We talk with our dear friend Gladys Autry about using books and audiobooks to bring warmth, connection, and joy back into a quieter home. We share narrator tips, light starter picks, and how fiction can make this stage of life feel less lonely while giving you energy to pursue what’s next.

• why audiobooks can soften an empty house and build a reading habit
• narrator and multi-cast tips, with Julia Whelan as a go‑to
• the value of fiction for empathy, imagination and rest
• light, engaging recommendations to restart reading
• time‑split stories and sense of place as “literary travel”
• women authors who write women well versus heavier historical reads
• setting boundaries with thrillers and sleep
• memoirs like Ina Garten’s as models for brave pivots
• parenting adult kids with support instead of control
• practical ways to choose better books and track your reading

You can find Gladys at gladys.autry on Instagram and on The StoryGraph as “glads.” Follow her there to see her top picks! She would love to know what you’re reading!

We want to hear from you! Reach out to us on socials or at [email protected] to share how our conversations are landing with you! xo-Melynda and Jennifer