Well hello, Audiobooks.com community!

If you follow our blog, you’re going to start seeing a few bright & shiny new faces around here—mine included.

I’m Michelle. I’m a slavishly devoted book lover, champion doughnut eater, and (perhaps more relevant) a member of our newly-instated curation team here at the site.

Our mission is to make it as enjoyable and engaging as technologically possible to find the book you came for and to discover the new favorite book you never knew existed. We believe life’s too short to listen to books you don’t enjoy, so we’re working on some very cool up-front and behind-the-scenes features to help you find exactly what will suit your mood.

To that end, we’ve been doing some spring cleaning and re-organizing our genres. If you’re a romance fan, you’ll have noticed some of the fruits of our labor: we’ve changed things up and, with a polite hat-tip to industry conventions, added in a few more nuanced sub-genres to separate your Fifty Shades of Grey from your Safe Haven. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be shining the spotlight on some of our less conventional additions to let everyone know what they’re in for.

So! Without further ado, let me introduce to you:

Romantic Comedy

What it is: The lighter side of romance. Staged in contemporary settings, the female protagonists are quirky and the men are gorgeous. The stories usually revolve around a romantic relationship (or pursuing one), but generally stay away from graphic content.  For plot points, think wacky bets, unlikely reunions, reluctant nannies and bumbling brides, always sprinkled with a hearty dose of misunderstanding, surprise, and a happy ending.

Who writes it: Our favourites include Jennifer Crusie, Carly Phillips and Sophie Kinsella.

Where to start: Try Jennifer Crusie’s “The Cinderella Deal”, Sophie Kinsella’s “Can You Keep a Secret?” and “Vision in White” by Nora Roberts.

Find more under Romance!

Title: My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands
Author: Chelsea Handler
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Length: 6 hours 16 minutes

If you’ve read our blog before, you’ll know that we’re huge fans of Chelsea Handler, aka Chelsea Lately, one of the hottest (albeit, a tad bit crude) comedians in Hollywood right now. If you’re new to the blog (or Chelsea), pay very close attention to this next line.

Warning: If this quote offends you, DO NOT listen to this audio book (or any book by Chelsea Handler): “His name was Buck. It was easy to remember because it rhymed with what we were going to be doing later.”

My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler is exactly what it claims to be. It’s a memoir detailing Chelsea’s sexual escapades over the years in a series of quirky and jaw-dropping short stories. She shares it all, the good, the bad and the ugly, from a one night stand with an Adonis of a stripper known only as Thunder to an awkward tryst with a cruise ship performer (we repeat, this audio book is definitely not for the easily offended or delicately sensible).

Cassandra Campbell gives a great performance, but we have to be honest, this audio book would have been even better if Chelsea narrated it herself. After listening to Chelsea’s other self-narrated books like Are You There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea or other bios read by the comedians themselves (like Tina Fey’s Bossypants), it’s clear that Chelsea’s personal touch would have brought this audio book up a notch.

Whether you’re headed to the tropics for March Break and looking for a good beach read, or just looking for a laugh-out-loud listen, you’ve gotta check this one out. It delivers tons of witty one-liners, observations about dating and life, interesting characters, and hilarious bedroom (or cruise ship) stories. Chelsea unabashedly hands you her life in a way that could only make the listener feel better about their own, with the weird twist of truly wishing you had a friend like her in your life. And we love her for it.

Listen to some other comediennes at their finest and check out reviews of their audio books (or any other book on your must-listen list) at The Audiobook Store:

So, we’re 4 days into the New Year – how are those resolutions going? If you’re like some of the people we’ve talked to, then you might already be hanging your head in shame…but chin up, there’s still hope!

It’s a tough world out there – a world full of work, school, kids…life. You need to arm yourself with the proper tools to succeed.  You play hockey, you wear skates. If you sky dive, you wear a parachute. When you make a resolution, you listen to an audio book!

