Audiobooks

AUDIOBOOKS

Welcome to our 2020 thread for all things audiobooks. I look forward to learning about new books, new authors and new narrators as well.

What are we listening to this week?

Happy New Year

Currently, I'm listening to NOS4A2 by Joe Hill narrated by Kate Mulgrew. She is the perfect narrator for this tale. I'll also be starting the Harry Potter series soon. A reread for me. This time narrated by Stephen Fry.

Happy to see the Audiobooks thread back! I am about to start listening to Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayer as part of the year-long Lord Peter Wimsey group read.

I'm still listening to Watership Down, by Richard Adams, read by Peter Capaldi.

I just finished listening to The Well of Ascension. Was not at all pleased with the narrator. Very little emotion, or differentiation between characters.

I accepted a TIOLI Challenge that meant that I have to read a cozy mystery so I decided to listen to Sprinkle With Murder by Jenn McKinlay and narrated by Susan Boyce. Actually, I am enjoying it. It's light and fun - exactly what I need to recover from reading The Sound and The Fury!

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this or not. I get my audiobooks from the library. Starting... I think last yearish, it's been harder and harder to get my hands on an audio book I want. Whatever I want at any time is usually already checked out, often with multiple holds. I try to put something on hold, then suspend it to try to time it with others that come it, but it's hard to figure out.

Currently, I am waiting on one and don't have any going. I hope it comes in within the next week, as I want to finish it this month. I have another lined up to read (suspended hold) at the end of this month/beginning of Feb), and I have a third that I keep suspending further and further and I come across ones I'm trying to read within certain months!

So, nothing right now. I'm waiting.

>7 LibraryCin: I think more and more people are discovering audiobooks and the libraries are feeling the pressure. Hope your audios come in soon.

I'm enjoying Perdita Weeks' rendering of Circe -- though I have enjoyed reading the gorgeous prose more than listening to it, to be fair. That is primarily a testament to the author's skill, because it reads well and Weeks is phenomenal.

>7 LibraryCin: I recently found Libby through the library and I was pleasantly surprised with how easy the installation and registration were. My previous attempt at borrowing ebooks left me with a very sour taste, but this new app has been easy. The ebook catalogue is huge, if not especially deep. I don't get a lot of control over when books are available for borrowing, though, unfortunately; they just pop off my hold list as they become free.

I agree with Judy and you; audiobooks are getting quite popular.

I finished up Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie, and now I'm listening to Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers.

Currently listening to Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry narrated by John Lee. He's a pretty good narrator. The story is complex and would be good to do whispersyn which I also have.

>8 DeltaQueen50: >10 pammab: I was also thinking it's just that audio books are becoming more popular. I do know they are very expensive for libraries. (They are expensive for an individual to buy, and prices are always more for libraries, so >8 DeltaQueen50: you're probably right in that they can't keep up!)

What are we reading this week?

I hope everyone is well into January and enjoying those audiobooks. I finished NOS4A2 by Joe Hill, narrated by Kate Mulgrew. Her voice is perfect for horror. I started Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, narrated by the fantastic Simon Vance. I've also started my year long read of Harry Potter as narrated by Stephen Fry with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling.

In the queue are Ross Poldark by Winston Graham and Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons.

I listened to The Three Musketeers - by Alexandre Dumas, narrated by John Lee. He did another great job.

Currently listening to Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon, narrated by Tom Stechschulte. I am enjoying this one.

My audio book came in over the weekend, and though there were a few hurdles with a new Overdrive "app" (that I don't want, nor can I make use of; luckily, I was able to switch back to the old software), I have now started listening to:
The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845-1849 / Cecil Woodham-Smith

>15 Kristelh: John Lee is such a great narrator. I absolutely love The Count of Monte Cristo. It is one of my all time favorites. I really think I should do Dumas year next year. I haven't read anything else by him.

>16 LibraryCin: I was driving yesterday and Google Maps rerouted me due to traffic congestion. I didn't want to get rerouted, but the app just did it! I was furious. I had to redo the directions. Luckily I had a red light, but if I was on a toll road, I wouldn't have been able to do this. Ugh! I hope you are enjoying your book.

>17 luvamystery65: My grandfather left me a set of about 25 red leather bound, gold-edged page 1920s editions of Dumas. There are so many there that I had never heard and that I am sure are probably not in print. They are so beautiful!
Maybe I should also make 2021 a Dumas year.

I enjoy Dumas also, but I don't think I'd want to read one more than quarterly. We read The Count of Monte Cristo in 10th grade. We absolutely loved it. I went on to read several other Dumas novels because of the favorable experience with the book. Our teacher was excellent and knew how to create interest.

I'm currently listening to Ancestral Night which I'm very much enjoying. Not so much action ans many space operas, but more attention to psychological issues and guilt and forgiveness.

>17 luvamystery65:, >18 JayneCM:, >19 thornton37814: There is a group read of La Reine Margot this year here in 2020.

>21 Kristelh: I will have to see if I have it! Thanks.

I just finished listening to Angelica's Smile by Andrea Camilleri narrated by Grover Gardner. It wasn't my favorite in the series, but I always enjoy listeing to Gardner reading a Montalbano book. I am also working on Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi with a great narration by Bhani Turpin.

>23 staci426: Grover Gardner is an excellent narrator!

Currently listening to The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty read by Soneela Nankani who's doing a great job. I don't believe I've listened to anything narrated by her before.

I am currently listening to Swan Song yet. This is very much Stephen Kingesque in style and reminds me a lot of The Stand. Narrator is doing a good job.

What are we listening to this week?

I finished Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, narrated by Simon Vance. I really liked the book and may read I more into the series. I was surprised because I was always hesitant to read this book, afraid I would be disappointed. I wasn't at all and the narration was excellent. I've started Ross Poldark by Winston Graham for the multi year group read. It's narrated by Oliver Hembrough. I'm very early in, but I'm already hooked. I hope my interest is kept. I'm still plugging away at Harry Potter. It's CDs so I only listen in the car and it's not always what I listen to while I'm driving. I have the whole year for the series. No rush.

>18 JayneCM: What a treasure! I knew Dumas had written a lot, but when I googled, I am impressed. Maybe we can do a shared read or two next year and get you cracking those lovely books open.

>19 thornton37814: I don't think I would want to read everything he wrote in one year, but rather devote some time to delving into his works.

>20 majkia: Where do you find these books? Sounds so interesting.

>21 Kristelh: I found an audio of Queen Margot narrated by Simon Vance on Hoopla so I may join in that group read. Let's see where I with school work.

>23 staci426: Both of those series are on my TBR list, but alas probably not this year. Maybe the Adeyemi, but the Camilleri will have to wait.

>24 thornton37814: He is!

>25 majkia: She is very good. I've heard her read non-fiction

>26 Kristelh: Now I'm interested! A few of you are reading/listening to this one for the ScaredyKIT

>28 luvamystery65: Sounds like a great idea!

What are we listening to this week?

I'm still listening to Ross Poldark and I'm about to download and start A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith.

I finished the classy spy memoir The Spy Wore Red, narrated by Grace Conlin -- very well done audiobook, would recommend to anyone interested in spies or WWII! And then for a complete change of pace, I moved to The Kid by Dan Savage, which is narrated by the author and that I would only recommend to people already into his characteristic juvenile/shocky humor.

I finished The Red and the Black and am now listening to Germinal.

Last weekend, I knocked off two short stories that I dnloaded a few months ago. Each was a offered for free for Amazon Prime accounts and, I discovered that there was an automatic dnload of the audio version to my Audible account! "Randomize" (by Andy Weir; narrated by Janina Gavankar) is about how an Indian couple decide to scam a casino using quantum computing. It‘s an okay Black Mirror-ish story (the downside of future technologies) made better by the audiobook narration. And "Summer Frost" (by Blake Crouch; narrated by Rosa Salazar) is about a virtual reality game designer who gambles all in developing and value-packing a character that has gone rogue... The audiobook narrator in this one nailed the nuances of the game character‘s voice and iterations remarkably well!

This past weekend, I listened to the short audiobook, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging (written and narrated by Sebastian Junger) which was developed form an article he wrote for Vanity Fair (?) years prior. The premise of the book is that PTSD is related to the lack of true tribalism or community spirit for those trying to re-enter society after a traumatic experience. The lack of a nurturing framework or an adequate support system fails those with long-term PTSD and, seems to be a predominately northern European and American issue with its inherent cultural norms which may actually be at odds with human nature.. Junger gives several examples from different nations and from different job backgrounds (soldiers, miners, rape victims...), offering a different way of looking at the issue (of PTSD) but not really offering any viable solutions. Still worth the listen as it does make you think!

>7 LibraryCin:, >10 pammab:
Yes, ebooks and downloadable audio books are popular.

/rant/But libraries are also not able to properly plan and budget for these items because publishers keep arbitrarily changing prices/circs per item. (See this article from last summer's Library Journal.)

