Audio Book

Audiobook: The Wager

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by David Grann
Read by Dion Graham
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Content: There are some gruesome details about the status of the survivors once the ship wrecked, as well as mentions of cannibalism. It’s in the History section of the bookstore.

In 1742, a small boat washed up on the shore of Brazil, holding 30 emaciated men. They said they were what was left of the crew of His Majesty’s ship, The Wager, and that they had been shipwrecked off the coast of Patagonia for months. After nearly starving to death, they escaped through the Straits of Magellan and to Brazil. When they finally made it back to England, they were regarded as heroes. Then, a few years later, three more men show up after having arrived in Chile. They told a story of mutiny and rebellion, of bad decisions and murder.

I’ve had this one on my TBR (or to-listen, actually) pile for a couple of years, ever since it came out. I knew it was going to be good; co-workers who don’t usually read history read this one and thoroughly enjoyed it. But I was still surprised just how much I liked it. Part of that was Graham’s narration – he’s an excellent narrator and he made the already compelling narrative that Graham wrote even more compelling. We listened to this one driving to St. Louis and back, and we hung on every word. So much so that we couldn’t listen to it while navigating around the town – there was no talking over the book. I knew Grann was a good historian, I just didn’t know how compelling he was. It was a fascinating story told really well and read by an amazing narrator. A perfect storm of excellence.

Audiobook: Great Big Beautiful Life

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by Emily Henry
Read by Julia Whelan
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Content: There is some swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and some fade-to-black sex. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Alice desperately wants the job writing the biography of one of the last, and most reclusive, members of the influential Ives family, Margaret. She’s taken the time to find her, hunt her down, and desperately wants to tell her story. The problem: Margaret has also invited Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hayden Anderson, and is making them compete for the job.

It’s all fine and good when Alice thinks Hayden is stuck up and mean, but the more she gets to know him, the more she is attracted to him, and this job – this competition – is standing between them. How can she get the job of her dreams if the man of her dreams is standing in the way?

First: I’ve known Whelan is an incredible narrator for a while, but every time I listen to a book she reads, it hits me fresh. She’s one of the best in the business, and she made this book POP. I’m sure I would have liked it had I read it, but I loved listening to the way Whelan interpreted the text. She is so good at not just voices but also capturing the nuances of each character.

As for the book, it’s not my favorite Henry – that’s still Book Lovers, though I should reread it and see if it holds up – but it’s a solid book. There’s a romance in there, though I think (much like Funny Story), it’s taking a back seat to Margaret’s story. That one, of regret and bad choices, and lost loves, is really the heart of the book. The rest is just filler and fluff. And you know what, I didn’t mind one bit. Henry writes less good books, but never an outright bad one. And I’m here for everything she writes.

Though maybe I need to start listening to them, instead?

Audiobook: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon

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by Kimberly Lemming
Read by Hazel Addison
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Content: This is a spicy book! Lots of on-page sex, lots of swearing. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

All Cinnamon wants to do is grow her spice (guess which one) and live a quiet life with her family and friends. But then, she accidentally saves the demon Fallon, and gets caught in his quest to defeat the evil witch that is enslaving demons. Cin goes along reluctantly at first, but as they spend more time together, sparks start to fly (among other things).

This was so so silly. Incredibly silly. Like I felt myself getting less intelligent reading this silly. That said, Addison was a good narrator, and I had a grand time listening to it. I’m sure there are internal inconsistencies and that the world-building wasn’t that great, but honestly, I didn’t care. I was here for a good time, and Lemming gave me one.

I’m not sure I care enough to read the rest of the series, but this one was a lot of silly fun.

Audiobook: Deep Dark

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by Zohra Nabi
Read by Sarah Ovens
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Content: There are some intense parts, jump scares, and neglectful/bad parenting. It would be in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore if it existed in physical form.

Cassia Thorne has spent half of her life in a debtor’s prison in London, eking out what living she could while her father slowly descended into madness. She has made her way as a flute player at the Bartholomew Fair, but this year, she has hopes of something grander: to write and sell the songs that everyone sings. But, her quest for a grander life is waylaid when her friend’s younger brother goes missing. And suddenly Cassia is thrust into the underworld of London, a world of monsters and greedy men, a world where poor children go missing solely because no one will think to go looking for them.

