Well, sometimes you love the fantasy and some times you wish for more contemporary. That is exactly what happened to us with the audiobook version of A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow. The blend of realism with mythos, and half the narration just did not mesh with us at all. Now, that doesn't mean this book is one to avoid. What didn't work for us, WILL work for many others. The contemporary base of the novel is beautifully written and we think that a younger generation would 1000% benefit from the way it approaches the Black Lives Matter movement and ending police brutality via mythological creatures and fantasy. We, unfortunately, just wanted a little more contemporary and a little less sprites, gargoyles, and serpents. --This is the audio from our latest BookTube. If you want to see us in action, SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel.

July 01, 2020

This is a book that really knows how to kick some GLASS, hahahahaha! Sorry....dad joke from people who aren't dads. In all honesty, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas takes some time to gain momentum, but when it finally does it's a book you cannot stop listening to. We did the audiobook version of this fantasy thriller, and we absolutely fell in love with the narrator, Elizabeth Evans. She gives each character a bigger and bolder personality than what we would have created in our heads. She really takes Sarah J. Maas's words and brings them to life. We had a lot of fun with this novel and cannot wait to continue on with the series. HOWEVER, we are a little nervous...there's a lot of names that all sound remarkably similar, so we're thinking we may need flashcards and the occasional pop-quiz to commit them all to memory. This is the audio from our latest BookTube video. If you want to see us in action, SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel!

June 17, 2020

Welp, if 2020 wasn't weird enough, we have a resurrection of the vampire happening. It seems like every day there is a new book announced that focuses on the charming, blood suckers. Whether it's the 3rd time Stephenie Meyer is going to tell the same story with Midnight Sun, a fresh take on vamps in Amish country with Those Who Hunger by Owen Banner, or a retelling from a fan-favorite universe with Slayer by Kiersten White, the start of this decade is thirsty....for BLOOD! --This is the audio from our latest BookTube video. If you want to see us in action SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel.

June 03, 2020

A thriller that is actually thrilling?! Say it isn't so! Minka Kent delivers a dream come true in When I Was You with early, middle, and late game twists, intelligence, and an unapologetic villain. We listened to the audiobook version of this novel and HOLY HELL were the narrators fantastic. Not only do you have the powerhouse that is Erin deWard, but you also have Will Damron giving us sociopathic realness. Those two together create an audioscape that sets Minka's written atmosphere ablaze. It's a phenomenal read that has us hooked from beginning to satisfying end. Since our community is made up of all different sorts of readers, let us know your experience with this novel, or if you are hoping to pick it up soon! We can't wait to hear your thoughts. --This is the audio from our latest BookTube video. If you want to see us in action SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel

May 27, 2020

We're doing something light and fun this week and making up our own tag called the Bookish Drag Tag! The rules are simple, so if you want to play - please do! 1. Pick out your favorite RuPaul's Drag Race Queen 2. Think of a trait that they displayed on the show (creepy, emotional, full of heart, EVIL) 3. Find a book that expertly matches with that queen! 4. Share your match-ups with us on social media or in the comments! (IG - @audioshelfme, Twitter - @audioshelfme, or Facebook - @audioshelf!) 5. Tag some friends so they can join in on the fun. --This is the audio from our latest BookTube. If you want to see us in action, SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube!

May 20, 2020

We are starting to think that maybe the YA thriller genre isn't for us. Between all the inaccurate whiny teens, and the frustrating wrap-ups we just aren't thrilled with these thrillers. This week we tackled the audiobook for All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban, narrated by Kate Rudd. While the narration was superior, we had major issues with the story and the way the characters...just...were. We break it all down for you and we want to know: Have you had a similar experience with some of the recent YA Thriller releases? Let us know in the comments and on our social medias! --This is the audio from our latest BookTube video. If you want to see us in action SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel!

May 13, 2020

If we asked you to name a YA book, what's the first one that pops in your head? Is it The Outsiders? Is it Little Women (Brad hopes not)? Is it anything that was assigned reading in your school that you'd have been completely bored with? Those questions are what inspired us to dive into the history of the Young Adult genre, what YA means, and how the changes the genre has seen parallel the changes we see in our society. --This is the audio from our latest BookTube episode. To see us in action SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel!

May 06, 2020

Well, we're still here in quarantine and we aren't sure about everyone else, but we've been watching A LOT of TV. From the upbeat music of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, to the family in This is Us who just REALLY can't catch a break, we are sharing with you what we've been enjoying and books that WE think are the perfect digestifs. Hopefully our show, movie, and book recommendations can help you get through this difficult and scary time! And we're curious, WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING/READING?! Are there any TV shows that you've enjoyed that you thought "wow there's a book that matches this show so well!" Let us know in the comments and we can't wait to chat about them with you! --This is the audio of our latest BookTube. If you want to see us in action SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel!

April 15, 2020

With Maryland under a stay-at-home order, we turned to a virtual medium to bring you our bookish opinions :P. Thanks, Zoom (not sponsored). Over the weekend we saw an article about a book called Lockdown by Peter May, a crime thriller about a pandemic that puts London in quarantine. Not so crazy of a plot, right? Well back when the book was originally written in 2005 it was dubbed unrealistic by Peter May's publisher and squashed. It wasn't until now that the book was officially released under a new publisher and Peter's hardwork and research brought to the public. After some research of our own on thrillers released in 2003-2006 we are now asking for the REAL reason why the og publisher rejected Lockdown. We are talking all about our theories, the other books in that decade, and...just generally talking with cocktails because we are starved for human interaction. Check out the original article: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/04/us/peter-may-lockdown-coronavirus-book-trnd/index.html This is the audio from our latest YouTube video. If you want to see us in action, SUBSCRIBE to our BookTube!

April 08, 2020

A Goodreads librarian has got something against the monthly free audible originals and it's making people REAL mad. When Brad first noticed that his 2019 book challenge number dropped by 8 books, he started hunting for the cause. It didn't take him long to realize that Goodreads was deleting books that he had listened to and were made available to him and loads of others through the monthly Audible originals program. According to the Goodreads librarian manual a piece of material can be deleted and labeled "NOT A BOOK" if it doesn't meet the manuals standards. Not only is it an incredibly rude practice to label someone's work NOT A BOOK, but it's a completely ridiculous rule. Audible Originals, no matter who is able to get them or not (note, everyone can buy Audible Originals once they are out of the freebie month), ARE books and deserve to be treated as such no matter what stage of current availability they are in. Are we going to start labeling ARCs "NOT BOOKS"? Or advanced listening copies from Libro.FM as NOT BOOKS? WHERE'S THE LINE?! Because right now it seems to be arbitrarily against Audible. --This is the audio from our latest BookTube. If you want to see us in action SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel!

April 01, 2020