Alright just a quick audio book talk for all the things I listed to in June and July.
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry | ★★★★✶
Book Blurb: The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel.
I’ve spent my life kneeling—to their will and to my father’s. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king.
I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood.
But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life.
Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him—bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know.
Everyone wants me to be something I’m not—a queen, a spy, a sacrifice.
But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated?
And what if—for the first time—I reached for it?
First Sentence: What if I jumped?
What I thought: This was everything I needed in this moment. Loved the world building. Loved the characters. Loved the monsters and people. I walked another stretch just to get more listening time in. I loved that it had compared to Fourth Wing an actual story and the romance party was not the focus. I guess I am not too much into romantasy and more into fantasy. I can’t wait to learn what happens in book two. I am invested.
Characters: Odessa – second princess to the throne, The Guardian, Ransom, The Prince aka Zavier, Evie, Cathlin, Luella
Setting: World of Calandra
Medium: audiobook through library
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: German title “Shields of Sparrow”
Recommend to: If you love fantasy go read or listen to it. Now.
Author’s Origin: born in Montana, U.S.A. | unknown
Heard of/Recommended by: Nadja
Inside Out by Demi Moore | ★★★★☆
Book Blurb: For decades, Demi Moore has been synonymous with celebrity. From iconic film roles to high-profile relationships, Moore has never been far from the spotlight—or the headlines.
Even as Demi was becoming the highest paid actress in Hollywood, however, she was always outrunning her past, just one step ahead of the doubts and insecurities that defined her childhood. Throughout her rise to fame and during some of the most pivotal moments of her life, Demi battled addiction, body image issues, and childhood trauma that would follow her for years—all while juggling a skyrocketing career and at times negative public perception. As her success grew, Demi found herself questioning if she belonged in Hollywood, if she was a good mother, a good actress—and, always, if she was simply good enough.
As much as her story is about adversity, it is also about tremendous resilience. In this deeply candid and reflective memoir, Demi pulls back the curtain and opens up about her career and personal life—laying bare her tumultuous relationship with her mother, her marriages, her struggles balancing stardom with raising a family, and her journey toward open heartedness. Inside Out is a story of survival, success, and surrender—a wrenchingly honest portrayal of one woman’s at once ordinary and iconic life.
First Sentence: The same question kept going through my head: How did I get here.
What I thought: For some reason I have been drawn to celebrity memoirs lately. And this one didn’t disappoint. I knew almost nothing about Demi Moore going into this book besides she was married to Bruce Willis and later to Ashton Kutcher. This is such a vulnerable story she is sharing. So much heartache, insecurities and strength. I am also very impressed how they handled the whole family dynamic when she split with Bruce and how they now all take care of him. This is a gem.
Medium: audiobook through library
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: German title “Inside Out: Mein Leben”
Recommend to: Everyone loving a good celebrity memoire and wants to believe in humanity again.
Author’s Origin: born in Roswell, U.S.A. | November 11th, 1962
Wo die Geister tanzen by Joana Osman | ★★★☆☆
Book Blurb: Sabiha and Ahmed are firmly rooted in their hometown of Jaffa. Here they open their own movie theater to cry in the back row at films with Shirley Temple and raise their sons. But in 1948, with the first Arab-Israeli war and the founding of Israel, an odyssey begins for the family. They flee to Lebanon and on to Turkey, always in search of a new home. They live in condemned houses and are not recognized by any state. They mourn the deceased and yet never lose their lust for life and certainly never lose their sense of humor.
Seventy years later, Joana Osman goes in search of clues in Israel. Who were her grandparents who raised her father on the run? What kind of journey was it that shaped her own upbringing so strongly and yet so invisibly?
First Sentence: Eigentlich war es meine jüngere Cousine Zeynep, die mich auf die Idee für diesen Roman brachte. (It was actually my younger cousin Zeynep who gave me the idea for this novel.)
What I thought: It was interesting to learn more about the background of power struggles in the Middle East through a family living through it. However at times it was hard to follow and I am not sure I like the style of mixing non fiction and fiction and never knowing what is real and what not. I might have enjoyed this story more outside of a book slump though.
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited, library | audiobook through library | paperback | hardcover
Original Language and Title: German
Publications: no translation found
Recommend to: Everyone wanting to learn more about the history of Israel and Palestine and how this political power struggle started.
Author’s Origin: born in Munich, Germany | 1982
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa | ★★★☆☆
Book Blurb: The wise and charming international bestseller and hit Japanese movie – about a young woman who loses everything but finds herself – a tale of new beginnings, romantic and family relationships, and the comfort that can be found in books.
First Sentence: From late summer to early spring, I lived at the Morisaki Bookshop.
What I thought: This was an ok read/listen. It might be because I was in a book slump otherwise I might have given it a higher rating. I just didn’t feel I got much out of it. I will most likely not read the next one in the series. I learned however that apparently there is a book district in Tokyo called Jimbōchō.
Characters: can’t remember…
Setting: Morisaki Bookshop, Tokyo book district
Medium: audiobook through library
Original Language and Title: Japanese
Publications: German title “Die Tage in der Buchhandlung Morisaki”
Recommend to: Everyone enjoying Japanese literature and a cozy book store vibe.
Author’s Origin: born in Tokyo, Japan | April 3rd, 1975
Read Around the World: Logged for Japan in my Read Around the World Challenge
Additional note: part I of the series “Morisaki Bookshop”
Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio | ★★☆☆☆
Book Blurb: Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story.
One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn’t there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?
Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realize he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks―and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.
First Sentence: They met in the cemetery every night at midnight.
What I thought: Honestly I hardly know what I listened too. It was boring and took me forever to get through even though it was short.
Characters: no clue
Setting: cemetery and university buildings
Medium: audiobook through library
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: no translations found
Recommend to: I am not sure I would.
Author’s Origin: born in Miami, U.S.A. | 1992?
Book Stats for July 2025
Audiobooks I couldn’t finish
Keeping track of the books that weren’t right for me. This month it was:
- All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett – Stopped at 36%. It just didn’t interest me enough and the library loan ran out.
- The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight by Andrew Leland – Stopped at 12%. Was too US centered so I feel I can’t really relate and it’s not too interesting to me.
Any audiobook I should add to my TBR? Do you struggle getting into audiobooks? Have you listened to a horrible audiobook and if so why was it horrible?
