Best Audiobooks of 2005
By Ann Burns -- Library Journal, 2/15/2006
The audiobook industry is going strong. New gadgets are cropping up. Cassettes and CDs are still popular, as are MP3-CDs, but downloadable options are the latest craze. Listeners can now get spoken-word audio files (podcasts) from the Internet and place them on an MP3 player, iPod, or other portable device. With this kind of flexibility, the sky's the limit. This year's “best” list includes titles by E.L. Doctorow, Anne Perry, Joan Didion, Ruth Reichl, and Thomas Friedman. Many thanks to our reviewers for their dedication and hard work.
Fiction
Despite Blair Brown's less-than-stellar narration, this is a “compelling” story that puts “real flesh and bones on a popular culture icon” whom Chilean novelist Allende lifts to the status of literature. A “nifty” title for any collection. (LJ 11/15/05) Burke, James Lee. Crusader's Cross. (Unabridged). Recorded Bks. 8 cassettes. 10¾ hrs. ISBN 1-4193-4865-5. $89.75; 10 CDs. ISBN 1-4193-4867-1. $119.75.
Will Patton adds his “slow, Southern charm” to this latest Dave Robicheaux mystery, in which a serial killer is on the loose. Burke's “powerful, eloquent” prose shows the horrors that people can inflict on one another and the redeeming qualities of love. (LJ 1/06) Doctorow, E.L. The March. (Unabridged). Books on Tape. 7 cassettes. 11 hrs. ISBN 1-4159-2419-8. $36; 6 CDs. ISBN 1-4159-2420-1. $54.
Doctorow's novel about William Tecumseh Sherman's army, which destroyed Georgia and the Carolinas during the Civil War, “educates as it entertains and finds laughter amidst tragedy.” Joe Morton “excels”; he voices characters of varying races, ages, genders, and regions with “aplomb.” (LJ 1/06) Fforde, Jasper. The Big Over Easy. (Unabridged). Penguin Audio. 10 CDs. 12 hrs. ISBN 0-14-305770-7. $29.95.
In this “wildly imaginative” novel, Jack Spratt is assigned to the nursery crimes division, where he has to investigate the murder of legendary egg Humpty Dumpty. Along with expert reader Simon Prebble, Fforde takes great pleasure in “satirizing the clichés” of detective fiction. (LJ 11/15/05) Hoffman, Alice. The Ice Queen. (Unabridged). Time Warner Audiobks. 5 CDs. 6 hrs. ISBN 1-59483-065-7. $31.98.
Narrator Nancy Travis gives an “uncompromising” reading of what would be melodramatic in lesser hands in this erotic novel about lightning and love. In a story rich with descriptions and dark humor, Hoffman explores the “lifelong reverberations of loss and wishes best left unfulfilled.” (LJ 10/1/05) Kidd, Sue Monk. The Mermaid Chair. (Unabridged). Penguin Audio. 9 CDs. 10½ hrs. ISBN 0-14-305742-1. $39.95.
In Kidd's second novel, a middle-aged Jessie returns to her childhood home to visit her mother, who suffers from a self-inflicted wound. The tragedies they face are “heightened by the matched skills” of both the author and reader Eliza Foss. (LJ 11/1/05) Lescroart, John. The Motive. (Unabridged). Brilliance Audio. 12 CDs. 14 hrs. ISBN 1-59355-363-3. $112.25.
David Colacci handles a wide variety of new and familiar characters with “great skill” in Lescroart's latest Abe Glitsky/Dismas Hardy work. Here, an arson fire claims the life of a man of prominence and his fiancée. The descriptions of investigative and courtroom procedures are “impeccable.” (LJ 6/15/05) Margolin, Philip. Lost Lake. (Unabridged). Sound Library: BBC Audiobooks America. 8 CDS. 10 hrs. ISBN 0-7927-3511-0. $64.95; 5 cassettes. ISBN 0-7927-3510-2. $49.95; 1 MP3-CD. ISBN 0-7927-3512-9. $29.95.
A master of the courtroom drama, Margolin focuses this story on a woman who witnesses a brutal murder, is placed in a mental institution by her father, and eventually becomes a reporter. Deborah Hazlett “skillfully” brings the characters to life, keeping the action moving at a brisk pace. (LJ 1/06) Perry, Anne. Silence in Hanover Close. (Unabridged). Recorded Bks. 9 cassettes. 12¾ hrs. ISBN 1-4193-3947-8. $89.75.
In Perry's latest mystery, inspector Thomas Pitt has been ordered to investigate a three-year-old murder, but when he is accused of eliminating a witness and jailed, his wife and sister attempt to solve the crime. Davina Porter's excellent narration captures the different accents well. (LJ 7/05) Roby, Kimberla Lawson. The Best-Kept Secret. (Unabridged). Sound Library: BBC Audiobooks America. 6 CDs. 7½ hrs. ISBN 0-7927-3457-2. $64.95; 5 cassettes. ISBN 0-7927-3456-4. $49.95; 1 MP3-CD. ISBN 0-7927-3458-0. $29.95.
