Apparently the first volume of the graphic novel adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight was quite a success. Kurt Hassler, Yen Press Publishing Director, said in a release, “The first volume of the Twilight graphic novel was an utter phenomenon in the category, and the reception by Stephenie’s fans was absolutely overwhelming.” Volume 2 will have a first printing of 350,000 copies.

“Knowing how beautifully Young Kim rendered the Twilight universe in the first volume, I couldn’t wait for this next one,” remarked Meyer. “Her illustrations of characters and settings gorgeously capture the world and are very close to what I saw in my mind’s eye while writing Twilight.”

The press release goes on to say:
A visually arresting retelling of the story that has captured the hearts and minds of countless fans, Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 2 contains selected text from Meyer’s original novel with illustrations by the talented Korean artist Young Kim. Kim’s unique artistic style which combines Asian and Western comic techniques are showcased in this black-and-white graphic novel with color interspersed throughout. Meyer consulted throughout the artistic process and had input on every panel.

Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 2 will be released as an ebook and in hardcover on October 11, 2011.

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One fan will be chosen from each of the following countries: the United States, Canada, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. The event organizers are keeping all the details of the meeting under wraps. They say, “due to the intimate nature of this event, details regarding the location and timing are being kept confidential.”

“The one thing I miss most about my first book tour was the chance I had then to spend quality time with my readers,” said Meyer. “At an event with just ten or twenty people, I was able to get to know everyone a little bit. I could also more effectively answer each person’s questions. I’m so excited to have that opportunity again, and to get to spend time with fans from many different places and backgrounds.”

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide will be in bookstores on April 12, 2011.

So, Twilight fans, if you had a chance to meet Stephenie, what would you ask her? I’d like to know when she’s going to finish Midnight Sun What burning questions do you have for Stephenie? Please share in the comments!

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
The 8th and final Harry Potter movie will be in theaters this July, covering the second half of Deathly Hallows. The end of the most successful movie franchise in history has Warner Bros searching for another children’s fantasy series to replace it. The Artemis Fowl and Chaos Walking series are just a few of books that have been suggested.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Harry Potter has been getting a lot of attention, but oh yeah, there’s a little movie called Breaking Dawn: Part 1 coming out in November 2011. Like the final Harry Potter book, they’ve split the movie version into two parts. Part 2 of Breaking Dawn will be released in November of 2012.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (read our review)
I Am Number Four is by author James Frey writing under the pseudonym Pittacus Lore. It’s about teenage alien John Smith who is hiding out on Earth from some nasty enemies who want him dead. Nine aliens arrived on our planet as children, and now the first three are dead, which means John (Number Four) is next. The movie will be in theaters this February and stars Alex Pettyfer as Number Four and Glee’s Dianna Agron as his love interest. Check out an extended trailer for I Am Number Four on Daemon’s Movies.

Beastly by Alex Flinn (read our review)
Beastly is a modern day retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. Rich, handsome Kyle Kingsbury attends private school in New York City where he behaves like a self-entitled brat…until he crosses a witch with the power to curse him. Whether you’re familiar with the original fairy tale or the Disney version, you can probably guess what happens next. Alex Pettyfer also stars in the movie version of Beastly, along with Vanessa Hudgens, Mary Kate Olsen, and Neil Patrick Harris. It will be in theaters this March. Watch the trailer for Beastly over at Daemon’s Movies.

Beyond 2011

There are also quite a few YA novel adaptations that are just in the initial phases, so they probably won’t be out until next year. Still, there are some really exciting projects in the works. Take a look:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (read our review)
The Hunger Games trilogy really exploded in 2010 and fans are crazy excited to see the first book turned into a movie (seriously, read some of the passionate comments on our post discussing the possibility of Chloe Moretz playing Katniss). So far, we know that Suzanne Collins herself wrote the screenplay for the movie and that Gary Ross will direct it. He recently told Entertainment Weekly that he’s aiming for a PG-13 rating and that he doesn’t need to “make this movie incredibly bloody in order for it to be just as compelling, just as scary, and just as riveting.” Sounds encouraging, right?

The Maze Runner by James Dashner (read our review)
In The Maze Runner, Thomas awakens to find himself trapped in a maze with a bunch of other kids, with no memory of his previous life. Much like The Hunger Games, the book has science fiction and dystopian themes. Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke will reportedly direct The Maze Runner movie. Noah Oppenheim has been hired as the screenwriter. The Maze Runner is the first book in a planned trilogy, and is followed by The Scorch Trials (read our review here).

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Also making headlines recently is the news that Twilight star Taylor Lautner has signed on to star as Finn in the movie version of Catherine Fisher’s Incarceron. In the book, 17-year-old Finn is trapped in Incarceron, a vast prison sealed from the world. Prisoners are born and die in Incarceron meaning few even believe a world outside the prison exists. After Finn begins communicating with a girl who claims to live on the outside, he becomes determined to escape.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
City of Bones, the first book in The Mortal Instruments series, follows 15-year-old Clary Fray as she is drawn into the world of the Shadowhunters, warriors who kill bad guys like vampires and werewolves. The Blind Side actress Lily Collins will star as Clary in the movie version, which will be directed by Scott Charles Stewart.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Dakota Fanning is reportedly in talks to star in If I Stay, which is being produced by Summit Entertainment. In Gayle Forman’s book, seventeen-year-old Mia finds herself trapped between life and death after a horrible car wreck. Catherine Hardwicke was attached to the project at one time; however, she dropped out and was replaced by Brazilian filmmaker Heitor Dhalia.

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Director Peter Jackson has just begun production on The Hobbit, the 1937 young adult novel that preceded the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Martin Freeman (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Love Actually, The Office) will be playing the titular hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Amie has weighed in with her thoughts on the movie, including the decision to divide it into two parts.

So which of these novel adaptations are you most excited about? Vote in our poll and let us know which one you chose in the comments!

Breaking Dawn fell from the top 50 to number 54, Twilight is at 172, New Moon is number 238, and Eclipse is 198.

Meyer’s publicist tells USA Today that they expect to see a spike in book sales when the Eclipse DVD is released in December. Plus, Meyer is releasing The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide in April, and that is sure to put her back on the bestseller list.

Here’s a look at the top ten books on USA Today’s Best-Selling Books list:
1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
2. The Reversal by Michael Connelly
3. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
4. Divine Transformation: The Divine Way to Self-clear Karma to Transform Your Health,
Relationships, Finances, and More by Zhi Gang Sha
5. Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
6. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
7. I, Alex Cross by James Patterson
8. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
9. Don’t Blink by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
10. Cross Roads by Fern Michaels

Stieg Larsson and James Patterson always seem to dominate every bestseller list I read, and this one is no different. While not in the top ten, I noticed all three books in The Hunger Games trilogy are in the top 50. I think The Hunger Games is definitely the most popular YA series right now, and with the movie in the works, the buzz surrounding these books is only going to grow.

So does this mean that Twilight‘s popularity has finally peaked? I think this was bound to happen sooner or later. At this point, it seems like practically everyone has read these books and they are ready to move on to the next big thing. So what do you think? Is the Twilight craze about over? Or is this just a brief lull in sales?

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In an interview with the New York Post, Hickey says that she’s lobbying for a role in Breaking Dawn, the fourth movie in the Twilight Saga. “If I could get a little background part, it would be fantastic,” she said, “even if they only wanted my hands in it.”

The model/massage therapist connects with fans on the Twilight convention circuit where she sells apple scented hand lotion. Hickey has also been known to go up to strangers on the subway and at Barnes & Noble and introduce herself. She carries a red Gala apple in her purse just for such occasions. Even she admits that it’s a little goofy, but she tells the New York Post that “It was too big of a deal just to let it be.”

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The four limited-edition titles: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, will be published by Atom on 14th October as £7.99 paperbacks, available only in the UK and Ireland, and Little, Brown’s territories including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India. The white editions will not be available in the US.

The white titles will only be published between October and Christmas 2010, replacing the usual black jackets. The titles will have crimson-edged pages and crimson back covers, with text confined to the spines.

It’s too bad we won’t be getting these in the US. What do you think of the new white Twilight covers?

