One of the best things about our BARD audio books for visually impaired service is the possibility of listening to long series’ that allow book lovers to explore stories and characters in depth over a long period of time. Here are some of our favorite series’ that will keep you enthralled for weeks or more!
For help getting started with BARD, please email rwstrege@brailleinstitute.org or call (323) 906-3154.
1.) Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels
Over the past decade, no other series of literature captured the world’s attention like Elena Ferrante’s four novels about the lifelong friendship between two women from Italy. As children in a rough neighborhood in Naples in the early 1950s, Elena Greco and Rafaella Cerrulo form a powerful bond that carries them into adulthood and through the turbulent postwar years.
Believe it or not, Elena Ferrante is a pseudonym for an anonymous author. Despite fame and worldwide literary acclaim, the writer has managed to keep her (or his) real identity a secret!
The first three books of the series, My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, and Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay are available as one audio book with the number DB 80509. The fourth and final book, The Story of the Lost Child, is DB 83565.
2.) Robert Caro’s The Years of Lyndon Johnson
One of the great historical projects of our lifetime, Robert Caro’s multi-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson is astonishing in its depth and detail. Anyone who has an interest in 20th Century American history should listen to the full story about LBJ’s life, his work, and his bottomless and ruthless ambition.
For his work, Caro has won nearly every literary award there is to win – many of them more than once! A fifth and final book is forthcoming, hopefully in just a few years.
In order, the four books in the series are:
The Path to Power DB18676
Means of Ascent DB 30837
Master of the Senate DB 54174
The Passage of Power DB 74635
3.) Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell Trilogy
Mantel’s first two books in the series, Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies, both won the Man Booker Prize. They follow the rise to power of Thomas Cromwell, the cunning and manipulative chief advisor to King Henry VIII. Mantel brings the dramatic and bloody story of the early-16th Century to life in a way that has captivated readers all around the world, including many who had no interest in English history!
The final book in the trilogy, The Mirror and the Light, will be available on BARD soon.
Wolf Hall DB 70074
Bring Up the Bodies DB 74880
4.) John Le Carre’s Karla Trilogy
Over three novels, John Le Carre permanently redefined the entire genre of spy fiction. His flawed hero, George Smiley, is often described as the “anti-James Bond.” Smiley is subdued, damaged, and even a bit grim. His decades-long fight against the Soviet Union, and against his Russian nemesis Karla, exacts a heavy emotional toll on everyone involved.
Le Carre has written numerous international bestsellers, but the three books that make up the Karla Trilogy are almost certainly his best.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy DB 38219
The Honourable Schoolboy DB 10835
Smiley’s People DB 15082
5.) Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels
While technically not a series (each book can be enjoyed on its own), Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels put an entirely new spin on the worn-out Private Investigator genre. Her hero’s darkly comic misadventures put him in close contact with a wide variety of hapless characters in uncomfortable situations.
Atkinson’s sharp writing and humane treatment of difficult people make these audio books essential listening, and not only for fans of detective stories.
Case Histories DB 64391
One Good Turn DB 64403
When Will There Be Good News? DB 67882
Started Early, Took My Dog DB 73224
Big Sky DB 95493
