* AudioFile Magazine *: AudioFile Roundtable

[AudioFile]

Let's integrate our books as we integrate (re-integrate?) our schools. That, and much more, is what Francesca Goldsmith has to say as school kids in many countries head back into the classroom. Here's the blog post: http://bit.ly/OwnVoicesBlog.

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here reminding everyone that AudioFile also publishes sound reviews, which are a great way to stay abreast of reviews while commuting or just taking a walk. Here's the latest, of John Lee's reading of The Thirst by Jo Nesbo: http://bit.ly/TheThirstSoundReview.

[AudioFile]

Robin's Roundup today is a long-weekend's worth of fun and serious listening: http://bit.ly/RobinsRoundupSeptOne. Pick the one you want depending on your mood.

[AudioFile]

Calling all you R.C. Bray fans! Aurelia here with R.C.'s Behind the Mic video blog about The Reason You're Alive. It and R.C. are just so good: http://bit.ly/BehindtheMicRCBray.

And if you want to revisit one of your undoubted favorites from R.C.'s catalogue, here's the review and sound clip of The Martian by Andy Weir: http://bit.ly/TheMartianAFMReview.

[AudioFile]

Calling all mystery lovers! Jen Forbus's SOLVE blog this week, 'Partners in Crime', reviews writing duos: http://bit.ly/PartnersinCrimeBlog. I had no idea that Michael Stanley is actually two authors - is anyone else surprised by the writing partners listed in the blog?

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here with the newest Behind the Mic video blog. It's Cassandra Campbell and The Scribe of Siena! Enjoy: http://bit.ly/BehindtheMicScibeofSiena. (I love a good historical novel, so it's definitely on my listen-to list.)

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here with the latest Jen's latest SOLVE blog, which is in pursuit of families who write crimes novels: http://bit.ly/SOLVEFamilies

[AudioFile]

In honor of Agatha Christie's birthday this past week, here's a fun Behind the Mic video blog with Alison Larkin on her narrations of Tommy and Tuppence books: http://bit.ly/BehindtheMicLarkin. (Speaking personally - this is Aurelia - I wish Christie had written more Tommy and Tuppence mysteries.)

[AudioFile]

Adjoa Andoh, who gave a beautiful performance of Ayobami Adebayo's Stay with Me, says, “As a British West African actor, I am delighted that more African literature is transferring to audio; as a black woman, I am very proud of the literary brilliance and grace with which Ayobami Adebayo has addressed the distressing issue of childlessness; and personally I am very grateful for the way the author supported this recording.” Hear the sound clip and read the review: http://bit.ly/StaywithMeReview.

[AudioFile]

According to the latest AudioFile free e-newsletter, actor Paul Hogan says he's been, "thrilled with the remarkably candid, heartfelt, and moving feedback from listeners of all ages, genders, and orientations." Hogan also says that The Heart's Invisible Furies was, "without doubt, the most fulfilling and meaningful book I have recorded." He won an Earphones Award for the performance: http://bit.ly/TheHeartsInvisibleFurie....

This is Aurelia. If you want to receive the newsletter yourself and not wait for my picks from it, here's the link: https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/ema....

[AudioFile]

Earphones Award-winner Graham Halstead has the inside track (and only 1 minor spoiler) in this fun Behind the Mic video blog about Christopher Bollen's thriller: http://bit.ly/TheDestroyers.

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here. So, the romance genre has exploded in recent years and you'd like to check it out, but all you know is that you're definitely not a bodice-ripper aficionado? Caitlyn's newest Tease blog post will help: http://bit.ly/2v6cWJI. It's an intro to all things sexy and romantic.

[AudioFile]

This is Aurelia with a link to our review of Two Boys Kissing:http://bit.ly/2ftpofH. According to the American Library Association, it one of the most frequently challenged books of last year.

This year I listened to (and loved) Looking for Alaska (http://bit.ly/2xF1GWi) because of recommendations from our GR Audiobooks Group. It's also on the ALA's list of the top ten most challenged books of 2016. Anybody else have a favorite listen from the ALA's lists? Here's the link: http://bit.ly/2yaMkMe.

[AudioFile]

The wonderful Robin Miles on The Stone Sky, the final book in the Broken Earth trilogy, in this Behind the Mic video blog: http://bit.ly/2yOIkOq.

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here with my own new blog post about the books that have helped me process the Vietnam War: http://bit.ly/2v6cWJI.

[AudioFile]

This is Aurelia with Peter Berkrot's fun Behind the Mic video blog about THE YID by Paul Goldberg: http://bit.ly/2y7bOsMTheYid. Laughing about life Stalinist Russia - that's perspective for you!

[AudioFile]

This is Aurelia with Susan Bennett's great Behind the Mic video blog about her Earphones Award performance of BECOMING BONNIE by Jenni L. Walsh (and much more): http://bit.ly/2xFQZRz. It's been 50 years since Irving Penn's film 'Bonnie and Clyde'. Can you believe it?

