Happy 4th of July! Population: 38 (EEP!)

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Good morning!  Happy 4th of July to all of us who like to celebrate this day with sitting in the sun, parades, good food, good friends, hanging on the lake – whatever you do 🙂

Today we will be heading out on the motorcycle on our way to Hillman Minnesota.  According to our friends, they put on an awesome parade. I just went on-line to see if I could find a picture of Hillman and seen this:

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Book Journey, Hillman Minnesota

Oh my gosh… that’s HILARIOUS!  According to the 2010 census, 15 households and 12 families the city has a total of 0.55 miles.

Well… what a parade this will be!  Guess I will be home within the hour… lol

Ok, just kidding, apparently neighboring towns make this the place to be… I will be in contact if this is true 🙂

Anyhoo – enjoy your day however you do the 4th!  😀  In fact, if you will, share with me what you do on the 4th… you know… I may need a new plan in the future.  😉

 

 

 

The Young World by Chris Weitz – AWESOMELY GUSH WORTHY!

The Young World, Chris Weitz, Book Journey, YA, Sheila DeChantal

Expect big things from this amazing book… I don’t think this is the last we will hear from Chris Weitz ~Sheila

 

It has been two very long years since the mysterious virus had wiped out all children and adults leaving only the teens to try to  survive in this new unsteady world.  In New York as the teenagers have battled for food and space it seems as though it has turned into a city of tribes; each protecting their own.

Jefferson and Donna are part of the Washington Square Tribe.  Jefferson the leader by default, and Donna the teenage in-house “doctor”, are finding it harder and harder to come by supplies and food to keep their group going.  It is no secret that a tribe without the proper supplies is a weak tribe, and a weak tribe may as well be a dead tribe.

When a member of the group nicknamed “Brainbox” for his skills at coming up with ideas to create electricity and more believes he may have an idea of what has caused virus and may be able to reverse what has happened to the world if he could just look at a book that is in the library way across town, Jefferson, Donna, and another tribe-mate Peter, all join in the cause.  Something has to be done before they too die…

but what dangers lie out beyond the sanctuary of their area?  And what truths are trying to be protected at any cost?

 

 

Welcome to New York, a city ruled by teens.

After a mysterious Sickness wipes out the rest of the population, the young survivors assemble into tightly run tribes. Jefferson, the reluctant leader of the Washington Square tribe, and Donna, the girl he’s secretly in love with, have carved out a precarious existence among the chaos. But when another tribe member discovers a clue that may hold the cure to the Sickness, five teens set out on a life-altering road trip to save humankind.
The tribe exchanges gunfire with enemy gangs, escapes cults and militias, braves the wilds of the subway and Central Park…and discovers truths they could never have imagined.

– See more at: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/chris-weitz/the-young-world/9780316226295/#desc

I first picked up a glimpse of this book at the Book Expo in May.  I seen it in the women’s bathroom.
he Young World, Chris Weitz, Book Journey
Nicely played Little Brown… Nicely played.

This (above) was the advertising in the women’s bathroom at the expo.  I seen it.. and went to the Little Brown booth immediately (I did not pass go, did not collect $200) and requested an advanced copy of it.

I am so glad I did.

This book is not released until July 29th and normally I would not review a book this far ahead of release date…

but…

I want to get you as EXCITED about this one as I am.  I want YOU to be aware of what is coming that is super awesome sauce so you can put it on your radar and know that if you enjoy YA Dystopian fiction with the more than likely potential of being a movie as well, then hang on… you are in for a treat.

I LOVED the layout of The Young World.  Set in New York in the futuristic pit of a world.  The protagonists are diverse and engaging.  I enjoyed the concept of the different tribes made up of teens.  Each had their own skill sets that they embraced – some were for good…. some – not so much.

The Young World is a great ride and do not pass on this first book of The Young World Trilogy (don’t groan – the book is fast paced and engaging and you will not want to wait!)

