Audiobooks discussion

This is it - we've reached the end!

Partway through a terrific collection: . I put this one aside near the end, so plan to complete it this month: .

Was hoping to finish The Correspondent today, but looks like I'm not going to make it and will be starting December with that.

I also need to finish The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club.

Halfway through The Tainted Cup. Narration is good, but story is challenging to follow - fantasy plus mystery.

John wrote: "This is it - we've reached the end!

Partway through a terrific collection: . I put this one aside near the end, so plan to complete ..."

Ah yes, I've listened to the Alan Bennett collection several years ago, thanks for reminding me, about time to listen to this again!

I just finished Boy's Life. This was a beautiful book and a rare five star review for me. I'm not one for getting choked up, but the author gave me a couple of emotional gut punches. The story telling is excellent and well paced.

I'm still working my way through Blue Horizon by Wilbur Smith. In addition to being great historical fiction with larger than life characters and lots of page turning adventure - the narration by Sean Barrett is fabulous.

Scott S. wrote: "I just finished Boy's Life. This was a beautiful book and a rare five star review for me. I'm not one for getting choked up, but the author gave me a couple of emotional gut punches..."

That's such an amazing book! Glad you enjoyed it.

Scott S. wrote: "I just finished Boy's Life. This was a beautiful book and a rare five star review for me. I'm not one for getting choked up, but the author gave me a couple of emotional gut punches..."

I really loved that book too. I am reading another book by the same author, Robert McCammon, The Listener.

Originally published in 2018 (March), we’re lucky to have a full-cast dramatic narration 577 minute, released this June (6/5/2025). And when I say full cast, I am not kidding: Narrated by Jessica Threet as Sara Burns and Gabriel Michael as Pestilence; additional performances by Barbara Pinolini, Gregory Linington, JW Rone, Gail Shalan, Matthew Bassett, Peter Holdway, Wyn Delano, Mark Harrietha, Bradley Foster Smith, Donald Guzzi, Drew Kopas, Laura C. Harris, Terence Aselford, Eric Messner, Richard Rohan, Jameson Hunt, Jonathon Church, Andrew Arceus, Jule Harrison, Mary Oliver, Julie-Ann Elliott, Karen Novack, Kenneth Charles, Christopher Williams, Holly Adams, Mort Shelby, Megan Hastie, Vanessa Thurlow, Jeri J. Marshall, Chris Stinson, Elizabeth Jernigan, Emlyn McFarland, Steve Wannall, Lily Beacon, and Nora Sofyan. https://www.graphicaudio.net/the-four...

I just finished it (Pestilence by Laura Thalassa). The book is a dark romance (violence, sex), but it kind of is implied, no? Given that the title and the MMC is Pestilence, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Highly recommend.

Yes, indeed almost at year’s end.

Completed The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens | read by Zach Villa | 3*

I never did Emily Organ's series featuring reporter Penny Green. However, I'm listening to the second one in the spinoff series featuring her and widow Emma Langley (a secondary character in one of Penny's stories it seems). A bit of a red flag that when I went to listen recently my first thought was "Three more hours to go still ..."

I finished up a couple of audiobooks recently: Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa was fairly short. It's about a nail salon, mostly the owner who used to be a boxer. There are important aspects of her background that are left unexplained, and that annoyed me a little.

I also finished up The Midwife's Revolt by Jodi Daynard. I enjoyed this one enough that I'm going to start the second book in the series right away - Our Own Country I bought both books during a sale in 2017, so it's about time I get to these.

by Alan Furst | read by George Guidall

One of my favorite voices.

Yes, Guidall is the grandfather of audiobooks, I have enjoyed him since the 1980's.

Guidall was awesome reading Tony Hillerman's series featuring Navajo cop Jim Chee.

George Guidall narrates many books by authors I like, but . . . . he's just not my favorite. I know I'm in the minority here. Perhaps my problem is that I don't like the fact that the cast of characters in my head have the same voice. Jim Chee, Gabriel Allon, Walt Longmire and more. Guidall's voice is very distinctive.

There was an interview, I think on the Audible site, where Guidall explained that he randomly read a Western audiobook early on and after that he was sort of typecast. Tony Hillerman specifically told Craig Johnson to "ask for George" to read the Longmire books. Of course Guidall has done many other types of books as well.

