It’s officially spring, so of course, my thoughts have moved ahead to summer. Have you started making your summer reading list? I just started mine and am looking for titles to listen to while on a family road trip and titles to enjoy by myself. When making lists, I tend to find new books to read in multiple ways — through friends, library newsletters, and of course, from my NoveList coworkers. I always get great recommendations from my coworkers since they’re all librarians, and we read the entire gamut of genres.
I love hearing about a title and then looking it up in NoveList and seeing what Listen-alikes we recommend, then looking at the Listen-alikes for the Listen-alikes. It’s a delightful rabbit hole to fall down, especially in a post-lunch or early afternoon daze. If you have patrons, especially teenage patrons looking for audiobooks, then keep reading because I have great news for you.
Each year, AudioFile Magazine and Overdrive partner up to offer the SYNC summer reading program for teens. During this program, which begins April 27 and runs for 14 weeks, they give away two digital audiobook downloads each week. That’s a total of 28 free audiobooks! All your patrons need to do is sign up. Then each week, they can download that week’s titles in Sora. LibraryAware customers can easily promote this program using beautiful SYNC promotional templates available through LibraryAware. Just search SYNC, customize with your library-specific information, and they’re ready to go!
While your patrons are waiting for SYNC to start or while working with a patron who loves audiobooks, you can use NoveList to find their next great listen. Just look up a title they’ve enjoyed, click on the “Audiobooks” tab, find your title, and then suggest one or more titles from the Listen-alikes on the right side of the page. (NoveList power-user tip: to see all the audiobook titles in NoveList Plus, type ND Audiobook into the search box.) We also have audiobook Recommended Reads Lists for all reading levels. If you prefer to browse, visit our Audiobooks page by clicking the “Browse Audiobooks” link at the bottom of the NoveList homepage or “Audiobooks” from the “Browse By” menu at the top. This page features a carousel of reviewed titles, new and forthcoming titles, links for browsing, and all the Recommended Reads lists.
In addition to our print appeal language, which includes categories for Storyline, Pace, Tone, Writing style, Character, and Illustration, NoveList librarians have also developed an appeal language specifically for audiobooks called “Audio Characteristics.” These terms describe the narrator’s performance and voice quality, such as distinctly voiced, emotionally connected, comedic, gravelly, resonant, and many others. Here's how we’ve applied our audio characteristics to some of the titles from this year's SYNC list, along with a NoveList read-alikes for each title!
The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang. Narrated by Brian Nishii.
- Well-characterized
- Immersive
- Distinctly voiced
- Wry
NoveList listen-alike: Family Trust by Kathy Wang. Narrated by Joy Osmanski.
Loveless by Alice Oseman. Narrated by Billie Fulford-Brown, Elizabeth Schenk, and Imogen Church.
- Multiple narrators
- Emotionally connected
NoveList listen-alike: Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman. Narrated by Em Eldridge.
Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold. Narrated by January LaVoy.
- Distinctly voiced
- Seamless
- Well-characterized
NoveList listen-alike: Maresi by Maria Turtschaninoff. Narrated by Michi Barall.
The Truth About White Lies by Olivia Cole. Narrated by Mela Lee.
- Emotionally connected
- Distinctly voiced
- Well-characterized
NoveList listen-alike: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Narrated by Bahni Turpin.
Arsène Lupin Versus Herlock Sholmes by Maurice Leblanc. Narrated by David Timson.
- Wry
- Animated
- Character accents
NoveList listen-alike: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Narrated by Stephen Thorne.
Hurricane Song: A Novel of New Orleans by Paul Volponi. Narrated by Jacob Norman.
- Gravelly
- Immersive
- Seamless
NoveList listen-alike: Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers. Narrated by J.D. Jackson.
Have a great summer, and Happy Listening!
Renee Young is a Metadata Librarian at NoveList. She is currently listening to Murder your employer: the McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes.
