2010 Audie Nominees Announced

From The Audio Publishers Association (APA):

February 15, 2010

15th ANNUAL AUDIES® COMPETITION SHOWS STRENGTH OF AUDIO INDUSTRY
Winners to be Announced May 25 at The Museum of the City of New York

Princeton Junction, NJ – The Audio Publishers Association (APA) has announced nominations for its 2010 Audies competition, the only awards program in the United States devoted entirely to honoring spoken word entertainment. Winners will be announced at the Audies Gala on May 25, 2010, at The Museum of the City of New York in New York City.

Another record-breaking year with 1,056 titles entered, 2010 was a year of innovation for the competition. APA took the Audies into the 21st century and partnered with APA member, Audible, Inc., to distribute almost all titles for consideration digitally to judges. In years past, judges primarily received shipments of audiobooks on CDs and cassettes.

Finalists for the most prestigious awards, Distinguished Achievement in Production and Audiobook of the Year, will be announced in the spring. The Distinguished Achievement in Production award honors an audiobook that demonstrates excellence in all areas of production. The Audiobook of the Year award recognizes an audiobook that, through quality, innovation, marketing and sales, has had a significant impact on the industry. Other categories for the judges' consideration included Audio Drama, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Humor, Multi-Voiced Performance, Mystery, Romance, Spanish Language, Thriller/Suspense and many more.

“Each year the entries continue to grow in number and improve in quality and production,” said Janet Benson, APA President. “This is an encouraging indicator of the health of the audiobook industry. Also, such strong participation in the competition has allowed the association to plan for more widespread initiatives to ultimately help our member companies increase sales despite the challenging economic climate.”

Here's a few noteworthy (sez I) categories. Read the complete Nominee List PDF here.

AUDIO DRAMA
Focus on the Family Radio Theatre: The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis, adapted by PaulMcCusker, Narrated by Andy Serkis and a full cast, Tyndale House
Little Dorrit, by Charles Dickens, Narrated by Sir Ian McKellan and a full cast, BBC Audiobooks America
The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett, Narrated by Michael Madsen, Sandra Oh, Edward Herrmann and a full cast, Blackstone Audio
The Rivalry, by Norman Corwin, Narrated by Paul Giamatti, James Gleason, Lily Rabe, David Strathairn and Shannon Cochran, L.A. Theatre Works
The Word of Promise® Audio Bible, Narrated by a full cast including Michael York, Richard Dreyfuss, Gary Sinise and others, Thomas Nelson Inc.
Holy celebrities, Batgirls! The list of narrators in that category reads like a Who's Who of Hollywood.

MYSTERY
Black Money, by Ross Macdonald, Narrated by Grover Gardner, Blackstone Audio
Devil in a Blue Dress, by Walter Mosley, Narrated by Michael Boatman, Audible, Inc.
The Dying Breed, by Declan Hughes, Narrated by Stanley Townsend, Isis Publishing
Revelation, by C.J. Sansom, Narrated by Steven Crossley, Recorded Books
The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1, by Arthur Conan Doyle, Narrated by Charlton Griffin, Audio Connoisseur
Hmmm. That Sherlock Holmes anthology sounds pretty good. Adding to wish list.

NARRATION BY THE AUTHOR or AUTHORS
Michael Chabon, Manhood for Amateurs, HarperAudio
Kristin Chenoweth, A Little Bit Wicked, Oasis Audio
Neil Gaiman, Odd and the Frost Giants, HarperChildrensAudio
Tim Green, Baseball Great, HarperChildrensAudio
Jeannette Walls, Half Broke Horses, Simon & Schuster Audio

ROMANCE
Dark Slayer, by Christine Feehan, Narrated by Phil Gigante and Jane Brown, Brilliance Audio
The House on Tradd Street, by Karen White, Narrated by Aimée Bruneau, Listen & Live Audio
A Rogue of My Own, by Johanna Lindsey, Narrated by Rosalyn Landor, Brilliance Audio
The Untamed Bride, by Stephanie Laurens, Narrated by Simon Prebble, HarperAudio
What I Did for Love, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Narrated by Julia Gibson, HarperAudio
Yep, Phil G. was nominated again. BOO-YAH! The dual-reader format that he's been doing with Jane Brown for the Carpathian series has become my favorite narration style. He does all the men, she does all the women and they switch off on narration.
I've got The Untamed Bride here waiting until I finish my current Dresden. I'm looking forward to it. Simon Prebble's narration was excellent in Lauren's Devil's Bride.
A SEP audio book won a couple of years ago. I think she's a bit more "mainstream" and therefore garners more votes. Though I've never read/listened to one of hers, so I can't fairly judge.

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY
Bellwether, by Connie Willis, narrated by Kate Reading, Blackstone Audio
The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, Narrated by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, Macmillan Audio
Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey, Narrated by Anne Flosnik, Tantor Audio
Kushiel's Scion, by Jacqueline Carey, Narrated by Simon Vance, Tantor Audio
Podkayne of Mars, by Robert A. Heinlein, Narrated by Emily Janice Card, Blackstone Audio
Note to LissaNY: That's the Kushiel series I rec'd to you. Since they are so complex, I wasn't sure how easy they'd be to follow in audio, but the fact that they are nominated tells me they must work well.

SHORT STORIES/COLLECTIONS
Black Mask Audio Magazine Vol 1, by various authors, Narrated by a full cast, Blackstone Audio
The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1, by Arthur Conan Doyle, Narrated by Charlton Griffin, Audio Connoisseur
Just After Sunset, by Stephen King, Narrated by Stephen King, Jill Eikenberry, Holter Graham, George Guidall, Ron McLarty, Denis O’Hare and a full cast, Simon & Schuster Audio
Love Letters of Great Men, by Ursula Doyle, Narrated by Anton Lesser, Macmillan Audio
Nothing with Strings: NPR's Beloved Holiday Stories, by Bailey White, Narrated by Lorna Raver, Tantor Audio
Wow, the Holmes anthology is nominated in two categories; must buy/borrow.

About Audio Publishers Association (APA)
The Audio Publishers Association (APA) is a not-for-profit trade organization whose primary goals are to promote awareness of the audiobook industry, gather and disseminate industry statistics, encourage high production standards and represent the interests of audiobook publishers. Since 1986, the APA has worked to bring audio publishers together to increase interest in audiobooks. Please visit www.audiopub.org for more information.

2009 Audie Award Winners!

I promise a nice, long chatty post later about what I've been doing during my Blogosphere Break, but first I have to say that, in addition to being a bad blogger, I also really suck as a fangirl. If it wasn't for an email from Phil G today (SQUEE!), who knows when I would have remembered to check the results of last nights Audie Awards! DOH!

Anyway, note the winner in the Romance book category-- uh-huh, that's right, Mr. Eargasm himself, Phil Gigante, for his brilliant narration performance of Karen Marie Moning's The Dark Highlander (the one with Dageus MacKeltar and Chloe Zanders)!!

Although, as I've said before, they really should have created a whole new Series Narration category so he could win that one too. Right along with Johanna Parker. Oh, have I mentioned that I'm a Phil G. fangirl? Hmmm... I might have had a thing or two to say about him here and here, here, here, here, and here, oh and here, here, here, and here.

