4 Audiobooks For Inspiration and Comfort

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4 Audiobooks for Inspiration and Comfort

4 Audiobooks for Inspiration and Comfort

So, how is your new year going so far? While I hope it’s going brilliantly, I’ve found that many of us spend January in need of a boost, nudge, hug, or serious talking-to. That’s what these audiobooks offer. Listen to one or all, and by February, you’ll be raring to go.

Finding MeaningI wish I’d had David Kessler’s FINDING MEANING after my mother’s death on Christmas Eve, 2005. That January and for months afterward, I felt alternately numb and frantic, and despite our loving relationship, guilty about everything I’d ever said or not said to her. I needed Kessler’s blend of sincerity, patience, and good sense. They are a balm to the bereft. I trust you’re not mourning a death or job loss, divorce or even a broken leg. If you are, Kessler will help you through it. Read more…

Aurelia C. Scott
Author and audiobook fanatic, Aurelia often falls asleep at night with earbuds still attached. She can also be found at www.aureliacscott.com.
http://www.aureliacscott.com

Resolve to Listen to More Romance Audiobooks

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Resolve to Listen to More Romance Audiobooks

Resolve to Listen to More Romance Audiobooks

I’m a little behind this year — I haven’t yet made my New Year’s Resolutions. (Resolutions are a Big Deal to me — I actually completed three resolutions last year, thanks to my bullet journal, so this year, I feel like the stakes are even higher.) While I’m still considering my own 2020 goals, I encourage everyone to start the new year off right by listening to a great romance audiobook. Below are some favorites from 2019 to get you going — and we resolve to bring you fresh new romance audio recommendations all year long. Love your listening in 2020! Read more…

Caitlin Augusta
Caitlin is a librarian from Connecticut who enjoys great narrators and happy endings. She has been reviewing audiobooks for Audiofile Magazine since 2006, and she has had the privilege of judging numerous Audie Award categories since 2009. Her favorite authors are Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and whatever she's listening to right now!

Act Foolish Whenever Possible: Life Lessons from 4 Funny Audiobooks

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Act Foolish Whenever Possible

Act Foolish Whenever Possible

In my family, we call it naked vacuuming. That urge to eradicate crumbs under the table while tiptoeing to the laundry room to retrieve underwear. One crumb leads to the next, which causes you not to hear the neighbor’s “Hello!” from the unlocked kitchen door until it’s too late. Hence my advice for the New Year — Leave the crumbs for the mice. Hoping that you, too, are inspired and amused by other people’s quirks and misadventures, I’ve decided to recommend four funny audiobooks filled with the kind of snippet I shared about my own life. Read more…

Aurelia C. Scott
Author and audiobook fanatic, Aurelia often falls asleep at night with earbuds still attached. She can also be found at www.aureliacscott.com.
http://www.aureliacscott.com

5 Audiobooks for the New Year and a More Fulfilling 2020

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5 Audiobooks for the New Year

5 Audiobooks for the New Year

Happy New Year and welcome to the 2020s. As much as I like the holiday season, I love the promise of a new year and fresh beginnings even more. I don’t make resolutions, but I like to take the time to think about how I can make changes to better embrace the possibilities of the next 12 months.

In what has become a bit of a tradition here at Take 5, my first blog post of the year focuses on getting help with meeting our personal goals. Today I recommend five audiobooks that guide us on our journey to create a more fulfilling and calmer life in the year to come. Read more…

Candace Levy
Candace Levy
Candace is a full-time freelance book editor as well as a book reviewer and journalist. When she’s not working, you'll inevitably find her listening to an audiobook while cooking, walking, making lace, or taking photographs. She was honored to be the 2016 Audio Publishers Association's Audiobook Blogger of the Year.
http://www.bethfishreads.com/

Home for the Holidays: Fun with Family?

Audiobook mysteries with families wackier than yours

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Home For The Holidays

Home For The Holidays

Holidays are a time for family and for fun. But at this point in the holiday week, you may not be thinking of those two words in the same sentence. So, let me share with you some audiobooks that will draw you into the craziness of family situations that you can laugh at and enjoy, because with the flick of a button, you can turn them on or off. Read more…

Ellen Quint
Ellen Quint
A mystery writer, audiobook reviewer and Audies judge. Ellen is currently the program chair of Sisters in Crime-NY and has published two crime short stories: Crossing the Line (Family Matters); Taking the Brooklyn Bridge Back (Where Crime Never Sleeps).

Unwind with an Audiobook

Lighter Listens for a Busy Season

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Unwind with an Audiobook

Unwind with an Audiobook

Are you all ready for the holidays? No matter which December holiday you celebrate, and even if you don’t celebrate any of them, this is the time of year for festive parties, shopping, baking, school vacation, and days off work. Phew! Makes me tired just thinking about it.

