I spend a lot of time traveling either by car, plane or other means and audiobooks to me are a great way for me to get in my reading. I have the one book a month Audible subscription that works out great for 15 dollars a month. You can get audiobooks from places like library and Cracker Barrel if you’re interested. I have listened to more than 3 audiobooks this year but these are my top three of 2016.
The Shining
Written by: Stephen King
Narrated By: Campbell Scott
Description: Danny was only five years old but in the words of old Mr Halloran he was a ‘shiner’, aglow with psychic voltage. When his father became caretaker of the Overlook Hotel his visions grew frighteningly out of control. As winter closed in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seemed to develop a life of its own. It was meant to be empty, but who was the lady in Room 217, and who were the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? And why did the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive? Somewhere, somehow there was an evil force in the hotel – and that too had begun to shine…
My Take: Despite seeing the movie which has little to no resemblance to the book. I found the book very entertaining with very too little action. The book kept my interest but did drag at points. I am glad I spent the 15 hours listening and it was a great way to make my plane ride go fast. Would I say it’s the best Stephen King I have ever listened to definably not but Campbell Scott does a great job narrating and bringing you into the story. Would I recommend it to someone else? I most defiantly would because despite the book dragging at points the rest made it a great book.
Catching the Wolf of Wall Street
Written by: Jordan Belfort
Narrated by: Ray Porter
Description: In the go-go nineties Jordan Belfort proved to Wall Street that you didn’t need to be on Wall Street to make a fortune in the stock market. But his company, Stratton Oakmont, worked differently. His young Long Island wannabes didn’t know from turnaround plans or fiduciary trust. Instead, they knew how to separate wealthy investors from their cash, and spend it as fast as it came in—on hookers, yachts, and drugs. But when Jordan’s empire crashed, the man who had become legend was cornered into a five-year stint cooperating with the feds. This continuation of his Wall Street Journal bestseller, The Wolf of Wall Street.
My Take: I have to say for being a true story this book was amazing. The way Jordan Belfort writes and tells his storytelling is done and captures you into the story. He had a pretty crazy life that ended in a prison sentence. He goes into his arrest and everything leading up to his sentencing. The things that happen in this book are so crazy at times you think it’s fiction but this is a true account of a man’s life. The book is well written and the narrator does a great job reading making you feel like you’re in the book.
The Wrong Side of Goodbye
Written by: Michael Connelly
Narrated by: Titus Welliver
Description: Harry Bosch is California’s newest private investigator. He doesn’t advertise, he doesn’t have an office, and he’s picky about who he works for, but it doesn’t matter. His chops from thirty years with the LAPD speak for themselves. Soon one of Southern California’s biggest moguls comes calling. The reclusive billionaire is nearing the end of his life and is haunted by one regret. When he was young, he had a relationship with a Mexican girl, his great love. But soon after becoming pregnant, she disappeared. Did she have the baby? And if so, what happened to it? Desperate to know whether he has an heir, the dying magnate hires Bosch, the only person he can trust. With such a vast fortune at stake, Harry realizes that his mission could be risky not only for himself but for the one he’s seeking. But as he begins to uncover the haunting story–and finds uncanny links to his own past–he knows he cannot rest until he finds the truth. At the same time, unable to leave cop work behind completely, he volunteers as an investigator for a tiny cash-strapped police department and finds himself tracking a serial rapist who is one of the most baffling and dangerous foes he has ever faced.
My Take: I can’t tell a lie I am a huge Michael Connelly fan. Everything he has done from Bosch to Haller I have read. This is the latest in the Harry Bosch series and it was not a disappointment. Just like in the book The Narrows, Bosch is again a private detective and running by his own set of rules. The book was one of those where you can’t put it down because you have to see what’s going to happen next for Bosch. I enjoyed Connelly throwing in his characters from other book series to add to the excitement. Titus Welliver who plays Bosch on the Amazon Prime series with the same name narrated the book giving you an easy way to put a voice with a face you know and remember. Defiantly my top book for 2016.