I must admit to wishy-washy feelings about the upcoming authorized sequel to the iconic A. A. Milne / E. H. Shepard Pooh books. I still have my treasured copies of the series, proudly marked as “Mary’s Property” in clumsy four-year-old lettering on the flyleaf. I had memorized multiple poems from Now We are Six long before my sixth birthday. And my pre-Disney stuffed Pooh & Eeyore are still in my bedroom. Publishers Weekly has this scoop with an interview that reveals the connection between David Benedictus, the Pooh Properties Trust’s selected author, and audiobooks. Although Benedictus has never written a children’s book, he did write the audiobook adaptations of the original Pooh books which required the approval of the Trustees of the Pooh Properties. I will put my gloomy reaction to the Return to the Hundred Acre Wood on hold until I give a listen to Benedictus’ audiobook dramatizations for Hodder Audio that includes narration by Steven Fry and Judi Dench.

Act fast! The FREE e-book download of John Flanagan’s The Ruins of Gorlan is only available until February 15th. And don’t miss the awesome audiobooks of the Ranger’s Apprentice series from Recorded Books, narrated by John Keating.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for producing this fabulous behind-the-scene video look at the creation of the Dune audiobook series. You’ll see and hear master narrators Scott Brick, Katherine Kellgren, Euan Morton, and Simon Vance reflect on the honor of translating Herbert’s classic science fiction novels to the audio medium.  Paul Goodrich and Scott Sherratt demonstrate the post-production care that has resulted in multiple honors and awards for the thirteen audiobooks, including a place on Booklist’s Top 10 SF/Fantasy Audiobooks 2008 list. You’ll even see Frank Herbert’s personal Dune glossary notes showing the phonetic pronunciation of the language, carefully recreated by each narrator. I especially like the insider’s glimpse into Dune’s theater-style recording session, showing actors reacting to each other as they speak the dialogue. Enjoy!.

Coming soon to a media player near you… Text Synchronized Audiobooks

What’s a Text Synchronized Audiobook? An audiobook that is synced to a page view or scrolling text on a display screen. Members of the Librivox community, those who voluntarily record public domain books for free download, have discussed methods of adding text to audio in a Librivox Forum thread titled Suggestion: synchronized audio/text. Read this description of Phil Shapiro’s Text Synchronized Audiobook literacy mashup project using Maria Uther’s LibriVox recording of Helen Keller’s The Story of My Life, and see (and hear!) a demo here. Interesting first steps.

Tantor Media publishes a large number of audiobook Classics + eBook titles that include the audio on CD or MP3 disc, with the entire book included on disc as a PDF file - not a truly synchronized audiobook, but a package that combines a top-notch professional narration, such as the Booklist 2008 Editors’ Choice title Robinson Crusoe, with a text that can be read on any PDF-capable screen. The user then has the option of viewing the text file (and clicking the page turns) while listening to the audio - a do-it-yourself synchronization.

A new app for the iPhone is the iClassix, scrolling text public domain audiobooks available through iTunes for 99 cents each. Posted reviews of various titles range from Horrible! to Great! I want more! When I go to the app developer’s web site, I find this:

AppSessions LLC is a mobile application development company located in Rockville, Maryland. Established in the summer of 2008…

But when I click the web site’s link for information on their iPhone Audiobook Series, there is only a bad link. So here’s a quote from the iTunes blurb:

This great title is now available on the iScroll. iScroll is a Text Synchronized Audiobook (TSA) reader that enables you to experience you favorite audiobook in a whole new way. Choose to read, listen or both, its in your hands, literally.
Some key features include:
Continuous playback of all chapters
Scrolling text as audio is played
Font size adjust
Scroll speed adjust
Bookmark feature to start where it left off
We intend to produce quality products for your learning pleasure. We honor and appreciate any feedback from you to further enhance our products.
LANGUAGES: English REQUIREMENTS: Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch
Requires iPhone 2.2 Software Update

I’d love to hear from someone who has downloaded this app to learn more details!

Somehow I missed this over the holidays. Sexist? Yes. Funny? Oh yes. Note to spouse: iPhone for next birthday

I subscribe to LibraryThing’s Audiobook Forum where a recent thread started the coversation on “Longest Audios.” Mentioned in the thread are Ken Follet’s World Without End (45.5 hrs) and Pillars of the Earth (41 hrs), along with Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged (50 hours). I’m currious about your longest listen - leave a comment and we’ll see who wins the Golden Headphones award

My own personal record for a single title is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, clocking in at 29.5 hours. But I think those who have experienced the entire HP collection deserve special recognition for the 100+hours under the headphones! No wonder Jim Dale received the Audio Publisher’s Association’s first Hall of Fame award! Are you a Jim Dale fan? Click Jim Dale to see a nearly-one-hour video of the Master reading from the HP canon from Barnes & Noble Studio.

Have you seen the 2009 Booklist Editors’ Choice Media list? Editor Sue-Ellen Beauregard has a great list of the top titles of the year - including some of my personal favorites: One-Handed Catch, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!, Fairest, Elijah of Buxton, Curse of the Blue Tattoo, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - all on my Audiobooker’s Choice list. But I found a ton of audiobook titles to add to my listening list - ones that I have missed from 2008: Sun, Moon, Stars, Rain, Once upon a Time in the North, Miss Spitfire, Feathers, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. How did I overlook so many terrific-sounding titles? A clear indication of the So Many Audiobooks, So Little Time conundrum!

And there are two CDs for to buy for my new grandbaby: Yes to Running: Bill Harley Live and Beethoven’s Wig 4: Dance Along Symphonies. I LOVE both Bill Harley & the Beethoven’s Wig series - fondly remembered from my years on the Notable Children’s Recordings Committee!

Plus, I vow to listen to more adult audiobooks this year. At the top of my list: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Any recommendations of other great adult titles from the Editors’ Choice that should be on the listening list? Now, if only I could figure out how to listen in my sleep…

I find it very fitting that Brendan Fraser stars in the soon-to-be-released film of Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart (more here). He did the wonderful audiobook of Inkspell, the sequel to Inkheart:

Fraser’s audiobook narration of Funke’s Dragon Rider is also a personal favorite of mine:

Fascinating to learn that Funke wrote Inkheart’s character Mortimer Folchart with Fraser in mind - find out more here. Here’s a photo of the two together.
Too bad Lynn Redgrave isn’t in the Inkheart movie - she did the outstanding Inkheart audiobook!

Do you love these audiobook widgets from Random House/Listening Library? Just click the “+” to copy the code and add to your library website to catch the Jan. 23 movie release excitment! Need more Inkheart library swag? Check out this LibraryPalooza collection of loot!

The Association of American Publishers has created a terrific audiobook promotion tool: Get Caught Listening. Like the AAP’s Get Caught Reading promotion, the tools incorporate celebrity endorsements; free posters & graphics; and tips for teachers, librarians, and booksellers. I love the posters with Dr. Seuss’ Horton & LL Cool J! Here’s more from the website:

Recent studies have shown that one in every five American households listen to audiobooks. Get Caught Listening is a nationwide public service campaign intended to promote the joys of audiobook listening. The campaign will be produced by the Association of American Publishers and is expected to launch in June 2008. A brand extension of the nationwide public service Get Caught Reading campaign, Get Caught Listening communicates the pleasures of audiobook listening in all audio formats, and promotes the value of the medium as a beneficial learning tool supporting literacy and education.

The Get Caught Reading web site is visited by thousands of book lovers – booksellers, educators, and librarians from all around the world, with requests for posters to accompany grassroots reading campaigns across the globe. All Get Caught Listening PSAs are available for download and use at any event. Check them out!

May your 2009 be as calm and peaceful as the year below!

One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.