Audiobooks discussion

Partway through Bound by Suggestion, second-to-latest in the Jeff Resnick mystery series. Previous narrator was pretty bad, this one is better, but not great. Decent series if you like paranormal with a likeable protagonist, probably better in print from the beginning. Author does a good job with Buffalo setting (I've never been there); she also writes the "Booktown" cozy series featuring mystery bookstore owner Tricia Miles (set in New Hampshire).

I just started The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, also narrated by the author, and he's doing a good enough job at it... I suspect there aren't too many narrators around with the knowledge of how to correctly pronounce the names and places in Afghanistan. I'd rather have the real accent and correct pronunciation than a more 'polished' narration.

Started The Mountain Can Wait - narrated by Robert Pekhoff

Halfway through Gathering Prey by John Sandford. I love the Prey series and grab them the minute they are published. Am hooked into the characters as they develop over the series, the sometimes belief-stretching crimes, and the LOL humor infused throughout.

I don't know how to rate Richard Ferrone as a narrator. He's got that gravelly almost monotone voice that would normally annoy me (Dick Hill of the Jack Reacher series) but don't mind here, and I wonder if it's because I enjoy the content so much. I would much rather hear the series than read it, so maybe that's the clincher, as much as it doesn't make sense to me.

I'm only 1 disc into The Invention of Wings and can tell it's going to be a good one. It is beautifully written and the narration is great.

Nancy - that is on my pile - it is a group read for another of my GR groups

I'm listening to George Washington And Benedict Arnold: A Tale of Two Patriots. While not the book in which the AMC network's series TURN: Washington's Spies is based upon, it is still an excellent companion.

i really need to watch TURN - i'm hearing good things about it - hopefully one of the streaming services has it because i'm getting rid of my cable

Netflix has Turn Dee. My husband and I watched the first 5-6 episodes but were bored by it so stopped. I hope you enjoy it more than we did.

Nancy wrote: "I'm only 1 disc into The Invention of Wings and can tell it's going to be a good one. It is beautifully written and the narration is great."

I loved this, one of my absolute favourites from last year. I love Julia Whelan's narration, she has a naturally young sounding voice so she doesn't have try to "do" a childlike voice.
I also ended up with great admiration for Sarah Grimke who I hadn't heard of before this book.

I finished The Replacement Wife and I am halfway through A Man Called Ove which had me chuckled so many times. I like the humor in Ove's way of thinking as he remind me so much of my own dad :0)

Started What I Saw And How I Lied By Judy Blundell Narrated By Caitlin Greer.

Patricia wrote: "I just started The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, also narrated by the author, and he's doing a good enough job at it... I suspect there aren't too many narrators around with the know..."

I really enjoyed The Kite Runner. Even though he isn't the best "narrator", I agree that he pronounces things correctly and I feel that I learned some of the Farsi language! I also enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns (also by Khaled Hosseini) which is read by a lady who does a great job of making you feel like you are there!

I just wrapped up the Wayward Pines (Pines) 3-book series by Blake Crouch. I wanted to 'read' the entire series before I got too involved in the TV show that is currently airing on Fox. I enjoyed them - they are short and the narrator is decent.

Adrian wrote: "I just wrapped up the Wayward Pines (Pines) 3-book series by Blake Crouch. I wanted to 'read' the entire series before I got too involved in the TV show that is curr..."

I have all three ebooks and audio books, but I am so far behind in my Listen to Reviews that I have not had time to listen to them yet.

Patricia wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I'm only 1 disc into The Invention of Wings and can tell it's going to be a good one. It is beautifully written and the narration is great."

I loved this, one of my ..."

I've had this on and off my wish list for awhile, it sounds like I should put it back on.

Sara wrote: "I am halfway through A Man Called Ove which had me chuckled so many times. I like the humor in Ove's way of thinking as he remind..."

I loved Ove too. The author has a new book out which also sounds good but the title escapes me at the moment.

Storyheart wrote: "I loved Ove too. The author has a new book out which also sounds good but the title escapes me at the moment...."
My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman. I just added this to my TBR list the other day...can't wait.
I also loved Ove.

On the last day of May, I finished Simon Vance's narration of The Vicomte de Bragelonne, which is the first volume of the last book of the d'Artagnan trilogy. A bit slow moving in places (especially the beginning) but once the action started taking place, it was up to Dumas usual quality. Vance did an excellent job, with just enough flavor of a French accent.

I then whizzed through Nadia May's narration of The Secret Adversary which caused me to upgrade my rating of this first Tommy & Tuppence book.

About halfway through Restitution and so far I find the main character so unlikable I don't really care if he DOES get falsely accused of his wife's murder and ends up a lifer in the slammer! The narrator, Mark Deakins, is really good though so I think I'll stick it out.