Fun Fact: 

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Chris Weitz is the director of Twilight: New Moon, About a Boy, The Golden Compass, Antz and American Pie. His most recent film is A Better Life, which was nominated for an Academy Award. THE YOUNG WORLD is his first novel. – See more at: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/authors/chris-weitz-teen/#about

Chris Weitz is the director of twilight, New Moon, About A Boy, The Golden Compass, ANTZ, and American Pie.  His most recent film is A Better Life, which has been nominated for an Academy Award.  The Young World is his first novel.

So now that I have GUSHED all over this review… here is a list compliments of Hachette Book Group – as to where you can plan to purchase this book:

Where to buy!

  • Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  • Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  • Release Date:  July 29, 2014
  •  

    Welcome to New York, a city ruled by teens.

    After a mysterious Sickness wipes out the rest of the population, the young survivors assemble into tightly run tribes. Jefferson, the reluctant leader of the Washington Square tribe, and Donna, the girl he’s secretly in love with, have carved out a precarious existence among the chaos. But when another tribe member discovers a clue that may hold the cure to the Sickness, five teens set out on a life-altering road trip to save humankind.
    The tribe exchanges gunfire with enemy gangs, escapes cults and militias, braves the wilds of the subway and Central Park…and discovers truths they could never have imagined.

    – See more at: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/chris-weitz/the-young-world/9780316226295/#desc

    Morning Meanderings… Preparing To Meet The Queen!

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    July.

    I know right?  As of today we are 6 days out from our annual Queen Event for book club.  6 DAYS!!!

    If you are familiar with our book club “happenings”  every July since… (hmmm…. I should know this) well, for many years, we dress up in formal wear and have a coronation for Bookies Queen of the year.  It comes from the book Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King. (Yes,worth the read!)

    2013 Bookies Queen Event, Book Journey, Sheila DeChantal
    Bookies Queen Event 2013

    We usually grill, talk books, eat lots of tasty foods… and have a LOT OF FUN!  The competition is all in fun.  And the girls really get into their speeches…

    Brendas dress
    Brenda’s dress last year was partially made of book. MADE OF BOOK! Genius!

     

    2012
    Queen Event 2012

     

    and I think I mentioned delicious food…

    2012 food

     

    2011
    Queen Event 2011

     

    2011 - OW!
    2011 was also the year that I had sprung my wrist and broke my finger while riding in a 150 mile bike ride. But… the event must go on…. bling included 😉
    2010
    Queen Event 2010

    Alright… now I am getting into this… maybe I will save more for Saturday snapshot.  And I must prepare my speech…. I think I have an idea…

     

    Book club people – do you do things above and beyond the books?  IE.  potlucks, dinners out, movies, road trips?  I would love to know 🙂

    How To Become A Narrator by Narrator Robert Fass (included in the June Audio Month Giveaway)

    Audio month

    Yes, yes… I know it is July.  If you read my morning post you will know that I inadvertently missed posting one of our awesome narrators responses for the June Audio Book Month features.  Robert Fass was also one of the narrators that was at the Narrator Luncheon in New York in May.  I had the pleasure of meeting him, but did not have enough time to really chat much with him.  Now, Robert has graced Book Journey with his thoughts on Narrating – a question that seemed to pop up frequently throughout the comments last month.  How does one become a narrator?  Please welcome, Robert Fass.

     

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    I’m Robert Fass, and I started narrating professionally in 2005, though it took a number of years before I started making a living at it.

    I have completed around 80 titles at this point, across just about every genre, including:
    • THE UNWINDING by George Packer (2013 National Book Award winner for nonfiction)

    • DOUBLE DOWN: GAME CHANGE 2012 by Mark Halperin & John Heilemann

    • SNOW WHITE MUST DIE by Nele Neuhaus (bestselling German crime thriller)

    • SAY HER NAME by Francisco Goldman (fictionalized memoir – listed in AudioFile Magazine’s Top Ten

    • Audiobooks of 2011, Earphones award winner)

    • IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY by Ned Vizzini (YA)

    • THE LIEBERMANN PAPERS series of historical mysteries by Frank Tallis

    • EMPIRE OF LIBERTY by Gordon S. Wood (Audie winner for history, 2011)

