Lately, I’ve noticed that I get more done if I put on a book while I tackle it. The piles of dishes don’t stack up quite so high, I take time to keep my house organized, and I even manage to tackle the yardwork. There is also approximately ONE radio station that I can receive static-free while in my car, and it’s country music, so having a story to listen to while driving is a blessing. Here’s a sampling of the audiobooks I’ve been listening to recently, with a short (though not strictly 140 character-short) description of my thoughts on each.
Skulduggery Pleasant, by Derek LandyFunny, action-packed, and not overwhelmingly predictable. I resisted listening to this one for awhile, despite the many positive reviews I read. The premise – a twelve year old girl meets a living sorcerer-skeleton (the Skulduggery of the title) – initially put me off, but the promise of humor convinced me to give it a try. I’m glad I did. This is a full-blown series now, and I am heartbroken that I cannot find the second audiorecording ANYWHERE in the United States.
Going Bovine, by Libba Bray
It won the Printz, so of course I had to try it out. Again, the promise of humor lured me in, even though I have never read Don Quixote, which inspired much of Bray’s book. I admit I’m not wild about the narrator. He sounds a bit older than the protagonist (as if he is a grown man trying to imitate a clever, eye-rolling teenager – which of course he IS trying to do), and his comic timing isn’t quite on, but I’ve still had a few laugh-out-loud moments (there’s a one-liner about Eskimos versus Inuits that I still giggle about days after hearing it). Despite my feelings on the narrator, I’m enjoying the book. And I LOVE that cover.
Airman, by Eoin Colfer
I just started this one, but I’m enjoying it so far. It promises a lot of adventure (always good on audio) and maybe a smidge of romance. There’s also some interesting alternate-history stuff going on (an American man is the King of the Saltee Islands, for example). Plus, flying machines!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
I’m pretty sure this is at least the twelfth time I’ve listened to this book. Jim Dale is a god of narration and the seventh book is my favorite of the series. I still get choked up each time I listen.
I LOVED Skulduggery. Glad you are too.
Skulduggry 1 and 2 is now available from BWI on Playaway. CDs you have to by on Amazon U.K. (It only took a week to get)
I haven't liked the one other book by Libba Bray that I've tried, so I'm not sure I'll be looking that one up, but Skulduggery is now on my TBR list. 🙂 I LOVED The Airman – I listened to the audiobook, for that one, and I really enjoyed the reader, so that probably helped.
Hi Kimberly … does your library borrow audiobooks via Interlibrary Loan? According to World Cat, there are 1155 (I didn't scroll through to see how many of these are US libraries) libraries holding copies of Playing with Fire (Skulduggery II). I'm always amazed how easy it is to get books/audiobooks via ILL.