10 Audiobook Recommendations

My mom recently listened to her first audiobook, and enjoyed it. She was looking for some others to try out, and asked me for some recommendations. She said she likes fiction (mysteries, etc.) and history. I have listened to 215 audiobooks as of this writing. I went through my list, and picked out 10 book I thought she’d enjoy, based on the subject and the quality of the narrator. In case there is anyone else looking for recommendations, here is the list I gave my mom:

Biography/Memoir

1. Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen (narrated by The Boss).
2. The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life by John Le Carre (narrated by the author)
3. Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson (narrated by Alfred Molina)

History

1. The Men Who United the States by Simon Winchester (narrated by the author). As I said to my mom, I love Winchester’s narration. I could listen to him read the phone book, if phone books still existed.
2. Assignment to Hell: The War Against Nazi Germany with Correspondents Walter Cronkite, Andy Rooney, A. J. Leibling, Homer Bigart, and Hal Boyle by Timothy M. Gay (narrated by Walter Dixon)
3. The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin (narrated by the late Edward Herman)

Fiction

1. 11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King (narrated by Craig Wasson). My current favorite book and narrator. I loved Wasson as Jake Epping so much that I have avoided listening to other audiobooks he’s narrated, simply because to me, he is Epping.
2. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (narrated by Joe Barrett). Barrett does a marvelous job with Owen Meany’s unique voice.
3. Joyland by Stephen King (narrated by Michael Kelly).

Bonus

1. The Longest Road by Philip Caputo (narrated by Pete Larkin).

Note that this is not a list of my favorite books, although I recommend all of them. This is a list of 10 books I think mean great listens if you are new to audiobooks and want an idea of what a great book combined with great narration can be like.

Have other suggestions? I’ll pass them along.