    I am one of only two narrators approved by the authors’ estate to narrate the Ellery Queen mysteries (I’ve narrated 10 so far), plus works by John Steinbeck, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, Carlos Fuentes, Jeffery Deaver and more.  Along the way, I’ve had 7 Audie nominations and won twice.
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    I have been a professional actor for over 30 years – a longtime member of the performers’ unions, trained in the classics, studied for many years with the great Uta Hagen – and I have always loved the spoken word. My mother was a librarian and my dad was a volunteer narrator for the blind for over 25 years. When my dad passed away in 1997, I began volunteering in his honor at a local radio reading service for the visually impaired here in NYC. I lucked out the first week I showed up: one of the readers for THE NEW YORKER magazine was out and I was asked to step in. It became permanent and I spent nearly every Wednesday for the next 11 years reading the best fiction, journalism, criticism, and poetry around to a national audience. It was the best training ground anyone could wish for.

    My mother was a librarian and my dad was a volunteer narrator for the blind for over 25 years.

    Around 2005, a fellow volunteer offered me her invitation to a seminar given by the Audio Publishers Association (APA). They were at that time seeking to bring more theatrically trained performers into the narrator community. I went and was given the opportunity to record a sample and send it to the senior producer at Brilliance Audio, which is a large producer in the mid west (now owned by Amazon). His response was that while I didn’t have the richest voice in the world, he thought I was a very good reader and might expect to find a small amount of work in this field. That was enough encouragement for me to create a professional demo CD – and I sent it to every single producer and publisher in the APA member directory.  A handful of producers were impressed enough with it that they wanted to give me an opportunity to narrate for them. I was lucky to get to narrate works by some major authors right out of the gate, my first couple of titles got reviews (positive ones) and I started to make fans within the producing community. That put me firmly on the path and I chose to pursue it from there.

    So… You Want To Become A narrator…

    1. Know that narrating audiobooks is a craft. If you’re serious about it and you aren’t a trained actor, start taking classes in acting and vocal production.
    2. Don’t think you can be a narrator simply because people tell you that you have a nice voice.
    3. Get good before you cut a demo.
    4. Join SAG-AFTRA so that if you are fortunate enough to find work in this field, you can begin receiving pension and health benefits.
    5. Be prepared to spend long periods of time alone working your ass off in a little box. And loving it.
    6. Unless you are in one of the major markets, you will very likely need to invest in a home studio which – even if you do it on the cheap – ain’t cheap.
    7. Be aware that any narrator starting out today also has to be an engineer and a director, because it’s just you in the booth doing everything.
    8. Know that you rarely have a choice in the material you are offered.
    9. Be patient and tenacious.
    10. There are many versions of this next basic piece of advice, but if you think you would like to be an audiobook narrator, the first thing you should do is to take a book off the shelf at random, open it to a random page, take it into the closet and read the entire page aloud. Then go back to the top of the page and read it again. Then do it two or three more times. If that’s your idea of a good time, you might think about taking a first step into narration. There is a more comprehensive version of this point in a video by narrator/instructor Sean Allen Pratt.

     

    Amazing Narrator Happening… oh yes…. IT HAPPENED

     

    An illustration of the need to be patient when starting out: when I sent my original demo around, a very senior, highly respected producer responded with tremendous enthusiasm. “You’re on my A-list! You can obviously do everything! I can’t wait to work with you!” She was quite sincere about it. But at least a year went by before a project came along that she felt was a good fit for me to audition. It was going to be a big deal, a new series that was hoping to be the next Harry Potter. We worked in the studio for a long time together, but in the end I didn’t get it. And I didn’t hear from her again for months. But one day, I got a call from her out of the blue. Unbeknownst to me, she had been circulating an excerpt from that audition as a voice sample for consideration in various projects, and it turned out that Ray Bradbury had selected me to narrate what turned out to be the last book published in his lifetime, FAREWELL, SUMMER (which was the sequel, 50 years in the making, to his beloved classic DANDELION WINE). That was the second book I ever narrated.

