STAFF PICK: The Piranhas by Roberto Saviano

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Michelle

Title: The Piranhas: The Boy Bosses of Naples
Author: Roberto Saviano
Narrator: Edoardo Ballerini

Seduced by easy money and pushed by a complex reality, Nicolas Fiorillo is the 15-year-old protagonist of The Piranhas: The Boy Bosses of Naples, which exposes the real-life phenomenon of youth gangs, or paranza. Paranza refers not only to gangs, but to the “boats that go out to catch fish through trickery of light… It takes possession of it, and the fish come looking for it.”

The author, an Italian journalist who grew up in Naples, saw his first murder victim at 13. His own father, a doctor, suffered a beating for trying to help an 18-year-old left to die in the street, who was a victim of the Camorra, an Italian Mafia-type crime syndicate.

Saviano begins his stunning novel with a profound statement:

“What you are about to read actually occurred. Facts have been modified and connected to others in order to make a violent and complex world more comprehensible…”

Violent and brutal and glamorous, The Piranhas is weaved with details found in his international crime classic, Gomorrah, which traced the decline of Naples under the Camorra rule. Since its publication, he has been placed under police protection.

Nicolas, an ambitious and promising teenager from the slums of Naples, has a dark desire to acquire power and wealth. Backed by a group of loyal friends, he sets out to create his own paranza, roaming the streets while learning how to become gangsters. What begins with small-time cheating and stealing soon becomes shooting semiautomatic pistols and AK-47s. Saviano succeeds at reminding listeners of the stark reality of child gangsters, such as having Nicolas and his friends play PlayStation in between committing crimes.

Narrator Edoardo Ballerini‘s ability to portray a variety of characters made listening a smooth and entrancing experience. Filled with inevitable consequences that all criminals face while climbing to the top, The Piranhas will leave you in awe of Naples while also grieving for it.

A Sneak Peek at the Set of A Discovery of Witches

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Lena Yang

When I attended Oxford University for a month-long publishing program, I didn’t expect to go to school with witches and vampires.

It was a chilly September day when my train arrived from London. The cobblestone streets and sea of spires didn’t look familiar, even though I had visited the city less than ten years ago. I’d always wanted to live in a castle—a desire stemming from my Harry Potter obsession that was finally being realized—but I also knew that come morning, my boyfriend would be off on a bus to Heathrow Airport while I’d be meeting 70 strangers who would, for better or worse, be my only company for the next month.

As the days passed and I settled into my new home at Exeter College, I savored the thrilling feeling of exclusivity as I strutted past hordes of weekend tourists to my always-too-cold dorm room (I was told by the porter that heating wouldn’t be provided until the fall term began). Every night when I sat in my room overlooking Broad Street and Trinity College, I felt as if I had been transported back in time to land squarely in a gothic romance.

That’s what Oxford does: it makes you feel special and not quite yourself.

When the end of my time at Oxford was looming near and I had been feeling particularly gloomy, an unusual email from my professor popped up in my inbox. “Filming in College,” it read. As it turns out, A Discovery of Witches was going to be filmed in the very college I was staying in. A thrill went through my spine—I bought the book just two months ago and had been dying to read it.

“This will not disrupt our schedule,” my professor insisted—only it did, in a minuscule, exciting way that only happened to bystanders who wished to take part in an important event. Daily journeys to the dining hall became riddled with thrills and suspense: ducking behind posts when the director yelled “action,” holding our breaths as the actors walked past, and dashing madly through the film set toward our coveted meal before filming started once more.

The film crew setting up in the Front Quad in front of the Dining Hall.

On the last day of filming—coincidentally my last day in Oxford—the weather was relaxing and sunny, a departure from its usual overcast gloominess. My friend Abby and I pressed our noses up to her window to watch the film crew below, who waved at us when they discovered our hiding spot.

Teresa Palmer, who plays the lead character Diana Bishop—a witch—stood by in a heavy black coat, while Matthew Goode, who portrays her vampire boyfriend Matthew Clairmont, walked past in a matching black jacket. When Abby and I ventured out for our shopping trip, we tried to be discreet and nonchalant, although I suspect we failed miserably at both.