As an audio book enthusiast (and in the interest of fairness), I want to congratulate ALL the deserving nominees. But really, there can't be too many other narrators that have fangirl groupies swooning over them, can there?



Here's a few of the categories and winners. For the complete list, go to The Audio Publisher's Association (APA) site (which should have them posted soon) or, as I did, go to AudioFile Magazine's Audies page.


CHILDREN’S TITLES FOR AGES 8-12
The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden, Narrated by Tony Shalhoub, Macmillan Audio
Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine, Narrated by Sarah Naughton and a full cast, Full Cast Audio
WINNER: The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, Narrated by Neil Gaiman, HarperAudio
One-Handed Catch, by M.J. Auch, Narrated by Ryan Sparkes and a full cast, Full Cast Audio
Nation, by Terry Pratchett, Narrated by Stephen Briggs, HarperAudio

CLASSIC
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, Narrated by Grover Gardner, Blackstone Audio,Inc.
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, Narrated by John Lee, Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Galapagos, by Kurt Vonnegut, Narrated by Jonathan Davis, Audible, Inc.
WINNER: Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, Narrated by Simon Vance, Tantor Media
The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, Narrated by Simon Vance, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

HISTORY
The Bloody Shirt, by Stephen Budiansky, Narrated by Phil Gigante, Brilliance Audio
WINNER: Gandhi and Churchill, by Arthur Herman, Narrated by John Curless, Recorded Books
The Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea – The Forgotten War of the South Pacific, by James Campbell, Narrated by Stephen Hoye, Tantor Media
The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family, by Annette Gordon-Reed, Narrated by Karen White, Tantor Media
Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood, by Mark Harris, Narrated by Lloyd James, Tantor Media

MULTI–VOICED PERFORMANCE
Family Audio Bible, Narrated by Dick Cavett, Marsha Mason, Andrew McCarthy, Martha Plimpton and Tom Wopat, HarperAudio
WINNER: Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan, Narrated by Joey Collins, Peter Jay Fernandez, Kate Forbes, Ezra Knight, Brenday Pressley and Tom Stechschulte, Recorded Books
The Plague of Doves, by Louise Erdrich, Narrated by Peter Francis James and Kathleen McInerney, HarperAudio
The Word of Promise®: Next Generation-New Testament, by Various Authors, Narrated by Sean Astin and a full cast including Codey Linley, AnnaSophia Robb and Jordin Sparks, Thomas Nelson, Inc

MYSTERY
A Killing Frost, by R. D. Wingfield, Narrated by Stephen Thorne, Ulverscroft Group Ltd
Cross, by Ken Bruen, Narrated by Gerry O'Brien, Ulverscroft Group Ltd
The Silver Swan, by Benjamin Black, Narrated by Timothy Dalton, Macmillan Audio
Swan Peak, by James Lee Burke, Narrated by Will Patton, Simon & Schuster Audio
WINNER: Voice of the Violin, by Andrea Camilleri, Narrated by Grover Gardner, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

NARRATION BY THE AUTHOR or AUTHORS
Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter, Random House Audio
Joshilyn Jackson, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, Hachette Audio
Cokie Roberts, Ladies of Liberty, HarperAudio
WINNER: David Sedaris, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Hachette Audio
Maria Shriver, Just Who Will You Be? HyperionAudio

POLITICS — JUDGES AWARD
Descent into Chaos, by Ahmed Rashid, Narrated by Arthur Morey, Brilliance Audio
WINNER: Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman, Narrated by Oliver Wyman, Macmillan Audio
Mike's Election Guide, by Michael Moore, Narrated by Michael Moore, Hachette Audio
The War Within, by Bob Woodward, Narrated by Boyd Gaines, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Way of the World, by Ron Suskind, Narrated by Alan Sklar, HarperAudio

ROMANCE
WINNER: The Dark Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning, Narrated by Phil Gigante, Brilliance Audio
Fire Me Up, by Katie MacAlister, Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat, Recorded Books
Forbidden, by Suzanne Brockmann, Narrated by Traci Svensgaard, Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Mismatch, by Tami Hoag, Narrated by Jen Taylor, BBC Audiobooks America
Tribute, by Nora Roberts, Narrated by Jennifer Van Dyck, Brilliance Audio

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY
WINNER: Calculating God, by Robert J. Sawyer, Narrated by Jonathan Davis, Audible, Inc.
Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke, Narrated by Eric Michael Summerer, Audible, Inc.
Ghost Radio, by Leopoldo Gout, Narrated by Pedro Pascal, HarperAudio
Skybreaker, by Kenneth Oppel, Narrated by David Kelly, Full Cast Audio
Sunrise Alley, by Catherine Asaro, Narrated by Hillary Huber, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

TEENS
Burn Journals, by Brent Runyon, Narrated by Christopher Evan Welch, Recorded Books
The Compound, by S. A. Bodeen, Narrated by Christopher Lane, Brilliance Audio
WINNER: Curse of the Blue Tattoo, by L.A. Meyer, Narrated by Katherine Kellgren, Listen & Live Audio
Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine, Narrated by Sarah Naughton, Full Cast Audio
Paper Towns, by John Green, Narrated by Dan John Miller, Brilliance Audio
The Uprising, by Margaret P. Haddix, Narrated by Suzanne Toren, Recorded Books

THRILLER/SUSPENSE
Blue Heaven, by C.J. Box, Narrated by John Bedford Lloyd, Macmillan Audio
WINNER: Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith, Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris, Hachette Audio
Executive Privilege, by Phillip Margolin, Narrated by Jonathan Davis, HarperAudio
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, Narrated by Neil Gaiman, HarperAudio
Sweetheart, by Chelsea Cain, Narrated by Carolyn McCormick, Macmillan Audio

AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini, read by Gerard Doyle, published by Listening Library
WINNER: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, read by the author, published by HarperAudio
A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father by Augusten Burroughs, read by the author, published by Macmillan Audio

Distinguished Achievement in Production
WINNER: Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L.A. Meyer, read by Katherine Kellgren, published by Listen & Live Audio
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine, read by Sarah Naughton and a full cast, published by Full Cast Audio
Many Things Invisible by Carrington MacDuffie, read by the author, published by Blackstone Audio
The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer by various authors, read by Stacy Keach and a full cast, published by Blackstone Audio
Louis Vuitton Soundwalk: Shanghai read by Joan Chen, published by Soundwalk

About Audio Publishers Association (APA)

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) is a not-for-profit trade organization whose primary goals are to promote awareness of the audiobook industry, gather and disseminate industry statistics, encourage high production standards and represent the interests of audiobook publishers. Since 1986, the APA has worked to bring audio publishers together to increase interest in audiobooks. Please visit www.audiopub.org for more information.

Another Secret Revealed!

moar funny pictures

I'm guest blogging over at the DIK Ladies blog today talking about... well... DIKs! Oh, and Secret Coves. And there are hot menz involved.

Intrigued? Click here.

2009 Audie Nominees Announced

From The Audio Publishers Association (APA):

2009 AUDIES® COMPETITION BRINGS IN MOST ENTRIES TO DATE!

Nominations Are Announced in 29 Categories

Princeton Junction, NJ – The Audio Publishers Association (APA) has announced nominations for the 2009 Audies competition. Winners will be announced at The Audies gala on May 29, 2009 at the New-York Historical Society in New York City.

