Audiobooks discussion

I'm starting this month with A Far Cry from Kensington which is funny, and a Great Courses offering Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses as I'm trying to understand what that period was all about once and for all.

Kicking off June with Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, narrated by the ever-reliable Scott Brick, so I can watch the Hulu series once I'm done.

John wrote: "I'm starting this month with A Far Cry from Kensington which is funny, and a Great Courses offering Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses as I'm trying to understand..."

I've heard great things about Alison Weir, but I have yet to dive into her work. I may bookmark Lancaster & York so I can do the same, John. Thanks for sharing!

Ashley Marie wrote: "John wrote: "I'm starting this month with A Far Cry from Kensington which is funny, and a Great Courses offering Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses as I'm trying ..."

I wouldn't start with this one, though I recommend Weir in general.

Disturbing the Peace by Richard Yates is another very good book by the author.

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

I have begun a mystery, something I don't usually read. It is Death in Kashmir by M.M. Kaye. I am wondering how I will react.

I finished The Peregrine which took me a long time and while the writing was very eloquent, it's an observation of peregrines on the field day after day, and it was rather repetitive. I love watching peregrines (nowadays there are lots of Earth Cams to observe their nests etc.) and they are quite intelligent and fascinating. I didn't feel the excitement from this book though.

To change up the mood, I'm now listening to Good Girl, Bad Blood, and this is the second book in the series. I enjoyed the first book, so I'm hoping to get some light reading fun.

an uber short audiobook to kick off the month - An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good - the audiobook was only a shade over 3 hours - and i had a late night/early morning driving back from seeing My Fair Lady in Richmond and I finished up today on the drive to work

Ashley Marie wrote: "Kicking off June with Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, narrated by the ever-reliable Scott Brick, so I can watch the Hulu series once I'm done."

I love listening to Brick narrate.

Kandice wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: "Kicking off June with Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, narrated by the ever-reliable Scott Brick, so I can watch the Hulu series once I'm done..."

He's one of my favorites!

Today I finished Enchanted, Inc., first in the eponymous series by Shanna Swendson. Somehow this book got lost in my Library for about six years--along with one other--that I only found recently. I suspect it was part of a sale during the time when the Audible Sale Cart wasn't working for me... but did work once unbeknownst to me at the time. Anyway, I really enjoyed this light little urban fantasy about a young woman from Texas who moves to NYC and begins noticing people even more strange than her folks back home had warned her inhabited the big city... like fairies and gnomes and gargoyles. The MC has exactly the kind of pluck and common sense you'd expect from a small-town Texas girl.

One slightly jarring thing was the mention of Palm Pilots and the apartment's land line with an answering machine. I think this was written around 2005 and I had forgotten how quickly the smart phone became ubiquitous once it was introduced. There were surprisingly few other items that dated this so profoundly, but it was a bit amusing to see how far we've come.

I'm still working on Descendant of the Crane. It seems to be taking longer than usual. It says I'm reading at 1.5x, but I suspect it's at 1.0x. It's the Soro app and I'm not fussy for its player.

Starting the month off with a middle grade book Moonwalking by Zetta Elliott & Lyn Miller-Lachmann narrated by, Michael Crouch & Caz Harleaux

I'm starting the month with returning to Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Had a break for just about all of last month.

Last month, and recently finished was a longish book Lost At Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries by Jon Ronson, which took most of the month, then ened with a short book The Past Is Red by Catherynne Valente. For me both were adequate, okay but not great.

Tonight I finished He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado. My small group at church plans to use this over the next twelve weeks instead of the usual study materials. Initially I found the style a bit jarring with anecdotes that were played for humor more than the point or evoked popular culture if you weren't listening closely. But some good and interesting points were made so I suppose I can overlook the moments the style seemed ragged. Audio also can mislead when the book's format includes a chapter title, scripture and other quotations, and then leads into the author's prose without a clear delineation... especially when the quotes were serious and the text begins with a humorous anecdote. Oh well, at least discussion on Sunday should be lively! ;)

Finished Doctor Ice Pick by Claire Prentice narrated by, Chanté McCormick this one also mentions Howard Dully from the book My Lobotomy: A Memoir which I highly recommend I read this one years and years ago such a horrifying but fascinating story.

