June is National Audiobook Month

June is National Audiobook Month and here is a list of a few of my favorite audiobook resources to help you celebrate!

1. Audiofile Magazine. Sometimes a book may be fantastic to hold in your hands and read, but not so great to listen to. If you've ever listened to an audiobook before, you know that the narrator and the quality of the narration makes all the difference. Audiofile Magazine is a publication dedicated to reviewing audiobooks. Outstanding individual titles can receive the "Golden Earphone Award" for excellence. Their website also has a list of "Golden Voice Narrators" that is worth looking for. You can find Audiofile Magazine online at http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/; the library also has a print subscription to the magazine.

2. Audiobook Community. According to the FAQ page, "Audiobook Community (ABC) is a friendly, online social networking site where listeners, narrators, authors and fans of audiobooks can connect, discuss, and discover all things audiobook." Users must be at least 13 years old. You can join different themed groups and discussions. This is a great place to hear about new and fantastic listens.

3. Audiobooker. Mary Burkey's blog has interviews with authors and narrators, audiobook freebies, and she posts a lot of fun/entertaining clips, as well. This is a great place to spend your break browsing; Mary's site is a lot of fun!

4. Librivox. Have you ever thought you could do a better job narrating than a certain reader did? Librivox is a site that can give you a chance to prove your narration abilities. Librivox strives for, "the accoustical liberation of books in the public domain." There are thousands of classics available here to listen to free of charge and they are always looking for volunteer narrators!

5. The Audio Publishers' Association. Yes, there is an award for everything, audiobooks included! Every May the APA hosts the Audie Awards for the year's best audiobooks. The list of winners can be found directly at http://www.theaudies.com/. This year's winner for Audio Book of the Year went to Life by Keith Richards. Click HERE to put a copy of the audiobook on hold for yourself. Did the APA get it right or was there something you thought was better?

Thanks for listening,

Julie

National Jukebox

I was reading this month's Rolling Stone Magazine and buried on p. 20 was some exciting news! The Library of Congress has opened the new National Jukebox website to the public. Visitors to the site can listen to over 10,000+ songs that were recorded between 1901 and 1925. Recordings came from record labels now owned by Sony Music, which has given the Library of Congress permission to stream this music to the public for free.
You can search the site in a variety of ways (by genre, artist, etc) and even create playlists.
I listened to a couple of songs and it was neat to hear them "crackle" as they were being played on their original vinyl. There is a warning right above the player which states: "Historical Recordings may contain offensive language." The Library of Congress explains, ..."the selections are part of the past. They are historical documents which reflect the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times."
It is interesting to listen to where we came from both musically and historically.

Happy Listening,
Julie in AV