Audiobooks discussion

Almost finished with the excellent The House on Vesper Sands, not sure which will be the first book of the new year.

I am listening to The Crime at Black Dudley, which is on Audible Plus. It starts like a typical country house murder, but turns surprisingly thriller-ish for the era (1929). It introduced Albert Campion, who I am delighted to say has some similarities to my literary crush, Lord Peter Wimsey. So I will probably listen to more of the series.

Sounds good Robin! But it's not showing as an Audible Plus selection for me :(

Jan wrote: "Sounds good Robin! But it's not showing as an Audible Plus selection for me :("

Maybe I got it on sale and forgot, sorry

Finished up my last book of the year, ending on a high with Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America

Highly recommended.

I'll be starting 2024 with Weightless: Making Space for My Resilient Body and Soul
and
Road of Bones

I'm finally getting to Joe Abercrombie. with "The Blade Itself". Please forgive me, I'm new to social
media and don't know how to hyperlink. If one of you kind people care to message me, I'd be very grateful.

Planxti's Imaginary World wrote: "I'm finally getting to Joe Abercrombie. with "The Blade Itself". Please forgive me, I'm new to social
media and don't know how to hyperlink. If one of you kind people care to message me, I'd be ve..."

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure it out myself. But when you start a post, you will see printed in green above the comment box "add book/author" you just need the first option. If you click on add book/author and type in your title, then when it comes up, click the Add button to get The Blade Itself. You can also put in an author to start with, or once you have the book, you can switch to the Author column.

GR is really stupid compared to most search engines. If a letter is off, or the space between initials in an author name isn't what they have, sometimes it won't find it. And one-word titles can be tricky, it will find other books with that word in the title. You can try putting in the author's name as well. For instance I wanted a book entitled Innocence by Penelope Fitzgerald. GR brings up The Age of Innocence and a bunch of other books. But if I put in the author's first or last name, it comes up.

Anyway, welcome Planxti! Your profile shows you are currently reading Theft of Swords. That is a terrific series, especially on audio, and the author is a wonderful guy, very friendly to fans and newer writers.

Robin P wrote: "It took me an embarrissingly long time..."

Thank you. Tytyty. I can see there is a monumental difference between the app and the webpage. Guess what I'll be mostly using for my replies... 😄

Happy New Year everyone! I started Firing Point. It's a Jack Ryan thriller. Nothing too taxing to start the new year.

Jan wrote: "Sounds good Robin! But it's not showing as an Audible Plus selection for me :("

Robin probably did get it on Plus, but it's not available now. I believe that the Audible Plus catalog used December 31 as a date to change a bunch of their selections. I had a book downloaded that had an availability deadline of midnight.

Jan wrote: "Jan wrote: "Sounds good Robin! But it's not showing as an Audible Plus selection for me :("

Robin probably did get it on Plus, but it's not available now. I believe that the Audible Plus catalog u..."

No, I checked and I did buy it. I have a different shelf for the Audible Plus, so that I remember those are available even though I didn't purchase them and this isn't on that shelf. It's also to make me feel less guilty about all the money I've spent on as-yet-unread books. Recently I discovered a bunch of mysteries on Plus and I got them mixed up. However, it's true that items can come and go from Plus.

Planxti's Imaginary World wrote: "Robin P wrote: "It took me an embarrissingly long time..."

Thank you. Tytyty. I can see there is a monumental difference between the app and the webpage. Guess what I'll be mostly using for my rep..."

Oh, I forgot about the app. It is so terrible that I never use it. Even on a phone or tablet, I will go to the internet and use the website.

Speaking of the website, if you have been having problems posting or navigating on GR the last few days, it's not you! There is a theory that GR does updates the last weekend of the month - a terrible time for any member or group that needs to post new info for 2024, finish 2023, etc.

I'm starting two new audio books today.

For a book group: The Churchill Sisters: The Extraordinary Lives of Winston and Clementine's Daughters by Rachel Trethewey

For me. The 7th and latest book in the Cormoran Strike series: The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith, aka J. K. Rowling

Kathleen wrote: "I'm starting two new audio books today.

For a book group: The Churchill Sisters: The Extraordinary Lives of Winston and Clementine's Daughters by Rachel Trethewey

..."

I found The Running Grave terrifically absorbing (although somewhat terrifying as well!) The audios of that series are excellent.

I'm getting caught up with the Murderbot series by Martha Wells.

I'm currently listening to Weightless: Making Space for My Resilient Body and Soul, which is not at all what I expected, but I'm loving it anyway.

