The 52 Book Club: 2025 / 2026 Challenge discussion

WEEKLY CHECK-IN
March 19, 2025 -- Week 12

Do you have a favorite audiobook narrator? What sorts of things do you look for (or avoid) when it comes to audiobook narration?

I rarely listen to audiobooks, but I'm interested in finding ones specifically by Sean Crisden and Laura Horowitz. I follow them on Instagram and really like their voices.

I usually try to have an audiobook going, but I can only listen to non-fiction. Fiction with multiple POV and timelines are too hard to keep track of in my brain especially since I am usually doing something else at the same time. I have listened to some great audiobooks. I loved The Challenger and Lovely One from 2024. Both were narrated by the authors. I hope to get some good recommendations here.

I borrow all of my audiobooks from Libby though I am considering subscribing again for 3 months at $.99 offer.

I listen to a lot of podcasts and find them easier for me.

I listen to a lot of audiobooks, & the narration can make or break them.

It depends on the type of novel as to which narrators I like best - Tracy-Ann Oberman can bring a brilliant level of snark to domestic frustrations that make me laugh out loud. Aoife McMahon, Jane Collingwood & Imogen Church are also brilliant.

Steven Pacey is my favourite male narrator.

I like listening to authors narrating their own non-fiction - Laura Bates & Mary Ann Sieghart are excellent.

I listen to a decent amount of audiobooks, but I've never really paid any attention to the narrators. That being said, I did recently listen to Storm Front solely to listen to James Marsters narrate it, so I suppose he's my favorite.

On the flip side, I recently listened to A Venom Dark and Sweet and that narration was horrible. I don't know if it was the writing or the narrator, but the entire thing sounded stilted. I try to avoid awkward, stilted narration when I can.

Scott Brick
George Guidall

Do you have a favorite audiobook narrator? What sorts of things do you look for (or avoid) when it comes to audiobook narration?

I don't listen to audiobooks. I've tried several times in the past but I can't stick to them. When I have attempted them I've had to do read along's with physical copies of the book because I can't focus. I get distracted with other things or just lose interest in hearing someone tell the story.

At least I've tried them so I can't say that I haven't should someone question that. They're just not for me.

Plus I am heavy on annotating my books. I have to physically engage and be active with my reading/learning style so I zone out when I listen to a book.

Scott Brick for non-fiction
Bahni Turpin, Barbara Rosenblat, and Elizabeth Knowelden for fiction women authors.

Although i had never heard him before, Michael Urie did an outstanding job on the voice of Marcus, the octopus in "Remarkably Bright Creatures"

I listen to some audiobooks but can’t say I have favorite narrators. I enjoyed Kirt Graves and David Henning who did some of T.J. Klune’s books, but I can’t say I’ve had a bad experience with any narrators I’ve encountered.

I realized that I forgot to mention that my favorite narrator is Dion Graham.

Absolutely love Marin Ireland as a narrator for audiobooks!!

However I do I like to listen to nonfiction audiobooks because they are more like podcasts for me to go along with.

I don't listen to audiobooks

I like julia wheelan’s narration. I usually listen to contemporary romance. It’s just easier to listen and do something else like cleaning.

I don't have one favorite narrator, but I really appreciate when the narrator does a great job at enhancing the reading experience. For example, it was fantastic to listen to Amy Molloy's narration of Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen in her Northern Irish accent.

I usually like memoirs read by the author. Trevor Noah, Suleika Jaouad, and Sarah McBride did an amazing job!

I enjoy reading audiobooks with multiple narrators. It makes the stories so much more engaging. Anything by Graphic Audio is amazing :)

I definitely prefer nonfiction to fiction when listening to an audiobook and the narrator is so important.

Since I listen to a lot of autobiographies, I generally prefer when the author does the reading as I feel the intonation hits correctly...

No particular favorite.

I will also say I enjoyed Handmaid's Tale by audiobook read by Claire Danes. She did a wonderful job.

I love audio books no favorite narrators, but I do try to avoid narrators with heavy accents,

I really enjoy Ray Porter, Wil Wheaton, R.C. Bray, Kate Burton, Scott Brick, Juliet Stevenson - to name a few. I like listening to readers who put energy and personality into the characters they are reading. I have searched for books narrated by certain people to see if they are titles I would enjoy.

I'm learning to avoid narrators with thick accents. I love accents, but listening to His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae has been incredible hard to get through. I listen to a lot of different narrators, but at the moment can only think of James Cavenaugh.

The first audiobook I listened to back when I was in high school was Wuthering Heights and I DID NOT like the narrator. During the 2024 challenge, I decided to give audiobooks a second chance and I listened to Bel Canto. I absolutely LOVED the narrator! I believe her name is Anna Fields and she did an awesome job!