#AudiobookMonth | #iLOVEaudiobooks – June is the perfect time for me to resume my #AudioReads and dig into more #audiobooks!

Posted Saturday, 2 June, 2018 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comments

June is Audiobook Month banner created by Jorie in Canva.

You know I’m going to be stalking #audiobookmonth’s tag ALL of JUNE!

Along with the following: #iLOVEaudiobooks + #loveaudiobooks

+ #JUNEisAudiobookMonth | which tags are your favourites!?

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I attempted to participate in #AudiobookMonth last year, though due to the detriment of the weather and a nauseatingly brutal allergy season (ie. Spring!) – I don’t remember progressing very far along with my efforts! This year, I’m doubling down – mostly as I have more reliable connectivity this year to keep blogging and listening to digital audiobooks even whilst mother nature chooses to wreck havoc in our lives!! I’ll thankfully not find it nearly as jarring to be *bounced!* off as long as I would have been had we not resolved this one particular issue *ahead!* of Summer! (a girl has to love her Mum!) (ie. Mums are seriously resourceful!)

Whilst most of my focus is going to be the audiobooks I’ve either accepted for review consideration by publishers and/or authors OR adopted audiobooks I’ve accepted for review – I am also going to be focusing on the audiobooks I’ve personally purchased, audiobooks I’ve borrowed through my local library or audiobooks I’ve had the pleasure of winning in a bookaway! This has definitely become my year of re-queuing the audiobooks I’ve been wanting to listen and discover whilst celebrating how much audiobooks have meant to be as a migraineur! (you might have noticed this term on my Twitter profile)

I have a few audiobooks on CD – most of the audiobooks I’ve been listening to since [2016] have been digitally available – either for review purposes or borrowing through my libray’s OverDrive network. I appreciate both options, as despite having a penchant for collecting audiobooks on CD – I realise the digital side of the ledger is what is helping most readers discover the joy of listening to the stories as they become insanely portable! The irony there is – I actually listen to audiobooks the old fashioned way, but then, you must know by now, I am rather an old fashioned kind of gal!

My main goal for JUNE is to simply enjoy my arrivals and departures within these audiobooks – taking long gaps of absence from reading #printbooks and remembering not to overly stress about the distances between receiving a few of these selections for review and today. Sometimes we all strive to do the best we can and if we fall short, we’re eventually given a second chance at redemption.

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The audiobooks I am focusing on first & foremost are the audiobooks I’ve received for review consideration. Including three I had trouble getting into last year – two of them are by one of my favourite audiobook publishers:

Post Hypnotic Press | @Post_Hypnotic | Site

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Greenwillow by B.J. Chute, narrated by Ann M. Richardson

→ with a length of 6 hours & 44 minutes

I have an affinity for poetic story-lines and small towne fiction stories – this title was recommended to me by the publisher, as I had quite literally finished my listenings of their adaptation of a beloved series of mine: Anne of Green Gables! (see also Review)

This was right ahead of Autumn [2017] which would become a rather adverse and arduous season for my family to shift out of and come through the other side. In fact, the year ended on a hard note whilst the New Year began on rocky footing. It wasn’t until the end of February where the adversities first sprung in Autumn would start to recede – if my health hadn’t taken a turn in early Spring [2018] the first thing I had wanted to focus on were these audiobooks – as I missed my time spent with their narrators and of feeling rather enlightened for the journey they encourage me to take whilst enfolded in their narrations!

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The Curve of Time by M. Wylie Blanchet, narrated by Heather Henderson

→ with a length of 7 hours & 24 minutes

I happen to love introspective, literary and philosophical stimulating stories which is why I think I was recommended to listen to this particular audiobook. I had previously had the joy of discovering the incredible versatile talent of Ms Henderson whilst listening to her adaptations of the quirky and lovable memoirs of Betty MacDonald (see also Review).

You could say, I had a rather banner year in [2017] listening to the collective works by this publisher – which is why it saddened me I couldn’t close the year listening to their stories – however, sometimes you have to be honest with where you are and the burdens your facing. For me personally, I was in the wrong frame of mind to even contemplate the themes within ‘The Curve of Time’ & ‘Greenwillow’ respectively – ergo, I pushed my listenings forward, hoping the Autumn & Winter would lead me to a better Spring. Ironically or not, it was Summer I had to wait for to feel as if I could take a full breathe of relief from the woes of my heart and mind, to where listening to thought-provoking stories such as these could be a wonderful respite of joy intermixed into my regular wanderings!

To be able to listen, tweet and celebrate Post Hypnotic Press during #AudiobookMonth is a true joy for me, as I am always hopeful other audiobook listeners will start to discovery the wicked awesome quality they are producing & the dedication they have to both the stories and the production behind bringing them to life!

They truly are an inspiring publisher for those of us who are properly addicted to ‘listening’ to the stories which excite us to be heard!

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Secondly, I can finally soak my ears inside the first chapter of Bonnie & Clyde as told through the literary lens of Ms Jenni L. Walsh! I have been sitting on my audiobook copy of ‘Becoming Bonnie’ for as long as I have the lovely audiobooks from Post Hypnotic Press! Time to bring all three out for a listening feast of bookish joy!

