All About Audiobooks: A Reading Via Your Ears Challenge

[[deleted user]]

Duration: June 1, 2014-June 1, 2015
Books Completed: 50/50
Freestyle Executive Director

CATEGORIES: - Thirty categories from which to choose.

◈ Female Narrator
An audiobook with one female narrator.
The Hiding Place Completed October 1, 2014.
Silence Completed October 7, 2014.
Gathering Blue Completed October 22, 2014.
The Laughing Corpse Completed March 19, 2015.
Pretty Little Liars Completed March 31, 2015.
Bloody Bones Completed April 21, 2015.
If I Stay Completed April 22, 2015.
Cruel Beauty Completed April 30, 2015.
The Killing Dance Completed May 7, 2015.

◈ Male Narrator
An audiobook with one male narrator.
Storm Front Completed July 11, 2014.
A Wizard of Earthsea Completed October 5, 2014.
The Giver Completed October 16, 2014.
Lover Awakened Completed January 31, 2015.
Lover Avenged Completed February 28, 2015.
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch Completed March 8, 2015.
Lover Unleashed Completed March 25, 2015.
Lover Reborn Completed March 30, 2015.
The Magician King Completed April 10, 2015.
The King Completed April 24, 2015.
The Shadows Completed April 26, 2015.
The Cuckoo's Calling Completed April 30, 2015.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Completed May 7, 2015.
Catch-22 Completed May 13, 2015.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Completed May 14, 2015.

◈ Duets
An audiobook with one female and one male narrator.
City of Heavenly Fire Completed June 19, 2014.

◈ Full Cast
An unabridged audiobook with several narrators; there is a narrator per character (e.g. American Gods by Neal Gaiman). To find these, you can search most sites by the term “Full Cast.”
Room Completed September 21, 2014.

◈ Dramatizations
An abridged audiobook with background music/noises like the “old school” radio plays (e.g. BBC Radio Drama Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett). Also known as “Performance” audios, if you’re doing a search.

◈ Celebrity Narrator
Category name says it all: Somebody famous narrates. Examples: James Marsters reading Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series or Anne Hathaway reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. BTW, when searching, audible.com is calling this their “A-List Collection.”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone read by Stephen Fry. Completed January 3, 2015.

◈ New-to-Me Narrator
A narrator that you haven’t heard before.
Tangled Completed November 21, 2014.

◈ Favourite Narrator
A narrator that you have heard and loved before and would recommend to others.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Narrated by Stephen Fry. (4/16/15)

◈ Volunteer Narrator
A narrator that is not professional, but volunteers to read books. (Such as those used on librivox.org)

◈ Less Than 3 Hours
An audiobook that you can read in one day!

◈ Between 3 - 5 Hours
An audiobook that falls in this range.

◈ More Than 5 Hours to 9.9 Hours
An audiobook that is over 5 hours in length.
Confessions of a Murder Suspect (6 hours 4 minutes) Completed August 15, 2014.

◈ 10 Hours to 14.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a CHUNKSTER! ;) More than 10 hours in length, but less than 15.
The Raven Boys (11 hours) Completed January 22, 2015.

◈ 15 Hours to 19.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Colossal Chunkster! More than 15 hours in length, less than 20.
Lover Revealed (16 hours, 26 minutes) Completed February 7, 2015.

◈ 20 Hours to 24.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Super Colossal Chunkster! More than 20 hours in length, less than 25.

◈ 25 Hours to 29.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Super-Duper Colossal Chunkster! More than 25 hours in length, less than 30.

◈ 30 Hours to 34.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Monstrous Chunkster! More than 30 hours in length, less than 35.
The Outstretched Shadow (30 hours and 40 minutes) Completed October 30, 2014.

◈ 35 Hours to 39.9 Hours
An epic, indeed! More than 35 hours in length, less than 40.

◈ 40 Hours and Beyond – or a Trilogy!
Beyond epic, indeed! Time to implant ear buds in your head. Forty hours or more! For this one we will also allow a trilogy that qualifies in length, or three books anywhere within a series, if you “read” all of it/them via audio.

◈ In-Sync Multimedia
Use an audible sync option to read-along! Such as the new read-along with your Kindle option by audible.com called Whispersync, which remembers your last stopping point in either device. However, you may read a book using any two media choices your desire, as long as one of them is via audio.

