Audiobooks discussion

Working on the Victorian mystery Murder on Platform Four at the start of the month.

I'm still listening to Last One Out. I'm more than halfway through now.

how is it april already?

in true fashion I have multiple books going at once...

Waste Tide - Chinese Sci-fi - premise is what happens to all our electronic waste in the future
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi - interesting story using middle eastern story of a female pirate
The Time Traders - classic sci-fi, set around the cold war period with Russia/US competing for resources and ppl who can travel in time
Boundary Waters - decided to go back and visit Cork with the second book in the series

Still listening to Villette. A fair amount of French with only a bit of context leaves me scratching my head. I'm staying strong! Mostly because Davina Porter is simply amazing.

I have returned to listen to the back half of Exhalation. The latest story (about online pets that develop rudimentary sentience and individuality) was a bit of a slog but I'm hopeful there will be some more gems.

I am enjoying Murder by Misrule by Anna Castle, the first book in the Francis Bacon Mysteries. Lots of humor really helps this historical mystery set during Elizabethan times in London.

I am also getting to the end of Poseidon's Spear: The Long War, Book 3 by Christian Cameron. These are about a Greek warrior, circa 487 BC, and are really keeping my interest. The MC is flawed and goes through tremendous changes in his life.

I am starting April with The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell.

I bought several of the print books in this series, so I'm really hoping I like it. Something I never do... and then found out that all are available in audio at my library.

Pamela wrote: "I am starting April with The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell.

I bought several of the print books in this series, so I'm really hoping I like it. Something I never do... and then fou..."

I listened to that and found it very good in terms of a really different place, time and culture - pretty violent, of course. I thought of continuing the series but so many other things come first.

I finished Last One Out . I think I enjoyed it more than other readers, but I figured out pretty quickly that it wasn't a thriller and went into it with different expectations.

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


Starting The Quiet Librarian tomorrow.

I finished up The Time Traders this morning and moved into the second one in the series - Galactic Derelict

I enjoyed the military sci-fi Planetside by Michael Mammay, read by R. C. Bray, and continued with the also enjoyable Spaceside. I'm taking a break from the series with the not so great YA thriller The Lake by Natasha Preston, although I have yet to DNF, I will probably stick it out. I needed something light to read that doesn't require a lot of attention span, my father had a stroke Thursday morning and I'm in the middle of helping my parents deal with that. (He didn't die, it wasn't a mini-stroke but he should recover in time. This has been a terrible 2026 so far for me.)

So sorry to hear this, Doug. I'm sure your parents appreciate your help.

I liked Planetside, since I fell in love with Bray when I listened to The Martian years ago.

Doug wrote: "I enjoyed the military sci-fi Planetside by Michael Mammay, read by R. C. Bray, and continued with the also enjoyable Spaceside. I'm taking a break from the series w..."

Peace and healing to you and your family, Doug.

Robin P wrote: "So sorry to hear this, Doug. I'm sure your parents appreciate your help.

I liked Planetside, since I fell in love with Bray when I listened to The Martian years ago."

Thanks.

I loved the R. C. Bray version of The Martian, before they rerecorded it. I first heard Bray read with The Reason You're Alive by Matthew Quick, he was perfect for the role.

I have a few going right now...

Throne of Glass- Sarah J. Maas (almost done: 97%)

An Arcane Inheritance- Kamilah Cole (8%)

House of Earth and Blood- Sarah J. Maas

Children of Blood and Bone- Tomi Adeyemi

Weyward- Emilia Hart

Starting Boat Baby: A Memoir by a woman who went from Vietnamese refugee to national news reporter - she narrates herself.

I’m finally getting around to Sunrise on the Reaping. I thoroughly enjoyed the first three books in the series when I read them forever ago, maybe 2008 for the first book. This book is a prequel which I can’t seem to get interested in; it’s probably because I assume I know how it will end. I’m bored with it, and a bit tempted to DNF it, but I’ll stick with it.

How disappointing, Kathleen. I'm looking forward to that one. I can understand how knowing how it ends takes away some of the suspense and luster of the story though.

whereas I loved SotR because it explained so much about why Haymitch was why he was in tHG

Kathleen wrote: "I’m finally getting around to Sunrise on the Reaping. I thoroughly enjoyed the first three books in the series when I read them forever ago, maybe 2008 for the first book. This boo..." Try to finish it out - it truly explains the backstory of Haymitch.

