Kylie’s favorite reads are usually horror/thrillers, which matches her taste in films as well. When she’s not cracking bad jokes she can often be found curled up with a cup of coffee and her cat, Gideon.
It’s time for our monthly Book Clubbin’ blog feature! This month we’re keeping things light and festive since, for some people, the holidays are right around the corner. Lockdowns and social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t start up a book club with your pals. Just book an hour (or more if the discussion gets heated) to meet every month through video chat.
The holidays can be a busy and overwhelming time for some, but audiobooks make reading books easy and convenient. You can throw on an audiobook while wrapping presents, baking cookies, while cuddled next to a fire, or even while banging out those last few work emails.
In a Holidaze follows Maelyn Jones who is down on her luck — living at home with her parents and working a dead-end job. After spending the holidays at her favorite place, her family friends’ snowy Utah cabin, she sends a wish out to the universe before her family’s car is hit. When she wakes up she is on a plane bound for Utah to relive the holiday all over again.
This month’s pick is jam-packed with yuletide cheer and unforgettable characters.If you’re ready to start discussing In a Holidaze with your book club, dive into the questions below. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.
—————MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!————
1) Are you an avid holiday audiobook listener? Did In a Holidaze check all the boxes for your ideal holiday listen?
2) Why do you think “the universe” sent Mae to relive the same day over and over again?
3) The time loop is never further explained. Did you wish that there was further information shared on why and how this happened to Mae?
4) Did you predict that Andrew and Mae would end up together?
5) Do you think Theo ever had real feelings for Mae?
6) Do you think that Andrew believed Mae when she told him about her alternate timelines?
7) If you had to relive a specific day over again, which day would it be and why?
8) If In a Holidaze was being adapted into a film, who would you hope would portray the main characters?
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With the holidays comes a trove of new magical Christmas romance movies and even though I, personally, primarily watch horror flicks all year round, even I can’t help but indulge in a couple cozy flicks during the holidays.
If you decided to hop on the Christmas train a little earlier than usual to add a little cheer to a tumultuous year, and have already torn through all the Hallmark and Netflix Christmas movies and you’re still wanting more, we’ve got you!
Check out the audiobooks below for ooey gooey holiday rom-coms that are sure to keep you warm this season. And click here to view our full list of cozy holiday romance listens to really fill up your to-be-listened-to list.
Starting out with a bang from the queen of Christmas stories, Debbie Macomber’s Jingle All the Way follows Everly Lancaster who is all work and no play. When her boss insists that she take December off and her vengeful assistant books Everly for a Wifi-free rain forest cruise instead of the beach escape she expected she’s not convinced this vacation will be such a great idea. Everly then meets the naturalist, Asher, who is guiding her along her trip and they grow closer each day, but as the cruise ends will they both be able to take the leap of faith?
If you’re on the lookout for a listen that’s a little different than the classic holiday rom-coms, In a Holidaze is the perfect choice. In this festive audiobook from Christina Lauren we meet Maelyn Jones who is in a bit of rut. She lives at home with her parents, hates her job, and doesn’t have much in the way of romantic prospects. When she goes with her family to their family friends’ cabin in Utah she makes a big mistake and as she’s melting down in the car ride to the airport her and her family are in an accident. When she wakes up, however, she’s on a plane on her way to Utah for the same holiday she just remembered leaving.
Filled with lots of hijinks and the ooey gooey tender moments you’d expect from a holiday rom-com, this listen will check all your boxes this season.
A few years after Lee moves to Amsterdam and her life has begun to get on track she finds a book in her bike basket with a message written inside it. She tracks down the owner, Sam, and within an instant they realize they have an undeniable connection. Will Lee’s past put her future in jeopardy? Christmas is a time for being together, but what if the truth means she ends up alone?
Just in time for the series release of Dash & Lily on Netflix comes a new helping of love, but this time across the pond. In this third book in this festive series, Dash gets accepted to Oxford University while Lily stays in New York. When Dash says he won’t be coming home for Christmas, Lily decides she’ll just have to make the trip to London to be with him, but things start to spin out of control. Will London bring them together again — or will it be their undoing?
How about something a little steamy to keep you warm over the holidays? J.R. Ward’s A Warm Heart in Winter is here to do just that, featuring some of her most iconic Black Dagger Brothers. Everyone’s favorites, Blay and Qhuinn are back and are looking forward to their mating ceremony, but tragedy strikes right before the happy event. Will a warm heart in winter ensure that true love is not lost?
Clare is recently divorced, the family home is sold, and her son is all grown-up, so she decides to move back in with her mom in Little Bramble where she grew up. After dedicating her whole life to her family, she’s looking for something for herself for once and when she finds herself running the village Christmas show, it feels like she has a purpose again. This listen will deliver all the cozy little village and festive vibes, perfect for getting into the holiday spirit.
Up-and-coming TV anchor, Emery Bliss, is horrified when her ex revenge-posts their sex tape online. To make matters worse, she loses her job because of it. She seeks solace and anonymity in Silver Springs until she’s thrown back into contact with Dallas Turner. Dallas is home for the holiday’s for his adoptive mother’s wedding, but due to his past, he would rather spend his holidays on his own. Emery eventually pulls Dallas out of his shell and sparks begin to fly. Pick up this audiobook, curl up on the couch, and get ready to get swept away to Silver Springs.