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Tom Barrack, real-state mogul and owner of Colony Capital, recently sent out a memo to his employees where he talks about his discovery of the Twilight saga. While on a yacht, with nothing else to do, he reluctantly picked up Twilight and was surprised to find himself hooked on the series. He says,

Here is my point. The idea of devoting half a day to reading these books was something that never, NEVER, entered my mind as something I would ever, EVER do. I hated them. I mocked them. It made no difference to me that over 20 million books were sold, movies made, and Team Edward and Team Jacob pandemonium had engulfed the world. I was simply stuck in my point of view.

Once I ventured into the books I learned something. I now understand why some women are emotionally altered from merely reading a book. I have also gained a deeper realization that understanding the circumstances and points of views of those with whom we are negotiating, working, living, loving or fighting is the key determinant factor in an enduring relationship.

In every day business, we think we know it all. We are the captains of our industry and we possess all the global knowledge. That which we don’t understand we push a button and it appears before us. We are lacking creativity…. it is hard for us to dream… harder for us to change our lives… hard to live in a situation that other people view as unconventional. And for sure, we all have no idea on how to be satisfied with the status quo.

How cool is that? Yes, he’s just now figuring out what millions of us Twihards have known for years now, but I think it’s great that he had what Oprah calls an “Aha! Moment” while reading Twilight and then used that to teach his employees about expanding their horizons. I think he also very accurately summarizes the appeal of Twilight:

Here is my macho take – Stephanie Meyer is a total genius. As I flipped through the pages I was startled by the lack of detailed description of Bella and the surgical and illuminating development of Edward. As hard as I tried I could not really picture Bella, but I was grabbed by Edward’s character – gorgeous, super human, super strong, super fast and most importantly encompassing the wisdom of a 109-year-old man in the guise of a 17-year-old boy.

The description of Bella on the other hand, was not moving, or compelling. What I realized is the genius of Stephanie was that she knew that by keeping the character generic, any and every woman could climb inside and picture herself in Bella’s shoes. Thus the fascination and deep emotional reactions to what many (including myself) thought was a foolish teenage trashy novel.

I definitely got that the “anticipation” was much more romantic and sexy than the “consummation” to the woman. Slow, patient, caring, tender…. (guys have you heard those words before?)…

Twilight’s become so overexposed in the past few years that it has become an easy target for critics, so I’m happy to see someone defend it. The truth is that Twilight resonated with a lot of people, both men and women, and I think Tom Barrack accurately deconstructs all the reasons why in this memo. It’s long, but I think it’s worth a read if you have the time.

The memo in full:

Bella and Edward Who????
July 02, 2010
Gang,
The last few weeks have been an incredible adventure. Thanks to you, Colony is on fire across the globe and we are conquering new frontiers and new themes on a daily basis in almost every venue in which we conduct our business. You are the A Team and I am deeply grateful and proud of what all of you have “teamed” to our reality.

As you know, I have been caught in a vortex of meteoric movement in every aspect of life and that has intensified on a cosmic scale the last few weeks. My personal goal has always been to feel the wind blow through my hair when standing on the ledge. Well, I certainly found the ledge, if not the hair. It is where I thankfully and excitedly anticipate the scent of excitement and fulfillment the most. I seem to love the edge.

My real job is to act as the Senior Information Officer for all of you and share my points of view, newfound information, instincts, and reactions so that you can incorporate them into a plan of action, which, through sweat and alchemy, becomes profit for our investors as well as ourselves. Today the volatility and uncertainty in the world is at epic proportions and perhaps the most valuable tool that I can share with you is the ability to adapt to, and analyze other points of views. Especially, to understand those points of view which you find truly frightening, disturbing, or life threatening. We all find comfort in crawling into our own “content” of life and with death defying stubbornness refuse to look outside to the “context” in which other people view our “content”. The wars of the world since the beginning of time have been fought over diverging points of view. There is no price too great to defend it. Unfortunately, that inflexibility does not work well for global traders or businessmen. Adaptability and understanding of strange bedfellows becomes a competitive edge.

I am going to share with you a personal breakthrough, which does not relate directly to our business but does reflect upon how we all look at all the “stuff” that drives us on a daily basis. Many of you will think that I have lost my mind or have finally experienced a mystical intervention of “my feminine side”. I promise you, it is neither.

