August 2015

[Samantha]

Just finished Barbara Claypole White's The Perfect Son. A heartrending and beautiful novel . . .and a really great audiobook production. Perfect reader for this book!

[Robin P]

Donna wrote: "Pshaw! to people who say audiobooks are not 'reading ..."

Your comment made me laugh. At my neighborhood book club, I was told by a high school English teacher that listening to audiobooks isn't ..."

If that is true (that you have to read written text to understand), then why do teachers lecture/speak to students rather than printing up their notes and passing them out? Obviously they expect them to be able to take in information by listening. Some people do have a distinct preference for either audio or visual learning. My husband only realized after struggling through college that he is much more of a visual learner, and his problems with classes weren't a reflection of his intelligence. However, he still listened to and loved the entire 20 book series of the Patrick O'Brien Aubrey/Maturin seafaring saga.

Good point that maybe some people who disparage audiobooks are thinking of early versions which were often abridged and not well done. I think we are now in the golden age of audiobooks with so much selection and talent available.

[Catherine]

Donna wrote: "Pshaw! to people who say audiobooks are not 'reading ..."

Your comment made me laugh. At my neighborhood book club, I was told by a high school English teacher that listening to audiobooks isn't ..."

I guess that English teacher thinks a blind person who is read to can never "fully understand" a book? Ridiculous!

[Jeanie]

Catherine wrote: "Donna wrote: "Pshaw! to people who say audiobooks are not 'reading ..."

Your comment made me laugh. At my neighborhood book club, I was told by a high school English teacher that listening to aud..."

It's funny that even an English teacher forgets that print wasn't even a significant part of most human's lives until after the printing press and even then there was more being read to than reading. Our stories have been oral for our entire history so reading print is only a blip on the human timeline. Odd that an educator thinks comprehension didn't occur until so late in our development.

I contend that most print readers can't truly say they've fully read an author's work unless they have taken in every single word. Audiobook readers can't skim and every word is presented. It's a very rare visual reader who actually reads word for word without a little skipping or skimming. So who is likely to have the greater exposure to the work and therefore comprehension? That's a rhetorical question. ;)

[CatBookMom]

Jeanie wrote: "It's funny that even an English teacher forgets that print wasn't even a significant part of most human's lives until after the printing press...."

I'm a fast reader, and I own that I don't read every single word; I skim, I skip and fast-forward quite often. It takes a great deal longer for me to hear a book than to read it. Sometimes I cherish that difference, sometimes it is just annoying. I don't think I'm alone in feeling this way about the difference between reading a book and listening to it.

Some books are greatly enhanced by being read aloud (just as Shakespeare's plays are better heard than read, imo); other books are not well-suited to being made into audiobooks; and that difference isn't the same for everyone.

[Samantha]

CatBookMom wrote: Some books are greatly enhanced by being read aloud

Agreed! I listened to Dracula a few months back, and it was BETTER as an audio book than it was when I read it in print.

[Louise]

I just finished A Spool of Blue Thread which I liked, and started Rot and Ruin - yes on to something completely different! Afterwards I plan to listen to Booker longlisted The Illuminations: A Novel

[Heidi]

Louise wrote: "I just finished A Spool of Blue Thread which I liked, and started Rot and Ruin - yes on to something completely different! Afterwards I plan to listen to Booker longl..."

I really enjoyed the Rot & Ruin series on audio

[Genevieve]

I just finished listening to Under Different Stars this morning. I got it as one of the daily deals from Audibles. I admit there are some corny parts, but lets be honest, what YA book doesn't? Anyways, I really liked it. Enough to start listening to Sea of Stars the next book in the series this morning.

[Travis]

As to Rot and Ruin, I was gonna scream if I heard "kiddo" spoken one more time

[Heidi]

Travis of NNY wrote: "As to Rot and Ruin, I was gonna scream if I heard "kiddo" spoken one more time"

Hahaha! It does get repetitive. For me it was "warrior smart". I don't know how many times I heard that in book two.

[Ashley Marie]

Finished The Girl Who Played with Fire last week and it's safe to say I am in LOVE with Lisbeth Salander. And Mikael, to an extent. But Lisbeth is everything I want to be.