Today I finished Pemberly: Mr. Darcy's Dragon: A Pride and Prejudice Variation, first in the Jane Austen's Dragons series by Maria Grace. It is billed as Jane Austen meets Dragonriders of Pern, but it is much closer to the Temeraire series minus the military application. I enjoyed this book very much and have already picked up the second one. It uses much of the story of Pride and Prejudice while interweaving the fact that dragons exist, only some people can hear them, and it is the dragons who give their names to certain estates ... such as Longbourn, Pemberly, Rosings, and even Buckingham and Westminster. It is clever how the author weaves the two concepts together and I'm enjoying both the story and narration. The first three books in the series cover the events of Pride and Prejudice while future books involve the characters from Persuasion and then later apparently blend the two. I will at least complete the first three books and then see if I'll continue immediately or wait a bit to keep going.

I ave completed Death in Kashmir by M.M. Kaye. I thought it was worth trying one of her mysteries of which she has several.

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

Now I am going back to Nevil Shute and am reading So Disdained. Eventually I may get through all of his.

Jeanie wrote: "Today I finished Pemberly: Mr. Darcy's Dragon: A Pride and Prejudice Variation, first in the Jane Austen's Dragons series by Maria Grace. It is billed as Jane Austen meets Dragonriders of Pern, but..."

Ooooo. I'll have to check those out!

As for me, I'm still reading Dick Francis novels. This one, Wild Horses, will probably be the last for now. I've been reading them all out of order, and it's been interesting seeing the technology bop back and forth. I think I'm going to skip Under Orders -- I should want to read it, because it's the last Sid Halley novel written by Dick and the Halley books are my favorites, but as I remember it's after Francis's writing went downhill, and I don't want to be smacked by the suck fairy.

I'll probably move to the new Guy Gavriel Kay novel, All the Seas of the World, when I finish this one.

Started Never Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon narrated by, Alex Wyndham

The Binding by Bridgette Collins. It was SO good and the narrator was excellent!

My review of The Monster's Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How It Shook Our World by David K. Randall

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

The White Darkness by David Grann - 4* - My Review

This book of narrative non-fiction tells the story of Henry Worsley, was a British Army officer who embarked on several adventures, retracing the steps of the notable polar explorers Amundsen, Shackleton, and Scott. The primary set piece of the book is Worsley’s 2015 attempt to cross Antarctica alone and unaided, pulling a sled laden with supplies and planning to complete a journey of approximately 1000 miles in 80 days. It is a story of single-minded dedication to accomplishing a goal, pushing the body to the limits of psychological and physical endurance.

The audio book is nicely read by Will Patton. I sought out a physical copy to look at the beautiful photos.

I'm listening to The Night She Disappeared, narrated by Joanna Froggett (didn't double-check my spelling but of Downton Abby fame). She really does a great job and I'm enjoying this one.
I'm also half-way through One Italian Summer. The book is okay. The narrator is Lauren Graham which I admit is the main reason I checked it out.

Finished So Disdained by Nevil Shute.

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

I'm in the mood for a long, long book. Russka: The Novel of Russia by Edward Rutherfurd ought to fit the bill. I very much liked his Paris, so I am hoping this will be a winner for me too.

4 stars to Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, and now I'm on a self-imposed hiatus from white male-centered nonfiction for awhile.

I'm currently listening to All about Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business by Mel Brooks

Really enjoying it. Mel Brooks has lived a life fit for a 2000 year old man!

Chrissie wrote: "Finished So Disdained by Nevil Shute.

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

I'm in the mood for a long, long book. Russka: The Novel of Ru..."</i>

You've already managed to find a long read and it sounds like real quality.