We could all use a little magic this year, and that’s exactly what A Princess for Christmas brings as it tells a modern fairy tale about a tough New Yorker from the other side of the tracks who falls for the princess from the other side of the world.
New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!
When you think about mystery and detective books it’s hard not to think of Christie. The two go hand-in-hand, and with reason. Throughout her career, Christie released over 65 detective novels and is considered the most famous mystery writer and one of the best-selling authors of all time.
If you’ve devoured all of Christie’s books and are itching for more, we’ve got the perfect list for you. Keep reading for new mystery audiobooks that are sure to satisfy your craving.
Considered the Agatha Christie of our time, Ruth Ware’s One By One will deliver all the chilling suspense. In this latest listen, the cofounder of a London-based tech start-up organizes a weeklong retreat to a ski chalet in the French Alps. Everything starts out as normal with business meetings, strategizing, and mandatory bonding on the slopes. Once an avalanche hits, the group is cut off from the outside world. Eight coworkers are panicked and isolated in the cold…each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide.
In London, 1988, Susannah rushes to marry a young and wealthy surgeon. After they return from their blissful honeymoon, Susannah starts noticing strange and secretive behavior from her new beau. A woman is found murdered in Whitechapel, and Susannah takes notice. Every time her husband is out late a new victim is found dead. Could it be a coincidence? Or is her husband the man they call Jack the Ripper?
A group of old college friends meet up at an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands for their tradition of celebrating New Years together. Just a day after they arrive a blizzard of historical proportions seals them off from the outside world and isolates them even further. Old secrets are uncovered and tensions rise and then one of them is found dead. A Classic whodunit in the tradition of Christie’s classic murder mysteries, The Hunting Party will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
A deviously dark take on vintage English crime fiction, Moonflower Murderspulls retired publisher Susan Ryeland into the depths of an investigation of a missing woman she believes is connected to a recent murder, a murder that one of her former writers, Alan Conway, featured in the third book in his fictional detective series. Set on finding out what really happened, Ryeland travels to England to uncover the truth.
Working their latest case, Detective Constable Cat Kinsella and her partner discover a connection to notorious serial killer, Christopher Masters. Though he was eventually apprehended, his final victim was never found and he never confessed to her murder. Now, six years later, the discovery of his final victim’s remains seem to provide the proof needed to finally close the case. As Cat and her partner dig deeper, they find more and more discrepancies. They soon learn that someone will do anything to keep past secrets hidden and their investigation may put them in jeopardy.
Art dealer, Alex Clayton, stumbles upon a lost portrait of Molly Dean who was an artist’s muse brutally killed in Melbourne in 1930. After purchasing the portrait, Alex uncovers strange inconsistencies with Molly Dean’s murder. With the help of her friend, art conservator John Porter, Alex descends further into the last days of Molly Dean. Based on a real unsolved case, The Portrait of Molly Dean jumps back and forth from present day 1999 and 1930 in the days leading up to Molly’s murder.
In the small Irish village of Doolan, a holidaying couple disappears, leaving their child behind. Chrissy Livingstone and her sister, Julie, take it upon themselves to look into the mysterious circumstances surrounding their disappearance. Could discovering the truth put more lives at risk? The Silent Ones packs a suspenseful punch that you won’t want to miss.
New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!
We’re back again with our monthly blog feature, Book Clubbin’! For a lot of us, the weather is starting to get colder and greyer as the days go by and since we’re still encouraged to stay home as much as possible you may be running out of things to do around the house and missing your friends more than ever. Why not try to set up a virtual book club, so that you can get facetime with your pals and stay connected during these tough times.
Plus, with audiobooks, you can just throw them on while you’re doing chores, going for a walk, raking the leaves (or shoveling snow if you already have some), cooking, working…the possibilities are endless.
This month our Book Clubbin’ pick is White Ivyby Susie Yang, narrated by Audie Award winner Emily Woo Zeller. White Ivy is Yang’s debut novel, which quickly garnered attention and glowing reviews as a Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick. This listen follows Ivy Lin, A Chinese American who grew up learning to steal from her immigrant grandmother, and always dreamed of living a lavish lifestyle. She attracted the attention of local golden boy, Gideon, who comes from money. Ivy’s parents ship her off to China to see relatives and when she returns her family has moved away from everything she ever knew.
Jump to years later, Ivy runs into Gideon’s sister and is catapulted into the way of living that she always dreamed of, but ghosts from her past resurface threatening the nearly perfect life she worked so hard to build.
This month’s pick is filled with surprising twists and offers sharp insights into the immigrant experience. If you’re ready to start discussing White Ivy with your book club, dive into the questions below. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.
—————MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!————
1) Ivy has always strived to portray herself as respectable and just, so when she is caught stealing she feels humiliated, thinking her reputation has taken a blow. Why do you think Ivy places so much value in conforming to societal standards? And do you think that these beliefs were born more of nature or nurture?
