Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion
Challenge Theme: Audio
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All About Audiobooks: A Reading Via Your Ears Challenge
Karen wrote: "Any good recommendations on the categories of:*30 Hours to 34.9 Hours
*over 40 hours (or a trilogy)
*full cast
?
they are the 3 I'm stuck on right now"
Karen, Outlander series is good, Outlander was 33 hours long and some of the other books in the series are even longer.
Karen wrote: "Any good recommendations on the categories of:*30 Hours to 34.9 Hours
*over 40 hours (or a trilogy)
*full cast
?
they are the 3 I'm stuck on right now"
Have you read Room by Emma Donoghue? It's got a different person that narrates each character for the full cast one.
Mod
Lara - I'm not a genre reader, but I love character driven novels which can cover lots of genres. I don't tend to read much Romance or Horror, but otherwise I'm open!
Just came across this challenge and I got to try it out!I think I will begin at the Sound Engineer level, but I may up it later on. 16-20 books
I will start with Freestyle but who knows, maybe i will get all of them for Want-It-All. (Wouldn't that be grand!)
Start Date Dec. 1st, 2014 - Nov. 30th, 2015.
CATEGORIES: - Thirty categories from which to choose.
◈ Female Narrator
An audiobook with one female narrator.
◈ Male Narrator
An audiobook with one male narrator.
◈ 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
A narrator that you haven’t heard before.
◈ 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
An audiobook that is over 5 hours in length.
◈ 10 Hours to 14.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a CHUNKSTER! ;) More than 10 hours in length, but less than 15.
◈ 15 Hours to 19.9 Hours
An audiobook that is a Colossal Chunkster! More than 15 hours in length, less than 20.
◈ 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.
◈ 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!
◈ 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. (Note: The right narrator is even more crucial here!)
Karen - You're stuck on the same ones I am! The following are all between 30 & 35 hours:
Outlander
A Game of Thrones
The Goldfinch
Fall of Giants
11/22/63
For over 40, I did a series. But, you can check on audible and do a search for longer audio books that way.
Oh, and I think We Are Water is a full cast book. Or there's always American Gods.
Karen wrote: "Thanks for the recs, I'll check them out (Outlander has been on my list for a long time!)Lara - I'm not a genre reader, but I love character driven novels which can cover lots of genres. I don't ..."
Karen, that's hard. Most of mine (length and full cast) are Sci-Fi or fantasy.
I'm assuming you aren't interested in really long books (War and Remembrance is 56 hours!). But, I just learned that you can browse Audible genres (fiction, mystery, etc.), select all, and then sort by length. I wish I had known this before!
Audible also has a listing of some full cast books, but I found it limited. You could look at the full cast Audie nominees for the past few years too. Those at least should have both a good story and strong narration.
To follow-up, I just came across The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye. I've been wanting to read it for some time, and the audiobook has a 4.3 average on Audible. It is almost 49 hours long.
Mod
Kristie - Darn it, I've already read a few of those, but not via audio (The Goldfinch I did a little, but mostly I ploughed through on my kindle!). I did read American Gods on audio, but maybe it was before this challenge? I'll have to check :o
Love the idea of reading Room ; thanks Michelle! I'll seek it out
Good idea about checking out the Audie nominees too Lara, thanks for reminding me to do that and for your recommendations
And welcome to the challenge Cathie!
Karen: I also used Room for my full cast book, it was really great. Hope you enjoy it!
Finished books #8 and #9:
- This is one of the most consistent series I've ever read. Each book was so rich in detail, characterization and storytelling. Jennifer Ikea's narration is superb. I really hope that Harkness writes more books in the future. 
