Speaking of Audiobooks: November Releases
After our Speaking of Audiobooks discussion earlier this month on our preferred listening devices, I made out my Christmas list and it is simply – one MP3 player with lots of memory and the ability to play the enhanced format I’ve been hearing about lately. So notice to family…pool you money. I’ll be thrilled with just this one gift and my wish is for it to have at least 16 GB of memory.
The search for upcoming audiobooks gets more interesting every day (or should I say more challenging). Although I compile a list of upcoming audiobooks each month for this mid-month column, many books fail to make that list and the reason is quite clear. Audible, the largest source of romance audiobooks, doesn’t provide a comprehensive list of their upcoming releases.
Our list of upcoming October audiobook releases was small with a total of 10 books in the unabridged category. However, as of today, Audible has released another 27 romance audiobooks in October that failed to make our upcoming release list because we simply had no notice. To make up for this lack of notification, we will now update each current month’s list at the time of this mid-month new releases column. For example, this column provides you with an upcoming list of 10 abridged titles and 20 unabridged titles scheduled for release in November. In addition, our October list of releases has now updated and the number of unabridged titles has increased from 10 to 37. I’m determined to find a way around this lack of information so we can keep romance audiobook fans up to date on the latest offerings.
I still love my morning visits to Audible where several times a month I find a jewel of a new release I am anxious to buy. I felt such a rush when I saw Anne Stuart’s Black Ice appear seemingly out of nowhere earlier this month. And then there was Stephanie Laurens’ popular Devil’s Bride – one of my cassette tape collection I had yet to find affordably in any other format (the one used CD copy I found was $99.95). I must admit that despite my aggravation with the lack of reliable new release lists, the hunt is still a great deal of fun.
Leftovers from October
Here are just a few of the gems you can find on our updated New Releases for October list.
Kenyon, Sherrilyn – Born of Night: A League Novel
Laurens, Stephanie – All About Passion
Laurens, Stephanie – Devil’s Bride
McCarty, Sarah, Tucker’s Claim
Stuart, Anne – Black Ice
Stuart, Anne – Cold as Ice
Audiobook Romances on Sale in November
Abridged
Brown, Sandra – Where There’s Smoke
Feehan, Christine – Wild Rain
Garwood, Julie – The Bride
Howard, Linda – Son of the Morning
Lowell, Elizabeth – Enchanted
Michaels, Fern – Sisterhood CD Collection 3: Free Fall, Hide & Seek, Hokus Pokus
Michaels, Fern – Whitefire
Robb, J.D. – Divided in Death
Robb, J.D. – Kindred in Death
Roberts, Nora – Northern Lights
Unabridged
Birmingham. Stephen – The Auerbach Will
Birmingham, Stephen – The LeBaron Secret
Birmingham, Stephen – Shades of Fortune
Brown, Sandra – Rainwater
Brown, Sandra – Where There’s Smoke
Dodd, Christina – Just the Way You Are
Feehan, Christine – Wild Rain
Garwood, Julie – The Bride
Howard, Linda – Ice: A Novel
Howard, Linda – Son of the Morning
Jacobs, Kate – Knit the Season: A Friday Night Knitting Club Novel
Lindsey, Johanna – Home for the Holidays
Macomber, Debbie – Fairy Tale Weddings
Macomber, Debbie – Mrs. Miracle
Michaels, Fern – Whitefire
Robb, J.D. – Kindred in Death
Robb, J.D. – Missing in Death
Roberts, Nora – All I Want for Christmas
Roberts, Nora – The Last Honest Woman
Sands, Lindsay – Tall, Dark & Hungry
Recent Additions to My Audio Library
I took advantage of a member’s sale last week at Audible so my audio library has grown a little more than usual this past month.
Black Ice – Anne Stuart
I’ve been waiting for this one – it took my breath away when I first read it four years ago. When has there ever been a hero quite like Bastian? The sound sample is promising although I have not yet listened to narrator Jennifer Van Dyck.
Shades of Twilight – Linda Howard
Narrator Natalie Ross has proven a success for me in one previous Howard audio experience and a failure in a second. I’m having faith that she’ll carry through on this one, especially after hearing a fellow audio lover praise her narration of this particular book. There are a number of this author’s books I have favored more highly but it is still the classic Howard 1990s style and I’m a sucker for it nearly every time.
Seduce Me at Sunrise – Lisa Kleypas
My favorite of the Hathaway books, I’m eager to visit Win and Kev again – this time in audio. The sound sample provides a glimpse of both the hero and heroine’s voices which are pleasantly distinguishable – one of my personal requirements for a successful listening experience. Ms. Landor also narrates the other two books in this series to date, Mine Till Midnight and Tempt Me at Twilight.
It Had to Be You – Susan Elizabeth Phillips
One of my favorite audiobooks (and one of my favorite contemporaries), I own It Had to Be You on cassette tape and I’m attempting to replace those audiobooks if I can find an affordable alternative. At Audible’s latest member’s sale, I was able to grab this one for $11.47. Thanks again Diana!
Rendevous – Amanda Quick
I’m taking a chance on this one. I was only mildly interested in the one Amada Quick book I read previously. I enjoyed Anne Flosnik’s narration of Mary Balogh’s Huxtable series and hope that her narration, in combination with the book’s favorable reviews, will prove to be a winning formula.
Now for your thoughts
What new releases are you looking forward to?
Do you know of any November releases that failed to make this list?
What are the latest additions to your audio library?
What are your latest audio successes or failures?
Ending Notes
Our next Speaking of Audiobooks column scheduled for November 9th will be dedicated to the first four books of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Please join us for a discussion of this most loved collection of audiobooks.
For those new to our Speaking of Audiobooks column, be sure to check out our audio archives for further recommendations and discussions.
See you again in November
– Lea Hensley