What Are You Listening to Now? Part 14

The last thread seemed to be getting a little unwieldy and taking awhile to load, so thought I'd start a new one.

I'm still listening to Under the Dome (disc 20 out of 30) and really hooked. Next up: either Doctorow's The March, One Step Behind by Henning Mankell, or Sacre Bleu by Chris Moore.

I really enjoyed The March but was sadly disappointed in Sacre Bleu. It was my first Chris Moore; I think his work is probably just not to my taste.

I'm listening to Dickens' Hard Times read by Martin Jarvis. I love all of his different accents and voices.

For fans of YA, I'm in the middle of A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively, read by Sian Phillips (Livia from the TV production of 'I, Claudius'). Bailed on the most recent Sue Grafton offering V is for Vengence, which I think I'd rather skim as a print book.

i'm listening to a bunch:

from audible.com

Middlemarch narrated wonderfully by Juliet Stevenson who's in my list of nominees for La Divina of audiobook narrators. also in the running at the moment are Hope Davis and Lisette Lecat. i haven't started a list for La Stupenda of audiobook narrators yet. someone like Barbara Rosenblatt, probably, though i don't actually listen to her that often.

Hard magic narrated by Bronson Pinchot. i'm not sure about the book yet. i got it b/c of Pinchot who amuses me.

Mistress of the art of death narrated by Rosalyn Landor, who's quite good. i don't really do well with child abuse, let alone extreme abuse, and would normally have Pearl-ruled it already. i'm sticking with it, though, b/c i'm interested in the characters, story and time period, if a bit undone by the sordid details.

from NLS

The girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making--what an amazing book. it's narrated quite well by Valente herself. can't recommend this highly enough although i'd prefer to read it in print (no LP available, sadly) because i keep wanting to read passages over and over. just a delight.

still reading the hare with amber eyes with a very good narrator--can't remember the name. what an excellent book.

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet for comic relief set in the Cotswolds with pretty good writing and a good narrator. nice and cozy. mysterious deaths and no gore.

have also dipped an ear into Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory but i may have to switch to the audible version with John Lee if i decide to get into it seriously.

Mirrordrum, I was listening to Hard Magic too, because my husband really liked it. I had to take a break from it because everyone in it (at least at the beginning) was just so nasty. I may come back and give it another shot.

I just finished listening to Agent To the Stars by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton. It was a goofy story, but it was cleverly told and very funny.

Listening to Ender's Game. It's been on my TBR list for a long time.

>5 mirrordrum:

I second your recommendation of the girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making. It is quite a tour de force, and has an interesting publishing story, as well.

Also really liked Operation Mincemeat.

I just started The Other Wes Moore and I find it compelling, and very well done. It's read by the author.

Just finished The Gate House by Nelson DeMille. Witty,engaging sequel that reunites the characters from The Gold Coast.

Recently started The Swan Thieves. Multiple readers take some getting used to but Treat Williams and Anne Heche are actually quite good.

I'm listening to Jeremy Irons read Brideshead Revisited. It's really more of a performance and is wonderful!

Currently listening to The Final Solution by Michael Chabon, read by Michael Yorke. He does an incredible job, as usual.

>11 Copperskye: Everybody should have Jeremy Irons narrating their lives. That is one of my all time favorite audiobooks!

>8 2wonderY: thanks for the recommendation of Operation mincemeat, 2wondery. i really can't be going on with the NLS narrator so may choose to buy it from audible.com.

>11 Copperskye:, 13 interesting fellow, Jeremy Irons. wonderful narration. i too loved the book and he was perfect. interestingly enough, i just got 'Brideshead Revisited' from netflix so i could cast an eye on him in the role.

I'm planning on starting Rules of Civility soon, but am concerned about the mixed reviews I've seen.

Yes, Jeremy Irons reading to me...ahhh.

Glad to hear more positive reviews of Operation Mincemeat! It's been on my list for a while.

I've just started How Children Succeed by Paul Tough.

I started listening to Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse, read by the actor Peter Weller. I think it's one of those cases were the reading is more interesting than the novel. Too early to say though.

I'm really enjoying Beastly by Alex Flinn, probably because I have always been partial to fairy tales. Essentially, this is Beauty and the Beast updated and moved to an exclusive school in NYC to appeal to the modern teenager.

I am listening to The Ruby Ring by, Diane Haeger Elizabeth Wiley's narration is good if a bit over the top at times.

Finished The Ruby Ring: A Novel by, Diane Haeger narrated by, Elizabeth Wiley ended up liking this book overall.

Now listening to The Orchardist by, Amanda Coplin narrated by, Mark Bramhall I've heard good things about this one.

Just started Blackout by Connie Willis, loving it so far!

Just finished being enveloped in the warm hug of Gwen Watford, who read The School at Thrush Green. Thanks Ellie for recommending this wonderful narrator to me!

Finished Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre, story of Eddie Chapman, double agent for the Nazis and the British. I really liked it, now I'm reading The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters, narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.

bailed on Mistress of the art of death with 48 minutes left. just way too much abuse of children and animals and too many details about it. Rosalyn Landor did a good job with the narration but jeez. nothing in the story requires the kinds of things Franklin gets into or off on. i continued with it b/c two readers whose opinions i generally respect liked it a bunch. i can't recommend it either as a mystery or as an historical novel though i'm far in the minority.

got about 5 hrs left in Hard Magic. it's sort of like listening to a graphic novel. the whole thing is a welter of blood and body parts paired with weird magic but it's more like a send-up than anything. i'm still enjoying Bronson Pinchot, so he's keeping me with it.

have started the NLS recording of A Share in Death, the first of Deborah Crombie's Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James mysteries and enjoying it immensely.

still also reading Middlemarch, Hare with amber eyes, and Girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making.

Heya:

Is there an audio edition of Girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making, or should it be read because of the illustrations?

There is an audio version, although I read the hard copy. It's read by the author, so you might want to listen to the sample on audible.com and see if you like her voice. I found her hard to listen to, but I didn't listen to very much of it.

I'm currently on a BOT version of Leaves of Grass. I'm really tolerant of readers, but this guy's horrible!

>26 Sile: Sile, The girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making is well narrated by Valente but audible.co.uk doesn't have it (yet?). if you can, though, i'd say read it in print. this is not for the illustrations, i don't know that there are any except for the main image of the Wyverary A-Through-L (half Wyvern, half Library), but to get the most out of the delightful text. i'd love to be able to reread bits and pieces as i go along.

i finished The hare with amber eyes yesterday. what an amazing book and what a fine NLS narrator is Mark Ashby. the German, French, and Japanese phrases came out without a hitch and sounded fine to someone who doesn't speak any of these languages, tho i did study German and have listened to a lot of French. i really kept forgetting that it wasn't de Waal himself talking. thanks for the recommendation, Anne.

started Ambrose's Band of brothers immediately as i always like to have a non-fiction book going on each of my players.

