Tuesday, April 17, 2018

[Top Ten Tuesday] My Favorite Audiobooks (so far)




Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is currently being run by That Artsy Reader Girl. A prompt is given each week, and I hope to do it every week so I always have something going up on Tuesdays. This week I am talking about ten of my favorite audiobooks. I am slowly getting into audiobooks a lot more than I have in the past (I may even sign up for audible in the next few months!) and I wanted to share some of my favorite ones so far since I've been getting into audiobooks. I don’t doubt by the end of the year I’ll have more favorites so maybe this can be part one!


Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Narrator: Lin-Manuel Miranda

This audiobook is one of my absolute favorites because Lin-Manuel Miranda narrates it so perfectly. I am a blubbering mess when I listen to this story and I cannot recommend it enough.
Synopsis:
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.


Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll 

Narrator: Christopher Plummer

Alice is forever a favorite of mine and I love this audiobook of both of her stories! This is definitely one I need to own because I could listen to it over and over again. Doesn't hurt that it is so short. 

Synopsis:
Weary of her storybook, one "without pictures or conversations," the young and imaginative Alice follows a hasty hare underground--to come face-to-face with some of the strangest adventures and most fantastic characters in all of literature.

The Ugly Duchess, the Mad Hatter, the weeping Mock Turtle, the diabolical Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat--each more eccentric than the last--could only have come from that master of sublime nonsense, Lewis Carroll.

In penning this brilliant burlesque of children's literature, Carroll has written a farcical satire of rigid Victorian society, an arresting parody of the fears, anxieties, and complexities of growing up.

Carroll was one of the few adult writers to successfully enter the children's world of make-believe: where the impossible becomes possible, the unreal--real, and where the height of adventure is limited only by the depths of imagination.



This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab 

Narrator: Therese Plummer

I recently listened to this audiobook and absolutely loved it. The narrator relayed the emotions through the text so well and I feel like it was fantastically acted. I definitely want to listen to Our Dark Duet while reading it when I get to it. 
Synopsis:
There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.




Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor 

Narrator: Khristine Hvam 

I really want to re-read this series so I can review it on my blog, and I definitely think when I do I'll listen to the audiobooks because the first one is so well done. It even won an Audie Award. 
Synopsis:
Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?




Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas 

Narrator: Elizabeth Evans 

I have listened to the first four books of this series on audiobook (and on my kindle,  most of the time  I go back and forth between the text and the audio) and I think the narrator does a really amazing job. I am kind of behind on this series, and I've lost my interest a bit. But one day, if I re-start this series I think I'd go to the audiobooks because they're really fun. 
Synopsis:
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.




Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie 

Narrator: Lily Collins

I've actually listened to this one and the Jim Dale ones and I love them both. I am not sure which  one I love more, but I enjoy this cover more than the Jim Dale one so that's the one I am choosing for now. I love this story and I love Lily Collins's narration for it!
Synopsis:
Peter Pan, the book based on J.M. Barrie's famous play, is filled with unforgettable characters: Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up; the fairy, Tinker Bell; the evil pirate, Captain Hook; and the three children--Wendy, John, and Michael--who fly off with Peter Pan to Neverland, where they meet Indians and pirates and a crocodile that ticks. Renowned children's-book artist Michael Hague has brought the amazing adventures of Peter Pan to life. His beautiful illustrations capture the wild, seductive power of this classic book. This newly designed edition will be enjoyed by fans young and old alike. 


Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Narrator: Jim Dale 
Talking about Jim Dale, I love his narration for all of the Harry Potter books. I'd listen to these books when I was younger on repeat. I always have preferred Jim Dale's narration over Stephen Fry's and I think it's such a nostalgic thing for me. I highly recommend these if you're a Harry Potter fan!
Synopsis:
Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.



The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Narrator: Philip Pullman, full cast

This is one of the only full cast audiobooks I've listened to and I definitely need to find more to listen to because they're so fun! I highly recommend listening to a full cast audiobook. If you haven't listened to this one it's a great place to start! I loved it.
Synopsis:
Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal--including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.

Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want--but what Lyra doesn't know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other.

A masterwork of storytelling and suspense, Philip Pullman's award-winning The Golden Compass is the first in the His Dark Materials series, which continues with The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.


Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce 

Narrated by: Trini Alvarado 

I am loving this series so much, and to be able to listen to the audiobook while reading has enhanced the experience greatly. I love this world and these characters. The narrator does an amazing job with the emotions Alanna goes through. I highly recommend these audiobooks!



A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Narrated by: Jason Isaacs

If you're in the mood for a book that will leave you a bawling mess, this is the one for you. If you rather up the ante and listen to it just to enhance the feeling of your heart breaking, have Jason Isaacs (one of my favorite actors) read it to you. I cannot recommend this one enough but however you decide to consume this story, have tissues near by.
Synopsis: 
An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor.

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting - he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.

From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd - whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself - Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.



Thanks for reading!


14 comments:

  1. I completely forgot that Lin narrated Aristotle and Dante and now I NEED to listen to it! Also, Jason Isaacs narrates a Monster Calls??? I did not realize! Another one to add to my TBR; thank you!

    My TTT: https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/top-ten-books-i-wish-would-be-adapted.html

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    1. Yes!! Lin doing the narration for Ari and Dante is amazing!! I highly highly recommend!! And Ahhh yes! Jason Isaacs does an amazing job. I love his voice! I hope you enjoy both when you end up listening and I'll check out your TTT now! :D <3

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  2. I've never listened to an audio book, but it is pretty much the only way my husband reads books. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.

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    1. Nice! I definitely recommend listening to audiobooks but I can't listen to them on their own. I have to be doing a puzzle, coloring, or reading along with a physical or e-book copy for me to fully pay attention.

      I'll check out your post now! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  3. So fun! I went the audiobook route too in my post. :) That version of Peter Pan read by Lily Collins sounds neat!

    ~Amber

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    1. It's super cool! I loved her voice for the story! And I'll check out your post now! Thanks for stopping by :D <3

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  4. I love audiobooks. I love the Stephen Fry versions of the HP books.

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    1. Nice! I know a lot of people love the Stephen Fry ones, but Jim Dale ones are my childhood so I love them more. Thanks for stopping by! :D

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  5. LIN MANUEL MIRANDA NARRATES AUDIOBOOKS??
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/17/top-ten-tuesday-155/

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    1. YES! I am not sure if he's done any more than Ari and Dante but he does Ari and Dante perfectly!!! :D

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  6. Glad you enjoy your audio, this was a really neat post!!
    http://justmeandmyblogreviews.blogspot.com/2018/04/top-ten-tuesday-favorite-book-covers.html

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  7. Jason Isaacs did A Monster Calls? I may have to do a reread!

    Lauren @ Always Me

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