Audiobooks discussion

New Month, New Books ...

Scott Brick is doing an outstanding job reading The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry for me.

I've also been re-listening-to David Plotz' Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible, which I'm appreciating more the second time around, since I became somewhat of a fan of the Slate political podcast, which he hosts.

I'm listening to Robert Crews, an oldie. The book is a retelling of Robinson Crusoe. It's pretty boring right now, just how he made this, and did that, and ate something else. There's supposed to be his gal Friday coming up soon (I hope). Maybe it will get better then.

Carolyn F. wrote: "I'm listening to Robert Crews, an oldie. The book is a retelling of Robinson Crusoe. It's pretty boring right now, just how he made this, and did that, and ate somethin..."

If he's following the original, Friday didn't show up until pretty late in the book. That surprised me when I first read it. I remember the first time I read Robinson Crusoe thinking that the bit about his making a canoe took for-ever! The second time I read it, somehow it didn't take as long to make that boat... I guess it's all a matter of expectation.

I've got The Perks of Being a Wallflowerand Memoirs of a Geishaon my list for July so far. Has anyone listened to those?

Finishing up Dean Koontz' From the Corner of His Eye. This one is classic Koontz (who can be hit or miss).

finishing up Last to Die

then have a review copy of Born in Blood - somehow I got invited to the recorded books reviewer list - it was like christmas picking what book I wanted to review (limited to 1 per quarter)

Memoirs of a Geisha is really good, Taylor. Fascinating.

I have listened to Memoirs and loved it - I read Perks in print and also enjoyed it.

Just started listening to The Good House this morning. So far, so good!

I usually don't have a backlog of audiobooks - I choose a new one when the last one ends, but I took advantage of the June sale, so it should be a busy month as the books I picked up are shorter than those I usually listen to.

Kristy, Heidi: Awesome! I've heard its interesting, but for some reason I've been hesitant to start.

I'm listening to The House at Riverton. I'm about third of the way through. It does a good job giving you a sense of the period.

Just finished Delicious!, which was sweet and funny, and had a fun puzzle and lots of great food writing set in New York. I loved Reichl's memoirs, so I was pretty sure I would like her first fiction novel... and I did. Even the romance portion of the story didn't annoy me (I am a notorious anti-romance reader).

Started The Girl with All the Gifts. This one is pretty exciting and has kept me guessing about what happens next. So far it is an interesting spin on "zombie" post-apocalyptic fiction, but told form a more female perspective than a military one. I'm looking forward to finishing the last half but it's not kid-friendly and I have my stepdaughter for the next two weeks so it may have to wait a while.

Taylor wrote: "I've got The Perks of Being a Wallflowerand Memoirs of a Geishaon my list for July so far. Has anyone listened to those?"

Memoirs of a Geisha was one of the first audiobooks that I listened to. I had read the book and seen the movie. I loved the story so I figured it would be easy to follow along. Shall we just say that thanks to the performance, I am now addicted to audiobooks.

Taylor wrote: "Kristy, Heidi: Awesome! I've heard its interesting, but for some reason I've been hesitant to start."

I really enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha... I've even re-listened twice. I didn't expect to be interested in a book set in pre-WWII Japan, but I got totally sucked in.
If you like fantasy, Across the Nightingale Floor has a similar feel in some ways, even though it is set in Medieval Japan. Loved it.

I'm new to the group!

Just finished Happy Accidents this morning and really loved it--she was a great narrator!

Am now listening to The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder and loving it. It's a tragic story but the audiobook is great.

Welcome, Liz!

Liz wrote: "I'm new to the group!

Just finished Happy Accidents this morning and really loved it--she was a great narrator!

Am now listening to [book:The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicin..."

i really liked Happy Accidents and it made me finally get Glee to watch on DVD...lol!

I read the Good Nurse, thankfully it was after I was in the hospital, haha

Joy wrote: "Starting the month with Pickwick Papers read by Simon Vance, and Gone With the Wind read by Linda Stephens. Both of these at a very leisurely pace and I don't expect to finish this month.

I will s..."

i have I have 80 days somewhere in Mt TBR

Jeanie wrote: "Taylor wrote: "Kristy, Heidi: Awesome! I've heard its interesting, but for some reason I've been hesitant to start."

I really enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha... I've even re-listened twice. I didn't ..."

That sounds interesting, thanks!

Jan wrote: "I'm listening to The House at Riverton. I'm about third of the way through. It does a good job giving you a sense of the period."

I love Kate Morton - I bet its really good.

I finished listening to both of the first two Baker Street Brothers books written by Michael Robertson, narrated by Simon Vance. I thought they were pretty good. I am currently listening to The Woman in White. There are four different narrators and it is great listening to this outstanding story. I am about 75% done. Tonight, I am going to start listening to Journey to the Center of the Earth narrated by Simon Prebble.