Library's pay more than consumers for ebooks, and publishers randomly change how many circs an item can be used for, sometimes after a library has purchased an item. (One book in the American Library Association's statement to Congress in 2019 listed an price of $59.99 to the consumer and a price to libraries of $239.99 for that copy, which can circulate to one person at a time for two years.

When you are planning how much to spend on electronic books versus paper ones, how do you plan when you don't know if the copy you're paying for will stay as a lifetime purchase, or be changed (after you've spent your money for a lifetime purchase) to a 21 circ item? The paper one, at least, is good until it falls apart. The electronic one is not.

Right now, the library system I work for buys electronic books primarily to supplement popular items in the collection. I find that I can often (not always) get a print copy before an electronic on.

Furthermore, last fall Macmillan Publishers Ltd. (Owned by Hotzbrinck Publishing Group) restricted libraries to the purchase of 1 electronic copy of new books for the first six months a title is available! The system I work in serves a community of 750K, but we can buy 1 copy of a new Greg Hurwitz or J. D. Robb. And it most likely has a limited number of circs allowed before it becomes unusable.

Way back in the day, people demonstrated that libraries actually increased sales. People would try new authors at the library, and when they liked them, go out and acquire them. I think we're going to have to reinvent the wheel and demonstrate that again with electronic media./rant over/

Finished two audiobooks recently, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones and Bookman's Wake by John Dunning.

The narration of An American marriage was excellent, narrated by Sean Crisden and Eisa Davis.

The narration of Bookman's wake (George Guidall) was also quite good, though I liked An American Marriage best

>34 markon: Crazy, isn't it? And sad... Cost differences like that, crazy.

Paper books being used until they fall apart, but they can (in some cases) also be mended to keep going a bit longer.

>33 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I listened to those two short stories last year, also through Amazon Prime reading, as well as the other 4 stories that are part of the collection. Randomize was one of my least favorite of the group. I recommend listening to the rest of the stories in the collection as well. They were all excellently narrated.

>34 markon: The library I use has a message on their OverDrive site that they actually will not be purchasing any new ebooks from Macmillan or its imprints because of those changes.

Just finished Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, audio performance by Simon Slater.

What are we listening to this week?

It has been a few weeks since I checked in! Sorry about that. I finished Poldark and Gentleman in Moscow. I really liked Poldark more than I thought I would. I'm chomping to start the next one but I hear it ends in a cliff hanger or rather that you want to get to the next one right away, so I will wait. I finished A Gentleman in Moscow and I absolutely loved it. I actually want to reread it immediately. I won't but I may listen again before the year is out. Let's see how this year treats me. I've been binge listening to the Walker Paper series. Just want something easy to listen to right now. I also listened to an Audible original on caffeine by Michael Pollan. Very interesting. It lead me to a book on sleep, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams which I hope to get to for the Science or Human Science months of the Non-fiction CAT.

Thanks all for keeping the thread going

Oh, I started The Thorn Birds on Monday.

>40 LibraryCin: I haven't read that in years. When I was a teenager, I loved the mini series.

>40 LibraryCin: I've had that one on my wish list for years. It's one of my mom's favorites. I was hoping to get to it in April for the Australia GeoCAT.

I've been listening to Outlander by Diana Gabaldon narrated by Davina Porter, who is excellent. I'm enjoying it, but starting to feel like it may be a bit too long and too romancy for my tastes. But overall, I'm enjoying the story and want to finish.

I loaded up several for my vacation. I have about 5.5 hours remaining in Clouds of Witness for the Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey group read. I think it's time to revisit Montalbano, so Rounding the Mark is the next one up for me there. I also downloaded High Country by Nevada Barr. I've never listened to one in that series, and I haven't read one in several years, but I always loved the series so I am picking up where I left off.

>41 JayneCM: I've certainly heard of it, but I've never seen it.

>40 LibraryCin: >41 JayneCM: I also read the book after the mini series aired way back when.

I am listening to Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, narrated by Jack Garrett. The story is very engaging. Before that I listened to The Good Girl by Mary Kubica and narrated by Lindy Nettleton, Johnny Heller, Tom Taylorson, Andi Arndt

I am just about to start Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid and narrated by Amanda Cobb.

I'm in the middle of Restoration (by Rose Tremain; narrated by Paul Daneman) ! I got this seven years ago on the recommendation form someone on a Yahoo audiobook group. Even though I love Historical fiction, especially with that of the English monarchies, I'm not sure why I haven't listened to this before now! It's quite entertaining and the narrator is pitch perfect! It's about a doctor in the court of King Charles II. While the court is lavish and decadent, the doctor himself is rather gauche and a fool, but he's honest about himself and is charming in his own way. The book is only thirteen hours long but I'm taking my time, binging a couple hours one or twice a week, so this will tide me over until about mid-March!

What are you listening to this week?

Sorry it's been too long! I've been working a lot lately due to COVID-19. It is definitely in our county and the greater Houston metroplex. I don't do direct patient care anymore, but I still interact with patients, their families and of course our staff. We have limited visitors and are screening staff and visitors, but it is stressful. I'm off for a week so I'm trying to catch up here, with some reading and I'm still in school since it is completely online. Whew!

I finished Gentleman Jole and The Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold. I enjoyed it so much. It was slow and very introspective. It was nice to focus on two middle aged people. We aren't dead yet! Yay! Grover Gardner narrates wonderfully.

I'm listening to Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers. This is another introspective story, but with multiple points of view. I'm enjoying it. I'm almost done. Rachel Dulude narrates.

I did listen to a few in the Walker Paper series by C.E. Murphy, narrated by Gabra Zackman. I'm reading the last one from Hoopla.

I hope everyone is enjoying their audiobooks.

>49 luvamystery65: I hope you have a restful week off, Ro! You deserve it.

I've started Alaska by James Michener. It's 45 parts, I think. There is no way I will finish before it disappears back to the library (and the next person on hold), so I'll have to put it on hold again when that happens.

I think I still have about a week and a half with it before then, so we'll see how far I get (I'm hoping for half way, but since I mostly listen on my commute to/from work, if I have to start working from home soon (looks like, but I don't know when), I probably won't get that far).

I am listening to Bring Up the Bodies read by Stephen Vance.
I just finished The Hunchback of Notre Dame read by Arthur Vincet. Not such a good job but not bad either. I would not recommend that edition if something else is available but still a good way to read Victor Hugo who likes to go in-depth on his opinions of infrasructures like the architecture of cathedrals and in his other book, the sewers of Paris.

I enjoyed Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid and then went on to listen to All That I Have by Castle Freeman Jr. - it was a 5 star book. Now I am 10 hours or so into the 45 hour long Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon.

FINALLY finished Watership Down! Peter Capaldi's narration is excellent, but for some reason I thought this book would be shorter than it was. Not sure how I forgot that my print copy of the book is 478 pages, which takes a while to read ;)

Next up in audio will be Moone Boy: The Blunder Years, by Chris O'Dowd and Nick V. Murphy, read by Chris O'Dowd. This book is based on O'Dowd's semi-autobiographical TV series, Moone Boy, about a boy growing up in the west of Ireland in the late 80s and early 90s. I love the show and enjoyed reading this book in print, so had to get the audio as well.

Still listening to Alaska by James Michener, but am setting it aside briefly as I make use of scribd's free offer to listen to The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

The Fault in Our Stars is a book club book and, though the library has lots of ebooks, there is a hold list for a few months (beyond when we are reading it for); we were counting on the print copies. We are trying not to change the book, so I was looking for creative ways to get around it.

(I will not be continuing with scribd, as it does not allow for transfer to an mp3 player for audio books, which is primarily how I listen. However, with being home all the time now, I can (mostly) listen on my tablet, though it's still not nearly as handy as clipping my tiny (smaller than a business card) mp3 player to me somewhere, while I move around the house doing (sometimes noisy... but easier to hear with my earbuds) housework.)

Miraculously, I finished Moone Boy: The Blunder Years the very same day I started. I've now embarked on a two-fer of Doctor Who audio adventures: Darkstar Academy and Day of the Cockroach. So far Darkstar is good, read by a single narrator who is NOT trying to imitate Amy Pond, which is good. Imitating Scottish accents rarely works out well in these stories, I find.

Just started The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson, Nicole Galland, narrated by a whole line of performers.

Back in February, Audible offered me a free trial of Audible Escapes, their romance equivalent to Kindle Unlimited. I figured there wouldn't be all that much I'd want to listen to, but why not?

Well, for whatever crazy reason, most Lois McMaster Bujold's World of the Five Gods books (which are favorites of mine) are available through Audible Escapes - why knew? So, I started with Penric's Demon and kept going. Then The Curse of Chalion. Then Paladin of Souls. I haven't gotten to The Hallowed Hunt yet (it's my least favorite), but I imagine I will.

As our world got crazier and I started listening more and more, I looked for other authors I recognized. Now I've listened to a bunch of Nalini Singh. I found one book by Linnea Sinclair available, An Accidental Goddess and enjoyed that, too.

