Favourite Audiobooks You Should Listen To #TopTenTuesday

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, they post a new Top Ten list that one of their bloggers will answer. Everyone is welcome to join!

Today's list is: Favourite Audiobooks You Should Listen To. This is a great topic for me, because I am an avid audiobook listener. Most of the books that I read are by audio, simply because I lack the time to be able sit down and read.

Here are some of my favourites!

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor: Hands down, my favourite narration EVER. From my review: "This story was not narrated – it was PERFORMED – by Khristine Hvam. The word “narration” does not do Hvam justice! She has extraordinary vocal talents, and she created unique voices for each character. I highly recommend listening to this story as opposed to reading it. You will not be disappointed!!"

Blue Monday by Nicci French: For the mystery/suspense fan, I recommend the Frieda Klein series. This is the first one in the series. From my review: "New-to-me narrator Beth Chalmers did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life, and she adjusted the timbre of her voice to make each one distinct. I do not know whether her British accent is genuine or not, but she certainly is convincing! The voice she used to portray Matthew Farraday is creepy and haunting. I will definitely look for other books narrated by her."

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: If you haven't listened to Davina Porter, you are missing out! From my review: "At nearly 33 hours, I was a little reluctant to start this audiobook because I worried that it would not hold my interest for the duration. Boy, was I wrong! Narrator Davina Porter is truly remarkable! Her voice is so rich with emotion. I loved her Scottish brogue, and she is quite convincing in her portrayal of Jamie and the other Scots. Even if you have read Outlander, I recommend listening to the audiobook. You will be captivated by Porter’s performance!"

Mayday by Nelson DeMille and Thomas Block: Listen to this audiobook while on an airplane. Go ahead, I dare you!! It would make for a pulse-pounding flight! From my review: "This is also my first experience with Scott Brick as narrator. I thought Brick did a fabulous job, and the urgency in his voice had my shoulders tensed. Brick softened his voice for the female voices, and his reading made it easy to distinguish between characters."

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward: This is actually my least favourite book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, but it's the first one and you have to start there! Jim Frangione is wonderful, and this was the first book with steamy scenes that I listened to that was narrated by a man!

Shadow's Claim by Kresley Cole: Robert Petkoff is a fantastic narrator. The accent he used for Trehan just amped up his sex appeal! I was literally fanning myself while listening to him.

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton: It is not my favourite book in the Agatha Raisin series, but it's the first one and I recommend that you start there to get the back-story on all the characters. From my review: "There could not be a more perfect narrator than Penelope Keith, who made me feel like I was sitting down with her over a cup of tea as she regaled me with Agatha’s exploits. I love Keith’s accent, and it made me feel even more immersed in England’s countryside."

Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle: This is the 9th book in the Coffeehouse Mystery series, but it was my first narration by Rebecca Gibel. I had actually jumped into this series at Book #8, and I was hooked from there so it is okay to jump in. From my review: "This is my first narration by Rebecca Gibel, and she was wonderful! Her smooth, rich voice completely drew me into the story. I especially fell in love with her “Madame” vocalization, which was so endearing."  

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows: This is the one that started it all for me: my VERY FIRST audiobook! With very young kids at that time, I had gone for about eight long years with no time to read. Ordinarily, this is NOT the type of book that I would ever pick up to read but it was recommended to me by my colleague. I never thought that I would ever be capable of listening to an audiobook, and I am so glad that I was wrong! Audiobooks are what got me back into reading! This audiobook is narrated by five different people, and it was like listening to a play. I loved it!!



So, what are your favourite audiobooks? Please let me know in the comments, or leave me a link to your blog post if you are also participating in the meme!