Audiobooks discussion

I've joined a couple of challenges this year, so starting off listening to a couple of books that qualify...

Tokyo Ueno Station is short, well-written, and well-narrated by Johnny Heller. Good that it's only four hours as I'm finding the story very depressing.


Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams, on the other hand, is proving more interesting as the book goes on, with good narration. Thinking of our friend, Chrissie, while listening!

My first audio of 2023 will be Remarkably Bright Creatures - it’s a group read for a challenge that I do

I’m also starting War and Peace as a buddy read/listen

Looking forward to listening to Fortune Cookie by Bryce Courtenay. I'll finish Agnes Grey tonight. The recording for Agnes Grey was just a bit off. The volume had some soft/loud ranges and it said, 'end of side one' as though it was a CD. Other than that it was a pleasant 6 hrs. in the Bronte's world.

Cheers everyone! Happy listening in 2023!

I miss having a new Bryce book to kick off new years - I have his last few that I won’t read because when I do there won’t be anything new from him - is that weird?

John wrote: "I've joined a couple of challenges this year, so starting off listening to a couple of books that qualify...

Tokyo Ueno Station is short, well-written, and well-narrated by Johnny ..."

I read Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams in print around 2017 and it was amazing how some of the issues paralleled what was going on then. Also her personal story is very dramatic in places. It was after that book that I listened to the biography of her husband, John Quincy Adams.

Dee wrote: "My first audio of 2023 will be Remarkably Bright Creatures - it’s a group read for a challenge that I do

I’m also starting War and Peace as a buddy read/listen"

I am in that challenge group also, though I did a different group read. I looked at your profile and we are 87% matching in our book tastes. That is one of the highest I've seen! I've sent you a friend request. I also saw on your blog that you are in grad school, I'm astounded you could get so much reading in. When I was in grad school, I had to read so much for classes (French & English lit) that it pretty much turned me off reading altogether!

Robin P wrote: "Dee wrote: "My first audio of 2023 will be Remarkably Bright Creatures - it’s a group read for a challenge that I do

I’m also starting War and Peace as a buddy read/lis..."

I don’t see your friend request yet :)

I’m taking a grad school break right now but probably going back in March(ish) to finish up my mba…I have 2yrs left in the navy (as a reservist) before I can retire (although I don’t retirement until I’m 62)…so I guess I need to figure out what I want to do when I grow up…

Dee wrote: "Robin P wrote: "Dee wrote: "My first audio of 2023 will be Remarkably Bright Creatures - it’s a group read for a challenge that I do

I’m also starting War and Peace as ..."

Got distracted, just sent it now! War and Peace is a commitment but I think it's worth it. I read it the summer after I graduated from high school and decided to take Russian because of it. I reread it a few years ago in one of the new translations and had some different takes on it because of being older.

I’ve toyed with learning Russian - I dabbled in Ukrainian last year for a bit (I had a Ukrainian classmate) but I ended up mostly focusing on my French

Dee wrote: "Robin P wrote: "Dee wrote: "My first audio of 2023 will be Remarkably Bright Creatures - it’s a group read for a challenge that I do

I’m also starting War and Peace as ..."

I went back at 40 for my MBA.

Happy New Year everyone. I have just started Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin. As you most probably have noted, my favorites are classics. This is one too.

I started the year with The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America by Timothy Snyder

Dee wrote: "I miss having a new Bryce book to kick off new years - I have his last few that I won’t read because when I do there won’t be anything new from him - is that weird?"

It's not weird at all about Courtenay. Even when I've finished one of his books I just want them to be neverending stories. This one is 21 hours!

I admire your War and Peace challenge to start off the year. Those are books I usually save for long drives or when I'm taking long walks. There are two Dickens books in my TBL pile ready to go.

John wrote: "Dee wrote: "Robin P wrote: "Dee wrote: "My first audio of 2023 will be Remarkably Bright Creatures - it’s a group read for a challenge that I do

I’m also starting [book:War and Pe..."