Becoming Bonnie by Jenni L. Walsh, narrated by Susan Bennett

→ coming in at exactly 12 hours!

This is the first half of a duology, as ‘Side by Side’ unfortunately released before I could listen to the first half – the sequel has the same narrator (*claps hands*) and comes in at 11 hours and 39 minutes! This releases on the 5th of June, 2018!

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I had the joyful pleasure of featuring the author on Jorie Loves A Story blog ahead of receiving the audiobook – not just once, but twice! You can read both posts: Pub Day Q&A and extracts from the text of ‘Becoming Bonnie’ in case you want to gleam more about why Ms Walsh approached this particular woman of history and why it became a passion project of hers to tell an authentic story on behalf of ‘Bonn’.

I grew up realising the bare bone facts about ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ – how could any GenX girl not? Including the fact, my Mum had seen the rather horrific biopic of theirs which led to more than one interesting discussion in our home over the years! Through my conversations with Ms Walsh whilst putting together the showcases on my blog, I learnt more about the ‘real history’ between Bonnie & Clyde – not all the pertinent bits, mind, as the author wanted me to have enough ‘flavour of curiosity’ ahead of listening to the story itself – but to the extent, I re-broached the convo with my Mum and we found that sometimes, even the people in History you feel you know enough about still have a few surprises to share!

This is one reason I am thankful our paths crossed – as Ms Walsh found me, not the other way round – she is one of the #HistFic authors I am happy to know who is giving me stimulating entreaties into the historic past through the eyes & lives of strong women who have extraordinary tales still left for us to read and feel as if we’ve drawn closer to their ‘living truth’ than we ever could have whilst they were alive!

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Rounding out the lovely audios for review consideration, is a selection narrated by Jake Urry – this time in the genre of Paranormal Ghost Story with a Science Fiction Adventure on the side!

The Tesla Gate (Book No.1 of the Tesla Gate series) by John D. Mimms

→ coming in at 8 hours and 15 minutes

The only sad bit to relay here is the author went in a different direction with the rest of the series in audio – therefore, as much as I might eventually come to love this selection, I won’t be able to continue listening to a) the series and b) the lovely Mr Urry narrating it! The reason I’ll treat this as a ‘one-off’ rather than series is I’ve sampled the next narrator and I’ve determined it was a mistake to switch-out Mr Urry – not because he’s a top favourite, (although one could argue bias, yes!) but because I firmly believe there are some narrators who are well-fitted to a role and there are others, I fear are ill-suited.

Everyone hears stories differently – similar to how we read them – what appeals to me, might not appeal to someone else and vice versa. Such is the way – the reason I was most keen on listening to this particular story is because I was craving some Sci-Fi & who doesn’t want to see a threading of Ghosts & the Paranormal?! I mean, is that even a choice you have to ruminate over before *accepting*!?Okay, maybe a slight bit in case it becomes too intensive to get through – but everything I read about this particular title tracked well, from listeners to the sampler – I was happily diving straight-in dear hearts!

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Don’t be surprised to see me listening to more Mysteries of Suspense whilst I also read the same thematic in the stories I have in print! I have a lot of lovelies this JUNE to appreciate which will give me a wicked thrill to be locked inside!

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Wyrd and Wonder banner created by Imyril and used with permission.

Coming out of #wyrdandwonder – I have two carry-over titles which I have previously discussed on my Wyrd and Wonder Wrap-Up Post which are the following:

Sower of Dreams (Book One: Gods’ Dream Trilogy)

by Debra Holland, narrated by Noah Michael Levine

→ coming in at 11 hours & 9 minutes

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A Nest of Vipers (Book Two: Ruritanian Rogues)

by Richard Storry, narrated by Jake Urry

→ coming in at 5 hours & 5 minutes

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The Watchmaker’s Daughter (Book One: Glass & Steele series)

by C.J. Archer, narrated by Emma Powell

→ coming in at 9 hours and 21 minutes

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Previously, I listened to the first story within the Ruritanian Rogues series [A Looming of Vultures] which I truly loved listening to but realised ahead of listening to the sequel, I would be doing a ‘re-listen’ in order to make sure I hadn’t missed anything… sometimes when I’m listening to audiobooks for review, I don’t have the luxury to listen to them the way in which I prefer: at least twice in order to ascertain what I’ve heard vs what I have interpreted. Sometimes I find I might miss something the first go-round I’ll hear in the second pass – of course, I love all the moments I spend in an audiobook – as I truly only focus on the stories themselves.

I unexpectedly have the pleasure of joy to be re-entering the world Mr Storry has created by accepting this sequel for review by the narrator: Mr Urry!! I can’t wait to get back into this lovely illuminated world – where Fantasy and the Historical narratives I love most blend and merge into a fable of Suspense which is rather gripping to be listening too!! If your unfamiliar with the collective works of Mr Storry, I highly recommend you take a gander at the first novel I listened to of his – ‘The Cryptic Lines’ (see also Review) as both Mr Storry & Mr Urry have set the bar rather high for the kind of immersive audio experiences I am seeking to find!

