The Magic of Audiobooks: August 'Audiobooks' Week 1

This week, I am so, so excited to be discussing the 'magic' of my favorite audiobooks. Additionally, I'm excited to share the thoughts and recommendations of some of my community - colleagues, friends, ect.

In truth, a good audiobook often comes from having a good story - so many of the recommendations here are popular books you've likely heard of before. However, the magic of the audiobook version is often that the reader enhances the experience of the book, bringing it to life in a way that adds to the enjoyment of the work. Sometimes, it's because the narrator is a great voice actor, sometimes, it's because their voice 'fits' the projects incredibly well, sometimes it's because their sense of timing and delivery adds to the work, and in certain cases, it's a combination of any of the above (or more).

When an audiobook really does achieve that 'magical' level of quality, it makes me want to listen to the book again and again, and my preference often becomes listening to the book, rather than reading the physical copy. So let's dive in to some of those 'magical' books that I can listen to on repeat:

1. The Martian by Andy Weir, narrated by: R. C. Bray: This book seems made for an audio adaptation, and R.C. Bray's delivery is exceptionally well suited to Mark Watney's tone and style of 'log entries' through with the majority of the story is told. I've listened to this audiobook at least 3 times! If you're ever in need of an audiobook, The Martian tops my list for a great stand-alone recommendation.
   

2. The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett, narrated by Colin Morgan (Rincewind & Wizards Series), Indira Varma (Witches & Tiffany Aching Series), Sian Clifford (Death Series), Jon Culshaw (City Watch Series), Peter Serafinowicz (Death), Bill Nighy (Footnotes), Steven Cree (the Feegles), Richard Coyle (Moist Von Lipvig books), Alfred Enoch (Pyramids), Jason Isaacs (Moving Pictures), Andy Serkis (Small Gods), Mathew Baynton (The Truth), Katherine Parkinson (Monstrous Regiment): If you weren't aware that Discworld was getting a brand new set of incredible audiobooks, you should add them to your radar - Every single one of the books is amazing. Discworld's new audiobook adaptations have different narrators depending on the series/the narrating character within each book, and each narrator does a wonderful job with their portion of the project. Colin Morgan has to be one of the best voice actors I've listened to, immediately increasing the 'fantasy' feel of every character. Indira Varma's version of Granny Weatherwax and the other witches can't be topped and perfectly brings the 'witches' series to life. Sian Clifford's timing and delivery is amazing, as is her tone - making the humor pop off the pages in the 'Death'-centric boos. Jon Culshaw brings the gritty feel of crime novels to life in the City Watch series, and his sense of timing and character voices are some of my favorite (especially Nobby). Peter Serafinowicz and Bill Nighy voice parts of each book as the voices of Death and the Footnotes, respectively; this adds to the importance of each, as well as my love for how Pratchett's formatting is preserved through narration choices. Each of the narrators of the one-off (or two-off) books match their source incredibly well. Truly, the whole lineup feels like possibly the greatest ever in audiobook production. I've listened to nearly every book twice, and I genuinely believe these are some of the greatest audiobooks currently available. I can't wait for the last few to come out.
   

3. The Ranger's Apprentice Series by John Flanagan, narrated by John Keating: This is an audiobook series I had on repeat as a child, and recently returned to; Keating does a great job of bringing the story and characters to life. In particular, his version of Halt's voice is highly effective. I also love Will, Horace, and Alyss. LAter in the series, Keating also brings in more accents as the characters travel the world - his Skandians are a particular treat!
   

4. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale: This was the primary audiobook series I had on repeat as a child, and Jim Dale is an absolutely incredible narrator. He suits Harry's narration/voice, he brings to life the whole cast, and just nails it. I never get tired of listening to these books (even when I do get tired of the author). I particularly love the voice Dale gives to McGonagall.

Of course, I also asked my colleagues and friends if they had any recommendations, and sure enough, they did! Here's what they said:

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis: "I have fond, relaxing memories of listening to the Narnia series audiobooks with my family on long car rides. I normally detest long car rides but the stories made me actually look forward to them." I totally agree with my friend here - although I haven't listened to the series recently!

• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: "I...loved the performances of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter audiobooks particularly, they have very good narrators."

• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling: (see quote above, as well as my earlier recommendation)

• The Bartimaues Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud: "The Bartimaeus Trilogy audiobooks are amazing. Also the Kingkiller Chronicles. The narrators are top notch."

• The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss: (see quote above)

• Making A Scene by Constance Wu: "Hands down the best I've listened too. She actually narrates her own book and really breathes life into it and makes it sound interesting and dynamic! Also I'm not really a memoir guy so for this book to be amazing to me is truly something."

I'm truly grateful that there are so many great audiobooks out in the world, as listening to a book in the car is my favorite way to pass the time on my commutes. I'm also the kind of person who loves listening to books throughout my daily life - while cooking, folding laundry, working out - you name it! I listen to audiobooks so frequently that finding the truly 'magical' gems out there always gets me very excited. Hopefully, these recommendations introduce you to more amazing audiobooks, so that you, too, can experience the 'magic' of a listening experience worth repeating.