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Connie's 2020 Challenge
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Connie
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Jan 01, 2020 03:04PM
Going to shoot for 100. Last year I read a lot of cozies - fast and fun - but I think I need a bit of a break from them. Hope to venture into a little more fantasy. Also going to try the audio route a bit.
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1. The Dutch House - Ann Patchett 3 stars2. Olive, Again - Elizabeth Strout 5 stars
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2. Olive, Again - Elizabeth Strout 5 stars"
I want to read both of these Connie! I'm glad to see you gave Olive, again 5 stars.
3. Sizzling Sixteen. Only 3 stars - maybe audible isn’t the best way for me to enjoy reading. I’ll give Stephanie Plum another go - I still have 10 to read in the series.
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Yet another series I want to read someday. lol. Add it to the list!
Connie wrote: "3. Sizzling Sixteen. Only 3 stars - maybe audible isn’t the best way for me to enjoy reading. I’ll give Stephanie Plum another go - I still have 10 to read in the series."Connie wrote: "1. The Dutch House - Ann Patchett 3 stars
2. Olive, Again - Elizabeth Strout 5 stars"
OH I want to read The Dutch House. I absolutely love that cover.
About audiobooks - sometimes you get a great narrator and sometimes you don't [and that unfortunately happens more often than not, just ask any of here that listen on a regular basis]. I went and listened to a sample of the book you just read and MEH. I wouldn't have loved the book either with that narrator [I disliked two WILDLY popular books simply because the narration was crap*]. Don't give up on audiobooks; I promise that there are amazing narrators out there [if you'd like a list of ones that I personally love and look for, I would be happy to share - just let me know].
*A friend and I read Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and she read the book and I listened. She loved it, I did not. We then went and saw the author at an event and she did a reading of a passage I had just listened to a couple days previously [and had felt NOTHING while listening to it on audio] and when she was done, we were ALL weeping and I was wishing that the author had narrated this book. Her ability to put all the emotion into it - it was amazing. And then I had to go back to the narrator and it was just meh. That reading and how amazing it was stayed with me for a long time.
thanks for that insight. I will keep trying and would love to see your list of amazing narrators. I expected to like The Dutch House more, about half way through, I grew tired of the protagonist's 'voice' - and I was reading it!
Andrea wrote: "Connie wrote: "1. The Dutch House - Ann Patchett 3 stars2. Olive, Again - Elizabeth Strout 5 stars"
I want to read both of these Connie! I'm glad to see you gave Olive, again 5 stars."
Olive Again, blew me away. Questions I have been asking myself lately were addressed by Olive and her life.
Elyse wrote: "Connie wrote: "3. Sizzling Sixteen. Only 3 stars - maybe audible isn’t the best way for me to enjoy reading. I’ll give Stephanie Plum another go - I still have 10 to read in the series."Yet anoth..."
I enjoyed them up to about #15 and now, not so much. I took a break for several years and am hoping the last 8-9 are back to same enjoyment level as the first 15. There are 26 (27 in November) books in the series.
Connie wrote: "thanks for that insight. I will keep trying and would love to see your list of amazing narrators. I expected to like The Dutch House more, about half way through, I grew tired of the protagonist'..."
Uh oh. That is never good when that happens.
Amazing narrators:
James Langton
Susie Bernais [I CANNOT recommend this one enough. She narrated Uncle Tom's Cabin and WOW. Just amazing. I'd listen to anything she narrates]
Nicola Barber
Simon Vance [I LOVE him. He is narrating A Tale of Two Cities and is just making that book come alive for me]
Simon Prebble
Tim Curry [he does a narration of Dracula, which Simon Vance and Alan Cumming and an assorted cast that is just amazing and he also does an narration of The Christmas Carol that made me swoon and look at that story in a completely new way]
John Lee
Bahni Turpin
Elizabeth Knowlden
Orlagh Cassidy
Sophie Thompson [she narrates several the Mary Poppins books and is just delightful]
Dan Stevens
Suzanne Toren [though I would use her only OUTSIDE of cozies - I have not liked her cozy narration at all. She narrated Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin {a NF book about Lincoln} and it was amazing]
Ralph Lister
Will Patton [he narrates The Raven Cycle books and WOWSERS. I love his voice - though there are many that don't so this one especially is a personal preference]
Neil Shah
George Newbern
Ralph Cosham [though he was rude and went and died so no new stuff by him. ;-) ]
Miriam Margolyes [she was Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter movies and is an excellent narrator]
Jim Dale
Jayne Entwistle [she narrates the Flavia De Luce series and is just fantastic. She is a huge favorite]
George Guidall
Stephen Fry
Scott Brick
Nick Offerman
Gemma Dawson
Wil Wheaton
Alison Larkin
Rosamund Pike
Nicholas Guy Smith
David Suchet
Hugh Fraser
Juliet Stevenson
Dawn Michelle wrote: "Connie wrote: "thanks for that insight. I will keep trying and would love to see your list of amazing narrators. I expected to like The Dutch House more, about half way through, I grew tired of t..."
Thanks! I'll check out some of these narrators.
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I expected to like The Dutch House more, about half way through, I grew tired of t..."
I second Wil Wheathon, Nick Offerman, Scott Brick (for nonfiction only for me), Stephen Fry, Nicola Barber, and Bahni Turpin. And Julia Whalen is good but not the best at doing male voices. lol.
4. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. 5 Amazing stars. Borrowed this from the library, but I am going to have to own this one.
Connie wrote: "4. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. 5 Amazing stars. Borrowed this from the library, but I am going to have to own this one."I have a hold on this one, can't wait until it's my turn!
