7 Ways Audiobooks Will Get You Through The Day

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Michelle

If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t find joy in throwing themselves into a long to-do list filled with mundane activities, you’re not alone. No one likes to be put on hold for hours or get stuck waiting in the doctor’s office. To help you waste less time and reduce frustration, we’ve got seven great audiobooks to pair with seven painful activities that will make them less awful.

1. Standing in line
The only time anyone thinks, “Oh, great! A long line!” is if they’re hoping to prolong another activity, like getting a root canal or that friend’s networking event you promised you’d attend. Listening to an audiobook (especially one that’s laugh out loud funny) is a great way to make the time go by faster — even if you get curious looks from other errand goers.

Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay by Phoebe Robinson, narrated by Phoebe Robinson

Phoebe Robinson is back with a hilarious essay collection on gender, race, dating, and the dumpster fire that is our world. Outfitted with pop culture references, she tackles a wide range of topics: giving feminism a tough-love talk on intersectionality, telling society’s beauty standards to kick rocks, and calling foul on our culture’s work obsession. Robinson also gets personal about money problems, hot messes, and more.
Read more and sample the audio.

2. Being put on hold
Have you ever called your insurance company or Internet provider only to be greeted with someone saying, “Can I put you on hold?” without waiting for an answer before being thrown into the abyss of other callers? We’ve all been there, wondering whether we’ll be on hold for two minutes or two hours. Listening to this horror audiobook will make you want to reverse the question once it’s your turn so you can at least finish the chapter you’re on.

In the Dark of the House of the Woods by Laird Hunt, narrated by Vanessa Johansson

In this horror story set in colonial New England, a woman goes missing. Or perhaps she left her family. Or perhaps she’s been kidnapped, set loose to wander the woods. Alone and lost, she meets a woman in the forest. On a journey that will take her through dark woods full of wolves, a deep well, and on a ship made of human bones, she may find that the evil she flees has been inside her all along.
Read more and sample the audio.

3. Waiting for take out
I recently discovered a gem of a Thai restaurant near my house, but it appears it’s already been discovered by everyone else. Every time I order take out, I’m told it’ll take 20 minutes — and every time, I find myself in a long line with other Thai food lovers. The 20 minutes it was supposed to take turns into 30, and then 40. Listening to an intriguing audiobook like November Road has helped me not mind the wait so much.

November Road by Lou Berney, narrated by Johnathan Mcclain

November Road.

A loyal street lieutenant to a New Orleans’ mob boss, Frank Guidry’s luck has run out. He knows everyone is expendable — and he knows too much about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. To make things more complicated, he also knows fugitives shouldn’t fall in love, but a woman on the road changed that. As his ruthless hunters are close in, Guidry comes to a realization that may have come too late.
Read more and sample the audio.

4. Sitting in a waiting room
Whenever I go to the doctor or dentist, I always find myself sitting in a room full of strangers wondering the same thing — what should I do to occupy myself while I’m waiting? Sure, you could flip through a magazine issue that’s two years old or scroll mindlessly on your phone, or you could get educated, entertained, and inspired by Sally Field’s stunning memoir.

In Pieces by Sally Field, narrated by Sally Field

One of the most celebrated actors of our time, Sally Field tells her story about a challenging and lonely childhood, the craft that helped her find her voice, and a powerful emotional legacy. With raw honesty and with all the humility and authenticity her fans have come to expect, Field brings readers behind-the-scenes for not only the highs and lows of her career, but deep into the truth of her life.
Read more and sample the audio.

5. Being the victim of a perpetually late friend
We all have one. That friend who says they’ll meet you at a certain time, and never does. Sometimes you get a text as a heads up, but it’s usually too late — like, already sitting in the café too late. Rather than sit there feeling frustrated about your friend’s poor timeliness (and let’s be real — poor manners), listen to an audiobook that’ll help you learn how to… well… it’s in the title.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, narrated by Roger Wayne

In this generation-defining self-help guide, a blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be ‘positive’ all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people. For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. In his wildly popular blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat. He tells it like it is — a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today.
Read more and sample the audio.

6. In transit
Whether you take public transit or drive, we all have the same end goal — we’re trying to get somewhere as quickly as we can, as safely as we can (unless you’re taking a leisurely drive through the countryside, in which case I’m jealous). Make your time in transit more bearable by listening to this gripping audiobook until you reach your destination.

