Bards Alley Listens
Hi friends! It's your friendly neighborhood booksellers from Bards Alley Bookshop in Vienna, VA. We're big readers--and big listeners!--and these are some of our favorites.
The Beholder
Beholder: Book #1
By Anna Bright
Narrated by: Emily Rankin
Length: 11 hours 49 minutes
“Sparkles with beauty, intrigue, and romance.”—Kiera Cass, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series
Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match.
But after an excruciatingly public rejection, Selah’s stepmother suggests... Read more »
The Scorpio Races
By Maggie Stiefvater
Narrated by: Steve West & Fiona Hardingham
Length: 12 hours 6 minutes
The Scorpio Races
“One reviewer wrote, "This is a difficult book to sum up," and that is true. All I can say is the story is written with a sense of magic in the air. Stiefvater writes with wonderful description and builds stories with tension that keeps me at the edge of my seat. I have enjoyed Stiefvater's books, both reading and listening to them. If you can't get into reading one, try listening! This is one of the more beautiful stories I've heard. She has created magic with her storytelling! The audio book is a treat to listen to!”
Julia, The Bookloft
Stories I Only Tell My Friends
An Autobiography
By Rob Lowe
Narrated by: Rob Lowe
Length: 9 hours 10 minutes
A wryly funny and surprisingly moving account of an extraordinary life lived almost entirely in the public eye
A teen idol at fifteen, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at twenty, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences as a painfully misunderstood child actor in Ohio uprooted to the wild... Read more »
Persuasion
By Jane Austen
Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
Length: 7 hours 59 minutes
The last novel completed by Jane Austen before her death, Persuasion is often thought to reflect on the author’s own lost love.
Sir Walter Elliot has raised his three daughters with his own sense of haughty pride. Elizabeth, at twenty-eight, has found no one good enough to marry, while Mary has, with some condescension, married the son of the... Read more »
Born to Run
By Bruce Springsteen
Narrated by: Bruce Springsteen
Length: 18 hours 12 minutes
The revelatory and wildly bestselling memoir by legendary rock star Bruce Springsteen: “Glorious…a philosophically rich ramble through a rock ’n roll life…It’s the lyric he was born to write” (USA TODAY, 4 out of 4 stars).
Over the past seven years, Bruce Springsteen has privately devoted himself to writing the story of his life. The result is... Read more »
Once Upon a River
A Novel
By Diane Setterfield & Juliet Stevenson
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
Length: 16 hours 27 minutes
If you enjoyed The Snow Child, then you’ll love Once Upon a River.
“If Dickens wrote suspense this would be it. I enjoyed this meandering tale that is a bit folktale a bit fairytale. A wonderful set of characters, some with hearts that are true as gold. Themes of guilt and many secrets prevail as well as hope and the love for a child. Although the tale flows like the Thames (which has a huge part) there is the undercurrent that “something is going to happen”. This is a story for storytellers. Good if you liked Snow Child and 10,000 Doors of January. The audio is excellent!”
Karin, Bookworm of Edwards
One of Us Is Lying
By Karen M. McManus
Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest, MacLeod Andrews, Shannon McManus & Robbie Daymond
Length: 10 hours 42 minutes
The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.
Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
... Read more »
Soulless
The Parasol Protectorate: Book #1
By Gail Carriger
Narrated by: Emily Gray
Length: 10 hours 48 minutes
Soulless
“Alexia Tarabotti is a spinster and a lady, drinking tea and chaperoning balls in London during the time of Queen Victoria's reign. She also happens to be a preternatural, or soulless being, one of the very few lucky individuals who can take away the power of a supernatural being (such as a vampire or werewolf) simply by her touch. When she accidentally kills a vampire (well, he was trying to drink her blood at the time), she is forced to contend with Lord Maccon, the werewolf leader of both the local pack and the local national office of supernatural investigations. Fans of Jane Austen-ish writing and fantasy forces will love this wicked, and wickedly funny, romp through London, supernatural-style. The subtitle says it all, really: A Novel of Vampires, Werewolves, and Parasols. ”
BrocheAroe, River Dog Book Co.
Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death
The Agatha Raisin Mysteries: Book #1
By M. C. Beaton
Narrated by: Penelope Keith
Length: 6 hours 24 minutes
Putting all her eggs in one basket, Agatha Raisin gives up her successful public-relations firm, sells her London flat, and samples a taste of early retirement in the quiet village of Carsely. Bored, lonely, and used to getting her way, she enters a local baking contest-surely a blue ribbon for the best quiche will make her the toast of the... Read more »
To Kill A Mocking Girl
A Bookbinding Mystery
Bookbinding mysteries
By Harper Kincaid
Narrated by: Renee Dorian
Length: 9 hours 40 minutes
Quinn Victoria Caine is back in her quirky town of Vienna, Virginia, starting her new life as a bookbinder in her family-owned charm-for-days bookshop Prose & Scones. With her trusty German Shephard RBG—Ruff Barker Ginsburg—by her side, what can go wrong? Okay, sure, bumping into her ex Scott or her former high-school nemesis Tricia is a... Read more »
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter: Book #1
By J.K. Rowling
Narrated by: Stephen Fry
Length: 8 hours 43 minutes
"Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'."
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a... Read more »
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
A Sortabiography
By Eric Idle
Narrated by: Eric Idle
Length: 8 hours 12 minutes
From the ingenious comic performer, founding member of Monty Python, and creator of Spamalot, comes an absurdly funny memoir of unparalleled wit and heartfelt candor
We know him best for his unforgettable roles on Monty Python--from the Flying Circus to The Meaning of Life. Now, Eric Idle reflects on the meaning of his own life in this... Read more »
Daisy Jones & The Six
A Novel
By Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrated by: Jennifer Beals, Benjamin Bratt, Judy Greer & Pablo Schreiber
Length: 9 hours 3 minutes
Daisy Jones & The Six
“If you’re a huge audiobook fan like me, you must listen to Daisy Jones & The Six. The book is written as an oral history and is read by an entire cast of top notch readers and actors. I felt like I was listening to an amazing 70s rock & roll documentary, it felt so real that I even looked up the band online to make sure it was truly fiction. This book is about a band’s rise to stardom and everything that comes with it: sex, drugs, rock & roll, smashing of egos, the pain of creativity, and amazing song writing. ”
Shani, East City Bookshop