During these troubling times, you as an avid reader are having a hard time picking up a physical book? Why not give audiobooks a try? This format is growing into a popular trend, especially when you are doing the everyday activities like cleaning, exercising and cooking. I personally love to listen to audiobooks when I run/walk and do a puzzle.
The best way to have appreciation for this format is to find audiobooks that give off a pleasant nature but at the same time, give listeners a compelling story that will give them a chance to shut out the outside world. So here are some of my personal recommendations that I definitely think you will enjoy:
The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
Not only this a great and engaging story to snuggle up with your favorite dessert and a perfect cup of tea, the narrator of this audiobook, actor Richard Armitage, does just such an amazing job getting a reader engrossed and engaged in such an entertaining story.
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
This inspirational and ground breaking memoir is even more poignant when it is narrated by the author. Listen to it when you exercise. Listen to it while you cook. Listen to it while you do a puzzle. Whatever activity you do, you will find yourself empowered.
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
Another nonfiction book that will empower you but with the information that this informative book give, it will also horrify and frustrate you. Perez shows readers how cities, medicine and societies are built around the male population and how the gender data gap has a huge impact on women around the world.
Lifting as We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box by Evette Dionne
The audiobook of this essential books is amazing! The narrator does a tremendous job telling the historical side of this important tale. This was such an uplifting and inspirational book to read. This is a book that needs to be on school curriculum lists because it gives such a deeper insight in the women suffrage movements and how black women played a major and integral part of obtaining voting rights for all, a part that is most of time neglected when talking about this part of women history.
The Switch Beth O’Leary
If you are looking for an entertaining love and family story, then Beth O’Leary’s latest book is the perfect book to dive into some pleasant listening! Narrators Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman do such an amazing job capturing the personalities of the characters, Leena and Eileen, and really getting to the heart of the story.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
We have inspirational nonfiction audiobooks, now let us introduce one of the most inspirational fiction books of the 21st century. Carey Mulligan as the narrator makes this magical library really come alive.
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Warwickshire in the 1580s. Agnes is a woman as feared as she is sought after for her unusual gifts. She settles with her husband in Henley street, Stratford, and has three children: a daughter, Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. The boy, Hamnet, dies in 1596, aged eleven. Four years or so later, the husband writes a play called Hamlet. (Credit: Tinder Press)
Milkman by Anna Burns
Although a tough book to get through, this 2018 Man Booker Prize winner is definitely something to give a try. Brid Brennan narrating it makes this literary story more realistic and stand out compared to other literary works.
Angel Thieves by Kathi Appelt
This is another book that is hard to get into but this time, the story is hard to follow. But Laurel Kathleen’s soothing voice will make you feel relaxed and make the 5 hour ride worthwhile.
If you want to find more audiobooks for some pleasant listening, try LibriVox, free public domain audiobooks that are read by volunteers all over the world. They are just well recorded and narrated as the ones published by the big name book publishers.
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