Audiobooks I Listened to in October 2023

These are the 10 audiobooks I listened to this month. Scroll down for links to other months of audiobooks I listen to.

Hamilton by Ron Chernow- This is a Must-Read. I loved learning more about Alexander Hamilton and those who he worked alongside including his wife. I am so impressed by this giant of a man. He accomplished so much in his short life that it is mind-boggling. His wife went on to accomplish a great many things after Hamilton died.
The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale- This is a life-changing book. I highly recommend it! I believe that what Dr. Peale suggests one does to bring positive things to one’s life is based on sound principles of faith and belief. I also like how there are two audio readers. One that does narrative type first person reading and another that summarizes. I highly recommend this audiobook!
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell- The book is quite a bit different from the movie but I really liked it. Toothless’ voice is a bit annoying but it was a fun listen. I’m excited to listen to all the books and hopefully get my kids to read or listen to them as well.
How to Be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell- I enjoyed this audiobook even more than the first because there are more similarities to the movie than the first book to the first movie. It was a fun listen!
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron- This is a new series I’ve embarked on. The author pretends to have manuscripts from Jane Austen and writes mysteries that Jane was involved in during her life. I am so impressed by the author’s research and general information about Jane Austen and customs, fashions, etc. This book was a fun and interesting listen. It was also extremely informative—at 10 hours it was a little long for liking for a mystery series.
Jane and the Man of the Cloth by Stephanie Barron- This starts a little slow but really picks up and ends very strongly. Barron’s writing style is Victorian English and may be hard to read for some Americans to read. This series of books is not easy Regency Romance Reads, however, I really like the authenticity of this series. Hopefully, it will continue to be as good. If you like Regency-era mysteries with a hint of cozy and a heavy dose of history, this series should be up your alley.
The Hobbit BBC Audio Production (Dramatised) by J.R.R. Tolkien- I’ve read The Hobbit multiple times and seen the movie multiple times. This was a fun listen the actors and the sound effects were excellent. There is a lot of dialogue of characters talking to themselves to give context but that is expected in an audio-book acting production. After you get past the Dwarf songs at the beginning it becomes very fast-paced especially compared to the movies (which I loved). Each scene only lasts a few minutes in this audiobook so it’s a quick read.
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie- This was a fun little murder mystery. I liked it. It wasn’t a favorite or something that I’d probably listen to again but it was good enough for an entertaining read.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain- I couldn’t remember much about this book since if I read it it was a long, long time ago. It was a good listen, entertaining, and good. I did think it was overly juvenile that Tom did not get the discipline he deserved. It was a bit unbelievable that his aunt wouldn’t discipline serious, serious misbehaviors (running away, trading tickets to earn a Bible he didn’t earn, etc.) so as a mom, it was a bit frustrating, but overall it was a fun book. Note- I thought this would be kid friendly and I put it on our car Bluetooth and then it had the N-word and called Native Americans “injuns”. My older two children are 50% Navajo and we are all sensitive to the N-word. So I listened to the rest of the book with headphones. I explained how that was the terminology but that it is not acceptable, etc., etc. but just a heads up for parents that this audiobook has those words.
Miss Hilversham and the Pesky Duke by Sofi Laporte- This is not an audiobook but it continues the Wishing Well series that I really like so I’m reading these via Kindle. Sofi Laporte is a great author who manages to make me laugh out loud while listening or reading which is not an easy feat. I highly recommend the series.