I have been wanting to, meaning to, write this post for a long LONG time.
Winter is a great time to snuggle up with a blanket, grab a cup of hot cocoa, and of course a book or two. No guilt goes along with winter reading as we all know… it is cold outside! 😛 Not to dis on summer, which can present wonderful reading opportunities like: beach reading, lawn chair reading, reading on the boat, on the deck, while tanning…
yet summer can also present a busier outdoor life style where reading is not possible (or in some cases like at family get togethers… frowned upon :razz:)
Summer seems to bring in with it things that are hard to hold a book to:
gardening
mowing
taking walks
grilling and cooking either indoor or out
driving to and from events – weddings, grad parties, gatherings of all types
biking/roller blading
washing windows
What I am leading to is….
audio books.
Ok wait you non audio book people – before you decide to leave, hear me out. If you think audio is cheesy, well guess what? I did at one time too. Both my aunts have listened to it for years and I have all but eye rolled in the past.
BUT…
two years ago I discovered there is such a thing as good audio and audio – when done well, can enhance your reading and help you get to books you never thought you would have time for. I have had books on the shelves for years (no exaggeration) that I have waited to read but never found the time for them. I started picking them up on audio (I currently use audible.com, Blackstone, Hatchette, just to name a few) and find I get to them much faster and listen to them while I am doing other things.
This post today is not only to plug audio to those who have not tried it or had a bad experience, but to also assist you with choosing amazing audio books that I can personally recommend, and other audio lovers have recommended as well. Audio is linked to places you can hear a sample.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (click to hear a sample)
After by Amy Efaw (Recommended by Patricia’s Particularity) I ordered this one today!
Michael Bennett Series by James Patterson (my recommendation!!! LOVED THESE!)
The Lions Game by Nelson Demille (Recommended by The Brazen Bookworm)
The Passage by Justin Cronin (Recommended by me)
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Recommended by dog eared copy)
We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (Recommended by Book, Line, and Sinker)
Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling (Recommended by Reading Extensively but I have to second that! :razz:)
127 Hours by Aron Ralston (Recommended by Savvy Verse & Wit)
Born Round by Frank Bruni (Recommended by Amused By Books) *Which I ordered today because the price was right and it sounds interesting!
Bossypants by Tina Fey ( I absolutely recommend that you listen to this one rather than read it. Tina reads this herself and it is HILARIOUS.)
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia (Recommended by Alison’s Book Marks)
The Iron King Series by Julie Kagawa (Recommended by Alison’s Book Marks)
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (I have not listened to this but read it – heard the audio was fantastic!)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer/ Ann Barrows (Recommended by A Book Lover)
The Wheel Of Time Series by Robert Jordan (Recommended by Just One More Chapter… please)
Bloody Jack Series by L A Meyer (Recommended originally by Under The Boardwalk and then again by 30+ A Lifetime of Books)
A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber (Recommended by Emma… a reader not a blogger)
First Rule by Robert Crais (Recommended by Home Sweet Hopkins)
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (Recommended by dog eared copy)
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (Recommended by Lil Rae Of Sunshine)
The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness (Recommended by There’s A Book)
Strangers AT The Feast by Jennifer Vanderbes (Recommended by Bookworm With A View)
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkele (Recommended by 133ov)
Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me by Ian Morgan Cron (Recommended by Faith Hope and Cherry Tea)
I Thought You Were Dead by Pete Nelson (Recommended by Bibliophile By The Sea)
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Ruby Dee (Recommended by me)
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (Recommended by Under The Boardwalk)
The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham (Recommended by me)
I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman (Recommended by Bookworm With A View)
Return Of The Native by Thomas Hardy (Recommended by Zenleaf – now at Mandaland)
The Host by Stephanie Meyers (Recommended by Zenleaf – now at Mandaland)
The Magicians Nephew by C S Lewis (Narnia series) (Recommended by The Fake Steph)
The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (Recommended by me)
Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (Recommended by reader Linda, not a blogger)
Unspeakable Journey by Rinda Hahn (Recommended by me)
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens (Recommended by Jo-Jo Loves To Read and Just One More Chapter…please)
The Art Of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein (recommended by me)
Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (Recommended by Notes Of Life)
Backseat Saints byJoshilyn Jackson (Recommended by Tina’s Book Reviews)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Recommended by dog eared copy)
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen (Recommended by Annette’s Book Spot)
Thank you to all the bloggers and book lovers mentioned here who through earlier posts this year have brought these suggestions as awesome audio. I hope audio book lovers find a few titles here, and those of you new to audio may feel encouraged by these trusted sources to dip a toe in…
and stop trying to sneak your nose into books at those family gatherings. 😛
Book Journey 
Oh wow, some great books there.
