So I used to do the audiobook thing (while I worked out and cleaned and commuted) but in the past couple years I kind of wasn’t into them. It was a combination of starting a new workout routine (Pilates rather than lots of time on the treadmill/bike), preferring music to audiobooks on my commute to my nannying gig (oh um also being unemployed and not having a commute except the one around my one bedroom apartment) and just not having any idea what audiobooks were solid/losing focus on them.
I was talking to my very wise friend Asheley about this (you should check out her blog!) and she suggested that, since two of my goals were to get back into audiobooks and also reread more, that I should try audiobooks as a way to reread. UM BRILLIANT. I think I could focus more on a reread as I get back into the audiobook thing because I’m already familiar with the story and plus YAY revisiting favorites.
So, I have two things I need help with. I’m going to list some books I want to reread and hope some of you have listened to them on audio and tell me if they are solid. AND I’d love to get your recommendations for THE BEST audiobooks you’ve listened to — YA, adult, non-fiction. Don’t care. I’m open to anything that’s a good audiobook and you all know my tastes are pretty varied.
Books I Want To Re-Read & Am Considering An Audiobook For
*I don’t ACTUALLY know if they all have audiobook versions but am too lazy to check at the moment*
Golden by Jessi Kirby
Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
If I Stay/Where She Went by Gayle Forman
The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
The Hunger Games series
Unearthly series
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
The Girl of Fire & Thorns by Rae Carson
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
Just One Day by Gayle Forman (though I’m kind of leaning towards reading the physical book for some reason)
This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
And lastly, don’t forget to leave me your recs for the BEST audiobooks you’ve listened to!
Thank you in advance!!!
Also, I’m curious about your audiobook habits! Do you audiobook? Why or why not? If you do, when do you get your audio-booking in? What are your favorite things to listen to as audiobooks?
Reno @ Falling Letters says
I NEVER listen to audiobooks! Haha, that was one of the things that surprised me when I got into the book blogging community – that so many people do. If I have time to listen to something, I like to listen to music. I prefer reading books; I don’t really like the audiobook experience (though I do like listening to snippets of authors who can read their own works well).
Jackie Lea Sommers says
Omgosh, I LOVE the audio for The Sky is Everywhere. Julia Whelan is a brilliant narrator and does the incredible Joe Fontaine justice. This audiobook, Jamie! YES. ALL THE FEELS. Perfect narration.
Ashley says
I actually only like audiobooks as a way too re-read books. I quite loved the audio for both If I Stay and Where She Went, and I’m very, very particular with my narrators… can’t listen if I don’t like the voice. 🙂
Rachel says
I like audiobooks best when they’re for re-reads, because I have trouble 100% focusing on one! It’s easier when I know the gist of the story.
I listened to bits and pieces of CINDER on audiobook and really liked it, and I liked LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR and THE SCORPIO RACES on audiobook too. And the Harry Potter audiobooks are masterful, if you haven’t ever heard them!
Nadia says
Best ones I have listened to: Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden, Tease by Amanda Maciel, Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan.
Also very good: Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers, I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson.
And I really want to check out The Night Circus, I listened to a sample and I loved the narrator.
Emily says
Of your list I HIGHLY recommend If I Stay/Where She Went (but you will bawl like a baby. Like I cried even more than reading it) and Eleanor and Park (LOVE the narrators). I like audiobooks, but definitely have a hard time finding just the right one. The narrator can make or break it, and a lot of times I struggle. Rainbow Rowell seems to get awesome narrators. And the best audiobook I ever listened to was Z by Therese Anne Fowler. The narrator was SOOOOO good at bringing the story to life and I was addicted. Like I wanted to keep driving (I was on a short road trip) past my destination to continue to listen. It was so good. Hope you find some that you really like! I do love audiobooks (to basically read a book while exercising, driving or doing other activities is awesome), but I just get so darn picky about narrators. Hope you find some good ones!
Meagan says
I don’t listen to audiobooks often but Neil Gaiman has the best ones and i’ve listened to them all! He reads his own and they are SO worth it. If you haven’t read Fragile Things (and even if you have) I highly recommend that you give it a listen!
Nicole @ Reading Books With Coffee says
I’ve only listened to If I Stay on audio, and it was great as an audio book. You really feel what’s going on with it, and while I haven’t listened to Where She Went, I think it would be great on audio.
I also recommend A World Away by Nancy Grossman (because of the narrator) and Drowning Instinct by Ilsa Bick is really good on audio (because of how the story is told). Hope you find some good ones!