The only awards program in the United States devoted entirely to honoring spoken word entertainment drew in a record 1,000 entries from audio publishers this year, reflecting the health of the audio industry. New this year, the category Distinguished Achievement in Production joins Audiobook of the Year as one of the most prestigious audiobook honors. Nominations for these two juried categories will be announced this spring. The Distinguished Achievement in Production Award goes to an audiobook that demonstrates excellence in all areas of production, while the Audiobook of the Year recognizes the audiobook that, through quality, innovation, marketing and sales, has had the most significant impact on the industry.

“Not only did we receive a record number of submissions this year, our judges commented that the quality of the entries was better than it’s ever been,” said APA President Anthony Goff. “Our industry has worked hard to raise the bar and we look forward to recognizing everyone for their accomplishments.”

The Audies gala brings together narrators, authors, producers, publishers and media to celebrate the best audiobooks published in 2008. Categories for judges’ consideration included Fiction, Non-Fiction, Inspirational/Faith-Based Fiction, Multi-Voiced Performance, Romance, Science Fiction, Spanish Language, a special Judges Award in the Politics category and many more.

Winners in all 31 categories including Distinguished Achievement in Production and Audiobook of the Year will be announced at the New-York Historical Society, located in the heart of Manhattan, overlooking Central Park. All gala attendees will have the unique opportunity to tour the Society’s docent-staffed archives.

Finalists in this year’s competition include the following titles [for the complete list, go to the APA site]:

CHILDREN’S TITLES FOR AGES 8-12
The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden, Narrated by Tony Shalhoub, Macmillan Audio
Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine, Narrated by Sarah Naughton and a full cast, Full Cast Audio
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, Narrated by Neil Gaiman, HarperAudio
One-Handed Catch, by M.J. Auch, Narrated by Ryan Sparkes and a full cast, Full Cast Audio
Nation, by Terry Pratchett, Narrated by Stephen Briggs, HarperAudio

CLASSIC
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, Narrated by Grover Gardner, Blackstone Audio,Inc.
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, Narrated by John Lee, Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Galapagos, by Kurt Vonnegut, Narrated by Jonathan Davis, Audible, Inc.
Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, Narrated by Simon Vance, Tantor Media
The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, Narrated by Simon Vance, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

HISTORY
The Bloody Shirt, by Stephen Budiansky, Narrated by Phil Gigante, Brilliance Audio
Gandhi and Churchill, by Arthur Herman, Narrated by John Curless, Recorded Books
The Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea – The Forgotten War of the South Pacific, by James Campbell, Narrated by Stephen Hoye, Tantor Media
The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family, by Annette Gordon-Reed, Narrated by Karen White, Tantor Media
Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood, by Mark Harris, Narrated by Lloyd James, Tantor Media

MULTI–VOICED PERFORMANCE
Family Audio Bible, Narrated by Dick Cavett, Marsha Mason, Andrew McCarthy, Martha Plimpton and Tom Wopat, HarperAudio
Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan, Narrated by Joey Collins, Peter Jay Fernandez, Kate Forbes, Ezra Knight, Brenday Pressley and Tom Stechschulte, Recorded Books
The Plague of Doves, by Louise Erdrich, Narrated by Peter Francis James and Kathleen McInerney, HarperAudio
The Word of Promise®: Next Generation-New Testament, by Various Authors, Narrated by Sean Astin and a full cast including Codey Linley, AnnaSophia Robb and Jordin Sparks, Thomas Nelson, Inc

MYSTERY
A Killing Frost, by R. D. Wingfield, Narrated by Stephen Thorne, Ulverscroft Group Ltd
Cross, by Ken Bruen, Narrated by Gerry O'Brien, Ulverscroft Group Ltd
The Silver Swan, by Benjamin Black, Narrated by Timothy Dalton, Macmillan Audio
Swan Peak, by James Lee Burke, Narrated by Will Patton, Simon & Schuster Audio
Voice of the Violin, by Andrea Camilleri, Narrated by Grover Gardner, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

NARRATION BY THE AUTHOR or AUTHORS
Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter, Random House Audio
Joshilyn Jackson, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, Hachette Audio
Cokie Roberts, Ladies of Liberty, HarperAudio
David Sedaris, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Hachette Audio
Maria Shriver, Just Who Will You Be? HyperionAudio

POLITICS — JUDGES AWARD
Descent into Chaos, by Ahmed Rashid, Narrated by Arthur Morey, Brilliance Audio
Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman, Narrated by Oliver Wyman, Macmillan Audio
Mike's Election Guide, by Michael Moore, Narrated by Michael Moore, Hachette Audio
The War Within, by Bob Woodward, Narrated by Boyd Gaines, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Way of the World, by Ron Suskind, Narrated by Alan Sklar, HarperAudio

ROMANCE
The Dark Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning, Narrated by Phil Gigante, Brilliance Audio
Fire Me Up, by Katie MacAlister, Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat, Recorded Books
Forbidden, by Suzanne Brockmann, Narrated by Traci Svensgaard, Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Mismatch, by Tami Hoag, Narrated by Jen Taylor, BBC Audiobooks America
Tribute, by Nora Roberts, Narrated by Jennifer Van Dyck, Brilliance Audio

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY
Calculating God, by Robert J. Sawyer, Narrated by Jonathan Davis, Audible, Inc.
Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke, Narrated by Eric Michael Summerer, Audible, Inc.
Ghost Radio, by Leopoldo Gout, Narrated by Pedro Pascal, HarperAudio
Skybreaker, by Kenneth Oppel, Narrated by David Kelly, Full Cast Audio
Sunrise Alley, by Catherine Asaro, Narrated by Hillary Huber, Blackstone Audio, Inc.

TEENS
Burn Journals, by Brent Runyon, Narrated by Christopher Evan Welch, Recorded Books
The Compound, by S. A. Bodeen, Narrated by Christopher Lane, Brilliance Audio
Curse of the Blue Tattoo, by L.A. Meyer, Narrated by Katherine Kellgren, Listen & Live Audio
Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine, Narrated by Sarah Naughton, Full Cast Audio
Paper Towns, by John Green, Narrated by Dan John Miller, Brilliance Audio
The Uprising, by Margaret P. Haddix, Narrated by Suzanne Toren, Recorded Books

THRILLER/SUSPENSE
Blue Heaven, by C.J. Box, Narrated by John Bedford Lloyd, Macmillan Audio
Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith, Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris, Hachette Audio
Executive Privilege, by Phillip Margolin, Narrated by Jonathan Davis, HarperAudio
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, Narrated by Neil Gaiman, HarperAudio
Sweetheart, by Chelsea Cain, Narrated by Carolyn McCormick, Macmillan Audio

About Audio Publishers Association (APA)

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) is a not-for-profit trade organization whose primary goals are to promote awareness of the audiobook industry, gather and disseminate industry statistics, encourage high production standards and represent the interests of audiobook publishers. Since 1986, the APA has worked to bring audio publishers together to increase interest in audiobooks. Please visit www.audiopub.org for more information.

Note that Phil Gigante received two nominations again this year. WOOT! However, I personally think they should create a whole new award category just for his brilliant narration of Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series. In addition to our Phil, I'd like to see Johanna Parker nominated for her narration of Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series.

