2012 Favorite Audiobooks

Since the number of audiobooks I listened to this year was about half of what I listened to last year, I thought it appropriate that I choose my top five, otherwise my top 10 would be almost 50 percent of what I listened to. That's kind of silly. Staying to five is a challenge because I listened to some great audiobooks this year, but I'm up for it.

Here are the five audiobooks that I felt overall were the best listening experiences of my 2012 year (note that they were not necessarily produced this year; I listened to them this year):

5. Mr Timothy. Written by Louis Bayard and narrated by Mark Honan for AudioGo. This audio kept me company on my drive back from Washington D.C. the week before Christmas (how appropriate). The time period and atmosphere were communicated beautifully through Honan's narration. He brought out the age and maturity levels of the characters and nailed the spunk of the young Collin. Louis Bayard is a brilliant writer and none of his eloquence or art was lost in Honan's translation. Wonderfully done.

4. The Wind Through the Keyhole. Written and narrated by Stephen King for Simon and Schuster Audio. Believe it or not, this was my first foray into King's written work. I've seen several of the movie adaptations of his work, but this was the first time hearing his actual words. And while I'm not typically a fantasy reader, I loved the layers of meaning in this story. The biggest shocker, however, is that King is a fantastic narrator. I typically shy away from audios narrated by their authors because writing a book does not make a person a good narrator. As a matter of fact, very few authors have the performance talent necessary to narrate their own work. But this was stellar, so it was a treat to hear King's own interpretation of his work.

3. Invisible Murder. Written by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis, narrated by Katherine Kellgren for AudioGo. Kellgren did such a spectacular job with the various dialects in this suspense thriller. The ease with which she handled all ages and genders made the audio flow so smoothly that the fact it WAS an audio simply faded into the background as the story took center stage.

2. Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend. Written by Matthew Dicks, narrated by Matthew Brown for Macmillan Audio. It's not technically a crime fiction audiobook, but there is a crime element. And regardless of genre, it's an amazing audiobook. The story is heartwarming but also extremely challenging. Brown had to bring out the additional dimension of imaginary friends, the dimension in which they reside and people are only tangentially connected. Brown nailed it; the recording is brilliant and unforgettable.

1. Gutshot Straight. Written by Lou Berney, narrated by Edoardo Ballerini for Audible, Inc. There are probably a lot of people tired of hearing me recommend Lou Berney this year. I had a copy of Gutshot Straight in print for quite awhile, but hadn't gotten around to reading it. So, I picked up the audio and kicked myself for not reading it sooner. However, had I read it sooner, I would not likely have picked up the audio and enjoyed the best listening experience of 2012. Ballerini did such a magnificent job narrating this all-around fun crime caper. He seemed to be on the same wave length with both Berney and Shake. I was entranced; I laughed; I exercised extra just so I could listen longer. Superb! My favorite audiobook of 2012.

There you have it! My favorite audios. Now let me know what you listened to this year that you really liked. Did anyone try audios for the first time? Anyone putting them on their list to try for 2013? The hardest list is next. Narrowing down my favorite reads of 2012. Check back on Monday. In the mean time, have a wonderful weekend and HAPPY READING!

Five on Friday: Katherine Kellgren

We had such a beautiful week here in Northeast Ohio and now the weather is turning on us and we're headed back to the usual cold of fall. But it's Friday and that's always reason to celebrate, right? I hope you have some great plans - and great books - for the weekend.

I'm preparing for Murder and Mayhem in Muskego. In addition to my interview with Robert Crais, I'll be moderating a panel on Friday night. I have a feeling there will be much laughter at the Muskego Library with this panel! I hope to see some of you there.

If you haven't entered to win tickets to see To Kill a Mockingbird in the theater on November 15th, be sure to click over and enter. I've seen the movie many times but this will be the first time I'll get to see it on the big screen. I can. not. wait!

But let's get to the fun for Friday! I have such a special guest joining us today. Earlier this week I was part of the audiobook blog tour for Invisible Murder. Katherine Kellgren is the fabulous narrator of both Invisible Murder and the previous Nina Borg mystery, The Boy in the Suitcase. I think too often we take for granted the important role a great narrator plays in our enjoyment of an audiobook. And in addition, we so rarely see the faces of those who narrate. We know their voices well, but they could walk right up to us on the street and we wouldn't recognize them.

Today I am thrilled to help you put a face with that most talented voice. And after reading about Katy to prepare for this post, I'm so intrigued I'm going to see if I can talk her into doing a full interview later. What a fascinating woman. First of all, I couldn't believe she was born in New York. Her amazing dialects in the Nina Borg novels had me convinced she was Danish, with an incredible talent for Hungarian.

I loved the fact that the first audiobook she ever recorded was for her father. He had Parkinson's Disease which made reading very difficult. I experienced that with a friend's father who started to love audiobooks for the same reason. Anyway...Katy recorded--on a tape recorder--her dad's choice of a Freeman Wills Crofts novel. That's just amazing to me. O.k. well, let me not rattle off her bio so we'll have fun things to talk about in that interview!