Amanda says
Screwtape Letters read by John Cleese!!!! It’s C S Lewis gone Month Python and is incredible!!!!
Katie says
I loved the Where She Went audiobook! Also, I highly recommend The Raven Boys audiobook. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve listened to it while running. The Dream Thieves is also great as an audiobook, and I know that has shown up on your TBR. 🙂
Cassie B says
I think Matilda by Roald Dahl and narrated by Kate Winslet is probably my favorite audiobook of all time. She is absolutely brilliant.
Franny says
I really liked Fangirl and The Diviners on audio. Hope you find some good ones, Jamie!
Martie says
Code Name Verity is awesome as an audiobook so is the companion novel Rose Under fire. It isn’t a ya novel but one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
Keri says
I agree, definitely listen to Eleanor and Park. Rebecca Lowmam is the narrator and she is great. She narrates all of Rainbow Rowell’s books, which are all good, but E&P is my fave. She is also the narrator for Gillian Flynn’s DARK PLACES which is fantastic. If I Stay is also a must. It is only just over 5 hours, so won’t take long.
Evelynne says
I can recommend Eleanor & Park from your list – as Emily says, the narrators are excellent. Actually, any of Rainbow Rowell’s books are excellent in audiobook format.
Another one I’d recommend in audiobook format is Kerstin Gier’s Gem Trilogy (Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green) If you don’t know this series, it’s a YA time travel series. The protagonist is really funny and snarky and the narrator Marissa Calin really brings that over in the audiobook.
Sarah @ Sarah Can't Stop Reading says
The audiobook for If I Stay was really great! I listen to a lot of audiobooks, so I feel like I’m getting pickier about my narrators. If I Stay was definitely worth the listen!
Brandyn says
I think I’m the third or fourth to say this but the narrators for Eleanor & Park are fabulous and the woman who reads the Eleanor chapters also reads Landline and Fangirl (except the Simon Snow sections those are read by the guy who plays Rex Manning in Empire Records).
I can’t remember if you’ve read “The Cuckoo’s Calling” and “The Silkworm” yet but I love that narrator too.
I also like to listen to comedic memoirs on audio and Amy Poehler’s “Yes Please” has exceeded my expectations and those were pretty high to begin with.
Brandyn says
Just thought of another one – “The Thousand Dollar Tan Line” by Rob Thomas. I’m pretty sure I remember you being a Veronica Mars fan and Kristen Bell narrates the first novel. So good!
Krista says
I ADORE audiobooks. I always have one going. I’ve never listened to any of the ones on your re-read list, but I do have my own YA favorites that I think I could listen to over and over:
The White Rabbit Chronicles by Gena Showalter
The Shade series by Jeri Smith-Ready
The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer
The Syrene Legacy series by Anna Banks
Have fun and happy listening!
Evelynne says
Ooooh yes, the Lunar Chronicles! Can’t wait for Winter. Also an excellent audiobook choice.
Jennifer @ The Book Nympho says
I really enjoyed The Shade series on audio. I love the narrator, Khristine Hvam. If you like UF (urban fantasy) you should check out her work on the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter.
Cassie (happy book lovers) says
I absolutely loved listening to Orange is the New Black. The narrator was so funny and it was a really good book to listen to in big chunks or in small snippets.
Jen Ellision says
Oh, Amy & Roger was one of the first I listened to on audio! I quite enjoyed it! It took me a minute to reconcile how the narrator sounded with my expectation of Amy’s voice, but that was a ~me thing. I got adjusted and sobbed over the audio just like I would have otherwise.
I also listened to Mockingjay on audio (MY VERY FIRST AUDIO, ACTUALLY) because I was poor, in college, blowing through the series, and audio was all the library had. It was great– I can still recall the voice of the narrator doing pieces like The Hanging Tree and the “My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old…” bits.
Also, if you decide you want to reread Rainbow’s Landline down the… ~line, it was STELLAR on audio. SO SO GOOD.
Cassie says
OKAYYY so of your re-read via audio list I have listened to:
Where She Went- FABULOUS!
Amy & Roger- ALSO FABULOUS. So get on those!
For best audio I have listened to:
The Help [SO DAMN GOOD]
Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain [historical, FABULOUS]
Stay by Allie Larkin [cute, fun!]
Best Kept Secret by Amy Hatvany [deep, dark, moving!]
Before I Go by Colleen Oakley [ i think you’d really like this one]
Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoober [music element! ]
Okay, I’m gonna stop there! I have a bunch of mystery/suspense too that I adore but i left those off for you 😉
XOXO
anna says
LOVED NECESSARY LIES ON AUDIOBOOK! Good call!
