Summer Shorts '14: Narrator Katherine Kellgren

Overreader News Flash: June is Audiobook Month! As I told y’all on Monday, I’m taking part in the Summer Shorts series of blog releases. Spoken Freely, a group of more than 40 professional narrators, has teamed with Going Public and Tantor Media to celebrate June is Audiobook Month (JIAM) by offering Summer Shorts ’14, an audio collection of poetry, short stories and essays. All proceeds from sales of the collection will go to ProLiteracy, a national literacy outreach and advocacy organization.

Throughout June 2014, 1-2 stories, poems and essays will be released online each day via Going Public, as well as on various author and book blogs. As a “Thank you!” to listeners, pieces will be available for free online listening on their day of release. As a bonus for those who purchase the full collection from Tantor Media in support of ProLiteracy, there are over 20 additional tracks only available via the compilation download.

Additionally, this week is Poetry Week, and I’ve been fortunate to have three narrators visiting Overreader with their poetry selections. Today Katherine Kellgren reads Lewis Carroll’s You Are Old, Father William. Everyone here knows how much I adore her work, so you can image how happy I am to share this exclusive & extremely fun reading. Plus, she was nice enough to answer a few of my questions.

First, a bit about the Katherine Kellgren:

KATHERINE KELLGREN has recorded over two hundred audiobooks. She is a multiple winner of the Audie Award (including three for Best Solo Narration – Female), and among her titles are five recipients of the American Library Association’s Odyssey Honor, as well as numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards, Publishers Weekly Listen Up Awards, and ForeWord Magazine’s Audiobook of the Year. She has been named a Voice of Choice by Booklist Magazine, and is on AudioFile Magazine’s list of Golden Voices. She is a graduate of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and lives in New York.

And now, my questions:

Mel: I’ve just glanced through my spreadsheets, and found at least 20 titles narrated by you, which leads to my first question: how are you so good? Or to be more specific, what training and experiences brought you to audiobook narration?

KK: Thanks for the kind words, Melanie! I feel that every book I work on is a learning experience, as audiobook narration always presents constant challenges. I'm trying to improve as a narrator with every project that I'm fortunate enough to be able to record, and that process, although challenging, is actually quite a lot of fun! In terms of training, I did a three year diploma course in acting at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), and there was a great focus on voice and dialect work there which has helped me when working in audiobooks.

Mel: Does working on a series differ from narrating stand-alone titles? Do you know from the outset that you will be revisiting Jacky Faber or the Incorrigibles or Lady Georgiana, and does that change your prep work?

KK: I approach series books pretty much the same way as stand-alone titles prep-wise, though when I'm recording a series I always make sure if possible to save a short sample of each one of the character voices in case they recur in subsequent books. I keep playlists of character voices from the different series I'm working on in my iTunes library and refer to them when characters pop up again. I have quite an odd assortment of hundreds of different voices in my iTunes library, so I make sure never to play my music on random shuffle, as you never know who might turn up...!

Mel: You could make quite the party game playlist for your fans: “who is Katy voicing now?” :) I know I’m not alone in being a listener who will follow you from project to project, leading me to new authors and different genres. Did you anticipate becoming a ‘brand’ within the audiobook industry? What about working with audiobooks has been a surprise to you?

KK: I would love to think of myself as a brand in the audiobook industry, because I think all narrators are or have the potential to be. I know I'll follow favorite narrators from author to author and genre to genre, and I'm truly touched if my work has helped to introduce listeners to new authors. As a child and teen, listening to audiobooks helped to introduce me to the work of some of my favorite authors, so if I can be a part of that process, it makes me happier than I can say!

Mel: Do you have favorites among your projects? Is there anything new or forthcoming you can tell us about? 