I've tried - an abandoned - more than a few other science fiction/fantasy romances. I've even tried a few contemporary romances, also with very mixed results. I need to try some historical romances next.

I'm finding it difficult to listen to anything complicated or particularly demanding right now - this is working for me.

Listened to another Doctor Who audio collection: a two-fer of stories, Darkstar Academy and Day of the Cockroach, by Mark Morris and Steve Lyons, narrated by Alexander Armstrong and Arthur Darvill. They worked quite well, actually. I was surprised :)

Next up in audio is ATA Girl, a Big Finish audio drama about the women of the Air Transport Auxiliary in WW2.

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. is not my favorite Neal Stephenson.They may have a whole crew of performers but...it isn't spectacular and as far as the writing, I see no purpose for the swearing in this book. Very obnoxious and not at all necessary for the story.

My audio-reading this week is to continue to binge-listen to the Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries series by C.S. Harris. I am currently about to start book 4 in the series, Where Serpents Sleep. Book #15 in the series is being released this month, so I have a ways to go before I am caught up with this series.

Finished ATA Girl today while audio-puzzling via the Ravensburger app, which I downloaded to my iPad. Another thing to keep me occupied these days.

Next up in audio will be another Big Finish production: The Diary of River Song Series 4.

What are we listening to?

How is everyone holding up? Do you have great audiobooks to keep you company right now?

I finished The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, narrated by Tom Hanks. I also listened to Every Dead Thing by John Connolly. I didn't care for the narrator on this one, Jeff Harding. I like him, but not for this. It looks like the series has used various narrators.

I have pending Demelza by Winston Graham for our 3 year long group read of the Poldark books. This one is narrated by Claire Corbett. I think I will also listen to A Discovery of Witches in May for the ScaredyKIT. Since I'm knee deep in school again, I will get back to listening to Harry Potter again. Another book I'm listening to is Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. This is a reread for me, but the first time in audio format. Duncan Steen is the narrator.

Take care everyone.

So, as I mentioned above, I've been wallowing in my free trial Audible Escapes books - actually, I paid for another month two days ago. I've been listening as I garden, clean house, cook, and complete projects while I'm furloughed and house bound. I've never listened to so many books - and it's been fun.

I've listened to three Georgette Heyer novels - Sylvester, Or the Wicked Uncle, Arabella, and Cousin Kate. All of them were rereads (so to speak). I highly recommend Sylvester, Or the Wicked Uncle and Arabella, but pass on Cousin Kate. I'm quite fond of the book, but the narrator drove me nuts.

I'd been meaning to read a book by KJ Charles and found The Magpie Lord ebook free (Kindle). I found it very entertaining and checked Audible Escapes and found the next two books (A Case of Possession and Flight of Magpies), so I've listed to and enjoyed them both. They are not for everyone - it's m/m romance and some of the descriptions are...er...explicit. I thought they were charming and great fun.

One horrible mistake was That Month in Tuscany. I kept thinking that it would somehow pull together and get better, but it never did. It tried to do too much - wife realizes her husband is a bozo and goes to Italy for their 20th anniversary vacation alone, meets rock star with deep dark secrets and suicidal tendencies, husband get caught cheating and follows wife, wife and rock star rescue a PUPPY for heaven's sake, back in the U.S. the daughter gets kidnapped - REALLY????? What a mess, lol. If you want a romance with a rock star, try Nalini Singh' series that begins with Rock Addiction.

I also listened to James Taylor's Break Shot: My First 21 Years, which I liked much more than I expected to. And I loved The Half-Life of Marie Curie, a play by Lauren Gunderson - I want to get this produced on a local stage, whenever things get back to normal.

I wouldn't be listening to all these romances / Audible Escape books if it weren't for the current situation, and I'll drop the subscription when I go back to work. For now, though, it's fun.

I will forever be listening to Alaska by James Michener. Taking so much longer without a commute (and it's already super-long!).

>65 LibraryCin: I was worried that without my commute I wouldn't be listening much. Then I discovered how much I like gardening and listening - and it really improves housework, lol.

I am still listening to Written in my Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldson, I think I have about 12 hours to go. I have loved this series but I am looking forward to finishing this 8th and last book. I am looking forward to moving on to something different.

>67 DeltaQueen50: Twice I have read this series up through Drums of Autumn and stalled out. I have The Fiery Cross on the shelf, waiting for me.

I can understand wanting to be done with it....

>68 Dejah_Thoris: I stalled out on the series with Drums of Autumn when I tried reading the series many years ago. This time, I managed to get all the way through and I credit much of that to the excellence of the narrator, Davina Porter. She has become the voice I will always hear in my head when I think about this series.

>69 DeltaQueen50: Well, perhaps the answer for me is to try the audio, then. If I can't get through the hardcover version of The Fiery Cross, that's what I'll try. Thanks for the suggeation.

>66 Dejah_Thoris: I am listening while I do housework, but overall, including ebooks, my reading time is down. :-(

>64 Dejah_Thoris: I also tried the Audible Escape free trial. I'm also paying for it now. I was surprised at some of the content. The Walker Papers were there so I was able to catch up with the series and then I read the final one from Hoopla. I think I will try some of the Georgette Heyer. I need some fun reading while I'm writing papers for nursing school. My current class is in Quality and Leadership. While it really is fascinating, it needs a light break in between. Fun note, I've been able to watch a lot of Atul Gawande of Being Mortal fame in some of my class content. He really is so engaging.

>69 DeltaQueen50: Judy one of my former coworkers has been telling me for years to read the Outlander series. It is her all time favorite. I tell her over and over again, that it will have to wait for my retirement. Even then, I'm not entirely sure.

>72 luvamystery65: Ooh, Atul Gawande!

I finished The Diary of River Song, Series 4 and have decided my next audio will be Doctor Who: Hunters of Earth, one of the "Destiny of the Doctor" audio stories released for the 50th anniversary of the TV show.

What are we listening to right now?

I've changed from this week to right now as I am not updating weekly. I will try my best to do so. It's just such a strange time.

I have finished The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch. I really enjoyed this side trip to Germany. I know it was not everyone's cup of tea. I love Peter Grant, but I would not mind more books featuring Tobias Winter.

I've started Demelza by Winston Graham narrated by Clare Corbett. I finished The Highland Dragon by Isabel Cooper from Audible Escape. It was a bit eye roll in how the girl ended up staying at the dragons house, but it was not bad overall and I need some light reading right now. I'm going to try a Heyer next.

>73 rabbitprincess: He is an excellent speaker. I have The Checklist Manifesto on audio. This was landmark in Quality and Safety in the hospital setting.

>74 luvamystery65: I liked The October Man too! Basically any venture into that universe, I am on board with.

>72 luvamystery65: I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one sucked into Audible Escapes! I, too, was very surprised by some of the books included, and am definitely enjoying it.

>74 luvamystery65: >76 rabbitprincess: Count me in as another who enjoyed October Man - and I agree, I'll read whatever Aaronovitch writes in that universe.

I feel like I've been listening to "Alaska" by James Michener for about 3 months, but both LT and GR tell me I added it on Mar 10, so it's only been a month and a half. I'm sure I have at least another month to go before I finish this 57 hour marathon! (It would have been faster to get through with a commute.)

>78 LibraryCin: I sympathize with you over your long listen - I have finally completed Written in My Own Heart's Blood which at 45 hours felt neverending at times. I was ready to celebrate finishing the Outlander Series but a check of the author's website shows that there will be a ninth book coming out - so, for me, the listening will go on.

I am now listening to Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. The narrator is Christina Moore who I have not listened to before but so far I am finding her voice fits the characters and the story.

I listened to The Stranger by Albert Camus, narrated by Jonathon Davis. This was an American translation. I am struggling right now to get things done and with what to read/listen to. I decided a reread/listen to Persuasion was in order. I'm listening to the version narrated by Greta Scacchi. So far, it is well done. Curious as to her Captain Wentworth voice. Will let you know.

>81 luvamystery65: Persuasion is my second favorite Austen novel (P&P being the #1). I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of it!

I just listened to Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey, read by Romy Nordlinger. I thought it was very well done.

>82 Dejah_Thoris: It's available through Audible Escape. :) This is my favorite Austen novel! I adore the Juliet Stevenson narration, but I wanted to try a new narrator.

>83 luvamystery65: I don't lack for things to listen to, but I'll try to get to it!

For the KITastrophe theme for May, Geologic Disasters, I ended up buying the Kindle version of Lucifer's Hammer (comet hits the Earth - disaster ensues), a 600+ book form 1977 (Hugo Award nominated) that I've somehow never read. The Audible narration was available for an additional $1.99, so I got it.

For someone who rarely buys books, I have spent quite a lot of money on them, in various formats, over the last month or so.....

I'm picking up a different Doctor Who audio than originally planned: Tomb of the Cybermen, by Gerry Davis, read by Michael Kilgarriff (who played the Cyber Controller in the original TV story) and Nicholas Briggs (the show's current Dalek- and Cyberman-voice virtuoso).

Just finished The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton. Narrated by Alice Johnson. Having each chapter announced, while it helps with knowing where you are at, a bit jarring to the flow.
Currently listening to Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty read by Mur Lafferty. Usually a cringe a bit when authors read their own work but this one seems to be going okay.

I picked up Faith Hunter's Junkyard Cats as one of my free Audible Originals back in January, with the intention of saving it for this month - it fits the SFF-KIT theme, Sentient Things. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but thoroughly enjoyed it. I did a little checking, and per her blog, she's written a follow up piece she hopes Audible will buy. I hope they buy it, too!

I am currently listening to As The Crow Flies by Craig Johnson. This is the 8th book in his Walt Longmire series and I am really enjoying this one.

>88 DeltaQueen50: As the Crow Flies is such a good one in the series Judy.

What are you listening to right now?

Currently I am in the middle of Queen Margot by Alexandre Dumas, narrated by Simon Vance. I have Demelza on a brief hold right now to finish up the Dumas. I also want to get to A Discovery of Witches for the ScaredyKIT next before I get back to Demelza.

I hope everyone is okay.

>90 luvamystery65: We're doing just fine here in Georgia - I hope you and yours are well, too!

I've just started Moonraker, narrated by Bill Nighy - he's doing a great job. All of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels have turned up available on Kindle Unlimited (I don't think they used to be) and when you borrow them, come with free Audible narration. I've already listened to Live and Let Die and will finish out the series over the next month or two. I don't know how I have not read them before!

I also listened to A Princess of Mars, a book I've read many times since childhood but had never listened to. I really enjoyed it.

>88 DeltaQueen50: I did really enjoy As the Crow Flies this is definitely one where the narrator adds to the overall enjoyment of the book.

I am now listening to The Moor's Account which I am liking but not loving. I think I may have preferred reading this one rather than listening, although the narrator does an excellent job with the voices and the accents.

>91 Dejah_Thoris: Now, Dejah Thoris, why am I not surprised that you love A Princess of Mars!!

>93 DeltaQueen50: Well, my user name is actually in honor of my late cat Dejah Thoris, Empress of the Known Universe - but she was named for the Princess of Helium.

I reread A Princess of Mars every few years. I may go ahead and work my way through the rest of the series, which I do more rarely.

>91 Dejah_Thoris: Ooh, Bill Nighy would be a good fit for those books!

I am reading Doctor Who and the Tomb of the Cybermen, by Gerry Davis, narrated by Michael Kilgarriff, who played the Cyber Controller in the original TV broadcast of this story. Nicholas Briggs provides Cyberman voices.

>95 rabbitprincess: Sadly, he only narrates Moonraker. It looks as though they have different reasonably well know actors each narrating one of the books. I say reasonably well known because I don't know some of them - but Hugh Bonneville narrates Goldfinger and David Tennant On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

>96 Dejah_Thoris: OOOOH David Tennant!

>97 rabbitprincess: I know, right?

Oh! Oh! Oh! I finally finished - after 2 months - the 57 hour Alaska by James Michener!

I have moved on to The Humans by Matt Haig. Almost done that one (it's short), and will then move on to an Ann Rule (sadly, just noticed as I was checking it out - it's another abridged... sigh).

I am listening to Marya by Joyce Carol Oates. A recent release (April 2020) for audible. Read by read by Sadie Alexandra.

>99 LibraryCin: Kudos to you! Listening to a book that long would have driven me crazy, I suspect.

I finished the Bill Nighy narrated Moonraker tonight. I had no idea I'd like the Bond books as much as I do. They really are quite different from the films. Moonraker is my favorite of the three I've read so far, which probably has something to do with Mr. Nighy....

>101 Dejah_Thoris: I have discovered that I tend not the rate the super-long ones as highly. But, that may have been the case even if I'd read the print or e-book, as well. There's just so many more places in the book where I can lose interest when it's that long to keep my rating a bit down!

>99 LibraryCin: Congratulations on finishing Alaska!!!

I finished Queen Margot and now on to A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

Three weeks ago, my boss had been working long hours on a project and, when he resurfaced for the All Hands Meeting on Friday morning, he was ridiculously overtired. Somehow, the conversation turned to murder hornets and he went off on this tangent about stinging bugs & insects and, an entomologist named Justin Schmidt who had developed a Pain Index of stinging bees, wasps and, ants. It turns out that Justin O. Schmidt wrote a book called, The Sting of the Wild and, I decided that I had to read it! I actually got the audiobook (narrated by L. J. Ganser) and it was really interesting! It discusses the evolutionary mandates behind bugs'/insects' defenses, their reputations and, their actual effects when they deploy those defensive measures. Sprinkled with personal anecdotes, the science-y part only gets in the way a little bit and, the reading of the Pain Index at the end was worth the prices of the book alone! At first, I was bemoaning the lack of illustrations, but then I googled a couple wasps and was like okaaay, I do NOT need to go there! The audiobook narrator wasn't great, but not terrible either. I gave the book itself a solid 4 stars and the audio 2-1/2 to 3 stars.

>104 Tanya-dogearedcopy: The HOW of how you came to your book cracked me up!

>104 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I agree with >105 Dejah_Thoris: and I too would not necessarily want illustrations.

What is everyone listening to right now?

I'm finishing up the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. Parts of it are incredibly interesting, but it is also very silly. It's just what I need right now. I will listen to Mrs. Dalloway next, narrated by the fabulous Juliet Stevenson. I have Demelza on queue, but I haven't really jumped in. Just a lukewarm start. That is due more to my state of mind than to the book.

I hope all are well.

>107 luvamystery65: More KJ Charles for me. I finished the Sins of the City trilogy and then listened to The Marvelous Land of Oz. Next, I'm going to listen and read Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh. Unless I absolutely love it, this will probably be my last for the series.

I am currently listening to The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond.

Next up is The Rosie Project. I don't reread often, although this will be my 3rd reading! First time because I wanted to, 2nd time for a book club, this time for a different book club. I liked it enough to read it again... but this time I wanted to try the audio.

Restoration (by Rose Tremain; narrated by Paul Daneman) - This is one that I started in February and left hanging in "Currently Reading" limbo for a long time! I was able to pick it up right where I left off though and, I'm glad I did! This is a story about a court doctor's fortunes and fates during the reign of King Charles II of England. Robert Merivel's friendships and candid self-assessments draw a picture of a very human, ergo very flawed man whose has his loves, but seems never to be sure if he himself is loved. The audiobook is narrated by the late Paul Daneman, a British actor with an "old school" accent (versus a slick BBC modulated one) that I tend to be gravitating more to in the past couple of years :-)

Aurora (by Kin Stanley Robinson; narrated by Ali Ahn) - I've just started this epic narrative about a multi-generation odyssey being undertaken through space to reach an Earth-like moon. This isn't fast or flashy, but a carefully constructed story in which the way KSR tells the story is part of the story itself.

I am currently read River of Teeth which I will finish in June. I was excited to read this but it is not meeting my expectations.

I just finished Hunt for the Skinwalker by Colm Kelleher and narrated by David Bendena. It was a silly book and a waste of time. The narrator did a fine job, the fault was with with the material and the writing.

June group read of Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, if anyone wants to join. https://www.librarything.com/topic/321069

I've "finished" Tomb of the Cybermen by watching the original TV story on BritBox. The audiobook was taking forever: it's 13 chapters, and 8 chapters in I still hadn't encountered the Cybermen!

Next up in audio will be another Doctor Who story: Hunters of Earth, written by Nigel Robinson and read by Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman on the show) and Tam Williams (who has played various roles in Doctor Who audio dramas).

I am listening to the audio of Austerlitz author Sebald, read by Richard Matthews. I think this might be one of those books where you miss something when you don't have the print version. I am enjoying it though.

What are we listening to right now?

I'm in the last stretch of Mrs. Dalloway. I'm also listening to Searching for Sunday by the late Rachel Held Evans. Not sure what I will listen to next.

>116 luvamystery65: I finished Hunters of Earth immediately after posting about it in >114 rabbitprincess: and haven't settled on a new audiobook yet. Maybe the one remaining audiobook in my Pool, Paths of Glory, by Jeffrey Archer, narrated by Roger Allam (which is the only reason I grabbed it).

Little Women / Louisa May Alcott.

Trying to finish before my book club on Tuesday! I've read it before, but I think only when I was much younger.

Currently listening to The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin. This is a 2020 release. Also part of the summer camp read for ToB. It is narrated by Robin Miles. New series.

I got off from work early on Friday and finished Aurora (by Kim Stanley Robinson; narrated by Ali Ahn)!

