Gathered below are five cosy activities for audiobook listening (as well as audiobook recommendations for each activity) that will help immerse you in your listen:

1. Colouring

With guiding lines and countless colour combinations, colouring is a wonderfully soothing audiobook activity. Each design’s framework means you won’t need to worry about what to draw next, letting you focus on your read and the colours coming to life before you. For the ultimate cosy colouring experience, I love Coco Wyo Colouring Books’ cute and uplifting designs!

Audiobook recommendations for colouring:

• Until the Clock Strikes Midnight by Alechia Dow (YA cosy fantasy)
• A Curious Kind of Magic by Mara Rutherford (YA cosy fantasy)
• Embrace the Serpent by Sunya Mara (YA cosy fantasy)
• The Tear Collector by R.M. Romero (middle-grade fantasy)
• What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch (YA fantasy)
• Revelle by Lyssa Mia Smith (YA historical fantasy)

2. Puzzling

I can only think of one thing more satisfying than completing a puzzle: completing a puzzle and an audiobook (or multiple audiobooks, depending on the puzzle size). Puzzling is a calming complement to audiobook listening: your mind quiets to solve the puzzle, helping you focus on your audiobook. For an especially immersive puzzling session, choose a puzzle that matches the atmosphere of the book(s) you’re listening to. My go-to for creative, beautiful puzzles are from Piecework Puzzles. 

Audiobook recommendations for puzzling:

• The Once and Future Queen by Paula Lafferty (retelling of Guinevere’s story from Arthurian legend)
• Cinder House by Freya Marske (novella retelling of Cinderella)
• The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer (YA retelling of the legend of Blue Beard)
• The Leaving Room by Amber McBride (YA novel-in-verse)
• A Rather Peculiar Poisoning by Chrystal Schleyer (historical mystery)
• A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher (retelling of “The Goose Girl”)

3. Baking

Baking is undeniably cosy: you finish with warm, comforting treats and a kitchen that smells just as tasty. When choosing your recipe, look for something with simple or familiar steps. Banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, and pumpkin muffins are personal favourites that don’t require too much concentration but yield the most delicious results. 

Audiobook recommendations for baking:

• The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic and Murder by Kiri Callaghan (cosy fantasy)
• Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (YA anthology)
• A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames (cosy fantasy)
• The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields (cosy fantasy)
• The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (cosy fantasy) 
• Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by C.B. Lee (YA cosy fantasy)

4. Nature Walk

If you dream of being a woodland fairy or embarking on a magical quest, a nature walk is the perfect choice. Pop in your earbuds, pull on your shoes, channel your inner Winnie-the-Pooh, and stroll through the world around you. Whether you’re in a big city or the countryside, watch how plants or flowers move as a breeze blows by. A nature walk is one of my favourite ways to ground myself, soaking in the nature around me while listening to my current read. 

Audiobook recommendations for a nature walk:

• When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy by Beronda Montgomery (non-fiction)
• Emily Wilde’s Encylopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (cosy fantasy)
• Kill the Beast by Serra Swift (cosy fantasy)
• Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian (non-fiction)
• The Beautiful Maddening by Shea Ernshaw (YA contemporary fantasy)
• The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones (YA fantasy)

5. Gaming

Gaming can offer one of the cosiest audiobook experiences. Cuddling up with a warm cup of tea as sweeping imagery plays before you and a story unfurls in your head? Yes, please. A low-stakes game that is less dialogue-driven with repetitive tasks or puzzles is usually the best choice, allowing you to focus on your audiobook while progressing in your game. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a personal favourite, as I can fish, redecorate, and even go for a swim with few to no interactions with other characters. Teacup is another delightfully cosy game filled with puzzles, tea, and the cutest creatures. Stardew Valley, Unpacking, and A Short Hike also come highly recommended!

Tip: Turn off any in-game audio as you listen to your audiobook. 

