Author Archives: Christine

About Christine

Christine loves sports, travel and photography. At the end of the day, you can find her unwinding with an audiobook!

10 Audiobooks for People Who Love Podcasts

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Calling all podcast lovers! We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 audiobooks and their related podcasts. Check out the list below and let us know which ones are your favorite:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son On Life, Love, and Loss by Gary Vaynerchuk

Podcast: The #AskGaryVee Show

In his book Rainbow Comes and Goes, Gary Vaynerchuk draws from his popular show #AskGaryVee to answer questions about entrepreneurship, family businesses and social media marketing.  Listen to his talks on-the-go with podcast adaptations of the original hit show.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jump by Steve Harvey

Podcast: Steve Harvey Morning Show

Steve Harvey shares daily words of wisdom with listeners on the Steve Harvey Morning Show. In his novel, Jump, Harvey expands on his daily words of wisdom by providing spiritual support, comfort, or guidance to anyone in need.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bare Bones: I’m Not Lonely If You’re Reading This Book by Bobby Bones

Podcast: Bobbycast

Voice of Country Radio, Bobby Bones, talks about growing up with a young addicted mother, a father who abandoned him at the age of five and being raised by his grandmother in his book, Bare Bones. On the Bobbycast, listen to him interview guests from the comfort of his own home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forward: A Memoir by Abby Wambach

Podcast: Fearless Conversation with Abby Wambach

In Forward, Abby Wambach recounts how she lead her soccer team to its recent World Cup Championship and has become an advocate for women’s rights. On her podcast, Fearless Conversation with Abby Wambach, she shares her opinion on the latest topics in the world of sports.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Be Here: A Guide to Creating a Life Worth Living by Rob Bell

Podcast: The RobCast

In his novel, How to Be Here, Rob Bell helps readers define and follow their dreams. Similarly, on his podcast series, The RobCast, he provides support and insight to listeners and shares uplifting life advice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years by D.L. Hughley

Podcast: The Hughley Truth

Black Man, White House, is perhaps one of the most satirical and honest portrayals of the American politics today. On the Hughley Truth, listen to the author’s uncensored opinion on current news, social issues and popular culture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Okay to Laugh: (Crying is Cool Too) by Nora McInerny Purmort

Podcast: Terrible, Thanks for Asking

In her novel, It’s Okay to Laugh, Nora McInerny Purmort explores the universal themes of love, marriage, work, (single) motherhood and depression through her refreshingly frank viewpoint. On her podcast, Terrible, Thanks for Asking, she explores similar topics in a funny/sad/uncomfortable manner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adnan’s Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial by Rabia Chaudry

Podcast: Serial

Adnan Syed was convicted and sentenced to life plus thirty years for the murder of his ex-girlfriend.  Since arrested, Rabia Chaudry, a family friend, has believed wholeheartedly in his innocence. In this novel, she reexamines the investigation from her own view-point.  Rabia also contacted producer, Sarah Koenig, from This American Life, who turned Adnan’s story into an award winning podcast series and shed new light on the case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling by Vincent K. McMahon, Scott E. Williams, Paul O’Brien, Jim Ross and Steve Austin

Podcast: The Ross Reports

Slobberknocker isn’t just a wrestling story. It’s a story about overcoming adversity and achieving your dreams. Jim Ross has held various jobs in the wrestling business, from being a wrestler himself, to calling matches, to consoling contestants. In his latest novel, he shares never-before-told stories about wrestling stars and the politics of the wrestling world.  Similarly, on his weekly podcast, he shares his knowledge of today’s wrestling stars and their story lines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unqualified by Chris Pratt and Anna Faris

Podcast: Anna Faris is Unqualified

In her latest novel, Unqualified, Anna Faris has plenty of lessons to share: Advocate for yourself. Know that there are wonderful people out there and that a great relationship is possible. Her podcast offers listeners “romantic advice from completely unqualified Hollywood types.”

STAFF PICK: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

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Title: The Alchemist
Author: Paulo Coelho
Narrator: Jeremy Irons

It is my shared Brazilian heritage with author, Paulo Coelho, which led me to his highly acclaimed novel, The Alchemist. This audiobook clocks in at just over four hours and despite its short listening time, I would not classify it as a light read. This novel took me longer than usual to finish, because unlike other audiobooks which I can listen to while multi-tasking, I had to devote my undivided attention to The Alchemist in order to fully appreciate it.

The protagonist in this novel is a young Spanish shepherd by the name of Santiago. Early on in the novel, he has a reoccurring dream about hidden treasure buried beneath the Egyptian pyramids.  Determined to find it, he sets out on a long voyage across the Mediterranean and Sahara. Along the way, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery; Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote “life is a journey, not a destination” holds especially true throughout the trek. On his quest, he becomes rich in more ways than one as he acquires a plethora of knowledge from those he meets along the way.