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    This is the final audio book month post.  For every post you comment on in June (and this one on July 1st) that has this audio book symbol:

    Audio month, Book Journey, Sheila DeChantalI will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice).  Winner will be drawn this week!

    Morning Meanderings… First Half Of The Year Update and Audio Month Extention!

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    Good morning and WOW… July!

    That came WAY too fast!   I felt so awesome going into the new year and now I feel behind…  in reality, bookish wise I am right on target and ahead of last year.  Here are my stats so far for 2014:

     

    Books read do far this year:  24 (with 3 to review yet)

    Audio Books listened to this year: 33 ( with 2 left to review)

     

    Last year at this time I was hardly reading/listening/posting anything so this is exciting to be able to spend time in the hobby area that I love!

     

    In other news…

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    I missed one of the narrator interviews.

    Narrator Robert Fass was one of the first of the narrators to send me his responses and somehow in the craziness we call June… I checked him off my spreadsheet as being posted and that was not accurate.

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    Due to this, I will be posting one more narrator chat that will go up today and will be part of the Audio Month Giveaway.  It’s good stuff…. and I want to post it 🙂

     

    Anyhoo… that’s what is up here.  Working today, helping a friend out tonight…  and who knows what else…

    No… really… who knows?  Can someone tell me?

     

    Have a super Tuesday!  What are you doing this July 1st?

     

    Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedwick

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    Seven stories though separated by centuries somehow intermingle as though merely breaking the surface of something much larger that lies just beneath… just out of vision…

    An archeologist, an airman, a painter, a ghost, a vampire, and a Viking… center around an island called Blessed.  Eric and Merle show up within the stories in different forms of their name as the stories unfold.  What is this tale that binds?

     

     

    Midwinterblood is a rhythmic tale appropriately read by the narration of Julian Rhind-Tutt.  While short stories have never been something I was drawn to, always wanting “more to the story”, Midwinterblood unfolds in such a way that while the stories are separated by time and tale that I found myself looking for the clues that drew them together. That, as it turns out; was a good thing.

    Midwinterblood is marketed as a children’s book but I felt it would have a stronger calling to more of the YA listeners and readers.

    While I adore the cover that was on the copy I listened too; it was interesting to see the others covers on-line.. each engaging in their own way:

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    5 hours and 49 minutes

    Publisher: Square Fish (April 22, 2014)

     

     

    It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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    Hey there!  Welcome to It’s Monday, What Are You Reading!

    I love being a part of this and I hope you do too!  As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme. Fair warning… this meme tends to add to your reading list!

    It is just me or did that Monday come around fast?

    I had a great week here finishing up the audio month posts and then a good quick trip the cabin that turned out to be a great time to do some serious reading!  Here is what I posted this past week:

    The Narrator Life by Patrick Lawlor

    Mrs. Hemingway by Naomi Watts

    The Art Of Secrets by James Klise

    The Best Part Of Narrating by Narrator Ellen Archer

    Get In SYNC!  Two free audiobook downloads a week!

    That’s Narrating!  By Narrator Khristine Hvam

    Audio Book Month Wrap Up Post w/ Giveaway

    And thanks to this weekend, I have about 5 reviews to write.  Yippy!  I love good reading weeks 🙂 .

     

    So this week here is what I am reading:

     

    For My Ears:

     

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    Grace Reinhart Sachs is living the only life she ever wanted for herself. Devoted to her husband, a pediatric oncologist at a major cancer hospital, their young son Henry, and the patients she sees in her therapy practice, her days are full of familiar things: She lives in the very New York apartment in which she was raised, and sends Henry to the school she herself once attended. Dismayed by the ways in which women delude themselves, Grace is also the author of a book You Should Have Known, in which she cautions women to really hear what men are trying to tell them.

    But weeks before the book is published a chasm opens in her own life: A violent death, a missing husband, and, in the place of a man Grace thought she knew, only an ongoing chain of terrible revelations. Left behind in the wake of a spreading and very public disaster, and horrified by the ways in which she has failed to heed her own advice, Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child and herself.