Audiobook recommendations for gaming:

•  Soul of a Gentleman Witch by David Ferraro (YA cosy fantasy)
• A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (cosy fantasy)
• Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam (fantasy)
• Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy (cosy fantasy)
• The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko (YA cosy fantasy)
• The Beasts We Bury by D. L. Taylor (YA fantasy)

Do you have any recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Five Cosy Activities For Audiobook Listening appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Want to fall in love with a story because it’s narrated by literal angels with voices so heavenly they make you want to sing? Look no further, people! Dive right into these messy, over-the-top, can’t-stop-won’t-stop, break-your-heart, funny and emotional reads and keep on dreaming about next year’s Pride events where we all will have double the fun, double the enthusiasm, and double the appreciation!

Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen; read by Piper Goodeve

Seventeen is nothing like Codi Teller imagined.

She’s never crashed a party, never stayed out too late. She’s never even been kissed. And it’s not just because she’s gay. It’s because she and her two best friends, Maritza and JaKory, spend more time in her basement watching Netflix than engaging with the outside world.

So when Maritza and JaKory suggest crashing a party, Codi is highly skeptical. Those parties aren’t for kids like them. They’re for cool kids. Straight kids.

But then Codi stumbles upon one of those cool kids, Ricky, kissing another boy in the dark, and an unexpected friendship is formed. In return for never talking about that kiss, Ricky takes Codi under his wing and draws her into a wild summer filled with late nights, new experiences, and one really cute girl named Lydia. The only problem? Codi never tells Maritza or JaKory about any of it. 

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston; read by Ramon De Ocampo

What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.

Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn’t always diplomatic. 

Find Me by André Aciman; read by Michael Stuhlbarg 

No novel in recent memory has spoken more movingly to contemporary readers about the nature of love than André Aciman’s haunting Call Me by Your Name. First published in 2007, it was hailed as “a love letter, an invocation . . . an exceptionally beautiful book” (Stacey D’Erasmo, The New York Times Book Review). Nearly three quarters of a million copies have been sold, and the book became a much-loved, Academy Award–winning film starring Timothée Chalamet as the young Elio and Armie Hammer as Oliver, the graduate student with whom he falls in love.

In Find Me, Aciman shows us Elio’s father, Samuel, on a trip from Florence to Rome to visit Elio, who has become a gifted classical pianist. A chance encounter on the train with a beautiful young woman upends Sami’s plans and changes his life forever.

Elio soon moves to Paris, where he, too, has a consequential affair, while Oliver, now a New England college professor with a family, suddenly finds himself contemplating a return trip across the Atlantic.

Aciman is a master of sensibility, of the intimate details and the emotional nuances that are the substance of passion. Find Me brings us back inside the magic circle of one of our greatest contemporary romances to ask if, in fact, true love ever dies.

The House in The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune; read by Daniel Henning

Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He’s tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world.

Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen; read by Briggon Snow and James Fouhey

Lauren Shippen’s The Infinite Noise is a stunning, original debut based on her wildly popular and award-winning podcast The Bright Sessions.

Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.”

Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb’s ability is extreme empathy—he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb’s life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam’s feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb’s feelings in a way that he can’t quite understand.

Caleb’s therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be.

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales; read by Mark Sanderlin 

Will Tavares is the dream summer fling—he’s fun, affectionate, kind—but just when Ollie thinks he’s found his Happily Ever After, summer vacation ends and Will stops texting Ollie back. Now Ollie is one prince short of his fairytale ending, and to complicate the fairytale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country. Which he minds a little less when he realizes it’s the same school Will goes to…except Ollie finds that the sweet, comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, closeted—and, to be honest, a bit of a jerk.

Ollie has no intention of pining after a guy who clearly isn’t ready for a relationship, especially since this new, bro-y jock version of Will seems to go from hot to cold every other week. But then Will starts “coincidentally” popping up in every area of Ollie’s life, from music class to the lunch table, and Ollie finds his resolve weakening.

The last time he gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would have to be an idiot to trust him with it again.

Right? Right.

Hold My Hand by Michael Barakiva; read by the author

Alek Khederian thinks about his life B.E. and A.E.: Before Ethan and After Ethan. Before Ethan, Alek was just an average Armenian-American kid with a mess of curly dark hair, grades not nearly good enough for his parents, and no idea of who he was or what he wanted. After he got together with Ethan, Alek was a new man. Stylish. Confident. (And even if he wasn’t quite marching in LGBTQ parades), Gay and Out and Proud.

With their six-month anniversary coming up, Alek and Ethan want to do something special to celebrate. Like, really special. Like, the most special thing two people in love can do with one another. But Alek’s not sure he’s ready for that. And then he learns something about Ethan that may not just change their relationship, but end it.

Alek can’t bear the thought of finding out who he’d be P.E.: Post-Ethan. But he also can’t forgive or forget what Ethan did. Luckily, his best friend Becky and madcap Armenain family are there to help him figure out whether it’s time to just let Ethan go, or reach out and hold his hand.

And that’s it! We hope you enjoy any – or all – of these audiobooks and keep your eyes peeled for more Pride coverage heading your way soon!

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post #ReadWithPride: Audiobook Recommendations for Pride Month appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

It starts in much the way that many fairytales do: with the issuance of a deliciously mundane and vague prophecy that promises Mortuana’s eventual overthrow. Peasants are planning a revolt, and the evil queen must find the mystical “Shard of Acquiescence” that will subvert their plans so she can get back to things like enjoying her —er— boyfriends and lopping off anyone’s head who offends her (“No, and fuck you for asking. Off with your head….and put her heart in a box as well”). Of course, its not a fairytale without a quest. Mortuana and JoJo must not only find the shard, but must do so navigating bad romances, weird fetishes, sexual tension with unlikely gods, strange creatures, calls from mothers, and even managing fake news and a political uprising led by Bernabus Fanders (ahem), a “120-year-old tub of whitefish salad.” Fanders has, unlikely as it seems, risen up to lead a rebellion against Queen Mortuana on a platform of equality and basic human rights (“Like he’s ever seen the business end of a bathtub—strop trying to convince us that you’ve bathed”)—an outrageous and yet shockingly accurate look through the magic looking glass at today’s often-zany political climate. Naturally, Bernabus (and any resemblance of reason) is quickly dispatched as the ongoing rebellion descends into the kind of shenanigans and celebrity endorsements we’ve come to expect in media coverage today.

A fairytale for adults that is ripe with both quintessential storybook elements but with enough tongue-in-cheek social critique and witty punning (There are medieval infomercials! Bards! Probably virgins! Support groups for the recently cursed!) to make it distinctly modern, Heads Will Roll is an auditory masterpiece fit for (an evil) queen. But be warned: this isn’t a fairytale you want your kids to hear. Featuring a sketch comedy-vibe and an ensemble cast that includes the voice talents of Meryl Streep, Tim Gunn, Peter Dinklage, and Carol Kane, Heads Will Roll is an adult comedy. Not only is the subject matter itself mature, but the humour is also rather crude, running the gamut from what might be chuckle-worthy after a glass of wine to what will have you struggling to draw breath between guffaws around the bottom of the rum barrel. Still, above all else, this is a tale about sisterhood, about power and powerlessness, and about friendship—and, of course, with something of a happy ending.

Heads Will Roll is available from Amazon and Audible.

Will you be checking out Heads Will Roll? Or have you already? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Heads Will Roll is an Audible Original from Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon and her cocreator/costar (and real-life sister) Emily Lynne. Produced by Broadway Video, this is not an audiobook – it’s a 10-episode, star-studded audio comedy that features performances from Meryl Streep, Tim Gunn, Peter Dinklage, Queer Eye‘s Fab Five, and so many more.

