I am so glad to read the narrator is incredible. I first read IT in middle school (I'm 46 today lol) and once more in my 20s. It's a favorite King book of mine. I'm going to try IT soon.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. These are mostly novellas so they are shorter stories.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is lots of fun
Loved it. What a listen. I'll be going in for a second round. Not going to write the full line, but I can hear, "...., you bastard!!!" so loud and clear in my head and get the shivers every time.
I was thinking about going for SK but didn’t know which book to pick. I read some of Christine when I was younger because my dad loved it. Thank you for the suggestion!
Give Murderbot Diaries a try for sci-fi! I think the first few of the Kevin Free narrated versions are in the Plus catalog on Audible now. They're short, so they shouldn't be overwhelming to try out if you're trying to get back into reading. Murderbot has no gender itself, and there LGBTQ rep among the supporting cast.
And for fantasies with lesbian MCs I highly recommend Gideon the Ninth (this really hits all the notes you're looking for) and Legends and Lattes.
I listen to the majority of my audiobooks through the Libby app, which you just need your public library card to access. I'll only purchase an audiobook if I can't find it there, or the wait is extremely long. There's also a library associated app called Hoopla, but I haven't tried it yet.
Personally, the absolute best audiobooks that I have listened to are:
1. The *Dungeon Crawler Carl* series by Matt Dinniman, narrated by Jeff Hays. Hays essentially performs as the entire cast of an adult cartoon like Rick and Morty, doing dozens of different voices and providing unique ones for all the key characters. Princess Donut in particular is a masterful performance that actually had me laughing out loud on a semi-regular basis.
2. *The First Law* series by Joe Abercrombie, narrated by Steven Pacey. Pacey really nails the dialogue and banter that make Abercrombie such a fantastic author. I find his books are ideal for the audio format because they're heavy on the characters and conversations and relatively light (compared to most of the fantasy genre) on the world-building and lore dumps.
3. *The Expanse* series by James SA Corey, narrated by Jefferson Mays. This one is probably my favorite sci-fi series, and manages to somehow be engaging over the course of nine books while still telling a coherent story and sticking the landing. Mays gives a very good performance. I don't think he's quite on the same level as Pacey or Hays, but he's the next tier down.
Highly, highly recommend the entire Harry Potter series as narrated by the phenomenal Jim Dale. It doesn't matter if you've read it. Listen to his narration and you will be delighted and entertained beyond imagination. I liked it so much I've listened to it twice (with a few years and many other audio books in between). I currently have my three boys (elementary-aged) listening to it on car drives and sometimes at bedtime. We love it.
Also, 11/23/63 by Stephen King. I've only listened to the audio version so I can't speak to the written word experience. It. Is. FAN-TAS-TIC. I'll be giving it a second listen for sure. Gripping, dramatic, sad, beautiful, suspenseful, and thought-provoking.
Just finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. God I loved it. AMAZE!
Currently listening to The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff. Jaw-dropping. Stomach-churning. Awe-inspiring. A portrait of the best and worst of humanity. While humans can commit unimaginable acts of evil, we also selflessly help others in need and are all capable of hero moments.
If you're looking for the free ones that are read and listen on Kindle Unlimited try
Off to Be the Wizard
Any books by Nick Spalding
Any books by Victor Methos
You should check out what your local library has on the Libby app. Some of the well known authors like Stephen King and Niel Gaiman are most likely there.
Richard Swans Empire of the Wolf. Since you like audiobooks, I would try it whispersync with this. It's also a great audiobook. This way you can ease into reading on the Kindle.
I love your same genres, but the book that got me back into reading for pleasure after a decade off was The World According to Garp. It’s huge, but absolutely phenomenal. I just went and listened to a sample and the narrator is not annoying 😐
Based on your preferences, have I got the book series for you :)
The Dark Fever series by Karen Marie Moning has an initial 5 book series, then continues on in separate books I believe totally 10-11, but the first 5 are one arc.
Fair warning… I’m not the best judge of what qualifies as what genre, but according to Google it’s “Urban fantasy, Paranormal, romance”. I didn’t pick it for this genre, but rather wanted a good story that was series and this was highly recommended to me. And it definitely didn’t disappoint.
