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BBC Radio 3's Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, translated by Anthony Burgess. Adapted for radio by John Tydeman. First aired 2008.
Cyrano... Kenneth Branagh Christian... Tom Hiddleston Roxane... Jodhi May De Guiche... John Shrapnel Rageuneau... Jimmy Yuill Le Bret... Gerard Horan and others....
After watching the movie and reading the play, I was DELIGHTED to find a radio drama of what is fast becoming my favorite play!
Cyrano is played by Kenneth Branagh. He does a great job with the role as he did a great job with Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing!
Christian is played by Tom Hiddleston. I can easily imagine him as a perfect Christian!
All the actors did a GREAT job bringing this drama to life. It's a great production. It's just a little over two hours long.
Premise/plot: Cyrano, our hero, is madly in love with his cousin, Roxane. Judging himself too ugly to stand a chance with her--or with any woman--he is content to love her from afar. Roxane contacts him, through a maid, letting him know that they must meet. For a few hours he dreams that maybe just maybe he has a small chance with her. But she is meeting him to tell him that she is desperately in love with a young cadet (soon to join his regiment) named Christian. Will he befriend Christian and help them to be together?!?! Christian is "in love" with Roxane too. They've never spoken to each other. They've only seen each other a time or two. And yet both know it's LOVE. Cyrano questions her. What if he turns out to be less than her ideal??? She'll DIE she responds. Cyrano does as she asks...and more. He turns Christian into the man of her dreams...by giving him the words to speak to win her heart.
There is a third man in Roxane's life, Count De Guiche. He loves her, but, is married. He adds drama and conflict to this French romance....
I would definitely recommend giving this one a listen if you can.
Life As We Knew It. Susan Beth Pfeffer. 2006. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 352 pages. [9 hours, read by Emily Bauer] [Source: Review copy]
Lisa is pregnant.
In an effort to be more well-rounded, I decided to listen to an audio book or two this summer. And since I prefer to listen to only books I've already read and loved, I decided to go with Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. (This was my second time to listen to the story.)
Premise/plot: Miranda gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at a cataclysmic event that changes life on earth forever when a meteor crashes into the moon changing its orbit and proximity to earth. The book is Miranda's diary, and through her entries we meet her mom (Laura), older brother (Matt), younger brother (Jon), father, stepmother (Lisa), her mother's boyfriend (Peter), and a handful of her friends and classmates (Dan, Megan, Samantha). It reveals one family's struggle to just survive.
This won't be a proper review really. More a rambling list of observations.
From the very first time I read this one, I've really, really, really, really WANTED it turned into a video game.
Miranda and her family don't mention music much at all. But I personally would GO INSANE if I couldn't listen to music. If there was a video game, I'd want the family I create to have at least one musician in it (piano, acoustic guitar, violin, etc.) so that music could be made even without electricity.
Even after having read it so many times (probably six or seven???) I am still bothered by the inaccuracy about the water supply. Miranda makes such a deal of being on well water and their well running dry halfway through the novel. Remember that they've been without electricity for most of the book. (Except for when it comes on in fits and bursts allowing Miranda to vacuum and her mother to do laundry.) Wells don't pump water without electricity. The family would have had to find an alternate source of water practically from the very beginning of the novel. And being without water that much sooner would have complicated all aspects of their lives. (Their main source of water after the well goes dry is to melt snow and ice and boil it for purity.)
The diary gives Miranda an opportunity to vent. Let's be honest, in her situation, we'd all need a safe place to VENT. Miranda records her many heated arguments with her Mom. She doesn't come out looking like a saint. But I'm not sure she's meant to. As an adult reader probably a lot closer to her mom's age than Miranda's 16, it is easy to form judgments about Miranda.
Miranda is VERY opinionated about Christianity. The book is not faith-friendly. And really in the book's three-hundred-something pages, the only villains (except for some street thugs stealing plywood) are Megan's minister, and the President of the United States (who can't magically make things better for every human on the planet). Miranda and her mom are definitely opinionated in terms of politics as well. (Let's just safely guess that the author was not a Bush fan.)
I do think that a cataclysmic event like this would make everyone--no matter their age--contemplate their own mortality and reflect at least a little on the big questions of life. What happens when I die? Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? How can I know that I will go to heaven? What can I do to be saved? What is heaven like? What is hell like? So the fact that Miranda and a few people in her life are talking about these things seems believable enough to me. And since Miranda does not come from a religious family, it makes sense that she'd be muddled about what Christianity is all about. It makes sense that she'd reflect the modern society of not really believing that there is such a thing as sin. And it also makes sense that she'd reflect society's misunderstanding of what the gospel actually is. I think we very much live in a time and place where even those who've been exposed here and there to "the church" in some form or another--even if only coming through talking vegetables--believe that you earn your way into heaven through good works. That Christianity as translated through our culture is DO THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS. DON'T EVEN THINK OF DOING THAT.
The gospel isn't about a long, rigid list of rules and laws to be kept. The gospel is saying here's the long list of rules [the Old Testament]. You haven't kept these rules and laws since the time they were given to you. You've never been able to manage keeping them. Ever. No matter how many times you try and fail and fail to try, you can't keep these rules. Stop struggling and striving and listen to the good news. For anyone who gives up the fight to be good enough on their own, to all who admit that they are unable and unwilling to keep the law, to all who are honest about their need for help...there's GREAT news. Someone came and perfectly kept the law on your behalf and in your place. Jesus. He DID it all for you. It is done. He lived the life you could never, ever, ever, hope to live. He died the death you deserved. Believe that He has done it all, that it is indeed finished, and eternal life is YOURS.
The gospel is not to be confused with the prosperity gospel. The gospel is not believe in Jesus and get that dream job you've always wanted! Believe in Jesus and be cured of cancer! Believe in Jesus and get that dream body! Believe in Jesus and you'll never need another alcoholic drink in your life. Believe in Jesus and your gambling addiction will be broken forever. Believe in Jesus and your marriage will be saved.