Andye says
Hey Jamie! I saw audiobook recommendations and had to come running. From your list, Eleanor and Park is really good, and the girl of fire and thorns is awesome. I listened to the sea of tranquility, and it took me a while to get into it, but I ended up loving the book so much I was okay with the audio. It actually made me cry. My absolute favorites are Harry Potter, the night Circus, the demon king, leviathan, daughter of smoke and bone, and I really liked rites of passage.
I love using audio books to reread books that I loved, I’ll have to try the sky is everywhere, I adored that book.
Krystal @ Books Are My Thing says
I LOVE audiobooks. It’s a totally different experience than reading the book! I highly recommend rereading Every Day by David Levithan through audiobook… god was that one fantastic to listen to. I also really loved the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness on audio, if you’re looking for some new, longer books to listen to.
Michelle @ Pink Polka Dot Books says
My book club all recommends the crap out of the Code Name Verity audiobook. They say the narrators are amazing and that it has almost ruined them for other audio read bc they compare everything to that. I don’t do audio… But I’d like to try
Evelynne says
One set of audiobooks I couldn’t get into despite the number of Audies they’ve won are the Game of Thrones audiobooks. I have nothing against the narrator, Roy Dotrice. My issues is that I am now so familiar with the HBO show that I now “hear” Tyrion with Peter Dinklage’s voice, same with Gwendolyn Christie as Brienne and Maisie Williams as Arya. The voices chosen by Dotrice just don’t match up to my mental voice any more, so I just cannot listen to those audiobooks.
Katherine says
I think audiobooks are a really great idea, especially for multitasking or traveling. So far, all of the audiobooks I have listened to except for one have been rereads. The Hunger Games books are pretty good on audio, although not my favorite. The character voices were kind of weird, but maybe that was just because I associate them with the actors in the movie. Another one I really liked was Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan. The narrator was really good for that book.
Lauren says
Of those on your list, I’ve only listened to Eleanor & Park and I do recommend it on audio. I thought the narrators did a great job, I can still hear their voices in my head. My favorite audio of all time is The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. Jen Tullock is simply amazing.
Rosy @ The Review Diaries says
Sadly haven’t yet checked out any on your list so can’t say about those audiobooks BUT I do know that I have some very solid recommendations. Firstly, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. Dual narrators, the girl is less great at the start (weird pauses and inflections) BUT the guy is amazing. Like I could listen to his voice all day, and he really brings that audio to life for me. The Seven Kingdoms Trilogy by Kristin Cashore, a really fantastic reader. And if you are a Stiefvater person then The Raven Boys are also good, although it took me a while to get used to the narrator.
I never used to listen to audiobooks as I have to focus too hard so can’t achieve anything else whilst I’m listening to them, so I tend to listen to just ones that I know and love the story when I can’t sleep, because then it doesn’t matter if I doze off because I know the story so well. They have kept me sane through many sleepless nights!
Jill says
From your list above, I have loved Code Name Verity and Sea of Tranquility on audio. I’very tried to listen to The Hunger Games on audio and can’t get past the narrator – one of the worst I have listened to, actually. I also highly recommend If I Fall by Lauren Oliver and the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor. I generally listen in the car and on the treadmill and those books were ones I kept listening to past my “regular” times because the story/performance was so good. A more off beat rec for you – A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout. It’s a memoir of a Canadian woman who was kidnapped and held for ransom while traveling in Somalia Her story is so incredibly powerful, and the audio book is read by the author, which makes it even more harrowing and emotional. Definitely worth the listen!!!
Jill says
Also! My husband and I listened to all five of the Dublin Murder Squad books by Tana French and LOVED them. He listened on his commute and I listened while exercising, etc, and it was so fun to discuss our theories together at the end of the day. Murder mysteries are so not my typical genre, but these were amazing and I really enjoyed the experience of knowing that my hub was listening too, and wondering what he was thinking about certain plot developments. They each can stand alone, so you don’t have to read them in order. My faves were The Likeness and Faithful Place.
Kimberly says
Thanks so much for recommending this series! I had never heard of it, but was intrigued when I was reading through the comments earlier this week. I am actually 5 discs into Faithful Place (the only one my library had checked in) now, and it is SO GOOD. I have been in an audiobook slump lately, so I’m really excited to discover an excellent series with five books in it.
Thanks, Jamie, for your awesome post!
