Reader Recommendations: Audiobooks

Are you a fan of audiobooks? If you had asked me a year ago, I would have replied with a shrug and a meh. I didn't like audiobooks because I felt like they didn't count -- like listening was a form of cheating. Obviously I abandoned that ridiculous notion, and I'm glad I did, because I'm now a huge fan of audiobook listening.

I didn't start listening to audiobooks regularly until last summer, when I decided to multitask and listen to a book while I set up my new classroom. I'm pretty picky when it comes to audiobook narrators, but what I discovered was that I love listening to a story while doing a mindless task like cleaning, cooking, or even exercising. (Sometimes, wanting to finish an audiobook actually spurs me to get out for a long walk or run -- there's a motivational tip for you!) It turns out that listening a book really is akin to reading it (at least as far as brain activity goes), so for me that second task needs to be a mindless one in order for me to immerse myself in the story and keep my attention on comprehension rather than letting my mind wander.

I've listened to a few really great titles in the past year (the one above - T.E. Kinsey's A Quiet Life in the Country -- being my favorite aside only from Rachel McAdam's reading of Anne of Green Gables), but I often felt that it was a matter of chance when trying to select my next audiobook, so I recently asked some bookish friends of mine to recommend audiobooks.

 My goal was to make a list for myself to listen to this year, but the response was so big that I came out with a list that will certainly take more than a year to tackle (I average about 2 audiobooks a month) and that I knew I had to share with readers of the blog, with the hope that we'll all be able to find our next favorite read!

I decided the list needed a more permanent spot on the blog, so you can easily find it by clicking the Audiobooks tab above. It's a growing list, so if you have a new recommendation to add, send me a message or leave a comment and I'll update it semi-regularly!

Thank you to all those on Instagram, readers of the blog who emailed me with recommendations, and my bookish friends from the Modern Mrs. Darcy book club who are always willing to share their favorite titles! I know my own list of audiobooks is now miles long, and I hope you can find something here to listen to and love too!