IF you are unfamiliar with Mr Urry as a narrator, kindly read our convo!

I only allow myself a few hobbies of interest to coordinate with my listening hours which I will be discussing momentarily as first I want to talk about what I will be listening to throughout the month of JUNE. (smiles)

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I should mention, the third story in this line-up (The Watchmaker’s Daughter) for #wyrdandwonder was my own purchase for the event itself! One of the stories I most wanted to be listening to as I feel in love with the concept of the series overall! I am truly looking forward to bringing a bit of #wyrdandwonder into JUNE and by extension #AudiobookMonth!

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Adopt an Audiobook badge provided by Audiobookworm Promotions

Ahead of #AudiobookMonth, I made a few selections from the adoptable audiobooks provided by Audiobookworm Promotions – as I knew I wanted to start reading novels of both Fantasy & Suspense in tandem! Ergo, the following I felt fit well with the themes I was currently willing to explore:

Fame is a Killer (Book One: Hadley Cosy Mystery series)

by Meredith Potts, narrated by Rachel Carr

→ coming in at 2 hours & 7 minutes

I was seriously stoked for this one! I have a particular penchant for listening to Cosy Mysteries or to any crime novel in general – as what helped me recover from my latest batch of migraines was the Kay Hunter series (see also Review) – which is why I decided to seek out a quirkily comedic selection this Summer – trust me, if you listen to the sampler for ‘Fame is a Killer’ you can tell it’s a light-hearted Mystery even though I think it’s going to have it’s fair share of punches, too!

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The To-Do List by JC Miller, narrated by Sara K. Sheckhells

→ this one is 8 hours & 14 minutes, a good length for a Mystery!

The narrator for ‘The To-Do List’ is one I know from reading Non-Fiction, specifically the inspiringly lovely memoir of an Autistic Mum entitled: Life as a Spectrum Mom (see also Review). I dearly wanted to see how the narrator would handle a fictional world and setting, thereby this selection was a bit of a no-brainer! However, like all audiobooks, I go by what I can gauge in the sampler – this one just had something in it that said “listen to me!”

I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter in Ms Pellett’s memoir series and I am dearly hoping she is able to book the same narrator who has such a classically brill approach to bringing the author to life, I would be grieving her absence in Part II!!

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Once Upon a Time in Venice by Monique Roy, narrated by Kevin E. Green

→ a novella audiobook, coming in at 1 hour & 27 minutes

I accidentally realised I am not just a reader who *loves!* finding shorts & novellas in print but I am also attracted to them in audio! This is why, when I listened to the emotionally evocative sampler of “Once Upon a Time in Venice”, I simply *knew!* I needed to listen to this Middle Grade story!

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An unexpected discovery in the feeds for #AudiobookMonth:

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Audiobook Month Bingo: #JIAM (tagged convo)

Over 20 Hours Read by Author 1st in Series Dual Narrator Fantasy Title
Male Narrator Published OVER 5yrs Library Audio YA Title New to Audio
Last in Series Horror Title FREE SQ On TBR Over 2yrs Favourite Narrator
Romance Title Relisten Female Narrator One-Off Thriller Title
Full Cast Under 5 hours LGBTQ+ Title New Audiobook New to You Narrator

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Rather uniquely, I have several of these boxes covered just by the #AudioReads I have planned for #AudiobookMonth – as they will equate out to multiple SQUARES already! I’ll have to wait til the end of the month to see which of the stories themselves I feel fit within each of the squares we’re meant to tackle! I’d have to take liberty with ‘Horror’ & find a Cosy Horror title of my liking whilst sorting out which Library audiobook will take top spot of being a favourite listen is going to be incredibly difficult! Ohh, dear my – does anyone else give themselves grief over filling out a Bingo box of loveliness!?

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In-line with my #audiobookmonth plans:

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I have a few audios for review purposes attached to blog tours – one is a bonefide audiobook blog tour, one is a novella I purchased which needs a re-listen ahead of posting my review (more on this in a moment!) and the rest are part of the series in-progress in order for me to read the current release!

Let me break this down for you –

I purchased the novella: ‘Then Came You’ which introduces me to the Bradford Sisters Romance series – as the three women (the sisters!) attached to this series are the daughters of Garner Bradford!

Then Came You (Prequel Novella) | Bradford Sisters Romance series

by Becky Wade, narrated by Ryan Hudson and Heather Masters

→ coming in at 2 hours and 30 minutes

This novella introduces us to Garner through an interesting Epistolary story which fills in the gaps between who Garner was in the past and where we find his daughters in the present-day! I was meant to listen to this novella and follow it by reading the novel ‘True to You’ before moving into the second installment of the series: ‘Falling for You’. I ended up posting a Spotlight w/ Notes for the blog tour itself (which ran in May) whilst I had every set-back you could think of preventing me from re-listening to the novella and reading ‘True to You’! Something I am amending this first week of June!