[AudioFile]

Hi Everyone, Aurelia here with a real treat. Barbara Rosenblat in the newest episode of our podcast, The Download, talking about THE PAINTED QUEEN by the unforgettable Elizabeth Peters and excellent Joan Hess: http://bit.ly/2yrP6wq. Theirs was a true friendship, not just an author-narrator relationship. Enjoy.

[AudioFile]

How about some Sherlock Holmes this weekend? These days one can choose between the classics by Arthur Conan Doyle, all kinds of new versions, and many (many) narrators. This is Aurelia, offering my take on the wealth of what's available: http://bit.ly/2gR2qAj. It's true, I love SO many of them!

[AudioFile]

A black Texas Ranger handles murder in a small East Texas town. Review/soundclip: http://bit.ly/2guPtvB. Here's JD Jackson on Attica Locke's BLUEBIRD BLUEBIRD, for which the narrator won an Earphones Award:

"Bluebird, Bluebird was an amazing read, because it was so much more than a murder/suspense novel. Interpreting this book was enjoyable, as the characters are well developed and easy to visualize. And the relationships are woven expertly into the fabric, making racial tension, regret, honor, and redemption play like a brown liquor blues song. The rhythm of the writing was easy to ride."

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here. Malk Williams had me hooked at 31 seconds in his Behind the Mic video blog about narrating ARROWOOD: http://bit.ly/2l6swDV. What a hoot. It's about an anti-Sherlock Sherlockian investigator and I already love it. (So did the reviewer, who gave Williams an Earphones Award.)

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here with Gordon Griffin, who's narrated books since the dawn of the audiobook industry. He's a kick; I hope you like him as much as I did: http://bit.ly/2uSELaf. He's still winning Earphone Awards, such as this new one for the funny, whimsical novel, FLUDD, by Hilary Mantel (written before she was 'the famous Hilary Mantel'). Sound clip and review: http://bit.ly/2i0C6mU.

[AudioFile]

This is Aurelia. I loved this short Behind the Mic video blog by Cris Dukehart about narrating the truly frightening SAY YOU'RE SORRY: http://bit.ly/BehindTheMicSayYoureSorry. (Plus, I liked what looks like Dukehart's living room.)

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here with a personal consideration of three stars who also happen to be great audiobook narrators: http://bit.ly/thestarsareouttonight. Have any more movie/stage stars to add to the list of great audiobook narrators?

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here, calling everyone who's listening to Ron Chernow's GRANT. An exclusive Behind the Mic video blog with ace narrator Mark Bramhall: http://bit.ly/2yucjin. Enjoy!

[AudioFile]

Here's Jonathan Yen in a literal Behind the Mic video blog (because he looks like he's in his recording booth), chatting about Claude Shannon, the father of the information age, in the new bio A MIND AT PLAY: http://bit.ly/2iuvJc5. Love the foam waffle behind him!

[AudioFile]

This is Aurelia, calling all of Jayne Entwistle's many fans. The narrator of the Flavia De Luce series has won an Earphones Award for Kimberley Brubaker Bradley's THE WAR I FINALLY WON. Short sound clip and review: http://bit.ly/2hWk7Ph. And here's Entwistle's profile page: http://bit.ly/2jRn5Ih, because, what can I say, she's wonderfully funny and smart.

[AudioFile]

Candace Levy, the woman behind the award-winning BethFishReads audiobook blog, has joined the roster of AudioFile Magazine bloggers! Here's the link to this week's Take 5 with Candace: http://bit.ly/2zttZde.

And links to the latest from our other great bloggers:

TEASE: History in the Making: http://bit.ly/2j7HuZT
SOLVE: Under the Influence of Sherlock Holmes: http://bit.ly/2hhF3DD
SELF: Can We Learn Anything Without a Good Story? http://bit.ly/2hIh795
ROBIN'S ROUNDUP: http://bit.ly/2iYtmSE
AURELIA'S AUDIO ADVENTURES: The Stars are Out Tonight: http://bit.ly/2iXDPxL
And, of course, our BEHIND THE MIC video blog by your favorite narrators: http://bit.ly/2iuvJc5.

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here calling all history lovers. The newest Behind the Mic features Rob Shapiro on THE WORLD REMADE, G.J. Meyer's history of America in WWI: http://bit.ly/2hli4Un. Shapiro won an Earphones Award for his performance, and I've got to say that his commentary is as interesting as the book was fascinating and controversial.

[AudioFile]

The new SOLVE blog post is all about that iconic Wyoming sheriff, Walt Longmire, written by Craig Johnson and voiced by our audio world icon, George Guidall: http://bit.ly/2iTiD8c. Enjoy.

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here. I thought everyone would enjoy this quote from Dick Hill, "Recording a Reacher book is kind of like big-game hunting ... Lee Child is an expert guide, and I just have to make sure I don’t miss the kill shot.”