An epic space saga of a group of people from Earth who have been heading towards a distant star for one-hundred-seventy years. The story focuses on the last generation and, on the whole is an amazing exposition of Turing's Halting Problem. The earlier you clue in to the overarching theme , the more you can to appreciate the meta experience. I loved Ali Ahn when she was voicing Ship; not so much when she was voicing the other main character Freya (POV3 omniscient): Freya's character ages, Ali Ahn's voice does not-- so you have a character who always sounds like she's a young adult, whether she's six-years old or sixty! Anyway, still loved the story and will read more KSR :-)

I've started How to Be an Antiracist (written and narrated by Ibram X. Kendi) for my book club. I decided to get this one in audio as the author narrates it, and I thought it was important to hear him speak. A couple years ago, I read and listened to Ta-Nehisi Coates' book, Between the World and Me and, it was a much more impressive listening experience than a reading one for me. Sadly though, IXK is not as good a narrator as I had hoped. It's not always clear when he's quoting someone else or when he's expressing his own thought, so it gets a little confusing at first. I think I've caught on though so I will continue to listen.

>120 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I have How to be an Anti-Racist and So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. Oluo's is narrated by Bahni Turpin who I just love. I think I will listen to Oluo's book before Kendi's

I'm finishing up Searching For Sunday. It's a beautiful and heartbreaking book, made all the more so knowing Rachel Held Evans is no longer with us.

I am starting to drive again so listening to audio books. It takes me almost an hour to get to Minneapolis so I listen to books. I do not listen when in traffic but since I take back roads, I do not usually have that problem. Now listening to an audio I won, Little Secrets by Emily Blake and read by Kirsten Kairos. Not really for me but I will finish. I do like the Clive Cussler I get from the library.

Audios that I've read
The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter, free audiobook, story of dysfunctional family with mental illness and abuse.
You by Charles Deboit, a story in second person of a young teen with potential on a crash course with catastrophe.
Becoming Kareem memoir by former basketball star, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, read by the author.
Now starting Solo by Kwame Alexander, read by Kwame Alexander, Randy Preston - music

I listened to The Fire Upon the Deep which was very well done. The narrator was Peter Larkin. I am currently listening to Oliver Twist, read by Nadia May.

I almost forgot to post that I finished How to Be an Antiracist (written and narrated by Ibram X. Kendi) about two weeks ago! I probably should have paced myself a little bit though as the book club discussion isn't until the end of this month-- and I'm not sure how much I will have retained by then! I guess I really do need to pick up the ebook now so I can do more than just claim to have read it! There's also a live-stream event bing hosted by the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (Maryland), and it is free! Details here for anyone else who might be interested!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ibram-x-kendi-on-how-to-be-an-antiracist-tickets-11...

I haven't picked up another audiobook yet. I'm thinking about the 3-hour audio drama, The Russia House (by John le Carré ) next. I read the book last Summer and am looking forward to the next book in JLC's canon, The Secret Pilgrim-- which follows up with Ned from 'The Russia House' and returns us to the world of Smiley's Circus. I have 'The Secret Pilgrim' on my nightstand and the BBC production of TRH might be just the thing to get me back into that mindset!

What is everyone listening to?

I'm so sorry I have really ignored this thread.

I'm currently listening to Emma by Jane Austen narrated by Juliet Stevenson. I need some comfort listening right now. I'm at the home stretch for finishing up my BSN. I want to finish before the end of August so I can take a couple of months off before I embark on my MSN. One bit of great news is that I am keeping my advisor. She has been amazing.

I hope everyone is safe right now. I'm in Texas so it's a constant worry for me, but I am doing my best.

Instead of listening to the BBC audio drama, The Russia House (by John le Carré), I re-listened to The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent and then went on to listen to A Murder of Manatees: The Further Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent (both written by Larry Correia and narrated by Adam Baldwin and, only a couple hours long each).Yes, I know the author is a Sad Puppy and the narrator is of like ilk.... and the material isn't for thin-skinned liberals; but I enjoyed them anyway. They are SFF stories about a dimension jumping insurance salesman whose number one priority is customer service. As far as insurance salesmen goes, he's more on the order of a 1980s action hero! In the first story, Tom Stranger is assigned an intern who doesn't quite measure up-- all the while Stranger attempting to deal with dimensional rifts (and the damage they incur on the insureds' assets) and, competition from Jeff Conundrum. In the second story, a high ranking executive from one of the premier companies that Tom Stranger's company insures, is kidnapped! Oh, yeah-- The executive s a manatee! While there's plenty of snark directed at easy targets (man buns, gender studies degrees, etc.), I felt like the author pulled his punches a bit and the overall effort wasn't as sharp as the first; but the overall absurdity of both stories made me laugh!

I then downloaded and listened to Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre (by Max Brooks; narrated by Judy Greer, Max Brooks, Jeff Daniels, Nathan Fillion, Mira Furlan, Terry Gross, Kimberly Guerrero, Kate Mulgrew, Kai Ryssdaland, Steven Weber) - in one day! The story is about en eco-friendly community built in Washington state. After the eruption of a volcano, wildlife, including Sasquatch, flees from the the volcano's immediate threat and' in the their path? This isolated community, "Greenloop"— poorly equipped to deal with it all. Told in the form of journal entries and interviews, the story combines elements of superstition, urban legends and, the "reality" as expressed from the POV of Kate Holland (Greenloop resident). Highly entertaining, but a little gruesome in parts. this dwefintely falls in the horror category. Fun fact: I live in Bigfoot territory and, my current hometown is mentioned (albeit only once and in passing)! The only "weird" and somewhat disappointing thing about the book was that Max Brooks too was poking a bit of fun at West Coast liberals.

Now I'm listening to an audiobook that's been in my Audible library for a couple years, Hell Hole (John Ceepak/Danny Boyle #4; by Chris Grabenstein; narrated by Jeff Woodman). This is a mystery set on the Jersey Shore with John Ceepak (military veteran) and his younger partner, Danny Boyle from whose POV the story is told. In this installment, an Army veteran is found dead of an apparent suicide in the men's room of a New Jersey rest stop. This series started out as perfect Summer fare, but the last one, Whack-a-Mole and this one are decidedly darker, grislier, and more cynical. After this, I have one more in the series in my Audible queue. I may wait a bit before tackling that one; but when I do, I pretty sure that will be the last one I'll listen to despite there being three more book in the series. They aren't bad books, just not the escapism I crave right now and; not outstanding enough as mysteries go to make them "Must Listens".

>126 luvamystery65: I'm in Oregon right now where the coronavirus/COVID-19 casualty rate is low; but still on a slight uptick when our governor started Phase One re-openings at the beginning of Summer. We're on "pause" right now, but I think another full shutdown will be forthcoming before the year is out. Masks are required, but I've duly noted the businesses that do not enforce it and stay away from them. I'm fortunate in that I work from home (and have for several years); but there is an enervating quality to "These Uncertain Times". Though I shouldn't have been surprised, I've been experiencing a reading/listening slump. I'm slowly coming out of it but it'll be quite some time before I'm up to regular speed!

My hold on The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, read by Stephen Fry, just came in on Libby, so that is my next audiobook sorted. I'll have to hurry up and finish Paths of Glory!

Currently, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.

Next up will be Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs.

I am listening to She by H. Rider Haggard, read by Alan Munro. I picked this up cheap from Audible so i didn't expect much in the narration and it hasn't failed to meet expectations or it is the author's writing style.

I’m currently listening to The Boys in the Boat (by Daniel James Brown; narrated by Edward Herrmann). It’s the story of the 1936 Olympic Crew team and, even though Mr. Herrmann keeps mispronouncing the word, “Oregon”, the good news is that the story mostly takes place in Washington (state)! :-D Quibble aside, this is narrative non-fiction comparable to Laura Hillenbrand’s work (Seabiscuit and Unbroken)— so if you like her work you will probably like this too!

>131 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I believe that one made my favourites the year I read it. I think, so did "Unbroken".

I finished The Boys in the Boat (by Daniel James Brown; narrated by Edward Herrmann) this afternoon and, I'm not crying!It's allergies, I swear! 'The Boys in the Boat' is a the narrative non-fiction account of the University Washington Crew (8-man rowing) team that went on to the 1936 "Nazi" Olympics. This has been sitting in my Audible library for years but now was exactly the right time to listen ti it: A well written story about underdogs, hope and, a perfect, hard-won Golden moment in time. The author nods to Seabiscuit and Lou Zamperini, subjects of other narrative NF books, Seabiscuit and Unbroken respectively and written by Laura Hillenbrand) and, if you like either of the other two books, you will probably like this one as well. There's a PBS American Experience Episode, "The Boys of '36" which I've dnloaded and plan on watching later this evening. I was going to start another book, but I'm still basking in the afterglow if this one! The only quibble I have is with the audiobook narration: Ed Herrmann cringingly mispronounces a couple of words, but most notably "Oregon" :-/

More comfort reading is in order. I'm reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in audio, read by Stephen Fry. And yes I have been reciting some of my favourite lines along with him.

What is everyone listening to?

Hello all! I am finishing up my coursework for school. 2 projects and 1 paper due by the end of the month! Yikes! I have an appointment with my advisor tomorrow morning to discuss possibly switching my focus for my MSN.

