This week I'm participating in Audiobook Week hosted by Devourer of Books, which is the perfect time to share the details of my completion of the 2013 Audiobook Challenge hosted by Teresa's Reading Corner.

My Goal - Going Steady, i.e. read 12 audiobooks for the year.

2013 Audiobook Challenge {Finished}

Newest Releases

Requiem (Delirium #3), Lauren Oliver
Narrator: Sarah Drew ... I liked the book, but I didn't love Sarah Drew's narration of it. I felt distracted by her over-dramatization of some parts of the book. (My Discussion | Amazon | Goodreads)

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2), Marissa Meyer
Narrator: Rebecca Soler ... Soler did an amazing job - especially with the slight French accent of Scarlet, and making her other characters distinct. I was 100% in the story and would listen to the audiobooks for the rest of the series if she's the narrator. (My Discussion | Amazon | Goodreads)

Longest

The Shoemaker's Wife, Adrianna Trigiani
Narrators: Annabella Sciorra and Adriana Trigiani ... Annabella Sciorra did the first half and the author, Adriana Trigiani did the second half. They switched halfway through the book, and because their voices are VERY different and it took me a while to get used to the new narrator, but I did get used to it and re-settled in to finish off this fantastic novel. Both narrators were great, especially Annabella Sciorra, who pronounced the Italian words (names & places) with an authentic flourish that made listening to this novel an unforgettable experience. (My Discussion | Amazon| Goodreads)

The Diviners, Libba Bray
Narrator: January LaVoy ... LaVoy is fantastic. She took me deep into the story with her voice and characterizations, and held me there - possibly longer than I would have been had I been reading a physical copy. She managed all the different characters EXPERTLY, complete with distinctive voices, accents and dialects. (My Discussion | Amazon | Goodreads)

Mysterious

Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
Narrators: Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ... The narrators are beyond fantastic! Julian Whelan BECAME Amy and Kirby Heyborne IS Nick. I can give no higher praise. (My Discussion | Amazon | Goodreads)

Salvation of a Saint, Keigo Higashino
Narrator: David Pittu ... I'm so glad I got to listen to the audiobook for this so I could hear the proper pronunciations of the Japanese names and places. Pittu also did a fantastic job with the male and female characters - making each character distinct and unique by changing his voice subtly.(My Discussion | Amazon | Goodreads)

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan
Narrator: Ari Fliakos ... This is THE book to read if you love audiobooks because they play an important role in the latter part of the book. Yup - I feel validated now :-) But seriously, I'm so happy I stumbled across Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, because it's beyond cute, and funny, and quirky, and just plain fun to read/ listen to. (Amazon | Goodreads)

Death Comes to Pemberley P.D. James
Narrator: Rosalyn Landor. This book itself didn't thrill me - and neither did the narration. I thought it was okay, but the voices used for the male characters could use a lot of work. This is probably my least favorite audiobook of the year so far. (Amazon | Goodreads)

Dragons ... We Have Dragons!

Seraphina, Rachel Hartman
Narrator: Mandy Williams & Justine Eyre ... Mandy Williams does the majority of the narration, and she does an excellent job of creating the characters and making each distinct - and I love the British accent. Justine Eyre has her parts interspersed within the story as recollections from Seraphina's mother. Both did an outstanding job getting us into a story full of intrigue and suspense. (My Discussion | Amazon | Goodreads)

Iron Hearted Violet, Kelly Barnhill, Iacopo Bruno (Illustrations)
Narrator: Simon Vance. Vance's narration was thrilling! He did a fantastic job with the characters and the pacing of the story. He drew me in, and made listening to this audiobook an exciting experience. (Amazon | Goodreads)

Scary & Strange

The Passage, Justin Cronin
Narrators: Scott Brick, Adenrele Ojo and Abby Craden ... Don't let the 36 hours of listening time turn you off. The narrators are incredible and really brought the characters to life. The pacing was spot on - and since this is a huge 700+ page book (long audiobook), slow pacing would have killed it! It's also really creepy, especially at the beginning. (Amazon | Goodreads)

Everyday, David Levithan
Narrator: Alex McKenna ... The narrator, Alex McKenna, is just phenomenal. She has a distinct low, raspy voice which made listening to her subtle changes for each character, an interesting experience. (My Discussion | Amazon | Goodreads)