When I was new to audiobooks (1980's on cassette), I got one of Hillerman's books read by the author. It was so flat! I learned that most authors aren't also great narrators. The same book was wonderful read by Guidall.

I finished Somebody I Used to Know and was less than thrilled. I bought it from Audible Daily Deals 10 years ago and kept putting it off. I was hoping I'd say, "Why didn't I read this sooner?" Instead I'm saying, "Why did I even buy this?"

I'l be starting Forget-Me-Not Library today.

Finally reviewed The Storm.

- my review of The Storm

I'm hoping to finish The Correspondent today and I'm about 2/3 through The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club. I'm enjoying them both, but looking forward to moving on and wrapping up a couple of challenges I'm working on.

great day for reading...had 5 1/2 hours of driving today so finished Ink Witch and Silver Elite

finished The Amalfi Curse, a lovely multi-narrator story.

well, the book cover did not fooled me into a sense of fun, lighthearted reading. I just finished Definitely Better Now, a book about recovery, grief, and finding yourself.

Working on Mr. Flood's Last Resort, featuring an outstanding writer, Jess Kidd, teamed up with an awesome narrator, Aoife Mcmahon.

John wrote: "Working on Mr. Flood's Last Resort, featuring an outstanding writer, Jess Kidd, teamed up with an awesome narrator, Aoife Mcmahon."

i have Kidd's newest on my TBR - Murder at Gulls Nest

Started The Perfect Hosts by, Heather Gudenkauf narrated by, Brittany Pressley & Xe Sands

just finished Sorcery of Thorns. fun!

starting Wild Reverence and Blood of Hercules

Dee wrote: "John wrote: "Working on Mr. Flood's Last Resort, featuring an outstanding writer, Jess Kidd, teamed up with an awesome narrator, Aoife Mcmahon."

i have Kidd's newest on my TBR - [b..."

I'm listening to this Kidd book because I loved that one!

I loved Kidd's Things in Jars and Himself even more than "Mr. Flood's Last Resort." I can't wait to read the new one.

I just finished Barbara Metzger's Regency romance "Miss Lockharte's Letters" and was disappointed. It was on my TBR stack for a long time, too, and Pippa Rathborne narrated. Drat.

Now listening to Jeremy Robinson's "Human After All" sci-fi with R.C. Bray doing the reading.

(Sorry I couldn't link to the last two. Chrome has decided it doesn't like Goodreads anymore.)

Jan Mc wrote: "I loved Kidd's Things in Jars and Himself even more than "Mr. Flood's Last Resort." I can't wait to read the new one.

I just finished Barbara Metzger's Regency roma..."

Murder at Gulls Nest is the first of a three-book mystery contract for Kidd. A nun just out of the convent after 30 years, three murders, Kidd as author ... praise be the publisher signed for two sequels!

Generally, as a group, we dislike audio books narrated by the author, but recently I've listened to some excellent ones. They include

Sister in Law: Shocking True Stories of Fighting for Justice in a Legal System Designed by Men by Harriet Wistrich

The Peepshow by Kate Summerscale

4321 by Paul Auster

All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert

The first two books were longlisted for the 2025 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction.

I finished the Jeff Shaara Civil War Western Front series with The Fateful Lightning: A Novel of the Civil War. I haven't read a Jeff Shaara historical fiction that I didn't love, he pulls a reader into the story with the thoughts of the characters, from Generals to Infantrymen and Nurses. Of course nobody knew what those true life people thought so that part is the fiction, otherwise it is very well researched historically. 5*

I completed the Goodreads challenge with the Choice Awards nominee We Fell Apart by E. Lockhart. It is a stand-alone but also part of a trilogy, book 3 in the same "We Were Liars" series. 4*

I'm now finishing The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. This is my first book by her and I now want to read Demon Copperhead. I am really enjoying this one, narrated by Dean Robertson, she does a great job.

John wrote: “Murder at Gulls Nest is the first of a three-book mystery contract for Kidd. A nun just out of the convent after 30 years, three murders, Kidd as author ... praise be the publisher signed for two sequels”

I’ve had the ebook on hold for like 2 months but surprise surprise the audio was available when I randomly checked