Really, why not have a Series Narration category? Maybe it's because series are more common to genre fiction instead of the [finger quote]serious[/finger quote] oh-so-intellectual books?

What's Poppin'- Part I

I've been spending way to much time following all the different Engadget blogs as they cover CES. I shouldn't admit this, but I'm such a gadget nerd that I've got Engadget, Engadget HD, Engadget CES Headlines, CEA Digital Dialogue, and International CES Headlines in my Google Reader (I'm link lazy- just hit that main Engadget link and you'll stumble upon the others). I don't understand how 90% of it works, but new electronic shinies fill me with technolust.

However, this little gem falls into the "What Were They Thinking?!" category:

Engadget found a kinetic charger at CES. It looks pretty innocuous until you watch the video of this device in action. I dare you to watch it without snickering, if not out-right cackling. Feel free to write your own captions. WARNING: do not attempt to drink beverages while watching.

Really, if they would just create a hollowed out version of that thing, we'd have a natural and permanent end to worldwide power shortages.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Speaking of gadgets, I LOVE looking at HP mini's Vivienne Tam edition. I really have no use for one, but it hasn't stopped me from salivating over it for months now. Last week Geardiary posted some hands-on pictures that are the equivalent of technoporn. Too bad that matching Vivienne Tam mouse costs extra.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

All of Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire (Sookie Stackhouse) books are now available in downloadable audio book form from Audible. I now have all but the first one, and only because that first one, Dead Until Dark, is always so expensive. What's up with the outrageous price on that one, Audible? It's totally out of line with the others!

Oddly enough I only had a couple of them in print so over the holidays, when Amazon ran a Gold-Box special on the boxed set of the first 7 books, I jumped on it. At only $30.29 that worked out to only $4.32 per book! I've already got the first one in the original cover, but the boxed set came with the True Blood cover.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

ATTENTION, Please: Author Jules Jones is offering her entire Syndicate series as FREE downloads on her site. This series was one of my earliest M/M fascinations and cemented Jules in my mind as one of the best creators of memorable characters around. Go get it and read it NOW!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

You know I don't read too many ebooks anymore because my poor old eyes just can no longer handle reading from any of my computers or my PDA screen. So, I have to be pretty damn sure a book is worth the eye strain before I consider reading it in ebook format.

Well, thanks to azteclady and Ann Aguirre, I have an early review copy of Blue Diablo, Corine Solomon book 1 (April 7, 2009 Roc print release). I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to this book. Feel free to express your extreme jealousy. Stay tuned to Ann's blog because she's got some creative plans in the works for the days leading up to Blue Diablo's release. In the meantime, here's an excerpt.

Holiday High Jinks: Part IV, Audible.com (updated)

see more puppies

ME to Audible, 12/04/2008 03:40 PM:
Last month there was a promotion to receive a $10 credit with the purchase of 4 audio books. So I went ahead and bought some audio books that I would have eventually bought one at a time, but certainly didn't need just yet.

However, I am not seeing the $10 credit on my account. Please advise.

AUDIBLE to me, 12/04/2008 4:25 PM:
Thank you for contacting Audible.

I see that you're inquiring of the $10 coupon that's to be issued because of the Listener Rewards promotion we started on 10/28/08. As outlined in the emails we sent out, the promotion ran from the end of October and ended on 11/27/08. I certainly see that these purchases were made within the above dates. Also, all eligible purchases must have a regular price of $14.95 or higher. In looking at your account, that only one out of the four titles had a regular price of at least $14.95. It's for this reason the $10 coupon has not been added to your account.

If you did not see the promotion details we outlined on our site at the time offer, I do apologize.

Here at Audible, we truly value and appreciate your business; if you need further assistance, please respond to this email or if you wish, please provide me with a contact number and the best available time to reach you.

For additional questions, how to contact us and hours of operation, please visit us at: www.audible.com/contactus

Sincerely,
Edwin S.
Audible Customer Support

ME to Audible, 12/04/2008 6:25 PM:
I DID see the promotional details that were included in the email sent to me, "*Eligible audio programs must have a regular price of $14.95 or higher. Offer ends Thursday, November 27, 2008 at 11:59 pm EST. Customers who purchase four eligible audio programs during the promotional period will have a $10 Audible coupon dropped into their account no later than Monday, December 8, 2008"

Now, upon re-reading that, I see that I may have expected the $10 coupon too early since the promo states I would receive it no later than Dec. 8, but I am NOT misunderstanding what the conditions were for the promo. In fact you repeated those same conditions, "all eligible purchases must have a regular price of $14.95 or higher". Please note the use of the term "REGULAR PRICE" and NOT "Member Price". When I visit Audible.com, those are two distictively different figures.

My purchases during the promotional time period were as follows:
Undead and Unworthy - REGULAR PRICE: $25.07;
Club Dead - REGULAR PRICE: $31.47;
Living Dead in Dallas - REGULAR PRICE: $29.37
Living with the Dead - REGULAR PRICE: $20.97

Therefore, based on the above information, I DID meet the requirements of the promotion and purchased those audio books in good faith based on the stated promotion requirements. If you are unable to add the $10 coupon to my account, please pass this incident report onto a supervisor who CAN add it.

AUDIBLE to me, 12/05/2008 10:41 AM:
Thank you for the reply and I am very sorry for not further clarifying the purchase. The books purchased during this period was purchased during our Semi-Annual Half Price Sale. These qualifying books' regular price was, therefore, modified to reflect the sale. Please consider the following list of titles purchased on 11/11/08:

1).Undead and Unworthy
Regular Price: $25.87
Regular Price on 11/11: $12.93

2). Club Dead
Regular Price Now: $31.47
Regular Price on 11/11: $15.73

3). Living Dead in Dallas
Regular Price Now: $29.37
Regular Price on 11/11: $14.68

By the time you purchased your forth book,"Living with the Dead: Women of the Otherworld, Book 9", the Semi-Annual Sale was over and the regular price for this book was and is $20.97. As you can see, this was just as I outlined in my previous email: only one of the four purchases was eligible in the Listener Rewards promotion.

For additional questions, how to contact us and hours of operation, please visit us at: www.audible.com/contactus

Sincerely,
Edwin S.
Audible Customer Support

....................

ME to Audible, 12/5/2008 11:42 AM:
Nice try. But again I tell you that the promo stated REGULAR price, NOT half price sale price. I made my purchases based on the promotion's statement of conditions and it is reasonable to expect Audible to comply with those conditions. To any reasonable person, it is beginning to appear that Audible engaged in a deceptive sales tactic. I want all communication in this incident forwarded to Audible management.

I never heard back from that ol' Christmas Weasel, Edwin Slippy (as I've affectionately named him; note his artist's depiction at right and above right), but I checked my Audible account the next day and there was a $10 credit sitting there. Then, a couple of days later, I received the following:

AUDIBLE to me, 12/08/2008 12:03 PM:
Congratulations! You've received a $10 Listening Reward. This coupon is good for any audio program in the store.

We've already dropped this gift of savings in your Audible account so you can spend it right away. Remember, this $10 coupon expires on December 31, 2008, at 11:59PM (ET).