To stick with the Russian (well Georgian) theme.
Maybe for another time, you might consider [book:The Eighth Life, it's available on Audible as well. I've listened to Dutch translation so can't say anything about the audio in english.
Almost 41 hours!


Edit: sorry my message is a mess, I can't understand what went wrong with the italics / links...

Specs:
Thank you for recommending The Eighth Life. You are reinforcing a recent suggestion from someone else for a book previously unknown to me. It is now on my TBR :-)

Specs, I am a little bit worried about a couple of things. In that it is a letter ,isn't it basically TOLD?! Food books often don't work for me. Tell me why what I fear may not be relevant. It being set in Russia and Georgia does appeal to me.

OOOPs. Tavia Gilbert narrates it--she is not a favorite of mine.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think The Eighth Life will work for me, unfortunately!

The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Hyeonseo Lee - 4* - My Review

Hyeonseo Lee tells her life story from childhood in North Korea, moving with her family within the country, living under a false identity in China, and eventually gaining asylum in South Korea. It is organized around the various names she assumed during her life. It is incredible how many obstacles she encountered before she was even thirty years old, including a brutal attack, an arranged marriage, sex trafficking, interrogation by the police, and being held hostage by a gang. It is a beautifully written story. This is one of the better North Korean defection memoirs I have read.

The audio book is nicely narrated by Josie Dunn.

Chrissie wrote: "OOOPs. Tavia Gilbert narrates it--she is not a favorite of mine."

Mmm, I see (hear) what you mean. Hadn't heard of her, tried the sample on Audible.

I'm glad I could listen to the dutch translation and believe me, it isn't often I can say that. The English language world has, for obvious reasons, usually a lot higher quality narrators than a small country (small market) could ever offer.

wrapping up A Deadly Grind today

then moving on to An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed (short stories) and State of Terror

Specs wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "OOOPs. Tavia Gilbert narrates it--she is not a favorite of mine."

Mmm, I see (hear) what you mean. Hadn't heard of her, tried the sample on Audible.

I'm glad I could listen to t..."

Do you also notice that narrators from each country share similarities? Swedish narrators speak slower than American and English narrators even when their narration is in Swedish.

I'm very glad they do... first time I listened to an American narrator (long ago, and I wasn't used to listening to audiobooks in another language at the time) I thought "he's running to catch the last train or something".

I'm still not good enough to listen to audiobooks in swedish (my Astrid Lindgren i Stockholm being the only one still to this day) but I'm learning by watching the news/shows (Rapport, Trädgårdstider) and I still find it too fast sometimes - but I am slowly making progress I can tell!

Specs, I also think it helps to see the text when you are working n a new language.

True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey - 4* - My Review

Historical fiction about the life of notorious Australian outlaw Ned Kelly (1854-1880), with Ned writing his life story to his infant daughter. The storyline follows his increasing level of crime and his motivations. Carey gets into the head of the protagonist, imagining the majority of the content and wrapping it around the main factual events in Kelly’s life. Carey has captured his voice in stream of consciousness with limited punctuation and questionable grammar. After reading about a third of it in hard copy, I switched to audio, which was a good move. The audio is beautifully performed by Gianfranco Negroponte. Ned Kelly becomes a symbol for anti-authoritarianism and the embodiment of the underdog. It examines themes such as justice, colonialism, and class.

I am listening to the last of the Joe Pickett novels -- Shadows Reel -- by C. J. Box. Mostly I haven't been too bothered by Box using his characters as mouthpieces for his political beliefs, but he's gone a bit overboard in this book.

I probably wouldn't have gotten through the entire series if it wasn't for the fact that I enjoyed David Chandler's narration so much. I did have to listen to all the books at 1.2x speed though!

JL wrote: "I am listening to the last of the Joe Pickett novels -- Shadows Reel -- by C. J. Box. Mostly I haven't been too bothered by Box using his characters as mouthpieces for his political..."