◈ Digital Downloads Freebies
Keep it legal! Public libraries using OverDrive Media Console, or Bolinda Audio (BorrowBox), or OneClickDigital downloads. There are also free sites like:

librivox.org
Project Gutenberg Audio Books Project
audiobooksync.com - scheduled release dates

...Audiobooksync has free audiobooks over the Northern Hemisphere’s summer.
All Our Yesterdays (downloaded through Audiobooksync.com) Completed July 27, 2014.
Shadowmagic (From podiobooks.com) Completed July 29, 2014.

◈ Doing it “Old School”
Use audiobook CDs, or cassette, or even LPs or 8-Track-Tapes, if you have them! Don’t have the right equipment? Oftentimes your public library will have these devices to loan.

◈ Planes, Trains, or Automobiles with an Audiobook
Go on a road trip, holiday, or just listen during your daily commute to work while “reading” in your car or public transportation!
City of Lost SoulsCompleted June 12, 2014.

◈ Multitasking! Listening on My Portable Music Player (PMP) Audiobook
Put on those headphones, get cleaning, gardening, grocery shopping, power-walking, even knitting while “reading” a book! Use your Smartphone, MP3, Walkman, portable CD player, iPod, episodic podcast, whatever! Just make Oprah proud.
Spirit Bound (Listened while packing for my move!) Completed June 24, 2014.
Last Sacrifice (Still packing and cleaning!) Completed June 26, 2014.

◈ Audie Award Nominees and Winners
You be the judge. Try an audiobook that has been nominated or won an Audie – any category counts – and lists may be found at audiopub.org (look to the right of the screen for past years).

◈ Recommended by Others
Audiobooks recommended by your friends or other NBRC members.
The Cold Dish Completed November 28, 2014.

◈ BOM via Audiobook
Read a NBRC Book of the Month via audio.
Code Name Verity Completed November 17, 2014.
Dorothy Must Die Completed December 11, 2014.
The Martian Completed March 5, 2015.

◈ “Buddy Read” via Audiobook
Read a “Buddy Read” book via audio and/or listen to your book with another person.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Completed February 9, 2015.
Lover Unbound Completed February 17, 2015.
Lover Enshrined Completed February 22, 2015.
Lover Mine Completed March 17, 2015.
The Lunatic Cafe Completed April 5, 2015.
Lover at Last Completed April 7, 2015.

◈ Classic Read
Have you always wanted to broaden your reading horizons and get to that classic everyone seems to talk about? Try it via audio.

◈ Re-Read a Favourite
Old or new, choose a book you’ve read and loved - and see if you could possibly love it even more via audio. (Note: The right narrator is even more crucial here!)
Outlander Completed December 17, 2014.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Completed March 10, 2015.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome to the challenge, Cheryl, Lára, and Kelsi!

[Shan ~A~]

All about audiobooks: A reading via your ears challenge
June 1, 2014 - May 31 2015
Option One - Freestyle
Producer: 21-24 books
Progress: 9/21-24

CATEGORIES: - Thirty categories from which to choose.

◈ Female Narrator
Dark Witch by Nora Roberts 07/03

◈ Male Narrator
The Next Always by Nora Roberts 06/29

◈ Duets
An audiobook with one female and one male narrator.

◈ Full Cast
An unabridged audiobook with several narrators; there is a narrator per character (e.g. American Gods by Neal Gaiman). To find these, you can search most sites by the term “Full Cast.”

◈ Dramatizations
An abridged audiobook with background music/noises like the “old school” radio plays (e.g. BBC Radio Drama Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett). Also known as “Performance” audios, if you’re doing a search.

◈ Celebrity Narrator
Category name says it all: Somebody famous narrates. Examples: James Marsters reading Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series or Anne Hathaway reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. BTW, when searching, audible.com is calling this their “A-List Collection.”

◈ New-to-Me Narrator
Sea Swept by Nora Roberts (Narrator: David Stuart) 06/07/14

◈ Favourite Narrator
A narrator that you have heard and loved before and would recommend to others.

◈ Volunteer Narrator
A narrator that is not professional, but volunteers to read books. (Such as those used on librivox.org)

◈ Less Than 3 Hours
An audiobook that you can read in one day!

◈ Between 3 - 5 Hours
An audiobook that falls in this range.

