Audiobooks discussion
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June 2015
I'll pick up armada, but I think I'll skip the RPO movie. I can't keep movies and books separate in my head, and I don't want to taint my memory of that book.I'm actually disappointed that there's a RPO sequel in the works. RPO was very self contained, set high stakes in the world he had built, and dealt with issues that real-life gamers care about. I hope Cline is writing a sequel because he has more to say, rather than just setting new stories in that established universe.
Xe, I thought R.C. Bray did win for the narration of The Martian. I thought he tweeted about it.I finished The Girl With All the Gifts. It was so good that I had a hard time choosing my next listen. I decided on Chase, a very short novel from 1971 by Dean Koontz. I figured I couldn't go wrong with a Nick Podehl narration. It holds up well for such an old novel. It does show how much the world has changed though. Things like phone booths, typewriters and microfilm are common. There are no cell phones, PC's, or answering machines. Crazy, isn't it?
I'm not sure what's next. Does anyone else feel like they have to alternate between male and female narrators? Or, between British and American accents? I can't listen to similar-sounding books back-to-back.
Fran wrote: "You may need to consider who you are going to leave them to in your will - lol. ..."So true. I recently transferred all of my downloaded Audible books and audiobooks from other sources to a new external hard drive - there was 110GB of Audible books and another 100GB from other sources (SYNC and CDs). Good thing storage memory is cheap and getting smaller.
Sandi wrote: "Xe, I thought R.C. Bray did win for the narration of The Martian. I thought he tweeted about it.I finished The Girl With All the Gifts. It was so good that I had a hard time choosing my next list..."
Yes, the whole male-female, American-British deal as possible factors between books.
Hunchback wrote: "I'll pick up armada, but I think I'll skip the RPO movie. I can't keep movies and books separate in my head, and I don't want to taint my memory of that book.I'm actually disappointed that there'..."
I've got Armada pre-ordered, can't wait. I can't wait for the RPO movie either, I'm eager to see how they will handle all the different Intellectual Properties.
I personally don't mind a sequel. When I love a universe I want to see more stories from it. I've seen many series that treated each book like it's own animal so that you could pick and choose which you wanted to listen to. Hopefully book 2 will be done in a similar manner.
Kristie wrote: "Fran wrote: "Marilee wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I just finished Lonesome Dove. Not generally being a fan of Westerns, I was unprepared for how utterly steamrolled I would be. Augustus ..."Sounds like I need to get Lonesome Dove! It the only book I ever saw my father read. Perhaps I will read it in his memory.
CatBookMom wrote: "Fran wrote: "You may need to consider who you are going to leave them to in your will - lol. ..."So true. I recently transferred all of my downloaded Audible books and audiobooks from other sour..."
Too funny. I just bought a 1TB external hard drive for the purpose of storing my audio files.
Jeffrey wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Fran wrote: "Marilee wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I just finished Lonesome Dove. Not generally being a fan of Westerns, I was unprepared for how utterly steamrolled I woul..."Jeffrey, you should start immediately. I already want to read it again and I just finished yesterday!
Is there a limit on our kindle cloud storage?
Finished The Silkworm , really enjoyed it! Fantastic narration and good mystery. A little long on all the side/background stories that are meant to let you know the main characters at a deeper level, but still, very entertaining. Will definitely give the next in the series a listen when it comes out.
I finished listening to the marvelous Elizabeth Klett narrate the only so-so novella Cousin Phillis (from Librivox). 3* for the plot and 4* for the narration.Now I am listening to a library Overdrive audiobook narrated by Grover Gardner, Memory. I have been a fan of the Vorkosigan series in print form but this is my first audiobook experience of it. Loving it!
Julie wrote: "Do you have any idea of the number of books total you have ? Do you keep a running list someplace ?I'm just getting started so have a long way to go to catch up ! ..."
Books? Or audiobooks? I use Goodreads exactly to know what books I have, of all sorts. My GR listing (not up to date) says >600 Audible titles, >100 from other sources. If you can't see my bookshelf, message me about becoming friends.
Leslie wrote: "Now I am listening to a library Overdrive audiobook narrated by Grover Gardner, Memory. I have been a fan of the Vorkosigan series in print form but this is my first audiobook experience of it. Loving it! ..."Oh, I am such a Grover Gardner fangirl! And *Memory* is one of my favorites.
Last night I listened to the Orsen Scott Card novella, Stonefather. I liked it. It's a prequel to the Mithermages series, which I wasn't a big fan of. I read the first book and got stuk halfway through the second.
"Wolves of the Calla" is a good one.Break In
Dick Francis Narrator: Simon Prebble I think I heard about this book when I first joined this group. It is certainly something that I would never have found on my own. This book is from 1985 and in some ways that hads to the charm. It is a crime book. And no one gets shot. Guns are relatively rare. Coming from Texas where citizens genuflect to their AK-47s, it was a nice ride into relatively recent past.
Beyond that, the book is just good - 4 stars. It took me a bit to get used to Sam Prebble (who doesn't sound Texan :) ) but once I did, he became protagonist Kit Fielding.
And for my sci-fi friends, there is just a touch of that as well in a book that I suspect some would classify as "cozy".
The Seamstress was a really good autobiography of a concentration camp survivor. I wasn't a huge fan of Wanda McCaddon's narration, but it was passable.Now I'm halfway through Thérèse Raquin. It's well written but depressing. It's also very well narrated by Kate Winslet. At least it's short.
Are you sure you didn't mean Kate Reading as narrator?
I listened to The Winter's Tale, one of the Shakespeare plays I never read before and got in a Daily Deal sale a little while back. The production is okay enough but I failed to appreciate this mixture of classic tragedy with an improbable happy ending. I'd have to study the prose more closely to actually appreciate it.One thing I did find rather funny... a peddler was selling ballads and claiming the improbable stories in them were true. A young woman wished to buy one because it was in print and, therefore, must be true. I can't count the number of people who still say "I read it, it must be true..."--even if they read it on the internet! The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Wars are fought over "I read it and it is true".
John wrote: "Are you sure you didn't mean Kate Reading as narrator?"If she's listening to the one I did, it's Kate Winslet. It's one of the a-list recordings from Audible.
Aha-thanks! I associate those kinds of classics with Kate Reading, but forgot Audible gets celebs to do their high-profile recordings.
Yes, the Kate Winslet version was part of Audible's short-lived A-List line of celebrity narration. I got it on sale a long time ago.
I'm nearly finished with my re-listen to the Modern Scholar lecture, The Anglo-Saxon World, with Prof. Michael D. C. Drout. I love the history and literature now that it isn't required learning. And I love Drout's special way of presenting--very personable--with stories of highbrow professors getting into shoving matches over differences of opinion as to when Beowolf was first invented--eighth century versus eleventh. And now he makes me want to go and find a copy of the full Dream of the Rood to appreciate the poem in its entirety. To me, that's the very definition of a good professor.
Kristie wrote: "Yes, the Kate Winslet version was part of Audible's short-lived A-List line of celebrity narration. I got it on sale a long time ago."I really enjoyed it in spite of how depressing it is. Great psychological thriller though. I guess it's an early version of a thriller.
CatBookMom wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Now I am listening to a library Overdrive audiobook narrated by Grover Gardner, Memory. I have been a fan of the Vorkosigan series in print form but this is my first audiobook experi..."I love the Vorkosigan series and Grover Gardner has a perfect
voice for them. Bujold has a real winner in the whole series. So glad someone else is reading(listening) them.
Fran wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Yes, the Kate Winslet version was part of Audible's short-lived A-List line of celebrity narration. I got it on sale a long time ago."I really enjoyed it in spite of how depressin..."
I "enjoyed" Thérèse Raquin overall, as much as one can enjoy a book with such horrible main characters. The last hour or so left me so repulsed by the characters that I was happy to see the book end, but I really did think it was well written and expertly narrated.
Today I will start The Pearl that Broke Its Shell.
Kristie wrote: "Today I will start The Pearl that Broke Its Shell. ..."I liked this, while I didn't think the writing was particularly great, I did appreciate the insights into the culture. Still shocking to read how women there are treated.
I just started Mambo in Chinatown: A Novel by Jean Kwok. I remember that you didn't finish it did you?
I'm enjoying it, but then I was a ballroom dancer in my 20s and so far the portrayal is quite accurate. Plus I often like slower books that others can find boring.
bad case of the monday's here - so needed something funny - grabbed Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates: And a Thousand Cocktails from audible - fingers crossed it works
Patricia wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Today I will start The Pearl that Broke Its Shell. ..."I liked this, while I didn't think the writing was particularly great, I did appreciate the insights into the culture. Still..."
You're right. I didn't finish Mambo in Chinatown. The whole fact that she was going from getting some ballet lessons from her mom as a girl to suddenly being groomed to be not just a ballroom dancer but an instructor seemed pretty far-fetched. (I don't think this is giving away any spoilers...) I thought the writing was just OK. I really wanted to like it. In fact, I requested that my library order it, so I felt bad when I ended up not liking it. Hopefully you'll like it! And maybe I need more patience. :)
Kristie wrote: "The whole fact that she was going from getting some ballet lessons from her mom as a girl to suddenly being groomed to be not just a ballroom dancer but an instructor seemed pretty far-fetched...."Actually, that part is true! My friends (a couple, both ex competition dancers who opened their own chain of studios) employed people off the street and trained them to be instructors - some had literally no dance experience, especially the guys.
It's correct in the book when they say beginners can be taught by anyone, because they have no idea. They did employ some currently dancing professional couples as well, to move the students on to as they got more experienced.
I started as a 'social' student in my 20s and my original instructor was pretty much one class in front of me the whole way.
