Welcome back, audiobook fans! I’ve just come off a streak of excellent, short listens — Exit West and A Separation are both moody little novels with a global scope, and The Rules Do Not Apply and Wishful Drinking are both eye-opening memoirs by women who aren’t afraid to wear their flaws on their sleeves. And if you’re still in search of listening ideas, you’re in luck because today’s newsletter is full of recs!
Sponsored by Little House on the Prairie
The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder is now available in digital audio! Listen to excerpts from all nine audiobooks, performed by Cherry Jones, plus the playing of “Pa’s fiddle” by Paul Woodiel.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” Continues in New Audiobook Scene by Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid’s Tale
famously ends with the line “Are there any questions?” and now we finally have the chance to get some of our questions answered. Margaret Atwood has written a new Q&A between key characters from the original story, available as a special edition audiobook from Audible. Claire Danes reads the classic novel, and a full cast performs the new material. Learn more and listen to an excerpt at EW.
Take a Bookish Audio Tour of New York City
You can now take an audio listening tour of New York City by clicking on a map to hear recordings of famous New York writers like Zora Neale Hurston, Harper Lee, Richard Wright, and Edna St. Vincent Millay. How great is this?! I’d love to listen to this while actually roaming the streets of NYC, but meanwhile I’m happy to play along from my office in Kansas City.
10 Underrated Audiobooks You Should Listen To
Maybe you’ve already heard of these excellent books, or even put a few on your To-Be-Read list. But what you might not know is that the audiobook versions elevate them to must-listen status. There’s something about each narrator’s performance that reveals just how funny, or sad, or insightful that particular book is. See the complete list at Book Riot.
A Power Commuter Shares Her Audiobook Tips
If you had your dream job but had to commute an hour each way, would you look for a worse job? Or get super cozy with audiobooks? One commuter who chose the latter shares her daily reading ritual and what she’s learned about juggling tools like Overdrive, Hoopla, Audible, and more to keep her audiobook queue flowing. Get her tips at Book Riot.
Odds & Ends:
The unglamorous ordeal of recording your own audiobook, via LitHub
Audiobook listening trends by state, via Audible
The many benefits of audiobooks, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune
Our obsession with productivity is driving the audiobook trend, via Quartz
Alec Baldwin reads a clip from his new memoir, via HarperAudio
Smalls out! I hope you loved all the new links tucked under “Odds & Ends.” If you want to stay in touch and swap audiobook recommendations before the next Audiobooks! Newsletter, you can find me on Twitter at Rach_Smalls or on Instagram at LadybitsKnits.
High five,
Rachel Smalter Hall