When afternoon came and my class gathered in Fellows’ Garden for one last sherry hour, Teresa strolled past wearing a new athletic outfit and peeked at the crowd. “I want to be a part of their party,” I heard her say.

But who would believe I partied with a witch?

A Discovery of Witches premieres in the UK on Sky One on September 14 and in the US and Canada on Sundance Now and Shudder at a yet to be announced date.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, narrated by Jennifer Ikeda

Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Read more and sample the audio.

STAFF PICK: Locked In by Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Victoria Arlen

Posted on August 27, 2018 by admin

Post by Pam Campbell

Title: Locked In: The Will to Survive and the Resolve to Live
Author: Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Victoria Arlen
Narrator: Victoria Arlen

Imagine being 10 years old, and suddenly losing your ability to move your arms and legs. Imagine also losing your ability to eat at the same time. Now imagine being told that there is nothing wrong with you, that it’s all in your head.

In Locked In: The Will to Survive and the Resolve to Live, Victoria Arlen recounts her extraordinary story of living through the most unimaginable circumstances and then moving forward to accomplish old dreams, and live out fantastic new realities.

At 10 years old, Victoria’s health quickly deteriorated, to the point where she was suffering from multitudes of seizures a day and was unable to move. She became unable to communicate or even eat. She became locked in.

While she was locked inside herself, Victoria was able to hear, see and understand everything that was going on around her. Her memories remained intact and she was fully aware of her surroundings. She was aware of the abuse being imposed on her, both mentally and physically, by some of her doctors and nurses. And yet she fought to survive and never gave up.

It would be four years before Victoria would be able to move or communicate. And as soon as she could communicate with her family, she was even more determined to achieve her very own miracle. She recovered. She thrived. She beat the odds, so far out of the water that she went on to achieve great success. She still has great success ahead of her and she is very aware that she will always have to work to maintain her movement and mobility.

Victoria reads her own story for the audiobook and to hear her speak of the struggles and triumphs herself, definitely enhanced the book. Her story is inspiring in these turbulent times, and her message is clear: never give up on second chances, work for what you want, and miracles happen every day. But perhaps the message that stood out most to me was her thoughts on unkindness. While she was experiencing cruelty and horrible methods of treatment, she knew that unkindness never improves a situation. Inflicting pain or giving hatred is not the answer; kindness and love are.

After all, it was the love and kindness of her family that saw her thrive. It was through her love for her family that she was able to endure being locked in for years. It is with love and kindness in her heart that Victoria was able to beat the odds and live out her dreams and make new ones.

STAFF PICK: Vox by Christina Dalcher

Posted on August 20, 2018 by admin

Post by Miranda Winter-Sayle

Title: Vox
Author: Christina Dalcher
Narrator: Julia Whelan

Imagine you could only speak 100 words a day. How do you determine the importance of every word? This is the decision that Dr. Jean McClellan and all female citizens of the United States must make every day, in the world of this debut novel.

Vox, by Christina Dalcher, is a precautionary tale of a possible future for the United States. Women are not allowed to speak more than 100 words a day – a law that is upheld by bracelets that emit an electric shock that grows worse with every word spoken above the limit. Women are not permitted to have jobs, read, or travel outside the United States.

(I reached the end of my own 100 words in the middle of the previous sentence. Of course, in the society in Vox, I would not be permitted to write this review at all.)

Dr. Jean McClellan is a cognitive linguist who was researching the reversal of brain damage that caused a person’s inability to speak. Her research abruptly ended when religious extremists took over the United States and the subsequent introduction of patriarchal laws forbid women’s participation in society. But when the president’s brother is injured, she is given a choice: regain her voice and continue her research to save one of the men responsible this new world, or refuse and face implicit consequences – in silence.

As a fan of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, I was incredibly excited to listen to Vox — and it did not disappoint. The premise is well-executed and the world that Dalcher creates is terrifyingly believable. Like The Handmaid’s Tale, Vox’s dystopia is in its early days, which allows the audience to witness the before and the after of the new world. The description of the evolution of modern day society into this universe was easily my favorite part of the novel.

