Top 10 Tuesday - Audiobooks

Every Tuesday the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish host a book related Top 10.

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

2010 - Listened to my first audiobook on a road trip with my family.  It was Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris and we laughed so hard I remember thinking that it was probably dangerous to be driving.

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. 

Final recommendation - the What Should I Read Next podcast from Anne Bogel aka Modern Mrs. Darcy.  It comes out every Tuesday (new episode today!) and I usually drop my current audio book to listen on my way home from work.  Only con - my TBR list grows every episode.