Queen Mortuana of the Night Realm (McKinnon) and her ditsy raven minion JoJo (Lynne) receive a prophecy about a peasant uprising. Together, they must journey to find the “Shard of Acquiescence”, which will put down the rebellion and save the throne. Will their friendship survive sensitive generals, chatty sex slaves, whiny behemoths, princes with bird fetishes, and the notion of democracy?

This raunchy satire also includes the wicked talents of Andrea Martin, Carol Kane, Audra McDonald, Aidy Bryant, Alex Moffat, Heidi Gardner, Chris Redd, Steve Higgins, Bob the Drag Queen, Esther Perel, and more. So, hold on to your head, and let the bad times roll.

Please note: This content is not for kids. It is for mature audiences only. This audio comedy features sexual content, adult language and themes, and violence against peasants and hobgoblins alike. Discretion is advised.

The post Review: Heads Will Roll by Kate McKinnon & Emily Lynne appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Welcome true believers, this is Stan Lee. We’re about to embark the exploration of a fantastic new universe and the best part is that you are gonna create it with me…

I never thought I would hear his voice again expect from some videos on YouTube, but here he is, sharing his brilliant mind with his audience for the last time: The Man. The Myth. The Legend. Mr. Stan Lee. You may cry, you’ll explore, and you’ll see yourself in some of it. You’ll try to imagine the scenes and take the gift of a beautiful message with you.

You may know me as a storyteller, but hey on this journey consider me your guide. I provide the witty and wonderful worlds and you create the sights, sounds, and adventures. All you need to take part is your brain. So take a listen and think big, no bigger, we make it an epic.

Created by Stan Lee, Luke Lieberman, and Ryan Silbert with it co-written by Kat Rosenfield, A Trick of Light is the first instalment in the Alliances series, which combines new heroes and their adventures in a fast-evolving world. It also focuses on what makes us unique and the need to be connected and to not feel alone. What makes this project even more special is that we cannot dive into the pages of a comic book and see the story unfold before our eyes, but instead, you are invited to create this world by yourself while listening to Yara Shahidi‘s (The Sun is also a Star, Grown-ish) voice.

Within the story, 17-year-old genius hacker, Nia, is the loneliest girl in the world. Her world consists of only two people, herself and her father. She spends her days in a hologram classroom to learn everything there is about the world she so desperately wants to experience for real. She is not permitted to get out and know anyone in person, but she is allowed to go online and have her own social media accounts. But this is not enough for her and she intends to free herself.

Then there’s “unmuscular nerd” Cameron who goes out on his boat to shoot a new video for his YouTube channel when a storm appears, and he is struck by lightning. This video will bring him the attention he was looking for at last. Finally, he will become famous. Waking up in hospital, he realises that he has changed and he is able to connect to every electronic device. He is overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of information, and it seems he has become cyberkinetic. With technology ever evolving, Cameron also puts his new abilities to use and creates VR contact lenses and AR goggles.

Cameron must now accept what he has gained and soon he meets Nia in an online game. They quickly become friends and have the idea to create their own space in the internet where they are safe from everyone who monitors online activities. At some point, they cross paths with OPTIC who wants their skill set for their own evil plans. However, no one is aware of the mysterious galactic threat which is on its way to earth to destroy humankind.

Together and with the help of Cameron’s best friend, Juaquo, and Nia’s father, they have to have the power to master even the most impossible situations.

…Remember when I created characters like the Fantastic Four and the X-Men? We were fascinated by science and awed by the mysteries of the great beyond…

Cameron, Nia, and Juaquo all had at least one person in their lives which they loved, but they still felt alone. For them, and many of us here in reality, the internet provides connections and the ability to meet others so A Trick of Light really explores this evolving way of connecting with people. For Nia, the digital world is everything she has. She calls strangers friends even though she probably will never meet and still, she is grateful that she has them. However, as much as the internet connects us, it can also divide us with many spending the day in their own bubble checking social media and not spending time in the real world.

