Too hot to read? Kick back, close your eyes & listen to any of the 116 terrific audiobooks reviewed in Booklist this summer for the best in the art of audiobook production and narration. Start with the 27 adult and youth starred reviews below to hear why this diverse selection has been recognized for notably exceptional audio in genre or format. And Booklist subscribers, take note: If you’re only perusing the print magazine for audio reviews, you’re missing plenty! Check out your free access to Booklist Online for web exclusives, which include 55 additional online-only audiobook reviews. While you enjoy some vacation listening, I’ll be rounding up another batch of audiobook stars here at the Booklist Reader next month.
Audiobook stars, Summer 2016:
The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox, read by Fiona Hardingham
The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin read by Fiona Hardingham Susan Bennett, David Pittu
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold, read by Grover Gardner
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen, read by David Allen
The Girl with the Wrong Name by Barnabas Miller, read by Ali Ahn
The God’s Eye View by Barry Eisler, read by Barry Eisler
The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle, read by Tim Federle
Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter, read by Mariska Hargitay, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter
How to Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Tudor Life by Ruth Goodman, read by Heather Wilds
The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero by By Timothy Egan, read by Gerard Doyle
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, read by Mia Barron
Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz, read by Scott Brick
The Other Side of Silence by Philip Kerr, read by John Lee
Persuasion by Jane Austen, read by Rosalyn Landor
Pete Seeger: Storm King, v.2 by Pete Seeger, read by Pete Seeger
The Poison Artist by Jonathan Moore, read by Luke Daniels
Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty, read by Gerard Doyle
The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss by Anderson Cooper, read by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt
Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo, read by Jenna Lamia
Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr, read by Therese Plummer
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight, read by Norbert Leo Butz, Phil Knight
The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, read by Jorjeana Marie, Erin Tripp, Karissa Vacker, and Robbie Daymond
The Summer before the War by Helen Simonson, read by Fiona Hardingham
Tradition! The Highly Improbable, Ultimately Triumphant Broadway-to-Hollywood Story of Fiddler on the Roof, the World’s Most Beloved Musical by Barbara Isenberg, read by Adam Grupper
The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth, read by Simon Vance
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, read by Kate Atwater
Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy, read by Ariana Delawari
* * *
For over 100 years, Booklist magazine has helped more readers find more titles than any other publication. Published by the American Library Association, Booklist magazine delivers over 8,000 recommended-only reviews of books, audiobooks, reference sources, video, and DVD titles each year remains a highly selective guide for readers, viewers, and listeners. When Booklist reviews a title, that title is recommended for purchase for library and media center collections. Booklist holds audiobooks to the same standards of quality and authenticity as print materials. However, audiobook reviewers must also evaluate the production techniques unique to the format, such as narration and overall reflection of the audiobook’s ability to convey the content of a given work.