Audiobooks discussion

Starting off the month with The Lovers, where the story is okay, but Suzanne Toren's narration is an excellent fit.

Just finished Evergreen - Naomi Hirahara, 2nd in a mystery series about Japanese-Americans during and after WWII. The audio really added to the Japanese words and accents.

I finished Finna right before the new month began. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would so I’ll be starting Defekt now.

I finished The fourth Stage, tenth in the A Thousand Li series by Tao Wong. I'm still enjoying this series and, while I'm eager for the last two books in the series, I'll be sad when it ends. Travis Baldree's narration was excellent as usual.

i'm still listening to Soul Mountain and Love & Lies: Marisol's Story (egads this is just....but i only have like 2hrs left, so i'm going to stick it out).

next on the pile is The Big Over Easy

I finished Nimisha's Ship by Anne McCaffrey before midnight so technically it is a February book, thanks to the extra day this year. It was read by Susan Ericksen. I liked it and would continue the series (this was a sort of stand-alone "prequel" to the Crystal Singer series) but I found only abridged editions of the earlier written books, unfortunately.

Today I am continuing the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne with Tricked (book 4). These are read by Luke Daniels. Relatively short, and urban fantasy about an ancient druid living in modern day Arizona running from supernatural creatures and the old gods.

Starting the month off with Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart Narrated by Khristine Hvam Release March 5th

Finished last week American Spirits by Russell Banks. Three short stories that all center on the same small town in northern New York state. They are quite bleak. This will likely be the last Banks book as this was published posthumously.

Started March with The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez. It's about the building of the Panama Canal. I've only just begun, but it's focus is on several different people that are involved in the construction.

Pamela wrote: "Started March with The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez. It's about the building of the Panama Canal. I've only just begun, but it's focus is on several different people that are involved in the construction."

this is on my list - i'll be interested to hear your thoughts

Completed Three Days in Moscow: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire by Bret Baier | read by Bret Baier

A complementary read to Carter’s story. Baier leads the reader to Reagan’s speech at Moscow University, the climax of his political negotiation with the USSR and thus marking the impending end of the Cold War a year later.

The Southern Killer was a good legal mystery to begin March. Next up is Trial by Richard North Patterson. I'm still listening to Ball Four: Twentieth Anniversary Edition in spurts and taking 30 minute chunks out of Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life. The latter is not what I expected and it's just ok.

I finished System Collapse by Martha Wells, the seventh Murderbot story, and I enjoyed this one a lot.

Now I am back to Earth and continuing with Greece and Rome: An Integrated History of the Ancient Mediterranean with Professor Garland.

I have also started Earth Abides by George R. Stewart, written in 1949 about a pandemic that kills most humans and leaves one lonely guy to figure out how to live the rest of his life.

I finished listening to Piranesi last night. I loved the pacing and how everything unraveled. Now I’m actually moving on to Defekt, the second book in the Litenverse series. I adore the main character so far

I'm starting March with Hild and fully expecting it to take two weeks (long for an audiobook, for me, but it's 23+ hours). Through 3 chapters today and enjoying it so far! I had tried my print copy years ago and stalled on it bc it was slow going, but audio usually helps move things along so I'm excited.

I'm in the 2nd book of the Slammed series by Colleen Hoover (Point of Retreat). The first (Slammed) was just ok. Too insta-love for me but I was intrigued that the two main characters were both young adults raising their younger brother. The dynamics of that aspect of the story is neat.

Ashley Marie wrote: "I'm starting March with Hild and fully expecting it to take two weeks (long for an audiobook, for me, but it's 23+ hours). Through 3 chapters today and enjoying it so far! I had tri..."

Hild is long and dense but wonderful. It is historical and yet it could just as well be fantasy. The author has to do "worldbuilding" and introduce ways of thinking very different from ours.

Robin P wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: "I'm starting March with Hild and fully expecting it to take two weeks (long for an audiobook, for me, but it's 23+ hours). Through 3 chapters today and enjoying..."

I'm delighted to hear good news about the audio book as I'm very interested in listening to it, and to the second book in the series, Menewood.

It's been a bit since I updated here, so... Since my last post, I've finished:
Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum
Whispers Underground
and
The Blood of Emmett Till

and I'm currently listening to:
The Devil's Half Acre: The Untold Story of How One Woman Liberated the South's Most Notorious Slave Jail
and
Nature's Wild Ideas: How the Natural World Is Inspiring Scientific Innovation

Becky wrote: "It's been a bit since I updated here, so... Since my last post, I've finished:
Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum
Whispers Underground
and
[book:The B..."

I read the Blood of Emmett Till several years ago and thought it was excellent.

It was, Ashley. But DANG if it wasn't enraging at the same time. :(

Also, I was pretty surprised that the author got the year of the Tulsa massacre wrong. He stated 1922, but it was 1921.

Oh, definitely.

...I did miss that! Wild.

Ashley Marie wrote: "Oh, definitely.

...I did miss that! Wild."

To be fair, I was listening to this AFTER the hundred year anniversary of the massacre, plus several other books I've read recently have mentioned it, so it was pretty top of mind for me to easily spot the error. I likely wouldn't have caught it if not for those factors!

Kathleen wrote: "Robin P wrote: "Ashley Marie wrote: "I'm starting March with Hild and fully expecting it to take two weeks (long for an audiobook, for me, but it's 23+ hours). Through 3 chapters to..."

I did read it in print. I hope it's not hard to keep all the characters straight on audio.

Completed Goodbye, Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land by Jacob Mikanowski |

Part memoir and part historical information on the region, its people, and their conflicts that continue to ravage even today.

I just finished Defekt. I think I like it just a little more than the first book, though I think it has a slightly weaker ending. I wish it had been longer to expand on some things but overall a great listen.

Now I think I’ll move on to The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker. Hopefully it won’t take me too long since I have two other books ready through Libby.

I finished the 2nd book in Colleen Hoover's Slammed trilogy and just bit my lip all the way through Point of Retreat was 7 hours of not much at all. Immature "adults" and teenage drama. I'm giving up on the series which I almost never do.

Next up is Dreaming of You - a period romance which I typically don't like on audio but will give it a shot (a friend shares my library card and it was on the shelf - saved me from having to figure out what to read next!)

I liked Ordinary Girls. It is listed as a retelling of Sense and Sensibility, but I think the only similarity is that one sister is dramatic and emotional, the other practical and organized. The family is quirky and the girls are very bookish. The narration as first-person works well. Very much a high school story, though, so they has to be of interest to you.

Now on another first-person - Greyhound, which I have had for years. I chose this one & the previous one because a GR group I am in has a theme this month of Coming of Age. In this one, Sebastian, just turning 12, is sent alone by bus from California to Pennsylvania to live with his grandparents. It seems to be the 1990's when a Walkman is new technology. His single mom and her boyfriend can't be bothered with him, and when you see how they treat him, it's clear he's better off without them. On the trip, he meets a variety of people. The author's note at the beginning says this story is true with some elements fictionalized, and his bio says he lived in multiple states. So at least the emotional sense of it must reflect his own life. Nick Podehl is excellent at the narration.

Just wrapped up Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, and it's easily one of my top reads this year. The first-person narrative adds a captivating touch, keeping the pace brisk, and I was constantly surprised by the unfolding events. The use of prose makes it so easy to get lost in the story. I particularly enjoyed the glimpse into the intricacies of the literary world. Highly recommended!

Completed Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency by Dan Abrams | read by Adam Verner

A murder trial was the last thing Lincoln wanted to take on as there was talks at the time people wanting Lincoln to enter the political arena. Book appeals to those who enjoy the law, murder trials or true crime stories then this is worthy read.



Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara | read by Peter Ganim

One of the most heartbreaking, incredibly sad book about cobalt mining in the Congo. Cobalt is the natural resource in the rechargeable lithium ion batteries for our phones, laptops, cars, and all everything battery operated. The devastation described exceeded my expectation.