KK: I've never been able to pick a favorite among the books I've recorded, as each of them has been important to me in different ways. As for things forthcoming, I have a short story about Lady Georgie of HER ROYAL SPYNESS fame called MASKED BALL AT BROXLEY MANOR which I'm delighted to be reading, and two books coming up to record this summer that are also in series that I truly adore, one older and one new. Things are looking decidedly piratical for me in the next few months, as I'm set to record the second book in a new series for children called THE VERY NEARLY HONORABLE LEAGUE OF PIRATES. Swashbuckling, grog-swilling, timber-shivering (and a talking gargoyle to boot), what more could an excitable narrator like me desire? Also coming up is the final linear installment in L.A. Meyer's BLOODY JACK series, titled WILD ROVER NO MORE. To say that I'm excited and can't wait to see what happens to Jacky would be an understatement...!  

Mel: Oh you are DEFINITELY not alone with that excitement! I’m afraid I gasped when you said ‘final’ there – good thing there’s a new sea-going series for me to explore, if I’m no longer going to get my regular infusions of Kellgren-voiced Jacky stories.

Tell me about your poetry pick today, Lewis Carroll’s You Are Old, Father William from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I’ve loved it ever since my big brother first recited it to me when we were in grade school. I think he just wanted to kick me down stairs and pretend he was acting out the poem, but I still found it terribly funny. (Sadly for him, there were no stairs in our house.) Why did you choose it, and having read it so recently, do you often find yourself praising the muscular strength of your jaw?

KK: I've loved the poem since I was a child as well, and can remember various family members reciting it. You're right, lack of stairs in one's childhood home is a distinct advantage. I also have a delicious recording of Edith Evans reading it from the 1930's of which I'm rather fond. I shall spare you the further muscular exercise of my jaw, and simply conclude by saying to you and your kind readers:

I have answered five questions, and that is enough 

(I would bet), I won't give myself airs!

I don't think you can listen all day to such stuff,

I'll be off, 'fore you kick me downstairs!

****

Wasn’t that fun? Aren’t you delighted by her and jealous of me for getting to interview her? Now, go listen to the poem several times in a row, since it expires after just a day.

And if you were too late, no gnashing of teeth necessary – you get this recording and dozens more when you purchase the Summer Shorts ’14 collection, plus you’re helping out the great people at ProLiteracy.

Bonus Poetical Fun!

Head over to Beth Fish Reads today (6/13) to hear Carrington MacDuffie reading her Al's Boy.

Yesterday (6/12) I hope you didn't miss:

At AudioGals, Coleen Marlo reading Elizabeth Barrett Browning's How Do I Love Thee?, and

At Lakeside Musing, Amy Rubinate, Cassandra Campbell & Kathe Mazur reading Edna St. Vincent Millay's Sonnets 2, 4, 6 from Renascence & Other Poems.

Tomorrow (6/14) are two other blogs with two other narrators reading two other poems:

At Michael Stephen Daigle's blog, Diane Havens reads Walt Whitman's So Long, and

At Going Public, John Pruden reads James Whitcomb Riley's The Funny Little Fellow.

Acknowledgments
Summer Shorts '14 is made possible by the efforts of the Spoken Freely narrators and many others who donated their time and energy to bring it to fruition. Post-production, marketing support and publication provided by Tantor Media. Graphic design provided by f power design. Project coordination and executive production provided by Xe Sands. Nonprofit partnership coordination provided by Karen White. 

Armchair Audies 2014: Teens

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy YA audiobooks? (That's a rhetorical question. Of course I have.) That's why the Teen category for the Audies is generally full of delights for me. This year was no exception.

The nominees are:

As an Armchair Audies Judge (and total expert, in my own mind) I listened to all of these, and what a pleasure it was. Of course, even without the Audies, I'd have listened to 3 of these - I'm always, always going to listen to Katherine Kellgren's narration of LA Meyers, and given how intensely I loved hearing Code Name Verity, I had no doubts that I'd want to listen to Elizabeth Wein's next in the series, even with different voice talent. And as for Rainbow Rowell's books, well. I've been knows to read first, then listen, and to listen first, then read, but always to devour them in all formats.

