When I was a kid, listening to an audio book meant slipping a record out of its sleeve, lifting the heavy lid of the stereo cabinet, balancing the record on the spindle, waiting for the record to drop, then lowering the needle carefully so as not to scratch the surface and cause one line to repeat over and over.
The book I remember listening to most often was Robert McCloskey’s Homer Price. Just say the word “donut” and the distinctive voice of that narrator comes back to me instantly, bright and lively, a sit-down-here-and-let-me-tell-you-a-story voice. On those lazy summer afternoons, I felt as though Robert McCloskey himself was curled up inside that cabinet, telling me over and over again about Homer and the donut shop.
The Luck of the Buttons was released last week in audio book and when I got my first listen I couldn’t stop smiling. The charming voice of Laura Hamilton takes me right back to those blissful hours sprawled out on the floor in front of the stereo cabinet.
Hear a sample here and see if Ms. Hamilton doesn’t leave you with a craving for pie and lazy summer afternoons.