Here are the pertinent details about the audiobook:

Audiobook Publisher: Iambik Audiobooks

Narrator: Xe Sands

Audiobook Length: 9 hours and 58 seconds

If you haven’t listened to this audiobook and would like to, you can purchase a digital download for just $6.99. Through the end of today (5/3), you can also download the Kindle version of this book for free (this offer is no longer available) I thank the eBook for helping me spell some of the words I needed for my questions below. Thank you, Wolfsword Press!

The Silence of Trees Discussion Questions

Please feel to answer any of the questions that you’d like. Do not feel obligated to answer them all. If there is something you’d like to discuss that isn’t found in these questions, please do ask in the comments.

• Let’s talk first about the story itself. What were your overall impressions? Did you have a favorite passage or section? Was there anything that didn’t work as well for you?
• Nadya is an interesting character. She is forced to make many life-altering decisions alone and at an early age. How did you feel about the decisions she made after visiting the vorozhka? Had she made other decisions, how do you think her life would be different? Would it have been better?
• The customs, stories, and superstitions from Nadya’s life in the Ukraine are very important throughout the novel. I particularly loved the section about painting the pysanka.  Did you have a favorite custom or story from the book? Why is it that Nadya places importance on these stories and spirits such as the domovyk into her old age?
• When Nadya and Pavlo’s granddaughter announces that she’s dating a German man they are enraged and hurt. They raised their children in the traditions of the Ukraine and don’t understand why any family of theirs would want to be linked to someone whose grandparents murdered their families. How much do children and grandchildren owe those who have gone before them? Is there something to be said for carrying on family traditions for their own sake?
• Xe Sands narrates The Silence of Trees. How was your experience with her as narrator? Did her style and accents work well for you?
• Did any of the novel’s theme or scenes stay with you after you finished?
• Would you be interested in another listen-a-long? If so, is there anything I could do differently to make it a better experience?

Thanks to everyone who listened to this book with me. I am looking forward to the discussion!

Update: The comments will contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Published by: Simon & Schuster

Published on: June 2011

Page Count: 320

Genre: Urban Fiction

My Reading Format: Audiobook provided to me by the Tantor Audio for review for the Armchair Audies

Audiobook Published by: Tantor Audio

Narrator: Alan Bomar Jones

Audiobook Length: 8 hours

Available Formats: Hardcover, eBook, and Audiobook

My Review

Winslow Haircare Products is a family owned company. When their parents died in a terrible car crash, Cobi and Sissy Winslow stood to inherit the business as well as their parent’s assets. There is one catch. Cobi, an up and coming attorney, is gay. His adoptive father never approved of his lifestyle. Before his death, he amended his will to require that Cobi be married before he reaches a certain age. Cobi reaches that age within a few short weeks. Winslow Haircare Products are in danger of a take over, so it is vital that Cobi marries to secure the Winslow family’s position. Cobi may not be out of the closet, per se, but he is proud of who he is. He is resistant to the idea, but Sissy insists. She is a natural businesswoman and born leader. She worked side by side with her father, but her position as the head of the company is tenuous. To head her father’s company, she must ensure that Cobi inherits his portion of the estate. When Sissy sets her mind to something, she gets it done and brooks no arguments along the way. On top of his worries about being untrue to himself, Cobi has another shock come his way. It seems that he had an identical twin brother out there somewhere. His parents simply wanted only two children, so his twin remained in foster care. Cobi desperately wants to find him. While Cobi is searching for Eric Reed, Sissy is searching for a suitable wife. Unfortunately, things may not work out as either plans.