Just starting The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan. A good reader, though I'll be much happier when we get past the background. He pronounces bison with a z sound and it's slightly grating on me (but presumably won't be said at all after this first bit).

Had a wonderful listening experience with Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri series, The Case of the Man who Died Laughing, The Case of the Missing Servant and The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken narrated by Sam Dastor. Dastor does an excellent job speaking Hinglish (English, Hindi style) and uses lots of different accents. Most enjoyable.

I've finished Bath tangle by Georgette Heyer and, although it raised my spirits when I was feeling down because of my cold, I was a bit disappointed both in the book and in the narration. I've listened to several Georgette Heyer audiobooks and this is the third different narrator so far. Sian Phillips has a mature voice (she is of mature years) and the two heroines were in their early or mid-twenties but I kept envisaging them as much older. The rest of the characters were fine but I think it's more important for the main characters to be right. She also over-performed the reading. Georgette Heyer's plots verge on the absurd, even ridiculous, and often a calmer, matter-of-fact tone counterpoints the absurdity better. Having said that the primary hero and heroine always argued when they met so it would be difficult to convey that in a calm voice. The plot was as convoluted as ever but all was properly sorted by the end. I think I liked the secondary characters more than the four main ones.

Now I'm back with A Tale of Two Cities and the wonderful Anton Lesser.

Just starting Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee. Reader is mediocre, but not really annoying.

Stuff was really interesting and well-written/researched! Now I'm listening to Mrs. McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie so I have something to really enjoy in case my early reviewer book isn't very good.

Listening to Hugh Fraser reading The Murder on the Links.

I am listening to The Secret Keeper by, Kate Morton narrated by the wonderful Caroline Lee so good I don't want to stop listening!

have added Song of Achilles to my list of current books. not as impressed as other folks but it's alright. i was expecting Mary Renault, which was both fatuous and unfair to Madeline Miller.

I'm listening to True Compass by Edward M Kennedy. It is jam packed with history and information about the Kennedys. I'm enjoying it.

Just starting George, Nicholas, and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I by Miranda Carter.

The Thirty-Nine Steps (librivox). I'm only in the first chapter but so far seems different from the Hitchcock movie. Great reader but anti-Semitic content is kind of shocking though.

How do you make the book title appear blue? (typing this on an iPad)

#41 Susan:

You link to book titles, by enclosing them in square brackets , (The Casual Vacancy) and then selecting the correct book from the touchstone list on the right of the box in which you are typing. Double square brackets does the same for authors, e.g. J. K. Rowling. I hope that's clear, and it helps.

http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/Touchstones

I finished The Secret Keeper by, Kate Morton narrated by, Caroline Lee and thought it was fantastic!

Now listening to The Art Forger by, B.A. Shapiro narrated by, Xe Sands

After 2 of 12 hours, I just decided to bail on The 100 Year Old Man (who climbed out of the window and disappeared) -- writing seemed okay, and great narration, but I just couldn't get into the story. Anyone else have trouble with it?

Began American Gods by Neil Gaiman read by George Guidall. So far very entertaining.

I've just finished listening to Neil Gaiman's delightful, scary, short story "Click-Clack the Rattlebag", which is currently free to download - all money to charity. A great story for Halloween.

Thanks, Sile. Unfortunately, I tried to download it from Audible ~ what a nightmare! It appears I won't be listening to it unless I can find a copy at my local public library.

Now listening to When You Are Engulfed in Flames read by the loveable , familiar voice of its author David Sedaris. Incidentally, just learned today that the interesting and modern-looking cover art, which shows a skeleton smoking a hand-rolled cigarette, is a detail from a Van Gogh painting.

Just started Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman. Not sure if I'll continue with it, as it's read by the author and he's really not a good reader.

Am half way done with The Cutting Season by, Attica Locke narrated by,Quincy Tyler Bernstine I'm very impressed with her narration.

I've just finished A Tale of Two Cities read by Anton Lesser. I don't think I would have managed to finish this in print without the marvellous reading. I'm about to start another Miss Read book - Tylers Row. I think I need some more comfort reading.

Just starting Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber. It's read by Grover Gardner who I like for non-fiction.

Currently listening to Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan.

Am listening to The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory in the car. I love the reader. No time to read anything otherwise (except for research purposes) as I'm doing NaNoWriMo again this November.

I just finished The Cutting Season by, Attica Locke narrated by, Quincy Tyler Bernstine I must admit to not liking this one as much as others, I think it was the lead character that maybe turned me off she wasn't very likable and I think this book would have worked better if she had been. That's just my opinion it wasn't a bad book I gave it 3 stars which means-Good Book but some things didn't connect with me.

Now re-reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by, Mark Haddon narrated by, Jeff Woodman for bookclub read it last in 2009 too far away to remember enough for discussion.

I really enjoyed listening to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time!

I am listening to The Time Keeper by, Mitch Albom narrated by, Dan Stevens this is so good! The narration is absolutely fabulous!! And I'm really liking the story too!

I am listening to Violets of March by Sarah Jio

I'm really getting into Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana read by Simon Prebble (not the edition available at Audible - this is a library book).

reminder to self: read another Graham Greene soon. i've only read 2 but The Power and the Glory was extraordinary!

still reading Middlemarch and The girl who circumnavigated fairyland. also reading Christie's A Caribbean mystery, a silly steampunk entitled Phoenix rising by Pip Ballantine, and Band of brothers.

I finished The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters, narrated by Barbara Rosenblat, and am now listening to The Prophet by Amanda Stevens.

I've just finished Tyler's Row, another Miss Read Fairacre story read by Gwen Watford. It's a story I've read in print many times and I enjoyed this reading most of the time but there is something about Gwen Watford's reading style that I don't like. She breaks the sentences into very small parts with just-too-long gaps between each clause. It doesn't notice all the time but it catches my attention often enough to distract me. She also pronounces the name 'Diana' differently from me!

I've started Black Ships before Troy, read by Robert Glenister, and it's great - story and reader.

>not like Gwen Watford? *gasp* that's heresy. ellie want, ellie want! not, however, available on audible.com. bah! first heresy then a failure to fulfill my slightest whim.

finished Phoenix rising. *yawn* now i'm thinkin', mmmmm, maybe Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. must also finish Middlemarch so i can listen to Alan Rickman reading Return of the native.

#63 I got mine from audible.co.uk, and in some ways I do like Gwen Watford very much. Perhaps it's also that I know these books very well, so I know what to expect and I'm not getting what I expect!

I Loved The Time Keeper by, Mitch Albom narrated by Dan Stevens if you are thinking of reading this book I highly highly recommend the audio version of this one!!