◈ More Than 5 Hours to 9.9 Hours
A Beautiful Distraction by Kelsie Leverich 07/11

◈ 10 Hours to 14.9 Hours
Release Me by J. Kenner 07/21

◈ 15 Hours to 19.9 Hours
Dark Prince by Christine Feehan 07/01

◈ 20 Hours to 24.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Super Colossal Chunkster! More than 20 hours in length, less than 25.

◈ 25 Hours to 29.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Super-Duper Colossal Chunkster! More than 25 hours in length, less than 30.

◈ 30 Hours to 34.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Monstrous Chunkster! More than 30 hours in length, less than 35.

◈ 35 Hours to 39.9 Hours
An epic, indeed! More than 35 hours in length, less than 40.

◈ 40 Hours and Beyond – or a Trilogy!
Beyond epic, indeed! Time to implant ear buds in your head. Forty hours or more! For this one we will also allow a trilogy that qualifies in length, or three books anywhere within a series, if you “read” all of it/them via audio.

◈ In-Sync Multimedia
Use an audible sync option to read-along! Such as the new read-along with your Kindle option by audible.com called Whispersync, which remembers your last stopping point in either device. However, you may read a book using any two media choices your desire, as long as one of them is via audio.

◈ Digital Downloads Freebies
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 06/20/14

◈ Doing it “Old School”
Use audiobook CDs, or cassette, or even LPs or 8-Track-Tapes, if you have them! Don’t have the right equipment? Oftentimes your public library will have these devices to loan.
The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts 07/19

◈ Planes, Trains, or Automobiles with an Audiobook
Rising Tides by Nora Roberts 06/13/14


◈ Multitasking! Listening on My Portable Music Player (PMP) Audiobook
Put on those headphones, get cleaning, gardening, grocery shopping, power-walking, even knitting while “reading” a book! Use your Smartphone, MP3, Walkman, portable CD player, iPod, episodic podcast, whatever! Just make Oprah proud.

◈ Audie Award Nominees and Winners
You be the judge. Try an audiobook that has been nominated or won an Audie – any category counts – and lists may be found at audiopub.org (look to the right of the screen for past years).

◈ Recommended by Others
Audiobooks recommended by your friends or other NBRC members.

◈ BOM via Audiobook
Read a NBRC Book of the Month via audio.

◈ “Buddy Read” via Audiobook
Read a “Buddy Read” book via audio and/or listen to your book with another person.

◈ Classic Read
Have you always wanted to broaden your reading horizons and get to that classic everyone seems to talk about? Try it via audio.

◈ Re-Read a Favourite
Old or new, choose a book you’ve read and loved - and see if you could possibly love it even more via audio.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome to the challenge, Shan!

[Nikki ☁]

I just going to do option one! report back in 12 months!!

2.6.2014 - 2.6.2015

1. Halo Alexandra Adornetto
2. Hallowed Cynthia Hand
3. Boundless Cynthia Hand

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

LOL! Welcome to the challenge, Nikki!

[Fictitious1]

Freestyle Mixer

What a fantastic challenge!

[Marcia]

Is it too late to sign on for this challenge? I would like to enter on the Director level. I listen to audio books darn near every day. Please let me know. Thanks!

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome to the challenge, Fictitious1! Glad you like it.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Not too late, Marcygold. Welcome to the challenge, too!

[Kme_17]

Start Date: june 2, 2014


◈ Female Narrator-Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

◈ Male Narrator-Thirteen Steps Down

◈ Duets

◈ Full Cast

◈ Dramatizations

◈ Celebrity Narrator

◈ New-to-Me Narrator

◈ Favourite Narrator

◈ Volunteer Narrator

◈ Less Than 3 Hours

◈ Between 3 - 5 Hours

◈ More Than 5 Hours to 9.9 Hours

◈ 10 Hours to 14.9 Hours

◈ 15 Hours to 19.9 Hours

◈ 20 Hours to 24.9 Hours

◈ 25 Hours to 29.9 Hours

◈ 30 Hours to 34.9 Hours

◈ 35 Hours to 39.9 Hours

◈ 40 Hours and Beyond – or a Trilogy!

◈ In-Sync Multimedia

◈ Digital Downloads Freebies

◈ Doing it “Old School”

◈ Planes, Trains, or Automobiles with an Audiobook

◈ Multitasking! Listening on My Portable Music Player (PMP) Audiobook

◈ Audie Award Nominees and Winners

◈ Recommended by Others

◈ BOM via Audiobook

◈ “Buddy Read” via Audiobook

◈ Classic Read

◈ Re-Read a Favourite

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome to the challenge, Kim!

