Laura Hilger loves to garden, train her dogs and, of course, listen to audiobooks. She wouldn’t even consider starting a cleaning project without a book in her ear! In this “Sounding Off on Audio,” Laura tells us about the series that got her hooked, good narrators she can’t remember and bad ones she’ll never forget, and why she doesn’t like to listen to romance novels while she’s driving.

Question: How long have you been listening to audiobooks?  

Laura Hilger: About four to five years. 

Q: What made you start listening?

LH: My mother gave me CDs to listen to in the car. They were an Amish series by Wanda Brunstetter. I was hooked after that and started picking up more CDs at the library. 

Q: When and where do you listen?  

LH: I listen in the car when I am driving. I also listen at home while I walk on the treadmill, clean or do yard work outside.  

Q: What kinds of books do you like to listen to best?

LH: I listen to anything I can get my hands on. Mostly I listen to fiction --- historical fiction and chick lit. I definitely avoid romance novels on audio. I do not like to listen to any smut while driving!

Q: What do you use to listen to audiobooks?

LH: My iPhone and sometimes my iPod. 

Q: Are the books that you listen to different from the kinds of print and eBooks you read?

LH: No, not really. At times I simultaneously read a hard copy while also listening to audio. 

Q: Where do you buy/borrow audiobooks from?

LH: From the library (via OverDrive), Audible and Audiobooks.com. 

Q: Do you share your audiobooks with anyone?

LH: No, not really.  

Q: What percentage of your reading is done via audiobooks?

LH: Fifty percent.

Q: Do you have favorite narrators? If so, tell us about them.

LH: No, not really. The ones I really remember are usually the ones who I didn't like. I have given up on books before because I could not stand the narrator.  

Q: What are some of the most memorable books that you’ve listened to and why?

LH: I think the Amish books by Wanda Brunstetter are most memorable because my mother shared this series with me --- she passed away shortly after. Also, the Tudor series by Philippa Gregory (the latest installment, THE KING'S CURSE, is read by Bianca Amato), which was one of the first series I listened to. I remember running to the library to get the next audiobook. 

Q: What is the last audiobook you listened to? Tell us about it.

LH: EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU by Celeste Ng. I loved the narrator, Cassandra Campbell, and the premise of the story. It was beautifully written, and although the author went back and forth between present and past, I never found myself wondering what was going on. [MILD SPOILER] However, it was no happy-ending-good-feeling book. It kind of depressed me.