Audiobooks discussion

Starting the month with Gironimo! Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy by Tim Moore, which has gained traction after a slow start, but wouldn't advise starting with him here. Gildart Jackson's narration a big plus.

Also starting The Paper Bark Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu, a terrific mystery series best read in order.

how is it november already??? I swear this year is just flying by!!!

I'm continuing my trudge through Don Quixote - for the most part I just don't get the classics...

also listening to Mary Jane - I didn't grow up in the 70's, but so many of the descriptions could have fit my grandparents house in the 80's....

and I'm finishing up Like a Love Story - set in the 1980's during the AIDS Epidemic - the author is doing a great job (at least from my perspective) of balancing being educational and telling a story

Dee wrote: "how is it november already??? I swear this year is just flying by!!!

I'm continuing my trudge through Don Quixote - for the most part I just don't get the classics...

also listening t..."

I enjoyed Don Quixote read by George Guidall but it seemed like the same thing over and over. So I stopped after the first half/volume, feeling I got the idea. Generally I love classics, but more the 19th-century ones, not the earlier ones, that are cruder.

I'm listening to Akin by Emma Donoghue. The narrator is very good so far, and I've not been disappointed by a book of hers yet.

Just finished False Witness by Karin Slaughter and thought it was very well narrated.

Starting November listening to The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks. Little over a quarter the way through, and enjoying it.

Taking a pause as a bunch of library holds came in over the weekend. Going to try Songbirds by Christy Lefteri first.

I'm continuing Greer Macallister's The Arctic Fury - the story's not what I was expecting, but it's got enough of my attention that I'll finish it.

And I started The Fall of the House of Cabal this morning; I was supposed to buddy-read this in another group weeks ago, and the print version just wasn't working for me. I'm used to these books having shorter chapters, and this one's gone and thrown a wrench into that mentality. I do love Nicholas Guy Smith reading this series.

Started The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. This is for book club coming up. Had to set aside A Time for Mercy by John Grisham but I’ll get back to it shortly.

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman - 4 stars - My Review

In the second book of His Dark Materials trilogy, we meet Will Parry, who commits a crime and escapes into another world, where he meets Lyra Belacqua. Lyra followed her father to this world at the end of the first book. We meet a host of ethereal characters, including angels, witches, spectres, and dæmons. The character development takes a hit with the addition of Will, who steals the spotlight from Lyra, at least initially. He is a bit stereotypical, but Lyra remains feisty and courageous, and is really a wonderfully drawn character. This second book is darker in tone than the first. It might be too scary for young children.

I listened to the audio book, read by the author and a full cast. The audio version is like listening to a play. As with the first book, it enhances the experience and I highly recommend it.

Ashley Marie wrote: "I'm continuing Greer Macallister's The Arctic Fury - the story's not what I was expecting, but it's got enough of my attention that I'll finish it.."

I ended up enjoying this more than I expected - I read it a few months ago

I finished Defying Destiny, third in The War of Broken Mirrors trilogy by Andrew Rowe. It didn't answer all the unanswered questions or finish all the storylines, but those might be concluded in another related series. I really enjoy these books but anyone else should probably tackle them in order... or wait for more of the other two series to be completed. The next Weapons and Wielders book comes out this month--I'm with Dee on wondering how it is already November!--so I won't have to wait long for a new installment.

I'm going to try to finish the newest Agatha raisin book tonight because the next Cradle book, Reaper, comes out tomorrow and everything else will have to wait... except I might read Where Snow Angels Go first because it is so short and I want the answer about snow angels! ;)

Of course I am enjoying It's a Wonderful Woof, a story set at Christmas time with Chet and Bernie. My classics group on GR started reading The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker written in the 1700's. I have a free version on my iPad, but when I started reading, I saw that the book is made up of letters from multiple people to each other. Each has their own voice. Some are intended to be humorous, but I wasn't sure I was getting it, and I thought, "this would be good on audio". I found one with multiple narrators, which I usually don't like, but it makes sense here. A couple of the narrators are Stephen Crossley and Tim Gerard Reynolds, who I know I like. Often, for older classics, narrators can bring the archaic language to life. We will be reading it over 4-6 weeks, so I'll listen to that between other books.

I'm listening to Saving Time by Jodi Taylor, the third in the Time Police series. LOVING IT so far.