I have had an agonizingly tough couple of weeks and have survived on pure adrenaline in the midst of tumult, controversy, tough negotiations with business counterparts, and a grueling travel itinerary that was challenging even for me. One of the recent meetings was in Turkey with our Mars partners. I made arrangements to have a bit of yacht time with them. When the meeting got cancelled I did the unthinkable for me, have a little down time all to myself. I boarded the gorgeous but stark Turkish Gulet right as the sun was setting. As I made my way into the main cabin I saw something so frightening it left me speechless. There, staring up at me from the ebony coffee table was a book. On the cover was a gorgeous red apple nestled between two soft and caring hands. Between the hands were written the words that strike terror in the hearts of every macho, red-blooded male…TWILIGHT. AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!! Alone, on a boat, with no wifi, no satellite, no magazines, no newspapers, just me and this book. This piece of chick lit, teeny bopper heartthrob stuff. Terror on the high seas! I wanted nothing to do with any of it. Not relevant, not interesting.

As I sat there with nothing to do the book kept taunting me. I began to think that there must be something I don’t understand. What could it be? What is it all about? Women don’t just read these books, they live them. They become each paragraph. I picked it up, but then immediately dropped it like a hot coal. What if someone saw me reading this? My macho reputation would be finished! I would be kicked out of the bench press section of the gym. My polo compadres would send me packing to the pony rides and my surfing buddies would exile me to the kiddie pool.

But it was a long night and there was absolutely nothing, and I mean NOTHING else to do. Long story short – not only did I read Twilight, I read the other two as well!! I was fascinated, captivated even. However, what intrigued me was not the same thing that hooked the millions of women whose lives and had been changed by this series, but something else entirely.

For you male Colonists, here is a brief synopsis. Stubborn teenage girl meets a handsome but moody vampire and against all odds they fall in love.

Here is my macho take – Stephanie Meyer is a total genius. As I flipped through the pages I was startled by the lack of detailed description of Bella and the surgical and illuminating development of Edward. As hard as I tried I could not really picture Bella, but I was grabbed by Edward’s character – gorgeous, super human, super strong, super fast and most importantly encompassing the wisdom of a 109-year-old man in the guise of a 17-year-old boy.

The description of Bella on the other hand, was not moving, or compelling. What I realized is the genius of Stephanie was that she knew that by keeping the character generic, any and every woman could climb inside and picture herself in Bella’s shoes. Thus the fascination and deep emotional reactions to what many (including myself) thought was a foolish teenage trashy novel.

I definitely got that the “anticipation” was much more romantic and sexy than the “consummation” to the woman. Slow, patient, caring, tender…. (guys have you heard those words before?) I found him incredibly appealing as he was taking care of Bella, putting her first, distancing himself from her to protect her and yet never being able to get her out of his mind. The relationship stood the test of time through many years, other men, family challenges and misconceptions of valiant and loving acts. A human relationship with a vampire is challenging on many levels, the least of which being you get older as your partner remain timeless. It was enticing, captivating, alluring…and dangerous. Through it all she believed that she could do it…. change her life… change his life…make it different…in spite of what conventional wisdom dictated.

Every woman longs for the anticipation, the romance, the journey, the taboo, the patience, and the attentiveness. Men, however, are all about the destination, the result, the speed and the outcome. The journey is merely penance to get to the destination. Which is why despite the vampires and werewolves, this book is kryptonite to most men.

In a world of technology these books are unique. There is so little imagination left in most of forms of entertainment today. See it, Google it, play it, do it…there is very little old fashioned make believe anymore. I could go on and on, but I know by now many of you are saying, “what happened to our leader?”… “Maybe Lebanese really is a sexual preference rather than a nationality”. I promise none of the above. [Mr. Barrack is of Lebanese descent.]

Here is my point. The idea of devoting half a day to reading these books was something that never, NEVER, entered my mind as something I would ever, EVER do. I hated them. I mocked them. It made no difference to me that over 20 million books were sold, movies made, and Team Edward and Team Jacob pandemonium had engulfed the world. I was simply stuck in my point of view.

Once I ventured into the books I learned something. I now understand why some women are emotionally altered from merely reading a book. I have also gained a deeper realization that understanding the circumstances and points of views of those with whom we are negotiating, working, living, loving or fighting is the key determinant factor in an enduring relationship.

