Hello everyone, welcome to today’s book-ish video. Today I will be going through 10 amazing  books in my Audible Library that I feel I must recommend. I enjoy using Audible as a way to get through my books list as well as try books I might not have considered before. I have a few different topics and ideas I would like to share with you all; and hopefully some of the books I mention might catch your interest. 

The first topic is Girl, who is she and what is her story. I finished 3 fantastic books on Audible that all had ‘girl’ in the title; the books are Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré. 

When I think of ‘girl’ I imagine a young female child, I see someone that is vulnerable and still coming of age. The title ‘girl’ I see as a way to generalise that this could be anyones story; a name at the start could make some people isolate the experience and detach thinking it just happened to this one person. I then think that adding a follow up description shows it’s ‘her story’ in particular. There are many young girls that are being made to miss out on education and start working from a young age as servants to take care of their family, this happened in the 17th-century like to Girl with a Pearl Earring and this still happens in the 21st-century like The Girl with the Louding Voice. There are also girls who experience trauma due to a failed system that was meant to protect them like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Girl with a Pearl Earring is about Griet who becomes a maid for the Vermeer household in order  to support her family. At her young age she doesn’t have a choice about her future and is forced to take on this responsibility due to her father being blind. Vermeer is a respected painter, however is known to only produce a few paintings a year because he is a perfectionist. This meant that he didn’t allow just anyone to enter his studio, or even assist him with his paintings. However, due to Griet’s keen eyes of knowing how to clean and putting things exactly how they were so it looks like nothing had been moved. Vermeer takes an interest in her skills for paying attention to detail and soon begins asking her to assist him with his work. This book is about a young girl’s admiration for her master, crossing boundaries and becoming aware of what it means being a young woman in a mans world.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is about two girls Harriet Vanger who disappeared 40 years ago and Lisbeth Salander who is investigating what happened to her along with Mikael Blomkvist. At a family gathering Harriet does not arrive at dinner, the island had been closed off due to an accident so there was no way she could have left. Then what happened to Harriet? Her uncle is convinced she was murdered by someone in the family, but with no body found anywhere it is like she disappeared into air. Desperate to have some closure after 40 years of searching, her uncle hires Blomkvist to look into the dark family history and uncover what happened. In order to get many classified information Blomkvist meets Salander who is a computer hacker with her dragon tattoo. Salander has her own secrets and a traumatic event that occurs when a man abuses his authority as her guardian. Salander’s passion for Harriet’s case keeps her moving forward, and they discover Harriet might not be the only missing girl, and that other young girls have gone in a similar manner. This investigation is dangerous, but the truth about theses girls cannot stay hidden and Salander is prepared to risk it all.

The Girl with the Louding Voice, shows how small villages in Nigeria are still struggling. The fact that education is limited to only those who have money and also preferably the boys in the household. Also they still practice child marriages, getting young girls to marry older men for the good of the family. As well as girls from villages getting tricked into slave trafficking when they are looking for an opportunity to go to city for a chance to change their life. Adunni is 14 years old and has been through all of above; when her mother dies her father pulls her out of school claiming there is no money and there is no need for a girl to get educated. Then her father marries her to an older man so he can continue to living comfortably drinking his life away. And finally when Adunni runs away from her husband’s house after a tragic incident, she gets tricked into going to Lagos believing she will earn money and continue her education. However, when she arrives she learns the she will be a housemaid to a mean business woman. While in this house Adunni, tries to uncover what happened to the previous housemaid before her and why no ones want to talk about her. And she also forms an unlikely friendship with a woman who believes girls can be more and encourages Adunni to not give up on her dreams. Adunni has determined she will be a girl with a ‘louding voice’.

The next 2 books are The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri and Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, they are very difference but both are about men recounting their story and coming to terms with traumatic events. 

The Beekeeper of Aleppo, is about Nuri is a beekeeper and his wife, Afra, an artist. That was who they were until the Syrian Civil War. Their small but happy lives are changed when a bomb goes off outside their kitchen causing them to lose their only son and Afra to go blind. After constant threat to Nuri that he had to enlist in the military the couple escape from their home in Aleppo and becomes refugees. The goal is to find asylum in England, where they believe there is opportunity for a fresh start. However, the journey from Aleppo in Syria to Europe is a heartbreaking tale. Though this book is fictional, it is a good depiction of humans on survival mode and some challenging experiences refugees face. It is a fight for hope, which is not easy to hold on when you are being shaken.

Piranesi, has that Robinson Crusoe first person recount where the main character is just telling us about their day to day life. Initially I am not interested in how Piranesi finds food and the conversations he is having with a skeleton. However, he begins saying things that sound like plot holes; things that make me raise an eyebrow slightly but he doesn’t seem to notice the problem. And now I am curious, and I want to understand who is he, why he in this house and who are these dead skeletons. It is also a book about trust, his faith in the house, the relationship he has with ‘the other’ and the confidence he has in himself and his diary entries. 

