Top Ten Tuesday -- All About Audio Freebie

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Today's topic:  All About Audio freebie --  aka top ten audiobooks you should listen to, 10 books I want to listen to on audio,10 bands you should check out, 10 podcasts you should be listening to, 10 of my all time favorite albums, 10 songs I love, really whatever you can come up with.


Lauren and Daisy are going to be talking about some of the audiobooks they've really enjoyed!

Lauren's Picks

1 -- The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey: I think I would have loved this book even if I didn't listen to the audio version, but the narrator was perfect. Every character's personality shown through like a beam of light in a forest full of ancient trees. 

2 -- The Passage by Justin Cronin: I'll admit, I listened to the audio version of this book because I didn't want to haul around a Harry Potter-sized book in my purse everywhere I went. Turns out... it was definitely a good call! The book started just a little slow, but quickly picked up the pace and the narrator kept the ball rolling. I loved this one so much that I listened to the sequel, The Twelve, on audiobook as well.

3 -- Wool by Hugh Howey: Oh c'mom now... you all knew a Hugh Howey book would be on my list! :) I read the book first, then loved it so much I tried the audio version maybe a year later so I could relive the amazing-ness that is Wool. I was not disappointed. 

4 -- California by Edan Lepucki: I could feel ALL THE EMOTIONS of the characters in this novel... all relayed from the narrator to me. I felt connected and as if I was literally walking in their shoes, well... if the characters had shoes at the time. :)

5-The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima narrated by CarolMonda- This was one of the first audiobooks I listened to. After a few quick searches for "best audibooks" I came across this title. It sounded intriguing and had great reviews. So I bought it! SO SO good! I've listened to the whole series three times.

6- The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) narrated by Robert Glenister- I downloaded this somewhere between its release and the revelation that this was JK writing under a pen name. I don't think I'd started it before I found out. It's such a great book. I love mysteries, but far too often the characters become unimportant next to the story. They're flat and uninteresting. Not these characters! They are fully formed, vividly imagined and magnetic. I read for them as much as the "who done it".

7- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern- JIM DALE. Honestly, I didn't even care what the story was. I saw that Jim Dale was the narrator and hit "buy". I absolutely adore this man, I will listen to anything he reads. The story is intriguing, I kept getting pulled back in. I did get lost every once in a while with the time changes, but didn't get so confused that I wasn't enjoying the story.

8- Sabriel by Garth Nix- IT'S NARRATED BY TIM CURRY. Need I say more? Okay. So he's absolutely amazing. I could not turn it off! And I'd already read them once before! I love this series. The action! The characters! The worldbuilding!!

9- Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles) by Kevin Hearn narratedby Luke Daniels- This is a new discovery. (Thanks Carrie!) These books are HILARIOUS. As in a true "laugh out loud" brand of funny. (I've had to explain myself to my coworkers more than once.) The stories are fun, the characters are hilarious and endlessly loveable. One in particular takes the cake. OBERON. Seriously. Read it just for him. And his Purloined Poodles.

10- Illuminae: The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff narrated by Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lincoln Hoppe, and Jonathan McClain, with a FULL CAST- This book was meant to be an audiobook. It was a great story, but the cast is what MADE it. I was enthralled by this story. Completely captivated by the characters and their struggles and motivations. Even if you've already read this one, check out the audio. You won't regret it!

The "life/work/reading" balancing act

I used to find it strange when someone said that their personal reading time suffered because of school, or work, or social life. I always found time to read. Always. Even if it was just for those few minutes before falling asleep. I managed to do that through college, wedding/marriage and a couple different jobs.

Now I work in editing. I literally correct grammar and spelling for a living. For 40+ hours a week I scrutinize ads and listings, looking for mistakes. It’s a great job, I actually really enjoy it! However… for the first time in my life, my reading has suffered.

I settle down, open a book… and start looking for errors. Not on purpose! It’s all habit now. I find that my reading speed is slower than what it used to be. I’m used to reading slowly now, scanning for mistakes.  Even worse, finding mistakes in published pieces! I understand that mistakes happen. (I work in editing/publishing for heaven’s sake. I understand mistakes happen!) But once I find a mistake I get thrown out of the world I was trying to disappear into. I complain to my husband and usually just get a blank stare back. Reading is easy for him, incorrect punctuation and improper grammar don’t bother him in the least.