I will tell you Katherine has narrated over 175 books and has won gads of awards for her work, including an Audie Award for Best Solo Narration. It is my pleasure to introduce Katherine Kellgren:

1. The best gift I ever received was:

My engagement ring from my husband - or come to think of it, my husband himself!

2. A skill I’ve always wanted to have, but don’t is:

The ability to record a book without doing too much time-consuming prep. For instance, one of the things I do when prepping a book (after reading it at home) is going through the text and marking all the dialogue for each character in an individual color of highlighter pen. This helps me attack each voice during a rapid-fire exchange with more confidence and to differentiate the characters, but it does take a bit of time. Many narrators can work brilliantly with dialogue without taking this step - I'm very jealous of them!

3. If I won the lottery tomorrow, the first thing I would do would be:

Buy an apartment in New York and a house in Primrose Hill in London.

4.  When I’m feeling under the weather, I….

If I'm feeling too ill to be able to concentrate on reading, I curl up in front of some serious comfort tv. My last really sick day involved a Downton Abbey marathon...

And the #1 item on my bucket list right now is

A trip to Greece. I've spent so much time looking at the Parthenon sculptures in the British Museum over the years, and I'd love to see the ones in the Acropolis Museum - not to mention the Parthenon itself. I've also always longed to see the ancient amphitheatre at Epidaurus.

Katy informed me that this picture she sent is of her "feeling blissful on a recent trip to London at one of my old haunts, The London Library." I'd be feeling rather blissful there as well, I think. And I have to say, whatever Katy does to prepare for dialogue works amazingly. If you haven't experienced one of her narrations I encourage you to do so. She's recorded quite an array of books, so I'm sure you can find something to suit your desires. And don't forget that you can enter to win a copy of her narration of Invisible Murder!

And I hope you're as intrigued with Katy as I am. If you are, you can hang out with her on Facebook or Twitter. And like I said, I'm hoping I can convince her to come back here as well. How delightful she is and how thrilled I am that she joined us today!

Have a great weekend everyone! Happy reading and happy listening.

Invisible Murder - Lene Kaaberbøl & Agnete Friis

First line: "'Maybe we'll find a gun,' Pitkin said, aiming his finger at the guardhouse next to the gate."

Nina Borg went to the garage in Copenhagen with the best of intentions. Her work often brought her into contact with people who were illegally in Denmark, but as a nurse, Nina felt everyone should be able to receive care when they need it. So she went to the garage, despite promising her husband she wouldn't go off on such missions when he was away. It would only be a quick trip to take medicines and supplies and the children wouldn't even know she was gone.

Well, "the best laid plans..." Nina's innocent trip to help those in need turns out to be the first domino to fall in the course of events that may well destroy everything Nina loves.

Returning to narrate the second Nina Borg novel, Katherine Kellgren falls right back into the natural groove of Kaaberbøl and Friis' style. Nina's perspective dominates the story and Kellgren seems a natural for her character, but Kellgren just as deftly depicts the self-centered teenage daughter - you can just see her eyes rolling; the battered and broken Hungarian law school student - your heart will break from the prejudice he endures; the perverted and repulsive human trafficker - you'll taste bile as he simply drips with contemptible sleaze.

In addition to stepping into each uniquely crafted character, Kellgren has a keen perception for Kaaberbøl and Friis' pacing. As any well-written thriller should do, the anticipation is drawn out to allow the action sequences to fly with more gusto. Kellgren is well-tuned to the dynamics of the plot and her reading emphasizes the intensity as well as the characters' responses to the course of events.

Kaaberbøl and Friis have written a novel that is a taut thriller, but it's simultaneously a universal social commentary on the treatment of human beings. One doesn't have to live in Denmark to make correlations with Invisible Murder. I can't imagine walking away from this story without at least a small pang of regret for the wrongs we commit against others every single day.

Invisible Murder is not an audiobook you want to listen to for relaxation purposes. Kellgren's narration and Kaaberbøl and Friis' story will get your heart pumping and your brain whirling. Take this one on your next run or walk and it'll keep your momentum going strong.

You can listen to a clip of the Invisible Murder audio below. Since this is a part of a blog tour, you can hear a section of the audio at each blog stop. My clip is the second, to start at part one, visit The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia first.



Tomorrow another blogging Jennifer will host part three. You can stop by the Literate Housewife blog to continue on the tour and finally Friday you can wrap up with Theresa's Reading Corner. If you listen to all the excerpts, you'll get about 15 minutes of the beginning of the audiobook.

Invisible Murder is available on unabridged audio from AudioGo (ISBN: 9781620640494) and in hardcover print from Soho Crime (ISBN: 9781616951702).

As part of the blog tour, I also have the great opportunity to give away copies of the audio to two lucky winners. So to have your names considered in the drawing, just fill out this quick form below by Monday, October 29th. I'll draw two names on the 30th and give away some Halloween treats! Entrants must be residents of the US or Canada, please.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email. Good luck!