Friday 16 December 2016

Hear Hear Some Christmas Cheer from Audible...






With Christmas getaways, shoppers and commuter traffic, the festive period is one busiest times of the year. Last year alone over 14 million drove home for Christmas and with journeys on some roads taking almost three times longer than normal, festive entertainment is a travel essential. With this in mind, the editors at Audible have compiled a list of the ultimate Yuletide audiobooks to keep the festive spirit alive in a traffic jam, in flight, or after you’ve shopped till you’ve dropped.



Please see below for Audible’s top picks this Christmas




FREE: A Christmas Carol Performance
A Christmas Carol: An Audible Original Drama
Author: Charles Dickens 
Narrated by: Various cast

Jenna Coleman, Miriam Margolyes, Derek Jacobi, Brendan Coyle and Roger Allam are amongst the celebrity voices coming together this Christmas in a brand new multi-cast dramatization of Charles Dickens’ ghostly Christmas tale, A Christmas Carol.
The festive tale has been released as a free gift to members.


A Boy Called Christmas Audiobook
A Boy Called Christmas
 Author: Matt Haig
 Narrated by: Stephen Fry
 £9.19 (free for Audible members)

You are about to listen to the true story of Father Christmas. It is a story that proves that nothing is impossible. If you are one of those people who believe that some things are impossible, you should put this book down right away. It is most certainly not for you. Because this audiobook is full of impossible things. Are you still reading? Good. Then let us begin....

The idea for the series came when Matt Haig’s son asked what Father Christmas was like as a boy. A Boy Called Christmas is a tale of adventure, snow, kidnapping, elves, more snow, and an 11-year-old boy called Nikolas, who isn't afraid to believe in magic.



The Girl Who Saved Christmas Audiobook
The Girl Who Saved Christmas
Author: Matt Haig
Narrated by: Carey Mulligan
£9.19 (free for Audible members)

If magic has a beginning, can it also have an end? When Amelia wants a wish to come true she knows just the man to ask - Father Christmas. But the magic she wants to believe in is starting to fade, and Father Christmas has more than impossible wishes to worry about. Upset elves, reindeers dropping out of the sky, angry trolls and the chance that Christmas might be cancelled.


The Midnight Gang Audiobook
Midnight Gang
Author: David Williams
Narrated by: David Walliams, Peter Serafinowicz, Morwenna Banks, Nitin Ganatra, Ellen Thomas

Midnight is the time when all children are fast asleep, except of course for...the Midnight Gang. That is when their adventures are just beginning....

The Midnight Gang tells an extraordinarily heart-warming and, of course, funny story of five children on a hospital ward and on a quest for adventure. It is a story of friendship and magic - and of making dreams come true.

Listeners are set to be utterly spellbound by this heartfelt story that will bring magic to everyone's Christmas.


Christmas Days Audiobook
Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days
 Author: Jeanette Winterson
 Narrated by: Jeanette Winterson, Imogen Church
£14.99 (free for Audible members)

New York Times best-selling author Jeanette Winterson brings together 12 brilliantly imaginative, funny and bold Christmas tales. For the 12 Days of Christmas - a time of celebration, sharing, and giving - she offers these 12 plus one: a personal story of her own Christmas memories.

 From trees with mysterious powers to a tinsel baby that talks, philosophical fairies to flying dogs, a haunted house and a disappearing train, Winterson's innovative stories encompass the childlike and spooky wonder of Christmas. Perfect for listening to by the fire with loved ones or while traveling home for the holidays. Enjoy the season of peace and goodwill, mystery, and a little bit of magic courtesy of one of our most fearless and accomplished writers.


A Christmas Feast Audiobook
A Christmas Feast and other stories
 Author: Katie Fforde
 Narrated by: Jilly Bond, Rita Sharma
 £19.99 (free for Audible members)


A delicious Christmas feast of short stories from the Sunday Times number one best-selling author of A French Affair and The Perfect Match.

Add some extra sparkle to your Christmas by joining Katie Fforde for a perfect romantic Christmas feast of short stories. Collected together for the first time and including one brand-new story. Make your Christmas wishes come true....



The Night Before Christmas Audiobook Audiobook
 The Night Before Christmas
 Author: Clement C. Moore
 Narrated by: Jeff Bridges£6.39 (free for Audible members)


Academy Award Winner Jeff Bridges' iconic voice brings the beloved holiday classic story "The Night Before Christmas" to life.

Celebrate the holiday season with the only audiobook of "The Night Before Christmas", read by Jeff Bridges. No other narrator brings Santa and these merry scenes to life quite like Mr. Bridges - it's an instant Christmas classic! Create a new family tradition as you add this audiobook to your holiday activities leading up to December 25th.


Letters from Father Christmas Audiobook
Letters from Father Christmas
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
£5.99 (free for Audible members)


Can you imagine writing to Father Christmas and actually getting a reply?

Every year, the children of J.R.R. Tolkien would write to Father Christmas, and the letters they received told wonderful stories of his adventures at the North Pole.

These humorous tales are brought to life by Derek Jacobi as Father Christmas, John Moffatt as Polar Bear, and Christian Rodska as Ilbereth the Elf, complete with specially composed music.



 Find out more about Audible  by clicking here








My thoughts about listening to


  The Girl Who Saved Christmas Audiobook


I enjoyed listening to Carey Mulligan read The Girl Who Saved Christmas. She has a nicely expressive voice and conveys the story in an entertaining away which should appeal to children and also to adults who listen along with the story. I thought the story was exciting, there seems to be lots of adventure. There is also lots of Christmas magic which is combined with stories of trolls and pixies. And of course, there is also Father Christmas who needs so much help from Amelia who, throughout the story, is a wonderful feisty protagonist .

The narration runs over 5hrs and 20 minutes, so it's a story that could be listened to over several nights or to break up a long journey. I found that I could easily listen to the story in short bursts and still pick up the story when I returned to it.

Nice Christmas elements, exciting content. Overall, the story will appeal to those who like Christmas adventure with a smattering of nostalgia.



My thanks to Audible for the opportunity to listen to this story and also to Midas PR










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