MAY 7 • 2020 | 29 TV series like Billions, recently has appeared on Broadway in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. She can be heard on more than 200 audiobooks and loves the one coming out in May — Anna Solomon’ s The Book of V: A Novel. She understands the Jewish point of view through her father’ s side of the family. Kaminsky, who acted at the Hope Summer Repertory Theatre in Holland, Michigan, listened to audiobooks before a colleague suggested she look into being a narrator. “I feel really lucky making part of my living telling stories this way, ” Kaminsky said. “I feel part of a large community that earns a living in ways that make their lives joyful. ” In the midst of a career as a voiceover artist, Alan Sklar listened to audiobooks, decided he could do that and arranged auditions with publishers. “I’ ve always been a good salesman and started getting narrating jobs, ” said Sklar, who has recorded more than 200 books, including many of the Lawrence Block mysteries as well as Think Big and Kick Ass: In Business and in Life by Donald Trump and Bill Zanker. Sklar’ s routine involves read- ing each book more than a month before recording, mak- ing a list of words to check for pronunciation and adhering to a director in a recording studio. When Sklar hasn’ t liked a book offered for narration, he said, he goes ahead with it any- way with publisher assurances that “the book will sell like crazy. ” He tries to think of it as an “interesting challenge. ” Charles Baxter, author of Saul and Patsy among many works of fiction, has been asked to lis- ten to audition tapes to review audio versions of his works. He is conscientious about narrators because he has stopped listening to an audiobook due to what he considered an inept narrator. Baxter, who has taught in rural Michigan as well as at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan, has developed Michigan settings and Jewish characters because of his many years in Michigan and family within the Jewish faith through marriage. His next book, The Sun Collective, will be available this November in an audio version. For those missing attendance at religious services, the Jewish Publications Society offers free narration of each week’ s Torah portion as well as the Bible. Visit jps.org, click on “Resources” and then click “JPS Audio Bible. ” “Over 20 years ago, we looked for star readers, like Theodore Bikel and Tovah Feldshuh, for a variety of voices as narrators, ” said Rabbi Barry Schwartz, director, editor-in-chief and executive of the publishing organization that works with texts communicating Jewish thought and history. Voice variety in popular books has meaning for Beverly Jonas of Farmington Hills, who began listening to audiobooks when she needed eye surgery. Reading had always been a favorite pastime so a friend rec- ommended audiobooks during her recovery. “Listening is a different kind of enjoyment, ” said Jonas, a Hadassah member who just fin- ished Alice Hoffman’ s The World That We Knew. “It can be almost like listening to a movie. I usu- ally listen over my morning cof- fee, when I lose track of time, or when my husband is watching sports. I can listen to three books a week, and I’ ve joined an online book club. ” COURTESY OF EVA KAMINSKY Eva Kaminsky Alan Sklar COURTESY OF ALAN SKLAR Call Today! 248.919.1244 synergyhomecare.com/oaklandcounty Care for Everyone Mom gave you her best - now she deserves the best! Call Jeanne Atkinson and Colleen McDonald for the best home care in Oakland County! Discreet, light housekeeping, grocery shopping, meal preparation, running errands, transportation, companionship and personal care. MEL DRYMAN Raised in Detroit, Experienced in Arizona Your Professional & Dedicated ARIZONA REALTOR Mobile: (480) 239-8686 mel.dryman@azmoves.com Each Office Independently Owned & Operated