So, here's the short sound clip and review of THE MIDNIGHT LINE: http://bit.ly/2hwlTpU.

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here with my AudioFile blog post of books for the upcoming holiday, called Do You Even Like Pumpkin Pie? - http://bit.ly/2AM4Ur8.

[AudioFile]

Here's a fun Behind the Mic with Rebecca Soler, chatting about her Earphones Award performance of GENUINE FRAUD, a new young adult novel by E. Lockhart: http://bit.ly/2iu90h1.

[AudioFile]

Candace's Take 5 blog asks narrator Karen White five fun questions: http://bit.ly/2AprWYR. Can you guess what Karen's most embarrassing moment has been while narrating?

[AudioFile]

Oh, this is a great Behind the Mic blog post by Emily Woo Zeller: http://bit.ly/2Aaph23. It's all about her Earphones Award narration of Ann Mah's Kitchen Chinese: A Novel About Food, Family, and Finding Yourself.

[AudioFile]

Francisca Goldsmith's thoughtful and thought-provoking blog post about audiobooks that speak to the times we're living in: http://bit.ly/2i7UtdJ. It's a keeper.

[AudioFile]

Join Jen Forbus in feeling grateful for some wonderful narrators of mystery fiction: http://bit.ly/2hWcCYn. Rest assured, George Guidall made her list!

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here with a great Behind the Mic video blog by Will Damron: http://bit.ly/2zL5Ls9. It's about recording The Room of White Fire. Plus, I really like the poster of Orson Wells behind Damron. At least, I think it's Orson Wells. Anyone?

[AudioFile]

Our Tom Walken's latest SELF blog has books about the good life and what I'd call getting-our-act-together books. He's sifted out some of the best, so we're not stuck with bad advice in a bad audiobook: http://bit.ly/2jGy7wZ.

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here, calling the many fans of author Joe Hill and narrator Dennis Boutsikaris. We've teamed them in the latest episode of our podcast The Download. Here's the link: http://bit.ly/2nHVknM. They're chatting about Hill's latest, Strange Weather, plus a lot more. Hill is an author who actually has opinions about audiobooks - yay!

[AudioFile]

Oh, this is fun. A Behind the Mic video blog with Kate Rudd: http://bit.ly/2nMXDpq. It's all about her performance of John Green's much anticipated novel, Turtles All the Way Down. Her recording made it to the 'Best of 2017' list.

[AudioFile]

Here's what narrator James Langton has to say about recording Peter Robinson's newest Inspector Banks, Not Safe After Dark: And Other Stories: "Recording this was like meeting an old friend. I recorded several of the Inspector Banks books several years past but more than that, they are set around York in North Yorkshire (old York, that is), my home turf. As an ex-pat now based in the New York area, it's great to enjoy the specificity of place and people that Robinson conjures up, all amidst a compelling mystery story."

And here's the sound clip and review: http://bit.ly/2nZUnao. By the way, the collection is read by four narrators: Simon Prebble, James Patrick Cronin, Faye Adele, and James Langton.

[AudioFile]

This is Aurelia. I thought I'd share the link to the AudioFile e-newsletter of reviews for those who might wish to peruse on their own and not rely on their taste matching mine. It's at http://bit.ly/2u83ngk. The newsletter is free; pops into your inbox three times a month; and is easily cancelled if it proves too much.

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here with a personal take on what makes a great narrator, along with some book and narrator recommendations: http://bit.ly/2kqLHEW. Would love your thoughts.

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here with a fun Behind the Mic video blog by Vikas Adam about his performance of The Golden House by Salman Rushdie: http://bit.ly/2yJaTvF. Adam narrated Lion last year.

[AudioFile]

This is Aurelia to say happy first day of winter (and approaching spring, I promise). Here's Candace's Take 5 blog post on books that are perfect for the winter solstice: http://bit.ly/2CO7LB8.

[AudioFile]

Narrator Kirby Heyborne is wonderful to see and hear in this Behind the Mic blog about The Ethan I Was Before. Do enjoy: http://bit.ly/2lggl4k. (I believe he's recording it in his sound booth!)

[AudioFile]

Aurelia here with a delightful Behind the Mic featuring Ramon de Ocampo talking about Hello, Universe. Love the way he breaks into spontaneous narrating - http://bit.ly/2l2xIpi.

[AudioFile]

This is Aurelia with a few of the funny tidbits I've picked up about narrators over years of interviewing them: http://bit.ly/2zM5ILM.

[MissSusie]

AudioFile wrote: "This is Aurelia with a few of the funny tidbits I've picked up about narrators over years of interviewing them: http://bit.ly/2zM5ILM."

Great article! There is a clip on Sound Cloud of Xe when she didn't leave the booth before reacting to the spider it's hilarious! She has had some close encounters!