The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place
Available from Audible.com
Author: E.L. Konigsburg
Reader: Molly Ringwald
Short Review: Solid story and well read. Twelve year old Margaret Rose’s summer turns into an exploration of what is important in life – and what you are willing to do to defend uniqueness, beauty and love.
The Monsters of Otherness
Available from Audible
Author: Kaza Kingsley
Reader: Simon Jones
Extra: Introduction by author Kaza Kinglsley in which she shares her inspiration for Erec and his quests.
Short Review: Strong second installment in Kaza Kingsley’s Erec Rex series combines imaginative adventures with some solid life lessons. Simon Jones is still a fabulous reader.
Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
Author: Beth Fantaskey
Readers: Katherine Kellgren & Jeff Woodman
Short Review: Fairly standard ‘boy meets girl, boy turns out to be vampire’ romance – but with a few twists you likely won’t expect. A pair of excellent readers, endearing characters and a fresh take on Romanian vampires make this a very enjoyable story.
Author: Charlaine Harris
Reader: Johanna Parker
Short Review: Well read first installment of the Southern Vampire Mysteries series (better known now as the books that inspired HBO’s TrueBlood series). Sookie Stackhouse is a telepathic waitress in a world in which vampires have “come out of the coffin”, and her world is getting more dangerous with each passing the day.
Author: Kaza Kingsley
Reader: Simon Jones
Extra: Introduction by author Kaza Kinglsley in which she explains how she got the idea of Erec Rex and some of her process of creating the first book.
Short Review: Entertaining fantasy in which a 12 year old boy discovers a parallel but hidden world of magic. Fun characters plus a great reader makes for a captivating audio book.
The Precipice (The Asteroid Wars)
Author: Ben Bova
Readers: Scott Brick
Short Review: Well-woven story set in a not-too-distant-future full of corporate intrigue and environmental chaos, both on earth and in colonized outer space. The amazing readers bring our cast of characters to life – I highly recommend it and am scheming for when I can start the next book in the sequence.
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Reader: Michael Shanks
Short Review: Star crossed lovers set in an intricately woven universe including space ships, elements of magic and linguistics. The reader needed someone to insist on better pacing in an otherwise very solid performance.
Author: Neil Gaiman
Reader: Neil Gaiman
Short Review: A stunning story beautifully read by the author. Coraline’s boredom leads her to a place just beyond our reality. What at first seems just odd and fun becomes creepy and worth escape, but only by delicate inches. Gaiman’s voice lulls and tantalizes. He is just so good at painting images with the combination of words and his own voice.
Storm Front Audiobook by Jim ButcherBook 1
Author: Jim Butcher
Reader: James Marsters
Short Review: Down on his luck detective Harry Dresden also happens to be a real, live wizard. This introduction to Harry’s world includes magic, potions, a talking skull named Bob, werewolves – and of course a murder mystery. James Marsters is brilliant.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games
Available from Audible.com
Author: Suzanne Collins
Reader: Carolyn McCormick
Short Review: Creative, captivating and intense young-adult drama with a strong 16-year-old female protagonist and set in a brutal far-future. Decent reader, but I kept wishing for a bit more emotion in her reading. That said, the story was so captivating that I couldn’t stop listening!
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