[Lara]

I'm in!

Duration: 5/1/14 - 4/30/15
Option: 1 - Freestyle
Level: ???
Completed: 21

◈ Female Narrator Intimate Surrender 7/9

◈ Male Narrator The Silver Linings Playbook 6/17

◈ Duets Smoke in Mirrors 7/19

◈ Full Cast The Winter's Tale 2/22

◈ Dramatizations Star Wars: The National Public Radio Dramatization 7/22

◈ Celebrity Narrator I Am Spock by Leonard Nimoy

◈ New-to-Me Narrator The Castle Corona 9/9

◈ Favorite Narrator Kate Reading as narrator of Perdition 7/27

◈ Volunteer Narrator

◈ Less Than 3 Hours Legion 11/28

◈ Between 3 - 5 Hours The Stainless Steel Rat 7/29

◈ More Than 5 Hours to 9.9 Hours The Paper Magician 2/2/15

◈ 10 Hours to 14.9 Hours Magyk 9/20

◈ 15 Hours to 19.9 Hours Monster Hunter Nemesis 7/14

◈ In-Sync Multimedia Archangel's Shadows 1/31/15

◈ Digital Downloads Freebies Masked Ball at Broxley Manor 2/22/15

◈ Multitasking! Listening on My Portable Music Player (PMP) Audiobook Snow Falling on Bluegrass 12/7

◈ Audie Award Nominees and WinnersSpellbound

◈ Recommended by Others Envy 8/10

◈ BOM via Audiobook Clean Sweep 8/13

◈ “Buddy Read” via Audiobook

◈ Classic Read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 7/19

◈ Re-Read a Favorite Tea with the Black Dragon 11/29

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome to the challenge, Lara!

[Kristie]

I'd love recommendations of books that everyone loved on audio for the "Recommended by Others" category. If anyone has some great recommendations, this might be the place for it. Would that be ok with you mods?

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Kristie wrote: "I'd love recommendations of books that everyone loved on audio for the "Recommended by Others" category. If anyone has some great recommendations, this might be the place for it. Would that be ok with you mods?"

Yes, this thread is fine, Kristie. After looking at your "to-read" shelf, I would recommend:

~LK

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Kristie;

I will post as I finish a good audio. I am almost finished with

and I think it is a little repetitive on audio and probably works better as a traditional read. However,

by the same author works great on audio.

If you like historical fiction, I would also recommend

on audio. Don't be confused by the 'book 3' status, all three books in the series work as stand alone novels

[Kristie]

Thanks! Those recommendations help me. I have Etiquette & Espionage on audio already. I was thinking about getting The Last Letter from Your Lover from audible, but maybe I'll get The Girl You Left Behind instead.

If anyone is looking for a horror / vampire book: The Passage by Justin Cronin was done very well on audio.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

great

another really good one on audio is

where I loved the full cast;

with Lenny Henry was great too

[Lara]

I started listening to , which I haven't read. Nor have I seen the movie. So far, it's interesting, but I'm not yet reconciled with how deep and mature the narrator's voice is. It doesn't seem to fit the character.

[Lisa Kay]

Lara wrote: "I started listening to , which I haven't read."

I've been tempted by that story in all its various media. I'll be interested to see what you think, Lara.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

I've seen the movie, and I enjoyed it, and I've thought about reading the book. So I'd be interested in your thought too Lara

[Rebecca Kent]

count me in

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome to the challenge, Rebecca!

[Ezi]

Updated Ezi's Post 12 Read 15 of 25

[Danielle]

I started this a couple weeks ago when I saw the post, and I'd love to officially join! (My first challenge)

Duration: 5/27/14 - 5/26/15
Option 1: Freestyle.
Level: Executive Director: 50 books

◈ Female Narrator
Mary Poppins, narrated by Sophie Thompson, finished 6/5/14

The Body in the Library, narrated by Stephanie Cole, finished 6/21/14

Her Royal Spyness, narrated by Katherine Kellgren, finished 10/20/14

◈ Male Narrator
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, narrated by Jeff Woodman, finished 6/15/14

