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- March 17, 2022
Audio Publishers Association: Audie Awards 2022
Reading has always been a pillar of our society. Ever since the dawn of time, it’s been a guiding force that brought us to where we are today. Whether it be in a personal level via school and our dear libraries, in a national level with laws and history books, pop culture in the form of novels, scripts, comics and the like. The act of reading has always been there in one form or another. In fact, you’re exercising that skill right now (wink).
But just like everything in this world, this beloved part of our lives has been subject to change thanks to technology and our ever growing fast paced lives. Not as fast and furious like the movie franchise (at least not yet), innovators have breathed new life to reading and, in the process, change the way we consume books. Suddenly, being “too busy” is no longer an excuse to get a few pages or two each day.
Like our favorite grocery store, companies such as a myriad of companies like Amazon, Rakuten, Google, Barnes and Nobles and a myriad more provided us options. We are served with various methods such as eBooks, e-readers, read aloud programs/ mobile apps and list goes on just to keep our love for reading burning bright. Speaking of blinding lights, there’s this gem that’s currently taken over the world by storm and it comes in the form of the audio book. The crazy part is, it’s been there since 1932 as a tool for the blind (American Foundation For The Blind) and has laid dormant for years. That changed and has opened to the public, breathing new life to it.
Convenient, entertaining, and portable, these are just some of the adjectives to describe audio books. It has found a safe place in our hearts and homes most especially throughout the pandemic. It has kept us sane, learned, and creative in our alone time. An imaginary friend of sorts, guiding us through our journey to this world and this new normal.
With that being said, last March 4th through the New York based nonprofit organization Audio Publishers Association (APA). The audio book industry celebrated this year’s shining stars with their annual Audie Awards hosted by Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar Series, Designated Survivor). Due to the ongoing situation, this year’s celebration was held virtually and was streamed through YouTube. As for the winners, drum roll please!
Audiobook Of The Year – Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor, published by Bloomsbury PLC.
Autobiography/ Memoir – The Autobiography Of Malcolm X: As Told To Alex Haley by Malcom X, Alex Haley. Narrated by Laurence Fishburne, published by Audible Inc.
Best Male Narrator – The Autobiography Of Malcolm X: As Told To Alex Haley by Malcolm X, Alex Haley. Narrated by Laurence Fishburne, published by Audible Inc.
Faith Based Fiction & Non-Fiction- Fierce, Free, And Full Of Fire by Jen Hatmaker. Narrated by Jen Hatmaker, published by Thomas Nelson.
Fiction- Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid. Narrated by Nicole Lewis, published by Penguin Random House Audio.
Humor – A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost. Narrated by Colin Jost, published by Penguin Random House Audio.
Middle Grade – The Good Hawk by Joseph Elliot. Narrated by Gary Furlong, Fiona Hardingham, published by Brilliance Publishing.
Mystery – Fair Warning by Michael Connelly. Narrated by Peter Giles, Zach Villa, published by Hackett Audio.
Non-Fiction – Fire in Paradise by Alastair Gee, Dani Anguiano. Narrated by T. Ryder Smith, published by Recorded Books.
Romance – Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward. Narrated by Andi Arendt, Jacob Morgan, published by Brilliance Publishing.
Short Stories/ Collection – The Chekhov Collection Of Short Stories by Anton Chekhov. Narrated by Richard Armitage, published by Audible Studios.
Thriller/ Suspense – When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Coke. Narrated by Susan Dalian, Jay Aaseng, published by HarperCollins Publishers.
Young Listeners (Up To Age 8) – The Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline- Ransome. Narrated by Shayna Small and Dion Graham, published by Live Oak Media.
Audio Drama – Doctor Who – Stranded 1 by Matt Fitton, David K. Barnes, Lisa McMullin, John Dorney. Performed by Paul McGann, Nicola Walker, Hattie Morahan, Rebecca Root, Tom Price, Tom Baker, published by Big Finish Productions.
Best Female Narrator – The City We Became by N.K Jemisin. Narrated by Robin Miles, published by Hachette Audio.
Business/ Personal Development – The Gift: 12 Lessons To Save Your Life by Dr. Edith Eva Eger. Narrated by Tovah Feldshuh, published by Simon & Schuster Audio.
Fantasy- The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin. Narrated by Robin Miles, published by Hachette Audio.
History/ Biography – His Truth Is Marching On : John Lewis And The Power Of Hope by John Meacham. Narrated by JD Jackson, published by Penguin Random House Audio.
Literary Fiction & Classics: The Death Of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi. Narrated by Yetide Badaki, Chukwudi Iwuji, published by Penguin Random House Audio.
Multi Voiced Performance: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. Narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo, Melania- Luisa Marte, published by HarperAudio.
Narration By The Author or Authors – More Myself by Alicia Keys. Narrated by Alicia Keys, published by Macmillan Audio.
Original Work – When You Finish Saving The World by Jesse Eisenberg. Narrated by Kaitlyn Dever, Jesse Eisenberg, Finn Wolfhard, published by Audible Originals.
Science Fiction- The Deep by Rivers Solomon, Dave’s Diggs, William Huston, Jonathan Snipes. Narrated by Daveed Diggs, published by Simon & Schuster Audio.
Spanish Language: El Laberinto Del Faundo by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke. Narrated by Kerygma Flores, Luisa Avila, published by Penguin Random House Group Editorial Mexico.
Young Adult – Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. Narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo, Melanie – Luisa Marte, published by HarperAudio.
If you missed the festivities or would simply love to relive the memories, don’t worry YouTube got our backs on that. So, get your popcorn ready, or whatever snacks are on hand and enjoy the show. It’s definitely one for the ages! Packed with lessons, inspiration and humor, there’s never a dull moment to be had. The best part of it all is we are introduced to amazing audio books that we could add to our libraries good enough to last us a season or two.
For more information on the winners, the finalists and other audio book related content, go ahead and visit the official APA website.
Happy listening everyone!