Just finished Written in My Own Heart's Blood by, Diana Gabaldon narrated by, Davina Porter it was great but I hate that we have to wait so long till the next one!

Now listening to Angel's Biddingby Sharon Short narrated by, Em Eldridge

Leaving in a week for vacation trying to put together my listening plan I know I will be listening to the new Evanovich and probably AJ Fikry but I really should listen to some of my bought but not listened to but new books keep popping up LOL. I will be putting some on my ipod though and hope that I get to them!

With hundreds of books in my TBR pileto choose from... I went and bought Shakespeare's Star Wars and listened in one sitting. Loved it. Now I'll impulsively buy the next two. But first, the other impulse buy of the day, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. It's had so many positive comments I couldn't resist.

Just finishing Where'd You Go Bernadette. Very entertaining.

I got an ARC of the paper version of the Storied Life of AJ Fikry and I loved it. I can't imagine any book lover wouldn't!

Listening to Attachments which was a Daily Deal a while ago. It's a lightweight story mostly told in emails. It is ok but could have been so much better. The two main characters are women and the way the narrator does it, I can't tell the difference between them. Some time back I listened to a similar book The Boy Next Door which also is a lightweight email story. That one was read by the inimitable Barbara Rosenblatt and made me laugh repeatedly. This one is only mildly amusing.

Glad to hear the positive views on The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, I picked it up a few days ago. Actually getting around to listening to it will be the challenge, waaaaay too many books on my to-read list.

80 Days has been on my TBR pile for a while, too.

Almost done with Cibola Burn. It took so.e time to adjust to the narrator switch in this book #4 but now that I have its another great installment to the series

I'm about a third through A. J. Fikry and have to say it was a slow start. Scott Brick's slow narration and sepulchral tone made me wish the device I am listening on could be sped up--even 1.25X would help. Now that I'm into the sweeter portion it's better, but I'm hoping it gets better still.

Interesting, as I thought the narration was fine - standard literary fiction tone. As I'm typing now, the book is on in the background (social worker visit scene). My family is from Nantucket, so I'm as interested in the setting as the plot itself.

Robin wrote: "Listening to Attachments which was a Daily Deal a while ago. It's a lightweight story mostly told in emails. It is ok but could have been so much better. The two main characters are ..."

I'm sorry the narrator's handling of the emails isn't working for you, it was the only really enjoyable part of that book for me (I read it in hard copy).

i think the whole emails in books is harder to convey in audio - in print, you can make it look different etc

I listened to Fangirl and Eleanor and Park, both narrated by Rebecca Lowman, who I thought did a fantastic job. In Fangirl, there were a lot of blog entries followed by comments and I'm pretty sure a lot of emails, too, but she made it work. Does she narrate Attachments, too?

Kelly wrote: "Robin wrote: "Listening to Attachments which was a Daily Deal a while ago. It's a lightweight story mostly told in emails. It is ok but could have been so much better. The two main c..."

Jeanie wrote: "With hundreds of books in my TBR pileto choose from... I went and bought Shakespeare's Star Wars and listened in one sitting. Loved it. Now I'll impulsively buy the next two. But first, the othe..."

I also have hundreds of TBR's and impulsively requested both the 3rd Star Wars and AJ Fikrey from the library and have Code Name Verity waiting for me ... the last two because of so many positive reviews. It seems the only way to make progress is to stop reading the posts.

MissSusie wrote: "Just finished Written in My Own Heart's Blood by, Diana Gabaldon narrated by, Davina Porter it was great but I hate that we have to wait so long till the next one!

Now listening to..."

I've been reading the Outlander series since 1991 and I think I'm finally tired of it. As much as I love young Ian, and he started the book, I can't get into it. Maybe I should just get the audiobook.

I started Pride and Prejudice narrated by Emma Messenger. Her rendition of Mrs. Bennett is so shrill, I can't listen to it.

I started The Rich Are Different by Susan Howatch, my favorite author, and even though I've read it a dozen times, I'm enjoying it very much.

Margaret wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "Just finished Written in My Own Heart's Blood by, Diana Gabaldon narrated by, Davina Porter it was great but I hate that we have to wait so long till the next one!..."

The audiobooks are fabulous I only listen to them anymore.

I finished The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry -- not quite what I was expecting but it was enjoyable and sweet and a little sad.

I'm now listening to Playing Beatie Bow which I picked up during the June sale. I read this as a girl, and I really liked it then, and so far seems to be holding up. I first thought the narrator sounded a little old (the story is told from a 14yo girl's point of view) but she's grown on me and is doing a good job.