Speaking hypothetically, I think a cataclysmic event of this nature would perhaps bring out the best in true Christianity, perhaps driving a zealous revival and urgent evangelism, perhaps even street evangelism. But reveal all the flaws of the prosperity gospel. The prosperity gospel believes in the power of your words, and that you speak your own reality. That if bad things happen, that it is your fault.
According to Amazon, twenty mentions of the word "God," twenty mentions of the word "hell," sixteen mentions of the word "church," and fifteen mentions of the word "heaven."
I think it is important to remember that her use of religion in this book is for DRAMA and CONFLICT and TENSION. And it was not to be offensive or potentially offensive to a portion of her readers. Megan's pastor, in my humble opinion, falls shy of preaching the true gospel and is much closer to a false teacher.
Downloadable and streaming audiobooks have been on my mind again. Recently, some articles came out about the benefits of audiobooks for literacy; a revelation that probably surprised few of us in children’s and school library services. We did not create the Odyssey awards for nothing. ALA Editions published a wonderful book about it by Sharon Grover and Lizette D. Hannegan “back” in 2012. Last year, Rachel Wood from Arlington Public Library wrote an ALSC Blog post that stands as a primer for building an e-audio collection. But it always feels like a topic needs to come around a few times before the greater profession and the greater public latches on.
Perhaps it is not always content that is the way to hook a reluctant reader but format too. Dan Cohen from the DPLA wrote an article for The Atlantic talking about the powerful role that smartphones play in the lives of today’s teens and how this may be a way to bridge the digital divide. One of my own young relatives revealed to me that because she has difficulty reading, she uses audiobooks to keep up with her English class assignments. She finds and streams audiobook editions of assigned books on her smartphone. Recognizing that most parents and caregivers have smartphones, many libraries, like Spokane County Library District, are emphasizing their media mentor skills to recommend downloadable and streaming audiobooks and related apps for them to use with their children.
In the past, a former children’s librarian could feel alone in the greater e-content world. Too often children were not considered during e-content discussions. (Besides my fellow children’s librarians, who else at a meeting would excitedly prattle on about an audiobook of Winnie the Pooh in which Judy Dench gives voice to Kanga.) Now, we live in a world of Bookflix, Tumblebooks, and Overdrive Read-alongs. When children’s e-material did not circulate well during the early years of e-content platforms, I still believed it was worth building a collection. I knew at some point, this part of the market would grow. And, with the growth in downloadable audiobook circulation and sales, the time is upon us.
Let’s admit. Unlike a book, a physical audiobook can be clumsy (yes I know, for some downloading from the library can be clumsy as well). I tried the entire carry ten discs onto the subway thing when I had longer commutes, and yes, I did miss a few stops because of a wonderful narrator. As well, technology has changed so rapidly as concerns personal electronics. A few months ago, a member of an audiobook award committee told me she had a hard time finding a store near her that still sold Discmans (she wanted one so she could listen for her committee while she went on her walks). In the age of tablets, smartphones, and smartwatches, I think more focus needs to be on downloadable and streaming e-content.
To paraphrase Ranganathan: every young listener, their downloadable audiobook, and every downloadable audiobook, its young listener.
Michael Santangelo is the Electronic Resources Coordinator for BookOps, the shared technical services department for the New York Public Library and the Brooklyn Public Library, and the current chair of ALSC’s Children and Technology Committee.
As the librarian who coordinates OverDrive for my school district (thirteen librarians and approximately 10,000 students), I spend a lot of time with OverDrive and have been able to give the service a considerable amount of thought. I think digital reading services are a really good fit for school age kids for a variety of reasons and here’s why…
OverDrive and other digital reading services are respectful of student privacy. Kids may feel self-conscious about what they are reading for a variety of reasons. Some kids read well below grade level, and they don’t want their peers to see what they are reading for fear of being made fun of. Some kids have reading likes that are different than what they think their peers read (I had a fifth grade male student who liked reading books that he feared his peers might see as teen romance novels written for girls). For these youths, these services provide a safe environment for them to explore their interests and reading needs. It allows them to borrow materials that they might not check out if they had to bring it up to the circulation desk in front of other kids, their parents, or even an unknown adult.
OverDrive offers over 2,500 picture books in a “Read-Along” format. These narrated books allow children to follow the words of the actual book while it is read aloud to them. This feature helps build literacy in emerging readers and children who struggle with improving their reading skills. While I know many of us (myself included) recognize the importance of the social interaction between a child and an adult who reads to him or her, the “Read-Along” format can bea valuable supplement and reinforcement of what kids are learning in school, in their libraries, and from their families.
Ebook collections generally operate (OverDrive certainly) with twenty-four hour remote availability. That means your kids can access ebooks whether they are five hundred miles away visiting nana, or next door. They can access your collection in July if your school library is closed for the summer. They can borrow ebooks even if they can’t get a ride to the library because the buses are not operating when they can go. If your kids have access to wifi and a computer or device to read on, they have access to ebooks. The benefits of this go without saying!
One thing that I was surprised to learn is that at least one major children’s publisher offers a significantly larger selection of ebooks to public libraries than it does to school libraries through OverDrive. I had no idea that this was the case until one of our students brought his device to one of my colleagues and asked about downloading a book from our public library’s OverDrive collection that was unavailable to us in the school library marketplace. I assume that this is a business decision based on other products this company offers. While it is disappointing from the school library perspective, it opens up the opportunity for dialog between public and school librarians. This might, in turn, lead to greater collaboration on matters of collection development and instruction related to digital resources…as well as other topics.