48 for my M.Ed. and 58 for my MS. in Global and Int'l Ed. Not that this is a competition, it was just a rainy week one summer and I must not have had a good book to read because I found my inane self googling various higher ed programs for another master's. It was one of those decisions where I could hear my father's voice thundering around in my head asking, "What were you thinking?" LOL.

So congrats Dee! Let us know what you end up doing with your grown up self. Enjoy your grad school break.

I feel like a lightweight having been satisfied with a bachelor’s degree and a CPA. I am listening to 2 books starting off the new year. One is 2am in Little America by Ken Kalfus and the other is All the Broken Places by John Boyne.

I read War and Peace a number of years ago narrated by David Case/Frederick Davidson. That much of that voice burned me out on that narrator forever!

Jeanie wrote: "I read War and Peace a number of years ago narrated by David Case/Frederick Davidson. That much of that voice burned me out on that narrator forever!"

Even I would find him an odd choice for that book.

My first audiobook will be The Guncle by Steven Rowley simply because it just became available from my library.

Kelly wrote: "My first audiobook will be The Guncle by Steven Rowley simply because it just became available from my library."

I enjoyed this but have some tissues

I'm starting January with a re-listen of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, as I recommended it to a friend and then couldn't stop thinking about how much I adored it.

John wrote: "Jeanie wrote: "I read War and Peace a number of years ago narrated by David Case/Frederick Davidson. That much of that voice burned me out on that narrator forever!"

Even I would find him an odd c..."

That’s the version I have but the goal is small chunks so hopefully it won’t burn me out

Janet wrote: "I feel like a lightweight having been satisfied with a bachelor’s degree and a CPA. I am listening to 2 books starting off the new year. One is 2am in Little America by Ken Kalfus and the other is ..."

Same with me. But I was a blue collar working guy with a family. Took 10 years to get that bacelors degree and another for the CPA. When I started the process I didn't even know what a CPA was. Now we have the wisdom of Malcolm Gladwell. We know most of us could have been whatever we wanted.

The Thursday Murder Club Richard Osman

Takes a bit to sit this book up and it was just OK but I liked the concept and the characters. 3 stars. I am half way throgh the sequel and loving it more. So relaxing. Last thing I hear before sleep.

We had this discussion about what constitutes a cozy and someone said go read Agatha Christie which I did. Still... is this series considered a Cozy?

My advice is to commit to all 3 in the trilogy or don't bother.

BTW - apparantly Speilberg will be doing a movie about it.

Bill (Just a) wrote: "The Thursday Murder Club Richard Osman

Takes a bit to sit this book up and it was just OK but I liked the concept and..."

I loved all of these but I read them in print. I imagine the different voices would be very important for audio. My definition of a cozy is that the detectives are amateurs, which is the case here. If the story is in a cute small town with funny characters, but the investigator is a police officer or paid detective, to me that isn't a cozy.

Dee wrote: "My first audio of 2023 will be Remarkably Bright Creatures - it’s a group read for a challenge that I do

I’m also starting War and Peace as a buddy read/listen"

Dee, that was my favorite book of 2022!

Robin P wrote: "Bill (Just a) wrote: "The Thursday Murder Club Richard Osman

Takes a bit to sit this book up and it was just OK but I..."

When someone says "Read Agatha Christie" to discover what a cozy is, think Miss Marple rather than Poirot... although Poirot sort of technicaly qualifies.

Cozies are not violent--despite being about murder--aren't gruesome or graphic when there is violence, and generally have no or very little sex or bad language. Most are set in small towns and the lives of the amateur sleuth and friends/neighbors are as important as the murder itself. Lately some cozies have been set in larger cities, but the neighborhood or a small business stands in for the small town.

Oddly, the Three Pines/Armande Gamache series by Louise Penny was often called a cozy since it was set in the village of Three Pines, the characters were the best part of the story, and one of the residents did some sleuthing. But a real homicide detective also played a major role so the fans were divided as to whether or not it was cozy. I don't know about nowadays because I haven't been able to move on from the death of the original narrator and his replacement with one who has a more melodramatic approach... it's an odd complication for listeners when the narrator changes even though the writer remains the same.

Happy new year, all! I've started Alice Wong's Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life today and it's a fascinating listen. Nancy Wu narrates very nicely and really captures Alice's sense of humor.

