♪ [applause] thank you very much a. >> thank you. that was wonderful. >> that was really fun. i don't know if we have time to spare. [applause] [inaudible conversations] >> television has changed since c-span began 41 years ago but our mission continues to provide an unfiltered view of government. already this year we brought your primary election coverage, the presidential impeachment process, and now the federal response to the coronavirus. you can watch all of c-span's public affairs programming on television, online or listen on a free radio app and the part of the national conversation through c-span's daily

"washington journal" program, or through our social media feed. c-span, created by private industry, america's cable-television company, as a public service, brought to you today by your television provider. >> a chilly smile. >> he shivered and wanted to john. >> i don has to love you no matter what. >> ozzy moment to consider the audacity of that maneuver. >> in the beginning stories were told. >> there's something elemental about speaking the story that puts it to a different test. >> the works of shakespeare, toni morrison, jason reynolds and michelle obama are a far richer experience heard rather than silently read. >> because the intimate experience, you are all rating

it and constantly listening. >> i get my iphone and make a recording. might at some characteristics of peaceful. >> i feel like it's less of myself as as a poet who perfors and now it's myself being like all right, let me hold your hand and tell you this think i heard once. so i'm guiding people but it's in a different way. >> if i don't get everybody the utmost respect and understanding and compassion and empathy, i am not doing justice to this. >> studies have shown listening to audiobooks is a more emotional experience than story share to other mediums. >> is not a movie. it's not a book but it has the best of both worlds. >> it's very intimate form of the experience started because you have an actual human being giving the story to you and the just absolutely love that. so i love when i listen to all the books is hearing the feeling

that a a person is telling the story. >> hearingri your novel read aloud, being transformed into an audiobook is such an honor and a privilege. >> audiobooks right now are in a time of t incredible expectation or anything goes and where the form is finding itself. >> it's another way to access literature and oftentimes it's a way to access literature for nontraditional readers. >> it lets more people experience great stories. >> you are all the reason that 50% of americans listen to an audiobook in 2019. so here's to all of you. here's to amazing audiobooks, and here's to 25 years of the audio awards. >> ladies and gentlemen, we are thrilled to introduce this

evenings master ceremonies, the weedy andll wonderful mr. mo ro mo rocca. he is a a correspondent for cbs sunday morning and a frequent panelist on npr's hit weekly quiz show wait, wait, don't tell me. he is the author and audiobook narrator of the recent "new york times" bestseller, great lives worth reliving published by simon & schuster and simon & schuster audio. he is also the host of the podcast. we are excited to have him as our host this evening, so without further ado, mo rocca. [applause] thank you, thank you. i'm mo rocca, and this is kind of a dream for me i i have to . here i am in this fabulous venue

in front oful his glittering crowd, and stephen king is here. [cheers and applause] i mean, i feel like kerry wenches asked to the prom. [laughing] -- when she was asked to the prom. and given the royal treatment. they sent a car for me. how nice is that? christine, i'll be out and about two hours. christine answered back, nice, okay. it is a 20th anniversary of the audio awards and things have never been better for this sector of the publishing industry. it is growing by leaps and bounds. seven years of double-digit growth, 45,000 titles last year alone with revenues of over $1 billion. [applause]

and a high school cafeteria that is the publishing world, the audiobook people are sitting at the cool kids table. [laughing] and the e-books people are begging them for lunch money. [laughing] the e-books people don't need your pity. they just need something to eat. and as site of a hot audiobooks have become, , tonight nominees include some serious star power, meryl streep is nominated for an oddity tonight. very exciting. she's nominated for reading "charlotte's web." i hear her spider accent is amazing. thank you. that category, that category audiobook of the year is super star-studded. tom hanks is in that category. i don't know with the book is about but i'm sure tom hanks has made it supremely likable. i mean come he could read the unit bombers manifesto and you

would think i kind of like this guy. and dowd is nominated for the testaments, the sequel to "the handmaid's tale." [applause] that sounds really fun. and who else is in that category? so who else isse in that catego? michelle, michelle, all, michelle obama, that's great. she has a book o out? i hope people find it.it anyway, let me just say meryl streep was so good reading "charlotte's web" that she's already been hired to narrate the sequel. pet cemetery. pretty good, right? it makes perfect sense we are honoring stephen king tonight not only for his early and steadfast support of audiobooks but also because the nightmare we are currently living through is something out of a stephen king horror.

