Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

Finished

the Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

Having read the book over Christmas I couldn't stop thinking about it so what better book to listen to as part of the read harder challenge 5/5

I'm reading (listening to) Jennifer Government by Max Barry. I've been meaning to read it for years (discovered it the year it came out, 12 years ago) so this seemed like a good opportunity. I snagged it as my free book with my Audible subscription.

Terri wrote: "Erika, I really enjoyed Lexicon by Max Barry on audio. I put The Company on my listening list. I'm curious to know your opinion of Jennifer Government."

I'll post a review when I've finished. And how did you like Company? I'm reading it later this year

Terri wrote: "Erika, I haven't gotten to The Company yet. It's on my very long list. :)"

Oh shoot lol I misread that.

I just finished listening to Divergent. It was a good audiobook.

Just finished my audiobook task, mine was the lightning thief. It was an unusual experience as i never 'read' an audiobook. But in some ways i enjoyed it and it made me want to read the series. Im definitely enjoying this challenge.

Just finished my audiobook task, mine was the lightning thief. It was an unusual experience as i never 'read' an audiobook. But in some ways i enjoyed it and it made me want to read the series. Im definitely enjoying this challenge.

I listened to The Passage: A Novel. I gave this book 4*. Wonderful writing and narration. Kept me coming back for more.

The audiobook that I'm listening to for this task is Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton. She narrates the first hour herself and the rest is narrated by a woman who actually has a similar voice to Hillary's.

April wrote: "I second Ready Player One--Will Wheaton reads it. I also recommend The Rosie Project . The reader is Dan O'Grady and he really nails the main character. He also reads The Rosie Effect but I have..."

I listened to The Rosie Project a few months ago! I agree, I thought the narrator did an awesome job. I actually think I would have enjoyed it less if I had read it myself because I wouldn't have had the accent going in my own brain.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is one of the best audiobooks I've read. Other really well-done audiobooks I've read recently include Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (I think I'm the 3rd to recommend this one), In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (he narrates all of his books and is so interesting and very funny) and (an older one, a Pulitzer Prize winner) American Pastoral by Philip Roth. One more really great one is City of Thieves by David Benioff.

I count Big Finish-produced Doctor Who audio adventures to be audiobooks (they are lengthy and are all original stories), and they produce a whole bunch of other stuff too: http://www.bigfinish.com

Just finished listening to Maya Angelou's Letter To My Daughter. She read the book herself which made the book so much more enjoyable.

I used to have a hard time staying focused on audiobooks and I mostly listened to ones I had previously read in print. In the last year or two I have just forced myself to listen to new books and with practice I've gotten much better about my mind not wandering.

The reader does make a HUGE difference here. I only got through about 5 minutes of An Unquiet Mind before I had to stop it. The reader seemed bored and rushed. But some readers are absolutely fantastic. I recently listened to "The House We Grew Up In" and thought the reader was perfect. She had to do a number of accents...British, Australian, and Irish, as well as doing the voices of men, women, and children of all ages. Truly amazing.

I just finished this task. I listened to I Always Loved You by Robin Oliveira and expertly narrated by Mozhan Marnot. It is an historical fiction accounting of the relationship between the Impressionist artists Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas. I thought it was wonderful.

I also enthusiastically agree with those above regarding the audio version of The Rosie Project. Fantastic audio CD book. Loved Dan O'Grady's deadpan delivery.

I read the 10th anniversary edition of American Gods by Neil Gaiman for this task. Fantastic!

I listen to a lot of audiobooks as I have a long commute. I just finished Life After Life by Kate Atkinson for the challenge and found it to be exceptional. The narrator was fantastic, varying the voices in a believable way and really adding to the story's wonder and lyrical feel.

I highly recommend it!

Interesting, I thought I would like Life After Life and found it grim and tiring. The narration was good and maybe the problem was that I just can't read any more books about Nazis at the moment. I had the same problem with All the Light We Cannot See and most people loved it.

Thanks for the tip! I've never heard of this book, or the author but it sounds right up my alley--will check it out. Thanks again!

Audiobooks are a lifesaver when you work in a library and run the library book club! So this task is easy for me and the first one I chose to tackle... Reading "Loving Frank" :)

Rachel wrote: "I got into listening audio books just this past year. I found a nice place to start is with funny nonfiction/ memoir, like Tina Fey's BOSSYPANTS or Amy Poehler's YES PLEASE."

Yes, any book READ by an actress, entertainer or anyone you like is a great choice for an audiobook!

Hilary wrote: "I listened to The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, and I thought it was very well read (as well as being a fascinating book). If..."

I just started listening to the Momuments Men this week. The narrator does a great job, especially with the accents he uses.

Julie wrote: "I listen to a lot of audiobooks as I have a long commute. I just finished Life After Life by Kate Atkinson for the challenge and found it to be exceptional. The narrator was fantastic, varying the ..."

I'm listening to that one right now! I found the book to frustrating to read, so I listen to parts at work and follow up in the book at home. Much more bearable. The narrator is lovely and does a great job at distinguishing the different characters and pulling you into the story.

