Books that Make Great Audio Books

It's no secret that I love to read. My mom loves to read and we used to read together when I was little. But, as I got older I didn't enjoy reading because it forced me to sit still which isn't something I've ever been very good at. However, as time has gone by I've rediscovered my love for reading.

I have a goal of reading 50 books this year (I've already read 28 books toward that goal). This comes from a combination of paperback, Kindle, and audio books. I cannot tell you how many people tell me, "I just can't do audio books!" How sad! You are missing out on so many great books! So, I thought I'd share a few tips regarding what makes a good candidate for an audio book, in my opinion.

• Young Adult Classics: Since I bucked against reading starting around age 8 or so I missed out on so many young adult classics (e.g., The Secret Garden, Heidi, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, etc.). These books are so rich, have great lessons for children and adults alike, and permeate their way into modern-day life and references all the time. Listening to these young adult classics is a great way to read the books. Most of these books are available at the library (both the Dallas and Chicago public libraries have Overdrive which allows you to freely borrow digital books and audio books) which means you can listen at no charge. They are also easy reads with great descriptive passages. I find these books are great candidates for listening because you don't have to catch every word to still know everything going on in the book.

The Puffin Classics collection is gorgeous!

• The first book or two in a series: Recently, I've been making my way through the Anne of Green Gables series. Quick aside, I am so sad that I didn't read these books when I was younger - Anne and I are kindred spirits, as she would say. I listened to two of the eight books in the series and that helped put a voice in my head for each character. As I read the paperback version of the other books (I'm currently on book 5 - Anne's House of Dreams) I find that my inner voice is very similar to the narrator of the books I listened to previously. This may drive some insane but I love have a definitive inner voice by which I read books.

• Lengthy books you may never get to: This is a bit trickier category than the others. There are some books that you want to read (either because they are classics and you feel a sense of duty to read through it at least once or because you truly want to read the book) but due to the length of the book it can feel like a daunting task. I read Anna Karenina on my Kindle and it took me about a year to get through the whole book (I read a lot of other books in the interim). Often, although not always, these authors were paid by the word and their timeless novels have lots of extra details scattered throughout. These can be a good candidate for audio books, as well, since you can typically pick up on what's going on and really track along while not paying deep attention to every word. I say this category is tricky, though, because some books in this category will leave you dazed and confused if you try to listen to them (Vanity Fair left me too confused because I wasn't paying enough attention - I'll need to grab my paperback copy to finish this one). 

• Literary Candy: This is my new name for young adult/teen/chick lit fluff. The stories are great, I can read through a book in a day, no problem. But, there isn't much meat on the bone in this category. I don't expand my vocabulary or challenge my mind to think through new concepts. I simply read and enjoy. Like candy. I love to toss in some literary candy when I'm reading a lot of deep, heavy books. I recently read through a series (yeah, 4 books of candy, oops) to help break up A Midsummer Night's Dream, 11/22/63, and Men and Women in the Church. Deep, long, not quick-read materials. I have zero regrets about cruising through these books!

The Selection series by Kiera Cass is my recent literary candy addiction. I've read the three above, plus the latest book The Heir (I read it the day it was released) and the couple of little novelas that accompany the series. No shame. Think Hunger Games meets The Bachelor with a Prince and Me twist. It's fabulous, really.

• Well Produced Audio Books: Some books are so well produced as an audio book I highly recommend listening to them even if you've already read the book. The Harry Potter series definitely falls into this category. I'm also told that The Help falls into this category but I haven't had a chance to listen to the audio book yet.

How about you? Do you like audio books? What are your favorite types of audio books?