Sponsored by Ordinary Magic by Devon Monk, produced in GraphicAudio
Police Chief Delaney Reed can handle the Valkyries, werewolves, gill-men and other paranormal creatures who call the small beach town of Ordinary, Oregon their home. It’s the vacationing gods who keep her up at night. Adapted from the novels and produced with a full cast of actors, immersive sound effects and cinematic music!
Hello Audiophiles! Things down here in the South Carolina Lowcountry are finally getting cold, just in time for the Corgis to break out their festive sweaters. This year, my spouse, the Corgis, and I will be spending the holidays at home, which gives me a lot of time to plan our Christmas day festivities.
As a kid, the Christmas season rolled around with bursts of red and green everywhere. Key events marked a countdown to the holiday, like caroling and a candlelit Christmas Eve service. But during the pandemic, we’ve had to make new traditions. We watch holiday movies and decorate the house within an inch of its life. This year, I have even been filming the Corgis opening their advent calendar on TikTok.
For me, one of the best parts of any holiday is the food. I LOVE planning out what I’m going to make while listening to food-related podcasts and audiobooks—and Samin Nosrat has both! In addition to her podcast Home Cooking, Nosrat has written my favorite cookbook of all time, Salt Fat Acid Heat. This cookbook delves into the science of why we use certain techniques in cooking and teaches everyday people how to cook their food the best they can. (I also gift at least three copies of this cookbook every year!) I’ll keep y’all updated on what I decide to make.
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Currently Listening
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Like much of the literary world, I read All the Light We Cannot See and felt mesmerized by its spiral structure. I usually am not a huge fan of WWII historical fiction, but I couldn’t stop listening to the story.
This year, I surprised myself with how much I was looking forward to Doerr’s new book Cloud Cuckoo Land. The book contains many perspectives, time periods, and genres—I felt overwhelmed at the start! I actually bought a print copy to follow along and keep track of the different characters. I’m about halfway through, and still find myself flipping back and forth, trying to keep track of who was who (and when).
But other than that, I’m enjoying the different perspectives. In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m listening to a David Mitchell novel—I have no idea how all of the different elements will come together, but I’m enjoying the ride!
I will include part two next week, but in the meantime, let me know your thoughts!
Narrated by Marin Ireland and Simon Jones
Audiobook Apps I Can’t Live Without
I’ll be back next week to discuss another one of my favorite audiobook apps, but I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your wonderful response to the new segment! I appreciated all of your feedback about Overdrive and Libby. So much love for Libby, but are we surprised?
One of you reached out and told me some news about the original app. I reached out to Overdrive directly, and they confirmed: in early 2022, Overdrive is retiring the original app. BUT, they wanted to highlight some points:
- Current OverDrive app users can continue to use the app.
- New users looking for the OverDrive app will be directed to Libby.
- All users can continue to use, borrow, and open titles from their library’s OverDrive website via a browser.
Let me know your thoughts OR tell me about any apps that you would like to see me feature by reaching out via the email in my sign off!
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Recent Releases
Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding
This novel follows a woman devastated after a failed career. She self medicates with alcohol, lost in a haze. But her love for her son Tommy breaks through the fog. She must somehow conquer her addiction or possibly lose her son.
Narrated by Lisa Harding
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated from the Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai
Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the bookstore he inherited from his grandfather. But then a talking cat comes to save the day. Before he realizes (it or what is happening), Rintaro Natsuki finds himself solving a series of mazes to set captured books free. Cat, books, and puzzles—what could be cozier than this?
Narrated by Kevin Shen (Tales from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and Jade Fire Gold by June C. Tan)
Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel
One year after her husband’s death, Renu Amin decides that now is the time to sell the family home. As she begins to pack up her life, she begins to wonder if she chose the wrong life. Her son Akash, has it all. When he shows up to help his mother pack the house, family secrets begin to come to the surface, changing both of their perspectives on their family.
Narrated by Vikas Adam (A Queer History of the United States by Michael Bronski and City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda)
Call Us What We Carry: Poems by Amanda Gorman
It’s finally here, the poetry collection we’ve been waiting for all year long! Ever since Amanda Gorman’s incredible performance at President Biden’s inauguration, thousands of people pre-ordered her poetry collection. But like most performance poet’s work, these poems really shine as Gorman narrates them aloud.
Narrated by Amanda Gorman
Over on Book Riot
Around the Web
“Audiobooks.com’s Best Audiobooks of 2021” (Audiobooks.com)
“AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of 2021” (AudioFile Magazine)
“A Gift Guide for Every Reader” (Libro.fm)
“The 21 Best Blog Moments of 2021” (Audible)
That’s it for this week! Feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com or say hi over on Instagram @kdwinchester. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy listening, bookish friends!
~ Kendra