August 2014

[John, Moderator]

This month finds me partway through The Crooked Maid, terrific writing but it's a long book.

[MissSusie]

I am listening to Doctor Who: The Feast of the Drowned by Stephen Cole narrated by David Tennant I love that David reads the narrative in his Scottish accent and the Doctor bits as the voice whovians know so well and his voicing of Mickey is fantastic!

[Dee]

still listening to All These Things I've Done - its not bad, but i'm not enthralled either - the world building is leaving a lot open

[Travis]

Dresden Fool Moon

[Janice]

Started Inferno a couple of days ago. So far, I'm enjoying it.

[Liz]

Started the YA book We Were Liars. It's very good but I don't like the narrators male voices. BUT it's a quick one and I'm curious to see what happens.

[Esther]

Just started yesterday. Not too crazy about the narrator's voice but I am determined to finish it.

[Heidi]

Esther wrote: "Just started yesterday. Not too crazy about the narrator's voice but I am determined to finish it."

I read that series in print and tried to re-read it on audiobook but really disliked the narrator so quit.

[Kelly]

I have about an hour left of Project Maigo by Jeremy Robinson. I'm liking the narration.

[MissSusie]

Finished the Doctor Who book.... now listening to Fortunately, the Milk by, Neil Gaiman.

After that I think I will start a re-listen of Outlander the premiere date seemed so far away I thought I had plenty of time but now it is 9 days away from the premiere of the show (actually get a sneak peek of the 1st episode tomorrow) need a refresher on the characters that were in the 1st book been awhile since I listened to this one.

[Jan]

I've started listening to The Colour by Rose Tremain. Seems like it will be an interesting portrait of New Zealand during their gold rush of the 1860's. Liking the narrator, Eleanor Bron so far. She seems like a good fit for the story.

[Taylor]

Janice wrote: "Started Inferno a couple of days ago. So far, I'm enjoying it."

That's on my list! I am about to start The Hundred-Foot Journey since I have one week before the movie may or may not ruin it, and then Inferno! I'm very excited! Let me know what you thought!

[Kristie]

Just finished Trustee from the Toolroom. I would classify this as a "nice little story," with maybe a little more depth to it than A Town Like Alice. Great narration.

Now, for a book I've wanted to listen to for a long time: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. My last Christopher Moore book was a total disappointment (Coyote Blue), so I'm hoping this one is more in the vein of some of the others he's done that I love, like A Dirty Job.

[Ezinwanyi]

Listening to Magic Breaks and will follow up with Come Away with Me

[John, Moderator]

Just a reminder that folks on mobile devices can't often tell what book you're talking about based on an image alone. Thanks!

[Kristie]

OK, I think the Christopher Moore luster has officially worn off for me. I'm probably just done with his books...Lamb should be a perfect fit for my taste (irreverent, funny, cynical), but it's just not working for me. If it's not working on a Friday afternoon, it's not going to work for me at all.

On to the next book on my list: The Constant Gardener.

[Fran]

I'm about 1/3 of the way through Between Love and Honor and I've had to ramp up the speed. It's just been one long setup for the background of the story. The narration is 'eh'. It's not worth abandoning, just a bit sluggish.

[Norma]

Just finished The Good Earth which I totally enjoyed!

Next up - Memoirs of a Geisha

[Margaret]

Norma wrote: "Just finished The Good Earth which I totally enjoyed!

Next up - Memoirs of a Geisha"

I loved Anthony Heald's narration of The Good Earth. Unfortunately, they went with a different narrator for the next two in the trilogy and I couldn't finish listening.

[Whitney]

idk if I put this here but listening to Phoenix Rising

[Jeanie]

Chakara wrote: "idk if I put this here but listening to Phoenix Rising"

Yep, this is where you put it. And be sure to let us know what you think of it when you finish.

[Karen]

Just finished Cold Days by Jim Butcher (my first listen to Marsters, have read the books for the others)and doing a re-read of Sword of the Lady by S.M. Stirling, trying to get caught up to read the two newest books in this series.

[Jeanie]

Karen wrote: "Just finished Cold Days by Jim Butcher (my first listen to Marsters, have read the books for the others)and doing a re-read of Sword of the Lady by S.M. Stirling, trying to get caught up to read th..."

I'm wondering how it was for you to listen to Dresden in your ears rather than your head? Some people have difficulty making the transition when they've formed their own notion of a character voice in their own head. And you've had 15 books to hear your own version of Harry. Since I've only ever listened to the Dresden Files, of course I adore Marsters version of Harry. I missed hearing Toot Toot in the latest one, Skin Game, but enjoyed the light Southern drawl of a new character, Goodman Gray.

[Norma]

Margaret wrote: "Norma wrote: "Just finished The Good Earth which I totally enjoyed!

Next up - Memoirs of a Geisha"

I loved Anthony Heald's narration of The Good Earth. Unfortunately, they ..."

