Photo: Courtesy of the Retailers We all have a lot of time at home on our hands right now. And while getting a lot “done” during this uncertain period sounds like a great idea in theory, in reality, it’s a lot more difficult to enact — I can’t read a physical book for more than ten minutes without checking my phone for more news. I am certainly not writing King Lear. What I can do is listen. Podcasts are one option, but I’m finding audiobooks especially comforting right now.
With a plucky young heroine, clever animal sidekicks, and a gorgeously wrought multiverse, it’s a totally mesmerizing adventure story about friendship, love, and resilience against a corrupt power. What’s more, its audiobook version is like watching a film in your head: Philip Pullman’s own calming, grandfatherly voice narrates, and a full voice cast is employed for the remaining characters.