So, not surprisingly, given my pre-ordained love of the other authors, the two new-to-me authors had my less-favorite audios in this year's slate. Noah Galvan's reading of Matthew Quick's novel embraces the quirkiness of some of the characters and is sensitive and affecting. W Morgan Sheppard's reading of Tom McNeal's novel showed me his facility with languages and accents and emotional temperature changes. Both were so good in many ways, but they didn't cross the line into exemplary.

Also very very good was Sasha Pick's reading of Elizabeth Wein's novel, fully capturing Rose's bravado and fear and heart, as well as the fragile emotions of her fellow concentration camp internees.

But, come on, it's Katherine Kellgren not only reading LA Meyer, but narrating Jacky's adventures in Spain, with gypsies, with painters, with soldiers. Accents and singing and bull-riding and letters from Jaimy and, honestly, with half a syllable from Kellgren I could tell you whether it's Higgins or Jacky or Goya speaking, which is a remarkable feat - after ten books I feel I know the recurring characters very well, and part of that is due to her portrayal of them.

So that's phenomenal, and y'all should listen to the whole series.

But first, listen to Rebecca Lowman and Sunil Malhotra's reading of Rainbow Rowell's novel, because your heart needs it. Your mind needs it. Your sense of nostalgia, and however much of you is a music lover, and a comics nerd, and a kid who once rode the bus; all of those parts of you need it. Lowman in particular basically mind-melded with the text, making Eleanor's portions of the novel intense and painful and beautiful and real. Malhotra is quite the idealized Park voice - so sweet and always with a smile somewhere, even when he is aching. The whole thing is magic, as is the novel, and my world, knowing this book and this audiobook are around. (I rave. So what? It's my blog and I can rave if I want to.)

So the Audie goes to Eleanor & Park. So should you.

Teen Books That Make Me Cry

(That's not the fairest of titles, given that a million things make me cry. I'm a cry-reader. Emotions! Bring me all the emotions!)

One of the reasons I picked the Teens category for the Armchair Audies project is that I'd already devoured a few of the titles, and looked forward to a chance to revisit them and discuss them here. Plus, I've done it for the past couple of years, and have predicted correctly each time (it's a tiny triumph, but I like it.) So now I'm going to visit a couple of nominees which are parts of series. Both of these books are wonderful and more than deserve their nominations.

First up is LA Meyer's Viva Jacquelina! (Listen & Live Audio, 2012), narrated by Katherine Kellgren. You may recognize her name because I've mentioned her here more often than almost any other narrator (she might actually - gasp! - beat Simon Vance in the I-just-made-this-up Overreader Tag War by the time these Audies are awarded.) She's consistenly had books in the running for Audies Teen category, and has won, and you can listen to any of Meyer's Bloody Jack series to find out why. For the uninitiated, Mary "Jacky" Faber was a London orphan who dressed like a boy to join the navy and escape street gangs, and who subsequently has sailed around the world making a name (or many names, Jaquelina being the latest of them) as sailor, owner of a shipping line, benefactor of an orphanage, spy, temporary buddy of Napoleon, diver for sunken treasure, stage performer, smuggler of slaves to freedom, and always devoted friend to many world-wide. Her heart belongs to Jaimy Fletcher, but Jaimy's in the Navy, and while he and Jacky often end up in hot water, they are rarely in the same waters. (That's the main reason this book made me cry.) There's adventure and treachery and danger and singing and accents and, in this 10th book in the series, freedom fighters and Goya and the Spanish Inquisition. Kellgren narrates the series with exemplary skill - those many award nominations and wins are beyond justified - and as much as I enjoy the character and series, it's one I would chose never to read in print or with another narrator, because she fully inhabits not just the main characters, but all of the other recurring and occasional people in Jacky's world.

And next is Elizabeth Wein's Rose Under Fire (Bolinda Publishing, 2013), narrated by Sasha Pick. You won't have heard her name from me, because it was new to me, but Elizabeth Wein's certainly wasn't. I still cry (me and the crying) when I just think about Code Name Verity, as you would, too, if you'd read it. (You've read it, right? Because if not you are a foolish human and need to correct that immediately.) (If you have: "Kiss me, Hardy!" There, now you're crying, too.) Verity's Maddie appears in Rose's book (I cried), but mostly this is Rose's story. She's an American pilot working with the British Air Transport Auxiliary. She's flying over France when she's captured and sent to Ravensbrück and has to cope with a world unlike anything she'd ever imagined. Rose is a poet, and so young - she graduated high school early so she could join the war effort - and nights in the concentration camp are nothing like her childhood days in rural Pennsylvania. Friendships in the camp are fraught with treachery and loss and devastation, but are also Rose's salvation. (I cried.) Pick's narration is a little dreamy and very measured and she deals nicely with the multinational accents of Rose's friends. 

Audiobook Auction Happening Now!

Howdy, readers and listeners,

I'm helping to spread the word about a fundraising auction for ALS, organized by members of the awesome audiobook community. A lovely audiobook producer, Bob Deyan, has ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and the goal of the auction is to raise research funds.

If you're in the LA area, there's a fabulous 25 hour audiobook read-a-thon in Burbank. And if you're everywhere, you should check out the silent auction - it's not just audiobooks (though you CAN buy me a personalized story reading by Simon Vance, hint hint) but that's a lot of the organizing principal. Know of a kid who likes books? Bid on the full (and incredibly done) set of Harry Potter audiobooks! Or listen to my wise advice about how wonderful it is, and go for the Bloody Jack series! Get your favorite Nerdfighter a bunch of John Green audios! There are really just a ton of great books available, in addition to services, fun treats, etc. Do please check it out, and spread the word about this great cause. Thanks!

Armchair Audies (Bonus!) Category Report: Solo Narration - Female

I'm not an official Armchair Audies judge for the Solo Narration - Female category, but I listened to them all, and I'm opinionated, so I'm posting my report. (The Audies bring out all kinds of wonkiness in me. More audiobooks! MORE! I love my audiobooks.) (In case you hadn't noticed.)

So: the nominees are

THE BOY IN THE SUITCASE Lene Kaaberbøl, Agnete Friis Read by Katherine Kellgren (AudioGO) Read the review
THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZL. Frank Baum Read by Anne Hathaway (Audible, Inc.) Read the review
THE UNSEEN GUESTMaryrose Wood Read by Katherine Kellgren (Harper Audio) Read the review
CALL THE MIDWIFEJennifer Worth Read by Nicola Barber (HighBridge Audio) Read the review
JULIET IN AUGUSTDianne Warren Read by Cassandra Campbell (Tantor Media) Read the review

And I've posted about Juliet in August and The Boy in the Suitcase.

A little about the others: 

Worth's Call the Midwife is anthropologically interesting. It's nice. But I never quite got past feeling like I was at a lecture, despite the nice descriptive details. Barber does a fine job of narrating, but I wasn't engaged. 

Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is one gonzo loopdiloop of a book. I mean, the movie doesn't begin to do it justice. Lands where everything's made out of china, and magical wish-granting hats, and those slippers are silver, not ruby. Hathaway comes up with some funny voices and seems to fully enjoy the material, so it was fun to listen, even though she seemed to breathe in odd places sometimes. 

Wood's The Unseen Guest is the third in her funny Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series. It's kid lit, about a governess who finds herself in charge of three foundling siblings who appear to have been raised by wolves. They speak in a series of yips and howls, and mangled words, and are wont to go dashing out after their pet squirrel or otherwise end up in hot water. Not helping matters are the mysterious happenings with the other inhabitants of Ashton Place and the specter of threats from unknown external sources. Kellgren proves again her versatility and genius with voices as she produces wolf and bird language in addition to human, and listening to her read this series is nearly as entrancing as listening to her read my beloved Jacky Faber series. 

Kellgren also does a stellar job with the names and language demands of The Boy in the Suitcase, and really, either one of her titles in this category could easily win the award for her. 

But despite my delight in her work, my pick for the win is Campbell's narration of Juliet in August, partly because I liked the text itself more, but also because Campbell so fully inhabited the deceptively simple town and kept me fully present throughout the book.

