time between Sweden and Mozambique.

Bad Moon Rising/Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon

by Jodi Israel

Tue, Feb 02, 2010

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Sherrilyn Kenyon lives a life of extraordinary danger... as does any woman with three sons, a husband, a menagerie of pets and a collection of swords that all of the above have a major fixation with. But when not running interference (or dashing off to the emergency room), she’s found chained to her computer where she likes to play with all her imaginary friends. With over seventeen million copies of her books in print, in over thirty countries, she certainly has a lot of friends to play with too

Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith

by Francine Levitov

Tue, Feb 02, 2010

The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich

by Nola Theiss

Tue, Feb 02, 2010

Ben Mezrich has created his own highly addictive genre of nonfiction, chronicling the amazing stories of young geniuses making tons of money on the edge of impossibility, ethics, and morality. He is the author of eleven books, including the wildly successful Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions.

English Society in the 18th Century by Roy Porter

by Janet Julian

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

Roy Porter was, until his retirement, Professor in the Social History of Medicine at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine. He died in 2002.

The Odyssey by Homer

by Sue Rosenzweig

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

W.H.D. Rouse was one of the great 20th century experts on Ancient Greece, and headmaster of the Perse School, Cambridge, England, for 26 years. Under his leadership the school became widely known for the successful teaching of Greek and Latin as spoken languages. He derived his knowledge of the Greeks not only from his wide studies of classical literature, but also by travelling extensively in Greece. He died in 1950.

Dogsong by Gary Paulsen

by Sherri Forgash

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

Gary Paulsen is one of the most honored writers of contemporary literature for young readers. He has written more than one hundred book for adults and young readers, and is the author of three Newbery Honor titles: Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. He divides his time among Alaska, New Mexico, Minnesota, and the Pacific.

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

by Sherri Forgash

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

Justine Larbalestier is the author of Liar and the acclaimed Magic or Madness trilogy. She was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, and now divides her time between Sydney and New York City. She is married to author Scott Westerfeld.

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

by Mary Purucker

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and author of short stories. He was the author of the Importance of Being Earnest; The Picture of Dorian Gray; The Happy Prince and many other works.

The Nine Pound Hammer Book 1, by Jean Claude Bemis

by Susan Allison

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

John Claude Bemis began his writing career as a songwriter, and through oldtime country and blues music, began to explore how Southern folklore could become epic fantasy. John lives with his family in Hillsborough, North Carolina, where he teaches his favorite books to elementary school students.

Crossing Jordan by Adrian Fogelin

by Erika Kosin

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

This is author Adrian Fogelin's first book for children. "I was moved to write this story of prejudice after an incident in my own neighborhood. I believe strongly in the message of this book." Fogelin is also a librarian and is a fiction reader for the International Quarterly. She lives with her family in Tallahassee, Florida.

Peace, Love and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle

by Carol Kellerman

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

Lauren Myracle is the New York Times bestselling author of Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen and The Fashion Disaster That Changed My Life, as well as the Internet Girls series (ttyl) and Bliss (Abrams). Lauren lives with her family in Colorado.

Blood's A Rover by James Ellroy

by Sue Rosenzweig

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

In 1958 Jean Ellroy was murdered, her body dumped on a roadway in a seedy L.A. suburb. Her killer was never found, and the police dismissed her as a casualty of a cheap Saturday night. James Ellroy was ten when his mother died, and he spent the next thirty-six years running from her ghost and attempting to exorcize it through crime fiction. In 1994, Ellroy quit running. He went back to L.A., to find out the truth about his mother--and himself.

Huge by James Fuerst

by Mary Purucker

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

JAMES W. FUERST spent his teenage years in New Jersey and now lives in Brooklyn. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University and holds an M.F.A from The New School. Huge is his first novel.

Under the Dome by Stephen King

by Miles Klein

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Lisey's Story and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He was the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Maine with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.