BBAW: Because She Introduced Me To Ceepak

Thank you, Beth Fish Reads!

Back in early June, Beth Fish Reads wrote a post about the John Ceepak mysteries by Chris Grabenstein. I trust her implicitly, and at the time I was just in the beginning stages of my love affair with audiobooks, so I was very intrigued, because she’d listened to the series in audio:

I listened to the entire series, which is read by Jeff Woodman. I can’t imagine a better narrator for Ceepak and Danny. In fact, Woodman’s work is so amazing that the books are not to be missed in audio.

When Beth Fish Reads says something is not to be missed in audio, she means it – she listens to a lot of audiobooks, and her recommendations are always dead-on.

And that’s how I ended up listening to Tilt-a-Whirl, the first book in the series. And within the space of about six weeks, I listened my way through the entire series, including the latest book, Mind Scrambler, which was released near the end of June.

There are just so many things to like about the series: Danny Boyle, the boyish narrator who really feels like the kid brother I never had; John Ceepak, that Dudley Do-Right, as Beth Fish Reads describes him in her review, who turned out to be both very likeable and a true hero; the darkness and complexities of the mysteries, which work deliciously well in conjunction with the light-hearted style of narration; and Jeff Woodman, the audiobook narrator, who is most definitely a real gem in the audiobook world. He does such great voices, even for the female characters, and his Danny Boyle and John Ceepak are perfect.

The John Ceepak series is the only one I’ve listened to entirely in audio; I enjoyed each book as well as Woodman’s narration immensely, and I can’t see myself opting for the print version of future books in the series without first having listened to the audio version.

It’s all thanks to Beth Fish Reads.

And not only did she introduce me to one of the best books (and best series) I’ve read this year, she also cemented my new-born love of audiobooks. These days, I listen to an audiobook every night before bed; I also listen while I’m doing mundane chores around the house, and find that I actually look forward to cleaning up the kitchen after dinner.

Actually, now that I think about it, my entire life has changed. Housework no longer stresses me out – I look forward to it. That’s not bad!

So thank you, Beth Fish Reads! If she’s not already in your list of daily reads, she definitely should be. You can read her review of the entire John Ceepak series here and my review of Tilt-a-Whirl here.

Update: I was just on Twitter talking with Beth Fish Reads and Nicole of Linus’s Blanket, and I remembered this article by Stephen King on audiobooks, where he points out that “the spoken word is the acid test. They don’t call it storytelling for nothing.” If you’re not convinced yet about the audiobook format, click on over and see what King has to say. He makes some very good points.

Another Update: Congratulations to Beth Fish Reads for winning BBAW’s Best New Blog award!

And don’t forget to check out the other book bloggers who are being appreciated today!

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Related posts:

1. Chris Grabenstein and the John Ceepak Novels
2. Review: Tilt-a-Whirl, by Chris Grabenstein
3. What’s Up Sunday – June 14
4. Back from Holidays!
5. Audiobooks by Candlelight

Tagged as: audiobooks, Chris Grabenstein, John Ceepak, mysteries