Make the listeners in your life happy with these great gifts
It’s that time again! The snow has started to fall across Canada and that means gift-giving season is upon us.
To help get you ready for the holiday season, we’re looking at gifts that give the experience of listening. From podcasts to audiobooks to lecture series, this list will help you find the perfect gifts for those loved ones who can always be found wearing their headphones, or maybe for those who are looking for something different to stay entertained at home.
There’s nothing better on a cold winter morning than cozying up and tuning in to a new episode of a great podcast or picking up where you left off on a long listen. Listening gets us pumped up for the day, comforts us when the cold bites a little too hard and provides the company of a familiar voice when you start to feel those winter blues.
Hopefully these gift ideas will put you on the right track and bring joy to the listener in your life this holiday season! And for a more extensive list of recommendations, check out our audiobook gift guide where you can find titles for listeners of all tastes.
Find Good Company in Great Podcasts
People listen to podcasts for plenty of different reasons. They tell engaging stories, drawing listeners into the conversation or hooking them with intriguing characters. They also provide company, especially when you hear the right narrator behind the mic. Their episodic format also makes them the ideal bite-sized listen for busy people – you can tune in whenever you have a chance!
Audible offers tons of exclusive podcasts that you won’t find anywhere else, including our recently launched series of Canadian Audible Originals. These Canadian stories feature Canadian creators: actors, activists, writers, entrepreneurs and more. In True North Heists, actor and true-crime buff Colm Feore tells the stories of Canada’s most legendary train, bank and jewelry robbers. In Wild Sounds of Canada with Sarika Cullis-Suzuki, you’re treated to an audio experience like no other, immersed in the natural soundscape of Canada from the Yukon to Newfoundland. These and more are free for members!
Sometimes, a great podcast feels like catching up with an old friend. Listening feels like getting lost in a chat that you never want to end.
Intrigue a Curious Mind
Do you know someone who just devours knowledge? Some people were born to be constant learners, forever adding to their repertoire of facts. The naturally curious are always looking for something new to sink their teeth into. For them, we recommend The Great Courses, a series of courses and lectures on a huge range of topics. From technology to linguistics to life itself, The Great Courses is sure to have something that will entice the curiosity of the tireless student you know.
Know someone who loves the CBC Massey Lectures? They’ve been a great source of intellectual thinking since 1961, featuring remarkable artists, linguists, philosophers, journalists and more delivering a short series of lectures on a given topic. Many notable Massey Lecturers of the past have their works on Audible, such as 2018’s lecturer Tanya Talaga. You can listen to her new Canadian Audible Original, Seven Truths, in which she takes listeners on a journey to learn about the Seven Grandfather Teachings handed down through generations by Anishinaabe elders.
There’s a wealth of knowledge to be gained through listening, and Audible has more than just the best audiobooks of the year. Check out our selection for tons of podcasts and courses full of practical knowledge, philosophical lectures and more.
All the Audiobooks They Could Ever Ask For
Want to send someone an audiobook online as a gift? It’s easy. If they’re not already signed up, you can purchase a subscription to Audible as a gift which comes with a credit each month. Even if they’re already a member, they still get their gift credits, meaning their choice of audiobooks. You can also purchase audiobooks and send them to a loved one’s account when you use the “Give as a gift” option.
While you’re at it, treat yourself to some new listening material. There’s never been a better time to try Audible. From December 1 to December 29, you get two free audiobooks when you sign up for a membership.
Need some recommendations? Start with an award-winner. The winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys. It’s the story of Elwood Curtis, who is unfairly sent to the Nickel Academy, a Jim Crow-era reformatory in Tallahassee, Florida. Only through his friendship with a fellow inmate, the much more cynical, world-weary Turner, does Elwood learn how to survive the reformatory’s horrors.
If real-world horror isn’t their thing, but worlds of suspense, mystery and conspiracy are, Lisa Jewell’s The Family Upstairs could be the perfect stocking stuffer. The secrets of a rambling old mansion in London’s posh Chelsea neighbourhood begin to unfold when 25-year-old Libby discovers she’s the sole inheritor of the mysterious mansion – where she was discovered as a baby at the scene of a triple murder. Want more suspenseful recommendations? Find the 30 perfect gifts for the horror fan in your family.
For some Canadian award-winning fiction, look no further than the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner, Souvankham Thammavongsa’s How to Pronounce Knife. This collection of short stories is finely crafted with Thammavongsa’s signature ear for beautiful prose and poignant moments. It features a cast of characters finding their ways in places far from home while getting through the grunt work of everyday life. With its recent Scotiabank Giller Prize win, How to Pronounce Knife will soon be one of the most in-demand titles in Canada.
Know someone who loves the work of Ali Wong, comedian and lead actor in Always Be My Maybe? Or someone who might appreciate her hilarious and honest memoir, where she shares the wisdom she’s gained from a life in comedy? Wong’s Dear Girls takes the form of letters to her two daughters, in which she dives into her childhood in San Francisco, her wars with her parents, the single life in New York City and reconnecting with her roots in Vietnam. Dear Girls will be a welcome reprieve for anyone who appreciates a hearty dose of sentiment cut with a strong blend of comedy.
For the fantasy fan, don’t miss Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. It’s an epic tale about an oppressed people whose magic has been stolen and the adventure of would-be diviner Zélie as she attempts to bring it back. Taking its inspiration from West African mythology the way many fantasy classics have leaned on medieval European history, Children of Blood and Bone brings some much-needed diversity to the fantasy genre.
The Holidays Are the Perfect Time to Listen
With people taking time off to relax and truly enjoy some time at home, it’s the perfect occasion to get lost in a brand-new audiobook or podcast. As the snow falls, everyone wants to cozy up and immerse themselves in a great story. With the gift of Audible, they’ll have access to the best audiobooks, podcasts and original audio entertainment to keep them company through the holidays.
Got a great gift recommendation? Let everyone know by getting in touch on Facebook and sharing your perfect gift ideas with us.
