Introducing Book Hangover | Audio Books I Listened to in December 2023
A monthly column for bookworms
I’m old school. I tell people I grew up reading physical books, spending all of my allowance at the Scholastic Book Fair that came to our school a few times a year, and looking up information using an encyclopedia.
A true bookworm, I met my high school sweetheart while reading a book at a football game (I didn’t like sports, but I was the designated driver for my friend group). I was, and still am a bonafide lover of books, but unfortunately, my eyes are not what they used to be and my book fetish took a back seat for a few years…until I discovered audiobooks.
With the heaviness of the world right now and everyone determined to be right when it comes to current events on social media, I'm just trying to maintain my sanity and find a reason to smile everyday. Audible has literally been my saving grace over the past few months. I have enjoyed rediscovering books as I disconnect from the toxicity of the world (arguing with people on the internet is definitely not in my wheelhouse as we move into this new year).
Reconnecting with books has been magical and in my new column, Book Hangover, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the audio books I devoured each month.
The term book hangover refers to the emotional and mental state of a reader who has been impacted by a book. Regardless if their experience was positive or negative, the reader has to take a step back and process what they’ve just read before moving on to the next book. This is literally me after every book that I read, and basically why I’m starting this monthly column.
Even if you aren’t into audio books, I know you are a reader because you are currently glued to this Substack article (smile). Hopefully my new column will help to guide you on your reading adventures, while providing a space for you to unpack and process books we’ve both read.
Alright…enough of the chit chat, let’s get started!
I wrapped up 2023 listening to the following audio books on Audible and I must admit, they each did what they were supposed to do! These are my thoughts on each…
Walk Through Fire is a memoir about love, loss and triumph by Sheila Johnson, the co-founder of BET. Throughout the majority of the book I found myself wanting to shake some sense into Sheila and tell her to run, especially when she first got entangled with her now ex-husband, Bob Johnson. Can we say narcissistic, habitual cheater?! When I tell you that man put her through some shit - Oh my goodness… From leaving her in a motel on their wedding night and her mother having to come and rescue her, to his very public affair with Debra Lee (the former CEO of BET), I really felt sorry for her when it came to her marriage. But eventually Sheila did come to her senses…some 30 years later (deep sigh) and walked away from the marriage a billionaire (she was not expecting this). On the flip side, Sheila flexes her muscles when it comes to being a talented musician and having a knack for making money. For a good part of her marriage to Bob Johnson, Sheila was the breadwinner. Throughout their marriage she maintained all of the finances, which helped tremendously during her divorce proceedings, and allowed her to walk away with 1/3 of the profits from the sell of BET. The audio version of the book is read by Sheila, which I actually enjoyed because you can hear the raw emotions in her voice as she shares her story with listeners. I walked away inspired by her determination and willingness to help others, while disliking her ex and his mistress, Debra Lee (who also wrote a book about her time at BET).
Your Next Level Life is a short and straight to the point empowerment book for women. You can probably listen to it in one day, but it took me a few days to complete because I was jotting down notes (sister girl was dropping some gems). Yes, we’ve heard all of these things before, but I truly believe we all need a refresher, and this is the perfect audio book to get you going in 2024! If you are looking for some first of the year motivation, this is the audio book for you.
S.A Cosby is a phenomenal writer that captures your attention starting on page one. Razorblade Tears is a mystery-crime thriller about two dads with shady pasts, whose sons were murdered. While the police drag their feet to find out who did it, these dads make a pact and then set out to find the killers. As they leave no stone unturned while searching for the killer(s), they also begin to come to terms with their own guilt of not accepting their sons and their sexuality while they were alive. This book kept me hanging onto the edge of my seat, and I now understand why Baraka Obama can’t get enough of Cosby’s writing. Once you listen to one of his books, you’ll understand why too! It also doesn’t help that Adam Lazarre-White is the narrator (ladies…his voice is memorizing). Razorblade Tears had me laughing one minute, and bitting my nails the next, as I wonder what was about to happen. By the end of the book I was clutching my Southern pearls while crying real alligator tears, and in desperate need of a strong drink. Often noted as the next Walter Mosley, S.A. Cosby is definitely an author worth checking out in 2024.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of Book Hangover and if you are interested in checking out Audible and listening to any of these audio books, click here and get started for FREE!
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