4 Perfect Audiobooks to Listen to on the Bus in October

Anne Shirley, our favourite kindred spirit of Green Gables, said:

And I, for one, absolutely feel that. October is my favourite month for many reasons - peak fall foliage, cozy sweater weather and I’m not even ashamed to admit I love me a basic pumpkin spice latte. BUT LET ME TELL YOU, Ladysmith Secondary, about the beauty that is a good fall read. October is prime time for books that are spooky, dark, twisty or set in a cozy (or creepy) castle.

Now I know that lots of Ladysmith students spend a lot of time on busses, coming to and from school. (And I, for one, feel that also - commuting from Nanaimo every day). So today I thought I would round up some of my favourite audiobooks that are just sooo perfectly suited for listening to while driving around amongst crazy beautiful fall foliage on an October morning.

“How do I listen to an audiobook, Mrs. Girard?” you ask. Easy peasy, team. Download the free Audible app onto any device and come see me in the library for the login - then you can download any of these titles (and more) to your heart’s content.

Happy listening, and happy fall, y’all.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Seriously - when in doubt, Harry Potter is a safe bet for pretty much any reading situation. Listening to descriptions of cozy castle life at Hogwarts, the Great Hall at Halloween, crisp Quidditch afternoons - you can’t lose. The audio versions of these perennial classic fantasy novels are so, so good.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

If you love Harry Potter, I think you might like this one too. It just so happens that The Night Circus is narrated by the same gentleman who does the Harry Potter series - so that’s a win, right there. This beautiful novel is set in the late 19th century (1870s-1890s) and follows a magical, travelling circus around beautiful cities all over the world. Drama of two duelling magicians (who happen to be in LOVE), mouth-watering descriptions of caramel corn & carnival snacks AND it all takes place during the month of OCTOBER? This book simply begs to be listened to this month.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

There has been SO MUCH HYPE around the Handmaid’s Tale in the past couple of years - and for good reason. This book is GOOD. If the print book is an absolute page turner, the audiobook will make you wish your bus ride was longer so you could keep listening. The Handmaid’s Tale is set in the not-too-distant future where women (and their bodies) are controlled by the government. This book is spooky and eerie - and believe it or not, Margaret Atwood was interviewed once and said nothing in this book hasn’t occurred before in actual history…

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

No fall reading (or listening) list would be complete without a mention of Agatha Christie. She is the OG mystery queen, and this title is one of her best.

THIS is the world’s best-selling mystery novel. Ten strangers are lured to a deserted island, and then they begin dying, one by one, victims of a disturbingly wide range of murders. They share one thing in common: each has something in their past they would prefer to keep hidden. Who is the murderer, and will any of them survive?

And bonus - if you are a Downton Abbey fan (like moi) you’ll be happy to know that Dan Stevens (a.k.a Matthew Crawley) narrates this one. You are welcome.