Readers: Janis Ian and Jean Smart
Short Review: Touching lesbian love story, set in early 1800s and read beautifully. The two readers each read the portion of the story told from a single point of view. It really works.
Reader: Amanda Palmer
Short Review: Intense and personal treatise on art, music, creativity, community, connection, love, loss, and asking for (and accepting) help from others. Amanda's style of reading is intimate and confessional.
Edited by: Ellen Kushner and Holly Black
Readers: Holly Black, Ellen Kushner, MacLeod Andrews, Steven Brust, Neil Gaiman, Dounya El-Mohtar, Cassandra Campbell
Short Review: A tantalizing collection of stories and poems from the city at the intersection of the elf and human worlds. We get stories featuring all kinds of characters including runaways, elves, humans, halfies, a bookstore owner, an entrepreneur, an artist, an astronomer, and more.
Reader: Grover Gardner
Extras: Brief tutorial from the author on the order in which her books should be read.
Short Review: Intrigue and romance dominate the scene as cousin Ivan finally gets his day in the sun. A great addition to the Vorkosigan series, this time with Miles only in a supporting role. Gardner is still as great as ever.
Reader: Neil Patrick Harris (as Barney Stinson)
Short Review: Quick and amusing. Fans of the TV show How I Met Your Mother will be giggling. Neil Patrick Harris reading as Barney is basically a 2 hour standup riff on the agony and trauma of becoming a parent.
Reader: James Marsters
Short Review: A well read interesting blend of airships, vampires, alternate history and a strong princess coming of age and discovering her strength.
Reader: Ellen DeGeneres
Short Review: Light and airy visit with the popular comedienne. Nothing too deep here, but it is fun to listen to Ellen share her upbeat cheerful thoughts and get a taste for her life beyond the public eye. Be prepared for some outright silliness.
Reader: Emma Galvin
Short Review: Intense first-person YA tale with strong 16 year old female protagonist trying to find her place in a very complicated far future world. Fabulous reader, great story.
Reader: Kate Rudd
Extras: Q&A interview with the author.
Short Review: Heart-wrenching and uplifting roller coaster ride. Brilliant reader does justice to this amazing story.
Reader: Carolyn McCormick
WARNING: Have you read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire yet? No? Then stop and go listen to them (in order) before reading this review. There is NO way to even begin to describe this book without huge spoilers of the first two books.
Short Review: Intense, captivating final book in the Hunger Games trilogy. Lots of twists and turns lead us through this darkest chapter of the series. Action plus emotional turmoil make this a roller coaster ride. Satisfying conclusion for most, perhaps bleaker than some readers are expecting.
Readers: Julia Whelan, Paul Michael Garcia, Eddie Lopez, Neil Shah, Kirby Heyborne and Tai Sammons
Short Review: More character driven (but still fairly suspenseful) sequel to Streams of Babel. Round robin of readers still pleasing.