A Collection of Audiobooks on Spotify!

Hey pals,

I’m not sure how obvious it is, but I love music a lot and have been a subscriber to Spotify for a few years. I mainly use it for music but also the occasional podcast, and I’ve been looking into what audiobooks are available on Spotify. Unfortunately, this post is aimed at people who are subscribed, because if you have to shuffle the album, you can’t listen in order and I’m not sure how it works with podcasts. They don’t have a specific audiobook format so they vary between traditional music album formats or podcasts. I think this is a good way to trial audiobooks if you already have a subscription to Spotify and don’t want to spend money on something like amazon’s Audible or something like Libro.fm. These are the ones I’m thinking about listening to.

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The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

“In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.”

I read the first two books last year and felt very seen… living in a very dystopic world, The Hunger Games felt a little too possible. But it did have a lot of hope sewn throughout with our main cast of characters. I want to re-read the books so I can read the third one with a refreshed memory, I think listening to the audiobook on Spotify might be a good shout. Buy here to support me!

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

“Luc O’Donnell is tangentially–and reluctantly–famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he’s never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad’s making a comeback, Luc’s back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything. To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship…and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He’s a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he’s never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.”

I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn

“She’s obsessed with transforming everyday ephemera into Kimi Originals: bold outfits that make her and her friends feel like the Ultimate versions of themselves. But her mother disapproves, and when they get into an explosive fight, Kimi’s entire future seems on the verge of falling apart. So when a surprise letter comes in the mail from Kimi’s estranged grandparents, inviting her to Kyoto for spring break, she seizes the opportunity to get away from the disaster of her life.”

Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco

“Many years ago, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left encased in ice when the Snow Queen waged war. Its former citizens are now refugees in a world mostly devoid of magic. Which is why the crown prince and his protectors are stuck in…Arizona. Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the Avalon royal family, is hiding in a town so boring, magic doesn’t even work there. Few know his secret identity, but his friend Tala is one of them. A new hope for their abandoned homeland reignites when a famous creature of legend, the Firebird, appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala must unite with a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon for a showdown that will change the world as they know it.”

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

“Marriage can be a real killer. On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?”

The Percy Jackson book series by Rick Riordan

“Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse – Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena – Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.”

You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero

“In this refreshingly entertaining how-to guide, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bite-sized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word. If you’re ready to make some serious changes around here, You Are a Badass will help you: Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want, blast past your fears so you can take big exciting risks, figure out how to make some damn money already, learn to love yourself and others, set big goals and reach them – it will basically show you how to create a life you totally love, and how to create it now.”

This book on Spotify has at least Chapter 1 available, I’m not sure if it goes any further but it’s a good start that can help you decide if this book is for you.

Dracula and Dracula’s Guest by Bram Stoker

“A rich selection of background and source materials is provided in three areas: Contexts includes probable inspirations for Dracula in the earlier works of James Malcolm Rymer and Emily Gerard. Also included are a discussion of Stoker’s working notes for the novel and “Dracula’s Guest,” the original opening chapter to Dracula. Reviews and Reactions reprints five early reviews of the novel. “Dramatic and Film Variations” focuses on theater and film adaptations of Dracula, two indications of the novel’s unwavering appeal. David J. Skal, Gregory A. Waller, and Nina Auerbach offer their varied perspectives. Checklists of both dramatic and film adaptations are included.”

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

“The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story is of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his new love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.”

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

“Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work “her own darling child” and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, “as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print.” The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen’s radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.”

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

“Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange, situated on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter one night at Wuthering Heights, the home of his landlord. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before; of the intense relationship between the gypsy foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw; and how Catherine, forced to choose between passionate, tortured Heathcliff and gentle, well-bred Edgar Linton, surrendered to the expectations of her class. As Heathcliff’s bitterness and vengeance at his betrayal is visited upon the next generation, their innocent heirs must struggle to escape the legacy of the past.”

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

“Orphaned as a child, Jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Her courage is tested once again when she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard. But there is a terrifying secret inside the gloomy, forbidding Thornfield Hall. Is Rochester hiding from Jane? Will Jane be left heartbroken and exiled once again?”

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

“Mary Shelley’s seminal novel of the scientist whose creation becomes a monster. This edition is the original 1818 text, which preserves the hard-hitting and politically charged aspects of Shelley’s original writing, as well as her unflinching wit and strong female voice. This edition also includes a new introduction and suggestions for further reading by author and Shelley expert Charlotte Gordon, literary excerpts and reviews selected by Gordon and a chronology and essay by preeminent Shelley scholar Charles E. Robinson.”

