Top 10 Best Audio Books

If you are a bookworm, like me, I’m sure you know what it feels like walking into a bookshop or a library or any room full of books. There are just so many books that you would just love to get your nose into, if only there was the time to do so. So many authors you always meant to read, so many characters that you’d love to get involved with, so many tales with their twists and turns to delve into, so many places that you can visit, so many people you can meet, so many philosophies to mull over.

But, when was the last time you actually curled up with a good book and spent glorious hours lost in it? As far as I am concerned, I really can’t remember the last time I did. Like most people of this age, the hectic pace of 21st century life gives me little time to read anything more than the email I get. And, according to estimations, compared to 1980s, on an average people are spending about 31 hours more these days caught in rush hour traffic. Or, if it’s not the traffic, it’s just the sheer amount of chores that pile up during the week, which simply have to be done on the weekends, whether it’s the laundry, or the house cleaning, or whatever. The net result - more time spent commuting and doing chores and less time for reading.

This is the reason many book lovers are turning to books that speak, or audio books, to catch up on their reading. Previously known as ‘books on tape’, audio books are available in practically every genre. So whatever may be your passion in reading, you will find it in its digitized form. And just like printed books do, you can immerse yourself into the wonderful world of fiction, whether you like comedy, thrillers, historical fiction, classics, science fiction, mysteries, romances… you name it… all of which you can download into your MP3 player or iPod and listen to whenever you want to.

So, given below are the top 10 best audio books, which are an interesting mix that includes something for everyone:

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Author: Junot Diaz

You are immersed in the turbulent life of the fat and shy protagonist, named Oscar, along with the chronicle of the family, which is rendered with great warmth, insight, and humor into life as experienced by Dominican-Americans. Ultimately, it is a narration about the capacity of humans to carry on despite loss and heartbreak. This book is a confirmation of Junot Diaz as one of the most evocative writers of our time.

The Tin Roof Blowdown
Author: James Lee Burke

In his genre defying singular style, a haunting picture is created by the author about life after Katrina in New Orleans. Replete with vivid depictions of the death and destruction that the Big Easy was gripped in, and complete with characters of great complexity, this narrative is both a crime thriller that is action packed as well as a poignant tale of how desperation and disaster can affect people.

A Clockwork Orange
Author: Anthony Burgess

In this 1963 classic the author creates a nightmarish scenario of the future, wherein criminals rule after the sun goes down. When Alex, who is the central character, is set out to be redeemed by the state, the author through the book asks the question: ‘At what cost?’ This is a frightening tale that deals with good and evil, and what human freedom means.

George's Secret Key to the Universe
Authors: Lucy Hawking and Stephen Hawking

George, who has parents that have always been mistrustful of technology, has been warned to stay away from their new neighbors. The new neighbors are Eric, who is a scientist, along with Annie, his daughter, who has scientific leanings herself. However, George does become friends with them as well as the super computer, Cosmos. And from there we listeners are treated to the wild adventure George experiences as he travels to a black hole and other planets. The book also delves into the scenario of the consequences of Cosmos getting into the wrong hands. Stephen Hawking, the celebrated author of ‘A Brief History of Time’, along with his daughter, Lucy, unravel the mysteries of the universe for listeners of all ages.

Heart-Shaped Box
Author: Joe Hill

Judas Coyne, the central character of this narrative, who collects macabre things, pays a thousand dollars for a dead man’s suit, which is supposed to be haunted by a restless spirit. But Judas Coyne is not afraid, after all he has coped with a lot of ghosts in his lifetime, such as lovers whom he abandoned callously, an abusive father, and the band mates he deceived. So, what was one more, he thought. But the thing that is delivered to him in a black colored heart-shaped box is not a metaphorical or imaginary ghost, but the real thing. And the suit’s former owner is suddenly all over the place… staring at Coyne from his TV, looking in from the window, sitting in his car, lurking behind the bedroom door. Lying in wait with a chain hanging from one hand at the end of which is a shiny razor blade.

Joe Hill, whose short fiction has won several awards, has created this masterful work of dark fantasy, which is full of acid terror and relentless thrills.

The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China, and What It Means for All of Us
Author: Robyn Meredith

Robyn Meredith, who is the senior editor, covering Asia, at Forbes, examines how a new gold rush has been spurred by the two fastest growing economic powers of the world, China, which is the Dragon, and India, the Elephant, and how it will affect the rest of the world. The author argues against conventional wisdom, contending that the US should not fear them. She points out that although Chinese goods are taxed by American politicians, America actually benefits from an undervalued yuan. And neither should there be any fear about the fact that most of the white-collar jobs are moving out of the US and going into India. For each dollar that goes to India, it results in the creation of $1.94 worth of wealth. Of this, except for 33 cents, all of it comes back to the US.

The Choice
Author: Nicholas Sparks

Travis Parker, the hero of this romance, has just about everything in life, a lovely waterfront home, good friends, and a good job. He enjoys the good life, going swimming, boating, and having regular barbecue parties with his buddies, holding the vague view that his style would be cramped if he has serious relationship. All of which changes when Gabby Holland comes to live next door.

Traversing a span of time that covers young love, followed by marriage, and then a family, this book’s ultimate quest is to confront us with the soul-searching query – to what extent can people go in order to keep alive the hope of love.

Dune
Author: Frank Herbert

This is a superlative novel, which will be regarded as a triumph of human imagination. Dune, which is set in Arrakis, a desert planet, is the tale of a boy named Paul Atreides, who turns into a mysterious man called Maud’dib. He goes about avenging the treacherous plot against his family and also realizes humankind’s most unattainable and ancient dream.

A marvelous blend of politics and environmentalism, mysticism and adventure, this novel is the winner of the first Nebula Award, and has shared the Hugo Award, and is the basis of what is considered to be the one of the greatest science fiction epics.

Become Who You Were Born to Be: We All Have a Gift....Have You Discovered Yours?
Author: Brian Souza

Just as it is necessary for artists to paint, poets to compose, and musicians to create music, each of us have unique qualities that can be used to create a particular profession, which will make our lives more purposeful and meaningful. This book will show you how to discover the unique qualities that you have and gives you tips on how to realize your full potential both professionally as well as personally. And as illustrations of the life-changing philosophy of the author, he gives accounts of real stories of both well-known celebrities and ordinary people, such as Oprah Winfrey, Garth Brooks, Sylvester Stallone, Amy Tan, and Lance Armstrong.

Holidays on Ice
Author: David Sedaris

This is a marvelous collection of six of the author’s best Christmas stories, which you can enjoy by a warm fireside, or beside the Christmas tree decorated with all those lovely tinsels and trinkets, or even in the warmth of your car while driving along on a cold winter’s evening.