I continue to listen to lots of audiobooks, many of them from the Audible Plus free catalogue, and here is a round up of some recent listens… I’ve marked them with an asterisk if they’re in the free catalogue, or at least were when I listened to them, so you can hunt them out if you wish.
On Color (2018) by David Scott Kastan and Stephen Farthing*
This is an absolutely brilliant non-fiction book – about, as the title suggests, colour. Kastan and Farthing devote 10 chapters to the colours of the rainbow, followed by black, grey, and white. Each chapter looks at the significance of the colour in many different ways – while each chapter is quite wide-ranging, they are often also tied to particular issues. ‘Red’ is largely about science, ‘yellow’ about race, ‘green’ about politics, and so on and so forth. One of the authors is an artist, and so art history is threaded throughout.
It’s an ambitious premise for a book, particularly one that comes in at little over 200 pages in the print edition, but is done brilliantly. I found it fascinating, thought-provoking, and captivating. It was free in the Audible Plus catalogue, so if you’re an Audible subscriber then I definitely recommend downloading it.
Piranesi (2020) by Susannah Clarke
You probably already know all about this award-winning fantasy novel, long awaited from the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (which I never actually read). Piranesi lives in an enormous, perhaps endless, house which consists of halls after halls after halls. Many have statues in, some are empty, and some are filled by the ocean. He believes there are only 15 people in the world, and only regularly meets one of them.
Even for someone without a visual imagination, I found this world-building enveloping – brilliantly simple while also being other worldly. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s narrative expertly capture Piranesi’s naivety and gentleness. As we gradually learned more about the world, and followed stray clues to build a complete picture, I thought Piranesi was a wonderful success.
Lady Audley’s Secret (1862) by M.E Braddon*
One of those books I’ve read about quite a lot, this sensation novel is about Sir Michael Audley’s new young wife, who is mistrusted by Sir Michael’s nephew – and the mysterious disappearance of Sir Michael’s friend George Talboys. It was a fun and interesting read, nowhere near as histrionic as I’d imagined, and Braddon’s writing is a joy.
Is it let down by the fact that George Talboys is appalling, and his disappearance should be considered an enormous blessing in a paper-thin disguise? Or by the fact that at least one of Lady Audley’s secrets is obvious to any modern reader by the end of the second chapter? Well, those things help make this something of a period piece – but it’s still a silly delight.
Ayoade on Ayoade (2014) by Richard Ayoade*
You’ll either really enjoy this or hate it and, judging by the Amazon reviews, most people are in the latter category. I really liked it, though it wasn’t what I expected. Supposedly about cinema, it is actually quite a silly and surreal serious of interviews between Ayoade and… himself. Not a moment of it is serious, and you have to chime with his off-the-wall humour. Luckily I do.
A Damsel in Distress (1919) by P.G. Wodehouse*
I mean, what can I say – the usual wonderful Wodehouse stuff of misunderstandings, falling in love at first sight, improbable coincidences, and bucketloads of brilliant, brilliant writing. As always, absolutely delightful and hilarious.
The Cross and the Switchblade (1963) by David Wilkerson*
What a brilliant (true) story – about a minister from a small rural community who is called by God to reach teenagers in criminal gangs in New York. He initially goes because he feels called to help a particular group of seven teenagers, but ends up transforming whole communities. The book is packed with examples of miracles and interventions by God, and is a moving and powerful account of what happens when somebody humbly obeys. An extraordinary story that I had previously seen adapted for stage, but is even more amazing as a book (although I did have to skip some of the drug bits). Co-written with John and Elizabeth Sherrill.
Escaping the Rabbit Hole (2018) by Mick West*
This is a non-fiction work about helping people escape from conspiracy theories. It’s really written for people who have a friend or relative who needs help getting out of the grip of these theories. I don’t have anybody in my life in that position – I just find the topic interesting. West goes through some of the most ‘popular’ conspiracy theories – from 9/11 to chemtrails to flat earth – and painstakingly explains why they aren’t true, and what arguments and evidence will help demonstrate that to people ‘down the rabbit hole’. As such, a lot is very detailed – West’s main advice is to learn all you can, and have polite and informed conversations, since so many conspiracy theorists think that ignorance is the only reason people don’t agree with them.
One of the most interesting notes in the book was that we are all conspiracy theories – it’s just that, for most of us, that theory might be ‘the government doesn’t always tell us everything’. Conspiracy theories are along a spectrum, and you’ll find that everyone has a point where they stop believing things. For example, a 9/11 ‘truther’ might think that a flat earther is very wrong. Definitely a book that would be useful to help a loved one, but fascinating even if that’s not your position.
So You Want To Talk About Race (2018) by Ijeoma Oluo*
A look at racism – individual and institutional – in America. Probably nothing much new to anybody who has paid attention to the issue, but Oluo’s detailed research and thoughtful writing help present things like police reform, cultural appropriation, the ‘model minority’ myth, and much more in a succinct, accessible, and still impassioned way.
8 Deaths (And Life After Them) (2021) by Mark Watson*
This seems to have been exclusively an audiobook – Watson telling the story of his life in comedy, largely through the times it went wrong. Most memorably while almost dying in a reality TV show. He is enjoyably candid about the motivation for some of his work being financial, or simply to keep his name out there, and clear-sighted about his profession. I always like his self-deprecating humour – the reason 8 Deaths didn’t work perfectly for me was that it quite often veers into self-help territory, which is a genre I don’t really have any interest in.
Reasons To Stay Alive (2015) by Matt Haig*
This short memoir (described as ‘novel and memoir’, but really seems just a memoir to me) is about Haig’s experience with depression. It is extremely honest and moving, and I thought it was very powerful. Occasionally there are things that are clearly page-fillers – lists, or observations that don’t add much to the book – but overall a very worthwhile and well-written book.
Just Ignore Him (2020) by Alan Davies
A memoir by the comedian Alan Davies – about grief at his mother’s death when Alan was a young child, and about the abuse he faced from his father. It’s obviously a very sad book, and important to talk about these things. Sadly was let down by Davies being an unexpectedly bad narrator (very staccato) and by some curious framing that didn’t really work.
Great list . Will check it out. Thanks
thanks!
Such a lot of audiobooks, and such variety! I’ve never listened to one, so I wonder how people fit them into their lives — while commuting, or before bed, or on walks, or something different? My eye alighted on you saying you have no visual imagination. Do you have aphantasia? My next-door neighbour is a friend from book club and realized some years ago that she sees no pictures when she reads, and can’t summon up mental images on demand. Turns out the daughter of another person from book club also has aphantasia.
I almost never listen to them at home – it’s basically while driving or while on a walk. I started during the lockdowns, when I was on my long solitary walks, and got really into them. (I also listen to lots of podcasts, so mix it up with those.) It really helps that you can now listen sped up – I hate slow narrators, so listen on x2 speed. And have realised I mostly like non-fiction or really plotty fiction – fine writing doesn’t work for me, with audio.
Yes, I have never looked into it fully but I think I have aphantasia or, if it’s a spectrum, am close to it. I don’t really know what people mean when they say they ‘see’ mental images. I can get the idea of an image, but nothing very visual – and I can get that sort of idea for things I’ve seen, but can’t get images from scratch. I’ve heard that a test is whether you can rotate an object in your mind and see it from different angles, which I can’t do. And no, definitely never see any images when I read. Have never had that ‘this adaptation looks different to how I imagined’ thing!
I too listen when walking and (also not having a strongly visual imagination) tend to “borrow” places or objects I see on my walk and use them to build an image. So a park keepers hut in Lincolns Inn Fields has done excellent duty over the years as a log cabin, a boathouse, a farm outbuilding and a Louisiana crab shack. It’s been subject to floods, arson, daring skylight escapes and garden tea parties. In a curious way, it gives me an extra level of engagement with a place, albeit a long way from reality!
Oh I love that, Lorna!
