November 2023 Reading List

This was the perfect listen. It’s a story about an audiobook narrator written by an audiobook narrator and read by the author (could it be anyone else?).

Sewanee is an actor turned audiobook narrator who has a fling with a charming stranger while at a convention. When she returns home she is handpicked to work with the anonymous narrator Brock McNight on a romance novel. No one knows who Brock is.

Sewanee and Brock go about their recordings individually with their only contact by phone. They get to know each other quite intimately over text and phone calls and towards the end of their recording they decide to meet up to record together as it will create the most impact.

I highly recommend the audio version! What I didn’t realise was that Whelan did all the voices – female and male and what a wonderful job she did. Whelan also has extra notes at the end of the audiobook about the inspiration for book which is worth a listen.

Narrated by Julia Whelan, it runs for 11 hours and 16 minutes.

The second book in the Happily Inc. series that is based in the wedding destination town in California.

Mathias is a glass artist who works in the local art studio with his brother and other artists. He has some family drama, including his narcissistic father.

Carol is the gamekeeper, whose property backs onto Mathias’. When Carol wants to buy a herd for her lonely giraffe Mathias offers to donate a piece of his work to be sold so that Carol can fund the purchase and delivery of a giraffe herd. And this is when their romance takes hold

I loved the imagery of the glass works that Mallery conjured up, they truly sound magical.

Perfect for when you want an easy, feel-good read.

What a journey this one was.

Evelyn Hugo is a Hollywood actor who lived life to the full. And yes she had 7 husbands, and we find out about each one.

Great story telling and the audio book truly made it come to life.

Narrated by Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, and Robin Miles, it runs for 12 hours and 10 minutes.

Set in 1931 during the Great Depression, reporter Ellis Reed sees a sign offering children for sale. He takes a photo for his own collection, but it ends up being published and his career takes off.

Newspaper secretary Lillian Palmer sees the photo and joins Ellis in finding these children to see what happened to them.

The book gives great insight into the dire conditions of the time and how poorly women were treated then.

After those few historical fiction books it was time for a light hearted current day story.

Isadora Bentley is an introverted researcher and does her best to lead a quiet life. On her 30th birthday she reads a magazine article about “Thirty-One Ways to Be Happy”. She decides to do something quite out of character and use her research skills to try each of them to see if they are accurate.

Isadora begins to open up and interact with the people in her community, eventually leading to a more fulfilling life.

Had a great narrative of Isadora’s thoughts as she went about her day and challenging herself.

Narrated by Jorjeana Marie, it runs for 10 hours and 2 minutes.