Listen Up: 8 Audiobooks Worthy of Your Earbuds
by Jennifer Ridgway
Audiobooks can be a busy mom’s saving grace. Whereas it can be hard to to find time to sit down and just read, audiobooks lend themselves to multitasking – you can listen and cook, listen and clean, listen and fold laundry, listen and drive, listen and exercise … I think you get the idea.
They are a different beast than reading, though; because the narrator plays such a huge role in the listening experience, he or she is as critical to the success of the story as the plot and the writing.
Whether you’re new to audiobooks, or an audiophile looking for some fresh listens, here are some great titles to add to your “To Be Listened To” pile.
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Lolita
Actor Jeremy Irons has a very distinct voice, and his portrayal of Humbert Humbert is amazing (both in the movie and on audio). Listening to Lolita gives this classic story of a man’s obsession a completely different feeling.
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To Kill a Mockingbird
I will start by admitting that this is one of my all-time favorite books. Some books are worth reading and listening to, and Spacek’s rendition of Scout, Atticus, et al definitely merits another turn with this amazing book.
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World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Occasionally, an entire cast of narrators will be hired, which lends a theatrical quality to the audiobook. Brooks’s book about the Zombie Wars is structured as multiple interviews conducted by a journalist, which makes it perfect fodder for a cast narration.
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Game of Thrones
Now a hit series on HBO, these books are epic tomes (code for HUGE), and can thus be off-putting to those with limited time. Listening to them, especially with Roy Dotrice's stunning narration, will help time fly as you sink deeper into tales of dragons, politics, and war.
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Bossypants
Having an author read her own work can be a bit of a risk – a great writer doesn’t always make a great narrator. But listening to Fey read her autobiographical essays just heightens the experience. Her genius as an actress and comedian comes through with every word. I listened to this on the subway, and got many a strange look for my outbursts of laughter and tears.
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Me Before You
Moyes’s breakout hit in the U.S. is a bit of sad story, really, but also romantic and inspiring. The narration cast manages to capture the full emotional breadth of the story without becoming maudlin.
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Kitchen Confidential
Anyone who has seen Bourdain on TV knows that he is a master tour guide. His memoir of life in the kitchen is a fascinating insider’s peek into a world many of us will never know.
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The Devil in the White City
It is the rare history book that can read like a thriller, but Larson is a rare storyteller. His books read like novels. In this book, he weaves together the true stories of the Chicago’s World Fair and a serial killer capitalizing on the city’s population boom. Brick is famous in the audiobook world and especially gifted with thrillers, thus a perfect choice to bring the stories to life.
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Bonus Pick: Go the F**k to Sleep
This hilarious, short, profanity-filled ode to all of us struggling with our children’s sleep (or lack thereof) will give you a quick laugh. And casting Jackson to narrate was, well, pure genius!