[applause] [applause] and you can ask which nightmare we are referring to. i have not read the essay end. how do things turn out? [laughter] maybe i will skip that. demi moore is nominated tonight. when i think of the audiobook publishing world i think of demi moore and woody harrelson like an indecent proposal on a pile of cash. they don't get to touch. and then the real audiobook stars not johnny-come-lately but real audiobook voices. [applause] back it up hollywood scott

bric brick. where is he? the master of hydration. i met him earlier and his voice is so handsome. [laughter] last year male and female narrator are here. [applause] they are both in the narrator hall of fame although i do wonder why there is an * next to his name. and her previous the word winner is here.

[applause] as will as the silky voice january. [applause] my only disappointment is these awards did not happen two months ago because then we could say. [inaudible] hillary huber is nominated. [applause] for best female narrator. also doing the voice of god introductions tonight so for everyone sake i really hope she wins you don't want the angry voice of god. >> no you don't. [laughter] you don't want to make me angry.

>> you would not like her when she is angry. >> please reveal yourself so we can worship you. [cheers and applause] now while the history of the audie awards québec 25 years but the audiobook goes back much further their western literature a was an audiobook i'm talking the iliad as read by homer. [laughter] they wanted james earl jones but he was unavailable anybody who took school latin it was intended to be heard, not read the iliad received raves as did the odyssey. he had a two poem deal. go with that it is whimsical. [laughter] there was a problem 800 bc there was no such thing to

record so they actually had to find homer and get him to recite his work life. he was blind and wandering around he could be crabby especially if you poked him to go back or if you ask him to read. needless to say this was not a good business plan in fact you could say it was an epic fail. [laughter] are there any librarians here? you love it. they have my back. fast forward 7000 years to the dawn of the audiobook simon & schuster their very first title 1985 was a thriller you all remember how to get your point across in 30 seconds or less they wanted james earl

jones but he was doing voiceovers for cnn and a decade later the first audie awards the original host of cbs sunday morning charles kuralt. [applause] i am proud to be on that show and that brings the subject to me. [laughter] i recorded my own audiobook this year. thank you very much. [applause] obituaries i actually requested jim dale because i saw him on the original cast of barnum when i was 12 and he was superb. signed up doing my own audiobook start to finish for one thing i discovered how many words i have been mispronouncing all my life. [laughter]

i thought it was biopic i thought it was posthumous and i wrote a book about obituaries and i do not know how to pronounce posthumous. [laughter] but fortunately i had a terrific producer scott sherritt. [applause] and took me by the tongue to guide me through the creative process that is much more nuanced than i realized a form of communication all of its own storytelling and acting fully engaging with an audience unseen with your voice and your heart and your soul all while doing your best.

posthumous. so i am proud to be here to celebrate all of tonight's nominees. [applause] and now is find out who one most awards will be acknowledged by the winter - - the winner standing at their table for applause will all of the judges who are with us please stand and be recognized for your hard wor work. [applause] we could not do any of this without you. great job now one more practice session will all of tonight's finalist please stand and be recognized. [cheers and applause]

i get to kick off tonight with a special acknowledgment we heard from audiobook lovers all over the world as they voted on social media for their favorite audiobook as the people's choice recognition goes to penguin random house for becoming. [applause] the people have spoken and now it is my pleasure to introduce the first presenters of the evening. jared j the nominated author of hey kiddo national book award finalist and one the

odyssey award his grandfather used to say they were going to name him oscar mel rights award-winning books and currently serves as the kennedy senator first education artist in residence thanks to the rule he has yet to be a contestant on wait wait don't tell me. [applause] >> nonfiction has been described as trying to write the truth and make it read like fiction they have created a world for us the finalist

for nonfiction are. >> >> the audie for nonfiction

goes to. [applause] >> it is said that though that do not know history are doomed to repeat it if so how do they know they are repeating it? [laughter] also history is written by the winner but is unkind to the finalist however the finalist

