Audiobooks discussion
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June 2013
Where is an informed, aware, engaged electorate, Bill? Chicken before the egg. Cause and effect.
Because it was nonfiction I borrowed The Naked Economist from the library on paper. It was so clear and easy to understand that I bought the paperback and will probably buy Audible's audio version. I'd never taken a course or studied it before. Next, I'm going to try his Naked Statistics which nearly downed me in college long ago.
Just finished And the Mountains Echoed. It really is a beautiful story, and I thought the narration was quite good. I don't know if I liked it quite as much as his other books, but how many masterpieces can a writer be expected to put out, right? The book was good company on my flights to/from California and in my hotel room this week.Now on to something a little lighter: Divine Misfortune.
Just finished TransAtlantic. McCann can do no wrong. I loved it. Predominantly set in Ireland.My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Will now continue with Edmund Morris' trilogy on Teddy Roosevelt. I loved The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Will now read the second Theodore Rex, about his presidency. :0)
I love that title - Theodore Rex, King Theodore.
That truly is a fantastic title - Theodore Rex...rawr!The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt has been in my to-read pile forever. I definitely want to read more about this larger-than-life man, but I'm almost hesitant, the more I learn about Lincoln the less I like him. Don't get me wrong, he was unmatched when it came to killing vampires, but he made so many mistakes.
J, Teddy is really an amazing person, but terribly inflated. I loved the first book. I was really laughing at times. How many history books achieve that?
J. wrote: "but he made so many mistakes..."Lol, name me a president or any other human being who hasn't :)
J, there are certainly things I do NOT like about Teddy Roosevelt, but if we do not read books about these famous guys we have completely misconstrued ideas for who they really were. I would rather know the truth. I am having huge troubles with the second book. I do not like the narration of the second in the trilogy. I am working my butt off not to get annoyed at the book itself.
Alana, exactly!
Alana wrote: "J. wrote: "but he made so many mistakes..."Lol, name me a president or any other human being who hasn't :)"
I agree 1000%, but I feel like the costs of his mistakes were unrivaled. Here are two books that offer interesting viewpoints:
The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War
Lincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe
I guess, overall, it depends on how you feel about the size and role of government.
Just finished The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eatby Edward Kelsey Moore, narrated by, Adenrele Ojo & Pamella D'Pella ...Wondering what the reasoning was in having 2 narrators, these two narrators have very similar voices and I can honestly say I wasn’t sure when they switched back and forth. Don’t get me wrong the narration was good but I think one narrator would have been sufficient.
I've got back to crime fiction with Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves - a murder occurs at the bird watching centre on Fair Isle, a remote island in the North Sea, and Jimmie Perez, who is visiting his parents, feels he is too close to the case to be effective, but with a storm keeping anyone from coming or going, it's up to him to find out who killed the minor tv celebrity/naturalist. Don't ask me how I ended up listening to the Shetland Quartet out of order - first #3, then #4, and next #2 - I think it may have something to do with the availability of the audio versions.
Chrissie wrote: "J, there are certainly things I do NOT like about Teddy Roosevelt, but if we do not read books about these famous guys we have completely misconstrued ideas for who they really were. I would rather..."I had trouble with the narrator that was selected for one of the recent books about the Supreme Court that I got in the recent deal from Audible
The Steps to the Supreme Court: A Guided Tour of the American Legal System by Peter H. Irons narrated by Nicholas Tecosky.
I guess I'll get the eBook instead . . .
I had never heard of this narrator before and listened to the sound bite before I bought it . . . but his narration was awful. It sounded like he had never done this job before . . . but apparently he has done other books . . . his emphasis kept changing during the sentence and paragraphs and sounded as though a 7 year old was attempting to read this book. I returned it to Audible and used my credit to get another book . . . this is another name I'll add to my DON'T BUY ANYTHING NARRATED BY THIS PERSON list.
The more audiobooks I listen to . . . the longer the list grows . . .
Listen to Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History narrated by Casey Affleck (or wheezy as I call him) and everyone on that list will look like a jewel by comparison.
J. wrote: "Listen to Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History by Casey Affleck (or wheezy as I call him) and everyone on that list will look like a jewel by comparison."HaaaaaaHaaaaaaaaHaaaaaaaaaaaaa . . . that's a good one!
J. wrote: "Alana wrote: "J. wrote: "but he made so many mistakes..."Lol, name me a president or any other human being who hasn't :)"
I agree 1000%, but I feel like the costs of his mistakes were unrivaled...."
These books are both by Thomas J. DiLorenzo. DiLorenzo is an idiot that appears at the right wing CPAC. DiLorenzo says: "Lincoln micromanaged the murder of some 350,000 fellow Americans, including more than 50,000 civilians, in order to "prove" his point that the central government is indeed not voluntary, the states were never sovereign (so he said), and that any group of citizens who contemplate leaving it will be killed en masse, their cities and towns burned to the ground, and their wealth and personal belongings confiscated by the U.S. Army."
Ah... that's what the civil war was about... well who knew?
If one wants to waste a credit on this drivel it is a free country. I would be more inclined to explore books by Chris Mooney that examine why it is that conservatives tend to invent their own reality. Just saying...
Forney_bill wrote: "If one wants to waste a credit on this drivel it is a free country. I would be more inclined to explore books by Chris Mooney that examine why it is that conservatives tend to invent their own reality. Just saying... ."Oh-kay. Thanks for the heads up and the excerpt. There are a couple of books out by a notable Conservative that I'm stubbornly not buying, 'cause I don't want to encourage those guys.
Alternatively, and in the spirit of keeping Politics and Religion out of my favorite group whether I agree with y'all or not, I'm changing the subject:
Did anyone notice how few really outstanding books/authors were in the BOGO sale at Audible? Usually there are quite a few that I already have in my Library, but not this time. And it seemed that the non-fiction (which I love to find in these sales, since it's about as cheap a way to get NF as there is) was mostly stuff you'd find in the markdowned items on the "Buy 2 get one free" table of trade paperbacks.
There are still a couple of days left on this BOGO, so are there any gems of non-fiction I missed?
ETA: I just found out about Michael Hastings's death via the weekly email from Tantor - they're promoting the audiobook versions (half-price, too). The reviews here aren't all that great; anyone here read either of them?
CatBookMom wrote: "There are still a couple of days left on this BOGO, so are there any gems of non-fiction I missed?..."I see Charlie Wilson's war on the list. That was a loaner from my wife's boss and I liked it. Reviews look pretty good.
@ Forney_bill and J.: I'm finding Team of Rivals excellent and with a lot of crappy things going on in my life, it's nice to hear about some extraordinary, yet extremely flawed men (all of them, and all of them normal) doing their best in a world gone horribly wrong. No one is going to make the right choices all the time, or even often, and sometimes it's nearly impossible to know what IS the right choice; some things simply are not black and white. But it's nice to hear about a group of men and women who strove for the best. While men and women of that character are certainly serving in our government now, we unfortunately don't hear nearly enough about them.That being said, I always do my best to hear both sides of an argument, to read about different aspects of the same issue or conflict. My enjoyment of one person's presentation of one point of view of that conflict or issue does not mean that I have blinders on to the wider issue, it simply means I enjoy the information I am getting and the presentation thereof.
I also started Life of Pi the other day and wow, what a fascinating story! It's so well written and engaging that it's hard to believe it's a novel and a biography! I can't wait to finish it and then see the film... I have a feeling it's one of the few where the movie may actually live up to all the hype. The narration is great; it's one of the few where the accent is not distracting but rather adds a great deal to the story and (intentionally) causes some actual laugh out loud moments. Why on earth did I put it off so long?
I finished up Where'd You Go, Bernadette - for the most part liked it - B was driving me nuts by the end with some of her behavior and the ending was sudden - I wanted to know what happened to some of the minor characters (Audrey; sue lyn etc)Started The Eyre Affair
CatBookMom wrote: "Forney_bill wrote: "If one wants to waste a credit on this drivel it is a free country. I would be more inclined to explore books by Chris Mooney that examine why it is that conservatives tend to i..."I felt the same way about the BOGO this time. Nothing sparked my interest and not a single item from my wish list was on there even. There is usually at least one or two. I am passing on it.
Catherine wrote: "CatBookMom wrote: "Forney_bill wrote: "If one wants to waste a credit on this drivel it is a free country. I would be more inclined to explore books by Chris Mooney that examine why it is that cons..."They ended up extending their last sale, I assume because they weren't getting the sales they were expecting. I wanted to tell them that time wasn't the problem, the sub-par selection was the problem.
CatBookMom, I saw these non-fiction titles in the BOGO sale:The Guns of August
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America
When The Stars Fall To Earth
I have not made up my mind about them yet.
J, Alana, Forney_Bill Re: I am a born skeptic so I not only question what I am being fed about the heroes but also the authors that write about them...... I appreciate all of your views. Thank you for sharing a snippet.
