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Audiobook Picks

June 19, 2013 1 Comment

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I really do love the sound system in my Kia. Audiobooks are my favorite thing to pass the time with on my commute (and they’re great to craft along to, by the way). Not only do I love audiobooks as a personal pastime, part of my job as a Librarian is selecting which audiobooks my library will carry. Here is a list of this librarian/audiobook lover’s favorite titles to listen to in the car:

Audiobook Picks at HandsOccupied.com

  • World War Z by Max Brooks is my favorite audiobook. Inspired by Studs Terkel’s The Good War, WWZ shares first person accounts outlining the events of The Zombie War, from the initial outbreak of the zombie epidemic to international panic to humanity’s near-extinction and recovery efforts. Only recently released for the first time in unabridged form, the audiobook features multiple narrators performing each first person account of the war. Performers include the likes of Alan Alda, Kal Penn, Simon Pegg, Maz Jobrani, Common, Mark Hammil, and Martin Scorsese. (A movie based on the book comes out this week coincidentally.)
  • If you enjoy traditional storytelling, The Round House by Louise Erdrich might be a good choice for you. TRH won the 2012 National Book Award for fiction, highlighting legal and social issues surrounding the rape of Native women on reservations. The book is set in my home state of North Dakota, and Erdrich has long been  one of my favorite authors (probably no coincidence there). The audiobook is voiced by Gary Farmer, a Canadian First Nations member and actor. His performance of the story, told from the perspective of the rape victim’s teenage son, is really moving. This audiobook is on my go-to recommendation list for the same reason as World War Z: the casting is so spot on for the story being told. That becomes important to those of us who listen to a lot of audiobooks.
  • Each audiobook in the Game of Thrones series is excellent. With each book clocking in at around 30-40 hours apiece, they make for a great road trip companion. Now, with the HBO show in existence and quite popular, I don’t think I’ll waste your time describing the crazy plot. Let me instead regale you with how awesome Roy Dotrice, the narrator of all five audiobooks is. SO AWESOME. GoT has roughly a zillion unique characters, each in need of his own voice, and Dotrice delivers. Fun fact: Dotrice even has a spot in the Guiness Book of World Records for his voicing of 224 unique characters in the first GoT audiobook. You can also catch the 90-year-old’s work on screen in the GoT TV series playing Grand Maester Pycelle. PS: Please, please, please don’t die before George R.R. Martin gets around to finishing the GoT series, Mr. Dotrice. I‘m begging you. 

So those are my top 3 picks. I had originally thought about sharing a longer list, but those three books are far and away my favorite audiobooks. My runners up for this list, in case you’re hungry for more, were: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Room by Emma Donoghue, Life After Death by Damien Echols, and Gabby by Gabrielle Giffords, Mark Kelly & Jeffrey Zaslow. Betcha didn’t know how excited I get about audiobooks, did you?

This post is sponsored by Kia.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored Tagged With: audiobooks, car, game of thrones, kia, librarian, picks, sponsored, the round house, world war z

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Lauren A.

    June 19, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    Dang it, Heidi! I wish I’d read this earlier in the day because I spent my entire lunch break searching for a new audiobook. I’m totally bookmarking this for after I’m done with the ones that I checked out. I’m finishing “The Stand” on audiobook and I highly recommend that. It’s huge, though. Great for my 1-ish hour commute though.

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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Helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010
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How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with jus How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with just a few supplies ✂️
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When I was a librarian, we would use these hanging bags to circulate books with audiobook CDs. They came to mind when I wanted to develop a filing cabinet-like system for my differently-sized WIPs. To fit in my studio closet, a standard bedroom closet, they just needed custom hangers. 🤙🏻 
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HOW TO MAKE THE HANGERS
1. Carefully cut approx. a 9” (23 cm) length of flexible 3 mm aluminum wire.
2. Near the end of a large knitting needle or dowel, wrap the wire around it as you would a twist tie. 
3. Bend the other end into a hook shape, perpendicular to the circle shape you just created. 
4. Hang like a hanger in a closet, as shown. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadelife #knitting_inspiration #craftcloset #craftroom #craftroomorganization #craftroomstorage #craftroomdecor #crocheter #latchhook #knittersofinstagram #wip #wips #hangingstorage
It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! T It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! This go around, get to know two new sister yarns from @manosyarnsusa, Marla and Sami, and enter to win a skein of each to try for yourself. 
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What makes these yarns sisters is that, while dyed differently, they’re the same weight and come in intentionally coordinating color palettes. For my review, I opted for a sky-inspired combo of Sami in Natural and Marla in Nube. 🌧️ 
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Check out the full review & enter the giveaway at the link in my bio. 
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#handsoccupied #yarnreview #manosdeluruguay #knitting_inspire #crochet #yarngiveaway #knitters #yarn #crochetersofinstagram
If only knitting a whole project took 39 seconds… 😮‍💨 
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In this video, you can see how the Intarsia Flower Pillow pattern knits up - two flat panels, one with intarsia, both are blocked, and then they’re seamed. Find the pattern on @hi.ravelry & my website, just search Intarsia Flower Pillow. 🌸 
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P.S. I’m really smiling in this video while seaming the pillow, so I guess I’m proving last week’s claim that I truly enjoy that sometimes-dreaded task. 😆🫣
In knitting, a Left Lifted Increase (LLI) lets you In knitting, a Left Lifted Increase (LLI) lets you add a stitch in between two columns of stitches that leans to the left. Similar to an M1L, LLIs allow you to increase nearly invisibly.
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To learn more about lifted increases, including when to use them and how they differ from Make 1s, head to the 🔗 in my profle. 
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Have you ever used lifted increases? I used M1’s almost exclusively for a long time when I needed to inc between stitches, but when I designed the Intarsia Flower Pillow pattern, I needed something that would allow me to increase a lot near my cast on, and M1’s resulted in edge curling. The more you know! 🌈 
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Yarn: @lionbrandyarn Wool Ease from my Stash / Neddles: @boyeyarncrafts - Just remembered these are the needles I learned to knit on at age 8. 😂
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Last week I got to hang out with my family & helpe Last week I got to hang out with my family & helped babysit my red-headed niece and nephew. So here’s some plane knitting, and a couple pictures (shared with permission) of my babysitting adventures.
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Lessons learned: 1️⃣ Trying to knit around 2 toddlers, 2 cats & 2 large dogs is pretty hard. 2️⃣ I learned during water color time that pink and black make “colorful black.” 🩷🖤 3️⃣ Toddlers do NOT care about your rainbow sorting of their toys. 4️⃣ Toddlers are very good at finding mischief in a very short amount of time, what a surprise. 😂
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