Knit to This
Knit to This: The Rivers of London Series
I am invested in fantasy series that seemingly have no end, which means that I can gobble up book after book without worrying too much about what I’ll do when I run out. I want the writing to be nimble and witty, with a side of droll. Then give me a narrator whose voice fits just right and I’m all in.
For the last few years, my G.O.A.T. of audiobooks is Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series, which is read by the great and good Kobna Holdbrooke-Smith. No other actor will ever top his DCI Peter Grant.
A brief overview: Aaronovitch’s London is almost exactly like London as we know it—except that it is also full of fae, river gods, and various other creatures of the demimonde and only a certain few people know about them. Enter our Peter Grant, a young copper who gets assigned to the Folly, the division of the police who investigate “weird bollocks.”
Now, a dozen-ish books into the series, Grant is a full-fledged grown-up who has never lost his cheeky spirit and impulsive inventiveness. And Holdbrooke-Smith has never lost his knack for capturing Aaronovitch’s inventive world. In fact, it’s one of the few series I’d rather listen to than read.
Stone & Sky, the next book, won’t be out until July. If you’re new to Rivers of London, you have hours and hours of story to listen to before the newest installment drops. If, like me, you are cooling your audiobook heels until midsummer, I suggest filling in the gaps with anything by Sir Terry Pratchett or from T. Kingfisher’s Paladin series. Both are also fantasy. Both feature intriguing invented worlds and a love for language. And while they don’t quite capture the magic in your earbuds that is Holdbrooke-Smith, both series have perfectly serviceable narrators.
My favorite genre may not be as intoxicating for you as for me, however. Drop your favorite titles (and a quick why) in the comments below.
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Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar books .
there are about 40 books in this world. but i’m not sure about what is available as an Audiobook.
Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren
I adore the Rivers of London series and I agree that listening to the audiobooks is the best way to experience them. I also recommend the St. Mary’s books by Jodi Taylor – time travel with a similar sense of humor plus a major helping of chaos.
You can’t beat the Rivers of London series. Worthy of regular re-listens (as a British listener it helps that the accents are spot-on). Rather sweary but usually for comedic effect. I’ll admit to a book-character-crush for Thomas Nightingale.
Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters
Mitford series by Jan Karon
Yes! Amelia Peabody audiobooks read by the wonderful Barbara Rosenblatt are a delight. The reader makes all the difference.
You are right and my DUMB library is no longer offering the Barbara Rosenblatt readings–some lady with an AMERICAN accent. They have a couple of the Rosenblatt books left on offer BUT they are ABRIDGED. Faugh. You can tell I’m disgusted, I bet.
I rarely read fantasy but I ADORE this series. I’ve read many of them – time to check with the library about the audio books. Thank you!
I really enjoy mysteries…
Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny
Mary Russell series by Laurie King
Maggie Hope series by Susan Elia MacNeal
Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger, who has also written some beautiful (non-mystery) novels, including Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land
If you like historical/bio fiction, look at books by Marie Benedict:
– The Other Einstein
– Carnegie’s Maid
– Lady Clementine
– Her Hidden Genius
– The Mitford Affair
Forgot to mention a favorite fantasy author, R. A. MacAvoy. Tea with the Black Dragon,
The Book of Kells, and The Grey Horse are good stand-alone books to start with, and she also has several intriguing series.
Have you done Flavia De Luce by Alan Bradley? And Vish Puri’s Indian Detective Agency by Tarquin Hall?
Maisie, Flavia, and the last all have the name Tarquin somewhere. Because of it, so does my child.
Love Flavia deLuce series! Thanks for the reminder. May be time to revisit it!
Flavia De Luce. I LOVE this series.
Kobna Holdbrooke-Smith is one of the best narrators ever. That voice — I would listen to him read the telephone book. Or, better yet, the Joy of Cooking.
Amen
Enjoyed them both!