I am now listening to Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by, Matthew Green narrated by, Matthew Brown

>64 CDVicarage: oh. for some reason, USers can't buy from audible UK. bah!

interesting about Watford. would you care to say what you expected and didn't get? i know the feeling well and respect it. i felt that way abt the movie version of the LotR trilogy, as impressive as it was in many respects and there are books that i can't do in audio or have had to work very hard to enjoy in audio. i was fortunate in Rob Inglis for the audio version of LotR. he did an exceptional job, imo, with singing and everything.

anyway, i'm just curious if you'd be willing to elaborate.

eta: >65 susiesharp: Susie, thanks for mentioning Dan Stevens. i just checked out Time Keepers, which sounds intriguing, and listened to the clip. he's a stunner. high marks from audiofile for his work on this as well.

#66 Yes, I loved Rob Inglis's readings of The Hobbit and LOTR.

You've got me thinking about why and what I like about audiobooks. I think the most important aspect is the reader. When I first started to listen it was of books that I had previously read in print as I wondered if I would be able to follow an unknown story without the words before my eyes. My first books were the Jane Austen novels, which I know very well, read by Juliet Stevenson. However once I got going I ventured into the unknown with I Capture the Castle and then Dickens. Having enjoyed Anton Lesser's reading of some Dickens and the Sally Lockhart Tetralogy, I even chose books that he reads that I would never have chosen in print: The Riddle of the Sands ticks all the boxes of 'What I Do Not Like To Read' and I loved it. Other favourite readers are Prunella Scales, Timothy West (I'm going through The Barchester Chronicles at the moment) and Phyllida Nash (especially for Georgette Heyer). I always listen to the sample before making my choice from Audible; I'm less fussy about books I borrow from the library as they are free so no loss if I can't stand to listen after all!

I think the Miss Read books suffer (for me) in that there are so many different readers anyway, so no standard 'voice' for the characters and, although I've quite liked some of the other readers, they are still not the way I 'hear' the books when I read the print versions. (I listened to, and loved, Wolf Hall recently and was looking forward to an audio version of Bring up the bodies, but there's a different reader and I don't think I can cope with different voices for all the characters that I got to know so well.) Gwen Watford doesn't really do very distinctive voices for the characters, not, in itself, a problem as the text makes it clear who is speaking, but I realised that I did have voices for them in my head, prompted, I think, by the illustrations by John Goodall from my print versions. He has done all the books (and Thrush Green, too) so there is consistency throughout the series. The 'educated' characters sounded too posh, although in the 50's they probably did sound like that, rather than just properly-spoken as they would today.

There, probably rather more than you wanted to know! And I think it all comes down to something that I can't quite put my finger on anyway - that it just doesn't sound like it does in my head - but I've enjoyed thinking about it.

67> I couldn't agree with you more that the reader is SOOOO important! I've jumped on a few books I was really excited about without listening to the audible sample that were disastrous. I've learned who I like and don't like, and to be sure to review the sample. One of the worst I experienced was Karleen Koen's last novel, Before Versailles. I really enjoyed her earlier trilogy and was eager to listen to this one, about Louis XIV. It was awful. The reader had a snide, sarcastic voice that was more appropriate for hardboiled crime novels than the elegant French court. Another one that drove me crazy was Jennifer Ehle, who was so wonderful as Lizzie in Pride & Prejudice. Her reading of The Wolves of Andover was so slow and precise that it was boring as well as irritating--she pronounced every "a" as a long a and every "the" as "thee." I also find Barbara Rosenblatt's style very annoying.

My all-time favorite reader is Samuel West. I also enjoy Alan Rickman, Juliet Stevenson, Timothy West, Rosalyn Landor, Colin Firth, Sam Dastor, Stephen Rea, Simon Vance, and John Lee (who does a multitude of wonderful accents). David Case has a voice that could be really irritating, but it's perfect for The Forsyte Saga.

Samuel West is TERRIFIC - I cannot recommend his reading of Beryl Bainbridge's story Injury Time high enough!!

69> He is also wonderful reading Birdsong, The Woodlanders, Realms of Gold (and any other poetry collection), and Wuthering Heights. I was totally charmed by the sample of him reading The Velveteen Rabbit, too!

I don't think I've heard Samuel West read any books, though I've seen him act, but Timothy West and Prunella Scales are two of my favourite readers. Do you think that the Wests read together at family gatherings?

I have West's recording of Trollope's The Eustace Diamonds on my To-Listen pile.

71> Wouldn't that be just lovely?

Starting The Gun Seller today.

I am almost finished with Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by, Matthew Dicks narrated by, Matthew Brown and I just have to say I have so loved this book! I have fallen in love with Budo and Max I don't want this story to end, I do believe I will have a massive book hangover after this one, it will be hard to start something new!

I'm about halfway through The Science of Discworld.

I've finished Black Ships before Troy and gone straight on to The Wanderings of Odysseus. They are children's versions of the Iliad and the Odyssey, so not very long, and beautifully read by Robert Glenister.

I'm starting to think about my Christmas reading and listening. Anton Lesser reading A Christmas Carol (of course) and A Child's Christmas in Wales are annual treats. I also have some Christmas Just William stories, read by Martin Jarvis. Does anyone have any recommendations? My Audible credit falls due on 23rd of the month so that would be good timing for a Christmas book.

I finished The Prophet by Amanda Stevens excellently narrated by Khristine Hvam. Now I am listening to A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen.

Well, I've finished Tom Baker Reads A Christmas Carol , and have today started Peter Hoeg's The Quiet Girl which is supposed to be a weird mix of clowns, mystery and science fiction from the author of Smilla's Sense of Snow.

>76 mabith: how does Science of discworld work in audio, Mabith? i've looked at it longingly in print but it never occurred to me it'd be in audio format.

>77 CDVicarage: Kerry, i've got Caroline Alexander's The war that killed Achilles in my tbh queueueueue. (it's like bananaanana and mississississippi. one scarcely knows when to stop.) we seem to be having a Trojan War era fest around here.

two of my seasonal reads are the same as yours though i sometimes listen to the Basil Rathbone dramatized, abridged version of Christmas Carol that i listened to as a child on scratched 33-1/3 rpm records.

for years i've gone around quoting it to the confusion of all and then a few years ago, much to my everlasting joy, i found it free online. then the next thing i knew, it was no longer free but available from audible.com in the US. if you're interested in hearing Basil Rathbone's rendition of Scrooge, you can hear a snippet here.

as for a full-length recording, i'm torn between Jim Dale and, surprisingly, Simon Vance. they outdo Lesser on this one for me.

my other yearly seasonal read is, and don't laugh, Murder on a bad hair day by Anne George, set in Birmingham, AL during the Christmas season. you probably have to live in the US both to buy it and to appreciate it.