2)Yang has said that she was inspired by male characters’ rise and falls in shows like Breaking Bad and House of Cards, showing that they are “fascinating and evil.” Do you think that Ivy was an evil character?
3) Money plays a large part in White Ivy. Discuss the relationships that various characters have with money and how they view it. Why do certain characters have a more visceral response to money than others?
4) Why does Ivy have such a hard time embracing her Chinese culture?
5) Ivy meets Gideon’s mentor, Dave, and his wife, Liana, who is Asian. How was their interracial relationship different from Ivy and Gideon’s?
6) The title, White Ivy, was inspired by the Chinese proverb that says, “The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white.” How do you interpret this quote, and in turn the title?
7) Ivy has quite different relationships with both Roux and Gideon. What does Ivy get out of each relationship? Why do you think she still seems unfulfilled by both characters?
8) Do you think that Ivy is ultimately happy at the end of the book?
9) If White Ivy was to be adapted into a movie or TV show, which actors would you hope they would cast?
10) A big secret about Gideon is revealed to Ivy before her wedding, which would make many others second guess their planned nuptials, but Ivy goes through with the wedding. What do you think this means for Ivy?
New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!
As a millennial who grew up obsessing over The Pirates of the Caribbean (and all the sequels), I’ve always had a fascination with ships, pirates, lost treasure, and the open sea. Jump to the present — I’m all “grown up” and still can’t say no to a good book about an adventure at sea. Enter Fable by Adrienne Young.
Fable follows a spunky, clever, and underestimated teenager aptly named Fable. We meet her a few years after her father abandoned her on an island of thieves just after their family ship had sunk, killing her mother. Fable bargains with West, a local trader, to gain passage to The Narrows on his ship, the Marigold, so she can reunite with her father. It turns out that it’s not as simple as that, since West isn’t exactly who she thought he was.
If you find it hard to get into a book right away, don’t worry, that is not an issue for Fable. This young adult fantasy audiobook immediately pulled me in with the immersive writing and before I knew it I felt as if I were standing aboard the Marigold listening to the crashing waves.
Emma Lysy creates the perfect picture through her narration for how I viewed Fable. She’s matter-of-fact, bold, and determined, which is the exact type of heroine I’d like to look up to as a young adult.
Need I say more? Well, if you need any other reason to pick up this adventurous listen, Fable was selected as the October pick for Reese’s new YA book club! So, there’s bound to be lots of talk about this book over the next while. Plus, it’s a duology, so there’s more to come and I for one can’t wait to hear what’s next for fearless Fable.
Publisher Summary:
Filled with all of the action, emotion, and lyrical writing that brought readers to Sky in the Deep, New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young returns with Fable, the first audiobook in this new captivating duology.
Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.
As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.
But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn’t who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they’re going to stay alive.
Fable takes you on a spectacular journey filled with romance, intrigue and adventure.
New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!
Spooky season is in full swing, which means now is the perfect time to dive into a new thrilling listen. As the colorful leaves begin to gather on the front yards in my neighborhood, there’s truly no better vibe than just curling up inside with some apple cider, pressing play on a new and chilling audiobook, and just escaping for a while. Sometimes, when I’m feeling extra wild, I’ll even light a candle.
Jokes aside, if you are looking to get scared this season, check out some of the newest horror listens below. From psychological thrillers to creepy paranormal listens, find your next fright before Halloween.
If you enjoyed The Twisted Ones from T. Kingfisher, then you’ll definitely want to jump into their latest release, The Hollow Places, this season. This compelling horror novel follows a freshly divorced Kara who moves back in with her uncle and helps manage his museum of curiosities. Kara finds a hole in the wall that holds a hallway leading to countless portals to alternate realities that are haunted by creatures.
Five friends are headed to a cabin for one last getaway before they go their separate ways. Their plan is to play their favorite murder mystery game, but when the game and reality start to blend with deadly consequences, it’s a race against the clock for “game over.” If you’re looking for the classic “teenagers at a cabin in the woods” type of listen with some shocking thrills along the way, look no further.
Fans of The Secret History will want to pick up These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever. This unputdownable debut tells the story of two college students whose escalating obsession with one another leads to an act of unspeakable violence. Explore the depths of human desire and the darkness it can bring forth in us.
Looking for something a little different this season? In The Hole, Oghi wakes from a coma after causing the car accident that took his wife’s life and left him paralyzed and disfigured. He is left in the care of his mother-in-law who is grieving the loss of her only child. This listen is an unnerving story about the horrors of isolation and neglect in all of its banal and brutal forms.
Everyone loves a good suspenseful thriller. I know I do! The Girl in the Mirror has everything you’ll need to keep you on the edge of your seat. A whodunit thriller mixed with family drama, topped with an evil twin, The Girl in the Mirror is a listen you can’t pass up!
Turner Falls is a small town in the hills of western Oregon, the perfect town for a tourist’s getaway. When an outbreak develops, this slice of heaven becomes the epicenter of an epidemic. With teenagers ill, murderous, and on the loose, Lucy and her friends must do whatever it takes to survive the night. Fans of Stranger Things and World War Z will love this heart-racing dark satire.
New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!
