indicates that register. Considering the
subject matter, it’s no surprise he’s obliged
to do so frequently. (July)
Have a Nice Guilt Trip
Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella, read
by the authors. Macmillan Audio, unabridged,
six CDs, 6. 5 hrs., $29.99 ISBN 978-1-4272-
3293-9
This mother-daughter literary team
quip their way through life’s ups and downs
with witty, wisecracking humor in a series of delightfully random vignettes.
Scottoline declares that “someone has to
write about the simple things in life,” while
reminiscing about vapor rub and radiators
and obsessing over furniture arranging.
Love, marriages, and divorces provide the
predictable zingers of Scottoline’s contributions; her own mother, “Mother Mary,”
is lovingly portrayed as feisty and old-school; and their six dogs also inspire a
great deal of material. Scottoline covers
both the banalities of middle age (gray
hair, glasses, vitamins) and the sadness
suffered following the loss of a beloved
dog: “Life contains the bitter and the
sweet.” She sounds sincerely impassioned
about politics, women’s self-esteem, and
Hurricane Sandy. Serritella’s voice is crisp
and pleasant as she likens jury duty to high
school—a spot-on, funny analogy. She refers frequently to her boyfriend and her
dog Pip. Rollerblading and being a dog’s
stage mom call for Seritella’s lightness of
tone, while she becomes more intimate
about milestones, such as coping with the
reality of a newly married ex-boyfriend.
Lively, clever, and absolutely relatable, this
audio is a winner. A St. Martin’s hardcover.
(July)
Hard Choices
Hillary Rodham Clinton, read by the author
and Kathleen Chalfant. S&S Audio, unabridged,
21 CDs, 26 hrs., $59.99, ISBN 978-1-4423-6704-3
The once and possibly future Demo-
cratic presidential candidate looks back
on her adventures as Secretary of State in
this diplomatic memoir. Clinton identifies
and reflects upon the many choices that
defined her tenure as secretary of state, in-
cluding nuclear negotiations with Iran
and North Korea, the killing of Osama
bin Laden, the Arab Spring, and the attack
on the U.S. compound in Benghazi that
killed four Americans. Clinton narrates
parts of the audiobook, and, although her
voice is agreeable enough, her tone can be
confusing. It often feels as if she is smil-
ing or even laughing in her narration—
while the text warrants this sometimes, it
also feels more disruptive than enjoyable.
Chalfant does a solid job of keeping a
consistent and engaging tone throughout
much of the production, but feels differ-
ent enough from Clinton that it can feel a
bit disjointed for the listener. A Simon &
Schuster hardcover. (June)
★ James Madison:
A Life Reconsidered
Lynne Cheney, read by Eliza Foss. Penguin
Audio, unabridged, 15 CDs, 18. 5 hrs., $39.95,
ISBN 978-1-61176-278-5
Former Second Lady Cheney’s meticulously researched biography peels away
the myths and legends surrounding Madison, one of America’s Founding Fathers,
to reveal a brilliant, driven, complex, and
flawed human being. The book follows
Madison from his youth, through the
Revolutionary War, to the courtship of
his darling wife Dolly, to the presidency,
and beyond. Foss presents this rigorous
history with smooth eloquence. Her
pleasant voice and straightforward delivery complements Cheney’s authoritative
yet conversational prose. Foss’s steady
pacing enhances Cheney’s analysis, never
allowing the audiobook edition to fall
into monotony despite its large scope. A
Viking hardcover. (May)
David Foster Wallace:
His Own Words
David Foster Wallace, read by the author.
Hachette Audio, unabridged, eight CDs, nine
hrs., $35 ISBN 978-1-4789-0073-3
This collection of essays, speeches, and
interviews is a colorful reflection of the
late author’s work in the last 15 years of
his life. It includes some of his most fa-
mous later essays, such as “Consider the
Lobster” and “This Is the Water,” and the
interviews often provide some nuggets of
insight about Wallace, despite the fact that
they sometimes are of a promotional na-
ture. The entire collection, except for the
introduction, is as the title suggests, spo-
ken by Wallace himself. Some pieces were
captured in a studio and provide crisp and
clear sound that makes for an intimate ex-
perience compared to the pieces that were
recorded in front of an audience or with
an interviewing reporter. The studio re-
cordings are enjoyable because the focus is
often the written work of Foster, but the
interviews are equally compelling since
they flesh out the author in ways that the
writing cannot. Taken together, they pro-
vide the listener with a unique and en-
dearing understanding of Wallace. A Ha-
chette Audio original. (May)
The Hiltons: The True Story
of An American Dynasty
J. Randy Taraborrelli, read by Robert Petkoff.
Hachette Audio, unabridged, 16 CDs, 19. 5 hrs.
$35, ISBN 978-1-4789-2764-8
This detail-rich and substantial rags-to-riches history of the Hiltons makes for
a solid and engaging audiobook. Tarbor-relli traces Conrad Hilton’s rise to hotel
magnate, along with all the challenges,
scandals, and complex relationships that
accompanied his family through the decades. Stage actor Petkoff has a matter-of-fact delivery, with clear projection and restrained emotions. He keeps a steady pace
and can identify the proper emphasis of a
scene, but keeps a distance from the text,
allowing it to stand on its own. Occasionally, such as when the book quotes its
subjects, he draws out scenes with a more
deliberation for dramatic effect. He’s a
strong choice for this production, which
clocks it at nearly 20 hours, and will keep
listeners engaged through the end. (Apr.)
Children’s/YA
Noggin
John Corey Whaley, read by Kirby Heybourne.
S&S Audio, Unabridged, seven CDs, 8. 5 hrs.,
$29.99, ISBN 978-1-4423-6985-6
In Whaley’s novel , Travis Coates has
his head surgically removed and cryogeni-cally frozen after he dies of leukemia at
age 16. Five years after his death, technological advances allow doctors to attach
his head to a donor body that is taller and
more muscular than the original. Travis
awakens to restart life where he left off—
sophomore year—,but it has only been
five years, just long enough for everyone
in he knows to have moved on. His best
friend Kyle is struggling through college;
his former girlfriend Cate is engaged to
someone else. Heybourne masterfully cap-
