Audiobooks to to liven up your spring cleaning
Hello my sweet reader fam!
Since living in North Carolina, I’ve begun to love the month of March. While residing in Michigan, March didn’t mean much in terms of Spring weather, but the South provides some balmy temperatures starting around the end of February. It puts me in the mood for more daily walks than normal, which means more audiobook time. It also means I’m more likely to pick up cheery books about family or romance - maybe a YA contemporary or two.
Here’s what I read last week
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare: I finally finished this one! I was in a bit of a reading rut this last week with making time to read physical books in the mornings and evenings, so this took me longer to read than I would have liked.
I really appreciated Adunni’s story. I found the narrative to be compelling, albeit difficult to read in parts due to pretty dark subject matter. As our protagonist is self educating herself throughout the novel, chapter headings give us Nigerian facts that Adunni has newly learned. These facts relate to what might happen in the chapter ahead. I loved this, and felt I learned so much about Nigerian culture and politics that I didn’t know before. If you want to read a story about a young girl facing impossible trials with endless spirit and deep rooted love in her heart - or a story that addresses challenging topics in an ultimately hopeful narrative, you should definitely pick this one up. Some have pointed out that the ending is a bit moralistic in nature, and I agree with that. This was not bothersome for me as a reader, but if that’s not to your taste, you might not love this one as much as I did. Bookshop.
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig: I was in a YA fantasy mood last week and decided to pick this one up on audio from my library. It became available, so I thought I would give it a shot.
This book is a loose retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. This was one of my favorite stories growing up so I was eager to see what the author did to make this tale a little more dark and twisty.
Do you ever find books compulsively readable, and then you get to the end and wonder how you read a book so quickly that you ultimately didn’t find any value in? This one was entertaining enough though, with its horror elements, underlying big mystery and smaller puzzles woven throughout. Eventually, I felt that the story became too big for its britches and I was left pretty disappointed the end. This felt to me a bit chaotic and I wished that the plot felt more naturally pulled together at the end. I haven’t seen many reviews for this one so I’d be curious to hear from other readers who felt differently to gain another perspective and see what others have loved about this one. Bookshop.
What I’m currently reading
Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal: The Lager Queen of Minnesota was one of my favorite reads of 2020 and I was so excited to get to Stradal’s debut novel! I just finished the first chapter and my heart has already split in two! IYKYK. Bookshop.
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah: This one feels so much different than Hannah’s other novels (I’ve only read The Great Alone and The Nightingale by this author; Both of which I really loved). I have no definitive thoughts on this one quite yet, but I don’t know if I will love this one as much as the others I have read by Hannah. Bookshop.
Audiobooks to spice up that spring cleaning we’re all avoiding
I spent two hours earlier this week tackling my daughter’s room. I dusted all of her play furniture and shelves, cleaned out her bookcase, organized all of her books and sorted through all of her baskets while putting lots of things in the donation pile. This was definitely a tedious task, but also a way that I was able to finish a 400+ page in a couple of days. I use several different applications to listen: Hoopla and Libby through my local library, Scribd (60 days free with my referral code) and Libro.fm.
Here are some audiobooks that I enjoyed the most while doing mundane tasks. Most of these are going to be pretty upbeat, purposive, and easy to get into. In my experience, these are the best kinds of books to pull you out of a monotonous chore.
Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin: If you have been following me for any amount of time, you know that I absolutely love this book. In Young Jane Young, we see the crushing instance of a woman losing her dream career in politics because of the unequal hierarchy and patriarchal system that put men at an advantage over women. This story is told in way that makes it easy to digest and consume while also talking about very real and raw topics. The book will also occasionally make you grin from ear to ear, and fill your heart with a special sweetness. This story was inspired by Monica Lewinsky‘s journey in politics and I truly think there is such an important and poignant message linked to a simultaneously fun and frothy plot. Libro.fm. Bookshop. Amazon/Audible.
Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker: This story follows the perspective of a young girl as a dramatic climate change impacts the world around her. The days are lasting increasingly longer as the Earth gradually rotates more and more slowly each day. It’s not what I’d call post-apocalyptic, but it’s adjacent to the genre. I found the protagonist to be charming and witty and her youthful voice was endearing and tender, rather than angsty and frustrating. The audio was absolutely fantastic with a great narrator if you’re looking for something quick to get through. Libro.fm. Bookshop. Amazon/Audible.
Get A Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert: This author is slowly climbing my favorites chart with the absolute best romances out there. In this hilarious and fun rom-com, Chloe recruits her mysterious (and very sexy) neighbor to help her experience new things and check off some bucket-list items. I love romantic comedies with substance and I appreciated the chronic illness representation as a prominent part of this narrative. I love heroes and heroines who are real people that experience more than just immediate orgasms and have perfect skin. If you are looking for an enemies to lovers story line with an HEO, look no further. Libro.fm. Bookshop. Amazon/Audible.
Here For It by R. Eric Thomas: I know many of us have heard about this novel already, but *just* in case you haven’t, I want to put this audiobook on your radar. I loved the intersectionality represented in this collection of essays with this queer, Black and Christian man ruminating over and laughing at the absurdities, difficulties and joys in life. This is equally delightful as it is poignant and a GREAT listen. It’s not very long either, so it’s easy to make it through in a weekend, or even a day if you like to listen on faster speeds. Libro.fm. Bookshop. Amazon/Audible.
Before I close up this newsletter for the evening…
Here are some other non-bookish related things I’ve been loving this week!
Spinach and Artichoke Pasta: Do you follow @traderjoesfoodreviews on TikTok or Instagram? I love this account! This recipe was SO easy and delicious!
Novel Pairings Podcast: I love both Sara and Chelsey (the lovely co-hosts), and I love how they discuss classics in an approachable way. You don’t have to have read the classics to enjoy this content! They both have added a lot of books to my TBR over the last year.
Jen Cambell on Youtube: One of my favorite authors and BookTubers - Jen is an absolute delight. She’s so smart and gives incredible recommendations for books that may not have otherwise been on my radar.
As always, thanks for reading and I hope to see you next week!
-H