>> the history biography envelope harper audio. [applause] there you go. congratulations. [applause] the finalist for autobiography the more

>> the audie goes to penguin random house for becoming. michelle obama. [applause] >> she shy. [laughter] >> the next presenter the acclaimed chef behind many

restaurants worldwide in new jersey and opening in miami creator of the audible original our harlem also the youngest person to ever receive a three-star review from the new york times and has won multiple awards including as a chef in new york city it is out now to watch online on pbs.org please welcome to the stage. [applause] >> thank you great job. actually just give me a chance i'm very excited the finalist

are >> the audie goes to if you want to start a podcast. [applause]

>> the finalist for humor is

>> the audie goes to more bedtime stories. [applause] the finalist are

>> the audie goes to how the light hits it. [applause] >> next to present his celebrity judge the new york times best-selling author from they both the diethylene and and history is all that you left me. the best-selling book published this past january please welcome to the stage. [applause] >> good evening thank you for being here today.

i came to the gay game a little late about 20 years old because i start reading gave books until i was 19 and emboldened but i can only imagine if i knew that audiobooks existed i would have been gay so much sooner. [laughter] , like, really gay. [laughter] thank you to all the educators and librarians and booksellers we have audiobooks for all ages beginning with young listeners. the finalist are

>> the audie for your listener goes to

[applause] moving on up the finalist for middle grade are

>> the audie goes to charlotte's web. [cheers and applause] it could take a very long time to become young the finalist help us along the way the finalist for young adults are

>> the audie for young adult those two

lauren blakely can often be found listening to an audiobook and a comedian's memoir. a jamaican mother and traveling artist and activist author of the other side of paradise and crossfire she is a ride or die new yorker who refuses to leave brooklyn. [applause] >> the finalist for short story collection are

[applause]

>> the audie goes to >> fiction reveals truth the meeting transports us and that the one - - sadly the president doesn't read fiction. [laughter] these are the final one - - the following finalist.

>> audie goes to the water dance. [applause] >> and la-based actress dan founder a multiple audie award winner at two time odyssey award winner and has been inducted into the audible hall of fame jacqueline is the best-selling author of more than two dozen award-winning

books and the four-time newberry award winner with the naacp image award winner and to time caretta scott king award winner. please welcome them both to the stage. [applause] >> we practiced but listening to the water dance or four times. i love that so much. the finalist for romance are

>> and the audie goes to the devil's daughter. [applause] >> please stand and be recognized. should i say that part? [laughter] >> i have so much work appear.

>> the finalists are

>> and the audie goes to please stand and be recognized. >> my turn. the finalist for science fiction are

>> the audie goes to emergency. [applause] >> hello with the apa board of directors and it's my pleasure to turn our attention to mr. stephen king. for years long before audiobooks were fashionable as the champion through his support has aspired improvements to audiobooks and

with that coldhearted enthusiasm and gratitude to celebrate stephen king by sharing with him a lifetime achievement award. [applause] >> first of all thank you. >> and thank you for your major and imagination and artistry. >> i think about them all the time but a very amazing and

difficult and book. >> i was lucky enough. >> that is why i should narrate as well. >> stephen king will still be

read 100 years from now. >> congratulations. [cheers and applause] >> presenting this award.

>> and for jill hill to prevent blood - - present the actual award the best-selling author and it just a few seconds ago one the audie for full throttle. and the author of walk and key a long-running comic book. [applause] >> i am honored to be here tonight to celebrate audiobooks alongside the people who work so hard so brilliantly to bring them to leaders everywhere.

