“Reading is a passport to countless adventures,” said Mary Pope Osborne (author of the Magic Tree House series), and I’ve some great adventures listening to audiobooks while finishing pet portrait after pet portrait in the studio lately.
From the present day highlands of Scotland, to the fantastical underworld of vampires and witches, to the adorable woodland creatures solving murders in Shady Hollow… these stories have brighten my day while helping me to let go of my ego and finish commissioned pet portrait after pet portrait.
Pushing play on any of these books is just the ticket to your next adventure while you finish your pet portrait painting.
This is the third part in my series Audiobooks to Paint to. If you missed the first posts, click below:
- Part 1:
View more audiobooks and the criteria they need to pass
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Part 2:
Learn how to utilize your audiobooks to create even more
My goal for the last few months has been to pick up the brush even more and I’ve relied on my audiobooks to follow through.
Sometimes painting pet portraits with purpose and intention while holding space for grieving pet parents for more than a couple of hours each day can be challenging. I definitely rely on my audiobooks to stick to it, especially those days when juggling family life with two small children feels too overwhelming.
Listening to audiobooks while you paint is the good kind of escapism that allows us to stop those troubling thoughts and let go of perfection in your art. It can allow you to access the creative world as your picking up your brushes.
Press play on your book and your art
These’s no overarching theme to the latest great audiobooks and fictional adventures I’ve painted to. While most include a strong female lead character, I’ve also had the pleasure of following Sam Heughan’s explorations in Scotland, and Vera, the fox’s detective abilities. These’s something for every one from these lovely books.
Adding an audiobook to your painting practice may help you foster even more happiness as you tap into your creative energies for a more fulfilling life. With a 30-day free trial of Audible you can listen to one of my recommendations for free. Simply grab your brushes and press play on both your book and your art.
I’ve listened to more audiobooks, and these are the ones I feel are the best to paint to.
My favorite audiobooks to paint to:
All Souls Series by Deborah Harkness
Read by Jennifer Ikeda (book 1-3) and Saskia Maarleveld (book 4)
I just finished this series and I can’t wait to listen to it again. I’ve never been drawn to stories of witches and vampires but something drew me to the first book of “The Discovery of Witches”.
This whole series is a page turner with Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a reluctant witch at the center. She discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript. Its reappearance opens up a world of vampires, witches and demons and their fight to survive, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.
There are three books total and then there’s a spinoff with book 4. Each book is at least 20 hours of listening so grab those brushes and get to painting!
Clanlands by Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish
Read by Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish
If you love Outlander and have seen these two actors banter in real life, this is pure joy! Their exploration of Scotland and its rich history to their jokes and fun narration that reads like a script… this is a delight!
Waypoints by Sam Heughan
Read by Sam Heughan
You may enjoy Sam Heughan’s memoir which is also narrated by him. This is an intimate journey as we follow him the Scottish Highlands on a quest for self-discovery. He narrates it with ease and it feels like it’s a dear friend sharing his life with you. I loved his the ups and down of his hike (which is relatable if you’ve ever taken a longer hike) and how he weaved in the stories from his life so far.
The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin
Read by Saskia Maarleveld
Set in World War II, Ava is a librarian at the Library of Congress when she receives an unexpected offer to become an undercover spy in Portugal. Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine runs the printing press of the Resistance. They communicate through coded messages and discover hope in the face of war.
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Read by Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan and Robin Miles
Evelyn Hugo was the Hollywood darling in the 1950s until she stopped acting in the 1980s, all while marrying seven husbands along the way.
Now, in present time, she’s finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life through a biography written by Monique, a writer with a stagnant career and lovelife. Monique is determined to use this opportunity to kick start her career, but will the tragic truth of how their lives intersects make her give it all up?
The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis
Read by Cassandra Campbell
I love a book where you follow two characters who live at the same location but during different time periods. Fiona Davis tells these stories really well, and The Masterpiece is no exception.
We follow Clara, who is teaching art at the lauded Grand Central School of Art in 1928, while trying to achieve every creative success with the Great Depression looming on the horizon.
Fast forward 50 years to Virginia, a recently divorced mother far from the glitzy life she used to lead, who stumbles upon an abandoned art school within the declined Grand Central and discovers an unsigned watercolor piece.
In her quest to find the artist, she’s drawn into the battle to save Grand Central and solve the mystery of the woman named Clara who disappeared from history in 1931.
The Address by Fiona Davis
Read by Saskia Maarleveld, Brittany Pressley
That’s the thread in this interesting story about Sara Smythe, a recent immigrant who becomes the female manager of the Dakota in New York. She’s living her dream life until she starts seeing more of Theodore Campden, the architect of the building.
One hundred years later, Bailey, an interior designer fresh out of rehab, accepts her friend’s offer to renovate her Dakota apartment. In a quest to save the character of the apartment, Bailey starts learning more of Theodore Campden’s vision and discovers why he suffered multiple stab wounds by a woman who spent seven months in an insane asylum – a madwoman named Sara Smythe.
Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis
Read by Karissa Vacker
This book follows the story of two women who both work at the Magnolia Place during different time periods: Lillian who works as a private secretary to the demanding Helen Frick with high stakes and family drama, and Veronica who visits the mansion for a modeling shoot and gets caught in a snowstorm. Their lives are weaved together with hidden messages in the mansion that could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family of New York.
Shady Hollow Series by Juneau Black
Read by Cassandra Campbell
I first heard about this delightful series from TheCottageFairy on youtube. Shady Hollow is a village of woodland creatures where a bit of murder and mayhem suddenly starts to happen. The local reporter, a fox named Vera with a nose for news, is determined to get to the bottom of things and becomes the woodlands version of Miss Marple. Think Midsummer Murders but with adorable woodland creatures. I can’t wait to listen to Cassandra Campbell read the fourth book while I paint.
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
Read by Saskia Maarleveld
Based on a true story, this mother and librarian becomes history’s deadliest female sniper when Hitler invades Russia. We follow her as she finds her power, reluctantly sent to the US as the poster girl to convince the US to support Russia. This is a dark yet empowering story of how a quiet librarian turns into Lady Death.
This isn’t for the painter who is just starting out listening to audiobooks.
The Maid by Nita Prose
Read by Lauren Ambrose
If you’ve read my other posts in this ‘Audiobook to Paint to’ series, it comes as no surprise that I love a good mystery. This is a heartwarming story of Molly who others call a bit odd. She finds sanctuary in her job as a hotel maid while struggling with social skills and misread intentions. One day she finds a hotel guest dead in his bed and she’s quickly caught in a web of deception – and as a suspect. I dare you not to fall in love with Molly as Lauren Ambrose narrates. Think Clue.
xo,
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