Chrissie wrote: "CatBookMom, I saw these non-fiction titles in the BOGO sale:The Guns of August
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire th..."
Thanks. I have *The Big Burn* in print courtesy of a local library sale. I think you found the best of the NF.
I'm listening to The Guns of August right now . . . my other Tuchman books have been narrated by Wanda McCaddon and I'm kind of used to her . . . but this one is narrated by John Lee . . . who apparently is a Scotsman . . . there is a faint brogue . . . and the book has a lot of detail in it so I've had to pay attention and not be distracted.
Tomerobber, thank you for telling me your thoughts. I have read Tuchman, albeit ages ago, and so I know her books are never light reads. I am quite frankly a bit hesitant. Her books are certainly good, but maybe more than I can comprehend w/o a lot of other work on the side, in other words they can be dry. Is it unfair to say that about this book?CatBookMom, I am also hesitant about "The Big Burn", quite simply b/c I am thinking this will be covered in the book I am now reading about Teddy.
I spend way to o much time thinking about the books to try.......
Alana wrote: "I also started Life of Pi the other day and wow, what a fascinating story! It's so well written and engaging that it's hard to believe it's a novel and a biography!...Why on earth did I put it off so long? "Glad to hear it. That is on my purchased but not listened shelf. You probably put it off for the same reason as I. There is just a lot on the TBR list. You will probably finish it before I start so keep me posted.
[edit] - Good Lord. I thought Pi was on my TBR shelf until I got my Bogo announcement and they said it was on my wish list. Wow.
So the question becomes - what will be the other book. Listening to Hitchens he references Orwell over and over. I see both "Annimal Farm" and "1984" on the Bogo list so I am thinking "1984". The ratings are high on both.
Any other suggestions to pair with "Life of Pi"? I will wait till tomorrow to pull the trigger.
Life of Pi has been a very quick read for me so far. I just started The Twelve Tribes of Hattie for my "in the car" read, and I'm enjoying it, too. Different enough from Pi that I don't get confused.
Just finished Divine Misfortune. A very fun book much in the same vein as Christopher Moore, and the narration was very, very well done. A fun little diversion.Next up: Travels with Charley: In Search of America.
Kristie wrote: "Just finished Divine Misfortune. A very fun book much in the same vein as Christopher Moore, and the narration was very, very well done. A fun little diversion.Next up: Travels with Charley: In S..."
Hi Kristie,
I read this as a hardback years ago when it was first released . . . I thought it was good at the time . . .
Chrissie wrote: "Tomerobber, thank you for telling me your thoughts. I have read Tuchman, albeit ages ago, and so I know her books are never light reads. I am quite frankly a bit hesitant. Her books are certainly g..."Yes I have rewound parts . . . but I think I have better success listening to this than if I was reading the print edition.
I actually owned this book when it was first published back in the '60's but never read it . . . it was donated to the library.
Tomerobber wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Just finished Divine Misfortune. A very fun book much in the same vein as Christopher Moore, and the narration was very, very well done. A fun little diversion.Next up: Travels wi..."
I hope I enjoy it, too. I really liked East of Eden.
Kristie wrote: "Just finished Divine Misfortune. A very fun book much in the same vein as Christopher Moore, and the narration was very, very well done. A fun little diversion.Next up: Travels with Charley: In S..."
Oh, Charley is really, really good!
Tomerobber, I am looking for one more book. Maybe I should pick The Guns of August. I just discovered that the one in this BOGO sale is narrated by Nadia May, not John Lee. I like John Lee's narration. I am so annoyed. I never manage to find exactly what I want. What do I do now? This always happens. NOW, I want the book, but read by John Lee. Typical!
Chrissie wrote: "Tomerobber, I am looking for one more book. Maybe I should pick The Guns of August. I just discovered that the one in this BOGO sale is narrated by Nadia May, not John Lee. I like John Lee's narrat..."I guess I'll have to go back and look at this again as I would rather have the Nadia May/Wanda McCadden version . . .
Chrissie . . . Guess what? I called Audible and was able to exchange the John Lee narration for the one with Nadia May and they re-did-it to take advantage of the whisper-sync . . . so I was able to get the eBook as well. Yeeeaaaaa!
Since both narrations are available when I did a search for THE GUNS OF AUGUST you might be able to request that version . . . check it out.
Tomerobber,I will go send Audible a message. I never thought of asking them that! You have a head on your shoulders!!!!! Cross your fingers for me.I just sent them an email!!!!!!