No One in the World was written jointly by E. Lynn Harris and R. M. Johnson. I am not familiar with their previous work, but based upon R. M. Johnson’s introduction, Harris was a writer he admired. Harris died at the age of 54 in 2009 and Johnson is clearly proud of their collaboration. This novel has two main themes: living as a gay African American man and living with and without privilege. The combination of these two themes was interesting. Cobi may have grown up with all a child could ever want, but he never had the love and acceptance of his father, who found his homosexuality more than distasteful. It wasn’t just his father’s will and the financial status of Winslow Haircare Products that continue to make it impossible for Cobi to live his life openly after his parents pass away. He is a rising legal star with future political aspirations and his partner, also in politics, is a married man. There was nothing easy about Cobi’s life on Easy Street. Eric may not have had the advantages that Cobi had, but he doesn’t have the secrets. He is who he is. While he may wish he were a better man in some cases, his actions have been motivated by the love of his daughter. The way that these two men who entered life together fit after being reunited is rather interesting.

The key female characters in this novel are also an interesting contrast. Sissy grew up under the tutelage of a powerful businessman. From the little we met of Cobi and Sissy’s father, Sissy looked up to him and patterned her career after his. She is not untouched by the current economic downturn. While Winslow Haircare’s products are a mainstay in the African American community, that is exactly why large companies are interested in consuming them into their brand. After her father died, Sissy expected to step into his role and continue his work. Worried about the future, the board made her position temporary. She had to prove herself as a leader. Sissy is nothing if not up to the challenge. She is also accustomed to getting her way. As such, she expects people to agree with her opinions and to bow down to her will. In many ways, Sissy is downright predatory in her search for Cobi’s “wife.” Austen Greer, one such potential wife, worked hard to make a career in real estate a success. She had much to be proud of. She had made a name for herself without anyone’s help. Unfortunately, the niche she carved for herself in the upscale market has dried up in the economy and she didn’t have a safety net. The combination of Austen’s self-made woman and Sissy’s haughtiness caused a great deal of friction.

Alan Bomar Jones narrated No One in the World. He has a deep, rich voice with some wonderful qualities. His work shines when the characters are in the thick of an especially emotional situation. When they are mad, excited, scared, or simply on the move, he kept me in the moment. He also distinguished the major male and female characters well. When there wasn’t a lot of action or dialog, Jones’ narration felt impatient to me, as if he was doing his best not to rush ahead. This was most noticeable for me during scenes when Cobi was soul searching. I may not have been blown away by his performance, I did enjoy it.

I did have issues with this novel. While by her very nature Sissy is abrasive, her character did not live up to her potential. Because she was never anything more than a way to keep the conflict with the inheritance alive, her character grated on my nerves. My research prepared me for the explicit sex, but its frequency seemed gratuitous at times. By far the most important issue I had with this novel was the ending. There was a great deal of time and attention given within the story to building up to the crisis that will utterly change the Cobi and Eric’s lives. To have it all finish in the course of what seemed like just a few minutes left me unsatisfied. A major decision seemed to have come from out of nowhere. The decision itself couldn’t be considered entirely out of character, but the rashness of that decision certainly was. There’s room for a sequel, but I would have preferred that more time had been devoted to make this novel stand alone more fully.

No One in the World is a fast paced novel that provides insight into the unique difficulties of being a gay man in the African American community. Frequent readers of Literate Housewife already know that Urban Fiction isn’t something I typically read. I can’t compare No One in the World to other books in its genre, but I thought the book was interesting. While I don’t foresee Urban Fiction becoming a mainstay, I liked that the the Audie awards prompted me to experiment.

The votes are in. When the poll closed at the end of the day Saturday, a total of 1626 votes were cast. I had a great time checking in on the poll as it progressed. When the poll closed, the following gentlemen had the most votes overall:

Peter Berkrot

Phil Gigante

Robin Sachs

Simon Vance

Oliver Wyman

Congratulations to these wonderful narrators and to all of the narrators included in the poll. Your fans love and support you all!

Thanks to each and every one of you for your votes and support. I hope you’ll be just as excited about what I make out of the Listener’s List.

If you are new to the Listener’s List polls, keep reading for more information about the Listener’s List. If you’re an old pro, feel free to skip to the voting.

