I listened to a LOT of audiobooks this year: 33% of this year’s books, in fact. That’s more audiobooks in number and percent of books read than any year previously. Half of this year’s fantasies and 30% of this year’s mysteries were audiobooks.  (But no romance audiobooks. It’s hard to skip the boinking bits on audio.)

Mostly it was because I have been struggling to focus, and audiobooks allow me to do something else while listening (walking, cleaning, baking). So I still get to enjoy stories even when I can’t focus to read.

Winter’s Gifts, Audio Book by Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Penelope Rawlins

Fantasy, Mystery

The audio version, although good, got dinged because the narrator kinda failed the midwest accents. Aside from that, I always pick up things when listening to a Rivers of London book that missed when reading.

Rating: 8/10

Published by Tantor Audio

Rivers of London: Midnight Riot (2011), Moon Over Soho (2011), Whispers Under Ground (2012), Broken Homes (2014), Foxglove Summer (2014), The Hanging Tree (2017), The Furthest Station (2017), Lies Sleeping (2018), The October Man (2019),  False Value (2020), Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection (2020), What Abigail Did That Summer (2021), Amongst Our Weapons (2022), Winter’s Gifts (2023), The Masquerades of Spring (2024)

A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking, Audiobook (2021) T. Kingfisher narrated by Patricia Santomasso

Fantasy, YA

This story is just delightful, and the narration–especially for a self-published book.

Rating: 8.5/10

Published by Tantor Audio

The Saint of Steel by T. Kingfisher narrated by Joel Richards

Fantasy, Romance

Paladin’s Grace, Audiobook (2021) 9/10,  Paladin’s Strength, Audiobook (2021) 8.5/10, Paladin’s Hope, Audiobook (2022) 8/10, Paladin’s Faith, Audiobook (2024) 8/10

This series was slightly problematic to listen to, since the stories are romances with boinking. But I mostly managed to skip forward so I didn’t have to listen.

Published by Tantor Audio

Lily Adler Mysteries by Katharine Schellman narrated by Henrietta Meire

Mystery, Historical

The Body in the Garden, Audiobook (2020) 8/10, Silence in the Library, Audiobook (2020) 8.5/10, Death at the Manor, Audiobook (2022) 8.5/10, Murder at Midnight, Audiobook (2023) 8.5/10, A Scandal in Mayfair, Audiobook (2024) 9/10

Although I initially found the narrators voice a bit to soft and weak at the start of the first book, I soon came to enjoy the narration.

Published by Dreamscape Media

The Books of 2024