Sponsored by Once Upon a Dance.
Princess Naomi Helps a Unicorn is part of the Dance-It-Out! Creative Movement Story collection by Once Upon a Dance. In each book, Ballerina Konora joins the story’s pages with movement suggestions and photos. In this volume, the interactive dance and movement is wrapped up in a charming story of sibling angst, anger management, compassion, and triumph. Fed up with her annoying sister, Naomi storms out of the castle, only to discover a unicorn in need of help. With a sense of purpose, she quickly forgets her anger.
Hello, Audiophiles! We are just two weeks into the new year and my stats tell me that I’ve already listened to over 2,000 pages of audiobooks. Since I listen at 1.75 speed, I’m not sure what the hour equivalent of that is, but whatever the case, I feel like my reading year is off to a good start!
For Christmas, I received a new pair of AirPods since I’ve just about destroyed my first pair with constant use. Now I switch back and forth between my two pairs, which means less time waiting around for them to charge. I’ve used a ridiculous number of different kinds of headphones over the years, but Airpods are by far my favorite.
In other news, I recently bought a new library chair as part of my library redecorating project, and Gwen has already claimed it for House Cardigan. To be fair, it is the most comfortable chair that I have ever owned, so I can’t blame her. But I would appreciate it if she’d actually let me use it sometime.
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Audiobook Apps I Can’t Live Without
Audible
I still remember when a family friend told me about the magical place called Audible. As a tween, I desperately loved audiobooks as they gave me a chance to read books I wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. From an early age, I have had chronic daily headaches and migraines, so for most of my life, audiobooks have been the primary way that I experience literature. Audible gave me a chance to listen to books my library didn’t have.
Back 20 years ago, you could download and burn CDs of the audiobooks, making them wonderfully sharable. I became a master at burning CDs (what teen wasn’t back then?) and even created my own cover art for the audiobook cases.
Now, Audible is part of Amazon but still dominates the digital audiobook market. I have deeply mixed feelings about my Audible subscription, but the fact remains that as a disabled person, I would not be able to read certain books without them.
That aside, let’s talk about their Audible app. Along with the standard features of changing the play speed, using your audiobook credit in-app, and easy-to-use interface, Audible possesses a gamification feature that makes me very happy. You can earn achievements by listening at night, dabbling in a bunch of audiobooks, or marathoning through hours of content. Personally, I wish all of my audiobook apps had this feature.
This year, Audible took a page out of Spotify’s book and sent me an email listing all of my audiobook stats on their app. Keeping in mind that Audible is just one of my dozen audiobook apps, I couldn’t help but marvel at the ridiculous amount of time that I spent in Audible during 2021.
Do you have any stats you’d like to share? Does anyone else have some early Audible memories? Feel free to share them with me via the email in my sign off!
New Releases
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
This new fantasy novel has received so much buzz—and for good reason! It focuses on Xingyin, who lives on the moon with her mother, the moon goddess. But when some secrets about her mother are revealed, Xingyin’s very existence is turned upside down.
Performed by Natalie Naudus (Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Cho and She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan)
I Came All This Way to Meet You by Jami Attenberg
Novelist Jami Attenberg is here with her first memoir, I Came All the Way to Meet You. Told in a stream-of-consciousness-like style, Attenberg presents her story in such a beautiful way that will capture your attention from the first few pages.
Narrated by Xe Sands (Wanderers by Chuck Wendig and Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey)
None But the Righteous by Chantal James
Ham wears a pendant of St. Martin de Porres, a Peruvian Saint from the 17th century. He carries the talisman from place to place as he moves from home to home. Finally, he decides to head back home to New Orleans to find the woman who gave him the pendant in the first place.
Narrated by William DeMeritt (The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris and Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli)
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
The author of the award-winning A Little Life is back with another epic novel, To Paradise. Told in three sections, this novel examines how history shapes the lives of the people living it. Characters’ names repeat as we follow the narrative threads through three different versions of our world.
Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, Catherine Ho, BD Wong, Feodor Chin, Kurt Kanazawa
Wahala by Nikki May
Ronke, Simi, and Boo are three Nigerian friends who are just trying to figure things out for themselves. This novel centering on female friendship will have you sitting on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Narrated by Natalie Simpson (Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey and Les Misérables by Victor Hugo)
Northwind by Gary Paulsen
Orphaned and left to fend for himself, Lief takes to the water in his canoe, surviving as best he can. Master of survivalist storytelling Gary Paulsen presents Lief’s story in a new and vibrant way. Fans of Paulsen’s previous work will not be disappointed.
Narrated by JD Jackson (Hell of a Book by Jason Mott and The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead)
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Over on Book Riot
“Which Audiobook Should Kick Off Your Reading Year?”
Around the Web
“3 Questions for OverDrive’s Steven Rosato on Audiobooks in Academic Libraries” (Inside Higher Ed)
“2021 Book Trends Show The Power Of BookTok And Rise Of Audiobooks” (Forbes)
That’s it for this week! Feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com or say hi over on Instagram @kdwinchester. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy listening, bookish friends!
~ Kendra