Audiobooks discussion

Working on A Shilling for Candles, 1930's mystery story. However, at the end of last month I finished Time After Time, which I found a good use of an Audible credit.

i'm a little in denial that its July already...where has the last 6 months gone...

anyways - i'm finishing up Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood and Blue Smoke to start off the month

hitting the road for New York next week - so lots of good audiobook time - the plan is to start (and potentially finish) - A Letter of Mary and About Time but that could vary depending on what comes in for me off my library hold list between now and then

Finishing up No Way Back, a quick thriller by Rick Molina. Next up is a long one, The Luminaries, which will satisfy my quest to finish longer listens that I've owned for ages.

I second what Deanna said. How can it be July already? Just finished Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey and now I’m about 20% into Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. “Magic” was good with a good narrator and I’m liking “Rivers” so far. I usually don’t like to read two urban fantasies back to back but that’s how Libby works. You gotta take ‘em as they come.

I've just started on the fantasy The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen, and am enjoying it so far.

Jan wrote: "I've just started on the fantasy The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen, and am enjoying it so far."

I binge read this series when I was stuck in my room on the ship after being exposed to covid - thankfully, I got signal enough while going through the suez canal to download some new books to read

I'm sure this is an unpopular decision, but I ditched The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. 25% through and I realized I wasn't engaged at all. So no more for me.

Redemption up now - the next in the Amos Decker series which is a solid one for me.

Nancy wrote: "I'm sure this is an unpopular decision, but I ditched The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. 25% through and I realized I wa..."

We've all had those books where others loved them but we just couldn't get into it. Personal taste is, whell, personal. We don't judge around here and I just hope your next book is a winner. :)

Hey, new to the group :)

I’m finishing a novel by John Grisham called The Confession and this is the first of his novels I’ve ever read. It’s not going how I expected so far.

Karin slaughter may have to be my next read.

Katherine wrote: "Hey, new to the group :)

I’m finishing a novel by John Grisham called The Confession and this is the first of his novels I’ve ever read. It’s not going how I expected so far.

Karin slaughter ma..."

Hi, Katherine - welcome to the group!

Katherine wrote: "Hey, new to the group :)

I’m finishing a novel by John Grisham called The Confession and this is the first of his novels I’ve ever read. It’s not going how I expected so far.

Karin slaughter ma..."

Welcome to the group!

Katherine wrote: "Hey, new to the group :)

I’m finishing a novel by John Grisham called The Confession and this is the first of his novels I’ve ever read. It’s not going how I expected so far.

Karin slaughter ma..."

Hi, Katherine. Welcome.

I stalled on Gideon the Ninth late last week (IRL got busy!) but I have every intention of getting back to it later this week, once we're past the holiday. In the meantime, I snagged Northanger Abbey, as narrated by Rachel Atkins. It moves quickly and I'm already near the halfway mark this afternoon. Catherine, not unlike Elizabeth Bennet, feels extremely relatable.

Just finishing The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by, Michael Finkel narrated by, Edoardo Ballerini this was a good one with great narration.

Next I am starting The Bigamist by, Rona Halsall narrated by, Sarah Durham Release date July 5th.

I wrapped up Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood - I remember the battle of Ramadi - I was a junior in college, so it was the year before I commissioned - its weird/surreal to think that was 20 years ago this year...

Dee wrote: "I binge read this series [Queen of the Tearling] when I was stuck in my room on the ship after being exposed to covid - thankfully, I got signal enough while going through the suez canal to download some new books to read..."

I am really enjoying this first one and will definitely keep going in the series. It's a good binge choice.
(Ya know, they can put a man on the moon, but they can't provide enough wifi on our ships...Go Navy.)

On another topic... I had a credit of $3.46 listed on my Audible account but it wasn't being applied when I purchased books via credit card—twice. So, I did a chat with the support this evening, and found out it was a bogus credit. Bummer. However, he did gift me a $5 credit for my trouble! Yay!

