Showing posts with label Audio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Audio. Show all posts

Friday, May 16, 2014

Spotlight on Audiobooks

As the end of the school year quickly approaches, and warm weather shuffles its way here, we're quickly reaching prime audiobook season. Whether you're listening to a book you downloaded from our OverDrive or One Click Digital collections as you do yard work, or a CD or MP3 audiobook is keeping you company on a cross country drive, Carnegie-Stout is hear to help you find something good to read!

Our Adult audiobook collections are located on the second floor (YA titles are in the Teen Zone, and kids' titles are in the Children's Room), and library staff would be happy to help you find a great read any time you stop in. If you aren't able to stop by for a chat, you can always use the Personal Recommendations form to tell us what sort of books you're looking for, and we'll create a list of suggestions just for you!

To get you started, I've put together a list of suggestions for you to check out:

Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy; narrated by Sile Bermingham
Irish author Maeve Binchy is a Dubuque favorite. The pace in her stories is often relaxed and the tone is typically heartwarming and homespun. Start with Heart and Soul, set in an underfunded Dublin heart clinic, this story features a colorful cast of characters that range beyond the shores of Ireland. Audiobook narrator Sile Bermingham’s accent warmly evokes the setting and characters.

Parker was known for his fast-paced mysteries, especially his Spenser series which gave a fresh take on the hardboiled detective. Witty humor and a complex plot are paired with compelling characters. Try The Professional, a thrilling mix wealth, power, affairs, blackmail, and murder. Joe Mantegna (of Criminal Minds) narrates, which provides a crisp and distinctive voice throughout the series.

Though you probably recognize Elizabeth Gilbert from her famous memoir (Eat, Pray, Love), she’s also an accomplished novelist. The Signature of All Things is the story of Alma Whittaker, born to a life of privilege in 19th century Pennsylvania, science is her true passion. Juliet Stevenson provides a masterful narration of Alma’s journey through life and love that captures the setting.

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi; narrated by Wil Wheaton
Scalzi, known for his engaging and offbeat science fiction, updates a science fiction classic, Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper, for modern readers. Snarky, unreliable Jack Halloway works as a prospector on a distant planet owned by the wealthy ZaraCorp, but the find of Jack's career quickly turns out to be worth more than his life. Wil Wheaton's (yes, that Wil Wheaton) wry narration is a great match for Jack.

In 1962, an Italian innkeeper falls for an American starlet, an affair that is rekindled 50 years later. An upbeat and engaging novel for fans of character-driven literary romances. Narrator Edoardo Ballerini’s Italian accent and crisp delivery clearly captures the magic of this story.

(Biog Ian) Grammy winner Janis Ian narrates her autobiography, which borrows its title from her famous song, “Society’s Child.” A fascinating behind the scenes look at the music world from the 1960s to today that incorporates Ian’s music, bringing an additional depth to the recording. Some of Ian's music is available for download through our Freegal collection as well (though not "Society's Child").

An epic family saga tracing the sometimes violent fortunes of a Texas family from the 19th century through to the modern age. The multiple perspectives of this 150+ year history each receive own narrator: Will Patton, Scott Shepherd, and Dubuque native Kate Mulgrew. The narrators add to the novel’s strong sense of place.

An engaging historical novel, The Chaperone tells the story of Cora, small town wife and mother, who accompanies ingénue Louise Brooks to New York City in her quest for stardom. Elizabeth McGovern’s (Downton Abbey) skilled narration creates distinct voices for the characters, bringing the Roaring Twenties to life for listeners.

A compelling and intricately plotted stand-alone from a master of suspense thrillers, Six Years is a story of lost love and shattered expectations. Jake is devastated when the woman he loves marries another man, but when her husband dies six years later, Jake is forced to realize he never really knew Natalie. Narrator Scott Brick’s gravelly voice is a perfect match for the sarcastic Jake.

Friday, August 23, 2013

I Geek Night Vale

"Remember, if approached by a librarian,

keep still.

Do not run away.

Try to make yourself bigger than the librarian."

Poster created by: perhapswewillsetfiretothesky.tumblr.com
There is a small desert community known as Night Vale, and I want to move there. Unfortunately, I don't have the qualifications to work in the Night Vale Public Library (I'd be too squeamish to remove a hand for an overdue book). Fortunately, I can catch up on the latest Night Vale news twice a month through Cecil's community radio program, and I think you should too.

Poster by Maddie (castiellocked on Tumblr)
If you're already one of the thousands of listeners who have made Welcome to Night Vale the most popular podcast on iTunes, I'll see you behind Ralph's sometime. If you haven't listened yet, and you enjoy dark humor (including library jokes), local gossip, and just a touch of romance, you should be listening.

Cartoonist Kate Leth put it perfectly when she said that Night Vale is "like Stephen King and Neil Gaiman started building a town in The Sims and then just… Left it running. For years." Night Vale has this abundance of imaginative detail that mixes the unexpected in with the mundane.

You can't check Night Vale out from the library, but if you're not sure how to download a podcast that's something we can help you with. You can find out more aboutt he program on the official website: commonplacebooks.com/welcome-to-night-vale/


~Sarah, Adult Services

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Most digital audiobooks now iPod compatible

Most of our downloadable audiobooks are now iPod compatible, including many WMA files. All that's needed is a quick upgrade to OverDrive Media Console v3.2. Click on the following link for more info: http://dbqsioux.lib.overdrive.com/

Thursday, March 13, 2008

MP3 Players Ready to Check Out

Creative Zen StoneAre you interested in Carnegie-Stout Public Library's new downloadable audiobooks and music, but you don't have an MP3 player? Hey, no problem. Just check out one of our new MP3 players.

Our sleek Creative Zen Stones can be checked out for 3 weeks at a time. Each player includes a USB cable, rechargable battery, a silicone cover with belt clip, and printed instructions. You can use your own headphones, or we'll sell you a pair of earbuds for one dollar.

To check out an MP3 player, please visit the Library Circulation Desk , or call us at 563-589-4225 option #3 for more information.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

OverDrive Downloadable Audiobooks and Music

OverDriveWith Carnegie-Stout Public Library's new OverDrive service, you can browse and search hundreds of great audiobook and music titles and download them to your personal PC or laptop, transfer them to a portable mp3 player, or burn to CDs for your listening pleasure anywhere, anytime. All that's needed is a computer, an Internet connection, and an eligible library card from Carnegie-Stout Public Library. Try it, it's easy!

Click here to start using OverDrive Downloadable Audiobooks and Music

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Book and Movie Suggestions

Book and Movie SuggestionsNeed help picking out a good book to read or movie to watch? No problem! Take a look at our new book and movie suggestions page. This fancy new page includes:
  • Over 20 free e-newsletters highlighting titles and authors in several categories, updated and delivered daily, weekly and monthly by email or RSS feeds
  • Book and movie descriptions, annotated with reviews, author interviews, audio and video clips, and direct links to titles in Carnegie-Stout Public Library's online catalog
  • New York Times best-sellers lists, book awards lists, religion selections, and more
  • Links to Carnegie-Stout databases and resources, like Novelist, a fiction database of 135,000 titles, and NetLibrary's eAudiobook Center, featuring downloadable digital audio books
  • Links to other websites, such as Book Sense Picks, Overbooked, and Movie Review Query Engine
Happy browsing!

Adult Services Book and Movie Suggestions

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Playaway Digital Audio Books

PlayawayPlayaway digital audio books for adults, teens, and kids are now available for checkout at Carnegie-Stout Public Library.

Playaways are the simplest way to listen to audio books. They are about half the size of a deck of cards, and each come preloaded with a book. Simply plug in earphones or earbuds and enjoy!

Examples of Playaway titles in our adult collections:

The collectors / David Baldacci
Crisis / Robin Cook
Dark tort / Diane Mott Davidson
Dark celebration / Christine Feehan
Dark voyage / Alan Furst
The debutante divorcée / Plum Sykes
The Englisher / Beverly Lewis
Fear and loathing in Las Vegas / Hunter S. Thompson
The glass castle / Jeannette Walls
The hot kid / Elmore Leonard
The kite runner / Khaled Hosseini
Man in the middle / Brian Haig
Marley & me / John Grogan
Motor mouth / Janet Evanovich
Muhammad / Karen Armstrong
No good deeds / Laura Lippman
No country for old men / by Cormac McCarthy
On Agate Hill / Lee Smith
Over her dead body / Kate White
The right attitude to rain / Alexander McCall Smith
The shape shifter / Tony Hillerman
Sharpe's fury / Bernard Cornwell
State of denial / Bob Woodward
Ten big ones / Janet Evanovich
Wicked / Gregory Maguire