Audiobook sales have surged over the last 15 years as smartphones made downloads as simple as the tap of a finger. We've provided some suggestions on books for you to enjoy during Audiobook Appreciation Month. (All information on the books is from AudioBooks)
A Dog's Purpose: A Novel for Humans
Written By: W. Bruce Cameron
Narrated By: William Dufris
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Date: January 2017
Duration: 8 hours 10 minutes
Summary:
A Dog's Purpose-the #1 New York Times bestseller-is heading to the big screen! Based on the beloved bestselling novel by W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog's Purpose shares the soulful and surprising story of one devoted dog (voiced by Josh Gad) who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he teaches to laugh and love. The family film told from the dog's perspective also stars Britt Robertson, KJ Apa, John Ortiz, Peggy Lipton, Juliet Rylance, Luke Kirby, Pooch Hall and Dennis Quaid.
Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, A Dog's Purpose is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog's many lives, but also a dog's-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man's best friend. This moving and beautifully crafted story teaches us that love never dies, that our true friends are always with us, and that every creature on earth is born with a purpose.
Bailey's story continues in A Dog's Journey, the charming New York Times and USA Today bestselling direct sequel to A Dog's Purpose.
White Fang
Written By: Jack London
Narrated By: Mark F. Smith
Publisher: Authors Republic
Date: March 2017
Duration: 7 hours 39 minutes
Summary:
WHITE FANG is a novel by American author Jack London - and the name of the book's eponymous character, a wild wolfdog.
"So he became the enemy of his kind, domesticated wolves that they were, softened by the fires of man, weakened in the sheltering shadow of man's strength."White Fang
Jack London's The Call of the Wild, White Fang is the story of a wild dog's journey toward becoming civilized in the Canadian territory of Yukon at the end of the nineteenth century. White Fang is characteristic of London's precise prose style and innovation use of voice and perspective. Much of the novel is written from the viewpoint of the animals, allowing London to explore how animals view their world and how they view humans. White Fang relies on his instincts as well as his strength and courage to survive in the Yukon wilderness despite both animal and human predators"and eventually comes to make his peace with man.
White Fang has been adapted for the screen numerous times, including a 1991 film starring Ethan Hawke.
Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog
Written By: Dave Barry
Narrated By: Dave Barry
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date: April 2019
Duration: 4 hours 1 minutes
Summary:
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and bestselling author Dave Barry reads his latest book on how he learned to age gracefully, taking cues from his beloved and highly intelligent dog, Lucy.
Faced with the obstacles and challenges of life after middle age, Dave Barry turns to his best dog, Lucy, to learn how to live his best life. From “Make New Friends” (an unfortunate fail when he can’t overcome his dislike for mankind) to “Don’t Stop Having Fun” (validating his longtime membership in a marching unit that performs in parades—and even Obama’s inauguration), Dave navigates his later years with good humor and grace. Lucy teaches Dave how to live in the present, how to let go of daily grievances, and how to feel good in your own skin. The lessons are drawn from Dave’s routine humiliations and stream-of-consciousness accounts of the absurdities of daily life, which will leave readers heaving with laughter and recognition.
Laugh-out-loud hilarious, whether he’s trying to “Pay Attention to the People You Love” (even when your brain is not listening) or deciding to “Let Go of Your Anger,” Dave Barry’s Lessons From Lucy is a witty and wise guide to joyous living.
The True Tails of Baker and Taylor: The Library Cats Who Left Their Pawprints on a Small Town..And the World
Written By: Jan Louch, Lisa Rogak
Narrated By: Cynthia Darlow
Publisher: Recorded Books
Date: May 2016
Duration: 7 hours 4 minutes
Summary:
The memoir of small-town librarian Jan Louch, whose pair of Scottish Fold cats became the mascots of the company Baker & Taylor--and beloved by librarians and readers nationwide. It all started when Jan Louch, assistant librarian at the Douglas County Public Library in Carson Valley, Nevada, and a coworker acquired two Scottish Fold cats to keep mice away from the town's new library. Jan called the cats Baker and Taylor because the names fit the felines' mild temperaments, and because she dealt with the book distribution company on a daily basis. When Jan agreed to let the company photograph the cats for a poster, she couldn't know that they would go on to become the most famous library cats in the world. It was enough for Jan that everyone who visited the library fell in love with the cats. But then the poster became a hit. Children from across the country wrote letters, which Jan answered for Baker and Taylor, and fans traveled from far and wide to see Baker holding court at the circulation desk and Taylor in his unusual sitting-Buddha pose. In this charming memoir, Jan celebrates these wonderful cats and the people--readers, cat-lovers, and many others--that came together around them.
The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by The Nazis
Written By: Elizabeth Letts
Narrated By: Paul Boehmer
Publisher: Random House (Audio)
Date: August 2016
Duration: 12 hours 48 minutes
Summary:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of The Eighty-Dollar Champion, the remarkable story of the heroic rescue of priceless horses in the closing days of World War II
WINNER OF THE PEN AWARD FOR RESEARCH NONFICTION
In the chaotic last days of the war, a small troop of battle-weary American soldiers captures a German spy and makes an astonishing find—his briefcase is empty but for photos of beautiful white horses that have been stolen and kept on a secret farm behind enemy lines. Hitler has stockpiled the world’s finest purebreds in order to breed the perfect military machine—an equine master race. But with the starving Russian army closing in, the animals are in imminent danger of being slaughtered for food.
With only hours to spare, one of the U.S. Army’s last great cavalrymen, Colonel Hank Reed, makes a bold decision—with General George Patton’s blessing—to mount a covert rescue operation. Racing against time, Reed’s small but determined force of soldiers, aided by several turncoat Germans, steals across enemy lines in a last-ditch effort to save the horses.
Pulling together this multi-stranded story, Elizabeth Letts introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters: Alois Podhajsky, director of the famed Spanish Riding School of Vienna, a former Olympic medalist who is forced to flee the bomb-ravaged Austrian capital with his entire stable in tow; Gustav Rau, Hitler’s imperious chief of horse breeding, a proponent of eugenics who dreams of genetically engineering the perfect warhorse for Germany; and Tom Stewart, a senator’s son who makes a daring moonlight ride on a white stallion to secure the farm’s surrender.
A compelling account for animal lovers and World War II buffs alike, The Perfect Horse tells for the first time the full story of these events. Elizabeth Letts’s exhilarating tale of behind-enemy-lines adventure, courage, and sacrifice brings to life one of the most inspiring chapters in the annals of human valor.
See more Lessons from Pets choices. These titles and more available on AudioBooks and many are available at your local public library.