for anybody that could wish or hope for. and i was there. i know. but after they married they filled the house with books. crammed on shells and on piles and the conversation revolved almost around make-believe people in the world with that culinary specialty and with the hamburger thrown in and publishing and the well-known moral failings of literary

critics. >> but those came after dinner and that we work through the lion and witch and wardrobe. >> and it was so pretentious and overrated. >> and then the still on - - this dinner must be killing him. when i was a kid at fenway park and waiting in line to

buy movie tickets and then to turn the pages going from one end of mean to the other and listening to an audiobook if you complain then turned down the volume. and those that are commercially available. >> and it is the two cassettes with the most convenient. and between getting a whole meal hamburger fries and coke but then recorded book service

to have the unabridged readings. and then to order books by favorite writers not on who wrote them but who was reading them and he fell in love a certain voices and then if you cannot get the novel he wanted to hear he had another resource, his children. like all children our father exploited our agreed to build up his library of audiobooks paying us to read novels on the cassette the starting salary was $12 about 60 minutes although my sister naomi was a ruthless negotiator as the best reader eventually worked him up $20 per tape.

he got the audio that he wanted for the kids have confidence of their own power but the tapes that we made for him and the cassettes he ordered made him better for other audiobook readers. and with complete adaptations but then sweetened his argument and then to have this voice with words and to have the reader back to him in the most brilliant readers and

jessica patton and others and if you wonder what it would have been like to come out of the king household after dinner when we passed the book around it is easy enough my dad would put his own stories on audio and my mom read the house on maple street. with his decision to release audio at first leaving that was the best possible way to enjoy them something they were meant to be told and heard even more than red. his love for the gifted readers after frank mueller suffered a critical brain injury and was hospitalized without adequate insurance my father started the foundation to offer financial assistance to performing artist to suffered injuries and personal calamities. [applause]

>> and then to serve many others and then the need has never been greater. and with that audiobook form offering his support to make audiobooks possible and then to discover the joy of a story well told with the lifetime achievement audie award please give it up for him once again. [cheers and applause]

>> that would make one hell of a murder weapon, wouldn't it? [laughter] i would not take up a lot of your time you could be listening to another audiobook. [laughter] joe i will get your check to you. [laughter] i was just going to say that still to this day i can still hear him in those early days to say if the cassette fails to play smack it against the palm of your hand. [laughter] if you cannot otherwise read the reels return it to us and we will send you another cassette. and since then we have come a long way. people sometimes ask me to do you read your own books which

is a ridiculous thing to say because i how they all come out. [laughter] but i listen to the mall. and for something they did right this is the most honorable form of storytelling that there is because it goes back to the very beginning and the institute did a fantastic job. [applause] that was for the maximum overdrive movie and here is the best part of it. thank you very much. [cheers and applause]

♪ >> i'm happy to introduce my very good friend and colleague. [applause] mary beth and i are thrilled to present the special >> special achievement award. [applause] >> i am hoping we get through this. i'm delighted to present the special achievement award tonight. it was one of the very first

people i met when i joined the audiobook business and it was clear from the start that she was someone special but at the risk of sounding incredibly ancient, this was before the first ipod was invented. number 11 was really superb explaining, downloading, streaming, this was the time you could watch people's eyes roll back in their head. she could explain it beautifully even to the publishing technophobe. she is legendary for being thorough and hard-working and reliable, served on the apa board for 20 years and you can always count on her to raise her hand to help with whatever needed to be done. over the years she devoted countless hours delving into the thorniest of issues, graciously taking on thankless tasks such as ensuring the

consistency in research data and bringing the audience judging process to the digital age. best these things through whether she is finding the perfect keynote speaker or helping to launch the memory of a beloved colleague, she managed to walk with grace that complicated line that all of us must manage between looking out for the interest of our employer and safeguarding the interests of our industry. it is not just details and data, she knows how to bring the fun. with you want to kayak after the audio file lobster base or you want great restaurant recommendations or just want to make an event more special many of us remember beth from the stunning jacob javits center to bring more glamour to the first daytime audie awards. even when she takes a break from audio evangelists, she does it with aplomb.

she is taking machu picchu. we have with us an impressive group of actors who amaze us with the roles they play. beth is not an actress but i would argue with her extraordinary loyalty and intelligence, determination and uncommon sense of fairness beth is a bright right, devoted daughter, sister, aunt, friend, audio enthusiast and colleague which are industry is a better place because she has been in it and we look forward to hearing about the future adventures of your 2020 vision and beyond. when people learned about this special achievement we received accolades from many authors and colleagues. >> this is from don katz, audible's founder and he had this to say about this. i can only begin to note the profound impact beth has had and will always have on audible

land on me as a friend and advisor. as inaudible pioneer she helps finance part of the early gangs as we called it. we had to battle every industry status quo and like so many insurgents passed we drew together because audible was like a movement. we went on as comrades, tens of millions in a single year. few people across the world, artfully performed words are owed a more lasting sense of gratitude so please join us in showing beth anderson how grateful we are for all she has done to the audiobook community. [applause]

