Hahahahaha! I should've looked ahead when I posted last week and chose audio as the spotlight "genre!" No matter, last week, I shared ten of my favorites but of course, I had a list way longer than ten.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. Narrated by Kirby Heyborne and Ariadne Meyer. This is a good example of liking a book more thanks to the audio performances. While this book got a ton of love, I had trouble loving it. Though I can see its appeal.
Winger and Standoff by Andrew Smith. Winger was narrated by Mark Boyett and Standoff was narrated by Kirby Heyborne. I absolutely adored Boyett's performance in Winger and was curious about the narrator change. Heyborne did an outstanding job but it took me a while to get over missing Boyett's Ryan Dean West.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children/ Hollow City/ Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs. Here is another narrator switch but in this case, a thankful one. Jesse Bernstein narrated the first ably enough but he's not a favorite of mine. Kirby Heyborne was brought in for the next two and made the listening a total immersion into the world of the Peculiars. BTW, I CANNOT wait for the movie this fall.
A Snicker of Magic and The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd narrated by the author. It is said that an author is not the best narrator for his or her own book. Having listened to many an author read aloud from their work, I tend to agree. When I heard Natalie Lloyd read aloud from her debut, A Snicker of Magic at a Scholastic event, her voice got stuck in my head so that when I read the arc, I heard her voice. I reread it with my ears when the audio came out.
Any book by Terry Pratchett that is narrated by Stephen Briggs! All five Tiffany Aching Disc World Books, Nation, Dodger plus his adult Disc World books. I have a huge voice crush on Stephen Briggs. Sir Terry's books are dryly hilarious, but Brigg's pacing and accents add so much!
Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee. Narrated by Jessica Almasey. I have a love/ hate relationship with Almasey's voice. I adored her performance here. The physical book is a work of art - hefty, gorgeous paper, stunning illustrations.
An Ember in Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. Narrated by Fiona Hardingham and Steve West. Wow! This book lived up to the hype! Terrific performance bring this nailbiter to life. The only good thing about reading a new series book late is the short wait for the sequel. I'm listening to A Torch in the Night now.
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk. Read by Emily Rankin. Another extremely hyped debut that I put off reading. Another totally hyped debut worthy of the hype.
The Name of the Blade by Zoe Marriott. Read by Sarah Coombs. Non-stop action, Japanese mythology and a likable heroine make for a riveting read. So far, the sequel hasn't been made into an audiobook.
After by Morris Glietzman. Soon by Morris Gleitzman. Both read by the author. Once is my go-to book for younger readers who want to read a historical fiction treatment of the Holocaust. My students who read Once, usually come back asking if there are sequels and I happily show them Then and Now. Last school year, I learned of After and Soon. I needed to send to Australia for Soon. While these sequels are not middle grade-friendly, they are worthy additions to any library collection.
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