4 Books for (A)udiobook Appreciation Month

June is Audiobook Appreciation Month and if you’ve been reading the blog long enough, you know that Tanya and I are wild about audiobooks! Today I thought I’d share 4 of my favorite audiobooks ever.

The Lunar Chronicles, narrated by Rebecca Soler

One of my favorite series ever follows Cinder, a cyborg and lost princess. She is the perfect heroine who is, of course, modeled after Cinderella. Each book in the series introduces a new heroine all modeled after fairytale princesses. There is Scarlet (Little Red Riding Hood), Cress (Rapunzel), and Winter (Snow White). There is a novella and two graphic novels that are companions to the series. The narration on theses is fantastic and it really brings the story and characters to life.

Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder’s brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it “a matter of national security,” but Cinder suspects it’s more serious than he’s letting on.

Millenium Series, narrated by Simon Vance

Starting with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, these audiobooks will have you hooked from that opening line. Simon Vance is one my favorite narrators. This entire series is magnetic and will have you on the edge of your seat. When I first started them they were unlike anything I’d ever read.

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

Unbroken, narrated by Edward Herrmann

A stand alone that was absolutely gut wrenching. I couldn’t stop listening to this amazing tale of heroism and survival. Such an incredible journey and the narration made me feel as though I was right there watching it all unfold.

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

Ready Player One, narrated by Wil Wheaton

Another favorite audiobook narrator, I try to listen to nearly everything that Wil Wheaton has recorded. Ready Player One was an amazing thrill ride. It was so much fun to listen to the audio version of the story.

IN THE YEAR 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

This really just scratches the surface of audiobooks I’ve loved but these were some of the first to pop into my head. Do you listen to audiobooks? What have been some of your favorites?