Should be finishing up The False Prince today, and it's been good. A bit more MG than what my taste usually calls for, but entertaining as it is :)

[Dave]

I just finished The Queen of the Tearling, and though there is not much new in the terms of plot, I thought it was very well done and it left me wanting more. I foresee a series for sure, perhaps a movie if it becomes popular enough?

[Dee]

i'm almost done with I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives - hachette did a great job picking narrators - the female one really pegged the female american teenager and the guy had what i think it a great african accent (I mean, i've not met many people from zimbabwe - where the guy was from - but it sounded like it does from TV portrayals)

[Sara]

I finished A Memory of Violets: A Novel of London's Flower Sellers and Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions Last week.
Today, I finished Any Human Heart with great narration of Simon Vance. I enjoyed every minute spent on this book as Vance makes the experience of listening to a book exceptional. I truly enjoyed every narrations he has done &I listened to.

[Ancestral]

I am thoroughly enjoying Neil Gaiman's narration of his own collection of short stories, poems, and bits and bobs in Fragile Things: Short Fictions & Wonders. A bit off-beat, a bit weird, a bit goth, a bit fantasy; wholly delightful.

[Samantha]

Ancestral wrote: "I am thoroughly enjoying Neil Gaiman's narration of his own collection of short stories, poems, and bits and bobs in Fragile Things: Short Fictions & Wonders. A bi..."

Oh, I bet that would be good read by Neil himself. I've read it in print, but maybe should look for it to listen to as well.

[Valyssia]

I've gotten a bit behind on this. Since I last checked in, I've read: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (4 stars), Six Metres of Pavement by Farzana Doctor (3.5 stars), All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (4 stars), Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin (4.5 stars), Three Junes by Julia Glass (4 stars), Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison (4 stars). There are a few tough reads in this list, but there isn't a single bad one.

I also used Ivona to 'listen to' In Sea-Salt Tears by Seanan Mc Guire (4 stars). I would've been better off just reading it. The pacing was crap and software kept changing how certain words and names were pronounced. It was very jarring. At least it wasn't long. I just suffered through it, hoping that it would grow on me. Yeah, umm...not so much.

[Janice]

I started The Dark Tower today. I want to know how it ends, but I don't want it to end.

[Robin P]

I started Wards of Faerie and although it's a narrator I like (Rosalyn Landor) I only lasted a few chapters. There was a fair amount of exposition which seemed clunky to me (the "as you know" or "you've told me before that..." ) and explanation of different political factions without a reason to care about them.

I've found several fantasy authors through audio that I love (Scott Lynch and Michael Sullivan for example) and I think the genre lends itself well, as it is a storytelling tradition. But there have been several now that I've abandoned. Maybe I'll go back to them and give them more time to grow on me.

I got caught up a lot during my 3 month hiatus from Audible but I'm happy it's ending in a few days. I may even buy the 3 credits for $12 if offered, as I have piled items on my wish list during this time (while still planning to save credits for a November Buy 4, get $10 sale if it happens.) I do have a few chunksters in my library that I haven't listened to yet, including Don Quixote read by George Guidall, which is over 30 hours.

[Bill (Just a)]

Lock In John Scalzi

I started this one and am pretty pleased so far. I got the Amber Bensen narration after discussion with the audible SFF group. It is also read by Wil Wheaton. The main character can be either male or female based on what voice you hear.

Scalzi has a post up on his blog about this book. Turns out 46% of his sales on this book are audible sales.

This book ranked second in the SF catagory behind The Martian in the Goodreads 2014 readers choice awards.

[Jeanie]

Bill (Just a) wrote: "Lock In John Scalzi

I started this one and am pretty pleased so far. I got the Amber Bensen narration after discussion with the audible S..."

I really liked the Amber Benson version of this one and plan to eventually get the Wil Wheaton version after I've given myself time to forget the female version a little--it may take a while before that happens though.

[Steven]

just finished listening to Follow You Home by Mark Edwards read by James Langdon. enjoyed this one a lot. i'm reading a couple of books on my kindle at the mo so haven't started my next audio book yet.

[Sue]

I'm hearing such great things about Simon Vance and Any Human Heart. I think that might be next for me.

I started The Nightingale yesterday (thanks, Ford audiobook club!) and I'm not sure I'll make it through 17 hours. The narration by Polly Stone is fine, but I'm finding the writing very cliched. Hopefully, the story will pick up and suck me in.

