Downloadable Books Drop-in Clinic

It’s been a couple of weeks since the launch of the library’s downloadable books service and we’re very happy to have received such a positive response. We’ve already added over 150 new ebook and audiobook titles to our collection to meet your demand, and we’ll continue to add new books every month.

If you haven’t already set-up your laptop, Kindle, iPad, smartphone or other device, we’d love to help you get up and running now so that you can enjoy downloading books this summer – whether you’re at home, work or the beach! We are holding two drop-in sessions this week to answer questions about the service:

Downloadable Books Clinic
Bentley Library, Research Instruction Center (room 11)

 Wednesday, May 2
12:00PM – 2:00PM

 and

Thursday, May 3
4:00PM – 6:00PM

 No RSVP is required – just drop in to our classroom (room 11) and we’ll be there to lend you a helping hand! If you bring your device with you we can help you with the initial set-up or troubleshoot any problems you’ve been having. We hope to see you there.

Over the River and Through the Woods…With an Audiobook

Whether you’re spending time in the car running holiday errands or strapped in for a long-distance trip to visit friends and family, the time will pass much faster if you’re listening to an audiobook. We have a great collection of popular fiction and nonfiction audiobooks in CD and digital player formats.  Need help finding one?  You can browse our recent acquistions, view a complete list of titles sorted by publication date, or use the catalog to search for a specific title or author. Happy travels!

Get Caught Listening! Audiobooks Are Now On Display.

Officially, June is Audiobook Month, but we’ve decided that our new audiobook display just couldn’t wait until then.  In preparation for next week’s 2011 Audie Awards, we’re highlighting the 2011 audiobook nominees that we have in our collection (listed below).  And with Memorial Day just around the corner, we thought this would be the perfect time to promote our most recent audio acquisitions.  Being stalled on the highway in long-weekend traffic is no fun, but a captivating audiobook can help make the time fly!  Stop by and take a look at our selections.  Keep checking back, new titles are being added as they are received!

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2011 Audie Award nominees available at the Bentley Library:

AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR

  • LIFE by Keith Richards / read by Keith Richards, Johnny Depp & Joe Hurley [check availability]

BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR

  • ABIGAIL ADAMS: A LIFE  by Woody Holton / read by Cassandra Campbell [check availability]

BUSINESS/EDUCATIONAL

  • BUY-IN: SAVING YOUR GOOD IDEA FROM GETTING SHOT DOWN by John Kotter / read by Tim Wheeler [check availability]
  • DELIVERING HAPPINESS: A PATH TO PROFITS, PASSION AND PURPOSE by Tony Hsieh / read by Tony Hsieh   [check availability]
  • THE 4-HOUR WORK WEEK: ESCAPE 9-5, LIVE ANYWHERE, AND JOIN THE NEW RICH by Timothy Ferriss / read by  Ray Porter [check availability]

CLASSIC

FICTION:

HUMOR

  • EARTH (THE AUDIOBOOK): A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO THE HUMAN RACE by Jon Stewart / read by Jon Stewart, Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, et al. [check availability]
  • SQUIRREL SEEKS CHIPMUNK: A MODEST BESTIARY by David Sedaris / read by David Sedaris, Elaine Stritch, Dylan Baker & Sian Phillips [check availability]

LITERARY FICTION

MULTI-VOICED PERFORMANCE

  • ROOM: A NOVEL by Emma Donoghue / read by Michal Friedman, Ellen Archer, Robert Petkoff & Suzanne Toren [check availability]

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

NARRATION BY THE AUTHOR

  • A CHRISTMAS BLIZZARD by Garrison Keillor / read by Garrison Keillor [check availability]

NONFICTION

  • THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS by Rebecca Skloot / read by Cassandra Campbell & Bahni Turpin  [check availability]

SHORT STORIES/COLLECTIONS

SPOKEN NARRATION/ FEMALE

SPOKEN NARRATION/MALE

THRILLER/SUSPENSE

  • THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST by Stieg Larsson / read by Simon Vance  [check availability]

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.