     

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    The Third Plate is chef Dan Barber’s extraordinary vision for a new future of American eating. After more than a decade spent investigating farming communities around the world in pursuit of singular flavor, Barber finally concluded that – for the sake of our food, our health, and the future of the land – America¿s cuisine required a radical transformation.

    The revelations Barber shares in The Third Plate took root in his restaurant¿s kitchen. But his process of discovery took him far afield – to alternative systems of food production and cooking that maximize sustainability, nutrition, and flavor. Barber explores the traditional farming practices of the Spanish dehesa, a uniquely vibrant landscape that has been fine-tuned to produce the famed jamón ibérico. Along the Atlantic coast, he investigates the future of seafood through a revolutionary aquaculture operation and an ancient tuna fishing tradition. In upstate New York, Barber learns from a flourishing mixed-crop farm whose innovative organic practices have revived the land and resurrected an industry. And in Washington State he works with cutting-edge seedsmen developing new varieties of grain in collaboration with local bakers, millers, and malters. Drawing on the wisdom and experience of chefs and farmers from around the world, Barber proposes a new definition for ethical and delicious eating destined to refashion Americans¿ deepest beliefs about food.

    Traditionally, Americans have dined on the “first plate”, a classic meal centered on meat with few vegetables. Thanks to the burgeoning farm-to-table movement, many people have begun eating from the “second plate”, the new ideal of organic, grass-fed meats and local vegetables. But neither model, Barber shows, supports the long-term productivity of the land. Instead, he calls for a “third plate”, a new pattern of eating rooted in cooking with and celebrating the whole farm – an integrated system of vegetable, grain, …

     

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    Say you want to start going to the gym or practicing a musical instrument. How long should it take before you stop having to force it and start doing it automatically?

    The surprising answers are found in Making Habits, Breaking Habits, a psychologist’s popular examination of one of the most powerful and under-appreciated processes in the mind. Although people like to think that they are in control, much of human behavior occurs without any decision-making or conscious thought.

    Drawing on hundreds of fascinating studies, psychologist Jeremy Dean busts the myths to finally explain why seemingly easy habits, like eating an apple a day, can be surprisingly difficult to form, and how to take charge of your brain’s natural “autopilot” to make any change stick.

     

    For My Eyes:

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    The Nash family is close-knit. Tom is a popular teacher, father of two teens: Eli, a hockey star and girl magnet, and his sister Deenie, a diligent student. Their seeming stability, however, is thrown into chaos when Deenie’s best friend is struck by a terrifying, unexplained seizure in class. Rumors of a hazardous outbreak spread through the family, school and community.

    As hysteria and contagion swell, a series of tightly held secrets emerges, threatening to unravel friendships, families and the town’s fragile idea of security.

     

     

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    When fourteen-year-old Jace Wilson witnesses a brutal murder, he’s plunged into a new life, issued a false identity and hidden in a wilderness skills program for troubled teens. The plan is to get Jace off the grid while police find the two killers. The result is the start of a nightmare.

    The killers, known as the Blackwell Brothers, are slaughtering anyone who gets in their way in a methodical quest to reach him. Now all that remains between them and the boy are Ethan and Allison Serbin, who run the wilderness survival program; Hannah Faber, who occupies a lonely fire lookout tower; and endless miles of desolate Montana mountains.

    The clock is ticking, the mountains are burning, and those who wish Jace Wilson dead are no longer far behind.

     

    Should be a good reading week!  I am curious as to what you are reading and listening to.  Please add your link to your It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading below where it says click here:

     

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    Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

    For those of you who read mainly children and middle grade books, please also feel free to add your link here:

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    Audio Book Month – The Wrap Up and YOUR Thoughts w/ Giveaway!

    Audio month

    Is it  wrong that now that we are at the end of June and audio month sadly draws to a close that I want to take this above picture and cross out the word June and put July?  *sigh*  All good things must come to an end.