The solution? (Well, not exactly a solution, but a happy alternative.) AUDIOBOOKS. I’ve always enjoyed them, but now they’re a lifeline. Within the first week of my job I learned something absolutely delightful: My coworkers are audiobook junkies. I will never run out of books to listen to! We have a whole library of audiobooks here at work. We are even allowed to listen to them while working! I have one ear bud in 90% of the work day, listening to books and music. My coworkers are the same. It’s seriously a dream job. (Not to mention that working with such bookish people is a delight in and of itself.)

Can anyone relate? What are your best tricks to continue to enjoy reading? Share in the comments below!

Jamie's Renewed Love For Audiobooks!

I got into audiobooks a couple of years ago! They became my motivator for working out. I would ONLY allow myself to listen to my audiobook if I got my butt on the treadmill or was doing something active like cleaning.  I was so eager to keep going on in my story that it kept me on the treadmill the whole time and it made me get up off the couch, put my shoes on and head to the gym. I had rewards and such. You can read about my whole system here.

Then about a year into that system I got SUPER into a new workout routine. One that was less treadmill. I started doing Pilates and a lot of HIIT workouts. So I stopped listening to audiobooks mostly. I could have listening to them on my commute but I just was more into listening to music in the car on my Spotify app.

But then recently I decided that I wanted to get back into audiobooks. And I am IN LOVE WITH THEM ALL OVER AGAIN. I started out just wanting to try them again to do re-reads (and also asked for suggestions) and I did do a reread of a favorite book it and it was DELIGHTFUL. Such a good way to do a reread especially if you are new/getting back into audiobooks because you already are familiar with the story.

I started my audiobook obsession about midway through April and I added 2 books to my count for the month. I listened in the car. I listened when I would take the baby I nanny for a walk. I listened when I was getting ready in the morning and while I was making/eating breakfast (my husband leaves way before me). Listened while I was cleaning or painting my nails.  And when I wanted to listen to music (and some days I did) I just did that. But I still got 2 extra books "read" for the month. What a great way to sneak in some extra books! My listening decreases on the weekend because my husband is around and I'm not commuting anywhere but I still felt like I was able to sneak in some reading in times, like when applying makeup or doing my hair, when I'd be listening to nothing at all normally.

I'm so excited to be back in the world of audiobooks!

Do you audiobook or no? What are some of your favorite audiobooks? Where do you get audiobooks from (I use Overdrive primarily because YAY FREE with my library card)?

A Cocktail & Conversation -- Do You Do Audiobooks?

Every other Thursday here (Friday this week because I lost track of time!!) at the Broke & The Bookish is  A Cocktail Conversation time. One of the TB&TB members will pose a question to 2-3 of the other members of TB&TB crew about books, life, music, etc and then they'll answer and we can converse about it. So grab a cocktail & cozy up for some conversation. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, friends.

 

 The Question:

Are you a fan of audiobooks? Why or why not?

 

Tahleen says: 

  I absolutely love audio books. I would not know what to do without them. I get so much "reading" done via audio, whether it's on my commute to and from work or while I'm running. It's not only convenient, but it's a whole different way to experience a book and writing. A great narrator is key, too, and some of my favorites are Katherine Kellgren, Bahni Turpin, Nick Podehl, Moors Quirk, Jayne Entwhistle, and Kirby Heyborne, plus Bill Bryson narrating his own books are perfection. I'm sure I've forgotten a few too. Audio books are the best. The end.

Jana says:

I love audiobooks when I'm driving because then I can still read, but I have a really hard time not getting distracted! Maybe I've just not found any AMAZING ones yet. Anyone have any recommendations for wonderful audiobooks? 

 

Julia says:

I enjoy audiobooks when I need them. So long car trips alone. I used to listen to them on my long commute to work but a) I replaced them with podcasts and b) I moved closer to work killing the need for them. That doesn't mean I dont enjoy them. I really like having them on car trips alone because it seems like I have company. But I am SUPER PICKY about narrators, especially if it is a series I already know. This limits which books I read in audio form. I will say that one of my frustrations is that I cant just sit and listen to a book like i could just sit and read. It seems so lazy for some reason if I am not driving or working out or something. I remember with Ready Player One I totally just laid on my couch and listened to Wil Wheaton's awesome storytelling because i wanted to find out what happened next.

What about you, bookworms? Do you do audiobooks??