Life of Pi, narrated by Jeff Woodman, finished 9/20/14

Dad Is Fat, narrated by Jim Gaffigan, finished 10/17/14

◈ Duets
Gone Girl, narrated by Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne, finished 9/23/14

◈ Full Cast
The Crucible (Performance), narrated by Full Cast, finished 6/29/14

Wonder, narrated by Full Cast, finished 8/4/14

Ender's Game Special 20th Anniversary Edition, narrated by Full Cast, finished 10/1/14

The Graveyard Book: Full Cast Production, narrated by Full Cast, finished 10/24/14

◈ Dramatizations
Thank You, Jeeves! (Dramatized), narrated by Full Cast, finished 6/29/14

◈ Celebrity Narrator

Gulliver's Travels, narrated by David Hyde Pierce, finished 6/12/14

Yes Please, narrated by Amy Poehler (and Patrick Stewart, Seth Meyers, Carol Burnett, Kathleen Turner, Mike Schur, and William and Eileen Poehler), finished 11/6/14 (would highly recommend)

◈ New-to-Me Narrator
My Man Jeeves, narrated by Martin Jarvis, finished 6/7/14

The Color Purple, narrated by Alice Walker, finished 8/22/14

The Neverending Story, narrated by Gerard Doyle, finished 10/19/14

◈ Favourite Narrator
Peter Pan, narrated by Jim Dale, finished 6/10/14

How to Train Your Dragon, narrated by David Tennant, finished 9/30/14

◈ Less Than 3 Hours
The Tao of Pooh, 2hrs 46mins, narrated by Simon Vance, finished 6/13/14

Doctor Who: Dead Air, 1hr 12mins, narrated by David Tennant, finished 9/20/14

◈ Between 3 - 5 Hours
Coraline, 3hrs 36mins, narrated by Neil Gaiman, finished 6/8/14

Heart of Darkness, 3hrs 51mins, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, finished 6/22/14

◈ More Than 5 Hours to 9.9 Hours
Around the World in 80 Days, 7hrs 51mins, narrated by Jim Dale, finished 6/4/14

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry, 7hrs 33mins, narrated by Jon Ronson, finished 9/29/14

◈ 10 Hours to 14.9 Hours
Slumdog Millionaire, 10hrs 49mins, narrated by Christopher Simpson, finished 6/28/14

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 10hrs 9mins, narrated by Simon Prebble, finished 8/22/14

Call The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times, 12hrs 2mins, narrated by Nicola Barber, finished 10/22/14

◈ 15 Hours to 19.9 Hours
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 16hrs 19mins, narrated by Simon Vance, finished 6/25/14

The Girl Who Played with Fire, 18hrs 39mins, narrated by Simon Vance, finished 8/2/14

◈ 20 Hours to 24.9 Hours
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, 20hrs 20 mins, narrated by Simon Vance, finished 8/17/14

◈ 25 Hours to 29.9 Hours
The Woman in White, 25hrs 5mins, narrated by Josephine Bailey and Simon Prebble, finished 7/27/14

Ulysses, 27hrs 21mins, narrated by Jim Norton (and Marcella Riordan), finished 10/16/14

◈ 30 Hours to 34.9 Hours
Outlander, 33hrs 8mins, narrated by Davina Porter, finished 9/14/14

◈ 35 Hours to 39.9 Hours
Dragonfly in Amber, 39hrs 38mins, narrated by Davina Porter, finished 11/3/14

◈ 40 Hours and Beyond – or a Trilogy!
Voyager, 43hrs 51mins, narrated by Davina Porter, finished 12/31/14

◈ In-Sync Multimedia
The Sign of the Four, narrated by Simon Prebble, 5hrs 6mins, finished 8/9/14

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, narrated by Simon Prebble, 8hrs 27mins, finished 8/29/14

The Hound of the Baskervilles: A Sherlock Holmes Novel, narrated by Simon Prebble, 6hrs 45mins, finished 9/15/14

◈ Planes, Trains, or Automobiles with an Audiobook
How to Be a Woman, narrated by Caitlin Moran, finished 7/2/14

◈ Multitasking! Listening on My Portable Music Player (PMP) Audiobook
The Jungle, narrated by George Guidall, 15hrs 58mins, finished 7/18/14

The Maze Runner, narrated by Mark Deakins, 10hrs 50mins, finished 9/21/14

◈ Audie Award Nominees and Winners
The Help (Audie Award, Fiction, 2010), finished 5/30/14 (Would recommend)