I always say I need to listen to audio books when I am ironing. Have still to get around to this.
Maybe I should try one from the library first.
carol
I listen all the time Carol, cooking, cleaning, mowing, getting ready in the morning, driving… I have three going at all times. 😛
Thanks for this great list! I am looking for new audiobooks to try (though my car’s CD player only plays the beat up older ones). I have heard that The Help and Bloody Jack are excellent on audio. I recently listened to a clip of the first Percy Jackson book on audio and liked it enough to borrow it from the library. I like to listen to books I’ve already read (less chance of a car accident that way!).
I finally found a cord that lets me listen to audio through my IPOD in the car. I have cd in the car too… but occasionally the one on the IPOD gets really good and I want to finish it out 😀
The Bloody Jack series has won all kinds of awards for its audiobook versions. The narrator does a marvelous job.
I’d still consider myself a newbie to audio, having listened to maybe less than 10 audiobooks up to this point but I totally swear by them now! You’ve named a few here I have on the shelves but can’t get to because of other reading commitments (The Art of Racing in the Rain, Water for Elephants, Guernsey…) but I’ll be looking into them soon. I’m currently listening to the Harry Dresden series, which I love, and The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne, which are just fantastic! (The voice of Oberon is totally priceless!) I have access to thousands of titles through the library so the expense of audio isn’t a concern either. Oh! And First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones is another great “listen”. Being my newest obsession, I could just go on and on, but I’d better stop now. Thanks for the great post and I’ll be looking into lots of the other books you have listed now too 🙂
Oh man – I hear you Jackie – I LOVE them! There are so many books I want to get to and if it were not for audio, many would have to go to the wayside.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is mesmerizing on audiobooks.
Isnt it? I cried the last 30 minutes of that audio.
I listened to The Book Thief by Marcus Zusack on audio and it was really good. I am listening to the Hunger Games series right now and they are good too. 🙂
Oh I loved all those books! Glad to hear they are good on audio too!
What an extensive list. Thanks I am a huge fan of audio books and generally always have one going on my iPod/car.
Me too Diane… they make me want to travel more….
and occasionally hang out in my car in the garage long after I have come home. 😳
I love audiobooks especially in the summer for all the summer activity reasons you listed above. However, I have balked at listening to books I already own that are on my shelf. Why? I don’t know, I guess I feel I should read them since they are there. Thanks for pointing out it’s ok to listen to them instead.
Some of those books have been on my shelves for years Leslie… really YEARS. I want to read them, but I never get to them.Then if I see them on audio at the library, or at a sale I find I can get to audio much faster than I can get to all the books I want to read. 😀
Thank goodness for audio or I fear some reads I would sadly never get to.
Fabulous list, Sheila! And thanks for posting my rec and link!!
I discovered an even greater appreciation for audio today – I’ve flown through three airports today (one more flight to go!) and my audio has totally kept me sane while I’m navigating terminal changes, shuttle rides, long walks to gates, etc. The only downside is when they make you turn off electronics for take-offs and landings, but that’s when I pull out my paperback. 😉
I’ve been listening to two books in Michael Connelly’s Mickey Haller series (the book/movie “The Lincoln Lawyer” is the first) – excellent listens!!
That is an awesome suggestion Sarah. What a great way to just tune out the chaos around you!
I listened to Lincoln Lawyer a few months back – super good!
I just finished two audios. Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson was excellent. The Priest’s Graveyard by Ted Dekker was good, I was expecting great. Could be that I was somewhat distracted while listening.
I have not had “great” out of Dekker in a long time. I was curious about the audio though… I have his newest one coming up for review soon.