Armchair Audies Category Report: Teen Fiction

I love listening to YA books. It works well with my desire to listen while on the job, generally - being more plot-driven than writerly - so as long as it's not too full of vampires and self-indulgently tragic teens, I like it. So I was delighted to sign up to opine about the Audies Teens category for the Armchair Audies.

Here are the nominees - as I said with my post about the Literary Fiction category, the 'read' link below includes a sound sample so you can judge my judging. 

INHERITANCE Christopher Paolini Read by Gerard Doyle (Listening Library) Read the review
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS John Green Read by Kate Rudd (Brilliance Audio) Read the review
ENCHANTED Alethea Kontis Read by Katherine Kellgren (Brilliance Audio) Read the review
THE DIVINERS Libba Bray Read by January LaVoy (Listening Library) Read the review
DODGER Terry Pratchett Read by Stephen Briggs (Harper Audio) Read the review

I have thoughts. :)

Inheritance is in last place for me. It's not Gerard Doyle's fault - I've enjoyed his narration of the Eragon series, he's great with tension and emotion and all the funny names involved. But this book didn't need to be 31 hours long. It didn't need to be 21 hours long. The convoluted wrapping up of the series just didn't flow nicely for me, so I was too often bored or frustrated while listening. So blame Christopher Paolini - or his editor - and enjoy anything else Doyle narrates.

The next three are all yummy texts, so it's harder to rank them. I'll put Diviners at the bottom of the bunch, despite my major fondness for Libba Bray, whose Beauty Queens I (correctly) pegged as the Narration by Author Audie winner last year. January LaVoy's narration is sweet and she handled the tension really well, but there is something a little too plummy about her voice that keeps me at a distance. I felt that this book - which takes place in the world of flappers and mysterious happenings in 1920s New York - should have had a narrator whose voice was younger and a little rawer. It's rare that I think a book would be better in print (as opposed to just as good, or better), but I wish I'd read this one instead of listening. 

Dodger, as I've said, is a grand character in a not-quite-grand-enough book. I loved listening to it, because Stephen Briggs was as sharp and bright and clever as the character he was telling us about, but Terry Pratchett's novel wasn't quite the gem I'd wished it to be. 

A gem in truth: Alethea Kontis's Enchanted. It is a treasure of a book, and Katherine Kellgren is pure magic as a narrator of YA books. (Of others, too - I follow her from genre to genre, but rarely in non-YA is she called upon to growl or howl or croak.) Her characters, be they human or fairy or frog, are charming and true and as I posted when I first listened to this book, I was caught up from beginning to end of the entire tale. Though I think Kellgren should automatically win every award, and I consider this as exemplary as it gets, I suspect the winner this year will be:

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, narrated by Kate Rudd. There's a reason everyone you know has read this, even if they don't have teens in their lives pushing it on them. It's sweet and sad and smart and so very superb. I'll repeat: an amazing listen, but difficult, especially if you're not into bawling with headphones on. Rudd has an excellent teen voice, sarcastic and unsure and headlong and scared as the plot demands (and this plot demands a lot, emotionally, from the reader.) All thumbs up.

An Enchanted Reading of Enchanted

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
(Harcourt Children's Books, 2012)
Format: audio CDs from library (narrated by Katherine Kellgren)

From Goodreads: "It isn’t easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past—and hers?"

Okay, remember last year when I couldn't shut up about the brilliance of Katherine Kellgren's narration of L.A. Meyer's Bloody Jack series? And I said she would be the winner of the Audie award for Teen audiobooks? And how I was right? Well, that just shows you two things: Katherine Kellgren is a great narrator, and I know what I'm talking about. 

Now that we've established that, and keeping in mind that this year Kellgren is up against Kate Rudd's gorgeous reading of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, I am all about this particular Audies contender. (Except the cover. Not the audiobook's fault, but really, this cover is belch, right? How is her position natural or comfortable?)

