On Our Shelves: New Audiobooks

October 16, 2013June 30, 2014 / Louise / Leave a comment

Who says you can’t read and drive? Here are some new audiobooks available at CPL that can help liven up a dreary commute…

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood, read by Bernadette Dunne, Bob Walter and Robbie Daymond. The conclusion to the dystopian trilogy that includes Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood. Months after the Waterless Flood pandemic has wiped out most of humanity, Toby and Ren have rescued their friend Amanda from the vicious Painballers. They return to the MaddAddamite cob house, accompanied by the Crakers, the gentle, quasihuman species engineered by the brilliant but deceased Crake. At the center of this novel is the extraordinary story of Zeb’s past, which involves a lost brother, a hidden murder, a bear, and a bizarre act of revenge.

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara, read by Arthur Morey , William Roberts, and Erin Yuen. In 1950, a young doctor signs on with an anthropologist for an expedition to a remote island in search of a rumored lost tribe. They succeed, finding not only that tribe but also a group of forest dwellers they dub ‘The Dreamers,’ who turn out to be fantastically long-lived but progressively more senile.

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith, read by Robert Glenister. A brilliant mystery in a classic vein: down-on-his-luck private detective Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel’s apparent suicide. The Cuckoo’s Calling is a crime fiction novel by J. K. Rowling, published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

Mistress by James Patterson and David Ellis, read by Kevin T. Collins. After the beautiful Diana Hotchkiss is found murdered outside her apartment, an obsessive man, Ben, discovers she was leading an illicit double life.

W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton, read by Judy Kaye. Wasted lives, wasted time, and wasted opportunities are at the heart of this twenty-third entry in the long-running Kinsey Millhone series, which reveals how the deaths of two very different men impact Kinsey’s life.

True Love by Jude Devereaux, read by Tavia Gilbert. Jude Devereaux launches the brand-new Nantucket Brides series. The story follows young Alix Madsen, a brokenhearted architect student, who unexpectedly becomes the owner of a quaint little Nantucket property, and she soon starts falling for the charming architect living in the guest house. But even with all the romance in the air, she becomes aware that Kingsley left the house to Alix in order to help solve an old family mystery.

Still Foolin’ ‘Em : Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going, and Where the Hell are My Keys by Billy Crystal, read by Billy Crystal. Hilarious and heartfelt observations on aging from one of America’s favorite comedians as he turns 65, and a look back at a remarkable career.

It’s National Audiobook Month – 10 Great Audiobooks to Listen to With Your Kids

June 18, 2013June 19, 2013 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Do you feel like you spend all your time driving your children back and forth from school, to practice, to friends houses, to wherever? These days we are all busy, and parents chauffeuring their children around know it well. Whether it is on the way to scouts, sports, or a family vacation you can turn a search for quiet into some serious quality time. Put that CD player or iPod to work and steer your car-full towards some of your childhood favorites, or new popular books, and you have the bonus of knowing exactly what they are reading (or hearing as they case might be) so that you can start conversations about the books with your children.

Many classic and new, popular books for children are now available on audiobook, and they are often read by very talented voice actors, the author, or sometimes even a full cast of voices. Here are ten quick suggestions, in no particular order, for audiobooks you might want to listen to with your children or for your own enjoyment.

1. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her own Making, written and read by Catherynne M. Valente.

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (and the rest of the series), written by J.K. Rowling and read by Jim Dale.

3. Anything written and read by Neil Gaiman, such as Coraline, M is for Magic or The Graveyard Book.

4.Green Eggs and Ham and other Servings of Dr. Seuss, read by Jason Alexander, Michael McKean, and David Hyde Pierce.

5. The Lightning Thief, written by Rick Riordan and read by Jesse Bernstein.

6. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, written by Tom Angleberger and read by Mark Turetsky, Greg Steinbruner, Jonathan Todd Ross, Julia Gibson, and Charlotte Parry.

7. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Blubber, Freckle Juice, or anything else from Judy Blume. Some books are read by the author, others by Halley Feiffer or Laura Hamilton.

8. Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass written by Lewis Carroll and read by Ralph Cosham.

9. Magic Tree House Collection Books 1-8 (other book groupings are also available), written and read by Mary Pope Osborne.

10. The works of E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web and The Trumpet of the Swan read by E.B. White, and Stuart Little, read by Julie Harris.

If you prefer downloading audiobooks rather than juggling cd’s in the car, do not forget that you can use Overdrive to download free audiobooks. Many of these titles, as well as more great audiobooks and e-books to share with the family can be found there as well.

Allons-y! To the Foreign Language Books!

May 30, 2013May 22, 2013 / Susan O. / Leave a comment

Did you know the Cheshire library has a wonderful collection of books printed in foreign languages? From Histoire de la Mafia by Gaetano Falzone, to Charlotte Link’s Das Haus der Schwestern, there is a wide variety of both fiction and non-fiction books in French, German, and Spanish. These are located in a special area of the upstairs Moss Room; just ask and we’ll be happy to open it for you.

In the children’s room, there are beginning storybooks and alphabet books in Russian, Spanish, Latin, French, and Chinese. We are also able to request books in Russian, Polish, and more from surrounding libraries.

If listening to language is more your style, check out an audiobook to learn a new language or improve your skills in Spanish, Italian, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, Hebrew, and more (Dewey number 468). Are you a foreign speaker trying to learn English? We have discs for that as well. There are audiobook language sets geared for children, too. Prefer an online approach where no one can hear you stumble? Check out the free on-line language programs on our website.

Grab your dictionary, dust off your skills, and with a little practice, you’ll be ready to take on our foreign films without subtitles!

Nancy Pearl’s First Children’s Audio Book

April 25, 2013April 17, 2013 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Nancy Pearl just might be America’s most well known librarian. She even has her own action figure! So it is little wonder that I was thrilled to read in USA Today that she has recorded her first children’s audiobook. She has recorded the audiobook version of Isabella: Star of the Story, which was written by Jennifer Fosberry and illustrated by Mike Litwin.

Isabella: Star of the Show

Isabella: Star of the Story is a fun story which highlights an early love of reading and the use of imagination. When Isabella and her parents head to the library Isabella is transformed into characters from some of the most popular children’s books. Isabella is briefly Alice, Dorothy, Peter Pan, and a number of other well known personas. When it is time to check out and head home, Isabella decides that it is best just to be herself, at least until it is reading time again.

If you are eager to hear Nancy Pearl at work, here is a book trailer for Isabella: Star of the Story that will give you a taste of what the audiobook will sound like.

Listen Up! with an Audiobook

April 22, 2013April 17, 2013 / Susan O. / Leave a comment

Don’t have time to read? Driving a long commute, or perhaps an out-of-state trip? Do you have trouble focusing on printed words? Try an audio book! Cheshire Library has a large collection of books on cd, from mysteries to romance, to fiction, non-fiction, science-fiction, and foreign languages, and we add at least one new selection a day. Here’s a list of just some of our newest additions in the past month:

Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts