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A THREAD ON AUDIOBOOKS
1/ A few weeks ago I finally had to cut most podcasts out of my life. They used to be a good distraction while housecleaning, but the steady stream of COVID-19 stories into my obsessive little noggin became too much.
1/ A few weeks ago I finally had to cut most podcasts out of my life. They used to be a good distraction while housecleaning, but the steady stream of COVID-19 stories into my obsessive little noggin became too much.
2/ I had resisted audiobooks for years. I found the narration plodding & monotone. When they got super popular a few years ago, everyone started telling me I was wrong and I just needed to listen to the *right* audiobooks. I figured it wasn't worth the effort because podcasts.
3/ But halfway through quarantine, I was desperate enough to jump in and search for the *right* audiobooks. I knew I would be picky, but fortunately LA Public Library makes a lot of them available for free through @meetlibby, their incredible e-book/audiobook resource.
4/ I have had incredible luck. There's no rhyme or a reason - I do like read-by-the-author or read-by-a-gay-icon-50-plus-year-old actress, but I have also found a couple of treasures read by professional audiobook readers.
5/ So! I thought I would put together this thread to keep track of the books I listen to and can fully recommend. If you have recommendations, let me know below!
6/ My first love: In Extremis, bio of war correspondent Marie Colvin written & read masterfully by Marie's friend & fellow journo @lindseyhilsum. A globe spanning adventure in which the swashbuckler is a pioneering woman, the life lessons painful & true https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781250212733-in-extremis
7/ Can You Ever Forgive Me was one of my favorite movies of 2018. It's based on cranky brilliant Lee Israel's memoir of becoming a literary letter forger. Perfect Jane Curtin gives it the perfect acerbic read. https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781508266839-can-you-ever-forgive-me
8/ #ElaineStritch reads Dorothy Parker. I don't need to say more. https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781984885692-parker-selected-stories
9/ Kay Graham was the publisher of the Washington Post, & in that role a hero of the Watergate era. Meryl Streep played her in the Post. Her memoir, "Personal History," won the pulitzer prize and was a big deal when it was published. It's gripping history & a very good story.
10/ Kay herself reads an abridged version- too busy throwing dinner parties & having lots of famous friends to sit down & read all 30 hrs of the uncut. Her plummy dulcet tones and the passion she brings to telling her story make a compelling listen. https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780735284883-personal-history-abridged
11/ So compelling, in fact, that I'm now listening to the unabridged version read with great skill and intelligence by @CarringtonMacD. I want all the details about the party Truman Capote threw for Kay! https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780525590613-personal-history
12/ That's it for now. I'll keep posting my favorites here - if you've read all of this, you're a sweetheart and I hope you'll leave audiobook recs for me below!
