Audiobooks discussion

Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens isn't grabbing me much as I like the Wrexford & Sloane series.

I have a carryover from January that I only began last night, Wayward is book two in the Wanderer's duology by Chuck Wendig. Book one was decent so I am finishing the second one which is 34 hours long. Narrated by Xe Sands and Dominic Hoffman.

As I expected, Meryl Streep is wonderful in narrating Tom Lake. The first scene is about people trying out (badly) for a play and she does it so well.

I just finished Yours for the Taking and it was marvelous. The narrator, Jasmin Savoy Brown, does an incredible job with this huge cast.

My review of Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow

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

The author did a very good job narrating her book.

I finished Quarter Share, first in the A Trader's Tale from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper series by Nathan Lowell. This is cozy Sci-Fi and an easy comfort listen. I have already moved on to Half Share and will get the next two while they are on sale!

Faith wrote: "My review of Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow

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

The author did a very good job narrating her book."

This is definitely on my list. If you haven't read Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth yet, I highly recommend it.

I finished listening to When You Finish Saving the World by Jesse Eisenberg. It was one of those free monthly audible originals they were doing some years back. (I like the plus catalog option better.) There are 3 characters and one narrator for each, it worked out okay. The book was just okay too, it was short and worth the few hours.

Now back to my other long audio...I'm past the half-way mark and hoping I can go quicker with the last half.

Deeply enjoying my reread of Red Seas Under Red Skies, and I should be finished tomorrow. Michael Page does such an excellent job with this series.

Starting the month off with a re-read of one of my favorite middle grade books Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by LA Meyer narrated by the late Katherine Kellgren

I'm about midway through Moon Over Soho and definitely enjoying it, except for one character that is massively annoying me and hopefully will end up being the (or a) perpetrator that will justify my dislike. And hopefully one that is not going to be a recurring character.

MissSusie wrote: "Starting the month off with a re-read of one of my favorite middle grade books Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by LA Meyer n..."

Yes, that is a terrific series and so well done!

I finished In The Name Of Honor by Richard North Patterson last night and started Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda a memoir by Rosamond Halsey Carr this morning. Patterson delivered a decent military mystery. I've been enjoying rediscovering Patterson's books. But the memoir! Good grief. I'm only about an hour in and am genuinely enjoying it. Both books are well narrated.

My review of Cool Hand Luke by Donn Pearce

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

This book is available in Audible Plus.

I finished Twisted Love and I cringed through most of it. Creepy main character guy (psycho possessive) and dippy main character girl (sometimes saccharine sweet and others a raging sex mainac). Just not a good vibe for me and a series I won't continue.

Next up is The Secret Keeper of Jaipur. I tried it a while back and couldn't get in (the 2nd in a trilogy). If I can't do it this time I will officially give up on it :-)

Ashley Marie wrote: "Deeply enjoying my reread of Red Seas Under Red Skies, and I should be finished tomorrow. Michael Page does such an excellent job with this series."

I can't wait to re-read this series, too. (I do wish he would finish it, but apparently, that's not in the cards.)

I finished the second book for my SciFi and Fantasy Book Club challenge, Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn. My short review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Been in a bit of a slump for the last month or so but finally started and seem to be sticking to Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston | audiobook Narrator Ruby Dee | book club selection

Not for me.

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

Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda was a very nice memoir. I'm giving it a 5* - what a life. I can't imagine living in Rwanda in the 1940s.

Fran wrote: "Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda was a very nice memoir. I'm giving it a 5* - what a life. I can't imagine living in Rwanda in the 1940s."

The story of those guys who strayed into the Congo still haunts me.

Tom Lake turned out about a 3.5 for the story but 5++ for Meryl Streep's narration.

I recently finished Frozen River. I thought the audio production was excellent. The plot surprised me as well. What appeared to be a colonial historical fiction turned out to be a good mystery with modern sensibilities.

I finished all six books in the Trader's tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper by Nathan Lowell: Quarter/Half/Full/Double/Captain's/Owner's Share. While I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, it simply formed a foundation on which the remaining books built and added to in one compelling arc that covered twenty years in the career of Ishmael Wong. I'm likely to get the three Seeker's Tales That continue his journey... and then the Smuggler's Tales that actually belong chronologically between the first half and second of the original books but have a different MC. This series doesn't have a lot of action per se, but I really liked Ish a lot.

The Last Tea Bowl Thief by Jonelle Patrick | review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Read this in hardcover, but there is an audiobook version too. First time reading a novel by this author. Jonelle Patrick wrote a lovely novel set in feudal and present-day Japan.

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur was just ok. Now the decision - do I read the 3rd/final in the trilogy. Or just let it go? Story not very interesting but is beautifully told and narrated.

Absolute Power is next. Need a little Baldacci fix.

I started SL Huang's The Water Outlaws today! Nearly through part 1 and enjoying myself. Narrated nicely by the ever-reliable Emily Woo Zeller.

Just finished listening to The Shadow of the Wind and I’m currently listening to both House of Earth and Blood and Sword Catcher.

I am getting toward the end of Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune, and I have a feeling I will need some hankies for the finish.

Meanwhile, I started to listen to The Ferryman by Justin Cronin.

Jeanie wrote: "I finished all six books in the Trader's tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper by Nathan Lowell: Quarter/Half/Full/Double/Captain's/Owner's Share...."

I read the first one a while ago, but I will have to go back and listen again to see why I didn't keep going. :-D

Pretty Girls I've been listening to this one because I have heard so much about this author over the years and a woman from book group said she just finished this one. She loved the book so I thought I would give this a try, as it turns out, there is no easing into this book. I'm a little over halfway done and am already thinking I need to find a happier book to listen to next.

Jan wrote: Jeanie wrote: "I finished all six books in the Trader's tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper by Nathan Lowell: Quarter/Half/Full/Double/Captain's/Owner's Share...."

I read the first one a while ago, but I will have to go back and listen again to see why I didn't keep going. :-D

I can say that in the second book our young Ishmael begins to grow up... or emerges from his cocoon and becomes a surprisingly sexy butterfly. Lowell's storytelling is not full of adventure and thrills, but it does weave an intriguing tale with really interesting characters. I can see why his style isn't for everyone, but it really appeals to me.

So much so that I recently finished the three tales in A Seeker's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper: In Ashes Born, To Fire Called, By Darkness Forged; and the two available SC Marva Collins books: School Days and Working Class. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the next one... and will be rereading them all soon... after I go back and get the three books of the Smuggler's tales series that is set in the same universe. :)

About a year ago, I read in print and loved Still Life (not the mystery by Louise Penny, but a historical novel by Sarah Winman). I saw a Zoom interview where she was just delightful as a speaker and reader of her book, and I found out she has been a professional actor. So I purchased a couple of her books read by her. A Year of Marvellous Ways probably suffered in my appreciation by the fact that I had recently listened to several other books where older women tell about their pasts. The narration was excellent, but the story didn't seem to know whether it wanted to be historical fiction or magical realism.

Currently listening to 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' by Holly Jackson. Looking for recommendations for my next audiobook....

Shannon-Rebecca wrote: "Currently listening to 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' by Holly Jackson. Looking for recommendations for my next audiobook...."

Welcome! Are you looking for more mysteries or just good books generally?

I finished the second Murderbot Diaries book Artificial Condition last night. It was just OK for me. I really loved the first one, but I felt seriously disinterested in this one for some reason. I am not sure if it was my mood, or the story, but it just didn't do much for me. :( Not sure if I'll continue.

After finishing that, I started Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum. This is really interesting so far!

Finished De frosne flammer,Min skyld - En historie om frigjøring,Lupus,Det mørkeste rommet

I am half done with A World of Curiosities by, Louise Penny narrated by, Robert Bathurst

I finished LL McKinney's Escaping Mr. Rochester yesterday! The story is split into Jane's and Bertha's POVs, and my only quibble was that Bertha's narrator's British accent wasn't great when she read Bertha/Jane interactions (Bertha is from Louisiana and Jane is British, in this telling). Otherwise it was a great twist on source material that I don't love (I KNOW).

I was disappointed in the overall theme of Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer, which was too preachy for me (and not in a religious way).

I am still working my way through The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. It's dragging for me, but it's a long book. I hope others are having better reading weeks!

Jan wrote: "I was disappointed in the overall theme of Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer, which was too preachy for me (and not in a religious way).

Sure sounds interesting. I see it won a Hugo. But glad to have your review. The ratings were not that strong, and it is part of a series. I am already involved in a series by Terry Pratchett. I don't need another.

