SYNC recently announced the list of audiobook pairings up for grabs this summer, and the program has officially kicked off. Last week's offerings were The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place and Jane Eyre. And here's what you can grab through Wednesday of next week...for free!
 |
 |
This week's YA title is The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, performed by Will Patton for Scholastic Audiobooks.
“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.
 |
|
This week's classic title is Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, performed by Robert Ramirez for Recorded Books.
Exquisite prose and wondrous storytelling have helped make Rudolfo Anaya the father of Chicano literature in English. Indeed, Anaya's tales fairly shimmer with the haunting beauty and richness of his culture. The winner of the Pen Center West Award for Fiction for his unforgettable novel Alburquerque, Anaya is perhaps best loved for his classic bestseller, Bless Me, Ultima... Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima comes to stay with his family in New Mexico. She is a curandera, one who cures with herbs and magic. Under her wise wing, Tony will probe the family ties that bind and rend him, and he will discover himself in the magical secrets of the pagan past-a mythic legacy as palpable as the Catholicism of Latin America. And at each life turn there is Ultima, who delivered Tony into the world...and will nurture the birth of his soul.
LOVED Will Patton's rendering of The Raven Boys when I listened to it last year, and I'll definitely be picking up the audio for The Dream Thieves when it releases later this year. There's just something about listening to a Maggie Stiefvater book. Some books are just that much better when they're brought to life on audio. As for Bless Me, Ultima, I've never read it, but now seems like as good a time as any to experience what I've been missing.
Will you be picking up either of these titles? Remember, they're only available through Wednesday, and new titles will be put up on Thursday for download. Other things to note:
- CHECK OUT the 2013 titles!
- LISTEN to sound clips on SoundCloud to help you decide!
- GET your device ready! You must have the OverDrive Media Console or APP to download the SYNC titles! Visit the OverDrive website to download.
- Questions? Email: synchelp@audiofilemagazine.com
- Text message alerts – Text syncya to 25827 for SYNC title download alerts.
- Email updates – sign up for SYNC title alerts by email.
- Follow the SYNC blog.
To download this week's titles, just click on the image below to be taken directly to the SYNC download page:
I hope you take advantage of this program. I've been doing it for the last couple of years, and I've had the chance to listen to a ton of great audio for free. If you've never tried audiobooks before, it's a great opportunity to do so without the obligation of buying one that you might not enjoy. And if you love audiobooks, well, it's a great time to stock up on some titles you may have missed. Win/win. =)
And to celebrate the fact that June is Audiobook Month, we're giving away three different books on CD! Click the image below to check out the giveaway!
Really excited about getting this one. I loved her production of Scorpio Races.
ReplyDeleteI loved that one, too. The Raven Boys on audio is spectacular...Will Patton is a superb narrator. Hope you love it, too!
DeleteI got the app last week after your post, but haven't figured it out. I will definitely try to get The Raven Boys. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to listen to The Raven Boys.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many good titles this year! I downloaded Incorrigible this week, and even though I've already read Raven Boys I think I'm going to download that, too. You just never know when you're going to need a Gansey/Adam fix. ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing me to this site, I've never listened to an audio-book before and I initially found it hard but now I've found when to listen to them its getting easier! :D
ReplyDeleteLauren