There seems to be a big divide on the opinion of audiobooks. Many people don’t consider them a “real” way to “read” books, and they feel very strongly about it. Other people, like me, think they’re awesome and a great way to devour a good book.

Let me tell you why I love audiobooks and cringe when people so vehemently argue against them or outright dismiss them.

I love books in every form: book books, books on my Kindle, and books coming from my speakers. Sometimes, nothing can beat a tangible book in your hand: the gorgeous cover, the look of that perfect font, the smell. (What is that smell, by the way? Dead trees, inks, and dust? Whatever it is, it’s intoxicating.) Kindles are great when you’re traveling and don’t want to carry 5 books with you. The Kindle saves space and helps your terrible posture from lugging around too many physical books. I love my Kindle! Audiobooks can be listened to while doing many things you usually can’t do well while reading a physical book or Kindle: cooking, getting ready in the morning, driving, walking. This multitasking ability is why I am able to enjoy many more books per year than I would get to otherwise.

I live in Phoenix, a notoriously terrible commuting city. Trust me when I say it’s a parking lot during rush hour (although rush “hour” is a misnomer; it more like rush 4 hours) and everything is far away from everything else. Don’t believe me? Come out and visit during the winter when the snow birds are in town. After driving around, you will want to leave. Anyway, this isn’t a blog about driving in populated, spread-out cities. BACK TO BOOKS: Long story short, I spend A LOT of time in my car. Many people listen to the radio or listen to podcasts–I do, too–but I mainly spend the time listening to audiobooks and I love it. It’s like having a fun friend in the car with you, telling you an awesome story.

Isn’t that why we read? To fall into great stories? Listening to them shouldn’t be considered a weaker art; it’s just different. Listening and concentrating is DIFFICULT; this is why you shouldn’t dismiss your friend who’s listening to books instead of physically reading words on a page. We should celebrate people who are delving into the fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi all around them in any way they can.

Books are amazing, in every form. Let’s get them into everyone’s hands, any and every way we can.

P.S. You can buy sweet audiobooks from Audible OR you can borrow them for free from your library on an app like Overdrive!

One of my resolutions this year was to read more, so I challenged myself to read one book per week. I am excited to say that I met that goal and I have loved every minute of it. Well, most minutes. There are some minutes I will never get back and I am slightly bitter about reading those books. At least I can tell you to avoid these books so you aren’t bitter about reading them like I am.

I am attempting to do reviews of my books in one sentence. I hope you enjoy my year of reading in this set of quick reviews. (Amberly also reviewed her books this year and you can read her reviews here. She’s a much more talented writer, so maybe read hers next so you’re not disappointed by my blog posts after reading hers.)

I have read a ton of books this year, so I am splitting up my reviews into fun categories so they’re a bit easier to get through. 🙂

My first category has been one of my favorites this year:

PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES (PLUS SPACESHIPS AND OTHER FUN TRAVELING DEVICES)

Sully: My Search for What Really Matters

by Chesley B. Sullenberger, Jeffrey Zaslow

A life of preparation led to the successful emergency landing of Flight 1549–it also saved his library books from drowning in the Hudson–and while some are hesitant in calling him a hero for his job preparedness, I’d still categorize him as one.

Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival

by Laurence Gonzales

A great, thorough look at an epic plane crash that will keep you from wearing synthetic fabrics on a plane, but that won’t matter because you’ll never want to fly again.

Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

by Mike Massimino

Mike Massimino makes you want to be an astronaut with his funny stories, even after his massive f*ck up on a Hubble spacewalk.

Before the Fall

by Noah Hawley

A very enjoyable mystery/thriller I shouldn’t have read while on a plane. (What is it with me and plane crash books?)

Dark Matter

by Blake Crouch

It will blow your mind and make you question your own reality (and it’ll also give you a migraine).

The Woman in Cabin 10

A hot mess of a woman gets into trouble on a boat and no one believes her, but *SPOILER ALERT*: SHE WAS RIGHT.

The Breakdown

by B.A. Paris

I hadn’t met a protagonist I loathe more than the main character in The Girl on the Train, until I met Cass–the most whiny, obnoxious, and boring character to have ever lived in a thriller. This story drags and drags and I’m sad that I’ll never get these hours of my life back. (Here I go breaking my sentence rule, but I can’t help it with these truly awful books.)

We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

by Dennis E. Taylor

This book has an incredibly strong beginning that hooks you in, but I will go against the trove of other positive reviewers to say that it became redundant and lost purpose along the way.

Artemis

by Andy Weir

I wanted to love you, Artemis, I really did, but this book has characters I didn’t become invested in and a dull, boring story line that didn’t live up to my expectations and my previous love for Watney.

Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery

A funny smart-ass went to space, wrote an awesome book about it that unexpectedly made me cry multiple times throughout.

As you’ve seen, I have read a lot and I am here to tell you that most of them are mysteries or thrillers. I am a thriller junkie. It’s my go-to genre and my chosen escapism. You might think I am dark and twisted after you see what I have read, but I am not ashamed. I have read some great ones this year and I look forward to another year filled with them!

MYSTERIES AND THRILLERS

Broken Harbour (Dublin Murder Squad #4)

by Tana French

Tana French is a good mystery author and when she picks up the pace, she’s a great one who makes you slightly concerned about traveling to Ireland.

The Dry (Aaron Falk #1)

by Jane Harper

A solid first thriller with fairly adequate character development, but this isn’t a book you’ll want to stay up all night reading.

The Girl Before

by Rena Olsen

An intense, compelling thriller from the deep circle of hell that is human trafficking.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Millennium #3)

by Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland (Translator)

A somewhat satisfying conclusion to the series–and then they made me liar by adding two more books to the series.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web

by David Lagercrantz, Stieg Larsson (Creator), George Goulding (Translator)

Ah, the book that made me a liar (because the Millennium series didn’t end with the third book) is enjoyable and is stronger than the previous finale, so I forgive it.

The Perfect Stranger

by Megan Miranda

Enjoyable enough reading for a long plane ride, but you’ll forget about it the minute you step off of it.

You (You #1)

This is one of the best, creepiest thriller I’ve ever read and you’ll hate yourself for liking the disturbing stalker at the heart of this story. (P.S. It’s going to be a Lifetime series, so let’s hope they don’t ruin it for us.)

Hidden Bodies (You #2)

While this takes a slightly different path than the first book, it’s still the same old Joe you oddly like.

The Woman in Cabin 10

A hot mess of a woman gets into trouble on a boat and no one believes her, but *SPOILER ALERT*: SHE WAS RIGHT.

Final Girls

by Riley Sager

So much is happening all of the time and I don’t care that there isn’t the strongest plot because I love the craziness and everything that is going on at once.

Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake #1)

by Rachel Caine

Gwen wasn’t always a badass, but watch out for her now because she is a protective mama bear who will destroy you.

My Sister’s Grave (Tracy Crosswhite #1)

by Robert Dugoni

Dull, boring, and blah.

The Keeper of Lost Causes (Department Q #1)

by Jussi Adler-Olsen, Lisa Hartford (Translator)

This fed my thriller addiction as the twisting timelines had me on the edge of my seat, needing to know what happened next.

The Absent One (Department Q #2)

by Jussi Adler-Olsen, K.E. Semmel (Translator)

Oh, how I used to love you, Department Q, until you were ruined for me with this mediocre second book.

In a Dark, Dark Wood

by Ruth Ware

A decent mystery where you see what’s coming, but a decent novel nonetheless.

The Good Daughter

by Karin Slaughter

Karin Slaughter delivers yet another fantastically sick and twisted thriller, just how I like them.

Last Breath (The Good Daughter 0.5)

This is a solid supplemental read to the first book in the series and I think it was cleaved from the first because that was already becoming a War and Peace-length book.

The Secrets She Keeps

by Michael Robotham

Predictable moral of the story: Don’t trust people you meet at the grocery store, especially if you’re a pregnant woman.

One of Us Is Lying

by Karen M. McManus

Learn how to say no to mediocre YA novels by passing this one up.

Alone

by Lisa Gardner

If you like sick and twisty Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner is like her less damaged little sister who’s also enjoyable to be around.

Blindsighted (Grant County #1)

by Karin Slaughter

If you are looking for a new thriller series to pass the time, Slaughter has you covered with this first installment of a series where a small town in Grant County, GA is rocked by some truly gruesome and heinous murders.

Kisscut (Grant County #2)

by Karin Slaughter

Sara Linton, the town’s pediatrician and medical examiner (such a random combination, right?), steps in it again in this fast-paced thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end.

The Book of Ivy

by Amy Engel

After a devastating nuclear war, a small group of survivors are fighting for power because that’s really the most important thing when you’re trying to survive a nuclear winter.

The Child Finder

by Rene Denfeld

You pulled me in with your gorgeous cover and you let me down with this discontinuous, meandering novel that failed to deliver an interesting premise.

The Last Mrs. Parrish

by Liv Constantine

It’s like a Lifetime movie, except with phenomenal writing.

The Lying Game

by Ruth Ware

A group of lying friends continue to lie to everyone around them to help their deceitful friend when they could’ve been honest all along, but who wants to read a book like that?

The only category that can compete with mysteries and thrillers for me is non-fiction, mainly historical and biographical writings. I simply love good stories. If you’re at a party with me, I will corner you and ask you to tell me all of the interesting stories about your life. Weird? Maybe, but I just love hearing about people and what makes them the way that they are.

BIOGRAPHY AND NON-FICTION

The Daily Show: An Oral History as Told by Jon Stewart, the Correspondents, Staff and Guests

by Chris Smith, Jon Stewart (Foreword), Oliver Wyman (narrator), Jay Snyder (narrator), Kevin T. Collins (narrator), Chris Lutkin(narrator), Robert Fass (narrator), Lauren Fortgang

A thoroughly enjoyable history of the show that will make you miss Jon Stewart’s face and wit on your television screen.

Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office

by Jen Lancaster

You keep on reading it, hoping that the offensive protagonist will redeem herself through this journey she’s taking, but nope. Hands down, the worst book I have ever read in my entire life. (I broke my one sentence review rule to convey that point.)

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

Funniest book I have read this year, possibly ever, and it is clear that I want Trevor to be my best friend after reading this book.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

by J.D. Vance

An interesting look at life in the Rust Belt from the point of view of an addict’s son who overcame the odds to make it in the Ivy Leagues, but I didn’t take it as a literal window into their lives as some people did.

A Life in Parts

by Bryan Cranston

Cranston is an incredibly funny guy who has a big heart and delves deep into his roles–are you sure he wasn’t actually making meth in New Mexico?

Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology

by Leah Remini, Rebecca Paley

We’ve all heard that Scientology is bananas; Leah gives us an front row seat to the crazy show.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE

by Phil Knight

Say what you will about Nike, this is an inspiring memoir about its leader and how it grew from a $50 loan in 1962 to the empire it is today–I am clearly underachieving in my life and business.

The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck: How to Stop Spending Time You Don’t Have with People You Don’t Like Doing Things You Don’t Want to Do

by Sarah Knight

You only have so many f*cks to give; don’t waste them on people and things that don’t actually matter.

Get Your Sh*t Together: How to Stop Worrying About What You Should Do So You Can Finish What You Need to Do and Start Doing What You Want to Do (A No F*cks Given Guide)

by Sarah Knight

As a person who thinks of herself as having her sh*t together, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and also feel vindicated in knowing people who are constantly late simply don’t have their own sh*t together.

Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism

by Ron Suskind

This heartfelt story about non-verbal Owen living through Disney movies will make you bawl, especially if you’re an autism parent raising a mini-Owen.

Elon Musk: Inventing the Future

by Ashlee Vance

Elon Musk is a self-learning machine that makes you want to buy your very own $100k+ Tesla.

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World

by Rachel Ignotofsky

This is a beautifully illustrated, short history book on women in science that I loved and it should be required reading for young girls.

