I recently adopted a young cat who needs a lot of playtime. And while she’s obviously a delight and it’s a lot of fun to watch her play, but it’s also like an hour of jingling a cat wand. So I’m looking for something to keep my mind occupied while I keep her occupied.
I’m not normally an audiobook kinda guy so I’m pretty much a blank slate. I mostly read literary fiction and horror. Like some of my favorite books this year are Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut, Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt, and Hell House by Richard Matheson. Obviously I’m a big fan of novels but I’d also be down to try some nonfiction or short stories. Thanks in advance
by sarcophagus_pussy
2 Comments
[I Am a Cat](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62772.I_Am_a_Cat) feels like the obvious joke suggestion because it’s written by a cat.
I previously struggled to listen to audiobooks, even if they were my favourite books narrated by the actual author, because the pace didn’t match the pace I read at so it just felt weird, and if I sped it up then it sounded wrong. What I’ve found makes a difference is, first and foremost, if I vibe with the specific narrator. Sometimes you just don’t want to listen to a specific person read to you and that matters more than the content of the book. Previews are incredibly useful for deciding if an audiobook is a fit for you or not.
The best thing I’ve found for myself is to listen to audiobooks of memoirs that are narrated by the author, because it doesn’t feel like they need to keep up with my inner reading pace, it feels like I’m in a room with someone who’s telling me their life story while I do things. I started with Craig Ferguson’s [American on Purpose](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6404621-american-on-purpose) and that sold me on listening to the rest of his memoirs, but I found myself enjoying listening to him so much that I moved on to his fiction book [Between the Bridge and the River](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/134203.Between_the_Bridge_and_the_River) and had no issue paying attention. Similarly I’ve gone through Frank McCourt’s books, as [Angela’s Ashes](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/252577.Angela_s_Ashes) was my first ever memoire and introduced me to the genre.
Another place where I find audiobooks work well for me is when I struggle to pronounce things as those moments break my immersion. I got through [Gravity’s Rainbow](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/415.Gravity_s_Rainbow) with the aid of the audiobook (though I listened to it sped up to my reading pace while following along in the physical book) and am now going through [The Silmarillion](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7332.The_Silmarillion) for the first time after spending the better part of a year reading the physical book years ago.
I’m not sure how well this answered your request, but I struggled so much with audiobooks at first so I like to share the process of how I came to love them when it’s relevant just incase it clicks with someone and opens that door for them. Let us know for sure what you end up vibing with! Love hearing other people’s experiences with different formats of books.
The Boat Who Wouldn’t Float