Audiobooks discussion

Starting this month with a detective story: To Love and Be Wise, as well as historical fiction: Miss Austen.

I just finished While It Was Snowing . I thought it was good, but the family in the middle made it less enjoyable.

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

I'm currently listening to The Forget-Me-Not Library and really enjoying it.

I sat in near darkness last night to finish Ghost Stories: Stephen Fry's Definitive Collection. Nothing like having Stephen Fry read you ghost stories on Halloween.

I will be starting The Tainted Cup today.

Started Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown read by Grover Gardner

Finished a Mercy & Elvis mystery The Wedding Plot I enjoy this author's writing style and the narrator of this series.

The punishment has finally ended and Crime and Punishment is finished. I feel accomplished or at least have bragging rights that I completed it. Every year I set a personal challenge to read a few classics and this is the third one for the year. All three have been meh. I have War and Peace in my backlog but I'll save it for next year. In general I've liked Tolstoy much more than Dostoevsky. Anna Karenina is one of my top ten favorites.

Moving on, I'm listening to Project Hail Mary.

Not a 'book' but a great little audio experience.

Alan Bennett came up in conversation, and I was reminded how much I enjoyed the Judi Dench performance in his radioplay of Two in Torquay. It's less than 14 minutes and delightful (as is Judi, of course). Great twists for such a short piece - stay to the end!

My review of Two in Torquay with a link to radio play on YouTube

He's terrific! I plan to listen to Alan Bennett: Stories: Read by Alan Bennett soon.

Currently listening to We Play Games By: Sarah A. Denzil Narrated by: Billie Piper, Dan Stevens, Shane Zaza, Avita Jay, Felicity Duncan, David Holt, Sarah Whitehouse

I guess I'm in my psychological suspense/thriller season:

I'm almost halfway done with Dan Brown's The Secret of Secrets, the sixth book in his Robert Langdon series.

...and just started When We Were Silent by Fiona McPhillips narrated by India Mullen.

both are finished

I've started Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. So far I'm enjoying the easy writing style and the humor. It seems like it will be a quick listen.

I finished Artemis by Andy Weir. It was better than I expected, but wasn't too keen on the main plot. His other two books are much better.

I've started up The Genome Defense: Inside the Epic Legal Battle to Determine Who Owns Your DNA by Jorge L. Contreras. While I do like non-fiction and science, law is not my usual reading material. This might not work for me, but giving it a try.

For some fiction in between, I started and nearly done with the novella Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. It's very short.

Every word in Small Things Like These is perfectly placed. I thought this was one of the best 'books' (it is short) I have ever read. Powerful.

i thought they did a good job with the movie adaption as well

Fran wrote: "Every word in Small Things Like These is perfectly placed. I thought this was one of the best 'books' (it is short) I have ever read. Powerful."

It is a powerful good read in such a small book.


Dee wrote: "i thought they did a good job with the movie adaption as well"

Thanks for posting that Dee. I will look for the movie.


I've now started up The Armchair Birder: Discovering the Secret Lives of Familiar Birds by John Yow. Another non-fiction book, maybe a mistake and should have gone with fiction, so there is more difference between the books I'm reading & listening to.

Finished Miss Austen yesterday - good job of using Cassandra to give background to the Austen family story. Outstanding narration, recommended for Jane-ites (as I believe is the expression).

Dee wrote: "i thought they did a good job with the movie adaption as well"

Interesting. I didn't know there was a movie.

I just finished The Society of Unknowable Objects- LOVED it! See my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This morning I finished "She's Not Sorry" by Mary Kubica. It was a twist filled thriller.

i listened to matthew perry’s book and for once didn’t feel the need to highlight all the quotes.

i have some memory issues so i usually highlight things that are important so i can look back and trigger the memories of what i heard.

i think i found the sweet spot of doing something engaging (this time it was sorting a months worth of meds (there’s sooooo many) when i started it) while listening! perfect for my ADD (adhd without hyperactivity) combo!

I finished The Tainted Cup and enjoyed it immensely. It was complex, but light, something to get your teeth into.

Next up is The Warm Hands of Ghosts

I just finished The Personal Librarian, a fascinating historical fiction about JP Morgan's visionary librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, who passed for white until her passing in 1950.

Starting When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky to earn the GR Native Voices bookmark

Really enjoyed The Forget-Me-Not Library .


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


Now listening to Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers .

The narration of Hollow Kingdom by Robert Petkoff is terrific. The main character is a domesticated crow who has learned a lot about humans, especially from TV. When a sort of zombie apocalypse takes over the humans, ST the Crow, with the dimwitted but loyal bloodhound Dennis, must save the abandoned pets. There are short vignettes about some of the pets, including Winnie the Pooh-dle, a narcissistic female, who is helpless once her "Walker" disappears, and my favorite, Genghis Kat, who is just fine without his "Servants", escaping outdoors to kill multiple small creatures and impregnate dozens of female cats. The only thing he misses is cheese. The story itself is a bit repetitive, but the narration adds a lot.

I’m listening to The Thursday Murder Club right now, and it’s been such a fun mix of humor and mystery. The narrators really bring the characters to life. It reminds me of the kind of story that’s perfect for long walks or late-night listening.

Audiophile Audrey wrote: "I just finished The Personal Librarian, a fascinating historical fiction about JP Morgan's visionary librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, who passed for white until her passing in 1950..."

The Personal Librarian was quite good. Even better is the Morgan Library itself. It's a stunning world class library and worth a visit if one should be in NYC.

Robin P wrote: "The narration of Hollow Kingdom by Robert Petkoff is terrific. The main character is a domesticated crow who has learned a lot about humans, especially from TV. When a sort of zombi..."

I agree the narration is great. I enjoyed the story and thought it was super clever.

I just finished No Hallowed Ground: Double-A Western Detective Agency, Book 2 by Steve Hockensmith, and it was just as fun as the first one.

Still working my way through On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain by Ronald C. White Jr.

The Forget-Me-Not Library

So cute!


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

Fran wrote: "Dee wrote: "i thought they did a good job with the movie adaption as well"

Interesting. I didn't know there was a movie."

it came out last christmas although I think was only a limited release - had Cillian Murphy in it as the main character

Finished

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee 1st (first) edition Text Only by Dee Brown | audiobook 14Hrs:21 | read by Grover Gardner | My Review

Well researched tragic account of the many tribes, Dakota, Navajos, Cheyennes, Apaches, Sioux, and Utes, that once roamed freely across the continent.

Completed My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner | 206 pages | My Review

A moving account and the profound life-affirming lessons after accidentally being run over by an industrial snow plow. Not for the faint of heart, Jeremy goes through the incredible details of the incident and the painful recovery afterwards. Not one for celebrity memoirs, but highly recommend this one for lessons in faith, family and our innate human instincts for survival.




The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel | 226 pages

Just finished When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky by Margaret Verble. a slough at first (first 20% of the book), but so worth it and the end was so satisfying.

getting ready to read Buckeye ... I love these multiple-cover book designs, don't you?

Lucky to have gotten an early copy of My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney Narrated by Bel Powley; Henry Rowley; Richard Armitage Pub Date Jan 20 2026

I've been enjoying listening to Life, and Death, and Giants: An Epic and Unforgettable Novel that will Make You Cry - great story so far.

Audiophile Audrey wrote: "I love these multiple-cover book designs, don't you?..."

Yes, I do, and this one is cool, showing the aging of the neighborhood. I love "reviewing" book covers, even if just in my mind (LOL). I have several Pinterest boards just for covers.

I listened to Laws of Depravity by actor/author Eriq La Salle, read by the man himself. Not my usual stuff but if you like Silence of the Lambs-esque serial killer hunts I recommend it.

Maybe I'm just too much of a curmudgeon? Listened to the (free) Audible The Wind in the Willows, excellent narration, didn't specify but is an abridged production, which worked for me.
Overall, I found it dated, difficult to get through. Loved the animals-as-humans premise, but the story, no. Toad, himself, was just too narcissistic. The happy ending more disbelief than I could handle.

I finished A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping and thoroughly enjoyed it. Loved the fairytale vibes and quirky characters.

I'm starting A Drop of Corruption today.

I really enjoyed Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Nice, light found family type story.

I'm now listening to The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom, which will definitely not be a nice, light read.

On a side note - if anyone uses Audible and is frustrated because you can not see the percentage read, I just found in the settings that you can now choose between time listened, time left in book, and percentage read. It is in settings under player. I'm so happy to have my percentage back for my GR updates. Profile - ⚙️ (in upper righthand corner) - player - scroll down.

Kristie wrote: "I really enjoyed Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Nice, light found family type story.

I'm now listening to [book:The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freed..."

Thanks! I see that works in the app, but alas, not on the desktop version.

I really enjoyed the audio of The Music of Bees. It was a heartwarming story.

I finished Project Hail Mary and it's the last sci-fi for me for the foreseeable future. The Martian by Weir was exceptional and maybe I should have left it at that.

The Talbot Odyssey by Nelson DeMille and narrated by Scott Brick is next up. I have enjoyed almost all of DeMille's books and Brick does not bother me as a narrator.

OMG Kristie! Thank you so much for that Audible hack! I have been calculating my percentage every day to keep track of what I have read. I am going to do that right now! 🥰

Brenda wrote: "I really enjoyed the audio of The Music of Bees. It was a heartwarming story."

Her Crow Talk was also really good - I read MoB but listened to Crow Talk

Yeah Xine, it's a bummer that it doesn't work on the desktop, but even to have it on the app will really be helpful. No more percentage calculations for me!

Fran wrote: "I finished Project Hail Mary and it's the last sci-fi for me for the foreseeable future. The Martian by Weir was exceptional and maybe I should have left it at that...."

Oh man...I'm sorry you were disappointed by Project...I loved bothAndy Weir titles you mention.

Halfway through Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery...so intriguing that I've barely put this down. So great narration so far.

American Daughters was well narrated and an interesting historical fiction about Theodore Roosevelt's daughter, Alice, and Booker T. Washington's daughter, Portia.

Sorry, Xine. I don't know how to do it on the desktop.

Glad it worked for you, Donna! I had been calculating percentages too. So glad to have this setting again. :)