I am listening to Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, narrated by Juliet Stevenson. Then I will likely listen to Bel Canto by Ann Patchett narrated by Anna Fields. It's been on my TBR for some time. If it takes my focus off school then I'll do a re-listen of something before I tackle the Patchett.

I hope everyone is doing well.

I should be able to finish Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter on audio in the next day or two. Autobiography, read by Sissy Spacek. (For those who have seen the movie, you may recall that Sissy Spacek also played Loretta Lynn in the movie.)

I am listening to The Warrior's Apprentice, have about an hour and half left.

Two more books off of my TBL stack!

Mind Scrambler (John Ceepak #5; by Chris Grabenstein; narrated by Jeff Woodman) - This is the fifth book in the series about a military vet turned police officer working in a seaside resort in New Jersey. Told from his junior partner's point of view, this is a somewhat grisly, often sordid set of mysteries voiced by the most excellent Jeff Woodman for the audiobook editions. In this story, John Ceepak and Danny Boyle head to Atlantic City to take a deposition and become deputized when a clean, family-friendly magic show turns out to be anything but! The cheap veneer of AC, stage shows and, of the characters is exposed when Ceepak and Boyle investigate the murder of the magician's nanny. There used to be a Yahoo Group called SLAM ("Sounds Like A Mystery" ) which loved this series and even got Chris Grabenstein to participate in a discussion. At the time, I eagerly grabbed the first five titles when Audible had one of their Summer sales but for whatever reason, had only listened to them within the past couple of years. Perhaps if I had listened to them as soon as I had dnloaded them, I would have loved them. The stories are original; The settings and characters are realistic; No sense of the author "cheating" in terms of having the protags go "off camera" and do some mysterious thing or a surprise witness or bit of evidence showing up at the last minute... BUT I can't help but think that I wouldn't want to know the heroes now. Danny Boyle has become increasingly sarcastic and cynical and; John Ceepak merges more and more of his military life (jargon, tactics, mindset) to the point that I'm waiting for the moment when he starts referring to people as "civilians."

Hard Magic (Book I of the Grimnoir Chronicles; by Larry Correia; narrated by Bronson Pinchot) - This is the first book in a series taking place in an alternative 1930s US wherein occult magic has been introduced into the world! This is an action-packed adventure filled with blimps, gunfights and, superhero-like characters... but be aware that Correia is a Sad Puppy and he shows his bent a couple times in that his protags decry Roosevelt's New Deal, the Labor movement, etc. Bronson Pinchot narrates but while I usually find his narration mesmerizing, this time it fell way short of my expectations. The narration feels slow (deadly so during action scenes) and, there are times when the a line of dialogue didn't seem to match the tone of the scene or even the other lines that surrounded it. I'm not quite sure how this title ended up in my Audible library: Either it was free or on sale and/or; I thought it was the first in the Monsters International series which seems to be very popular. Whatever, I will not be continuing with this series.

I am listening to Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver, the sequel to The Bean Trees. The book is narrated by C.J. Critt who also narrated the first book, so for me, great continuity. Another great story from this author.

>135 luvamystery65: Good luck with the schoolwork, Ro! Sounds like a lot on your plate.

I finished my listen of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which was a delight except for the few words changed to US English: torch to flashlight, zebra crossing to pedestrian crossing. Very weird and it threw off the rhythm of the lines in which they appeared.

Now I will be going back to Paths of Glory, by Jeffrey Archer, read by Roger Allam. I'm up to disc 5 of 9. Probably going to go back to audio-puzzling to make more time for it.

I just started on Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?, read by the author. It seems to be an introduction to political philosophy and ethics. I'm excited by it and also wondering how much it'll overlap the content of a college class. I'm hoping it's a bit more involved than a 101 class but we'll see!

Woo hoo, finished Paths of Glory! Roger Allam is an excellent narrator. I also found it deeply amusing when he did an American accent for one character (some sort of NY/NJ thing). I am not sure how accurate it is, but the contrast between his regular voice and the American accent was giggle-worthy.

Next up in audio will be a trusty Big Finish audio drama: The Tenth Doctor Adventures, Volume 1, featuring David Tennant and Catherine Tate.

Finished Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift and read by David Hyde Pierce (did a good job with the hard, imaginative words)
Currently reading The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam, nonfiction about the Korean War. Read by Scott Brick

I am almost finished All the Wrong Places by Joy Fielding, and after that will start Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison.

Currently in audio: Partners in Crime, by Agatha Christie, read by Hugh Fraser.

I just finished listening to Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart. I really enjoyed the reader, Ellie Heydon, a lot... but the character of the little boy lost his French accent for a decent chunk towards the end, which was curious. I only noticed because her voicing of him was so fantastic, just a little more so in the first half. I can't say I'm observant enough to have ever picked up on anything like that before.

>146 ReshiBec: Interesting! I have that one in print and am looking forward to it.

****

Partners in Crime (from >145 rabbitprincess:) was delightful in audio form. Hugh Fraser managed a good variety of voices and captured the vivaciousness of Tommy and Tuppence really well. What I loved best was the last chapter. Each chapter riffs on a different detective from the 1920s (or earlier), and the last one riffs on Poirot and Hastings! I was giggling for a great deal of that chapter. So if you haven't read this one, I do recommend the audio.

Next up in audio is The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, by Douglas Adams, narrated by Martin Freeman.

I finished up another audiobook in my queue, The Map of Time (Trilogía Victoriana #1; by Félix J. Palma; narrated by James Langton). Years ago, I picked the ebook up off of Scribd and had to return it unfinished... but as I neared the last quarter of the book, I realized I must have borrowed the whole trilogy as one volume all those years ago and read just the first book in the set! This means the audio is a "re-read" insofar as covering the material goes, but I think I'll use my next credit to get the next book in the series (which I'm pretty sure I haven't read). 'The Map of Time' is a historical fiction novel set in the Victorian Era and contains three sections with interlocking plot lines. It's fun, with nods to H.G. Wells, Jack the Ripper, Dracula and time travel... It's not easily categorized though I see it's ranked on Amazon as "Historical Fantasy" and "Historical Thriller". The whole of it starts off with a young aristocrat who sets out to commit suicide eight years after his paramour has been ruthlessly murdered. What follows is something of a giant magic trick with other sleights of hands nested within! I'm not crazy about the audiobook narrator (I prefer Old School British narrators like Anton Lesser and Simon Prebble) but I've gotten used to him!

***

My Audible credit came in last night so I dnloaded The Map of the Sky. Before I start though, I'm listening to The War of the Worlds (by H. G. Wells; narrated by Simon Vance). The Classic tale of an invasion from Mars is central to the plot of 'The Map of the Sky' so I thought I would refresh my memory a bit before diving in!

I also saw that Audible+ is offering Murder by Other Means (by John Scalzi; narrated by Zachary Quinto)-- a short audio follow-up to The Dispatcher. The mysteries are set in a near-future time when murder victims are inexplicably resurrected, naked but fully intact back in their homes regardless of where they were killed. For short stories, Scalzi deftly packs in a lot of information without overtly expositional passages. Quinto is perfect as the audio narrator. I gave the first book 5 stars and the second 4 stars. Why the one-star markdown? Somehow, I didn't feel like the material nor the narration were quite as strong in the sophomore effort. Perhaps the novelty had worn off; Maybe the Irish mobster in the second book sounded a bit too bland-- but I enjoyed both nonetheless!

I listened to an audio version of The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan. The book was read by Lucy Price-Lewis who did an excellent job with bringing this rom-com alive. The main character, Nina, was rather gullible and innocent and the reader managed to convey this without making her sound like a complete idiot. I would certain look for more rom-coms both written by this author and read by this narrator.

I had to DNF the audio of The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. As much as I love Martin Freeman as an actor, I didn't get on with the accent he used for Zaphod Beeblebrox in this book, and we spend a LOT of time with Zaphod. I think I'd prefer an edition narrated by Mark Wing-Davey; as the original radio Zaphod and TV miniseries Zaphod, he sounds more like the character to me.

Next up will be Dalek Empire 2.1: the first episode of the second series of the Big Finish production "Dalek Empire".

Currently listening to Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, narrated by David Rintoul. Unfortunately the audio's don't identify the translater and it does not match up with my hard copy but it's okay. Good book so far.

Finished in September these audios
A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay. Narrated by Simon Vance.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, narrator Shayna Small
Contact by Carl Sagan
High Rise by J. G. Ballard, Tom Hiddleston

>151 Kristelh: Ooh, Tom Hiddleston! I watched the movie of High-Rise with him in it. How was the audio?

I finished Dalek Empire from >150 rabbitprincess: and am gearing up to listen to And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie, read by Dan Stevens.

>153 rabbitprincess:, It was well done

I listened to The Magician of Lublin by Isaac Bashevis Singer and narrated by Larry Keith. Keith did an excellent job and I enjoyed this Jewish morality tale.