I listened to Alas, Babylon written in 1959 about the aftermath of a nuclear war. This was before the Cuban missile crisis. I'm generally not a fan of post-apocalyptic stories, but in this case, most of the people are decent and work together to help each other (although there are many difficult situations.) One interesting thing is that the book is set in Florida in a time of segregation but it becomes clear that race is irrelevant in the new world. The narration seemed a bit slow so I speeded it up and still followed it fine.

Katherine wrote: "Hey, new to the group :)

I’m finishing a novel by John Grisham called The Confession and this is the first of his novels I’ve ever read. It’s not going how I expected so far.

Karin slaughter ma..."

Welcome!

Miss Susie wrote: Just finishing The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by, Michael Finkel narrated by, Edoardo Ballerini this was a good one with great narration.

I really like Edoardo Ballerini as a narrator. I'm putting The Art Thief on my wishlist. Thank you for mentioning it.

I finished Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter yesterday. I need a break from the intense thrillers, and also something that isn’t 20+ hours long.

i'm nearly done with Blue Smoke - i'll finish it on my drive to syracuse tomorrow - I also started Hell Bent

when I finish up Blue Smoke - i'm going to shift to A Letter of Mary

3.5 stars to Northanger Abbey, possibly 4 but I'm still working out my feelings. Mainly, kudos to Jane Austen for suckering me in where Isabella was concerned so that I experienced the same surprise and sinking feeling about her as Catherine did. I did love the drama.

Ashley Marie wrote: "3.5 stars to Northanger Abbey, possibly 4 but I'm still working out my feelings. Mainly, kudos to Jane Austen for suckering me in where Isabella was concerned so that I experienced the..."

My favorite part is the laundry list! Also there's a wonderful quote that starts, "Only a novel?" and defends the genre.

MissSusie wrote: "Just finishing The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by, Michael Finkel narrated by, Edoardo Ballerini this was a good one with great narration..."

I'm finishing up this book as well. Definitely a good narration and fascinating book on art crime. That guy is unbelievable at how much he steals!

Pamela wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "Just finishing The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by, Michael Finkel narrated by, Edoardo Ballerini this was a good one with gr..."

It was a crazy amount especially since he wasn't in it for the money but just wanted the art!

The narration of The Astonishing Life of August March by Joel Froomkin is very good because many of the characters are over-the-top. But the story is too silly to really get engaged with. I have a few hours to go so hoping it pulls the story together, so far it has been like 3 different stories of parts of the boy's life.

Finished The Bigamist by, Rona Halsall narrated by, Sarah Durham Highly recommend this twisty thriller!

Now starting A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing narrated by Karissa Vacker Release date July 18th

Just finished The Power by Naomi Alderman and narrated by Adjoa Andoh. The story started out with a bang and then slowly fizzled out for the last half. The narrator did a good job except for the Romanian accents, which became kind of distracting.

My review (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) of Fortunata and Jacinta by Benito Pérez Galdós which I love. I gave it five stars! Ratings so high are unusual for me.

I am reading now The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout. Ir is a difficult, troubling, gruesome read hard to get through. This isn't to say I regret reading it.

Linda wrote: "Just finished The Power by Naomi Alderman and narrated by Adjoa Andoh. The story started out with a bang and then slowly fizzled out for the last half. The narrator did a good job except for the Ro..."

That's so disappointing when books fizzle.

In one day I've read The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout. Emotionally it's a difficult read. Being short is in this case good! I couldn't have taken much more.

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

I have begun the nonfiction title Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price.

Chrissie wrote: "In one day I've read The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout. Emotionally it's a difficult read. Being short is in this case good! I couldn't have taken much more.

My rev..."

Oh wow! I loved the movie. It had an amazing cast and if I remember correctly it was John Wayne's last film before he died.

I'm further along with Gideon the Ninth today and definitely enjoying the dynamic and tension between Gideon and Harrow.

Fran wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "In one day I've read The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout. Emotionally it's a difficult read. Being short is in this case good! I couldn't have taken m..."

Yes, John Wayne played the central role and it was his last film Can you imagine that part given the circumstances?!

Chrissie wrote: "Fran wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "In one day I've read The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout. Emotionally it's a difficult read. Being short is in this case good! I couldn't..."

I can't imagine.

