10 Audiobooks Worth your Time

When I saw this as a topic for Top Ten Tuesday, I knew I wanted to participate. I’m looking forward to finding some new recommendations too!!

Here are 10 books that I really enjoyed on audiobook in the past year or so:

1) The Martian by Andy Weir – This was kind of my first audiobook, and I absolutely loved it. I would have missed out on a lot of this story in print because I would’ve skipped over some of the science-y parts. I would highly recommend this on audio. I could not put it down.

2) Pride & Prejudice (& all of the other Jane Austen novels too) – I love Elizabeth Klett as a narrator on Librivox for this one. For some reason, Jane Austen’s books just work really well for me on audio, although I have read 2 of them in print as well.

3) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – One of the best books I read (listened to) last year. The March girls’ adventures are so much fun. I enjoyed the narration on this one and it felt really fun listening to it. I think I will try Anne of Green Gables on audio sometime because it has a similar feel to it.

4) All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – I thought this one would be confusing on audio, and I did switch back and forth between the two formats, but the words really came alive for me in the audio version.

5) The Book Thief By Markus Zusak- I felt much the same about this one as All the Light. I tried this in an e-book and abandoned it for 9 months but gobbled it up on audio.

6) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith – I read some of this, and listened to some of it. I am just finishing it up, and it is a long book. I will say that I wasn’t initially extremely captivated, but it is such a lovely story with characters that you can’t help but love.

7) As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes – the narration and including tidbits from the cast really made this book amazing on audio. I think a lot of that would be lost in the actual print version.

8) When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi – this book was so amazing and I cried a lot. I really felt like it was Paul himself reading the story and actually forgot at times that it wasn’t. Memoirs are amazing in audio form.

9) Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson (children’s book!) My family absolutely loved these books when I was growing up and we listened to them on our drives across the country. The narration and characters’ voices are SO GREAT and so fun for kids. Molly isn’t super into them yet, but I haven’t tried in awhile, so I think I’ll put them on again soon for her.

10) The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown– I just started this one and I am loving it. Non-fiction just really works well for me when I can listen to it. I will definitely be taking some notes on this one and talking about it soon.

A couple of honourable mentions: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid (I recently really enjoyed this on audio), Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (read by John Ritter), and Where’d you go, Bernadette by Maria Semper.

Do you listen to audiobooks? I try to have an audiobook and a regular print or e-book on the go at the same time most times. I am a HUGE fan of audiobooks via the Overdrive app (aka the library), and of course on Audible, although I am not a regular user. I also LOVE audiobooks for my kids.

Here are some audiobooks on my radar, too:

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Anna Karenina read by Maggie Gylenhaal

10 Books I enjoyed that were set outside the U.S.

It’s been months since I linked up with The Broke and the Bookish for Top Ten Tuesday, but I enjoyed this opportunity to discuss some books that I love set outside the US. You would think that being Canadian has led me to read more books set in Canada, but unfortunately that isn’t the case necessarily. While I have read a decent amount of Canadian fiction (especially in school), I think I’ve definitely read a lot more books set in the US or the UK etc.

Here are a few of my favourites:

The Louise Penny series (set in Canada) – I know I talk about these books ALL THE TIME but I am so in love and so happy to be reading a Canadian series that I really, really enjoy. Inspector Gamache’s character is awesome and I love the setting of a small village in rural Quebec.

The Da Vinci Code (France)– although Robert Langdon is an American, Dan Brown’s books are set in Europe and I love that. I went through a major obsession with these books about 10 years ago when The Da Vinci Code was gifted to me, and they are still some of the most intense I’ve ever read (although I’m not entirely sure if they are historically factual and I know they are criticized for that – but I don’t care). I loved Angels and Demons too but some of the imagery in it was a bit too much for me. Inferno made me sick with worry.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – (United Kingdom) – this book is pretty well known, and I put off reading it for WAY too long but I absolutely loved it last year and would highly recommend it if you haven’t read it yet.

Speaking of which, I could list about 20 books that are favourites of mine and set in the UK because European countries tend to be the setting for most classics (Jane Austen’s books, Great Expectations, most regency era fiction, and Harry Potter are a few that come to mind immediately)…

A Share in Death (United Kingdom) – I’ve only read the first in this series but it was really good! I keep meaning to pick up the next book about the superintendent of Scotland Yard in London.

Anne of Green Gables series (set in Canada) – currently living only 3 hours away from PEI and having been lucky enough to visit Cavendish many times in my life, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this wonderful series by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series (Sweden) – this series was pretty intense but I didn’t enjoy the 3rd book as much and I haven’t read the 4th one written by a different author. As thrillers go, it was good though and the character development was pretty interesting. Some content warning is required, in my opinion, and I will probably never re-read these books, but I enjoyed them enough at the time.

What Alice Forgot (Australia) – my favourite so far by Liane Moriarty closely followed by Big Little Lies. In many ways, Australia feels so close in culture to Canada except for the weather (at least in the cities – I think Sydney – Moriarty writes about).

The Kite Runner (Afghanistan) – I read this for the first time this year and it was amazing and very, very eye-opening. It might not count since part of it takes place in the US, but I think the culture that is described in detail makes this one fit in here.

Memoirs of a Geisha – (set in Japan) – I haven’t read this book in a few years, but I remember absolutely captivated by it when I read it. It’s a powerful read about a time in history that I knew nothing about.

And a fictional setting:
The Princess Bride – (set in Europe – fictional Italy area ish?!) What’s not to love about this book and the movie too? I am also beyond excited to listen to As You Wish in the next few weeks about the making of the movie.

This book could have easily been a lot longer! I have really enjoyed the WWII fiction I’ve read this year too 🙂

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Wishes I’d ask the Book Genie To Grant me

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly link up at The Broke & The Bookish and some of the prompts are really fun! This one really made me think and I am looking forward to reading some others’ responses to it later tonight!! 🙂

TOP 10 WISHES I’D ASK THE “BOOK GENIE” TO GRANT ME

1) Prevent J.K. Rowling from killing off Sirius, Hedwig or Dobby…s(spoilers are in white ink in case you are the last person on earth to read Harry Potter!)

2) Also make Hermione come and be my best friend in life 🙂

3) Have J.K. Rowling write another Harry Potter book about their life as adults (no return of Voldemort though thanks)

4) Help encourage Veronica Roth to write the ending to Allegiant a little bit differently…

5) Get Rob Thomas to write more Veronica Mars books

6) Allow me to read books while I’m sleeping so that I can read every book I want to in my lifetime

7) Allow me to remember every book I read before Goodreads so that I can see how many Sweet Valley High/Goosebumps/teenage dramas from the library I read as a teenager

8) Give me a bookwormy career 🙂 (Maybe someday!!)

9) Find a cure for book hangovers

10) Get Brian to read some of my favourite books with me

Check out the link up over here!!! What would you ask for from the Book Genie, if he or she existed?!?