Maraia says
I am an audiobook addict. I listed to around 54 last year! I listen to them when I’m getting ready, when I’m walking, while I’m falling asleep, on car trips, when I want to read but am too tired to keep my eyes open, etc. Most of my re-reads in the past couple years have been audiobooks, but I do also listen to new books.
Out of your list, I’ve only listened to Eleanor & Park. It was so good that I never fell asleep the night I started it and had to switch to a hardcover the next day!
If I remember correctly, you haven’t read all the Harry Potter books yet? They are my absolute favorite audiobooks, and I can’t recommend them enough. Jim Dale is an incredible reader. I could listen to his voice forever, and I do listen to the HP books every year.
Some of my other favorites:
-The Scorpio Races
-Fire by Kristin Cashore (the only one my library has)
-Seraphina
-Ruby Red & sequels (this is absolutely adorable on audio!)
-Daughter of Smoke and Bone series
-The Lunar Chronicles
-The Night Circus (another read by Jim Dale)
-The Raven Cycle
-His Dark Materials trilogy
I’m not sure how many of those are re-reads for you, but they’re all great!
I try to only get audiobooks through my library’s overdrive site, because then I can play them right on my phone. I highly recommend this! The (free) app is super convenient, and it even has a stop timer and 15-second fast forward/rewind buttons. It does limit your choices, though.
Happy listening!
KatieMcD @ Bookish Tendencies says
I LLOOOOOVEEE audiobooks, and always have one on the go. Sadly, I haven’t listened to any on your list so I can’t really speak to those specifically. BUT – if you want OTHER recommendations, I can provide some of those. I’ve had good luck with Maggie Steifvater books on audio, and recently “reread” Matilda narrated by Kate Winslet, which was AMAZING.
Breenah says
I’ve only finished one audiobook so far, but it was REALLY good. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. The only thing I got annoyed with was the character’s pronunciation of “pastel” but she has an English accent which was the cause, so not too big of a deal.
Lydia says
I LOVE audiobooks! I got started when I had a long commute, too, and have kept going! What got me hooked was the Hunger Games series, which has a great reader. Since then, If I Stay & Where She Went are two of my favs (especially Where She Went…that reader is fantastic!), or pretty much and of Gayle Forman’s books are great audiobooks too. If you’re up for an autobiography, Yes Please (Amy Poehler), and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling are awesome too.
JoLee says
The only one I’ve listened to on your list is The Girl of Fire and Thorns, and it was solid. I am a BIG audiobook fan. I just love having someone read to me. I’d highly recommend listening to: Seraphina, The Lunar Chronicles (all of them), Lockwood & Co (creepy), Pills and Starships, The Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, The Montmaray Journals, The Curse Workers Trilogy (read by Jesse Eisenberg). I’ve got an audio shelf on my Goodreads account if you ever need to peruse further.
Rina says
Eleanor and Park was excellent as an audiobook 🙂
Amanda says
These Broken Stars, Noggin, A Thousand Pieces of You, and The Winner’s Crime! Those are some of my ultimate favorite audiobooks. I’ve already reread (listened) to These Broken Stars twice.
Stephanie Kaye says
These Broken Stars is amazing on the audiobook! 🙂
Liza @ Reading with ABC says
I adore audiobooks and I listen to them ALL the time. These are some of my favorites:
The Scorpio Races
The Book Thief
Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld
The Elemental series by Sherry Thomas
The Sea of Tranquility
The Darkest Part of the Forrest by Holly Black
Red Rising
The Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima (I’m on the second book now!)
I hope you find something awesome 🙂
Lauren @ Wine & Prejudice says
My very favorite audio books are The Lunar Chronicles. The narrator is absolutely wonderful and the first audio book got me into the series initially. The narrator for the Outlander series is also wonderful. I think that the narrator makes all the difference, but I’ve never done a reread with an audiobook so I’m interested to see how it works out for you!
Tiffany says
Such a great idea to reread favorites via audiobooks! I have never listened to an audio book before, but I have terrible listening comprehension….I usually tune out and start thinking about other things if I’m not following along with the book in front of me….
Sarah says
Audiobooks are very dependent on the narrator for me. One of my favorites is Holly Black’s Curseworkers series, which is narrated by Jesse Eisenberg–he’s just great. Actually, Holly’s books all have fabulous narrators. Keep an eye out for Kristin Hvam (she does Coldest Girl in Coldtown) and Julia Whelan. I also have really enjoyed Maggie Stiefvater’s books as re-reads on audio–she has great narrators that really capture her town. I generally prefer contemporary, but looking at what’s on my phone in terms of audiobooks, most are not contemporary. I think this is because I tend to like audio that has a bit more action or else I kind of lose the plot while I’m listening.
