Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

I listen to autiobooks on Librivox, it's a website where you can find lots of classics read by volunteers. Usually you can find more versions of reading of a single book so there is a chance you will find enjoyable audiobook.
My recommendations:
You Know Me Al
simply hilarious
and
Anne of Green Gables
read by Karen Savage - simply adorable

The hubby and just did the drive from LA to San Francisco and gave Bruce's autobiography, "Born to Run" a listen. The hubs is a HUGE Bruce fan, so he's loving it. But I've got to say, as a casual Bruce fan, I'm really, really enjoying it. He really has a way with words.

Katy wrote: "The hubby and just did the drive from LA to San Francisco and gave Bruce's autobiography, "Born to Run" a listen. The hubs is a HUGE Bruce fan, so he's loving it. But I've got to say, as a casual B..."

I'm from NJ in the right era, but I never liked Bruce - would I like the book? It gets such great reviews, I've added it to my TBR, even though I'm not particularly interested in him.

Nadine wrote: "Katy wrote: "The hubby and just did the drive from LA to San Francisco and gave Bruce's autobiography, "Born to Run" a listen. The hubs is a HUGE Bruce fan, so he's loving it. But I've got to say, ..."

I can't say that I am a huge fan of his music, or audio books, but I heard an excerpt of the audio book somewhere and decided to put that in this category. I am about halfway through it, and must say that I am enjoying it way more than I thought I would. If you are going to try the book, I recommend listening to it - Bruce narrates it, giving it much more character than I think you would find in print. One caveat, if swearing is not your thing (especially the f-word), maybe look for something else.

Zelda wrote: "Nadine wrote: "Katy wrote: "The hubby and just did the drive from LA to San Francisco and gave Bruce's autobiography, "Born to Run" a listen. The hubs is a HUGE Bruce fan, so he's loving it. But I'..."

I agree. He's a great narrator. If swearing isn't your thing, you're likely not a Bruce fan...especially of his live shows. ;-)

Another vote for The Girl with All the Gifts. Deeply absorbing drama, great science fiction, multiple, fully fleshed out female characters, and a wonderful reader.

I also highly recommend Anansi Boys - it has the most entertaining vocal performance I've encountered.

On the other end of the spectrum is Wil Wheaton, who doesn't do a bunch of voices and accents, but somehow conveys a story perfectly. And I completely fell in love with him when his voice cracked ever so slightly during an emotional passage late in Redshirts.

I just finished Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, read by Martin Jarvis, which was splendid (but in full disclosure is slightly marred by a racist Japanese accent performed by a white guy for a few minutes of the runtime).

I listen to audio books while I sit in traffic!

Nightingale's Song by Robert Timberg

This book is about the Iran- Contra event- sorta. It takes a look at how the men involved became who they were starting with their time in the Academy training through Vietnam. It is important to note that this book was written in the 90's because a lot of them are key members of the current political scene today.

This book has so much information to digest down to particular details of these men's relationships, I am sure I missed something because I didn't take notes. For example it took 27 chapters to get all of these men into the Reagan White House together and even then it didn't talk about Iran yet.

I could tell you all about this book but frankly, I don't have the time. But there is information in the book that relates to our current political climate which is interesting to compare.

I suggest reading this ONLY if you are interested in this specific event or if you have a paper to write and not for pleasure.

Just finished listening to Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between
it was delightful and funny.

Veronica wrote: "Just finished listening to Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between
it was delightful and funny."

I read that over Christmas. Did she read the book? Do you think it made a difference? I read a lot of it in her voice, but I can't help but wonder what a difference it would make if she read it. It's my understanding that comedic writers often read their books in a way that's so much better than when we read it. Case in point, folks seemed to have LOVED the Bossy Pants audio. I wasn't very impressed with the book itself.

I am loving White Oleander by Janet Fitch, and it's narrated by Oprah Winfrey. I don't know if anyone mentioned Overdrive, its available as a website or app, and you just hook up your library card or join with facebook. And that is one way to get free audiobooks

Katy wrote: "... Case in point, folks seemed to have LOVED the Bossy Pants audio. I wasn't very impressed with the book itself...."

I listened to the Bossy Pants audiobook, and I wasn't impressed! Although she did do a great job reading it, and in my review I speculated that the audiobook was probably better than the print book.

In general, though, celebrity books leave me thinking "somebody told them to write a book, and they just did their best to fill up the pages."

celebrity books leave me thinking "somebody told them to write a book, and they just did their best to fill up the pages."

YES!! Yet I'm a sucker and keep reading them. Let's face it, Jane Fonda set a really high bar. And no celeb memoir or autobiography has been able to reach it yet. Though seriously, the Bruce autobiography is amazing.

I'm going to use this one to see if I can finally get into Pride and Prejudice. It is a favorite of so many people, but I can't seem to get past her style. I'm hoping that listening to it will open the door.

Jette wrote: "I'm going to use this one to see if I can finally get into Pride and Prejudice. It is a favorite of so many people, but I can't seem to get past her style. I'm hoping that listening t..."

I seem to be in a minority, but I just don't like Jane Austen.

