12 month audiobook round up

I've let this site sit idle for a long time, which is silly because I really enjoy writing book reviews and I am still consuming lots of books on a weekly basis. I think it may be because I mainly listen to audiobooks and am generally on the go a lot. Excuses aside, I want to do better going forward.

I didn’t want to just draw a line and forget about all the incredible books I have listened to over the past 12 months (40+) so I decided to do a very quick canter through each book / series in this post. I listen on Audible and my library is now a whopping 245 titles. My husband and I both listen on the same account and if we ever get a divorce then the library will be one of the assets we fight over!

Here is everything I have listed to ordered with the most recent listens first:

Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

Number 18 in the Dresden Files series. I enjoyed it, though as often happens with stretched out series, the main character has been through some real shit by this point and is starting to struggle with it. This one was less entertaining and more hard hitting. It did have some great crescendo moments though where the universe and characters Butcher has been nurturing for decades came together and kicked ass.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

This was a 2nd time listen for me and I decided to re-listen ahead of seeing the new movie. I enjoyed it as much as the first time around. The story was awesome and the audio production was great.

A Very British Cult by Stuart Flinders

An autobiography of the Victorian Cult known as The Agapemonites. It's not my usual fare to listen to non-fiction, but I made an exception here because my husband grew up in a house that used to be part of the cult complex. We own some books about the place already, but this was a very accessible retelling of the Agapemone story which really followed the people who were caught up in it.

Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman

The latest Matt Dinniman offering. I really enjoyed this one, even though the narrator wasn’t Jeff Hayes! Set on a far off colonised agricultural planet which unfortunately for the inhabitants becomes the battleground for a bunch of earth based video game streamers who remote pilot war mechs in a game/genocide action organised by an evil corporation. Scrappy colonists fight back with the help of a rogue AI.

Belisarius Cawl: Archmagos by Guy Harley 

Yet another warhammer book, but don’t let that put you off. Cawl is an interesting and charismatic protagonist on a mission to discover Necron technology to help stop the warp’s incursion of Kadia and as usual a band of misfits are along for the ride. Simple and effective entertainment. I assume there will be a follow up because it ended with Cawl still having much to do.

A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne

I remember watching the old original film when I was a child and the way they used iguanas in a sandpit and some clever scale / perspective tricks has always stuck with me. I really liked this book, the version I listened to was narrated by Tim Curry which also helped! If you are in the mood for some classic sci-fi then I highly recommend checking this out. Following the characters as they descend is a thought provoking read - how would I have done lost under the earth’s crust I wonder?

Chronicles of St Mary’s series by Jodi Taylor

I started off listening to the Chronicles of Saint Marys series. This follows a gaggle of troublesome and catastrophe prone historians as they use time machines to hop back and forth through history in a bid to see what actually went down, I back to back listened to the first 5 books and really enjoyed them. Think Horrible Histories meets Terry Pratchett meets Monty Python.

• Just One Damned Thing After Another
• A Symphony of Echoes
• When a Child is Born
• A Second Chance
• A Trail Through Time
• No Time Like The Past

Time Police series by Jodi Taylor

Then I did a speed run of the sister series which follows the Time Police who are a former St Mary’s nemesis turned goodies(ish). This series follows three very green and pretty useless new recruits and their very many mishaps. Again, I really enjoyed these and am in fact listening to the latest instalment at the moment.

• Doing Time
• Hard Time
• Saving Time
• About Time
• Killing Time

Mortal Engines series by Philip Reeve

• Mortal Engines
• Predators Gold
• Infernal Devices
• A Darkling Plain
• Thunder City - check out my full review of this one here.

Wonderful series, tagged as YA but its not really - yes the characters are young but the themes are big and for all its fantastical elements there is some grit in there. I hope my kid reads these one day and loves them like I do. The worldbuilding is amazing. Please don’t be put off by the crappy movie adaptation.

Stone & Sky by Ben Aaronovitch

Peter Grant, London Metropolitan Police’s latest wizard officer has gone to Scotland for a holiday with his family, but of course this means work will follow him, this time round he’s dealing with the Scottish demimonde. Chaos ensues. A great listen as always.

Kaiju Battle Surgeon by Matt Dinniman

I listened to this off the back of the Dungeon Crawler Carl books (see below), this one had a much darker vibe. The main character is being held prisoner in a very fucked up VR game. I enjoyed it but it is very much LitRPG and maybe be too heavy on the game aspect for some. Also, did I mention, seriously dark.

Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman

• Dungeon Crawler Carl
• Carl’s Doomsday Scenario
• The Dungeon Anarchists Cookbook
• The Butchers Masquerade
• The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
• This Inevitable Ruin

This has been my absolute favourite series of the past couple of years. The next one is out soon and I may do a full re-listen beforehand, then do a proper series review. Don’t be put off by the LitRTPG tag - these books are incredible and so imaginative and the characters are so interesting and full of life. By all means read these from physical, but if you like audio books then you absolutely must listen to the Jeff Hays narrated versions - will change your life, I now want everything I listen to be narrated by him, including public transport announcements.

Crow Investigations series by Sarah Painter

I was in a bit of a dry patch book wise and these caught my eye. Despite the fact that I listened to 6 of them I would say that they really only a strong 6.5/10. I was in the mood for urban fantasy and these fit the bill - the series follows Lydia Crow, a London based PI with a foot in the magical world. There is some romance, but its deffo not 'romantasy'.

The Great When by Alan Moore

Check out my full review of this one here.

Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series by Brian Staveley

• The Last Mortal Bond
• The Province of Fire
• The Emperor's Blades

I liked this series, a more traditional fantasy that I have read of late. Ancient empires with an eastern empire / Asian feel. The story follows three siblings, two princes and a princess in the aftermath of their father's death. One is a trainee assassin, one is an apprentice monk and one is a political operator. The world was interesting, brutal and the characters were fun to follow. The narration was decent. I just found out there is a standalone prequeal which I may check out if on Audible.

Early Riser by Jasper Fforde

I love Fforde’s books and have listened to this one twice. It is a standalone book set in alternative future Wales. The world is undergoing some sort of mini ice age every winter and humans have adapted to hibernate through the coldest months. The story follows Charlie who is part of the quasi police force who stay awake throughout winter to keep an eye on things. Unfortunately for him all is not well in the Welsh valleys and he gets drawn into an intricate and dangerous plot with the sleep equivalent of big-pharma. As usual with Fforde, the world is so original and so well drawn that I felt completely immersed in this book. I highly recommend it.

So there we go, there is my last 12 months of so of listening!