Anne George was nominated for a Pulitzer for her poetry. she started writing the Southern Sisters mystery series after she was diagnosed with a heart problem. her wit and delightful characterizations of the two sisters Mary Alice (nearly 6 feet tall, hefty and brazen) and Patricia Ann (short, petite, thin and well-read) make this a US cozy with fine writing and plenty of well-done humor. sadly for her fans, Anne George, on whom Patricia Ann is modeled, died from complications during heart surgery in 2001.

my gratitude to her is boundless as her humor has brought me to helpless tears on many occasions when i've been feeling down. i had to have my arm twisted to get me to read the first one and i was immediately hooked. i recommend the first two especially.

>81 mirrordrum:, Ellie, I think it works well on audio. Though maybe less so if you're not used to listening to science books? My first-reads of Discworld books have actually ALL been with the audiobooks, so I like having the Discworld portions of it with one of the regular Discworld readers (Stephen Briggs). The other reader is Michael Fenton Stevens and he's quite good for the science. It's going by quite quickly (particularly given how little listening time I've had lately) and has held my interest.

I had to put Invisible Murder aside I just wasn't connecting with it. I decided to do a re-read/listen of an old favorite Pawn of Prophecy by, David Eddings narrated by,Cameron Beierle I wasn't sure what I thought of the narration until he got to my favorite character, Silk, and he sounds like George Sanders so perfect!

I will get my Katy Kellgren fix after I finish Pawn with Viva Jacquelina!: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Over the Hills and Far Away which is finally available on audible!

I'm about halfway through the Librivox production of Uncle Silas - a Victorian novel centering on a newly-orphaned teenage heiress sent to live with her father's brother, whom she'd never met. An American adult male voice for a young English female took some getting used to, but not a deal-breaker. I have more issues with his hamming-up the rustics, but the plot has me wanting to know how things'll end up.

I finished A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen, narrated superbly by Katherine Kellgren. Now I am beginning The Dark Tower by Stephen King, at last, the final book in this series.

Listening to The Divine Comedy, narrated beautifully by Heathcote Williams and next will be Beowulf, narrated by Robertson Dean.

I'm listening to Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, something a little lighter, and older, than the Scandi-Nordic, crime, fiction novels I've been listening to of late.

Just getting into Krakatoa by Simon Winchester, it's read by Winchester who's fine for this type of thing.

Loved Viva Jacquelina! Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Over the Hills and Far Away by, LA Meyer narrated by the wonderful Katherine Kellgren but will warn you it has a very abrupt ending that will leave you wanting the next one NOW!

Now listening to Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by, Fannie Flagg narrated by, Lorna Raver

Started Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, narrated by Nadia May, doing her usual excellent job!

Quite enjoying Mr. Penumbra's 24 hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan!

I'm listening to The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I started it a few times before but couldn't get into it; now I am enjoying it.

I am reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.

Just about done with Notorious Nineteen by, Janet Evanovich narrated by, Lorelei King short and funny I know it's not great literature but I sure do enjoy these stories and they make me giggle!

Just finished the awful The Next Always by Nora Roberts, a predictable romance with a supernatural element. It's part of a trilogy, but my reading stops with the first book.

I am now enjoying The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell; a scand-nordic crime thriller that has so far taken me to China and the USA.

#92 I've just finished The Forgotten Garden in print. I enjoyed it very much but perhaps not as much as The House at Riverton.

I've started Christmas reading/listening - it's Little Women at the moment. I thought it was a book I knew well but it's a long time since I last read it and there are lots of bits that I'd forgotten. The reader, Laural Merlington, has an American accent, of course, which I quite like but the reading is variable.

Do Americans really pronouce that item that cut flowers are put in as 'vayse'? I've never heard it before. In the UK it's 'varse'.

I'm a little ways into Empires of the Sea by Roger Crowley. It's wonderfully read by John Lee.

Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson by, Lyndsay Faye narrated by, Simon Vance... Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes and Simon Vance how can it go wrong, I have 2 hours left and it feels like part of the Holmes canon!

96>Yes, CDVicarage, the American pronunciation of vase is vayse (long "a").

But I think the British pronunciation is more like vahz (short "a") than "varse", no?

That brought back of a memory of my grandma from the Midwest (Illinois) who pronounced it vahz. I recall thinking it was odd that she said vahz while my friends said vase with a long "a." I didn't know the Brits pronounced it "varse."

#!00 - news to me too, I've always known it was vase with a long a or "vahz' as well. Personally, I'm a long a person, but I think it's regional in the U.S.

#99,100,101 Well, it varies a bit with accent, of course but I'm not familiar with the phonetic conventions, and your 'spelling' suits my way of saying vase better than mine does. But in UK I think we wouldn't pronounce the 'r' as strongly as an American would. (I think the 'r' discussion has taken place in another thread before). My pronunciation of vase rhymes with my pronunciation of cars.

Working my way through the classics on audio (http://ambjr.com/item/121-the-classics-who-knew?), currently stuck on Oliver Twist. After A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations though, this one is dragging a bit to me :-/

Maybe I'm reading too many books at once... also listening to Dracula, reading The Monstrumologist and going through a beta read.

Finishing up on a 1996 Brilliance Audio Library Edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Michael Page has done an excellent job of depicting each and every character. Good stuff.

I loved that one too Sandy. Page is a wonderful narrator.

Just starting Inventing Japan: 1853-1964 by Ian Buruma. Readering isn't great, but he's bearable (Nelson Runger). Don't know if I'll love the book, as it's already straying in the patronizing at times (but we'll see).

96> We seem to be listening to a lot of the same books lately. I'm half done with Part 3 of The Forgotten Garden. Next up is Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan.

97> John Less is one of my favorite readers. He is great with accents!

I'm in the midst of a non-fiction book at the moment: Consider the Fork, which might not be suitable for audio with a less skilled narrator, but this one's perfect for the job.

Just starting Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Currently listening to My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher narrated by, David Tennant I don't know if there are any Whovians in this group but the sister that died is Rose and even with Tennant's actual accent I still get a little palpitation every time he says Rose and maybe just a little teared up! Loving his narration but he shouldn't have anyone named Rose, Martha or Donna in any of the books he narrates! ;)

110 - ha, that would throw me a bit too!

Well into Stoneheart, first in the Stoneheart trilogy, read by the great Jim Dale.

Finished My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by, Annabelle Pitcher narrated by David Tennant-I think this is a book for advanced middle grade readers, because it deals with death, an alcoholic parent divorce, terrorism, race relations , religious differences,and bullying. narration was great but of course this little boy looked in my head like a young David Tennant.

