I started listening to audiobooks this summer and I’m pretty in love with them. I’m not getting audiobooks for reviews so that I can open up other options and genres. See, when I was a teen I read tons of adult books…and now that I’m an adult I read 99% teen books. How does that happen? Anyway, I would love it if you guys could recommend me some really great literary adult fiction or any other genres, but maybe not UF or PR. I’ve read tons of those. I’m even open to nonfiction. Read any memoirs that you loved? Please, give me recs!
Here’s some adult books that I’ve loved in the past, just to give you an idea of what I might like:
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Sarah Addison Allen’s books
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Books that I’m interested in already (let me know if you like them)
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
One Day by David Nicholls
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Have you tried romantic suspense/thrillers? One of my all time favorite set of books is by Karen Rose – the mystery/suspense is out of this world. The first book is Don’t Tell. You should check it out!
Historical mysteries with some romance? Try Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn or And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander. Two of my all time fave reads. (Plus, the latter is only $1.99 as an ebook right now!)
Have you read Jennifer Donnelly’s YA novels? Her adult trilogy is SO WELL WRITTEN. Blows my mind. Tea Rose is the first.
If you’re in the mood for a memoir, definitely go for Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond.
Also, I really want to read Gone Girl as well! I hope it is as good as it sounds. I read Sharp Objects, her first book, and it was pretty fabulous. I definitely have pretty high expectations.
Allison (Allure of Books) recently posted..Survive by Alex Morel
Try The Chaperons by Laura Moriarty. Or Kate Morton’s books. I also liked The Weird Sisters.
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I loved the audio of Gone Girl, it’s incredibly well narrated and so gripping. One word of warning though – I found that none of the characters (with the exception of one secondary character) very likable so if that’s a must in your reads, it could be disappointing.
Other adult audiobooks I really really liked were His Other Lover by Lucy Dawson (dark chick-lit) and Earth Abides by George R. Stewart (epic post-apocalyptic).
Kat B recently posted..Review: The Promise by Lesley Pearse
That is so true. When I was a teen I read mostly Adult novels, now I read mostly YA!
ok for recommendations, I really enjoy Louise Bagshawe’s novels, such as Sparkle or Tuesday’s Child or Monday’s Child. There is also the famous Sophie Kinsella, have you read I’ve Got Your Number or Can You Keep A Secret?
There is also Carole Matthew books such as You Drive Me Crazy. All those are chick-flicks. Let me know if you like any of them!
- Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf
That is so true. When I was a teen I read mostly Adult novels, now I read mostly YA!
There is also Carole Matthew books such as You Drive Me Crazy. All those are chick-flicks. Let me know if you like any of them!
- Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf
ok for recommendations, I really enjoy Louise Bagshawe’s novels, such as Sparkle or Tuesday’s Child or Monday’s Child. There is also the famous Sophie Kinsella, have you read I’ve Got Your Number or Can You Keep A Secret?
You could try Me Before You by JoJo Moyes.
I definitely loved Gone Girl! Although, I will second what Kat said–the characters themselves aren’t very likable. It’s one of those books that you cannot put down, and the twist will blow your mind (at least my mind was blown!)
If you liked Sarah Addison Allen, I would recommend any of the Ya-Ya sisterhood books, The Secret Life of Bees, and Saving Cee-Cee Honeycutt.
I would say no to the audiobook of A Visit from the Goon Squad – each chapter is narrated by a different person, and their relationship to each other is not always clear until a little way into the chapter. It made it a bit confusing. And there is a Power- Point slide section in the book which you might want to see instead of listen to (although it didn’t make much difference to me).
I haven’t listened to many books yet, but some of my favorites have been Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman (fantasy), Buddha in the Attic (lit fic.) and Bossypants (which I haven’t listened to but everyone says is great)
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You listed some great adult books there (although I really, really did not like The Historian…). I used to read all adult books, too and so I’ve read some real gems. I dunno what the audio versions are like but here’s a couple:
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (PHENOMENAL)
Anything by Lisa See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, specifically)
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalif Housseini
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (maybe not the series, but the first book is really good)
Bossypants by Tina Fey (I know this audio is great. It’s sooo good!)
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons – my all-time favorite HF
Okay, I’ll stop there. I could go on ad nauseum at this point. ; )
Jessie Marie recently posted..#HDMReadalong – Discussion | Chapters 10-17 (The Golden Compass)
I have been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately too. I like that I can “read” them while working out, doing dishes, or cleaning the house. I loved the audio of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Crank and Glass by Ellen Hopkins were both really great audiobooks too. I could use some good recommendations too lol! I went to my library website and just browsed through and found a bunch that I really want to listen to. Mostly older books that I never had the chance to get to.
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Dude the audiobook of Gone Girl is SO enthralling, you will find yourself wanting to listen to it instead of reading a physical book.
The audiobook of The Help is AMAZING too.
It’s weird, but I really like listening to classics on audio, especially when you get a really good narrator. For me, they are easier to understand on audio, plus I feel like I’m really building my cultural background, ya know?
Also? Here’s some free legal audiobooks: http://www.audiobookfans.com/category/freebies/
April Books & Wine recently posted..On The Wings Of Heroes Richard Peck Audiobook Review
I’m just stopping by to say that you should stay the hell away from David Nicholls. I read One Day and Starter for Ten, both of which are written beautifully. BUT the characters are awful and the stories are pretty sexist, ESPECIALLY One Day. That book made me want to throw everything I could get my hands on.
Adult books I would recommend:
The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller
You’re (Not) the One – Alexandra Potter (chick lit, but it had a vibe that reminded me a bit of Sarah Addison Allen)
The Borrower – Rebecca Makkai
Becoming George Sand – Rosalind Brackenbury
Russian Winter – Daphne Kalotay
Chocolat – Joanne Harris
Christina (A Reader of Fictions) recently posted..Review: Wicked Sense
Oh, I love audiobooks! And just like you, I like to listen to genres I wouldn’t usually read and review on my blog. I recently listened (and LOVED) to Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James and some books by Rachel Gibson. They’re light Contemporary Romance/Chick lit or something like that, but they’re really cute, smart and so hilarious! I always have a smile on my face when I listen to those authors.
And as YA Contemporary, I recommend Graffiti Moon, Beauty Queens, Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares and Beautiful Disaster, if you haven’t already read the books.
Deea recently posted..Cover Reveal: Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe
Do you like books about secret societies, especially college secret societies? Two I read and enjoyed:
The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18431.The_Rule_of_Four)
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
(http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29044.The_Secret_History)
I also love Alice Hoffman Books. If you like Sarah Addison Allen’s magical realism than you might like Hoffman too. She’s written A TON but my faves are:
The Probable Future (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22898.The_Probable_Future)
The River King (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/165818.The_River_King)
Practical Magic (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22896.Practical_Magic)
I also hear good things about Deanna Raybourn but haven’t read anything by here yet:
Silent in the Grave (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/267869.Silent_in_the_Grave)
Maybe one of those will be something you enjoy:)
Sophie Kinsella!!! And Meg Cabot for Chick Lit. The Palace of Illusions is also an amazing book but it might be a little difficult to get a hand on! Kate Daniels and The Shadow Reader are awesome UF I think
Krazzyme recently posted..Giveaway: Vessel (Enna Isilee’s Bday Bash
I have the same issue… read lots of adult books as a teen, reading lots of teen books as an adult! I’m gonna go ahead and say read my FAVORITE book, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes. Hands down, the best book I’ve ever read. I’m not a fan of her other books really, but I do love that one! Most of the adult books I read are along those lines and by similar authors (Sophie Kinsella comes to mind!).
As for memoirs, the best one I’ve read recently is Bossypants by Tina Fey. But she’s also kind of my hero, so I may be biased. Another memoir that is just too cute is called “Someday My Prince will Come” and is written by this woman who was determined that she is going to marry this British prince and she writes about her escapades trying to become a royal.
Good luck finding some new books to read! I’ll keep my eyes out for some to pass along!
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Do you like historical romance? If so try The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. It’s hilarious and to me read more like historical chick lit than romance. The entire series is wonderful.
And if you like memoir/biographies try Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.
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I LOVE One Day!
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The Zookeeper’s Wife. Oh my gosh it was brilliant. It’s a biography…and normally I can’t STAND biographies…but this was crazy good. It’s written very personally, like a story with characters and a goal and trials and triumphs. It totally blew me away and has some amazing things to say about the heroes of WW2. Like, wow.
Hope you find some good adult books soon!
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I really enjoyed Water for Elephants on audio. Eat, Pray, Love was a pretty interesting memoir that I listened to on audio, too. Both of those kept my attention–which is saying a lot because I tend to get distracted by shiny objects when listening to audiobooks.
I’m listening to my first audio book now only I made a really bad choice with the YA book I picked so now I think your idea of listening to adult fic is much better because they’re not books I will review for the blog, so I won’t have to worry about taking notes while listening. I am going to check back to see what else people suggest.
Also, I have been reading lots of positive reviews of Gone Girl, it sounds good
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I really enjoyed 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Also, on the nonfiction side, Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand is an awesome story. It’s narrated by Lorelei’s dad on Gilmore Girls. Ready Player One narrated by Wil Wheaton is awesome. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books are lots of fun with a wonderful narrator. The Help is a great audiobook. Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza is an excellent autobiography/memoir. All of Neil Gaiman’s stuff that he narrates is excellent. (Yes, I did just skim through my audible library
)
Hi!
This is a great post! I read it this morning and got lost throughout my day and here I am to comment!
Same here. I read so many adult novels as a kid and now I read so much more YA but I have been dabbling into more adult and have been happy to say there are some ones out there. (I think the reason I clung so much to YA is because I was just not finding adult fiction up to my standards… which are high. ha)
A few suggestions I have are City of Love by David Gillham. Historical fiction, so engaging and the writing is beautiful. I also am a huge fan of Melissa Banks and her two books. Both of them are organic, wonderful and realistic and her writing is just so great. (Not sugarcoated crap at all.) From your list, I loved One Day. It’s not the happiest of books but I loved the style, theatricality, and the characters a lot. I would definitely go for that one. A memoir I have loved forever is All That Remains (this was before the author became a Desperate Housewife… the book just got uber popular again) and also Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett. So fabulous. The Ann Patchett was actually a requirement for my memoir writing class and I adored it to death… I still have the copy and it’s one of my most treasured books.
I hope you like some of these! Looking forward to seeing what you read in the future and thank you thank you for all your support of RBR. Your blog is so refreshing and wonderful and I’m truly honored by your kind words. xo
Estelle @ Rather Be Reading recently posted..Estelle: Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin
I did not enjoy A Visit from the Goon Squad. I am currently reading The Keeper of Lost Causes which you might like since you liked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Ricki recently posted..Stacking the Shelves: 8/26-9/8
I love that you are getting into audiobooks! It’s a great format to try out new genres- and I especially like listening to memoirs and humor titles in audio. I’m jotting down all these suggestions, so thanks for this post! A few recommendations: The Help (full cast audio), Ready Player One, Gone Girl (I read the book but I hear the audio is fantastic), Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Bossypants, A Discovery of Witches, Room, and The Chaperone. I do get a lot of literary titles for review so after I listen I can pass some on to you if you’re interested.
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I recently finished Gone Girl and LOVED it! It was so, so good. Another great book I read this year was Defending Jacob by William Landay.
I hope you find a great read!
I’d highly recommend the audiobooks for both of Lisa Genova’s books Still Alice and Left Neglected. They are contemporary adult books about illness, and very captivating.
If you haven’t already read Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, the audiobook is amazing.
Sarah recently posted..Week in review Sept 16
Hmmm…I listen to mostly YA on audio so I can’t speak to that end but:
Adult Fiction books I’d recommend:
The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield
Empire Falls – Richard Russo
East of Eden – John Steinbeck
The Scent of Rain and Lightening – Nancy Pickard
A Discovery of Witches/Shadow of Night – Deborah Harkness
The Passage – Justin Cronin
Practical Magic – Alice Hoffman
The Language of Flowers – Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Home Front – Kristin Hannah
The Replacement Wife – Eileen Goudge
For nonfiction (and a vegetarian) I recommend:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – Barbara Kingsolver
The Omnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan
Memoir:
The Last Lecture – Randy Pausch
And I love everything by Dan Brown(Suspense/Adventure), Dean Koontz (Thriller), & Nora Roberts (Romance)
Melissa recently posted..Cover Reveal: The Perfect Clone by M L Stephens
I’m going to pitch in “The Last Song” by Sparks and also, “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and an excellent non-fic aka memoir/essays is “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” by Joan Didion.
Please let me know when you read all the recs you got which ones that blow you away (if you don’t review them) so I can expand my adult collection as well
Sab (YA Bliss) recently posted..YA Releases
Oh wow, I just bookmarked this post so I can come back to it and fill up my to-read list. I love reading adult.
I am head over heels in love with the work of Robert Goolrick. He has two books that I LOVE: A Reliable Wife and Heading Out to Wonderful. SO GOOD. After falling hard for these print books, I will probably fall harder for them in audio if they have good readers.
I just finished The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and it was absolutely brilliant and stunning and I can’t even believe how amazing. Now that I’ve read it in print, I want to do an audio re-read.
I love The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. In print, this is one of my favorite books of all time, ever ever ever. I like Bill Bryson and Jon Krakauer for memoir/nonfiction books.
I’m reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman for the second time right now via audio, full-cast as recommended by Jess @GoneWiththeWord. It’s wonderful but then again the print book is wonderful!
Asheley (@BookwormAsheley) recently posted..Ten(ish) Bookish People I Want To Meet!
I have a 44 minute commute one way to work every day. I have listened to a lot of audio books over the past few years. I love listening to mysteries because they keep me thinking and focused. I really like James Patterson and Mary Higgins Clark audio books. I also enjoy Kristin Hannah’s audio books… however I always cry and it is dangerous bawling while I am driving
Kari recently posted..Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish People I Want to Meet
I’m not into audio books really, but I’ve loved reading One Day, The Historian & The Time Traveller’s Wife. I’m also interesting in reading The Night Circus as I’ve hearrd only good things about it.