2021 Book Wrap Up [Part 1: Audiobooks]

     This year I got an Audible subscription -- YAY! 

Before this year, I had never actually listened to a full audiobook. Which now sounds slightly crazy, but still. The only options I had growing up for audiobooks were on CD or tape, and honestly neither of them ever compared to just reading a book. However, this year, one of my friends recommended a book on Audible that only exists in audiobook format. It's called "When You Finish Saving the World", and it was written by Jesse Eisenberg specifically to be read as an audiobook. It's now going to be a film at the Sundance festival in 2022, which I can't wait for. 

Anyway. "When You Finish Saving the World" was the first audiobook I had ever listened to to completion, and I loved it. And when I went on a mini road trip earlier this year, it was just another reason to actually get an Audible subscription and listen to ALL THE THINGS.

    So without further ado, here is the list of audiobooks I've listened to this year and a quick rating and mini review. 

"When You Finish Saving the World" - Jesse Eisenberg 4★

    This book is told in three parts, narrated by Jesse Eisenberg, Finn Wolfhard, and Kaitlyn Dever. Jesse's chapters were my favorite, but the other's were still well performed and kept my attention. It is the story of three members of the same family, all told from different perspectives in different points in time, working to understand each other and themselves. 

"The Charioteer" - Mary Renault 4★

    One of Mary Renault's classic novels; I listened to "The Charioteer" for an author-read-along book club on Reddit. While I really enjoyed the story and the characters, and I will listen to literally anything narrated by Joe Jameson, I think I probably missed quite a lot of subtext and subtle grammatical things that would have impacted how I interpreted the story (ellipses, long pauses, other things that are easier to detect in written text). That being said, Joe Jameson always does amazing narration, and I liked the book that I'll probably read the physical text at some point as well. 

"Boyfriend Material" - Alexis Hall 5★

    The first book I ever read by Alexis Hall, "Boyfriend Material" is hilarious and sweet, both in text and in audiobook. The audiobook is available on Spotify as well as Audible, and it is also performed by the lovely Joe Jameson. He does an amazing job bringing the characters to life and keeping the wit and sweetness of the story alive through every single character and scene. 

"Prosperity" - Alexis Hall 5★

    Another Alexis Hall masterpiece. I'm not usually a fan of fantasy or sci-fi, but this "steampunk western" I believe Alexis called it at one point, changed my mind. This audiobook is narrated by Nicholas Boulton and wowowow. That's it. Wowowow. It's written in strong cant, takes place in the coolest made up world, and has a nonbinary aethership sky captain. What else could you want? Make sure you're really listening; unless you've already read/listened to it once, it's possible to miss things because of the cant and unique phrasing. And trust me, you don't want to miss anything. 

"Priddy's Tale" - Harper Fox 3★

    It seems like the majority of Harper Fox's catalogue is on Audible, which is a-okay with me. I love her writing style and the characters/worlds she creates. Priddy's Tale has probably been my least favorite of her books so far, but that's only because I'm not super into mermaids. That said, her writing style is still gorgeous, the characters are well developed, and even in a relatively short story (6h 46m), she gets a beautiful story told very well. 

"Seven Summer Nights" - Harper Fox 5★

    Let's continue with more Harper Fox stories because this one is my favorite. 16h and 10m of wonderful. "Seven Summer Nights" (as well as a bunch of her other books) is narrated by Chris Clog, and he does a beautiful job of capturing all the characters. This book is full of so much curiosity, love, and magic. Parts of the book had me gasping in surprise, on the edge of my seat in worry, and physically unable to stop listening until I found out what happened next. 

"A Midwinter Prince" - Harper Fox 4★

    I literally just finished this book yesterday, so it's still fresh in my mind. Yet again, Fox's writing style is just... so fricken good. It's narrated by Rusty Coles (Joe Jameson), so of course every character is so thoughtfully and beautifully performed. The love between the MCs is sweet and passionate, and the plot twists were crazy, yet believable. Currently listening to the sequel, The Lost Prince.

"Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue" - Mackenzi Lee 5★

    I read the physical copy of this book first, and I absolutely adored it. Mackenzi Lee is without a doubt THE author that got me interested in historical fiction. Gentleman's Guide is funny, sweet, and full of adventure. This first book in the trilogy (3 novels and a novella), is told from Monty's perspective and narrated by Christian Coulson (young Tom Riddle from HP). Love love love.

"Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks" - Mackenzi Lee 4.5★

    The last book in the Montague siblings trilogy, Nobleman's Guide is also narrated by Christian Coulson, and it's just as wonderful as you'd expect. Nobleman's Guide is much more introspective and internal monologuing than Gentleman's Guide is, so you've really got to be listening to tell whether or not Adrian is speaking aloud or just in his head. 

"How to Bang a Billionaire", "How to Blow it with a Billionaire", "How to Belong with a Billionaire" - Alexis Hall 5★

    We'll just do these three as one point. The Arden St. Ives, or Billionaire, series is basically an incredibly well written, actually has a good plot and good characters, gay version of 50 Shades of Grey. And honestly, it feels weird to say that because they're nowhere near the same level of writing, but it is what it is. This series is narrated by Joel Leslie (amazing), and every single character has such vivid personality. The whole story, from casual scenes to heat-level-five spice scenes, is just a masterpiece. Joel Leslie is great at capturing every moment, and the spice? Just... go listen to them please. 

"Tyack and Frayne Mysteries" - Harper Fox (individual ratings to follow)

    More Harper Fox, please. The Tyack and Frayne mysteries are just awesome. They're all pretty short, so each one is easy to get through in a day, and the whole series follows Lee Tyack (a clairvoyant) and Gideon Frayne (a small town cop) from their first time working together to solve a case, through dozens more mysteries including the mystery of love. (That was cheesy, sorry not sorry) 

Only the first 7 books are on Audible, and the rest are available on Kindle. But it's a series that I didn't want to separate so here we go. The narration is done by Tim Gilbert, and it's incredibly well done. The stories flow really well, and even between time jumps and flashbacks, Gilbert keeps you right on track. 

"Once Upon a Haunter Moor" 5★

"Tinsel Fish" 5★

"Don't Let Go" 4.5★

"Kitto" 5★

"Guardians of the Haunted Moor" 4.5★

"Third Solstice" 4★

"Preacher, Prophet, Beast" 4★

(the following are not available on audible)

"Underhill" 2.5★

"Once Upon a Western Shore" 3★

"To Find Him and Love Him Again Pt.1" 3.5★

"To Find Him and Love Him Again Pt.2" 3★

"To Find Him and Love Him Again Pt.3" 3★

Sadly, I think after book 7, the story didn't reeeeeally need to continue... and they get a bit confusing in the effort to wrap everything up. But 1-7 are awesome and available on Audible free with subscription. 

And that's it! More audiobooks than I've ever listened to in my life. I hope there's something in this post that sounds exciting to you and hopefully you find a new fave audiobook. xx