"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Monday, March 25, 2019

TTT: Some of my favorite audiobooks

Top Ten Tuesday: Some of my favorite audiobooks 
(that I've listened to recently)---

1. The Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, read by Brett Whitener.  
I love, love, love this narration. Whitener brings the New Orleans accent to the book. This is a fun, quirky, hilarious read. Perfect as an audiobook. Listen to a clip here:

2. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, read by a cast of 166, including Nick Offerman and David Sedaris. 
This book won the best audiobook of 2018 for good reason because of this amazing cast. The audiobook is much better than the book, I understand from my book club friends. Those of us who listened, loved it, those who read it, didn't. Read more about the audiobook here.

3. There There by Tommy Orange, read by Alma Cuervo, Kyla Garcia, Darrell Dennis, Shaun Taylor-Corbett.
This is a hard story about a hard topic but the audiobook is so, so good. And the reader feels like they are at the Big Oakland Powwow with the others on that fateful day. For a sample clip, click here:

4. The Soul of America: the Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham, read by the author and Frank Sanders.
For folks who are disturbed by what is happening in America politics today, this book is a salve for the soul. Jon Meacham  is an excellent narrator for his own historical writing and Frank Sanders is so inspiring to listen to. If you like reading history, I recommend this book in this format. Listen to a clip here.
5. Becoming by Michelle Obama, read by the author. 
I just saw Michelle last night at a big event here in Tacoma. It is so wonderful listening to stories about her life in her own voice. Listen to a sample.

6. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, read by Stephen Fry
This is possibly the funniest book ever written and Stephen Fry is master of creating unique and memorable voices, making it even funnier. This is not-to-be-missed in this format. Sample here.

7. The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater, read by Will Patton
I love every book I've heard read by Will Patton. He has a very unique and interesting voice and his narration makes this series, which is wonderful by itself, simply superb. Give the audio a try here.

8. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, read by Buhni Turbin
This is an example of a book that works well for people who has trouble sounding out words from other languages, like me. This is set in Nigeria and utilizes lots of terms from the language. The audiobook works well to make the story richer for hearing the language as it is supposed to sound. Listen to a clip.

9. Less by Andrew Sean Greer, read by Robert Petkoff
As I mentioned before, sometimes the audio version of a book makes it more accessible, or humorous, or aids in understanding. Other times it offers the chance for two listeners to share an experience. This book, a Pulitzer prize winner, is very funny and the humor is enhanced by the listening experience. Any book by Alexander McCall Smith is also funnier in the audio format, I think. Listen to a clip of Less here.

10. His Dark Material series by Philip Pullman, read by Philip Pullman and a complete cast
Okay. I confess. I listened to this series many years ago but it really made an impression. My whole family and I were mesmerized from start to finish. We were together for a long car trip and we sat in rapt attention for hours, barely daring to say a word. It was a magical listening experience. Another series which was also magical to listen to was The Harry Potter series. The family listened to one of the books on a long trip. It took hours of listening but we all loved it. Clip of the Golden Compass. A Clip from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire narrated by Jim Dale, who won awards for his work on the series.



25 comments:

  1. I really want to read (or listen to) Hitchhiker's Guide! The Soul of America looks great too and so timely.

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    1. Yes. You would love Hitchhiker's Guide in this format and the Soul of America is a very timely book, though one has to like listening to books about history to appreciate it. It is a favorite of my husband.

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  2. I'v been tempted by Michelle Obama's book but biographies really aren't my thing. Seeing that she narrates it herself is making me think that listening might be a good route for me to go down. Thanks! 😊
    My Audiobook Wishlist.

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    1. I am not usually a fan of biographies either, especially ones that say. I did this. And then I did this. one gets a good feeling for what makes Michelle tick in this memoir. It was so well done, too.

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  3. I'm reading Becoming at the moment and loving it (though I have the physical book not the audio).
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2019/03/26/top-ten-tuesday-204/

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    1. I wish I'd had a print version to refer back to as I listened.

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  4. I read Becoming this Christmas and it was so much better than I expected (and I expected a lot from it!) Great list all in all :) Happy listening!

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    1. I know. Me, too. Loved the book and love the author!

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  5. After I finish reading Becoming, I might just need to listen to the audiobook version of it. It sounds great.

    My Top Ten Tuesday post.

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  6. You're from Puyallup?? I'M FROM PUYALLUP (well, Spanaway, but no one knows where that is...). I don't live there anymore, but hello from Scotland, fellow Washingtonian.

    Lincoln in the Bardo made my list as well - SO GREAT on audio. I bought the physical book after listening, because I wanted to know what that experience was like. Haven't gotten around to it yet, but someday.

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    1. You live in Scotland but are from Spanaway? What high school did you attend? I taught at Graham-Kapowsin before retiring two years ago. The Puyallup Spring Fair is right around the corner. Bet you miss that, huh?

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  7. The Hitchhiker's Guide is my favorite book ever. One of these days, I'm going to have to get it in audio because it seems like it'd be one heck of a ride.

    This is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!

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    1. Yes. It is wildly funny, as you can imagine having read the book.

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  8. I am not an audiobook person because my mind tends to stray and I miss out on major chunks of the book. I am much better with the printed word. But, I'd really like to get into them.

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    1. I can only listen to audiobooks when I am not focusing on something else. I can listen while I drive the car or walk the dog but not while I cook or clean. Odd, huh?

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  9. Oooo, nice list!! I'm an avid audiobook fan and may even like audiobooks more than reading these days.

    Here's a link to my TTT post: https://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2019/03/top-ten-tuesday-audiobook-freebie-my.html?showComment=1553617757328#c4963295880076597634

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  10. My husband has always wanted me to read Confederacy of Dunces. Now I’ll be listening to it! And, I tried to read Raven Boys and couldn’t finish it. I got through it when I listened to it. Although I didn’t continue the series... Thanks!

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    1. The Confederacy of Dunces is certainly zany book, not for everyone's taste. Hope you enjoy in the audiobook format.

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  11. I'm like Helen, very distractible and not auditory at all. However, I certainly see why you've chosen these books for your list. LOVE Phillip Pullman, and "There, There" was an excellent read. Now I'm finished, perhaps I should go listen to that clip.

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  12. This makes me really curious about the Children of Blood and Bone audio. Would probably make a good reread.

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  13. I've been meaning to read a book by Maggie Stiefvater. Maybe an audiobook would be the way to do it!

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  14. I would love to listen to Hitchhiker's Guide as an audiobook. Thanks for sharing it and the others on your list. I will take a look now and see if my library has that one.

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  15. How was Michelle Obama in Tacoma? I too thought the audiobook of her memoir was really great. I just reviewed it. She's a good storyteller!

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  16. Ooh, I be the Raven Cycle would be awesome on audiobook!

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