Are you a reader? I’ve always loved the idea of reading. I could picture myself lounging in one of those hanging egg chairs on my porch in a comfy dress finishing my 8th book of the week on an early Saturday morning. Unfortunately I have an incredibly low attention span and no hanging egg chair.
I’m aware of my deficiencies, so a few years ago I began listening to audiobooks on and off to see if that would help. It did! My hypothesis is that the lack-of-attention side of me is focused on driving, getting ready, or cooking so I don’t have the brain time to space out. Whatever the reason, I’m thankful audiobooks have helped me read a few more during the year! Thanks, Audible! (sponsor me pls)
With summer coming up and more travel on the horizon, I thought I’d gather a few of my current faves. They’re a bit of a mix of genres and publication years, but it’s just what my recently read looks like!
The Kitchen Front (Jennifer Ryan) – My friend Olivia recommended this book on an episode of a podcast her new bookstore is featured in (check out Litchfield Books if you’re ever near coastal South Carolina)! If you just finished Downton Abbey and need your fill of, “What would a country estate and surrounding areas in England look like in 1942?” this may be your style. It follows four women whose story lines converge. Chapters are told from each woman’s perspective and the narrator was amazing. Warning: listening to this may result in your being mildly obsessed with the Great British Bake-Off and searching Pinterest for various WWII recipes.
Across the Winding River (Aimie K. Runyan) – I found this right after finishing The Kitchen Front (Jennifer Ryan). I was on the hunt for another WWII fiction and this one had amazing reviews. It is one story simultaneously told from three perspectives and three time lines – a female German engineer before/during WWII, a male American medic before/during WWII, and a female divorcee in the 2000’s. The narrators for this novel were great to listen to and helped keep the story lines in check. I feel like if I was reading it I would’ve had to flip back to remember who I was reading sometimes. I would consider this whatever the audiobook version of a “page-turner” is.
Maybe Someday (Colleen Hoover) – I was also recommended this book by my friend Casey! I’m now realizing this book is also told from two perspectives like the two above (are you seeing a trend?). One is a girl in her early 20’s who gets cheated on and is super interested in her cute musician neighbor. The other is the cute musician neighbor. And there are a few neat plot twists! The two points of views were cool since the reader always knew what the other was thinking about situations and such. I imagine this would be a good beach read!
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (J.K. Rowling) – You know I couldn’t have a sufficient book list without Harry Potter thrown in. I have a few of the Harry Potter books on Audible and have listened to them quite a few times. The Sorcerer’s Stone is great to come back to since
Honorable mention: Shadow and Bone Triology (Leigh Bardugo) – I actually read these books, so they somewhat don’t follow my self-made rules of this post. Shadow and Bone is the first of this trilogy followed by Siege and Storm, then Ruin and Rising. I read this series a year or two ago, but they just released a show about it on Netflix May 2021, so I thought I’d throw it out there as I’m reliving the story. This story follows a girl who finds something out about herself that changes almost every part of her. I liked this series a lot because the “magic” is referred to as “small science”. It’s like Harry Potter meets Avatar logic lol. The characters are also neat! I would really dislike the main characters in shifts, but it was always a strong enough storyline to pull me through. As a note: the series also follows the two books, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by the same author.
Soundtracks (Jon Acuff) – Moving on to non-fiction! I’ve always wanted to read a Jon Acuff book but never had a good enough reason to. If you’ve ever heard of #JesusJuke, this is the guy who started it. He’s a pretty neat guy in real life and Soundtracks is a testament to that. I’m currently about halfway though! Did you ever see the episode of Wizards of Waverly Place where Harper says she rewired her brain to take mean things people say as compliments? This is kind of like that but in a much more healthy way.
Atomic Habits (James Clear) – I listened to this a year or two ago and am going through it again since I must’ve not listened so well the first time around. Atomic Habits talks about the little things we can do each day to make ourselves better in the long run. I used to ask myself if “future Allison” would appreciate “current Allison” (probs not usually since current Allison is kinda lazy) and this gives some practical steps to make that a little more automatic in your life!
Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis) – I’ve listened to this a few times and looove it. Such a timeless read and bare-bones reminder of the basic values all Christians have in common. There are a few different narration options on Audible. I have one by Geoffrey Howard and enjoy his voice!
I’m on the prowl for my next listen, so let me know what you recommend or if I need to stay away from something!
If you’re interested