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Hello, Audiophiles! I hope you all are holding up well. I’ve been buried beneath a never-ending supply of blankets as we weather the icy rain that is winter here in the Southeast. I’ve pulled out the Corgis’ coats, sweaters, and rain jackets, but they definitely prefer to hibernate until things warm up here in a few weeks (short winters courtesy of the South).
The vet finally gave Gwen the green light to return to running laps around the house and playing with her friends at the dog park. In the warmer parts of the day, I take the Corgis out for a walk around the neighborhood while I listen to my latest audiobook. Everybody wins!
I mentioned a couple newsletters ago that I’ve been redecorating my library. Now that it’s almost finished, I’ve enjoyed reorganizing my library while listening to audiobooks. In fact, I’ve listened to 2,500 pages in just the last week. I haven’t listened to this many audiobooks in one month since 2019. Perhaps I have my groove back?
I’ll be talking about my February listening plans next week, but in the meantime, here’s one of my favorite listens from January.
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Recent Listen
The New York Times Book Review: 125 Years of Literary History edited by Tina Jordan with Noor Qasim
When this book first arrived on my doorstep, I literally jumped around my kitchen. I LOVE nerdy bookish facts, and this book is full of fascinating tidbits from the history of The New York Times Book Review. But then I had to pause: did a gorgeous coffee table-like book like this have an audiobook?
The answer is a resounding YES! Now, the pages are full of sidebars, headers, and illustrations, which could make for a very confusing listening experience. But the producers cleverly hired a range of different narrators to perform the various parts of the book. A single narrator reads the headers and intros to the different sections, giving the audiobook a singular voice that provides structure for the audiobook. Then the different narrators perform the essays and sidebars, signaling to the listener when one essay is ending and another is beginning.
With this clever structure, I could easily follow the different excerpts of past reviews of some of English Literature’s most well-known titles, like Anne of Green Gables, Mrs Dalloway, Native Son and Beloved. There are also sections about what The NYT Book Review got wrong and op-eds full to the brim with personality.
So much thought and effort went into producing this audiobook, which just ten years ago may not have gotten an audio edition at all. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy listening to The New York Times Book Review: 125 Years of Literary History, I was reminded how far audiobooks and accessibility have come in just the last decade.
Narrated by Robert Petkoff, Tina Jordan, Gary Shteyngart, Jodi Picoult, Sloane Crosley, Jenna Wortham, Tayari Jones, Roxane Gay, Sarah Weinman, Jericho Brown, Dominic Hoffman, and more
Make sure to get your own Read Harder Book Journal from Book Riot to track your reading for the year!
Another Audiobook App I Can’t Live Without
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Libro.fm
For our next audiobook app, let’s talk about Libro.fm. For a long time, audiobook lovers didn’t have many alternatives to Audible, which is owned by Amazon. Libro.fm fills that gap, PLUS they give part of their profits from your purchases to the indie bookstore of your choice. This way, you can give back to your favorite indies.
Since it first launched, their app has come a long way. It’s now easier to use, including being able to use your credits directly in the app. The explore page includes dozens of lists full of great audiobook recommendations. But my favorite update has to be the app’s new dark mode!
More so than any other audiobook subscription I’ve seen, Libro.fm engages with bookish media and influencers, often inviting members of the community to write blog posts of recommended titles for them. They also create special features throughout the year to highlight bookstores owned by members of different marginalized communities.
I also appreciate their transparency in working to make the app more accessible for disabled folks. For us, audiobooks are not just a life hack or luxury—they’re an accessibility tool. I haven’t seen similar statements regarding disability from any other audiobook apps, but if you’ve seen one, please feel free to share it with me!
So far, the only downside of Libro.fm is that they only have one subscription option. I go through A LOT of audiobooks, so one audiobook credit a month isn’t enough to keep up with how fast I listen to titles. While you can gift yourself a subscription or buy audiobooks at a reduced rate, I would love to see subscription options for more credits per month or extra credits.
As Libro.fm has improved their app and general customer experience, they’ve become more than just the #1 alternative option to Audible. They’ve become a great audiobook service in their own right, and I can’t wait to see what they roll out next.
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Over on Book Riot
“9 Audiobooks for #JapanJanuary” – I share some audiobooks in translation for your #JanuaryJapan TBRs!
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Around the Web
Audible’s Page Featuring Books by Disabled People – I’ve noticed that Audible has begun to expand their playlist and recommended reading options.
“SYNC Returns in 2022 Bigger and Better than Ever” (Audiofile Magazine)
“10 Great Audiobooks to Listen to This Month” (Vulture)
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