Read: Gladiator,Solgt,Arr

I finished Milk Run, Suicide Run, and Home Run by Nathan Lowell. These make up the Smuggler's Tales From the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper and chronologically fall in the middle of the original six book series Trader's Tales. Emily Woo Zeller narrates and was fine, but the narrator for the original books takes up the tale where the MCs of this series return as supporting characters and the difference makes them seem like completely different people. This is often the case when a new narrator takes on a spinoff to an existing series--or replaces the original narrator for that matter--but the effect is jarring.

Finished Hild last night and loved it to bits. Can't wait to read Menewood!

Ashley Marie wrote: "Finished Hild last night and loved it to bits. Can't wait to read Menewood!"

Thanks for the report! I’m moving up the holds list!

About halfway done with Murder Road by, Simone St. James narrated by, Brittany Pressley

The narration added to the enjoyment of my recent listen of Shark Heart. Definitely quirky in the premise, tugs at emotions.

From my 2017 NetGalley backlist.
Intense, gripping and suspenseful.
The Hidden Hours by Sara Foster ⭐⭐⭐⭐.4 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, and understand its fun appeal. The author is a terrific narrator, too.

I finished up The Rehearsals - ehhh - passable but didn’t blow me away - Groundhog Day meets wedding rehearsal

Dee wrote: "I finished up The Rehearsals - ehhh - passable but didn’t blow me away - Groundhog Day meets wedding rehearsal"

Nightmare fuel.

Since my last update:
I'm still listening to Nature's Wild Ideas: How the Natural World Is Inspiring Scientific Innovation (on paper anyway).

I finished The Devil's Half Acre: The Untold Story of How One Woman Liberated the South's Most Notorious Slave Jail

DNF'ed Real Life,

And now I'm about 25% into The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear. So far... it is WILD.

I read woman they couldn’t silence when it came out / yep totally wild

Starting Starling House by, Alix E. Harrow narrated by, Natalie Naudus

I finished Magical Midlife Awakening by K.F. Breene. I always enjoy these stories and love the narration. The author had to re-number the books because Amazon doesn't allow a .5 in the numbering system any longer--the last book came earlier in the chronology and was previously numbered 7.5 on Audible--so now it's hard to know what book will come next, 10 or 11.

I also finished Demon daughter, latest in the Penric and Desdemona series by Lois McMaster Bujold. I bought the Kindle version some time back and listened to it read by Alexa. The human narration is so much more satisfying!

I finished up The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez. It was okay for me, but it did not wow me or anything. There were a lot of characters, slightly distracting in the beginning going from one to another, but they started to coalesce after a while. The book is more character driven than focused on the building project of the Panama canal. I'm not a big fan of having so many POVs in a novel, but other people may have no issue with it.

I finished The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear last night. I listened to over half of the book yesterday because I was so invested I had to know what happened.

WILD. Just, completely wild.

I finished listening to Penric’s Demon and the The Bone Ships and like them both well enough. I’ll probably be continuing with both of the series at some point. I’m going to be starting Remarkably Bright Creatures now.

Sycamore Row is classic Grisham. A sharp young lawyer and lots of legal maneuverings. It was long 920 hours)for basically just a lawsuit over a will but as usual, the characters are interesting and the legal stuff is interesting.

Without Fail (#6 in Jack Reacher series) is next for me.

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017 came in from the library finally!, So I'll be starting tonight when I finish my current listen (I have about 30 mins left).

Completed The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck | audiobook read by Cassandra Campbell |

After their defeat in WWII, three women find themselves sharing an old castle while they try to rebuild their lives and as they struggle to confront their choices and behaviors before, during and after the war. A fresh and interesting perspective that I haven’t previously seen written about within this historical setting.

Finished Starling House by, Alix E. Harrow narrated by, Natalie Naudus I enjoyed this horror/gothic/mystery the narration was really good!

Now starting The Truth about the Devlins by, Lisa Scottoline narrated by, Edoardo Ballerini releases March 26th