Now listening to A Dangerous Inheritance by, Alison Weir narrated by, Maggie Mash this one is really confusing there is a back and forth in history with two women with the same name and there's barely a breathe between the two stories. I usually love books with two stories but usually you know whose story is being told but with this one it's very hard to tell.

I've decided to set aside A Dangerous Inheritance for a little while and go back to the wonderful McCray family and listen to Christmas with Tucker by, Greg Kincaid narrated by, Mark Bramhall

I've started The Last Refuge, first in a mystery series set in Southampton, New York (trendy resort area, though the protagonist is not like that at all). Stefan Rudnicki does a great job narrating, though a new reader takes over after two books it seems.

I've stopped listening to Little Women at the point where it turns into Good Wives and started a Miss Read double: The Christmas Mouse & No Holly for Miss Quinn. I'm saving A Christmas Carol until just before Christmas.

116> If that's the one read by Tim Curry, you're in for a treat!

#117 I do have that one (free gift from Audible) but I'm an Anton Lesser fan when it comes to Dickens, or anything else. Perhaps I should listen twice this year!

>116 CDVicarage: & 117- I second the Tim Curry version it's fantastic!

Anne of Green Gables. I like the story, but I'm pretty sure if I was Anne's mother I would have smothered her as a child. She's so flippin' obnoxious!

Yesterday I finished The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Not really my type of book, but it wasn't bad. I will probably start Ian McEwan's Sweet Tooth tomorrow.

I'm a few hours into Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick.

Mabith, I listened to, and thoroughly enjoyed, that disturbing book, on audio, as well.

I'm currently listening to a BOT version of Journey Without Maps, lazily narrated by Richard Green.

"Nothing to Envy" was a real 5-star book for me -- can't recommend it highly enough!

I listened to "Journeys without Maps" a long time ago, realizing only recently that Greene's cousin wrote her own version of their trip.

Yes, Nothing to Envy is certainly fascinating, and a good thing for everyone to read. I'm about halfway through now. Journey Without Maps sounds interesting, I'll definitely have to add it to my list.

I'm a bit into My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece, which is read beautifully by David Tennant. The production annoys me a bit, as they play this tiny bit of music at each new chapter (and the chapters are quite short). Somehow I always dislike musical addictions to audiobooks, however short they are.

I finished The Dark Tower final book in The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King - finally! It was long and I can't say I riveted by it. I'm glad I finally finished the series though. Now onto Double Cross by Ben Macintyre.

>Mabith yes that was a little annoying

126 - See, I'm different. Every now and then on Librivox, the project coordinator will add accompaniment music, florishes, or sound effects to the works, and I love it!

129 - In that one it was SO frequent and sometimes the pause was so long that it made it frustrating. It was one of those "read/listen to in one day" sort of gripping books and I just wanted to find out what happened as quickly as possible.

Most of the way through The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt now.

I've been listening to Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan. So far, it's mildly interesting, but I am still waiting for something to happen (3 hours in).

Have just started listening to Peaches for Monsieur le Curé, the third in the Chocolat series by Joanne Harris. A different narrator to the last one I listened to, and am a little unsure of the change.

'Currently listening to Notes from Underground.

hey, I recognize that voice! I believe the narrator is George Guidall, the same reader as my version of The Tin Drum.

(shudders...)

Just starting The Cuckoo's Child by Marjorie Eccles.

Just finished What the Dog Saw: And other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell. It is a collection of essays that he wrote for the New Yorker magazine. I find myself quoting from some and not so interested in others. It seems he tried to include an essay for everyone.

So excited! Went to the library today and came home with 6 audiobooks: The Master and Margarita, read by George Guidall; The Virgin Blue, read by Janine Carter and Gigi Marceau Clarke; The Italian Secretary, read by Simon Prebble; A Darkness Forged in Fire, read by Michael Kramer (fantasy); Rushed to the Altar, read by Jill Tanner; and Love in the Afternoon, read by Rosalyn Landor. As soon as I finish my excellent current listen (Without Fail), I'm going to have to draw straws, because I want to listen to all of them first.

Just started The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey. It's read by Stephen Thorne, who is so familiar that I find him comforting.

Edit: though so far there are a lot of Scottish accents and Thorne doesn't handle them all that well.

Finished Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee the best thing about this was Cassandra Campbell's narration from the title I expected it to be much funnier.

I am now listening to The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis narrated by,Adenrele Ojo, Bahni Turpin, Adam Lazarre-White

good grief! i'm way behind.

on my iPod, i'm reading 4 books. i've just started Garden of evening mists narrated by Anna Bentinck, who's new to me and Guards! Guards! narrated by Nigel Planer, who's always a delight on the discworld. i'm still mousing along in Middlemarch and periodically spending time with southern sisters Patricia Anne Hollowell and Mary Alice Crane in Murder on a bad hair day done to a t by Ruth Ann Phimister. i've read it so often i can pop in and out without losing the thread.

on the NLS recorder, i'm reading several. i'm relishing Anne's (narratorlady's) fine job on A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama (she's better than audible.com's narrator, imo). Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier, i can't remember who the narrator is but she's alright and the book's good, is most enjoyable and interesting. In a dark house, a Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid mystery, is completely undemanding and read quite well by Terry Donnelly.

i just realized i'm not reading any non-fiction. must remedy that soon.

I'd never heard of narrator Phil Gigante until now, but he's doing a great job with the voices in a mystery I started yesterday: Pago Pago Tango (the capital of American Samoa is pronounced Pango Pango, so it rhymes).

Thanks for the shout out Ellie. A Drowned Maiden's Hair was one of my favorites. The author's recent Splendors and Glooms was a winner too. I'd love to narrate that one but unfortunately, it's not up to me!

I finished Double Cross by Ben Macintyre, narrated by John Lee.

Just starting The March of Folly by Barbara W. Tuchman.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - I'm liking the readers, but not the story (Jane is an idiot and I want to punch her - how could she not see through Rochester's BS?)

I am listening to The Leopard by Jo Nesbo. Another Scandanavian Thriller. The narrator is great. I have to listen to this on audio or I'd be frustrated trying to keep track of the foreign names and places.

I am listening to Little Bee by, Chris Cleave narrated by, Anne Flosnik who I am enjoying very much all of her accents are very well done! She is pretty much a new to me narrator I've only listened to one other she narrated with Simon Vance and it was a short story but I will be looking for more narrated by her!

I'm having a second listen to See Delphi and Die by Lindsey Davis. Her commentary on tourists and tourism is SO hilarious.

I've started The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer. It has a new (to me) narrator Eve Matheson, which is taking some getting used to but the main problem is that I keep falling asleep. I use audiobooks for bedtime reading, so this can be a problem for any book, but it's also my first week back at work (in a school) after the Christmas break so I am more tired than usual. This should wear off and I can't believe that any Georgett Heyer book can be boring!