On that note, apparently there's a push in publishing to have AI handle audiobook narration? I've seen a ton of backlash from authors and I just can't imagine it. The amount of choices and nuance that goes into audiobook narration (alongside writing books, obvi) doesn't seem like something I would want AI to even attempt.

I am listening to the audio version of Cathedral by Ben Hopkins. It is my first book of 2023, and I have to say, so far it is EXCELLENT! It starts out in 1229 with the re-building of an older cathedral in a German city. I've only read 6 chapters, so far, but it is so very enjoyable, and right up my alley! It reminds me of Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth. I ate that series up with a spoon! This book has lots of lovely historical detail and great characters, along with a compelling story line. The narration is fantastic too! I recommend it for New Year's reading, especially if you liked Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth trilogy. I'll update when I get further into Cathedral!

Ashley Marie wrote: "Happy new year, all! I've started Alice Wong's Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life today and it's a fascinating listen. Nancy Wu narrates very nicely and really captures Alice's s..."

I suppose AI narration would be better than bad narration... or none at all. But as someone who sometimes has to rely on the Alexa assisted reader when a book is only on Kindle and not yet in audio, I've found it to be better than nothing, but in no way better than a good narrator... and pronunciation of special names or terms is weird at times. I hope live narrators never go away because there's just nothing in the AI world like Simon Vance, James Marsters, Travis Baldree, and many more!

Jeanie wrote: "Oddly, the Three Pines/Armande Gamache series by Louise Penny was often called a cozy since it was set in the village of Three Pines, the characters were the best part of the story, and one of the residents did some sleuthing. But a real homicide detective also played a major role so the fans were divided as to whether or not it was cozy. "

i wouldn't call it a cozy - since to me cozy's tend to have a non-police person solving crime (a la hannah swenson) - not sure if that's a strict definition though...but i would call them light crime/police procedural (similar to JA Jance Joanna Brady books) - solving murders but they aren't hardcore detective like other crime thrillers

Jeanie wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: "Happy new year, all! I've started Alice Wong's Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life today and it's a fascinating listen. Nancy Wu narrates very nicely and real..."

This is a fantastic point, Jeanie!

My first book is a re-read for book club The Alice Network Kate Quinn narrated by, Saskia Maarleveld

Katharine wrote: "I am listening to the audio version of Cathedral by Ben Hopkins. It is my first book of 2023, and I have to say, so far it is EXCELLENT! It starts out in 1229 with ..."

Sounds like it's right up my alley too! Thank you, I just added it to my Want to Read shelf.

My favorite audio books of the past few months are highly emotional stories, such as

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boyal

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

I'd like to add Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, but I read that one.

MissSusie wrote: "My first book is a re-read for book club The Alice Network Kate Quinn narrated by, Saskia Maarleveld"

One of my favorite books!

I'm woefully behind on updating (not even a clue what the last book I posted/read here was!). Guess that's the benefit of being off work and off line over the holidays!

I read We Are the Brennans last week. A good story about a (somewhat dysfunctional) Irish family dealing with more than a few issues. A 3 star read for me - engaging but not a one I loved. Kinda of just ended and I thought there might be more in a series but doesn't appear so.

I really tried Ink and Bone (it's been on my "To Read" list forever) and at 43% through, I bailed. I was not invested or interested at all. Chalk that one up as a DNF and move on.

Now am getting ready to start Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War. Ready for a really good book!'

Also note that I'm adding Remarkably Bright Creatures to my list - looks good! Glad to score a recommendation :-)

I considered starting an MBA this year but then decided that with only 10 years to retirement I’d rather do something completely different. (I’m an actuary & middle manager type.)

Staring my year with Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I still don’t know how to link books on here, maybe because I’m on my phone.

My first book of the year is a five-star read! It's the German classic Berlin Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf by Alfred Döblin. It is in fact amazing. It is a grim tale. Read it to the end and see what you think. I recommend it.

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

The book I have begun now is an Italian classic. I like it. It's good. It's Zeno's Conscience by Italo Svevo.