[applause] >> it matches my dress. >> friday was my last day in the office. today is the first day of my retirement and i have to say this is great. thank you very much. there have been some wonderful pioneers and legends in our business who have received this award before, judy mcguinn, don katz, brady hester, linda olson, greg black, bob and debra, i am honored to follow in their footsteps.

i have been doing a lot of reflection over the past few months letting my mind wander down memory lane and in the process i have come to realize how far the apa, the audiobook world, we were originally abridged but there have been many other advances. the first audie awards i remember was conducted in a very dim hotel basement i believe in chicago and it was after the last session of apack. i think there was a cash bar but not much else. this event is 1000 times more glamorous than that one was but it was a start. when i started in audible, audiobooks were generally 3 to 6 hours on cassette.

narrators had paper manuscript and were recorded in studios on tape. people listened on their walkman or shoveling tapes and cds into their car player. back in nearly days a rare celebrity performance might have been burt reynolds doing an abridged western for dove audio. we had to explain audiobooks were not only for the blind or the lazy and we could only dream, could only dream of prime time ads or a new york times bestseller list for spoken word audio. we have come a long way. [applause] >> i have loved my work as audible and my work with this group in this industry. i always treasured the fact that while we may compete with each other for particular projects, when it comes to

driving the audio industry forward we have locked arms and worked together. you honor me tonight, i honor you for what you have accomplished together. i'm sure there are many advancements to come. i will be watching and listening, thank you. [applause] >> let me welcome to the stage celebrity judge emma straub, best-selling author of the vacationers and modern lovers, the next audiobook, all adults here will be published in may of 2020. welcome to the stage.

>> high. when they told us we celebrity judges would have a few moments to ad lib. i thought the cutest story i know about audiobooks is joe hill and his family recording books, so i knew he was going to tell that already. play that again in your head. what is better than one narrator? multiple narrators working together to create an intimate performance that transports the listener. the finalists for multi-voice performances. >> multi-voiced performance, 200 women by jeff blackwell. ruth holliday, sharon gilman

and karen scott. narrated by a fool cast. daisy jones and the six by taylor jenkins narrated by jennifer -- judy greer, pablo shriver and a fool cast. dooku jedi lostnarrated by mark thompson, pete bradbury, jonathan davis, neil hilliker, robert -- rebecca stiller. jared jake, narrated by jared jake, richard ferrone, jenna and a fool cast. the only plane in the sky, by

garrett m. graff narrated by a fool cast with holter graham. >> the audie awards goes to simon and schuster audio for "the only plane in the sky". [applause] >> next up. i can't say anything until the teleprompter tells me what i am going to say or i could just make it up. the finalists for audio from a are audio drama.

the absolute brightness of -- "the absolute brightness of leonard pelkey". "angels in america". nathan stewart, and eddie falco. birthday suit by aaron blakely, aaron mallon, dion grand, savannah peach wood, jason clark and robin miles. have a nice day by billy crystal performed by justin garza, and after bending, billy crystal, rachel dredge, darrell hammond, krista jackson, kevin kline and a fool cast.