I finished listening to one of the shorter Great Courses, Medieval Myths & Mysteries, and Dorsey Armstrong is a great instructor/narrator.

Next up will be a historical fiction book for a group challenge.

Jan wrote: "I'm listening to Saving Time by Jodi Taylor, the third in the Time Police series. LOVING IT so far. "

JT needs to write more TP books like NOW!!! I'm trying to hold off reading Saving Time to lessen to time between then and the next one

Dee wrote: "JT needs to write more TP books like NOW!!! I'm trying to hold off reading Saving Time to lessen to time between then and the next one ..."

Tell me about it! I waited until I couldn't stand it anymore. That little cover icon was staring at me... Plus, I'm wearing my new St Mary's t-shirt (https://bit.ly/3EES8M5) to listen to this one. LOL!

I listened to where Snow Angels Go. It was a sweet story and the narration was quite good. It's intended for kids, but I don't mind channelling my inner kid every now and then. ;)

2 stars to The Arctic Fury - I found it very underwhelming.

Needed a comfort book and the new Stephanie Plum book came out just in time! Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight by Janet Evanovich narrated by, Lorelei King

Jan wrote: "Tell me about it! I waited until I couldn't stand it anymore. That little cover icon was staring at me... Plus, I'm wearing my new St Mary's t-shirt (https://bit.ly/3EES8M5) to listen to this one. LOL!

I bought a St Mary's coffee mug last year

I finished up The Invisible Husband of Frick Island yesterday. It was ok. Nothing great but nothing bad. I realized at the end that I didn't care much how it ended. The sign of a "blah" book for me.

Fly Away is next up for me. When I read the Firefly Lane I didn't realize there was a 2nd book to it!

I finished Reaper, tenth book in the Cradle series by Will Wight and narrated perfectly by Travis Baldry. Wow, just wow! This book makes up for the last book, Bloodline, which was my least favorite of all the books so far. But Reaper would be at or near the top of the list of the besst in the series even if a klunker hadn't preceded it. It's unclear as to whether there will be only one or two books to finish out this series--I'm hoping for at least two--but this one answered a ton of questions about all the things that have been left hidden, intentionally vague, or teased as mysteries. If this hadn't left a clear clue that more action is to follow--without leaving a cliffhanger--I'd have worried that this one was the end of the series. And what an ending to this book! As my sister put it, it has an "I am your father, Luke" kind of ending! I just love this series and maybe now I can reread Bloodline with less reluctance since I know a great story follows. :D

I'm listening to The Witches of Eastwick right now then I'm pretty open but would like to get to The Vanishing Half, The House Girl and Possession.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for The Last Time She Diedby Zoë Sharp, narrated by Tamsin Kennard. https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished An Echo of Things to Come. It was very complex and I struggled with it. I will read the final book because I want to know how the story ends.

I started Mary Jane today.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - 3 stars - My Review

Set in the future, this is an apocalyptic fantasy. The plot is complex. The world-building is intricate and gradually revealed. I enjoyed the creativity, the unusual world, and the different types of beings. It contains sadism, gruesome violence, and strong sexual content that may be disturbing to sensitive readers. It explores socially relevant themes related to power, race, and gender, but It was too intense for me. I am not much of a fantasy reader so I expect regular readers of the genre will likely enjoy it more than I did.

Robin Miles does an excellent job with the audio book.

I am listening to We Are Not Like Them and really enjoying the narration. The story is very good too.

Joy D wrote: "The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - 3 stars - My Review

Set in the future, this is an apocalyptic fantasy. The plot is complex. The world-building is intricate and ..."

I liked this trilogy very much, but I confess I actually forgot about the plot twist in The Fifth Season, so had to reread a year later before I continued with the other two books!

Ashley Marie wrote: "I liked this trilogy very much, but I confess I actually forgot about the plot twist in The Fifth Season, so had to reread a year later before I continued with the other two books!..."
Many of my friends liked it very much, too. I was not surprised by the "twist," perhaps since I listened to it and picked up hints.

My review of Better off Dead by Lee Child

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Joy D wrote: "The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - 3 stars - My Review

Set in the future, this is an apocalyptic fantasy. The plot is complex. The world-building is intricate and ..."

I read this in print and had the same reaction!