Juror #3 by Nancy Allen and James Patterson, narrated by Megan Tusing

Ruby is new to the Mississippi Bar — and to the docket of Circuit Judge Baylor, who taps Ruby as defense counsel in a racially charged felony. The murder of a woman from one of the town’s oldest families has residents howling for blood, and the prosecutor is counting on Ruby to help deliver a swift conviction. As investigations unfold, no one in Rosedale can be trusted — especially the jury. They may be hiding the most incendiary secret of all.
Read more and sample the audio.

7. Attacking your inbox
Is there anyone out there who enjoys having their inbox pile up? I try to be as organized as possible, and I still find it difficult to keep my email account below three digits. If you’ve been putting off prioritizing your inbox, deleting spam, and unsubscribing from emails that simply don’t inspire you, listen to Susan Orlean’s dazzling love letter to a beloved institution.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean, narrated by Susan Orlean

On April 28, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. Patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. By the time it was extinguished, it consumed 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 more. More than 30 years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library — and if so, who?
Read more and sample the audio.

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STAFF PICK: Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Lena Yang

Title: Killing Commendatore
Author: Haruki Murakami
Narrator: Kirby Heyborne

Killing Commendatore sees Japan’s most celebrated author return with a lengthy, surreal homage to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s beloved The Great Gatsby.

The novel opens in typical Murakami fashion with a perplexing prologue of a faceless man looking to have his portrait painted. As the opening draws to a dreamy end, the narrative dives into the life of a disillusioned, mildly successful portrait painter who leaves Tokyo after his marriage abruptly falls apart. After a weeks-long meander along the Japanese coast, he settles in the mountains in the secluded home of Tomohiko Amada, a famous Japanese painter. As our uninspired, nameless narrator attempts to reinvent his artistic career, a series of surreal incidents disrupt the thus-far tame and simple narrative.

Late one night, a rustling prompts the protagonist to investigate the attic, and it is there that he discovers a painting titled “Killing Commendatore” wrapped snugly in paper and tucked into a corner. The painting—a vivid portrayal of the titular murder in Mozart’s Don Giovanni—captivates the protagonist and he spends weeks basking in its presence. Then, his enigmatic neighbor—a tech mogul with a shock of white hair who is a thoroughly convincing Gatsby—orders his portrait painted. Before long, the narrator begins to hear a bell echoing through the night beginning precisely at 1:45 a.m., and thus follows a series of strange events involving a two-foot tall idea of a man, a missing thirteen-year-old girl, a Nazi assassination attempt, and a journey into the underworld.

Killing Commendatore is a return to the poetic magic realism that Murakami is known for. It is a novel bursting with elements that will seem familiar to his fans: an unnamed, disillusioned male narrator, flashes of the surreal, an abundance of metaphors, and, of course, pasta and cats.

At 28 hours and 30 minutes, this nearly 700-page brick of a novel develops in slow, mystifying fragments which often meander into inaction. Yet, consuming the book never feels like a chore. Murakami teases the mystery with each mounting chapter, and Kirby Heyborne’s exquisite narration draws listeners immediately into the ever-more bewildering life of our anonymous narrator.

Although Killing Commendatore will not appeal to everyone, the novel is nevertheless a reminder that at age 69 with a plethora of novels and short stories under his belt, Haruki Murakami is still at the top of his game.

Page to Screen in October 2018

Posted on October 1, 2018 by Lena Yang

Going to the movies this October? Get the best experience by listening to the books they were based on before seeing the film adaptations.

1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, narrated by Bahni Turpin
Expected release date: October 5, 2018 (limited)

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Read more and sample the audio.

2. Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey through His Son’s Meth Addiction by David Sheff, narrated by Anthony Heald
Expected release date: October 12

Before meth, David Sheff’s son, Nic, was a varsity athlete, honor student, and award-winning journalist. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole money from his eight-year-old brother, and lived on the streets. With poignant candor, Sheff traces the first warning signs—denial, 3 a.m. phone calls—the attempts at rehabilitation, and, at last, the way past addiction.
Read more and sample the audio.

3. First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen, narrated by Jeremy Bobb
Expected release date: October 12

When Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon’s surface in 1969, the first man on the Moon became a legend. Based on over fifty hours of interviews with Lance Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this “magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century” is an unparalleled biography of an American icon.
Read more and sample the audio.

4. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, narrated by Bernadette Dunne
Expected release date: October 12

Four seekers have come to the ugly, abandoned old mansion. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable noises and self-closing doors, but Hill House is gathering its powers and will soon choose one of them to make its own.
Read more and sample the audio.

5. Can You Ever Forgive Me?: Memoirs of a Literary Forger by Lee Israel, narrated by Jane Curtin
Expected release date: October 19

In 1990, Lee Israel made a bold and irreversible career change: inspired by a letter she’d received once from Katharine Hepburn, and armed with her considerable skills as a researcher and celebrity biographer, she began to forge letters in the voices of literary greats. Between 1990 and 1991, she wrote more than three hundred letters and sold the forgeries to memorabilia and autograph dealers.
Read more and sample the audio.

6. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat, narrated by Samin Nosrat
Expected release date: October 19

In the tradition of The Joy of Cooking and How to Cook Everything comes Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, an ambitious new approach to cooking by a major new culinary voice. By explaining the hows and whys of good cooking, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will teach and inspire a new generation of cooks how to confidently make better decisions in the kitchen and cook delicious meals with any ingredients, anywhere, at any time.
Read more and sample the audio.

STAFF PICK: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman

Posted on October 1, 2018 by admin

Post by Laura Laidman

Title: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
Author: Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman
Narrator: Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman

Hollywood marriages are rarely ones that people would consider long lasting, inspirational, or ‘great love stories’, but Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman have never been the type to follow trends. From their May-December partnership (Mullally is 12 years older than Offerman), to their courtship while she was an Emmy Award winning superstar on Will & Grace and he was sleeping in a friend’s unfinished basement and struggling for work, they’ve trumped the expectations society has put on Hollywood stars, and on love itself.

In The Greatest Love Story Ever Told, Mullally and Offerman dissect their marriage, careers, childhoods, passions, and what makes them work as a unit. Both are known for being hilarious scene stealers in two outrageously funny sitcoms (Will & Grace and Parks & Rec, respectively), as well as their many guest appearances in other shows that always capture an audience’s attention. As a team, they play off each other’s humor brilliantly, and listening along with their back and forth had me laughing in the car all the way to work each day.

Unlike most traditional books, The Greatest Love Story Ever Told is an open dialogue between our two narrators rather than a structured linear timeline of their courtship and relationship. Mullally and Offerman go off on tangents, sing songs, side bar, and tease each other (and the listener) in a playful, sweet way that comes with the intimate knowledge of nearly two decades together. Intercut between topics such as family life, having kids, acting, and music are solo chapters more akin to traditional biographical works, where Offerman shares his personal histories and views on his life in Hollywood, and his devoted love for his wife, and a few from Mullally exploring her eccentric childhood, career, and aging in Hollywood.

This was easily the most fun I’ve had listening to an audiobook, and I had to pause several times simply because I was missing chunks of the story because I was laughing too hard. Even with the laughter, sidebarsm, and tangents, at the heart of the book are two people who are very much in love after 18 years together in Hollywood. And that is pretty inspirational.

September’s Top 10 Audiobooks.com Member Downloads

Posted on October 1, 2018 by Lena Yang

Listen to last month’s roundup of the top fiction and non-fiction titles downloaded by Audiobooks.com members.

Fiction

1. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, narrated by Lynn Chen

When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn’t know is she will soon be initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination. Read more and sample the audio.

2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, narrated by Cassandra Campbell

In late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl who haunts Barkley Cove. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens. Read more and sample the audio.

3. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, narrated by Ann Marie Lee

Reporter Camille Preaker must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her mother or to the half-sister she barely knows. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming. Read more and sample the audio.

4. A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell, narrated by Xe Sands, Andi Arndt, Matthew Waterson

It starts with a simple favor. When her best friend, Emily, asks Stephanie to pick up her son Nicky after school, she happily says yes. But, when Emily doesn’t come back from her high-demand job in Manhattan, Stephanie knows something is wrong. Then, she receives shocking news. Emily is dead. The nightmare of her disappearance is over.
Or is it? Read more and sample the audio.

5. Texas Ranger by James Patterson, narrated by Christopher Ryan Grant

Across the ranchlands and cities of his home state, Rory Yates’s discipline and law-enforcement skills have carried him far: from local highway patrolman to the honorable rank of Texas Ranger. He arrives in his hometown to find a horrifying crime scene and a scathing accusation: he is named a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife, Anne. Read more and sample the audio.

