Audiobooks discussion
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June 2015
I finished The Woman Upstairs today, and thanks god for that. There is no denying that Claire Messud can write and win many literary awards. Her writing is just not my cup of tea. I am glad I gave her wiring a chance, but no Thanks. She is just not the author for me :0(
Finished Rocket Man - had potential but needed a really good editor - lots of redundancy; repeated story Now listening to Bless Her Dead Little Heart
John wrote: "J. wrote: "I'm listening to Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and Other Inscrutable Geographies, it's interesting, but a little dry."I gave up on that one after a while."
Understandable. I would have quit if it had been a longer book. There were plenty of interesting facts, but everything was very random and there wasn't much of a style or story flow.
I'm currently listening and chuckling to The True Meaning of Smekday on which the kid's movie Home is based.
Next shall be Elon Musk: Inventing the Future because Space X is amazing.
Vanessa wrote: "Love 1984!!!"I enjoy dystopian novels and that one is a classic. I too enjoyed it. Growing up people often summarized it for the benefit of their argument but I found it better than that. I liked the interaction of the characters.
It's funny that dystopian sci-fi is back with a vengeance it seems.
I think I'm going to give up on Dreaming of the Bones, the 5th of the mysteries from Deborah Crombie, and the first to be read by Jenny Sterlin. Her voice is just a bit too thin, too die-away, and I'm not pleased with the limited variation she does with voices for the various characters. Sadly, this means that I'm pretty well done with audiobook editions in this series. Michael Deehy (did a good job reading books #1-4) returns for book #8, then several are not available in the US in audio...
I finished one of the best books I have read so far this year, The Truth According to Us,sailed through Cash Landing then went back to trudging though Gods in Alabama. I have enjoyed previous Joshilyn Jackson books. I sure hope this one picks up soon or I'll be returning it unread.
The Dinner - Herman Koch -
Just completed "The Dinner". Wow. Four stars. And another four for the narrator Clive Mantle.
Some say this is the Dutch "Gone Girl". I think the comparison is closer to "Sharp Edges". But really... it reminded me of Humbert Humbert from "Lolita". It's not the same subject matter. But it seems to be the same first person explanation as if what they are sharing is a kind of normalcy.
It was an interestingly paced novel. At first I wondered why I was listening to it. It really does take place at dinner. In between courses we get some flashbacks. It all works towards the conclusion.
That's all the hints I am going to give. This is a difficult book to describe without spoilers.
Thanks to Jennifer. I put this on my which list last October based on her recommendation and grabbed it on sale for less than $10. Our forum really is a great resource. I would never have selected this book on my own.
Bill (Just a) wrote: "The Dinner - Herman Koch - Just completed "The Dinner". Wow. Four stars. And another four for the narrator Clive Mantle.
Some s..."
This is on my list too. Glad you enjoyed it!
Re: Deborah Crombie narrators. Try the last two, narrated by Gerard Doyle. In my personal list I gave him 5 stars for his narrations of The Sound of Broken Glass (which book I didn't really care for) and To Dwell in Darkness (which I did like.) I like the mysteries but the endings are always violent and somehow disastrous for everybody.
I've been trying to listen to The Paying Guests for weeks now, putting it aside for other listens, starting up… as I did a couple days ago. I hate to give up on a book, especially after putting hours and hours of listening, but it's just a slog. I don't care for any of the characters, their lives are so mundane, and now there are graphic sapphic love scenes … I realize it's just not the book for me. Juliette Stevenson is a wonderful narrator, so no blame to her. Looking for insight, I read some reviews and I'm certainly not alone in my disappointment, especially in comparison to Water's earlier books. Some reviewers say the first half of the book [which is what I've read] is more interesting than the last half. Obviously ... all the more reason to just move on.The Truth According to Us Sounds interesting… or maybe, Fourth of July Creek
I finished Among Others yesterday. I had to let it percolate a bit before commenting on it or writing a review. I enjoyed it and will definitely read more of Jo Walton's books.Later today, I will start Trapped. I'm determined to finish this series.
Margaret wrote: "Re: Deborah Crombie narrators. Try the last two, narrated by Gerard Doyle. In my personal list I gave him 5 stars for his narrations of The Sound of Broken Glass (which book I didn't really care ..."Thanks. I will check out the Doyle narrations when I get that far in the series. I don't have a SmartDevice, so no Audible app; I did try listening from my Kindle Fire, but that has 1.5x speed, and it was too fast. Why Audible doesn't offer the same speeds on the Fire as on the app is yet another mystery.
Janice wrote: "I finished Among Others yesterday. I had to let it percolate a bit before commenting on it or writing a review. I enjoyed it and will definitely read more of Jo Walton's books.La..."
*Among Others* is a fascinating book, and I agree that it takes a while to develop a review. You might like My Real Children
I finished listening to City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett. I think it would be a good fantasy book for people who aren't really into fantasy--like me. (I listened to it for the Sword and Laser GoodReads group.) The narrator, Alma Cuervo, was new to me. I really liked her performance.I'm now listening to Swan Song. It's so long--36+ hours. I hope I make it through.
