Listen up: try an audio book this year

Audio books make long commutes much more enjoyable, and they help to build listening skills. You can download books from sites like audible.com on an I-pod or a phone and play the books through your radio in the car.

It’s important to listen to samples of audiobook because you’ll like some narrators better than others.

Here’s the top eight books that I listened to in 2016.

The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker – Thanks to a good narrator, I was able to get through the longest audio book I have ever listened to.

Pinker books is 36 hours and 40 minutes long. I usually prefer books that are no longer than eight hours, but this fascinating argument of how crime has decreased over time kept my attention.

The Lost Dogs by Jim Gorant – I love pitbulls so I found this story about the rescue of American football player Michael Vick’s pitbulls that had been used in a dogfighting ring to be both a heart-wrenching and heart-warming read. The author does not dwell on the horrors of dogfighting rings. We can all imagine how bad that is. Instead, he focuses on the people who saved these dogs.

Rejection Proof by Jia Jiang – My most surprising find of last year is Jiang’s quest to become rejection proof. His story shows how much we gain in life when we take chances.

Once Upon a Crime by P J Brackston – The story of how Gretel, one of the fairy tale siblings from Hansel and Gretel, grew up to be a detective turned out to be a fun, light and humorous read. Brackston blends folk lore and mystery in an innovative way.

Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog and an Extraordinary Friendship by Tom Ryan – The author packs a lot of punch in this little book about finding fulfilment in life.

After questioning his life as a small-town newspaper editor, Ryan embarks on a mission to tackle his weight and general feelings of angst by climbing 48 mountains in New Hampshire.

Along the way he discovers much about his relationship with his dog, father and friends. This is the ultimate feel-good book.

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman – I call this the most magical tale I listened to this year. Backman makes this story of a young girl’s relationship with her dying grandmother a beautiful, uplifting story.

Keep Moving by Dick Van Dyke –All elderly people need to read this book about aging gracefully. It’s fun, uplifting and chock-full of meaningful advice.

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessey – by Rachel Joyce – In my book, sequels rarely live up to the level of the original work, but in this case, the author exceeded all of my expectations. Queenie Hennessey’s version of her relationship with Harold Fry, is an important companion to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Harold was on a mission to walk to the remote village where Queenie is dying because he felt his journey could will Queenie into living.

Bear in the Back Seat by Carolyn Jourdan – Both funny and informative, this book by a forest ranger highlights many environmental problems including those associated with feeding wild animals like bears. Much of this book takes place in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, which have recently been devastated by forest fires arsonists started.

My advice for the new year is to listen up. Try some audio books.