About the Listener’s List

When I posted my thoughts on Audible’s A-List Collection of audiobooks and countered that listeners are best able to determine who the star narrators are for new listeners, the response was incredible. Through comments here and on Twitter, we certainly amassed a wonderful list of close to 100 narrators who make listening to audiobooks a true pleasure.

Lists are nice and I’m glad to have a permanent record of most of them recorded on my blog.
Still, I think the Listener’s List deserves something more. Over the next couple of months, I’m planning on creating a home for the list. I’ve got many ideas flying around inside my head and I hope to at least actualize at least a few of them. Here is where I need your help.

You so graciously shared your favorite narrators. Over time, I want to officially highlight them all. When taken as a whole, the task is daunting. I need a place to start. Tanya from dog eared copy suggested that I create a poll and have audiobook fans vote on the the first narrators highlighted on the Listener’s List. I thought this was a brilliant idea. In order to make this manageable, I’ve compiled a Listener’s List poll for both male and female narrators. Once the votes have been tallied, I will highlight the top five from each list when the Listener’s List officially goes live.

Once again, I am excited and energized by your enthusiasm. By supporting those people who make our favorite audiobooks a compelling adventure, I know we’re supporting the vitality of the audiobook community as a whole. Long live audiobooks!

The votes are in. When the poll closed at the end of the day Saturday, a total of 723 votes were cast. It was a tight race and I had a great time checking in from time to time. As  the poll closed, the following ladies had the most votes overall:

Tavia Gilbert

Khristine Hvam

Katherine Kellgren

Davina Porter

Kate Rudd

Congratulations to these wonderful narrators and to all of the narrators included in the poll. Your fans love and support you all!

Now that half of narrators have been selected for the Listener’s List kick off, I’m excited to get started. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to vote for your favorite male narrators. If you have any suggestions for what you’d like to see on each narrator’s page, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Lists are nice and I’m glad to have a permanent record of most of them recorded on my blog. Still, I think the Listener’s List deserves something more. Over the next couple of months, I’m planning on creating a home for the list. I’ve got many ideas flying around inside my head and I hope to at least actualize at least a few of them. Here is where I need your help.

You so graciously shared your favorite narrators. Over time, I want to officially highlight them all. When taken as a whole, the task is daunting. I need a place to start. Tanya from dog eared copy suggested that I create a poll and have audiobook fans vote on the the first narrators highlighted on the Listener’s List. I thought this was a brilliant idea. In order to make this manageable, I’ve compiled a Listener’s List poll for both male and female narrators. Once the votes have been tallied, I will highlight the top five from each list when the Listener’s List officially goes live.

Let’s kick this off with the ladies! Each of the female narrators who have been nominated by at least one listener are displayed in the poll below in alphabetical order. Between now and 11:59pm EST on Saturday, cast your vote for up to five of these fine narrators. The men’s poll will follow next week.

I very much appreciate your enthusiasm. By supporting those people who make our favorite audiobooks a compelling adventure, I know we’re supporting the vitality of the audiobook community as a whole. Long live audiobooks!

Published by: Harper

Published on: June 2011

Page Count: 388

Genre: Literary Fiction

My Reading Format: Audiobook rented from my local public library.

Audiobook Published by: Harper Audio

Narrator: Hope Davis

Audiobook Length: 12 hours 25 minutes

Available Formats: Hardcover, eBook, and Audiobook

Armchair Audies Category: Literary Fiction

My Review

Ann Patchett’s latest novel tells the story of Marina Singh, a pharmacologist in her mid 30s who came to her profession by way of an accident that occurred during her OB/GYN residency. Marina is happily working for Vogel, a pharmaceutical company, when she receives news that her coworker, Dr. Anders Eckman died in the Brazilian rain forest while on a mission to discover the status of the fertility project Dr. Swenson has been developing there for Vogel. Mr. Fox, Marina’s employer and lover, asks Marina to go to the jungle to bring back information about the deceased Dr. Eckman as well as to get check up on Dr. Swenson’s project. What Mr. Fox does not know is that Dr. Swenson the physician who taught Marina everything she knew about obstetrics and gynecology. It is not without trepidation that Marina makes the journey to Dr. Swenson and the Lakashi people. It is an understatement to say that Dr. Swenson intimidates Marina. This trip into the unknown forces Marina to confront all of her ghosts.