I had paused the latest Agatha Raisin to read Reaper by Will Wight and finally finished it today. It's typical Agatha Raisin and a good story. Best of all, it's narrated again by Penelope Keith... Agatha just wasn't Agatha when Penelope wasn't narrating.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - 4 stars - My Review

Gothic horror set in Mexico in the 1950s. After receiving a letter from her sister, protagonist Noemí Taboada heads to a former mining town and stays at a remote country estate. Noemí is a strong and well-drawn character. The mansion is a character unto itself. The story is creepy and eerie. I picked this one up as a seasonal read around the Halloween theme and enjoyed it much more than expected.

The audio is nicely read by Frankie Corzo.

I finished listening to Mary Jane this morning - I swear I was taken back to the 1970's - so many of the descriptions of the houses/appliances matched what I've seen of my grandparents house. I could see my grandmother saying some of the stuff that Mary Jane's mom said - I thought the author did a good job of exploring the differing societal views of families. I loved the song at the end that was written specially for the book

Dee wrote: "I finished listening to Mary Jane this morning - ...

I loved the song at the end that was written specially for the book"

The song was a nice touch!

Pamela wrote: "Dee wrote: "I finished listening to Mary Jane this morning - ...

I loved the song at the end that was written specially for the book"

The song was a nice touch!"

right and its totally how I imagined jimmy sounding

Started The Last Time She Died by Zoë Sharp narrated by, Tamsin Kennard new to me author and narrator.

I'm listening to the apocalyptic sci-fi Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill, which is actually a prequel to Sea of Rust, which I really liked. Unfortunately, this one isn't doing it for me. I will keep listening for a while longer, but I've already dumped one book this week, so I'm not in the mood. LOL

Jan wrote: "I'm listening to the apocalyptic sci-fi Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill, which is actually a prequel to Sea of Rust, which I really liked. ...
already dumped one book this week... "

Sometimes the best use of reading time is trying books then dumping them.
I've dumped multiple books, series and authors in the last few months as I try to reduce my mountains of tbr fiction.

Very good point, L J! I have some books that I started and couldn't get into but keep thinking I'll go back to. Hey, I bought them at one point (almost certainly on sale) but I could just decide they aren't worth the time to me. Sometimes the issue is that my tastes have changed. I have definitely disposed of a LOT of the print books I had in my house (also mostly from sales or thrift stores) and given up feeling guilty!

Finished the Johannes Cabal series (for the foreseeable future) today with The Fall of the House of Cabal. 4 stars, and I'll probably reread them eventually even if we don't get any more stories. Jonathan Howard's wordplay and wit are fantastic.

i finished listening to Like a Love Story on my way to/from Baltimore to see a broadway on tour show last night - set in the late 1980's/90's during the height of the AIDS crisis. There are definitely some content warnings needed for descriptions of death and dying, I figured they were coming but it even took me by surprise

now starting Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress - needed a book shelved as philosophy for a reading challenge

Dee wrote: "I finished listening to Mary Jane this morning - I swear I was taken back to the 1970's - so many of the descriptions of the houses/appliances matched what I've seen of my grandpare..."

I finished the book yesterday. I thought it felt almost a bit more like the 60's than the 70's. It was a fun read. Izzy was a great character and the narrator really did a great job with her voice. I wasn't too enchanted with the voice she gave Jimmy.

I will start The City We Became today. It's been a while since I read any of N.K. Jemisin's work.

I am listening to Landfall by Nevil Shute. He is the only author I know who can write sweet stories that happen to take place during wartime. He also was a pilot and makes the flying scenes exciting even to an ignoramus about planes, like me. Up next, An Innocent Client, first in a mystery series I haven't tried yet.

I'm struggling with The Paper Bark Tree Mystery, after really liking the first two books in the series.

Today I will finish listening to Exodus, then I'll concentrate on Great Circle which I'm in the middle of.

Robin - I just finished An Innocent Client. The narration was fine but I didn't enjoy the story. Hope you like it better than me. Though the second half was better than the first half.

Started The Ninja Daughter. So far so good.

Starting The Night Watchman today!

Protagonist Fanny Price stands up for herself and says “no” to a man who is obviously out to deceive her, even though others think he would be a good match. I liked this one but it's not my favorite of Jane Austen's books:
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - 3 stars - My Review

The audio is competently read by Juliet Stevenson.