On Monday, Jeff, Patrick, Erin and Andie (our new apprentice) finished shearing the sheep and goats. It’s always such a relief to get it all done before the hot weather sets in!
Erin and I will be leaving bright and early Thursday morning to deliver the fleeces to the mill on Prince Edward Island. It’s about 15 hours each way with potty breaks. I’ll take lots of pics for y’all of the trip and the mill, which is just the coolest, old-timey, family-owned place.
In the meantime, I’m looking for audio book recommendations.
{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
Our fleeces are going to be milled on PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND??? Seriously?? That makes them even cooler!! Whee!
When I was a kid, we had two repeat vacation destinations: Martha’s Vineyard and Prince Edward Island. We went to MV for years when I was younger, and then to PEI for two summers when I was in junior high — at that point, our family friends who owned a house on the Vineyard had sold their house so we didn’t go there anymore. This share could not be any more perfect for me.
You know about Jim Dale’s performances of the Harry Potter books, right? Great audiobooks, truly. My partner and I have listened to them more times than we can count. Although, if you’re going to PEI, maybe you should hunt down some audio performances of L.M. Montgomery!
How do you feel about Tolkein? Tolstoy? Trying to fill up the hours for you.
The Time Traveller’s Wife is a wonderful, wonderful audibook. I listened to it over Christmas, and then started it again this month just because I loved it so much.
Sounds like a great roadtrip – enjoy!
Ditto on the Harry Potter series, they go on and on and Jim Dale is amazing! Also Tolkein – begin with The Hobbit and go right on through the saga! We have also really enjoyed the Barnes and Nobel versions of Moby Dick, Treasure Island, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn – they are great travel-saga sort of books. The Chronicals of Narnia are, unfortunately, not so good, the version we found each story was read by different people and most were not that well done.
Hey – you are driving RIGHT BY Manise’s house!
I think that “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” would be a good listen! All of my friends who have read this book were miserable when it was over. Felt like they were friends with the folks that wrote those letters. Wonder if it’s on tape….saw it out in paperback @ Barnes & Noble last week…..
You do know – that of all people – I wish I were going with you both!
The best series I ever came across for driving to – and it’s sheep-related! – is the Wee Free Men / Hat Full of Sky / Wintersmith trilogy by Terry Pratchett. Get the unabridged versions of all three and your entire drive will be covered. I think Nigel Planer reads on all three, but I may be wrong. This trilogy is my all-time favourite novel.
It involves a young woman growing up under the protection of a seriously hard-ass bunch of naughty, smelly faeries, (thrown out of fairyland for being drunk and disorderly) and beginning to apprentice as a young witch. (Pagan times, magical book.) Her grandmother was a shepherd on the chalk and a very senseful, hardworking, sheep-shearing sort of a shepherd, and Tiffany – the young apprentice – draws much from her memory.
Featuring fights with evil beasties, fairytale adventures, naughty faeries, fights, battles, love, sheep-related anecdotes and plenty of belly-laughs I can’t recommend them highly enough… good luck with that giant trip! x
ETA – sorry, this series isn’t my all time favourite ‘novel’ it’s my all time favourite trilogy of three novels!
Any or all by Elizabeth Strout -she just won the Pulitzer for Olive Kitteridge but her other two novels are also wonderful. Some less intense suggestions would be Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn – fun and witty story about love, loss and dogs in New York City; American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld – a novelized musing on the life of Laura Bush, suprisingly absorbing even though I am NOT a fan of her husband; The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta – really well read by the actor Campbell Scott; Assasination Vacation or the Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell – she is laugh out loud funny.
I also recommend looking at what is available by award-winning readers – sometimes the narrator can make or break an audible book for me – may ruin a good read or make a middle-of-the-road novel spellbinding!
Dean Koontz’s “From the Corner of His Eye” is a great audio book if you like his books. If there were more time, I’d send you my copy to listen to, but I don’t think I could get it to you fast enough. Oh, and of course if you haven’t started on the Outlander seriesby Diana Gabaldon, that is a must. “Outlander is the first of six (so far) books. Please rush to get that one!
I’m currently listening to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which somehow I got through my childhood not having read! It’s such a sweet story.
I have wanted to go to PEI for ages now! I’m jealous! If you don’t mind children’s books on tape (which I sometimes feel have better readers, personally) Tim Curry reads A Series of Unfortunate Events (starting on book 3 or 4, the author does the others). They’re funny and not overly engaging so that you can’t do other things, but not too boring that you zone out and forget what’s going on.
‘Anne of Green Gables’ would be perfect for going to PEI. Enjoy your road trip girls
I went to Nova Scotia in the 70′s (boy, am I dating myself) and the biggest source of income was seaweed, yes, I exaggerate, but what a beautiful place!
The book – The Help by Kathryn Stockett is one of the best books I’ve EVER known. I cried for hours after it was over. I can’t say enough about it.
Oh, Rebecca was great on audio books, you can just see Manderly.
I am unreasonably excited to discover that our fleeces are being milled in Canada! And in such a pretty, rural part of Canada too! (I would guess that it’s also a relatively sheep-y part of Canada, but I’m a city girl from several provinces away, so what would I know about national sheep distribution…)
Hooray and welcome!
Awwww….if you went slightly differently, you could spend the night at my house
I just finished listening to James Herriot’s “All Things Bright and Beautiful” and with what you do, I think you’d love the stories.
You’re going from New York, not Martha’s Vineyard?
Audio books: On my last road trip from Austin, Texas to Pittsburgh, PA we listened to Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert which I HIGHLY recommend. It was funny, engaging, uplifting and just plain beautiful. We also listened to the The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, which was also fun, only slightly more darker.
