Addicted to Audio Books by Niki Barnes
I love audio books! I am addicted. I admit that I had to get past the feeling that I was cheating because I wasn’t actually physically reading the book. But now that the guilt is gone; I have embraced my love of audio books. And I also have to admit that I think some audio books are probably better than reading the book myself. I’m telling you now that if you listen to Jack Gantos read Dead End in Norvelt or Neil Gaiman readThe Graveyard Book you will quickly see what I mean.
Audio books have kept me sane! True story. I have a 45 minute drive to work and it is more like an hour in the winter. There are only so many times I can listen to depressing news on NPR or “Call Me Maybe” on the radio. Audio books have saved me from my zombie like commute. And speaking of zombies….I think fourth grade boys would really enjoy the audio book I’m listening to right now entitled My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie by David Lubar. Audio books have also been a blessing for keeping up with the mountain of books I want to read. During the hectic school year, I can usually listen to an audio book quicker than I can read the physical copy of the book. And like I mentioned before, when you have a great reader it can also be more entertaining then reading the book yourself.
So how can you find great audio books to read? Look no further than Twitter! My Nerdy Book Clubfriends on Twitter are a great resource for great books to read and audio books are no exception. I asked them to list some of their favorite audio books and I received an amazing list!
Colby Sharp loves the Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger. I agree 100% with this recommendation. I love them too!
Chris Roberts favorites are The False Prince by Jennifer Neilson, Penny From Heaven by Jennifer Holm,Watsons Go to Birmingham, Bud, Not Buddy and The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis.
Beth Shaum enjoys the audio books The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy, The Diviners and Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
Lorna Wheaton recommends the 26 Fairmount Avenue series by Tomie DePaola which is read by the author. She also recommends Guys Read: Funny Business by Jon Scieszka.
Crystal Brunelle adores Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan (also one of my favorites), Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Book Thief by Mark Zusak, Beauty Queens by Libba Bray andMr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard & Florence Atwalter.
Jen Vincent is a fan of Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Book Thief by Mark Zusak and After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick
Stacy Ford loves The Fudge series (Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing) by Judy Blume and Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick.
My parents are also avid listeners of audio books. In fact, they are listening to the mammoth audio book that isA Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. WOW!! Now that is a long audio book series! They recommend the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and The Orchid series by Stuart Woods.
I found it interesting that some of the audio books were mentioned more than once (Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Beauty Queens, The Book Thief and Harry Potter) and that many of the audio books listed by my friends are my favorites too. If you would love more audio book recommendations check out my Goodreads audio book shelf http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6152323-niki?shelf=audio-book. So what are you waiting for?
Go visit your local library and give audio books a try! I know you will love them! Happy Reading!
Niki Barnes is a 2nd grade teacher in Michigan. Her secret inner book nerd was released when she was introduced to Twitter by Donalyn Miller. She is a proud (library) card carrying member of the Nerdy Book Club and #virtualbookclub. She feels very blessed to share ideas and her love of books with so many amazing authors, teachers and librarians. Follow Niki on Twitter
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This piece was written by Niki Barnes exclusively for Bonbon Break Media, LLC.
