HighBridge LowDown http://highbridgecompany.com/blog News and Reviews of Audiobooks, Authors, Narrators, and More Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:50:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Featured Audio Giveaway – February 2012 http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2012/02/02/featured-audio-giveaway-february-2012/ http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2012/02/02/featured-audio-giveaway-february-2012/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:50:30 +0000 Kay http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/?p=1040 Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea

Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea

Morgan Callan Rogers; read by Luci Christian Hear an excerpt

 

How to Win This Audio CD

1. Be an active* subscriber to our newsletter. Just enter your email address below:

2. Send an email to newsletter@highbridgeaudio.com
3. Put the words “Red Ruby” in the subject line. Entries must be received by no later than 2/20/2012. See the Win Audiobooks page for more details. Alternatively, you can LIKE HighBridge on Facebook and comment on this post, or become a FOLLOWER on Twitter and tweet or retweet this message by 2/20/2012 (remember to “@HighBridgeAudio”).

About This Month’s Featured Audio

A captivating debut, introducing a spirited young heroine coming of age in coastal Maine during the early 1960s.

“So rapturously moving, I could barely bring myself to close the final page.”
      —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You

“Not since Ellen Foster have I rooted so hard for a fictional girl.”
      —Monica Wood, author of Any Bitter Thing

“Florine . . . isn’t always lovable . . . [b]ut Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea makes her real. B+”
      —Entertainment Weekly

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Last Month’s Winner

Congratulations to SANDRA MALARCHER the winner of the last giveaway, Running the Rift. Thanks to all who participated.

]]> http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2012/02/02/featured-audio-giveaway-february-2012/feed/ 0 The Hobbit on location http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2012/02/02/the-hobbit-on-location/ http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2012/02/02/the-hobbit-on-location/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:48:16 +0000 Julie http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/?p=1032 The latest video diary from the set of The Hobbit actually came out in December, but better late than never! This installment shows the crew preparing for and shooting on location. It’s astounding the number of people and trucks it takes! As with all the videos so far, it just makes us anticipate the movie(s) even more.

]]> http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2012/02/02/the-hobbit-on-location/feed/ 0 “On the Road” to a theater near you? http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2012/01/11/on-the-road-to-a-theater-near-you/ http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2012/01/11/on-the-road-to-a-theater-near-you/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:49:00 +0000 Julie http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/?p=1024 Director Walter Salles reports that his long-awaited film of On the Road is nearing completion and aiming for a May 23rd release in France.  The movie stars Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Tom Sturridge and Kristen Stewart, with Viggo Mortensen, Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi, Kirsten Dunst and Terrence Howard filling out the cast for the adaptation of the Jack Kerouac classic.  The movie doesn’t yet have a North American distributor, so there’s no word on when it might release in the U.S. In the meantime, get your Beat fix with our audio of On the Road, read by David Carradine, or our new audio, One and Only: The Untold Story of On the Road. One and Only, by Gerald Nicosia and Anne Marie Santos,  tells the story of Lu Anne Henderson, the woman who started Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady on the trip that inspired the book.

]]> http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2012/01/11/on-the-road-to-a-theater-near-you/feed/ 0 Featured Audio Giveaway – January 2012 http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/12/31/featured-audio-giveaway-january-2012/ http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/12/31/featured-audio-giveaway-january-2012/#comments Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:14:33 +0000 Kay http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/?p=1020

Running the Rift

Running the Rift

Naomi Benaron; read by Marcel Davis
Hear an excerpt

How to Win This Audio CD

1. Be an active* subscriber to our newsletter. Just enter your email address below:

2. Send an email to
newsletter@highbridgeaudio.com

3. Put the words “Running” in the subject line. Entries must be received by no later than 1/20/2012. See the Win Audiobooks page for more details. Alternatively, you can LIKE HighBridge on Facebook and comment on this post, or become a FOLLOWER on Twitter and tweet or retweet this message by 1/20/2012 (remember to “@HighBridgeAudio”).

About This Month’s Featured Audio

Winner of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Fiction, this powerful debut novel describes the life of a young Tutsi boy who comes of age during the Rwandan genocide.

“Truly fearless writing . . . culturally rich and completely engrossing.”
      —Barbara Kingsolver, founder of the Bellwether Prize, author of
The Poisonwood Bible

“The politics will be familiar to those who have followed Africa’s crises (or seen Hotel Rwanda), but where Benaron shines is in her tender descriptions of Rwandan’s natural beauty and in her creation of Jean Patrick, a hero whose noble innocence and genuine human warmth are impossible not to love.”
      —Kirkus Reviews HC starred review

“Benaron accomplishes the improbable feat of wringing genuine loveliness from unspeakable horror. . . . It is a testament to Benaron’s skill that a novel about genocide . . . conveys so profoundly the joys of family, friendship, and community.”
      —Publishers Weekly HC starred review

“Unflinching and beautifully crafted. . . .   This tale of social justice [is] a memorable read, and those interested in coming-of-age stories set in wartime will want it as well. Highly recommended.”
      —Library Journal HC starred review

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Last Month’s Winner

Congratulations to CAROL KUBALA the winner of the last giveaway,
When She Woke. Thanks to all who participated.

]]> http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/12/31/featured-audio-giveaway-january-2012/feed/ 0 Featured Audio Giveaway – November 2011 http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/11/02/featured-audio-giveaway-november-2011/ http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/11/02/featured-audio-giveaway-november-2011/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:24:49 +0000 Kay http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/?p=1008

When She Woke

When She Woke

Hillary Jordan, author of Mudbound;
read by Heather Corrigan
Hear an excerpt

 

How to Win This Audio CD

1. Be an active* subscriber to our newsletter. Just enter your email address below:

2. Send an email to newsletter@highbridgeaudio.com

3. Put the words “When She Woke” in the subject line. Entries must be received by no later than 11/18/2011. See the Win Audiobooks page for more details. Alternatively, you can LIKE HighBridge on Facebook and comment on this post, or become a FOLLOWER on Twitter and tweet or retweet this message by 11/18/2011  (remember to “@HighBridgeAudio”).

About This Month’s Featured Audio

Hannah Payne awakens to a nightmare. She is lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home. She is now a convicted criminal, and her skin color has been genetically altered. Her crime, according to the State of Texas: the murder of her unborn child, whose father she refuses to name. Her color: red. The color of newly shed blood.

In Hannah’s America, sometime in the future, faith, love, and sexuality have fallen prey to politics. Convicted felons are no longer imprisoned and rehabilitated, but “chromed,” forced to appear in a new and sinister form of reality TV, and released back into the population. Stigmatized in a hostile world, they must survive the best they can.

Until her arrest, Hannah had devoted her life to church and family. In seeking a path to safety, she is forced to question the values she once held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes the personal.

“Corrigan’s narration becomes one with the plot.”
      —AudioFile

“Jordan blends hot-button issues such as the separation of church and state, abortion, and criminal justice with an utterly engrossing story, driven by a heroine as layered and magnetic as Hester Prynne herself.”
      —Booklist HC starred review

“It reads like a thriller, and one that makes you think hard, to boot. I’ve already placed this one on my favorite-books-for-book-clubs list.”
      —BookPage

“[A] provocative, politically charged novel . . . chilling and riveting.”
      —Family Circle

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Last Month’s Winner

Congratulations to JUDY ROSSETTER the winner of the last giveaway, There But For The. Thanks to all who participated.

]]> http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/11/02/featured-audio-giveaway-november-2011/feed/ 0 Tom Waits: As Good and as Bad as Ever http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/31/1003/ http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/31/1003/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:25:39 +0000 Frank http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/?p=1003 Say you’re a music fan of recent vintage, and you’re puzzled by all the hoopla surrounding a new release by a gruff voiced character in a jacket and fedora. If you need a little background on Tom Waits as his new album releases—his first in seven years—a fantastic primer can be found on American Routes: Songs and Stories from the Road, a collection of musical highlights and revealing interviews by Nick Spitzer featuring a slew of music legends.

The Waits segment is a treat, as the cantankerous genius discusses his roots, the creative process, and the unexpected sonic results. And if you love Waits, you know you’re gonna love the interviews with Leiber and Stoller, Nina Simone, and—trust me—Dolly Parton. This HighBridge release, which elegantly ties together many diverse stops on the American musical landscape, is highly recommended. Check the Waits version of self-promotion below, and see what you think of the new record. I think it’s going to hold up well.