Finally, we have to recognize the role technology plays in the lives of kids. Numerous studies show that the great majority of children have access to smart phones, tablets and computers, even among low-income families. While there are certainly good reasons to believe that not everything about the rise of technology has made life better for kids, it is impossible to deny that technology has become one of the ways that kids relate to and shape their world. Digital reading services give us the opportunity to direct that eagerness and energy in a way that is helpful and productive to the development of young people and the skills they need to function.
Our students are incredibly enthusiastic about reading ebooks on their personal electronic devices. They love looking for ebooks, checking them out, and downloading their selected titles. My colleagues and I are delighted by this reception. On a deeper level, the decision to develop a digital reading collection has helped our school libraries to be seen as more relevant and visible in our school community. How great is that?!?
I came across a report at the end of December that print books were making a recovery. E-book sales have leveled off, even dropped a little, and sales of print books were having a little rebound. Huzzah!
The tech evangelists predicted the ebook market would eventually be 50 to 60 percent of books sales. Of course one could say these were tech people making these predictions, not actual readers so what did they know anyway? It appears they were waaaayyyy off because ebook sales are pretty much staying steady at around 25 percent of the market.
But just as I begin to breathe a sigh of relief, I come across another article talking about a new threat to print books: audiobooks!
Say what?
Oh yes, MarketWatch is all about audiobooks as the future of reading. They even have a bold header stating “Audiobooks have begun to outsell print.” They go on to toss out some numbers, audiobook sales totaled $1.5 billion last year. Spewing dollar amounts doesn’t really tell you anything really. Audiobooks are expensive, sometimes they cost a lot more than the print books. For instance a paperback copy of the first Harry Potter book can be had at Barnes and Noble for $6.76 but the audiobook costs $28.66! So don’t tell me dollars, tell me how many actual audiobooks were sold. They don’t of course.
What they do is provide examples of titles where the audiobook outsold the print book. We have a debut spy thriller, some supernatural romance novels, a business book. Based on these and the popularity of audible.com, the trend watchers have declared that audiobooks are the future of books.
Oy. I wonder how long this will last before someone else declares the real threat to print books is billboards or bumper stickers or some other crazy format. It’s all starting to sound like The Perils of Pauline with print books tied up on a railroad track. Or maybe it’s more like the boy who cried wolf?
Whatever the case, I’m not worried. Print books are not yet gasping their last breath.
Barbara Scotto, the chair of the 2016 Notable Children’s Recordings Committee, and the entire NCR committee, invite you to join them at their Midwinter discussions, taking place in the Renaissance Waterfront, Room Georges, at the following times:
Friday, January 8, 8:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Saturday, January 9, 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
Sunday, January 10, 1:30 pm – 9:00 pm
The complete discussion list is below:
A Dragon’s Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans, 3 hrs 58 min, cd, $30.00, Listening Library, 9781101891582
A House for a Hermit Crab, 11 min, cd+bk, $12.95, Weston Woods, 9780545875004
A Plague of Bogles, 7 hrs 16 min, cd, $45.00, Listening Library, 9780553556261
All American Boys, 6 hrs 30 min, mp3, $17.99, Simon & Schuster, 9781442398672
All Around This World: Africa, 1 hr 24 min, cd, $18.99, CD Baby/Sugar Mountain
All Fall Down, 8 hrs 34 min, cd, $74.99, Scholastic, 9780545788342
You might also be interested in looking at the 2016 Notable Children’s Videos discussion list which will be posted tomorrow and the Notable Children’s Books discussion list which will be posted on Thursday.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has won Audible UK‘s Member’s Choice Audiobook of the Year Award for 2015!
Earlier this month, we reported that Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was one of several Harry Potter audiobooks to top Audible‘s best seller lists. Its obvious popularity earned it a place on the list of nominees for Audible UK’s Audiobook of the Year 2015. MuggleNet reported that both Philosopher’s Stone and Career of Evil had been short-listed for the award.
Now that the voting period has ended, the audiobook of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has officially won the Member’s Choice Award. The Audible UK Editor’s Pick for Audiobook of the Year is Black Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin.
Audible UK is grateful to all who voted. “The release of so many standout debuts, brilliant sequels and gripping novels throughout the year has made for some tough competition,” says Audible.co.uk.
In light of these other standouts, it is interesting that Harry Potter and Philosopher’s Stone was even nominated. It is a reprint and not a new release. There is no disputing the merit of the book and Stephen Fry’s reading performance, but should a reprint be eligible for a title of the year award? Or do you think Career of Evil or some other new release from the nominees for 2015 should have won instead?
To read more about the winners and other nominees, see here.
I was just invited to be part of the 2017 Odyssey Award Committee (happy dance!) Do ya’ll know this award? It gets the tiniest bit trumped by the big hitters, Newbery and Caldecott, but as an adult who loves to be on the receiving end of a story, I’m pretty thrilled to be part of this committee that chooses the best audiobook produced for kids or teens each year. I once wrote a kind-of fan letter to an actor (Eric Singer) who narrated one of my favorite books (it’s an adult title: The Dogs of Babel) and he actually responded! So yah, I get the fangirl element of audiobooks.
Since this will be my first award-committee-experience, I’m excited for sure but I’m also a bit nervous.
Here’s the stuff I’m thrilled about:
Exposure to titles I might otherwise miss. It’s hard to catch a glimpse of all the youth titles each year so this will be a great way to expand my radar.
Ability to call ‘listening to stories’ official work. We all read on our own time for our work, but this feels official-er and there’s a real honor attached to it!
First time at both an ALA mid-winter and an ALA annual. I’ve had a few close calls in the past (one year I was supposed to do a presentation with the famous David Lee King but there was a hiccup and it never happened) but have never gone to ALA in my 11+ years as a librarian. For shame! So it’s finally happening and I can’t wait to be totally enraptured!
I am a poet and really feel like poetry is meant to be read aloud. So the whole oral tradition part of this work really taps into some of my other passions. I remember years ago, seeing Ira Glass from This American Life live and his whole talk centered around the power of stories and he used the classic One Thousand and One Arabian Nights to illustrate that stories can truly save lives. So YES to telling stories!