Can Cassia help before it’s too late?

I pitched this one to my coworkers as Dickens with a kraken, and they all agreed: who wouldn’t want to read that? I do have to admit, I was a little disappointed there was an actual monster; I was kind of hoping for a straight-up historical mystery. That said, Nabi did a fantastic job weaving both the speculative aspect of an actual monster in the tunnels under London with the historical elements of class and the way poor people had to scrape to make it.

Ovens was a fantastic narrator, though, keeping the story moving forward, and keeping me engaged enough to keep wanting to listen. I’m sad there isn’t a physical publication of the book in the US; I can think of a handful of kids who would love this one.

But it’s fantastic on audio.

Audiobook: The Raven Boys

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by Maggie Stiefvater
Read by Will Patton
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Content: There is swearing, including a couple of f-bombs, talk of teenage drinking, and a murder. It’s in the Teen Bestsellers section of the bookstore.

I wasn’t going to write a post about this one, since I don’t have much new to say from my first review 13 years ago. Then I realized that even though I have reread this a couple of times, I finally experienced it in a different format, and that warranted mentioning. I’ve heard that Patton – who narrates the whole series – is a good narrator and that the audiobook is a good experience, but I haven’t felt the need. Until this year. I decided I needed Maggie’s stories in my life, and I was feeling a gravitational pull towards the Raven Cycle, so I decided to do the audio. And they’re right: Patton is an excellent narrator for this book (and I’m assuming the series – I’ve got Dream Thieves on hold already) and it’s an excellent way to experience Henrietta and Blue and the boys. I plowed through it because I didn’t want to stop listening (because good story + good narrator = a remarkable experience).

I’m glad I finally got around to listening to this one!

Audiobook: Kate & Frida

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by Kim Fay
Read by Kelsey Jaffer & Ines del Castillo
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Content: There are some emotionally charged situations, including a library fire in Sarajevo. It’s in the Adult Fiction section of the bookstore.

It’s the early 1990s, and Frida Rodriguez is in Paris to try and figure herself out. She wants to be a war correspondent, and she is trying to get someone to help her get into Sarajevo so she can cover the Serbia-Bosnia conflict. While she’s waiting, she writes to the best bookstore in Seattle (which isn’t Elliot Bay Books, but actually is) and Kate Fair answers her letter. Thus begins a correspondence between the two young women where they discuss books, food, life, romance, family, and everything else.

It’s another slight novel that really is more than it seems. There’s a lot of bookish references that I didn’t get – I really wasn’t reading what was popular in the early 1990s, not like now – but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy listening to Kate & Frida write back and forth. I was also in my 20s in the 1990s, and it all felt very, well, real to me. I also adored the narrators. Both women did excellent jobs bringing these letters to life, and giving both Kate and Frida more depth.

Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Audiobook: Abundance

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by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
Read by the authors
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Content: It gets a bit policy-wonky at times. It’s in the Politics section of the bookstore.

In this slim, yet dense, book, Klein and Thompson take the Democrats/liberals to task for not doing enough to support the politics of plenty. We have enough, they argue, we should be able to have a more equal society. And yet, we don’t. They look at history and policy and ask questions about why we aren’t making progress in technology, science, climate change, housing, and transportation. And it boils down to: we have let government regulations slow everything down to the point of inaction.

This was a challenging book for me at least. I’ve always been on the side of government is and can do good for the bulk of the people, and I’m a big supporter of things like universal health care are and universal basic incomes. But, given that our government is the way it is (or isn’t anymore, honestly), why can’t we have a country that distributes its abundance more equitably. Klien and Thompson break it down, and challenge the status quo, insisting (rightly) that it doesn’t work. They admit that they don’t have answers – because the answers for one place will be different than answers in another – but they do recommending asking one question: why? If something isn’t working, if something is broken: ask why? Why does Wichita have a problem with the homeless? Because there is a housing shortage. Well: why? And then go from there. Talk about policies that address the why.

