These are favorite narrators in 2020
I’ve included many of their audiobooks even if we didn’t listen to them all in 2020.
(On the list in no particular order.)
Luke Daniels
Unwind Dystology series by Neal Shusterman
The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne
Krewe of Hunters by Heather Graham
The Palladium Wars series by Marko Kloos
Steve West
Shallow Ground by Andy Maslon
Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mystery series by Leonard Goldberg
Aurora Cycle series by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Richard Jury series by Martha Grimes
The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalan Turner
Tim Gerard Reynolds
Legends of the First Empire by Michael J. Sullivan
Riyria series by Michael J. Sullivan
Saga of the Forgotten Warrior by Larry Correia
Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown
Red Queen’s War series by Mark Lawrence
Xe Sands
Hammer of Witches series by MK Gibson
The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb
Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins
Stranger in the Lake by Kimberly Belle
Witchcraft Mystery series by Juliet Blackwell
Julia Whelan
You Can’t Catch Me by Catherine McKenzie
Pretty Things by Janelle Brown
Chronicles of the One series by Nora Roberts
My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
Kevin R. Free
The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells
Jeffrey Kafer
The Supervillainy Saga by CT Phipps
Agent G series by CT Phipps
Psycho Killers in Love by CT Phipps
Agents of MORTAL by MK Gibson
K9 Rescue series by DD Ayres
Gildart Jackson
Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka
DC Smith series by Peter Grainger
Servant of the Crown Mystery series by Denise Domning
Deathstalker series by Simon R. Green
Michael Kramer
Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson
The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington
Shades of Magic series by VE Schwab
Triptych by Karin Slaughter
Will Patton
The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
Dreamer trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater
Bill Hodges trilogy by Stephen King
Link up your favorites so everyone can see:
This one is your choice so put your choice along with who you are. We chose Narrators.
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Coming up this week:
Saturday, December 26th – Top 10 Books I Want in 2021
Missed a post?
Monday, December 21st– Top 10 Books of 2020
Tuesday, December 22nd– Top 10 Audiobooks of 2020
Wednesday, December 23rd – Top 10 Book Covers of 2020
Thursday, December 24th – Top 10 Book Characters of 2020
About Gildart Jackson
With acting credits that span stage and screen, Gildart Jackson is most often recognized for his role as Gideon on Charmed. Other notable TV roles include Jackson Palmer on Providence and Simon Prentiss on General Hospital, as well as guest appearances on Stargate: Atlantis, Las Vegas, and CSI. Theater roles include Trigorin in The Seagull, Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, and Adrian in Private Eyes at the Old Globe.
About Jeffrey Kafer
An award-winning, Los Angeles audiobook narrator, Jeffrey Kafer has performed over 375 titles in all genres from indie authors to bestsellers.
About Julia Whelan
Julia Whelan is a screenwriter, life-long actor, and award-winning audiobook narrator. She graduated with a degree in English and Creative Writing from Middlebury College and Oxford University. While in England, her flirtation with tea blossomed into a full-blown love affair, culminating in her eventual certification as a tea master. When not writing her own books, you can find her reading other people’s out loud into a microphone.
About Kevin Free
Kevin R. Free has appeared on national television in commercials and on NBC’s Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU. New York audiences have seen Mr. Free Off-Broadway, creating the role of Memphis in From My Hometown both for Amas Musical Theatre and at the Gramercy Theatre, for which he was nominated for an Audelco Award. He was also seen Off-Broadway at the York Theatre in Taking A Chance On Love, and as Bubber Brown in The New Federal Theatre’s acclaimed The Conjure Man Dies. He has been featured in concerts with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and with the education department of Symphony Space.
Mr. Free has performed regionally in many places, including his home state of North Carolina at Charlotte Repertory Theatre (Belize in Angels in America, Paul in Six Degrees of Separation) and at the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival (Francis Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ariel in The Tempest). Other favorite roles in the musical theatre include Dromio of Ephesus in The Boys From Syracuse at CENTERSTAGE, Nemur in Chasing Nicolette at Prince Music Theatre in Philadelphia,Milton in Avenue X at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Gift Guy in Adventures In Love at the Ordway in St. Paul, MN, and Flick in Violet at Stage One in Wichita, KS and at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia, for which he was nominated for a Barrymore Award.
About Luke Daniels
Luke Daniels has narrated over 250 audiobooks, has been the grateful recipient of thirteen AudioFile Earphones Awards, and has earned three Audie nominations. His background is in classical theater and film. Luke has performed at repertory theaters around the country, but now he resides in the Midwest with his pack.
About Michael Kramer
Audiobook veteran Michael Kramer has recorded more than two hundred audiobooks for trade publishers and many more for the Library of Congress Talking Books program. An AudioFile Earphones Award winner and an Audie Award nominee, he earned a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award for his reading of Savages by Don Winslow.