I’ve been returning to reading INSPY stories inbetween my mainstream wanderings – something I used to do interchangably throughout my readerly life, but as a book blogger I lost my footing a bit in the world of INSPY as I was dearly tempted by blog tours or other stories which continuously swept me away and thereby, I lost my focus on resuming where I had left off with the INSPY authors I dearly love to be reading! I even have a *70 Authors Challenge* I am slowly making inroads of progress towards completing – recent reads of Ms Wade’s novella, the 3rd novel in the Texas Gold series by Kellie Coates Gilbert (see also Review) and the novels of Ms Brenda S. Anderson – have been a balm to my bookish soul!

You’ll be seeing me read more INSPY as Summer unfolds, as I am intending to regularly showcase my hybrid reading adventures where I am blogging my literary adventures in a balance of both INSPY and mainstream stories of interest.

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On the 7th of June, I will be revealling my impressions on behalf of ‘A Widow’s Redeemer’ which is my second attempt at reading the collective works on behalf of Philippa Jane Keyworth, as I previously read one of her stories for another blog tour – not quite finding her stories to be my cuppa.

A Widow’s Redeemer by Philippa Jane Keyworth, narrated by Alex Lee

→ coming in at 9 hours and 35 minutes

The reason I took a chance on this particular title, is because as I was listening to the sampler, I noticed the narrator had such a convincing approach to how she was relating the story, I almost felt I ought to ‘always!’ listen to Ms Keyworth’s stories in audio edition! I won’t know until I reveal my final thougths on listening to it which way my opinions will swing but I know this – if Georgette Heyer’s ‘Cotillion’ sounded better as an audiobook – then it strikes to logic, there are others who would benefit from me switching formats of discovery!

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The third blog tour is for the publisher tour showcasing the works of Karen Kingsbury, where I hadn’t realised this was a seriously large series! When I first researched the book being offered for review consideration – I thought it was the third of a series, easily finding the first two novels in both audiobook and print edition at my local library – only to realise, this series has been in-progress for a very, very, long time! In fact, there are over 29+ novels in the series start to finish!

I borrowed the print editions for “Love Story” (Baxter Family, No.1) and “In this Moment (Baxter Family, No.2) when I realised it would be easier if I listened to them both instead – so I returnt the print editions and borrowed the audiobooks through OverDrive. I am also reading the very first novel in this series – which is ‘Redemption’ in print edition. My plans to read the original five novels which fully introduced the Baxters went out the window – as I honestly couldn’t get all the books in time in order to do that kind of reading. As it were, I missed the original date I wanted to post my review for “To the Moon and Back” as everything simply came to a head at the time end of May!

Love Story (Baxters Family, No.1; series No.24)

by Karen Kingsbury, narrated by January LaVoy and Kirby Heyborne

→ coming in at 9 hours and 39 minutes

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In this Moment (Baxters Family, No.2, series No.25)

by Karen Kingsbury, narrated by January LaVoy and Kirby Heyborne

→ coming in at 10 hours and 25 minutes

In many ways, I am thankful to see June arrive – as it has given me a renewal of what I can be reading whilst giving me a relief of sorts knowing I couldn’t have done more even if my heart was willing in May!

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The audiobooks waiting in the wings:

The ones I’ve either won in a bookaway or purchased but haven’t had the proper chance to listen to as of yet – I am thinking these will be listened to as Summer rolls along towards September – but I wanted to talk about them, as they’ve been languishing in my #AudioReads library!

There are a few audiobooks I haven’t had the proper chance to listen to which fit into one of those two categories – the ones where you know their ready for you to listen to but for whichever reason, you’ve hesitated to begin!?I am sure we all have a few which fit into this category – let’s see which ones are mine!

The first batch are the lovely audiobooks I won from the Talking Audiobooks podcast Thanksgiving Essay contest – wherein we had to write-in a response to a question the podcast directed to their listeners – listening to the pod, hearing my entry and then, hearing I had been selected as one of the winners was something I shall never forget! I never had the proper chance to even reveal / talk about this experience – as foresaid, the end of [2017] was especially adverse!

This contest put some much needed JOY into my holidays – even if to be honest, I wasn’t in the right mindset to listen to the stories – getting to select them was jolly good fun! Brought a bit of Father Christmas into my life and delighted my Mum and Dad as well – as selecting which stories to bring ‘home’ became a bit of a family affair – complete with ‘listening parties’ to samplers to see which narrators we all agreed were ‘the ones’ I ought to pick!

The Soft Whispers of Dreams (Book Three: Shadows of the Past series)

by Christina Courtenay, narrated by Jenny Funnell

I’ve previously read two of the stories (Book One & Book Two) by Ms Courtenay, as I’m a reviewer for ChocLit – this particular one was a bit harder to come by in print, which is why I took a chance on securing it in audiobook! I personally love how she addresses time slip narratives as she is one of the ChocLit authors (Kirsty Ferry is the other one!) who truly enriches my perspective on how a time slip can become a dearly rivetingly brill read!