#148 I can't listen to an audio book at bed time because within a very short time I'm sound asleep. It's not that the book I'm listening to is boring, I just nod off and wake up minutes/hours later with no idea what's happened in the book. So now I restrict my audio book listening time to car trips, fortunately, I travel almost an hour each day going to and from work. If I'm ever having trouble falling asleep I'll put my headphones on and listen. Works everytime. (I keep The Iliad on my ipod just for this purpose).

I listening to On the Beach by Nevil Shute and read by James Smillie. Radioactive particles are slowly travelling from the northern hemisphere to the southern and the people of Melbourne, Australia, have about 9 months to live. Interesting to ponder what you'd do if you knew you had only 9 months to live. How many books could I read in 9 months?

Just starting I Drink For a Reason by David Cross . It starts out very gimmicky and with H. Jon Benjamin reading it, but switches to David Cross, which was slightly disappointing as I would much rather listen to Benjamin.

150 - Is it a professional audiobook?
Aside from Librivox or the Big Read, you don't often see (non-play, dramatization) audio books with multiple readers.

149 - That's rather disheartening to hear! I've just started listening to the Iliad on my daily drives to/from work. It isn't going to put me to sleep while I'm driving, will it?

It's a professional production. They did a sort of jokey beginning with Cross coming in to find that Benjamin started reading his book when he was bored with what he was supposed to be narrating. I know it's a humorous book, but I don't really like when they add a lot of stuff to audio editions.

I Drink For a Reason just wasn't my cup of tea (and parts of the way they did the audio edition were annoying), so I've switched to The Fault in Our Stars for a book group I'm in.

Just began Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter. So far so good!

Finished Little Bee by, Chris Cleave narrated by, Anne Flosnik Anne has gained a huge fan in me I thought her narration of this one was fantastic and will be looking for more she has narrated1

Now listening to The Old Buzzard Had It Coming by Donis Casey, narrated by (new to me),Pam Ward I received this one from the audiobookjukebox for review couldn't resist this title!

Half way done with Shadows In the Twilight by Henning Mankell. Not sure what to think.... it's not a crime novel, it is set in Sweden but read by an Australian. I think it's more a YA book. I picked it up from the library as it was short (4 discs) and I like a good Swedish murder mystery. As I'm Australian I enjoy listening to an Aussie voice but it just doesn't seem right for a Swedish book to be narrated by an Australian.

Still listening to The Fault in Our Stars but also re-listening to A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel, which I very much recommend, especially as an audiobook. It's SO funny. The author reads it and that really adds to the book.

Just started Lay of the Land by Richard Ford.

I have started Gone Girl, folks either love or hate it ... we shall see ....

I'm listening to The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa - about 3 hours in and enjoying it. And that's it! No audiobooks with any of the kids right now. It's kind of . . . odd. It's been a really long time since I didn't have at least one if not three books going with the various kid units. I'll take recommendations, though, for anything from middle grade to YA. They all like action and fantasy, no romantic elements for them (yet). Humor in the book is always a plus for us, too.

Penn

I'm a ways into The Nazi Officer's Wife. It's good, and narrated very well by Barbara Rosenblat, using a German accent for the whole thing.

Just starting The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty. I'm not in love with Elizabeth McGovern as narrator, but she's bearable.

I have that one on my TBR pile, and have been looking forward to it.

I'm now beginning Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

The Chaperone was really excellent. The narration grew on me a bit, but be warned, it's a slowish reader.

Now I'm just beginning Sister Citizen by Melissa V. Harris-Perry.

Well ... I just finished Gone Girl -- awesome narration, but like many others I hated the ending.

Listening to The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon. I was a bit iffy about it at the beginning but now I'm hooked.

Started The Enemy by Lee Child, Jack Reacher mystery #8, and liking it a lot.

I listened to one of the stories in Smut but now I've gone on to some more Georgette Heyer - These Old Shades

I finished Heaven. Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips and simply adored it! The narrator, Anna Fields is great! Now onto Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen.

Finished The White Forest by Adam McOmber wonderfully narrated by, Susan Duerdan I absolutely loved her narration still trying to put my feelings down on the book itself, I liked it but....

Now listening to The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James Narrated By Pamela Garelick a new to me narrator.

I just finished The Absolutist by John Boyne, a World War I story of sorts. Michael Maloney was a fine reader and managed to distinguish the voices of all the characters. My only complaint is that he has a habit of dropping his voice for dramatic effect, and that was very hard on me as I wear hearing aids.

Just starting Regeneration by Pat Barker. Good reader.

Listening to How to Train Your Dragon (narrated by David Tennant) with my daughter. I love his enthusiastic reading.

I'm about an hour (of 17) into Night Train to Lisbon , which I like well enough, despite the many negative reviews. David Colacci was obviously hired (at least in part) to narrate for his excellent command of Portuguese, though oddly his French seems mediocre, and Spanish accent pretty bad; moreover, it grates when he says the German word "gymnasium" (school) as though it were where American kids go to play basketball. Otherwise, he does a decent job with somewhat heavy (I wouldn't quite use "dense") introspective text.

173> It's Peter Firth, right? He is perfect for that series.

I'm listening to Christopher Hitchens's last memoir, Mortality. A sad topic (his struggle with cancer), but he makes it fascinating and even at times funny.

Just started 1Q84. Narration caught me off guard at first. Allison Hiroto reads the Aomame chapters slowly, but I'm starting to get used to it now.

I finished Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen narrated by Katherine Kellgren and am now beginning Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, narrated by Anna Fields.

Just starting The Pilgrim of Hate by Ellis Peters, after a long absence from Cadfael.

Listening to Telegraph Days and enjoying it a lot.

Barely into Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves.

Finished Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, narrated by Anna Fields. Now I'm beginning The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century by Ian Mortimer, narrated by Jonathan Keeble.

I'm listening to The Poet's Wife by Judith Allnatt, after finishing Christopher Hitchens's Mortality.

Great Expectations read by Simon Prebble. I read this many rears ago, but I'd forgotten how funny it is.

I've just finished These Old Shades, read by Cornelius Garrett and both book and reading were a bit disappointing.

I'm listening to and loving David Colacci's narration of The Education of Henry Adams. Audible shows four different editions (with four different narrators) and Colacci's was the one my library had. Lucky me!

I've had a crush on John Adams since I narrated Those Who Love by Irving Stone, historical fiction based on the letters between Abigail and John Adams. The book is out of print - most likely because of the ridiculous title which sounds like a sappy romance - but if you can get a copy, I recommend it.

Henry is John's great grandson and he won the Pulitzer Prize for this wonderful story of his life, which is also a history of America and Europe from a Bostonian's viewpoint in the late 19th century.

