November
13
Reading with Your Ears: An Audiobook Poll by Donalyn Miller
Traveling to visit schools and conferences, I spend a lot of time in rental cars. Continuously searching for a radio station becomes tiresome and long drives can be lonely and boring, so I load a few audiobooks onto my phone before every trip. Well-performed audio productions bring a book alive and engaging narrators provide companionship. I’ve listened to some amazing audiobooks over the years and find audiobooks another way to include more titles in my reading diet. Here are some recent audiobook favorites and why I chose them.
Lair of Dreams: A Diviners Novel by Libba Bray. Narrated by January LaVoy.
Why I Picked the Audio: Libba Bray’s supernatural historical series The Diviners is incredible, but at 624 glorious pages, Lair of Dreams is too heavy to pack in a suitcase. Besides, I have a fondness for creepy, atmospheric audiobooks. Narrator January LaVoy deftly performs dozens of characters—communicating the unique personalities and motivations of each one.
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. Narrated by Katherine Kellgren.
Why I Picked the Audio: It’s all about the narrator. When I first started listening to audiobooks, Teri Lesesne gave me short list of her favorite narrators and Katherine Kellgren was at the top. Kellgren’s wit and lilting voice play well in this fantastical re-imaging of Tudor history.
How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon. Narrated by Cherise Boothe, Shari Peele, Kevin R. Free, Avery R. Glymp, and Patricia Lucretia Floyd.
Why I Picked the Audio: Magoon’s brilliant book describes the events surrounding the shooting of black teen by a white man from the points-of-view of several witnesses. Narrated by multiple performers, the audiobook effectively portrays the conflicting perspectives of an entire neighborhood struggling with violence and racism.
The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle. Narrated by Tim Federle.
Why I Picked the Audio: Sometimes, I enjoy a book so much that I want to reread it right away, but I struggle to find time for rereading when I have so many unread books piled around my house. I have listened to some audiobooks multiple times including Maggie Stiefvater’s The Scorpio Races, Daniel Kraus’s Scowler. These books have become all-time favorites because I have enjoyed them both in print and audio. I loved reading Tim Federle’s 2016 YA novel, The Great American Whatever, and I enjoyed it all over again with this fabulous audio version narrated by the author. Tim’s acting ability and deep understanding of both his characters and his audience make him the perfect narrator for his own books.
The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox. Narrated by Fiona Hardingham.
Why I Picked the Audio: I bought The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle in print months ago, but it never floated to the top of my to-read pile. When the audiobook earned a starred review from Booklist, I downloaded it. The audiobook would make a great road trip read because it has something for everyone in the car—magical artifacts, complex characters, haunted castles, Nazi spies, and a suspenseful climax.
What about you? What have you enjoyed reading with your ears? Please share your audiobook recommendations in the comments.
Donalyn Miller has taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grade English and Social Studies in Northeast Texas. She is the author of two books about encouraging students to read, The Book Whisperer (Jossey-Bass, 2009) and Reading in the Wild (Jossey-Bass, 2013). Donalyn co-hosts the monthly Twitter chat, #titletalk (with Nerdy Book Club co-founder, Colby Sharp). Donalyn launched the annual Twitter summer and holiday reading initiative, #bookaday. You can find her on Twitter at @donalynbooks or under a pile of books somewhere, happily reading.
Nerdy Book Club 
I had a blast with GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE, and more recently BONE GAP. I think the latter may be even better as an audio book. I recommended it to a colleague and she regularly texted me from the parking lot of driveway.
Ha, I’m doing BONE GAP right now too. Great book. Will check out GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE.
Love both of these books! Glad to know the audiobooks are great. I might reread them.
This post could not be better timed! I’m about to make the 22-hour Thanksgiving road trip from Chicago to family in Oklahoma, and I’ve been mulling what to bring for the kiddos and me to enjoy! I’d been thinking about Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” just to expose them to the Grande Dame of Mystery. But these titles sound equally provocative and engaging! Thanks for the post, Donalyn!
Echo is hands down the best audio book I have ever listened to! I also listened to Diviners and loved it. Shannon Hale often has full cast productions for her books and I find them so entertaining.
oh my goodness, I couldn’t stop!!! It was SO great.
Echo was totally awesome. The music added so much!
The Serpent King!
Loved the book! Glad to know the audio is great, too.
My all time favorite audiobook is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. I loved it before I realized that the narrator is Lin-Manuel Miranda. Highly recommend this YA audiobook!
LOVE audiobooks! Recent YA favorites are The Haters, A Torch Against the Night, Salt to the Sea, The Creeping Shadow, Ghostfaces, and The Beauty of Darkness.
I really enjoyed Better Nate Than Ever written and narrated by Tim Federle. I live listening to books narrated by the author. Not for kids, but Tina Fey’s book Bossypants is another great example of this.
Thank you for these valuable suggestions! Audiobooks have been integral to long family road trips; highlights include the Harry Potter series and Jerry Spinelli’s Loser, read by Steve Buschemi! I recently listened to Jacqueline Woodson’s After Tupac and D Foster, and the dialogue was more engaging when listening.
Loved All American Boys, Salt to the Sea, Echo, and The War That Saved My Life.
i too loved All American Boys…great audio. The two voices added so much to the telling of the story.
Thank you for these titles. I think you should include Echo on this list. The audiobook with all the music definitely elevates an already remarkable book!
I loved Echo, but I listened to it last year and my list was a few recent favorites. Thanks for sharing it here!
Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Cycle series narrated by Will Paton is fabulous. He hits the ball out of the park capturing the voice of this series.
Audiobooks have become an integral part of my 40-minute daily commute. Sometimes, I even drive a little slower or take a longer route if I’m in the middle of a great scene close to the end of the drive.
Agree with this 100%! With the Raven Cycle audiobooks, you also get a taste of Stiefvater’s composing creative genius as there are bits of her original music blended in.
The entire Bloody Jack series is bloody fantastic! Read by Katherine Kellgren, who has a spellbinding voice.
I am addicted to audio books! I encourage my students to listen too, and many now feel the same love for them as I do. Echo was one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to.
I was mesmerized by (maybe even a little infatuated with) Dan Steven’s narration of Frankenstein on Audible. Do you remember Matthew on Downton Abbey–that is Dan Stevens, and his portrayal of Victor Frankenstein and his creature are out of this world!
I loved The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt, read by Lyle Lovett. At first I wasn’t sure it was going to work, but by the end of the first CD, I was hooked. I’m also currently loving The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz, read by several people. It’s a great way to get a little break on the way to and from work and other things.
Pax, Wolf Hollow, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Crossover, are just a few of my recent favorites. I constantly have an audiobook going. One of the easiest ways for me to read middle grade and YA. I’ m a huge fan–thanks for this post and formLl the great book recommendations.
It isn’t a new book but a great audio. YA title: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr.
– ECHO is incredible because of all the music that is over-laid throughout the story as well as the phenomenal narrators.
– I also loved listening to SHADOWSHAPER – the narrators voice is perfect and even kinna scary at times!
– LILY & DUNKIN was wonderous.
– My students are loving GHOST by Jason Reynolds right now.
– And I would recommend the throwback of THE CHOCOLATE WARS.
– Finally, I can never get enough of the Harry Potter audiobook narrator.
My favorite audio book (besides the Harry Potter ones because that narrator and his different character voices are amazing) would have to be Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. It felt like we were actually listening to Hannah’s tapes right along with Clay. The dual narration was perfectly interwoven. One of my friends described it as haunting.
I loved the Paris Architect on audio. Hated to get out of my car!
I agree with How It Went Down… I would add Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan as one of my favourites…
I recently enjoyed The Girl Who Drank the Moon and the Magisterium Series.
I loved Ready Player One read by Wil Wheaton.
I loved that one, too!
Right now in the middle of Anna Karenina narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal. She is amazing. I also love to hear books read by the authors so you are hearing the story exactly as they meant it to be heard-Sherman Alexie’s Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was so much more meaningful hearing it in his own voice.
