Nov 5

Nov 5 Cozy Audiobook Recommendations

Let me sing you the praises of the audiobook.

Audiobooks often get a bad wrap, or they’re seen as “not actually reading” but that’s bs, y’all. Audiobooks open the door to books for so many people who find reading a physical book tough (or impossible) for a myriad of reasons. And also! They’re just wonderful. Audiobooks are their own art form, taking a story and bringing it alive with voice. They’re one of my ultimate forms of self-soothing and I think more people should give them a shot!

And since they’re so soothing, I wanted to share some of my favorite cozy audiobooks. In my recommendations I take into account the story itself and the narration. It’s important to be able to fully sink into the story, ya know.

And as a bonus, I have two top tips for being able to really get into audiobooks.

ADJUST THE PLAYBACK SPEED. Normal 1.0 playback speed (to me, at least) sounds like drunk slurring, and it also doesn’t match up with my natural reading and listening comprehension pace. Adjust first to 1.2 and then up to 1.5 to get a more normal sounding cadence. I listen to most books between 1.8-2.5x speed. This is key for my next tip.
FIND THE RIGHT NARRATOR. If you think you don’t like audiobooks, it might just be that you’ve had not great narrators. First adjust the playback speed to get to a normal cadence and then get a feel for your narrator. You can generally do both of these things when sampling audiobooks (especially in an app, playback speed might not be able to be adjusted on desktop but you can still get a feel for a narrator). I have books I’ve refused to listen to on audio because I know I don’t like the narrator. Maybe their voice is robotic, or they whisper everything, or they don’t regulate pitch. Making sure you like the narrator of your audiobook is crucial to enjoyment. I always recommend starting off with Neil Gaiman books because he narrates his own books and has a voice like butter and acts out the dialogue so well. Once you start listening to more and more, you’ll find favorite narrators you’ll go out of your way to listen to.

OKAY LET’S GET INTO RECOMMENDATIONS!

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Honestly one of my favorite books of all time. This is a love letter to storytelling and it’s one of those books I felt was written FOR me. I cannot begin to explain the place The Starless Sea holds in my heart.

In The Starless Sea we’re following Zachary, a college student in Vermont. He discovers a mysterious book which launches him into a world of secret societies, magical lost cities, a mystery, a tale told through time, and a lil romance.

The audiobook totally wraps you up, something to sink right into. Grab a blanket and a cozy drink of choice and let this book envelope you.

I also absolutely recommend The Night Circus by the same author, read by Jim Dale who has a voice like a blanket.

The Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

Described as “Coco meets Stranger Things with a hint of Ghostbusters” and yup. That’s what drew me in and that’s right on the nose.

In The Ghost Squad we’re following Lucely Luna and her friend Syd as they accidentally awaken a malicious spirit right before halloween. They join up with Syd’s witch grandma Babette to save the town from said spirit and hijinks ensue.

This is the quintessential “kids on bikes” story and I ATE IT UP. The cast of characters, the action, the setting, all make for a fun and cozy story on its own but in audiobook form (!!!) this is spectacular. This is for those long car rides that seem to dominate the holiday season- I promise you won’t dread yet ANOTHER trip to the store if you have this to listen to on the way.

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

This is a creepier rec! Cozy in the sense of almost claustrophobic (that counts, right). In The Year of the Witching we’re following Immanuelle, the only biracial woman living in her small town of Bethel, a puritanical community that follows the word of The Prophet. Immanuelle is lured to the forbidden forest that borders her small town and discovers a diary that could be the key to unlocking who she is, and the dark secrets of her home.

Yeah so cozy in a creepy constricting way, but the atmosphere of this is masterful.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

If you want to feel absolutely swaddled by a book, this is it. This. Is. It.

In The House in the Cerulean Sea we’re following Linus, a case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He’s feeling stagnant in his life, and also constricted at his job, so when he gets the chance to audit an orphanage housing six extremely dangerous magical children, he’s hesitant but hopeful.

This is a story about found family, love, belonging, and home. And every single person who reads this falls in LOVE with the characters, setting, and story. The narration is just as warm as the story. This book will change you!

Stardust/Coraline/Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

I’m fairly certain Stardust was my first ever audiobook, and it hooked me. Totally converted me to the glory of audiobooks. Like I said above, Neil Gaiman narrates his own audiobooks, and he has the voice of an actual angel (like the cartoon ones I guess, not the ones with a billion eyes or whatever). His acting is fantastic, his stories will make you want to cancel plans and deep clean the carpets just so you can keep listening. I love them so much I couldn’t pick just one, but I’d recommend starting off with Stardust, and endlessly magical story.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Hey listen, if you want a lil basic bitch fantasy to get into then I GOT U. Basic bitch fantasy is my favorite genre, so I couldn’t leave y’all without at least one recommendation but maybe I’ll do an entire post dedicated to my one true love, Basic Bitch Fantasy.

This one is SO fun and the narration is spot on. This is another one you’ll make any excuse to disappear from life to listen to.

In A Discover of Witches we’re following Diana, a scholar at Oxford University (fancy). She unwittingly calls upon an alchemical manuscript in the university’s library and all hell breaks loose. There is a ROMANCE and a ton of action. I’d honestly say this is probably a mix of the best parts of Twilight and the Da Vinci Code. Like I’m not saying this is the next Citizen Kane but who cares???

This is super addictive and propulsive and entertaining. It’s got the chilly Oxford atmosphere and paranormal creatures. All around a great time.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

This is such an interesting book. At first glance, it seems to be a YA book, but it’s definitely not. It’s an adult book with a young boy at the helm.

In The Book of Lost Things we’re following David, mourning the death of his mother. Frustrated with his life and his family, David is thrust into a fantasy world filled with heroes and villains from his storybooks, and he must seek out The Book of Lost Things, which is being held captive by a king.

This book reminds me so much of a Neil Gaiman book. We’re venturing through a world filled with magic and heart, innocence and growing up. The narration is warm, the story is captivating, I love this book.