I’ve been listening to a lot of audiobooks this year. I listen to them via Libby or BorrowBox, which means they’re borrowed from my local library, or via NetGalley. I tend to read one book and listen to one audiobook at the same time. It especially helps if one’s fiction and one’s non-fiction. Here are my thoughts on a few audiobooks I’ve enjoyed so far this year.
The Outrun by Amy Liptrot, narrated by Tracy Wiles
This was my first book of the year. I chose it after hearing positive things about The Outrun since it was published in 2015.
I loved Amy’s story, read empathetically by Tracy Wiles, including hearing about her troubles and tribulations as a Londoner, and the calm she felt when she moved back to Orkney in Scotland, especially as I recently moved from London to Edinburgh myself.
The Outrun is beautifully told and follows Amy’s struggles with alcohol and addiction to gaining independence, strength and a love for nature.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy, narrated by Charlie Mackesy
A surprise to me, the audiobook was a magical way to experience Charlie Mackesy’s bestseller. I had first wondered how it could possibly live up to Charlie’s popular gift book, which features stunning illustrations and typography, but Charlie himself narrates the audiobook and beautifully paints the story in your mind. It was an especially lovely bedtime tale.
Girl A by Abigail Dean, narrated by Holliday Grainger
Girl A is one of those books that everyone’s talking about. Holliday Grainger has a brilliantly mysterious and evocative voice, so I became quite absorbed in Abigail Dean’s story about Lex, who escaped from her abusive parents.
I think mysteries and thrillers are perfect for audiobooks as it makes them even more gripping. Girl A is worth checking out!
‘Girl A,’ she said. ‘The girl who escaped. If anyone was going to make it, it was going to be you.’
George and Rick by Alex Gino, narrated Jamie Clayton and Alex Gino
George is a story about a girl who the world identifies as a boy, and Rick is about a boy who questions his own sexuality. They’re both really enjoyable stories and so different from the children’s books I grew up with – I really wish there were more children’s books about characters with diverse identities in the 90s/early 2000s as there are now (and even now, it can improve!).
Alex Gino shows how diverse characters can be written so easily in books for all ages.
Bridgertons series by Julia Quinn, narrated by Rosalyn Landor
I’m currently on the fourth book in the Bridgertons series and absolutely loving them!
The first book follows Anthony and Daphne’s story as in the TV series, but after that the characters take different paths to the show – and I can see why! The storylines for each book, so far, are pretty simple, but I’m loving getting to know all the characters.
I can’t wait to read the girls’ stories as so far I’ve heard from Simon and Daphne, Anthony, Benedict, and Colin. Rosalyn Landor is also the perfect narrator, a posh older woman!
Such a guilty pleasure!
Photography by Annie Spratt.
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