The Witness (Audie Award, Romance, 2013), finished 9/25/14

◈ Recommended by Others
The Lies of Locke Lamora, narrated by Michael Page, finished 9/17/14 (Recommended by Karen)

◈ Classic Read
The Time Machine, narrated by Simon Prebble, finished 6/6/14

The Scarlet Letter, narrated by Ian Lynch, finished 6/17/14

Flowers for Algernon, narrated by Jeff Woodman, finished 9/27/14

◈ Re-Read a Favourite
Persuasion, narrated by Juliet Stevenson, finished 7/6/14

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, narrated by Anne Hathaway, finished 9/27/14

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome to the challenge, Danielle!

[Suzanne]

Nothing but Reading Challenges
All About Audiobooks: A Reading Via Your Ears Challenge
Duration: 6/1/2014 - 5/31/2015

Progress: 13 out of 13

Option Three: Name of Favorite Narrator:
James Marsters from Harry Dresden Audiobooks

J: Jim Butcher; Blood Rites - ***** - 6/7/2014 - 439 Pages
A: Lori Austin; Beauty and the Bounty Hunter - ***** - 6/8/2014 - 300 Pages
M: MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search For A New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche - ***** - 6/26/2014 - 349 Pages
E: Kim Edwards; The Memory Keeper's Daughter - ***** - 7/18/2014 - 401 Pages
S: Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan - ***** - 6/2/2014 - 144 Pages

M: Markus Zusak; I Am the Messenger - ***** - 7/14/2014 - 360 Pages
A: Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery - **** - 7/7/2014 - 379 Pages
R: Richelle Mead; Last Sacrifice - ***** - 6/4/2014 - 594 Pages
S: Splintered by A.G. Howard - ** - 6/9/2014 - 371 Pages
T: The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht - **** - 7/8/2014 - 338 Pages
E: Eloisa James; The Duke Is Mine - *** - 7/28/2014 - 367 Pages
R: Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare - ***** - 6/22/2014 - 370 Pages
S: Shaded Vision by Yasmine Galenorn - ** - 6/18/2014 - 306 Pages

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome to the challenge, Suzanne!

[Kristie]

For anyone that's interested, SYNC downloads has Code Name Verity and The Hiding Place available for free this week. They have some really good downloads this year! :) http://www.audiobooksync.com/

[Shadow Jubilee]

Start: June 12, 2014
End: June 12, 2015
Level: Sound Engineer 16-20 books
Option 1: Freestyle


◈ Female Narrator
An audiobook with one female narrator.

Murphy's Law by Rhys Bowen, narrated by Nicola Barber 6/12

◈ Male Narrator
An audiobook with one male narrator.

Homicidal by Paul Alexander, narrated by Paul Christy 6/14

◈ Duets
An audiobook with one female and one male narrator.

◈ Full Cast
An unabridged audiobook with several narrators; there is a narrator per character (e.g. American Gods by Neal Gaiman). To find these, you can search most sites by the term “Full Cast.”

◈ Dramatizations
An abridged audiobook with background music/noises like the “old school” radio plays (e.g. BBC Radio Drama Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett). Also known as “Performance” audios, if you’re doing a search.

William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher, narrated by cast 6/24

◈ Celebrity Narrator
Category name says it all: Somebody famous narrates. Examples: James Marsters reading Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series or Anne Hathaway reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. BTW, when searching, audible.com is calling this their “A-List Collection.”

Matilda by Roald Dahl, narrated by Kate Winslet 6/23

◈ New-to-Me Narrator
A narrator that you haven’t heard before.

The Secret Piano: From Mao's Labor Camps to Bach's Goldberg Variations by Xiao-Mei Zhu, narrated by Nancy Wu 6/14

◈ Favourite Narrator
A narrator that you have heard and loved before and would recommend to others.

The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren 6/14

◈ Volunteer Narrator
A narrator that is not professional, but volunteers to read books. (Such as those used on librivox.org)

◈ Less Than 3 Hours
An audiobook that you can read in one day!