This was a tough one for me - I don't like audio books (I never liked people reading aloud to me, even as a kid)

Fortunately I love some podcasts and one of them had a companion audio book, with pretty short chapters, almost similar to podcast episodes. So I heard History of the Alphabet for this one ...

I listen to a lot of audiobooks because of my just-over-1/2-hour commute (and before that an hour or more). I have listened to The Bell Jar read by Maggie Gyllenhaal twice and highly recommend it. Scott Brick's reading of In Cold Blood is also excellent. Liane Moriarty's books are good listens, including The Husband's Secret and Big Little Lies, both read by Caroline Lee. Last but not least, I suggest any of the Cormoran Strike mysteries, all read by Robert Glenister.

Katy wrote: "The hubby and just did the drive from LA to San Francisco and gave Bruce's autobiography, "Born to Run" a listen. The hubs is a HUGE Bruce fan, so he's loving it. But I've got to say, as a casual B..."

I am listening to "Born to Run" as my choice for the audiobook prompt and I am loving it! I am not an audiobook fan, typically my mind wanders and when I realize that I'm supposed to be listening to a story I am completely lost and have to go back and start again. Not true with this one. He is a master storyteller.

Aparajita wrote: "This was a tough one for me - I don't like audio books (I never liked people reading aloud to me, even as a kid)

Fortunately I love some podcasts and one of them had a companion audio book, with p..."

If that does not work for you, try a full-cast book. It may seem more like a movie.

I'm listening to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer when I run. Never read it, so I'm quite enjoying it!

I'm currently listening to to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. I enjoy listening to books read by their author.

Audible Conversation with Trevor Noah, author and narrator of "Born a Crime"

I'm enjoying listening to 1984, the only issue is when I have listened to Audiobooks in the past I already have read it. So this is something I need to concentrate harder on.

Thank you for the tips!! I'm not an audiobook fan and as I gather from your suggestions the most crucial part is choosing a good narrator!

With that in mind I choose Venetia from Georgette Heyer, it's done by Richard Armitage and I can definitely cope with hours of him talking in my ears!

Jette wrote: "I'm going to use this one to see if I can finally get into Pride and Prejudice. It is a favorite of so many people, but I can't seem to get past her style. I'm hoping that listening t..."

Is it the style of the old timey language that interferes? If so, I highly recommend developing your "ear" for it - once you adjust and can easily follow along, you realize that Austen is far from stuffy, but full of snark and wicked wit.

Now, if the snark is what bothers you, Austen might not be for you. She tends to comment archly on her characters and lets them demonstrate their ridiculousness throughout her works.

I will be reading Dying To Forget for this prompt. I got the Kindle edition for free some years ago now and have just never gotten around to reading it. It looked like a decent 'read' and the audio edition wasn't prohibitively expensive so I bought it and started the free trial with Audible. The main problem is that I don't have enough time to read all the books I plan to, let alone factoring in listening to books as well, so I won't be continuing with the fully paid trial of Audible. So I will HAVE to listen to this book within the next 28 days in order to avoid paying for Audible.

This is the hardest prompt for me because I've never tried an audiobook before. I usually fall asleep while listening...But since this is a challenge, I'm supposed to be stretched so fine, maybe I can just find a funny story to be heard.

Any suggestion?

I'm currently listening the audiobook of Illuminae and I'm reading it at the same time. I can't stay focused on the audiobook if I don't have the book to read at the same time.

Here are some books that I actually preferred in audio format:

Anything by Kate Morton, read by Caroline Lee:
The Secret Keeper
The Forgotten Garden
The Lake House

Some Stephen King books are good 'listens':
Black House
11/22/63
Bag of Bones

I also enjoy the "Outlander" and "Cormoran Strike" series in audio format.

Lili wrote: "This is the hardest prompt for me because I've never tried an audiobook before. I usually fall asleep while listening...But since this is a challenge, I'm supposed to be stretched so fine, maybe I ..."

when I first started listening to audiobooks, I just tried to replicate the sort of thing I would hear on NPR, so I looked for essays by people like David Sedaris (he reads his own stuff) and mystery and adventure type stories to replicate the old time radio shows.

And yes, the success of an audiobook is absolutely dependent on the skill of the person reading it! the thing is, just as with books we read, you don't know which people you personally will prefer until you try them!

Three of my favorites have been: Robert Glenister (the Cormoran Strike books), Will Patton (he has read quite a few books), and Jeremy Irons (Lolita). Several celebrity actors have read classic books. Also comedy actors such as Tina Fey and Aziz Ansari do a really good job. Authors reading their own works are a mixed bag - Neil Gaiman is one who is really good.

One of my favorite audiobooks last year was Carol Burnett reading In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox

If anyone is looking for a fantastic audio book, I could not recommend Jim Dale's performance of the Harry Potter series enough. His voices for the characters have stuck with me for years and I revisit the audiobooks frequently.

The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon read by Peter Reigert, excellent. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt reading it himself. I was sad when it was over.