- Disappointing. Too much running around and not enough character or plot development. The ending is also very anti-climactic. Gabra Zackman's narration is as good but even the best narrator cannot compensate for poor material :0(
All About Audiobooks ChallengeDuration: 12/9/14 - 12/8/15
Level: Director 30 books
Option 2 - Want It All (one from each category)
◈ Female Narrator
✔Grave Secrets 1/16/15
◈ Male Narrator
✔The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 12/30/14
◈ Duets
✔2nd Chance 12/22/14
◈ Full Cast
✔American Gods 1/20/15
◈ Dramatizations
✔The Crucible 2/18/15
◈ Celebrity Narrator
✔The Kitchen House 3/14/15
◈ New-to-Me Narrator
✔The Guardian 12/22/14
◈ Favourite Narrator
✔Monday Mourning 1/26/15
◈ Volunteer Narrator
✔ Aesop's Fables
◈ Less Than 3 Hours
✔Charlotte's Web 3/6/15
◈ Between 3 - 5 Hours
✔Thanksgiving 12/18/14
◈ More Than 5 Hours to 9.9 Hours
✔Deadly Decisions 12/23/14
◈ 10 Hours to 14.9 Hours
✔ Fatal Voyage 1/4/15
◈ 15 Hours to 19.9 Hours
✔All the Light We Cannot See
◈ 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
✔Outlander 6/30/15
◈ 35 Hours to 39.9 Hours
Dragonfly in Amber
◈ 40 Hours and Beyond – or a Trilogy!
✔ A Discovery of Witches 3/30/15
✔ Shadow of Night 4/4/15
✔ The Book of Life 5/28/15
◈ In-Sync Multimedia
◈ Digital Downloads Freebies
✔A Study in Scarlet
◈ Doing it “Old School”
✔Déjà Dead 12/10/14
◈ Planes, Trains, or Automobiles with an Audiobook
✔ Bare Bones 1/22/15
◈ Multitasking! Listening on My Portable Music Player (PMP) Audiobook
✔Déjà Dead / Death du Jour 12/15/14
◈ Audie Award Nominees and Winners
✔The Help 4/12/15
◈ Recommended by Others
✔ The Martian 1/6/15
◈ BOM via Audiobook
✔ Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore 7/3/15
◈ “Buddy Read” via Audiobook
◈ Classic Read
✔ The Great Gatsby 2/28/15
◈ Re-Read a Favourite
Finished!! I completed the Sound Engineer level with 20 books. My challenge post is here. I was surprised that this only took me 3 months! This was a fun challenge. Thanks! :-)
Forgot to post books #10 and #11:
- I really loved this series and am sad that it has come to an end. 
- This series gets better and better.
Christine wrote: "Finished!! I completed the Sound Engineer level with 20 books. My challenge post is here. I was surprised that this only took me 3 months! This was a fun challenge. Thanks! :-)"Congrats, Christine! I think this one's fun too.
Lauren wrote: "Forgot to post books #10 and #11: - I really loved this series and am sad that it has come to an end. [bookcover:The Strangers on Montagu Street|1076597..."
Thanks for the recommendations! I've added them to my TBR.
Lara wrote: "Thanks for the recommendations! I've added them to my TBR. "Sure thing. Hope you enjoy them :0)
Mod
I started it... but oh I'm not sure.... I don't think I'm in the right headspace for that kind of book. I may need to find another :o
Mod
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#40
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#41
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Finished! This was my first Goodreads challenge and it was fun, thanks! Hard not to include more books, but 50 is a good number.Duration: 5/27/14 - 12/31/14
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
Mod
Yea Danielle! You're an impressive listener!
Karen wrote: "Nice work Danielle! Which one was your favourite?"Oh, so many good ones, I can't choose just one, I loved just about all of them. I'm late to the party on it, but The Help was wonderful! It was well suited for audio. Jim Gaffigan's books just sound like he's doing stand-up and Amy Poehler is fantastic, so those were great as well. Always love Neil Gaiman. Audiobook was a huge help finishing the Outlander books as well as bringing to life some of the classics.
