On Animals by Susan Orlean (Narrator)

I really enjoyed The Library Book by Susan Orlean. She has a very good narrative non-fiction style. I heard this mentioned briefly on one of my favourite podcasts. It’s a collection of Orlean’s essays on animals. It had fascinating stories about the people involved with animal lives and also some memoirs about her own relationships with animals such as her farm life. It was informative and easy to listen to.

1.5x. August 8-12, 2025.

I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend by Martin Short (Narrator)

My husband and I are fans of Martin Short. We like “Only Murders in the Building”. I watched and liked him “Captain Ron” growing up. We listened to this audiobook together. Short narrated it and does various impressions and characters throughout the book. As a result, I listened to this at 1.0x speed which I would not do with any other audiobook. It also took a long time since I could only listen to it when my husband there, mostly while making lunch. I got very impatient to finish it which proved again how I like to finish books in short amount of time. It was great fun and touching too.

1.0x. July 22-Aug 16, 2025.

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin, Narrated by cast

Audiobook for first 21%. Literary, queer, contemporary novel about an affair. I went into this with few expectations and quite enjoyed myself. I think it’s because I like litfic with realistic women at the centre and I think I enjoy reading messy affairs. Affairs are similar to mysteries because I wonder while reading how they will end. They always end and what will be the climatic and often violent catalyst? There’s usually a lot of psychological tension in affairs not being discovered but due to the characters. Everyone knows it is wrong and are driven to it by many factors. Lust is usually involved but that’s banal and simplistic. It’s often rooted in self-destruction or self-discovery. Character development was good in that they were realistically chaotic but no one radically changed by the end of it. Well written. As with most litfic, not for everyone.

1.5x. Aug 13-17, 2025.

Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue

The Rachel Incident was one of my favourite novels from last year. I knew going in that this was a sci-fi novel but I did not know that it was Young Adult. As I get older, I find myself less inclined to YA series for a variety of reasons. I am starting to relate more to characters closer to my age. I was not really invested in the two leads early on, but the protagonist Margo matured quite quickly due to the time bending. Interesting world building. I think I’ll read the next one and hope this is a duology.

July 28-August 4, 2025.

24 Hours in Ancient Egypt: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There by Donald P. Ryan, Jonathan Beville (Narrator)

The writing for this part of the series was not as good as the Rome one. I did like it more as I went through it and it became more entertaining with the ancient characters. I like how these books humanize people in ancient times. This 24 Hours history series has been great for walks.

1.5x-1.75x. August 2-3, 2025.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson, Barton Welch (Narrator)

Audiobook about 60%. This contemporary mystery novel was written in a meta style with a dark tone. I think people will either like it or not like it. I did not like it. While the ending and some of the twists were fine, I did not care for any of the characters. It was set in an Australian ski lodge and referenced Golden Age tropes. There were too many characters and twists since each of them “killed” someone. The book tried to be more literary with the character development, but it did not work for me since I did not get invested in their stories. The narration was fine.

I was disappointed since this is such a popular mystery series. Modern mystery is becoming like modern romance for me; I need something like fantasy or sci-fi to them to make them more engaging.

1.4-1.6x. August 4-10, 2025.

Ascendance of a Bookworm (Manga) Part 3 Volume 3 – by Ryo Namino, Miya Kazuki, Quof (translator)

Even though finishing the main light novel series has scratched the itch, I do like to read the manga editions when they come out.

July 23, 2025.

A Song For You And I by K. O’Neill

Gentle fantasy graphic novel. My favourite from O’Neill is still the Tea Dragon series in art style. I liked the storyline and art of this more than The Moth Keeper though.

July 29, 2025.

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston, Dorothy Dillingham Blue (Narrator)

My second Ashley Poston of the month. This one had a better narrator but the story was more lacklustre. It was not fantastical enough for me. The magical realism aspect was barely there.

1.8x. July 13-16, 2025.

Evergreen Chase by Juneau Black

Started this during an insomnia night (can’t drink coke!). This was a short story and prequel to the series. The mystery was very simple to the point of being a storybook. It was fine though because it was cozy.