One of the best I’ve listened to are the Harry Potter books–the guy reading them is excellent. I’m currently “reading” North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell using Librivox (free) and it’s done well. I also love James Herriott–very funny. I’m sure others have some good, more current ideas that you’ll love. Be safe on your road trip. I’m glad there are several of you to share the driving–will make it much safer! Have fun!
in between audio books if u want to listen to a BEAUTIFUL woman’s voice singing sweet chants
download some Donna Delory (she used to sing back up for madona) and has an EXQUISITE voice!
other audio books
(one keeps popping in my head so even though it’s older i’ll mention it)
Women Who Run with the Wolves
(she tells archtype stories)
you’ll either love or hate
The Martha Rules (i like martha stewart)
Falling Forward
by John Maxwell
and Noble Heart
by Pema Chodron
my personal preferences are non-fiction
xo…
xoxo
love
rona
i LOVE roadtrips!!! and they are the BEST for listening to a good book. i hardly ever read anything anymore, i listen to practically EVERYTHING. i see several recommendations for the Harry Potter series read by Jim Dale, they are EXCELLENT! i would also HIGHLY recommend The Pillars of the Earth & the follow up to it World Without End by Ken Follet (if u like historical fiction, which i dont normally but i would have to rate the first book as one of my top 10 reads of all time, and i have read a sh*t load of books in my day!)
i hope you guys have an AWESOME adventure and let us know what u finally decided to listen to along the way. and remember, u can get these titles at your local library! :>
3 men in a boat, to say nothing of the dog!!! You can get it on Librivox. Lots of other good stuff there too!
I love a good road trip. I don’t have any audio books to recommend, but if you’re looking for music too, try:
Joan Osborne’s “How Sweet It Is,” which is great travelling music, and also Eliades Ochoa’s “Tribute to the Cuarteto Patria,” if you like latin music.
Have a great trip!
Have a safe trip. Please say hullo to the Island for me – I lived there for a year when I was in Pastry School. Also, if you’re hungry for the best ever curry and chips, try The Churchill Arms on Queen St. in Charlottetown.
I just finished ‘The Help’ by Katheryn Stockette and it’s in my top 5 audiobooks of all time. Excellent narration and a wonderful story line, plus it’s 18 hours long so it’ll keep you busy for a while. Have a safe trip!
Audiobooks suggestions:
Anything by David Sedaris
Here if You Need Me by Kate Braestrup
Blessings by Anna Quindlin
Anything by Ivan Doig
Anything by Bill Bryson except the Short History of Everything – it is good but better read as a real book
Time Traveler’s Wife
The Thirteenth Tale
Any This American Life (can get as podcasts on iTunes for free)
That should get you to PEI and back.
Have a great trip.
Boy, this post today has been great for setting up my summer reading/listening program. Thanks so much. From a longtime lurker. And hopefully future shareholder!
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson. Or, if you’ve never heard/read it and like that kind of thing, “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon.
Clive Cussler “Atlantis Found”
I am really loving Thomas Hardy – Far From the Madding Crowd read by Jill Masters. Set in rural England on a sheep farm owned by a spirited beauty – great male characters and romance and heartbreak…..what more can you ask for? I downloaded it from audible
happy dance!!! a trip with you guys with pictures to boot!!! let’s go!!! let’s go now!! oh, and will you take pictures of the way back so we get to see the other side of the road? love road trips!!!
I have no book recommendations because sadly I still haven’t finished “The Lace Reader” when you suggested it way back when……Argggghhhh no time! But I have a request for TONS of pics of PEI….please. Sounds like a fantastic road trip. Have fun!
westerns: trail mix: Louis L’Amour (read by the highwaymen = waylon willie christopherson cash…there are several of these and great fun listenting
Dreams from My Father (read by the president) i loved this…i think i got more out of it than my reading
a dangerous fortune by ken follett middle ages history story
the autobiography of henry vii by Margaret George
it’s very long but i really like her books. i read the one she did on cleopatra and another one is on elizabeth 1
Wolf Brother: Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #1 By Michelle Paver
Narrated by Ian McKellen (a voice i think i could listen to reading the phone book)
those area a few of my ideas.
The Janet Evanovich books featuring Stephanie Plum!! One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to get Lucky, etc. They go up to 14 right now. They are HILARIOUS!!! But you have to make sure you listen to the recordings that are read by Lorelei King.
My coworker just got me hooked on Harlan Coben’s mystery series with sports agent/private eye Myron Bolitar. The guy who reads them has a great, deep voice and Myron’s character has a dry sense of humor. I’ve listened to one book completely (it was the second book) and I’m listening to another one (book 3…I can’t find book 1 on audio at the library yet and I was unwilling to pay $20 for it this weekend) now. T
I also have to agree with those who’ve said Time Traveler’s Wife (though I wonder if that would be hard to follow as an audiobook?)
Have a fun trip and please have someone post when you’ve arrived on PEI safely!
Great listen… Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
1) PEI is AWESOME, have a great time! Hope you get to relax on a beach after delivering the fleece!
I agree with the LM Montgomery suggestion. Also, if you haven’t read Angela’s Ashes yet, the audio book is read by the author, complete with Irish accent. I did it on a road trip and it was very very good.
Oh my gosh… you’re coming right up 95 through Maine… which runs through my town!! xoxo
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and the 5 that go with it are great reads love the time travel thing.
Earth’s Children by Jean M, Auel are fab too.
Do you like Vampires? Blood Sucking Fiends and then You Suck by Christopher Moore – okay ANYTHING by Christopher Moore! and
If you don’t mind perfection you have to read the most talked about middle school book ever Twilight (it really will get you).