Trust Hernan Diaz

This was a nominee for the Goodreads Choice Award and didn't win. It did win the Pulitzer, however. Proving the Goodreads folks are a better judge than the Pulitzer folks. I thought the first part awful, the second part barely tolerable, and the rest just decent. 2 stars.

How this won the Pulitzer even if one liked the book will forever be a mystery to me.

Lords and Ladies

The book starts:

"Now read on...

When does it start?

There are very few starts. Oh, some things seem to be beginnings. The curtain goes up, the first pawn moves, the first shot is fired* (probably at the first pawn) —but that’s not the start. The play, the game, the war is just a little window on a ribbon of events that may extend back thousands of years. The point is, there’s always something before. It’s always a case of Now Read On.

Much human ingenuity has gone into finding the ultimate Before.

The current state of knowledge can be summarized thus:

In the beginning, there was nothing, which exploded." "

Leave it to Pratchett to start a book about the challenges of 3 witches on a fanciful Disc World with a discussion of the free will debate.

Laugh out loud funny. Great narration. And far from my favorite. But still a great read. Everyone should visit the disc world. There are 41 books in the series. So the question isn't "when does it start", but rather where should one start.

If only he could have written one more. He would have had the answer to the ultimate question of life.

Bill (Just a) wrote: "Trust Hernan Diaz

This was a nominee for the Goodreads Choice Award and didn't win. It did win the Pulitzer, however. Proving the Goodrea..."

I wasn't crazy about this book either, and it was disappointing because I gave his first book, In the Distance, 5 stars for how original it was.

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger | audiobook read by CJ Wilson | My Review

In 1958, small town Jewel, Minnesota is rocked by the murder of its most prominent citizen and largest land owner. Richly written crime drama turns to a multi-jurisdiction action thriller.

i finished up Bloodshot which is one of my lost of my TBL books (I apparently bought it back in 2011). Its a pity she only ended up writing two books in the series - this hit all the funny spots - and I've added the next one to the pile.

Started Moloka'i

Absolute Power was a great read - one of Baldacci's earlier books and it did not disappoint. A smart young lawyer, crooked politicians, a plot that twisted and turned. A solid 4+ star read for me. Really enjoyed it.

Next up is Better than the Movies. I"m 15% done and can tell I'm not going to love it (I do believe I'm too old for high school love stories - but we shall see).

This month so far

The Singularity Trap by Dennis E. Taylor. Not my favorite of his, but Ray Porter did an excellent job with the narration.

Random in Death by J. D. Robb. Susan Ericksen is reliable as ever with her narration. Gave this one 4 stars.

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez. Started reading this one but switched to audio when I learned that Julia Whelan was one of the narrators. Both she and Zachary Webber were excellent. I rated the book 5 stars.

Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell. Rebecca Lowman read all the stories but one and she was fine. The stories were unremarkable. The best was the Simon Snow story read by Euan Morton.


Currently listening to Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson, narrated by Barton Welch. (Audible lists Megan Smart as a narrator too, but so far it's only been Barton and he is doing a great job with this, just as he did with the first book.) This book is as meta as the last one and I am enjoying it thoroughly.

I finished up The Warmth of Other Suns: the Epic Story of America's Great Migration - its interesting many people say they enjoyed this more than Caste - but I listened to Caste a couple years ago - so was able to see a lot of the parallel's between the two and liked Caste more - I prefer the academic approach vs. the narrative/oral history ((view spoiler)[personnally, I couldn't stand the California doctor in this one - although I liked the other two people she focused on (hide spoiler)])

That's on my list, Dee. I've also listened to Caste and loved it, so I'm curious what I would think of that one.

I'm nearly finished with Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum, which is quite good, and then next is Whispers Underground (Rivers of London #3) from Ben Aaronovitch.

My husband also wants to listen to Nature's Wild Ideas: How the Natural World Is Inspiring Scientific Innovation at some point soon, so I might be doing that in tandem.

my current listens (because one is never enough)...

Moloka'i - HR,Hawaii
Competence - Steampunk
D is for Deadbeat - murder mystery

I was excited that the newest Mary Russell book - The Lantern's Dance, which I had preordered, came out today. But they changed the narrator! I listened to the sample and it wasn't bad but Mary sounded more emotional than in the Jenny Sterlin recordings. I just couldn't do it, so I returned it right away and put myself on the hold list for the print book from the library.

I had some time between things I needed to listen to for various groups, so I started the long The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois.