Ah, audiobooks. Where would my reading life be without you? Besides approximately 23 books less than what I read? Seriously, I don’t think I could live without audiobooks now. I love them so much.
Here are my top five favorite audiobooks this year.
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, read by Anthony Heald (review)
Oh, how I loved this book. It stayed with me a long time and, actually, some of the thoughts on land, farming, and what we hand down to our children really stayed with me. So much so that it made me add some garden space for the kids last year, which was great. My daughters tomatoes were just about the best thing we had! Anyway, I adored this book. Here are my thoughts on the audio production, from my review:
I listened to the audio production by Blackstone Audio. Anthony Heald read The Good Earth and did a marvelous job. I have never listened to him read a book before, but I will definitely seek him out in the future. I loved the way he did the old man, Wang Lung’s father. And he was able to feminize his voice for the women, despite having quite a deep voice. All in all, he made it a pleasure to listen to this book.
A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
As I said yesterday, I haven’t reviewed this books simply because I do not know how to put my love of Terry Pratchett into words. This series (which starts with The Wee Free Men, which I actually read myself and therefore is not listen here) is just a delight. Terry Pratchett can do no wrong in my eyes. And Stephen Briggs is fantastic. I completely adore his narration and I swear there is nothing funnier than the way he reads the Nac Mac Feegles. Oh geez, now I want to listen to it again, starting with the first book. I know these will be well read, or rather, listened to books around this house.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, read by Jayne Entwhistle
I never did get around to reviewing this one. I have a half written blog post in my draft folder, so I’ll give you a little of what I wrote there:
And read by Jayne Entwhistle. Who made the book for me, hands down.
Yep. That’s all I got. Yet it says a lot, I think. I did adore Jayne Entwhistle’s reading of the first book in the Flavia de Luce series. Her reading of Flavia was fantastic and I need to get on with the next book in the series already!
Nerd Do Well written and read by Simon Pegg (review)
I thought I could like Simon Pegg no more, but then I listened to him read his book and it kinda became love. He’s just so funny and down to earth and such a fanboy himself, I just couldn’t help it! From my review:
There is something very lovely and down-to-earth about Mr. Pegg and I think listening, rather than reading, to his book amplified that. Pegg is a great reader, for one thing, and his enthusiasm comes across brilliantly. Beginning with a childhood that showed early signs of his comedic talents and he shows how he came to be obsessed with science fiction, we learn how he met Nick Frost, and, I like how he put this, “journey from ordinary nerd to nerd participating in the world that made him nerdy in the first place.” Adding to the fun, Pegg offers up a “fake biography” of his alter-ego, a James Bond-esque debonair secret something like an agent that I found just hilarious.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, read by Kate Burton
With each reading, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn inches up my all-time-favorite-books list. Watch out Princess Bride! Oh, if only you had a decent unabridged audiobook…. *sigh* Anyway, ATGiB is such a wonderful, cozy, comfort read for me and the reading by Kate Burton was superb. It appears I have never formally reviewed this book (I know! I can’t believe it either!) but I did mention it in a post from 2007 where I said:
Ah, this is my comfort book. I discovered it later than most people; most seem to have read it when children. I didn’t first read it until I was in my 20s. I have read it several times since. It was the book I took with me to the hospital when my beloved Papa went in for the last time. I think I may be due another read soon.
It says a lot about a book, when you take it with you to the hospital when your, well, father-figure is dying, yes? It truly is a comfort to me and this audiobook production just added to the love for me.
Here are the 23 audiobooks I listened to this year:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, read by Tim Curry
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, read by Roxana Ortega
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, read by Kate Burton
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, read by Paul Ansdell
All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin, read by Ilyana Kadushin (review)
The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure, read by Teri Clark Linden
Blood Rites by Jim Butcher, read by James Marsters
Wildwood by Colin Meloy, read by Amanda Plummer
Dracula by Bram Stoker, read by Christopher Lee (review)
Nerd Do Well written and read by Simon Pegg (review)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, read by Jayne Entwhistle
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, read by Davina Porter
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, read by Campbell Scott
A Study in Emerald, written and read by Neil Gaiman
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, read by Jeremy Irons
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett, performed by Stephen Briggs
The Great Gatsby by F, Scott Fitzgerald, read by Tim Robbins (review)
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson, read by the author
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, read by Nick Podehl
A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, read by Anthony Heald (review)
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, read by Peter Jeffrey
There are so many audiobooks I hope to get to next year!! How about you? Did you listen to any fantastic audiobooks this year? What do you plan to listen to next year?