Non-Fiction

1. Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward, narrated by Robert Petkoff

Bob Woodward reveals in unprecedented detail the harrowing life inside President Donald Trump’s White House and precisely how he makes decisions on major foreign and domestic policies. Woodward draws from hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand sources, meeting notes, personal diaries, files, and documents. Read more and sample the audio.

2.The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson, narrated by Roger Wayne

In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be “positive” all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people. With academic research and well-timed poop jokes, Manson argues that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. Read more and sample the audio.

3. In Pieces by Sally Field, narrated by Sally Field

Sally Field has stunned audiences time and time again with her artistic range and emotional acuity. Yet there is one character who always remained hidden: the shy and anxious little girl within. With raw honesty and the fresh, pitch-perfect prose of a natural-born writer, Field brings readers behind-the-scenes of her life and career. Read more and sample the audio.

4. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Leif Babin, Jocko Willink, narrated by Jocko Willink, Leif Babin

Leif Babin and Jocko Willink, two U.S. Navy SEAL officers who led the most highly decorated special operations unit of the Iraq War, demonstrate how to apply powerful leadership principles from the battlefield to business and life. Read more and sample the audio.

5. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari, narrated by Derek Perkins

Yuval Noah Harari’s 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a probing and visionary investigation into today’s most urgent issues as we move into the uncharted territory of the future. Harari addresses the challenge of navigating life in the face of constant and disorienting change and raises the important questions we need to ask ourselves in order to survive. Read more and sample the audio.

STAFF PICK: The Bus on Thursday by Shirley Barrett

Posted on September 18, 2018 by admin

Post by Laura Laidman

Title: The Bus on Thursday
Author: Shirley Barrett
Narrator: Katherine Littrell

The tagline of The Bus on Thursday, “Bridget Jones meets The Exorcist,” didn’t just grab my attention — it had me hitting download the moment it was available. Balancing snappy comedic diaries with one of my all-time favorite horror movies was something I needed to get in my headphones immediately.

That, and I was also curious to see if it was actually doable.

I was really pleased that The Bus on Thursday was able to combine the fast paced, comedic timing and humility I was looking for and the dark, demonic mystery that has me dying for cooler weather, sweaters, and all things Halloween. In this hilariously evil audiobook from author and screenwriter Shirley Barrett, we meet Eleanor Mellett, a primary school teacher whose life is turned upside down after a bad breakup and a breast cancer diagnosis in her early 30s.

Eleanor finds herself out of work and being sliced, diced, and reconstructed, all while trying to figure out her love life and what comes next. Once she receives a clean bill of health, Eleanor knows she needs a fresh start — one that doesn’t involve her old job, ex, and best frenemy. That’s when she finds Talbingo, a small town in immediate need of a new teacher.

At first glance, Talbingo seems perfect. Nestled near the mountains with learning-hungry kids and friendly neighbors is exactly what Eleanor had in mind. But things aren’t exactly what they seem in this quaint Australian town. The last teacher has been declared missing, and the kids aren’t the biggest fans of their new teacher. There’s also a local priest who is convinced that Eleanor’s cancer isn’t a medical issue, but a demonic one.

Through witty blog posts, Eleanor invites us into her life and the craziness that is Talbingo. Day by day, readers learn about the overly attached teen that is getting too close in class, the handsome neighbor who may know more about the previous teacher’s absence than he lets on, the petite woman from church who is crying over her decoupage, and the rest of Talbingo’s more interesting residents.

The Bus on Thursday is a clever, fast-paced listen that kept me guessing with each minute. Is Eleanor possessed by a demon? Or is she just losing her mind due to the isolation of Talbingo? Is her new paramour the devil? Or is he just not looking for a commitment? Either way, Eleanor is hilarious and going through this journey with her kept me laughing and spooked at the same time — just in time for Halloween.

Eleanor’s blog is brought to life with fiery sass by the amazing Katherine Littrell. Her inflection, attitude, and heart really added to the story in a way that made me feel like Eleanor was a friend pouring her heart out to me rather than being just a character in the book. Even as she’s breaking down, she kept me laughing and I dreaded having to hit pause.

Tag Archives: audiobook

Page to Screen in October 2018

September’s Top 10 Audiobooks.com Member Downloads

audiobooks_com