Oh, Sunday! Such a classic misunderstood youngest sibling with a secret. She's the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter in a kingdom where magic is fairly commonplace, so really she shouldn't need to pour out her troubles to the frog at her local fairy well to make herself feel better. (But then again, I knew I had secret magic powers, and plenty of siblings, but it didn't stop me from turning my cat into my confidant.) Nevertheless, Sunday does end up sharing her diary with Grumble the talking frog, who they both know is enchanted, but who doesn't change when Sunday kisses him. Until, one day, he does, but she doesn't know it. She just knows that Prince Rumbold is "requesting" all eligible young ladies in Arilland to a series of balls, and her fairy godmother is on hand to assist her and her sisters in getting ready. Kontis plays with more fairy tales than I can count (or know, I'm sure) - in her household alone is a woman with many offspring living in a shoe, a tall tower with just one window at the top, a changeling son, a cursed spindle, a handful of magic beans, and, of course, birds that help with chores so Sunday will be ready in time for the ball. But nothing is straightforward, and Kontis wraps everything up in a coming-of-age framework that leaves me pondering the nature of story and the oral tradition. And pretty eager for October's publication of the second in this series, to boot.

Kellgren, of course, is perfect for this title. She has an entrancing story-time voice that gives full weight to emotional moments while never slackening the pace of the adventure. I find myself envying any children to whom she might read bed-time stories, but sorry for her, too, because I'm sure those kids would never let her go without repeatedly begging for "just one more" book. But I don't mean it's treacly or insipid in any way - and she definitely knows how to tap into a dark side for all those moments of evil and danger.

Not to be totally cheesy about it, but I was truly enchanted throughout.

I Get Judge-y About Audiobooks, Junior

Okay, you've all devoured my thoughts about the Narration By Author or Authors category in the upcoming Audies Awards, but never fear! My Armchair Audies work continues. I also listened to all of the books in the Teens category, and what a strong category is was. Check out the nominees:

Teens To Category List PICK-UP GAME: A Full Day of Full CourtMarc Aronson, Charles R. Smith Jr. Read by Dion Graham Bernstine, Quincy Tyler (Brilliance Audio/ Candlewick) Read the review
CHIMEFranny Billingsley Read by Susan Duerden (Listening Library) Read the review
OKAY FOR NOWGary D. Schmidt Read by Lincoln Hoppe (Listening Library) Read the review
THE WAKE OF THE LORELEI LEE: Being an Account of the Adventures of Jacky Faber, on Her Way to Botany BayL.A. Meyer Read by Katherine Kellgren (Listen & Live Audio) Read the review
BEAUTY QUEENSLibba Bray Read by Libba Bray (Scholastic Audiobooks) Read the review

I already talked in more detail about Libba Bray, L.A. Meyer, Gary D. Schmidt, and Franny Billingsley, so let me start with the stories edited by Marc Aronson and Charles R. Smith, Jr. Pick-Up Game is a tightly constructed series of interwoven stories by different writers, linked by poems and photos of the basketball court, and it has a kaleidoscopic joy and tension holding it together. The narration by Dion Graham Bernstine and Quincy Tyler is rhythmic, at times melodic, and the production sound effects work seamlessly with the narration and the text to bring the day of street ball to vivid life. This is one of those cases when having the book would be great, because the photos and layout tell the story, too. But if opting between the two versions (paper and audio), I'd still go with audio because the voices are so rich.

In general, this category is incredibly strong. I have been listening to more and more teen/YA audio in recent years - in part because it's great for listening while at work (except for when it compels me to tears, as so often happens. I'm a crier.) But I also think that more and more great YA audiobooks are being produced. There is a serious wealth of titles out there, so it makes sense that five such strong contenders are on the table now.

So I'm ranking Pick-Up Game, Chime, and Okay for Now in a tie for 3rd place. I think Pick-Up Game had the most effective production values, Chime had the most compelling voice, and Okay for Now had the strongest ability to transport me into the story and not let me go until 'The End.'

