The Book Stacks

Those of you who know me may be aware that I am prone to fangirl-ness. I went to a Doctor Who convention early this year and I was very entertaining to be around. Last Thursday, as part of the introduction for my Thursday 13, I mentioned that any of the audiobooks Barbara Rosenblat does should be listened to. I personally own Crocodile on the Sandbank and I’ve listened to it 20 times at least. Well, Ms. Rosenblat e-mailed me to tell me that she’d just finished doing Amy Bloom’s “Away” and to wish me a Happy New Year.

Needless to say, in true fangirl fashion I started running around saying “Ohmigod, Barbara Rosenblat e-mailed me.” My husband got tired of it after a bit.

Just thought I’d share my squee with a wider audience. Happy New Year, Ms. Rosenblat!

I spend a lot of time commuting, although not nearly as much as a used to, thank heavens. I know that lots of folks out there travel longer than they’d like to get from home to work and vice versa. What better way to multi-task and stay awake in the land of boring traffic and no songs that you want to listen to on the radio, than to listen to an audiobook? That way you can find time to read even in the busiest schedule. The only down sides to this idea that I have encountered so far are: 1) encountering really boring productions and 2) finding a book that is so good you don’t want to get out of the car. For the record, don’t try to listen to the Silmarillion on tape. It spends a lot of time jumping back and forth in the storyline, and the reader doesn’t have a very “keep you awake” kind of voice, if you know what I mean. To help you avoid the pitfall of the really boring production, I offer you a list of audiobooks that I think are well done. By the way, if Barbara Rosenblat is reading it, you want to listen to it. Period.

13 Well Done Audiobooks

1. All-American Girl by Meg Cabot (read by Ariadne Meyers)
2. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (read by Anne Hathaway)
3. Sabriel by Garth Nix (read by Tim Curry)
4. O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King (read by Jenny Sterlin)
5. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (read by Barbara Rosenblat)
6. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce (full cast audio production)
7. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (read by Diane Warren)
8. Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin (read by Randy Travis)
9. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling (read by Jim Dale)
10. Sharpe’s Rifles by Bernard Cornwell (read by Frederick Davidson?)
11. Justice Hall by Laurie R. King (read by Jenny Sterlin)
12. Sandry’s Book by Tamora Pierce (full cast audio production)
13. Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham (read by Francis Matthews)

Do you have any audiobooks that you love? Please let me know, as I need something new to listen to on my commute.