The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

Reader: Simon Winchester

Short Review: A fascinating story about two of the men who dedicated their lives to the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary: one a Scottish Philologist, and one an institutionalized American doctor.

Seriously…I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

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.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

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.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

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.

Mockingjay (Hunger Games, Book 3) by Suzanne Collins

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.

Fire Will Fall by Carol Plum-Ucci

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.

Clementine by Cherie Priest

Readers: Dina Pearlman and Victor Bevine

Short Review: This sequel to Boneshaker follows Captain Croggon Hainey as he tracks and attempts to recover his airship, The Free Crow, from its captors. It also introduces Maria Isabella Boyd, a former Confederate spy turned Pinkerton, on her first assignment. It’s good, but not quite as good as Boneshaker.

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

Reader: Grover Gardner

Short Review: The first book in one of my all time favorite series, read by a brilliant reader. Great character driven sci-fi tale.

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Readers: Kate Reading and Will Wheaton

Short Review: A steampunk adventure set in an alternate-history Seattle where the Civil War just won’t end, airships abound, mad scientists run amok, volcanoes make zombies, and intricate questions about liberty and rights continually rear their heads.

The Marriage Plot: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides

Reader: David Pittu

Extras: An interview with the author is included at the end of the reading.

Short Review: An dark overly dramatic story, mediocre reader and no one to root for.

Reamde by Neal Stephenson

Reader: Malcolm Hillgartner
Short Review: A fantastic, well-read, fast-paced novel of hackers, criminals, anti-heroes, terrorists, and gamers.

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve

Reader: Philip Reeve
Extras: Unpublished excerpt and discussion by author about the origins of the story.

Short Review: Imaginative and original steampunk story set in a distant future London and beautifully read by the author.