About Erin O'Neill

Erin loves to try new things and read books from all different genres. When she's not reading, she enjoys cooking, sewing, and playing board games.

Which Audiobook Set in the Future Should You Read?

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Erin O'Neill

Staff Pick: The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell’Antonia

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Erin O'Neill

Title: The Chicken Sisters

Author: Kj Dell’antonia

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell, Xe Sands

As a lover of fried foods, a fan of reality TV, and a huge believer in Reese’s book club picks, I knew I had to check out KJ Dell’Antonia’s The Chicken Sisters.

Taking inspiration from the secret family recipes you’ll find in the book, I’ve broken down the recipe that made The Chicken Sisters an absolute hit. Simply combine:

• 2 parts lighthearted family feuding

• 1 sweet, slow-burning romance

• A heaping handful of secrets

• 1 meddling reality TV show host

• And a dash of classic Southern charm

Over the past century, the fictional town of Merinac, Kansas has seen two family-owned restaurants ruthlessly competing for the role of the town’s best fried chicken. But when the daughter of Chicken Mimi’s marries the son from Chicken Frannies, the rift between the families grows like never before. In an attempt to finalize the true best recipe, the families sign on for Food Wars, a well-known reality show known to showcase competing restaurants and the drama that entails.

With the incredibly talented narration duo that is Cassandra Campbell and Xe Sands, The Chicken Sisters is a story you won’t want to miss in audio. Their subtly charming voices are so well-matched with the quirky characters of small-town Merinac that they truly become as integral to the plot as the sisters themselves.

KJ Dell’Antonia has also truly impressed me with her ability to accomplish what I love about reality TV: a scripted story that still somehow feels entirely real. The characters don’t stand out in my memory because they’re perfectly kind, smart, or funny, but because they enter uncharted territory and end up making realistic mistakes. Dell’Antonia made it easy to picture myself in their shoes, building an unforgettable connection to her characters.

All in all, The Chicken Sisters reminds me of a modern day, fried chicken-fueled rendition of Romeo and Juliet, in absolutely the best way. Though there aren’t any theatrical deaths (not a spoiler, I promise), there’s no shortage of dramatic moments that will keep you coming back for more.

Publisher Summary:

In tiny Merinac, Kansas, Chicken Mimi’s and Chicken Frannie’s have spent a century vying to serve up the best fried chicken in the state–and the legendary feud between their respective owners, the Moores and the Pogociellos, has lasted just as long. No one feels the impact more than thirty-five-year-old widow Amanda Moore, who grew up working for her mom at Mimi’s before scandalously marrying Frank Pogociello and changing sides to work at Frannie’s. Tired of being caught in the middle, Amanda sends an SOS to Food Wars, the reality TV restaurant competition that promises $100,000 to the winner. But in doing so, she launches both families out of the frying pan and directly into the fire. . .

The last thing Brooklyn-based organizational guru Mae Moore, Amanda’s sister, wants is to go home to Kansas. But when her career implodes, helping the fading Mimi’s look good on Food Wars becomes Mae’s best chance to reclaim the limelight–even if doing so pits her against Amanda and Frannie’s. Yet when family secrets become public knowledge, the sisters must choose: Will they fight with each other, or for their heritage?

Audiobooks.com Gift Center FAQs

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Erin O'Neill

Finding a gift for the book lover in your life can be surprisingly difficult. The obvious option, gifting books, gets complicated when you don’t have access to what they’ve already read and what’s at the top of their TBR list. And though gift cards are always an option, they can lack the personal touch that shows how much you care.

Luckily, gift shopping gets a whole lot easier when you can give that special someone access to over 250,000 titles, while also offering a thoughtful suggestion on what they’ll enjoy. Now that’s a book lover’s dream.

With 1, 3, 6, and 12-month prepaid subscriptions to Audiobooks.com, you can find the perfect gift for everyone. Click here to visit the Audiobooks.com gift center or check out some FAQs to get you started.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does an Audiobooks.com gift subscription include?

When you give the gift of listening with an Audiobooks.com subscription, the recipient will get one audiobook credit per month to select any audiobook from our library of over 425,000 titles. They will also get access to these member-exclusive benefits:

Extra free listening every month with our VIP Rewards program
Unlimited access to over 10,000 free audiobooks
Exclusive Member Deals, family sharing, and so much more!

How do I get the gift to its recipient?

We’ve made it easy to get your gift to that special someone. You’ll get to choose between an email and a printable gift option at the time of purchase.

