June is Audiobook Month! We Have 2010 Audie Award Winners, HD Audio & More…

Get Caught Listening!

Celebrate Audiobook Month by stopping by to check out our collection of audiobooks on CD and Playaway.   With over 500 titles to choose from, you’ll find that we have a great selection of best-selling fiction and non-fiction, literary classics, and  language instruction.

We also have several audiobook announcements to share with you!  Keep reading for information about the 2010 Audie Award Winners, the exciting new changes to Playaways (now in HD Audio), and details about finding and submitting audiobook reviews at the BookBuzz @ Bentley blog.

2010 Audie Award Winners

On May 25, 2010, the Audio Publishers Association (APA) announced the winners of the 2010 Audies at its 15th Annual Audies Gala.  The Audies are the most prestigious awards program in the United States honoring audiobooks.

Here are the 2010 award-winning titles that you’ll find on our shelves:

AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR
NELSON MANDELA’S FAVORITE AFRICAN FOLKTALES
[check availability]
Read by Gillian Anderson, Benjamin Bratt, LeVar Burton, Ricardo Chavira, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Hayes, Hugh Jackman, Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Debra Messing, Helen Mirren, Parminder Nagra, Sophie Okonedo, CCH Pounder, Alan Rickman, Jurnee Smollett, Charlize Theron, Blair Underwood, Forest Whitaker, Alfre Woodard

FICTION
THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett [check availability]
Read by Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer, Jenna Lamia, Cassandra Campbell

LITERARY FICTION
WOLF HALL by Hilary Mantel [check availability]
Read by Simon Slater

AUDIOBOOK ADAPTATION
THE MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett [check availability]
Read by Michael Madsen, Sandra Oh, Edward Herrmann, and a Full Cast

BUSINESS/EDUCATION
RAIN: WHAT A PAPERBOY LEARNED ABOUT BUSINESS
by Jeffrey J. Fox [check availability]
Read by Jeffrey J. Fox

NON-FICTION
THE NATIONAL PARKS by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan [check availability]
Read by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan

In addition to the winners listed above, we have several of this year’s Audies finalists available at the library.  To view a complete list of finalists and winners, including reviews and audio clips, visit http://www.theaudies.com.  If you need assistance with finding an audiobook please ask us for help.

Playaway Enhancements: Now in HD Audio

If you haven’t checked out a Playaway (portable, pre-loaded digital audiobook) yet, or haven’t checked one out recently, you should come take a look at the new enhanced Playaways that have recently hit the shelves. In March 2010, Findaway World (the publisher of Playaways) began issuing Playaways in high-definition audio.  These new Playaways also come with enhanced features, including new audio speeds and improved keypad functionality.  Finally, battery life has been extended to over 30 hours of playtime per battery with HD Audio.

Our growing collection of Playaways currently contains 60 titles. To make it easier for you to find the Playaway collection we’ve temporarily relocated all of our Playaways to the “Popular Reading” area of the Library (shelved along the cafe wall).

BookBuzz @ Bentley

As you might imagine, most of us who work here in the library are avid book readers and/or audiobook listeners, and we love to share our opinions.  Pop on over to the BookBuzz @ Bentley blog to read our reviews.   We’d love to hear what YOU have to say, so BookBuzz is now also soliciting your reviews and suggestions!  Visit the BookBuzz blog and click on “Your Turn To Share With Us” to submit your review or to make a purchase recommendation.

New Audiobook Titles

You can find a listing of our newest audiobook titles on our New Books page. Listings are updated on or around the first of each month.