Michael J Sullivan’s Riyria Series, two thieves, magic and elves!
And I second Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series!
Ilona Andrews Innkeeper series is one of my favorites, too.
That series is a great listen!
Fun and sassy
Started these myself over the summer. Love them! Now t want to go on a London rivers tour!
I’m smitten by cozy mysteries, and about a year ago began listening to the “Cherringham” series on Audible. These books are co-authored by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards, and read by Neil Dudgeon (of Midsomer Murders fame). Most of this audiobook series contains three episodes each, so the storylines are never too complex — making them perfect for easy listening while knitting or weaving. Currently I am listening to #34! Smile. Dudgeon’s comforting voice has been a huge part in helping me get through all the political turmoil we’re in the midst of. The books are a teensy formulaic, but that might be what makes them such a nice distraction.
T. Kingfisher is my new favorite author! I LOVE her Paladin series and have gobbled up everything else she has written. Her Digger graphic novel is also highly recommended and I don’t like graphic novels. She is amazing!
Not a series; just a singleton, but it’s a good one: The Radium Girls by Kate Moore.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. The characters are simply outstanding and they are so much fun. You think you’ll know who did it but you won’t. Also Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series (thank you Andrea). Both series have amazing readers and I pine for them. I’m also a sucker for a memoir read by the author. Harvey Fierstein’s is wonderful and any of Patty Smith’s audio books are a delight.
I recently discovered Hoopla. I’m probably late to the game on this but if it’s new to you, check and see if your public library has it.
Richard Osman has started a new series “ We Solve Murders”. I listened to the audiobook narrated by NICOLA WALKER (!) and it was terrific.
I loved it too!
Absolutely love Thursday Murder Club series!!!
Yes, yes, yes!!! Kobna is absolutely amazing! The Dresden Files books, read by James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) are also top notch.
My favorites are Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising sequence, Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy beginning with The Golden Compass and his The Book of Dust sequence and Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures, second book coming soon.
You might be me! The Dark Is Rising books should be much better known than they are. Brilliant. And love Rundell. Her bio of John Donne is even better than her fiction, and looks like there’s an audiobook for that, too.
One of my favorites is anything Anne McCaffrey. Her dragon rider’s series is my favorite. My other favorite is Jayne Castle, all of her books are fantasy, and I love her dust bunnies. Happy knitting and listening.
I love Anne McCaffrey and especially love Dragonsong and Dragonsinger! Have you read McCaffrey’s book Stitches in Snow? Yes, there is knitting in it.
Love Rivers of London! But, I have not yet gotten into the audio-verse, keep reminding myself to just do it. Aand, don’t forget the inimitable Miss Fisher, by Kerry Greenwood.
Thanks so much to all the comments that have now added to my To-read list, which also include, in no order whatsoever, Josephine Tey, Margerie Allingham, Laurie King, Elizabeth Peters, Ellis Peters, Jacqueline Winspear, Louise Penny, Tony and Anne Hillerman, Alan Bradley! Among many others, some very old-fashioned, thanks to Internet Archive for those.
Actually, the previous are my To Re-read list, all favorites and definitely helped through the pandemic and beyond. I am now adding all the comment suggestions to this.
Patrick O’Brian’s Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin series, 20 novels of early 19th-century British naval adventure. I’ve listened to the series twice now and need to start again—Patrick Tull’s narration of every audiobook is astounding. When he died a few years ago, I cried like a baby.
Hear, hear.
The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher. Set in Chicago, fantasy, vampires, witches, demons and others, all in the most humorous, well-written (and voiced) blood curdling drama. Many books in the series. It’s an older series, but he is still writing.
Anything by William Kent Krueger. The Cork O’Connor series is good if you like detective stories. He’s got a couple books outside the series which are even better.
Agree with many others listed here and am off to find Rivers of London!
Nikki Galena Series by Joy Ellis
Shetland or anything by Anne Cleeves
I love Ben Aaronovitch’s writing! I did not know about audio versions. You made my day!
These sound like excellent recommendations. I am always looking for new audio books and I have never heard of these. Thanks!
These sound like excellent recommendations. I am always looking for new audio books and I have never heard of these. Thanks!
I’m a mystery book audible listener on the free Libby app, a wonderful app. I love the Irish/American author Tana French and have listened to all of her books so far, can’t wait for more! The readers have a wonderful brogue that really sends you there.
All my favorites . All the feels I’ve knit miles listening to those books ❤️
Thanks for this!
I am not a big fantasy reader, but I have read all of the Rivers of London books and loved them. Now I will read down for more recommendations. Thanks.
Also my favorite. And a close second with tons of listening time is the time historian series by Jodi Taylor read by Zara Ramm. In both series you learn a lot of history while listening to fantastic voice actors, enjoying good humor, and puzzling out mysteries.
Please help me! I’m new to audiobooks, I listen to music on Spotify. But all this sounds fabulous. So…do you pay for an app then pay for each audiobook? I am clearly pretty clueless and would appreciate any help and recommendations.
Your public library! Many will have the Libby app, there’s also Overdrive. Be prepared to wait a while for popular books.
If you enjoy it, consider donating to the Friends of your local library. Libraries (like many public services) are under a lot of pressure and ebooks and audiobooks cost more than paper books.
Spotify Premium offers audiobooks. Some included with the subscription, others for a fee. Podcasts also. I don’t know if audiobooks are included in the free with advertising version.
Most libraries offer books to “check out” via download or app for free. Such a great resource, either on a phone or computer.
Lots of different ways to listen to audiobooks.
These are the 2 I use:
Free apps from your local library!! They can sometimes order specific audio books if they don’t already have them.
Audible app if you can tolerate Amazon. You pay a yearly or monthly fee and receive credits for books or can purchase books. There are free books there too. You just have to do some digging.
If you’re not already stuck with Audible and/or want to opt out of the Amazon Universe, try the indie alternative: Libro.fm. The same audiobooks but your $$ goes to support the independent bookstore you designate. They have subscription plans, or you can just buy one at a time. Bonus: they have a program (called ALC) for teachers and librarians: 20 or so free children’s or YA books available each month.
Awesome. Am wanting an alternative to Audible! Thanks!
Yes! Another vote for Libro over Audible. It makes me happy to support independent bookstores instead of Amazon. You can sign up for a subscription that gives you a credit for one book a month.
I haven’t heard of these books, but if your back-up suggestion is Terry Pratchett, I’m in. I discovered the Discworld (Pratchett) books when my son was reading them, when he was still a kid at home. My husband and I tried to sample what our kids were reading in those days, and the Discworld was my reward 😉
I second the recommendation for the Louise Penny books. And the audiobooks are great (and the french names are pronounced correctly).
My husband and I love the Rivers of London series and wait eagerly for each new audiobook. Kobna Holdbrooke-Smith is a brilliant narrator! Peter Grant, Nightingale and Bev all live in my mind because the writing and narration pair perfectly.
Another fun series is the Lady Sherlock series written by Sherry Thomas and narrated by Kate Reading. Also check out The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club by Theodora Goss and narrated by Kate Reading.
If you’re new to Terry Pratchett, I recommend the Tiffany Aching books, starting with The Wee Free Men. The audiobooks are fantastic—both the new version with multiple voices led by Indira Varma and the older version read by Stephen Briggs. Might be time for a re-listen, since I’m not exactly banging out my Bolin—more like gently tapping.
This is Happiness by Niall Williams. Narrated by Dermot Crowley. Small Irish village in the 1950s, electricity just going in. Characters, descriptions unforgettable.
I love love LOVE the Rivers of London series and also love Kobna Holdbrooke-Smith’s reading on the audiobooks. Recommend very highly!
I happened on to these books on audio from the library. What a happy chance! I completely agree on the voice actor and the nimble weirdness of the books. Love them!
