Tag Archives: audiobook

Review: 52 Times Britain was a Bellend by James Felton

52 Times Britain was a Bellend: The History You Didn’t Get Taught At School by James Felton
My rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
[Audiobook, Narrated by Mathew Baynton]

This book may be short, but it very effectively highlights just some of the many (many, many) times throughout history when Britain and the British were, indeed, complete and utter fecking bellends. It’s told with pointed dark humour, and Mathew Baynton (of Horrible Histories, etc) is the perfect narrator for the tone of the book.

I thought it was pretty accessible as a history book – quite the opposite of dry and dull. The only caveat is that there’s a LOT of swearing, so if you’re not into that, and the title didn’t already give you a clue, best steer clear. Not one for the younger kids either, of course, despite the Horrible Histories link!

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Review: Walking Home by Clare Balding

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Walking Home: My Family and Other Rambles by Clare Balding
My rating: 0.0 out of 5.0 stars
[Audiobook]

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, and having Clare Balding narrating herself was great. It’s a warm, engaging and charming memoir which intersperses anecdotes from her broadcasting career and personal life with the story of the slightly chaotic attempt at a family walk along the Wayfarer’s Walk near the family home.

The stories about the Ramblings radio programme are lovely, as are the anecdotes from her coverage of the Olympics, with lots of behind-the-scenes commentary. It made me grin to hear about Chad’s Dad! I remember watching that during the 2012 Olympics, and it was fun to be reminded of that, and hear Clare’s perspective.

Unusually for me, I think I might actually listen to this again. I was in a bit of a hurry to finish it before my library loan expired, so I didn’t skip back to re-listen to any bits that I was distracted from. I enjoyed this enough that I’d be happy hear it all again without getting bored.

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