Dear reader, within the last several years I have really grown to appreciate audiobooks. I began listening to them when I first started going on vacation with my brother and one his friends, utilizing them as an effective way to fill up the many hours – some of them very monotonous – of staring out the window at freeway scenery. Since I have moved out into my own apartment, however, I have come to appreciate audiobooks even more! I listen to them mainly while I’m cooking dinner, cleaning, or putting together a puzzle.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the sometimes total silence of my apartment, especially since back at my parent’s house the TV seemed to be on almost constantly, but every once in a while I feel a need to fill that silence, and not with music. I’ve had people tell me they’ll put on a TV show in the background while they’re doing something, but I’ve never been in that habit. Audiobooks strike that perfect balance of filling the void of silence, while also engaging my brain. They also have the added benefit of making it seem like the people are right in my apartment with me, giving the illusion of companionship. Maybe that sounds weird, but as someone who is living on her own for the first time in her life, I find it comforting.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkien

Inspired by The Hobbit and begun in 1937, The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy that J.R.R. Tolkien created to provide “the necessary background of history for Elvish tongues”. From these academic aspirations was born one of the most popular and imaginative works in English literature.

The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume in the trilogy, tells of the fateful power of the One Ring. It begins a magnificent tale of adventure that will plunge the members of the Fellowship of the Ring into a perilous quest and set the stage for the ultimate clash between the powers of good and evil.

Dear reader, The Lord of the Rings trilogy was one I have always wanted to read, but knew I would never be able to get through the actual books, so I turned to the audiobooks. What an adventure those were! The ability of the narrator, Rob Inglis, to embody all the different characters really brought them to life. That is one of the true superpowers of audiobooks, I believe. They can immerse you in books you never would have read otherwise. I knew the physical books would have been too dense and plodding for me because I’m not much of a fantasy fan, but the audiobooks struck a perfect balance of variety with the differently voiced characters, and a densely layered story that was brought to life.

Clocking in at 20 hours, this remains one of the longest audiobooks I’ve ever listened to, but it was a joy to listen to from start to finish. I would highly recommend the audiobooks if you’ve always wanted to read The Lord of the Rings trilogy but have been intimidated by it, as I was. Audiobooks have a way of making accessible to all readers the stories that once seemed out of reach, or unconquerable.

The Seeds of Change by Lauraine Snelling

Larkspur Nielsen is ready for a change. Her parents have passed on, and her older brother is successfully running the family business. She bristles at the small-mindedness that permeates life in her small Ohio community, and she sees little chance of a satisfying future there. She has a little money saved, and after turning the tables on a crooked gambler who had fleeced several locals, including her younger brother, she can stake a new start for herself and her three sisters.

As the gambler’s threats of revenge echo in her ears, she and her sisters head to Independence, Missouri, to join a wagon train bound for Oregon. Knowing that four women traveling together will draw unwanted attention, Larkspur dons a disguise, passing herself off as “Clark” Nielsen, accompanying his three sisters. But maintaining the ruse is more difficult than Larkspur imagined, as is protecting her headstrong, starry-eyed sisters from difficult circumstances and eligible young men. Will reaching their goal prove too much for them?

And now for something completely different! But isn’t that the beauty of our reading preferences, dear reader? Shortly after I moved into my apartment my sister-in-law gave me her login information to her Google Books collection, and thus is how I came across the Leah’s Garden series you see above. Unfortunately the audiobook version is not in the Monarch system, only the print version. Sorry to disappoint you! If you have access to the Hoopla app, it is available for borrowing on there, however.

One thing I love about historical fiction is all you learn about that way of life. Also how people banded together with oftentimes complete strangers for the good of the whole as they trekked across thousands of miles. I’ve listened to a few audiobooks now that center around wagon trains and I always find them fascinating.

There are four books in the Leah’s Garden series and by their end I was sad to have to part with them! The characters felt like family, and each felt like a fully fleshed-out person thanks not only to good writing, but also fantastic narration by Christina Moore. As you probably know, dear reader, an audiobook can be made or broken by the narrator. Christina Moore was so adept at making each character’s voice distinct that oftentimes if I didn’t catch the name of who was speaking or thinking, it didn’t matter because I recognized the voice she gave them. I in fact became such a fan of Moore’s narration that I looked for other series she narrated, which is how I started listening to my second series, which I will talk about below!

The Promise of Dawn by Lauraine Snelling

When Signe, her husband, Rune, and their three boys arrive in Minnesota from Norway to help a relative clear his land of lumber, they dream of owning their own farm and building a life in the New World. But Uncle Einar and Aunt Gird are hard, demanding people, and Signe and her family soon find themselves worked nearly to the bone in order to repay the cost of their voyage. At this rate they will never have land or a life of their own.

Signe tries to trust God but struggles with anger and bitterness. She has left behind the only life she knew, and, while it wasn’t an easy life, it wasn’t as hard as what she now faces. When a new addition to the family arrives, Signe begins to see how God has been watching over them throughout their ordeal. But after all that has happened, can she still believe in the promise of a bright future?

Dear reader, listening to this series has really given me an appreciation for all the modern conveniences we take for granted nowadays. Imagine having to grow and make almost everything you need, relying on the land and each other to make it through a harsh winter, periods of drought and devastating storms, etc. Life was hard back then! Also, listening to the immigrant experience of Rune and Signe in the early 1900’s was very interesting. Rune’s cruel Uncle Einar paid for their tickets to America, but oftentimes the cheapest tickets were in steerage. These were airless and windowless rooms below the waterline, often near the rudder and other steering gear of the ship, hence the name. People staying in steerage were often not allowed out on deck because that is where the richest and highest paying guests stayed, and the two were not allowed to mingle. Many times people staying in steerage had never been on a ship and seasickness would be rampant, only adding to the pungent smells. Oftentimes, as I mentioned earlier, relatives paid for family to come over to America, and thus they had to work to pay off that debt before they could start their own lives. This could take years!

This series was also a good lesson in forgiveness, and loving those who seem unlovable. There was many a time I was yelling out loud at Uncle Einar’s cruelty to Signe and her family, but then the author would offer a perspective of healing and understanding where oftentimes I would be left standing in the middle of my kitchen thinking about it. I love a book that makes you think!

Dear reader, if you’ve never considered audiobooks before, I hope my blog post encourages you to give one a listen. In fact, you might even listen to the audiobook version of a print book you’ve already read! You never know, it might give you a new perspective on it. You may even find a new favorite audiobook narrator as I have. It’s like finding a new favorite author!