LoveReading Top 10 Audiobooks in November 2023

A thrilling tale of murder and mystery in a city where history has run a little differently — from the bestselling author of Golden Hill. In a city that never was, in an America that never was, on a snowy night at the end of winter, two detectives find a body on the roof of a skyscraper. It's 1922, and Americans are drinking in speakeasies, dancing to jazz, stepping quickly to the tempo of modern times. Beside the Mississippi, the ancient city of Cahokia lives on – a teeming industrial metropolis, containing every race and creed. Among them, peace holds. Just about. But that body on the roof is about to spark off a week that will spill the city's secrets, and bring it, against a soundtrack of wailing clarinets and gunfire, either to destruction or rebirth. The multiple-award-winning Francis Spufford returns, with a lovingly created, richly pleasure-giving, epically scaled tale set in the golden age of wicked entertainments.

Francis Spufford (Author), Andy Ingalls (Narrator)

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Iron Flame

“The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” ?Xaden Riorson Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College?Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky. Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves. Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits?and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules. But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year. Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College?and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end. The Empyrean series is best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 Fourth Wing Book #2 Iron Flame

Rebecca Yarros (Author), Rebecca Soler, Teddy Hamilton (Narrator)

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Orbital: ‘Awe-inspiring’ Max Porter

Brought to you by Penguin. Six astronauts rotate in their spacecraft contemplating the world below 'Beautiful in every aspect' SARAH MOSS, author of Summerwater A team of astronauts in the International Space Station collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day. Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home. They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction. The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part - or protective - of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity? 'One of the most beautiful novels I have read in a very long time' MARK HADDON, author of The Porpoise 'One of the UK's most exquisite stylists' GUARDIAN ‘Awe-inspiring’ Max Porter ©2023 Samantha Harvey (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Samantha Harvey (Author), Sarah Naudi (Narrator)

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Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution

Brought to you by Penguin. Why do women live longer than men? Why do women have menopause? Why are women more likely to get Alzheimer's? Why do girls score better at every academic subject than boys until puberty, when suddenly their scores plummet? And does the female brain really exist? In Eve, Cat Bohannon answers questions scientists should have been addressing for decades. With boundless curiosity and sharp wit, she covers the past 200 million years to explain the specific science behind the development of the female sex. Eve is not only a sweeping revision of human history, it's an urgent and necessary corrective for a world that has focused primarily on the male body for far too long. Bohannon's findings, including everything from the way C-sections in the industrialized world are rearranging women's pelvic shape to the surprising similarities between pus and breast milk, will completely change what you think you know about evolution and why Homo sapiens have become such a successful and dominant species, from tool use to city building to the development of language. ©2023 Cat Bohannon (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Cat Bohannon (Author), Cat Bohannon (Narrator)

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On the First Day of Christmas

A gorgeous new festive read from the Kindle #1 bestselling author of The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club When Liv Latimer says goodbye to her colleagues and finishes work for the holidays, she's looking forward to a Christmas to remember with her boyfriend Eddie. But before she makes it home, her phone rings, calling her back into work. And Liv is faced with a choice. Does she do as she's always done, and put herself second? Or, will she say no, so she can finally begin the life she's dreamed of? Liv's decision will turn her world upside down in ways she could never have imagined. Because whatever choice she makes, Liv is about to discover, fate finds a way... From the bestselling Irish author of The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club, comes an emotional and uplifting festive story about love, family and how a split-second decision can change your life. 'Joyful, life-affirming and inspirational' – Heidi Swain

Faith Hogan (Author), Aoife Mcmahon (Narrator)

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The Woman in Me

The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope. In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice-her truth-was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey-and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history. Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears's groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love-and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.

Britney Spears (Author), TBD (Narrator)

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One Day I Shall Astonish the World

Brought to you by Penguin. Narrated by BAFTA winning actress Joanna Scanlan. From the prize-winning author of Reasons to be Cheerful comes a story about the ebb and flow of female friendship over half a lifetime Susan and Norma have been best friends for years, at first thrust together by force of circumstance (a job at The Pin Cushion, a haberdashery shop in 1990s Leicestershire) and then by force of character (neither being particularly inclined to make friends with anyone else). But now, thirty years later, faced with a husband seeking immortality and Norma out of reach on a wave of professional glory, Susan begins to wonder whether she has made the right choices about life, love, work, and, most importantly, friendship. Nina Stibbe's new novel is the story of the wonderful and sometimes surprising path of friendship: from its conspiratorial beginnings, along its irritating wrong turns, to its final gratifying destination. 'Nina Stibbe's writing is as brilliant as a cut diamond. One Day I Shall Astonish the World is a fantastic novel about friendship and love that resonates with everyone; it's gut wrenchingly funny and beautifully poignant. It was an honour to be telling Susan and Norma's story and I hope listeners enjoy the audiobook as much' Joanna Scanlan 'A true gift of a novel, I utterly adored it. For as long as I could make it last, the world just felt a bit nicer.' Meg Mason 'Stibbe turns out more perfect, sharp, unique sentences than anyone else' Caitlin Moran 'Stibbe has an extraordinary gift' Marian Keyes 'Nina Stibbe makes being funny look easy, but that's just because she's very, very good at it' Clare Chambers 'Nina Stibbe's very funny novels are full of charm, and her latest brilliantly captures the mordant humour of British suburban life' Evening Standard 'I'm not surprised to see that Stibbe's writing has been compared to Jane Austen's' Emma Healey 'I am already longing for Nina Stibbe's next book' Observer 'Stibbe is one of the all-time greats' Daisy Buchanan 'Clever and funny, it takes a sharp look at the intricacies of marriage, friendship, work and driving. As with all Stibbe's writing there is a pleasingly perfect balance of wisdom with jokes' Cathy Rentzenbrink 'Nina Stibbe is not just very funny but absolutely life-affirming' Jenny Colgan 'For beautifully funny and well-observed comic writing, Nina Stibbe is your go-to author. In her latest release, a tale of lifelong friendship between Susan and Norma, she explores the mistakes, rivalries and love we all experience in life' Stylist 'One of the great comic writers of our time' Irish Times © Nina Stibbe 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Nina Stibbe (Author), Joanna Scanlan (Narrator)

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Bedtime Stories for Grown-ups

There are few more precious routines than that of the bedtime story. So why do we discard this invaluable ritual as grown-ups to the detriment of our well-being and good health? In this groundbreaking anthology, Ben Holden, editor of the bestselling Poems That Make Grown Men Cry, challenges how we think about life, a third of which is spent asleep. He deftly explores not only the science of sleep but also why we endlessly tell stories - even to ourselves, as we dream. Holden combines his own illuminating storytelling with a treasure trove of timeless classics and contemporary gems. Poems and short stories, fairy tales and fables, reveries and nocturnes - from William Shakespeare to Haruki Murakami, Charles Dickens to Roald Dahl, Rabindranath Tagore to Nora Ephron, Vladimir Nabokov to Neil Gaiman - are all woven together to replicate the journey of a single night's sleep. Some of today's greatest storytellers reveal their choice of the ideal grown-up bedtime story: writers such as Margaret Drabble, Ken Follett, Tessa Hadley, Robert Macfarlane, Patrick Ness, Tony Robinson and Warsan Shire. Fold away your laptop and shut down your mobile phone. Curl up and crash out with the ultimate bedside book, one you'll return to again and again. Full of laughter and tears, moonlight and magic, Bedtime Stories for Grown-ups joyfully provides the dream way to end the day - and begin the night . . .

Ben Holden (Author), Ben Holden, Esther Wane, Gareth Armstrong, Luke Thompson, Sandra Duncan (Narrator)

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The Hollows

In a lonely village in the Peak District, during the onset of a once-in-a-lifetime snow storm, Constable Ellie Cheetham finds a body. The man, a local ne'er-do-well, appears to have died in a tragic accident: he drank too much and froze to death. But the facts don't add up: the dead man is clutching a knife in one hand, and there's evidence he was hiding from someone. Stranger still, an odd mark has been drawn onto a stone beside his body. The next victims are two families on the outskirts of town. As the storm rises and the body count grows, Ellie realises she has a terrifying problem on her hands: someone - or some thing - is killing indiscriminately, using the storm for cover. The killer is circling ever closer to the village. The storm's getting worse. . .and the power's just gone out.

Daniel Church (Author), Gloria Sanders (Narrator)

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Stolen by the Alpha Wolf

The arrogant vampire kings have always proclaimed themselves to be the rulers of all the non-humans making war between the species inevitable. In order to win, it is imperative that the shifters steal the chosen human female. The alpha wolf will take her for himself thus weakening the position of the bastard kings. No heirs means no future for the vampires. Something Ward didn't bank on was that the yellow bellied elves would turn tail forcing the wolves to flee or face defeat. In desperation, one of Ward's pack members grabs a female vampire taking her with him to the wolves' hideout deep in the mountains. The alpha is forced to take responsibility of the female until the dust settles . . . there are things that she may not find out about the shifters . . . things that would put them at further disadvantage against the vampires. In a few short days he'll take her back to Sweetwater himself. It soon becomes clear that being in such close proximity to this refined, delicately beautiful creature is pure torture. A few days suddenly feels like a lifetime. How he longs to be able to get under her skin and make her lose a little bit of that ironclad control she's so desperate to hold onto. It doesn't help that some of the shifters want her dead whilst others wouldn't mind taking her for themselves. Shifter females are in short supply. Stephany watches how her estranged mate is struck with arrow after silver tipped arrow while she is dragged away by one of the enemy. Lance falls to his knees, dying from his wounds, just as Stephany is knocked unconscious. After accidentally mating Lance twenty years ago, she has remained celibate ever since. So long that she no longer even craves the touch of another, so long she doesn't even go into heat anymore. Forced to remain at the alphas side, her resolve is sorely tested. Suddenly she's feeling things she shouldn't be feeling, her own body is betraying her in worst of ways. She needs to stay strong. Especially since Ward is a wolf and she a vampire . . . sworn enemies. Contains mature themes.

Charlene Hartnady (Author), Tatiana Sokolov (Narrator)

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