Audiobooks: A Cure to Boredom

I’ve been into podcasts for about 6 years and I listen religiously. But recently, I’ve become obsessed with audiobooks. I had sort of tapped out on the narrative driven podcasts that are any good (and on topics I like) so I started exploring Audible again. I hit the jackpot and now…I’m going broke buying audiobooks!

I first began to appreciate audiobooks when I was going through cancer treatments because I was in bed most of the day for months and even physically reading was too much energy for me to exert. Back then, I listened to CDs though. 😊 It wasn’t as common to buy audiobooks and it was risky to buy them when you couldn’t sample them first. I love that you can do a sample listen and Audible even lets you return a book if you hate it. The narrator can make or break a book. For reals. So for many of the same reasons I like podcasts – you can listen while doing things around the house, when you’re driving and especially when doing terrible tasks like taxes. 😆 I now listen to audiobooks almost more than podcasts.

One of my favorite things is when a writer does the narration of his/her own book. David Sedaris’ reading of “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls” makes the book that much funnier. You hear his dry delivery and get every nuance through his tone. I absolutely loved hearing him read it and now his voice and delivery is my inner voice when I physically read his books, as I am now with “Calypso.”

I also love that some amazing actors are narrating audiobooks. Claire Danes reads “The Handmaid’s Tale.” And it was a truly great pleasure to listen to Thandie Newton read “Jane Eyre.” I could listen to her voice 24/7 and she’s perfectly suited for that story. It made a good book an absolute favorite.

Thandie Newton at Audible (Image Credit: http://thandiekay.com/2016/04/26/thandie-reads-jane-eyre-audiobook/)

Last night I bought “Wild,” by Cheryl Strayed. I wasn’t interested in reading this until I fell in love with Cheryl…on a podcast, ironically. The NPR podcast, “Dear Sugars,” is where I became hypnotized by her voice. It’s butter. I then fell in love with her compassion, emotional intelligence and depth of soul. I wish she narrated “Wild,” but alas she does not. Despite that, both the book and audiobook have super high reviews so I am hopeful it will be good.

For those of you looking for your next audiobook, or want to try one for the first time, below are my favorites.

What about you? Any audiobooks I should check out? I’d love the recommendations!