I get to meet and work with librarians from around the country! It’s always great to meet and chat with other librarians, hear other opinions and articulate my own thoughts and reactions.
Florida and Georgia! Wahoo for the south! I’m sorta north up in Pittsburgh so headin’ down south will be delightful!
And here’s the stuff I’m nervous about:
First time at both an ALA mid-winter and an ALA annual. I’ve read a ton of How-To-Attend-ALA articles and blog posts and I think they’ve gotten in my head! I’m prepared to be completely overwhelmed during the day and holed up in my room breathing in lavender with a hot compress over my eyes each night.
I’m not worthy! I’m not worthy! I’m sure many of you understand this one. I usually kindly listen to that voice for a few minutes and then send it on its way. But it’s definitely around. In looking at past winners (it’s only been around since 2008) there were a number of titles that (blush) I didn’t even realize had audio versions (gasp!) So I’ll certainly be playing catch-up and will make sure to listen to as many past winners as I can.
How will I know what’s good? I’m sure this at least crosses the minds of many committee members. But evaluating literature is serious business. You don’t want to underthink it. You don’t want to overthink it. There’s some gut involved. Some critical eye. A nice cocktail of hearty thinking and feeling. Is there a support group for ALA committee members?
So, onward! I won’t make any puns or jokes relating to Homer’s Odyssey and my own journey to and through this experience. Or will I….
Our guest blogger today is Kelley Beeson. Kelley is the Youth Services Department Head at the Western Allegheny Community Library. She’s been working in libraries since high school and her favorite book is Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief.
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.
If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].
Stephen Fry (the narrator of the British Harry Potter audio books) will be honored with the Rose d’Or Award for Lifetime Achievement during the Rose d’Or Award Ceremony, December 9.
The award is given to those who have made significant contributions to entertainment and broadcasting. The Rose d’Or website explains their clear choice of Stephen Fry as the 2015 recipient. Fry also expressed his gratitude of being honored with such an award. The Rose d’Or website stated:
“Fry won a Rose d’Or Award in 2006 for “Best Game Show Host” in the BBC series QI.
“Jean Philip De Tender, director of media at the European Broadcasting Union which operates Eurovision, praised Fry’s sustained and successful contribution to the broadcasting industry. “Stephen Fry represents all that is best about entertainment broadcasting in the UK, throughout Europe and across the globe. Not only has he entertained generations and made us laugh, he has also, through his documentary work, shone light on challenging issues such as mental health. It’s only fitting that the industry will show its appreciation for him in London on December 9th with an award that represents the gold standard.”
“The host of this year’s Rose d’Or, the BBC’s Paddy O’Connell, noted Fry’s generosity in helping other industry artists. “It’s a pretty unusual talent on top of his other unusual talents, because he is altruistic”, said O’Connell. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, the television business does have a habit of eating people up and spitting them out. And Stephen Fry has tried to remember to be good to people and also that the industry is made up of many, many thousands of people who don’t get the credit. For me, I’m pleased that someone who has tried to put in the occasional word for the work of others is being honoured in London.”
“Fry is delighted by the honour. “It does mean a lot,” he said in an interview last week. “Since I can remember watching television, the Golden Rose of Montreux, and occasionally Lucerne, really meant something, and it’s always gone out of its way to recognise this particular kind of television, so if they’ve honoured me, then I feel exactly that – honoured”, Fry said.”
The Rose d’Or press release goes on to detail Stephen Fry’s many achievements. Please read more in the original article, here.
Thanks to a deal with Pottermore, the Harry Potter Audiobooks will be available on UK, US, Australian and German Audible websites, produced by Pottermore and read by Jim Dale (North American), Felix von Manteuffel (German) and Stephen Fry UK and the rest of the world).
The first three audiobooks in the Harry Potter series cost £17.99 each and the last four cost £32.99 each, and sold on The Pottermore Shop.
According to The Bookseller, Chief content officer of Audible (Andy Gaies) said:
“We are thrilled to offer our customers the opportunity to enjoy the Harry Potter audio catalogue seamlessly through the Audible service. J K Rowling’s celebrated series is firmly entrenched in the literary pantheon, but when the first Harry Potter novel was released in 1997, smartphones were yet to become the ubiquitous listening devices they are today. Now fans of this bellwether series have an effortless and affordable way to enjoy them in audio.”
“The breathtaking performances of Stephen Fry, Jim Dale and Felix von Manteuffel transform Harry Potter’s adventures into immersive and truly transporting new experiences—even for those who have already read the novels. We look forward to bringing more listeners to this richly imagined universe.”
J.K. Rowling retweeted an interesting interview this morning. It was a short question and answer segment with Robert Glenister–the voice of Cormoran Strike in J.K. Rowling’s good friend, Robert Galbraith’s novels, The Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm, and soon-to-be-released Career of Evil.
The interview was conducted by Mark Billingham, a well-known British mystery/thriller novelist. Billingham and Glenister discussed Cormoran Strike’s animated character, and how they were impressed by Galbraith’s “debut novel.” Glenister said he knew immediately he wanted to be the one to record the audio book for this mystery series upon reading Cuckoo’s Calling, before he knew who Galbraith was. The interview can be listened to here and below.
It has been known for a while that Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike series was in the works to be adapted into a TV series. It has recently been confirmed that BBC1 is taking on this endeavor, and production for the first part of the series (based on The Cuckoo’s Calling) will begin later this fall.
According to Radio Times, this TV series shares many similarities with the adaption of Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy. J.K. Rowling will be an executive producer of this television production, as she was for Casual Vacancy. She has chosen to work with BBC, and the first part of the series, based on The Cuckoo’s Calling, will be written by Sarah Phelps who wrote the TV adaption of The Casual Vacancy.