So I bought Stephanie Laurens' Four In Hand for $2.56 after the credit. It's actually a sweet, not spicy, Regency from 1999. But I needed something to break up all the Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance I've been listening to lately and, after sampling this one, I liked the sound of the narrator, Ashford MacNab's (a woman!), voice. Besides, with all the smexiness behind closed doors, that means I won't get a bad case of the 12-year-old-girl-giggles.

In conclusion, Audible Customer Service... UR doin' it WRONG. Regular price means regular half-price SALE price? REALLY? That's the best you've got?! Might I suggest you recruit your people from Health Insurance Claims Departments? Now THOSE people are masters in weaselocity!


more animals

So, will there be a Holiday High Jinks: Part V? Gawd, I HOPE not!

I've spared you from the details of the Victoria's Secret shell game. They only allow three promo codes per order yet there are multiple codes in play AND I was shopping for both my daughters and myself. So, I've completely lost track of the number of orders I had to generate to take advantage of every combination of promo code and items to gain the maximum freebies at the minimum prices. GAK, maybe I should tackle the Big Three Auto Bailout next! Oh man, I won't even start with my opinions on THAT mess!

(Oh, btw, you may have noticed that I redecorated again. I have to admit that this Christmas color scheme is more my style.)

ADDED: WOOT! I just went back to OfficeMax.com to check on the price of the laptop I bought my oldest daughter (her old one is dying of old age) and not only is it $50 bucks LESS now, but there's a promo for a FREE designer(ish) laptop bag. So I called OfficeMax Customer Service and, while it was no problem to refund the $50 dollars, they couldn't send the laptop case without another purchase. So, I ordered another laptop WITH case and I'll just return the original one to the store for full credit since it's unopened. WOOT! We LOVE the discounts and freebies!

UPDATED:
AUDIBLE to me, Today 12/15/2008 10:10 AM:
Thank you again for the reply. As requested, I've escalated this discussion to a supervisor. As a reminder, the Listener Rewards program you attempted to take advantage of was to issue a $10 coupon on or around December 23th for the purchase of four books at $14.95 or more. While at the time of the purchase, all of the books were not eligible, the regular prices for those books are clearly $14.95 or higher.

Taking this into consideration, coupled with the loyalty and patience you've already shown by using Audible, the $10 coupon has been issued to your account. Per the terms and conditions of the promotion, however, it will be dropped in your account on December 23, 2008 and will expire December 31, 2008

Once again, I do apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience in this regard.

For additional questions, how to contact us and hours of operation, please visit us at: www.audible.com/contactus

Sincerely,
Edwin S.
Audible Customer Support

OMGWTFBBQ- these people do NOT have it together AT ALL! So does that mean that on December 23rd I'll get ANOTHER $10 credit? Or does it mean that one hand has no idea what the other hand is doing over there at Audible.com and ol' Edwin doesn't know I already received the credit? And maybe Edwin is a bit confused and is referring to Dec. 23rd but really means Dec. 8? Guess I'll find out on the 23rd.

Nominations Needed, Please!

I KNOW I've been MIA lately both here and on everyone else's blogs. My blog guilt is stressin' me out. But I iz sooooo bizzy lately! Hopefully I can play catch up on some of your blogs over the weekend.

Unfortunately, being busy means I almost missed this email and I would have kicked myself had I done so.

Dear Beverly,

We're comparing notes and compiling reviews to determine the Best Audiobooks of 2008, and we'd love to hear your thoughts. Nominate your favorites by sending us an e-mail – Bestof2008@audible.com – with the title and author of the books you think deserve to be in the running for Audiobook of the Year.

We'll collect the most popular nominees, and, starting next week, put them to a vote so you and your fellow AudibleListener members can declare the winner.

We'll announce your choice for Audiobook of the Year on December 4 along with our Editors' Picks for the Best of 2008.

Make sure your voice is heard — Click here to send us your nominations!

– The Audible Editors

NOTE: Only audiobooks released in 2008 will be eligible for the title of Audiobook of the Year. Make sure your nominees fit the bill by double-checking the audio production's copyright.

Now, you may have your own preferences, and that's okay. But if not, might I beg you plead for make a few suggestions? After much deliberation (damn, it was hard to choose between Highlander books!), here's the email I sent to Audible. Please note the required subject line. And also note that they gave no guidelines, so I just said what I felt needed saying! Hee.

To: Bestof2008@audible.com

Subject: Best of 2008 Nominations

Series, Romance:
Highlander series by Karen Marie Moning, narrated by Phil Gigante

Individual book nominations in Romance:
The Immortal Highlander by Karen Marie Moning, narrated by Phil Gigante
Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning, narrated by Phil Gigante

Series, Fantasy: Paranormal:
Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Johanna Parker

Individual book nominations in Fantasy: Romance:
From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Johanna Parker

And, you didn't ask, but I'm nominating Phil Gigante as Narrator of the Year for his amazing performances in the Highlander series by Karen Marie Moning

Of course, you would want to use your own format for your email. Oh, and PLEASE DO IT NOW (as in RIGHT NOW) since I actually received the email on Tuesday the 18th and I don't know how many days they'll be taking nominations. I'm fairly certain that next week's voting will be for members only, but the email doesn't say anything about only members being able to nominate audio books. So PLEASE send those nominations in!

Highlanders Audio Series by Karen Marie Moning

Karen Marie Moning - Highlanders Series
Audio Books narrated by Phil Gigante

All the Highlander audio books are available as audio CDs/MP3CDs directly from Brilliance Audio (AudioBookStand and AudioBookStandDL), or sources such as Amazon, Borders, B&N, Walmart, etc. They are also now available as downloadable audio from Audible, either directly (with member pricing) or through Amazon.

1- Beyond the Highland Mist - Sidheach James Lyon (Hawk) Douglas, Earl of Dalkeith and Adrienne de Simone, (see previous)
2- To Tame a Highland Warrior - Gavrael McIllioch (Grimm) and Jillian St. Clair, (see previous)
3- The Highlander's Touch - Circenn Brodie and Lisa Stone
4- Kiss of the Highlander - Drustan MacKeltar and Gwen Cassidy (see previous)
5- The Dark Highlander - Dageus MacKeltar and Chloe Zanders, also downloadable from Audible
6- The Immortal Highlander - Adam Black and Gabrielle O'Callaghan, also downloadable from Audible
7- Spell of the Highlander - Cian MacKeltar and Jessi St. James, also downloadable from Audible
8- Into the Dreaming (standalone novella, originally published in the 2002 anthology Tapestry; not available in audio) - Aedan MacKinnon and Jane Sillee

See INDEX for more info.

Series Category: Lava Cake - reads like warm Chocolate Lava Cake... à la Mode... sprinkled with nuts (A,A-)
Flame Height: 6"-7" out of 9"

Because of the length of time that’s passed since I read this series and the fact that the Fae lore and intrigue was secondary to the romance, I'd completely forgotten about all the foreshadowing and clues leading up to Moning's more recent Fever series. But more on that when I do my Faefever commentary; for now, I’m going to concentrate on Phil Gigante and his Highlanders.

For those of you that have never read this classic time travel/fantasy romance series, I would suggest that Highlander books 4 (Kiss), 5 (Dark), 6 (Immortal), and 7 (Spell) be read/listened to in order. While Aoibheal, queen of the Fae, or Tuatha Dé Danaan, and her fool/confidante Amadam (Adam Black) do appear in the earlier books, the Keltar Druids story arc begun in Kiss is not dependent on those previous books, but from that book on, the stories do build on one another.

