Welcome to my weekly feature that focuses on audiobooks. It’s time to…
Once again this year, I signed up for the annual Audiobook Challenge hosted by The Book Nympho and Hot Listens. My personal goal was to listen to 50 audiobooks, meeting the My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) level (30-50 audiobooks) during 2016. I am excited to report that I did meet my goal – surpassing it slightly!
2016 Audiobook Challenge Update: July – December
Here is a list of the books I’ve listened to so far this year.
Book 27: Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher, narrated by James Marsters (6/22)
Book 28: Then Came You by Jill Shalvis, Narrated by Karen White (7/8)
Book 29: Still the One by Jill Shalvis, Narrated by Karen White (7/17)
Book 30: Nuts by Alice Clayton, Narrated by Shayna Thibodeaux & Sebastian York (7/23)
Book 31: Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton, Narrated by Deacon Lee & Olivia Song (7/28)
Book 32: The Curse of the Tenth Grave by Darynda Jones, Narrated by Lorelei King (8/11)
Book 33: For 100 Days by Lara Adrian, Narrated by Summer Morton (8/17)
Book 34: White Night by Jim Butcher, Narrated by James Marsters (8/27)
Book 35: Small Favor by Jim Butcher, Narrated by James Marsters (9/9)
Book 36: Hounded by Kevin Hearne, Narrated by Luke Daniels (9/15)
Book 37: Hexed by Kevin Hearne, Narrated by Luke Daniels (9/24)
Book 38: All I Want by Jill Shalvis, Narrated by Karen White (9/28)
Book 39: Turn Coat by Jim Butcher, Narrated by James Marsters (10/7)
Book 40: Dragon Actually by G.A. Aiken, Narrated by Hollie Jackson (10/14)
Book 41: Roman Crazy by Alice Clayton & Nina Bocci, Narrated by Randi Geddens (10/19)
Book 42: About a Dragon by G.A. Aiken, Narrated by Hollie Jackson (10/26)
Book 43: The Score by Elle Kennedy, Narrated by Savannah Peachwood & Andrew Eiden (11/2)
Book 44: Changes by Jim Butcher, Narrated by James Marsters (11/11)
Book 45: Lucifer’s Daughter by Eve Langlais, Narrated by Rebecca Estrella (11/16)
Book 46: Side Jobs by Jim Butcher, Narrated by James Marsters (11/23)
Book 47: What a Dragon Should Know by G.A. Aiken, Narrated by Hollie Jackson (12/02)
Book 48: The Magnolia Story by Chip & Joanna Gaines, Narrated by Chip & Joanna Gaines (12/06)
Book 49: Hammered by Kevin Hearne, Narrated by Luke Daniels (12/10)
Book 50: Two Tales of the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne, Narrated by Luke Daniels (12/11)
Book 51: Tricked by Kevin Hearne, Narrated by Luke Daniels (12/15)
Book 52: My Wild Irish Dragon by Ashlyn Chase, Narrated by Felicity Munroe (currently listening)
I had a really good run of audiobooks during the second half of the year. I think my average rating was 4 stars. It’s hard to pick one favorite since there were so many that stood out.
First – I continued to listen to the Dresden Files, completing six more titles in that amazing series. Each book better than the previous, and none rating lower than an A- (4.5 Stars). Seriously – that good, and with James Marsters narrating, the books are nearly perfection.
Second – I listened to and loved several contemporary romances. My favorites were Nuts and Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton. And then Roman Crazy again written by Alice Clayton, teamed up with Nina Bocci. The narration in the last most worth mentioning. New-to-me narrator Randi Geddens did such a fabulous time, especially with her Italian accent of the hero, Marcello. From my review:
Randi Geddens pulled me into Avery’s story from the beginning. Her overall performance was spectacular! She nailed capturing all of Avery and Marcello’s emotions, which kept me completely caught up in the ebb and flow of the tale. Although this is a first person narrative, I loved her voice for Marcello. LOVED IT. She did a perfect job giving a unique expressiveness to his Italian character. Additionally, her youngish yet mature performance of Avery was spot on.
Third – I listened to my first non-fiction title, The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines. The reality TV stars also narrated their heartwarming tale, which added so much personality and emotion to this uplifting story.
My favorite narrative performance during part two of 2016 is a tie between Randi Geddens (Roman Crazy) and James Marsters, most notably for his work in Small Favor. I wrote of his performance:
And I honestly didn’t think that James Marsters could improve his work as Harry Dresden, but I was wrong! There is more than one highly emotional scene in Small Favor, and Marsters elevated his performance to match the content. In particular, there is one extremely powerful scene that brought me to tears as Marsters bellows Harry’s frustrations and fears. You could hear and feel the anger and grief in his voice. Simply amazing.
You can find most of my audiobook reviews either by checking out my Listen Up! Posts or on Booklikes and GoodReads.
What about you – how did you do in the Audiobook Challenge? Do you like to listen? What were your favorites of 2016?
