December Audiobook Wrap-up 2018 + 2019 TBR

Monday, January 07, 2019
Images from BookBeat
For my last month of audiobooks from BookBeat I tried to listen to as many audiobooks as I could as I had a long list of audiobooks that I wanted to get to but hadn't had the time to get to yet. Most of the audiobooks I wanted to listen to before the end of the year were short classics that I could finish quickly.

*The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ★★★
The first audiobook I listened to in the month of December was a modern classic, The Great Gatsby. I knew the rough plot as I'd watched the film a few years ago and the audiobook followed the film pretty closely, as far as I can remember the film anyway. We follow Jay Gatsby, a very wealthy but seemingly mysterious and lonely man, as he pines for a long lost sweetheart, Daisy, who happens to be married to an unfaithful brute of a husband.

The Great Gatsby was a very quick, enjoyable and entertaining audiobook although it lost it's newness and appeal for me as I've watched the film which goes to show that you should always read the book first! I did lose some interest from the half way mark but I did enjoy it on the whole; however I don't think I'll read anything else from F. Scott Fitzgerald.

*Jabberwocky by Lewis Carrol ★★
The shortest audiobook I've ever listened to is Jabberwocky which is this poem by the famous author Lewis Carrol, the creator of Alice In Wonderland. This poem is part of the Alice In Wonderland world, it's extremely short but it still has that whimsical, mad feel like the original book. Even though this audiobook is only a couple minutes long, it is still well produced with music. My rating is only very low because of how very short it is and how almost inconsequential it is, sorry!

*Napoleon in a Nutshell by Neil Wenborn ★★★
Napoleon is a historic figure I'm interested in learning more about and this short audiobook seems like the perfect option to choose as it's a condensed and concise history of his life, achievements and his downfall. I liked the narrator, it was a very quick and surprisingly easy to follow audiobook and even though it did contain some information that I already knew, it was still interesting and entertaining. If you're looking for an easy and very quick non-fiction audiobook then check out this one.

*Bloody Brilliant Women by Cathy Newman ★★★ (3.75)
My next non-fiction audiobook is a little longer than the others at almost 11 hours but it flew by as I aways have all my audiobooks as 2x the speed which I can still fully understand - any slower and I lose interest! I've read a few books like this recently, with the latest being Girl Squads (which I adored) and this one has the same tone. It features a variety of women who are overlooked or left out of history, or even if women are included, it's only because they've done something out of the ordinary such as the suffragettes.

One piece of information that I did know was that some women formed the 'anti-suffrage' groups who opposed women getting the vote which is just maddening to me - why would some women think it isn't right to have the vote...One of the people on that side was Queen Victoria who is praised far too much in my opinion as she was rather odd! She thought women while giving birth resembled cows, that babies looked like frogs and she definitely wasn't a natural and caring mother.

Overall, I utterly adored this audiobook, from the interesting content, the narrator and easy listening format but it was a little repetitive and I did lose a little interest when it came to the war related section at the half way mark - I think my aversion to reading anything about the first and second world wars is due to being taught it constantly at school! Initially I did rate this audiobook four stars but since I've given it some time, I think it's definitely closer to a three star read for me personally.

*Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carol ★★
Alice in Wonderland was one of my favourite animated films growing up and since reading the book in 2017, I liked it even more so naturally I wanted to read the second book, Through The Looking Glass. As with a few of the audiobooks I listened to this month, this one was very quick and easy to listen to; however it was very forgettable and just a little pointless, if I'm honest...I barely remember what happened. It might have been better to read it rather than listen to this story as an audiobook but sadly I think I'm going to pass on Lewis Carol's books from now on.

*The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett ★★★
Another film I used to watch growing up was The Secret Garden; however it's been so long since I watched it that I'd forgotten the details of the story. The story follows orphaned Mary Lennox as she moves from India to England to live with her uncle and sickly cousin within a manor hour in the Yorkshire. She gradually changed from a very petulant, ungrateful and throughly annoying child into a more curious girl as she discovers a secret garden in the grounds. I did like the narrator, how easy to follow and quick the audiobook was and it was quite a nostalgic story; however the initial behaviour of the main character, Mary, made for very frustrating listening and it is definitely of it's time. I would definitely recommend the audiobook on BookBeat!

*Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson ★★
The final audiobook of the year was a short read of adventure, violence and obviously, a kidnapping. I haven't read or listening to anything from this author for a while and I thought that this abridged audiobook would be an easy way to experience one of his reads. The first half of the audiobook was definitely interesting and engaging but sadly it became forgettable, slow and a little boring from then on, sorry!
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- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- Les Miserable by Victor Hugo
- The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins
- The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
- Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
- The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Pillars Of The Earth by Ken Follett
- The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfus
- The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
- Wolfhall by Hillary Mantel
- The Stories Of Ray Bradbury by Ray Bradbury
- The Lies of Lock Lamora by Scott Lynch
- The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse
- A Place of Greater Safety by Hillary Mantel
- Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
- An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears
- Gormeghast by Mervyn Peake
- Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

Have you read or listened any of these books? What do you want to read in 2019?

15 comments

  1. I’d love to read the great Gatsby. I’d never though if an audiobook before.

    http://littlemissmelanie.com

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  2. I want to try audio books out this year x

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  3. I've still never listened to an audiobook but I'd really like to listen to Michelle Obama's book this year. The only one here I've read is Gatsby and I loved it x

    Jenny
    http://www.jennyinneverland.com

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  4. I have never managed to get into audio books much, I can't concentrate enough, haha!

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  5. Sounds like some great books! 🌸💜

    With love, Alisha Valerie x | www.alishavalerie.com

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  6. I’d love to listen to more audiobooks this year! X

    Melanie || www.melaniewithanie.com

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  7. I really want to read Michelle Obama's book! It's been on my list for a while!

    Love, Amie ❤
    The Curvaceous Vegan

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  8. instead of constantly browsing instagram I need should listen to audiobooks! x

    Joyce | http://www.joycelauofficial.com/

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  9. The Great Gatsby would have finished me off. I studied it for GCSE and then again as part of my degree x

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  10. I tried to watch Through The Looking Glass but got bored half way through.

    Roxie | thebeautifulbluebird.com

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  11. It's a shame that you didn't read one that you really loved last month. The only one I've read here is Gatsby and I really loved that one. I read it before I saw it though and I think that makes a huge difference x

    Sophie
    www.glowsteady.co.uk

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  12. Oh I really need to start listening to audio books! X

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  13. Ooo I haven't listened to an audio book in about 15 years!

    Erin || MakeErinOver

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  14. I keep promising myself I’ll try audiobooks. I think I’d opt for the classics at first too.

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  15. I want to read Michelle Obama's book next x

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