Does anyone have recommendations for non fiction written by women? I'm interested in zoology/ecology, history (would love some titles about business history by women), economic inequality, and new religious movements (cults). A lot of my non fiction favorites in the past few years have been written by men, so I want to change it up. Looking primarily for audiobooks tbh, I like books that are like long podcasts lmao

"You are very right in supposing how my money would be spent—some of it, at least—my loose cash would certainly be employed in improving my collection of music and books." - Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility

Taking a break from Discworld, but now I need something else to read.

Just finished reading Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer!

This is the second of Kimmerer's works that I've read, and I loved this as much as I loved Braiding Sweetgrass. While I read the last as an ebook, I opted for the audiobook this time. Narrated by the author herself, it's a very calming listen. I spent a lot of the time I was listening to it setting up my new aquarium, and it was a beautiful experience.

The text, while accessible for a non-expert, is so densely packed with information that I have no doubt I will be rereading this soon enough. For now, I'm very excited to take my magnifying glass to the creek behind my house and go look at my new moss friends.

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth imagines an alternate 1940s where Charles Lindbergh has been elected President of the United States. This is my review.

I have a bit of a habit about putting books that are popular or widely praised. I don't consciously avoid them, it just kind of happens that way. Still, I get around to them eventually. Occasionally they're underwhelming, but more often than not, I do genuinely enjoy them. Such is the case with The Plot Against America by Philip Roth. 

The Plot Against America begins in an alternate 1940. Celebrity aviator Charles Lindbergh has been elected President of the United States in a landslide victory over incumbent president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Lindbergh has pledged to keep America out of the war in Europe and the Pacific. In fact, he's signed a non-aggression treaty with Germany and Japan. Still, many Americans, particularly Jewish American, worry that Lindbergh is getting a little too chummy with the Axis Powers. The story follows the turbulent years of the Lindbergh Administration through the eyes of young Philip Roth and his family.

This was one of those books that wasn't too high on my reading list until it was. I can't say what exactly prompted me to give this one a try. Maybe it was the miniseries adaption that HBO put out. I haven't watched the miniseries yet, but I do plan to. Maybe it was the various alternate history Facebook groups I take part in. Maybe it was something else entirely. Honestly, I can't really say. I will say that this book being part of the Audible Plus Catalogue was a nice bonus. Audible Plus is a new thing that Audible is doing. It's like Netflix, but with audiobooks.

Whatever the reason, I finally gave The Plot Against America a try, and I loved it. You will occasionally see literary fiction authors dip their toes into speculative fiction. However, this is the first time I've seen a literary fiction author try their hand at alternate history. Philip Roth ruffled some feathers when he made some comments that seemed to imply that he believed that he had invented the concept of alternate history. I haven't seen exactly where that went down, so I won't really comment on that.

I will say that Roth does an excellent job of combining his signature style with the alternate history setting. I took a look at some of Roth's other books in order to compare the writing style, and The Plot Against America defiantly fits the mold. There are segments of the book that almost feel weirdly nostalgic at times. Roth describes daily life in 1940s New Jersey in such loving detail, it can be easy to forget that you're reading an alternate history novel. And yes, this is a Philip Roth book, so it is pretty much required to take place in New Jersey.

One aspect I liked is that Jewish Americans are not a united front against Lindbergh. Sure, there are plenty, like the Roth family, who are weary of his policies, and actively push back against him. However, there are also Jews who are supportive of Lindbergh, or at least, believe he isn't that bad and can be reasoned with. Minorities are not a monolith, so I felt this added more realism. 

I guess this book goes to show that you can still do interesting things with World War II alternate history than just the typical Nazi Victory scenarios. 

Have you read The Plot Against America?  If so, what did you think?

Link to the full review on my blog: https://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2021/12/book-review-plot-against-america-by.html?m=1

The Chateau (spoiler-free review!)

by Jaclyn Goldis

Audiobook narrated by Carlotta Brentan, Amanda Carlin, Graham Halstead, Elisabeth Lagelee, Emily Lawrence, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, and Jackie Sanders

This is a great thriller! I felt like I was transported to France and into the middle of the action.

Four best friends meet at a chateau in Provence. The chateau is owned by Seraphine Demargelasse, a formidable woman who is brutally murdered in her bed.

The novel focuses on the mystery behind who killed Seraphine. Each character has a reason why they may want her dead, but which one did it? Who is really a friend?

There are a lot of characters in this novel, but each chapter begins with the character's name, and in the audiobook, each character has their own narrator! There are seven, yes seven narrators!

The book is sprinkled with French words and phrases, but for those who do not speak French, the context makes it obvious what the intended meaning is, and many times the English words follow.

The audiobook is long at almost 13 and a half hours, but I was not bored. I can't wait to see what Jaclyn Goldis writes next!

See more of Brenna's recs

want audiobooks but hate amazon? oh do I have alternatives for you!