    It seems like audio book month went so fast!  I had a blast being such an active part of it this year and I hope that you enjoyed the posts here from audio book discussions, audio book reviews, and the amazing narrators who chimed in with their thoughts and experiences with audio.  Special thanks to our narrators who hung out here:

    Johnny Heller

    Therese Plummer

    Allyson Johnson

    Tavia Gilbert

    Xe Sands

    Karen White

    Patrick Lawlor

    Ellen Archer

    Khristine Hvam

    Good times people… good times. 🙂

    And now as I wrap this up I would love to hear some feedback from you on these posts. This posts comments also go into the giveaway that has been running all month for commenting on Audio Book related posts..

    Here is what I would love to know:

    1.  Did any of the posts from this month encourage you to try an audiobook?  (New or a long time listen of audio, which audio, and which post?

    1a.  If you did try an audiobook how was it?

    2.  Was there a particular post that you enjoyed out of all the audio posts.  If so, which one?  Why that one?

    3.  Did you learn anything from the posts by the Narrators?

    4.  What would you like to know more of about audio books?

     

     

    As a refresher – here are the posts once again for the last time:

    Intro to Audiobook Month

    The Acting Of Narration with Johnny Heller

    Delicious by Ruth Reichl

    A Day In The Life Of Narrating by Narrator Therese Plummer

    The Beginning of Narration by Narrator Allyson Johnson

    The BEST audiobooks according to the listeners

    If I Can’t Have You by Gregg Olsen and Rebecca Morris

    Top 5 audiobooks according to narrator Tavia Gilbert

    Look Ma!  NO hands!  Audiobooks MY Way!

    Things To Look For When Picking Your Next Audio by Narrator Xe Sands

    Then and Always by Dani Atkins

    Beyond Books by Narrator Karen White

    The Other Story by Tatiana De Rosnay

    The Narrating Life by Narrator Patrick Lawlor

    Mrs. Hemingway by Naomi Woods

    The Art Of Secrets by James Klise

    The Best Part Of Narrating By Narrator Ellen Archer

    That’s Narrating!  By Narrator Khristine Hvam

     

    Please watch this site for June audio book related posts like this one.  For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:

    Audio month, Book Journey, Sheila DeChantalI will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice).  Winner will be drawn in July.

    Morning Meanderings… My Equivelent To A Candy Store… New Books!

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    Happy Sunday!  Sky is looking cloud free here today and the sun is shining!  YAY!!!

    For the past two days I have been on the North Shore checking on our cabin, chatting with the neighbors… and reading … GLORIOUS READING.  It is amazing how much time I can make for reading when I drive out of cell phone and internet range.  I finally finished The Three and read two more books – Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf, and The Young World by Chris Weitz.    I finished Essentialism by Greg McKeown and have two hours left on my audible audio on my phone, The Weight Of Silence also by Heather Gudenkauf.  (That’s what 8 hours in the car will get me 🙂 )

     

    Here is what came into my home this week:

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    Uncaged by John Sanford and Michele Cook  (Random House audio)

    And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard (Random House audio)

    January Thaw by Jess Lourey (I purchased this one at the Brown Bag Author event last week)

    Sweet Water by Christina Baker Kline ( William Morrow – Harper Collins)

    Help For The Haunted by John Searles (William Morrow – Harper Collins)

    Benjamin Franklin’s Bastard by Sally Cabot (William Morrow – Harper Collins)

    Getting Life by Michael Morton (Simon and Schuster)

    The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand (Little Brown – Hachette Book Group)

     

    It is crazy to believe that we are at the end of June already and thus, at the end of audio book month!  As tomorrow is Monday and is usually dominated by It’s Monday What Are You Reading, I will more than likely put up a wrap up post tonight.  All comments from the audio book posts in June will go into a drawling for a $25 gift card.  I will be drawing that winner in the next few days as we start to roll out July and I have a whole other theme for that…. 😉

    If you have missed any of the audio book related posts – it is not too late to put in your two cents:

     

     

    Please watch this site for June audio book related posts.  For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:

    Audio month, Book Journey, Sheila DeChantalI will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice).  Winner will be drawn in July.