We’ve got books that will help you on your way to becoming a master chef, a yoga guru,  a super athlete, or a highly effective person.  Whatever it is that you’ve set your sights on this year, we’ve got a book to help you finally stick your resolution (at least past the first week).

It’s the most wonderful time of the year again – people are decking the halls, dashing through the snow and having a few cups of cheer. Fa la la la la la la la la!

This year, while you’re trimming the tree, driving to Grandma’s house, or cooking up the turkey, turn off the carols (we know you’ve got to be a little tired of Jingle Bell Rock by now) and try something new – holiday audio books! They’re the perfect way to keep you and the kids entertained throughout the holiday season.

Here are a few of our favorites to get you started:

Title: The Hobbit
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Narrator: Rob Inglis
Length: 11 hours, 7 minutes

We can’t remember the last time we’ve been so excited about one of our favorite books being adapted into a movie—well, maybe we can…The Hunger Games! And now, we’re counting down the days until The Hobbit hits the big screen. It’s one of the best known and best loved fantasy books, and one of our personal favorites. We’ve just finished re-listened to the audio book to make sure we’re fully prepped for the premiere.

There are few worlds more richly imagined than J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. You’ll find yourself caught up in the exquisitely imaginative details and nonstop adventure. The Hobbit is far more light-hearted than The Lord of the Rings and introduces the world to the unforgettable Bilbo, Gandalf and Gollum. It’s a book that can be enjoyed by children and adults (fun fact: Tolkien actually wrote this book for his kiddies).

Rob Inglis’ narration perfectly balances the whimsical, childlike aspects of the book with the darker moments that foreshadow events to come later in The Lord of the Rings. Taking us on an exciting ride, Inglis’ performance is rich with colorful descriptions and shows off his awesome singing chops. Listeners are treated to a performance that is engaging, fun, gripping, and, at times, a little scary.

This is a great book, full of adventure, heroism, song and laughter—a classic favorite that will be fondly remembered by anyone who makes the brilliant decision to listen to it. The Hobbit is the first stop listeners should make as they venture into Tolkien’s Middle-earth – and definitely a must-listen before you head to the movies.

And after you’ve finished loving The Hobbit, you’re gonna want to check out The Lord of the Rings Trilogy:

Title: My Mother Was Nuts: A Memoir
Author: Penny Marshall
Narrator: Penny Marshall
Length: 8 hours 32 minutes

We’ve been a little, let’s say ‘dark’ in our last few posts—lots of creepy murders, mysteries, ghosts…ya, we think it’s time for some fun!

Most famous for being the tough-talking tomboy on Laverne and Shirley, Penny Marshall shares a lot of laughs, her loves and some crazy stories in her tell-all memoir, My Mother Was Nuts, proving that her life off-camera has been just as wild as what we’ve seen on the screen. Warning for the parents out there: the ‘f-word’ makes an appearance in this audio book…several times.

In her memoir, Penny drops enough names and reveals enough personal stories to keep you listening for hours. She doesn’t hold anything back, talking about Calvin Klein tearing up the dance floor at high school parties, dropping acid with Princess Leia, hanging out with John Belushi, and riding on Dennis Rodman’s motorcycle after the famous Chicago Bulls three-peat. Who knew Laverne was so cool?

Penny Marshall reads her own memoir and as you listen, you feel like you’re sitting and gossiping with an old friend. She’s honest, unapologetic and above all, hilarious. At times, it’s also a very intimate listen as she chronicles her struggles including her battle with drugs, a shotgun wedding at 19, her cancer diagnosis, and her mother’s passing. When Penny speaks of her mother, her voice cracks and you feel her emotion. Her narration is very genuine.

Penny bares it all in this interesting and funny look back at her whirlwind life. If there is one thing that she wants you to take from her book, it is to live by these four simple rules: “try hard, help your friends, don’t get too crazy, and have fun.”

If you enjoyed My Mother Was Nuts, check out these great listens by some other funny ladies: