I listen to a lot of Audible (work commutes and while I'm sewing)
My top reads/listens of 2016:
Katherine by Anya Seton
The story of Katherine Swynton who was the mistress of John of Gaunt (son of Edward III but never king), their illegitimate children eventually became the Beaufort/Tudor line. Highly recommended to anyone who like Philippa Gregory or Sharon Penman
World Without End by Ken Follet
Set in the same fictional town as Pillars of the Earth, but 200 years later, no need to have read POTE first. Slow to start, but well worth persevering with.
Americanah
The story of a Nigerian student, who goes to America where she remains and works for many years, and eventually returns to Nigeria and the culture shock she encounters. Fantastic narration.
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The story of a butler in post war Britian, who is taking a road trip to meet a former employee of the household he devoted his life to. He reminisces
about his career. Recommended for anyone who liked Downtown Abbey. Again, a very good narrator.
84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff
Not very long, I listened to it in virtually one sitting. Really good - the correspondance between an eccentric American booklover and the very English employee of a bookshop.
11-22-63 by Stephen King
I've never read Stephen King (not into horror) but this gripped me from the start. Jake is told by a dying friend about a time travel portal (aka the Rabbit Hole) which will take him back to 1959. His friend asks Jake to take over his plan to stay in the past and try to stop the assassination of JFK (What could go wrong????) Fantastic.
The Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) Detective Novels
Three of them: Cuckoo's Calling, THe Silkworm and Career of Evil (all good- narrated by Robert Glenister)
The Saxon Series by Bernard Cornwell - the first four, narrated by Jonathan Keeble (fantastic), the later ones by Stephen Perring (not so good) - good yarns if you're into battles and historical fiction.