An Audiobook is a great way to read your favorite book.  If you’ve never listened to one before here are 5 that I think you should start with.

1.) The Martian by Andy Weir – Narrated by R.C. Bray

I had listened to a few audiobooks before – and they weren’t for me. I don’t know if I had found an abridged one or what.  But on one fateful night – I popped The Martian in.  R.C. Bray’s narration just sucked me in.  I ended up staying up way past my bedtime.  Weir’s writing and Bray’s ability to bring characters to life just makes this the number one pick for new audiobook listeners.

2.) Obscura by Joe Hart – Narrated by Christina Traister

This is a pretty new book to add to a list like this, but the fact that Hart was able to bring out so many unique genres into one book makes this a great intro book for new listeners.  Christina Traister’s voice really sets this one off and her performance made this one of the most memorable audiobooks I’ve listened to in quite some time.

3.) Three-way Memoir Tie:

The Magnolia Story by Chip & Joanna Gaines
Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
Seriously…I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

  

These are all unique in there own ways – but all SUPER well done since the person who wrote the book ended up reading it.  This doesn’t always work, but for a personal memoir – it works wonders.  Ellen and Anna’s books had me laughing so hard and Magnolia Story was just a cute and beautiful book written by two wholesome wonderful people.

4.) Feed by Mira Grant – Narrated by Paula Christensen & Jesse Bernstein

Sometimes the story is so good you forget that you’re listening to a fictional tale instead of something that really happened.  That’s the case with Mira Grant’s Feed (and entire Newsflesh world).  Do yourself a favor and get lost.

5.) Solitude by Dean M. Cole – Narrated by R.C. Bray & Julia Whelan

This was one of the first real dual narration books I ever listened to.  It was perfect.  You can see a theme (I had to pick non-R.C. Bray books for this list).  But this story was fantastic and well done from both Cole and the performances by Bray & Whelan. It also just won best Sci-Fi from the ABR Audiobook Awards (Indie Audiobook Award)

This post was a part of the bigger June Is Audiobook Month presented by the APA. Here is a link to the other bloggers that took part!

https://www.audiopub.org/audiobook-community-for-listeners

I Am Indeed – Friday, June 1

The Book’s the Thing – Monday, June 4

Beth Fish Reads – Tuesday, June5

Collector of Book Boyfriends – Wednesday, June 6

To Read or Not To Read – Thursday, June 7

Adolescent Audio Adventures – Friday, June 8

Carol Baldwin Blog – Monday, June 11

Brian’s Book Blog – Tuesday, June 12

Caffeinated Book Reviewer – Wednesday, June 13

Under My Apple Tree – Thursday, June 14

Shelf Addiction – Friday, June 15

Enchantress Of Books – Monday June 18

Books, Movies, Reviews, Oh My – Tuesday, June 19

AudioGals – Wednesday, June 20

Sarah’s Book Shelves – Thursday June 21

Under the Boardwalk – Friday June 22

Everyday I Write The Book – Sunday, June 24

A Bookworm’s World – Monday, June 25

Fangs Wands and Fairy Dust – Tuesday, June 26

Books of my Heart – Wednesday, June 27

AudioGals – Thursday, June 28

The Audio Flow – Friday, June 29

#LoveAudiobooks Giveaway!

Comment below with the book that either hooked you or what you think would hook a new reader for a chance to win ALL 8 of these books (thanks to APA and Audiobooks.com for this giveaway).

  1. Seven by Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deavere Smith, and Susan Yankowitz
  2. Gone to Dust by Matt Goldman, narrated by MacLeod Andrews
  3. Bring Me Back by B. A. Paris, narrated by Kevin Hely and Cathleen McCarron
  4. Wings of Fire Book One: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland, narrated by Shannon MacManus
  5. Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan, narrated by Todd McLaren
  6. Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan, narrated by David Shih
  7. A Girl Stands at the Door by Rachel Devlin, narrated by Robin Miles
  8. Torn from Troy, Book 1 in the Odyssey of a Slave Trilogy by Patrick Bowman, narrated by Gerard Doyle
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7 thoughts on “Top 5 Audiobooks For New Listeners #LoveAudiobooks”

  1. The first audiobook that I ever listened to was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is narrated by a wonderful cast. It wasn’t just narrated, it was performed! I was absolutely lost in it and I’ve been hooked ever since!

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    darlenesbooknook AT gmail DOT com

    Reply

  5. When it comes to hooking me with an audiobook, the narrator is as important as the story itself. The one narrator that comes to mind that has universal appeal is Jenna Lamia. My husband and I rarely agree on anything–especially books–but when we took our last road trip, it was Jenna’s narration that drew him in. We listened to This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash and he commented later that he enjoyed the story but the narrator won him over.

    Reply

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