Not since The Emperor’s Children have I been as irritated by a reading experience as I was with State of Wonder. Whereas I considered The Emperor’s Children death by character development, State of Wonder was death by whining psychoanalysis. Spending time with Marina continually grated on my nerves. When she wasn’t rehashing the effects of the malaria drug she had to take in order to travel, she was over analyzing herself and others. With each mention of Dr. Swenson’s name came a fresh batch of anxiety. Had the book been half the length, this wouldn’t have had the chance to fester within me the way that it did. I kept hoping that when Marina finally came into contact with Dr. Swenson that the crisis as such would be over. I’d hoped that she would be able to let go of her own issues and focus on the tasks at hand. Not so. Even Dr. Swenson herself commented on how Marina focused on the minute details of unimportant things. On Marina’s first night at Dr. Swenson’s camp, it was so bad that when her thought processes finally slowed down so that she could fall asleep I applauded. Alas, the celebration was short lived. She immediately had a dream. Sigh.

State of Wonder is nominated for an Audie award in the Literary Fiction category. It is for this reason that I finally read the novel and it is for this reason that I finished it. Had I attempted to read this book in print, I very much doubt I would have made it to Marina’s flight to Brazil. For someone as intelligent as Marina, she never seemed to have any confidence in her own abilities. She virtually appointed Dr. Swenson guardianship of her self-worth. This intensified after her last experience as an OB/GYN resident. At the age of 35, Marina very much needed her experience in the jungle to force her to live life instead of beiing afflicted by it.

State of Wonder did start to pick up once Marina got to the camp. She met and bonded with Easter, the 10-year-old deaf boy from another tribe who helped Dr. Swenson. He was a character I could finally embrace. Also, I found Dr. Swenson more tolerable than I had expected her to be given Marina’s extensive inner dialog leading up to her arrival in Manaus. I did find it appropriate that it was the doctors from Michigan who gave me my only chuckle. It was nice to finally be able to experience the world within this novel outside of Marina’s head.

State of Wonder was my first experience with Hope Davis’ narration. While I wish I had an overall better experience, I very much credit her with making it possible for me to finish the book. Although she did use some voice differentiation, she kept the characters distinct mainly through tone and attitude. I didn’t notice this at much at first when Marina and Dr. Eckman’s wife Karen were in conversation, but it was readily apparent once Dr. Swenson arrived on scene. While I wanted to wish the story swiftly to its end many times, her pacing was consistent and appropriate to the story throughout. I hope to one day get a chance to experience her work with a book I enjoy.

There were many times that I actually despised State of Wonder. I wanted out of Marina’s head and I wanted a grown woman to stop calling her peers – not to mention her lover – by their given names. I didn’t want to slap Marina, I just wanted to walk away and be done with her. I do think that my impatience with Marina’s stemmed from being able to see something of myself in her. I am a pleaser as well and have given many other people the keys to my happiness. Seeing what that type of thought process looks like is not pretty, especially when belonging to a professional 35-year-old woman. In the end, I did not hate this book. As I reached the very last disc, I stopped regretting not DNFing the book six discs ago. The story finally meant something to me and I was grateful. It was by no means a resounding “Hooray!”, but State of Wonder did provide a small pay off for my perseverance.

