SYNC recently announced the list of audiobook pairings up for grabs this summer, and the program is about to come to a close after it's 12th and final week of the summer 2013 season. Last week's offerings were Enchanted and Through the Looking Glass. And here's what you can grab through Wednesday of next week...for free!
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This week's YA title is Sold by Patricia McCormick, performed by Justine Eyre for Tantor Audio.
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut on a mountain in Nepal. Though she is desperately poor, her life is full of simple pleasures, like playing hopscotch with her best friend from school, and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family's crops, Lakshmi's stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family.
He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at "Happiness House" full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution.
An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty and cunning. She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family's debt-then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave.
Lakshmi's life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape. Still, she lives by her mother's words-Simply to endure is to triumph-and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world. Then the day comes when she must make a decision-will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life?
Written in spare and evocative vignettes, this powerful novel renders a world that is as unimaginable as it is real, and a girl who not only survives but triumphs.
He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at "Happiness House" full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution.
An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty and cunning. She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family's debt-then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave.
Lakshmi's life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape. Still, she lives by her mother's words-Simply to endure is to triumph-and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world. Then the day comes when she must make a decision-will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life?
Written in spare and evocative vignettes, this powerful novel renders a world that is as unimaginable as it is real, and a girl who not only survives but triumphs.
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This week's classic title is Let Me Stand Alone by Rachel Corrie, performed by Tavia Gilbert for Blackstone Audio.
How do we find our way in the world? How do our actions affect others? What do we owe the rest of humanity? These are the timeless questions so eloquently posed by Rachel Corrie, a young American activist killed on March 16, 2003, as she tried to block the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home in the Gaza Strip. She was twenty-three years old.
Let Me Stand Alone reveals Corrie’s striking gifts as a poet and writer while telling her story in her own words, from her earliest reflections to her final e-mails. Her writing brings to life all that it means to come of age—a dawning sense of self, a thirst for one’s own ideals, and an evolving connection to others, near and far. Corrie writes about the looming issues of her time as well as the ordinary angst of an American teen, all with breathtaking passion, compassion, insight, and humor. Her writing reverberates with conviction and echoes her long-held belief in the oneness of humanity: “We have got to understand that they dream our dreams, and we dream theirs.”
Let Me Stand Alone reveals Corrie’s striking gifts as a poet and writer while telling her story in her own words, from her earliest reflections to her final e-mails. Her writing brings to life all that it means to come of age—a dawning sense of self, a thirst for one’s own ideals, and an evolving connection to others, near and far. Corrie writes about the looming issues of her time as well as the ordinary angst of an American teen, all with breathtaking passion, compassion, insight, and humor. Her writing reverberates with conviction and echoes her long-held belief in the oneness of humanity: “We have got to understand that they dream our dreams, and we dream theirs.”
I'm not going to lie, neither of these offerings really appeals to me this week, mostly because I already see enough of this harsh reality on the news, and it's enough to make me sick. I'm more of a fiction reader than a non-fiction reader. Anyway, I also won't be listening to Sold because Justine Eyre is one of my very least favorite narrators. I've tried multiple audiobooks with her narrating, and I haven't enjoyed any of them. The narrator for Let Me Stand Alone, however, is a favorite of mine. Tavia Gilbert narrates the Night Huntress books by Jeaniene Frost, and though those are a bit risque and definitely more adult in nature, I love them just the same. :)
Will you be checking out 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. =)
I'm not super excited about either, but Sold does look appealing with its setting (and also Mumtaz means Excellent in Arabic, so that makes for an interesting character name). What does Justine Eyre do wrong when narrating? Too enthusiastic? Not enough effort?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the second title though. I can't stomach much of the news, and a nonfiction title has to be really, really special for me to read it. Shame that the two narrators weren't switched then. Also haven't read the Night Huntress books yet, though I was, earlier this summer, in a UF kind of mood. Might happen again since I'm starting Kate Daniels soon.
Also... AAAH IT'S THE LAST WEEK. Is summer really nearly over o.O?