Margaret wrote: "Norma wrote: "Just finished The Good Earth which I totally enjoyed!

Next up - Memoirs of a Geisha"

I loved Anthony Heald's narration of The Good Earth. Unfortunately, they ..."

I did too. After listening to the sample I'll skip the next 2, maybe revisit later. I just think that if there is more than one book, the same narrator should do all of them. After listening to one narrator for 8+ hours, it just breaks the continuity of the story when another narrator takes over.

[Heidi]

Norma wrote: "Just finished The Good Earth which I totally enjoyed!

Next up - Memoirs of a Geisha"

I really like Memoirs of a Geisha. I listened to it in college many moons ago when I was less jaded and picky so I hope it holds up :)

[Travis]

Just started The Gates of Rome my first listening to Robert Glenister so far I like it

[Hunchback Jack]

I finally finish The Crook Factory by Dan Simmons. It was very good, although the plot was a bit meandering, and it suffered a bit from Simmons putting too much of his research into the novel. I would still highly recommend it though.

On to some non-fiction - For the Love if Physics. The first couloir of chapters are interesting but *very* basic. I hope there's some more advanced stuff later.

HBJ

[Robin P]

I finished Elizabeth Is Missing and gave the story 4 stars, the narration 5. I figured out the mystery partway through but that wasn't the most important thing. I thought Davina Porter was outstanding conveying the changing moods and confusion of the lead character while keeping her relatable.

I'm now listening to Swallows and Amazons which is the kind of children's book I liked as a kid, about real kids doing things (although I also liked fantasy). It's a bit like the Little House books in that it seems to be wanting to teach the reader how to operate a sailboat. These days parents who let their kids go out sailing by themselves might be reported for neglect!

[Janice]

Taylor wrote: "Janice wrote: "Started Inferno a couple of days ago. So far, I'm enjoying it."

That's on my list! I am about to start The Hundred-Foot Journey since I have one week..."

I started The Giver for the same reason. I really want t see Hundred-Foot Journey. Maybe I should read that one too.

[Jeanie]

I finished The Clockwork Scarab byColleen Gleason and narrated by Jane Entwistle, first in the Stoker & Holmes YA series. This is Steampunk with a fun concept: the sister of the Dracula author, Bram Stoker and the niece of Sherlock Holmes are recruited to do secret work for the crown. Adding to intrigue is that the woman who is their contact is none other than Irene Adler, the only woman who ever got the better of Sherlock Holmes. For some as yet unknown reason, another twist is a teenage boy who has time-traveled to this alternate history from the year 2016. There are little hommages to The Parasol Protectorate and the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books if I'm not mistaken. It's close to the Parasol Protectorate in ambiance and attitude. It'salso similar to the Enola Homes series with a teenaged sister of the two Holmes boys that I did enjoy. We get a brief cameo appearance by Holmes and Watson and a visit with Stoker as he finds his inspiration for his vampire hunter and a girl's name. There are a few minor discrepancies with the Conan Doyle canon, such as the fact that Alvamina (called Mina hint, hint Dracula fans) is his daughter and his wife left him and lives in Paris, but that can be explained by the fact that it is an alternate history which already deviates from our known world.

This was pretty good for a first book in a series, but not perfect. And Jane Entwistle did a generally good job except that she didn't differentiate enough between the Stoker and Holmes girls and the POV switched between the two of them in a first person narrative. I will get the next one, The Spiritglass Charade, when it comes out October 7 because it's a fun premise done fairly welland hopefully will continue to get better.

[Patricia]

I finished Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore. I liked it, but didn't love it. It was a bit chick lit - poor & plain Mabel drawn into the secrets and scandals of the large wealthy (and attractive) Winslow family. What I'd call "a good vacation read"
Excellent narration by Cassandra Campbell as usual.

Just started Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford. Only about 2 hours in and really liking it so far.

[MissSusie]

Jeanie wrote: "I finished The Clockwork Scarab byColleen Gleason and narrated by Jane Entwistle, first in the Stoker & Holmes YA series. This is Steampunk with a fun concept: the sister of the Dracula author, Br..."

Thanks for that description sounds like one I would enjoy!

[Jan]

Jeanie wrote: "I finished The Clockwork Scarab byColleen Gleason and narrated by Jane Entwistle, first in the Stoker & Holmes YA series. This is Steampunk with a fun concept: the sister of the Dracula author, Br..."

Jeanie - Bought this last month thinking it would be something I would like - thanks for confirming that it will be a fun read!

[Karen]

Jeanie wrote: "Karen wrote: "Just finished Cold Days by Jim Butcher (my first listen to Marsters, have read the books for the others)and doing a re-read of Sword of the Lady by S.M. Stirling, trying to get caught..."

I have to say it was a bit strange to hear some of the characterizations, they really didn't match up to my own version in my head. I did listen to Ghost Story on audio, the one that Marsters didn't do and it was closer to what I pictured, even though others didn't like it having been used to hearing Marsters version. I just needed a bit of help to get back into the series and it was good to have this option. I will go back to the book for Skin Game though :)

[Kelly]

I've just started Magic Mirror by Sean Ellis. It narrated by James Conlan who is new to me.

