Highlights this month include the entire Harry Potter series narrated by the one and only Stephen Fry, the novelisation of Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster ahead of the hugely anticipated film release and Cilla 1943-2015 by Douglas Thompson which tells the life of the national treasure who died earlier this year.
CALL THE MIDLIFE by Chris Evans
Release date: Out now
Narrator: Vassos Alexander
During his run into turning 50, Chris Evans is on a mission. To take stock of where he is and where he’s at in order to figure out how best to get the most out of what he believes are the best years yet to come.
His typically positive and upbeat journey involves 100 days of contemplation, research, focus, frustration and decision making while secretly: Training for the London Marathon, bringing back his cult ’90s TV show, TFI Friday and the small matter of suddenly being asked to take over Top Gear.
Health, love, marriage, sex, death and even religion all come under his witty microscope as he poses the conundrum – midlife: crisis versus opportunity? There can be only one winner.
LIVE, ALIVE OH! by Diana Athill
Release date: 3rd December
Narrator: Sheila Mitchell
Several years ago, Diana Athill accepted that she could no longer live entirely independently and moved to a retirement home in Highgate. There, she found herself released from the daily anxieties of caring for her own property and free to settle in to her remaining years.
From this vantage point, she reflects on what it feels like to be very old and on the moments in her long life that have risen to the surface and which sustain her in these last years. What really matters in the end? And after a long life, which memories stand out as she approaches her 100th year?
With vivid memories of the past mingled with candid, wise and often very funny reflections on what it’s like to be very old, Alive, Alive Oh! reminds us what really matters and of the joy to be found at every stage of life.
CILLA: 1943 – 2015 by Douglas Thompson
Release date: 23rd December
Narrator: Liane-Rose Bunce
The news that Cilla Black had died in August at the age of 72 triggered an outpouring of love and a wave of sadness that spread around the world. Her infectious personality and her common touch made her one of Britain’s best loved entertainers. Known to one generation for a string of number-one hits like ‘Anyone Who Had a Heart’ and ‘You’re My World’, and loved by another for hosting the classic ITV show Blind Date, Cilla came a long way from hanging coats in Liverpool’s Cavern Club for five bob an hour.
COMMITMENT: MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Didier Drogba
Release date: 17th December
Narrator: Stefan Cornicard
The story of one of the most recognisable and successful players in world football. Didier Drogba is renowned for his heading ability, sharp shooting and sheer strength. He has played for his native Ivory Coast and for clubs in France, China and Turkey, but it is as a Chelsea striker that he is best known. His feats with Chelsea have made him a cult hero among supporters.
In Didier Drogba’s honest and revealing autobiography he will talk about life as an immigrant in Paris, the importance of his education and how finding success later than most professional footballers has kept him grounded.In 2012 Didier was voted Chelsea’s greatest ever player. He talks from a privileged behind-the-scenes position about tactics and how he felt mentally and physically as well as anecdotes from the dressing room. Didier provides unique insight into important and controversial matches from the first trophy he won with them in 2005 to the Premier League title a decade later; as well as what persuaded him to stay when he was at his lowest ebb.
Away from football Drogba has been widely applauded for his involvement in trying to broker peace in the Ivorian civil war – he is a UN Goodwill Ambassador and does a huge amount of work with the Didier Drogba Foundation – Time magazine named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people.
BILLIONAIRE by Peter James
Release date: 31st December
Narrator: TBC
From Peter James, the award-winning author of the Roy Grace series, comes Billionaire, an exhilarating financial thriller.
City stockbroker Alex Rocq leads a comfortable life – with a luxury flat in London, a country cottage, a very expensive car, and a lucrative job that still leaves time for leisure. But all this isn’t enough. After receiving a tip-off, Alex decides to play the commodities market for himself. He soon learns the hard way that fortune doesn’t always favour the brave, and his luck comes to an abrupt end.
When he is offered the chance to write off his debts – in exchange for special services and silence – Rocq can’t believe his luck. But how far will a desperate man go to harness the power players around him?
MOVING by Jenny Eclair
Release date: 31st December
Narrator: TBC
It only took one night to tear a family apart.
Artist and illustrator Edwina Spinner used to have a busy family life. Now she lives alone, in a house that has grown too big for her. She has decided to sell it. As Edwina takes the estate agent from room to room, she finds herself transported back to her life as a young mother. Back to her twins, Rowena and Charlie, and a stepson she cannot bring herself to mention by name.
As the house reveals its secrets, Edwina is forced to confront her family’s past, and a devastating betrayal that changed everything. But Edwina doesn’t know the whole story. And to discover the truth, she will have to face the one person she vowed never to see again.
NOT QUITE NICE by Celia Imrie
Release date: 24th December
Narrator: Celia Imrie
Theresa is desperate for a change. Forced into early retirement, fed up with babysitting her bossy daughter’s obnoxious children, she sells her Highgate house and moves to the picture-perfect town of Bellevue-sur-Mer, just outside Nice.
With its beautiful villas, its bustling cafes and shimmering cerulean sea, the village sparkles like a diamond on the French Mediterranean coast. Once the hideaway of artists and writers, it is now home to the odd rock icon and Hollywood movie star, and, as Theresa soon discovers, a close-knit set of expats. There’s Carol, the infinitely glamorous American and her doting husband David; the erstwhile British TV star Sally; the ferocious Sian and her wayward Australian poet husband; the sharply witty Zoe with her strangely youthful face and penchant for white wine – and the suave Brian who catches Theresa’s eye.
As Theresa settles to the gentle rhythm of seaside life she embraces her new-found friendships and freedom. However, life is never quite as simple as it seems and as skeletons start to fall out of several closets, Theresa begins to wonder if life on the French Riviera is quite as nice as it first appeared.
THE DIVA RULES: Ditch the Drama, Find Your Strength, and Sparkle Your Way to the Top by Michelle Visage
Release date: 22nd December
Narrator: Michelle Visage
Michelle Visage is not your average diva. Powerful, positive, and polished, this diva’s not only glamorous, she’s a savvy businesswoman with serious credentials who works her tail off. From her days vogueing in the downtown Manhattan clubs in the ’90s to her successful career in radio and her ultimate cult status as a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Michelle has achieved her dreams and then some!
In The Diva Rules, Visage shares her rules and advice for living life to the fullest and finding success no matter the hand you’re dealt. With her no-nonsense style and super sassy voice, Michelle tells listeners to “Keep Your Shit Together”, “Give Good Face”, and “Be Thankful You’re a Misfit” in addition to 22 other invaluable life lessons on finding your power and sparkling your way to the top.
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS by Alan Dean Foster
Release date: 18th December
Narrator: TBC
The official novelization of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the highly anticipated blockbuster film directed by J. J. Abrams, hitting cinemas in December 2015.
SUNSET SONG by Lewis Gibbon
Release date: Out now
Narrator: Eileen McCallum
The most acclaimed Scottish novel of all time, Sunset Song is a powerful portrait of a land and people in turmoil, seen through the life and struggles of its heroine, Chris Guthrie. In the years up to and beyond the First World War, Chris’ resilience, like the land itself, endures despite everything and is portrayed with a lyrical intensity that echoes through the years and still resonates today.
SUNSET SONG by Lewis Gibbon
Release date: Out now
Narrator: Eileen McCallum
The most acclaimed Scottish novel of all time, Sunset Song is a powerful portrait of a land and people in turmoil, seen through the life and struggles of its heroine, Chris Guthrie. In the years up to and beyond the First World War, Chris’ resilience, like the land itself, endures despite everything and is portrayed with a lyrical intensity that echoes through the years and still resonates today.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