Just starting The Moon is a Harsh Mistress for a book club. I'm not overly excited about it, but it's one of those titles (and authors) that I feel like I have to give a few chances to.

I've started The Good House, narrated by actress Mary Beth Hurt - quite well at that! Much easier to get into the story than I'd expected.

Finished Safe House by, Chris Ewan narrated by, Simon Vance great book and great narration!

Now listening to Etiquette & Espionage by, Gail Carriger narrated by, Moira Quirk so far the narration is good but can't help wishing it was Emily Gray!

I've finally started The Face of Battle by John Keegan.

Just beginning Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, read by him.

I'm not one who can sit there and listen to audiobooks for much more than an hour at home, but yesterday I started Timothy West's reading of Trollope's The Way We Live Now and couldn't stop until after three hours had gone by! I'd heard West read before, but this performance is truly outstanding! I'd loved the BBC production a few years earlier, so I know the basic story, but this is a different experience, not at all retreading ground at all.

#192 Timothy West has become one of my favourite readers and I'm reading through the Barchester Chronicles with him. I'm just waiting for the tutored thread to start to move on to Dr Thorne.

Neverwhere read by Neal himself is one of my favorite audiobooks. I hope you enjoy it too!

Finished The Poet's Wife. The reader, Anna Bentinck, was fine, but I wouldn't recommend the book.

I am currently listening to The Hobbitt narrated by Rob Inglis and I am enjoying it so much. I've always loved the book but the narration has brought it to new heights of enjoyment for me. It is so well done that I really don't want it to end.

Gosh, it's been months since I caught up with you guys. I have another tab open to my local library's search engine, and ordered way too many titles.

I've been listening to Plastic Ocean by Capt. Charles Moore. I strongly encourage everyone to check out this book. The dire consequences of plastic debris in the environment are spelled out here. I've become an activist over night. We are destroying our biosphere, and we have to stop quickly.

I'm listening to Behind the Beautiful Forevers.

Listening to N or m? read by James Warwick (who played Tommy Beresford in the British TV series Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime).

Finished Nightingale Wood read by Carole Boyd, my new favourite reader, which I started by not really liking but somehow loved by the end. I've moved on to Chocolat read by Juliet Stevenson, which is just OK, and then I shall move on to Doctor Thorne read by Timothy West to follow the tutored thread starting on Friday.

I finished Where Shadows Dance, narrated by Davina Porter and now I am beginning Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.

I tried The Looking Glass Wars but just couldn't get into the story.

I've listened to everything my library has read by Neil Gaiman. I'd listen to him read a grocery list.

I have started The Revenge of Moriarty: Sherlock Holmes' Nemsis Lives Again by, John Gardner narrated by the late great Robin Sachs...I didn't realize this was a book 2 but so far thinking Gardner didn't take too many liberties to the Reichenbach Falls storyline.

I've sort of barely started Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla by Marc Seifer. I'm on vacation so I'm not getting in much listening time.

I just found this group and am excited to chat about audiobooks.

I'm currently listening to Wuthering Heights and compared to so many I've listened to, it's not great (the whole audio book aspect I mean). But I like the story, and have been meaning to reread it, so it's all good despite the only-adequate reader.

I've decided to reread The Elegance of the Hedgehog as an audio this time. Narration is great by both ladies, but the story itself just isn't thrilling me, when I liked the book the first time.

206> Oh, man, I really despised that one. You couldn't pay me to re-listen to it or to give it a try in print. I could only take the first 90 minutes or so. Hated the characters, hated the readers. Just goes to show how different our tastes can be!

And how different the formats can be! I think in print I was able to overlook how precocious the daughter could be, and skim the concierge's philosophy. But, it's an upcoming book group thing and the library print copies (skimmable) are all taken!

I'm taking a break from Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla to finish up The Violinist's Thumb for my bookclub. After this I think I'll stay away from science for a month or two. The Tesla book is SO full of hard science (and 22 hours long), and it was getting a bit dizzying.

Gave up on The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Got bored.

Just began Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, my first book by this author of whom I've heard so much on LT. Best of all, Juliet Stevenson narrates with her usual huge dollop of talent.

I hope you like North and South! I find Gaskell very enjoyable myself.

I'm just starting Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl.

>202 jennieg:
Have to agree with you jennieg, about The Looking Glass Wars. I was hoping for urban fantasy, but found a limply re-created Wonderland.

I just finished listening to Beastly and Enchanted. Enjoyed both.

Beastly seemed somewhat adolescently written, particularly, the climax and anti-climax were a step-down from the rest of the book. But Beast's back story was very well done. I was glad to have something with me that my 9 year old grand-daughter could enjoy with me on our trip.

I was delighted with Alethea Kontis mash-up of multiple fairy-tales, and I understand this is the first of a series. Her writing is strong and characters are intriguing/complex. Narration by Katherine Kellgren made it nearly perfect.

I finished Seeing A Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters narrated by Barbara Rosenblat who is fantastic. Now I am listening to Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, narrated by Anna Fields.

Dracula narrated by Robert Whitfield.

The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig

The Heather Blazing by Colm Toibin. Quite lovely but sad so far.

I'm a few hours into Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz, and just starting Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally.

Finished The Wonderful Wizard of Oz narrated by,Anne Hathaway she did a good job with so many different voices but I had a hard time with the voice of the Scarecrow because it sounded like Marge Simpson. Listen to the sample on audible then go to youtube and listen to Marge Simpson it was too close to being the same voice I just couldn’t picture the Scarecrow in my head because the voice was Marge!

Now listening to Needles by William Deverell narrated by Steve & Maggie Scherf... Odd formatting of this audiobook all female characters done by a female and all male characters by a male, when I see more than one narrator I always assume that it will be a certain character per narrator but this one is done differently with all female by Maggie Scherf and all male by Steve Scherf which is different so is taking me a little to get used to.

I'm about 1/3 in to The Memory of Love by Linda Olsson. I loved her Astrid and Veronika; this one isn't quite living up to it.

Finally finished Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child! It was really an excellent book and flew by (it's 25 hours long). The reader was good, though the way she pronounced February was extremely grating (Febber-ary).

Now I'm juuuust starting In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez.

Drove to my granddaughters birthday party and home and wish I had 3 hours and 57 min left in my trip Six Years by, Harlan Coben narrated by Scott Brick is in a word Amazing! Sat in my mothers driveway so long last night she called my cell to ask if I was ok!

I've been listening to The House at Sea's End and enjoying it. It's written in present tense, which I usually find annoying, but she carries it off.

Honour by Elif Shafak. Very engaging so far.

Just finished An Inquiry Into Love and Death by, Simone St. James narrated by, Rosalyn Landor really enjoyed this one it has it all, ghosts, family secrets, treason, murder and romance. And the wonderful Rosalyn Landor of course narrates it wonderfully!