About Steve West
A London native, Steve began his career by winning the Stage & Television Today acting scholarship at the age of 17 (after ironically believing that he had bombed the audition!). What followed took him through one of London’s top drama conservatories, onto the West End stage in ABBA’s musical phenomenon Mamma Mia! and then to working opposite the likes of Chucky the killer doll and Don Draper in TV’s Mad Men.
Having moved to the States in 2009 he earned a place as a highly respected and award winning voice over artist working across commercials, films, documentary, audiobooks and video games. He starred as Galahad in Sony’s epic motion capture release The Order 1886 which took over 2 years to film and employed the most up-to-date filming and audio techniques in the field.
Versatile in a multitude of ways from acting to singing to dancing to dying 100’s of different ways in a sound booth he continues to enjoy work both on stage, screen and behind a mic. Check out his latest news on the home page, join the conversation on Facebook and twitter and even head back to the 1800s and ‘be’ Steve/Galahad on the PS4!
About Tim Gerard Reynolds
Tim Gerard Reynolds trained for the stage at the Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin, and at the Eugene O’Neill Center, Waterford CT. As an actor, he has worked in Ireland, England, France, regional US, and on and off Broadway.
In his early 30s he was accepted into the Fine Arts program at The School of Visual Arts, NYC, to study painting and printmaking. To make ends meet, he got a part-time job writing copy for an audiobook publisher just around the corner from the college… He never completed his degree.
Today, Tim is a full-time audiobook narrator living and working in the Hudson Valley, near New York City, with his wife Abbie, two certifiably insane cats and a couple of fun-lovin’ bunnies.
About Will Patton
William Rankin Patton (born June 14, 1954) is an American actor and audiobook narrator. He starred as Colonel Dan Weaver in the TNT science fiction series Falling Skies. He also appeared in the films Remember the Titans, Armageddon, Gone in 60 Seconds and The Punisher. He appeared opposite Kevin Costner in two films: No Way Out (1987) and The Postman (1997). He won two Obie Awards for best actor in Sam Shepard’s play Fool for Love and the Public Theater production of What Did He See?.
About Xe Sands
Award-winning narrator known for credible characterizations and an intimate delivery with more than a decade of experience bringing stories to life through narration, performance, and visual art. I believe an authentic performance demands authentic connection to the text and subtext.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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- 🎧 Red River Road by Anna Downes @whatannawrote @MaddyWithington @MinotaurBooks @MacmillanAudio #LoveAudiobooks - October 3, 2024
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I had big plans to listen to more audibles this year but then things went weird, didn’t they. I’m going to make note of your list and try to listen to some of these after the new year. I did discover that I really enjoy multiple narrators.
Well for multiple narrators my favorite pick was on my 2020 Audiobook list – The Guest List. But these narrators are all excellent and I am more likely to choose a book if they are the narrator.
I must finally be getting to be an audiobook connoisseur since I’ve enjoyed books by all, but two of your picks. 🙂
It’s very hard to choose. There are several narrators I LOVE besides these. Andi Arndt, Gabra Zackman, Hillary Huber, Emily Woo Zeller. Simon Vance. Davina Porter. I could go on and on.
What a great idea for a post, Anne. I joined the Audiobook Challenge this year so I’ve actually got some favourite narrators now. BTW Jeff Kafer narrates for Teresa Gabelman’s The Protector series – he’s a talented bloke!
Thank you Flora. These are all talented folks. I listed the series we have read recently but they do lots much more!
Two of these are favorite narrators of mine as well, Julia Whalen and Xe Sands. I discovered Xe Sands this year and listened to as many I could find by her. The only other one I’ve listened to of these is Luke Daniels. I also really enjoy Andi Arndt, Emily Sutton-Smith, Therese Plummer, Rosalyn Landor, Nicole Poole, Sean East, Erin Mallon, Zachary Webber, Joe Arden, Tanya Eby and I could go on and on.
There are certainly MANY more I could and have put on my lists. In addition to ones you mentioned like Andi Arndt, Emily Sutton-Smith, Therese Plummer, there’s Gabra Zackman, Emily Woo Zeller, Hillary Huber, Davina Porter, Simon Vance, and I also could go on and on.
This is such a great list of narrators that you have shared here, I simply love Xe Sands and Luke Daniels…will need to check these other narrators out! Thanks for sharing this wonderful list.
Thank you. I could add so many more. I love audiobooks.
I remember that you’re a big Steve West fan so I’m keeping an eye out for something narrated by him. Love Julia Whelan & Xe Sands, too.
Well I did show 5 series he narrates on this post. Some old, some new. And I loved his narration of Iron & Magic series for Ilona Andrews too.