Read July 17, 2025 on Kobo Libra 2.

Onyx Storm (Parts 1 & 2) [Dramatized Adaptation] by Rebecca Yarros, Graphic Audio full cast

I really do not care about the main couple anymore. I only like the dragons. I still find that aspect interesting. I actually found some of the voice acting by the supportive cast better than the leads or maybe I was tired of listening to Violet. I was quite bored for most of this book except for the dragon stuff. There were too many characters. The ending was confusing.

1.75x. July 16-21, 2025.

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

I started this before a very hectic week and did not really read have time to read most of it. Once I got into it, I gobbled it up. I knew I would like it from the start. I ended up loving it because it hit my particular wheelhouses of found family, immigrant story, and lonely daughter. All things which resonated deeply with me. It’s very similar to Legends & Lattes with the found family crew, adventuring, and baking.

June 29-July 8, 2025. Read a bit on Kobo Libra 2.

The Stand-In by Lily Chu with Phillipa Soo (Narrator)

Continuing on with the romance on audiobooks. This was a Canadian romance novel set in Toronto and featured a half-Chinese protagonist. The writing in it is not bad per se. Gracie was likeable and relatable. The way it dealt with caretaking for a parent with dementia, anxiety, and depression seemed good. The sexual harassment storyline was a bit over the top and the end of it was predictable. I did not like that it had a misunderstanding trope in the last third which results in the usual third act breakup. Boring romance tropes. There was another soap opera element as well which I was fine with but not the bad romance tropes. The best thing was listening to Phillipa Son’s narration. I would have been bored without it and she made the characters. I am almost tempted to listen to more books by this author since Soo is the narrator, but I doubt I will find the writing better. Most of these modern contemporary romance novels are not for me.

1.75-2.5x. July 6-8, 2025.

Sheets by Brenna Thummler

This is a popular graphic novel which I have been meaning to read for years. Maybe it was my fatigue or recent stress, but I only thought this was okay. The mood was more somber than I imagined. The teenage protagonist Marjorie was grieving from the sudden death of her mother, dealing with her depressed father, being bullied at school, and working their family business while being harassed by a charlatan. While there is a lighthearted tone with Wendell and the ghosts, the human dynamics were a bit depressing until the very end. It gets wrapped up too neatly and quickly. The art was nice. I do not think I will pick up the rest in the series.

July 10, 2025.

Mirror Lake by Juneau Black, Cassandra Campbell (Narrator)

Revisiting this cozy fantasy mystery series during this busy summer. The mysteries are really easy to solve including their twists and the vibe is cozy. It’s easy going. Vera was still too risky but not stupid. Narrator did a good job as before.

1.5x. July 9-12, 2025.

ADHD 2.0 : New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction—From Childhood Through Adulthood by Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey, Fred Sanders (Narrator)

This ADHD book was short and felt like it focussed more on environmental and neuroplasticity. I related more to it as a result. I think environment and lifestyle coping strategies are how I’ve managed my ADHD symptoms since I was a child. Consequently, I can see why the environment has harmed my quality of life and affected ADHD symptoms. I liked the concise presentation and recommendations.

1.8x. June 30-July 3, 2025.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston, Brittany Pressley (Narrator)

Romance with magical realism in the form of time travel. I have found contemporary romance easier to consume if there are some fantastical elements. I liked this book more than the Emily Henry I have tried. This was actually a grief novel too. The protagonist Clementine was grieving all of the book from the sudden death of her Aunt. That aspect was realistic and well done.

Since I’ve been so busy this summer, I decided to try listening to romance on audio since they do not require as much concentration. I normally switch to print for fiction especially when I do not love the narrator. The narration was fine but I wanted a background audiobook for walks and chores. I will try more romances or lighter novels on audiobooks this summer since I will not have enough sitting reading time. I’ll switch back to more text reading and nonfiction audio when things get a bit calmer hopefully after summer is over.

1.8-2.0x. July 3-6, 2025.