If you’re celebrating together, select “print” while purchasing and you’ll be given a custom page with the recipient’s name and the exciting details of the gift to print out and give to them in person.

If you’re celebrating apart, select “email” during the purchase process and we’ll send all of the exciting details directly to the recipient on the date of your choosing.

Do gift memberships expire?

As with any member account, credits added to a gift subscription will expire if not redeemed within 90 days. Once redeemed, members get to keep their audiobooks forever! All bonus titles, including those downloaded from our VIP Rewards program, will be removed from the account at time of cancel (or when the gift runs out).

Can I prepay for my own membership?

Definitely! Prepaying for your membership is a great gift to yourself. Plus, you’ll get a discount when you purchase a 3, 6, or 12-month membership in advance.

Can I give a specific audiobook as a gift?

Though we don’t offer the option to gift a specific audiobook, we suggest giving a gift membership as a great alternative. You can recommend a book that you think the recipient will love, while ultimately giving them the choice of what they want to listen to.

If you’re looking for the perfect audiobook to suggest to a loved one, check out these curated book lists:

Can I add a gift to an existing account?

Yes! Adding a gift membership to an existing account will automatically delay the next payment date to be after the gift ends. To add a gift membership to your account, simply:

Visit www.audiobooks.com and ensure you’re logged in
Navigate to our gift center by scrolling all the way to the bottom left of the page and clicking “gift center”
Enter your gift code and select “submit”

Once accepted, the website should navigate automatically to your My Account page and reflect your adjusted billing date.

Ready to get gifting with Audiobooks.com? Visit our gift center here.

How to Enjoy Audiobooks as a Family

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Erin O'Neill

If you’re a parent, I bet that you’ve heard the classic “I’m booooored,” a lot lately. We’re all spending a lot more time at home, staring at the same four walls. Luckily, there is a way to keep the whole family busy without just plopping down in front of a screen.

Here at Audiobooks.com, we’re all about the art of storytelling. A great story does more than simply keep us entertained: it also teaches valuable lessons, offers new perspectives, and breaks down boundaries to allow exploration of the places we’ve never seen. So what could be a better way to spend time as a family than enjoying stories?

Whether you’re looking to share your own childhood favorite with the next generation or discover something completely new, we have you covered. Read on for creative ways to enjoy audiobooks as a family, paired with suggestions for family favorites to listen to.

Want to see the full list of family favorite listens? Click here.

Make a Routine

To me, one of the greatest gifts you can give the next generation is a love of books and the best way to do that is consistency. By building stories into your everyday routine, you can create positive, lasting habits.

Start by choosing a time that works every day (even 15 minutes is great!) and make a commitment to listen as a family. I find that spending a half-hour before bed is a nice way to unwind and relax (don’t forget to set a sleep timer). But you can also listen on a commute to and from school, while getting ready in the morning, while cooking dinner, or whenever else works for your family.

Outside of growing a love for reading, you’re also setting time aside to enjoy some quality family time. What is more important than that?

We suggest The Highland Falcon Thief by Sam Sedgman and M.G. Leonard, narrated by Jot Davies. This exciting first in the Adventures on Trains series will keep the whole family coming back for more, day after day.

Get Cinematic

Okay, okay, I know I said that these family activities didn’t include just sitting down in front of a screen. But the fact is, there’s nothing more exciting than watching the movie/TV adaptation of a book you enjoyed, so we’ll make an exception on this one.

Start by choosing an audiobook that has an adaptation available, or one that will premiere soon. While listening as a family, be sure to ask questions like:

How do you think they will do that in the movie
Which character are you most excited to see?
If you made a movie about this book, what would you change?

These questions help turn your family movie night into an exciting conversation, not just a passive experience. Plus, movie snacks! Get your popcorn popping or make a snack inspired by the book, the options are endless.

We suggest Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, narrated by a full cast including Meryl Streep. Yep, you read that correctly, Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep is a narrator on this newly rerecorded family classic. Now that’s perfect for a page-to-screen special!

Audiobooks & Crafts

One of the best parts of listening to audiobooks as a family is encouraging creativity and imagination. Without having pictures laid out for you, audiobooks allow everyone to form their own interpretation.

Try making storytime into an arts and craft experience by giving everyone in your family some drawing tools and a blank page. Over the course of a chapter, each person draws whatever stands out to them: the setting, the characters, or even a specific interaction.