Elizabeth wrote: "If anyone is looking for a fantastic audio book, I could not recommend Jim Dale's performance of the Harry Potter series enough. His voices for the characters have stuck with me for years and I rev..."

Agree times a thousand! Jim Dale was made to narrate Harry Potter books (and probably Roald Dahl - I could see that being a great combination!)

Elizabeth wrote: "If anyone is looking for a fantastic audio book, I could not recommend Jim Dale's performance of the Harry Potter series enough. His voices for the characters have stuck with me for years and I rev..."

Jim Dale also narrates The Night Circus for those who have already read Harry Potter and don't want to re-read.

Brandyn wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "If anyone is looking for a fantastic audio book, I could not recommend Jim Dale's performance of the Harry Potter series enough. His voices for the characters have stuck with me f..."

SHUT UP. Jim Dale + The Night Circus?!?!? Excuse me while I die of happiness.

Kate Winslet does a version of Matilda that is fantastic.

I listened What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions where he answered any type of question. Some questions were interesting, but like the title says some were absurd.

Eve wrote: "I listened What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions where he answered any type of question. Some questions were interesting, but like the title says som..."

Ooooo...

I just downloaded my first ever audio book from my library today. I've never even attempted to listen to one before so I'll see how it goes. I went with A High Wind in Jamaica because first of all it's a children's book so pretty short (so if I decide I'm not an audio book person I haven't committed to a 40+ hour long listen).
Secondly, I fly to Jamaica tomorrow so it will tie in pretty well and hopefully keep me occupied during a long haul flight.
Unfortunately my library doesn't tell you who is reading the book so I hope it is someone I won't fall asleep through!

Sarah wrote: "I just downloaded my first ever audio book from my library today. I've never even attempted to listen to one before so I'll see how it goes. I went with A High Wind in Jamaica because..."

yeah, Overdrive is pretty bad about making that information clear - what I do is search on Amazon to find who the reader is.

I went into this challenge as an audiobook hater. Then I listened to Trevor Noah's Born a Crime and was completely transformed. I had no idea how fascinating his story was. It wasn't really a comedy book, either. It was a beautiful reflection on family, race, abuse, and religion. Honestly, a must-read for everyone.

Randy wrote: "I went into this challenge as an audiobook hater. Then I listened to Trevor Noah's Born a Crime and was completely transformed. I had no idea how fascinating his story was. It wasn'..."

Audiobooks can be really hit or miss, depending on who is narrating. I spend a lot of time commuting, so audiobooks are my main source of reading material. I've definitely had to stop listening to a couple and pick up with the actual book to keep myself interested. On the other hand, there are some realyl great ones out there. Ready Player One was a particularly good narration, as was Go Set a Watchman.

For me an audiobook has to involve a really good voice. If i don't like the narrator's voice, then we have a problem. These are the audiobooks I've liked so far. I hope this helps to the ones who are not proaudiobooks.

The bookshop on the corner by Jenny Colgan
We were on a break by Lindsey Kelk
Talking as fast as I can by Lauren Graham
Someday someday maybe by Lauren Graham
Pride and prejudice by Jane Austen
Always the bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk
If someone says "You complete me" Run! by Whoopi Goldberg

Okay my audiobook was Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe. I like the movie better. The audiobook was entertaining but alas the book left a lot to be desired for me. Maybe I am just weird, but this just really didn't work for me. Were it not for my commute and some audiobook points to kill on my scribd account this would probably have been a dnf. I wonder if audio will work for me for Lolita.......

Angela wrote: "Okay my audiobook was Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe. I like the movie better. The audiobook was entertaining but alas the book left a lot to be desired for me. Maybe I am just weird, but this j..."

I'm listening to Lolita on audiobook right now. It's read by Jeremy Irons which I think is a great choice.

I listened to Lolita last year - Jeremy Irons was amazing!

I regularly listen to audiobooks so I counted this one as a freebie. I listened to Dark Places. I didn't particularly care for it. I have read Gillian Flynn's other books and thought they were ok but this one I definitely liked the least. I wish I had used this prompt like I wanted to and listened to a book read by the author but I needed somewhere to put Dark Places.

I started Anne of Green Gables on the weekend and am delirously happy. How have a never read this book or seen the movie? I clearly lived under a rock. It is an absolute gem.

I usually hate audio books but am surprisingly engaged this time around. I've been squeezing it in by listening in the car to work and in the kitchen while cook and meal prep (with earphone).

Its the Anne of Green Gables as acted by Rachel McAdams.

Marama wrote: "I started Anne of Green Gables on the weekend and am delirously happy. How have a never read this book or seen the movie? I clearly lived under a rock. It is an absolute gem.

I usually hate audio ..."

LOL I've never read it either! When I was a kid, my mother told me she had to read it in school and she hated it, and I should never read it. And I've pretty much abided by that!

Marama wrote: "I started Anne of Green Gables on the weekend and am delirously happy. How have a never read this book or seen the movie? I clearly lived under a rock. It is an absolute gem.

I usually hate audio ..."

If you like the book, once you've finished you should watch the TV miniseries: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088727/

It's really good!