Audio Books

Author: Alice Slater

I thought this was such a good read. It was such a page turner without being overtly action-packed.

It was rich with character building throughout and had a great ending. My only criticism is that I felt it missed a trick and could’ve had a big twist at the end (Gone Girl style), but I wont spoil it for anyone else.

7.5/10 ~ Kate

Author: John Marrs

Wow! I absolutely love this series. They are so thought-provoking and lead me to having so many interesting conversations around AI and technology and how it is affecting our day to day lives and decisions.

Unfortunately, I realised too late that I read them in the wrong order but I don’t think it matters too much and I am definitely going to read the rest of the series next.

9/10 ~ Kate

Author: Alex Michaelides

I did not see the twist coming in this book! This was an absolute page-turner, and I enjoyed every minute. This was the quickest I have read a paperback in a long time.

This book was recommended to me by a few people and I’m glad I listened! Alex does a fantastic job in building the scene throughout and dropping hints to the twist but I don’t know anyone who guessed it yet, which is quite the achievement!

9/10 ~ Kate

Author: Antonia Fraser

Genre: Biography / autobiography

Never having been attracted to autobiographies when I was gifted this book, I had some personal reservations as to whether it was something I would enjoy. The historian Lady Antonia Fraser documented in diary format aspects of her life with the legendary Nobel Prize winning writer, actor, director and campaigner Harold Pinter right up until his death.

This is now one of my most favourite read books of all time and for me no other biography will ever match it. This is a love story entwined with some socialite name dropping from the world of the arts, cricket, politics and so much more, yet Antonia’s endearing love towards her husband shines through. A love that shouldn’t have been a match, that broke two marriages and families too.

Yet, they fell hopelessly in love from their very first meeting. This is certainly not a soft tale of romance, just simply a portrayal of how together they lived their lives through both joyous and difficult times. A memoir of how deeply they cared and understood each other.

Author: Olivia Petter

Genre: Pre #MeToo movement, celebrity culture and consent

I was intrigued whilst searching for yet another book to purchase when I read the general summary of this book. Based before the “Me too movement” it described a gritty world of young society, celebrity hype and culture, social media, sexual consent, fitting in and acceptance. The cover summary disturbed me enough that it took a year for me to actually start to read this book.

It is dedicated to the women who haven’t believed, especially the ones who didn’t believe themselves.

The book is about Rose who’d studied Portraits at Saint Martins College but ended up working for Firehouse PR agency who had a string of fashion magazines where working life revolves around celebrities, what’s current, what’s lux and with a party almost every week. The descriptions are honest and crude, with language, sex and drugs part of the everyday party experience. World’s apart from my own years going into adulthood but the story telling is compelling none the least.

The story is centred on one day Rose waking up in her bed at home with no ability to recall what had happened to her and in great discomfort, she is covered in her own blood and has an over whelming feeling of shame and disgust about herself but has no idea why and what has happened.

This is a graphic account of what life today can be about for the 20 something person. Often the bits about life that is not talked about so openly. A real page turner and often an uncomfortable read. Sometimes it’s important to have insight into the lives of those unlike ourselves. This is one of those reads that even when finished you will recall the story characters and how you felt reading this book. The only negative I found was the sudden rushed end would have benefited for a little more detail for the reader to finish with.

Author: Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Genre: Historical fiction about 19th Century Italian nobility and revolution

This is considered to be a modern classic and often is a required read in Italian literature and history lessons in High School. The novel is specific to Sicilian culture and explores the social and political changes that occurred in Sicily during the unification of Italy. The novel follows the Salina family and how Prince Fabrizio Salina grapples with the changing political landscape and on a personal level regarding his own mortality in relation to his family and the future of his family.

In the Spring of 1860, Fabrizio, the Prince of Salina ruled over many acres of land and hundreds of his people in both splendour and squalor. Then comes Garibaldi’s landing in Sicily and the Prince must decide whether to resist the forces of change or come to terms with them. An historical account that reflects emotions that have been experienced in families throughout the ages. Trancredi Falconeri the Princes nephew sums up the direction of the book with the words “If we want to stay as they are, things will have to change”. Perhaps only once you have read this novel can you begin to understand what Trancredi meant by those words.

This will take you to the dry and barren places of Southern Italy, tradition and decision making for the future of the land. It is considered by most to be perhaps the greatest novel of the last century.

Author: Ellie Dean

Genre: Multi-generational World War 2 saga

These stories are set in the South of England and based on the comings and goings of a wide range of people in the boarding house; “Beach View”, during the Second World War. Peggy Reilly runs the boarding house; she is a warm-hearted married woman in her forties. Her husband is a soldier, they have a number of children, some are married. Listening to or reading the stories evoke memories and often bring a smile to your face.

The residents and boarders come and go and reflect a wide range of people, some from distant lands as well as from all parts of Britain. The author Ellie Dean weaves interesting stories around a wide variety of characters – a wide range of ages and she depicts various cultures of the people who come to stay at “Beach View”. She also describes people in the local communities and life during the war. You can easily picture the locations and the people as you listen /read.

I am enjoying listening to these stories on my USB stick on my RNIB player. Each talking book is read clearly and the characters are easily distinguished by the different voices and accents by the reader. Even if there are gaps in listening to the books there is a brief re-cap at the beginning of each talking book to bring you up to date series with the story. There are 21 books in the Cliffehaven series with the most recent in 2025.

Conwy library has at least 20 of the books in the series in large print.

Author: Ellie Dean

Genre: Multi-generational World War 2 saga

The Cliffehaven series is set in a boarding house in Sussex during World War 2. “While we’re Apart” is the eighth book in the series. It is a story of Mary, who at the age of 18 having lost both her parents during an air raid bombing discovers something belonging to her father that tells of a family secret. In search of answers Mary travels to Cliffehaven on the South coast. Sometimes finding answers only brings trouble and more questions.

The story is written in a timeframe that is easy to follow and presented as an unfolding story – not switching back and forth in time. A heartwarming, moving yet enjoyable story.

Author: Chuck Wendig

Well. This was intense. I usually go for dystopian fiction over horror but Black River Orchard stands out for how quietly disturbing it is. Wendig builds this creeping dread that lingers long after you’ve put the book down. I honestly don’t think I’ll look at apples the same way again. The cursed tree, the insidious way the town falls under its spell, the body horror – it’s all handled so well, but it’s not just about the gore or the scares. There’s commentary here on greed, desire, and what people are willing to become for a taste of power.

It’s a slow burn, and a hefty one. Not for the faint-hearted, but worth it if you like your fiction a bit unsettling.

Author: Claire Daverley

A love story that kept me reading. It covered issues of separation, anxiety and empathy. All the characters were complex. The issues it raised got our reading group taking about their personal experiences – quite cathartic. Would definitely recommend!

Helen – Kate Hurst’s mum

Author: Evie Woods

This book was so clever in how it spanned two different eras and the lives of very different people but with very similar struggles. There’s magic, friendship, love and a secret bookshop…what more could you want?!

I read this as an audiobook, and it swept me away to another time and a magical place. The acting was excellent and really transported you into the story.

8/10 ~ Kate