I had a fair amount of audio books last month as I was desperately trying to get to my GoodReads goal. Here they are:

Jane Anonymous

Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz

Narrator: Emily Bauer

I’ll be honest, this was the one that I had the most issue with. I know that this book deals with very heavy subject matter – a first person narrative of someone who was kidnapped and then held prisoner for months – but there were times when I felt like Bauer went a little over the top. She played a semi-hysterical, panicking teenage girl very well, but sometimes it was a bit too much, to the point where it nearly took me out of the story.

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The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Author: Neil Gaiman

Narrator: Neil Gaiman

This one was really nice. I read this book years ago and really loved how twisted, dark and weird it was (hello, Neil Gaiman). I very much enjoyed listening to Gaiman himself read this. His voice is very soothing, which fit the dreamlike quality of this book perfectly. Of course, as the author, he knows the work very well and knows exactly how certain things should be emphasized. It all made for a very nice listening experience.

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Looking for Alaska

Author: John Green

Narrator: Wil Wheaton

This is the third book that I’ve read narrated by Wil Wheaton and I honestly can’t get enough. I know he’s an actor and he’s supposed to be good at portraying characters, but he is just so good at this! I thought he narrated Pudge very well and really captured the emotional ups and downs that Pudge goes through. It felt very real and I always appreciate that. I need to go through Libby and find more books narrated by him – I want to listen to them all!

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An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

Author: Hank Green

Narrators: Kristen Sieh and Hank Green

You know how I had issue with some of Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter books having two narrators and it didn’t make sense? This was a case where having two narrators was absolutely essential and made all the difference in the world. I think it partly helped because this book is written in first person, so it really felt like these two characters were talking to you and telling you their story. Starting with Kristen Sieh, since she narrated the bulk of the novel – she captured April’s wit, snark and vulnerability so well. If I were listening to the “real” April, she would have sounded like Sieh. No question. Once we switch to Andy’s point of view, Green takes over the narration and he is also perfect, partly because I pretty much pictured him as Andy when I first read the book (I’ve watched a lot of Vlogbrothers videos – I can definitely see Hank Green doing the stuff Andy does). So well done.

Categories: Audio Roundup

Tags: audio round up, books