The narration of this book was an adventure in and of itself, as Jeremy Irons brought each character to life using distinctive voices.  He used a confidant voice to portray the alchemist as powerful and intelligent, whereas Santiago came across as a free spirit due to the whimsical narration of his character.  Jeremy Irons achieved a perfect harmony between enriching the story and maintaining integrity throughout the narration.

I’ve wracked my brain trying to determine the most influential lesson from The Alchemist; however, it was impossible to choose just one, so I’ve narrowed it down to the top three:

  1. We are all on a journey; some of us know where we’re going and others have yet to figure it out – and that’s okay! As Coelho said “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation”. This discovery is not to be rushed; everyone works at their own pace. For some, this might only take a year, for others, it could take a lifetime. But one thing is for sure, once you’ve figured it out “…all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
  2. Fear is your biggest opponent. Coelho put it best when he said “tell your heart the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.” When tackling any new challenge for the first time, it is inevitable that you will face uncertainty. This element of unknown can be frightening. However, sometimes it is necessary to step outside of your comfort zone to obtain worthwhile results.
  3. Never give up on your dreams. As cliché as it may sound, if Santiago had given up on his quest to find treasure, he may never have met his wife, or the alchemist.  Instead he learned “the secret of life… is to fall seven times and to get up eight times”. I think we can all demonstrate this resilience in various facets of our lives. Whether that be applying feedback to improve a poor grade in school, never giving up when the opposing team has the lead in a sports game or not letting career setbacks hold you back from achieving your dream job.

Both moving and thought provoking, it’s easy to see why The Alchemist is regarded as one of Coelho’s best literary works.  Not only is the novel is filled with powerful life lessons, but there is also an abundance of allusions, metaphors and symbols.  Can you spot them all?

I’d love to hear your thoughts, share your favorite quote or takeaway from The Alchemist below!

Page to Screen in October 2017

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The month of October will see its fair share of shows and movies adapted from popular books. Check out what’s upcoming and take a listen before they hit the screen!


Blade Runner 2049
Expected Release: October 6th

Although Blade Runner 2049 isn’t a direct book-to-film adaptation, it’s a sequel to the 1982 film based on the novel Blade Runner, by Philip K. Dick. Check out the original book about Rick Deckard’s mission to track down and kill rogue androids. Trouble was, the androids all looked exactly like humans, and they didn’t want to be found… Read more and listen to a sample


The Mountain Between Us
Expected Release: October 6th

On a stormy winter night, two strangers wait for a flight at the Salt Lake City airport. Ashley Knox is an attractive, successful writer, who is flying East for her much anticipated wedding. Dr. Ben Payne has just wrapped up a medical conference and is also eager to get back East for a slate of surgeries he has scheduled for the following day. When the last outgoing flight is cancelled due to a broken de-icer and a forthcoming storm, Ben finds a charter plane that can take him around the storm and drop him in Denver to catch a connection. And when the pilot says the single engine prop plane can fit one more, if barely, Ben offers the seat to Ashley knowing that she needs to get back just as urgently. And then the unthinkable happens. The pilot has a heart attack mid-flight and the plane crashes into the High Uintas Wilderness– one of the largest stretches of harsh and remote land in the United States… Read more and listen to a sample


The Snowman, by Jo Nesbo
Expected Release: October 20th

Internationally acclaimed crime writer Jo Nesbø’s antihero police investigator, Harry Hole, is back: in a bone-chilling thriller that will take Hole to the brink of insanity. Oslo in November. The first snow of the season has fallen. A boy named Jonas wakes in the night to find his mother gone. Out his window, in the cold moonlight, he sees the snowman that inexplicably appeared in the yard earlier in the day. Around its neck is his mother’s pink scarf. Hole suspects a link between a menacing letter he’s received and the disappearance of Jonas’s mother and of perhaps a dozen other women, all of whom went missing on the day of a first snowfall. As his investigation deepens, something else emerges: he is becoming a pawn in an increasingly terrifying game whose rules are devised and constantly revised by the killer.Fiercely suspenseful, its characters brilliantly realized, its atmosphere permeated with evil, The Snowman is the electrifying work of one of the best crime writers of our time… Read more and listen to a sample


Thank You For Your Service, by David Finkel
Expected Release: October 27th

No journalist has reckoned with the psychology of war as intimately as David Finkel. In The Good Soldiers, his bestselling account from the front lines of Baghdad, Finkel shadowed the men of the 2-16 Infantry Battalion as they carried out the infamous surge, a grueling fifteen-month tour that changed all of them forever. Now Finkel has followed many of those same men as they’ve returned home and struggled to reintegrateboth into their family lives and into American society at large.
In the ironically named Thank You for Your Service, Finkel writes with tremendous compassion not just about the soldiers but about their wives and children. Where do soldiers belong after their homecoming? Is it possible, or even reasonable, to expect them to rejoin their communities as if nothing has happened? And in moments of hardship, who are soldiers expected to turn to if they feel alienated by the world they once lived in? These are the questions Finkel faces as he revisits the brave but shaken men of the 2-16… Read more and listen to a sample

Which of October’s renditions are you most excited for? Let me know!