In my previous Highlander commentaries (see index), I’ve proclaimed that Phil Gigante’s eargasmic performances are the perfect mating of story and storyteller and I can’t imagine merely reading these stories from a printed page ever again. In my review of Kiss, I pointed out that “Often, when a man attempts a woman’s voice, it comes off as mocking. However, while no one will ever mistake Phil’s voice for a woman’s, I quickly was no longer conscious that a man was voicing the female characters. Yes, he uses a higher pitched voice for women, but there’s something else there too… a softness, a vulnerability… something… that does not scream “man mocking woman”.”

However, keep in mind that, as a man, even Phil G’s talent can only produce so many believable 20-something female voices. So in Immortal and Spell he differentiates the wives from previous books by giving them each a very slight accent and changing the cadence of their speech patterns. If you don’t listen to the books back-to-back you probably won’t even notice, but it was an exceptionally sound solution since it allowed Phil to retain the quality of his female voices.

Now the men’s voices? OCH! I’m pretty sure that the scenes where they are all together should carry embedded warnings, “Warning: the following scenes carry serious risk of Death by Eargasm”! Drustan’s voice is my favorite- Gigante uses a deep growling brogue imbued with Drustan’s complete confidence in himself. Dageus’ Scottish brogue by way of Liverpool reflects his mischievous, “Hail fellow, well met” personality- when he isn’t possessed by a baker's dozen of ancient evil Druids, of course. Phil gives Adam both a sidhe and a human voice that never quite loses his seductive sidhe arrogance. Cian’s sexy brogue contains an underlying anger and iciness which, considering he’s been trapped in a mirror for hundreds of years, seems more than appropriate, but gradually one can detect a subtle thawing and underlying warmth.

In addition to bringing the main characters alive, Phil G. puts just as much effort into making the secondary characters seem real to the listener. Whether voicing an old woman, one of the villains, or even a child, Phil plays his voice like the fine instrument it is to make every character distinctive and believable.

Phil takes his performances one step further than just using his gifted voice abilities; he adds special effects that bring the story to life. For instance, if someone is on the other end of a phone conversation, the other side of a door, or in the case of Cian, on the other side of a mirror, Phil uses a special effect that makes it sound like their voice is coming from that source. Wait till you hear the effect he uses to portray the power of the Druid “Voice”—it’ll make the hair on the back of your neck stand up the first time you hear it.

Those entertaining extra touches, what Phil once referred to as that extra “inch”, mean that Phil Gigante’s performances are not to be missed!

So why doesn’t this series end up in my Crème Brûlée category? Phil G.’s performances certainly do, but the stories themselves are Peanut M&Ms. They are highly enjoyable escapist fantasy romance that became auto-buy book crack for me. But KMM’s heroines are just too similar—nearly identical overachieving virgins—and her love scenes are just a bit too over the top dramatic. My inner 12-year-old giggled more than once in embarrassment for poor Phil, and I have to wonder just how often he busted up with laughter. However, I think listening to the books back-to-back like I did just spotlighted those flaws even more. But nonetheless, thanks to Phil Gigante, the Highlander audio book series remains firmly on my list of all-time favorites.

Piquant Opines (audio book): Audiofile (book 1), BNet (book 5)
Piquant Opines (print): The Dark Highlander, The Immortal Highlander, Spell of the Highlander



Have you listened to any of these audio books? Read the print books? Feel free to review or link to a review in the comments. Even if you don't agree!

QB's Aural Quickies

"So, HEARD any good books lately?"
"What did you think of...?"

Here's the Quickie answers to those questions. Click on the Links for more info.


I never found either Davidson's Undead series or Harris's Southern Vampire series particularly engrossing in print format. But thanks to brilliant performances by narrators Nancy Wu and Johanna Parker, I realized the problem was that I just wasn't appreciating the authors' voices. Now I eagerly anticipate the release of new audio books in both of these "must-hear" series.

MaryJanice Davidson - Undead and Uneasy, Undead (Queen Betsy) book 6
narrated by Nancy WU

Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. (A-,B+,B)
Category: M&Ms - a bit lighter and/or not quite as satisfying as Peanut M&Ms, but still Oh-So-Enjoyable! (B,B-,C+,C)
Flame Height: 3" out of 9"

See INDEX for more MJD commentaries.

Undead series books 1 through 6 are available as downloadable audio books from Audible.com
1. Undead and Unwed
2. Undead and Unemployed
3. Undead and Unappreciated
4. Undead and Unreturnable
5. Undead and Unpopular
6. Undead and Uneasy
7. Undead and Unworthy (not available yet)

See MJD's website for a list of novellas and short stories set in Betsy's Undead world that appear in several print anthologies.


Undead and Unworthy has some (to quote MJD) “HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER!” surprise events! Do.Not.Miss.This.One. or you will be lost in the upcoming books. I don’t recommend it to newcomers to the series- you really need to listen to at least the first book, Undead and Unwed, to know who/what everyone is. As usual, Nancy Wu’s narration shines when she’s bringing Betsy’s snarktastic irreverence to life. And Wu’s characterization of Tina ratchets up the story’s enjoyment beyond MJD’s written word. Thanks to Wu, I’m never quite sure if Tina is being sincere or sarcastic.

I am curious about one little mystery that I have no doubt MJD will explore in a future book. When the Wyndham werewolves come a-callin’ (yes, THE Wyndham werewolves!), one of them follows Betsy upstairs into Baby John’s room (downside of audio books—I can’t easily browse back through to see which werewolf it was). Well, as soon as he gets in the nursery door, he completely freaks out and runs away. So what is it about Baby John that could scare a werewolf? I mean more than the poopy diapers, of course.

Now, if only they would hurry the hell up and release the audio book for book 7, Undead and Unworthy. The print book released June 24th, so C’MON PEOPLE! Wutz the holdup, huh?!
Piquant Opines: RT, Kris, Love Vampires, AAR

Charlaine Harris - From Dead to Worse, Southern Vampire (Sookie) series book 8
narrated by Johanna Parker

Category: Peanut M&Ms - mmmm...devour... sigh... then reach for the next one. My daily dose of Insanity-B-Gone. (A-,B+,B)
Flame Height: 5.5" out of 9"

See INDEX for previous Charlaine Harris commentaries.

While the later books in this series have all been released as Audible downloads, audio release of the earlier books isn't complete yet, but I'm assuming they will be eventually.
1. Dead Until Dark (available)
2. Living Dead in Dallas (available)
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail (available)
6. Definitely Dead (available)
7. All Together Dead (available)
8. From Dead to Worse (available)
See Harris' website for a list of novellas and short stories set in the Southern Vampires' world that appear in several print anthologies.

