In February I listened to a couple audiobooks that I’ve been wanting to get around to, and I’m so glad I did. I usually can be pretty picky about the audiobooks that I listen to, always depends on the narrator for me, but I’m happy to report that both of the books I listened to in February had great narrators!
Good Material by Dolly Alderton 3.5 / 5 stars
Starting with Good Material by Dolly Alderton! I fell in love with Alderton’s writing when I first listened to Everything I Know About Love last year, I also thought her narrating the audiobook was perfection so when I came across Good Material I knew I had to give it a listen. This novel shares the male the point of view of going through a break-up. While that may not sound all that exciting to read about, there was so much witty humor and relatable and somewhat painful situations, you find yourself having sympathy and create an instant connection with the main character, Andy. There were times in this book I did grow frustrated with Andy and how down on himself he could be- that theme became quite repetitive in the book. The last few chapters are written from Jen, his ex-girlfriend’s, perspective which I really enjoyed. I’m not sure if it’s just because Jen’s character was written to be so much more articulate to know what she wanted out of life, or if I’m just bias because I’m a woman myself, but I found that characteristic in her to be common with long term relationships between a man and a woman. Seeing that getting played out in this novel through Jen’s perspective made this book come together all the more.
From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough 4 / 5 stars
This memoir wasn’t one that was on my radar, but when I saw the audiobook was narrated by Julia Roberts, Riley Keough, and snips of interviews from Lisa Marie Presley, that sold me. Lisa Marie Presley is the only child of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley and Riley Keough is the granddaughter of Elvis Presley. I first became aware of Riley’s work when I watched “Daisy Jones and the Six” and loved her ever since. I wasn’t aware she was Elvis’ granddaughter until after watching the show, so when I saw she had a heavy hand in this memoir I had to give it a listen. From Here to the Great Unknown takes a behind the scenes look into what it was like growing up with Elvis as a father and having Lisa Marie as a mother. Listening to all that Lisa Marie went through at such a young age was pretty heart breaking, and then to hear Riley grow up with so much love and empathy for her mother, even through the hard times, was inspirational. I do wish we heard more about the difficult times that both Lisa and Riley went through- the hardships coming from fame and how the drugs negatively impacted their lives. Riley dove into that pretty well, but it felt like Lisa Marie didn’t talk much about that seeing she was so young and I’m sure wanted to respect her father’s name. At the end of the day, this book is all about the love of a daughter. The love Lisa Marie had for Elvis and the love Riley had for Lisa Marie.
