It’s the day after Thanksgiving and you’re full of sleepy turkey chemicals, martini olives, and a vague sense of malaise. That’s mostly the sugars breaking down. Still, if you’re not into joining the shopping hordes, it’s the perfect day to bust out a puzzle or home improvement project and listen to a cracking good story. Whether you’re alone or sharing your house with sundry people and pets, these audiobooks will help you relax, embrace irreverence, and spur great conversations throughout your weekend. And if you’re not in the mood for “humanity” and prefer to conduct your Thanksgiving postmortems in nature, we’ve got you covered there too.
The New York Times Book Review Fall 2018 audiobooks issue just named PARKER: SELECTED STORIES one of the most notable audiobooks of the year, and for good reason. Recorded in 1995 but released for the first time on digital download this year, this story collection pairs a legendary writer with a legendary actor, and the result is music to the synapses. Pour your favorite beverage, pick an armchair, and just…listen.
“[Stritch’s] performance deserves far more than just a cult following…this is a particularly happy pairing of subject and reader. Stritch’s famous whiskey tenor does the stories—with their glossy exteriors and yearning hearts—justice.”—The New York Times Book Review
Sometimes Thanksgiving is bliss, and sometimes it’s a nightmare cavalcade of colliding expectations, forced politeness, and straight-up stress. Samantha Irby is the person you want with you on that journey, and her fantastic audiobook is a cool refreshing pitcher of sanity. One that you need to pour over your head right now.
Maybe Monty Python is already a part of your holiday tradition in some form or another (any excuse to re-watch The Holy Grail), but Eric Idle’s memoir is something–dare I say?–more. Funny, sly, irreverent, and unexpectedly subtle – all served up with his unmistakable voice. The absolutely perfect holiday, post-holiday, and anytime listen.
Internationally best-selling author and New York Times contributor Pamela Druckerman leads us on a quest for wisdom, self-knowledge and the right pair of pants. There Are No Grown-ups is a (midlife) coming-of-age audiobook for anyone trying to find their place in the world.
And now (in the words of Monty Python) for something completely different. If one of your goals for Black Friday is to escape cabin fever and get out into the natural world, how about a forest bath? In Forest Bathing, gorgeously narrated by Ramon Tikaram, listeners are introduced to the definitive guide to the therapeutic Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness. No fighting over a busy bathroom, no fancy products – just you, in your long underwear, in the outdoors. Perfection.
For more listening suggestions throughout the holiday season, CLICK HERE.