Sara wrote: "I finished A Memory of Violets: A Novel of London's Flower Sellers and Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions Las..."

[Kristie]

I started The Nightingale yesterday (thanks, Ford audiobook club!) and I'm not sure I'll make it through 17 hours. The narration by Polly Stone is fine, but I'm finding the writing very cliched. Hopefully, the story will pick up and suck me in.

I felt the same way, Sue. The story did pick up in the middle and sucked me in to the end. I would say you should stick with it. I thought the narration warmed up a bit, too.

[Sue]

I'm already enjoying it more today. Still finding it a bit overwritten, but am growing more curious about where it's going.

Kristie wrote: "I started The Nightingale yesterday (thanks, Ford audiobook club!) and I'm not sure I'll make it through 17 hours. The narration by Polly Stone is fine, but I'm finding the writing very cliched. Ho..."

[Sandi]

Sue, I thought The Nightingale was clichéd and emotionally manipulative. I stilled listened with rapt attention. I got sucked in and have no idea why.

[Sue]

So funny. I totally get it. It's almost like a historical fiction version of Lifetime.

Sandi wrote: "Sue, I thought The Nightingale was clichéd and emotionally manipulative. I stilled listened with rapt attention. I got sucked in and have no idea why."

[Sandi]

Yes!

[MissSusie]

Finished The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon narrated by, Cassandra Campbell...Spooky a bit creepy but oh so good!Going to be hard to review though without giving anything away!

Started Orphan #8 by Kim van Alkemade Narrated by, Andi Arndt & Ginny Auer

[Kristie]

Once I remembered what was happening, Dust was a good conclusion to the series.

Next up: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.

[Scott S.]

I just finished Master of Formalities by Scott Meyer, the author if Off to Be the Wizard. The book was a little slow to start, but I thought it was great. There was humor, but you can't go in expecting the same amount of humor as Off to be the Wizard. Luke Daniels' narration didn't hurt either.

[Dee]

i finished up I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives yesterday and started When We Were Animals - liking it so far - basis is a small town where teens turn "wild" on the full moon - not werewolves, because they maintain their human form - and about one girl who doesn't (or hasn't yet)

[Sara]

I finished Unless by Carol Shields last night. The story was not much intriguing but it's been over 10 years that I have not read anything by this author, so listening to "Unless" reminded me how this Canadian author can use words like a magic and tell a powerful story.
Next is Dirty Love to see what this short stories collection has to offer!

[Jeanie]

J. wrote: "I just finished Master of Formalities by Scott Meyer, the author if Off to Be the Wizard. The book was a little slow to start, but I thought it was great. There was humor, but you can't go in expec..."

Good to hear. I put this on my Wish List when I first heard of it but it's good to know someone who actually read and enjoyed it.

[Leslie]

I have finished my quest to read the entire d'Artagnan series with Simon Vance's narration of The Man in the Iron Mask. While I like Simon Vance's narration, I found that this edition, based on the 3 volume version of "Vicomte de Bragelonne; or Ten Years Later", was not as good as my print edition which is based on the 4 volume edition. This one is just too long, especially if you are reading this as a stand-alone -- it is about 30% longer than the 4 volume edition and mostly with stuff which lacks the adventure and action that one might expect in this book. This was the only audiobook edition available to me so I don't know if there are others based on the shorter edition...

Now onto some light relief with a P.G. Wodehouse -- The Coming of Bill.

[CatBookMom]

I started Mexico, with narration by Alexander Adams, who is better known as Grover Gardner. There's a great deal about bullfights, though so far there's only been one really grisly scene. I'm only about 90 minutes in; if, as the descriptions indicate, the bullfighting is the overall story, I don't know if I'll be able to finish. The narration, and the story, do move along nicely.

[Sue]

Have you read any other Andres Dubus III? I didn't particularly enjoy House of Sand and Fog, and couldn't get through The Garden of Last Days or Dirty Love. I keep giving him more chances because his father, Andre Dubus is one of my all time favorite authors. Unforunately, I haven't found any of his books on audio.

Sara wrote: "I finished Unless by Carol Shields last night. The story was not much intriguing but it's been over 10 years that I have not read anything by this author, so listening to "Unless" rem..."

