Don't you love being read to? I can totally lose myself in an audiobook - especially when the narrator sounds just how my imagination says she should sound! My favorites this year have included two books - both heart-breaking, smart and completely absorbing.

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams is a story right from the headlines - Kyra is a 13 year old who lives in an isolated religious cult where men have multiple wives and young girls are married off with or without their consent. She lives in a tightly controlled world with her three mothers and 20 brothers and sisters. Kyra longs for freedom - the freedom to read, to fall in love, to explore the world beyond the compound where she lives. The reader for this story is perfect. She captures the vulnerability, the sweetness, and the fear of Kyra's story. This audiobook was a big award-winner last year, and when you hear it, you'll see why!

I also loved If I Stay by Gayle Forman. The story opens with teenage Mia in a coma, drifting in and out of awareness. We learn through flashbacks about her quirky family, the story of her first love, and the nature of the tragedy she now faces. It's a poignant story, with incredible characters - I really felt I knew them by the end of the story. And some special effects used in the audiobook bring Mia's musical talent to life. I downloaded this story to my IPod using Mymediamall.net (a free download service available to library patrons). I just went to the website, selected Illinois Heartland Library System, logged in with my card number and downloaded the book to my IPod. If you have questions about how to do it, ask a librarian. It's a great service and its free!