It took me a while to get into audiobooks, because I’ve got some minor auditory processing issues, but I’ve been listening to more of them recently and I’ve found some really enjoyable ones! My primary criteria for this post is listen-ability, because narrators can have such an impact on how enjoyable an audiobook can be. I’ve also taken into account how much I enjoyed the book itself, but since I’ve enjoyed all the audiobooks I finished, that wasn’t really a problem! All of these were audiobooks that I also enjoyed the story for, so all these recommendations are ones that I did like in their entirety.
The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen
If you like audio dramas, I would definitely recommend this one. The Infinite Noise is written from two perspectives, with two different narrators which really adds to the complexity of the characters. One of the POVs is also narrated by one of my favourite voice actors (who also happens to voice the same character in the podcast) so that was really cool! It’s a bit of a risky book to read without having listened to the Bright Sessions podcast (that’s what I did the first time) but if you’re okay with it being a little light on the details, it’s a really good audiobook!
If you want to see more of my feelings on The Infinite Noise, you can check out my previous post here!
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
The Poppy War has so much depth to it, and Emily Woo Zeller does a fantastic job of bringing that depth to life. It’s a pretty sizable book, both in length and in content, and I found listening to the audio made my reading experience for this book that much better. There is a caveat to this, because The Poppy War has some trigger warnings to be aware of before starting it, and listening can be a more immersive experience, so if you’re away that the content may be hard for you, I would advise caution with the audiobook. I actually got the audiobook as an add on to the Kindle ebook, so if that’s an option for you, I would highly recommend being able to switch between reading and listening.
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Nimona is a graphic novel, which is the format that I read this in originally, so I was a little bit unsure about how well this would work. However, I think they did an absolutely amazing job with adapting it to audio, with a full cast and sound effects, as well as appropriate description to help flesh out the parts of the story conveyed through illustrations originally. Both the graphic novel and the audiobook are very immersive experiences, and I would absolutely recommend both of them, especially together. It’s also a fairly short audiobook, so it’s great for dipping your toes into audiobooks!
Technically, You Started It by Lana Wood Johnson
Technically, You Started It is written in a format that lends itself so well to audio. It’s a texting format, so it reads like dialogue anyway, and the two narrators just bring the whole thing to life. I really loved how they conveyed the tone of the texts too, instead of just reading, so listening to this was an absolute treat. The writing was snappy and felt very natural, which is sometimes a concern in audiobooks but it all worked out really well. It’s a really cool story too, with a lot of plot elements that I like (mistaken identity, nerds, and conventions) aside from the epistolary format, so having it brought to life in this way was really awesome.
If you have access to Spotify, it’s free on there so definitely check it out if you’re interested!
Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston
For the Star Wars fans out there, I highly recommend the audiobook for Ahsoka – it’s read by Ashley Eckstein who voices Ahsoka in the Clone Wars, which I thought was fantastic because of how much her experience playing Ahsoka impacted her reading of the book. It’s a Disney production, so it was slightly larger scale in terms of there being music and sound effects and the whole shebang, which I loved. There’s really nothing that adds to a listening experience more than the swell of the familiar Star Wars scores as the tension builds in a fight scene, and this was such an awesome experience.
It’s definitely more specific in terms of the background knowledge you need to fully enjoy the story, and I would say you definitely need to have seen The Clone Wars for it to make sense, but if you’re into Star Wars, this really is a great addition to the GFFA!
Do you listen to audiobooks? What is your go-to audiobook recommendation?
Marley out!
P.S. I know I’ve been gone a while, but I’m done with my exams so I’m finally able to get back into the blogging groove! I’m working on building up
Dragon on a Book 