September’s Top 10 Audiobooks.com Member Downloads

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Check out this month’s roundup of the top titles downloaded by Audiobooks.com members! We’ve separated out fiction and non-fiction for your browsing convenience.

 

FICTION

 

1. It by Stephen King, narrated by Steven Weber

Only in Derry the haunting is real. They were seven teenagers when they first stumbled upon the horror. Now they are grown-up men and women who have gone out into the big world to gain success and happiness. But the promise they made twenty-eight years ago calls them reunite in the same place where, as teenagers, they battled an evil creature that preyed on the city’s children.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

2. Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton, narrated by Judy Kaye

Y is for Yesterday begins in 1979, when four teenage boys from an elite private school sexually assault a fourteen-year-old classmate-and film the attack. Not long after, the tape goes missing and the suspected thief, a fellow classmate, is murdered. In the investigation that follows, one boy turns state’s evidence and two of his peers are convicted. But the ringleader escapes without a trace.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

3. Enemy of the State by Kyle Mills and Vince Flynn, narrated by Scott Brick

They’ve barely begun unraveling the connections between the Saudi government and ISIS when the brilliant new head of the intelligence directorate discovers their efforts. With Rapp getting too close, he threatens to go public with the details of the post-9/11 agreement between the two countries.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

 

4. Glass Houses: A Novel by Louise Penny, narrated by Robert Bathurst

When a mysterious figure appears in Three Pines one cold November day, Armand Gamache and the rest of the villagers are at first curious. Then wary. Through rain and sleet, the figure stands unmoving, staring ahead.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

 

 

5. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, narrated by Jennifer Lim

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead… When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

 

NON-FICTION

 

1. What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton, narrated by the author


Now free from the constraints of running, Hillary takes you inside the intense personal experience of becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major party in an election marked by rage, sexism, exhilarating highs and infuriating lows, stranger-than-fiction twists, Russian interference, and an opponent who broke all the rules. 

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

2. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, narrated by the author

What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There’s no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and bestselling author Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

 

3. Glass Castle, by Jeannette Wells, narrated by the author

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation… Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

4. Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone, by Brene Brown, narrated by the author

“True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.” Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives-experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

5. Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Enlightenment, by Robert Wright, narrated by Fred Sanders

In Why Buddhism is True, Wright leads readers on a journey through psychology, philosophy, and a great many silent retreats to show how and why meditation can serve as the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

 

2017 National Book Awards Longlists

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The 2017 National Book Awards Longlists have finally been announced! Established in 1950, the National Book Award is an American literary prize for a book written by an American citizen and published by an American publisher between December 1 of the previous year and November 30 of the current year. Winners get a cash prize but perhaps more importantly, intense admiration and prestige.

It’s important to note that some of this year’s books have not been published yet (remember that November deadline), and some that have are just not available in audiobook format (thumbs down to that). But many of the titles are indeed available from Audiobooks.com, and are all now on my to-listen list.

 

THE LONGLIST FOR FICTION INCLUDES:

1. Sing, Unburied, Sing: A Novel by Jesmyn Ward, narrated by Kelvin Harrison Jr and Chris Chalk

For Pop and Mam, their daughter Leonie, and her kids Jojo and Kayla, life is hard: Mam has cancer, Pop is preoccupied by working their small parcel of land, Leonie has a meth problem, and Jojo and Kayla seek love from their grandparents rather than their absent mother. Their lives are further complicated when Leonie gets the call from the white father of her children that he’s up for parole.

 

Read more and sample the audio.

 

2. A Kind of Freedom: A Novel by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, narrated by Bahni Turpin, Adenrele Ojo and Kevin Kenerly

In 1982, Evelyn’s daughter Jackie is a frazzled single mother grappling with her absent husband’s drug addiction. Just as she comes to terms with his abandoning the family, he returns, ready to resume their old life. Jackie must decide if the promise of her husband is worth the near certainty that he will leave again.

 

 

 

Read more and sample the audio.

 

3. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, narrated by Allison Hiroto

Profoundly moving and gracefully told, PACHINKO follows one Korean family through the generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the prized daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame them. Betrayed by her wealthy lover, Sunja finds unexpected salvation when a young tubercular minister offers to marry her and bring her to Japan to start a new life.