I didn't switch to 'real' dancer as a teacher for about a year.
So far the portrayal of the ballroom world is pretty spot on (including the owners of the studio warning the teachers NOT to sleep with all their students...they all do!)
Patricia wrote: "Kristie wrote: "The whole fact that she was going from getting some ballet lessons from her mom as a girl to suddenly being groomed to be not just a ballroom dancer but an instructor seemed pretty ..."Interesting! It seemed pretty unrealistic to me... we learn something new everyday. :)
Jeffrey wrote: "Sounds like I need to get Lonesome Dove! It the only book I ever saw my father read. Perhaps I will read it in his memory. "I agree with what others said on how this sounds special (made me think of my dad and wondered if he ever read this book...). I think everyone would love Lonesome Dove on audio; I know I certainly did. The only drawback is its length, but it's well worth every word.
MissSusie wrote: "Started Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson narrated by, Scott Brick"I'll be interested in learning your opinion. I've had this on my to-read list since it was released but have heard mixed opinions on it.
Grumpus wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "Started Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson narrated by, Scott Brick"I'll be interested in learning your opinion. I've had this on my t..."
I'm 3 hours in and finding it very interesting so far.
I've been going through my books I put on pause some time back and finished The Many Sins of Lord Cameron. I picked upt the next book in this series on sale a while back so I'll probably read that soon and be done with the series. I enjoyed the first one in the series, The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie--first romance novel I read with an Asbergers male lead. But the following books haven't been as intriguing.
CatBookMom wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Now I am listening to a library Overdrive audiobook narrated by Grover Gardner, Memory. I have been a fan of the Vorkosigan series in print form but this is my first audiobook experi..."I stayed up way too late last night listening to it! Grover Gardner did a marvelous job with the narration. I can see why it would become a favorite :)
While I liked it very much, it would NOT be a good starting place for this series though.
Now, what to listen to next...
Partway through Girl in the Dark, memoir by a woman who is SO allergic to ANY light that she's pretty much relegated to her sealed off room (think: Boy in the Plastic Bubble). She has to wear a mask and cover herself thoroughly for visits to the doctor and such. Second chapter is entirely devoted to the role of audiobooks in her life, as she can't stand enough light to read print comfortably for long.
I finished A Man Called Ove and A Death in the Family this past week. I started Middlemarchyesterday, and listened to 1 CD, but I guess I am not in a mood for classic English literature. I will have to check my TBR list to find something lighter to read/ listen!
John wrote: "Partway through Girl in the Dark, memoir by a woman who is SO allergic to ANY light that she's pretty much relegated to her sealed off room (think: Boy in the Plastic Bubble). She h..."Sounds really interesting book, and such bizarre Allergy!!!
The Martian...I don't like Damon, but this trailer gets me excited.The Martian. I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready.
Could not agree more RE: The Martian. I might re-read it soon. Such a great book!
Sara wrote: "John wrote: "Partway through Girl in the Dark, memoir by a woman who is SO allergic to ANY light that she's pretty much relegated to her sealed off room (think: Boy in the Plastic B..."there is a pretty good movie - i can't remember if it was lifetime or not - about 2 sisters with that allergy to sunlight - retinosa pigmentosa (or something like that I think)
J. wrote: "The Martian...I don't like Damon, but this trailer gets me excited.The Martian. I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready."
I had my doubts when I heard Matt Damon was starring. But, that trailer is awesome. I'm excited now.
Loved The Martian. I encouraged my husband to read it. Now he is re-reading it and still laughing out loud in parts. We don't get to many movies, but I am guessing we will get to this one.
I'm listening to Lock In by John Scalzi. I preordered it when Audible offered both editions for the price of one. I'm switching off between the Amber Benson and Wil Wheaton narrations. I just started a re-listen of one chapter because it seems to be one that may make a big difference in interpretation depending on the gender of the narrator. When the book came out, I didn't understand why they did two editions with narrators of different genders. Now, it kind of makes sense. The story is told from a first-person POV and the narrator's gender isn't identified. I think that might be because Chris was locked in at such a young age that he or she hadn't developed a sense of gender identity yet. And, because he/she is using a "threep" (a robot that carries the personality of a locked-in person), nobody he/she interacts with has gender clues to react to. It's really an interesting way to tell a story. I do think it may work better in print though because the gender of the narrator you choose does change the interpretation of the story.
J. wrote: "The Martian...I don't like Damon, but this trailer gets me excited.The Martian. I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready."
oh man - that *does* look good! That's one of the books that I would NEVER have picked to read if not for this group!
Dee wrote: "Sara wrote: "John wrote: "Partway through Girl in the Dark, memoir by a woman who is SO allergic to ANY light that she's pretty much relegated to her sealed off room (think: Boy in ..."Not just sunlight for this person - ANY light.
Listening to Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History. Interesting. A topic I did not know a lot about.
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Audiobooks
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You may need to consider who you are going to leave them to in your will - lol.