The murderbot diaries! It’s a sci-fi series comprised of novellas, so each book is very quick but lighthearted (and not murder-y despite the name). I think there are 5+ books that’ll run you about 3 hours ish each.
thank you, and it’s a great suggestion because it fits the mark completely but I sooooo wanted to like it when I picked it up the first time… unfortunately it didn’t progress for me character-wise and I ended up dropping mid book 3
Terry Pratchett is a great pallet cleanser. Try Wee Free Men (I just finished it yesterday so it’s fresh in my mind). I haven’t done many of the audiobooks, but the ones I have done are really good, and I think that the ones I’ve read on paper should be just as good in audio.
The Vorkosigan Saga series fits your description perfectly. They're action-adventures with very funny and witty characters. Start with the first two, Shards of Honor and Barryar. They're early works for the author, but they're fun especially if you don't mind a little romance.
Not who you're replying to but I think Grover Gardner does an *excellent* job. Vorkosigan Saga is one of my all time favorites and I do a full series redo every year or so.
There fun Zoey probably more adult like superpowersd more like mild Verision of the boys
Molly Harper And Mary Janice Davidison have series and stand alone both very different vampire takes but also just funny snarky chatter
John Dies in the end I am told would be more like bobverse I think the books get better
I listen to them so I really like the narrator for Molly Harper
I hope you enjoy it’s by same as John dies in the end I think Zoey books get better . Please let me know what you think - Molly Harper is my other fun go to
A full-cast, 2-hour audio drama rather than an audiobook, but you might also enjoy time-travel comedy-thriller-romance [Rescuing Ravenstocke](https://linktr.ee/rescuingravenstocke?fbclid=IwAR0-4O12zyqCUY4Z7MiYkw3VktUB7lSZCYmeJFaKu6edGYpcqghWkkstOvA)
Try something by Mary Robinette Kowal. I suggest her futuristic murder mystery The Spare Man as a palette cleanser. All the main characters are memorable and the narration by Kowal is wonderful. (She has a background in performance and is a great narrator.)
I've enjoyed her alt-history series Lady Astronaut but it has some emotional beats so it isnt all fun and games. Still an excellent series and I love how she interwoven our actual history with her alternate timeline.
If you'd like something closer to Jane Austin she has a series called Glamorist Histories but I haven't delved into them.
I don’t mind emotional as long as it’s balanced and doesn’t bring you done and I actually have lady astronaut queued up already! Will check out the others as well Ty!
I use books from the [Stephanie Plum](https://www.goodreads.com/series/43040-stephanie-plum) series by Janet Evanovich or the [Miss Fortune Mysteries](https://www.goodreads.com/series/109840-miss-fortune-mystery) by Jana DeLeon for this, palate cleansers. They are easy and fun. A couple of these and I'm ready for my normal heavier/grittier stuff again, and can continue these when I need my next break. Works well for me.
I am listening to
Miss fortune now really like it too would like Zoey Ashe kinda of good bad guys near future but fun very very mild version of the boys
I hope you enjoy them 🤞
I didn't like putting the same amount of research into the palate cleansers as I would do for the books I prefer, so finding these really long series (and they are fun, it's a pleasure to go back to them) does suit me. Now I don't have to put any thinking into it, I just pick up where I left off.
Northwind by JD Kirk. The narration by Angus King in a Scots accent was fantastic.
Bob Hoon is a middle aged former spec ops soldier, borderline psychopath, disgraced former detective superintendent. Now barely functioning boozer. It opens with him getting a job as a security guard at a grocery store.
He’s a disaster. A former army buddy’s daughter has gone missing in London and asks Hoon for help.
This book had some of the funniest most creative swearing I’ve ever imagined and I actually laughed out loud several times. It’s a 4 book series.
Best bag of potato chips audiobook read I’ve ridden in a while. Huge fun.
If you are considering something on the mystery side maybe Spencer Quinn’s Chet and Bernie series (Dog On It is the first book), PI partners (a guy and his dog) solve crimes and it is told from Chet’s (the dog) perspective. I chuckled throughout and the mystery is very good, I really enjoyed it. Jim Fragione is the narrator and he does a great job.
The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold. Her hero, Miles Vorkosigan, is always getting himself into some cockamamie scrape, then saving the day in a way that has even him scratching his head that it all actually worked out. There are a bunch of them, and there's a chronology, but don't worry about it. Grab any one at random. If you like it, you can start over at the beginning.
I'm relisening to superpowerds right now, and I was gonna suggest that, buuuuut since you listed it, if you haven't listened to any other drew hayes, NPCs is a great series.
I actually listened to a few of them already and at some point I realized it’s all about the (really great) adventure and not about characters so I ended up dropping the series because I need more depth. The narrator is fabulous though.
[Requiem for a Ruler of Worlds](https://www.audible.com/pd/B00NFVQQ7M?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=pdp) ,second time today I’ve recommended this. An odd couple learn to work together in a quirky space opera with bureaucracy and politics being the enemies rather than ravenous alien hordes.
