Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Audiobooks I Am Dying to Listen To

Okay, so this is not the topic for the week... But, I wasn't really feeling the current one and decided to make my own post this week. If you want to see the real topic, head over to The Broke and the Bookish.

I have made a, likely to change, list of books I would like to listen to next... They are:

Being Jazz: My Life a (Transgender) Teen ~ I am pretty sure this is a television show, but since we do not have cable I am only familiar with the book. I am really curious about how she sees the world and make her way in it.

The Guineveres ~ This is one of those books making the rounds lately that has caught my eye. It is compared to The Virgin Suicides and I love that book!

The Motion of Puppets ~ I really enjoyed The Stolen Child, but have yet to read on with Donohue. This book has been catching my eye for months and I love the cover. It is time for me to read Donohue again!

Feedback ~ I listened to the first three books, so makes sense to listen to the 4th!

The Mothers ~ Another one that has been catching my eye that I am thinking about doing on audio. It sounds good!

Ghostland ~ This sounds really good for this time of the year!

All the Birds in the Sky ~ I have been curious about this book all year! I also saw the author on a documentary and was interested by them, too!

Stiletto ~ I enjoyed the first book in this series on audio and am curious to see what happens next!

Jane Steele ~ I have been planning to read this all year and hear that the audio was good... Now to actually get to it!

Fellside ~ I really enjoyed The Girl with all the Gifts on audio so was planning to listen to this one, too, but then the e-book was on sale over the weekend so might just read it!

Ten Eleven Audiobooks I Have Enjoyed in 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish

I did so well making my list. Then just as I was finishing up, I noticed The Miniaturist was missing and I couldn't decide what to remove to take its place. So, 11 it is. Let's not count how close this is to how many audios I have listened to total for 2016. Let's just applaud I listened to enough that I can make a list of my top ten eleven.

1. | Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan ~ I have been meaning to try Sullivan forever and finally started off with his new series. It was a really good fantasy novel that weaves mythology and a bit of the quest narrative and other elements together to make for a very readable adventure. I can't wait for the sequel!

Thoughts on the Audio: Narrated by Tim Gerard Richards - The audio was very well done. I love Richards voice and am thinking of back-tracking through Sullivan's other books via audio because he narrates them as well. Definitely does a good job with the different characters and getting you caught up in the story.

2. | Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor ~ This is one I had grabbed on sale at some point and I just loved it! The young adult trilogies that are popular can be hit or miss for me, but I have also read book 2 and continue to think this trilogy is awesome. It really takes a play at the story of angels and demons and is done really well. One of my favourite reads of the year!

Thoughts on the Audio: Narrated by Khristine Hvam - I loved the narration on this one so much. I listened to it before I had reactivated my Audible membership, so I bought the two sequels in paperback. While I enjoyed the second one, I was disappointed that I didn't go the audio route. I think I may splurge and read book 3 on audio before the end of the year to finish up the trilogy. Khristine Hvam just does such a great job with this one!

3. | Feed by Mira Grant ~ Finally! I have wanted to read this trilogy forever and just never got around to it. It was a really great, nerdy zombie tale that I enjoyed a lot. I am glad I finally got around to reading it! The sequels were great, too. Grant does an awesome job making you care about all of the characters and what happens to them.

Thoughts on the Audio: Narrated by Paula Christensen and Jesse Bernstein - The two narrators of this book did a great job. Christensen did the majority of the narration and I really got into her as Georgia. She did well narrating the other characters that had smaller roles as well. Bernstein did Shaun, who had a smaller role in this one than he does in the sequels. The sequels were also really good, but I think this was my favourite.

4. | Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez ~ I loved the graphic novels, so I definitely had to check out this audio adaption. I only just read it recently because I figured it was a great idea for this time of year. The series is about a family who has unfortunate circumstances that lead them back to their father's family home. It is dark and twisted and definitely a page turner.

Thoughts on the Audio: This is a full cast performance that includes Haley Joel Osment, Kate Mulgrew, Tatiana Maslany, and a bunch of other people. It was really well done and everyone did a great job. I have done other full cast audios, but this was my first dramatic one and considering I knew what to expect from the story, I thought they did an awesome job!

5. | Nevernight by Jay Kristoff ~ Yep, I loved this series with a strong female lead and fantasy and great secondary characters and dark magic and assassins and and... When is book 2 out? I all ready have the paper back in my list of preorders for next year because I want to have it in a form other than audio. Judging by hardcover prices, I likely will do book 2 by audio as well. It was just so good!

Thoughts on the Audio: Narrated by Holter Graham - I was leery about doing this one on audio because it can be hard to keep track of fantasy story-lines when you are listening instead of reading. I still find something taking my attention away from audios and missing parts here and there. (One of those things is talking to me as I am attempting to write this post...) But, Graham did a great job narrating and I found myself getting into the story no issue. I hope they

6. | Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel ~ This book got a lot of buzz when it first came out so I grabbed a copy on audio because you know me and science-fiction and fantasy. I have to be honest. I am not sure if the story itself would have wowed me so much if I had read it. It was good and I am curious to see what happens next. Plus, I enjoy books written in letters, blog posts, etc. So, it should be a 'me' book all things considered. I plan to reread it before the sequel comes out and we will see what happens.

