Audiobooks discussion
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Spring 2012
message 551:
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John, Moderator
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Jun 04, 2012 03:16PM
An hour into Blackbird Fly, I'm declaring the book "too meh to go on." Not sure if it was an error on the author or reader's part, but things French are "Gallic" not "Gaelic"!
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Finished "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter" and found it too hardcore gruesome for my tastes. I'm a wimp, so sue me, but the books I've read that might seem like horror are fantasy based and the violence doesn't seem real. This one was more scary than I like.I've been working on some of the first-in-a-series books I got on sale from Audible some time back.
"Baltimore Blues" was interesting and has potential for future book buys of the series.
"The Last Refuge" of the Sam Aquillo mysteries is very meh halfway through.
"What Happens in London", a historical romance, is fairly good.
I'm also halfway through book number eight in the In Death series by J. D. Robb. It's good, but I'm discovering I need to space them out more or Eve Dallas will frustrate me too much with her overly aggressive attitude and failure to sleep enough, eat enough, or get along with even those who wish her well.
i feel the same about the in death series - I tend to listen to one every 2-3 months and that seems to be a good time lapse
John wrote: "An hour into Blackbird Fly, I'm declaring the book "too meh to go on." Not sure if it was an error on the author or reader's part, but things French are "Gallic" not "Gaelic"!"Sorry to hear this one isn't to your liking John as I believe you heard of that one from me!
I had had it on my TBR pile before seeing it favorably mentioned here, so it wasn't as though you lead me completely astray.
John wrote: "I had had it on my TBR pile before seeing it favorably mentioned here, so it wasn't as though you lead me completely astray."Well thats good!
In the car home from France we listened to Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West. On return here I had to finish that. It was an excellent reportage of the travail of this doomed trek. My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...Then, I simply had to start another audiobook. I chose Lolita, narrated by the fantastic Jeremy Irons! I cannot now stop listening to this. What I am wondering now is: what do I enjoy, the author or the narrator? Look, the author's words are excellent and the narrator's intonation is superb! I am embarrassed to say that Jeremy Irons manages to make the subject funny. The book is told from the pedophile's pov. And Nabokov as a wondrous way with words. It is even a travelogue too, a route twisting around the US with him and Lolita. Let me tell you, her remarks are sometimes just so perfect for a twelve year old. Now everybody is going to think I am terrible, having such fun reading this book. NO, remember! I am listening to it, narrated by Jeremy Irons.
Chrissie, I had the same reaction to Lolita; Jeremy Irons is just perfect as Humbert Humbert. I loved it but felt guilty about enjoying a book told from a pedophile's point of view. I also felt guilty that really disliked Dolores Haze.
Chris, thank you for saying this. And I share your sentiments of Dolores Haze! She is certainly not blameless, even though she is young. I mean, I wish I had the book in front of me so I could copy out some of the lines for my review. Many are priceless.
Chrissie wrote: "In the car home from France we listened to Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West. On return here I had to finish that. It was an excellent reportage of the travail of this doo..."I loved "Lolita" as well and keep meaning to check out Nabakov's other titles.
Finished The Well of Lost Plots by, Jasper Fforde narrated by the wonderful Emily Gray just love her narrtion and this series is so much fun even though I didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous two I will still continue on!Now listening to Mr. Churchill's Secretary: A Novel by Susan Elia MacNeal narrated by, Wanda McCaddon/Donanda Peters
Bxrlover wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "In the car home from France we listened to Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West. On return here I had to finish that. It was an excellent reportage of the tr..."Not only must I read more by Nabokov, although I was less than happy with Pnin, this looks very interesting too:Vera. It is about Nabokov's wife. I am sure you recognize the author Stacy Schiff. And then I can read her work on Cleopatra if I like the book about Mrs. Nabokov. My "must reads" grow and grow.
Nice, that you too say that you loved this "horrible" piece too.
I finished The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, narrated by Grover Gardner, which was truly marvelous. Totally recommend that narration (there are a like a gazillion narrations out there.)For a while I started Unwind but I didn't like how Luke Daniels narrated the omniscient narrator (too loud and stiff) so I switched to Catch-22, which is another of my audios for the month.
Fans of Simon Prebble might consider Coral Glynn: A Novel, as his narration helps shore up a somewhat weak plot. I wouldn't rush out and spend an Audible credit on it though.
I really, really liked Lolita. My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...Excellent narration by Jeremy Irons!
Now I will listen to Thousand Cranes.
Finished Mr. Churchill's Secretary: A Novel by Susan Elia MacNeal it was good kind of Maisie Dobbs-ish.Now listening to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith narrated by, Scott Holst
I need some input . I finished "Relic" by Preston and Child, first in the Pendergast series. I loved the character Pendergast and want more of him but I'm a sissy and found this book a little intense. Are the remainder of the books in the series the same, more, or less scary/gruesome? Also, There are like five different narrators until Rene Auberjenois takes over--is he good and worth changing narrators each book until we get to him? I finished "Conspiracy in Death" and "the Last Refuge" and am starting "The Black Ecco" by Michael Connoly. These are some of the backlogged first-in-a-series books I got in an Audible sale. Any opinions on the Harry Bosh series?
Jeanie wrote: "I need some input . I finished "Relic" by Preston and Child, first in the Pendergast series. I loved the character Pendergast and want more of him but I'm a sissy and found this book a little int..."I can't comment on Relic but I love Harry Bosch especially the later ones narrated by, Len Cariou I've listened to so many of them on audio he is the only voice of Harry for me!
Chrissie wrote: "I really, really liked Lolita. My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...Excellent narration by Jeremy Irons!
Now I will listen to Thousand Cranes."
Lolita is waiting for me at the library, but I have a few others to get through first. Your review has made me look forward to it.
started The Keepsake (Tess Gerritsen) this am on the drive to work - does it bug anyone else when a series switches narrators...so far in the Rizzoli and Isles series (this is book 7), there have been either 4 or 5 different narrators
I finished Quiet, it was a good read. Now listening to The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Definitely the longest audio I've ever tackled.
I finished the first in J.D. RobbI like the series BUT
NOT the gratuitous sex.
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
Started
Still Life by Louise Penny
Listening to A Princess of Mars and read by Scott Brick. It's good. I can't decide if it's Brick's narration or the author or a combination that makes it sound overly dramatic at times.
Shirley wrote: "I finished the first in J.D. RobbI like the series BUT
NOT the gratuitous sex.
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
Started
Still Life by Louise Penny"
Loved Still Life - great narrator for that series!
Am I the only one that disliked Ralph Cosham as a narrator for Still Life? I read this last year, before I was active on GR, but I've just added the review I wrote for Audible to my books here. My comments on the narration:
The narrator was a poor choice, however. First, his delivery is rather staccato and reminded me of the old John-Wayne-does-Shakespeare joke (IsThis. TheDagger. ISee. BeforeMe?). Worse, he reads with a British accent even thought the book is set in Canada. Nothing sounds right. Gamache has a British English accent, but you don't notice it in the reading, because everyone does! And the reader chooses classic French pronunciation over Quebequois, so this all sounds off, too. He even mispronounces Gamache's name! (There's an audio pronunciation guide on the author's website so there's no excuse for getting these things wrong.) A reader with a basic Canadian (or even American) accent would have given the book a lot more sense of place and really brought the listener into the atmosphere more. It doesn't quite ruin the book, but it really does detract.
I actually skipped the other Three Pines books in audio, because of the narration.
What does everyone love about it?
Susan wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I really, really liked Lolita. My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...Excellent narration by Jeremy Irons!
Now I will listen to Thousand Cranes."
Lolita is wai..."
:0) thanks!
Regan wrote: "Am I the only one that disliked Ralph Cosham as a narrator for Still Life? I read this last year, before I was active on GR, but I've just added the review I wrote for Audible to my books here. M..."
Just goes to show again that not every narrator is for everyone. I guess what I like most is the tone of his voice it relaxes me. Sorry you didn't like him. :(
p.s. I know very little about French Canadian accents so I think I just went with it!
Just finished the short audiobook Thousand Cranes. Beautiful, but I have a hard time with the heavy symbolism. The tea ceremony plays a central role. A very short audiobook. Excellent narration by Brian Nishii.
I've only listened to one book narrated by Brian Nishii and it was EXCELLENT (Rain Fall). I was very disappointed when I learned he only narrated another book in that series (there are 6 others.)