Published by: Gallery Books

Published on: August 2011

Page Count: 384

Genre: Women’s Fiction

My Reading Format: Audiobook review copy sent to me by the narrator

Audiobook Published by: Tantor Audio

Narrator: Xe Sands

Audiobook Length: 7 hours 22 minutes

Available Formats: Paperback, eBook, and Audiobook

My Review

Angelina nearly has a charmed life. She and her husband Frank may not have much, but they are deeply in love. They have a strong network of community and Frank’s family. Angelina has lost her family, but her in-laws have taken her into their hearts as their own. Even charmed lives, however, are fragile. They didn’t yet have the children they wanted to have when, so much earlier than would seem possible, Frank passes away in the night of a heart attack. Angelina is hit a double blow when, just after the funeral, she learns that the company she works for is going out of business. Without her husband or a job, Angelina was at a loss. In a frantic fit of grief, Angelina spends an entire night cooking everything edible in her house. In sending out the excess food to friends and family, a chain of events is set into motion that leads Angelina to her destiny.

Angelina’s Bachelors is a sweet story. Angelina is a charming, genuinely nice heroine who, in her mourning, stumbles into her future with an open mind. Her natural cooking abilities enable her to nourish single men in her neighborhood. They, in turn, nourish her spirit. Sometimes it is refreshing to visit a world that is at its heart simply nice. It left me with a warm feeling each time I listened. As the novel progressed, some fairly predictable conflicts arose, but the way in which they were addressed were typically satisfying. There was one instance, however, where the resolution, even with its Catholic twist, was a touch too Roma Downey for my taste. The first half of the novel was stronger for me for this reason. Still, it didn’t dampen my opinion of the audiobook because I didn’t pop it into my car stereo to be challenged. I chose to read it when I did because I wanted a comfort read and Brian O’Reilly delivered exactly the type of read I wanted.

Brian O’Reilly is an Executive Producer for Dinner: Impossible on the Food Network and it shows. Angelina’s Bachelors is full of good food and Xe Sands brought out even more flavor. I am no foodie.  In print I normally skip over descriptions of food. In fact, I’ve yet to check out the recipes included on the first disc of the audiobook. The way in which she narrated Angelina’s menus, however, kept me interested, entertained, and left me hungry. Listening to this audiobook while eating your lunch can make even the most incredible sandwich taste not just ordinary, but kind of soggy. Outside of the food, Xe Sands did a good job of bringing Angelina, her bachelors, and their Philadelphia neighborhood to life through voice differentiation and tone. Having also listened to her narrate Fire and Ice, it was interesting to compare her approach to two very different types of spicy reading.

After reading some tough novels at the start of the year, Angelina’s Bachelors was like drinking a rich cup of hot chocolate on a crisp winter day. Despite the little issues that niggled at me, I appreciated this novel for just what it was, a heartwarming tale of a close knit Italian Catholic neighborhood and family creatively dealing with an unexpected loss. I recommend this novel to anyone who needs a little hug in their day.

Since the Armchair Audies were announced, I’ve listened to three titles: The Mark of Zorro, No One in the World, and State of Wonder. Zorro is from the Audio Drama category. The other two novels are from the Literary Fiction category. I have not had the opportunity to write my reviews. I hope to get them into the next couple of recap posts. I’m currently listening to my third Literary Fiction title, Emily and Einstein.

Other participants have been not only listening but reviewing as well. The links below list the Armchair Audies reviews I found as of April 1st. If you reviewed an Armchair Audies title that isn’t mentioned below, please let me know and I’ll add it to the next weekly recap.

Audio Drama

Tanya from dog eared copy reviewed The Mark of Zorro.

Fantasy

Bob from The Guilded Earlobe reviewed The Land of Laughs and Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures.

Narration by Author or Authors

Melanie from Overreader reviewed Stories I Only Tell My Friends.

Teens

Melanie from Overreader reviewed Chime.

Thriller/Suspense

Squeak from Alaskan Bookie reviewed Silent Scream and Adrenaline.

Interested in the project? There is also plenty of time for you to join if you’d like. Check out the official page for the details. We’d love to have you!

I’ve made the mistake of jumping on an audiobook simply because it was narrated by a Hollywood actor I happen to find quite attractive. I wish I could tell you exactly how long my love affair with this hunky Hollywood actor’s audiobook lasted. Suffice to say I’ve only DNFd one audiobook faster. This person proved not to be a narrator at all. He did little more than read the book out loud. Because the anticipation was so great, the disappointment was that much worse.

