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Listen while you walk: Audiobooks for your pleasure
As an avid reader and lover of literature, I know as well as anyone how hard it is to keep up reading for pleasure in college. Luckily, in our multimedia world, audiobooks offer the chance to read in between tests, papers and extracurricular activities. We spend an hour or more every day just walking to and around campus, working out or in the shower. This is a perfect time to catch up on reading by listening instead. Additionally, listening to the audiobook can truly enhance your experience of a story—no matter the genre. Many libraries now offer free rentals, so they’re easy and free to download. Here are some of my recommendations.
For Fans of Nonfiction:
Furiously Happy
by Jenny Lawson
This memoir, voiced by Lawson herself, is a hilarious, reflective and at times heartbreaking glimpse into her struggles with mental illness and how she decides to manage it. The answer is simple. She decides to be furiously happy, to live life instead of just survive it. This leads to all sorts of experiences—including bonding with a taxidermy raccoon and going to Australia to hold a koala while wearing a koala suit. The audiobook is especially meaningful because you can hear the stories from the author herself, and there’s a special chapter just for listeners. This book will make you laugh, make you think and may even make you decide to be more furiously happy yourself.
For Fans of Science Fiction:
Illuminae
by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
This novel is voiced by 20 different actors and includes a wide variety of sound effects. The extraordinary acting and large cast set this audiobook apart. Told through a collection of documents, interviews and narrated surveillance footage, this book is truly unique. Despite this format, the characters will steal into your heart and have you desperate to find out what happens. The book begins with an intergalactic attack on their home planet the same day the two main characters, Kady and Ezra, break up, and things rapidly escalate from there. This novel is fast-paced, suspenseful and includes shocking plot twists. It will have you gasping and listening with bated breath until the final sentence.
For Fans of Adult Fiction:
The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah
If you haven’t read this one yet, or even if you have, I’d strongly recommend the audiobook. It’s read by Polly Stone, who does a masterful job differentiating and characterizing the many people represented in the novel. Her voice acting takes this hauntingly beautiful story to the next level. The book recounts the story of two sisters and their individual forms of resistance and survival in France throughout World War II. It’s a story of love and loss, resilience and hope. The book is a testament to the fact that even in the face of so much evil and tragedy, we keep living, keep loving and keep making meaning. Be warned though, you might cry while listening to this one, so it might be best to finish it up in your bed with a cup of hot chocolate and a fluffy blanket.
For Fans of Young Adult Fiction:
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
by Benjamin Alire Saenz
This audiobook is read by everyone’s favorite, Lin-Manuel Miranda. He brings passion and emotion to the story of 15-year-old Ari and his struggles with family, identity and sexuality. Ari has always been angry, has always been a loner, but after he meets Dante one summer day at the pool, his life will never be the same. This book is incredibly poetic and almost lyrical, especially when read by Miranda. It captures the inexplicable longing of being young and trying to figure out who you are and want to be. It will tug on your heartstrings and leave you wishing you could sit in a pick-up truck in the Texas desert, stare up at the stars and contemplate the secrets of the universe.