I currently have Echo playing in the car and am recommending listening to this amazing book by Pam Munoz Ryan to everyone I meet- and I’m not even done with it yet! I can’t even imagine how the story reads in print without the music which is a part of the audio book to enhance the story.
I have The Scorpio Races running though Overdrive while I am frantically trying to complete a hooked rug for my daughter to stand on at her wedding in three weeks! And finally, I just started Lightning Queen today by Laura Resau and while it took me a bit to become attached to the characters, I now want to learn how Teo and Esma are able to keep their friendship growing- against the odds. The actors, Christian Barillas (Modern Family) and Thom Rivera do a wonderful job of transporting me to another place and time.
Recently I finished The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau on CD, and in the world of distopian books, I liked this more than I expected to.
Always at the top of my list to listen to are Bud not Buddy (Curtis) Wednesday Wars (Schmidt) , Three Time Lucky (Turnage) and Brown Girl Dreaming (Woodson) .
Sorry if this double posts- I’m new to posting on this blog.
I am listening to *Echo* by Pam Munoz Ryan in my car, and even though I am not done I am recommending it as a ‘must listen’ to everyone I see! I can’t even imagine reading this in print and all that I would miss with the music which is such a big part of the audio book.
I had *Scorpio Races* playing through Overdrive today while I was frantically trying to finish a hooked rug for my daughters wedding in three weeks. The race theme seems to fit my life currently (not all the blood, just the fervor of the impending race!)
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I started *Lightning Queen* by Laura Resau today on Playaway and the actors – Christian Barillas (Modern Family) and Thom Rivera do a wonderful job of transporting me to another place and time.
Recently I finished listening to *The Testing* by Joelle Charbonneau and found that I liked it more than I had expected to. So I’m off to the library this week to pick up book 2 in the series- *Independent Study.*
And always on my list of favorite books that I recommend for folks to listen to: *Bud Not Buddy* (Curtis), *The Wednesday Wars* (Schmidt) , *Brown Girl Dreaming* and *Peace, Locomotion* (Woodson), *Listen Slowly* (Lai) and Code Name Verity (Wein).
Amy Cote School Librarian/ Media Specialist North Middle School
My “must read” books for the start of this school year: *Rhyme Schemer by K.A. Holt along with Booked by Kwame Alexander – some of my favorite summer reads*
Here’s what I’m reading now:
*Echo *by Pam Munoz Ryan – on CD *The Scorpio Races *by Maggie Stiefvater – on OverDrive *Surviving Middle School *by Luke Reynolds – In print *Lightning Queen* by Laura Resau– on Playaway
How about you? What are you reading?
On Sun, Nov 13, 2016 at 12:06 PM, Nerdy Book Club wrote:
> donalynm posted: “Traveling to visit schools and conferences, I spend a > lot of time in rental cars. Continuously searching for a radio station > becomes tiresome and long drives can be lonely and boring, so I load a few > audiobooks onto my phone before every trip. Well-perfor” >
One of the first audiobooks I listened to was Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca, narrated by Anna Massey. The creepiness in Massey’s voice added to the suspense of the book. From this great experience, I’ve listened to many books (mostly while traveling), including William Golding reading his work, Lord of the Flies, The Boy Born Dead narrated by Paul Micheal and am currently listening to Bone Gap.
ANYTHING Jim Dale reads!!! He is the narrator of the Harry Potter series and has done quite a few more. You will never be disappointed with his audios.
Love audio. Listen in daily commute. Recently finished Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Bardugo. Both had multiple readers. Currently listening to Miss Peregrine’s Home…by Riggs. Must add Echo to my TBLT list. First audiobook in ever listened to was The Golden Compass with Full Cast Audio. I was hooked. Another fave is Ender’s Game. It wa sooo good I couldn’t figure out if it was the narrator or the writing that made it. Then at the end was an interview with author Orson Scott Card! Truth About Twinkie Pie was both a wonderful story and the reader’s voice made me want to cook every recipe she
Read. And another shout out for Stiefvater’s Scorpio Races!
