This week is Audiobook Week, hosted by Jen at Devourer of Books. Bloggers are encouraged to participate using the discussion topics on Jen’s blog. I hope to encourage more readers to listen to audiobooks — not as a replacement for books, but as a way to enhance your reading, or as a way to show readers how they can read more.
Today’s discussion: Are you new to audiobooks in the last year? Have you been listening to them forever but discovered something new this year? Favorite titles? New times/places to listen? This is your chance to introduce yourself and your general listening experience.
I am completely new to audiobooks! I’ve mentioned it in this post and in this post, but my first audiobook experience happened last year during the Dewey 24-Hour Readathon … no, wait!
My first experience with audiobooks wasn’t with the audiobooks I’m accustomed to now. When I was little, my brother would record my favourite books on cassette tape, so I could listen to them if he wasn’t there to read them. I loved my tapes and would listen and follow along in my books as he read. That was such a long time ago, but my favourite experience with audiobooks, even if it was nontraditional.
But back to my first story. Last year I was looking for a way to read as much as possible during the Dewey 24-Hour Readathon, so I found a short audiobook by Jay Leno, Leading With My Chin. I liked that it was more of a memoir, the fact that it would be funny, and the fact that it was short (around 4 hours). Perfect for my day of reading! Sure, it never ended up anywhere near my favourites, and the quality was horrible, but it showed me the versatility of the audiobook.
It wasn’t until this year that I started listening to audiobooks again. I don’t do a lot of traveling in my car, and normally my husband (who isn’t a big reader) is with me when I’m in the car, so listening to audiobooks then is usually out. BUT, I do a lot of things around the house and in the yard, and I do a lot of tedious blog stuff, or even web surfing. Audiobooks are perfect for things like this. I always thought I was wasting too much time online when updating my blog, when I could be reading, and now I can update it AND read at the same time.
I don’t have a lot of favourite narrators, since the number of audiobooks I’ve listened to can be counted on two hands, but so far I really enjoy Nick Podehl’s work.
Here are some of my favourite audiobooks (so far):
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What’s your audiobook story?
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Loved the Thirteen Reasons Why audiobook — it was so good!!
It was very good! Very well done.
That’s great that you can multi-task and listen to audiobooks while you are blogging. Will Grayson is a favorite of mine too, and Thirteen Reasons Why also is well suited for the audio format. I’m interested in listening to Happy Accidents and An Abundance of Katherines sometime. You’ve listened to an impressive amount of audiobooks this year – way to go! They are addictive.
Happy audiobook week!
They’re SO addictive! I can’t believe how much I can accomplish while listening … I actually get things done!
Happy Accidents was really good … one of the best celebrity memoirs I’ve read, er, listened to!
I definitely want to listen to Happy Parts. I adore Jane Lynch and didn’t realize she had a book out. I’m new to the world of audio books as well. I don’t do a lot of traveling in my car because I work so close to where I live so it’s been slow going…but audio books have definitely taken up a special part in my life.
Yes! And it’s pretty good … Jane has such a great voice for audiobooks. I don’t do a lot of traveling in my car, either, but I do a lot of work around the house. And audiobooks help me do MORE around the house. I’m a machine!
So many people have loved Thirteen Reasons Why, and I have a friend that only reads Cassandra Clare’s novels on audio.
I am a pretty new audio listener as well!
I have book 4 of the Mortal Instruments on audio and I can’t wait to listen! I also have it in physical format … maybe I’ll follow along.
I like that I’m not the only newbie!
Years ago someone gave me a book on tape for a gift and I have been hooked ever since. It was Robert Ludium’s “The Bourne Identity”. I thought that was the greatest idea..I remember when the library’s only had a very small section of books on tape..Now I fall asleep listening to my favorite stories on CD or an old tape that hasn’t been put on a CD. I remember my mom reading to me and the story tellers on the radio. I guess I enjoy someone reading to me…It comes from from a good upbringing…
I like having someone read to me, too. Sometimes I read out loud just to get the effect, but it’s not the same.
The Bourne Identity would be an AWESOME audiobook! I’ll have to get that one!
I really loved the story of your brother recording books for you. That is pretty awesome. I have yet to listen to any of your favorites, but MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl are two narrators I enjoy, and it’s cool they are together on the Wil Grayson, Wil Grayson audiobook.
Well if you like both of them, you better listen to Will Grayson, Will Grayson … it’s a GREAT audiobook!
I love that memory about your brother recording stories for you so you could follow along. That just makes me smile.
I also have to chime in with some love for Thirteen Reasons Why, both for the narration and as a story that completely destroyed me while listening to it (that’s a good thing). I think I went through half a box of tissues.
I know! It was such a good audiobook! Very well written to be done in audio.
I usually have an audio on while doing data entry for work and also when updating my blog, too, which I find to be so tedious at times, but it needs to get done! Now I even listen while at they gym on the treadmill!
Kristin @ Always With a Book
That’s awesome! Audiobooks are great to make those tedious tasks fly by!
Okay, your story with your brother is SO SWEET!
Thanks! It’s one of my favourite childhood memories.
Aarghhh you are making my lists of s that I want to listen to that much longer! I listened to Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman on audio and it was fantastic, so I would love to try Coraline too.
I am definitely adding that one to my list!! I’m a huge Neil Gaiman fan, but so far behind on his books … maybe I’ll listen to that one next!
Aw, love the story with your brother! I really need to give audiobooks a shot and going to bookmark these to check out.
I’m glad! They’re really great — especially when you want to read AND get stuff done.
I am going to listen to Abe Lincoln soon. I just downloaded it. Once I finish this 46 hour audiobook “1q84″ I am going to go to that one next.
Oh my gosh … 46 hours is too much of a commitment for me right now! I think my limit is about 15 hours. Hopefully after a while I can start listening to longer ones.
I hope you like Abe Lincoln — I wasn’t too impressed and hope the movie is better!
O I love Coraline too. Luckily my hubby is open to listening to whatever so I get to pick stuff we can listen to together sometimes.
Lucky! My husband isn’t a book person, so I’m all by my lonesome when it comes to reading.
Well … thank goodness for the online community!
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