 

Read more and sample the audio.

 

4. Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig, narrated by the author

After attending school in Calcutta, Benny settles in Rangoon, then part of the British Empire, and falls in love with Khin, a woman who is part of a long-persecutedethnic minority group, the Karen. World War II comes to Southeast Asia, and Benny and Khin must go into hiding in the eastern part of the country during the Japanese Occupation, beginning a journey that will lead them to change the country’s history.

 

Read more and sample the audio.

 

THE LONGLIST FOR NON-FICTION INCLUDES:

1. Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar, narrated by Robin Miles

As [George Washington] grew accustomed to Northern ways, there was one change he couldn’t get his arms around: Pennsylvania law required enslaved people be set free after six months of residency in the state. Rather than comply, Washington decided to circumvent the law. Every six months he sent the slaves back down south just as the clock was about to expire.

 

 

Read more and sample the audio.

 

2. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and Birth of the FBI by David Grann, narrated by Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee, Danny Campbell

In this last remnant of the Wild West where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes like Al Spencer, the ‘Phantom Terror,’ roamed many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll climbed to more than twenty-four, the FBI took up the case. It was one of the organization ‘s first major homicide investigations…

 

 

Read more and sample the audio.

 

3. No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need by Naomi Klein, narrated by Brit Marling

“This book is a toolkit to help understand how we arrived at this surreal political moment, how to keep it from getting a lot worse, and how, if we keep our heads, we can flip the script and seize the opportunity to make things a whole lot better in a time of urgent need. A toolkit for shock-resistance.”-Naomi Klein, from the Preface

 

 

Read more and sample the audio.

 

4. Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America by Nancy MacLean, narrated by Bernadette Dunne

Behind today’s headlines of billionaires taking over our government is a secretive political establishment with long, deep, and troubling roots. The capitalist radical right has been working not simply to change who rules, but to fundamentally alter the rules of democratic governance. But billionaires did not launch this movement; a white intellectual in the embattled Jim Crow South did. Democracy in Chains names its true architect-the Nobel Prize-winning political economist James McGill Buchanan-and dissects the operation he and his colleagues designed over six decades to alter every branch of government to disempower the majority.

Read more and sample the audio.

 

 

The finalists will be announced on October 4, and the winners will be announced November 15. In the meantime, happy browsing, and happy listening!

August’s Top 10 Audiobooks.com Member Downloads

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Check out this month’s roundup of the top titles downloaded by Audiobooks.com members! We’ve separated out fiction and non-fiction for your browsing convenience.

 

FICTION

 

1. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, narrated by Roy Dotrice

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

2. It by Stephen King, narrated by Steven Weber

It

Stephen King’s #1 national bestseller about seven adults who return to their hometown to confront a nightmare they had first stumbled on as teenagers…an evil without a name: It.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

 

 

3. Before We Were Yours: A Novel by Lisa Wingate, narrated by Catherine Taber and Emily Rankin

Two families, generations apart, are forever changed by a heartbreaking injustice in this poignant novel, inspired by a true story, for readers of Orphan Train and The Nightingale.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

 

 

4. The Good Daughter: A Novel by Karin Slaughter, narrated by Kathleen Early

The stunning new novel from the international #1 bestselling author-a searing, spellbinding blend of cold-case thriller and psychological suspense.Two girls are forced into the woods at gunpoint. One runs for her life. One is left behind …

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

 

5. The Late Show by Michael Connelly, narrated by Katherine Moennig

Renée Ballard works the night shift in Hollywood, beginning many investigations but finishing none, as each morning she turns everything over to the day shift. A once up-and-coming detective, she’s been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

 

 

 

NON-FICTION

 

1. The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls, narrated by the author


Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation… For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. 

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

 

 

2. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero, narrated by the author

Bestselling author, speaker, and world-traveling success coach Jen Sincero cuts through the din of the self-help genre with her own verbal meat cleaver in You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life. In this refreshingly blunt how-to guide, Sincero serves up twenty-seven bite-sized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, life-changing insights, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word.

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

3. Unfu*k Yourself, by Gary John Bishop, narrated by the author

Are you tired of feeling fu*ked up? If you are, Gary John Bishop has the answer. In this straightforward handbook, he gives you the tools and advice you need to demolish the slag weighing you down and become the truly unfu*ked version of yourself. 

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

4. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson, narrated by the author

An American Library Association Notable BookA powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need…

Read more and sample the audio. 

 

 

5. How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, by Thomas C. Foster, narrated by David DeVries

What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey?. Shares a meal? Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface-a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a character-and there’s that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you.

Read more and sample the audio.