Asheley (@BookwormAsheley) says
From your list, If I Stay, Where She Went. WSW is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE AUDIOS EVER, but you have to get thru If I Stay to get to it!!! OMG HEARTS TO THIS. So much love for this post. This has pumped up my day SO MUCH, to see this! Let me know what you’re listening to! Also: I just finished listening to Life By Committee by Corey Ann Haydu as a reread and also Something Like Normal as a reread, loved them both! xx
Heidi @ YA Bibliophile says
Code Name Verity on audiobook about KILLED me!! It’s amazing but I was a wreck!!!
Brittney says
From your list, I’ve only listened to This Song Will Save Your Life and though it has been awhile, I remember enjoying it.
Favorites:
The Martian by Any Weir has a fantastic audiobook narrator, R.C. Bray. Seriously one of the best I’ve listened to. As soon as I finished listening, I immediately started listening to it again. He captures Mark Watney’s sense of humor perfectly.
Moira Quirk does a lovely job narrating the Finishing School series by Gail Carriger. I love all of her different voices.
Lauren Fortgang with the Grisha Trilogy was the first narrator to make me fall in love with audiobooks; she set the standard by which I judge all other audiobooks.
It took me a little bit to warm up to Will Patton with the Raven Cycle (he sounded at first to me like he should be doing voice over for a noiresque detective film) but I grew to love his narration. His Ronan is spot on.
Someone mentioned it above, but I second the Overdrive App. Super convenient and budget-friendly way of listening to audiobook without having the cart about a bunch of CDs.
Valeria @ A Touch of Book Madness says
Code Name Verity is an absolute must audiobook! And Rose Under Fire too, if you’re up to it. Definitely listen to them, they are sooo beautiful. You won’t regret it.
Stephanie Kaye says
I haven’t listened to any of the ones that are on your reread list but I do have some favorites that I’ve listened to!
-Throne of Glass (I know you’ve read it but I really liked the performance of this one!)
-These Broken Stars (One of the BEST performances ever! 3 different narrators and they ALL do a fantastic job!!)
-The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel (I just finished this one and I loved it! Not only is the story interesting but the performance was well done!)
-Falling Under by Gwen Hayes (This performance was great! The main character has an english accent so it was great being able to hear that and when I read parts of it on my kindle I had to immediately go back to the audiobook so I could hear the accent because in my head I was trying to do it but it wasn’t panning out. Every time I read a sentence I said it out loud and it was god awful! haha)
Kimberly says
So I haven’t listened to any of the audiobooks on your list, but I couldn’t help commenting anyway. I have a commute that can vary from 35 minutes in no traffic, to almost an hour in traffic, so audiobooks are a must. Here are some of my favs:
– The Cuckoo’s Calling & The Silkworm (one of the best narrators I’ve ever heard)
– The Curse Workers Trilogy by Holly Black (Jesse Eisenberg is captivating here)
– Fire by Kristin Cashore (this is really the only book in the series I liked and I think it’s partly because the narrator was just so good)
– female comedian bios like Yes Please, Bossypants, and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (hilarious)
– Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (really good as audio)
– The Diviners by Libba Bray (soooo creepy)
– The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (one of the first audios I listened to and still one of the best)
– Daughter of Smoke & Bone (this was excellent, but I still haven’t made it past the first book)
Thanks for writing this post! I have collected a bunch of titles from the comments that I also want to listen to. Yay!
Karla says
I really enjoyed Marissa Meyer’s books on audio. I never actually read the print version of those because the audio was really good. I also enjoyed Gabrielle Zevin’s Birthright series on audio. It’s a dystopian world where chocolate is prohibited.
Janelle says
I really loved Landline by Rainbow Rowell on audio. Rebecca Lowman is one of my favorite audio book narrators and she does a great job with this one. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson is also great on audio. I love Julia Whelan as a narrator too. The voice she uses for Guillermo is perfection.
Tara @ The Librarian Who Doesn't Say Shhh! says
I’ve listened the audiobooks for Eleanor and Park (+Fangirl and Landline), The Hunger Games (the whole trilogy), and Code Name Verity (+Rose Under Fire) and recommend them all! The Hunger Games is particularly good as an audiobook because I love the narrator’s voice for Effie Trinket. The voice does not match the Jennifer Lawrence Katniss, but I read them before the film came out…it might sound weird after seeing her play the character?
The Rainbow Rowell books are all narrated by Rebecca Lowman and she perfectly captures the emotional depth of the characters. I love her!
Anya @ On Starships and Dragonwings says
I looooove audiobooks so if you ever need fantasy recommendations, I’m there :D. I listened to Catching Fire and Mockingjay on audio and enjoyed both of them so that seems a good way to go.
Jordan says
I am OBSESSED with audiobooks. After moving from NYC where I got to read about 1.5 or 2 hours a day on my subway commute, I missed that time I got to spend reading. SO, I bought and audiobook and listened on my new car commute. I’ve been obsessed ever since. I really listen to books anytime I can’t be physically sitting down reading a “real” book: when I’m getting ready in the morning, when I’m cooking dinner, when I’m driving, when I’m doing anything numbers-oriented at work, etc. I LOVE them.
There are a handful of narrators I’ve hated, but overall I’ve been pleased. The narrators for all the Gayle Foreman books are wonderful as is Rebecca Lowman reading all the Rainbow Rowell books. My all-time favorite reader, though, is Davina Porter. She reads all the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and she’s the reason I love audio! I also love Scott Brick who reads some of my favorites by Orson Scott Card as well as Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I also listened to the Katja Millay book and enjoyed that reader as well. I own more than 100 audiobooks, so I’ve figured out what I like and don’t like.
OH and I love Jim Dale reading Harry Potter!
Jordan says
Oh and one last one – Will Patton reads all the Raven Cycle books and I love his distinct voice. He does a GREAT job.
Leslie says
Eleanor & Park is supposed to be a pretty good audiobook. I listened to Fangirl by the same author and really enjoyed it. I also love anything by Neil Gaiman on audiobook.
Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed says
Why hello there! My name is Nereyda and I am addicted to audiobooks. I heard almost 120 audiobooks last year 🙂
Re-listening to favorites is a great way to get started or get back into audiobooks. Wanderlove is one of my favorite books ever, but sadly there is no audiobook. The Sea of Tranquility is so good on audio.
Here are a few of my favorites:
-Shatter Me series
-Lunar Chronicles series
-Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
-These Broken Stars and This Shattered World
-Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo
-Mara Dyer series
-Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay
-The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel
-Made For You by Melissa Marr
-The Book of Broken Hearts
-Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
I could go on but I’ll stop right there 🙂
Emily says
I know I’m just repeating others’ comments, but my two cents:
If I Stay/Where She Went – both SOLID
Eleanor and Park – SOLID (as is Fangirl)
Hunger Games – NOT solid, too intense narrator whose voice feels too old and cheesy music in places
Kelsie says
Hey Jamie, I was wondering how you listen to audiobooks? Audible? I really like audiobooks for my commute but always have sought out the CD versions. Before I moved I used to get audiobook CD’s from the library. These days I search for deals on Book Outlet because audiobooks tend to be expensive! I haven’t been able to find anything good lately on there though. I’ve never tried Audible because I always thought it would drain my phone battery? Is this an irrational thought? lol
Kristen says
I LOVE audiobooks. The Martian is the best one I have ever listened to, hands down, a thousand times over – purely because the narrator made me interested in things I would never have been interested in on my own – science and maths and space stuff. really, don’t be put off if it doesn’t sound like your book – everyone I have recommended it too has LOVED it (ok 3 people but still!) and they all read it but I highly, highly, highly, highly recommend listening to it.
ps. The Martian. for reals.
Julia Gomez says
In my opinion the best audiobooks are the comedy ones. Some I enjoyed were Seriously I’m Kidding By Ellen Degeneres and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me By Mindy Kaling. I also heard Bossypants By Tina Fey is good too.
The problem with audiobooks is that I don’t get through them fast enough. I try to listen to them as much as possible.
Shae/Shelver @ Shae Has Left The Room says
1. Rereading through audiobooks is a very, very, very good idea. I’ve done it many times and have never regretted it.
2. EEEEEEEEE!!!! YOUR LIST! I can only comment on the ones I’ve listened to on audio, but you’ve got some GREAT ones on there! If I Stay was lovely (made me cry a bit), same for THG, and CODE NAME VERITY IS MY FAVORITE AUDIOBOOK OF ALL TIME. Seriously, it’s the most beautiful, lyrical, accented jewel of a thing. It’s even better than the book itself and I BAWLED.
Also really, really good on audio:
THE RAVEN BOYS (the accents melt me down to my toes)
THE BOOK THIEF (SO MANY TEARS)
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (I’m on book… nine? I think? But they’re hilarious and so clever and DAVID TENNANT NARRATES)
PRINCESS DIARIES (the first three books are narrated by Anne Hathaway
DAIRY QUEEN (so funny! and the narrator is perfect)
All of Rick Riordan’s books are really good, but I like the Kane Chronicles narrator over the Percy Jackson narrator ever so slightly.
ALANNA is pretty good.
And, of course, ROSE UNDER FIRE is pretty wonderful, too.
I’ve also heard the following are good but have not listened to them myself:
THE SCORPIO RACES
PLUS ONE
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
READY PLAYER ONE
threegoodrats says
Code Name Verity is excellent on audio, as is Eleanor and Park. Actually, a few of the Rainbow Rowell books are read by my favorite narrator, Rebecca Lowman. Other great choices are the Philip Pullman His Dark Materials series, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, Forgive Me Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick, and The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee (which is read by my second-favorite narrator, Orlagh Cassidy.)
Becky says
I don’t listen to a ton of audiobooks because I’m super picky about narrators (and I never seem to finish them before my library checkout expires), but I absolutely LOVE the audios for Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle. Will Patton’s narration is fantastic. I highly recommend them!
Elizabeth says
Sadly I’m new to audiobooks, so I haven’t listened to any of your rereads! I can highly, REALLY REALLY highly recommend Tamora Pierce’s Bekka Cooper audiobooks because Susan Denakker is hands down the best narrator I’ve heard so far. I’ve been pretty lucky though with narrators – I’d also highly recommend The Scorpio Races on audio as well as Gail Carriger’s Etiquette & Espionage (probably my second favourite narrator – she suits the book SO well!) *stalks your Goodreads* oooh you haven’t read E&E! If you are looking for some witty, well-crafted FUN then you should totally pick this series up! (Or really anything Gail Carriger has written)
Deyse says
I listened to the audiobook version of “If I Stay” and actually prefered to the reading (which I had tried already but couldn’t get into), the narrator was really good (she did voices and was easy to know on the dialogues who was talking but wasn’t something forced or that made me cringe, like sometimes it is), also the audio has the plus of having background classical music on some scenes where Mia is talking about playing/is remembering actual playing/stuff like that and it is really short too (about 4 hours if I recall correctly) so it is really easy to listen to it while like cleaning the house or cooking or something like that and it won’t drag forever.
Deyse says
And with “Just One Day” I don’t really recommend the audio – it is for the personal reason that I really didn’t liked the narrator (she made some weird emphases on places that really didn’t felt like it needed and after some time I was just annoyed by her voices).
Jen says
I love the idea of a reread for an audiobook. I think I’ll try that. I mostly do memoirs for audiobooks. I like hearing the authors tell their stories. I really enjoyed listening to Amy Pohler’s book. I mean, I love her so I knew I would love the book, but she brought in other people and it was really sweet at times.
Danielle says
From your list I’ve only listened to If I Stay and it was a solid audio book. I’m really picky with audio books and think they have a huge impact on your reading experience so using them for rereads is a wonderful idea!
Lauren Oliver’s audio book voice actor is the same for all her books and she’s really good. I’m not a huge Oliver fan, but that narrator is a good choice. Similarly with the narrator for the Divergent series (maybe it’s the same voice actor…haha!).
My favorite audio books are celebrity memoirs narrated by the authors themselves. Mindy Kaling and Betty White are my favorites, but also Jim Gaffigan and Kathy Griffin (who I don’t even really care for) were highly entertaining! I keep meaning to add Lena Dunham and Amy Poehler’s memoirs to my audio book list!
Best of luck!
Melissa @ Writer Grrl Reads says
I have a huge number of series that I haven’t finished, mainly because I can’t remember what happened in the book(s) that I did read. I’ve been listening to re-reads for series beginners so that I can refresh my memory, and then continuing on with the series when they’re fresh in my mind. If I like the narrator, I continue in audio format, and if not then I jump back into the physical book. For example, I own the entire Legend trilogy by Marie Lu, but I’d only read the first book, so I listened to it on audio (bonus: it had two narrators, one for June and another for Day!) The audio was SO good that I listened to the next two books right away, and holy COW that series! I also do audio for really long books, and bounce back and forth between the audio and the physical book. I’ve worked my way through three chunksters that way (the first three Game of Thrones books) by listening on my commute to and from work, then reading the physical book in between. Then, I also read Requiem on audio because I tried reading the book a couple of times and just couldn’t get into it. I liked the audiobook and ended up enjoying the series. I just started the final book in the Mortal Instruments series and, while I don’t love the narrators, it’ll definitely help me get through the book a bit quicker because it’s HUGE!