You might be able to guess one of my favorite de-stressing tricks. Yep, listening to a light (or brief) audiobook. As much as I like literary fiction and various kinds of nonfiction, those audiobooks are rarely on my December listening list.

I’m craving fun, light stories to take my mind off my miles-long seasonal to-do list. Today’s Take 5 roundup includes audiobooks from a variety of genres, and all are perfect for holiday listening. Preheat your oven, turn on an audiobook, and let’s get baking and listening! Read more…

Candace Levy
Candace Levy
Candace is a full-time freelance book editor as well as a book reviewer and journalist. When she’s not working, you'll inevitably find her listening to an audiobook while cooking, walking, making lace, or taking photographs. She was honored to be the 2016 Audio Publishers Association's Audiobook Blogger of the Year.
http://www.bethfishreads.com/

2019 Best Children & Teen Audiobooks

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2019 Best Children and Teen Listening

2019 Best Children and Teen Listening

Of all the audiobooks I have listened to this year (almost 100!), the ones on AudioFile’s 2019 Best Audiobooks list definitely rise to the top. In the Children’s and YA categories, there is something for every listener from age 4 through adult. They are all beautifully written, and the performances make each story a joy to listen to. To echo Elizabeth Acevedo in her interview with AudioFile, these audiobooks make me feel “like these are my homies talking to me in my ear and telling me these amazing tales.” Read more…

Sonja Cole
Sonja Cole
As a former middle school librarian and author of Booktalking Around the World: Great Global Reads for Ages 9-14, Sonja’s mission is to get kids excited about books.

Best Biography & History Audiobooks of 2019

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2019 Best Audiobooks Biography and History

2019 Best Audiobooks Biography and History

I say this every year, but it’s true: One of my favorite things about December is the best-of book lists, especially the best in audiobooks. I love adding to my wish list and getting great ideas for gift giving.

I also keep my eye (ear?) out for good audiobooks to listen to with family. An audiobook can take the sting out of traveling, cooking, and house cleaning, and it makes a quiet night at home in front of the fire extra special.

Today I’m happy to share with you AudioFile’s Best Biography & History Audiobooks for 2019. We picked the following titles not only for their excellence in research and style but also because of the narrators’ exceptional performances, which leave listeners wanting more. Read more…

Candace Levy
Candace Levy
Candace is a full-time freelance book editor as well as a book reviewer and journalist. When she’s not working, you'll inevitably find her listening to an audiobook while cooking, walking, making lace, or taking photographs. She was honored to be the 2016 Audio Publishers Association's Audiobook Blogger of the Year.
http://www.bethfishreads.com/

2019 Best Mystery & Suspense Audiobooks

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2019 Best Audiobooks Mystery & Suspense

2019 Best Audiobooks Mystery & Suspense

Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Best Mystery & Suspense audiobooks! What I find most interesting about these audiobooks is the diversity of subgenres represented, from spy thriller to police procedural, private investigator, and domestic suspense. They unfold in very different locations—from bustling New York City to Berlin, London, the back country of Texas, and beyond. What they have in common is that they’re all powerful stories performed by super talented narrators. Audiobook mystery fans, this is your opportunity to expand your listening list. Read more…

Ellen Quint
Ellen Quint
A mystery writer, audiobook reviewer and Audies judge. Ellen is currently the program chair of Sisters in Crime-NY and has published two crime short stories: Crossing the Line (Family Matters); Taking the Brooklyn Bridge Back (Where Crime Never Sleeps).

5 Questions with Narrator Michael Kramer

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5 Questions with Michael Kramer

5 Questions with Michael Kramer

Most of you will associate today’s Take 5 guest narrator with audiobooks set in imaginary worlds. To me, Michael Kramer’s name is especially linked to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series; in fact, he’s narrated all of the books in that very popular series in collaboration with Kate Reading. Tens of thousands of fantasy fans have welcomed Michael into their lives via speakers, headphones, and earbuds as they listened to 14 audiobooks and well more than 400 hours of action, adventure, war, and politics set in an ancient world.

If you’re a fantasy fan, you may be surprised to learn that Michael is equally skilled at performing history, memoir, literary fiction, thrillers, children’s stories, science fiction, and more. The audiobooks I’m recommending today do indeed include fantasy—such as an exciting new production of a recently released Robert Jordan book—but I also feature a modern classic, a thriller, and history. I encourage you to get to know Michael’s work on stories set in the real world as well as fantastic ones. Read more…

Candace Levy
Candace Levy
Candace is a full-time freelance book editor as well as a book reviewer and journalist. When she’s not working, you'll inevitably find her listening to an audiobook while cooking, walking, making lace, or taking photographs. She was honored to be the 2016 Audio Publishers Association's Audiobook Blogger of the Year.
http://www.bethfishreads.com/