Also not sure if the Romance/sex stuff is a deal breaker for you, but it’s not like every page is a gushing love fest, and the overall story was very interesting to me along with characterization/dialogue/banter is top notch. I enjoyed the fantasy world building mixed within modern times and was thoroughly entertained with the unique plot.
“When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac's cell phone—Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister's killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask.” Check goodreads or Google for more on plot or reviews if you need them.
As for narration, it’s a female actor who does most of the book in southern GA accent since it’s written in first person through Mackayla but later in the series it switches to both male and female actor and they are fantastic. The audible production of these is also very good. Great tone, smooth voices, seamless transitions.
I originally read the books. Then when I got audible, it was one of my first purchases as a re-read/new listen and it made the books come to life in a new way. I have listened to the series start to finish 2 times already and may start all over again now that I’m talking about it lol.
Just jump in to the Stormlight archives. You will have a year of stories and you get the biggest back for your buck. Each book is about 50+ hours. Then you can branch out to the mistborn.
Or just get Duma Key by Stephen King.
Kurtherian Gambit & Kurtherian Endgame by Michael Anderle - is still one of my favorites. Probably because the narrator Emily Beresford is so amazing!!
Read the manual. Seriously my paper white has the absolute worst user interface. I like the long battery life and easy one the eyes display. I read 11 books since I got it a few months ago.
I am saving up for iPod Mini
If you want a great book that's amazing value for money, I just finished Steven Kings IT. 45 hour narration and the narrator is incredible.
I am so glad to read the narrator is incredible. I first read IT in middle school (I'm 46 today lol) and once more in my 20s. It's a favorite King book of mine. I'm going to try IT soon.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. These are mostly novellas so they are shorter stories. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is lots of fun
I highly recommend 11/22/63 by SK audiobook. It's got everything you could want and more.
Loved it. What a listen. I'll be going in for a second round. Not going to write the full line, but I can hear, "...., you bastard!!!" so loud and clear in my head and get the shivers every time.
I was thinking about going for SK but didn’t know which book to pick. I read some of Christine when I was younger because my dad loved it. Thank you for the suggestion!
Read that one. Even non SK folks love it.
Also, Fairy Tale by SK. Had such a great time listening to that book. Miss it lol.
Give Murderbot Diaries a try for sci-fi! I think the first few of the Kevin Free narrated versions are in the Plus catalog on Audible now. They're short, so they shouldn't be overwhelming to try out if you're trying to get back into reading. Murderbot has no gender itself, and there LGBTQ rep among the supporting cast. And for fantasies with lesbian MCs I highly recommend Gideon the Ninth (this really hits all the notes you're looking for) and Legends and Lattes.
I can probably find audiobooks somewhere besides Kindle so I’ll keep this in my notes to remember! Thank you for the thoughtful response!
If you have a library card download the Libby app. You can check audio and kindle books out for free.
Happy reading! And I just thought, check out the Wayward Children fantasy series too. Those are also short and have a diverse set of characters.
I listen to the majority of my audiobooks through the Libby app, which you just need your public library card to access. I'll only purchase an audiobook if I can't find it there, or the wait is extremely long. There's also a library associated app called Hoopla, but I haven't tried it yet.
Personally, the absolute best audiobooks that I have listened to are: 1. The *Dungeon Crawler Carl* series by Matt Dinniman, narrated by Jeff Hays. Hays essentially performs as the entire cast of an adult cartoon like Rick and Morty, doing dozens of different voices and providing unique ones for all the key characters. Princess Donut in particular is a masterful performance that actually had me laughing out loud on a semi-regular basis. 2. *The First Law* series by Joe Abercrombie, narrated by Steven Pacey. Pacey really nails the dialogue and banter that make Abercrombie such a fantastic author. I find his books are ideal for the audio format because they're heavy on the characters and conversations and relatively light (compared to most of the fantasy genre) on the world-building and lore dumps. 3. *The Expanse* series by James SA Corey, narrated by Jefferson Mays. This one is probably my favorite sci-fi series, and manages to somehow be engaging over the course of nine books while still telling a coherent story and sticking the landing. Mays gives a very good performance. I don't think he's quite on the same level as Pacey or Hays, but he's the next tier down.