From Shakespeare with Love: The Best of the Sonnets, narrated by (view spoiler)[David Tennant (Narrator), Juliet Stevenson (Narrator), Anton Lesser (Narrator), Alex Jennings (Narrator), Roy McMillan (Narrator), Tom Mison (Narrator), Anne-Marie Piazza (Narrator) , Hugh Ross (Narrator), Benjamin Soames (Narrator), David Timson (Narrator), Trevor White (Narrator), Maxine Peake (Narrator), Stella Gonet (Narrator), Bertie Carvel (Narrator), Gunnar Cauthery (Narrator), Jonathan Keeble (Narrator) (hide spoiler)]

◈ Between 3 - 5 Hours
An audiobook that falls in this range.

William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return by Ian Doescher, narrated by cast 7/7

◈ More Than 5 Hours to 9.9 Hours
An audiobook that is over 5 hours in length.

Death of Riley by Rhys Bowen, narrated by Nicola Barber

◈ 10 Hours to 14.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a CHUNKSTER! ;) More than 10 hours in length, but less than 15.

Among Others by Jo Walton, narrated by Katherine Kellgren 7/11

◈ 15 Hours to 19.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Colossal Chunkster! More than 15 hours in length, less than 20.

The Last Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters, narrated by Barbara Rosenblat

◈ 20 Hours to 24.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Super Colossal Chunkster! More than 20 hours in length, less than 25.

◈ 25 Hours to 29.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Super-Duper Colossal Chunkster! More than 25 hours in length, less than 30.

◈ 30 Hours to 34.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Monstrous Chunkster! More than 30 hours in length, less than 35.

◈ 35 Hours to 39.9 Hours
An epic, indeed! More than 35 hours in length, less than 40.

◈ 40 Hours and Beyond – or a Trilogy!
Beyond epic, indeed! Time to implant ear buds in your head. Forty hours or more! For this one we will also allow a trilogy that qualifies in length, or three books anywhere within a series, if you “read” all of it/them via audio.

◈ In-Sync Multimedia
Use an audible sync option to read-along! Such as the new read-along with your Kindle option by audible.com called Whispersync, which remembers your last stopping point in either device. However, you may read a book using any two media choices your desire, as long as one of them is via audio.

◈ Digital Downloads Freebies
Keep it legal! Public libraries using OverDrive Media Console, or Bolinda Audio (BorrowBox), or OneClickDigital downloads. There are also free sites like:

librivox.org
Project Gutenberg Audio Books Project
audiobooksync.com - scheduled release dates

...Audiobooksync has free audiobooks over the Northern Hemisphere’s summer.

◈ Multitasking! Listening on My Portable Music Player (PMP) Audiobook
Put on those headphones, get cleaning, gardening, grocery shopping, power-walking, even knitting while “reading” a book! Use your Smartphone, MP3, Walkman, portable CD player, iPod, episodic podcast, whatever! Just make Oprah proud.

Queen of Hearts by Rhys Bowen, narrated by Katharine Kellgren

◈ Audie Award Nominees and Winners
You be the judge. Try an audiobook that has been nominated or won an Audie – any category counts – and lists may be found at audiopub.org (look to the right of the screen for past years).

Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys - (Billy Crystal) 6/24

◈ Classic Read
Have you always wanted to broaden your reading horizons and get to that classic everyone seems to talk about? Try it via audio.

◈ Re-Read a Favourite
Old or new, choose a book you’ve read and loved - and see if you could possibly love it even more via audio. (Note: The right narrator is even more crucial here!)

[Marcia]

Finished as of 07/13/2013: ;

Finished as of 07/09/14: (my ears are having fun!)
; ; ;

Finished as of 6/26/14:
; ;

Finished:
|30243]
I have the rest of the books on hold in my digital library along with the Anita Blake series and Mercy Thompson. Merry Gentry is better than I expected but I just started book 7 and it is the third different narrator. I hate that.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Thanks, Kristie!

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome to the challenge, The UHQ Nasanta!

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Congratulations, Marcygold!

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

4th audio for this challenge done


✓ The Reluctant Assassin (9hours, 29mins)★★★

Thanks to audiobook sync for the free download. It wasn't quite Artemis Fowl so I may have been a bit hard in my rating, but it is so hard when an author starts a new series after a series that you have loved.
The narration wasn't bad, but I didn't like his attempt at the female characters. The ability to switch between accents was impressive though

[Kristie]

Just started book #7, The Fault in Our Stars. So far, I am enjoying the audio version. It was also and Audi winner in 2013. I am going to have to increase my goal! I've started listening to a lot of books during my commute. :)

I just finished catching up with The Iron Druid Chronicles series and bought the newest addition to the series, Shattered, from Audible. For any one that is interested in the series, Luke Daniels does a great job with the narration.

