First of all, just to let you know, I am a HUGE insomniac. Audiobooks have been a lifesaver for me. If I listen to a story, my brain stops racing and I slowly drift off to sleep. If I don't drift, these books keep me company and keep me from driving my husband crazy as I stop tossing and turning and focus and instead on the story.
Audiobooks are a funny thing. The author only has so much control over the true art of the audiobook. Once the book is written and then editors come in, they package things up and finally a narrator is hired. That narrator can have just as much to add to the book as the artist themselves. The way they speak, the inflection in their voice, interpreting the characters and making them come to life. It can make the difference for me of my staying awake all night cringing or being entertained while I try to drift to sleep. Often, if an author writes a series then the same narrator is hired to do all of the books. These are the kind of books I aim for. Paranormal for me, is a nice distraction from the murder, angst ridden romance novels, and the gum shoe junk that is out there.
Ok... what kind of books to I listen to? Well to tell you the truth I am a HUGE fan of the Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. Yes it is vampire based. But it is very funny and fast paced. What I am NOT a fan of is the multitude of silly vampire books that have hit the market on the back of the Sookie or Twilight saga. There is so much blood and gore, plus "forbidden love" and "blood bonds/pacts/lust" that I really can't stand most of what is out there. What I do love is the humor in Harris' books. Also let it be known that one of the best TV writers out there in my opinion is Joss Whedon. Both Harris and Whedon provide a benchmark for this genre that is very hard for most other authors to reach.
What I have noticed about the vamp genre is that many authors get so wrapped up in creating a world, that we have to learn a whole new "world" as they abandon the original lore and go to create "something different". This I can't escape into as I have to do some serious mental work in learning the author's lingo and places.
Enter in my quest to find a non-vampire, entertaining, paranormal series. Why paranormal? Its a departure from reality...where my brain loves to whir and churn in. It takes me out of the everyday and puts me into fairy tale land.
So here is what I love for books when I cannot sleep and can't stomach the vamp stuff:
Kevin Hearns' adventures of his characterAtticus OSullivan in the series of "Hounded", "Hexed" and 'Hammered:
Hilariously funny, fast moving, great narration. Worlds of all legend and lore meet from many countries and time periods.
Victoria Laurie's "Abby Cooper" series:
A intuitive turned investigator, which is amusing, and fairly predictable... but well narrated.
Karen Marie Moning's "Fever" Series:
Very dark. Moning does a great job of weaving today into the other worldly beings that we all associated with the boogie man in the fairy realm. Not funny, but certainly not vampire centric. There are a few adjunct vampire characters, but the story is more about the worlds of the fey and the humans colliding. This is as I said before, very dark. There is no humor (or very little of it) and it is a underdog story of epic proportions. Also, adult topics are in this that are not graphic in description but are from a victim's perspective. Not one of my favorite stories to drift off to because of the topics, but a good story if I am listening while designing or doing other things.
Going towards the romance, but not too mushy in the realm of science fiction/light macabre ... you could call it chick lit, but I think that does it an injustice:
Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer's "Wild Ride":
A hilarious story about a group of people trying to keep the evil gods locked in their prisons that are actual carnival rides.
Stephanie Bond's "Body Movers" series:
An abandoned brother and sister left to fend for themselves as "Body Movers" after being raised in the uber wealthy overdeveloped neighborhoods of Buckhead, GA. Very funny, and entertaining.
As I find more, I will post them here. For my next blog, I am hoping to list the best unsung heroes of audiobooks: the narrators.
Thanks for reading!