Chrissie,Hope you get what you want.
I've started reading all over again . . . I'm listening and reading the eBook at the same time . . . I don't find myself having to rewind . . . and it's easier to remember all the characters involved.
The only difference I've found between the 2 versions is at the beginning . . . some introductory material was omitted in Nadia May narration. Not really integral to the actual book. But probably to accommodate the Whispersync capability.
CatBookMom wrote: Did anyone notice how few really outstanding books/authors were in the BOGO sale at Audible? Usually there are quite a few that I already have in my Library, but not this time."I think it might just not be showing you ones that are already in your library. The only reason I propose this might be the case is that I had looked at it a day ago and there were 3 Kerry Greenwood 'Phryne Fisher' books (1st, 2nd and 17th). Then I bought 1st one in ebook for .99 and the audio for 2.99 in the whispersync deal. After that when I looked at the BOGO page it was no longer showing the 1st one as part of the sale.
Tomerobber wrote: "Chrissie,Hope you get what you want.
I've started reading all over again . . . I'm listening and reading the eBook at the same time . . . I don't find myself having to rewind . . . and it's easier..."
I got an answer from Audible that said nothing. So I have written to them again...... I really want to getThe Guns of August because I am now reading Theodore Rex and the date is 1904. You see already the build up to the war. I have picked up Colonel Roosevelt the third in the trilogy. The narration by Jonathan Marosz (book two) has been bad from start to finish, but the third book goes back to the good narrator of the first book, Mark Deakins. With a bad narrator you cannot even appreciate the humor written in the author's lines.
Chrissie wrote: "Tomerobber wrote: "Chrissie,Hope you get what you want.
I've started reading all over again . . . I'm listening and reading the eBook at the same time . . . I don't find myself having to rewind . ..."
Have you tried calling the customer service international number? 1-973-820-0400
I used the customer service number listed for here in the US and was able to talk to a live person . . . sometimes I don't think emails go to the people who have the answers.
Tomerobber wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Tomerobber wrote: "Chrissie,Hope you get what you want.
I've started reading all over again . . . I'm listening and reading the eBook at the same time . . . I don't find myself ha..."
I have found it very difficult to call from abroad. The times I have tried the connection was poor and thus could hardly hear what was being said. If I don't get a written reply soon, I will try over the phone. Thanks for the number.
Just finished The Paris Wife and really enjoyed it. I was not familiar with Hemingway's personal life story so it unfolded like a fictional novel for me. The narrator did a wonderful job!
I am listening to Ladies' Night by, Mary Kay Andrews narrated by, Kathleen McInerney I got this as a review copy thinking it was Southern Fiction but it's not it is chicklit which I am not a fan of (Absolutely no offense to anyone who does enjoy it) I'm not enjoying it but am slogging through to review it. Also if it is supposed to be southern fiction the narrator decided not to use any accent.
Finished the second of the trilogy by Edmund Morris on Theodore Roosevelt: Theodore Rex.My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I will now continue on to the third volume: Colonel Roosevelt
Would I do that if I were not impressed?
I just finished Travels with Charley: In Search of America. Loved it. A great read right before a getaway (or when you're craving a getaway), and Gary Sinise was right on. It was at times poignant, funny, and smart without being pretentious.I'm about 2/3 of the way through The Handmaid's Tale. I was expecting an OK read, but I'm really impressed with it despite my ingoing attitude toward it.
Now I'm trying to decide between In the Shadow of the Banyan and The Potato Factory for my week with my in-laws.
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Audiobooks
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NOS4A2 (other topics)Doc (other topics)
The Book Thief (other topics)
Cutting for Stone (other topics)
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Edmund Morris (other topics)Michael Hastings (other topics)
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Edmund Morris (other topics)
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This is my favorite book of the year. They say President Obama has been influenced by this book and perhaps that is indicated by the Secretary of State choice and the nomination of Chuck Hagel, a Republican. But the comparison falls very short doesn't it.
These men that Lincoln surrounded himself with are such substantial men. When your read of Salmon Chase blocking the doorway with outstretched hands and facing down a mob - can you really see a current politician doing the same?
Similarly, we have an elected government full of lawyers - but can you imagine a William Seward amongst them. Didn't that story of his defense of William Freeman astound you. Who today would leap to the defense of such a person and in such circumstance.
Now I have been a bit coy with the detail of my examples. If you have passed them you know them but if you have not the surprise and delight still awaits. And perhaps you will wonder as I did - where are those people today?