Does anyone have any thoughts for the longest of the timed reads (40 Hours and Beyond – or a Trilogy!)? I don't have anything planned for this one and most of the series reads I'm interested in at the moment are not trilogies, but longer series. I'd be interested in seeing other people's ideas.

Mods - For the above (40 Hours and Beyond – or a Trilogy!), could we read a few books from the same series (not a trilogy)? Such as 3 or 4 Dresden Files in a row?

[Barb]

Kristie wrote: "Does anyone have any thoughts for the longest of the timed reads (40 Hours and Beyond – or a Trilogy!)?"

The Game of Thrones books have to be close to 40 hours, don't they?

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Hey Kristie - Great job getting through so many already!

For the 40 hours yes you can read any books within a series not just a trilogy, so the Dresden books could be a good option. I must get back to them myself so I may steal your idea for that category ;)

[Shadow Jubilee]

I'd started listening to The Fiery Cross last year and recently picked it up again. Would it still be eligible for this challenge since I still had to listen to Parts 2-7/7?

If so, I'll use it for the Longest of the Time Reads since it has a length of 55 hours and 34 minutes....

If not, I'll use the next book which has a length of 57 hours and 46 minutes. Good grief.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

The UHQ Nasanta wrote: "I'd started listening to The Fiery Cross last year and recently picked it up again. Would it still be eligible for this challenge since I still had to listen to Parts 2-7/7?

..."

Sure I think that is fine as you are listening to most of it and what you are listening to is over 40 hours!
Good grief indeed :D

[Shadow Jubilee]

:D Yeah. I'm on Part 5/7 and shuddering knowing what is going to happen next (view spoiler)[to Roger (hide spoiler)].

I went looking for ideas for some categories, and I already found two audiobooks on Audible that I desperately want. Problem is, I'd put my subscription on hold until August! To wait or not to wait...

For the celebrity reading:
Billy Crystal - Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys

http://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoir...


And not sure where this will go but I'm sure it'll fit somewhere:
William Shakespeare's Star Wars

http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fant...

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

William Shakespeare's Star Wars looks cool! I wonder if that would be a "full cast"? There seem to be a few narrators there

[Shadow Jubilee]

I think it could. I also have Dracula
http://www.audible.com/pd/Classics/Dr...

which would qualify for "full cast" or celebrity. Narrators include Tim Curry and Alan Cumming.


I gave in and renewed my subscription. I guess there goes my budget for the next month. :D

I also got Matilda, narrated by Kate Winslet. The sample had me laughing out loud so I just had to buy that, too.

I have no control.

[Barb]

Karen wrote: "William Shakespeare's Star Wars looks cool! I wonder if that would be a "full cast"? There seem to be a few narrators there"

I read the book, not listened to it, but I liked it a lot :) I've also read William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back, and am waiting for my library to order William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return so I can finish the series :)

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

The UHQ Nasanta wrote: "gave in and renewed my subscription. I guess there goes my budget for the next month. :D

I also got Matilda, narrated by Kate Winslet. The sample had me laughing out loud so I just had to buy that, too.

I have no control. ..."

LOl! Good for you ;)

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Barb wrote: "I read the book, not listened to it, but I liked it a lot..."

nice! I'll have to look them up!

[Kristie]

Karen wrote: "Hey Kristie - Great job getting through so many already!

For the 40 hours yes you can read any books within a series not just a trilogy, so the Dresden books could be a good option. I must get bac..."

Thanks, Karen!

[Kristie]

Barb wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Does anyone have any thoughts for the longest of the timed reads (40 Hours and Beyond – or a Trilogy!)?"

The Game of Thrones books have to be close to 40 hours, don't they?"

Hi Barb - According to Audible the first book is 33 hrs and 50 mins, so not quite long enough. I also thought of The Name of the Wind, but that's *only* 27 hrs and 58 mins. So, they both fit into big, chunky book categories, but not the 40+ one. I also looked at some Stephen King books, but have read many of them and still haven't found what I'm going to read yet. :)

[Barb]

Well rats LOL I was guessing, I should have gone to look it up! What about some of those behemoths by Ken Follett?