The second part of the series, TheSilkworm, will be adapted by Ben Richards, a TV writer most well known for Spooks. The third part of the series, which will be based on Career of Evil, has not been discussed. More will come to light after the novel is published this October.
Today marks the 80th birthday of Jim Dale – narrator of the U.S. Harry Potter audiobooks, video games and interactive ‘extras’ in the DVDs.
Dale also appears in the Carry On films, Pete’s Dragon and has won various awards, including a Tony Award (for Barnum on Broadway), two Grammy Awards for narrating (in 2008 and 2001) and ten Audie Awards. He was honoured with an MBE in 2003 for promoting English literature for children.
Join us here at The Leaky Cauldron in wishing Jim a very happy 80th birthday!
ALSC personal members are invited to suggest titles for the 2016 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production. This award is given annually to recognize the best English language audiobook for children and/or young adults in the previous submission year. The committee will consider and vote on titles published between January 1 and October 31 of 2015, as well as titles published between November 1 and December 31 of 2014.
You may send recommendations with full bibliographic information to Cindy Lombardo at [email protected]
The award will be announced at the press conference during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in January 2016.
For more information about the Odyssey Award, you can visit the ALSC website at http://www.ala.org/alsc/.
(Published on behalf of the Odyssey Award Committee)
Earlier today, the ALSC Notable Children’s Books list of titles to be discussed at the Annual Conference was posted on this blog. I know many of you are also anticipating the 2015 Notable Children’s Recordings Committee Discussion List.
The 2015 Notable Children’s Recordings Committee would like to invite anyone interested to come to their meetings in San Francisco where children’s recordings and audiobooks will be discussed for inclusion on the 2016 Notable Children’s Recordings List. The committee will meet at the Intercontinental Hotel (Patri Room) on Saturday afternoon from 1:00 to 5:30 and Sunday afternoon from 1:00 – 4:00.
And here is the discussion list:
• A Plague of Bogles, 7 hrs 16 min, cd, $45, Listening Library, 9780553556261
• All Around This World: Africa, 1 hr. 24 min, cd, $18.99, CD Baby/Sugar Mountain
• Best Friend Next Door, 4 hrs 44 min,, cd, $25.88, Weston Woods,9780545857710
• Bugs in My Hair, 6 min, cd + bk, $12.95, Weston Woods, 9780545790154
• Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, 6 hrs 30 min, cd,. $66.75, Recorded Books, 9781490664330
• Crystal, 5 hrs, cd, $51.75, Recorded Books, 9781470392963
The limited-time TIME TRAVEL STORY BUNDLE is officially on sale for one more week. A lot of you have already bought it, which is great–I hope you’re enjoying the books in there as much as I am! I’ve already ripped through 3, and have 9 more to go (I can skip Parallelogram (Book 1: Into the Parallel) since I wrote it myself and consequently have read it more than anyone else in the world. So far). I love reading about time travel, and these books are such a treat for my brain. I hope you’re all treating your brains to this fabulous book bundle, too.
If so, then are you ready for one more free thing?
This one isn’t a high-stakes giveaway like the last two I’ve done, it’s a straight bonus offering for the first 20 people who respond.
So whether you’ve already purchased the Time Travel Story Bundle, or are about to go do it right now, the only thing that matters is being one of the first 20 people to send me an email here with two pieces of confirming information: the email address you used when you made the purchase, and the download link you received once the purchase was complete. That’s it! Then if you’re one of the first 20 people who qualifies, I’ll send you everything you need to get the free audio book.
Why am I doing this? Because I know you’re going to love the books in the story bundle, and I also take a gleeful kind of pleasure in giving away free stuff. I have a plan to do that every month for the rest of this year, so make sure you’re part of my Readers’ Group mailing list so you always hear about it first!
Good luck! Can’t wait to give 20 of you some audio swag!
0 Comments on One Last Time Travel Giveaway! as of 1/1/1900
The audiobooks in your library’s digital collection are easy to access from computers, tablets, iPods and smartphones. As you build and market the collection, keep in mind the different ways that children and families use audiobooks, and select titles to meet a variety of needs.
Preschool children may be drawn to the stories and characters of their favorite picture books. Think carefully about how the text will play without the pictures that help tell the story. You’ll also want to take checkout limits into consideration. Collections of multiple books, like Green Eggs and Ham and Other Servings of Dr. Seuss, and early chapter books like Hooray for Anna Hibiscus! may be more attractive to borrowers than a title which only lasts a few minutes.
Families listening together need titles that appeal to everyone. Stories like The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher include characters of multiple ages. Parents listening with older children will find a lot to talk about in nonfiction like The Port Chicago 50.
Children who have their own tablet or iPod can download and listen independently. For older elementary kids, having what they want the first time they look is crucial. Order at least once a week and pre-order when you can, so that your homepage shows the freshest new titles and you always have the latest books in their favorite series.
What are your secrets for building a great e-audio collection? Please share them in the comments.
Rachel
This month’s blog post by Rachel Wood, ALSC Digital Content Task Force
We would love to hear from you. Please email us at [email protected] and join our ALSC Digital Content Task force group on ALA Connect. Share ideas! Add to discussions!
Happy Poetry Friday! The link to today's PF host is below.
This round, we at TeachingAuthors have decided to trot out the topic, Ways I Use the Library, and I'm the first to saddle up. My horse is a little rebellious today, so I'm going to change the topic slightly to: Reasons I Love My Library.
How do I love libraries? Let me conjure up memories:
The word library
from morguefile.com
sends me back to Franklin Elementary School and its smoky-voiced librarian, Mrs. Orbach. I will always be grateful to her for breaking the rules and letting me check out The Complete Sherlock Holmes 13 times.
The word library stands me next to my mother, choosing Wind, Sand and Stars for me as if she were sharing an important secret from her childhood. This sacred act in the Yuba City, California library is tied to that cool oasis from Yuba City’s heat—the downstairs rooms, dark walls painted during the WPA…and that good book-composty smell.