I started Delicious Foods this morning and the narration, by the author, is insane! One of the characters is crack cocaine, the substance, and the voice he gives to it (him? it's named 'Scotty') is so fast and slangy and crazy, it's hard to keep up but also just mesmerizing, like some sort of performance art. This one's going to be a wild ride...

I finished Craig Johnson's Any Other Name. Someboddy needs to tell Walt Longmire he's getting too old for the kinds of adventures he gets into. I started the latest Longmire series book, Dry Bones... this looks like the start of another wild and weird tale featuring the prophesy from one of his near-death visions.

finished up Somebody Killed His Editor and started Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal - i'm stuck in paperwork audit hell, so audiobooks are the only thing saving my sanity right now

All the Light We Cannot See was simply amazing. Certainly a worthy contribution to the WWII genre. The writing is so well done. While it switches back in forth in time and is told from two different characters' perspectives, it is still easy to track. Narration is well done. Bonus points from me because I'm the daughter and sister of jewelers, so a story that focuses in part on a jewel is a good thing.

Next up, I guess I'm staying in France: Paris.

Kristie wrote: "All the Light We Cannot See was simply amazing. Certainly a worthy contribution to the WWII genre. The writing is so well done. While it switches back in forth in time and is told f..."
Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I'll be interested to hear what you think of Paris, I have it on my wish list at the library, but it has such mixed reviews that I haven't taken the plunge yet.

I just finished listening to Reanimators by Pete Rawlik. I hated it, but I listened to all of it because I really, really like Oliver Wyman. Even his brilliant talent couldn't save this boring, incomprehensible mess of a book.

I'm now listening to The Girl with All the Gifts and am totally hooked after just one chapter. The narration by Finty Williams, a narrator I've never heard, is absolutely wonderful. The story is intriguing. I'm torn between wanting to rush through it and to savor it slowly.

Sandi wrote: "I just finished listening to Reanimators by Pete Rawlik. I hated it, but I listened to all of it because I really, really like Oliver Wyman. Even his brilliant talent couldn't save ..."

That's great to know about The Girl with all the Gifts. I currently have it on hold through overdrive and should be getting it soon! I'm excited!

I finished What I Saw And How I Lied it was not the book I thought it was going to be, I enjoyed it and was pleasantly surprised at what this story was. ( I was expecting a pretty little liars type book and that's not at all what this is)

Now starting The Bookseller by, Cynthia Swanson narrated by, Kathe Mazur

Storyheart wrote: "Sara wrote: "I am halfway through A Man Called Ove which had me chuckled so many times. I like the humor in Ove's way of thinking as he remind..."

I loved Ove too. The author has a..."

I will definitely look into his other books! I stayed awake till 12 midnight to finish the last CD of the book. It was a wonderful read/listen with great narration!

Patricia wrote: "Kristie wrote: "All the Light We Cannot See was simply amazing. Certainly a worthy contribution to the WWII genre. The writing is so well done. While it switches back in forth in ti..."

We'll see if I can hang with the story of Paris, given that the timeline is skipping around. If I hadn't know that in advance I would be totally confused. I'm not blown away by the narration yet either. We'll see...

I quite liked All the Light We Cannot See, though I didn't think it was the greatest thing ever but a worthy fictional WW2 story.

I also read Paris within six months of the first book. I didn't really like it. I guess I thought it was good enough to finish, but the whole thing felt rather thin to me.

Patricia wrote: "Kristie wrote: "All the Light We Cannot See was simply amazing. Certainly a worthy contribution to the WWII genre. The writing is so well done. While it switches back in forth in ti..."

On Paris by Rutherfurd, I gave up after a few chapters. I remember I loved the first couple books I read by him but he can be so didactic, giving characters unrealistic dialogue in order to shoehorn in historical facts.

I just started The Cuckoo's Calling and I'm liking it a lot. It seems Galbraith/Rowling couldn't totally hide her sense of humor even in a "serious" book.

Robin wrote: "I just started The Cuckoo's Calling and I'm liking it a lot. It seems Galbraith/Rowling couldn't totally hide her sense of humor even in a "serious" book."

It's quite likable!

I just don't know how I feel about The Secret Scripture. I just get frustrated when a protagonist seems to have no free will even taking into account the setting and point in time in history. The narration was really good and the premise was sound but the storyline had a few rough spots that made me throw my hands in the air and say - really? The Irish history was great for context but then became too thick in parts and seemed to be a 'by the way'. Anyway, I'm conflicted about how I feel in the end. Parts were really good and then 'meh'. I guess I expected more from a book that was short-listed for the Mann Booker Prize. Now I'm listening to The Heat of the Moon which was a daily deal a couple of days ago.

I liked The Secret Scripture, but your concerns are ones I can understand.

I simply can't settle on a book--no one of them has held me--so I'm alternating between: the Walt Longmire Dry Bones, BDB The Shadows, Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance, the Charlie Davidson Second Grave on the Left, and the latest Cafferty and Quinn... The Dead Play On.