I'm listening to Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I finished up Murder by Other Means by John Scalzi. I enjoyed the first one and this one was good. I do hope he does another one. It's enjoyable to while away the time. I'll start Dark Hollow by John Connolly next.

What is everyone going to listen to for October/Halloween?

>156 luvamystery65: I hadn't thought of listening to anything spooky for Halloween before I saw this post, but October might be a good time to pull out Jago & Litefoot & Strax, a Big Finish audio drama involving a haunted house in Victorian London (and a creature that steals brains).

Currently I'm listening to the 3rd in a YA series (a trilogy? Not sure):
Forever / Maggie Stiefvater

For Halloween? Not sure it will be Halloween themed. I have a few audios for regular monthly themes I am hoping to get to in October:
Krakatoa / Simon Winchester
Cover of Snow / Jenny Milchman

This might be Halloween-themed?
Half Spent Was the Night / Ami McKay

Currently listening to and enjoying Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann narrated by David Rintoul

Since I last posted, I listened to and thoroughly enjoyed Jago & Litefoot & Strax as mentioned in >157 rabbitprincess:. And today I listened to another Doctor Who audio quickie: Destiny of the Doctor 11: The Time Machine, by Matt Fitton. This one certainly reinforced the idea that the Destiny of the Doctor audios were conceived with the idea of listening to them in order... but it somehow seems even more appropriate and timey-wimey to listen to them out of order! Haha.

It's been awhile since I've posted! I've listened to a few things since (checks notes) September 13 (!!) and The Map of the Sky (by Félix J. Palma; narrated by James Langton). Last post, I was I'm listening to The War of the Worlds (by H. G. Wells; narrated by Simon Vance) before diving in the last (print) book of the Map of Time Trilogy. "TWOFW" is about an alien invasion of Earth from Mars and happens to be surprisingly graphic in its depiction of violence and death. Excellent story that really resonated about a week after having finished it as our communities started dealing with the aftermath of the Alameda fire. TWOFW is a Classic and, short; but it may be a little while before I revisit it.

After a palate cleanser away from Victorian England, I inadvertently returned when I picked up The Prestige (by Christopher Priest; also narrated by Simon Vance!)-- a title I had my eye on for a long time and dnloaded when I saw it was included in the Audible+ subscription. Two Belle Époque magicians mess with electricity and each others minds throughout their careers. Tesla has a role in the story and the whole tale veers from historical fiction into some SFF territory with a touch of horror. The meat of the story is terrific, but the framing story-- where modern day descendants meet and dive into the journals of the magicians, was garbage. The audiobook narrator did a great job of handling characters of different genders and ages. The core story and Vance's narration make this a pick, overriding my disgruntlement of the 20th-century couple and the ending. I watched the movie years ago, but I don't really remember any of it except for a scene with David Bowie as Tesla holding a lamp/giant light globe that didn't have any connecting leads! I'll probably rent the movie and watch it again. I suspect they ended the story where it should have!

I finished listening to Unbury Carol (by Josh Malerman; narrated by Dan John Miller). The premise of a coma-prone woman who is buried alive sends a shiver down my spine; but the story itself devolves fairly early on into mediocre writing. I started to manage by expectations early on, but in the end I was disappointed. Interestingly, this also feature magicians, albeit those who use magic as a tool in service of their lives on The Trail, an Old Western stretch of road that connects towns and outlaws. There is so much of this play that pointless and thrill-killing that I can only hope that it get picked up by Hollywood and completely re-written. Unless it's the same people who made The Sisters Brothers. :-p

I'm currently listening to The Mist (by Stephen King; narrated by Will Patton). This novella length story comes in at a little over 5-hours and I've just started. So Far, a violent storm has come through a lakeside community in rural Maine and, an ominous mist has developed over the lake itself. The audiobook narrator is a shade old to be playing the role of a 30-something father; but man, Patton knows how to pace a story and deliver the tension!

I am listening to Circling the Sun by Paula McLain for my f2f book club.

Also set that aside briefly to listen to Half Spent was the Night by Ami McKay. Unfortunately, I kind of finished that one today, but really wasn't paying attention to the last half at all (kind of/sort of to the first half). I'm re-listening to the last half to see if I can catch more of it. (The last half is only about 40 minutes.)

Thanks for keeping the thread warm folks. I finished Lock Every Door by Riley Sager for my book club. I'm finishing up Dark Hollow by John Connolly.

Really liked the audiobook narrator and production quality of Dominic Hoffman reading Gyasi's Homegoing, which for me lived up to all the praise it's gotten.

I wrapped up The Mist (by Stephen King; narrated by Will Patton). This is a novella (5-ish hour audiobook) about the mist that creeps into town after a severe storm hits a rural lakeside resort community. A happily married man, his five-year old son and, his litigious neighbor head down to the town market to pick up some supplies when the white-out envelopes the store. Think I am Legend (by Richard Matheson)-- only in Maine, in a store with people and not vampire/zombies! If I had read this, this might have come across as a bit too campy, but even though I think Will Patton sounds too old to play the POV1 role of the father, he definitely knows how to pace the story and dole out the suspense! This is a three-star story elevated to four stars by the audio narration :-)

I've started Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (by Susanna Clarke; narrated by Simon Prebble). The print edition has been hanging around our house fir years, but I decided to pick up the 32+ hour audiobook instead. I'm really struggling with print these days and moreover, Simon Prebble! :-)
I'm a third of the way in and still in the expository stage of the story: Two magicians in Victorian England hope to being true magic back to England and help their country in the war against Napoleon. There is a (sub?)-plot where in a Faerie King has ensnared a couple of people and a couple of magic "tricks" that give the story its Fantasy label but it's all firmly grounded in reality (i.e. We are not in a setting of castles, unicorns and dragons, but rather in London where the realm of magic intrudes). The story is slow to develop and, as I mentioned, Im in early stages so I don't know where this is heading but I do find it kinda funny that I unintentionally picked up yet another book about Victorian era magicians this year! I think this is my sixth!

Next up for me in audio will be another Doctor Who one: Shadow of Death, by Simon Guerrier. I like to have these on hand when reading print is hard.

Now listening to Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo.

After that, I just got The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irvine via my library hold. Had hoped to read for Halloween, but oh, well... just a bit after, I guess (once I finish "Sworn to Silence").

Moved on to Exhalation by Ted Chiang, a collection of science fiction short stories. I thought I recognized one of the narrators from my previous audiobook Homegoing, and I was right -- Dominic Hoffman narrated both! Quite unexpected, but I like his narration and I'm glad to have him back.

Well, I was about halfway through Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (by Susanna Clarke; narrated by Simon Prebble) before I got bored with it and googled the rest of the plot. Nothing was happening and TBH, after seeing what the end had in store, I'm kinda glad I bailed now. Maybe it's the slow pacing of the book. Maybe my brain is broken. Maybe 2020 just isn't the time to try something like this!

I haven't decided on my next listen yet...

>169 Tanya-dogearedcopy: That one bored me to no end! I read the book and it took over a year to finish. Was before I was rating/reviewing it, but thinking back I'd probably give it all of 1 star! (And I almost never give 1 star.)

Had another "reading print is hard" day so ended up listening to Shadow of Death yesterday evening.

Next up in audio is undoubtedly The Answer Is..., by Alex Trebek, read by Alex Trebek and Ken Jennings.

Ugh really, a duplicate post?! Annoying.

Finally finishing up Sense and Sensibility and I'm also wrapping up Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. I started it on Halloween.

I finished up Dark Hollow by John Connolly. I love the supporting characters. Not so sure about the main character, but I suspect he will grow as the series progresses. It's really dark and violent. I used to love this, but lately not so much. There is a supernatural element to it. It's not the main focus of the series, but it is definitely there. I'll think about if I want to proceed. In the meantime, on to other books.

Up next for me, The Last Necromancer by CJ Archer and The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Both are November Bonus Borrows on Hoopla so am going to give them a go. Also, going to listen to Love is the Way by Bishop Michael Curry who I became familiar with from the 2018 Royal Wedding. He has a nice podcast and I attended a Zoom Q&A last night where he was interviewed by a local bishop for one of our local independent bookstores.

I've started listening to The Three Musketeers (by Alexandre Dumas; narrated by John Lee). It's been in my Audible library over 4 years and I've finally gotten around to it! It's the Classic adventure story about 17-th century swordsmen in the service of King Louis XIII (and against the injustices of Cardinal Richelieu and his guard). The story has become such a staple of mainstream culture that I wasn't sure if I had actually ever read it before or not, so this is a great opportunity to experience the story and pick up the nuances of the written word. So far, I'm really enjoying the story and happy with John Lee's narration (sometimes I love his work, other times, not so much) so this is going rather quickly :-)

I finished Adam Bede and moved on to Melmoth the Wanderer. Both long reads.

