I believe the first audio-book I listened to (not counting the text-to-read Kindle feature), was 1984 by George Orwell and Simon Prebble, read by Frank Muller. I had wanted to read the book forever, and when I went to look for it on my online library, an audio version was all they had. It was a little hard for me to get used to at first, because sometimes I would just space-out, but it was awesome to be able to get housework done, and read the book at the same time. The more audio-books I have read, the easier it has been for me to concentrate on what is being said. I think it makes a difference too, on how well the voice actor portrays the characters and plot.
One of my favorite series on audio was the "Matched" series by Ally Condie, read by Kate Simses, Jack Riccobono, and Matt Burns. It is a dystopian series about a girl growing up in a very controlled society and also focuses on two close friends of hers. It focuses more on subtleties and emotions more than action. I think it is often unfairly judged being compared to similar dystopian novels. The Matched series probably appeals to teenage to young-adult girls mainly. This series I also read the hard copy versions as well, sometimes I read along to the audio, other times I would just listen.
I also listened to and read all the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins (another dystopian series) through audio and hard copy. I liked them as well. It is quite violent. A little less believable than the "Matched" series. There is much action and creativity throughout the series.
1984 was chilling. It was not my favorite dystopian novel, but it is brilliant, and way ahead of its time, as it was first published in 1949.
Aside from dystopian novels, I also listened to:
Follow the River by James Alexander Thom, read by David Drummond. This book is based on the true life story of Mary Draper Ingles, not to be confused with any relation to Laura Ingalls-Wilder. When I first started to listen to the book, I wondered if there was some relation. After a little research, I realized there was not. There is a lot of horrific graphic images portrayed in this book. It was well written, but it was painful to read. I liked the book, but it was difficult to endure.
A Yellow Raft In Blue Water by Michael Dorris, read by Barbara Rosenblat. I listened this right after Follow the River. The book is kind of depressing, but at the same time, it just pulled me in. I highly recommend the audio version of this book, because the narration is so good. A Yellow Raft In Blue Water focuses on three different women's point of view. I found it highly intriguing from a psychological point of view. The book is for a mature audience. I would not recommend it to young readers, and some young readers who have read it and reviewed it think it is "boring." I probably would have too, if it was recommended reading in high-school.
I am currently listening to The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson, read by Simon Vance. It is second in the series of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This has highly mature content in it. The main character is a very interesting one. I really liked the first book. I started reading the digital copy of The Girl Who Played with Fire, but lately have found little to no time to read it, so I recently downloaded the audio version, so I can at least finish it. I think this book would be a little easier for me to read in print, since it has some equations to look at, and it is read in an accent that sometimes pronounces things differently than in my country, but it is okay for now. I will probably read it in print later, when I have a little more time.