Julia Whelan is a narrator I’ve heard before and she never fails to disappoint. Her tone perfectly reflects the anger that Dr. McClellan feels through the duration of the novel. She captures the somber tone of the novel expertly.

Vox was included on many most-anticipated summer releases lists, and now I understand why: its timely subject matter and original storytelling make it a compelling listen, and one I would definitely recommend.

6 Audiobooks and Activities for Relaxation Day

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Michelle

Do you do enough of the things you love? Most of us don’t. In between congested traffic, overcrowded (and perpetually late) transit systems, mile long to-do lists, and committing to plans we wish we didn’t make in the first place, it can be hard to just be. We’ve coupled relaxing activities with audiobooks to make the most of Relaxation Day (which can also be enjoyed beyond August 15!).

Walking

1. A Walk in the Wood by Dr. Joseph Parent and Nancy Parent, narrated by Dr. Joseph Parent

The benefits of mindfulness are well recognized: peace of mind, less stress, and the opportunity to work through thoughts, memories, and worries. Who better to guide this transformative practice than a long-beloved bear who has perfected the art of simply being? And, not coincidentally, he lives in the woods.
Read more and sample the audio.

Painting

2. Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over by Nell Painter, narrated by Nell Painter

Following her retirement from Princeton, Dr. Nell Irvin Painter surprised everyone by returning to school to earn a BFA and MFA in painting. She travels to the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, finds meaning in the artists she loves, and struggles with the balance of the pursuit of art and the demands of a life fully lived.
Read more and sample the audio.

Doing a puzzle

Painting.

3. Slow by Brooke Mcalary, narrated by Larissa Gallagher

Are you constantly striving to keep up with life’s busy expectations? It’s easy to feel consumed with the desire to “succeed” and “acquire,” and miss the simple opportunities waiting for you to slow down: a walk in the forest, sharing laughter with family, a personal moment of gratitude. Slow is an inspirational guide on creating a life filled with what really matters.
Read more and sample the audio.

Taking a bath

4. The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the Azores by Diana Marcum, narrated by Rebecca Mozo

As California suffers a terrible drought with seemingly never-ending wildfires, reporter Diana Marcum finds herself still dreaming of the Azores islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Diana returns to the islands of her dreams only to discover that there are still things she longs for, including an unexpected love.
Read more and sample the audio.

Baking

5. The Cosy Teashop in the Castle by Caroline Roberts, narrated by Eloise Secker

When Ellie Hall lands her dream job running the little teashop in the beautiful but crumbling Claverham Castle, it’s the perfect escape from her job in the city. When Lord Henry, the stick-in-the-mud owner, threatens to burst her baking bubble with his old-fashioned ways, Ellie wonders if she might have bitten off more than she can chew.
Read more and sample the audio.

Laying in a hammock

Hammock

6. The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand, narrated by Erin Bennett

It’s Nantucket wedding season, and the Otis-Winbury wedding promises to be an event to remember: the groom’s wealthy parents have spared no expense to host a lavish ceremony. But it’s going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons after tragedy strikes: a body is discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony-and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect.
Read more and sample the audio.

Page to Screen: Stephen King’s Castle Rock

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Lena Yang

Brush up on some of Stephen King’s most iconic stories set in the town of Castle Rock before binge watching Hulu’s brand new series Castle Rock.

1. Bag of Bones by Stephen King, narrated by Stephen King

Four years after the sudden death of his wife, forty-year-old bestselling novelist Mike Noonan is still grieving. Unable to write, and plagued by vivid nightmares set at the western Maine summerhouse he calls Sara Laughs, Mike reluctantly returns to the lakeside getaway. Read more and sample the audio.

