What I listened to in April!

At the start of the year, I started listening to audiobooks. I always wanted to be a reader but couldn't/wouldn't make the time, so audiobooks were a way around it. I could be busy doing something while still listening to a book. Anyway, I thought I would share what I have been listening too. All of my audiobooks come from my local library through the app BorrowBox. I know lots of what I listen to might be considered old but they are all new to me!

This is what I listened to in April:

Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy!

Three children walked away from the cottages on the edge of town toward Berwick Waters. Later that day, only two of them came back. Alice Tully knows exactly what happened that spring day six years ago, though it's still hard for her to believe it. She'll never be able to forget, even though she's trying to lead a normal life. She has a job, friends and a boyfriend whom she adores. But Alice's past is dangerous, and violent sad and it's about to rip her new life apart.

I found Looking for JJ quite unsettling to listen to. It’s not exactly an easy or light listen but I did find it gripping. I needed to know what happened six years ago and what happened to Alice now. I had moments where I felt quite sympathetic and then I’d catch myself and feel a bit weird about it, like should I feel like that about a murder? It definitely made me question a lot, especially about people changing and whether the past should always define someone.

Kill Them with Kindness by Will Carver!

The threat of nuclear war is no longer scary. This is much worse. It’s invisible. It works quickly. And it’s coming. The scourge has already infected and killed half the population in China and it is heading towards the UK. There is no time to escape. The British government sees no way out other than to distribute ‘Dignity Pills’ to its citizens: One last night with family or loved ones before going to sleep forever together. Because the contagion will kill you and the horrifying news footage shows that it will be better to go quietly.

Dr Haruto Ikeda, a Japanese scientist working at a Chinese research facility, wants to save the world. He has discovered a way to mutate a virus. Instead of making people sick, instead of causing death, it’s going to make them… nice. Instead of attacking the lungs, it will work into the brain and increase the host’s ability to feel and show compassion. It will make people kind. Ikeda’s quest is thoughtful and noble, and it just might work. Maybe humanity can be saved. Maybe it doesn’t have to be the end. But kindness may also be the biggest killer of all.

I really wanted to get into Kill Them with Kindness but it just didn’t click for me. I gave it a fair go but I kept losing track of what was going on because it felt like it was constantly jumping about. In the end, I didn’t finish it. This is the first book I haven't been able to finish since I started listening to audiobooks.

Lucky Day by Beth Morrey!

Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. But not today. Today, the rules don’t apply. After a morning that starts with a terrible migraine, an accidentally strong concoction of painkillers, and a bump on the head, Clover Hendry is not quite herself. And as she walks out of work at 9.47am, for once Clover isn’t worrying about the consequences. For once, she’s going to live for herself, if only for a day. Full of a joyful recklessness, Clover Hendry is taking the day off. But will her new-found freedom uncover long-buried secrets?

I really enjoyed Lucky Day and as a people pleaser it appealed to me. It’s one of those books that just makes you feel good while you’re listening to it and I found myself properly smiling while listening. There were loads of laugh out loud moments too, which I didn’t expect but they really made it such an easy, enjoyable listen. I think I could do with a day life this where I say stuff it to all my responsibilities and do what I want to do.

Audition by Katie Kitamura!

Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an elegant and accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He’s attractive, troubling, and young young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In Audition, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day partner, parent, creator, muse and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us best.

I liked Audition by Katie Kitamura but I’ll be honest, I also came away a bit like I’m not sure I fully got all of that. It’s one of those books that feels really clever and I kept wondering if I was missing something important underneath it all. Like I was reading it slightly out of sync with what it was trying to do. There were parts I really enjoyed and got pulled into but then it would shift again and I’d be back to trying to work it all out in my head. Either way, I’m glad I listened to it even if it’s still sitting in my head a bit like a puzzle

The Black Dress by - Deborah Moggach!

Pru is on her own. But then, so are plenty of other people. And while the loneliness can be overwhelming, surely she'll find a party somewhere? Pru's husband has walked out, leaving her alone to contemplate her future. She's missing not so much him, but the life they once had - picnicking on the beach with small children, laughing together, nestling up like spoons in the cutlery drawer as they sleep. Now there's just a dip on one side of the bed and no-one to fill it.

In a daze, Pru goes off to a friend's funeral. Usual old hymns, words of praise and a eulogy but it doesn't sound like the friend Pru knew. And it isn't. She's gone to the wrong service. Everyone was very welcoming, it was oddly a laugh and more excitement than she's had for ages. So she buys a little black dress in a charity shop and thinks, now I'm all set, why not go to another? I mean, people don't want to make a scene at a funeral, do they? No one will challenge her and what harm can it do?

I was hooked on this after the first chapter wondering how things were going to unravel next. Just when I thought I had things figured out, it would shift and I’d be sat there thinking I didn't see that coming! There’s a nice mix of humour and sadness running through it and has a mischievous edge that made me keep listening just to see what happens next. There were so many twists and turns and I could have never have guessed the ending.

What have you been reading or listening to lately?