This one is writ with a similar theme of purpose, even though each of the stories she wrote in the Shadows of the Past series act as one-offs, they are connected through how they are told and a bit about how the stories unfold, too. Part of me questions if I ought to simply await ‘October’ which is my preferred month for reading stories which are either Spooky (ie. Ghost Stories), Gothic or Cosy Horror – as there is something about the arrival of Autumn which puts me in a good mood for these kinds of stories!

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Her Royal Spyness (Book One: Royal Spyness Mystery)

by Rhys Bowen, narrated by Katherine Kellgren I have high hopes for *loving!* the tales of Georgie, as so much about this series just seems to be a cuppa of joy to be reading! I also knew, once I start listening to the first of the series, I’m going to want to continue listening to the series – so how best to accomplish this!? I know going in I can’t continue to purchase all of them straight-off, so that leads me to my library – in essence, perhaps I ought to do the research this JUNE sorting out once and for all – is the Royal Spyness series available in either digital audiobook OR CD for borrowing!? *oy vie* The things we put ourselves through as ‘readers’,… eh?!

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The Little French Guesthouse (Book One: La Cour des Roses series)

by Helen Pollard, narrated by Helen Johns

I was wicked happy hosting Ms Pollard for an interview during my series of convos with Bookouture authors a few years ago – I knew I wanted to start collecting their stories, as I never host an author for a guest feature I don’t have intentions of reading on Jorie Loves A Story. Sometimes though, as life would have it – the convo or the guest post run a considerable amount of time ‘ahead’ of securing a copy of the story! This time round, I was quite chuffed with myself for finding this in audiobook – as previously, I had remembered it was only in print! Similar to all series, if I fall dearly in love with this one,… I’ll have to sort out how to keep gathering the next ones in sequence!

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The second batch of audiobooks are all blessedly on *CD!* which I happily won as a bookaway during the #LakeUnion chat this past Spring! I was so excited to attend my first #LakeUnion chat, as last year, I came across it slightly too late to participate – I waited on bated breath for a second chance – as sometimes these special chats are one-offs in the twitterverse – it wasn’t even about the chance to win a bookaway (I was thankful to have one more than one this year) but the opportunity to convo & engage with the authors themselves as this is why I *love!* being active on Twitter!

It is also why I host my own bi-monthly Romance & Women’s Fiction chat called @SatBookChat (follow our tag #SatBookChat).

One of the authors I crossed paths with during this incredibly lovely chat truly humbled my heart with her generosity and her inspiring way of touching my spirit by the stories she sent me to read! We share a passion in common: Adoption – as I am a Prospective Adoptive Mum, hence why there are Stories of Adoption featured on Jorie Loves A Story ever so often when I find a pro-positive message about foster care adoption in both Fiction & Non-Fiction!

I’m not able to start listening to these stories yet as I need to pick up a copy of the first novel in sequence: The Scavenger’s Daughter – as I want to gather this on CD. I am hoping to get a copy of this audiobook in June, but if not, I shall be beginning to listen to this lovely series over the Summer.

I happily have the following on CD:

Tangled Vines (Book Two: Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughter)

Bitter Winds (Book Three: Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughter)

Red Skies (Book Tour: Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughter)

All by the lovely Kay Bratt! (@kaybratt) | Site

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The third batch of audiobooks are a bit of a motley eclectic collection!

Beginning with of course, the *free!* audios Audible.com was giving away for #WorldBookDay – of all the ones they had listed on their homepage, these were the two which perked an interest to be listening too! I nearly fainted seeing ‘Moby Dick’! #justno I boycotted it in high school – time hasn’t altered my opinion!

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Emma by Jane Austen, narrated by Nadia May

→ coming in at 15 hours and 17 minutes

I’m a devourted #Janeite even if technically speaking, the only Jane Austen novel I’ve honestly read start to finish (at least four times now!) is ‘Pride and Prejudice’ – ‘Emma’ remains at the top of the list next to ‘Sense and Sensibility’ for the novels I’ve most hesitated to read! Mostly as there are adaptations for both I am wicked eager to be watching and I am trying not to rush myself through the novels – as Austen is best when you can have a healthy respite in her stories, soaking everything in and not worried about ‘when’ your going to see the film adaptation(s)!!

This came to a head of course, when ‘Emma’ was made for Masterpiece (via PBS) as I am wicked addicted to Masterpiece inasmuch as I’m wicked addicted to BBC Dramas & Comedies (of a certain variety & nature). Being a nearly defunct member of #theclassicsclub and attempting to right the stars before my first block of five years is concluded without too many titles read – this is definitely in the scope of possibility for being ‘heard’ over the next six months!

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Winnie-the-Pooh: A.A. Milne’s Pooh Classics, Vol. 1

by A.A. Milne, narrated by Peter Dennis

→ coming in at 2 hours and 46 minutes

I was a bonefide Pooh girl growing up! I loved the Hundred Acre Woods, Christopher Robin, Piglet and everyone else who made Pooh’s world as warm and cuddly as it was – the innocence and the tender-hearted life lessons were affirming in how Children’s Literature is purposeful in it’s intentions for teaching through wholesome stories which still as an adult can be cherished and beloved! I truly look forward to listening to this collection and remember what it was like to have a stuffed Pooh and curling into the adaptations (animated and not as animated!) which ran in the 80s/90s.