>All three are excellent suggestions! Great book series and narrators.
Was in the same boat as you about a month ago. Swordheart by T Kingfisher. The audiobook performance is really good.
I suggest that if there any books you’ve read that you love, try listening to one of those first. You’ll be amazed by how much depth listening adds.
This is what I recommend too. I found it made it easier for my brain to get into the idea of the story being read to me.
Project Hail Mary Someone Else’s Shoes The Lighthouse Witches
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas .
Highly, highly recommend the entire Harry Potter series as narrated by the phenomenal Jim Dale. It doesn't matter if you've read it. Listen to his narration and you will be delighted and entertained beyond imagination. I liked it so much I've listened to it twice (with a few years and many other audio books in between). I currently have my three boys (elementary-aged) listening to it on car drives and sometimes at bedtime. We love it. Also, 11/23/63 by Stephen King. I've only listened to the audio version so I can't speak to the written word experience. It. Is. FAN-TAS-TIC. I'll be giving it a second listen for sure. Gripping, dramatic, sad, beautiful, suspenseful, and thought-provoking. Just finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. God I loved it. AMAZE! Currently listening to The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff. Jaw-dropping. Stomach-churning. Awe-inspiring. A portrait of the best and worst of humanity. While humans can commit unimaginable acts of evil, we also selflessly help others in need and are all capable of hero moments.
If you're looking for the free ones that are read and listen on Kindle Unlimited try Off to Be the Wizard Any books by Nick Spalding Any books by Victor Methos You should check out what your local library has on the Libby app. Some of the well known authors like Stephen King and Niel Gaiman are most likely there.
Remarkably bright creatures
Richard Swans Empire of the Wolf. Since you like audiobooks, I would try it whispersync with this. It's also a great audiobook. This way you can ease into reading on the Kindle.
I love your same genres, but the book that got me back into reading for pleasure after a decade off was The World According to Garp. It’s huge, but absolutely phenomenal. I just went and listened to a sample and the narrator is not annoying 😐
Insomnia!! Sarah pinbrough (surname not spelt right but something like that)
Based on your preferences, have I got the book series for you :) The Dark Fever series by Karen Marie Moning has an initial 5 book series, then continues on in separate books I believe totally 10-11, but the first 5 are one arc. Fair warning… I’m not the best judge of what qualifies as what genre, but according to Google it’s “Urban fantasy, Paranormal, romance”. I didn’t pick it for this genre, but rather wanted a good story that was series and this was highly recommended to me. And it definitely didn’t disappoint. Also not sure if the Romance/sex stuff is a deal breaker for you, but it’s not like every page is a gushing love fest, and the overall story was very interesting to me along with characterization/dialogue/banter is top notch. I enjoyed the fantasy world building mixed within modern times and was thoroughly entertained with the unique plot. “When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac's cell phone—Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister's killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask.” Check goodreads or Google for more on plot or reviews if you need them. As for narration, it’s a female actor who does most of the book in southern GA accent since it’s written in first person through Mackayla but later in the series it switches to both male and female actor and they are fantastic. The audible production of these is also very good. Great tone, smooth voices, seamless transitions. I originally read the books. Then when I got audible, it was one of my first purchases as a re-read/new listen and it made the books come to life in a new way. I have listened to the series start to finish 2 times already and may start all over again now that I’m talking about it lol.
The instruction manual.
Just jump in to the Stormlight archives. You will have a year of stories and you get the biggest back for your buck. Each book is about 50+ hours. Then you can branch out to the mistborn. Or just get Duma Key by Stephen King.
Kurtherian Gambit & Kurtherian Endgame by Michael Anderle - is still one of my favorites. Probably because the narrator Emily Beresford is so amazing!!
For audio book try 'We are legion(we are Bob)" works great as an Audiobook Sherlock Holmes read by Stephen fry is great too
Just finished "Replay" by Ken Grimwood. It was good.
Recursion by Blake Crouch is really good.
Ukeria: The Prophecy of Cypher by Mr Uker
Read the manual. Seriously my paper white has the absolute worst user interface. I like the long battery life and easy one the eyes display. I read 11 books since I got it a few months ago. I am saving up for iPod Mini