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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 & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and 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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When it’s August & the crew has the day off, the When it’s August & the crew has the day off, the only thing to do is a Knitflix marathon! I hadn’t seen the latest season of Stranger Things and had a TON of knitting to do, so we decided why not make a day of it? For non knitters, this is a pretty accurate depiction of what a dream day looks like for maker types. (Plus or minus a cranky but cute house pet.) 
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Just making this for fun & to see how it feels to distill a yarn day into a short video like this. Big thank you to Jamie & Mariah for being my friends, even though they said “it’s okay if you don’t tag me in this.” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 
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Are you looking for some late summer reading picks Are you looking for some late summer reading picks? Here are 3 fresh titles for makers of all ages - full reviews are on my bl0g, along with a giveaway for a copy of Knitstrips! The 🔗 is where you’d think. 😉
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To Make by Danielle Davis (@writesinla) / Knitstrips by Alice Ormsbee Beltran & Karen Kim Mar (@ik_knitstrips) / This Long Tread by Jen Hewett (@jenhewett) 
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New on the blog today! This former Librarian revie New on the blog today! This former Librarian reviews three making-related books for kids, teens & adults. And there’s a copy of one up for giveaway too! 📚 
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To Make by Danielle Davis (@writesinla) with pictures by Mags DeRoma (@magsderoma) / Knitstrips (@ik_knitstrips) by Alice Ormsbee Beltran & Karen Kim Mar / This Long Thread by Jen Hewett (@jenhewett) 
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I’ll share preview page-through videos for these this week too, but for now the written reviews are at the top of handsoccupied dot com along with my search bar if you can’t find ‘em. All giveaway details are listed in the review post. 🤙🏻 
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I think about the wrong side of my intarsia knitti I think about the wrong side of my intarsia knitting kind of like some embroiderers do: I get (probably too) excited when the back’s neat and tidy. Are you this way? Is it just me? 
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Pictured is the wrong side of a large primary color intarsia swatch I knit for an upcoming design in @brooklyntweed Arbor. When I pulled it from my studio, I thanked my former self for talking the time to knit, weave in ends, & block a clean swatch already. As critical as they are, I’m excited to not have to make one today. I’ll advocate for swatching all day long, but I won’t pretend it’s like the funnest step in the process! 😆🧶
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