Monty Don gardening book hailed as 'one of the best' now free for Father's Day
Amazon Audible are offering a 1 month free premium plus trial just in time for Father's Day - and there are plenty of audiobooks that are perfect for dads to listen to
It's that time of the year again when we start pondering over what to gift our dads for Father's Day. Dads are notoriously difficult to shop for, aren't they?
They've probably got all the gardening tools, cycling gear, gaming gadgets and golf equipment they could ever want. Finding a small yet significant present for Father's Day can be quite the task.
Here's an idea your dad might not have considered: an audiobook. Audiobooks are a fantastic way to increase reading time. It's as simple as plugging in headphones and going for a stroll, doing chores around the house or even listening while driving. If you're on the hunt for the perfect Father's Day gift, online audiobook and podcast service Audible is offering a one month free premium plus trial, reports the Mirror. Once the first month is over, it's just £8.99 a month with a plethora of books to choose from.
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This deal coincides perfectly with Father's Day, so it's worth highlighting some of the platform's popular picks for dads. First up, there's Monty Don’s Down to Earth Gardening book, brimming with gardening wisdom straight from Don himself - who is best known as the main presenter of the BBC TV series Gardeners' World - including essential tips, knowledge and musings from his 50 years of gardening experience.
Not only do listeners get to hear Monty’s thoughts and garden ideas around nature, seasons, colour, design, pests and much more, they also hear his actual voice as he narrates the whole book.
If gardening isn’t everyone’s favourite hobby, Don also has another book available on Audible called Nigel: My Family and Other Dogs where he explores what makes us connect with animals so deeply. Speaking about his own dog Nigel, Don tells his story and relates his relationship with other special dogs in his life in a memoir of his dogs past and present.
Perhaps it’s fiction that Dad most enjoys. If so, there are an array of James Patterson books available on Audible. His books very much encapsulate the themes of mystery, thriller and suspense such as The Commuter. This book is about when a woman overhears a murder plot on her morning commute and as she tries to stop it - she ends up getting pulled in deeper than she could have ever imagined.
Another option is Richard Osman’s classic, The Thursday Murder Club, which follows four unlikely friends in a retirement village who meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders - that is until a brutal killing takes place on their own doorstep. It's also about to come to Netflix as a film directed by Chris Columbus, so dads may want to get clued up on the mysteries before the film releases in August.
Audible isn’t the only platform with audiobooks, however. For example, Spotify offers over 250,000 audiobook titles for Premium subscribers to stream every month. Shoppers can enjoy 15 hours of audiobook listening time every month on the platform from sci-fi to romance and everything in between for £11.99 per month. Apple also has audiobooks available through Apple Books, which allows shoppers to buy, find, listen to and read books.
However, the books on Audible have been rated highly, for example Don’s Down to Earth has a 4.9 out of 5 star rating on the platform from a total of 512 reviews. One listener wrote: “One of the best books I have listened to. It’s like he is sitting there in the room with you and so interesting. He has an approach like no other gardener when explaining everything in such a poetic and feeling way…Highly recommended.”
Another said: “Excellent. Instructions are great… Follow the book to a wonderful-looking garden.”
Another listener wrote: “Loved every minute of this book. I think I’m going to listen again right now.”
Despite the majority of excellent reviews, not everyone felt the same way. One person said: “As a not-even-beginner-yet gardener this book was an information overload. This is a book for the intermediate to experienced gardener to get new insights and inspiration.”
Another said: “Wonderful book read in his own charming and inimitable style. The only negative is the occasional speeding up (editor not narrator I suspect) which is very hard to take in at times.”
However, for a whole first month free just in time for Father’s Day, the Audible could be the perfect gift for dads everywhere.