I know a couple of other bloggers who exclusively listen to nonfiction audiobooks. Maybe it’s that we’re used to consuming factual content via radio programmes and lectures?
When I’m reading novels I often see the action unfolding like movie scenes. But I guess if you’ve never had that, you don’t feel like you’re missing out. My friend with aphantasia says she gets impatient with long descriptions in novels and usually skips them. (She also has problems understanding certain types of humour and I wondered if that was related — I saw that aphantasia sometimes goes hand in hand with autism, as it does for our friend’s daughter. No comment on your situation, of course.)
Yeah, can’t get my around what it even means to see something mentally – I’m sure I’d find my reading impoverished if I’d had it then lost it, but having never had it, I can’t say I mind. But yes, I do tend to skim if a writer is spending a long time describing scenery – and I’m hopeless if I’m supposed to know where things in a room are in relation to each other. Which is why I’m grateful if a murder mystery has a floorplan :D
Oh, and I’m not autistic, but that is an interesting link!
Ooh, are you prosopagnosic, as well (face blind)?? – the two often go together (I’m face-blind but not aphantastic, apart from not being able to imagine people’s faces).
Mildly, but only mildly!
I’ve had an audible membership for a while but never knew about Audible Plus. So I got all excited and found some books I wanted to listen to only to have my excited trashed because you can’t download the files. Since I only listen to audiobooks in the car or in the gym this isn’t going to be very practical. Drat…
Hi Bookertalk – I thought the same, but if you choose Add to Library rather than play, you can then go to your library and download as normal. LMK if that works.
Yes, you should be able to download – I only listen to audiobooks in the car or when walking, so I’ve downloaded them all. You do have to have a current membership (and downloads disappear if your membership expires) but otherwise they should be as normal.
Escaping the Rabbit Hole sounds very interesting, though it’s rather sad that extreme conspiracy theories are common enough that a handbook is now needed for interventions.
I think Suspicious Minds by Rob Brotherton is an even better book on this topic, and less geared towards that specific audience.
Piranesi surprised me–I loved it and it was way out of my comfort zone. Lady Audley is really good, too.
Yes, I wasn’t sure where I’d fall on Piranesi, but so glad I took the gamble.
Thank you so much for pulling this list together – I enjoy audiobooks but tend to lose the enthusiasm to dive deep into the catalogue after a few screens of self published sci fi or whatever. I’m adding these to my wish list for future reference; really helpful, thanks again!
Glad to help, Lorna! I do find the mix of great stuff and schlock quite hard to navigate. I’ve just found they have all the Anne of Green Gables series, so have downloaded those.
I’ve listened to may be two audiobooks totally, and they were a pleasant experience, but like one of the previous commenters has said, I don’t really know where to fit them in. Piranesi on audio is something I hadn’t considered.
Lady Audley was a great deal of fun, even though like you said, we know her secret by Chapter 2. Is A Damsel in Distress the one where the original love interest grows fat? Good fun I remember, and there’s an Emsworth prototype too unless I’m mixing up my books.
Yes, I didn’t love that twist in Damsel, which was rather shaming – but that’s the one! I do almost all my audiobook listening in the car – I’m almost always alone in the car, but wouldn’t work so well if you aren’t.
That’s an impressive amount of audio books – I don’t tend to listen to them, but maybe they would be good for my walk to work so I could get through more reading… ;D
It definitely feels good to get through more books that way!
An interesting list. My husband loves an audio book and we sometimes read a book together, him on audio, me on the page (hard to work out where he’s got up to, though!). I haven’t fancied the Alan Davies one as I find him too mannered anyway but that’s interesting about his narration!
Oh that’s a fun way to read together – though presumably you’re quicker on print reading.
Ooooh! I loved Piranesi (like, loved-loved-loved it) when I read the paper-and-ink version, but it hadn’t even occurred to me to try the audiobook. I don’t think it’s available in my current audiobook library (just did a quick check), but I’ll keep searching and hope I track it down. I feel like it would be a very different Vibe… good tip, thank you!
You’re welcome – hope you enjoy! I think he did the voice so well.