     

     

    Intro to Audiobook Month

    The Acting Of Narration with Johnny Heller

    Delicious by Ruth Reichl

    A Day In The Life Of Narrating by Narrator Therese Plummer

    The Beginning of Narration by Narrator Allyson Johnson

    The BEST audiobooks according to the listeners

    If I Can’t Have You by Gregg Olsen and Rebecca Morris

    Top 5 audiobooks according to narrator Tavia Gilbert

    Look Ma!  NO hands!  Audiobooks MY Way!

    Things To Look For When Picking Your Next Audio by Narrator Xe Sands

    Then and Always by Dani Atkins

    Beyond Books by Narrator Karen White

    The Other Story by Tatiana De Rosnay

    The Narrating Life by Narrator Patrick Lawlor

    Mrs. Hemingway by Naomi Woods

    The Art Of Secrets by James Klise

    The Best Part Of Narrating By Narrator Ellen Archer

    That’s Narrating!  By Narrator Khristine Hvam

    That’s Narrating! By Narrator Khristine Hvam

    Audio month

    Welcome again to another fun chat with a Narrator.  Today I would love to introduce the talented Khristine Hvam!

     

    Khristine

     

    Well hello! I’m Khristine Hvam. Audibook narrator and voice over actress. I started narrating audiobooks in 2008.  To name a few of the books I have narrated:

    Frog Music by Emma Donoghue,
    Astray by Emma Donoghue
    The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Series by Laini Taylor
    The Jane Yellowrock Series by Faith Hunter
    The Pure trilogy by Julianna Baggot
    The Graveyard Queen series by Amanda Stevens
    The Cast in Shadow series by Michelle Sagara
    The Iron Daughter series by Julie Kagawa

     

    How did you begin narrating?

    I always say, I sort of tripped and fell and landed (perfectly) in narration. I started as a voice over actor. I was working on some dubbing work and the director thought I would be a good fit for audiobook narration. He set up an audition for me with Audible and the rest is history.

    Narration and other voice over work are my full time job. However, being mommy to an eleven month old is my latest full time job. Both are dreams come true.

     

    That first narration….

    My first book was a steamy sexy romance novel. WOW was that awkward! Not only had I never recorded a book before (the recording of a book takes place over several hours a day for several days) but the name of the steamy sexy male character was the same name as the engineer recording for me. That was kind of humiliating. “Oh Rick, OH RICK!!” … I was several shades of red. “Rick” of course, wasn’t bothered at all.

    In the few years I’ve been doing this amazing work things have changed a bit within the inner workings and politics of the business. More and more home studio recording requests come my way and I’m fortunate that I have a home studio and can accommodate. However, it’s challenging to record at home alone and it can be isolating at times. I have to play the role of narrator, engineer, and director, and I think that can sometimes have a negative effect on the narration. I miss the comradery of working with a producer/director and engineer. But the work is still the same. My approach to the work hasn’t changed. I still go into every new project excited and ready for the adventure.

    More and more home studio recording requests come my way and I’m fortunate that I have a home studio and can accommodate. However, it’s challenging to record at home alone and it can be isolating at times.

    I’ve grown up quite a bit in these last six years. I have more confidence in my choices as a narrator now. I think that translates into being able to branch out into new genres of work. And I’m really looking forward to that!

    Favorite Narrations…..

    1e

    I think all narrators have a favorite and I have several. My latest is “Frog Music” by Emma Donoghue because it kicked my butt. It was the HARDEST book I’ve ever worked on. And because of how much it pushed me to grow as a narrator IT is one of my favorites. The “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” series by Laini Taylor was just a blast to record. Its filled with incredible characters, it’s written well, and it gave me an opportunity to explore new “voices”… I basically showed up and played all day while recording it. And that’s why I got into this biz in the first place!

     

    Please watch this site for June audio book related posts like this one.  For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:

    Audio month, Book Journey, Sheila DeChantalI will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice).  Winner will be drawn in July.