Best-Selling Audiobook Titles of 2005

Here is an excerpt of an article written by Joanne Helperin listing the best-selling audiobook titles of 2005 by one of the world's leading audiobook distribution companies ...

In a recent article entitled "Top 10 Best-Selling Audiobooks for 2005", author Joanne Helperin begins by confirming what most of us already know ... that although many of us would love to sit down and read a good book, most of us do not have the time to do so. 

As Joanne says, "The technological advancements that were supposed to provide us with more leisure time have instead accelerated our lives, leaving us little time to read much more than e-mail. At the same time, the average urban commuter spends 31 more hours each year in rush-hour traffic than was spent in 1982, according to the 2005 Urban Mobility Report. The net effect: less time to read, more time in the car."

The article then points out how people are increasingly turning to spoken-word audiobooks. Reminding us that this technology started out as "books on tape" in their previous, less hip incarnation, the article then goes on to state that "audiobooks are the ultimate in multitasking" and that "whatever your passion, you can find it now on digital audio."

And you truly can! You can now get a daily subscription to the Wall Street Journal in audio format, relive great sporting events, or even replay legal trials on an MP3 file. One of the great benefits, as the article points out, is that you can play these files when you like, as often as you like.

The article then lists the top-selling audiobooks for the first half of 2005 based on sales figures of one of the leading audiobook distribution companies, Audible.com.

Here then is the list published in Joanne's article, with a condensed version of the publishers' descriptions.

The Broker
Author: John Grisham
Narrator: Dennis Boutsikaris
Publisher: Random House Audio

In Grisham's spy-versus-spy thriller, the CIA orchestrates the setup of a notorious Washington power broker who may compromise the world's satellite surveillance system. They want to know: Who will kill him — the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, or the Saudis?

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams
Narrator: Stephen Fry
Publisher: Random House Audio

Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Much humorous, intergalactic craziness ensues.

The Memory of Running
Author: Ron McLarty
Narrator: Ron McLarty
Publisher: Recorded Books

Available exclusively as an audiobook, actor and playwright Ron McLarty tells a tale of 279-pound Smithy Ide. Ide searches cross-country on his old Raleigh bicycle to recover the body of his beautiful but schizophrenic sister. The unlikely hero takes readers on a quest for hope and redemption, trying to become the person he has always wanted to be.

The Da Vinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
Narrator: Paul Michael
Publisher: Books on Tape, Inc.
Note: The abridged version (available from Random House Audio), narrated by Colin Stinton, had its own entry in the Top 10. We've grouped them together here.

While investigating the murder of the Louvre's curator, a Harvard symbologist and French cryptologist discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci, leading them on a fast-paced hunt for a breathtaking historical secret.

The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Narrator: Khaled Hosseini
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of its monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner tells the tale of two boys growing up in Kabul. Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara — a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them.

America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction
Author: Jon Stewart and The Writers of The Daily Show
Narrator: Jon Stewart
Publisher: Time Warner Audiobooks

Jon Stewart, host of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning The Daily Show, and his coterie of patriots offer their humorous insights into our unique system of government, dissecting its institutions, explaining its history and processes, and exploring the reasons why concepts like "one man, one vote," "government by the people," and "every vote counts" have become such popular urban myths.

Angels and Demons
Author: Dan Brown
Narrator: Richard Poe
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

In his first appearance in Dan Brown's work, symbologist Robert Langdon discovers a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization, the Illuminati. Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Author: Stephen R. Covey
Narrator: Stephen R. Covey
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Covey's comprehensive program illustrates how perceptions and assumptions hinder success — in business as well as personal relationships. His approach will help broaden your way of thinking and lead to greater opportunities and effective problem solving.

How To Win Friends & Influence People
Author: Dale Carnegie
Narrator: Andrew MacMillan
Simon & Schuster Audio

One of the best-selling books of all time, Dale Carnegie's perennial classic has carried thousands of now-famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. Authored in 1936, before the term "motivational coach" became part of the lexicon, How to Win Friends is a reference book on how to achieve your goals by improving your people skills.

The World Is Flat
Author: Thomas L. Friedman
Narrator: Oliver Wyman
Publisher: Audio Renaissance

Award-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman allows listeners to make sense of the often bewildering global scene unfolding before their eyes. With his unique ability to clarify complex foreign policy and economic issues, Friedman explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the 21st century; what it means to countries, companies, communities and individuals; and how governments and societies can, and must, adapt.

As the above shows, best-selling author Dan Brown has two audiobooks in the top 10 list of best-sellers and the list contains an interesting mix that includes something for everyone — historical fiction, thrillers, comedy and self-improvement. As the author of the article states in her conclusion, "Try one of these and you may actually look forward to commuting."

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