2013 Audiobook Favorites

Today's list of favorites is audiobooks. As I mentioned yesterday, I listened to fewer audiobooks this past year. Now that I'm not driving to work, my audiobook time has gone down a bit. So I'm going to limit my list a bit this year. As with my previous lists, these come from audios I listened to this year, they may not have been published this year. Given that, here are my seven favorite audiobooks of 2013:

Reconstructing Amelia (written by Kimberly McCreight; narrated by Khristine Hvam) Hvam sent chills up my spine as she sent me back to the brutal world of high school. The fact that I felt my heart being ripped apart by the evil children can do to one another speaks volumes for the performance Hvam put forth on this production. Harper Audio

Point and Shoot (written by Duane Swierczynski; narrated by Pete Larkin) This is the final book and audio in Swierczynski's trilogy and all three have been exceptional listening experiences. They are fun stories and Larkin simply has fun narrating them. His humor and energy mesh with Swierczynski's style and the listener reaps the rewards. Hachette Audio/AudioGo

Gun Machine (written by Warren Ellis; narrated by Reg E. Cathey) Cathey had a great book to work with here, but he wove his interpretation into the very fibers of the story. I was especially impressed with his range of character. Gritty, hardboiled and fun! Hachette Audio


Dare Me (written by Megan Abbott; narrated by Khristine Hvam) I haven't had an opportunity to review this one as I listened to it late this year, but Hvam is quite masterful with the high school world as she took the narration lead on this one as well but gave it its own unique sound. I didn't make the connection that she had narrated Reconstructing Amelia until looking back later. She nails the attitude, the energy and most especially the perspective of the novel. Hachette/AudioGo

The October List (written by Jeffery Deaver; narrated by January LaVoy) If my list would have been longer than 7, the eighth audio would have been Killer Instinct. It introduced me to January LaVoy and she knocked my socks off, but I had to choose The October List first because she was as important in the surprise of the plot twist for me as the writing itself.  She knew and understood the story and played it perfectly. Hachette Audio

The Goldfinch (written by Donna Tartt; narrated by David Pittu) I'm still finishing this one up, but have been transfixed for more than 20 hours already (the full audio is over 30) and have run the gamut of emotions. Pittu's easy transitions between the many dialects is stellar and I'm especially enamored by his portrayal of females. What a great listening experience this has been. Hachette Audio

The Graveyard Book (written and narrated by Neil Gaiman) Can I just say, "wow! This one blew me away!"? Is that sufficient? I felt like I was there in the graveyard with Bod. And Gaiman's sound made me feel safe there. I'm always skeptical of an author performing his/her own audiobooks, but this one was flat out amazing. So thankful I finally listened to it. Harper Audio


And that does it for the favorite audiobooks of 2013! How about you? What were your favorites?

The Inside Scoop on Narrator Pete Larkin

I am thrilled to be able to share a more in depth interview today with Pete Larkin. He was so kind as to participate in Five on Friday AND answer some additional questions for me. As you know from my previous reviews of the Duane Swierczynski's Charlie Hardie trilogy (Fun and Games, Hell and Gone, Point and Shoot) I'm a big fan of Pete's work.

Pete even provided something a little different for us. He answered my questions on a sound file, so not only will you get to know the answers to my questions, but you'll get to hear them straight from Pete himself! I hope you enjoy this inside look into the man behind Charlie Hardie's voice! And away we go....




1. You started your career in radio, but now your resume includes announcing for the NY Mets, theater, and of course audiobook narration. How did your career evolve in those directions?



2. I’ve had several narrators who started out as stage actors tell me how challenging audiobooks are because they no longer have their body language and movement to help in expression. But you started in radio where you also lacked those visual cues. Do you find that narrating is more in tune with radio or is it still a challenge in that way?



3. As a narrator, you have done a lot of non-fiction, including political books. Do you ever find challenges in the content of the books or is it just another day at the office, and you don’t really need to necessarily feel a connection with the material?



4. You mentioned in another interview that fiction is harder to narrate than non-fiction because you’re maintaining the characters throughout the life of the book. So how do you prepare for those books?



5. Do you communicate at all with the authors?



6. Is there anything in narrating a book that you absolutely dread? Like you see it in the text and just think, “oh no!”



7. Is there something you always wished you could narrate but haven’t had the chance to do so?



8. Tell us a little about the book that’s been your biggest challenge to date.



9. And what’s been the most rewarding to date? 



10. Do you listen to audiobooks yourself or do you want to go home and the end of the day and be completely away from “work”?



11. What’s the last book you recommended to someone else?



12. Is there anything you wish more people knew about audiobook narrators and what they do?



13. I’m a big crime fiction fan and we’ve discussed your narration of Duane Swiercynski’s Charlie Hardie trilogy. How was your experience narrating those books?



14. You’ve also done work on some recordings that included multiple narrators. When you’re doing a book with multiple narrators do you record with the other narrators or is some tech guru splicing everything together after people have individually recorded?



15. Last question, promise…there is quite a bit of musical experience in your background as well: singing, playing the guitar or bongos, performing in musicals. Where did that interest come from and have you ever had an opportunity to use it in narration?



Many, many thanks to Pete Larkin for his time, his candid responses and this fun format. I hope you enjoyed learning more about a great audiobook narrator today! Another audio Pete narrated that you may be interested in checking out is The Manual of Detection (for which he won an Earphone Award!). Happy listening everyone!

