In many of my book reviews and recommendations I suggest that you try the audio version. Audiobooks allow us to move through our reading lists more quickly; we can “read’ while performing tedious tasks. Stories have been passed down orally for millennia. We have mouths and ears. We are supposed to tell and we are built to listen. Most libraries have a well-rounded selection, and Librivox offers many titles free. See the list below for some books which this bookseller believes are better heard than read:
itle | Author | Narrator | Genre(s) | Why audio? |
---|---|---|---|---|
Once Upon a River | Diane Setterfield | Juliet Stevenson | Magical Realism / British Literature | The voice of a storyteller with an unhurried pace |
Lincoln in the Bardo | George Saunders | Star-studded cast including Rainn Wilson, Nick Offerman, and many more | American Literary Fiction / Magical Realism | Look at the names in the cast of actors; this is more than an audiobook. |
The Member of the Wedding | Carson McCullers | Susan Sarandon | Southern Fiction / Coming of Age | Susan Sarandon’s southern accent lends atmosphere. |
Heft | Liz Moore | Keith Szarabajka, Kirby Heyborne | American Literary Fiction | Striking contrast between the two narrators lighlights the kindness of an unlikely hero. |
Anything by David Sedaris | David Sedaris | David Sedaris | Humor, sometimes explicit | His books are funny to read, but Sedaris’ voice is necessary for full belly-laughs. |
Anything by Liane Moriarty | Liane Moriarty | Caroline Lee | Chick lit | Lee’s Australian accented-voice is the perfect medium for Moriarty’s chick-lit drama. |
Merrily Watkins Series | Phil Rickman | Emma Powell (first narrator was Rebecca Lacey) | Gothic/Crime Fiction/Mildly Parnormal/Ghost Stories | Emma Powell’s quiet, measured delivery evokes full moons and candles. |
Flavia de Luce Series | Alan Bradley | Jayne Entwistle | Period British Cozy Mystery | Entwistle captures Flavia’s mischevious nature perfectly. |
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series | Louise Penny | Ralph Cosham, Robert Brathurst | Crime fiction / Cozy Mystery | Cosham passed in 2014; he was the original – and perfect – voice of the courtly Armand Gamache; Robert Brathurst is a worthy replacement. |
The Murmer of Bees | Sofia Segovia (translated by Simon Bruni) | Xe Sands, Angelo Di Loreto | Magical Realism | Just like Julie Stevenson, these narrators bring life to the characters and set the perfect pace for a good story. |
The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England and The Time Traveler’s Guide to Elizabethan England | Ian Mortimer | Jonathan Keeble, Mike Grady | British History | History can be a dry read for some; these books, focused on social history, are narrated with an informal wamth that keeps the reader’s interest. |