When I saw that this week's Top Ten Tuesday was an audiobook freebie I had to drop everything and put together a post. Fair warning, there will be formatting errors. I'm just praying it's readable.
I started listening to a few audiobook memoirs a few years ago, but I didn't become an audiobook junky until early 2015. I was traveling weekly for work and they were long road trips. I can only listen to about an hour of music before time drags.
My audio listening timeline
2013 - Rainbow Rowell raved about the narrators of Eleanor & Park. It had been a year since my first read and I decided to give the audio a shot for re-read. Loved it. Rebecca Lowman and Sunil Malhotra were both phenomenal and really added to the experience. After that I read all of Rainbow's books once and then listened to the audio for my re-read.
January 2015 - When I started my road travel for work I was still a little gun shy about listening to fiction before first reading the book. I was afraid my mind would wander too often so instead I started the first season of the Serial Podcast by Sarah Koenig. It was amazing and I don't think I realized it at the time, but it also eased my fears about staying focused.
I next attempted my first fiction new book listen of The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling). It's narrated by Robert Glenister and I want that man to read to me all the time.
From here I just went to town. My strongest recommendations listened to from Feb 2016 til now.
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer and read by Rebecca Soler
Rebecca Soler is truly a remarkable narrator. Each book introduces another main female character and she gives them each a distinct believable voice. Every character in these books is easily distinguished from each other and there are a lot of characters.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and read by Susan Ericksen
I know there are a lot of audio versions of this book, many read by famous actors, but I really enjoyed this version. Its rare I make it through a classic and I loved this.
Yes Please by Amy Poehler, read by the author
I still read a lot of celebrity memoirs (because they are generally very entertaining audiobooks), but Amy's stands out as one I didn't want to end. I can't imagine reading this book and not wanting to be her friend.
Illumine by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff read by a full cast
This is my new standard by audiobooks are measured. This was a performance and I cannot wait for the sequel.