I finished up The Three Musketeers (by Alexandre Dumas; narrated by John Lee) last weekend and loved it! There were sections that seemed so familiar because, "Hello, Hollywood!"-- But the ending took me completely by surprise and was a bit shocking! I won't be diving into another D'Artganan novel quite yet, but I've got my eye on The Man in the Iron Mask and; another Dumas père book, The Count of Monte Cristo.

This weekend, I wrapped up an audiobook I started last Monday, A Gift of Time (by Jerry Merritt; narrated by Christopher Lane) - An 80-yr old man travels back in time seventy yrs to correct a mistake. The part of the book set in the Eastern panhandle of FL where the protag is a 10-yo is poignant, tension-filled & well-articulated in setting & atmosphere; But the framing story about time travel technology is the bigger portion of the story and just not as rich. The whole of the book has an oddly weighted, linear plot (sort of like seeing an egg having been swallowed by a snake). I‘m somewhat on the fence about the audio narration too: Christopher Lane chose to perform the character as a Florida “cracker” throughout which intuitively doesn‘t square though I can see the justification. There were a couple places too (very beginning and end) where it sounds like CL‘s voice has been inexplicably treated which is a little jarring. Ultimately, as much as I loved the “egg” of the plot, the issues outweighed the positive points. Mine seems to be an outlier opinion however: I see consistently high ratings and reviews from others on Audible.

I've started another audiobook, Until the End of the World (by Sarah Lyons Fleming; narrated by Julia Whelan). At first I was a little nervous about this one as it starts out with a viral pandemic from Asia raging across the globe! The rabies-like virus zombifies its victims, taking over the major cities within hours. A group of friends, led by Cassie Forrest seeks to escape Brooklyn and head for safety at a remote upstate cabin. I'm at the beginning of the story where the character prototypes of all horror stories are being established: the whore, the athlete, the scholar, the fool , and the virgin... (e.g. The Haunting of Hill House (by Shirley Jackson), The Scooby Gang, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and, The Cabin in the Woods). Julia Whelan is at the level of audiobook narration where you're like, "Is this only one person narrating?" By next weekend, we'll see if the story itself is just another zombie story or something else!

In the next few days, I hope to finish The Institute / Stephen King. Next up will be The Turn of the Key / Ruth Ware.

I started Donati's Into the Wilderness last week. It's rather unexpectedly-to-me sexually explicit, and that's very odd to have read aloud to me by the (talented) older woman voice actor. But so far I like this book even better than Outlander, to which it was compared.

For November, I listened to Melmoth the Wanderer a classic horror story, okay but not engaging. Too long.
I finished The Institute Dec 1st. This one is engaging and an easy listen.

Hello everyone. Checking in. I just binged most of the Ministry of Curiosities from Hoopla. Nice escapist listening. I'm hoping to get to Our Mutual Friend before the year is out. If not that, then at least another Dickens I haven't read or listened to.

I'll start the thread in the 2021 group after Christmas.

I am currently listening to Money: a Suicide Note may be well done as far as narration but I don't recommend it unless you like pornography and addictions.

Also am listening to Our Mutual Friend which I will finish this month.

I ended up bailing on Until the End of the World (by Sarah Lyons Fleming; narrated by Julia Whelan) half-way through out of sheer boredom. Maybe if I had read this when it was first pubbed and was into chick-lit, I might have liked it; but honestly it didn't bring anything new to the table as far as zombie lore goes. Five long-time friends and co-workers (plus one ex-boyfriend) head out from Brooklyn to seek shelter in upstate New York. The POV is from a young adult female of the group and I can't say I see much in the way of leadership skillz in the protag. As it stands, it's seven years old and I prefer George Romero/Jonathan Maberry/Alden Bell (The Reapers are the Angels) kind of zombie stories.

In keeping with the the spirit of the season (ha!) I dnloaded and listened to the Charles Dickens classic short, A Christmas Carol. Oh, my! Patrick Stewart acts up a storm! It was actually quite distracting and I would recommend the versions narrated by Tim Curry or Simon Prebble over this one, but it's one for the collection.

I haven't decided what I'm going to start next. I'm thinking about a shorter title in my audible library, Slumdog Millionaire (by Vikas Swarup; narrated by Christopher Simpson). It's been in my library for a really long time...

Best of 2020?

What were your favorite listens from this year-- that were wither released this year or you just got around to this year)?

My favorite "Released in 2020 Audiobook" is Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre (by Max Brooks; narrated by Judy Greer, Max Brooks, Jeff Daniels, Nathan Fillion, Mira Furlan, Terry Gross, Kimberly Guerrero, Kate Mulgrew, Kai Ryssdaland and, Steven Weber) - The story is about en eco-friendly community built in Washington state. After the eruption of a volcano, wildlife, including Sasquatch, flees from the the volcano's immediate threat and into the the path of an isolated community, "Greenloop which is poorly equipped to deal with it all. Told in the form of journal entries and interviews, the story combines elements of superstition, urban legends and, the "reality" as expressed from the POV of Kate Holland (Greenloop resident). Highly entertaining, but a little gruesome in parts, this definitely falls in the horror category. Lots of fun!

My favorite "Finally Got Around to Listening to It in 2020 Audiobook" is The Boys in the Boat (by Daniel James Brown; narrated by Edward Herrmann) 'The Boys in the Boat' is a the narrative non-fiction account of the University Washington Crew (8-man rowing) team that went on to the 1936 "Nazi" Olympics-- a well written story about underdogs, hope and, a perfect, hard-won Golden moment in time. The author nods to Seabiscuit and Lou Zamperini, subjects of other narrative NF books, Seabiscuit and Unbroken respectively and written by Laura Hillenbrand) and, if you like either of the other two books, you will probably like this one as well. This one definitely will have you crying happy tears and leave you with an reading afterglow :-)

Tough one, released in 2020. Not sure that I read any that was released in 2020 but I did read Marya by Joyce Carol Oates. It was released this year by Audible. I read a few library audios not sure if any were new releases.

Maybe Mexican Gothic, that might have been a 2020 release audio. And Southern Bookclub Guide to Slaying Vampires.

Of those three, I probably enjoyed Mexican Gothic the most.

I listened to and greatly enjoyed The great believers by Rebecca Makkai. It was narrated by Michael Crouch.

I have one more new to listen to book from 2020 that I'm starting next weekend, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. When I'm done, I will post my final thoughts. One of the contenders is Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times by Bishop Michael Curry.

Book I got around to in 2020 that I absolutely loved was A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.

Finished the audio Our Mutual Friend, Dickens last full novel, long, 36.5 plus hours of listening. Narrated by David Timson.

Late last week, the New York Times published a list of what they consider the "Ten Best Books pf 2020" :(https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/books/review/best-books.html

Two of the books are related to Shakespeare: A historical fiction novel, Hamnet (by Maggie O'Farrell) and a non-fiction book, Shakespeare in a Divided America (by James Shapiro). I was very excited to pick up copies of both books and succeeded in picking up Hamnet from an independent bookstore; but was unable to find a print copy at the local indie bookstores, the local Barnes & Nobel, or from Amazon that could be delivered before Christmas. I really didn't want to get the ebook edition (I'm trying to cut down on screen time)-- so, with an Audible credit, I dnloaded the audiobook edition narrated by Fred Sanders). The material itself is fascinating, covering the intersection of Shakespearean and American cultures though U.S. history. Unfortunately, the narrator/production was terrible: stilted delivery, mispronunciations, bad edits... and no PDF to refer to regarding the images discussed in the book. I've actually ordered a hard copy of the book (will arrive sometime in February!) as it is a book that will want to have on hand.

Finished a short one, Winterfair Gifts by Lois McMaster Bujold. (A good one if looking for something set at Winter Solstice). Now I am listening to A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. A first book in a series, with strong YA flavor. Set in a boarding school (like Harry Potter) only deadly and uninviting.

Going to finish out the year audio-wise with another Doctor Who novelette: Shockwave, by James Swallow, part of the "Destiny of the Doctor" series released in 2013. It is performed by Sophie Aldred (aka Ace from the TV show) and Ian Brooker.

Also, the audio version of The Answer Is...: Reflections on My Life was excellent :)

I finished The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. What a nice book to read at the end of this awful year. I don't know about the best of 2020 or the books I enjoyed in 2020 because I read a few books that I enjoyed that I've now forgotten about. Sometimes you need to read brain candy and this year was one for that. The books that stuck with me at the end of the year is what I'll say rather than the best of.

Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans
Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times by Bishop Michael Curry
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Persuasion by Jane Austen reread for me
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius reread for me

I want more of The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch. I love Peter Grant, but I would not mind more of Tobias Winter. I hope he writes more. I've forgotten a lot of the details, but it was highly enjoyable and that is what I want in an audiobook.

I hope everyone is having a nice year end and enjoying holidays, if you celebrate. I'm enjoying leftovers which is the best thing about the holidays.

I'm going to go over to 2021 and start our thread. I'll post here soon.

2021 Audiobooks thread is here. https://www.librarything.com/topic/327741