Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

~ Monthly Audiobook Challenge ~

Each month we will have a different theme of audiobook for you to listen to.
Read one, two, three, or thirty. Up to you! Just post at the start of the month which books you will read in the category, update through the month and post a link to your Goodreads review (no links to external sites).

Let's find some great audiobooks together!

Duration: Monthly


January 2023 Theme:


◈ Full Cast
An audiobook with several narrators; there is usually a narrator per character (e.g. American Gods by Neal Gaiman). To find these, you can search most sites by the term “Full Cast.”

How to Participate:

The Audiobook Challenge is designed to not only help you to read your audiobooks, but to also find out about other great audiobooks from other challenge participants!

Though you may pop in/out at any time, the Audiobook Challenge will run on a monthly basis so you are able to see progress being made.

There are no minimum page requirements, and you can read abridged or unabridged audiobooks!


1. At the beginning of the month, post :
a: How many audiobooks in total you want to read for the month
b: How many audiobooks in the monthly category you want to read
c: Post the audiobooks (as you decide on them) by linking them to Goodreads in your post

2. During the month, read the audiobooks that you can AND update your post with your reviews. (You can do this after each book or wait until the end of the month.)

3. At the end of the month, update your post and with:
a: What books you read
b: Link(s) to your review(s) - note: can only be linked to Goodreads and not an external site
c: How many audiobooks you have read for this challenge this year


Then start a new post for the next month!


FORMAT YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE:


Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read:
Audiobooks in monthly category to read:

Books in category:

FINISHED


End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year:
Audiobooks in monthly category read:

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

===============

EXAMPLE : (under spoiler)(view spoiler)[

Start of Month

Total audiobooks to read: 6
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 2

Books in category:


FINISHED


End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year: 9
Audiobooks in monthly category read: 1

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

Great story about women, culture and love set in Nigeria. I loved the characters and the setting, and the audio narrator was great with the different voices and bringing the story to life (hide spoiler)]

r

I'm in ;)

Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read: 5
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 2

Books in category:
To be decided... or maybe even


FINISHED


End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year: 5
Audiobooks in monthly category read: 2/2

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

In category - narrated by Meg Ryan and it was very silly and quick

Not in category - I loved it and can't wholly explain why. Just a great character driven novel exploring friendships

January 2023: Full Cast


Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read: 15
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 3

Books in category:


FINISHED
1. Lost Horizon by James Hilton 1-1-2023
2. Salt Bride by Lucinda Brant 1-2-2023
3. The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan 1-2-2023
4. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 1-4-2023
5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer 1-4-2023
6. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis 1-5-2023
7. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger 1-5-2023
8. Nine Lives by Peter Swanson 1-6-2023
9. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy 1-7-2023
10. The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe 1-8-2023
11. The Cape Ann by Faith Sullivan 1-9-2023
12. The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton 1-10-2023
13. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano 1-12-2023
14. The Gunslinger by Stephen King 1-14-2023
15. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 1-16-2023
16. After Alice by Gregory Maguire 1-17-2023
17. Moby-Dick or, the Whale by Herman Melville 1-18-2023
18. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead 1-18-2023
19. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 1-19-2023
20. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs 1-20-2023
21. The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders 1-20-2023
22. The Upside Down Christmas by Kate Forster 1-20-2023
23. Triptych by Karin Slaughter 1-21-2023
24. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman 1-22-2023
25. Fallen by Lauren Kate 1-23-2023
26. The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman 1-24-2023
27. Storm Front by Jim Butcher 1-25-2023


End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year:
Audiobooks in monthly category read:

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

I'm in! even if the first month's theme is one I'm not a huge fan of, lol.
I'll do two three the first month. There will likely be more in later months ;)

JANUARY 2023: Full cast narration

Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read: 20
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 3

Books in category:

or maybe I should finally get out of the way...

FINISHED 4/3 (40/20)

In category:

- Not as bad as I'd feared. 3 stars despite the annoying music and sound effects.
- Ah, good old Jack. I needed this book! 4 (and a half) stars.
- Brian Cox couldn't save this for me, unfortunately. Too abridged. Annoying music, sounds and dialogue very messy - 2 stars
- Excellent collection that despite some dating holds up pretty well - 4 stars

Other:

- Ok, but not Bryson's best. 3 stars.
- enjoyed it, but didn't really grip me. 3 stars
- Not my favourite Ballard, but far from the worst. That would be Crash. 3 stars
- not my cup of tea and terrible narration. 2 stars
- mixed bag of contents - 3 stars
- Ok, nothing special - 3 stars
- Interesting! - 3 stars
- An ok start to the series, but hoping for more from later installments - 3 stars
- Great spy novel! Kept forgetting myself and rooting for the bad guy, before Follett would clobber me with a reminder as to why I shouldn't. - 4 stars
- Carrie Fisher always could make me chuckle... - 4 stars
- enjoyed it, but am ready for the series to be over now... - 3 stars
- It may not fit the category, but I loved it! - 4 stars
- best thing I learned from this book: Nigerians refer to shorts as "knickers". this could make for highly amusing conversations... - 3 stars
- Tchaikovski is better at sci-fi than fantasy - 3 stars
- I love this series! - 4 stars
- A pleasant surprise - 4 stars
- fun but oh so dated - 3 stars
- Loved it! - 4(.5) stars
- did not love it! - 1 star
- another dud, terrible narration - 2 stars
- Ok, but Hornblower it ain't... - 3 stars
- re-read before continuing the series - 3 stars
- Still not Hornblower... - 3 stars
- who cares about the story when it's narrated in an Irish accent? - 3 stars
- not the first time I've uttered this statement, but: I love Sheldon! - 4 stars
- excellent - 4 stars
- great kids book - 3 stars
- great story so far, looking forward to book 2! - 4 stars
- Ok, nothing special - 3 stars
- Like The Name of the Rose, only I enjoyed it much more! - 4 stars
- best in the series so far! - 4 stars
- what a character! - 3 stars
- Meh. - 2 stars
- Pretty solid thriller - 4 stars
- Beautiful! - 5 stars
- a bit dry - 2.5 stars

End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year: 40
Audiobooks in monthly category read: 4

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

In category:

- British comedian Jack Dee at his finest (read: most curmudgeonly). with several other narrators to "act out" the 'problems', Jack acts as agony aunt and spreads his particular brand of (non) cheer to all.
I laughed a LOT listening to this, but word of warning: If you are easily offended, give this a miss. I'm pretty sure he set out to offend everyone... ;)


Not in Category:

- This one came as a real surprise to me! I've always liked Gabriel Byrne as an actor, but never guessed he'd be such a talented writer too. This memoir is beautifully written, very reminiscent of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and easily my top read of the month.

Sammy wrote: "I'm in! even if the first month's theme is one I'm not a huge fan of, lol..."

oh no! I hope you find some good ones, then. I quite enjoy a full cast - don't come across them too often though. I'm going to test out from audible freebies for this one. Could be great or awful :o

I plan to give it a go.

Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read: 4
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 1

Books in category:

Audible list: https://www.audible.com/search?search...

FINISHED


End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year: 7
Audiobooks in monthly category read: 1

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

In category:
- This was the only full cast audio I read this month. It was cute, showing the growth of a garden and a community through the eyes of various people. The growth all started from one little girl and a few seeds.

Not in category:
- This is such a fun series. I love the characters and the wittiness of it.

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Sammy wrote: "I'm in! even if the first month's theme is one I'm not a huge fan of, lol..."

oh no! I hope you find some good ones, then. I quite enjoy a full cast - don't come across them too ofte..."

I tend to find the switching back and forth takes me out of the story. I have no issuers with multiple narrators in the sense of different POVs a chapter at a time, but the "radio play" thing doesn't really work for me (especially when they go adding in music and sound effects too!).
The exception is the recent adaptation of Neil Gaiman's 'The Sandman', but I guess being familiar with the source material really helped in that case.

I also just picked up the new abridged full cast Oliver Twist from Audible - I couldn't resist Brian Cox as Fagin! As re-read the unabridged a few months back, I don't feel too uncomfortable trying the abridged (normally something that makes me itchy-scratchy! lol)

Sammy wrote: "I tend to find the switching back and forth takes me out of the story. I have no issuers with multiple narrators in the sense of different POVs a chapter at a time, but the "radio play" thing doesn't really work for me (especially when they go adding in music and sound effects too!)..."

Oh I understand with the sound effects... it doesn't always work.

Two exceptions I can think of...

I'm listening to and there are parts where she is reading a diary where words have been crossed out and they use a sound effect to do the crossing out... and at first I was "what the?!", but it actually works really well with the spookiness of the story.

I also like the BBC abridged Agatha Christie, but maybe because I am familiar with the stories and I can picture it all happening so the full cast and sound effects work well.

And I just laughed at myself as I thought by Brian Cox you meant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_C...
#nerdbrain

Hehe... I have a book by him somewhere too, lol.

But I've been following this particular Brian Cox since he was on Sharpe. Looking forward to the book :)

Monthly Audiobook Challenge: January 2023
Theme ~ ◈ Full Cast

, ,
Total audiobooks to read: 6
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 2

Books in category:
, ,

FINISHED
, , , , , , , , , , , ,

End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year: 13
Audiobooks in monthly category read: 3
, ,

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why): The Sandman audios were so good. I would rank them Act 1 > Act 3 > Act 2 but that is no knock on Act 2, all of these were very enjoyable, the narration was top notch and the stories engaging and entertaining. Definitely recommend all 3 and very much looking forward to Act IV!

Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read: 3
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 1

Books in category:




FINISHED




End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year: 2
Audiobooks in monthly category read: 1

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

Good Omens, hands down. HILARIOUIS.

Oh good choice Ann-Marie. Now I’m wondering if I can listen to them in January too 🤔😊

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Oh good choice Ann-Marie. Now I’m wondering if I can listen to them in January too 🤔😊"

I picked them up a while back and now that I decided to listen I can't wait! lol

Ann-Marie wrote: "Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Oh good choice Ann-Marie. Now I’m wondering if I can listen to them in January too 🤔😊"

I picked them up a while back and now that I decided to listen I can't wait! lol"

I’m so glad you posted as I didn’t realise there was an audio version. The description and the cast look amazing!
I’m trying to decide if I’m best to watch the tv adaptation first or the audio first …. 🤔

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Oh good choice Ann-Marie. Now I’m wondering if I can listen to them in January too 🤔😊"

I picked them up a while back and now that I decided to listen I can't wai..."

Read the graphic novels first!! lol.

Oh did that many years ago Sammy!

I love an audiobook!

Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read: 12
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 4

Books in category:


FINISHED


DNF



End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year: 9
Audiobooks in monthly category read: 7

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

This is such an excellent book dramatization. I listened to it and read the comics at the same time but you certainly can just listen and get the full picture (ba-dum-tss). I would definitely recommend Act 1 but you can start here if you wish since the stories mainly stand-alone.

Finished

Free from audible and narrated by Meg Ryan. So nice to hear her voice ;)
It is a silly dark comedy, but only a few hours long. I really enjoyed the full cast style with this as it was made for audio (rather than a book that is adapted/abridged). I kept thinking about the 'old days' before TV when there were the wireless shows.... I guess this is the modern day version!
I'd recommend this if you want something quick and silly without a lot of thinking required. It is summer here so was the perfect new years day read by the pool

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "...I kept thinking about the 'old days' before TV when there were the wireless shows.... I guess this is the modern day version!..."

I always think of that when I listen to full cast narration like that too. I can picture a family and kids sitting around an old fashioned radio.

~ Monthly Audiobook Challenge ~ Complete
January 2023 Theme:◈ Full Cast

Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read: 10
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 2

Books in category:

FINISHED



End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year: 7
Audiobooks in monthly category read: 2

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

It's a series book, so you will have to start at book one and read through to "get" the full effect of this story. With this series and this book, it's about the world building & the character development. Nalini Singh has put together this world and the characters in such a way that I feel like I can just walk into the pages, that it's a real scenario and actual people. And that's saying a lot considering it's a world of Psy, Changlings, and Humans.

Monthly Audiobook Challenge ~
January 2023 Theme:◈ Full Cast

Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read:5
byErich Kästner byEvelyn Waugh
byAmanda Barratt
Audiobooks in monthly category to read:2

Books in category:
by Evelyn Waugh
byIan Fleming

FINISHED





End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year:
Audiobooks in monthly category read:

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

Kristie wrote: "Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "...I kept thinking about the 'old days' before TV when there were the wireless shows.... I guess this is the modern day version!..."

I always think of that when I listen to full c..."

So true. Makes me nostalgic for a time I never knew! 😆

Oh, this sounds fun! I'm in for January. 😊🥰

Monthly Audiobook Challenge ~January 2023 Theme:◈ Full Cast

Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read: 2
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 2

Books in category:

FINISHED:



End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year: ??
Audiobooks in monthly category read: 2

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why): I absolutely loved both these full-cast adaptation because they fitted these stories very well

My total audiobooks to read this month may change. I am indulging in a bit of voluntary reading slump before UNO starts. 😉

(Book-celibate would be too strong a word, and I could not do it anyway.)

Haha fair enough.
I’m also being sure to not read cover colours; and stick to my RL book club books and my tbr closet 😬😆

I have a couple of yellow books I've been sitting on that I'm dying to read... Watch my team not getting any yellow cards at all! :D

Haha yes, need to hold on to those colored covers!

Full cast is not an easy one for me but this looks interesting overall.

Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read: 10
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 3

Books in category:
★ ★

FINISHED



End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year: 14
Audiobooks in monthly category read: 2

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):
In category
It is a standalone short story in the Warhammer 40K universe based on the Orks and was not too long to overstay its welcome but funny. It is set in three parts and shows a lot of Ork mentality. The different actors really helped with working out the grogs from the squibs from the Orks.

