Ep. 2: Audible Essentials: The All-Time Bests

Building out your audiobook collection? Start with these favorites chosen from our list of Audible Essentials.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Just Kids by Patti Smith

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

©2018 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC

Great ideas of books to read

The Editors at Audible got together to choose their all-time favourite books, and came up with an interesting list. Two of the ones they mentioned are in my to-be-read stash.

Expected More

If you could sum up Ep. 2: Audible Essentials: The All-Time Bests (Audicted) in three words, what would they be?

Too Brief and Biased

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Are all the editors at Audible women? I expected a more diverse review of Audible's Essentials list. This presentation seemed very biased.

Any additional comments?

www.audible.com/audicted which was referenced in this episode and episode 3 doesn't existed (or at least wouldn't open when I tried it)

Loved it, wish it was a little longer.

Would you listen to Ep. 2: Audible Essentials: The All-Time Bests (Audicted) again? Why?

I love these podcasts. They're great for commutes and getting commentary on audios. But I'm not sure that I would need to hear them again. The collection of audios that are discussed on the show are at www.Audible.com/Audicted in case I want to go back and remind myself what was on each podcast.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ep. 2: Audible Essentials: The All-Time Bests (Audicted)?

Listening to the discussion about Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends stood out to me, as well as Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life. I was on the fence about listening to A Little Life before - now I'll probably listen to it.

What does the narrator bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Listening to these Editors discuss their personal experiences and opinions makes me feel like I'm closer to their own experiences and like I'm almost part of their conversation. It's more intimate.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Great Content - Perhaps Some Uncovered Ground

Story: 3-Stars
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A vocal listing of all-time bests is not as effective as a written one if all you are looking for is the black and white data. The commentary provided by the hosts (along with their obvious enthusiasm for the titles), however, make this episode worth listening to. Being somewhat new to the audiobook scene, I appreciate the education they provide concerning noteworthy narrators and behind-the-scenes trivia. This will serve me well when choosing titles going forward.

Two episodes into the series, I am becoming concerned that there may not be enough points of view. There is a clear leaning towards memoirs in their selections. One panelist speaks almost exclusively of romance titles (it is her job, so I understand). It is early, though I can't shake the feeling that there are huge genre expanses that may see neglect. I hope additional and/or guest hosts will help expand coverage in the future.

Performance: 3-Stars
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This was a large step forward from the first episode, with less speaking over the top of each other and a more concerted focus on the subject at hand. A more scripted feel, if you will, but also allowing for the individual personalities to express themselves.

Katherine Kellgren

I agree with so many of the selections on this list. I'm especially fond of The Nightingale, Code Name Verity, and Rhys Bowen's marvelous cozy mystery Her Royal Spyness series. The editors also discuss the death of Katherine Kellgren who is my all time favorite narrator with a voice and accent range that is simply incredible. I've listened to many books simply because she was the narrator. She led me to the wonderful kids' series by Maryrose Wood titled The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. By the way Audible, I'm looking forward to the final book in the series, The Long-Lost Home, which will be released in June.