Thank you for presenting an awesome list! These books have been on my to-read list for waay too long and I’m always looking for great audiobooks. Not all audiobooks are well done.
My favorite audiobook is Far Far Away by Tom McNeal. The pacing of the story and the narrator’s voice are so perfectly paired. The book is subtly creepy, and that pacing builds tension, even in the most ordinary circumstances, because you know that something is coming.
Also, The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater — excellent writing and the narration is outstanding.
I loved Far Far Away in print. Will check out the audio. Thanks!
Great list. I’ll make sure I take you up on some of these choices. Still not used in the audiobook format, but I’m thinking of starting.
It took me a few tries to get the hang of listening to an audiobook. New skills!
The War that Saved My Life and How it Went Down are recent favorites. M.T. Anderson’s Whales on Stilts and Feed are even better on audio because of extras like “advertisements” brought to life. I find that I read non-preferred genre more quickly on audio.
Well, I first agree that Echo is the best audiobook I’ve ever listened to! I also loved The War that Saved My Life.
I loved The War That Saved My Life on audio, although I sat in my driveway crying more than once!
All the Light We Cannot See! Fabulous audio rendition!
My favorite new audiobook this fall is WHAT ELEPHANTS KNOW, by Eric Dinerstein. Love the way this takes me to the borderlands between Nepal & India, and makes me feel like I’m right there with Nandu, the main character. Kirby Heyborne is one of my all-time favorite narrators. Here’s a review from AudioFile: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/117998/what-elephants-know-by-eric-dinerstein/
Anything Neil Gaiman is fantastic. I’m currently listening to Nightmares by Jason Segal. I’ll agree with Echo being one of the best I’ve ever listened to, along with all of the Harry Potter books!
I listen to MANY audiobooks as I exercise & have loved these YA titles (all reviewed on Goodreads & read over the last 6 months) – A Madness so Discreet by M McGinniss, The whole Remnant Chronicle series (LOVED) by m Pearson, The Beginning of Everything by R Schneider, Open Road Summer by E Lord, Being Jazz narrated by Jazz Jennings – S GOOD- Exit Pursued by a Bear by EK Johnston, And I Darken by K White, The Serpent King by J Zentner, You Know Me Well by N LaCour & Levithan, Highly Illogical Behavior by JC Whaley, The Way I Used to Be Amber Smith, When We Collided by E Lord, The Half Bad Trilogy by Sally Green, The Selection Series by K Cass, Every Last Word by T I Stone, Six of Crows by L Bardugo, Conviction by K L Gilbert & The Weight of Feathers by AM McLemore
For several years I listened to novels as I traveled to visit my aging mother who lived nine hours away. I loved listening to The Kite Runner because of Hosseini’s accent, which added to the atmosphere of the novel. However, And the Mountains Echoed was a miserable, interminable experience. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was entertaining and helped me with the Scandinavian names. The Goldfinch was a literary journey I will never forget.
Echoing what Kim stated above about Neil Gaiman reading his own books, but in particular I’d recommend The Graveyard Book. A perfect match of voice and story.
I really enjoyed reading this blog. I am always looking for great books to listen to as I drive an hour and a half to get to school and an hour and a half back home. What you said is right, it really does get tiresome to flip through radio stations and you can only hear songs so many times before you want to scream. Audio books are a nice relief from that.
I am always looking for books to put into my classroom library, and it seems that many you listed would be great additions. The topics are varied and I believe would catch the attention of students.
I also believe that having the option of an audio book would allow those students who are not the most fond of reading a chance to grow their love for it. Instead of having to flip through a book and maybe read it, they could, like you said, read with their ears. I believe this gives the perfect opportunity to jump start a love for reading.
Thank you for all of your recommendations for books.
My wife and I listen to audiobooks together. Some of our favorites are The Raven Cycle, A Monster Calls, The Night Circus, Skullduggery Pleasent and Ready Player One.
Love reading with my ears! Anything read by George Guidall has me hooked! Vince Flynn novels and Atlas Shrugged are my favorite audios.