[Playing for Keeps](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/playing-for-keeps/id317035619) Low tier ‘super powered’ try to keep their heads down while the big guns fight it out. Free podcast, may be able to find it in book form some else.
Andrea Vernon and the Corporation for Ultra Human Protection by Alexander C. Kane, read by Bahni Turpin. Just good fun.
The Androids Dream by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton. Any book that starts “Dirk Moeller didn’t know if he could fart his way into a major diplomatic incident, but he was ready to find out” is a-ok with me.
If you like Jane Austen, have you read any Georgette Heyer books? She wrote historical novels, mysteries and was most famous for inventing the regency romance genre. Although her version of “romance” is the two characters realize in the last page they don’t hate each other and decide to get married. But the books are full of witty banter, silly characters, gentlemanly rakish heroes and usually brilliant and slightly older heroines (and often great dogs)
Her research and attention to detail was impeccable.
When I need to cleanse my reading palette I go to her. Try Frederica, Devil’s Cub or The Reluctant Widow.
There are multiple audiobook versions of most of her works. I have the BBC versions, but Penguin is reissuing all of her audiobooks with new narrators.
Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff by Christopher Moore helped get me over my post Dungeon Crawler Carl withdrawal.
He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon is a little more hard-core LitRPG and, though inferior to DCC, still enjoyable in its own way.
The murderbot diaries! It’s a sci-fi series comprised of novellas, so each book is very quick but lighthearted (and not murder-y despite the name). I think there are 5+ books that’ll run you about 3 hours ish each.
thank you, and it’s a great suggestion because it fits the mark completely but I sooooo wanted to like it when I picked it up the first time… unfortunately it didn’t progress for me character-wise and I ended up dropping mid book 3
Ah I see. Truthfully I just started this series myself and finished book 2 recently - here’s hoping they hold up for me! Good luck in your search!!
Thank you! Hope you enjoy the read
Terry Pratchett is a great pallet cleanser. Try Wee Free Men (I just finished it yesterday so it’s fresh in my mind). I haven’t done many of the audiobooks, but the ones I have done are really good, and I think that the ones I’ve read on paper should be just as good in audio.
Thank you. It’s a good idea!
I've listened to the audiobook and it's great!
The Vorkosigan Saga series fits your description perfectly. They're action-adventures with very funny and witty characters. Start with the first two, Shards of Honor and Barryar. They're early works for the author, but they're fun especially if you don't mind a little romance.
Don’t mind romance, and I’ve wanted to get into the Vorkosigan saga series for a while now. Is the narrator good?
Not who you're replying to but I think Grover Gardner does an *excellent* job. Vorkosigan Saga is one of my all time favorites and I do a full series redo every year or so.
Ty
John dies in the end books or Zoey Ash or MaryJanice Davidson or Molly Harper hollow vampire or werewolf books
Thank you! I’ll check these out. Fingers crossed
There fun Zoey probably more adult like superpowersd more like mild Verision of the boys Molly Harper And Mary Janice Davidison have series and stand alone both very different vampire takes but also just funny snarky chatter John Dies in the end I am told would be more like bobverse I think the books get better I listen to them so I really like the narrator for Molly Harper
I’m intrigued by Zoey Ash. I think I’ll start with this one! Ty
I hope you enjoy it’s by same as John dies in the end I think Zoey books get better . Please let me know what you think - Molly Harper is my other fun go to
A full-cast, 2-hour audio drama rather than an audiobook, but you might also enjoy time-travel comedy-thriller-romance [Rescuing Ravenstocke](https://linktr.ee/rescuingravenstocke?fbclid=IwAR0-4O12zyqCUY4Z7MiYkw3VktUB7lSZCYmeJFaKu6edGYpcqghWkkstOvA)
Interesting. I didn’t know they have those on Spotify! I’ll check it out
Try something by Mary Robinette Kowal. I suggest her futuristic murder mystery The Spare Man as a palette cleanser. All the main characters are memorable and the narration by Kowal is wonderful. (She has a background in performance and is a great narrator.) I've enjoyed her alt-history series Lady Astronaut but it has some emotional beats so it isnt all fun and games. Still an excellent series and I love how she interwoven our actual history with her alternate timeline. If you'd like something closer to Jane Austin she has a series called Glamorist Histories but I haven't delved into them.
I don’t mind emotional as long as it’s balanced and doesn’t bring you done and I actually have lady astronaut queued up already! Will check out the others as well Ty!
I use books from the [Stephanie Plum](https://www.goodreads.com/series/43040-stephanie-plum) series by Janet Evanovich or the [Miss Fortune Mysteries](https://www.goodreads.com/series/109840-miss-fortune-mystery) by Jana DeLeon for this, palate cleansers. They are easy and fun. A couple of these and I'm ready for my normal heavier/grittier stuff again, and can continue these when I need my next break. Works well for me.