Not in category
A really interesting retelling of the goose girl in a middle eastern setting and with a princess who just doesn't want her title back. It shows so much growth and also a great retelling. A little long in places but all world building and makes sense why in the end.

Kristie wrote: "Haha yes, need to hold on to those colored covers!"

Which reminds me that I should start thinking about colour covers for February. 😉

I've always got an audiobook going, so this sounds fun! But I'm slow...so we'll see how it goes! 😅 I actually tend to enjoy full cast audio, so I hope I can finish one this month!

Monthly Audiobook Challenge: January 2023
Theme ~ ◈ Full Cast

Start of Month
Total audiobooks to read: 1
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 1

Books in category:


FINISHED


End of Month
Total audiobooks read this year:
Audiobooks in monthly category read:

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

My second one done. Which gets me to the goal for this theme!


Another audible freebie. I thought this would be a 3 star listen, but by the end it was a little boring and the characters (and the lack of chemistry between the two leads) didn't engage me. A fairly short holiday read, but I could have enjoyed my time more with something else.

I am close to finishing the graphic audio edition of and I am so glad I gave it a try, prompted by this challenge. 😊

This all-cast production is very well done and suits the story perfectly. I am loving it and will purchase these editions for the other Innkeeper books as well. (was not very keen on the narration of Rene Raudmann. It was very lacklustre and annoying.)

Melindam wrote: "I am close to finishing the graphic audio edition of and I am so glad I gave it a try, prompted by this challenge. 😊

This all-cast production is very well done ..."

The first book is on my TBR. I'll have to keep this in mind!

Melindam wrote: "I am close to finishing the graphic audio edition of and I am so glad I gave it a try, prompted by this challenge. 😊

This all-cast production is very well done ..."

I still haven't started the series. Maybe that is the way to begin if the originl narration isn't good? Or are the full cast quite dramatised or abridged?

It is unabridged!

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Melindam wrote: "I am close to finishing the graphic audio edition of and I am so glad I gave it a try, prompted by this challenge. 😊

This all-cast production i..."

OK, on finishing it I cannot safely say that it's 100% unabrdiged, but the only thing I noticed that they left out a few paragraphs here and there, minor things.

The end, with a short sex scene reduced me to some very immature giggles with all that moaning and groaning. I would have thought they would give these a miss, but apparently these were vital parts of the story. 🤭(This happens only in book 3, btw. ;)

And the story also features a fart gun for laughs and the creators of the audio totally milked it. lol

Melindam wrote: "The end, with a short sex scene reduced me to some very immature giggles with all that moaning and groaning...And the story also features a fart gun for laughs and the creators of the audio totally milked it. lol"

Now I'm not so sure about this! 😅

Ah well, it is only a few min, I simply fastforwarded that bit.

Oh my! lol That would be surprising to come upon unwittingly. 😂

Haha
Gtk!

I saw yesterday on Graphic Audio's website that they adapted the 1st 3 books of Sarah J Maas's A court of thorns and roses series.
I wonder how much ooh-ing and aaah-ing must be going on there. *giggles*
But I don't really want to find out.

Haha!
Oh I’m tempted though. Did love those books

You can tell us about it, then. ;)

Monthly Audiobook Challenge: January 2023

January Theme:
◈ Full Cast - An audiobook with several narrators; there is usually a narrator per character

Start of Month:
Total audiobooks to read: 3
Audiobooks in monthly category to read: 2

28 Days: A Novel of Resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto
Caprice of Fate
Never Look Back



Books in category:
Caprice of Fate
Never Look Back


FINISHED

End of Month:
Total audiobooks read this year:
Audiobooks in monthly category read:

MY MONTHLY RECOMMENDATION (and why):

I finished both my books in the January category and very happy I did give these a try.



Very well done full-cast dramatisation and it suited both the UF and the mystery book.

I will go on with listening to both the Innkeeper dramatisations and will pick up some Perry Mason dramatised mysteries, too. :)

Melindam wrote: "I finished both my books in the January category and very happy I did give these a try.

[bookcover:Perry Mason and the Case of the Curious Bride: A Radio Drama..."

Ooh, I love the Perry Mason tv show. I've never read the books, but I might enjoy radio dramas!

The PM shows never reached Hungary, so I have not seen them, unfortunately, but lots of the books got translated and were poplular. In my teens, for me the Perry Mason books,along Agatha Christie, meant detective fiction/mystery to me and I still love them. Especially love their fast pace. They probably also spoilt modern crime/mystery for me: they seem to be utterly slow, full of navel-gazing and absolutely depressing.

Melindam wrote: "The PM shows never reached Hungary, so I have not seen them, unfortunately, but lots of the books got translated and were poplular. In my teens, for me the Perry Mason books,along Agatha Christie, ..."

I've never read them or watched the show, but you have be interested now!