Highly Recommended Audiobooks Mostly From 2022 – Sharp Eye

I have a self-rule that I’m not allowed to do just one thing at a time.  Audiobooks are a delightful multi-tasking addition.   They ease the boredom of a long drive, or a lengthy chore, or legitimize just sitting and knitting.

Most of these audiobooks are available at your local library, and we’ve also given two online sources.

 

Viola Davis’ Finding Me is read by the author, thank goodness because who would be able to ‘outread’ Viola Davis? It runs 9 hours and 15 minutes.

Her story is amazing, gripping, painful at times,  and so realistic hearing it told in her voice. It is one credit at Audible if you are a member, or $34.16 if you aren’t. 

$14.99 with a Libro.fm free membership, $32.19 without membership. Remember you are supporting local independent bookstores when you use Libro.fm, and membership is FREE!

 

Billy Collins is one of my favorite poets, and his latest poems appear in Musical Tables, released in November 2022.  The length of this audiobook is 39 minutes

There are 125 short poems, read by the author.   One credit at Audible or $9.90.

$14.00 on Libro.fm

 

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama is her second book, and like the first, she is the narrator.  It runs 9 hours and 59 minutes.

Obama shares her wisdom and strategies for facing life’s major challenges, staying hopeful and balanced in today’s stressful world events.  It is one credit from Audible or $24.50.

$14.99 with Libro.fm free membership or $20.00 without membership.

 

The Maid by Nita Prose is read by Lauren Ambrose and runs 9 hours and 37 minutes. NPR described this novel; as a ‘cozy mystery’.

It involves a hotel maid embroiled in the murder of one of the guests primarily because she has trouble in social situations and sees things differently. It gets rave reviews for being a delightful read.

One Audible credit or $12.54.

$14.99 with a Libro.fm free membership, $31.50 without.

 

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan is read by the author.  It runs 11 hours and 15 min. This is an uplifting novel about a former actress who becomes a successful audiobook narrator but has hurdles to overcome to realize her dreams.

One Audible credit or $18.13.

$14.99 with a Libro.fm free membership, $32.19 without.

 

An ASE reader heard I was writing this article and told me that any self-respecting article about best audiobooks MUST include Murder Before Evensong by Richard Coles, even though it was released in 2020.

This is the debut novel from broadcaster and cleric Reverend Richard Coles. Set in the 1980s, the protagonist is Daniel Clement, an English amateur sleuth and rector of St. Mary’s church in Champton, an English village with country lanes lined with primroses. Devotees of Agatha Christie and Midsomer Murders will love this book. It is read by the author and runs 7 hours and 24 minutes. $19.05 at Audible.

 

Book Lovers by Emilie Henry is read by Julia Whelan.  The run time is 11 hours and 23 minutes.

Literary agent Nora Stephens runs into editor Charlie Lastra, whom she loathes, in a small town far from New York City.  They end up working together on a manuscript, arguing the entire time.  This is a good “I hate you I hate you more” story with lots of clever, quick banter. It is about how life changes and compromising is an important skill to learn. One Audible credit or $12.54.

$14.99 with free membership to Libro.fm.  $31.50 without membership.

 

Liberation Day short stories by George Saunders is read by various actors like Tine Fey, Michael McKean, Edi Patterson and five more.  The run time is 7 hours 6 minutes.

These nine fictional stories explore ideas of power, ethics, and justice.  They examine human behavior, how we coexist with each other, and some fantasy about what the future might hold.

One Audible credit or $23.12.

$14.99 with free membership to Libro.fm.  $31.50 without membership.

 

Summer of ’85 Audible Original by Chris Morrow, Kevin Hart, Charlamagne Tha God.   Read by Kevin Hart with interviews with Patti LaBelle, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels among others. The run time is 4 hours and 47 miniutes.

It’s about two historical events in Philadelphia’s history – The May 13th decision to bomb the headquarters of MOVE and the July 13th Live Aid concert, both in the summer of 1985.  The Live Aid concert raised millions of dollars for famine victims in Africa while the bombing of the MOVE headquarters killed 11 MOVE members including five children and led to a fire that was allowed to burn for hours, destroying a middle-class African American neighborhood. Included in an Audible membership or $17.46 to purchase.

 

Horse by Geraldine Brooks is narrated by James Fouhey, Lisa Flanigan, Graham Halstead, Katherine Kittrell, and Michael Obiora.  The run time is 14 hours and 6 minutes.

This is a book about a racehorse during the Civil War era, and its trainer, a young slave.  There are multiple timelines and characters as well as accurate details of equine medicine and science.  Everyone I know who has listened to or read this book loves it.

One Audible credit or $14.63.

$14.99 with free membership to Libro.fm.  $31.50 without membership.

 

The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers, narrated by Adenrele Ojo, Karen Chilton, and Prentice Onayemi. It runs for 29 hours and 49 minutes.  It is a 2021 book, but since I am two-thirds of the way through it and am loving it, I had to include it.

It is a long book, but it hooks the reader early on so it’s easy to forgive the length.  This is an epic story of a black family in America that traces its roots back three centuries of African, European, and Indigenous people.  It is honest, painful, joyful, and evil with quotes from W.E.B. DuBois throughout.  We all need to read this book and fortunately, Jeffers is such a good writer, I could hardly put it down.

One Audible credit or $18.20.

$14.99 with free membership to Libro.fm.  $59.79 without membership.

 

Dutch House by Ann Patchett, read by Tom Hanks.  This is a 2019 book, but it was SO highly recommended by Anne F., I’ve included it. It runs 9 hours and 53 minutes.

This novel is about a wicked stepmother who ousts her two stepchildren after their father dies.  Gratitude, compassion, forgiveness are all themes in this engrossing book.  Tom Hanks is inspired as the narrator.

One Audible credit or $17.43.

$14.99 with a free membership to Libro.fm or $32.19 without membership.

 

Confidence Man:  The Making of Donald Trump written and read by Maggie Haberman. Run time is 17 hours and 22 minutes.

Maggie Haberman was assigned to cover Donald Trump for the New York Times.  She is an excellent journalist and won a Pulitzer Prize for her work at the Times. Her thesis is that unless you are familiar with New York City politics, you will never understand Donald Trump. She takes half this excellent book to explain Trump’s life before he became president. From a review in Slate, “Haberman (sic) demonstrates that Trump expected his political career to operate the same way his New York and New Jersey real estate development enterprises did.”

One Audible credit or $16.73.

$14.99 with a free membership to Libro.fm.  $35.00 without membership.

 

Louise Penny is a favorite mystery writer for many of us.  Her latest book, A World of Curiosities, is now available as an audiobook.  It is read by Robert Bathurst and the run time is 13 hours and 15 minutes.

Louise Penny’s Gamache series is my go-to long car ride audiobook.  She is an excellent writer and her characters are erudite and elegant.  If you are new to Louise Penny, I strongly suggest that you start with book one, as her plots build upon one another.  If you love book one, you will be delighted to learn that this new book is #18.   One Audible credit or $21.43.

$14.99 with a free membership to Libro.fm.  $37.94 without membership.

 

Note:  ASE reader G.R. uses Libro.fm for her audiobooks and is very happy with them. I have added that link along with Audible because Libro.fm supports local independent bookstores. Membership is free.

 

Don’t miss this ASE article for more on our favorite audiobooks.

Audiobooks Read by Celebrities Can Make the Books Even More Appealing.

 



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