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

“Generations of readers young and old, male and female, have fallen in love with the March sisters of Louisa May Alcott’s most popular and enduring novel, Little Women. Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.”

Shakespeare Plays

Shakespeare wrote many plays, so I will put them all under one heading here. The Shakespeare Sessions by BBC Radio 3 has: Henry IV, Othello, The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, The Winter’s Tale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear, The Merchant Of Venice, and Measure For Measure, as full length radio plays, along with shorter episodes of celebrities talking about Shakespeare plays and characters. You can also find Shakespeare as an ‘artist’ on Spotify for more of his plays, but many of them are in different languages, and because they are considered music you can’t adjust the speed of the tracks.

Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Another one with many books under one heading. There are quite a few of the original series written by Arthur Conan Doyle on Spotify you can find and listen to. Searching ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and the book story title name like ‘A Study In Scarlet’ will bring up a podcast or album you are looking for. Use this handy GoodReads page to help you go in order.

1984 by George Orwell

“Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell’s nightmarish vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff’s attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell’s prescience of modern life—the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language—and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written.”

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There are many more books on Spotify you can search, especially anything that is considered a classic. I’d love to hear from you if you know any other more modern book series you have found on Spotify! Leave it in the comments. This is just my current list of what I have found and what I have interest in listening to. I hope you enjoyed this post.

Here we have my usual paragraph on accessibility and disability needs, and how these adaptations can benefit everyone. Lots of people get into the pointless discussion of are audiobooks really reading, much like with my last blog post on Graphic Novels, they are debated as ‘really reading’ too. This is an ableist construct, wow surprising (not). Any adaptations made to benefit people who struggle to do things the mainstream way are always looked down upon, just like reading on an electronic device where you can adjust the font, letter sizing, colour/contrast and brightness to suit your comfort levels and needs, but a lot of purists will assume you are doing something ‘frivolous,’ which is also absolutely fine and your right to do so! I think the art of storytelling is something every deserves to experience and audiobooks are something you can take on the go a bit easier than a physical book or a TV show, if you listen on headphones on your phone, it is easy to pause if you need to listen or speak to someone, and if you are travelling you don’t need to worry about putting the book or show away to then start up again on the next train, or switch to something else for your walk, and you won’t get travel sick looking down at something!

I think I will personally be trialling audiobooks in two ways: listening and following along with the book, and listening like I will listen to podcasts. I have a lot of conflicting traits and symptoms that affect my needs. Sometimes reading a book will be so easy, other times I will be too understimulated or too relaxed I fall asleep (this also happens when listening or watching things)… I tend to listen to podcasts when I’m doing a mindless activity like my laundry because if I have too much stimulus I won’t hear the audiobook or podcast but if I don’t have enough I’ll fall asleep or zone out and still won’t hear it. I have to have the circumstances just right. I think it may be something I do in the car down the line and during travel, but less likely when I’m shopping or getting errands done as that’s too distracting for a novel. I have dyslexia and ADHD which can make reading really difficult and I benefit from a combination of sensory input which is why I think listening and following along in the book would be beneficial for me, like I struggle to remember and follow spoken instructions but also struggle to follow only written instruction. A combo of auditory and written elements are something I find really helpful. This is also how I would read academic textbooks in university, I would scan the pages to read them aloud as I followed the text with my eyes. I also find being able to adjust the speed really helpful, I watch a lot of videos on 1.5x and 1.75x speed and I take in what is being said much easier than if they we normal speed, because it is too slow for me to pick up and process in my brain. Brain are weird, because I also tend to have a delayed processing time in conversations where I don’t understand what someone has said until a few seconds later, but I don’t tend to have this problem when listening to things. I think it’s the element of having to come up with a response that makes the processing difficult too.

I hope this post has been helpful to not only suggest some audiobooks to check out on Spotify, but also give you some suggestions of where and when you would listen to them and why audiobooks are a really helpful tool for many people. If you would like to support me, consider donating to my Kofi or becoming a member there for behind the scenes info. I have three tiers, basic behind the scenes stuff is tier one, tier two is my book club tier where I talk books, and tier three is the behind the scenes of my writing. Don’t forget to follow the blog with your WordPress account or email address, check out past bookish posts, Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. If you want to collab, hire me, or work with me somehow, check out my Portfolio and read my contact page.

I hope you are all having a good start to 2022, and I’ll see you in my next blog post!

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~ Artie

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