In 2nd place, Beauty Queens, which as I explained for the Narration by Author or Authors category (in which I pick this title to win), is an entirely captivating and delightful story, told with charming skill. Mad props to Bray, of course, for such a strong showing when up against narrators who really excel at interpreting books for a living. Sometimes when I'm writing I read parts of the novel to myself, and sure, I'm untrained and Bray isn't, but let's just say that when I publish my book, I'm not going to be the one narrating the audio version. (You can picture me knocking on wood here, fyi.)

And the top prize in my opinion goes to The Wake of the Lorelei Lee. I'm a fan of Meyer's series, and an even bigger fan of Kellgren's narrations of them. This title, with the myriad voices and accents, the constant singing and fighting and longing and loving, was a true wonder to listen to. It was one of my favorite audiobook listening experiences ever, and I hope this duo continue to work together for another dozen Jacky Faber adventures.

Good luck to all the nominees. It's, as I said, a great slate of titles, and it was a joy to listen to them for this project.

Armchair Audies: Katherine Kellgren Narrates L.A. Meyer's Lorelei Lee

And the Armchair Audies listens march on into April.... I've added another completed title to my spreadsheet from the "Teens" nominees, and it's not just that the last thing is the best thing - this was a truly excellent choice. This is a seriously well developed group of nominees.

Granted, The Wake of the Lorelei Lee: Being an Account of the Adventures of Jacky Faber, on Her Way to Botany Bay is an excessively long title, even by L.A. Meyer's standards. I'll just call it Lorelei Lee for short, and be glad to have listened to it. As I mentioned last summer, I am excessively fond of Jacky Faber, who by the age of sixteen has impersonated a ship's boy in His Majesty's Navy, refined her Cockney roots at a Boston boarding school, became a privateer accused of piracy, been captured by slavers, piloted a ship down the Mississippi, spied for England in Napoleon's army, and dived for sunken Spanish treasure. Now she has been accused by nemeses Bliffil and Flashby of stealing some of the Spanish gold, and, as the title suggests, sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay. Although the transportation sentence was fairly foregone, the imprisonment and trial kept me on the edge of my seat (well, when I was sitting while I listened - I quickly became too impatient to parcel this story out during my commute, and carried it with me throughout my days as well.)

Being Jacky, imprisonment on a transport ship is hardly enough to squelch her spirit, or stop her from getting into further scrapes. Friends and foes both old and new abound in this story, and Meyer as usual keeps the story rolling along through yet another evocatively-conveyed slice of time and place. Lorelei Lee definitely ranks as one of my favorite of the Jacky Faber tales, and although it is the 8th and therefore represents an investment to readers, I do recommend the entire series, in order. (Blue Tattoo is my least favorite, but it establishes an important part of Jacky's world. I just like it best when she's on the water.) While I'm at it, I'll also recommend Naomi Novik's Temeraire series (more Napoleonic-era British Naval globe-trotting, but with dragons) and Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series (again with His Majesty's Royal Navy criss-crossing the globe in the early 1800s.) Audios for both of those series are read by the incomparable Simon Vance.

Like Vance, Katherine Kellgren has a voice I could (oh, and do!) listen to for hours. She so thoroughly inhabits Jacky, who is a girl of many, many moods. Many. And throughout the series, Kellgren gives not only Jacky but her beloved Jaimie, her devoted Higgins, and a panoply of tertiary characters deeply developed and individual voices. Go ahead, test me. Play two or three random words of Kellgren's dialogue of Jacky, Jaimie, Higgins, or Amy. I can tell you not only who it is, but what mood they're in. (Sure, most of the time the mood is "outraged or frustrated by the latest thing Jacky has gotten herself into," but that's hardly the point.)

Particularly admirable in this novel, Kellgren has to do a lot of singing. And not just in Jacky's voice - a whole host of characters from a whole range of accents and timbres in a variety of styles all lift their voices in song during Lorelei Lee, and Kellgren nails them all. I have a tin ear myself, so to me this is a mind-boggling accomplishment. And it's all great fun to hear, to boot - one of the things I can point to when people wonder what makes listening to some books preferable to reading them.