I don’t have any real hope that this book will change anything at a national level, but I found it challenging enough to rethink some of my ideas about how things Should Be. And perhaps that’s all Klein and Thompson can ask for.

Audiobook: Food for Thought

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by Alton Brown
Read by the author
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Content: I don’t think he swears, but if he does it’s mild swearing and not very often. It’s in the Food Reference section of the bookstore.

I have been fond of Alton Brown for years. I use a handful of his recipes and he came and did an event at the store and was entertaining and not a dick to me (he’s kind of persona-non-grata at the store for reasons):

Goodness, we were young.

Anyway, I picked up a galley of his book, but C stole it from me and read it and really enjoyed it. So, when it showed up on audio, with him reading it, of course I had to listen. It’s a series of small essays, “thoughts” if you will, ranging from his childhood to his career as a food host (not a chef, never a chef), to his thoughts on food in movies and Food Network. It’s a slight read/listen, but it’s entertaining, he’s a smart person and a good writer, and a lot of fun. Which, honestly: what more do you want out of a food book?

Nothing, honestly. (And yes, I may, eventually, try his roast chicken “recipe” he includes.)

Audiobook: All the Blues in the Sky

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by Renée Watson
Read by Bahni Turpin
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Content: This talks pretty explicitly about the violent death (due to a hit-and-run) of a beloved friend. It may touch some nerves with sensitive readers. It’s in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.

Sage’s thirteenth birthday party was supposed to be a fun afternoon and evening with her best friend. Except that, on her way to Sage’s party, her best friend was killed in a hit-and-run by a drunk driver. Suddenly, Sage’s world is turned upside down as she deals with the tragic death of her closest friend. It’s not easy: she’s dealing with survivor’s guilt, with the sympathy (and pity) of her classmates, and just learning to make new friends. It’s not an easy journey, and even as she grieves, new, good things come into her life.

Watson is a remarkable writer, and is able to capture so much emotion and pain and sadness in so few words. Sage’s pain and heartbreak and grief came through the page (well, audiobook) loud and clear. Some of that, though, is Turpin’s excellent narration. She’s long been one of my favorite narrators, mostly because she captures the essence of the characters and the words so well. I felt Sage’s pain. And yet, the book was hopeful. Sage was beginning to work through the grief and guilt, good things were happening. And when more bad news came, Sage was better equipped to deal with it. I know kids shouldn’t “have to” deal with things like this, but the truth is they do. And having a book that can help them see what the grieving process might look like is an incredibly helpful thing.

It’s also an excellent book for its own sake.

Audiobook: Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales

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by Heather Fawcett
Read by Ell Potter & Michael Dodds
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Others in the series: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands
Content: There are some intense moments and a bit of faerie violence. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

Spoilers for the first two, obviously.

Emily and Wendell have returned to Wendell’s kingdom, the Silver Loopie, for him to take his place as ruler. It’s not all fun and games, because the former queen, Wendell’s stepmother, isn’t quite dead yet and has put a curse on the land poisoning it. It’s up to Emily, and her immense knowledge of fairy stories, to figure out which story this is playing out as, and how to set the Silver Loopie to rights. And, maybe somewhere along the way, she will figure out how to be the queen of a faerie realm.

I probably guessed somewhere along the way, that this was going to be the end of Emily and Wendell’s adventures, and while I’m sad to see them go, I love the way Fawcett wrapped them up. It had everything I have come to adore about these books: faerie magic, a bit of tension between Emily and Wendell, her dog Shadow (love the dog!), and adventures that she approaches scholarly. It was as charming and as wonderful as the other two.

I do have to admit that I got an advance copy of this book, and tried to read it but couldn’t connect with it. It wasn’t until I picked it up in audio and started listening that I realized that these books, while charming and delightful on their own, are made for audio. Potter does such as wonderful job capturing Emily’s voice and mannerisms, that she makes Emily just jump off the page. They are truly delightful as audiobooks

And, to be honest, I’m okay with the series ending. What I would like, though, is a spin-off series featuring Emily’s niece Ariadnae (not sure of the spelling of that one!). That would be delightful.

A thoroughly charming ending to a thoroughly charming series.