Einstein: His Life and Universe

by Walter Isaacson

This is a very thorough and interesting Einstein biography that covers not only his professional accomplishments, but his personal shortcomings as well–he’s definitely not going to win any Husband of the Year awards.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot

While they have subsequently saved many lives, it is appalling how some of the most commonly used human cells in scientific research came to be.

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

by Irin Carmon, Shana Knizhnik

Ruth Bader Ginsburg gives me life.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

by Neil deGrasse Tyson

I know this is intentionally a small book (and I loved it), but I wanted about 30 more chapters about chemicals in the cosmos.

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women

by Kate Moore

These are women we should know about and their stories are compelling, I only wish it had been told by a better author who could write well.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

by Cheryl Strayed

Another hyped book I didn’t love as much as everyone else, but it was an amusing story of one very unprepared woman’s journey alone in the wilderness who somehow didn’t die along the way.

I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons

by Kevin Hart, Neil Strauss

Laughing this hard at Kevin Hart was not something I ever thought I would do.

What Happened

by Hillary Rodham Clinton

This book didn’t depress me as much as I thought it would; it was a thoroughly insightful look into the campaign and election and further solidified the truth that she is the president that we all deserved and didn’t get.

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

by Alyssa Mastromonaco, Lauren Oyler

Let me preface this by saying I love Alyssa Mastromonaco when she’s on Pod Save America, but this book reads like a disorganized, whiny book of fluff without much substance.

Scrappy Little Nobody

by Anna Kendrick

Unexpectedly, Anna Kendrick is a talented writer who makes this a fun, light read–perfect for the beach or lazy weekend.

Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change

by Ellen Pao

I depressingly must recommend this book, especially to women in male-dominated fields, although I wish we didn’t have to write these in 2017. (P.S. She gives amazing advice at the end of the book.)

Unqualified

by Anna Faris, Chris Pratt (Foreword)

You end this book really liking Anna Faris, but you wish she had had a ghost writer or an editor who could’ve better organized the book.

Cosmos

by Carl Sagan

You must have this book in your life and it’s even better as an audiobook because LaVar Burton gives Carl Sagan’s incredible writing the beautiful voice the Cosmos deserve.

Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose

I have always been inspired by Joe’s life of loss, heartache, and subsequent perseverance, but this book comes off as a whiny, querulous tale of why he didn’t run for president (and it wasn’t because of his loss of Beau).

I wish I had a new Harry Potter book to review every year, but at least I had The Cursed Child to tide me over. Plus, I found my most favorite book of all time. BONUS.

THE MYTHICAL AND THE MAGICAL

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Parts 1& 2

by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany (Adaptation), Jack Thorne (Adaptation)

A nice addition to my favorite stories of all time, done in a way that felt authentic to the series, regardless of what the haters say.

Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey

Hands down, this is my favorite book I own and you should totally buy it if you’re a Harry Potter nerd like me.

Norse Mythology

by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman’s complex and funny style make this a gratifying, quick read that’ll make you want to travel to Valhalla and hang out with all the gods, except Loki–screw that guy.

Outlander (Outlander #1)

This thoroughly researched book–the author used actual books and not the internet back in the 90s, y’all–is an incredible read where you’ll meet your favorite book beau of all time, Jamie Fraser, and he’ll help you forget the weeks of reading you had to do to finish this.

FLUFF

Me Before You (Me Before You #1)

by Jojo Moyes

Bitter, frustrated and mean man who’s bound to a wheelchair from an accident tries to scare away his sweet caretaker; they fall in love and tough decisions are made; and you find out that Will isn’t the biggest jerk in the world.

MISCELLANEOUS FICTION

The Handmaid’s Tale

by Margaret Atwood

An alarming, captivating work of fiction one would believe is absurd as a reality, then this past year happened and it doesn’t seem that unrealistic.

American War

by Omar El Akkad

A future civil war brought on by the banning of fossil fueled vehicles is an eerie glimpse into the future that hooked me in at the beginning, but soon bored me with a slow moving story line and dull characters.

Lincoln in the Bardo

by George Saunders

A satirical historical fiction book that was difficult to follow and random at best; I felt like a dolt for not “getting” this book after all of its hype.