Now these 2 book recommendations have had tv/ film adaptations that are super popular at the moment and I was curious. Sword of Destiny (Witcher Saga) by Andrzej Sapkowski and Dune by Frank Herbert. 

Sword of Destiny is 6 short stories about Geralt, and an introductions to characters and events that will be relevant in the series. There really is not much for me to say, the stories were interesting and showed potential. The characters are strange, fun and have a dark past; the plot includes wars and corruptions so it has all the right ingredients for creating an unforgettable adventure. However, it does not go into dept, because it’s just meant to be an intro. 

Dune as an audible stands out for the background music. With many audibles it might be normal for music at the start and end, but throughout the Dune novel we has this sensory experience as an add on for impact. I was transported to the deserts of Arrakis with the wind.

The main character Paul might be the child of a prophesy, there is pressure on his shoulders to either walk out that path or try to create his own dream. Unfortunately, when you have a so much potential it means you get a target on your back. Paul has to encounter deceit and lose, but he also learns to become adaptable and strong. In the book relationship, the trust and bonds people have plays a big factor in the outcome of his journey. 

Sometimes I need random and comedic books to entertain me, I learned about going with the flow from these 2 books; The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

Yes, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is a long title and the book is about exactly that. What this old man Alan Carson does on his 100th Birthday.

After running away from his care home because he didn’t want to celebrate his birthday, Alan Carson begins a journey of escape; while also reminiscing about his life and how he ended up at the care home. The first thing Alan does is steal a suitcase and hop on a coach out of town. We quickly learn that he is not a man that focuses on good and bad; his intentions are simply in the moment. And so when the gang member who’s suitcase he stole comes chasing him, Alan defends himself and locks him away. Alan locked him the refrigerator but forgot it was on. And so he kills a man by mistake, but there really isn’t any malice aforethought for it to be murder. So Alan is escaping not just from the care workers but the police. This book is hilariously random, and like it said it is about going with the flow. If you take life so seriously and don’t live in the moment you miss opportunities. Alan Carson lived the most entertaining life, all because he said yes to things and didn’t ask many questions. Alan Carson knows everyone, the political leaders have him on speed dial, and he is behind many major events in history. 

Hitchhiker’s Guide, is really fun it starts with the earth getting blown up by aliens; and its not because they are upset, simply just need the space to build a bridge of some sort. Perfectly, reasonable, the constructions must go on. Arthur Dent is spared from the destruction because one of his mates just happened to be an alien in disguise who got stranded on earth a few years ago. So the two of them hitchhike onto the space ship that attacked earth and begin their journey exploring space and trying to figure out the meaning of life. 

Finally to finish the list, I am sharing a book I read in secondary school but listened to on Audible to refresh my mind on the story. Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman; I am thinking to read the whole series now that it is completed. I don’t really read books centred around race mainly because I find them to be emotional draining, the injustice and division is so sensitive and heartbreaking. I get super depressed and I usually cry. However, it is topic I don’t want to keep running away from, as I have a few books on my list that I want to get through. I thought Noughts & Crosses would be a good start as Noughts & Crosses switches things up a little. The oppressors are Crosses the dark-skinned ruling class; and the oppressed are Noughts the ‘colourless’ underclass who were once slaves to Crosses.

Callum and Sephy’s story is not your typical coming of age; boy meets girl, fall in love, slight drama, but they recover and have a happily ever after. Spoiler alert the ending is awful, as in I was in tears screaming and crying type of awful. I genuinely forgot that was how the book ended, it was traumatic. And it was so sad because the main problem and the reason for so much pain is the colour of a person’s skin. The books includes interracial couples getting beaten up, someone getting fired from their job for no reason, segregation and not being able to attend school. There is also political corruption, activism and terrorism as well as public executions. 

Malorie Blackman is an amazing author, this book is so uncomfortable and sensitive because its retelling things that literally happened. However, it is so engaging, you are pulled into the characters lives. The story is not very explicit, she could have really gone into detail explaining certain things. But I think the main point was just to open a discuss about if the roles were reversed. So it is a good books to get you thinking.

And we have come to the end of this book-ish video. I highly recommend all these book they are life changing and gave me a variety of perspectives to see life through. I have expanded my audible library with different genres and it has been a great learning so many new things.

I am so happy to have experienced these books on Audible. If you are interested, sign up for a 30days trial and get one book for free. I have linked my books down below; let me know in the comments if you have read them or have anything else to add about some of the points I mentioned. Thank you so much for watching this video. If you enjoyed this video remember to like, comment, subscribe and ring the notification bell so you know when I post. Byeeeee