In every day business, we think we know it all. We are the captains of our industry and we possess all the global knowledge. That which we don’t understand we push a button and it appears before us. We are lacking creativity…. it is hard for us to dream… harder for us to change our lives… hard to live in a situation that other people view as unconventional. And for sure, we all have no idea on how to be satisfied with the status quo.

It is time for all of us to become more creative, spend more time outside of the strict arithmetic cadence of our business, and understand foreign points of view. Most importantly we must really find the “moment”. Anticipation is everything. The process of getting to a destination is the objective and the more illumination, color, and vitality we give to the “road” the less important the final destination becomes. It will be what it will be!!!

On this 4th of July, slow down, take a breath, rediscover your imagination and create some excitement in your life. Take a few days to expand on the qualities of the character you would really like to become. Then live it, do it, become it! The better you are as an individual, the better we will be as a team.

I feel renewed and refreshed, having gotten out of my comfort zone and experiencing something so totally out of my normal realm. I don’t get it…. but I feel it. Taking the agenda-less time to absorb a point of view that I had ignored while loved ones around me relished in it, was an oasis for my soul. Having been unwilling to investigate the cause of such a startling movement until now was ignorant. Move your cheese!!!! Break through the comfort barriers, you can handle it whatever it is. The earth is turning on its axis. Planets and moons and suns are in orbit. Gravity is pulling and tugging, and molecules and quarks are warring inside of us. We need movement to live…

Do it Now!

Tom

Twilight fans anxious for Stephenie Meyer to finish writing Midnight Sun—a retelling of Twilight from Edward’s perspective—are just going to have to be patient.

Meyer recently granted an interview to four Twilight fan sites, and addressed the Midnight Sun issue. She says, “What’s true is that I’m really burned out on vampires. And, I don’t want to write it badly. So I want to wait until I’m excited about the material again, and I’m excited about Edward, and that it’s something that’s motivating.”

Meyer put the book on hold after the first part was leaked onto the Internet. But now that fans have had a taste of Midnight Sun, they are desperate for more. Meyer says in the interview that she gets asked about the book wherever she goes. She admits that part of the reason the project is on hold is her stubbornness.

Meyer: You know, I have my share of human stubbornness, and I have to tell you, it’s a little bit hard when people are like “This is the only thing you can do, and it’s the only thing we care about!” And, you’re kind of like a three year old, you want to be like “I’m gonna do what I wanna do!” Yah. “You’re not the boss of me!

I’m as anxious as anyone for Midnight Sun, but I can understand her reluctance to finish the project. Having her partial manuscript leaked online must have felt like such a violation. The good thing is that Meyer sounds open to finishing Midnight Sun eventually, and that’s good enough for me.

Are you anxious for Midnight Sun? Or are you willing to cut Stephenie Meyer some slack?

By the way, if you haven’t read the draft of Midnight Sun, it’s available on Stephenie Meyer’s website.

(Source: Twilight Series Theories)

June is National Audiobook Month and as part of the celebration Kristen and I are listing our favorite audiobooks. Audiobooks are a great way to enjoy books when it’s not convenient to read them, like during commutes to and from work or when you’re working outdoors. The best audiobooks help provide an extra dimension to books, giving the characters and the plot more life than just letters on a page.

Here are some of my favorite audiobooks:

Anathem by Neal Stephenson (Narrated by Oliver Wyman, Tavia Gilbert, William Dufris, Neal Stephenson)
I had first listened to Anathem after hearing how great an audiobook it was from other science fiction fans. The narration does a great job in pulling you into the story, and the emotions felt by the characters come through amazingly. Another nice touch is the Gregorian chant songs that are played in between parts of the book, it adds to some of the story elements that tie religion to the scientific world. Read my full review of Anathem here.

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin (Narrated by Steve Martin)
I’ve always been a big fan of listening to autobiographies narrated by the authors; the best ones actually feel like you’re having a conversation with the author. Steve Martin achieves this in the audio version of Born Standing Up (see my review for more details). I especially liked that Martin breaks out the banjo and plays a few tunes throughout the book, it’s a side of him I hadn’t seen before and it was a nice touch.

