Top 10 Downloads 2021
Happy New Year to all our members!
Many of you were avid listeners last year, borrowing over 100,000 audiobooks! You listened your way through lockdowns, journeys, sleepless nights and busy days - but what were the titles you favoured the most? Without further ado, we present to you: the Top Ten Downloads of 2021.
10. The Open House
Just making it into the top 10 is this compelling listen by Sam Carrington, in which 13 people attend an open house event, but only 12 leave. This title was a big favourite among all you lovers of psychological thrillers, with twists, turns and secrets aplenty that made you keep coming back for more.
9. The Family Upstairs
Another psychological thriller by Lisa Jewell explores a house with the darkest of secrets, including a baby who is kept fed and well, even though everyone in the house lies dead downstairs. Who has been looking after the baby? And where have they gone? It seems you felt compelled to find out!
8. Dune
Many of you devoured Frank Herbert’s classic last year, particularly after the release of its most recent cinematic adaptation in October. Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who becomes the mysterious man known as Maud'dib. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, it is arguably the grandest epic in science fiction.
7. Cold Mourning
Coming in at number 7 is the first of Brenda Chapman’s Stonechild and Rouleau mystery series. Kala Stonechild, a new police recruit, must search for a wealthy businessman, who has disappeared a week before Christmas with more than enough people wanting him dead. Hundreds of you were gripped by this tale of old betrayals and complicated family relationships, which brutally collide when love turns to hate and murder stalks a family.
6. The World’s Worst Parents
Sure, some parents are embarrassing – but they're NOTHING on those that can be found in this book by bestselling author David Walliams. These ten tales of the world's most spectacularly silly mums and deliriously daft dads left your little ones rocking with laughter all year long.
5. Perfect Remains
Kicking off our top 5 is Helen Fields’ first DI Callanach book, in which a missing persons case is escalated into a murder investigation. Many of you raced through this book to keep up with Callanach’s fast-paced pursuit to discover the real fate of the women abducted by a mystery perpetrator.
4. The Guest List
It’s not hard to figure out why Lucy Foley’s bestseller was listened to so many times last year. With a remote island, a lavish wedding, a raging storm and not only a mystery killer, but a mystery victim too, hundreds of you listened with bated breath to this enthralling thriller.
3. The Duke and I
Unsurprisingly, Julia Quinn’s first Bridgerton book was immensely popular after its Netflix adaptation caused a sensation at the end of 2020. Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton, in a plan to keep himself free from the town's marriage-minded society mothers. Can Daphne keep herself from losing her heart and soul completely to the handsome hell-raiser?
2. The Midnight Library
This bestseller by Matt Haig was a huge favourite of yours last year for its relatable and life-affirming storytelling. When Nora hits rock-bottom, she finds a library between life and death where she gets to try all the other lives she could have had.The Midnight Library is about finding hope, playing chess, dumping regrets and picking the right people around you.
1. Harry Potter
Yes, your most listened-to books of 2021 were J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter titles - all 7 of them! These classics, beloved by children and adults alike, are both exciting and familiar, magical and sincere, which is why so many of you return to them as a comfort listen time after time.
How many of these titles did you listen to last year? Are there any others that you think deserved to make the list? Let us know in the comments or click here to Tweet us!
Author: Emily Pye