One could say that my opinion of the Hollywood actor’s performance – if it can in fact be called a performance – was colored by the audiobook that preceded it, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Having now read many Simon Vance audiobooks, I know just how high he sets the bar. Still, comparing my experience with Hollywood man to the experience provided by a true narrating professional opened my eyes. I understood, as much as someone who is neither an actor or an audiobook professional can, that narrating an audiobook isn’t the same as acting. I am sure that the skills and gifts vital for each career overlap and intertwine. I’ve often heard that a background in theater can lend itself well to audiobook narration. For myself, I’ve discovered that Alan Cumming and Dan Stevens are very talented both as actors and as audiobook narrators. That doesn’t change the fact that narrating is an art unto itself. Being an A-List movie star does not automatically make you an A-List audiobook narrator anymore than being a one hit wonder automatically makes you the King of Pop.

I probably would still be contentedly in my own little Armchair Audies sector of the audiobook universe right now if it weren’t for a quote I read in Listen Up from Audible’s Donald Katz (emphasis mine):

“Audible has consistently sought to elevate the quality of audiobook narration, and we hope this collection will expose an even broader audience to the rich palette of performances that makes listening to audiobooks so pleasurable.”

I love audiobooks and hope that in some small way I am an evangelist for this art and medium. I also love banding together with others for the love of audiobooks because there is a vast expanse of greatness out there and I alone will never do more than scratch the surface. The use of big name celebrities to bring new listeners into the fold gives me reason to pause. Although my particular experience with a Hollywood narrator may not be typical, what if that had been my introduction to audiobooks? What if I hadn’t just had that come to Jesus audiobook epiphany with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo? If “Hollywood” was my first audiobook experience, it very well could have been my last. If that actor had been lauded as part of Audible’s “A-List,” you’re damn right it would have been.* If “the best” turned me off, what else would there be to keep me?

I haven’t heard much about these of audiobooks on the ground since the first four in the collection were released, but Bob Reiss from The Guilded Earlobe published his review of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Anne Hathaway’s performance this week. For all the audiobook newbies out there considering one of these titles, I truly hope that each and every one of them will be just as well received. It is often difficult enough to overcome the bias against audiobooks that says that listening to them isn’t “really reading.” I can guarantee that having that same discussion with a person who has given the “A-List” a spin and has been left wanting will be downright brutal.

I’m certain that Audible intended no disrespect when developing the name “A-List Collection” for this project, but I wonder if they see the impression that this might give? I like these actors a great deal. I wish their audiobooks success, but will they continue to narrate audiobooks after this campaign? What does this say to those hardworking, dedicated and gifted narrators who make audiobooks a reading experience like no other when a novelty act, no matter how talented, is given top billing? What does this say to up and coming narrators? Must one have a blockbuster Hollywood movie under one’s belt before truly making it in the audiobook world? Here’s the thing: those narrators called “A-List” by Audible are not the ones who will have me tripping over my feet to spend my credits or to drop additional audiobook dollars. I know who my best of the best are and it is for them and because of them that I will keep coming back for more audiobooks.

So who are the actual A-List narrators? Which narrators makes you count the days, tapping your toes with impatience, until your next Audible credits materialize (I know I’m not alone in doing this!)? For which narrators would you gladly forego groceries and clean clothes when necessary? Who makes you hunt down your local librarian and demand to be moved to the top of the waiting list because, for the love of all things holy, you must listen to [insert narrator's name here] read [insert name of new awesome book here]?

Audiobook lovers have a vested interest in the health and success of the audiobook industry. Why not create a listener’s list of outstanding audiobook narrators? Who better than us to provide guidance to new listeners? After all, we once were them.

* For the record, the Hollywood actor I mention in this post is not one of the actors currently listed in Audible’s A-List Collection. That he isn’t is a very good thing.