CatBookMom wrote: "Janice wrote: "I finished Among Others yesterday. I had to let it percolate a bit before commenting on it or writing a review. I enjoyed it and will definitely read more of Jo Walt..."Jo Walton has such an interesting variety of styles. She wrote Tooth and Claw which is a typical society novel of the 19th century except that all the characters are dragons! And her alternate history series starting with Farthing is fascinating. All of them are great on audio. I also found in print What Makes This Book So Great, which could have been written by the heroine of Among Others, telling about her favorite sci-fi authors.
CatBookMom wrote: "*Among Others* is a fascinating book, and I agree that it takes a while to develop a review. You might like My Real Children "Thanks for the recommendation. I put it on my wishlist when it was first released but had forgotten about it.
Sandi wrote: "I'm now listening to Swan Song. It's so long--36+ hours. I hope I make it through. "It's so good, it doesn't feel like 36 hours long.
I finished
earlier this month. I didn't really like the banal plot twist and the cardboard characters. I'm listening to
by Junot Díaz. So far I'm enjoying it. Although I need to check the original texts on my kindle from time to time, as there are a lot of sci-fi references and untranslated Spanish sentences in the book.
Lulu wrote: "I finished earlier this month. I didn't really like the banal plot twist and the cardboard characters. I'm listening to [bookcover:The Brief Wondrous ..."
I read The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao in paperback. You get the gist even if you don't understand the Spanish. I imagine it would be impenetrable to listen to in audio format though - there's a lot of playing with language, which I imagine wouldn't come through well in audio.
Lulu wrote: "I finished earlier this month. I didn't really like the banal plot twist and the cardboard characters. I'm listening to [bookcover:The Brief Wondrous ..."
In an interview Diaz said he wouldn't sign a deal with the publisher unless they printed it without translation and the Spanish words are not in italics either, italics being the norm for foreign words. He really wanted to have the language, and he'll call it Spanglish, as it is. I loved the book and it really helped to give me an insight into the struggles my immigrant students face living and learning with a different language and a new culture. If you are at all interested in, here is a link to a really good interview with the author.
http://therumpus.net/2012/09/the-sund...
I can't stop listening to Grover Gardner reading Komarr -- even better than the previous book, Memory!
Leslie wrote: "I can't stop listening to Grover Gardner reading Komarr -- even better than the previous book, Memory!"Yay! Komarr is a favorite. And yes, a great follow-up to Memory.
I had started the Sherilyn Kenyon short story anthology last year and couldn't face going on after the sad and tragic first story... I just couldn't face more like that. I finally picked it back up and found the rest of the stories weren't nearly so depressing and until the last four or five hours were actually funny. The last of the stories were not related to the Dark Hunters Kenyon is famous for and not as good or interesting, but at least they weren't tear-jerking trajedy.
Tracy wrote: I loved The Secret Life of Bees too. Others you might like could be Looking for Me and Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and also Moon Over Manifest. Thanks for the recommendations, those are on my wish list now!
Fran wrote: In an interview Diaz said he wouldn't sign a deal with the publisher unless they printed it without translation and the Spanish words are not in italics either"I really applaud him for doing that. The novel just wouldn't be the same if it was translated. I didn't find it much different from reading an 19th century English novel in that respect - authors in the 19th century expected their readers to be conversant with French and often dropped into it with no warning and no explanation. I listened to Vilette a few years ago, and as a monoglot (with a smattering of French) it's much harder to follow than Oscar Wao is.
I just finished The Dinner and I have to say I struggled through the first half. It did pick up the second half but I thought there was too much conversation about the actual dinner rather than the plot of the story (the restaurant, the waiter, the wine,etc.) I couldn't connect with any of the characters. The audio was 8 hours and felt it was 4 hours too long . I listened to it in one sitting and was glad when it was over.
I though Fourth of July Creekwas fantastic. MacLeod Andrews did a great job with the narration. It's very bleak, but the writing is gorgeous. Marilee wrote: "I've been trying to listen to The Paying Guests for weeks now, putting it aside for other listens, starting up… as I did a couple days ago. I hate to give up on a book, especially a..."
That may be the difference. I listened to it off and on. At first I was like you but that spiel about the actual dinner was just painting the personality of Paul. I can see why this book wouldn't be some readers' cup of tea.
Catherine wrote: "Tracy wrote: I loved The Secret Life of Bees too. Others you might like could be Looking for Me and Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and also Moon Over Manifest. Thanks for the recommendations, those are ..."
One of my top 3 favorite narrators Jenna Lamia narrated all the books you mentioned so I listened to all of them simply because she narrated them! I gave them all 3 stars which is decent for me but Jenna's narration made them all worth the listen IMO :) Enjoy!
Recently I finished 11/22/63 by Stephen King and thoroughly enjoyed this long book. I gave it 5 stars, something I rarely do. Then I listened to Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill which I think I bought as an Audible daily deal. It is just 3 plus hours and was excellently narrated by the author. It was so good that I listened to it twice. In my second listen I picked up little things I missed the first time.Now I'm listening to The Son by Philipp Meyer. It has been hard going because it is too bloody and gruesome for me. The novel covers three generations of Texans and the battles between the settlers, Mexicans, Comanches, and the Rangers. I dislike battle stories. But I'm sticking with it. I'm sure it is a 4 star book, but it just isn't my favorite type of historical fiction.
So I'm listening to Catch-22 and the narration is something I've never experienced before. When the narrator is actually speaking the dialogue his voice is loud and then it drops off for the dialogue tag! There are a lot of characters, almost all male, and without hearing who is doing the speaking it's frustrating. I've been picking it up on my kindle via whispersync and that has helped tremendously. It's definitely worth the listen/read, but what an odd thing to vary the loudness of the narration. When there are multiple people speaking it's like a roller coaster for your ears. Not good.
I finished Wait for Signs, a compilation of short stories by Craig Johnson as supplement to the Walt Longmire series. If it hadn't been offered as a Daily Deal on Audible, I wouldn't have known it existed since it isn't tagged as part of the Longmire series. I'm glad I found them and enjoyed their typical Longmire humor and quirkiness.
Jeanie wrote: "I finished Wait for Signs, a compilation of short stories by Craig Johnson as supplement to the Walt Longmire series. If it hadn't been offered as a Daily Deal on Audible, I wouldn't have known it..."Thanks for the comments. I grabbed that, too; I'm way, way back in the series, but thought it was a good price.
CatBookMom wrote: "Jeanie wrote: "I finished Wait for Signs, a compilation of short stories by Craig Johnson as supplement to the Walt Longmire series. If it hadn't been offered as a Daily Deal on Audible, I wouldn'..."The short stories actually span the period of time prior to the beginning of the series up to just before the latest book. Unfortunately, they are not dated so as to give the reader the information as to where they fall on the storyline--although some give context clues such as "just after the chase of the escaped convicts". All in all, I suppose it's best to wait, unless you can find a chronological listing for the short stories.
I finished The True Meaning of Smekday. It was considerably better and funnier than the movie based on it (Home). The narration was excellent.
I just finished Not My Father's Son: A Memoir by Alan Cumming. I don't usually like celebrity biographies but this focuses on just some specific instances in his life - mainly around his relationship with his father and the story around the filming of his episode of Who Do You Think You Are?A very interesting story and I enjoyed the narration by the author also.
Decided to stay on the land of non fiction and am now listening to Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman. The story of Huguette Clarke. Totally fascinating.
Just started reading The Miniaturist that was on hold for me from library - so far I am enjoying it.
I just finished another re-read of The Gunslinger. Every few years I feel compelled to revisit the Dark Tower Universe. The first will always be the weakest in the series for me, but still enjoyable.I started The Prince of Tides this morning and am already hooked. Frank Muller is magic.
Vanessa wrote: "I just finished another re-read of The Gunslinger. Every few years I feel compelled to revisit the Dark Tower Universe. The first will always be the weakest in the series for me, but..."Venessa, I hope you enjoy The prince of Tides as much as I did, and I agree with you that Frank Muller did a fabulous job narrating the story.
I finished Next of Kin reading it in print yesterday. It was a nice cozy mystery full of little twists. I enjoy John Boyne's writing a lot, and it was my third book by him, and I intend to read more of his work. I started China Dolls last night in audio version, and I zipped through 5 hours of it till I realize it's past midnight and I better get to bed if I want to show up for work on time~
Finished Wild Wood by Posie Graeme-Evans narrated by, Anne Flosnik & John Lee it took me little bit to get into this one but I ended up really enjoying it and the narration was superb.Starting Eyes on You: A Novel of Suspense by Kate White narrated by, Abby Craden for the Overdrive big read
I finally finished Remember When/Big Jack by Nora Roberts/J. D. Robb. I listened to Big Jack while on my In Death binge but had to finish the earlier story a bit at a time. It was actually good, but it took a while for my mood to match the story. When I reread the In Death series I won't mind re-reading this one because I actually did like the main couple.
Joy wrote: "I just started The Liar by Nora Roberts. This one is on CD from the library so it will probably take me a while to get through. i've been meaning to read something by Nora Roberts since a friend na..."Hope you enjoy it - I read it, not listened. Other good, standalone novels that I would recommend from NR are The Witness, High Noon, The Search. I like some of her older trilogies, too; first books are Key of Light; Dance Upon the Air
Jeanie wrote: "I finally finished Remember When/Big Jack by Nora Roberts/J. D. Robb. I listened to Big Jack while on my In Death binge but had to finish the earlier story a bit at a time. It was actually good, ..."Yep, a good duo of books.
I'm listening to remember when now - along with like 2 others - some serious audiobook ADD going on
I am listening to Death on a High Floor, which was a Daily Deal or some kind of special. It's quite engaging, but it's hard to believe that the main character, who is himself a lawyer as well as a murder suspect, could be as clueless and naive as he is. (But maybe something is still to be revealed)
I'm caught up on the YA series by Sherilyn Kenyon, The Chronicles of Nick. The latest was Instinct. I think there's only one left to come out in the series.
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Audiobooks
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Herman Koch (other topics)Herman Koch (other topics)
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Now listening to The Hellbound Heart, by Clive Barker, in preparation for The Scarlet Gospels.
HBJ