Point and Shoot - Duane Swierczynski

My review of the audiobook of Point and Shoot first appeared in Shelf Awareness. I am reprinting it here with their permission. And tomorrow I will have an interview with the narrator, Pete Larkin. If you missed his Five on Friday last week, you can check it out here.

First line: "A twenty-three-year-old hungover intern with a broken heart saved the day."

Pete Larkin returns to narrate Point and Shoot, the final segment of Duane Swierczynski’s Charlie Hardie trilogy. From the very onset, Larkin’s reading grabs the readers up and takes them along on Swierczynski’s wacky sci-fi/crime/comic ride.

The degree to which Swierczynski builds on each book is such that this trilogy is best read or listened to in order. Doing so on audio will not only help readers to understand the plot fully, but they also will understand the overall excellence in Larkin’s portrayal of it.

This third outing opens with Charlie in a satellite in space. His job is to guard the satellite for a year and the trade-off is his family’s safety. So when a man who looks exactly like Charlie and claims to be there to rescue him breaches the satellite, Charlie has to decide if he should chance teaming up with this doppelganger or “point and shoot.”



Swierczynski created a delicate balance with his Charlie Hardie series. Tipped one direction or the other, the blend of science fiction, crime fiction and comedy would come across as utterly absurd. Instead it’s engaging and entertaining even while the readers and listeners know it’s completely impossible. That in turn creates a thin tightrope for Pete Larkin to walk. Simply emphasizing something differently or missing humor could upset that balance. But Larkin walks that rope with style and panache, maybe even juggling flaming batons.

Down to the smallest details, like Swierczynski’s choice of movie quotes to open each chapter, Pete Larkin connects with the story, so his listeners can, too.

Point and Shoot is available as an unabridged download from Hachette Audio. It's also available to libraries through AudioGo, so you may be able to find a copy through your library.  The trade paperback (ISBN: 978-0316133302) is available from Mulholland Books.

Five on Friday - Pete Larkin

Happy Friday all! We made it again! I hope you have some great reading on tap for the weekend. I'm embroiled in a great Swedish crime novel. August looks like it's going to have some real winners in the crime fiction book release category! I'm already thinking I'm going to have a hard time making my Nerdy Special List pick for August.

I still have a bunch of reviews to catch up on here, so hopefully I'll get several written this weekend, but rest assured, they are coming. Another one to add to the YA list as well. Did you check out my review of GAME yesterday? It's been awhile since I was a YA myself but I tried to think if my former students would have enjoyed the book. I think so...

I'm not going to ramble on anymore, sorry about that. I will share our contest round-up:

Pop Culture Nerd has a nice giveaway of a book and tote going on over at her blog.

Friday Reads and Crimespree Magazine are giving away Death in Breslau and Footprints in the Sand this week.

Lesa has a "Crime fighting under Communism" giveaway going on. Remember, you have to get your entries in today by 6:00 CT!

Criminal Element is giving away the shirt off their back...the bowling shirt that is.

As for me, I have a fun new Five on Friday for you. Pete Larkin narrates Duane Swierczynski's Charlie Hardie trilogy. I honestly don't think anyone could have done a better job bringing Hardie to life, as soon as I heard it I thought, "this IS Charlie Hardie." I won't give you too much more background on Pete because I have a more comprehensive interview to share with you next week, as well as my review of the final audiobook of the trilogy, but today, it is my great pleasure to welcome Pete Larkin to the Five on Friday hot seat.

If I could tell my 16-year old self anything, it would be not to worry too much about things, don't be afraid to take chances, and, above all, don't sweat the small stuff. I would tell my younger self to venture large. If you want to be an actor, TRY IT. The worst thing is that you might fail. If you want to be a politician, give it a shot. The bottom line is that SOMEONE has to do those things; it might as well be you.

The best gift I ever received was, hands-down, the arrival of my daughter. She'll be 23 years old soon, and I simply cannot conceive of life without her. Everyone tells you how wonderful children are, etc. But NO ONE tells you how funny they are. You laugh all the time. She is the joy of my life.

One thing I have no tolerance for is a lack of empathy, the complete IN-ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes. If we, as a people, could get better at that, it would cure a whole host of ills. Racism and poverty would be eradicated, if ONLY we could imagine ourselves living OTHER lives.

A skill I've always wanted to have, but don't... I've always wanted to be able to play baseball better than I can, which can only be described as OK. This kind of syncs up with Question #1, about taking chances, because, if I had it to do over again, I'd work harder at baseball, practice all the time, and take a REAL shot at it. Oh, well...suppose I DID have a baseball career. I'm old enough now, that I would be finished with my career, and I wouldn't have played during the "big money" era. You just can't win.

Bucket List Question I guess one thing I've always wanted to do (and STILL want to do), is sell my house, buy an RV, and go touring around the US, Canada and South America for a good long while, maybe 5 years. This has been a desire of mine for as long as I can remember. It seems that, whenever I've been on vacation, I always "just miss" something. The locals would say, "Oh, what a shame you couldn't be here next week. That's when we do the annual...What a shame you JUST missed it." Traveling in an RV, with total freedom to come and go would cure that.

You know Pete hit a big chord with me on the lack of empathy response! Love it. However, I'll leave the traveling around in an RV to him. ;-)

Many thanks to Pete for making time to play in the sandbox with us today. I'm always so honored by the wonderful and thoughtful...sometimes funny...often revealing responses we get for Five on Friday. Thanks for sharing a little part of you today, Pete!

And thanks to everyone for stopping by. Be sure to stop back next week for an interview with Pete Larkin as well as more reviews and ALWAYS book fun! Happy Reading, friends!