Blog Post for the week of 10/25/2021
Why I started listening to Audio-books:
During the first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic, I got into a habit of staying in my room all day. I never played sports in school or went to the gym, so the quarantine gave me an excuse to eliminate exercise from my daily routine. At first, I loved staying at home all day and alternating between doing homework, sleeping, and binge-watching anime. However, I soon started to feel my health deteriorating from staying in the same position all day. So, I decided to slowly include more physical activities in my daily routine. First, I started doing 30-60 minutes of “Just dance” every day. Then, I also tried taking a one-hour-long walk every day. The walks were great when my mom or sister could come with me because our conversations would make time go by very fast. But when I went alone, the boredom was unbearable. That’s when I started listening to audiobooks during my walks. Combining something I loved – books and reading – with my walks made them more bearable. Soon, I started looking forward to my walks.
Discovering my favorite audiobook genre:
In the first few months, I listened to my favorite genres, such as Science- fiction, fantasy, and romance. However, I soon discovered that just for my walks, I preferred to listen to mystery thrillers. Abduction stories and murder mysteries were the best because I became so consumed with solving the mystery that I completely disassociated from how tired the walks made me. The scary part of the stories also helped because the adrenaline it produced made me walk faster. Since the spooky season is here and Halloween is this Sunday, I’m going to share some of my favorite stories with you all.
Book Reccs
3) Midnight Sun – Stephenie Meyer
Midnight Sun is a retelling of the Twilight series from Edward’s perspective rather than Bella, the protagonist. While this book does not fit the “mystery novel” genre, the eerie storyline and dreamy romance made me eager to continue listening. Vampires, werewolves, and gore will put you in the perfect spooky mood for Halloween. Just don’t get caught listening aloud because some parts can get a little hot and steamy, if you know what I mean 😉
2) Invisible Girl – Lisa Jewell
At first, Invisible Girl seems like your average mystery thriller; a series of sexual assaults have been occurring in a small town, and a young girl’s disappearance has added to the community’s hysteria. However, this award-winning novel by Lisa Jewel is so much more than that. The challenges the characters face and the self-discovery that follows gave me insight into my character development over the past few years. While the book has a dark, sad tone, the overall message is one of hope.
1) Then She Was Gone – Lisa Jewell
- This book is by far my favorite mystery novel. Ellie, a beautiful, popular teenager who seems to have it all, disappears one day without a trace. A decade later, Ellie’s mother, Laurel, begins to suspect a man she is casually dating may have had something to do with after her daughter’s disappearance. Lisa Jewel does a fantastic job creating multi-dimensional characters with complicated backgrounds and motives that pull in readers. The narrators also do an excellent job with delivery; their accents help bring the characters to life. Although the plot is somewhat predictable, it will leave you feeling chilled days after finishing the book.
