On the Road with Audiobooks

As we continue to celebrate Audiobook Month in June we’d like to share some titles for anyone venturing out on a road trip this summer.

Let’s start with an award-winning title. Not only did Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction this year; it also took home an Audie for Fiction last month. Publishers Weekly praised Zach Appelman’s narration, “Appelman turns in a dramatic and well-paced performance of Doerr's richly conveyed and heartbreaking period piece."

Another title that took home an Audie, this one in the Humor category, was Amy Poehler’s recent memoir Yes Please. Listeners will be treated to not only Poehler’s excellent narration, but also a host of other celebrity voices such as: Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, Patrick Stewart and Kathleen Turner among others. You’re sure to be laughing all the way.

Is your final destination a sandy beach? Why not try out Emma Straub’s The Vacationers? Follow along as the Post family and friends head to Mallorca. With a cast of characters ranging from the middle-aged parents headed for divorce to the sullen teenage daughter and her man child of a brother, there’s plenty of drama to go around.  Kristen Sieh narrates with “wit, humor and remarkable accents” raved Publishers Weekly. And Library Journal commends Sieh’s narration and adds “…this is summer reading with some sizzle and seriousness.”

Have you got some youngsters aboard? Try the full cast reading of the first entry of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, The Golden Compass. Everyone will be enthralled by the story of Lyra and her daemon familiar, Pantalaimon, on their journey to the Far North in search of answers to mysterious goings-on in London. Pullman handles the narration beautifully and the rest of the cast brings the tale to life. This a true masterpiece of storytelling for all ages.

Finally, if you just want to laugh yourself silly to make the time pass try this classic David Sedaris title, Me Talk Pretty One Day. Sedaris is an exceptional story teller and his narration of his own material hits all the right notes. I personally found the stories of his family to be so refreshing in their honesty and completely hilarious. One of my favorites is “You Can’t Kill the Rooster” which is about his foul-mouthed brother. If you haven't listened to Sedaris read or perform in the past, you're in for a real treat.