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Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo

by Marlon Bundo and Jill Twiss

narrated by Jim Parsons, Jesse Tyler Ferguson,

Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, John Litgow, Jack McBrayer and RuPaul

coming in at 7 minutes!

I can’t remember if I pulled off purchasing this on *Easter!* but that was what I was attempting to do! I wanted to make a point of how this was my Easter gift to myself this year – this is the audiobook we’ll be listening to as a family, as I not only reenacted the AudioShelf takeaways on it’s behalf *but!* I quite literally did a full-on rendition of the sampler *and!* audiobook trailer for Mr Marlon Bundo!

I had my parents in stitches of joy!! They knew it has a harder hitting segue inside it but between my earnest attempt to bring this story to life & the joy of finding it – let’s just say this is one family whose going to be *celebrating!* Pride Month with an ensemble cast LGBTQ+ selection!

IF anyone knows of other wicked #awesomesauce titles you think I’d love which are LGBTQ+ kindly leave those recs in the comments! Thanks in advance! I am trying to see if I can get ‘Simon vs the Homo Sapiens’ through my library! As this was also showcased on AudioShelf and it made my short-list of #mustlistens awhile ago!

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The Complete Sherlock Holmes: The Heirloom Collection

by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Simon Vance

→ coming in at 7 installments & a total of 58 hours and 4 minutes

I have my grandfather’s hardback collection of Sherlock Holmes *but!* I wanted to see if I could find a narrator who embodied Holmes in such a way, it would make amends for the fact I had to quit watching my beloved #Sherlock on the BBC! The series just took it down a few too many rabbit holes for me to chase after,.. as soon as I heard Mr Vance’s voice, I felt I had *found!* the adaptation I could happily listen to for hours *on end!* – thus, I opted for a second opinion and Mum had the following to say herself upon hearing the sampler: “This sounds authentically like the kind of Holmes you’d love hearing!” – I couldn’t agree more! This was a self-purchase of mine which I know I’m going to (slowly) listen to throughout the rest of [2018]!

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Hearts of Resistance by Soraya M. Lane, narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden

→ coming in at 10 hours and 7 minutes

When I first stumbled across this author’s novels, I wasn’t sure if they were part of a series OR if they were individually one-offs – separate from one another but wholly wicked all the same!? Sometimes series take-on different meanings as it’s not always about continuously threading a story together from one installment to another, so whilst I awaited word back from the author (as I enquired via the twitterverse) I kept finding her novels and listened to *every!* sampler which was available!

As you can guess – the returnt response inked out a healthy suggestion I ought to listen to this one first and therefore, I am! I have a soft spot in my heart for a) war dramas b) historical fiction and c) historicals which feel like their really biological sketches of persons who lived even if their not strictly writ from the perspective of a Biological Historical Fiction arc of narrative!

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I wonder, which audiobooks have you gathered which remain unheard!?

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The #library #audiobooks

I dearly want to be #amlistening:

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oooh my dear wicked sweet ghouls!

i did NOT just pick the WINNER of the #Audies2018 for Fiction!?

i found this brilliantly sounding #audiobook I wanted my library to consider for purchase and guess what?! this same audio *won!* dear hearts!!! and, i’m still awaiting to listen to it as it didn’t come in straightaway!! oooh i wonder,…

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine

by Gail Honeyman, narrated by Cathleen McCarron

AND ::drum roll::

Jorie finally get’s to put this on HOLD to be #amlistening!

I’m in second position! Eek.

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I have literally LOST all hope and sense of keeping a LIST of #AudioReads a girl could actually accomplish listening to during a) a calendar year or b) her lifetime – via her library’s OverDrive catalogue -as the choices are wicked incredible! Definitely makes it too easy to just say ‘add to your wishlist’ when you have nearly 5,000 titles possible to be added! #JustSaying

Geeky Note to Shelf: Did you have to add ALL the Patrick O’ Brian’s for #MasterAndCommander!?

These are the tiles I’m thinking about listening to if the holds come through:

A Study in Scarlet Women (Book One: Lady Sherlock Mysteries)

by Sherry Thomas, narrated by Kate Reading

→ coming in at 11 hours and 28 minutes

This was a purchase request of mine over a year ago, as I caught sight of this lovely debut thinking it would make a great addition to the sequels I had been finding for Holmes, as thus far along, I am in love with Laurie R. King’s #MaryRussell series and Nancy Springer’s #EnolaHolmes series. This one felt wicked brill – from conception to entrance and I have borrowed this audiobook so many times, it would be nice to finally have a chance to listen to it all the way through whilst requesting the next two in sequence!

