This year I decided to sign up for the Audiobook challenge run by Hot Listens and Caffeinated Reviewer because it sounded like a lot of fun and just my type of thing since I already listen to a lot of audiobooks. More details about the challenge can be found in my original post here.

Well, the year is about half-way over and it’s time for our Mid-Year check in already. How time flies! I know I’ve been listening to a lot of books on audio this year but it’s been a couple of months since I counted. Let’s see how I’m doing!

Levels of achievement:

• Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
• Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
• Stenographer (can listen while multitasking) 10-15
• Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
• Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
• My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+
• Marathoner (Look Ma No Hands) 50+

I decided to go for Marathoner since I generally listen to a ton of books on audio. Having a longer commute and a workplace where I can listen to books a couple hours a day has really helped me increase my reading!

Here’s a list of all the books I’ve listened to so far this year:

1. Of Blood and Bone by Nora Roberts
2. This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada
3. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
4. In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
5. White Stag by Kara Barbieri
6. Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
7. Minimum Wage Magic by Rachel Aaron
8. Dracul by J.D. Barker and Dacre Stoker
9. The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty
10. The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
11. Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich
12. King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
13. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
14. Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard
15. The Au Pair by Emma Rous
16. The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
17. The Spirit Eater by Rachel Aaron
18. The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor
19. The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
20. Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
21. The True Queen by Zen Cho
22. The Prince and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston
23. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
24. Enchantée by Gita Trelease
25. Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
26. Fledgling by Octavia Butler
27. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
28. The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
29. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
30. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher
31. The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
32. Beautiful but Juliet Marillier

12 more books since my last update and 32/82 books have been audiobooks so far this year! At this pace, I’m sure to reach Marathoner level before the end of the year. Huzzah! I know last year my overall percentage of audiobooks went down compared to the previous year because I read a lot more ebooks. This year I expect ebooks and audiobooks to battle it out for highest percentage of my overall reading–it will be interesting to see how things shake out in the end. 🙂

A lot of these books have been really fun listens, while a few just didn’t work for me. I loved the production of The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons! This is one that is a bit unique in that I absolutely loved the narration but I don’t know if I’d recommend audio for first time readers of the book since it’s such a convoluted plot and story structure. It’s easy to get confused. However, if you don’t mind that, it’s a rollicking good time. My Lady Jane is also one with particularly fun narration and I’d recommend it in audio for sure. Both The Kingdom of Copper and A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World have also been stand outs for me, both in audio narration and the overall story. Whereas I don’t know if I’d recommend A Memory Called Empire in audio–think about picking up a print edition of that one instead. The story was good but the audio just didn’t do it for me.

So, that’s my update! Thank goodness I’m doing good at one of my challenges this year, LOL! Do you listen to audiobooks? What are some of your favorite audiobook recordings? Leave a note in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!