March’s Surprising Audible Book Reviews

My Free Audibles Picks

I go through a handful of books each month – anywhere from 3-4. That’s probably not much compared to others, but I’m allotted 2 1/2 – 3 hours a day of audible reading on my back-and-forth commute to work. As I’ve stated my love of reading and how it’s evolved to audible, I’m a big fan of free books.

Isn’t that a requirement of a bibliophile?

Here are the free short audibles I enjoyed in the month of March. (I had some overlap in reading time, so there’s more than 2, this month.)

In accordance with International Women’s Day, I read the following short audibles, along with a thriller:

A Mind of Her Own

written by Paula McLain, narrated by Hilary Huber

A short and sweet story showing how Marie Sklodowska would become Madam Curie. Although the subject matter gives the impression of a story on science, it’s focus is more on the science of romance. It is the story of Marie meeting Mr. Curie. I’m not giving anything away because as soon as you hear her future last name, you know the couple has to end up together – as history tells us. But, I thought it fascinating to learn of Marie’s resistance to love. With all her devout studies in the laws of science, she is disinterested in the simple laws of attraction. How can she fall for a man when she is so infatuated with her studies? No one wants to have to choose between their career and love. Considering the time period, it’s understandable that Marie would want to retain her freedom and the luxury to continue learning at school without having a man distract or potentially govern her.

I found the story interesting, but not romantic. It was slightly slow but it was a short story, so I didn’t mind that the pace prolonged the telling of it.

The Spies That Bind: A Gallager Girls Prequel

written by Ally Carter, narrated by Rebecca Soler

A cute story that is perfect for inspiring young girls into a life of high achievements. As a prequel, the story wets a reader’s appetite by introducing us to the secret world of the Gallager Girl Academy. Of course it’s secret… it’s a school of spies.

The girls aren’t princesses in pink that need saving. These young girls are learning combat skills and how to outsmart adversaries. I enjoyed learning that the school goes back centuries, around the time of Abraham Lincoln.

As an adult, I appreciate how the story encourages young girls to work together, work hard, and to see their equal value in the workplace (or spy world) alongside men. It’s the kind of book I hope my own daughter will enjoy when she gets old enough. We need more books like this.

Killer by Nature

an audible original written by Jan Smith, narrated by Angela Griffin, Robert James-Collier, Katherine Kelly, Will Mellor, and Thomas Turgoose

The music alone gave me the chills. However, it probably didn’t help that I listened in the dark, early mornings, alone in my car. I avoided driving alternate routes, down deserted country roads that week…

The opening scene had me second-guessing my decision to listen to this thriller, because it was set at an elementary school. But, those particular fears soon dissipated as I was soon sucked in and figured a varied genre was good for me. It’s healthy to be scared once in a while, right?

As a psychiatrists tries to unravel a potential copycat murder with regular visits to a psychopath, we learn that the person behind bars isn’t the only one with psychopathic behavior. As the psychiatrist studies the actions of others, she begs the question we all ask ourselves: is it nature or nurture that creates a psychopath? In my opinion, it’s both.

But, I like to hear the opinion of others. So, please share.

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