I had a carry over from 2022 and finished Lessons in Chemistry, which I enjoyed but towards the end, the story gets too convenient (not even plot twist because I wasn't surprised). I mean there were many "too convenient" storylines in this book but I could suspend it because it was rather a fresh story. But the final few chapters were just too much.

I didn't join a book challenge this year. I could not finish 2022 52 book challenge and I decided I will read whatever I want, not based on a prompt.

Also I'm cancelling Audible membership as I have too many unread books in my account. I can still download the books I purchased, correct?

Kaoru wrote: "I had a carry over from 2022 and finished Lessons in Chemistry, which I enjoyed but towards the end, the story gets too convenient (not even plot twist because I wasn't surprised). ..."

Yes, you will always have access to the books in your Audible Library even if not an active member... thank heavens!

I'm working on the first in a presumed new series: The Body, the Diamond and the Child. I like the main character, and the narration is good, but I'm waiting to see how it finishes before judging the story.

Jeanie wrote: "Kaoru wrote: "I had a carry over from 2022 and finished Lessons in Chemistry, which I enjoyed but towards the end, the story gets too convenient (not even plot twist because I wasn'..."

I thought so but wasn't sure :)

Dee wrote: "I’ve toyed with learning Russian - I dabbled in Ukrainian last year for a bit (I had a Ukrainian classmate) but I ended up mostly focusing on my French"
Another polyglot? I speak and study several languages as well, including Russian and French!

Katharine wrote: "Dee wrote: "I’ve toyed with learning Russian - I dabbled in Ukrainian last year for a bit (I had a Ukrainian classmate) but I ended up mostly focusing on my French"
Another polyglot? I speak and st..."

An attempted one - unlike learning but I need to get better at practicing

Katharine wrote: "Dee wrote: "I’ve toyed with learning Russian - I dabbled in Ukrainian last year for a bit (I had a Ukrainian classmate) but I ended up mostly focusing on my French"
Another polyglot? I speak and st..."

I studied Russian in college and got to a sort of intermediate level but I didn't keep it up. Now I can barely remember the alphabet! I got interested in it directly from reading War and Peace the summer after I graduated from high school. I always wanted to travel to Russia, but when I was studying, it was still USSR and difficult. Then as my daughter said, I "missed that window" of time when I would have felt ok with giving any of my tourist money to Russia.

Robin P; Katharine; Dee wrote: "I’ve toyed with learning Russian - I dabbled in Ukrainian last year for a bit (I had a Ukrainian classmate) but I ended up mostly focusing on my French"
Another polygl..."

I was a Russian linguist in the US Navy, but unless you use a second language often, you will lose it. (I remember it much better while dreaming!) I would never have been able to travel to Russia as a Cold War veteran, but I'm still captivated by the culture and history. One book I really enjoyed was City of Thieves by David Benioff.

Yes, I too learned Russian in college and used it as a research librarian but the further away from college I get the skills dim. I used to meet with an elderly Russian woman once a week to chat in Russian (while in college) and that went a long way to learning it.

I love Russian literature, except I'm not overly fond of Dostoyevsky - but give me Checkhov or Gogol any day.

I agree City of Thieveswas so enjoyable. I read Tom Rob Smith's series with Leo Demidov. -( Child 44 is the first book of the series ) which was good for the first few books then he kind of lost his way, Or I did.

Jan wrote: "...unless you use a second language often, you will lose it. (I remember it much better while dreaming!)..."

You remembering language while dreaming is probably akin to me being able to read more words when casually running across them than when trying to translate.

Polyglots galore!

I took 6yrs of French in school and it's since ingrained itself in my brain. I've been learning Italian for a few years (slower going) and I started learning Irish in earnest a year or so ago, which is a wonderful challenge. I took a stab at German awhile back and may get back to it eventually. Anyone else use Duolingo?

Ashley Marie wrote: "Polyglots galore!

I took 6yrs of French in school and it's since ingrained itself in my brain. I've been learning Italian for a few years (slower going) and I started learning Irish in earnest a y..."

French was required for us starting at 10 years old, so that much of it stuck better than Spanish, where I took more courses, but started later. I can read Portuguese, but not speak it.