…Today we consider a nearer deeper unknown one inside ourselves. […] we asked: What is more real? A world that we are born into or the one we create ourselves…

As the story progresses, Nia discovers that most of her life was a lie and she does not know who or what she is anymore, while Cameron discovers how Nia was involved in his freak accident that caused his powers. Juaquo on the other hand has to ask himself if he still wants to hold on to his past, or slowly let go of it and star truly living. These three characters really embody how many young people, and really people of any age, can feel lost or out of touch at some point in their lives. It shows that no matter what they are facing, they all want to feel accepted as the individuals they are. You have to believe in yourself and find that confidence. The trio also find themselves in a battle against a cosmic evil power and they have to find their true power within themselves. They have to realise that they do not need to stay on the path they happened to be on just because someone or something has put them there.

Online or offline, we are the masters of our fate!

…As we begin this story, we find humanity lost within is own techno bubble. With each citizen the star of their own digital fantasy. […] But the real conundrum is, just because we have the ability to recreated ourselves, should we? […] Excelsior!

For the last time, Stan Lee has not only has given us a new adventure which takes place in our modern world, but he also shares with us his wisdom and gives us a last powerful message. We are all seeking acceptance. We want to be a part of something and know that we are loved and give that love back. We want to connect. We need to connect! We are stronger together and both respect and love are stronger than hate. Thanks to creation of the internet, we have the possibility to reach out and do far more than we can imagine, if we chose to use it wisely.

You will not find a stereotypical superhero in this story. You will find a group of young adults who use the technology around them to conquer loneliness and even an unknown galactic power. In a way, it’s almost a metaphor as there’s times where it feel like we will never be able to conquer something, but in fact only need to look inside ourselves and around us because the answer could be right in front of you. Without giving too much away, Nia’s journey is the one that shows the path which we all have to take at some point.

Although it’s a new original story and a new story universe, there are some hints that Nia, Cameron, and Juaquo’s adventure is taking place in the same universe as previous stories in which we get to know Thor or S.H.I.E.L.D. As the book ends, we know that the cosmic threat will take a bigger part in the upcoming books and that three people fighting it will not be enough. They need to build an army!

A Trick of Light is now available from Audible! There’s also some good news for those of you, who are not fans of audiobooks as A Trick of Light will be available in print this September!

Thank you to Audible for providing The Nerd Daily with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Will you be checking out A Trick of Light? Have you already? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Review: ‘Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

James Miller is dead, his body dumped in the river in an area of London which plays host to no respectable gentlemen and is the stomping ground of prostitutes, thieves, and other no-good types, all strung along the fishy quayside that is bordered in dark, dank water. When Miller’s untimely death is labeled a suicide, his daughter, Catriona, refuses to believe her father would have taken his own life and sets out instead to discover the truth about the true cause of his demise, as well as what he might have been doing in the London slums. Her investigation treks along two diverging and equally unsavory paths: one in which she discovers her father to be perhaps the most revolting of all the no-goods who she crosses on her journey further and further down the staircase of filth and despair of London’s darkest rabbit holes, and the other, which leads her to an even stranger and most ghostly end. Indeed, the story moves from murder mystery to ghost story when Catriona comes face to face with the Darkwater Bride herself, a woman who committed her soul to the murky water if she could live to exact vengeance on the men who’d put her there—men like Catriona’s father.

