Joyce Saricks is Booklist's Audio Editor. In addition to overseeing audiobook coverage, she writes the column "At Leisure with Joyce Saricks." While listening to audiobooks, she enjoys her hobbies—cooking, walking, and traveling. Follow her on Twitter at @Booklist_Joyce.
Every time LibraryReads publishes a new list, we share the titles here on The Booklist Reader, along with links to Booklist reviews. (Click here to see the January 2018 print LibraryReads.) For those of you who prefer to listen rather than read, we also hunt down the producers of the audio versions and provide the ordering information below—a handy tool […]
LibraryReads has announced its top selections from 2017! For those of you who prefer to listen rather than to read, we now also hunt down the producers of the audio versions and provide the ordering information below—a handy tool for both personal listening and collection development. Below, this year’s LibraryReads favorites on audio, linked to their Booklist […]
The Recording Academy announced the 2018 Grammy Award nominees yesterday. This year’s Ed Sheeran snub shocked many, but an equal number of people may be surprised to hear that the Grammys honor audiobooks—but they have been recognized in the Spoken Word category since 1959. Often, these works include audiobooks written by celebrities and read by […]
Every time a new LibraryReads list is published, we share the titles here on The Booklist Reader, along with links to Booklist reviews. (Click here to see the November 2017 print LibraryReads.) For those of you who prefer to listen rather than read, we now also hunt down the producers of the audio versions and provide the ordering information below—a […]
Every time a new LibraryReads list is published, we share the titles here on The Booklist Reader, along with links to Booklist reviews. (Click here to see the October 2017 print LibraryReads.) For those of you who prefer to listen rather than read, we now also hunt down the producers of the audio versions and […]
For decades, I read almost no nonfiction. Although I was tempted occasionally, it was always a slog. Then I discovered audiobooks, and they opened up a whole new world world. Now, when I check out ALA’s Notable Books or Carnegie medalists, I’m more likely to have read the nonfiction than the fiction titles. The audiobook […]
Cold cases are hot in crime writing today. This subgenre that unites fans of historical mysteries with those who appreciate the scientific methods and tools—from cell phones to DNA—of contemporary crime stories. Here are some recommended titles on audio, linked to their Booklist reviews. Blacklight Blue, by Peter May, read by Simon Vance Enzo Macleod, […]
It is Poetry Month, and I have to confess that I’ve never really learned to appreciate poetry—at least not when I read it silently. Poetry, however, offers a new world of pleasures and opens up my imagination to an auditory play of cadence and words. In high school, I discovered stories in verse and plowed my way through Tennyson’s […]
Highlighting women from Supreme Court Justices to explorers to queens and more, books that celebrate women and their accomplishments abound, and many are also available on audio. Discover their stories while you commute, walk, shop, cook, or simply relax. Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin, by Jill Lepore, read by Robin Miles […]
At one million words and 61 hours, Alan Moore’s Jerusalem tops the list of longest audiobooks—but don’t let that dissuade you from listening to it. Narrator Simon Vance’s informed reading makes Moore’s hallucinogenic style and provocative ideas intelligible. But not every narrator has the skill and energy required to make a lengthy book exceptional listening. These narrators do. […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
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