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The Address by Fiona Davis, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

→ coming in at 11 hours and 47 minutes

I will readily admit, I do not always remember a person’s name – I do remember *book covers* and plots – but if you ask me for names of authors or narrators, I do not always readily have a quick answer for you – I spied this title again on my Wish List for #AudioReads and thought to myself “Yes!” – then saw the narrator’s name was ‘Saskia’ and thought to myself – didn’t I reply to @SaskiaAudio earlier in the evening about ‘A Beautiful Poison’? Why yes you did, Jorie! Now, isn’t it a small, small bookish world?

This particular audiobook was found whilst browsing through our OverDrive catalogue and of course, it’s a Historical so what do you think happened?! I immediately found myself drawn into it’s folds! Of course, I did! I’m a time traveller of the historic past!

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Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks, narrated by Tom Hanks

→ comes in at 10 hours and 5 minutes

This one would take a sweet miracle to be available in time for #AudiobookMonth as it quite literally has me placed in 17th place for a hold queue! Dear me! I should have remembered to seek out the #LibraryHolds far sooner than say the 2nd of June?! lol I heard the sampler whilst browsing titles one day, and felt to myself, this is “classically Hanks” – by voice and inflection, as I grew up watching his films (who hasn’t?) and loving almost all of them rather dearly (there are a handful I skipped over!) – never had the chance to check-out his stories (short or otherwise) and we both have an affection for vintage retrofitted typewriters – so, hey, might be a good time to start listening, eh?!

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Hidden surprises of the #Audies2018!

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Quite literally was at a big box book store (don’t rip on me, I’m an Indie girl bourne & true when it comes to book shoppes but a girl has to make do sometimes!) browsing through the #Fantasy stacks – as it was still #wyrdandwonder (ooh, my I totally forgot to write-up a post about those #randombooks! – I’ll edit my wrap-up post to include them! *whew!*) – whilst there, Mum offered to help me scout out the stacks as there is a *seriously!* heap of books which might seem lovely to others but which get an insta-not my cuppa on principle and/or plot alone!

So, what do you think I spied on the Audies List!?

→ this sweet lovely: The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter!

by Theodora Goss, narrated by Kate Reading

This is one of the stories Mum spied ahead of me and one I was wicked thrilled she had as she remembered how much I love *Science* inside the stories I’m reading (a la ‘The Anatomist’s Wife starting off #LadyDarby) – who knew!?

I am trying so hard right now not to JUMP and get this title – I promised myself to collect a list of rec’s from others (ie. bookish mates in the book blogosphere OR random finds within the bookish side of the twitterverse) whilst continuing to causally browse for audios myself – then, round mid-June make a selection or two based on the data I’ve gathered on which #AudioReads I’d love to have in my collection. But, ooh!

*You know your a bookish geek if you add a title like this one ahead of adding ‘A Study in Scarlet’ as your not exactly writing this post start to finish like would be logically but rather in different sections as you would a regular manuscript – therefore, I had no idea the narrator was the same! Love coincidences, which this post is full of, if you take certain stock of the occurrences!

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The irony of seeing the Stephen Fry collection of Sherlock Holmes, is the fact I elected to purchase the collection by Simon Vance as I couldn’t warm to Fry’s voice! Doesn’t surprise me it’s won an Audie though – as Sherlockians are a serious bunch! We are as passionately addicted to our canons as any other fandom out there, so for me personally, whichever voice brings you *Sherlock & Watson* is the one you ought to be celebrating! Rock on!

Just by browsing audiobooks this year, I knew Trevor Noah’s ‘Born a Crime’ would make headlines – I’ve been watching his series via YT noting how eloquently on-point he is more times than naught when it comes to current events. He’s one of my favourite hosts at the moment as he has a truthfulness about him I appreciate. He also reminds us to ‘laugh’ at ourselves which is important!

There were a few others I knew would take an Audie if they were in contention, as I just had a feeling they might. Although, not all of those are a ‘fit’ for me as either a reader or as an #AudioReads girl. Sometimes you just have to know your limits and what you can handle.

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Keep a ready eye out for more of my

#audiobookmonth posts feat. this banner:

June is Audiobook Month banner created by Jorie in Canva.

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Be sure to scope out my TWO favourite podcasters:

AudioShelf badge provided by AudioShelf.me; used with permission.Talking Audio Books podcast badge is being used with permission of Talking Audio Books.

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You might have already seen them in my sidebar – the reason I asked to showcase them is I wanted to help other book bloggers & readers alike find their lovely pods! (smiles) As soon as I started listening to their content, I knew I had stumbled across wicked brill hosts who know how to not just entertain our ‘ears’ but they are introducing us to *audiobooks!* we might not otherwise have stumbled across!

Whilst I was recovering from my health woes & migraines this Spring – I was *binge!* listening to both their programmes via Grover – my preferred method of choice for pod-catching, as it’s not just wicked EASY to use, there are no accounts or passcodes to remember! Heck, yeah! I mean, seriously!? How many online accounts do you guys want to manage?! I, personally, want a lot LESS. Grover is my jam for pods – it has a serious habit though of *updating!* so many lovelies, it’s hard for a girl to keep up with the influx of new content! Hence why I wrote this tweet lamenting the obvious! lol

I’ll be highlighting which programmes of theirs I’ve enjoyed this Spring & June – *here’s hoping!* I can make good on a promise to do this *weekly!* IF you are already an avid listener, be sure to give a s/o to which audiobook you’ve loved based on one of their recs! Maybe we share it in common!?