[Jester]

I'm listing to The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes

[Liz]

Finished We Were Liars - it was a nice quick one, but I didn't LOVE it.

Tomorrow I will either start The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or The Leftovers.

[Jeanie]

Dipper wrote: "I'm listening to The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes"

Is that the Heirloom collection read by Simon Vance or the one read by Charlton Griffin? I've read both--the Heirloom Collection is actually one collection short of complete--and prefer Vance because his female voices are so much better. Fortunately, there aren't a huge number of females in the Holmes stories and Griffin does a good job otherwise, but stories like The Sign of Four can be difficult to tolerate when there is a significant female character. Whichever version, I hope you love Holmes as much as I do.

[CatBookMom]

Jeanie wrote: "Is that the Heirloom collection read by Simon Vance or the one read by Charlton Griffin? I've read both--the Heirloom Coll..."

Oh, thanks, I think. Or maybe not. I'm another one of the many Simon Vance fangirls, but I have the Charlton Griffin collection, and really hoped I wouldn't cave and buy SV's. But now I'm off to use one of my credits....

[Laura]

I just finished Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs. It was my first Molly Harper book and I enjoyed it, although it was a bit fluffier than I usually like. I think in this case the narrator really made the book and I enjoyed listening to Amanda Ronconi more than the story line. I'm not sure if I'll buy the rest of the books in the series - I'll keep an eye out for them on sale but I don't think I'll spend a credit on them.

[Dee]

Molly Harper is a guilty pleasure for me, although i'll say that I liked her Werewolf series much more than the Jane Jameson book that I listened to

[Laura]

Dee wrote: "Molly Harper is a guilty pleasure for me, although i'll say that I liked her Werewolf series much more than the Jane Jameson book that I listened to"

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check that series out!

[Norma]

There is a Learn-a-Language BOGO going on now until August 6 from Pimsleur. I always wanted to learn Japanese. Has anyone tried any of the courses and what's your opinion?

[Janice]

I finished Inferno tonight. Next up is Lover Revealed.

[Jeanie]

Norma wrote: "There is a Learn-a-Language BOGO going on now until August 6 from Pimsleur. I always wanted to learn Japanese. Has anyone tried any of the courses and what's your opinion?"

I mentioned this in the "Audible Offers" thread, a guy I knew used the Pimler program to teach himself Italian and after 3 weeks could cobble together enough Italian to participate in a group that met weekly to speak conversationally in Italian. He was well-motivated and worked diligently to get through the lessons--he was planning a trip to Italy later that year--and his grammar and vocabulary were fairly decent for a beginner. Once he took his trip he didn't study as hard so he didn't advance much and I must admit he didn't have a very good ear for pronunciation even though he did have a good memory for the vocabulary and grammar. If you want to speak a foreign language, you need to find someone to speak it with once you've mastered some basics.

[Dee]

i used the Pimsleur for learnign Arabic before I deployed to Iraq a few years ago - I didn't get far, but what I learnt was helpful - much better than the "all-day" (read 2 hour session) that the army gave us...but like Jeanie said, you probably need to find someone who speaks it to help - but that is par for the course with learning any kind of language

I think that the languages that use a different character set (japanese, arabic, russian) etc are probably harder to learn via cd's etc because when you see in writing, you can't reason out - unlike say something in French compared to English (does that make sense?)

[Sue]

I started Someone, which I got from the library, thankfully, and I guess I'm getting more discriminating, because after just a few sentences, I was unable to listen anymore and knew I would never make it through. Kate Reading is the narrator. I still want to read the book, but in this case, I think print will work better.

I have The Night Guest as my first Wispersync book, so I'll probably start that next. I've been away so I have a few podcasts to catch up on first!

[Dee]

about the only 'poetry' i've listened to is Ellen Hopkins which is free verse - so it listens almost like a book, but each page is a different poem

[Travis]

I'm listening to Michael Page narrate Treasure Island and loving it

[Xe]

Joy wrote: "Does anyone here ever listen to poetry? The only poetry I ever tried from audible was a recording so horrible that I just couldn't listen to it. This was several years ago; I'm sure today I would r..."

Hi Joy! You might consider checking out Naxos Audiobooks as they produce classics, including a large amount of poetry. That link will take you to one of their Wordsworth collections.

If you'd rather stick with Audible, looks like they have quite a bit more Wordsworth than I would have expected! Perhaps something there will be to your liking :) Click the link above to hit the search I did on Wordsworth.

But I'll confess, that although I love poetry and record it myself almost weekly (just for me - not professionally), I generally shy away from poetry in audio because I often find that the readings are too stiff and enslaved to the line breaks, which runs counter to how poetry reads in my head. So I wish you luck - let us know if you find something you like?