Thoughts on the Audio: Narrated by Full Cast - And, see, it was the audio that I loved. I thought it was so well done and you could really get into the events with it. I think that it is definitely my favourite audio performance of the year so far. It just captured the story so well, and probably worked so well because there were different people narrating each character and the novel is epistolary form so it worked really well. I definitely plan to do the sequel on audio!

7. | To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey ~ I owned The Snow Child in hardcover forever and only got around to it last year because I did the audio. I decided that since that worked so well, I would do this one in audio as well. Part of me regrets that because I loved this book to the point it will make my top ten for the year likely and because I missed out on the pictures. Part of me finished this and wanted to rush out a grab a physical copy, but I am making myself wait. (Maybe Christmas). It was a good historical fiction novel that included a young woman that was a photographer. Plus, there was adventure and a bit of the supernatural.

Thoughts on the Audio: Narrated by John Glouchevitch, Christine Lakin, and Kiff Vandenheuvel - When I said above that I almost regretted doing this audio, it was not because the audio wasn't good. (If it wasn't good, it wouldn't be on this list!) It was just that it is one of those books I regret not being able to see. But, the audio was really well done and I really enjoyed it!

8. | The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey ~ When I got this on audio I had no idea what this book was even about. There was buzz, it was good buzz, and I needed an audio. So, imagine my surprise when I started it and found it was about zombies. I had no idea! It was really good, though. Definitely worth all the buzz surrounding it!

Thoughts on the Audio: Narrated by Finty Williams - The narration on this one was great. It really fit the story and all the different characters. I definitely want to check Williams out again. Hopefully she is the narrator for Carey's new book that I have on my wish list, but haven't got a chance to get to yet. Hopefully this fall!

9. | The Cutting Season by Attica Locke ~ I have heard about Attica Locke a lot over the years, but just never got around to reading her. When I had a spare Audible credit, I decided it was finally time and most people seem to really enjoy this one. Locke is a great, suspenseful author that I really enjoyed! The mystery had historical backgrounds to it which I also really enjoy. I definitely plan to read more from Locke!

Thoughts on the Audio: Narrated by Quincy Tyler Bernstine - I really like the soft spoken narration of this one. It fit the characters really well, I thought. She could overcome it for the more exciting parts which seemed to make them that much more exciting! Definitely a narrator I want to check out again!

10. | The Rook by Daniel O'Malley ~ I have heard a lot of good things about this book, but I honestly had no idea what it was about when I grabbed a copy. The story of a supernatural society and a very structured society to keep them all in line. It is definitely a page turner and I am really excited to see what the sequel is all about!

Thoughts on the Audio: Narrated by Susan Duerden - Duerden does a great job telling this story. The novel includes letters which I think the narrator does a great job for. Plus, she handles all the different characters really well and makes you very invested in the story. Another great narrator I would like to listen to more from.

11. | The Minaturist by Jessie Burton ~ I wanted to read this book forever. I had the audio from a sale probably a couple years ago... I decided it was finally time to see what all the buzz was about. I really enjoy historical fiction, but I don't read nearly as much of it as I used to. I decided this would be the book to break me out of that. (Still haven't read that much historical fiction this year...) I really enjoyed the story and the sort of magical elements interwoven in a very bleak historical landscape. I am so glad I finally got around to this!

Thoughts on the Audio: Narrated by Davina Porter - I am really glad I went the audio route for this book because I really enjoyed Porter's narration. It is just to bad this audio laid around unread for so long before I got a chance to get to it! (I am trying to be better about that...) She really made the stories and characters come alive and I hope they get her back if they ever release an audio of Porter's new book!

June is Audiobook Month


I thought in honour of the last few days of Audiobook month, I would look back on the audios that I have read in 2016 so far...

Written by Mira Grant
Narrated by Paula Christensen & Jesse Bernstein

I had been wanting to read Mira Grant for a while, but never got to her. I had the e-book version of this book forever and I decided recently to go through my Amazon books and see what qualified to make the audio a reduced rate. This was one of them! I read Every Heart a Doorway under Seanan McGuire, and knew it was time to check out her other books. And, I am so happy I did! I thought I would be sick of zombies, but this manages to put a fresh spin on things and work really well. The narration was also really well done!

Written by Daniel Keyes
Narrated by Jeff Woodman

One of my favourite things to do with audiobooks is wait until favourite books show up in sales, and grab a copy. Flowers for Algernon has been one of my favourite books since junior high, but I had never listened to it on audio. Until now. It was a very simplistic audio. There was no music. It was just Jeff Wooman being made to dictate Charley's life as if he was really doing it. With other audios, that likely wouldn't have worked, but it worked with how this story was written and I enjoyed it. If you haven't read Flowers for Algernon, it speaks to what it is to be human and does it in a really wonderful way. This book is a bit older, but it doesn't seem dated. And, I think that kind of what makes it all that much sadder... 