Twilight series by Stephenie Meyers (Narrated by Ilyana Kadushin (Books 1-4), Matt Walters (Book 4))
A few years ago, you couldn’t have paid me enough to read a book about teenage vampires. Kristen was actually the one to get me to listen to the audio version of Twilight while on a long road trip. Ilyana Kadushin is excellent as Bella and really lets you become lost in Stephenie Meyer’s story. Just like Kristen, now when I read any of the Twilight novels, I hear Kadushins voice in my head. That’s the sign of a great audiobook.

More Information than You Require by John Hodgman (Narrated by Narrated by John Hodgman, Ricky Gervais, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Dick Cavett, Sarah Vowell, Ira Glass, Rachel Maddow)
What separates Hodgman’s book from other audiobooks is that it’s not so much a recording of him reading his book, but has more of a feel of a comedy stand up routine with lots of invited guests. There are lots of fun moments where Hodgman goes “off script” and interacts with the other narrators, making it more of a special experience that you wouldn’t get from just reading the book. Of particular note is the accompaniment of Johnathan Coulton on a few musical numbers, including the jingle for Dick Van Patten’s Hobo Chilli for Dogs. The audiobook also contains a recording of him reading 700 molemen names and their occupations (Hodgman devotes a significant portion of the book to the molemen and their steeds), and 365 short podcast like recordings titled “Today In the Past” which act as a one-a-day type calendar, but just in audio format.

Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer (Narrated by Nathaniel Parker (Books 1-5)
To be honest, on the book quality alone, Artemis Fowl would not make this list. It’s a good book and all, but the real reason I love the audiobook is the narration. Parker brings a good Irish accent to the story that seems authentic and gives an added maturity to Artemis Fowl’s voice.

What are your favorite audiobooks? Where do you listen to your audiobooks?

The month of June is National Audiobook Month and Jen at Devourer of Books is hosting daily discussions of audiobooks all this week. I’m a huge audiobook addict and you might have noticed that many of the book reviews Jose and I do are of audiobooks. We started listening to them a few years ago to make our respective commutes to work go by faster. Since then, I’ve also started listening to them on the treadmill or while doing chores. I love them because they allow you to do two things at once and they make boring tasks a lot more fun.

In honor of Audiobook Week, I thought I’d share some of my all-time favorites:

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
I consider David Sedaris’ audiobooks to be some of the best out there, and I think they are a great starting point for a newbie. Sedaris narrates them himself with perfect comedic timing and delivery. I picked Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim because just thinking about the southern accent he does when imitating his brother Paul (aka “The Rooster”) makes me giggle, but all his audiobooks are awesome. Check out my review of Live For Your Listening Pleasure here.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Time Traveler’s Wife is one of my favorite books in general, but it works particularly well as an audiobook. William Hope (Henry) and Laurel Lefkow (Clare) narrate the unabridged version. Since the book switches back and forth between Henry and Clare’s perspectives, having a male and a female narrator works perfectly. It has been awhile since I listened to this one, but I can still hear the longing in Clare’s voice as she waits for Henry.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Help audiobook was my favorite book of 2009. It’s narrated by Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer, and Cassandra Campbell. Minny, who is sassy and speaks with a thick dialect, is brought to life by Bahni Turpin. Octavia Spencer (who will actually play Minny in the movie version) is the calm, thoughtful Aibileen, and I really connected to her character. These ladies deliver wonderful performances with authentic southern accents (to my Yankee ears) that made me feel like I was actually in the South during the 1960s. I can’t recommend this one highly enough. (Read my full review here.)

Twilight series by Stephenie Meyers
When I started listening to the Twilight audiobook, I was instantly captivated by Ilyana Kadushin’s rich, textured voice. She narrated Bella so perfectly that, to me, she IS Bella. If I go back and read a passage from one of the Twilight books, it’s her voice I hear in my head.

Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
I know a lot of people list the Harry Potter audiobooks among their favorites, but there’s a reason for this—they are GOOD. I’ve listened to the US version of the audiobooks, which are narrated by talented English actor Jim Dale. He created a different voice for each character, which is just amazing considered how many characters are in the series. His Hermione is a little whiny, but he captures most of the other characters perfectly. He really gets into it and delivers a performance, rather than a narration.

So have you listened to any of my picks? What are some of your favorite audiobooks?