Like Undead and Uneasy above, From Dead to Worse is another series-altering book that absolutely should not be missed. FDtW opens shortly after the Vampire Summit’s disastrous fallout (All Together Dead). Sookie arrived home safely, but she hasn’t heard from Quinn since she left him at the hospital. Honestly, that’s okay with me. I liked Quinn before that last book, but found him less than likeable in ATD, and REALLY unlikable in this one. Okay, he has reasons for what he does in FDtW, but I agree with Sookie’s eventual assessment. The biggest news in FDtW is that a mysterious visitor brings Sookie info about her Fae bloodline (FINALLY!) and, (be prepared to squeal)--- Eric REMEMBERS! SQUEEEEEEE!!! BTW, if you have to ask “Remembers what?”, then you could not possibly have read the last few books in this series. I’m surprised the heat generated by the ever-present Eric/Sookie sexual tension hasn’t caused them to spontaneously burst into flames.

As usual, Johanna Parker’s narration is amazing. I cannot imagine ever reading a Sookie book in print again because Parker’s characterization of Sookie is picture perfect. In fact, I have no doubt that when the TV series debuts on HBO next month, I am going to have a lot of trouble trying to wrap my head around a completely different voice coming out of Sookie’s mouth (or any of the other characters either).
Piquant Opines: RT, Kris, Dear Author (Jennie), Dear Author (Janet), Love Vampires, Kmont, Bam (Dionne Galace), via Marta Acosta's VampireWire: Kathleen, Reading, Etc., and while I can't see that she ever actually reviewed FDtW, Tumperkin (Carolyn Jean) has definitely got the Sookie fangirl bug.

Cathy Maxwell - The Marriage Contract
narrated by Virginia Leishman

Category: M&Ms - a bit lighter and/or not quite as satisfying as Peanut M&Ms, but still Oh-So-Enjoyable! (B,B-,C+,C)
Flame Height: 5.5" out of 9"


This was a pleasant, entertaining historical romance (Scotland 1815). Although it’s fairly predictable, Maxwell does include a few little surprises and twists to add a bit of complexity to the story. Leishman makes some odd character voice choices with some of the male characters, but ultimately her narration is as pleasant as the storyline and neither detracts from nor enhances it. I recommend this for traditional romance fans.
Piquant Opines: RT, AAR, Mrs. G

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
PHIL GIGANTE ALERT: All of Karen Marie Moning’s Highlander series, eargasmically performed by Phil Gigante, are now available as downloadable audio through Audible.com at SIGNIFICANT savings (for members) over Amazon and AudioBookStandDL (note: Beyond the Highland Mist and Kiss of the Highlander (my fave) are on a members-only sale this week for $9.95!!). Right now I’m listening to the Audible download of book 7, Spell of the Highlander, which is also on sale this week for $9.95. Too bad Audible only allows reviews for audio books purchased directly through them, but I’ll have to make due trying to review all seven as part of my review of Spell over there.

I can’t believe there will be no more! ::SOB:: Yes, I DO know that Into the Dreaming is also part of this series, but it’s just a novella and I doubt it will be released on audio. So Spell is the last of the Phil G. Highlanders. ::SOB:: No more eargasms?! ::SOB:: Who do I threaten coerce bribe beg to make sure Phil gets signed up for more romance novels? Cuz, really, like Nathan Kamp and his nummy covers, Phil and the aural pleasures he gives belong to US now! So sez I.

Although I've always wondered how he can read some of those over-the-top lusty scenes without sinking to the floor with embarassment or rolling on it with laughter (remember the college students reading Lora Leigh?). Or maybe he doesn't get through them at all. He's just in so much pain from laughing that he's able to finally get a good take without cracking up.



Have you read any of these books? Feel free to review or link to a review in the comments. Even if you don't agree!

Chocolate Fondue Served with Fruits and Nuts for Dipping

You know I don't read YA... ever. I've got a house full of teens and I read to escape them, not read about MORE of them. GAK! So, while I've not been tempted in the least to read Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, I have to admit that the universal glowing praise of it has left me curious to read something of hers. So when other bloggers started getting excited about The Host, I was hoping that this adult themed book would meet everyone's high expectations.

According to KateBabs, it didn't just meet those expectations, it exceeded them! Read Katie's loving review of The Host on Ramblings on Romance (just be warned that the site isn't completely IE7 friendly).

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Also on Ramblings on Romance, KristieJ gave me a fun trip down Memory Lane thanks to YouTube. Is there some conspiracy lately making sure I am constantly reminded of how old I am?
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I recently noticed a couple of hits on my Statcounter coming from Thom Blum so I wandered over to check it out. Turns out I was Runner-up for Blog of the Day!! WOOT!

I lost out to The Erotic Fantasy of Skye... which seems fair to me. Only trouble is that the Thom Blum site has some "The webpage cannot be found" bugaboos so I can't give you the permalink to the actual post, you'll have to scroll down to May 14th, 2008. I also can't leave a comment and thank them because I get the same message. Oh, and a warning: the site is sooooo not work safe!!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Well, it's started. Remember last week when I said I didn't have too much to bitch about yet in the aftermath of Amazon's acquisition of both Brilliance Audio and Audible.com? DUN DUN DUUUN Let the Jerk-Around-Our-Customers games begin! I have been touting Audible's $9.99 per year membership as the best deal around. Ten bucks and you get member pricing on any of their audio products. In fact, it's easy to get back the ten bucks just in the savings on one audio book.

Well, Madame Butterfly decided to join Audible and couldn't find the $9.99/year deal, only the monthly plans. So she contacted them and it turns out they are no longer offering the $9.99 deal to new members!!! Now the lowest priced plan they have is $14.95/month (includes one audio book credit) or $149.50/year (includes 12 audio book credits). That's just WRONG! And they damn well better offer it to me again when my membership comes up for renewal. I usually listen to one and maybe part of a second audio book each month because I only listen when I am doing certain types of work where I can set my brain on automatic pilot. Some months it's an Audible book, some months it's a Brilliance audio book. Now, if they are eventually going to offer ALL Brilliance audio through Audible, then the monthly plan will work for me, but if not, then it's going to piss me off royally.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I'z in TRUBUL NOW! I had a Borders itch last night that could not be ignored. But I was still kinda proud of myself--- I DID buy several of my Insatiable Lusts, but I only bought TWO of my Constant Cravings wish list books. In the past, a trip to Borders would mean that every available book on my lists would have come home with me. But since I only had a couple of coupons and $5 in Borders Bucks, I think I restrained myself admirably.

Johnson, Jean - The Cat: Sons of Destiny 5 (Berkley Trade)


Pettersson, Vicki - The Touch of Twilight - Sign of the Zodiac 3


Shayne, Frost, Garey, Smith - Weddings from Hell, anthology (I am such an anthology slut!)


Smith-Ready, Jeri - Wicked Game (Pocket Trade)


Ward, JR - Lover Enshrined - Black Dagger Brotherhood 6


Warren, Christine - Walk on the Wild Side - The Others, book 5


The truth is that I wasn't sure what I was going to be in the mood for, so I figured I better cover all my bases. Trouble is that the haul included multiple hits of book crack. So, what did I end up reading? I couldn't decide between The Cat and Lover Enshrined, but I figured that I probably better read LE before any enjoyment I might get from it gets spoiled all over Romancelandia. Well, with The Cat sitting beside me as backup, I opened LE and BAM! I discovered that The WARDen sure didn't waste any time grabbing us by the (metaphysical) balls and yanking us into this one!! Although I have to admit that I'm glad of one spoiler I read--- this is more Urban Fantasy than Romance because Phury and Cormia's relationship is not the main focus of LE. YEAHYEAHYEAH!! Cuz, seriously, Cormia is without a doubt one of the most boring, TSTL, doormats I've ever encountered. And also YEAH! It's been confirmed that Xhex is John Matthew's mate.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

And my final thoughts before I go back to LE diving... I just have to add that at least the objects of my pervy old broad fantasies cougarness are of full legal age! I mean, I realize that 19 year old boys are the sexual equivalent of Energizer Bunnies, but DAYUM, the same age as her kids?! Why didn't Linda Hogan just adopt if she wanted to raise another one?

