Video: 3 Good Audiobooks

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Let’s talk audiobooks. They’re great, right?

We all know the teeth-grinding cringiness of a bad audiobook narrator. They can take words that would be luminary on the page and turn them into crap.

On the flipside, the right audiobook narrator can make a book come to life. Life, I tell ya!

Audiobooks are my secret to how I manage to “read” so much despite working full time, rearing two kids, and dealing with a pesky addiction to running. (That’s not a humble brag. I really am a terrible, slow runner).

While I’m on the go, I put on an audiobook and keep my stories going.

This list should be more like 300 audiobooks instead of 3, but being the busy people we are, let’s just cut it down to a quick video. Got any audiobook recommendations to add? I want them all! Drop me a line in the comments below.

Here’s where to find the three books mentioned in this video:

1. It by Stephen King, read by Steven Weber. Yep, this is the one about the scary clown that lives in the sewers and kills the town’s children. Steven Weber does the voices SO MUCH justice. The clown is terrifying. The kids are sympathetic without being whiny. He acts the heck out of these parts, and it’s a joyful listening experience.
2. Ain’t She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, read by Kate Fleming (a.k.a Anna Fields). Kate Fleming passed away in 2006, and it’s a real shame. She was an audiobook voice actor, and I’m sure that she was so many more things to many more people in her life. She’s narrated many of SEP’s books, but Ain’t She Sweet is my favorite of hers. I purposefully seek out the audiobook version of this title since Fleming fleshes it out lovingly. The premise: SugarBeth was a mean girl in high school. Now that she’s out of luck and charm, she comes back home to the people she once taunted as a girl. It’s such a sweet book. Hmmm, I must re-listen again soon, for the umpteenth time.
3. I Must Say by Martin Short, read by (who else?!) Martin Short. Martin Short is a legendary comedian (gaaaaah, I hate to say that about a living actor because it makes them sound about 100 years old). He’s created many lasting characters, including Ed Grimly & Jiminy Glick, and does lots of movies. He’s quite the international sensation, I must say (did you just read that in an Ed Grimley voice? I sure did). Short breaks into character several times in this book. He talks about his good times and bad. I came away enthralled with this book and an even bigger fan of him than I already was.
4. Bonus: Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut by Stephen King, read by Dana Ivey. OK, ok, I’m cheating. But how can I NOT include Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut? I must. Why? Because I’ve listened to the audiobook version of this novella at least 20 times. It’s part of a compilation in The Skeleton Crew, but probably can be found in standalone form as well (but why would you want to? The other stories are good too – just spring for the full book). Dana Ivey reads this one, and gives it the main character the slow, thoughtful room he deserves. I’m not sure who’s in charge of finding people for his books, but Stephen King in general translates excellently to audiobook. Especially his short story collections. They choose the best narrators. Many repeat listens from me.

Give me your recommendations! I love a good audiobook and need help with which one to “read” next.