Hey hey hey! For anyone who is trying to avoid giving Amazon money (like meeee) but wants a good audiobook, I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Libro.fm has got your back for most audiobooks and they just recently expanded to international, so if you're outside the US, it's now available for you too! Basically the same model as Audible but cheaper, plus you can set it up so that a portion of their proceeds go to an indie bookstore of your choice.                   Their selection is pretty huge (a little smaller than audibles, since amazon managed to wrangle some exclusive rights for some titles). I always go to them first if I want to buy an audiobook and only go to Audible if I can't find it there - which is pretty rare! An extra bonus: You can download the raw audiofiles for the chapters after you buy a book on Libro.fm. You don't need an app to play them (though they have one if you prefer to use it!). You're not just buying access to the book, you're buying the audio files themselves - old school internet style!

If you're in the US, don't forget about the Libby app! All you need is a library card and then you can get free audiobooks to borrow from your local library via the app.

Like the classics? Want totally free audiobooks of public domain works recorded by volunteers? LibriVox if your friend! Quality varies wildly on the audiobooks, but there's some really good ones in the mix there. They've got all kinds of things from classic to poetry to nonfiction.

In the same vein, Project Gutenberg now has audiobooks too! All books from the public domain and all entirely free!

With Amazon tying to monopolize every industry under the sun, if you can find an audiobook elsewhere why not support free access to literature? Why not support your local library? Why not support a more ethical company and small bookstores?

What are your favorite books to listen to?

I have a couple of different answers to this.

The series that I generally listen to while going to bed is, embarrassingly, Bernard Cornwell's The Last Kingdom. They aren't particularly good or very accurate, but I came upone them when I was in the depths of my chronic pain spiral, and they've become my comfort media. At this point I know the story so well that I don't need to worry about drifting off while I listen to them.

A series that I particularly enjoyed listening to and just revisited was The Executive Office series by Tal Bauer, read by Jon Solo. A lot of listeners don't like Solo's narration, but I think it suits Bauer's writing style and I personally enjoyed the performance.

Right now I'm listening to Gregory Ashe's third Hazard and Somerset series, Arrows in the Hand, and loving it. I wasn't originally that fond of the narrator, Tristan James, but he's really grown on me to the point where I've continued to listen to the books even though it would be much faster for me to read them. There are almost a dozen books about these two characters, and at this point I can't imagine not hearing them in his voice.

Finally, as for narrators that I really like, I'll listen to pretty much anything read by Teddy Hamilton and Jacob Morgan, especially when they're working together like with Him and Us.

-Reid

Bookblr I am once again in need of bookish help. I am a big fan of audiobooks and I have listened to quite a few on youtube and spotify, but I tend to listen stuff from the same creators, so if you have listened to any particularly good audiobooks on either platform please let me know.

rating audiobooks i’ve listened to at work

The Princess Bride - 9/10. funny beyond belief. i got oddly emotional over it. i’d never realised how much dialogue in the movie was lifted straight from the book. such a faithful retelling. the only reason this doesn’t get a perfect score is because the iconic “i want my father back, you son of a bitch!” line isn’t in it, because that was mandy patinkin being brilliant.

World War Z - 10/10. very good. it hit especially hard because of the pandemic. i highly, highly recommend it. i have a post with more thoughts here.

Artemis Fowl - 7/10. this book is light, enjoyable, and a quick listen, with an intriguing premise. i’m only docking points bc it’s a children’s book and is a little juvenile in places, and the protagonist is an annoying little snot.

Ender’s Game - 9/10. welcome to a fucked-up science fiction future. the writing style is pretty minimalist with its description, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it works well in an audio format. the book tackles big issues like cyclical violence, politics, and communication.

i’ll add to this list as i finish books. reblog with your audiobook recommendations!

This might be a stupid question but does anybody have any recommendations for audiobook apps that don’t require a subscription? Like i just want to buy a book and listen to it without having to keep paying for audible or whatever.

"The Screwtape Letters" by C. S. Lewis audiobook read by Andy Serkis recommendation by Rachel Sylvan

I've listened to it a dozen times, so you should enjoy it at least once! Best audiobook ever!

"Does not man, perhaps, love something besides well-being? Perhaps he is just as fond of suffering. Perhaps suffering is just as great a benefit to him as well-being."

- Notes from Underground, Fyodor Dostoevsky

Hullo mutuals my dears (and others who may see this): do any of you have audiobook recommendations? I am trying to resurrect my reading habit and I'm dipping my toe in these new waters!

March 2024 Writing Update

I'm a short story contest semifinalist, drafted a whole new book, and Smashwords' Read An Ebook week returns! Find out more in today's March 2024 #writingprogress blog post! #writingupdate #author #poet #update

Happy March, everyone! I hope everyone’s March is just as good as February, or even better! Last month was incredibly productive writing-wise, and I’m happy to go into details later in this post. Since I have a lot to cover, I’ll just dive right into it now! I’m a Semi-Finalist in the Iridescence Awards! I’m so happy to announce that I’m a semifinalist in the Iridescence Awards! The Iridescence…

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#QuickThoughts #Review of the 1st 2 #JasonvilleRaysSeries books #PuckingAround and #PuckingWild by #EmilyRath. The one where there's more spice off the rink than fights on it.

#books #book #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #bookrec #audiobook #audiobookrec #audiobookgirl #lgbqia #lgbqiabook #lgbqiaromance #whychoose #whychoosebooks #whychooseromance