Written by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

This was all kinds of insane. It is amazing the things that have been done by women in history. Would it have been as crazy if men had done the same things? Well, no, men have! But, men play a much larger role in the overall writings in history, so we have just learned to expect it. While the audio of this was really well-done, it delivered a lot of info and I think it might have worked better for me if I read it. I haven't listened to a lot of non-fiction via audio yet, so I am still learning how to retain it when it is all kind of being thrown at you. I expect to grab a physical copy down the road for a reread.

Written by Sylvain Neuvel
Narrated by full cast

I reactivated my audible membership for this book. I really wanted to read it and had heard good things about the audio. It was so worth it! I can't wait to read the sequel next year... I think I will do that on audio, too, but I also would like to get physical copies of the series to reread in another method. Maybe when the paperback is released! This was a really well-done science fiction novel. And, the audio recording was done so well. I think this was my first time doing a full cast performance and I don't think this book could have been done any other way... It really pulled you in and actually I think this book may be better on audio than just reading it, but I haven't read it to compare.

Written by Danielle Paige
Narrated by Devon Sorvari

I got this on audio during a sale, but then I read it on Scribd last year. I decided both to make use of this book that I bought and to refresh my memory for the sequels, I would reread it on audio. I think it was a bit too soon for a reread... I liked it, but it didn't blow me away because I think it was all too fresh. The narration was good, though, and the story is overall really good. And, I am sure I will appreciate the fresh perspective when I get out of this reading slump and finally read the sequels. 

Written by Leigh Bardugo
Narrated by Lauren Fortgang

Another book I had got on audio to eventually reread so I can finally read the rest of the books. I originally read this book in like 2012 or something, so this book was not fresh in my mind and it was nice to revisit. Now, if I could get out of this reading slump so it was not in vain! Anyway, I read Bardugo's new book last year and still had not read the sequels to this one. I figured that before book 2 comes out in her other series later this year, I should catch up... The narration was really well done on this one. And now that I remember what happened, I am looking forward to what happens next!

Written by Laini Taylor
Narrated by Khristine Hvam

Finally read this series! I have heard lots of good things about it over the years and was really excited to finally get it. This reading through my backlist of audiobooks has worked out really well! I loved the narration on this one and would have loved to read the rest by audio, but at the time my Audible membership was still on hiatus and I didn't anticipate reactivating it right away. So, I read book 2 and then was just not reading when I tried to read book 3... Hopefully I can get back to it soon! I frankly have not read many angel books overall, so I was happy for this very fun take on it. I have read Taylor in the past and this just reminded me that she is someone you shouldn't neglect!

Written by Max Barry
Narrated by Heather Corrigan & Zach Appelman

Sometimes when a book is getting a lot of buzz I will use an Audible credit on it if I have one instead of buying a physical copy. I remember doing that with this book... And then taking forever to actually read it! But it was really good. The narration worked really well and got to love a book about words and their power. It was a refreshingly different thing than what I have read over the last couple years. It reminded me a bit of Jasper Fforde's series, but only because it is about books and words. The overall ideas are very different. I definitely recommend this one!

Written by Jessie Burton
Narrated by Davina Porter

I have wanted to check this out since it came out and had the audio, so decided this year would finally be the year. I just don't read as many historical fiction books as I used to. It used to be one of my main genres. I really enjoyed this one, though. It is a time period and setting I have not read many books set during. And, while not really being fantasy, it still has a fantastic element to it. This made it right up my alley! Plus, the cover is wonderful and I kind of want to own a physical copy just because it would look pretty on my shelf!

Written by M.R. Carey
Narrated by Finty Williams

This was another book that got a lot of buzz and I grabbed a copy of. I have to admit that I don't like spoilers, so I don't always know what I am getting myself into when I read a book. Add in the fact the buzz for this was a while ago and I had no idea it was a Zombie novel when I started it. But, it was really good and so worthy of the buzz! I was still just getting back into audio listening when I grabbed this one, so I was very happy that it kept me engaged and kept my audio listening interest. I am really looking forward to the new book and will likely do that on audio as well.

Written by Ernest Cline
Narrated by Wil Wheaton

I needed to start getting back on the treadmill to help with my ankle recovery, but I was rusty on both the treadmill and the audiobook. (When I first tried the treadmill I could only handle the lowest setting... My treadmill sounded terrible so I stopped using it until I could handle a bit faster!) When you are nervous about something, go with an old favourite. I started my audiobook listening with Wil Wheaton and Ernest Cline, so I decided to start it up with them again. While not quite as good as Ready Player One, this was still worth checking out! And, I think that listening to Wil Wheaton narrate it made me enjoy it even more than if I had just read it. I look forward to more from both of them in the future!

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