The focus of Flynn’s riveting mystery is on both characters telling their own story, Nick starting in the present with Amy disappearing, and Amy starting in the past at the beginning of her relationship with Nick. The general question of the story is What happened to Amy?, but the real mystery is that the reader never knows who’s telling the truth. Nick swears he didn’t hurt his wife, but we don’t know if we believe him. Amy chronicles their happy history, but we don’t know if we believe her either. Ultimately, the two stories overlap in a mind-blowing conclusion.

Is the narrator any good? Out of necessity, Gone Girl features two narrators: one male to play Nick, and one female to play Amy. Experienced narrator Kirby Heyborne takes on the role of Nick, adding it to his extensive repertoire of fiction and nonfiction reads. The natural inflections in his voice and his conversational style of speaking lend the character an innocence that has the reader pointedly doubting all along that he could’ve ever harmed his wife, either emotionally or physically.

Narrator Julia Whelan, whose succinct voice has been featured in the works of such high-profile writers as Nora Roberts, gives Amy’s character a smartness that would be suspicious if she didn’t sound so darn innocent herself. Both narrators succeed in drawing the reader in to each character’s side, carrying the mystery all the way through the story until Flynn is ready to reveal all.

The verdict? I hate to use a cliché, but this audiobook will literally leave you perched on the edge of your seat (so maybe don’t listen to it while driving, like I did!). I spent most of the story wondering who was telling the truth and wanting to believe that both characters were, even though their stories were often contradictory. It’s a story that’ll make you be nicer to your own partner if you have one, and avoid pairing up if you don’t.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is a post from: Audiobook Downloads | Audiobook Addicts

What’s it about?

Brooks scoops classified stories from high-ranked military officials around the world, digging out the real story behind the government intervention (or lack thereof). But the best story of all is that of a teenage girl, who went north during the war with her family to battle starvation, cannibalism, and the worst of human nature in an unnamed land of perpetual winter, where zombies frozen for most of the year would still manage to reanimate their reign of terror each summer. The various survivors’ stories are necessarily episodic in nature, but each tale’s overarching goal of man vs. zombie ties them all together nicely.

Is the narrator any good? I wouldn’t be surprised if author Max Brooks wrote World War Z with an audiobook format in mind. The interconnected sessions of interviews lend themselves quite well to a vocal telling. I can’t imagine how much of the story might’ve been lost had I been reading the transcribed words of the interviewees, rather than hearing those words in their own voices, complete with accents and emotional reactions.

The author himself narrates the story, personally interviewing each of the survivors and providing transitions between stories as he travels to each corner of the world looking for survivors. And what luck that each of his subjects also happens to be an accomplished vocal actor! It just makes their stories all the more believable.

The verdict? You may have already noticed that this audiobook felt more real to me than any I’ve recently listened to. The somber music between interviews heightens the drama, and most of the characters describe their stories with a casualness that only accentuates the creepiness of the ordeal they survived. Even in the zombie-soaked climate of today’s pop culture-obsessed society, the unique format alone would be enough to make World War Z worth a listen. Luckily, you get much more than a unique format—you get an engaging apocalyptic tale.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks is a post from: Audiobook Downloads | Audiobook Addicts

What’s it about? 

At the age of 22 Cheryl lost her mother to lung cancer. As her family splinters apart and her marriage collapses, Cheryl begins to experiment with heroin and casual sex.  At 26, with nothing more to lose, she made an impulsive decision to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State – and to do it alone. She not only survives the journey, she  emerges stronger – healed – and finally willing to forgive herself for her mistakes.

Is the narrator any good?  Bernadette Dunne’s narration is excellent. Her reading is smooth and consistent, while also perfectly capturing the author’s grit and heart.

The verdict? In Wild, Cheryl skillfully weaves together an inspiring adventure story of physical struggling and succeeding against all odds, with a reflection on coming to terms with grief and abandonment. The raw emotional power made this audiobook hard to stop listening to. I also appreciated the honesty, humor and self-awareness with which Cheryl describes her journey.

To sum up: I loved this audiobook, and I can see why Oprah decided to pick it for her Book Club 2.0.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed is a post from: Audiobook Downloads | Audiobook Addicts

Audible.com now guarantees a great listen every time.

How so? Well, let’s say you download an audiobook but decide it’s not for you. Instead of having to come to grips with the realization you’ve wasted a credit (or in some cases two), you can now exchange it for something you’ll enjoy (up to a year from the purchase date).

To do this go online to Account Details or just contact Customer Care. Audible.com will credit your account and you can start over when you want.

Note: the fine print on the website says this is beta program available to certain members in good standing. You can find out more here:

Audible.com - A Great Listen Every Time

Have you tried exchanging an audiobook with Audible.com? If so please share your experience in the comments below.

Audible.com – A Great Listen Guaranteed is a post from: Audiobook Downloads | Audiobook Addicts

Tough Sh*t is essentially a collection of stories from Kevin’s life and how they shaped the man he became. These include the death of his father and the infamous incident where he got thrown off a plane for allegedly being “too fat to fly”. The stories are usually filled with humor and perversity but always end with a touching note, a lot like his movies.

Is the narrator any good? Kevin reads the audio version of Tough Sh*t himself and does it well. He includes a number of asides which are a nice touch.

The verdict? I really enjoyed this audiobook – Kevin Smith is an interesting guy and I loved hearing the insider stories of Hollywood. He is also very funny, although his humor can be base and vulgar (consider yourself warned). Overall, a very entertaining listen.

Tough Sh*t by Kevin Smith is a post from: Audiobook Downloads | Audiobook Addicts