I know we’ve had several posts lately about audiobooks, but since I am brand new to audiobooks, I’d thought I’d share my experience.
My husband joined the audiobook bandwagon about six months ago—when he started getting a free audiobook a month with a periodical subscription. He decided he likes them so much that he signed up for Audible.
I’ve long been a skeptic as far as enjoying audiobooks for myself. Years ago I tried to listen to a book and couldn’t stay focused on the story just listening.
All that changed this past weekend.
A little backstory: we recently booked our summer vacation, which will actually happen in September. We are taking one of my bucket list trips—to Prince Edward Island. Oh, my L.M. Montgomery loving heart! I can’t even tell you how excited I am!
My sweet husband has watched the 1985 movies with Megan Follows and Jonathan Crombie with me, but he knows the books are always better than the movie. Thus, he decided he would read Anne of Green Gables before our trip.
Then he saw the Audible Plus Literary Classics, which are included free with your subscription (don’t have to use a credit!). Anne of Green Gables was one of the titles, so he suggested we listen to it since we had to drive from Dallas to Austin and back again this weekend. (About 7 hours round trip.)
Again, skeptical, but it’s Anne of Green Gables, so I agreed. Then I discovered the reader was none other than actress Rachel McAdams.
And wow! She did a fabulous job. Kept my attention completely.
After we got back home, I went to the classics section included with Audible and realized that they have an amazing list of books read by some of the best actors around! I might have to “re-read” (i.e. listen to) some of my favorites again.
Here are a few included for free (in other words, you don’t have to use your credits!):
Pride and Prejudice read by Rosamund Pike
Little Women read by Laura Dern
Sherlock Holmes read by Stephen Fry
Frankenstein read by Dan Stevens
Wuthering Heights read by Joanne Froggatt
Heart of Darkness read by Kenneth Branagh
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland read by Scarlett Johansson
See a theme? I do so love a British narrator! 🙂
I think I’m going to work my way back through some of these classics, but I also want to try to listen to a novel more recently written.
So here’s my question for you—What is your absolute favorite book in audio?
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My all-time favorite audiobook is The Diviners by Libba Bray. January Lavoy narrates the series and set the bar extremely high for me. I’ve listened to books I wouldn’t have read otherwise simply because she was the narrator.
I’ll add it to my list! I haven’t heard of that book or author, so that makes me excited, too! Thanks for the recommendation!
I’ve listened to Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility through the Audible Classics. FABULOUS!!!!
I’m so excited to listen to those long-time favorites! 🙂
Hi D’Ann,
I “read” with audible as well as print, usually having two books going at once. It’s a great way for my husband and I to listen to the same book while we’re traveling in the car. Some of my favorites have British accents also. One I enjoyed was “Becoming Mrs. Lewis” that had both American spoken English and British English. Others with British voice that we enjoyed were “The Dover Café”, books one and two, “The Great Escape”, and Alan Hlad’s “The Long Flight Home”. I also loved listening to “The Book of Lost Friends” by Lisa Wingate. It was fabulous! However, I’ve only listened to the beginning of my own books that are in audio version because I’m afraid I might be disappointed if I don’t hear the book the way I envisioned it. I’m looking forward to listening to the classics you mentioned as well.
Thanks for giving me several British narrators to check out! I’ve never had one of my own books be an audiobook, but I’m hoping to remedy that in the next year or so!
D’Ann, the narrator can make or break an audiobook for sure, and I have loved many, many books narrated by some amazing actresses and actors. Last year I binged all six books in the Rembrandt Stone series narrated by James L. Rubart. Jim co-wrote the series, but he made it come alive with his narration. Cast the First Stone is book one. It is a suspense time travel and riveting. But one of my all time favorites (newer but not new) is The Help. The narration is amazing, and the book is too. (They did a very good job with the movie.)
I didn’t take to audiobooks at first. Kept getting distracted. I learned to listen on road trips. Now over 90% of the 100+ books I read in a year are audio.
I’ve been wanting to read the Rembrandt Stone books, so maybe I’ll do those in audio. Jim has a great voice! And although I’ve read The Help, my husband hasn’t, so maybe we could do that one together.
Good to know audiobooks can “grow” on you! 🙂
I’ve only listened to audiobooks on road trips, but you make me want to give them another try, D’Ann! Especially as my eyes get older, I think I’ll appreciate them more!
Yes, it was helpful for me to listen while we were driving. I might try it while walking next. Or on an airplane. Then I wouldn’t worry about hitting my seat mates with my elbows while holding my book! 🙂
I listen to audiobooks on my commute to work and back or when I am on a walk which helps pass the time! I adore children’s literature, especially Lamplighter Publishing’s audio books. They are read with a full cast of characters, sound effects, etc. You feel like you are “watching” a movie in your imagination.
Yes, the narrator makes a huge difference in listening. I love ones with accents, too! If I dive into Christian Fiction, I usually navigate towards familiar authors or publishers. Currently on my playlist is Kingdom’s Hope by Chuck Black. I use Hoopla mostly as these are free through our public library. I can download them to my phone and listen anywhere/anytime (even while cleaning our new-to-us home).
I don’t have much time to sit and read these days so audiobooks are how I am able to preview books that I may/may not purchase for our church library. Enjoy this new adventure of listening to the classics!
I love children’s books, too! How fun! My library uses Libby, which I find doesn’t have as many options as Hoopla. Sigh. But I’m definitely going the library route for audiobooks as I begin.
You will so enjoy your trip to PEI. We went for our tenth anniversary some years ago. We had a great time exploring the whole island.
Oh! Thank you! I’m so looking forward to it. I’m so glad to hear you had a good time there!
Welcome to Audible! I’ve been listening to books via Audible regularly for a couple of years now. I mostly listen while walking my dog or driving alone in my car. I have listened to that version of Anne of Green Gables and it was wonderful. I hope you’ll share on your blog as you find others you enjoy.
Here’s some of my favorites via Audible:
Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier
Paradise by Lizzie Johnson
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Forty Autumns by Nina Willner
Thanks for the list! Looking forward to checking them out!
Something read by the actual author : they get the inflections right, just as they intended…
One of my favorite audiobooks is Where the Wind Blows by Amy Harmon. But I do nearly all of my “reading” via audiobooks these days. Other favorites are: books by Charles Martin, The London House by Katherine Reay, Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck, A Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron, and many more. The narrator does make a huge difference though. In my opinion, they should be able to differentiate the characters enough for the listener to tell the difference, but not so an odd voice, inflection, pause or weird breathing gets in the way.
I think it’s time I look into Audible. When I start reading a book I hate to stop and do all the things that need to get done, or I feel guilty because I should be writing and editing my own WIP. If I listen, I could multi-task. A few years ago I borrowed As You Wish, by Cary Elwes from the library on CD. It was so good and I cleaned the house at the same time.