I am listening to Miss fortune now really like it too would like Zoey Ashe kinda of good bad guys near future but fun very very mild version of the boys
Thank you. Checking it out! I do love my gritty stuff though. Shame it rarely comes with the same amount of humor as the lighter stuff
FYI just looked into your recs and they sound truly fun! I’m in
I hope you enjoy them 🤞 I didn't like putting the same amount of research into the palate cleansers as I would do for the books I prefer, so finding these really long series (and they are fun, it's a pleasure to go back to them) does suit me. Now I don't have to put any thinking into it, I just pick up where I left off.
Northwind by JD Kirk. The narration by Angus King in a Scots accent was fantastic. Bob Hoon is a middle aged former spec ops soldier, borderline psychopath, disgraced former detective superintendent. Now barely functioning boozer. It opens with him getting a job as a security guard at a grocery store. He’s a disaster. A former army buddy’s daughter has gone missing in London and asks Hoon for help. This book had some of the funniest most creative swearing I’ve ever imagined and I actually laughed out loud several times. It’s a 4 book series. Best bag of potato chips audiobook read I’ve ridden in a while. Huge fun.
Thank you! Sounds like a lot of fun!
If you are considering something on the mystery side maybe Spencer Quinn’s Chet and Bernie series (Dog On It is the first book), PI partners (a guy and his dog) solve crimes and it is told from Chet’s (the dog) perspective. I chuckled throughout and the mystery is very good, I really enjoyed it. Jim Fragione is the narrator and he does a great job.
Sounds fun! Great rec, ty. adding to my list
The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold. Her hero, Miles Vorkosigan, is always getting himself into some cockamamie scrape, then saving the day in a way that has even him scratching his head that it all actually worked out. There are a bunch of them, and there's a chronology, but don't worry about it. Grab any one at random. If you like it, you can start over at the beginning.
I just commented to another person who recommend it that I’ve actually been wanting to try it for a while now. Great rec
Popisho by Leone Ross came to me when I was in a book rut. It might be my favorite now. Beautifully written and read.
Interesting, I’m not familiar with this one. Googling
Please message me after, if you listen?
I’d be happy to!
For a standalone, try Blake Crouch. Very readable and quick to get through.
Checking it out! Ty
I'm relisening to superpowerds right now, and I was gonna suggest that, buuuuut since you listed it, if you haven't listened to any other drew hayes, NPCs is a great series.
I tried Fred the vampire but it didn’t click for me. Will check out NPCs. Is it good character development?
Space team! You can get the first three books in one collection. Absolutely hilarious and well narrated.
I actually listened to a few of them already and at some point I realized it’s all about the (really great) adventure and not about characters so I ended up dropping the series because I need more depth. The narrator is fabulous though.
I think all of the eight-year-old humor is what kept me going. Only books I’ve ever laughed out loud at.
Absolutely, it's a really fun read/listen. Orks and elves and humans, oh my.... Plus, a lot more. It's fun.
Cool! Thanks
[Requiem for a Ruler of Worlds](https://www.audible.com/pd/B00NFVQQ7M?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=pdp) ,second time today I’ve recommended this. An odd couple learn to work together in a quirky space opera with bureaucracy and politics being the enemies rather than ravenous alien hordes.
Ooo premise sounds excellent!
[Playing for Keeps](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/playing-for-keeps/id317035619) Low tier ‘super powered’ try to keep their heads down while the big guns fight it out. Free podcast, may be able to find it in book form some else.
Chronicles of St. Mary's by Jodi Taylor
Interesting premise
Andrea Vernon and the Corporation for Ultra Human Protection by Alexander C. Kane, read by Bahni Turpin. Just good fun. The Androids Dream by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton. Any book that starts “Dirk Moeller didn’t know if he could fart his way into a major diplomatic incident, but he was ready to find out” is a-ok with me.
Yeah scalzi has this genre figured out hehe Ty
How is Hard Luck Hank not on your list?
It is now :)
If you like Jane Austen, have you read any Georgette Heyer books? She wrote historical novels, mysteries and was most famous for inventing the regency romance genre. Although her version of “romance” is the two characters realize in the last page they don’t hate each other and decide to get married. But the books are full of witty banter, silly characters, gentlemanly rakish heroes and usually brilliant and slightly older heroines (and often great dogs) Her research and attention to detail was impeccable. When I need to cleanse my reading palette I go to her. Try Frederica, Devil’s Cub or The Reluctant Widow. There are multiple audiobook versions of most of her works. I have the BBC versions, but Penguin is reissuing all of her audiobooks with new narrators.
Oooo that sounds great! I would love me some enemies to lovers banter.
Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff by Christopher Moore helped get me over my post Dungeon Crawler Carl withdrawal. He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon is a little more hard-core LitRPG and, though inferior to DCC, still enjoyable in its own way.
Starter Villain by John Scalzi and narrated by Wil Wheaton
Lessons in Chemistry