Here in the Pacific Northwest, summer means lots of camping trips, beach-going, sightseeing, outdoor adventures, festivals, and, time spent on the road between all of these exciting plans. As you start planning your next several months full of sun-infused road trips, what better time to bolster your audiobooks list as well as your reading list? Here is a list of audiobooks by Oregon authors, some you’ve heard of and some you may not, to perfectly compliment your summer plans and love of all things made in Oregon.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
A New York Times Bestseller, and featured on Oprah’s Book Club 2.0
Narrated by Bernadette Dunne, Published by Random House Audio
Genre: Memoir, Pacific Northwest Travel
Audiobooks.com
Kobo
Overdrive (via your local library)
Libro.fm, in partnership with Broadway Books
Audible
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel
Earth’s Children Series: Book 1
Featured on PBS’s The Great American Read, 2018
Narrated by Sandra Burr, Published by Brilliance Audio
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audiobooks.com
Audible
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
National Best Seller, from the author of Fight Club
Narrated by Chuck Palahniuk, Published by Random House Audio
Genre: Humorous Fiction, LGBT Fiction, LGBT Humorous Fiction (#7 on Amazon)
Audiobooks.com
Kobo
Libro.fm
Audible (abridged)
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
Radio Dramatization based on the Bestselling Novel by Ursula Le Guin
Narrated by a full cast, including James McArdle and Toby Jones, Produced by BBC Radio 4
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Kobo
Audiobooks.com
Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards
(Full Audiobook Version) Narrated by George Guidall, Published by Recorded Books
Audiobooks.com
Kobo
Audible
Kathleen Turner on Acting by Kathleen Turner and Dustin Morrow
#1 New Release in Acting & Auditioning on Amazon
Narrated by Kathleen Turner and Dustin Morrow, Published by Audible Studios
Genre: Theatre Biographies, Acting & Auditioning, Drama
***See below for the incredible production process that went into making this remarkable audiobook***
Amazon/Audible Exclusive
Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey
From the Author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Narrated by Tom Stechschulte, Published by Recorded Books
Genre: Fiction Classics
Kobo
Audiobooks.com
Audible
A Dog Named Beautiful by Rob Kugler
Narrated by Rob Kugler, Published by Macmillan Audio
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs, Iraq Travel Guides (#1 on Amazon); Pet Loss Grief (#8 on Amazon), Iraq War Biographies (#22 on Amazon)
Kobo
Overdrive (via your local library)
Audible
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
Narrated by Christina Moore, Published by Recorded Books
Genre: Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Kobo
Audiobooks.com
Audible
Mink River by Brian Doyle
Narrated by David Drummond, Published by Tantor Audio
Genre: Literary Fiction
Kobo
Audiobooks.com
Audible
Parts per Million by Julia Stoops
Pen/Bellwether Finalist
Narrated by Greg Tremblay, Nicol Zanzarella, and Joe Barrett, Published by Forest Avenue Press, Audiobook by Blackstone Audio
Genre: Political Fiction, Activist Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Socially Conscious Fiction
Audiobooks Store
Audible
Lean on Pete by Willy Vlautin
Winner of the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction in 2010, and the Literary Arts/Oregonian Peoples’ Choice Award
Now a Major Motion Picture with A24 Films
Narrated by Willy Vlautin, Published by HarperAudio
Genre: Coming of Age Fiction, Literary Fiction
Libro.fm
Kobo
Audible
Still want more? Has this list sparked your interest in Oregon-made audiobooks in general? Well, you’re in luck! There are several great audiobooks studios and publishers right here in Oregon doing great things for the world of auditory reading.
If your summer list of adventures includes heading to the annual Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, OR, consider a visit to Bloomsbury Books, who have recently partnered with Libro.fm (one of the leading independent sources for audiobooks, which you should definitely consider if you prefer supporting local businesses as they pay a great deal more in royalties to their authors and publishers than platforms like iTunes and Audible) to bring you their audiobooks for your epic Shakespeare road trip here. Also check out Check out Ashland’s own leading independent audiobooks publisher, Blackstone Audio, and their extensive list of audio titles—you won’t be disappointed.
If Portland is a central location for your summer adventures, show your support for local audiobooks studio Rex Production & Post by checking out some of their audiobooks. I recently got to go see this multi-faceted cutting-edge production studio, and spoke with Executive Engineer Russ Gorsline about some of the exciting audiobook projects they’ve been working on, several of which are featured above. This studio has been doing some really exciting things with audiobooks in recent years, working for Audible, Simon & Schuster, and many others to create unique and very high-quality audiobook content here in Portland.
If the performance arts are something you’re interested in, I highly recommend Rex’s audiobook for Kathleen Turner on Acting: Conversations About Film, Television, and Theater, which involved a recording process unlike anything I’ve ever heard of in my audiobooks research. Written in an interview format by Kathleen Turner and local Portland author and PSU professor, Dustin Morrow, when it came time to record the audiobook for this title, it was quickly apparent that it would require both authors to narrate their parts together to keep with the conversational tone of the book. With Kathleen on the East Coast and Dustin Morrow here in Portland, and both leading very busy lives, this required some very unique problem-solving. Using a combination of Skype for video interaction, and some very complex apps to send high-quality audio recording live over internet data transmissions, the team pioneered a whole new way of recording audiobooks that allows two narrators to “virtually” be in the same room while recording, even from opposite sides of the country. The result is a very organic-feeling and intimate audio recording that Amazon says “is a must for acting and directing students of every age, established actors and directors, filmmakers, theater pros, and artists of every stripe.”
Finally, as any book-lover in or headed to the Pacific Northwest already knows, Powell’s is a must-see on the list for summer adventures. However, you can also support Powell’s (and other independent bookstores) by checking out their audiobooks in partnership with Libro.fm as well, which includes audiobook lists on Immigration Stories, and the beloved Powell’s Staff Picks you’ve come to know and love as a central part of the in-store experience at the three Portland Powell’s locations.
Sources:
- A huge thank you to Russ Gorsline at Rex Production & Post for taking the time to show me around the studio and talk with me about the audiobooks industry as a whole, as well as what is being done here in Portland.
- The Goodreads list of Best Books by Oregon Authors
- The Oregonian/Oregon Live’s list of 25 Writers Every Oregonian Must Read—assuming you like sex, strange obsessions, and yes, geek love
- Bloomsbury Books
- Blackstone Audiobooks
- Powell’s Books
Stephanie Anderson 