More and more people are choosing to listen to their books. Audiobook consumption is on the rise, and libraries say their patrons are borrowing digital audiobooks at a steady rate.
Audiobooks make reading accessible for people with low vision or learning disabilities, but they’re a great option for anyone looking to lose themselves in a story.
If you’re thinking about giving audiobooks a try, here are a few ideas for your next listen.
Phil Kubiak, Northeast Sight Services client
Book: "The Chemist"
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Narrator: Ellen Archer
I'm recommending "The Chemist" by Stephanie Meyer, who authored the "Twilight" series. This is a story about a woman who's being hunted by an off-the-books government agency.
Her mentor has been killed and several attempts have been made on her life.
It's fast-paced. It's very enthralling. If you like dogs, you should also like this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I listen to it every summer.
Isabela Weiss, WVIA Rural Government Reporter and RFA Corps Member
Book: "The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir"
Author and Narrator: Kelly Bishop
There are so many fantastic audiobooks out there, but my all-time favorites are memoirs with the author’s own voice. If I have to pick one, Kelly Bishop’s “The Third Gilmore Girl” takes the cake.
Listening to Bishop is like catching up with that best friend you haven’t seen in years.
She sits across the table from you at a coffee shop – steaming cup in hand – and shares all the details from her life.
From her years on Broadway in “A Chorus Line” to her role as the often devilish Emily in the show, “Gilmore Girls,” Bishop thrills listeners with her cast of characters, both on-screen and in life.
What struck me most in her memoir is her intrinsic optimism and motivation to push forward in times of need. Bishop doesn’t shy away from her struggles or from giving credit to those who’ve shaped her.
“The Third Gilmore Girl” is a must-read for “Gilmore Girls” fans and anyone with a passion to create something larger than themselves.
Annmarie Drozda, Northeast Sight Services client
Book: "The Wife in the Photo"
Author: Emily Shiner
Narrators: Kate Hanford and Todd Kramer
I'm recommending this book because if you like psychological thrillers and suspense books, this is the one.
There's so many twists and turns that you won't believe the ending of this book. It's one of those books that once you start it, you won't want to put it down until it's finished.
Angelia Schilling, Scranton
Book: "Children of Blood and Bone"
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Narrator: Bahni Turpin
I am addicted to books. I almost always have two books I'm working my through at a time - a physical book and an audiobook.
Audiobooks are great for driving, cleaning, doing crafts and things that you can't do while you're holding a physical book. I think audiobooks can get a bad rap, and I get it, but honestly it's all in the narration. If you have an engaging narrator, you're going to love your audiobook.
Bahni Turpin gives an incredible performance in her reading of the beautiful story, "Legacy of Orisha." This completed trilogy ("Children of Blood and Bone" is the first book) is the story of a world divided into two peoples: the Diviners who become Maji and can use magic, and their oppressors, the non-magical Kosida.
Inspired by African gods and goddesses, Adeyemi writes an epic tale with West African roots in response to police brutality in America.
Unlikely alliances and friendships reminiscent of "Avatar: The Last Airbender," develop as characters discover their abilities to shape the world by their actions. All of that accompanied by Turpin's performance transports you into Orisha, ready to fight for equality and peace alongside Zélie Adebola and her friends.
Eighteen hours of book one, "Children of Blood and Bone," leaves you wanting nothing more than to start book two immediately.
Sarah Scinto, WVIA Morning Edition host
Book: "Happy Place"
Author: Emily Henry
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Yes, this is another Emily Henry book. But I want to recommend the audiobook version of this one because of the narrator, Julia Whelan. She narrates most of Henry’s novels, and listening to her performance of “Happy Place” convinced me to re-read - or re-listen - to as many of them as I could last summer.
In “Happy Place,” a couple who secretly broke up months ago have to pretend to still be together for the sake of their annual week-long vacation with their closest friends.
All the fake dating and secret-keeping they endure is set in Bar Harbor, Maine during a perfect New England summer. “Happy Place” had me hooked from the start, probably because the summer traditions the friends treasure remind me so much of my own family’s vacation rituals.
If you’re driving to the beach this summer, “Happy Place” can give you company.
That’s all for this episode of Bookmarks!
Look for the next edition on May 10. We’ll travel back in time with your favorite historical fiction or non-fiction books.
Want to send in a book you loved for the next edition? Email sarahscinto@wvia.org with Bookmarks in the subject line.