I decided to put Angel's Bidding: A Patricia Delaney Egumshoe Mystery aside for a while will go back to it later.

Was having a hard time finding what I wanted to listen to after the latest Gabaldon and wanted something I could have done before I went on vacation because I know what I want to listen to for that trip.

So I ended up with The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen narrated by, Amy Rubinate this one grabbed me good so will probably stay with this one.

I just finished Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls. I love David Sedaris and really enjoyed this book, even more than the last few from him. I was bored at work today, so started it there even though I really shouldn't be listening in the office. It was worth it, though!

Susanne wrote: "I finished The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry -- not quite what I was expecting but it was enjoyable and sweet and a little sad.

I'm now listening to [book:Playing Beatie Bow|17236833..."

wow, i haven't heard about playing beatie bow in years - we read it when i was in elementary school in australia...and there is an old movie too

I also finished The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry and agree it wasn't what I was expecting. Yes, sweet and a little sad. I think my problem is that I'm not particularly a literary fiction fanso this one didn't rock my world. It was fine, but that's all it was for me.

Today I bought, listened to, and finished William Shakespeare's Star Wars: The Empire Striketh Back. I'm adoring these. I love that from the first second of the recording to the very last--which includes intro and end credits--that the humor begins and doesn't stop. I'm also enjoying the brief author's comments at the end--really, how else could I have known that Yoda's lines were haiku? The voicings are spectacular with many sounding very much like the actors in the movies. These aren't silly spoofs, either of Star Wars or Shakespeare, and treat both aspects cleverly. I'm off to get The Jedi Doth Return...

Jeanie - those sound fun. I'm off to listen to the samples.

Sue wrote: "I listened to Fangirl and Eleanor and Park, both narrated by Rebecca Lowman, who I thought did a fantastic job. In Fangirl, there were a lot of blog entries followed by comments and I'm pretty sure..."

Attachments is read by Laura Hamilton, someone I don't know. She's not bad, if just one of the main characters had the style she does, but with the two the same, it's annoying. I've liked a number of other email books, such as Confessions of a Shopaholic, and I wasn't bothered in Ready Player One when lists and transcripts need to be read. It's all about the narrator.

I quit Attachments about a quarter to a third of the way through and started Shotgun Lovesongs. It's gotten great reviews and takes place in Wisconsin, which is where I live. I really got into it quickly, and I even am ok with the fact that there are various narrators, something I usually don't care for.

Margaret wrote: "...I started Pride and Prejudice narrated by Emma Messenger. Her rendition of Mrs. Bennett is so shrill, I can't listen to it..."

There are several different audio recordings of Pride and Prejudice available. This (http://tinyurl.com/lxh3lrp) is the list I got when I searched Audible for it. Recordings by Margarite Gavin, Carolyn Seymour, Kate Reading (all well-regarded narrators) and several others are about $3US. You might try the samples of a couple to see if there's a voice you prefer. There are apparently also several alternatives available through OverDrive and your library.

I've just finished "The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs", a Langdon St Ives novella by James P. Blaylock. A fun read, and I enjoyed it more than the previous installment, The Ebb Tide.

The narration wasn't that good though; the narrator insisted on using one outrageous accent after another to distinguish the characters, and his women sounded like they were men in a Monty Python sketch. Not bad enough to ruin the book, but not great.

Blaylock has since written the next novel in the series, which I've yet to read, and the following novella (which is on it's way to me from SubPress as I type this). So lots more St Ives to read.

Not yet though. Right now I'm listening to The Crook Factory by one of my favourite authors - Dan Simmons - but narrated by one of my least favourite narrators - Patrick Lawlor. I hope I can tolerate him long enough to finish the book.

HBJ

I finished William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return and am glad I read the series. I really enjoyed the vignette at the very end where William Shakespeare time-travels to the present to have a little chat with the author, Ian Doescher--very funny.
I'm not sure a song and dance by Han Solo at one point in the play was a sensible choice--really, what was Doescher thinking. Darth Vader's voice was a little off this time and Luke Skywalker intermittently developed an English accent for some reason, but these are tiny quibbles and my enjoyment of this last installment was not affected by them. I hope we get a similar treatment for the first three episodes in the saga. If so, I'll be eager to be one of the first to buy it.

Ah, you beat me to the last one, Jeanie. Monster Hunter Nemsis slowed me down, but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.

I would enjoy an Ian Doescher treatment for the prequels as well, but really aren't they a parody of themselves. :)

I finished Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Wow, what an awesome story! It is non-fiction but definitely "reads" like fiction. Loved it!

I'm now listening to Outlander. I wanted to finish the first one before the series comes out on Cable next month.