I have been listening to audiobooks for a long time, i.e., since the time when a CD player is a must-have option in your car. A quarter of the CDs I own are audiobooks (is my age showing?) and I only stopped buying them when audiobooks became an app.
But though I started Marienela as a book blog in May 2013, I seldom wrote reviews on the audiobooks I have listened to because when I check Amazon, Goodreads and of course Audible, there was already a long list. I felt that chances are someone had already written what I thought about the book.
So, why am I adding an audiobook section in Marienela at this point in time? Perhaps it’s the 7-year itch… the need for a change… the need for something new. I listen to books as much as I read them. I have a 30-minute commute to work, longer if I hit traffic. So, everyday I spend at least one hour listening. Add the four days I go to the gym and that’s four hours added to my listening pleasure.
Once I decided to review audiobooks, the next question for me was where do I start? Which one should be my initial offering? I have three favorite genres – sci-fi/fantasy, mystery/thriller and romance.
I have to confess, my inner geek wanted to go for sci-fi/fantasy and review Brandon Sanderson’s “Warbreaker.” Released on print in June 2009, the audiobook came out in December 2015. I read the book and I listened to the audiobook. In fact, I listened to TWO audiobooks – the first edition which was read by James Yaegashi and the second edition which was read by Alyssa Bresnahan.
My listening experience with the two narrators were so different. I totally enjoyed listening to both of them, but I also have to say that James Yaegashi did very well in giving an added dimension to Lightsong, a leading male character. On the other hand, Alyssa Bresnahan did a fantastic Siri, the leading female character. (Note: Warbreaker precedes Siri, the Apple AI, just to set the record straight.)
It’s not because of their genders though. Both narrators can interchangeably do male and female voices very well. Still, Yaegashi’s “surfer dude” treatment for voicing Lightsong was so perfect for the character’s optimistic nature.
Meanwhile, Bresnahan’s treatment of Siri really showed that she was a teenage girl way over her head with a blossoming first love to the most powerful man in their world who by the way is considered a god! What does a girl gotta do to attract his attention?
I did not want to choose because I will be doing the book and both narrators a disservice if I choose one from the other.
As for mystery/thriller, I did not even want to go there. My favorite author in that genre is the late Robert Ludlum who penned the Jason Bourne trilogy, which also happens to be one of my all-time favorites.
But the movies starring Matt Damon have overshadowed the original books which was set during the era after the Vietnam War. Writing a review on these classics did not really make sense as an initial offering.
So, I was left with the Romance genre, and boy… I had so many to choose from, I actually had to write two lists – one based on the author and one based on the narrators!
Because Romance has several subgenres, the list of authors I like was longer than the narrators. So just to be easy to myself, I decided that I have to choose from my favorite narrators.
Here is my list, in no particular order: Sebastian York, Joe Arden, Andi Arndt, Erin Mallon, Therese Plummer, Teddy Hamilton, Christian Fox, Zachary Webber. I would also like to add Kate Redding and Michael Kramer. But, because they usually read for the sci-fi/fantasy genre, I did not even consider any of their works at this point in time.
Going through my library, I found Sebastian York, Joe Arden and Teddy Hamilton in many of my audiobooks. I did not even realize that when I see their names, I usually downloaded the book. Then, to my surprise, I found all three of them in “Taking Turns,” an erotica book by JA Huss.
Following them via their works that I have in my library brought me to “Sacred Hart,” by A. M. Johnson. Released on print in June 2016, it debuted as an audiobook on August 2017 narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Vanessa Edwin.
With its powerful story, I knew immediately that “Sacred Hart” will be my initial audiobook review. And with Teddy Hamilton’s sexy boy-next-door voice, it made the book a must-listen.
My review of “Sacred Hart” is HERE.