And the Award for Best Aural Performance Goes To...

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) hosted The Audie awards for excellence in audio books on Friday, May 30, 2008 in Los Angeles at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. The Audies® are the audio industry's equivalent of the Oscars.

The following are just some of the categories of finalists and winners. For a complete list, visit AudioFile Magazine. As of the time of this post, the APA has not listed the winners, but I would assume they will do so soon. UPDATE: Here's the official Audie Award news release from the APA (opens as a PDF-- and I just fixed the link)

♥ROMANCE♥
• Beyond the Highland Mist, by Karen Marie Moning, narrated by Phil Gigante, published by Brilliance Audio (see commentary)
• Consequences, by Penelope Lively, narrated by Josephine Bailey, published by TantorMedia, Inc.
• Everlasting, by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, narrated by Xanthe Elbrick, published by HarperAudio
• On Tall Pine Lake, by Dorothy Garlock, narrated by Anna Fields, published by BBC Audiobooks America
• Sugar Daddy, by Lisa Kleypas, narrated by Jeannie Stith, published by Brilliance Audio
♥2008 Winner:
• Natural Born Charmer, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, narrated by Anna Fields, published by HarperAudio

♥SCIENCE FICTION♥
• The Draco Tavern, by Larry Niven, narrated by Tom Weiner, published by Blackstone Audio Inc.
• The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, by Jack Finney, narrated by Kristoffer Tabori, published by Blackstone Audio Inc.
• Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon, by Diana L. Paxson, narrated by Lorna Raver, published by Tantor Media, Inc.
• Selections from Dreamsongs 1: Fan Fiction and Sci-Fi from Martin's Early Years: Unabridged Selections, by George R.R. Martin, narrated by Claudia Black, Mark Bramhall, Scott Brick, Roy Dotrice, Kim Mai Guest, Kirby Heyborne and Adrian Paul, published by Random House Audio
♥2008 Winner:
• Dune, by Frank Herbert, narrated by Scott Brick, Simon Vance and a full cast, published by Macmillan Audio

♥THRILLER/SUSPENSE♥
• Daddy's Girl, by Lisa Scottoline, narrated by Barbara Rosenblat, published by HarperAudio
• The Judas Strain, by James Rollins, narrated by Peter Jay Fernandez, published by HarperAudio
• No Time for Goodbye, by Linwood Barclay, narrated by Christopher Lane, published by Brilliance Audio
• The Secret Servant, by Daniel Silva, narrated by Phil Gigante, published by Brilliance Audio
• What the Dead Know, by Laura Lippman, narrated by Linda Emond, published by HarperAudio
♥2008 Winner:
• Heart-Shaped Box, by Joe Hill, narrated by Stephen Lang, published by HarperAudio

♥MULTI-VOICE PERFORMANCE♥
• Dune, by Frank Herbert, narrated by Scott Brick, Simon Vance and a full cast, published by Macmillan Audio
• I Am America (And So Can You!), by Stephen Colbert, narrated by Stephen Colbert with Paul Dinello, Kevin Dorff, Greg Hollimon, Evie McGee, David Pasquesi, Allison Silverman, Brian Stack and Jon Stewart, published by Hachette Audio
• The Word of Promise™ New Testament Audio Bible, narrated by a full cast including Jim Caviezel, Louis Gossett, Jr., Richard Dreyfuss, Marisa Tomei, Stacy Keach, Ernie Hudson, Terance Stamp, John Heard, John Schneider, Chris McDonald, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and Luke Perry, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
• Hollowville: A Ghost Story, by Mary Jane Hansen, music composed by Will Severin, narrated by Bruce Dern, published by NYS Theatre Institute
♥2008 Winner:
• Inspired By … The Bible Experience: Old Testament, narrated by Angela Bassett, Cuba Gooding Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker and many more, published by Zondervan

♥AUDIO BOOK OF THE YEAR♥
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale, published byRandom House Listening Library
• I Am America (And So Can You!), by Stephen Colbert, narrated by Stephen Colbert with Paul Dinello, Kevin Dorff, Greg Hollimon, Evie McGee, David Pasquesi, Allison Silverman, Brian Stack and Jon Stewart, published by Hachette Audio
• Inspired By … The Bible Experience: Old Testament, narrated by Angela Bassett, Cuba Gooding Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker and many more, published by Zondervan
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick, narrated by Jeff Woodman, published by Scholastic Audio
♥2008 Winner:
• The Chopin Manuscript, by various authors, narrated by Alfred Molina, published by International Thriller Writers

Congrats to all the nominees and winners! When Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Natural Born Charmer started showing up on a whole lot of Best Of... audio book lists, often as the ONLY Romance entry (don't get me started on Romance being ignored by so many audio sites!), I had a feeling it might end up as the Romance winner this year.

But anyone that has been around this blog KNOWS what a Phil Gigante fangirl I am. He completely deserved to be nominated (note that he scored nominations in two categories- Romance and Thriller/Suspense) and had my vote for the win. Actually, the fact that he was nominated for what is considered to be the weakest of Karen Marie Moning's Highlander books, and had not quite hit his own stride in the series, but STILL earned a nomination, speaks for just how damn talented he is.

Hell, next year they are going to have to make up a new category just for the his entire body of work on the Highlanders!! I'm telling you, they should just give Phil the Audie now for Kiss of the Highlander alone! Have any other storytellers (he's more than a narrator) had a whole new word coined just to describe their performance? Nope, only our Phil gives multiple eargasms with his Aural Pleasures!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

In other audio book news...

♥ Back in February, I expressed some concern over Amazon's purchase of Audible.com, particularly in light of their purchase of Brilliance Audio the previous May (see Amazon is Scaring Me).

Well, I guess I can't really bitch too much about it (yet) because Brilliance Audio productions are now showing up at Audible and, unlike Brilliance Audio's AudioBookStandDL, I can download them well below list price with my Audible member pricing!!

For example, Audible has just added all of Laurell K. Hamilton's unabridged audio books to their library. Download LKH's The Harlequin (unabridged) from AudioBookStandDL and you'll pay (on sale right now) $29.95; Amazon has the CDs for $29.15; download it from Audible for $32.87 or member priced for $23.01. So WOOT for THAT change! But it still concerns me that Amazon has control over such a large portion of the audio book market.



♥ Everywhere I turn lately, I'm running into reviews and buzz about From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris, her newest Sookie Stackhouse book. So, since narrator Johanna Parker has made Sookie an auto-buy audio-only series for me, I decided to set Phil G. and KMM's The Immortal Highlander aside temporarily **GASP- Oh no she di'int!** so I could listen to From Dead to Worse and could stop trying to avoid reading spoilers about it.

I really need to figure out a way to listen to two audio books at once-- I DO have TWO ears after all.