Rec an audio book

bmwgrl · April 2014

I am sure this has been posted a million times but here goes:

I have a $5 coupon to audible plus two (free) credits to use. I am not a big audio book fan - I feel like I don't concentrate as well as I do when reading a book. I have listened to Neverwhere (I did get addicted and loved it) and just started Outlander. I was considering Ender's Game and the Goldfinch for my credits and I am not sure what to get using the $5.

What would you recommend to someone who LOVES reading but finds audio books challenging - what are some amazing audio books that really hold your attention?

One Sweet Shannon · April 2014

I used to have a real problem staying focused while listening to audiobooks. I found that I have to be either walking or knitting, or playing games that my mind can go on autopilot on (think bejeweled, zuma, puzzle-type games). I can be cooking dinner, as long as I am using headphones and no one tries to talk to me. But if I'm doing anything else, including driving, I just find myself zoning out. I've been doing a ton of walking lately, so I have been listening to a lot of books.

I just finished listening to 14 by Peter Clines, and it was great. The story was fun and fast paced and chilling at times, and the narration was excellent -- I'd place it among the best narration of the audiobooks I've listened to. 14 is mix of urban fantasy/mystery/science fiction/horror. Not necessarily my usual genres, but I would seriously recommend it to anyone. I loved it the way I loved Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore -- it's got a cool mystery to unravel, is kind of geeky, and has interesting characters. I bought 14 solely based on listener reviews and I am so glad I did.

My favorites on audio:

11/22/63, Stephen King
Ready Player One, Ernest Cline
Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan
Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, Maria Semple
Agent to the Stars, John Scalzi
Fuzzy Nation, John Scalzi
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
Beauty Queens, Libba Bray
Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Rob Lowe

I consider those to be must-listens. I don't know if I would have liked some of them (Middlesex, Gone Girl, Beauty Queens) if I had just read them. Others I know I would have still loved, but I think the narration was so amazing and really adds to the enjoyment.

I also recently enjoyed all three of Rainbow Rowell's books on audio, and Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series (especially #1, In the Woods and #4, Broken Harbor.) I thought Tell the Wolves I'm Home was excellent on audio as well. Paper Towns was pretty good on audio, too. I may not have liked that as much if I had read it.

I just started The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, and I am enjoying that a lot, too.

sweetrhythms · April 2014

What kind of books do you generally enjoy? Ender's Game on audio was really good. I think you'll like it.

I have some audiobook shelves on Goodreads. Link in siggy!

beebe918 · April 2014

Ender's Game is great on audio and I agree with pp's suggestion of Where'd Ya Go Bernadette and Mr. Penumbra's 24 hour book store, especially because they are both ones that you don't have to concentrate too much on.

bmwgrl · April 2014

Thanks so much I appreciate your replies and suggestions. I generally like a range of genres. I enjoy memoirs a lot. I also like authors from Stephen King and Joe Hill to Wally Lamb, Dean Koontz, to geeky things like Ready Player One and even graphic novels. The only thing I generally don't like is romance or really "girly" relationship-focused books. I have enjoyed some YA books but ones that are action or sci-fi focused.

I will definitely check out the ones above - thanks again - I love this board you ladies are the best!

RevJen · April 2014

I'd like to toss in Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran into the mix.

Shepherdjel · April 2014

If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman were good on Audio too!

muzikgrrl · April 2014

I listen to most of my non-fiction on audio, check out Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan, anything by Jon Krakauer or Bill Bryson, and Jenny Lawsons' Let's Pretend This Never Happened

hydrangeablue · April 2014

I second Middlesex (absolutely fascinating novel with great narration) and Beauty Queens (it's very girly but in a feminism for young adults kind of way, very entertaining)!

I also really liked the Handmaid's Tale narrated by Claire Danes. My husband and I listened to it together and it was just "wow!".

sweetrhythms · April 2014

If you like memoirs, I highly recommend Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe. I know some other people on here listened to it and agreed it was really good. I also enjoyed Columbine by Dave Cullen and the Mickey Haller books by Michael Connelly. Those are the ones that pop out in my memory as ones I really enjoyed listening to but as I said before, I have GR audiobook shelves that might have other suggestions I'm not thinking of!

Rec an audio book

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