According to our reviewer, Tracy Leigh's performance is “outstanding” in this “spirited domestic saga” involving a preacher, his new wife, and the man with whom she's having an affair. (LJ 9/1/05)
Nonfiction
Chang, Iris. The Chinese in America: A Narrative History. (Unabridged). Recorded Bks. 12 cassettes. 17 hrs. ISBN 1-4025-7165-8. $109.75.This is a fitting tribute to Chinese Americans and the contributions they made during their 150-year history in the United States. Chang is an “extremely fascinating” writer; she “personalizes” her work by highlighting individual stories. (LJ 10/1/05) Didion, Joan. The Year of Magical Thinking. (Unabridged). HighBridge Audio. 4 CDs. 5¼ hrs. ISBN 1-59887-005-X. $26.95.
With a “wonderfully emotional yet controlled narration,” Barbara Caruso conveys the course of National Book Award winner Didion's grief following the death of her husband. A “worthwhile” listening experience. The print version was selected as one of LJ's Best Books of 2005. (LJ 1/06) Ettus, Samantha. The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do. (Unabridged). HighBridge Audio. 6 CDs. 6¾ hrs. ISBN 1-56511-993-2. $24.95.
“Short, pithy, and often tinged with humor,” the advice in this book covers topics from simple household chores like making a bed or ironing a shirt to other activities like telling a joke. Listeners will be able to “dazzle” friends and family. (LJ 11/15/05) Friedman, Thomas L. The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. (Unabridged). Sound Library: BBC Audiobooks America. 15 CDs. 19½ hrs. ISBN 0-7927-3522-6. $74.95; 5 cassettes. ISBN 0-7927-3521-8. $49.95.
New York Times reporter Friedman has written an exciting book about globalization, the dot-com bust, 9/11, and other events that came together and flattened the world. Oliver Wyman's “breathless” performance enhances the text; his “young-sounding” voice “slides into subtle accents” as needed. (LJ 11/1/05) Pomerantz, Gary M. Wilt, 1962: The Night of 100 Points and the Dawn of a New Era. (Unabridged). Books on Tape. 7 cassettes. 10½ hrs. ISBN 1-4159-2113-X. $63; 9 CDs. ISBN 1-4159-2130-X. $81.
This work is both a “compelling” portrait of legend Wilt Chamberlain and an “intriguing” history of basketball in the pre–Civil Rights era. Stephen Hoye's reading is “superbly matched” to this unique story. A “slam dunk.” (LJ 8/05) Powell, Julie. Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen. (Abridged). Time Warner Audiobks. 5 CDs. 6 hrs. ISBN 1-59483-106-8. $29.98.
Powell provides a “well-executed” narration of her “entertaining” memoir about her attempts to master the art of French cooking the Julia Child way. Her humor shows in her “blunt, irreverent tone and mordant descriptions” of meals consisting of uncommon ingredients like kidneys and brains. (LJ 2/1/06) Reichl, Ruth. Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise. (Unabridged). Books on Tape. 7 cassettes. 11 hrs. ISBN 1-4159-1591-1. $63; 9 CDs. ISBN 1-4159-1675-6. $81.
In this account of her six years as the restaurant critic for the New York Times, Reichl reveals how she hid her identity by “creating disguises and accompanying personalities” when dining out and how this affected her family and friends. Bernadette Dunne captures both the “joy and pathos” of Reichl's life. (LJ 10/1/05) Santana, Deborah. Space Between the Stars: My Journey to an Open Heart. (Unabridged). Books on Tape. 7 cassettes. 9½ hrs. ISBN 1-4159-1587-3. $81; 11 CDs. ISBN 1-4159-1672-1. $99.
In this “honest and moving” memoir, Santana offers a candid account of her life with two noted musicians: Sly Stone and her current husband, Carlos Santana. Our reviewer called this a “gem, a true gift from an amazing woman: flawed at times, misled, but ultimately triumphant.” (LJ 12/05) Walls, Jeannette. The Glass Castle. (Unabridged). Recorded Bks. 8 cassettes. 11¼ hrs. ISBN 1-4193-4102-2. $79.75; 10 CDs. ISBN 1-4193-4104-9. $119.75.
“Gritty and graphic,” this book relates the lifestyle of Walls and her siblings, taught to fend for themselves, to be strong and proud. Julia Gibson narrates in an “unapologetically honest fashion,” with incredible detail. (LJ 11/1/05) White, Robb. How To Build a Tin Canoe: Confessions of an Old Salt. (Unabridged). Blackstone Audio. 5 CDs. 6 hrs. ISBN 0-7861-8182-6. $45.
White narrates this work in a Southern accent, with charm and humor, recalling his life growing up on the coastal flats of Georgia in the 1950s. “Quirky, funny, one of a kind.” (LJ 7/05)
| Author Information |
| Ann Burns is Associate Editor, LJ Book Review |