Finished yesterday Upward Bound by Woody Brown. Multiple points of view and each had a narrator. It's fairly short fictionalized story of a place that takes care of disabled adults.

Today will finish A Man Most Driven: Captain John Smith, Pocahontas and the Founding of America by Peter Firstbrook. I had started reading my print book, then realized I had bought the audiobook so switched over. Really enjoy the narrator on this one, and the story/history. My husband even enjoyed it, listening to it while on a recent road trip.

And still working on The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell.

Pamela wrote: "Finished yesterday Upward Bound by Woody Brown. Multiple points of view and each had a narrator. It's fairly short fictionalized story of a place that takes care of disabled adults..."

I bought that in the current sale. The author himself belongs to that community. I am looking forward to it.

I read several books about Jamestown last year before and after visiting it. The ups and downs of the founding and survival are practically unbelievable.

Finished and loved The Lock-Keeper's Wife: "A Masterpiece" Irish Independent

www.goodreads.com/review/show/8492700055

Finished A Beautiful Loan

My review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/8490142089

I finally finished Villette. Listening to this book was like heavy weightlifting. The writing is amazing and the narration by Davina Porter is also fabulous. There was quite a bit of French with some context to understand what was happening. So that was hard. How the main character thought and felt was often the opposite of what she said. In other words, thoughts of feminine independence would not be articulated in Victorian society. It took awhile to get used to the 'lies' she spoke since the main character clearly felt differently. This satisfies a personal challenge to read or listen to a few classics every year. 4.5*

I started and rapidly returned The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown. I didn't realize it was a fantasy. The golem did it for me.

Dissolution by C.J. Sansom is next. I'll try my luck at a historical mystery set in Tudor England.

Finished Good People

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/8120148149

Finished The Anniversary by Alex Finlay Narrated by Ari Fliakos; Brittany Pressley Pub Date May 12 2026 This was a good one but kind slow I liked it though and the narration was fabulous!

Now starting the upcoming Villain Hench book 2 by, Natalie Zina Walschots Narrated by Alex McKenna I have been waiting for this second book forever, Hench is one of the few books I actually remember from 2020 if you are a fan of The Boys you will like this series! Excited to start this one!

Boat Baby: A Memoir is read by the author. Since she is a TV journalist, she does a great job and of course speaks Vietnamese. I was most interested in the story of her parents' escape and the family's adjustment to the US, but less so in her career trajectory.

Thanks for the push, on Sunrise on the Reaping. I finished it today. It still did not live up to my original expectations.

When I finished, I still had 10 minutes or so left of my walk, so I started A Far-Flung Life, which I'd finally gotten from the library. The Australian narrator did not work for me; his voice was full of sssssss. Now that I'm home I read the first pages at Amazon and am ready to try again. Actually, the text is full of the s sound: "Six black swans glided onto the massive salt lake, its border crystaled while..." Yikes!

Yesterday I started listening to "Yesteryear" by Caro Claie Burke. It's addictive. The narrator does a great job, but is a tad too slow for me, so I sped it up. This came on my radar after reading an article this week in the NY Times.

I've been reading that one too, Em. So far, it's really good.

The author will be speaking in my town at a free event in May. The admission is first come, first served so I wonder how early I will need to arrive. The room is big but not an auditorium. That book has been featured everywhere! (for instance, in Book Pages, a free monthly magazine at most libraries, there is an interview with the author.)

Em wrote: "Yesterday I started listening to "Yesteryear" by Caro Claie Burke. It's addictive. The narrator does a great job, but is a tad too slow for me, so I sped it up. This came on my radar after reading ..."

I also just started this one! I am at 13%, so just barely starting. So far it seems like it will be good. I am interested to see how this author will present the subject. I usually like time travel novels, but this is the first I've read by this author.

Finished and Loved [book:The Visit: 'Brilliant and intriguing' - Colm Tóibín

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/8477260810

Finished last night The Queens of Crime: A Novel
It was good.

I'm new to this group. My 2026 goal is 20 books per month, 240 by Dec 31, 2026. I LOVE audiobooks! So far in April, I've read/listened to full cast new version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Murder at an Irish Session #12 in the Irish Village Mysteries, Three Bags Full--comes out in a movie as The Sheep Detectives in May. I wanted to read it before seeing the movie which looks like fun! And I read the second book by Richard Osman who wrote The Thursday Murder Club: The Man Who Died Twice. My monthly book club will discuss it in May.

Arlene wrote: "I'm new to this group. My 2026 goal is 20 books per month, 240 by Dec 31, 2026. I LOVE audiobooks! So far in April, I've read/listened to full cast new version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fir..."

Welcome, Arlene! I loved Three Bags Full, since I grew up on a sheep farm, and I am impatiently awaiting the movie.

So glad you found this group of audiobook addicts, er I mean fans.

I liked Three Bags Full as well, though the sequel not so mucb. Twenty books a month is incredibly ambitious!

I agree, 20 books a month is amazing@ I read that much in total, but most are on paper where they are faster. I never had a job where I could listen, and I generally listen during times when I can't read because I am driving, doing housework, etc.

Arlene, you would have loved the old Recorded Books plan back in the 2000's when there was a flat fee per month (I think $30 or $35 and they would send you up to 5 books on cassette or CD at at a time from your Wish List - kind of like the early Netflix model. There were no restrictions, though there might be short delays for very new or popular books.

Welcome, Arlene, to the group! I'm glad you have such a high goal, because you can help the rest of us "normal" listeners to sort out the good ones. LOL

I'm a dissenter on Three Bags Full, unfortunately. I thought I would love it, but I really didn't get much out of it. In fact, I DNF it after a good try. Maybe it just wasn't the right time.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the Murder on the Lamplight Express: The Lamplight Murder Mysteries, Book 2 by Morgan Stang, the second book in a series of fantasy/historical mystery/horror stories. The first one had a little too much of the latter for my taste. Okay so far, but not sure I'll keep going to the third book.

Hi Arlene. I'm retired and sometimes there are a lot of hours for listening. Good luck finding many good reads!

I dnf The Rules of Magic. Seemed to me too casual about statutory rape and death.

Now listening to A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao and well narrated by Sid Sagar.

i finished up The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi over the weekend - overall a good read and I've already got the second book tagged on my libby for when its released - I liked the middle eastern legends as the base for the story and having spent a lot of my navy career in the fifth fleet area, I recognized a lot of the places mentioned throughout (Somalia etc)

I'm attempting The Covenant of Water for a Goodreads challenge. Been a looooong time since I've tackled a book this long.

Nancy wrote: "I'm attempting The Covenant of Water for a Goodreads challenge. Been a looooong time since I've talked a book this long."

5*. Nothing more to say.

Finishing up The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell today. It's okay, but I'm not going to jump into the next book right away. Yes, there is a lot of fighting and unfortunately, the main character seems to enjoy it.

Recently I listened to Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson. I liked the aspect of memory and thinking about who you are if you can't wake up remembering what happened yesterday, last week, or last several decades. It's a bit of a thriller, with a very unreliable narrator, I was hooked!

And also listening to The Dark Frontier: Unlocking the Secrets of the Deep Sea by Jeffrey Marlow. This one has been mostly on the back burner, but should be more focused on it later this week.

I just finished The Quiet Librarian. It was excellent. Darker than I expected from this author, but really good.

I am now listening to Dog Person. I had an early ebook copy of this book, but the format was difficult for me so I picked up the audio. It's much better this way. I hope they changed the formatting for publication.

i finished up Boundary Waters last night - my only annoyance was that the libby version was just taken from the CD's so periodically you get the end of disc x, start of disc y - which drives me nuts

I finished The Henna Artist. The audio was very well done and the setting of 1955 India was clearly invoked. I thought some of the book was a bit slow but there were several unexpected turns in the story that I liked.

Now starting Double Share, part of a "cozy" sci-fi series where competent people help each other do everyday tasks on a merchant space ship. Even when there are actual dangers, they just pitch in and figure out what to do. Sounds boring, but I have enjoyed each book so far. Ishmael Wong is a charming hero.

On another note, the latest Chet & Bernie book is available - Cat on a Hot Tin Woof: A Chet & Bernie Mystery. A cat is involved!

Finished up today Ambush It has been awhile since I had done this author.