The narrative itself is somewhat stale and rambling, with a heroine that is often difficult to root for. Catriona spends a significant portion of her narrative trying to convince everyone—perhaps even herself—of her feminism, while her romantic interest (it’s almost unthinkable to imagine romantic interest in a story that bounces between child mutilation, sexual abuse, rape, and bizarre fetishes, but it’s there—as well it should be, as only when confronted with the worst evils of humanity might we crave the comfort of another), rookie detective Culley, mostly bumbles about, torn between his sense of duty to his commanding officer and the siren lure of the young woman he is driven to help. Unfortunately, even poor Culley’s good intentions don’t do him much good in the end. In fact, none of the characters are terribly likeable with the exception of the Darkwater Bride herself, which is a powerful device on its own: We turn our favor away from the innocent, stick our noses up at the obvious antagonists, and, in the end, pledge our loyalty to a woman with a fatal kiss and a drowning vengeance, because of all the darkness in this book, hers is perhaps the most recognizable—the most relatable to our own.

If you can overlook Catriona’s constant whinging and Culley’s cringe-worthy naivety, as well as moments of deep and utter grossness, there is a strangely astute depiction of the contrary nature of sexual empowerment and entrapment lurking between the lines of The Darkwater Bride. From brothel prostitutes and madams to the women who perform in the clubs, to even Catriona and the Darkwater Bride herself, theirs is the story more compelling than that of a hedonistic, repulsive man who meets his worthy end. Instead of a ghostly murder mystery, The Darkwater Bride might be better suited as a tiptoed traipse down the thin line women walk between being predator and prey when they are left with nothing other than their bodies to defend themselves. It’s not a story of death and decay, but one of survival.

At times distasteful and never for the faint at heart, The Darkwater Bride is a bit wobbly, though punctuated by passages of delicate prose so exceedingly beautiful and haunting that it makes a sharp juxtaposition against the rougher parts of the story. What truly elevates the tale, however, is the quality of the production. Dark, gritty, and atmospheric, this Audible production is filled with deviances the likes of which this reviewer hasn’t seen since Karen Moline’s Belladonna (1998). Regardless, the production is simultaneously so disturbing and oddly intriguing that at the end you’ll definitely need a shower, but you’ll listen eagerly for the full six hours before finding the will to pull yourself (somewhat guilty) away from the speaker. It’s horrifying and yet bizarrely invigorating—a story that is as powerful as it is visceral, so that in the end, the reader—like Catriona—might stand defiantly against the darkness and wait in the night like a single white flame against the dark, the very essence of The Darkwater Bride.

The Darkwater Bride is available on Audible.

Will you be checking out The Darkwater Bride? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

In this Audible Original, an epic audio drama fresh from the UK, a cast of skilled actors—including Adrian Scarborough (The King’s Speech), Freya Mavor (Skins), Claire Corbett (Eastenders), and Jamie Glover (West End’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)—bring to life a mystical, terrifying world that combines a classic Victorian mystery thriller with a spine-chilling supernatural twist.

In late Victorian London, James Miller, a respected Scottish businessman, is pulled, dead and cold, from the Thames. Heartbroken and perplexed by his sudden death, his daughter, Catriona, is drawn into a mystery that soon reveals a dark underworld of secrets and corruption. She pairs up with local detective Culley for an investigation that stems deep into the grim, ghostly legends of England—particularly, that of The Darkwater Bride…and the power of her fatal kiss.

The post Review: The Darkwater Bride by Marty Ross appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Tip #1: Start With Something Familiar

Getting used to audiobooks can take time, especially if you’re not accustomed to auditory learning. Starting with something you already know may help you with this new format of reading. This does not necessarily have to mean that you need to listen to a book you’ve already read. You can just stay in your favourite genre, or even venture into middle grade for your first audiobook.

I also recommend listening to a favourite—Harry Potter is always a popular choice and the perfect way to enter audiobooks. Stephen Fry as narrator will pull you into the magical world. Further, if you don’t feel ready for an entire book yet, a pro tip is to listen to podcasts first! It can help to get used to someone ‘telling’ you a story rather than you reading it yourself.