Two audiobook series I have enjoyed are the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley and the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. I have listened to two books in each series and the narrators are wonderful. I’m currently listening to Faithful Place by Tana French — it’s great, too.
I have wanted to read Faithful Place – glad to hear it is good on audio too 🙂
I love the Flavia du Luce books too. The narrator does a perfect job.
Fab post! I agree. They are also perfect for those family road trips that everyone takes in the summer too!
Right! My friend and I listened to Bossypants on the way back from the cities yesterday – we were just laughing and having a great time.
I must say I love E. Griffin’s books. Perfect for the beach.
What does “E” write Esme? I googled the name and came up with a blogger, but not an author.
I listen in the car but have to pick kid friendly titles because of my children. We use the library and tend to pick series. So far in the past two years we have listend to all of the Harry Potter books, all seven C.S. lewis boosk in the Narnia series,the Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins, along with other lower elementary grade books like The Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jone, Judy Moody, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and more. It makes time pass a lot faster in the car and heads off a lot of fights.
That is awesome Jill that there are so many out there that are kid friendly and yet interesting to adults too.
I would love to listen to more audio but I only have a ipod anymore to play the audiobooks and I hate how audiobooks are stored as music files on the ipod! I wish I could fix that.
Really? I never noticed that? I use audible.com, is that different? It downloads to Itunes but on my IPOD says Audible books.
I’ve listened to audio books for years. I enjoyed many of them during the years when I was driving my kids to and from activities and it seemed as if I lived in my car. Now I have a book on CD (always from the library) going in the car, a download from Audible on my iTouch that I play when I’m ironing/quilting and a download from Overdrive (also from the library) on my mp3 player for when I’m on the treadmill. I actually prefer to listen to some books rather than read them. The Tuesday Next books by Jasper Fforde fall into this category. I couldn’t get into The Eyre Affair when I tried to read it, but I loved it on audio. The Mickey Haller series by Michael Connelly is great on audio. I’ve also listened to some of the Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich) books and the character of Grandma Mazur really comes alive in them. Audio is also wonderful for long books like Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth. I could go on . . .
You are much like me – 3 going at all times for whereever I am car, kitchen, or bedroom. 😀
I have several audiobooks that I recommend. I love audiobooks especially ones that make the book come alive. Here are a few I recommend: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman; Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett; The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie; and anything read by Jim Dale, the narrator of the Harry Potter books and many others.
Thanks Anne! I love Jim Dale reading the Harry Potter books.
I adore the BBC radio play version of The Lord of The Rings. I’ve often had a lot of trouble getting into an audiobook, but not that one.
Keep trying Elena – you may find the right one 😀
Wow, what a great list of recommendations! I almost always have an audio going in addition to whatever I am reading. I don’t get a lot of audio time, however, because I am rarely alone! I almost always have other members of my family with me. But I do try to listen if I am in the car by myself and when I am in the kitchen cooking. I have even less time alone than usual in the summer, but summer does allow us time to listen to an audio or two together, on our annual road trip.
I especially like to listen to memoirs on audio – it feels so much more personal, listening to the author reading his or her own words.
Sue
Interestingly – I am alone a lot 😀 Hubby is at business, kids are grown and gone. 😀
I’m a huge audiobook fan! So great to see a post like this!
I ADORED “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. Possible the most perfect audio casting I’ve ever heard!
Oh that is so awesome! I have to listen to this one!
I’m definitely still a newbie to audio, but I recently listened to The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees and loved it. It was an entertaining story with great narration by Emily Janice Card!
Once your hooked – your hooked. Have fun – there are some great selections here!
The read-to-me feature on my kindle was what made me decide to get a kindle instead of a nook. I love that most books are an audiobook! It is great to listen to at night to help me relax and fall asleep but mainly I listen to Kindle reading to me while I workout. A Sookie Stackhouse book makes the workout much less boring!
I love that I can get almost any book on audio as well 🙂
Thirteen Reasons Why audiobook is fantastic!!! Seriously even better than the actual book which is amazing. I cried!
I have to get it then – thanks 😀
I hightly recommend the audio for 13 Reasons. I posted my review earlier this month. The audio is the perfect way to experience this story since that is how the main character is experiencing it.
OOH two votes for this one in a row? I am doing it!