Now listening to Mary Coin by, Marisa Silver narrated by,Eva Kaminsky, Alison Fraser, Mark Sisler all new to me narrators.

Having a nice, humorous break with David Mitchell Back Story by David Mitchell. I love his appearance on anything, but it's honestly a bit odd to hear him talking to me about his life.

I'm a couple of hours into The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which I'm finding a bit of a downer I'm afraid.

I'm back to listening to Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver.
The library copies all seem to get stuck at disc 11 or 12. This is my second copy of the book, and I decided to just move on through. It's worth it.

Artists in Crime (abridged) read by Benedict Cumberbatch.

Finished Mary Coin by Marisa Silver narrated by, Eva Kaminsky, Alison Fraser, Mark Sisler all new to me narrators this book wasn't as good as I was hoping/expecting it to be, wish the story had been meatier.

Now listening to The Next Time You See Me by Holly Goddard Jones narrated by, Cassandra Campbell.

I'm most of the way through Mythologies by Roland Barthes. I'm not sure I got this one, as it's making me a bit dizzy/confused.

I just started Rapture of the Deep by L.A. Meyer. I've really enjoyed the series. The narrator, Katheryn Kellgren, is really excellent.

Just a note that I gave up on Harold Fry (above) as the story was so depressing that even the happiest of endings didn't seem worth the slog.

Finally finished Lay of the Land, kind of a slog. Enjoyed the narrator at first but he grew to annoy me.
Started Lonesome Dove. Really enjoying it so far.

Re-listening to Lost on Planet China for my book club.

Listening to When Maidens Mourn by C.S. Harris, narrated by Davina Porter.

I'm fairly new to audiobooks, but seeing I have several days with a 3 hour round trip commute, I figured I may as well do something useful with the time over sing along to the radio (I do that sometimes as well, but the books make a nice change)

just collected one day by david nicholls which I'll start tomorrow.

I don't know what I would do without my MP3 player for commuting to and from work. 3 hrs of listening pleasure each day! :) Currently listening to Gone Girl. I have found that I listen to a great many books that I might not pick up to read... Sigh I do love to be read to. :)

I'm at the half-way point listening to The Education of Henry Adams, read by Wolfram Kandinsky.

Other than cassette tapes, MP-3 discs is the only way I can borrow it, which ties me to my laptop. My car player must be too old to read it.

I'm liking it a lot, except for the tether. Very bright and bitter.

I'm with you, sebago. I love my MP3. Listening to great stories and getting things done--a combo that can't be beat!

Last night I started An Inquiry Into Love and Death, a murder mystery set in 20's England, similar to Maisie Dobbs in a way, but not at all derivative. Wasn't sure whether I'd like Rosalyn Landor's accent from the sample, but it wasn't two hours later that I finally turned off my mp3 player!

Just a little ways into A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage. I'm really enjoying it so far, though the reader isn't my favorite pronunciation-wise. Not bad, just occasionally annoying (like saying ray-tion for ration).

I'm listening to two audiobooks right now for the Armchair Audies: Same Sun Here (written and narrated by Silas House & Neela Vaswani and; The Cheshire Cheese Cat (by Carmen Agra Deedy & Randall Wright; narrated by Katherine Kellgren & Robin Sachs.) Same Sun Here is presented as the correspondence between two pen pals: one is an illegal immigrant girl from India living in a NYC apartment and the other is a Kentucky boy in the mountains where coal mining is raping the environment. The Cheshire Cheese Cat is the story of a cat who takes up residence in an 1816 London pub, The Cheshire Cheese where Dickens and Wilkie Collins are patrons.

Both are in the category, "Children, Ages 8-12." My ten-year old daughter is listening along with me and it's interesting to learn what is appealing to her as the target audience! For instance, I'm always bothered when the narrator doesn't match the age of the character in a book (e.g. Silas House reads the part of a young boy in Same Sun Here and he clearly is **not** a young boy!); but my daughter could care less! Her only concern was trying to sort out the difference between "Daddy" and "Dadi", and she thought "Masoori" was the Indian girl's way of pronouncing, "Missouri." She totally bailed on The Cheshire Cheese Cat, as in she totally tunes out now when it's playing in the car. I'm not sure whether it was Katherine Kellgren, who reads the lion's share of the book and comes out fast, breathless and shrill, making it difficult to process everything that's going on or; the fact that the literary references (e.g. "He was the best of toms. He was the worst of toms.") eluded my daughter. Maybe both :-/

I have to admit that while opportunities to stop and explain things that come up in the audio make for quality educational moments, sometimes you just want to listen to an audiobook and be entertained. Splendors and Glooms and Same Sun Here took and are taking twice as long to listen as the running time owing to having to stop for explanations.

I am curious about one thing in general: Are 8-12 year olds expected to have a passing familiarity with Dickens' A Tale ofTwo Cities or Wilkie Collins' Woman in White? I'm not challenging as to whether or not it is appropriate for that age, just whether it's common culture at that age. It strikes me as precocious, but I'm totally open to being corrected!

I asked my kids. Neither my somewhat reluctant 11 year old reader nor my quite well read 14 year old have ever heard of The Woman in White, despite the fact that we own a copy. When I asked if either had heard the line, "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times," both recognized it. The younger one didn't know what it was from, while the older one told me, "Uh, it's by the dude who wrote A Tale of Two Cities, right?"

Based on my quite unscientific study, your instincts are probably right.

I am curious about one thing in general: Are 8-12 year olds expected to have a passing familiarity with Dickens' A Tale ofTwo Cities or Wilkie Collins' Woman in White? I'm not challenging as to whether or not it is appropriate for that age, just whether it's common culture at that age. It strikes me as precocious, but I'm totally open to being corrected!

I'm sure somewhere on the planet you can find someone in that age range who knows that, but the rest of the kids wouldn't. Both my children (13 & 16) are fairly literary and live in a house with a crazy mother who goes around quoting literature, and I'd be surprised if they know either.

I know quite a few cartoon series when I was a kid (late 80s, early 90s) had references to "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," so it was a familiar line even if you were unsure of where it came from. And I think that maybe the farmyard portion on the Garfield cartoon had a couple Dickens episodes (they did a book thing regularly). But The Woman in White seems especially unlikely for kids that age.

Quick note to say that I've finished An Inquiry Into Love and Death, which should particularly appeal to Maisie Dobbs fans. There are some tension-filled scenes that I felt worked much better in audio than on a printed page.

I sped through a Cadfael mystery, appropriately titled An Excellent Mystery. Now I'm onto Island of Vice by Richard Zacks, which I've been looking forward to for some time.

Also, should we start a new "What are you listening to..." topic?

Starting a new Thread!