Jennifer @ The Book Nympho says
I’m an audiobook junkie!! About 80% of my reading is audiobooks. I listen while walking, cleaning house and I use to listen at work (was laid off a week ago) so my listening time will go down some. I’m not sure what genres you read but if you like UF/PNR or contemporary I can give you some recommendations…
Seven series by Dannika Dark, Narrated Nicole Poole (PNR werewolves)
Fever series by Karen Marie Moning (UF Fae, 1st 2 books the narrator is not as great but once they chance to duo narrators it gets better)
Alien Huntress by Gena Showalter, narrated by Justine Eyre (PNR)
Beautiful Bastard series by Christina Lauren (Contemporary Romance)
Cocktail series by Alice Clayton (Contemporary Romance)
Anything by Kresley Cole is great. She has some great narrators on her different series
Anything by Molly Harper is fun to listen to, she has the same narrator (Amanda Ronconi)
I co-host an audiobook challenge every year. You can check it out here:
http://thebooknympho.com/2015-audiobook-challenge/
You can look around at other blogs that review audiobooks to help you find some more recommendations.
Melanie Simmons @mlsimmons says
I’m an audiobook junkie too. Some of my favorites include:
The Martian by Andy Weir
Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
Highlander series by Karen Marie Moning
Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole
Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness
BookaholicCat says
I read The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay and loved it and also heard the audio was pretty good. So I think that’s a good choice.
As Melanie recommended you, The Martian by Andy Weird is an AWESOME audiobook. Even people who don’t like sci-fi have loved it. The narrator is simply incredible.
The Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones is super funny on audio. I listened to all of then, one behind the other. That was also the case with Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews.
I love Fantasy, if you like it, I recommend you The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson and Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan. Both are outstanding series on audio.
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor is also great on audio, it’s narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Khristine Hvam.
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is different and fun.
You can send me a message if you have any questions or want more recommendations.
Brittany @ The Book Addict's Guide says
YAY I love audiobooks! I’m planning on listening to E&P soon as a re-read (I hope)!
I haven’t listened to any Gayle Forman books but I really want to check out those on audio!
The Hunger Games was really good narration but the lady is like, way too old to voice it? I really enjoyed them but it took me a little bit upon first listen to make peace with this older voice.
I LOVE Ready Player One, The Scorpio Races, Heist Society, Harry Potter, the Night Circus, Shadow and Bone, Steelheart, and Something Like Normal!
Alisa @ Papercuttts says
I listen to audiobooks all the time! I commute for several hours a day, so it helps me not feel frustrated for all the time I spend on the metro/bus/sidewalk/train. I’m trying to get classics read via audiobook so I can save my page-time for new releases. The best audiobook I’ve listened to was THE BOOKTHIEF. Seriously perfect. The narrator has a slight German accent and it really makes the characters pop.
Wendy @ Book Scents says
So funny, I JUST recently got into audiobooks! I wrote a post about what led me to take the jump (long story short: i have a pretty long commute and was about to murder the radio for playing the SAME SONGS OVER AND OVER). I’ve always been really anti-audio bc I read really fast and I didn’t want another voice to color how I may envision the book. However i’ve really been lacking in the reading time department so audio has been a lifesaver!! I’ve been going through roughly one audio a week. (omg I really do spend that much time in the car commuting). I’m currently listening to prisoner of night and fog and the narrator is AMAZING! loving it so far!
Small Review says
The audio for Code Name Verity is fantastic. There’s two readers, and both nail the characters’ voices. I’ve been using audiobooks as re-reads during my commute (less guilt rereading this way, plus if traffic demands my attention at least I already know what happens in the story!) and I recently listened to CNV. For the first time ever I actually considered that I may want to look into getting tinted windows in my car, because I was totally sobbing on my drive to work because of that audiobook.
I’m pretty picky about audiobook readers. I don’t like it when they just read the words. I love it when they really get into character and it’s like the character speaking to you, not someone reading a book.
Other audiobooks I’ve really enjoyed:
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (I’m pretty sure I listened to the one with Jill Tanner and Bianca Amato reading)
The Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (read by Susan O’Malley. Susan IS Amelia Peabody, so I was really disappointed to find out that she doesn’t read all the books in the series. At least each book ends as a standalone).
The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron
The False Princess by Eilis O’Neal
The House on Tradd Street by Karen White