If you’ve not been an audiobook fan in the past, or you’d like to try something different, try one of the hundreds of GraphicAudio recordings that have recently been added to hoopla’s digital catalog. GraphicAudio is a publisher of eAudiobooks that are not the run-of-the-mill audiobooks. Their motto is “A movie in your mind,” and they’re not exaggerating. If you’ve ever heard an old-fashioned radio play, then you have an idea of what to expect. These audio recordings include a full cast of actors, not just one. You’ll also hear narration, sound effects, and cinematic music.
You may see the GraphicAudio titles come up when you are searching hoopla for your typical selections, or you can browse them specifically by entering “graphicaudio” in hoopla’s search bar. Search results can be narrowed by listener ratings, popularity, or date of release. Many titles have been split into 2 or 3 recordings, each of which will count as one of your eight monthly hoopla checkouts. And don’t be surprised if there is a brief recorded preview advertising another title that plays before your selection.
What kinds of titles does GraphicAudio offer? There’s a bit of everything available from hoopla, spanning most genres.
Do you like westerns? Try A Lone Star Christmas by William W. Johnstone.
“Smoke Jensen, Matt Jensen, Falcon and Duff MacCallister together for the first time. They just wanted to get home for Christmas… but fate had other plans. It’s December 1890. A Texas rancher named Big Jim Conyers has a deal with Scottish-born, Wyoming cattleman named Duff MacCallister. Along with Smoke and Matt Jensen, the party bears down on Dodge, Kansas, to make a cattle drive back to Forth Worth. But before they can get out of Dodge, guns go off and a rich man’s son is killed. Soon the drive turns into a deadly pursuit, then a staggering series of clashes with bloodthirsty Indians and trigger-happy rustlers. And the worst is yet to come. The party rides into a devastating blizzard, a storm so fierce that their very survival is at stake. From America’s greatest Western author, here is an epic tale of the unforgiving American frontier and how, amidst fierce storms of man and nature, miracles can still happen.”
Want to try a graphic novel performed as a dramatization? There’s Cemetery Girl by Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden.
“She calls herself Calexa Rose Dunhill, names taken from the grim surroundings where she awoke, bruised and bloody, with no memory of who she is, how she got there, or who left her for dead. She has made the cemetery her home, living in a crypt and avoiding human contact. But Calexa can’t hide from the dead and because she can see spirits, they can’t hide from her. Then one night, Calexa spies a group of teenagers vandalizing a grave and watches in horror as they commit murder. As the victim’s spirit rises from her body, it flows into Calexa, overwhelming her mind with visions and memories not her own. Now Calexa must make a decision: continue to hide to protect herselfor come forward to bring justice to the sad spirit who has reached out to her for help…”
Are you interested in science fiction instead? Check out S. M. Stirling’s post-apocalyptic Emberverse saga with the first title, Dies the Fire.
“The Change occurred when an electrical storm centered over the island of Nantucket produced a blinding white flash that rendered all electronic devices and fuels inoperable and plunged the world into a dark age humanity was unprepared to face… Michael Havel was flying over Idaho en route to the holiday home of his passengers when the plane’s engines inexplicably died, forcing a less than perfect landing in the wilderness. And as Michael leads his charges to safety, he begins to realize that the engine failure was not an isolated incident. Juniper Mackenzie was singing and playing guitar in a pub when her small Oregon town was thrust into darkness. Now, taking refuge in her family’s cabin with her daughter and a growing circle of friends, Juniper is determined to create a farming community to benefit the survivors of this crisis. But even as people band together to help one another, others are building armies for conquest…”
Personally, I’m a dedicated audiobook fan, but I’m currently listening to GraphicAudio’s version of a book whose CD book recording left something to be desired. I’m enjoying the GraphicAudio version much more. Whether you’re a diehard audiobook fan or giving audio a chance for the first time, you may be pleasantly surprised by GraphicAudio’s offerings, too.
– Melissa, Reference Assistant
*Annotations provided by each publisher