Friday Feature: Weekend Edition

Some days get away from me and yesterday was one of them. So, here I am with a weekend edition of the Friday Feature that never got written. 

Since I'm posting on a different day, I thought I ought to take a different approach. Instead of sharing an article or two, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Audible books.

I have books in every imaginable format. Hard cover non-fiction books. Looseleaf textbooks. Kindle editions, paperbacks and PDFs. All of these comprise a to-be-read pile that I'll never get through, so it seemed only logical to add yet another source to the mix, right?

I started my free trial of Audible when we were at the beach three years ago, thinking it would be easier to pack audio books for a day on the sand (alongside my Kindle, of course) than it would be to pack heavier editions. I was not only right, but I was also onto something I'd continue to enjoy once I got home.

Here are a few of my favorite listens, all of which happen to be memoirs read by the author. In every case, the prose and the delivery pulled me in but what kept me listening was how very human each of these storytellers is.

Still Foolin' 'Em by Billy Crystal. Yes, he's funny, but he also loves his wife (and he's only had one), his family and baseball. Listening to someone who's been around long enough to be jaded (but isn't) tell these stories is refreshing, poignant, and, of course, funny.

Becoming by Michelle Obama. I was a fan before page one and listening to the inside scoop in her calm tones only made me love her more. No pedestals for Michelle -- she's forthright, but also kind and loyal. Again, family is an enduring theme and listening to her describe and wrestle with the same roles I inhabit -- daughter, wife, mother (among others) -- was part of the joy of listening to the book.

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. Oh, that voice! Although there are plenty of stories -- and good ones, at that -- in some ways, this one is less book than scrapbook as McConaughey weaves "bumper stickers," notes to self, and excerpts from his journals in and around the stories. He's definitely not just a pretty face (gotta admit, I was a little surprised), and family is a theme that runs deep and wide through this one as well.

My husband and my daughter have Sirius. I have Audible.