I've never read this series, but I have read several where the author began interjecting political views--or becoming more obvious about it--once the series became well-established and fans of the series might be expected to overlook it. Sometimes I can, but other times I can't. I can tolerate it if it truly seems a part of the character--whether their leanings are left or right--but some authors seem to randomly assign views and drop in their own opinions as though the reader won't notice. Some authors are deft enough to do this, but others *cough Kevin Hearn cough* are too ham-handed and obvious. Life is too short to pay for unsolicited political ads dropped into the middle of my audiobooks and I've dropped a couple of series as a result. I prefer to find politics in books only when I've gone looking for them, not when they come ambushing me.

Since many of the Great Courses are included with Audible Plus, I've started Emperors of Rome.

My review of One-Shot Harry by Gary Phillips

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

How to Fly: In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons by Barbara Kingsolver - 3* - My Review

This poetry collection encompasses a wide variety of subjects – the author’s family history, world travels, nature, relationships, friendship, death, literature, knitting, and much more. The poems are organized by theme. My primary poetry readings are the classics of the 19th century. I do not read contemporary poetry on a regular basis so I may not be the best judge of its quality. It was not a bad reading experience, but nothing really stood out for me.

The audio book is read by the author. In my opinion, she should hire a professional narrator.

Finished this young adult classic:
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - 6/6/22 - 4* - My Review

In this young adult fantasy based on mythology, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson finds out he is the descended from a Greek god. His human mother sends him to a camp for “demi-gods.” He is assigned a quest, which he accepts and is accompanied by two friends, Annabeth and Grover. Together, they face many challenges. It is an adventure story filled with action. This is truly a young adult novel, not just a book with a young protagonist. The friends’ interactions and dialogues are age appropriate. I am not the target audience, but very much enjoyed the teamwork and camaraderie of the three friends. I think it will have great appeal for middle grades and teens.

The audio book is competently narrated by Jesse Bernstein.

Finished Never Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon narrated by, Alex Wyndham Highly recommend this one!!


Now starting a middle grade book Wretched Waterpark by Kiersten White narrated by, Keylor Leigh

So the answer to the question as to whether I would keep going with the Jane Austen's dragons series by Maria grace or stop after the Pride and Prejudice stories... I kept going! I finished the ninth book last night and now eagerly await the tenth, Dragons of Pemberly.

As the series went on the books departed further from the original texts as the author made the world her own. There were some interesting shifts of dialogue from one character to a completely different one, but it worked very well in this story. Her version of Persuasion also moved some things around and Lady Russell was used in a truly inventive way. While I doubt it will happen in the next book, I noticed a mention of a Miss Dashwood at the Dragon Keepers' Cotillion so I'm hopeful we will get a Sense and Sensibility variation soon. :D

Finished A Far Cry from Kensington yesterday, finding the narration a good fit for the story.

I started Sue Monk Kidd's The Invention of Wings this morning and I'm enjoying it so far. I've been wanting to read this one for years.

This fictional story is based on the author’s life experiences in Venezuela. Themes include loss, resilience, and survival. The terror of the political and social turmoil is occasionally lightened by Adelaida’s fond memories of life in Venezuela with her mother when she was a child. It brings to light the turmoil that Venezuela has experienced in recent years.

It Would Be Night in Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo - 4* - My Review

I switched off between the e-book and audio. The audio book is competently read by Ana Osario. She sounds a bit young for the character she is portraying but she reads well.

Finished Wretched Waterpark by Kiersten White narrated by, Keylor Leigh it was so much fun I highly recommend this one for a fun family road trip book!

Now starting The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill narrated by, Katherine Littrell

Joy D wrote: "Finished this young adult classic:
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - 6/6/22 - 4* - My Review"

they turned this into a broadway show a few years ago - it was surprisingly good - i got tickets to it when i went up with my sister one weekend (we did a surprise ticket assignment, where you buy tickets and don't know what you are seeing until day of)

Dee wrote: "they turned this into a broadway show a few years ago - it was surprisingly good - i got tickets to it when i went up with my sister one weekend (we did a surprise ticket assignment, where you buy tickets and don't know what you are seeing until day of)"
Interesting! I had no idea.