Also recommend the Laurie R. King series about Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.
FYI, there is also an excellent Rivers of London comic series from Titan Comics: https://titan-comics.com/?tag__series=rivers-of-london
I love the Rivers of London series, and am about halfway through. I prefer to read an actual book to listening; my mind wanders if the words aren’t right there in front of me. I have accomplished many miles, er make that kilometres (), of knitting while reading. I also love the Chronicles of St Mary’s series by Jodi Taylor; English setting, hilarious characters, and time travel (although they don’t call it that ). Other than these two series, I love mysteries.
Where do you get your audiobooks?
Public libraries! I listen through an app called Libby.
Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent series
Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder series
Both mysteries from a law enforcement perspective. Love the characters!
I LOVE THESE BOOKS SO MUCH!!! I read all of them and then started on the audio books. There are a few perfect narrators out there and Kobna Holdbrooke-Smith is one of the best.
Knitting with an audiobook is my happy place! I listen through my library on the Libby app. It’s great for car rides with the kids, too.
Some of my favorites:
Fiction
The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, read by Andy Serkis
How to Train Your Dragon, read by David Tennant – this is completely different from the movie, but it is HYSTERICAL.
Anne of Green Gables series
Nonfiction
Immune by Phillip Dettmer – the laugh out loud funny book about the immune system that you didn’t know you needed
Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre – real (crazy) WWII spy history. All his books have been excellent.
Anything written by Candice Millard – little known history including James Garfield, Teddy Roosevelt after he was President, and Winston Churchill before he was PM
i LOVE T. Kingfisher – everything she has written. I’ll check out Rivers of London. thanks!!
Another vote for Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series, 20 some books I think? Mr. Krueger is local to me, great guy, very humble. The books evoke northern Minnesota wonderfully.
I recently started the Commissario Brunetti series by Donna Leon. Also very evocative of a place, Venice. Can be pretty dark, but I found them engaging. I think Ms. Leon has written a book a year for 30 years!
The Bruno, Chief of Police series is set in rural France and very charming.
Ditto Donna Leon books. Been reading/listening to them for years!
Love Maisy Dobbs! and Elly Griffith’s Ruth Galloway series is fabulous. She’s a forensic archaeologist living in a saltmarsh. Finished both -sigh. So the suggestions here are great.
I’m hearing impaired, so I will listen to anything being read by Kate Reading, who is wonderful. Clear, intelligent voice, excellent pacing, and she did the Wheel of Time series.
I also really like Adam Baldwin. He’s an excellent voice actor, so he doesn’t become unintelligible when he reads villains or script calls on him to whisper or something. I wish that all actors who branch off into audiobooks were this adept. He did a couple of books by Larry Correia and some Twilight Zone radioplays on Audible. The Larry Correia ones were hysterically funny. Highly recommend. (Especially for comic book/scifi fans.)
And my husband reminded me, as I was trying to explain Rivers of London (he knows Terry Pratchett well), “It sounds like Alexander MCall Smith and 44 Scotland Street Series, remember the kid who sounds like Poindexter in Fractured Fairy Tales & the Wayback Machine? With his dog, Tofu? Combined with Pratchett.”
I was snorting with laughter. But also, McCall Smith has another great series, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, featuring Precious Ramotswe—Botswana’s leading, and only, female private detective. Excellent stuff.
I dearly love Rivers of London too, and the narration rocks! I alternate audiobooks with podcasts while I work, to keep my Neurodivergent Brain happy. I have three library cards, and all of them linked to my Libby app. Most of my other recent faves have been mentioned here (Maisie Dobbs, Anne McCafferey, LOTR) but I’ve also been listening to the Outlander books, and some non-fiction.
Braiding Sweetgrass (Robin Wall Kimmerer) was interesting, and Midnight in Chernobyl (Adam Higgenbotham) was chilling and fascinating!