---
title: "Cal's Best Finds — Is it worth the hours, and is the narrator any good?"
description: "Novels about now, and the ones that get called literary, judged on whether they pull."
url: "https://calsbestfinds.com/category/literary-and-contemporary/"
lang: "en"
image: "https://calsbestfinds.com/og/default.jpg"
---

Category

# Literary & Contemporary

Novels about now, and the ones that get called literary, judged on whether they pull.

## Literary & Contemporary reviews

[Narrator Spotlight](https://calsbestfinds.com/format/narrator-spotlight/)[Literary & Contemporary](https://calsbestfinds.com/category/literary-and-contemporary/)

### [Tim Curry Read Ten of the Thirteen](https://calsbestfinds.com/shelf/tim-curry-narrator-spotlight/)

Tim Curry has died at 80. He gave us Frank-N-Furter, Pennywise and Nigel Thornberry, and he read ten of the thirteen Series of Unfortunate Events audiobooks, 47 hours of the voice that did all of it.

[Full Review](https://calsbestfinds.com/format/full-review/)[Literary & Contemporary](https://calsbestfinds.com/category/literary-and-contemporary/)

### [Great Big Beautiful Life Review: Margaret Is the Reason](https://calsbestfinds.com/shelf/great-big-beautiful-life-review/)

Emily Henry, narrated by Julia Whelan

Two books stapled together, and the historical half is the better one. Whether that suits you decides everything.

Writing

4.0

Narration

4.5

12 hr 3 min

[Narrator Spotlight](https://calsbestfinds.com/format/narrator-spotlight/)[Literary & Contemporary](https://calsbestfinds.com/category/literary-and-contemporary/)

### [Julia Whelan: Two I Have Heard, and What They Tell You](https://calsbestfinds.com/shelf/julia-whelan-narrator-spotlight/)

I have heard two of her recordings all the way through. Here is what they tell you about whether she suits you, and where to start.