I've started the quirky Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead (Libby download), which I've had to bump up to 1.3x as the narration was just too slow; I rarely do this.

That was an interesting story John!! I remembering ramping up the speed too!!

It's definitely quirky. I have been listening to some books at 1.25 or 1.3 lately but my current one, Good Eggs, has Irish accents so I've kept at regular.

Becky and Jan. I think it was you two that brought to my attention The Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings. I am definitely enjoying it. Some of the words of places are mispronounced, but I usually can guess what the narrator is referring to. That they attribute to a person four different qualities is somethin totally new. That family tees are very strong remains true still today. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. It is fun living in Sweden and reading the book. Near my last house there were numerable Viking remains. I have a funny story to relate. A heap of burial stones was located nearby. My mom suggested that we get stones there when we were making stone paths........ Not at all a good idea! They are not to be moved! She had no idea what they were.

I finished Redemption - the 5th in the Amos Decker series by David Baldacci. It's a solid series for me - I enjoy the characters, the stories and the narration and will keep with it.

Next up is The Henna Artist.

I have a to read list that is long. I'm working up from the oldest and taking whatever is available. Some make me wonder why I added them and then some are a pleasant surprise. Trying to whittle the list down!!!

Finished up The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel last week, which was a fascinating book, well done.

Now listening to A Simple Plan by Scott Smith. This one is a fictional account of a crime, about found money but clearly it was stealing. I'm enjoying it so far. I got this in 2016, and feel like back then someone in this group mentioned enjoying this book. I could be wrong, but not sure how it got onto my radar.

Nancy wrote: "I finished Redemption - the 5th in the Amos Decker series by David Baldacci. It's a solid series for me - I enjoy the characters, the stories and the narration and will keep with it..."

I really enjoyed The Henna Artist and finished the second book in the trilogy, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur earlier this summer. The narrator is great! I may spend a credit on the last in the series. Soon. Thank you for the reminder.

Has anyone listened to The Mountain Shadow? It's on sale. I loved Shantaram and both books are narrated by Humphrey Bower. This may be a purchase that sidetracks me from the goal of reducing my backlog.

Starting another book that release July 18th How Can I Help You by, Laura Sims narrated by, Carlotta Brentan & Maggi-Meg Reed

I finally got around to a book bought years ago that I kept thinking I'll read this someday... later. Later finally came! It was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I had seen the movie so the book didn't feel urgent. It had been long enough I didn't actually remember most of it so I had a very worthwhile reading experience. It was disconcerting to read about the racial issues and know that I grew up at a time when these attitudes were still prevalent and the language used was everyday speech in some places. I can only say that I'm glad those aspects aren't well known by most kids growing up today.

I am listening to The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell. It's book #2 of the Saxon Stories series. I love Cornwell, he really makes you feel like you're there! This novel begins in the year 877 in England under King Alfred. I have the whole series saved on a flashdrive. I loved his King Arthur trilogy too. Anyone out there a Cornwell fan?

Jeanie wrote: "I finally got around to a book bought years ago that I kept thinking I'll read this someday... later. Later finally came! It was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I had seen the movie so the boo..."

There have been times in my life when I've been asked, "Who has inspired you? Or who have you most admired? Could be a real person or a fictional character." For 50 years my answer has never changed - Atticus Finch.

Katharine wrote: "I am listening to The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell. It's book #2 of the Saxon Stories series. I love Cornwell, he really makes you feel like you're there! This nove..."

Just about everyone I know is a huge fan of Cornwell! Historical fiction is my favorite genre too. What is up with me that I haven't been able to get into his books? I think I'm going to have to sit myself down and buckle myself in and see if I can muscle through the beginning of one of his books. Geez. I feel as if I'm missing out.

Fran wrote: "Jeanie wrote: "I finally got around to a book bought years ago that I kept thinking I'll read this someday... later. Later finally came! It was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I had seen the m..."

I did not like the unfinished sequel that was published far later with old Atticus at all. TKaM is one of my favorite books of all time though.

I am finally getting around to reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It has a similar feel to me as The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab which I really loved. The Time Traveler's Wife is very good so far.