I’m delighted to share some recent Audible favorites. My audiobook obsession dates to 2017 when a new job introduced an epic commute to my life. Anthony Hurwitz, Kendare Blake, Kristen Simmons, and Alan Bradley novels carried me through countless traffic jams with (honestly) pleasure. When 2020 brought a new pandemic work-from-home scenario, I truly missed those weekly hours spent listening to great reads. And, while I listen less than I did in the “Before Times,” I have continued to enjoy audiobooks in my car and, more and more, in my kitchen. Here are a few winter delights.
Audible Favorites: Mystery
Whisk me away to the oh-so-English hamlet of Walmsley Parva! Since my dad introduced fifth-grade me to Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, I’ve been a fan of mysteries set in the British Isles. My bookshelves are laden with classics and new titles, featuring locales from London to Dublin, by authors from Josephine Tey to Ann Cleeves. Today, I’d like to give a special pandemic shout-out the Beryl & Edwina series written by Jessica Ellicott and read by Barbara Rosenblat. These gentle genre mysteries feel surprisingly relatable due to their setting in a 1920s England reeling from the losses of World War I and the Spanish Influenza epidemic. With grace and a light touch, Ellicott’s cozy puzzlers celebrate female friendship and advocate for class equality on their way to hopeful, happy resolutions. Highly recommend this scone-light delights for your next road trip.
Audible Favorites: Nonfiction
While I’m a big fan of books on the craft of writing, this winter my winning nonfiction listen has to be Factfulness by Hans Rosling, read by Richard Harries. In our current era of what feels like endless outrage, Rosling’s forthright effort to focus on facts is both helpful and (for me) calming. Rosling explores human “instincts” toward a variety of “mega misconceptions” and how facts can help us see more clearly. The first chapter explores the “gap instinct” — the tendency to divide socio-economic scenarios into us/them, rich/poor; have/have-not scenarios binaries separated by a “gap” of injustice. Using reliably-sourced statistics, the author points to more complex, nuanced realities, showing the real shape of data curves and adding important shades of grey in places where the instinct is to create rigid, black-and-white gaps. It’s worth a listen (or a read). I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Audible Favorites: Up Next
Confession: While I write novels-in-verse, I have yet to listen to any as audiobooks. That ends this spring. Queued up on my Audible is a title by one of my favorite authors: Jacqueline Woodson’s Before the Ever After, read by Guy Lockard. I am beyond excited to experience this story through headphones.
Are you an audiobook fan? Do you have any great listens to recommend? Please leave a comment and let me know,
