Take advantage of Audiobook Month

June is Audiobook Month and what a more perfect way to celebrate the spoken word than checking out the audiobooks and downloadable collections available at the Arlington Library?

As a child, I loved being read to by my parents and grandmother. A few years ago, I rediscovered my childhood love of listening through audiobooks. Now I am always listening to a book! They are great for when I am cleaning house, making dinner, doing laundry, and working in the yard. In addition, they are the perfect way to pass the time while stuck in traffic commuting to work or on long car trips.

Stories come alive through the wonderful narration of some amazing artists. My favorite is Jim Dale. He is narrator of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling and is currently the reigning king of audiobooks—he was the first inductee into the Audie Awards Hall of Fame. Even if you have read these books, you should listen to them. Dale makes the characters of Hagrid, Dumbledore, and Professor Snape (my personal favorite) come alive using voice inflection and accents.

Another personal favorite is Kate Fleming who read under the pseudonym Anna Fields. I was introduced to this artist through her narrations of Susan Elizabeth Phillip’s novels but she has read for many other authors as well. Sadly, Kate Fleming passed away in 2006 but her voice lives on through her wonderful storytelling.

Another of my favorite readers is Davina Porter. Her narration of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series will have you speaking with a brogue and planning a trip to Scotland. On the other hand, if you like being lulled by the sound of a dulcet and smoky British voice, listen to Neil Gaiman’s narration of his Newbery winner, The Graveyard Book. Last but certainly not least, are C.J. Critt and Lorelei King. They are the fabulous readers of the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum novels and they will have you doubling over with laughter.

As a bonus: listening to audiobooks counts towards your adult summer reading log!!! So get ready, set, listen.

Short fiction to chill your bones (perfect for the summer heat)

There is something particularly special about the short story form. While an author is limited in space and scope, this tightness of space often lends itself to masterful storytelling. Maybe it's the pressure of such a condensed space and not much time to say what you want that makes the short story a favorite of mine. A writer is forced to come up with more creative solutions to such a limited plot and character development.

I especially enjoy short horror stories that trade in supernatural terrors for the psychologically macabre. There are a few writers who pull this quiet terror from us better than most. Here are just a few of them. If you click on the story title, it will take you to the online text version.


Harlan Ellison
"I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream"
"The Whimper of Whipped Dogs"

Shirley Jackson
"The Lottery"

Charlotte Perkins Gilman
"The Yellow Wallpaper"


Neil Gaiman
"I Can Get Them For You Wholesale"
(This link is to the comic art version.)

William Faulkner
"A Rose For Emily"

Margaret Atwood
"Death By Landscape"


Ray Bradbury
"A Flourish of Strumpets"

Donald Barthelme
"The Game"

Nathaniel Hawthorne

"Young Goodman Brown"