I love my library for a raft of reasons, but I especially love libraries (1) as a quiet place to write without holing up in my house, and (2) because they hold a treasure trove of audiobooks. Joy, joy, joy--audiobooks!
I love being read to. I'm probably an audio learner.
from morguefile.com (As I am posting this photo, I just learned today is National Earmuff Day.)
I remember Mom cracking up as she read to us from Kids Say the Darndest Things, Archie & Mehitabel, The Joys of Yiddish, Catcher in the Rye, and any stories by Thurber, Dorothy Parker, Mark Twain and Molly Ivins. My teacher and mentor, poet Myra Cohn Livingston, always set aside time in class to read poetry. Nothing was required of us. Listen. Absorb. Enjoy.
These days, the word library means a place I go to write. I like being surrounded by books and by quiet bookpeople working and reading. A true Southern California commuter, when I walk back to my car, my arms are full of audiobooks, to sustain me on my long drives to my writing group and to UCLA. ( In one just-before-summer post, I recommend three audiobooks...and today I'd add Deborah Wiles' Each Little Bird That Sings to that trio--all from my lovely local library.)
The story behind the poem: I was in the library, and as the librarian waved her wand over an audiobook, I heard it click…I began wondering how many sounds there were in a library…including the sounds a book’s story makes in one’s head.
IT’S NOT QUIET IN THE LIBRARY by April Halprin Wayland The electric door is opening, it sucks in outside air. A carpet rubs as a patron sits down on his chosen chair. The blonde librarian waves her wand—I can hear it whisper-click six times as it moves back and forth o’er six non-fiction picks. There are sounds that bounce around the rows of all the Y.A. books if you listen closely you can hear folks’ irritated looks at that oops-he-forgot-to-turn-off-his-cell’s rock ‘n rolling ring while on this page I hear the voice of Martin Luther King: and as I read, “I have a dream” reverberates in my head near Charlotte, who is loudly spinning words into her web. There are sounds around this building, there are sounds in books like these. It’s not quiet in the library and that’s okay by me. (c) 2011 April Halprin Wayland, all rights reserved
It’s your turn. Take your notebook to a park or a restaurant or a school or the beach and write down the sounds. It may help to close your eyes to hear them. Select the most interesting; write a poem.
The host of Poetry Friday is our beloved Author Amok, Laura Shovan ~ thank you, Laura!
posted quietly by April Halprin Wayland and Eli, immersed in his favorite novel.
0 Comments on 2 Reasons I Love My Library--and Happy Poetry Friday! as of 3/13/2015 6:36:00 AM
Jennifer Duffy, chair, and the rest of the 2015 Notable Sound Recordings Committee, invite you to join them at their Midwinter discussions, taking place on Friday, January 30th through Sunday, February 1st, in the Lake Michigan Room of the Chicago Hilton.
The complete discussion list is below. Titles with an asterisk indicate that the book was already discussed at the Annual Conference last summer.
You might also be interested in looking at the 2015 Notable Children’s Books discussion list which will be posted tomorrow afternoon, and the 2015 Notable Children’s Videos discussion list which will be posted the following afternoon.
Submit your Bookapalooza application by Feb. 1, 2015 (image courtesy of ALSC)
Dream of expanding your collection with a huge shipment of books, videos, and audio books and recordings? Boy, have we got an offer for you!
ALSC and the Grants Administration Committee are now accepting online applications for the 2015 Bookapalooza Program. This program offers select libraries a collection of materials to be used in a way that creatively enhances their library service to children and families. The materials are primarily for children age birth through 14 and include newly published books, videos, audio books and recordings from children’s trade publishers.
Applicants must be personal members of ALSC, as well as ALA members to apply. Deadline for submissions is Sunday, February 1, 2015. For more information about the award requirements and submitting the online application please visit the Bookapalooza Web page.
Remember how I said cleaning leads to writing? Yep, I’ve been busy. And I’m still busy, because I’m not exactly done. But I thought you’d be interested in an update and some recent releases, along with the coming attractions …
First, you can get these now:
LOVE PROOF is now out in audio! I love the narration Maria Hunter Welles did for it. And I didn’t announce it at the time (see above, been busy), but there are also audio editions of THE GOOD LIE, DOGGIRL, and REPLAY. I know. It’s a lot. Take your pick and listen away!
Also, I have a new short story collection out. It’s called A FEW STRANGE MATTERS, and it is. A little odd. But sometimes my mind needs a break from longer works like novels, and when I let my mind wander, it wanders. The collection has some contemporary, some science fiction, a little fantasy, some paranormal, and a couple of strange stories from the teen world. You might have read a few of them here and there, but I guarantee there are some you’ve never seen. Possibly because I wrote them under a pen name that none of you knew about. So take a look–I’ll be interested in hearing what you all think!
Now, for the coming attractions:
YES, PARALLELOGRAM 4 WILL BE OUT THIS FALL. That’s all I can say, because I have made the mistake before of giving you a pub date which turns out not to be true. But I promise you will feel satisfied and fulfilled when you read this final book in the series. I’m still working very hard to pull all the pieces together. Thank you for your questions (“When? WHEN??”) and your patience. I hate waiting, too. I get it. It’ll be along very soon.
And to make you even happier about all the time I’ve been hiding out, I’ll also have ANOTHER NEW BOOK for you by December, I believe. It’s fantasy, it’s epic, and it involves a girl warrior. Yessssss …
That’s my report for now. I have to go back to writing. I owe you all some books.