Robin P wrote: "Speaking of the website, if you have been having problems posting or navigating on GR the last few days, it's not you! There is a theory that GR does updates the last weekend of the month - a terri..."

Funny you should mention .... LOL

i finished up Sweet Talk - cute romance that all starts with a mistaken midnight text - second after Call Me Maybe - there is one more in the series that I'm hoping to get to.

Still working through Auntie Poldi and the Vineyards of Etna - don't think i'll continue it, I'm not a fan of the authors writing style.

I also started The Wolf and the Woodsman which is a hungarian Jewish fairytale and i'm enjoying it so far

Planxti's Imaginary World wrote: "I'm getting caught up with the Murderbot series by Martha Wells."

Yay Murderbot! I plan to re-read them all in chronological order this year... including the short stories on Kindle... unless audiobook versions are ever released. ;)

I have never read Anne of Green Gables, heard any rendition of the story, or watched any show or movie based on it, so it is new to me! Wow that little girl is a talker, I do believe that she never shuts her mouth! I am enjoying the narration by Colleen Winton, and the story itself.

Doug wrote: "I have never read Anne of Green Gables, heard any rendition of the story, or watched any show or movie based on it, so it is new to me! Wow that little girl is a talker, I do believe th..."

Anne is a truly special character. I watched the series on PBS decades ago but only recently listened to the audiobook. I must say the series on PBS was spot on and is worth watching before or after reading the book... which isn't always true for book adaptations.

Yesterday I finished Magical Midlife Flowers, a novella from the Leveling Up series by K.F. Breene set between the seventh and eighth books. It was funny and filled in the info gaps originally between those two books. I'd actually like more of these novellas or just more Magical Midlife in general. ;)

Doug wrote: "I have never read Anne of Green Gables, heard any rendition of the story, or watched any show or movie based on it, so it is new to me! Wow that little girl is a talker, I do believe th..."

I missed this when I was young also, I would have loved Anne. I read it to my daughter years ago and we both enjoyed it. She read the whole series after that.

Starting the year off with The War of the Witches By: Zetta Elliott Narrated by: Andrew Eiden, Jade Wheeler, Soneela Nankani, Nicky Endres, Ron Butler Release date January 9, 2024

Starting The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise. The narration by Hilary Huber is lively enough that I haven't felt the urge to speed it up. Seems predictable with an older and younger person being stuck together and becoming friends, but we'll see. I really liked Miss Benson's Beetle, which was a similar vibe.

Starting my new year with Britney's memoir, The Woman in Me. I borrowed this from the library last year but didn't have time for it, and I've heard excellent things about Michelle Williams's narration.

Planxti's Imaginary World wrote: "I'm finally getting to Joe Abercrombie. with "The Blade Itself". Please forgive me, I'm new to social
media and don't know how to hyperlink. If one of you kind people care to message me, I'd be ve..."

Hi Planxti and welcome! I'm hoping to give The Blade Itself another go later this year. I hope you like it!

finished up Auntie Poldi and the Vineyards of Etna last night - i increased narration to 1.2 (from my normal 1.1) just to get it done.

doing a quick cleanser with The Chimes (needed a book with less than 200pgs for a reading challenge and this was on my pile). I'm also starting Cursor's Fury - goal is to finish this series in 2024

I finished Weightless: Making Space for My Resilient Body and Soul last night. I identified HARD with some of this author’s experiences. Sigh.

Next up is Road of Bones.

Doug wrote: "I have never read Anne of Green Gables, heard any rendition of the story, or watched any show or movie based on it, so it is new to me! Wow that little girl is a talker, I do believe th..."

My family owns a summer home on Prince Edward Island and our daughters grew up reading and watching all the the Anne books and movies. For many years there was a replica of Avonlea with actors playing out various vignettes from the book among the buildings. It was recently revamped as restaurants and shops. My daughters feel like part of their childhood has been destroyed. What really intrigued me was the presence of so many Japanese tourists coming to this little island in the North Atlantic because of Anne of Green Gables. This is what we discovered https://www.anneofgreengables.com/blo...

I tested the Japanese fascination with Anne when I was in grad school with an exchange student from Japan who was in my class. When I told her we lived on PEI in the summers she just couldn't believe it and kept telling me how lucky we were.

Should you ever visit, be sure to get a raspberry cordial.

I have just started listening to The Fraud, the author Zadie Smith is also the narrator, and she is quite good in the different accents she uses.