[Dave]

CatBookMom wrote: "I started Mexico, with narration by Alexander Adams, who is better known as Grover Gardner. There's a great deal about bullfights, though so far there's only been one really grisly s..."

I found this pretty awful and couldn't finish it. I've liked Michener in the past and this was the only book on CD I could find (all earlier ones were just on cassette). For me, the bullfighting was too much and there wasn't much else of interest going on. Sorry.

[CatBookMom]

Dave wrote: "I found this pretty awful and couldn't finish it. I've liked Michener in the past and this was the only book on CD I could find (all earlier ones were just on cassette). For me, the bullfighting was too much and there wasn't much else of interest going on. Sorry...."

No need for sorry; it's useful to know I'm not alone in finding this less than appealing. Like you, I've liked a lot of the Michener books in the past, and I do usually enjoy the history that he tells. This isn't a book I bought when it was new in print.

I've got Hawaii and Centennial and Caravans and on and on to try instead.

[Sara]

Sue wrote: "Have you read any other Andres Dubus III? I didn't particularly enjoy House of Sand and Fog, and couldn't get through The Garden of Last Days or Dirty Lovefor two reasons. first I was amazed how the author can describe all the emotions of an Army general with such beautiful description in 1st person narrative as he has fallen from being a general to a construction worker in his new home. Secondly, I think I could relate to all the issues the General and his family has to face as My parents were immigrants just like them, and it was not easy to make a life in their adopted country.

[Sara]

Sara wrote: "Sue wrote: "Have you read any other Andres Dubus III? I didn't particularly enjoy House of Sand and Fog, and couldn't get through The Garden of Last Days or Dirt..."</i>

I have also listened [book:Townie: A Memoir narrated by the author. His voice is not very good for narration but I enjoyed his writing. Unfortunately I have not read anything by his father. Could you recommend one of your favorite book by him?

[Sue]

Andre senior is mostly (maybe completely) a short story writer. Selected Stories would give you a good taste. I might check out Townie: A Memoir - but in print! Report back on Dirty Love!

Sara wrote: "Sara wrote: "Sue wrote: "Have you read any other Andres Dubus III? I didn't particularly enjoy House of Sand and Fog, and couldn't get through The Garden of Last Days ..."

[Jeanie]

I'm back visiting with friends and family and so had another group audio listen. This time it was JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit. What an amazingly wonderful experience to share. Everyone agreed the narration was just right, with cool songs and appropriate drama for the battles. We'll make a start on The Fellowship of the Ring and maybe even finish it before I have to return home... there and back again.

[Nancy]

How to Talk to a Widower was good. Very clever and witty. Not sure what you call a chick-lit type book from the man's point of view? It was not a happy, uplifting story but made me chuckle out loud several times. Not for the faint of heart if you can't take hearing the f-word used liberally..

I grabbed a book off the shelf a the library in desperation when I realized this one was running out (the library's computer system has been down and the book I had requested wasn't there). Only to realize.... I HAD READ IT BEFORE. Gah - I hate it when I do that.

And the dumb thing is? I feel really let down that I will have to listen to the (gasp) RADIO on the way home until I can get back to the library to scramble on another choice... Oh the real world problems :-)

[Sue]

It's the worst when you're between books and caught up on podcasts and have to listen to the radio!

Nancy wrote: "How to Talk to a Widower was good. Very clever and witty. Not sure what you call a chick-lit type book from the man's point of view? It was not a happy, uplifting story but made me..."

[Kristie]

Nancy wrote: "How to Talk to a Widower was good. Very clever and witty. Not sure what you call a chick-lit type book from the man's point of view? It was not a happy, uplifting story but made me..."

Oh I hate listening to the radio now! Feels like such a waste of time. :)

Thanks for letting us know how you liked How to Talk to a Widower, Nancy. It was similar to how I'd describe This is Where I Leave You. I love the kind of book that can so effectively balance poignancy, dysfunction and humor. I'll put that one on my list to get next.

[Genevieve]

I read that book a while ago, it was AWESOME!

[Heidi]

I only have about 1.5 hours left of The Girl With All the Gifts and while I like it I am not as in love with it as most everyone else has been. Maybe the ending will blow my socks off. I think it might be because I don't feel a huge connection with any of the main characters except maybe Melanie.

[Genevieve]

I think the ending does a lot for the story.