Happy Fall! ~Robin
0 Comments on …which leads to books! as of 10/19/2014 2:02:00 PM
ALSC members are cordially invited to participate in the 2015 Notable Children’s Recordings list by submitting titles for consideration. The Notable Children’s Recordings Committee’s charge is to select, annotate, and present for publication an annual list of notable audio recordings (music, audiobooks, and read-along kits) of interest to young people from birth through age 14. The recordings must have been released between November 1, 2013, and October 31, 2014, and be available through a US distributor. Please follow this link to find out more details about the list and criteria for inclusion:
The column on the left of that page includes links for information about NCR, including Committee Members, Submission Process, and Past NCR lists.
Please send suggestions with full bibliographic information to chairperson Jennifer Duffy at [email protected]. The deadline to submit title suggestions is October 31st.
According to the Wall Street Journal, audio books have “ballooned into a $1.2 billion industry, up from $480 million in retail sales in 1997. Unit sales of downloaded audio books grew by nearly 30% in 2011 compared with 2010, according to the Audio Publishers Association.” Some reasons include the ease of listening on smart phones, lower prices, and a growing audience of people who prefer audio books.
I’ve always loved audio books, and in fact, I almost always have one going in my car. That’s why I’m thrilled with my news today that three of my titles are now audio books, with three more coming this fall. If you have audio rights to your books, you can also do this through ACX. They provide a platform for you to audition narrators, who will then produce the book. They are all for sale on iTunes, Audible and Amazon. At the time of this writing, Kell, the Alien is on sale at Audible for only $1.99.
The Girl, the Gypsy and the Gargoyle
Paula Bodin, actress and narrator of THE GIRL, THE GYPSY AND THE GARGOYLE.
The narrator, Paula Bodin, created multiple voices for this exciting version of the story.
Paula Bodin is an actress and producer in LA who adores the SciFi/Fantasy genre. She’s voiced multiple characters in shows like Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, Monster High and Ever After High, brought Lady Door to life in the West Coast Premiere of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, and is in numerous film/tv/web productions, including playing Wendy in The New Adventures of Peter & Wendy.
Paula says, “I hope you enjoy listening to this book as much as I enjoyed reading it!”
Monica Clark-Robinson is a writer, actor, and voice-over artist living in Little Rock, Arkansas. She holds an MFA in Theatre from Michigan State University. Monica has acted locally for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, and Murry’s Dinner Playhouse. She also writes for kids and teens, and was a finalist in the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Karlin Picture book award competition. Monica has published a cookbook, titled “Vegan Kids Unite,” and she is a speech writer for local and national professionals. She also works as a voice-over talent for local audio production companies. In her “spare time,” she enjoys gardening, reading, and just hanging with her two awesome daughters and her handsome husband.
Josiah Bildner, audio narrator of the ALIENS, INC. series.
Josiah Bildner has been performing in theatrical performances since he was 10 when he played Bob Cratchit’s son in Dickens A Christmas Carol. He starred as the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz and Geppetto in Pinnochio in high school and received a drama scholarship at the University of Northern Iowa. After graduation Josiah worked as a director and audio/visual engineer at the NBC affiliate KWWL channel 7 in Waterloo Iowa. Josiah is also a storyteller at a children’s Education Through Music camp and during the school year he is a speech language pathologist. Josiah currently uses all those talents in the wonderful world of voice over. He can be heard voicing many audiobooks, from children’s sci-fi to adult horror, biographies of musical celebrities like Emil Richards and George Harrison to spiritual journeys of Buddhism and Judaism. Josiah Bildner loves voice over because it is the best of all worlds!
The Convenient Marriage. By Georgette Heyer. (1934) Read by Richard Armitage. 2010. August 2010. Naxos Audiobooks. 5 hrs. 6 minutes. [Source: Review copy]
"Lady Winwood being denied, the morning caller inquired with some anxiety for Miss Winwood, or, in fact, for any of the young ladies. In face of the rumour which had come to her ears it would be too provoking if all the Winwood ladies were to withhold themselves."
I can't do justice in my review. I just can't. This audio book is perfect. Not practically perfect. But actually perfect. (Dare I say that Richard Armitage and Georgette Heyer go together better than chocolate and caramel?) Those five hours, well, they feel so delightfully delicious and satisfying. (An audio sample is available from Naxos Audiobooks).
The book itself is one of Georgette Heyer's best. I loved it the first time I read it. And I've appreciated it more with each rereading. (My first review is from 2009; my second review is from 2010; my third review is from 2013.) Best is a tricky word, I admit. Every single Heyer fan has strong opinions on what her "best" books are. And reading is subjective. And opinions can and do change over time. I know I struggle with having a favorite with Heyer BECAUSE whatever book I just read (by Heyer) I may just say is my favorite or best. That's one of the reasons why, last year, I wanted to challenge myself to read ALL of her romances in one year so that I could have them all fresh in my mind and decide--though not decide once and for all--which books were best, which books were definitely my favorites.
Heyer created dozens of heroes and heroines. But Lord Rule (Marcus) and Horatia (Horry) are probably among my favorite and best. They make a great couple!!! But the novel has great overall characterization. There are many characters to love! And in some cases, characters that you can't help loving-to-hate. Not many romance novels spend enough time with other characters, with "minor characters," so it is always wonderful to find.
From my first review:
We meet the Winwood family early on in The Convenient Marriage. We spy on them (in a way) as Mrs. Maulfrey comes to call--or should I say get the juicy gossip on the latest news in the family. Elizabeth, the oldest sister is upset and rightfully so. Her mother, Lady Winwood, has just agreed to an engagement between her and the rich Earl Rule. The problem? Elizabeth is in love with a poor (at least relatively speaking) soldier, a Mr. Edward Heron. Charlotte, the middle sister, doesn't see what the big deal is. After all, in her way of thinking marriage doesn't amount to much. She has no interest--so she claims--in becoming someone's wife. But the youngest sister, Horatia feels her sister's pain. And she's determined--though she stutters or stammers and has thick eyebrows--to do something to solve this dilemma. She gives Mr. Heron her word that she will not let their hearts be broken. Her plan is quite bold and quite wonderful. By that I mean it is deliciously entertaining. The first few chapters of this one are so full of promise. Especially the second and third chapters. If there was an award for the best-ever-second-chapter-in-a-book, I'd nominate The Convenient Marriage.
However, the book soon settles down. As you can probably guess from the title, it is about a marriage--a husband and wife. Marcus Drelincourt (a.k.a. The Earl, or Marcus, or simply 'Rule') and his wife, Horatia (or Horry). And since the marriage occurs early in the book--by page sixty--the reader knows that there must be some drama in the works. And indeed there is. There's the former (and somewhat still current) mistress who's jealous and spiteful, Lady Massey. There's the cousin-who-would-inherit-it-all-if-only-Rule-would-hurry-up-and-die, Mr. Crosby Drelincourt, a cousin. And the villainous and cold-hearted Lord Lethbridge. All three of these people add to the drama--each in their own little way. All want to get revenge on Rule. All want to see the happy little couple become miserable. And oh the plotting that goes on that tries to break up this pair!
Horatia's closest friend is her brother, Pelham. Though he's a bit of a gambler--and often an unlucky one at that--he's got a good heart. I don't know if it was Heyer's intent to make him so likable, so enjoyable, but I just really liked him in spite of his flaws. He truly had his sister's best interests at heart. And she does need someone to look out for her with all the villains roaming about the town (or should that be ton) out for revenge.
None of the characters in The Convenient Marriage are perfect. All are flawed in one way or another. But the relationships are genuinely enjoyable, and are quite well done. The atmosphere of The Convenient Marriage--much like Heyer's other novels--is so rich, so detailed, so luxuriously drawn. The society. The fashion. The wit. The charm. The dangers of being unique in a world where conformity reigns. The delicate balance between being respectable, being boring, and being the Talk or Toast of the ton.
From my second review:
Listening to the novel (abridged though it may be) gave me a greater appreciation for Georgette Heyer. Why? While I've always appreciated Heyer's dialogue--it being a chance for her characters to be witty, charming, or romantic--I appreciate it even more having heard it performed. The wit seems funnier. The action scenes even more dramatic. The love scenes even more romantic. I wouldn't have thought it possible for one narrator to convey the chemistry between two characters--but with Armitage narrating it works really well.
Thanks to Margaret for hosting Poetry Friday today! (My poem's at the end of this post.) .
Our topic is What are We Reading? I love this topic...I've learned so much about my blogmates, our readers and books.
Carmela, JoAnn, Jill, Laura and Esther have each checked in about the books they've checked out this summer.
My turn!
Here's what I've read recently: ~ THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green on my Kindle (loved it) ~ WE ARE CALLED TO RISE by Laura McBride ~ adult book (wonderfully written...but why are adult books so sad?) ~ TEA WITH GRANDPA written and illustrated by Barney Saltzberg ~ (SPOILER ALERT: I've bought copies to give to grandparents who Skype their grandkids)
What I'm currently reading: ~ DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth on my Kindle (not crazy about the writing so far).
But I am CRAZY CAKES for audiobooks. I live in Southern California, so maybe that explains it. Or maybe I should say I live in my car in Southern California. :-)
So here is my list of 3 WONDERFUL audiobooks in the order I read them. And yes, you can say "read them" if you listened to them. Because I said so.
Lincoln Hoppe is an AMAZING voice actor. I think I want to marry him.
Hang in there with this audiobook. At first it felt soooo slow...I wasn't sure I was going to keep listening. But, boy, am I glad I did. I mean, wow.
From the Random House website: "Reminiscent of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in the intensity and purity of its voice, this extraordinary audiobook is a love story, a legal drama, and a celebration of the music each of us hears inside."
From Wikipedia: "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, published by Clarion Books, is a 2004 historical fiction book by Gary D. Schmidt. The book received the Newbery Honor in 2005 and was selected as a Michael L. Printz Honor that same year. The book was based on a real event. In 1912, the government of Maine put the residents of Malaga Island in a mental hospital and razed their homes."
“Schmidt’s writing is infused with feeling and rich in imagery. With fully developed, memorable characters. . . This novel will leave a powerful impression on readers.” ~ School Library Journal, Starred
Here's what the National Book Award website says: “In this stunning novel, Schmidt expertly weaves multiple themes of loss and recovery in a story teeming with distinctive, unusual characters and invaluable lessons about love, creativity, and survival.”
His main character, Doug Swieteck, first appeared in Schmidt’s Newbery Honor book, THE WEDNESDAY WARS.
Listen to an 8 minute NPR on-air interview of Schmidt about OKAY FOR NOW here.
There. Those are my Fab 3.
What I look forward to listening to next:
~ THE WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary D. Schmidt, read by Joel Johnstone. I think I may have this read years ago; I can't wait to listen to it. (I'm inspired by Esther and am reading a string of books by the same author...something I almost never do. Gary D. Schmidt is a brilliant and deeply affecting writer.)
LISTENING IN THE BACKSEAT by April Halprin Wayland Are we twisting, risking all, listening to what the writer wires us, what the teller sells us? Twisting, uncertain, wheeling...to the final curtain?
Did you know that many folks read books aloud for your listening pleasure on YouTube? Go to YouTube and search for a book title. For example, click here for a sampling of folks reading THE FAULT IN OUR STARS.
And...if you know any flat-out beginning picture book writers in the Los Angeles area, my six-week class, Writing Picture Books for Children in the UCLA Extension Writers' Program starts August 6th. (The student who benefits most from this class has never heard of SCBWI.)
poem and drawing (c)2014 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved.
posted by April Halprin Wayland...who's amazed that you've read all the way to here. Thank you.
0 Comments on 3 FAB AudioBooks & a poem for Poetry Friday! as of 8/1/2014 6:52:00 AM
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