Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Audiobooks to Try Even If You Think You Don’t Like Audiobooks

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is audiobook freebie.  Now in year’s past, I’ll be honest — I probably would have skipped this topic because audiobooks have historically been a struggle for me.  I’d lose track of what I’m listening to because I was trying to listen to them while I was working or else I’d just zone out because the narration was too slow for me.  It always bummed me out because I loved the idea of audiobooks and everyone else I know seems to love them.  Well, this past year, something finally clicked with me and now I can’t get enough of them.  Instead of trying to listen to them while I’m at work, now I listen to them in the car, or while doing chores, or even in the evenings just before I’m ready to go to sleep.  I also changed up the genres I was trying on audio and found that contemporaries were the best fit overall for me.  Technology helped quite a bit too.  Now that I can get audiobooks as mp3 files, I can speed up the narration to 1.25x, which really helps keep me focused on what I’m listening to.

Below are ten audiobooks that I’ve really enjoyed this past year.  If you’re struggling to get into audiobooks, I’d definitely recommend giving any of these a try.  I thought that the stories themselves were very compelling and that the narration in each case really added so much to the stories.  I was an especially big fan of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. The audio version just really helped make Evelyn seem larger than life.

 

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10 Audiobooks to Try Even If You Think You Don’t Like Audiobooks

 

THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid

GEEKERELLA by Ashley Poston

CRAZY RICH ASIANS by Kevin Kwan

WHAT IF IT’S US by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater

CATWOMAN: SOULSTEALER by Sarah J. Maas

I HAVE LOST MY WAY by Gayle Forman

LOVE & GELATO by Jenna Evans Welch

GIRL OUT OF WATER by Laura Silverman

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS by Agatha Christie

 

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Do you enjoy audiobooks?  Have you listened to any of these?

56 replies
  1. ShootingStarsMag
    ShootingStarsMag says:

    There are audios I’ve heard are fantastic and I really DO want to listen to them; I just haven’t been able to focus well enough so far. Maybe I need to try some of these other titles. Thanks for the suggestions!

    -Lauren

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Audio definitely seems to work best for me with contemporaries and thrillers. I struggled a bit when I tried them with fantasy and sci fi.

  2. Julie
    Julie says:

    Great list. Sometimes I want to pick up a book and just do not have time. Nowadays there’s always and audio, which is a great help when moving around.

  3. Sofia
    Sofia says:

    I’ve been seeing The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo a lot this week, I also picked it, I mean it is a pretty awesome experience for your ears and brain 🙂 Happy listening!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I’ve been seeing Evelyn Hugo everywhere too and I’m not at all surprised. I haven’t read that many audiobooks yet, but that one is definitely my favorite so far.

  4. Morgan
    Morgan says:

    I’ve always struggled with audiobooks, even in the car. I will have to find one of these books and try it out again.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Contemporaries seem to work best for me. I was really struggling with them when I tried to use them for fantasy and sci-fi.

  5. Jo
    Jo says:

    I’m not a massive audiobook reader, I just prefer physical books but I am making it a point to try more audiobooks this year.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I was like that for the longest time too. They definitely work better for me with some genres, like contemporaries and thrillers, than they do with others like fantasy.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I think it was mainly being willing to experiment with them. I want to listen to them at work to help pass the time but learned I retained nothing I listened to that way because I was so focused on my work. Now I listen to them while doing more mindless things like driving, washing dishes, folding laundry, etc.

  6. Anna
    Anna says:

    I’m currently listening to The Raven Boys and I’m not really enjoying it. I blame it on the poor choice of actor, Will Patton, as a narrator. I’m struggling, but I have ways to go, so I have to see how I fell at the end.

  7. Sam@wlabb
    Sam@wlabb says:

    I actually listened to the whole Crazy Rich Asian series, and I really enjoyed the narration. I think I should count myself lucky, because I have a feeling there were a lot of words in the text I would not have been able to pronounce,

  8. Greg
    Greg says:

    Maybe speeding them up would work for me, since I’ve struggled with audio too. And I have the same problem, I get distracted. Love & Gelato and Girl Out of Water both seem like they’d be good on audio though! And Orient Express too with the right accents or narrators, I imagine!

  9. Di @ Book Reviews by Di
    Di @ Book Reviews by Di says:

    I have to say I am pretty shocking at listening to audiobooks. Firstly my brain seems to wander and secondly I find I just don’t have TIME to sit and listen! My commutes are too short or are with a preschooler (who either needs to chat herself or can’t listen to some of the books I would listen to) so my only listening times are when I’m by myself on a long drive which apparently doesn’t happen very often since I’ve been listening to HP7 for oh… YEARS. Gah! Thankfully it’s a reread!

    However! I do want to read some of the books you’ve mentioned above so maybe one day when I can put more time into audiobooks I’ll eventually get there!

  10. Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight
    Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight says:

    I’m the same, kinda. I couldn’t deal with audiobooks before cuz I just got distracted, but now I enjoy them while doing certain other things 🙂 I haven’t listened to any of these particular ones, but I’m glad you’ve found some great ones! Finding the right genre and narrators can make all the difference.

  11. Brittany
    Brittany says:

    I love audiobooks! But I haven’t listened to any of the ones on your list 🙁 Though The Raven Boys has been on my TBR forever haha so maybe I will listen to it instead of reading it! Thanks 🙂

  12. Sophie
    Sophie says:

    I didn’t know that I have Lost my Way was also very good in audiobooks Suzanne! I “just” read it but I loved it so much!

  13. sjhigbee
    sjhigbee says:

    Thank you for this useful article – I’ve recently joined in listening to audiobooks and thoroughly enjoy them – not to mention how much better they are for my mental health. I no longer listen to the dreadful News on Radio 4…

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I’m glad you’re enjoying them too. I agree about them being good for mental health too as I love listening to them in the evenings instead of turning on the news.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I’m waiting for the second book to be available at the library now. I’m looking forward to continuing the series on audio.

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