In keeping with the theme of my blog, I decided to start bringing you updates of the newest and greatest bookish addictions in my life so I can share with you some awesomely bookish things or discuss if maybe we share the same bookish loves. It seemed like a great way to get a little discussion going in a very relaxed way.
This Edition’s Bookish Addiction? Audiobooks… Again!
I’ve already celebrated audiobooks as My Latest Bookish Addiction but I must must share my love for them again. My original post on audiobooks is already over a year and a half old and oh, how things have changed since then! I have a lot more titles to recommend, favorite narrators, and audiobook habits since my original post so the topic bears repeating!
Audiobooking has become a way of life for me. In my original post, I was already becoming a seasoned audiobook listener but now I’m at the point where I crave a good audio and I’m always on the hunt for more fantastic stories with amazing narrators! There’s just something an audiobook that really lends that extra “oomph” to a book — there’s another layer of performance being able to hear a narrator voice the characters, put action sequences in motion, and add a general tone to a story.
I wouldn’t say that I’m a picky listener but I am choosy. There’s not much that I’ll immediately nix as far as an audiobook option except for a few less-than-thrilling narrators that I’ve run into but I’ve definitely had more amazing experiences than poor. Whether it’s for the better or worse, a narrator can really make or break a book for me. But I’ve also learned that a narrator also can’t save a book for me. Two of my favorite narrators of all time voiced a new book and I swore I could listen to them read the phone book… But I ended up DNFing the audio and returning it to Audible, feeling confident about my decision. I’ll usually finish most audios because I can always speed them up or just listen mindlessly if I’m not thoroughly enjoying. This was one of the rare cases where it just felt like a waste of time.
I feel like audiobooks offer a lot of perks for a reader! It may be challenging for some to focus on listening (I know I have to focus sometimes) but if you’re hesitant about trying some, think about this!
- You can listen to a book while driving, cleaning, cooking dinner, working out, etc. Ever get annoyed that you have to stop reading when you get in the car to go places? Not anymore! I always have an audiobook running so I’ll pop it on during my drive to work, while I’m making dinner, or doing chores. It feels nice that I’m still making progress with a current read.
- Audiobooks bring a whole new level of performance to a book. Sure, I can do voices in my head… But if anyone talks with an accent, let’s be honest. I try to do it in my head and slowly it just becomes me reading in my own voice again. The voice actors for audios really do a great job giving each character a different voice and most are great at different accents when needed! They also bring heightened emotions, especially in cases like Wil Wheaton’s narration of Ernest Cline’s books!
- They’re excellent ways to experience your favorite books in new ways. I love re-reading and I often times will pick up the audiobooks of my favorites to experience them in a whole different way! It’s almost always a positive experience and really fun to re-read like that.
- They bring a more personal connection to the book. I have some favorite narrators that sort of made me fall in love with them — I mean, the characters — a little bit more than I might have just reading the words on the page. Hearing the emotion in a character’s voice or just hearing a character’s voice brings a more personal connection to a story and it tugs on my heartstrings that much more.
- They can make okay books good or even great. Okay, I’ll be honest. If I had just read ARMADA, I’m not sure I would have loved it. But Wil Wheaton is such a good narrator that he really brought so much to the story and I felt like I was almost watching a movie instead of listening to a book. His enthusiasm is amazing and it really got me into the book when I might have felt some lulls if I had read in print.
So what do you think? Any of these reasons convince you to pick up an audiobook? Which ones would you agree with?
Of course I can’t let you go without making some recommendations. Last time I just threw out some audiobook recs but I’m digging a little deeper this time — audio beginner or master, there’s something here for everyone!
FAVORITE NARRATORS
- Steve West | The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
- Fiona Hardingham | The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
- Jim Dale | Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
- MacLeod Andrews | Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown, The Reckoners Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
- Michael Kramer | The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
- Michael Page | The Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch
- Neil Gaiman | The Graveyard Book and others by Neil Gaiman
CELEBRITY NARRATORS
- Wil Wheaton | Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Armada by Ernest Cline
- Jesse Eisenberg | The Curse Workers Trilogy by Holly Black
- Anne Hathaway | The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
MY AUDIOBOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Narrators: Steve West, Fiona Hardingham)
- Ready Player One and Armada by Ernest Cline (Narrator: Wil Wheaton)
- The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss (Narrator: Nick Podehl)
- The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (Narrator: Jim Dale)
- The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (Narrator: Will Patton)
- The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (Narrator: Rebecca Soler)
- The Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch (Narrator: Michael Page)
- The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (Narrator: Michael Kramer)
- The Reckoners Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (Narrator: MacLeod Andrews)
- The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich (Narrator: Lorelei King)
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Narrators: Kirby Heyborne and Julia Whelan)
- The Curse Workers trilogy by Holly Black (Narrator: Jesse Eisenberg)
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Narrator: Neil Gaiman)