In Mitch Albom’s latest audiobook, residents in a small town start receiving unexplained phone calls from deceased relatives. The communications inspire Sully Harding to investigate for answers. The author narrates the ensuing confusion and controversy, as well as the varying viewpoints of those who believe in the messages from the dead and those who don’t. Albom portrays each individual’s reaction with genuine compassion. Amid the excitement and bewilderment, he’s still able to keep Harding’s voice familiar and deferential. Albom uses a soothing, quiet voice—fitting and purposeful—for each phone call from the unknown. Sound effects such as a phone ringing, a doorbell, and a sudden knocking sound are all effective in achieving such a thought-provoking and inspiring story. D.Z. 2015 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
The use of ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) in book titles in certainly nothing new— think of books like The Fourth Turning, by Strauss and Howe, The Fifth Discipline, by Peter M. Senge, Seventh Son, by Orson Scott Card, and The 19th Wife, by David Ebershoff—but this year, I’ve seen a remarkable increase in […]
Fall is always an exciting season for book lovers—and not just because you get to enjoy pumpkin spice everything while you’re reading. Fancy-pants literary fiction, page-turning thrillers, heartbreaking memoirs—there’s always a glut of great new stuff from September to November. But Fall 2013 is an almost bizarrely amazing time for book nerds (check out our […]
Back in June, we solicited summer reading recommendations from some literary peeps in the know. Now, a new slew of characters has come forward to offer their picks for the holiday gift-giving season. Here are the titles at the top of their lists: Tess Durbeyfield recommends Orange is the New Black. Tess loves this memoir by Piper Kerman for its balance of humor […]