]]> http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/31/1003/feed/ 0 A Moment of Silence on the Prairie http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/31/a-moment-of-silence-on-the-prairie/ http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/31/a-moment-of-silence-on-the-prairie/#comments Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:14:13 +0000 Julie http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/?p=984 Sad news today: Tom Keith, longtime sound-effects wizard on A Prairie Home Companion, passed away suddenly on Sunday.

Tom Keith behind some of the tools of his trade. Photo credit: Cheryl Walsh Bellville

In addition to his many years on PHC, Keith was co-host of The Morning Show on Minnesota Public Radio until his retirement from the show in 2008.

A little of his work can be heard on this clip from a 1992 Halloween show, which seems an apt excerpt for today. He’ll be greatly missed, on the show and off.

]]> http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/31/a-moment-of-silence-on-the-prairie/feed/ 1 Tea at Five—O’Clock Shadow? http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/26/tea-at-fiveoclock-shadow/ http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/26/tea-at-fiveoclock-shadow/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:18:14 +0000 Julie http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/?p=976 Matthew Lombardo’s play, Tea at Five, is going to have a benefit performance November 28. The staged reading of the single-actor play will star actor and playwright Charles Busch as Katharine Hepburn, and it’s a benefit for the Ali Forney Center.

Charles Busch as Katharine Hepburn

Judging by the photos on the website, Busch is a natural for the role. I’d love to see him taking on the Great Kate!

]]> http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/26/tea-at-fiveoclock-shadow/feed/ 0 Diana Abu-Jabur and Martin Kihn at the Twin Cities Book Festival http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/18/diana-abu-jabur-and-martin-kihn-at-the-twin-cities-book-festival/ http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/18/diana-abu-jabur-and-martin-kihn-at-the-twin-cities-book-festival/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:45:08 +0000 Kay http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/?p=955 Diana Abu-Jabur (CRESCENT, BIRDS OF PARADISE) and Martin Kihn (BAD DOG: A LOVE STORY) were both panelists at the 11th Annual Twin Cities Book Festival, organized by Rain Taxi Review of Books. HighBridge had a table, along with many other publishers, booksellers, and authors, at this event held in downtown Minneapolis this past weekend. Check out the gallery below:

Martin Kihn (BAD DOG) and other members of the memoir panel. Our little table at the festival. There was a large (and boisterous) turnout at the event. Diana with a signed copy of her audiobook BIRDS OF PARADISE. Diana signing her new audiobook BIRDS OF PARADISE. An Interview with Diana Abu-Jabur, author of BIRDS OF PARADISE. Check out the actual video as well. Gotta have a picture of Hercules (Kevin Sorbo, MN native and author). Magers & Quinn's tables at the Twin Cities Book Festival. Martin Kihn, author of BAD DOG--coming out on audio this spring (just like the sign says). The midwest chapter of The Mystery Writers of America and also Sister in Crime were also exhibiting (and members on a panel). Martin Kihn takes a turn at the mike.

Diana Abu-Jabur sat down with HighBridge at the Twin Cities Book Festival in Minneapolis. The author of CRESCENT and BIRDS OF PARADISE, both available on audio from HighBridge, was on a panel discussing food in writing, a combination she a thorough master of. Check out our video, where she discusses the event and audiobooks:

]]> http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/18/diana-abu-jabur-and-martin-kihn-at-the-twin-cities-book-festival/feed/ 0 ‘Eating with the Enemy’ scriptwriter named http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/14/eating-with-the-enemy-scriptwriter-named/ http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/2011/10/14/eating-with-the-enemy-scriptwriter-named/#comments Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:46:37 +0000 Julie http://highbridgecompany.com/blog/?p=950

Eating with the Enemy

Patrick M. Healy will write the screenplay for HBO’s adaptation of Eating with the Enemy, by Robert Egan and Kurt Pitzer. The book tells Egan’s true story of acting as a freelance diplomat with North Korea from his BBQ restaurant in Hackensack, NJ. James Gandolfini is set to star as Egan.

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