Fran wrote: "My family owns a summer home on Prince Edward Island and our daughters grew up reading and watching all the the Anne books and movies. For many years there was a replica of Avonlea with actors playing out various vignettes from the book among the buildings. It was recently revamped as restaurants and shops. My daughters feel like part of their childhood has been destroyed. What really intrigued me was the presence of so many Japanese tourists coming to this little island in the North Atlantic because of Anne of Green Gables. This is what we discovered https://www.anneofgreengables.com/blo...
"

That is very cool! I loved the book and rated it 5 stars! I'd love to see the Sullivan Entertainment production, but it is quite pricey in my preferred format, 4K Blu-ray. Maybe I can find a copy of the PBS version somewhere for less money, I'd like to watch that version too.

I will mention the story to my friend in Okinawa and see if he is a fan. Thanks!

Five stars to The Woman in Me and I can't believe I listened to the whole thing in a single day. Talk about a book hangover.

I finished The Sundering Blade, a prequel novella in the A Thousand Li series by Tao wong that features the backstory of Wu Ying's enigmatic master. I thought the story was very cool and it certainly answered a lot of my questions. It had a different narrator than the main series and it felt a little stilted but still was acceptable.

Doug wrote: "Fran wrote: "My family owns a summer home on Prince Edward Island and our daughters grew up reading and watching all the the Anne books and movies. For many years there was a replica of Avonlea wit..."

If your friend isn't a fan, there is certainly a female relative in the family who is!

Fran wrote: "Doug wrote: "Fran wrote: "My family owns a summer home on Prince Edward Island and our daughters grew up reading and watching all the the Anne books and movies. For many years there was a replica o..."

I was on a tour of PEI a few years back. We went to Green Gables and the guide asked how many had read the book. Almost all the women had and none of the men, or maybe one. One woman had read every books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. And I knew about the Japanese fanatics.

What does everyone think about books with lots of narrators? Right now I'm reading Daisy and the Six and there are 10 or more reading the book. I find myself looking to see how much of a percentage is done...

Gypsy12, I'm not a fan of multiple readers. If it’s just two, I’ll listen, begrudgingly, but full casts really have to be exceptional, both in story and performance. Otherwise, I’m out!

I generally don't like them either, especially if they keep switching back and forth. For whatever reason, I find them harder to tell apart than with one voice.

I DNF’d Found Object in large part because it had dual readers, and the male reader was TERRIBLE. I dreaded his parts, and I wasn’t really liking the story itself much, so I just gave up.

Gypsy12 wrote: "What does everyone think about books with lots of narrators? Right now I'm reading Daisy and the Six and there are 10 or more reading the book. I find myself looking to see how much of a percentage..."

I was happy with the multi-narrator track for Daisy Jones, but I hated the full cast audio for Dune.

typically I don't like it- but Daisy Jones is unique since its told in a series of like MTV interviews - so i kind of expected that - i don't know if one or two narrators could pull it off

Last night I finished Road of Bones, which was… something. Then I started How Can I Help You. I don’t read book descriptions usually, so I thought this was nonfiction stories about library craziness. Similar to Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip-Confessions of a Cynical Waiter. It’s not though, apparently it’s a thriller. Not sure how I feel about it yet, but I’m only 12% in, so I’ll give it a bit more.

I finished Firing Point and it served the purpose of nothing too heady to start the new year.

Next is Blood Lines by Nelson DeMille.

Halfway through Lady Tan's Circle of Women, Lisa See's newest. I'm enjoying it for the most part but she likes to toe the line between immersive historical fiction and trauma porn.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise is rather predictable, but mainly it bugs me that the whole first part is in the Atlanta area and none of the characters have Southern accents. We know that some aren't originally from there, but others must be. They don't need to use an over-the-top accent, but some slight sense of it would be good.

Gypsy12, I'm with Becky in that a full cast narration had better be professional and a great story. I have enjoyed some dual-narrator books, but I think we are naturally always going to like one reader over another.

Even if we listen to the preview, it doesn't include all the voices, obviously.

Also, we need to leave reviews that voice our opinions about the narration so the publisher or author can decide for future books.

I really like group narrations and different readers for different characters, especially if they are main characters and read entire chapters. I find it helps me easily associate the voice with the character and keep track of the storyline.

Gypsy12 wrote: "What does everyone think about books with lots of narrators? Right now I'm reading Daisy and the Six and there are 10 or more reading the book. I find myself looking to see how much of a percentage..."
I find too many narrators generally distracting. Graphic Audio in particular has one that inserts nervous chuckles that do nothing for the plot. Might work for an MTV like setting. Generally I find good narrators have enough voices to add life to the main characters at minimum.