"puss in boots" performed by jim nails, mark aldrich, nick sullivan, brian holden, meredith engle be, lynn north, john brady and johnny heller. the audie awards goes to random house audio for "angels in america". [applause] >> you guys have fun in audiobook land. the finalist for original works are. >> original work. evil i. narrated by nick toasty, bernard white and rita wolf.

i eat men like air narrated by elizabeth fair, lawfully ever after, by stephanie bentley and miranda ray, narrated by stephanie bentley, henry kaiser, and aaron wilson. nevertheless we persist. by samantha macleod, rachel jan eddie, mary caroline smith, jackie rosen, francesca amari, rachel wiseman, k e white, beverly lawrence, carol schneider.

performed by crystal lewis, emily barrett, suzanne -- madeleine blakely, lisa planner, carly robbins, nicole sends arata, caitlin keller, karen white. carol schneider. lori joe daniels and carrie stein. 7 days of christmas, music and soul, by marcus anderson, narrated by marcus anderson. >> the audie awards goes to

audible originals for evil eye. [applause] >> presenting next is another of our celebrity judges, eric thomas, senior staff writer, his first audiobook for it, how to save your soul when america was just published last month. lynn manual remand the calls in one of the funniest writers on this internet. please welcome to the stage eric thomas. >> oh my god. i am so genuinely odd to be in the room with all of you. i come from a family of audiobook listeners.

i'm deeply honored by you and the work that you do. the novelizations of the star trek novels i really enjoyed but the first audiobook i remember buying was the bible. my father was insistent and i believe it was unabridged so it was literally 60 cassettes and came in a case like nuclear codes. i was telling my father while i was doing this, i listened to all of it, i hope you did. i remember pulling out a cassette and listening to deuteronomy, get all those names exactly right. a couple months ago i was in nashville and the lift driver was telling me he is also a voice actor and i was asking him about it. he was up for a new recording of the bible.

did add something? no, they are just doing it again. they are going to pull a mack truck of money because that is nine years of recording. i am rooting for him unless any of your up for that in which case i am rooting for you instead. i got to go. the nominees in fiction are. >> fiction. the age of light by whitney shearer narrative by doris plummer. mrs. dream narrated by lewis freely. city of romans narrated by blair brown. columbia narrated by rusty young and brian rameau's. the house we grew up in by lisa jewell narrated by karina

fernandez. >> the audie awards goes to penguin house audio for the city of girls. [applause] the finalist for mystery. >> mystery. along came a spider, 20 fifth anniversary edition by james patterson narrated by tate dish. performance by sammy hoag, narrated by hillary hubert. [applause] >> narrated by peter noble. the lost to narrated by stephen shanahan. the new iberia blue eye james lieber.

>> the audie awards goes to harper audio for the chestnut man. [applause] >> the finalist for thriller/suspense. >> thriller/suspense, blood in the water by jack flynn never aided by dion graham. breathing by jessica graham narrated by hillary huber. the incident by stephen king narrated by santino, lady in the lake by laura lipman narrated by susan bennett. winter don by alex mcallister narrated by our pack.

>> the audie awards goes to simon & schuster audio for the institute. [applause] >> very nice. okay. from this point forward we invite those who win audie awards to join us on stage to say a few words. for keywords for narration the 2019 winners for best female narrator and best male narrator and the voices of this evening's finalist video so you know their voices well for many reasons, julia whelan and atwater ballerina he. >> high, guys.

we have copy. according to -- i got to mean like this. according to a 2018 study listening to audiobooks increases the emotional impact of stories over watching them on the screen. >> it measured things like heart rate and body temperature. are we sure this is right? people listening to audiobooks compared watching tv or movies, scenes with similar emotional intensity, length, and narrative. audiobooks won. >> we have known that all along. >> we have. >> we been listening to all the finalists. the finalist for narration by arthur or others. >> narration by author or authors. becoming written and narrated by michelle obama. inside out written and narrated by demi moore.

madam -- written and narrated by sophie doll. shortest way home. one mayor's challenge and the model for america's future written and narrated by pete buttigieg. written and narrated by stephen -- [applause] >> written and narrated by elizabeth -- [applause] >> the audie awards goes to harper audio for with the fire on high. ♪ >> liz is sorry she couldn't

make it but she had a few words and didn't break anything. always a bonus. all right. i am completely honored by this award. it means so much to know the way i rented the stories resonate with listeners. i come from a traditional, tradition of oral storytelling, not a narrator. my grandfather could recite long intricate riddles from memory. my mother raised me with elaborate stories of her youth growing up in the rural countryside of the diminish in republic. in fact, when i am writing i'm always reading out loud. i'm editing with my ear. it is crucial to me that the sound, the music of the story ring true. this, the opportunity to end my own voice, lifting off the page has been such a fulfilling one. here is where it gets awkward. special thanks to caitlin goering.

[applause] >> it must be awkward to read a thank you to yourself but i want you to know she is right. not every author is given the chance to voice their own work or have such an amazing director to make sure every note is spot on. i'm incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful producer. thank you all. [applause] >> i want to say there is a helpful note here. please adjust the mic to your mouth level and speak to really into it, thank you. [laughter] >> okay. okay. here is a category. i know some the little about. the finalist for best female narrator.

>> best female narrator. all the lost things by michelle fax narrated by cassondra more. war by tami hoag, narrated by hillary hubert. nothing to see here by kevin wilson narrated by mayor and i are. -- [applause] >> narrated by rachel atkins. the 10,000 doors of january by alex haro narrated by january the more. [applause] >> i am a little choked up. mayor in ireland for nothing to see here. [applause] ♪

>> i am kind of blown away. i am supremely honored by this. i love books so much and i feel at my most useful getting to read these books out loud to other people. this book in particular meant so much to me it swept me off my feet, i fell in love with it completely and the fact that it resonates with people means the world to me. i'm overwhelmed by that. i think suzanne mitchell at harper audio. she thought of me and it was a huge gift. thank you so much. thank you to everybody who listened to the book and listens to audiobooks. it is a real honor. thank you so much.

[applause] >> my old job, best male narrator nominees are. >> best male narrator. the dutch house by and patchett narrated by tom hanks. everything is ruminated by jonathan force narrated by robert petbomb. kingdom of the blind by louise penny narrated by robert traffickers. the nickel boy narrated by jay d jackson. watership down by richard adams narrated by peteralldi. >> the audio goes to kingdom of the blind.

>> i would like to accept this award -- is a going to come up? >> robert can't be here tonight but he has really enjoyed the challenge of stepping into ralph's shoes. he was grateful to continue that tradition so thank you all very much. [applause] >> and now let's take a look at the finalists for audiobook of the year and they are. >> audiobook of the year.

"angels in america" by tony kushner narrated by nathan lane, susan brown, denise gough, beth maloney, james mccarty, nathan stewart jones and eddie fowler. becoming, written and narrated by michelle obama. charlotte -- "charlotte's web" by "charlotte's web" 9 rated by merrill sweep, mcleod andrew, emily renken, kimberly farr, mark deacon, lincoln hoffa and a fool fast. the dutch house by and patchett -- e.b. white by ann patchett, the only plane in the sky, and oral history of 9/11 by garrett m. graff narrated by a fool cast.

bryce dallas howard, mae whitman, derek jacoby and margaret advocate. >> the audie awards goes to simon & schuster audio for "the only plane in the sky," and oral history of 9/11. ♪ [applause] >> thank you so much to the judges for this -- it is incredibly humbling with that

scene. this is a project that has meant so much to me for so many years, trying to pull together the voices of 480 americans who we follow through 9/11 morning tonight coast-to-coast. i want to thank simon & schuster for believing in this project, and my editor and tom from simon & schuster, i think i could actually hear tom's head explode when i told them what i wanted to do with this audiobook. then holter graham and dutch who made this come to life and brought the others, hundreds of voices they did for this. thank you all for helping me share this story with so many

americans who were not alive for 9/11. i hear almost every day from people who are learning about 9/11 through this audiobook and learning what it meant to our country through the voices of the story and i'm very grateful to the judges and mpa for recognizing the story and helping ensure that we never forget what our country lived through that day so thank you. [applause] >> congratulations. well, i would like to thank you for having me as your host this evening. until next year, keep your feet on the ground and keep high

trading. [applause] >> thank you for joining us for the 20 fifth audie awards ceremony. congratulations to all the finalists and winners. we invite you to go downstairs where winners can receive their awards. >> weeknights this week, we are featuring booktv programs showcasing what is available every weekend on c-span2. tonight, books on the middle east. first michael ruben talks about the instability in the middle east and where us actions against iran may lead. then kim gotus talks about the rivalry between iran and saudi arabia. after that, a retired foreign service officer who served in the