In the latter case... OK, I know it's set in New Orleans, but the narration is soooo slow! And for those who don't think female narrators can do a male voice without being gruff... this one can... but, really, basso profondo? It's actually a little amazing and, to be fair, the story has a whole lot of male characters so she needs to give herself a wide range vocally to work within. So far, the story isn't bad, just sloooow!

I hear you in that I keep hoping the next book will be The One that really hooks me in!

Robin wrote: "I just started The Cuckoo's Calling and I'm liking it a lot. It seems Galbraith/Rowling couldn't totally hide her sense of humor even in a "serious" book."

Yes! I just started The Silkworm today. Loving it so far.

Julie wrote: "I just finished The Secret Scripturetoday and thought the writing was beautiful. Loved the narrator's accent, although it took me awhile to get the hang of it .
Definitely a story I ..."

I agree with your assessment of the writing and narration. The writing is just fabulous. It's the fact that the main character is an enigma that just wouldn't come together for me. I needed her to be much less beautiful to have been left so alone.

I really enjoyed "Light" too… I was a bit perplexed that some listeners found it difficult, but personally, I had no problem with the changes in viewpoint and I enjoyed the narration.

I'm currently listening to The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and enjoying it, with the caveat that it's a light weight, though charming, story.

I think The Silkworm will by my next listen. The Cuckoo's Calling hooked me. Rowling is a terrific story teller, with vivid characters. Does anyone know if she's [or Galbraith, if one prefers] writing a 3rd Cormorant Strike novel?

Agreed about The Girl With all the Gifts! Not my usual fare at all, but I found the story and the narration fantastic!

Sandi wrote: "I just finished listening to Reanimators by Pete Rawlik. I hated it, but I listened to all of it because I really, really like Oliver Wyman. Even his brilliant talent couldn't save ..."

I felt the same way about All the Light we Cannot See. I enjoyed it, and thought it was well done and well written, but not the greatest thing ever. I enjoyed Anthony Doerr's short memoir about his fellowship year in Rome as a young parent much more: Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World.

Dave wrote: "I quite liked All the Light We Cannot See, though I didn't think it was the greatest thing ever but a worthy fictional WW2 story.

I also read Paris within six month..."

Sue wrote: "I felt the same way about All the Light we Cannot See. I enjoyed it, and thought it was well done and well written, but not the greatest thing ever. I enjoyed Anthony Doerr's short memoir about his..."

Thanks for the recommendation on Four Seasons in Rome. I really enjoyed All the Light..., and I did characterize it as "amazing" right after reading it, but it would not make my list of best books I've ever read. :)

Started The Windup Girl. Did not like it and quit. I've read some of the author's other work which I liked. This one got too violent before I really cared what was happening in the story. Abandoned it and started Maisie Dobbs which I'm enjoying. Trying to catch up on my backlog of things I've bought on sale and not listened to yet.

I half way through What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson and OMG it's bad! The narrator is OK, but there is no actual 'story' basically it's just the authors version of what happens after we die, so he makes up a whole lot of scenarios, makes up words and gives us hour after hour of his musings on life after death (thought travel, no need for toilets, but you still have a beating heart). The first two hours were basically "I can't be dead this must be a dream" and the second two hours have been "I'm worried about my wife" Yawn. Luckily it's a short book and I'm half way through, but my recommendation is that even when this book is on sale - give it a miss.

I'm still tending to pass by newer books and pick up and listen again to the next book in the Brother Cadfael series; I'm now nearly done with Book #5, The Virgin in the Ice. This isn't a particular favorite; a lot of the plot involves a couple of youngsters who keep wandering off in the middle of a snowstorm - last night I found myself thinking of a pinball machine! One person gets found and safe, and then another one goes off.

These books (there are 15+ in the series) are well worth the listen, whether it's read by Patrick Tull or Stephen Thorne. The versions read by female narrators are re-engineered re-releases from the early 00s and aren't as good, in my opinion.

I finished Tricked the other day and started Wolves of the Calla. I'm hoping to get these two series killed within the next few months.

Marilee wrote: "I really enjoyed "Light" too… I was a bit perplexed that some listeners found it difficult, but personally, I had no problem with the changes in viewpoint and I enjoyed the narration.

I'm current..."

"Career of Evil" will be the third Cormeran Strike book by Robert Galbraith and will come out this fall. Rowling says she anticipates about seven books in the series.

Marilee wrote: "I think The Silkworm will by my next listen. The Cuckoo's Calling hooked me. Rowling is a terrific story teller, with vivid characters. Does anyone know if she's [or Galbraith, if one prefers] writing a 3rd Cormorant Strike novel? ..."

I think so, Marilee, but not sure where I gained that info.

I liked The Cuckoo's Calling and enjoyed The Silkworm even more. Am greatly looking forward to the next installment.