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By the way, you might want to read this TWEET,

if you love *bookaways!* and say, free #AudioReads?! Courtesy of #TalkingAudio!

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IF you clicked to read this post as it initially posted, you might have been rather curious about why I never *addressed!* what I do whilst I’m listening to audiobooks? I was so captured by making sure I talked about which STORIES I was hoping to be listening to this month of June, I completely FORGOT to tell you my listening habits which strangely enough are counter-current to the #trend:

You see, I don’t listen to audiobooks whilst I’m doing household chores, travelling in the car, hiking in the natural world, seeking wildlife to photograph OR by any other activity you can [insert] as being one to listen to an audiobook! I’m quite the traditionalist – I prefer to [erase] everything out of my focus [except for] the audiobook! I want to be completely and truly captured by the world in which is arriving through my earphones or headphones – depending which device I’m using to listen to them – whilst either doing one of three things:

  • colouring in an adult colouring book – to where, I never really see the design I’m colouring as my whole focus is on the narrator’s voice, the world in which the characters are living and the theatrical experience of ‘being gone’ into someone else’s shoes. Whilst I’m colouring I feel very Zen – very relaxed and the wicked beauty of the moment is hitting the pause button on the audiobook and seeing the ‘art’ before me for the first time! My preference is using coloured pencils as they work the best when your zoning out into an audiobook!
  • knitting one of my UFO’s – if you know someone whose as knitty as I am – you already know we cast-on more projects than we have needles to spare & where our yarny dreams sometimes overstretch to our time limits! sometimes we need the break in stitchy patterns to where we’re not seeing double or getting tripped up in more complex patterns – I found by accident if I’m knitting and listening to an audiobook, I not only zone out and feel my way through the patterns but I find a new layer of Zen I haven’t yet achieved
  • my fall-back plan is Solitaire – yes, the kind you regularly can find on your computer! The reason being is I wanted to a) keep my mind active by learning new games and b) I still needed an alternative to colouring and/or knitting if either wasn’t available when I was listening to a story. It might sound strange but by playing one of four main Solitaire games, I still get the joy of listening but without feeling distracted!

The key for my enjoyment of audiobooks is allowing my mind to focus solely on the narrator’s voice and to feel pulled into the world they are occupying. I have a mind which acts like a hyperactive hive of multi-tasking focus at times, so to find a way to :slow down: and settle on one activity like listening to an audiobook without having a million and one task tabs open on my computer is a feat in of itself! I wanted to find a way to curb my ‘distractions’ whilst allowing me the sense of ‘going elsewhere’ similar to how I feel when I go through my mainstay portal of a book in print!

The other thing is – I originally was attracted to the idea of listening to audiobooks as a way to reduce the frequency of my chronic migraines – hence why I do not read ebooks – which is why by incorporating these activities into my listening hours, I am finding better wellness overall. Now technically, due to the recent health woes I’ve experienced, I’ve been relying more on Solitaire than knitting or colouring – as there is only so much you can do when you don’t feel quite like yourself.

It is my hope to resume colouring and knitting this JUNE

whilst enjoying the eclectic journey I am about to undertake

as we all start to celebrate why we individually LOVE #audiobooks!

What are your preferences for listening to your audio stories!?

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In case you were keeping track (I was not) of how many hours per how many audiobooks I’ve slated to be #amlistening this month of JUNE, I’d consider it golden if I can listen to the books in consideration for review whilst starting to be #amlistening to the rest I’ve listed! After all, outside of the review considerations – I have a heap of extra time to endeavour to complete the others I’ve found! I simply wanted to take a moment to capture my love of #audiobooks & share with my dear hearted readers the stories which are enticing me to pick up as an #AudioReads rather than a book in print! Likewise, I am curious – what are yours?

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postscript: Can anyone help me sort out if I would enjoy listening to the following title: Richard Armitage performs Romeo & Juliet: A Novel written by David Hewson → literally WON an Audie for Orig Work – I wanted to gather this title myself *but!* was worried if it was too explicitly graphic and/or violent – as sometimes I fear re-tellings of Shakespeare could actually become!? IF anyone has the 411 on this audiobook, kindly add a comment below! I might be MISSING out on something all Shakespeare girls should have in their ears!

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{Sources: Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: June is Audiobook Month banner and the comment box banner. Wyrd and Wonder banner created by Imyril and is used with permission. Talking Audiobooks badge is being used with permission of Talking Audiobooks. Audioshelf badge is being used with permission of AudioShelf. Adopt an Audiobook badge is being used with permission of Audiobookworm Promotions. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were able to be embedded by the codes provided by Twitter.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2018.

I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life:

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • #AudiobookMonth

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

read more >> | Visit my Story Vault of Book Reviews | Policies & Review Requests | Contact Jorie

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Posted Saturday, 2 June, 2018 by jorielov in #AudiobookMonth, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event




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