#TeamINSYM End Of Year Pt1 Steph's Top AUDIO BOOKS of 2024!

We start our end of year articles with Steph and her top choices of the past 12 months! #WhatAreWeConsuming

Dec 27, 2024

The waning days of 2024 are upon us, so it’s time for #TeamINSYM’s BLOG OF DESTINY to share our thoughts on the previous twelve month’s consumption! The first article up is from STEPH, as she talked about her TOP AUDIO BOOKS FOR 2024!

I’m a wee bit late to the audiobook game, and only started listening last year, so as would be expected, I’m playing a lot of “catch up” with books that were released years prior. When Matt and I started discussing our year in review articles, I went back and looked at how many books I listened to that came out this year, and was surprised by how many were NOT new releases. That being said, I still managed to listen to a few that debuted in 2024, and additionally, listened to quite an impressive amount from the last five years or so (my total number of audiobooks consumed this year stands at 24!)

Taking all that into consideration, I thought it would be best for me to pick TWO favorite audiobooks from 2024, and TWO that I listened to this year that came out in previous years. So without further adieu, here’s my list of favorite audiobooks I experienced in 2024!

TOP TWO AUDIOBOOKS RELEASED IN 2024:

Listen for the Lie (Amy Tintera)

My goodness. This wasn’t just your normal, run of the mill audiobook. This was a full-on production, which incorporated a podcast that plays an integral part of the story. That podcast would come in so seamlessly, that it felt as if I was listening to a complete rendition that could have been on my television. It’s THAT immersive. Not only were the performances stellar, but the story was gripping as well. To read more of my full review, check out our #WhatAreWeConsuming Substack here:

WHAT ARE WE CONSUMING #3 (Featuring Listen For The Lie)

Middle of the Night (Riley Sager)

I’m already a fan of Riley Sager, having listened to a number of his previous books last year. He’s an excellent storyteller who creates characters that will stick with you long after you’re finished. His newest release came out over the Summer of this year, and I just finished listening to it last month. It’s really difficult for me to pick a personal top book of his, because he’s one of my favorite authors, but Middle of the Night is definitely up there for me.

Since I haven’t had the chance to delve into this one via our BLOG OF DESTINY Substack, I’ll take a little more time in writing about this one.

Ethan Marsh (narrated by Santino Fontana) is a man struggling to handle a tragic event of his childhood, when his best friend, Billy, disappeared in the middle of the night when they were having a campout in a tent in Ethan’s backyard. There are few clues to explain what exactly happened to Billy, and as the years go on, Ethan becomes more and more despondent over the guilt and sadness over what happened to his childhood best friend.

When old friends reunite, Ethan is faced with not only trying to unravel the mysteries of that fateful night, but also his complicated emotions in regards to the events that led up to the tragic disappearance of his best friend.

One of the most surprising reasons I loved this book was in how much I would care for Ethan as a character. Though he’s flawed, and dealing with quite a bit of personal demons, he still comes across as likable, relatable, and sympathetic. I found myself rooting for him to have a happy life and come to terms with the grief and trauma he experienced.

The conclusion of this book was not one I was expecting, and was far more emotional than I was prepared for (and I will admit that this story, too, made me shed a few tears while I was running).

Top Two Audiobooks I Listened to this Year (that were produced in previous years)

Sure, these stories weren’t released in 2024, but again, I’m still an audiobook newbie, and I have a long list of books I still need to experience. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give these books a shout-out for making me want to run around the block an extra time or two just to listen to more of the story that was unfolding:

Remarkably Bright Creatures (Shelby Van Pelt, 2022)

Have you ever seen a grown woman running down the road crying? Well, first of all, I hope you haven’t. But secondly, if you happened to be driving in my hometown in the early hours of the morning and saw ME running and crying, I promise you it was for a good reason. Remarkably Bright Creatures grabbed ahold of me in ways I wasn’t expecting. It dug into my soul, rooted deep into my heart, and made me feel things I wasn’t prepared to feel. First of all, two of the main characters are beings I don’t have much in common with: an older woman (much older than myself) and…an octopus. That’s right, Marcellus the octopus is not only one of the central characters in the story, he has his own chapters in his voice. This story is so rich in character development that it made me want to be a better writer. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this is a book that will stay with me my entire life.

To read more of my review, visit our BLOG OF DESTINY Substack here:

Read the REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURE REVIEW HERE!

Never Lie (Freida McFadden 2022)

Um. Woahhhhhh. This book! For those who aren’t aware, McFadden is one of the most successful and popular authors around today. She has MULTIPLE (and by that I mean a LOT) of best sellers, and has a fervent legion of fans who devour anything she writes. She’s also pretty awesome in that she interacts with her fanbase frequently, and even is a member of a Facebook group I belong to and will answer questions from readers from time to time.

Knowing all that, I had to see what all the fuss was about. Not all of her audiobooks are available via the app I use, so I had to take what I could get. When Never Lie became available, I was excited to dive in.

Narrated by Leslie Howard, Never Lie follows newlyweds Tricia and Ethan as they search for the home of their dreams. In the process, they unexpectedly get trapped in one of these prospects during a snowstorm, which just so happens to be the former residence of renowned psychiatrist Dr. Adrienne Hale.

When Tricia happens upon audio transcripts of Dr. Hale’s sessions with her patients, she unknowingly unravels the complicated pieces of a twisted puzzle that kept me guessing right up until the end.

This was a book where I THOUGHT I had it all figured out early on…but oh, I was so very, very wrong. I could never have guessed the climax and ending to this story. So much so, that I remember exactly where I was when it concluded, and how I had to steal myself to decompress what I had actually just heard.

So there you have it - a few of my favorite audiobooks I experienced this year, both old and new. I look forward to diving into more in 2025, and letting you all know what I felt about them!

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We have a few more articles scheduled. Next up will be MATT’s NOTABLE MUSIC of 2024. This leans heavily on metal and more obscure styles, but just know it’s gonna blow your socks right off!

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And don’t forget, we have a KICKSTARTER coming up on January 14th 2025, that we’d love for you to be a part of, for our OWN graphic novel title: HEIRS OF ISILDUR: THE PERILOUS PROSPECTS Part 4! It’s apocalyptic sci-fi set in a steampunk world!

Final quick hits:

MISFITZ CLUBHOUSE will be BACK on WEBTOON CANVAS at the turn of the year. If you haven’t read their short stories, in vertical scroll format, head on over there now! It’s FREE!
Don’t forget that we just started a PATREON account, where you can get some inside scoops, sneak peeks, and more. CHECK OUT OUR PATREON HERE
Get some extra CASH over the holidays burning a hole in your pocket? Lamenting about not getting that cool Insym swag you wanted? Head on over to ONLINE STORE and address these concerns as soon as possible! We gotcha covered!

That’s all for now!

Matt & Steph
#TeamINSYM
www.linktree.com/insymmetrycreations