Just yesterday, the Audio Publishers Association officially announced the finalists in the 2015 Audie Awards competition. These awards are meant to recognize excellence among audiobooks in thirty categories, including two categories I find of particular interest – Inspirational / Faith-Based Fiction and Inspirational / Faith-Based Non-fiction.
Since I’m a big fan of Christian fiction audiobooks (and suspect some of you may be as well?) I thought I’d share this year’s finalists with you. I’ll admit I was a little surprised that none of the amazing Christian fiction audiobook titles I’ve listened to and reviewed here on the blog this year made it on this list, but that just makes me more curious to listen to the ones that did and see what sets them apart.
Inspirational / Faith-Based Fiction
Narrated by Christopher Lane
Audio Publisher: Brilliance Publishing
Print Publisher: Tyndale House
Description (from Amazon.com):
A terrible darkness has fallen upon Jacob Weisz’s beloved Germany. The Nazi regime, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, has surged to power and now hold Germany by the throat. All non-Aryans – especially Jews like Jacob and his family – are treated like dogs.
When tragedy strikes during one terrible night of violence, Jacob flees and joins rebel forces working to undermine the regime. But after a raid goes horribly wrong, Jacob finds himself in a living nightmare – trapped in a crowded, stinking car on the train to the Auschwitz death camp.
As World War II rages and Hitler begins implementing his “final solution” to systematically and ruthlessly exterminate the Jewish people, Jacob must rely on his wits and a God he’s not sure he believes in to somehow escape from Auschwitz and alert the world to the Nazi’s atrocities before Fascism overtakes all of Europe. The fate of millions hangs in the balance.
Narrated by Joseph Narducci
Self-Published by Nancy Kimball
Description (from Amazon.com):
From the blood-soaked sand of the Roman arena, a divine destiny will rise.
For as long as Jonathan Tarquinius can remember, everyone has wanted something from him. His half-brother wants him dead. His master’s wife wants his innocence. The gladiator dealers want him to fight – and die – for their greed. Rome’s most famous prostitute wants his love. And the gentle slave girl who tends the wounds on his body and the hidden ones on his soul, longs for him to return to his faith.
What Jonathan wants is simple. Freedom. But God wants something from Jonathan too – something more than anyone would ever imagine. The young warrior’s journey will push him to the limits of human endurance and teach him that true freedom is found within.
The greatest battle Jonathan must ever fight will not come in the arena, but deep within himself as he is forced to choose between vengeance and mercy – with the fate of an empire and the life of the woman he loves hanging in the balance.
Narrated by Donna VanLiere
Audio Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Print Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Description (from Amazon.com):
In the small town of Grandon, five very different people discover the true meaning of Christmas. Jennifer and Ryan are both single parents, struggling with their own losses and heartache. Sixteen-year-old Kaylee is faced with a life-changing situation that has affected her whole family. Stephen and Lily are happily married and ready to start a family. All of them are facing their own struggles, and all are finding their way through the dark. When they are brought together for a rather unconventional church Nativity, they will learn that with strength, courage, and love, there is always hope.
Narrated by Mitch Albom
Audio Publisher: HarperAudio
Print Publisher: Harper
Description (from Amazon.com):
The First Phone Call from Heaven tells the story of a small town on Lake Michigan that gets worldwide attention when its citizens start receiving phone calls from the afterlife. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? Sully Harding, a grief-stricken single father, is determined to find out. An allegory about the power of belief – and a page-turner that will touch your soul – Albom’s masterful storytelling has never been so moving and unexpected.
Readers of The Five People You Meet in Heaven will recognize the warmth and emotion so redolent of Albom’s writing, and those who haven’t yet enjoyed the power of his storytelling will thrill at the discovery of one of the best-loved writers of our time.
Narrated by Lyssa Browne
Audio Publisher: Cedar House Audio Productions
Print Publisher: Koehler Books
Description (from Amazon.com):
New York City flight attendant Annie Taylor is grounded, putting a halt to weekends in Rome and her jet-setting lifestyle. Soon her noncommittal boyfriend’s true nature is revealed, and to top it all off, she loses her apartment. With nowhere else to go, Annie leaves the city for the family farm in Kentucky, a place she’s avoided for years. She finds a shotgun-wielding grandmother, a farm in disrepair, and a suspicious stranger renting the old stone house. The country quiet haunts Annie with reminders of a past that can’t be changed. She tries persuading her grandmother to sell the farm, but is met with stubborn refusal? Yet in the midst of her crashing life, Annie sees a glimmer of hope for a second chance.
Jake Wilder is contemplating jumping off the corporate ladder to follow his passion for sustainable farming. He’s almost ready to propose to Camille, a girl who wants more, not less. Annie believes Jake is about to make a terrible mistake, but does she have the right to tell him?
As the summer heats up, so do Annie’s unexpected feelings for Jake and her interest in the land. When a sudden phone call comes from New York, Annie is forced to choose between coming to terms with her past or leaving it all behind.
Narrated by Barbara McCulloh
Audio Publisher: Recorded Books
Print Publisher: Bethany House
Description (from Amazon.com):
Marty Dandridge Olson is a widow looking for a way out of Texas. Widower Jake Wythe has secured a job as a bank manager in Denver, only to discover that the bank board wants him to be a married man. With Texas in his roots, he advertises for a Lone Star bride, and Marty answers the call. They both agree they are done with romance and love and will make this nothing more than a marriage of convenience. Marty works to carve out a new life in high-society Denver as Jake works to guide the bank through a collapsing economy.
But when money goes missing at the bank and accounting discrepancies point to Jake, he must find a way to prove his innocence. Yet all he wants to do is go back to Texas and own his own ranch. Marty, on the other hand, owns a ranch – one she’s never told her husband about. She hates Texas because it represents the losses in her life. But as the couple grows closer and love begins to bloom, Marty realizes she needs to tell Jake the truth. Can she come to terms with the past and her anger toward God in order to make room for love?
Inspirational / Faith-Based Non-fiction
Since the focus of my blog is on Christian fiction, I’ll not devote quite as much space to the Non-fiction finalists. But, for those who may be interested, here’s a list of the Inspirational / Faith-Based Non-fiction Audie Award finalists for 2015 (with links where you can learn more).
Before Amen by Max Lucado, Narrated by Ben Holland (Thomas Nelson)
Living a Life that Matters: From Nazi Nightmare to American Dream by Ben Lesser, Narrated by Ben Lesser and Jonathan Silverman (Remembrance Publishing, LLC)
Prepared for a Purpose by Antoinette Tuff, Narrated by Robin Miles (eChristian)
The Singer and the Song by Miriam Therese Winter, Narrated by Janis Ian (Audible, Inc)
Steel Will by Shilo Harris, Narrated by Johnny Heller (eChristian)
And now, let’s wrap up with a question for my readers. Have you read or listened to any of these titles? If so, what did you think? If not, would you be interested in seeing some or all of these titles reviewed here? Or more interested in reviews of upcoming titles?
Very excited about Chasing the Lion! Excellent book and I know the narration is top-notch!
I agree, Heather. It’s neat to see a self-published book on the list, and it sounds like a really good one. I remember seeing a post on Seekerville a few months ago about the making of that audiobook. An interesting process.