2. Cujo by Stephen King, narrated by Lorna Raver

Outside a peaceful town in central Maine, a monster is waiting. One day, Cujo, a two-hundred-pound Saint Bernard, chases a rabbit into a cave inhabited by sick bats and emerges as something new altogether. What happens to Cujo, how he becomes a horrifying vortex inescapably drawing in all the people around him, makes for one of the most heart-stopping novels Stephen King has ever written. Read more and sample the audio.

3. Dead Zone by Stephen King, narrated by James Franco

When Johnny Smith awakens from a coma and discovers he can see people’s futures by touching them, he must learn to live with this curse that many other people consider a gift. When Johnny has a disturbing vision after he shakes the hand of an ambitious and amoral politician, he must decide if he should take drastic action to change the future. Read more and sample the audio.

4. Needful Things by Stephen King, narrated by Stephen King

Leland Gaunt opens a new shop in Castle Rock called Needful Things. Anyone who enters his store finds the object of his or her lifelong dreams and desires. In addition to a token payment, Gaunt requests that each person perform a little “deed,” usually a seemingly innocent prank played on someone else from town. These practical jokes cascade out of control and soon the entire town is doing battle with itself. Read more and sample the audio.

5. Dark Half by Stephen King, narrated by Grover Gardner

Thad Beaumont is a writer, and for a dozen years he has secretly published violent bestsellers under the name of George Stark. But, when Thad—a much happier and healthier man now—tries to retire the pseudonym, he finds George Stark won’t go willingly. Read more and sample the audio.

6. Lisey’s Story by Stephen King, narrated by Mare Winningham

Lisey Landon lost her husband Scott two years ago, after a twenty-five-year marriage of profound, sometimes frightening intimacy. Lisey knew there was a dark place where her husband ventured to face his demons. Boo’ya Moon is what Scott called it; a realm that both terrified and healed him. Now, it’s Lisey’s turn to face her husband’s demons. Read more and sample the audio.

7. Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar, narrated by Maggie Siff

Every day in the summer of 1974, twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson takes the stairs up to Castle View. Then one day, after catching her breath and hearing the shouts of kids on the playground below, a stranger calls to her. There on a bench sits a man in black jeans, a black coat, and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top. On his head is a small, neat black hat. The time will come when Gwendy has nightmares about that hat… Read more and sample the audio.

8. Nightmares & Dreamscapes by Stephen King, narrated by Various Readers

Featuring twenty short horror stories, a television script, an essay, and a poem, Nightmares and Dreamscapes contains unique and chilling plots including everything from dead rock star zombies to evil toys seeking murderous revenge. Read more and sample the audio.

9. Everything’s Eventual by Stephen King, narrated by Various Readers

Enter a nightmarish mindscape of unrelenting horror and shocking revelations that could only come from the imagination of the greatest storyteller of our time. Read more and sample the audio.

10. Skeleton Crew by Stephen King, narrated by Dylan Baker, Stephen King, Will Patton, Michael C. Hall, Dana Ivey, Lois Smith, David Morse, Matthew Broderick, Paul Giamatti, Frances Sternhagen, Robert Petkoff, Norbert Leo Butz, Kyle Beltran

In this brilliant collection of stories, Stephen King takes readers down paths that only he could imagine. A supermarket becomes the place where humanity makes its last stand against destruction. A trip to the attic becomes a journey to hell. A woman driver finds a scary shortcut to paradise. An idyllic lake harbors a bottomless evil. And a desert island is the scene of the most terrifying struggle for survival ever waged. Read more and sample the audio.

11. Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King, narrated by Dylan Baker, Stephen King, Peter Friedman

A master storyteller at his best—the O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King delivers a generous collection of stories, several of them brand-new, featuring revelatory autobiographical comments on when, why, and how he came to write (or rewrite) each story. Read more and sample the audio.

12. Different Seasons by Stephen King, narrated by Frank Muller

A “hypnotic” (The New York Times Book Review) collection of four novellas from Stephen King bound together by the changing of seasons, each taking on the theme of a journey with strikingly different tones and characters. Read more and sample the audio.

Tag Archives: audio

A Sneak Peek at the Set of A Discovery of Witches

Page to Screen: Stephen King’s Castle Rock

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