Heidi wrote: "Regan wrote: "Am I the only one that disliked Ralph Cosham as a narrator for Still Life? I read this last year, before I was active on GR, but I've just added the review I wrote for Audible to my..."
I agree with Heidi. Cosham's voice is pleasant and it is now the sound of Three Pines for me. It's a pity for anyone who can't get into the Cosham reading because I really found his style wonderful for the series. Still, I get it though. I wouldn't know French-Canadian from classic French if it bit me. I hate it when readers get the Cajun French accent wrong and it would keep me from listening to additional books by that reader. In this case my ignorance is bliss.
D.G. ~Shameless Hussy~ wrote: "I've only listened to one book narrated by Brian Nishii and it was EXCELLENT (Rain Fall). I was very disappointed when I learned he only narrated another book in that series (there are 6 others.)"He narrates several of Yasunari Kawabata's (Japanese Nobel prize winner)books. It is not hard to recognize the Japanese names. I will probably listen to Snow Country too. I will go check out "Rain Fall". Thanks.
I've started Jo Nesbø's The Redbreast and I'm not really sure what is happening. It flips from in the trenches on the eastern front during WWII to a presidential summit in 1999 then back again. I suppose, or rather I hope it all comes together in the end.
one of the problems with Nesbo and the Redbreast is that it is actually book 3 in the harry hole series, but the first that was released in english - which is completely fustrating
I did wonder if I had missed a bit, Dee.
Chrissie wrote: "Isn't it summer now?"Yes, I'll change the thread soon.
John wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Isn't it summer now?"Yes, I'll change the thread soon."
I really don't care, John, but it just occurred to me.... :0) I am up in the middle of the night.
FYIhttp://www.almanac.com/content/first-...
Seasons of 2012:
SPRING EQUINOX March 20, 1:14 A.M. EDT
SUMMER SOLSTICE June 20, 7:09 P.M. EDT
FALL EQUINOX September 22, 10:49 A.M. EDT
WINTER SOLSTICE December 21, 6:12 A.M. EST
It's been barely 50F here this week.
John wrote: "It's been barely 50F here this week."Wow I am sleeping with the sliding door open and a fan going during the day. Just glad I am near Palm Springs not in Palm Springs ... hit 113 already.
The weather is terrible here too, but it gets light so early in the morning and the birds start chirping......
Yeah, we've also had bad weather: cold and rainy. My sister walked at her UW graduation yesterday here in Seattle in a torrential downpour. Who plans an outdoor graduation in Seattle, no matter what time of year?
Shirley, please send a little heat over the Atlantic.
Chrissie wrote: "Shirley, please send a little heat over the Atlantic."------>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hope it works. :)
Shirley, oh it was so nice and warm. Thank you. I will also go warm up in a shower since now is the time I should have gotten up.
its supposed to be in the 80's/90's this weekend in DC - the only reason up at 6:30...so I can get my run in before it gets too hot
Chrissie wrote: "Wendy T, I have been considering "The Cove", by Ron Rash. What are you impressions as you listen? Ron Rash's Serena has less draw on me. Not everybody thought it was so wonderful,l even though othe..."Chrissie, it was really good.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've managed to finish:Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani. I really enjoyed this first book in the Stone Gap series. I loved the small town setting and I'm really looking forward to the next book. 4 stars!
The Cove by Ron Rash. I enjoyed this YA book and also a new author that I'm looking forward to reading books of his. 3 stars!
Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James. Love It! 5 stars.
Green Heart by Alice Hoffman. I really enjoyed this YA book. 4 stars!
The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe. I really enjoyed this book. I liked the historical details of that time throughout the book. 4 stars!
I'm am now starting Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
Finished Tommo and Hawk. It's the second in a series by Bryce Courtenay. The narration is terrific and the story keeps your attention. Courtenay calls it his gift to Australia since it is a fictionalized account of the penal colony in its early days. I bought Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer on sale the other day and it's quite interesting so far. The narration runs on the slow side, but anyone interested in the debate and politics of food would probably enjoy it. Foer states that his facts are on the conservative side and he employed two fact checkers as he wrote the book. So as I'm listening I'm not saying - reaLLY? I find myself thinking - REALly!
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