Tip #2: Don’t Be Afraid To Try New Genres

Someone once told me that Goethe’s (a famous German writer) works weren’t meant to be listened to because you wouldn’t be able to grasp the complexity of his sentences. Similarly, many people have issues with listening to fantasy stories because they can’t picture the fantastical elements of a fictional world. However, others feel that listening to the descriptions gives their imagination the push they need—experiences vary, as you can see! So, while fantasy, contemporary, etc. might not be one of your favourite genres to actively read, they could be the exact one you would enjoy that much more when you’re listening to it. Don’t be afraid to branch out!

Tip #3: Don’t Overwhelm Yourself

This goes for both what you are doing while reading as well as how many audiobooks you’re juggling at a time. Seven hours might sound doable in a twenty day span (if you’re borrowing it from a library) but you’ll see that, sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of how far along in the story you are!

Concerning what you’re doing while listening to your audiobook, well—start with something easy! I am one of those people who are known for their multitasking skills—until it comes to audiobooks. If I even attempt to do something that has to do with words, my concentration flies out the window and promises to never return—well, at least not until I’ve turned the audiobook off. It seems the only thing I’m capable of doing while listening is knitting or rearranging my bookshelves. Nevertheless, there is a multitude of activities that readers swear by while listening to their books.

Some activities to try while listening to audiobooks include, but are not limited to the following: rearranging your bookshelves (staying on brand, you know?), taking bookstagram photos, doodling in colouring books (which are socially acceptable for any age group), cleaning your room, baking, going for a run, or simply make your commute more special. Some people can even do some office work while listening like answering emails or coding!

Tip #4: The Narrator’s Curse

A narrator can make or break your audiobook experience—that’s why it’s good to listen to a sample before buying or borrowing your pick. Again, tastes vary, so it’s more than possible that a (fe)male narrator might throw you off if they don’t fit the story. Then again, there are also a ton of actors like Ed Westwick (whose smooth voice you might remember from Gossip Girl) or Eddie Redmayne (who portrays Newt Scamander) who voice audiobooks and make listening to them that much more appealing!

Tip #5: Where To Listen

There are manifold places to listen to audiobooks—Audible is by far the most common option that you need to pay for. Scribd has been mentioned in a lot of booktubers’ videos lately as a more affordable alternative that allows you to listen to more than one audiobook a month, but with a smaller selection. Alternatively for those with a smaller budget, libraries often offer audiobooks as part of their membership—overdrive is a handy app that connects you to your local library and its vast collection of audiobooks!

Most Importantly…

Don’t get discouraged! It can take a few audiobooks until you find your groove, or a narrator that works for you! And if you just don’t like listening to audiobooks, that’s completely okay, too! Some people best retain information when they’re physically reading a book while others are auditory learners. Everyone is different. As long as you’re having fun, it’s all good!

Do you like listening to audiobooks? Do you have any recommendations? Leave them in the comments below!

The post Beginner’s Guide To Listening To Audiobooks appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

At the beginning of the year, we released The Nerd Daily 2018 Reading Challenge, consisting of 52 challenges, one for each week of the year. One of those challenges is pretty straightforward – read an audiobook. I came around to audiobooks about two years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Do you ever wish you had more time in the day to read? With audiobooks, you will! You can read during your commute, while cooking a meal, or while cleaning your house. So whether you’re new to the format or you’re already an audiobook lover, these 10 full-cast audiobooks will help you not only check off a box on The Nerd Daily’s 2018 Reading Challenge, but will also help you fit a little more reading time into your busy schedule.

Read on to discover 10 full-cast audiobooks perfect for any reader. Do you plan on giving any of these titles a listen? Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below!

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1)  by Philip Pullman

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford’s Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He leaves Lyra in the care of Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her. In this multilayered narrative, however, nothing is as it seems.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Length: 19 hrs and 39 mins

Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. All he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life. But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow’s best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and a rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself. Soon Shadow learns that the past never dies . . . and that beneath the placid surface of everyday life a storm is brewing—an epic war for the very soul of America—and that he is standing squarely in its path.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. “My poor boy, he was too good for this earth,” the president says at the time. “God has called him home.” Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returns, alone, to the crypt several times to hold his boy’s body. From that seed of historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying.

Meet Cute: Some People are Destined to Meet by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Whether or not you believe in fate, or luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. Meet Cute is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of “how they first met” from some of today’s most popular YA authors. This incredibly talented group of authors brings us a collection of stories that are at turns romantic and witty, epic and everyday, heartbreaking and real.

The Handmaid’s Tale: Special Edition by Margaret Atwood

Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins

“Are there any questions?” The final line in Margaret Atwood’s modern classic, The Handmaid’s Tale, has teased and perplexed fans since the book’s original release more than 30 years ago. Now, in this Audible Original production, listeners get some of the answers they’ve waited so long to hear. Featuring an all-new interview with Professor Piexoto, written by Atwood and performed by a full cast, The Handmaid’s Tale: Special Edition is a must-listen for both fans and newcomers alike. Emmy Award winner Claire Danes (Homeland, Temple Grandin) gives a stirring performance of this classic in speculative fiction, where the message (and the warning) is now more timely than ever.

You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins

This elegant young adult novel captures the immigrant experience for one Indian American family with humor and heart. Told in alternating teen voices across three generations, You Bring the Distant Near explores sisterhood, first loves, friendship, and the inheritance of culture – for better or worse. From a grandmother worried that her children are losing their Indian identity, to a daughter wrapped up in a forbidden biracial love affair, to a granddaughter social activist fighting to preserve Bengali tigers, Perkins weaves together the threads of a family growing into an American identity.

Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang

Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins

Centered on a community of immigrants who have traded their endangered lives as artists in China and Taiwan for the constant struggle of life at the poverty line in 1990s New York City, Zhang’s collection examines the many ways that family and history can weigh us down and also lift us up. From the young woman coming to terms with her grandmother’s role in the Cultural Revolution to the daughter struggling to understand where her family ends and she begins, to the girl discovering the power of her body to inspire and destroy, these seven stories illuminate the complex and messy inner lives of girls struggling to define themselves.

The Largesse of the Sea Maiden: Stories by Denis Johnson

Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins

The Largesse of the Sea Maiden is the long-awaited new story collection from Denis Johnson. Written in the luminous prose that made him one of the most beloved and important writers of his generation, this collection finds Johnson in new territory, contemplating the ghosts of the past and the elusive and unexpected ways the mysteries of the universe assert themselves. Finished shortly before Johnson’s death, this collection is the last word from a writer whose work will live on for many years to come.

Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee

Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins

Two sisters: Miranda, the older, responsible one, always her younger sister’s protector; Lucia, the vibrant, headstrong, unconventional one, whose impulses are huge and, often, life changing. When their mother dies and Lucia starts to hear voices, it’s Miranda who must fight for the help her sister needs — even as Lucia refuses to be defined by any doctor’s diagnosis. Told from alternating perspectives, Everything Here Is Beautiful is, at its core, a heart-wrenching family drama about relationships and tough choices — how much we’re willing to sacrifice for the ones we love, and when it’s time to let go and save ourselves.

Nine Women, One Dress by Jane L. Rosen

Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins

Natalie is a Bloomingdale’s salesgirl mooning over her lawyer ex-boyfriend, who’s engaged to someone else after just two months. Felicia has been quietly in love with her boss for 17 years and has one night to finally make the feeling mutual. Andie is a private detective who specializes in gathering evidence on cheating husbands – a skill she unfortunately learned from her own life – and lands a case that may restore her faith in true love. For these three women, as well as half a dozen others in sparkling supporting roles – a young model fresh from rural Alabama; a diva Hollywood star making her Broadway debut; and an overachieving, unemployed Brown grad who starts faking a fabulous life on social media, to name just a few – everything is about to change thanks to the dress of the season, the perfect little black number everyone wants to get their hands on….

Any other great audiobooks you would recommend? Tell us in the comments below!

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