This exercise encourages attention to detail and comprehension by getting everyone to focus on what’s happening and who is involved. Treat this as the closest thing to a kid’s book club by asking each person to take turns sharing their creation and explaining why they included each aspect.

We suggest The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate, narrated by Danny Devito. Packed with detailed imagery and adorable characters, this listen is perfect for your first audiobooks & crafts session.

Make Boring Tasks Fun

Lastly, try using audiobooks to spice up life’s more mundane tasks. I’m not claiming that audiobooks will suddenly have the whole fam excited to do their chores, but I promise it won’t hurt!

Many hands, as they say, make lighter work. And housework usually is more tolerable when tackled together. So start by choosing a common area or section of your home, connecting your audiobook to a speaker, and setting the sleep timer for 15 minutes (or however long the chores will take). For as long as the book is playing, everyone contributes by tidying, organizing, or whatever else needs to get done.

Like I said, this one might not have everyone jumping for joy, but it sure is worth a try! And feel free to use this technique for any other tasks on the to-do list, whether it be exercising, yard work, or even folding laundry.

We suggest Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End by Jeff Kinney, narrated by Ramon de Ocampo. This hilarious and exciting audiobook will surely combat the drudgery of any chore.

As you can see, the sky is the limit when it comes to sharing audiobooks with those you love. Go ahead and try some of the above options or get creative and try something completely different. Either way, we’ll be here with over 200,000 stories ready to be shared.

Book Clubbin’: 10 Discussion Questions for ‘Group’ by Christie Tate

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Erin O'Neill

Welcome to our monthly blog feature, Book Clubbin’!

As the COVID-19 lockdowns continue into these colder months, the safe choice to see our friends outdoors is becoming less and less realistic. Luckily, virtual book clubs are a safe way to keep connected with your loved ones. And we’re here to help make your book club even easier with these monthly Book Clubbin’ posts!

We get it, the period between Halloween and the new year is extremely busy. It can be hard to find the time to stay on top of your TBR list. But whether you’re getting started on your online holiday shopping, cleaning around the house, or testing out a new recipe, audiobooks help spice up even the most mundane chores. We’re not going to promise that you’ll suddenly be ecstatic to do the dishes but we will definitely make them more tolerable!

This month’s Book Clubbin’ pick is Christie Tate’s debut memoir Group, narrated by Christie herself. This new release is quickly gaining attention after being named as Reese Witherspoon’s latest book club pick.

As a young, overachieving law student, Christie was reaching all her goals. On paper, her life was turning into everything she could have hoped for. At the same time, she felt awful. When thinking about life made Christie feel more anxious and afraid than fantasizing about her death, she knew she needed help to make a change.

In an unexpectedly humorous recounting, Christie shares her experience with group therapy and all the bizarre, intimate moments that changed her life.

If you’re ready to discuss Group in your book club, get started with the questions below. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.

—————MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!————

1) In the beginning of Group, how do you feel Christie’s image of herself compares to how other people in her life view her? Discuss how external influences, such as social media, might contribute to how people today view themselves.

2) Which specific moments throughout Christie’s journey resonate with you as turning points in the way she views herself? What relationships, positive or negative, may have helped with this healing?

3) Dr. Rosen is known for having an unconventional method of helping people. What were your initial thoughts about his approach and did how did these opinions change throughout the book?

4) Over the course of her memoir, Christie mentions multiple flawed relationships from her young adult life. Which of her relationships do you remember as being the most impactful? What lessons might she have learned from that person?

5) In Group, Christie openly shares many raw, embarrassing moments with her readers. What do you think her goal was in sharing these stories? Do you think you would be able to share such a vulnerable experience with the world?

6) Some memorable moments in Group are completely silent, whether it be a long hug or an entire 90-minute group session. Why do you think silence might play an important part in one’s healing journey? Have you ever experienced a situation where silence was impactful to you?

7) As time goes on, Christie describes her relationship with various groupmates as much more than a regular friendship. What do you think makes her feel this connected to these people? Have you ever created a similarly unexpected bond with someone in your life?

8) If you had to choose one lesson to hold onto from this book, what would it be?

9) Outside of group therapy, what other groups of people helped Christie within the book? Do you have a group in your life that helps teach you similar lessons in love, vulnerability, or identity?

10) Why do you think Christie decided to end her story with an update from 10 years after the story, instead of ending it with her wedding?

Which Literary Villain Are You?

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Erin O'Neill