Mod
Question about Outlander - would you consider it a romance novel? I'm trying to decide if it is worth my time or not and I don't mind romance in a book, but I'm not keen on it being the main theme
Mod
- Foreign book
Listen to an audiobook in a language that is not your native language, or by a narrator that is playing the main character who doesn't have English as a first language (e.g. The Orphan Master's Son or A Tale for the Time Being)
-Book to movie
Listen to an audiobook that has been made into a movie
- Author narration
Listen to a book narrated by the author
- Series books
Listen to a book that is:
1st in a series
2nd in a series
3rd in a series
4th in a series
5th in a series
6th in a series
7th in a series
8th in a series
9th in a series
10th or more in a series
-Genres:
Fiction
Historical Fiction
Horror
Non fiction
Suspense
Humour
Contemporary
Sci-fi
Fantasy
Romance
Young adult
Mystery
Thriller
- For a challenge
Listen to an audio book in order to finish one of your reading challenges or for a team challenge
-Go back in time
Part 1 - Listen to an audio book that was written in the 19th century (January 1, 1801 – December 31, 1900)
Part 2 - Listen to an audio book that was written in the 20th century (January 1, 1901 - December 31, 2000)
Part 3 - Listen to an audio book that was written in the 21st century (January 1, 2001 - current)
Karen wrote: "Thanks for the recommendations!Question about Outlander - would you consider it a romance novel? I'm trying to decide if it is worth my time or not and I don't mind romance in a book, but I'm not..."
There is some romance, to be sure. Maybe 1/3?
Karen - Just saw level 2! It looks great. I can't think of anything to add at the moment, but I'll think on it and if I can come up with something, I'll let you know tomorrow. :) Excited to keep going!
Mod
Finished 4 more books:#12 -
- Khristine Hvam's narration is fantastic as always. Some good developments in the story and it will be interesting to see what happens next. #13 -
- A solid thriller. Bolton's writing is very immersive and Lacey is growing as a character. Lisa Coleman's narration is very good. #14 -
- Very different from the previous installments in the series. A lot of new world building and characters but I like the direction the author is going in. Liv Andersen's narration is far too slow and it is necessary to speed up the narration x1.5#15 -
- I tried reading this one but couldn't get into it. The audiobook solved that problem. I really enjoyed the story and the characters, and Justine Eyre's narration is excellent. Her accents are spot on and she distinguishes between male and female characters very well.
Mod
re: your #15, I've had that with some books before ; the audio just gets me over that 'bump' and into the book!
Karen wrote: "@Laurenre: your #15, I've had that with some books before ; the audio just gets me over that 'bump' and into the book!"
I'm going to try it with some other books that I've had difficulty with but really want to read.
Karen - How are you doing with the audio of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell? I'm thinking about using it for my 30-35 hour slot, but I'm not sure if it would be too confusing.
Mod
I don't think you would enjoy the book as much on audio to be honest. A large component of the book is footnotes (sounds weird, but once you start you'll understand!) and I find this doesn't work as well on audio, I'm considering finding a different one for that category too and just continuing with my kindle
That's too bad. I have a couple other ideas. I'll probably choose something different as well.
Mod
Mod
#45
◈ Full Cast
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#46
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Mod
Finished 3 more books:#16 -
- Enjoyed this one more than the first two books perhaps because the heroine is different and more likable. Laurel Merlington is a so-so narrator. She sounds much older than the heroine's 24 years although her voice for the teenage character was spot on. Just the right amount of childishness and teenage angst. #17 -
- An excellent thriller and Kathleen McInerney's narration captures the intensity of the action. I was on the edge of my seat by the end. #18 -
- I had put this one down a while ago but picked it up again because of a group read. I'm glad I did because the 2nd half is much better than the first and there are some exciting new developments. Marguerite Gavin's narration is first class and I love her voice for Jenks.
Mod
All categories completed and just one book to go!
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Kimberly wrote: "I'm done! : )"Yay Kimberly!
Nice job, Karen & Kimberly!! I only have 4 categories to go. I've listened to many audios that just don't fit in my challenge lately. I'm planning to start I Am Pilgrim next month for my 20-25 hour book. And I think I'm going to listen to Dracula for my classic. I simply can't decide what to listen to for my 30-35 or 35-40 hour slots. There are a couple books that might be interesting, but those are long books, if I end up not liking them.
Karen - Will the part 2 be starting soon??
I've started a couple of longer audiobooks, but am having trouble keeping with them. Since I no longer have a long commute each day, it is hard to build listening in to my other activities. Plus, my husband isn't interested in listening along with me. I'm thinking of doing the categories without those over 20 hours.
Lara - I used a series for the longest category. That may work for you.
Kristie wrote: "Lara - I used a series for the longest category. That may work for you."I started to do that for the longest limit, but got stuck after 2 books. Maybe I picked the wrong series.
Mod
Yes, Kristie I will get part 2 together soon (now that Tower Teams has finished!)
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