Charleen wrote: "Connie wrote: "4. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. 5 Amazing stars. Borrowed this from the library, but I am going to have to own this one."I have a hold on this one, can't wait until it's m..."
I hope you like it!
Connie wrote: "4. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. 5 Amazing stars. Borrowed this from the library, but I am going to have to own this one."The bestie read this and loved it. I so want to get this and dive in. So glad it was an excellent read for you!!
5. Dreamland. - Nancy Bilyeau 
3.5 stars - Started out slow for me, but eventually the action caught up with the story, although the murderer was obvious from the start.
6. The Ten Thousand Doors of January - Alix M. Harrow 5 stars
7. The Water Dancer - Ta-Nehisi Coates 4 stars
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7. The Water Dancer - Ta-Nehisi Coates 4 stars..."
Both of these are in my TBR! Glad you liked them!
8. Birds of a Feather - Maisie Dobbs #2 Jacquline Winspear
. 4 Stars Love Maisie!9. Death at Victoria Dock - Phryne Fisher #4 Kerry Greenwood Death at
. 3 Stars
10. Good Girls Lie - J.T Ellison, 4 stars
I liked the way this story was told in the first person by each character. Sometimes it was hard to tell which character was speaking, but that only added to the mystery and I enjoyed the confusion.
Deja Dead - Kathy Reichs (Temperance Brennan #1)
3 stars
ebook from library
Did not realize this was the basis for the TV show Bones (which I don't necessarily care for). I found myself dreading the descriptions and procedural analysis of each new crime scene and so skimmed through about 1/3 of the story.
12.
The Beekeeper's Apprentice - Laurie King 3 Stars13. The Paper Magician Charlie Holmberg
. 3 Stars14. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up Marie Kondo
. 3 Stars15. The Glass Magician - Charlie Holberg.
. 3 Stars16. The Quilter's Apprentice. Jennifer - Chiavelini.
. 4 StarsThese are all library books - finally broke out of a 3 star slump with the Quilter's Apprentice.
17. Round Robin - Jennifer Chaivelini ****
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The Beekeeper's Apprentice - Laurie King 3 Stars..."I read the 12th or something book in this series and enjoyed it. I really need to circle back and start from the beginning.
18.
The Cross Country Quilters (ECQ#3) Jennifer Chiavelini
4 star
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Connie wr..."
Wow! What an experience. I split my time between reading and listening and actually enjoyed the listening over the reading (which basically never happens for me!).
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Fingers crossed ....
19.
. Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri 4 stars20.
In the Bleak Midwinter - Julia Spencer Fleming 4 stars21.
. The Book of Candlelight - Ellery Adams - 4 Stars22.
The Fifth Avenue Story Society - Rachel Hauck 4 Stars23.
The World That We Knew - Alice Hoffman. 4.5 stars24.
. An Incomplete Revenge - Jacqueline Winspear 4 Stars
Connie wrote: "19. . Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri 4 stars20.
In the Bleak Midwinter - Julia Spencer Fleming 4 stars21..."
I love ANYTHING by Jhumpa Lahiri, She is an amazing writer.
I am so glad that "In the Bleak Midwinter" worked for you - I was not crazy about that one, but knew it was just me because so many people love this series.
The "Book of Candlelight" was amazing. I think that its the best one of that series so far.
I have like 5 Rachel Hauck books to read. I really should bump them up.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Maisie Dobbs books. Even when they make me ugly cry,
My bestie read the Alice Hoffman book and loved it. I will be adding that one soon!
Have you been able to start Shogun?
Dawn Michelle wrote: "Connie wrote: "19. . Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri 4 stars20.
In the Bleak Midwinter - Julia Spencer Fle..."I ordered Shogun from the library only to realize I ordered volume 2 and it started on chapter 35! My desire to read it has diminished. I was going to read it for the MMD 2020 Challenge as a re-read. I think I will switch to another book TBD.
Yes, Maisie Dobbs is always a welcome read.
Interpreter of Maladies was my first Jhumpa Lahiri book, I will read more from her. The last few stories in Interpreter really bumped my rating, not because they were the best, but because of the balance they brought to the other stories.
25. The Plastic Magician - Charlie Holmberg 4 stars - one star better than the first 2 books in the series
. 26. The Witch Elm - Tana French 3 stars - Story was good, but there were a lot of lengthy exchanges that seemed to have no purpose.
27. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Book Store - Matthew J. Sullivan 3 1/2 stars - another good story but there were loose ends that remained when all was said and done.
28. A Suitable Vengeance Elizabeth George 4 stars - Inspector Linley series. Even though reading these in sequence, their timeline is all over the place!
29. In the Woods Tana French 3 stars - this book had me mad and disgusted at the narrator and disappointed in the way things turned out. This is the 2nd book for me by Tana French, and I felt the same way about The Witch Elm.
30. Ninth House - Leigh Bardugo - 5 stars - Truly loved this story, and am finding a love for this type of fantasy.
31. For the Sake of Elena - Elizabeth George - 4 stars - Inspector Linley again, continuing on in the series.
. 32. The Master Magician - Charlie Holmberg 3 stars. 
. 33. And Then There were None Agatha Christie 4 stars Intriguing!
. 34. The Bear and the Nightingale Katherine Arden 5 stars. Russian folklore and fantasy.
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I am looking forward to The Girl in the Towrr
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28. A Suitable Vengeance Elizabeth George 4 stars - Inspector Linley series. Even though reading these in sequence, their timeline is all over the place
75 Books...More or Less!
Books mentioned in this topic
Gwendy's Magic Feather (other topics)A Suitable Vengeance (other topics)
A Suitable Vengeance (other topics)
In the Woods (other topics)
Ninth House (other topics)
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