Sponsored by Elemental by Shannon Mayer, produced in GraphicAudio.
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This year is Gwen’s first Christmas, and she has yet to destroy a single ornament (yes, I was shocked too). But she seems very into the festive spirit, enjoying festive snacks and trying to unwrap everyone’s presents a bit early.
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Ever since I can remember, stories have played a huge role during the holiday season. I performed in a children’s choir that put on a Christmas play every year, Santa movies like The Santa Clause and Miracle on 34th Street flooded the TV, and adults constantly reminisced about Christmases past.
My audiobook listening was no exception. My mom would get me Christmas themed kids’ stories on cassette, and I’d spend hours listening to the radio dramas unfold. Now as an adult, my spouse and I usually have a tradition of listening to an audiobook on our way to visit my parents in Kentucky. But this year, we’re staying home for Christmas again, so I’ve been at a loss for what I should listen to around the holiday.
Originally, I had intended to add some final thoughts for Cloud Cuckoo Land, but another audiobook swept in and completely captured my attention, so I have to chat with you about this one first.
Recent Listen
He Who Fights With Monsters: A LitRPG Adventure by Shirtaloon (Travis Deverell)
A month ago, I had never heard of this book, and when I finally read the synopsis, I wasn’t very interested. A fantasy story originally published as a serial, collected into “novels”, and now made into an audiobook? I 100% did not think that this was my speed.
But for whatever reason, I decided to give it a shot. Immediately, Jason, our protagonist, finds himself thrown into a World of Warcraft-like universe where he has to battle it out with creatures to gain experience. He accidentally interrupts a ceremony of some cultist cannibals, rescuing some high level adventurers along the way. They take Jason under their wing, and we learn more about this strange world as Jason does.
I’ve never even heard of the LitRPG (Literary Role Playing Game) genre before, but I feel like it was made for me. The genre features characters who interact with their world like they are in a video game. It’s like my love of video games and books just collided in the best possible way.
Since He Who Fights with Monsters is a serial, the pacing is very different from something like a novel, which is a singular, contained story. Listening to the first volume in the series (there are four bound volumes of the story to date), I could see the different story arcs, like trade paperbacks of comics or seasons of a television series.
Heath Miller, the audiobook’s narrator, performs the story incredibly well, truly capturing Jason’s loudmouth sort of personality. Jason’s characterization acts as the primary thread that ties the incredibly long and complex story together, and Miller keeps up with the task. The first volume is almost 30 hours long, but I listened to it in about three days.
I’d love to know if any of you have any other LitRPG audiobook recommendations!
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Audiobook Book Apps I Can’t Live Without
hoopla
I thought since we talked about Overdrive last time that we could talk about another Public Library favorite, hoopla. On their website, hoopla states, “Our purpose has always been to partner with libraries in delivering the best content to patrons in the most streamlined manner possible.” And they do just that. Through their app, which is set up through your local library, you can borrow movies, music, comics, digital books, audiobooks, and so much more!
Typically, your library allows you to have a certain number of “borrows” a month, allowing you to check out whatever you like instantly. This is one of my favorite features of hoopla—no wait times! The only time I ever find myself waiting for a title is when I run out borrows for the month.
I’ve been using hoopla since around 2013, and I’ve found it to be one of the easier apps to navigate. My technology unenthusiastic spouse finds hoopla easier to use than Overdrive or Libby, and he often stumbles across random titles he enjoys.
Personally, I love that when I find a title I want to listen to, I can save it to my favorites so I can more easily find it later. Another benefit is that hoopla also carries classes from educational sources like The Great Courses, so I can take a refresher course on Shakespeare, American Literature, or really whatever my heart desires.
Last time, so many of you had wonderful things to add about Overdrive & Libby. Now I would love to hear your hoopla stories. And librarians, please feel free to add anything that you think folks might find helpful, and I’ll include them in the next newsletter. You can reach me at the email in my sign off!
On Book Riot
“8 Audiobooks Longlisted for the PEN America Awards” – I share some of highlights from the PEN America longlist!
Around the Web
“Dolly Parton to Headline Audiobook Cast of Her Debut Novel with Patterson” (The Bookseller) – Does this surprise anyone? Dolly can do it all.
“Canadians have embraced audiobooks and ebooks in 2021” (Good E-reader) – I’ve been looking around for stats about audiobook usage in other countries. Definitely let me know if you have more you’d like to share!
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