Jodi Hink's blog

Memoirs on Audio

Jodi Hink — Tue, 24 May 2011 15:34:48 +0000

I am fascinated with learning about other people’s life experiences. It doesn’t matter to me whether or not they are famous, as long as they have an interesting story to tell. Memoirs are very different than the typical biography. They read much more like a story with an exciting plot than the dry retelling of facts. Truthfully, they are the author’s memories, so at times they may be a bit embellished for the sake of continuity within the book. They tend to be about just one aspect of a person’s life. Some memoirs are very funny like much of David Sedaris’ and Augustin Burroughs’ work. Other memoirs tell of a specific period in that person’s life where they were going through a tumultuous experience. At times, it could be that the author is living a grand life experiment. Unusual family lives are often the focus of memoirs. My absolute favorites are the ones who are caught up in a survival story. One added bonus of listening to memoirs, rather than reading them, is that the reader and the author are often the same person! See the list below for the ones I have enjoyed:

The Gothic Audiobook

Jodi Hink — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:46:43 +0000

In the mood for a really good novel with a spooky feel ? Picture a beautiful yet sinister mansion, with a dark secret and an actor (usually with a British accent) reading you a tale fraught with drama, suspense and passion. I thought you wanted that! Whenever I read a review that uses the word “gothic”, or says “reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier’s, Rebecca”, the title immediately goes on my listening list. Take a look at the list below and you will soon be hooked to the gothic audiobook, too!

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
A Reliable Wife by Robert Gadrick
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

FOR THE ONE WHO HAS ALWAYS READ AND NEVER LISTENED

Jodi Hink — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:25:05 +0000

So you've never listened to an audiobook before? Now is the time. I first broke down and listened to my initial audiobook when I was making a series of long car rides and needed something to break up the monotony. It took just one, and now I find myself listening every time I am in the car, cleaning, or cooking. It makes time go by so much faster during a mundane task. Everyone who has listened to an audiobook in the car has found themselves at their destination and still sitting listening because they are at "a good part". This month I would like to suggest to you a few audiobooks that I would recommend for the uninitiated.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky
Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

These titles are available on CD, Playaway and as digital audiobooks.