Finished The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace. I enjoyed it. The narrator was good. I'll definitely be listening to more audio books!
Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/

I'm also one of those people who was just never able to get into audiobooks, so for this challenge I opted for something humorous. I chose Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living, read by Nick Offerman. This turned out to be a perfect choice, because hearing his words in his voice with his maniacal little giggles in the background made it a very entertaining experience. I don't think it would have been quite as funny without his narration.

I've listened to the dramatised version of Good Omens (Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman) which was wonderful :)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and the Harry Potter series read by Stephen Fry are really nice.

I listened to David Sedaris' Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and quickly realized I can only handle him in small doses.

However since then I've listened to two other audiobooks, including my latest guilty pleasure listen, The Martian by Andy Weir. I love that book.

Yes, The Martian is exceptional on audio, although I wouldn't call it a guilty pleasure. Ever since listening to it, I've been reading articles on space and science that I wouldn't have before, so it was educational besides being so much fun.

I am currently listening to Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist: Essays on audiobook, and the reader is fantastic. I'm having trouble getting through since so many of the essays are quite similar, but that might just be me.

I listened to Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel. This was such a great re-telling of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Richard Armitage does an amazing job reading this and hopefully he reads more of the classic's.

Mary wrote: "For this task I listened to "Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty and loved it!"

I listened to The Husband's Secret last year sometime and loved it too. Looking forward to Big Little Lies!

I have tried many times to listen to audio books. I don't have a long commute to work; so, listening in the car is not an option. I started to enjoy The Reluctant Fundamentalist earlier today and fell asleep - which frequently happens to me with audio books. I have changed my selection to Eve's Diary by Mark Twain. I remember reading this book a long time ago - I think it should keep me awake for 45 minutes.

Eva wrote: "I have tried many times to listen to audio books. I don't have a long commute to work; so, listening in the car is not an option. I started to enjoy The Reluctant Fundamentalist earlier today and..."

It sounds like you are listening while just sitting or lying down, so falling asleep is understandable. I sometimes use audiobooks specifically to help me fall asleep at night, as they stop me from thinking about unproductive worries that could keep me up. During the day, I listen while exercising, walking, doing housework, etc, activities that are mindless enough but physically engaging.

I'll third or fourth the audio recommendation of "Bossypants" by Tina Fey. Finished "The Cuckoo's Calling" by Galbraith last week and the narrator is excellent.

"Eleanor & Park", "Fangirl", and "Landline" by Rainbow Rowell all have the same wonderful narrator, Rebecca Lowman.

And finally you will never go wrong with David Sedaris. it's almost dangerous to listen to his while driving because I laugh so hard I cry.

Eva wrote: "I have tried many times to listen to audio books. I don't have a long commute to work; so, listening in the car is not an option. I started to enjoy The Reluctant Fundamentalist earlier today and..."

Don't give up on listening on your way to and from work. I thought that for years too - I have an 8-10 minute commute and have listened - oh so happily - to over 20 audiobooks in the past year or so. Give it a try!

I've been on the waiting list for The Magicians since the end of last year. I read it but I want to listen to it before picking up the second book. Might as well use it for this task.

This is my first audiobook read! Listened to Lord of the Rings:Fellowship, task completed. This was read by different people, really enjoyed listening!

Karen wrote: "Eva wrote: "I have tried many times to listen to audio books. I don't have a long commute to work; so, listening in the car is not an option. I started to enjoy The Reluctant Fundamentalist earli..."

I will give it a try! During the summer it is easier for me to listen to audio books because I can get outside and walk. Thanks for the 10 minute suggestion.

Dramatisation of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

Bea wrote: "My library also uses Overdrive. I was not aware of any controversy with it, but I have found that what is available from one library (CT) to another (SC) seems different. Why is that?"

Each library purchases its own items for the Overdrive collection.

I listen to a lot of audiobooks in my car. I particularly like the ones like An Irish Country Courtship because the reader, John Keating, does all the accents in a presumably accurate way. I would miss the pronunciations of just about everything if I read it myself.

I decided to give audiobooks another try before I completely gave up on this medium. I listened to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaimen. Neil Gaimen's voice is dreamy and I was completely mesmerized. I am willing to give audiobooks another try!

If you enjoyed Neil Gaiman's voice on the audio, you should go an hear him speak in person. I had only read one of his books (Neverwhere) before I went to hear him, I came away from that talk wanting to read all of his books. He's sweet and very funny and when he reads from his books he makes them come alive. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Samantha wrote: "I decided to give audiobooks another try before I completely gave up on this medium. I listened to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaimen. Neil Gaimen's voice is dreamy and I was complete..."

I love Gaiman's voice and having just read about your choice for an audiobook I have decided to change my choice to this. So glad I read your comment!

Finished The Secret Place for this task.

I checked out The Vanishers by Heidi Julavits from the library for this one. It was a confusing book and the audiobook format did it no favors, especially when the cd skipped throughout one of the final sections.
This was the first time I've ever done an audiobook. Not sure whether I'll try again. I like it for when I'm doing household tasks like folding laundry or washing dishes. But I really enjoy the actual act of reading too much.

I picked a classic for this one, Around the World in 80 Days. This is actually the first audiobook I've listened to from start to finish and I really enjoyed the experience. I must do it more often!

http://brandysbustlings.blogspot.ca/2...

I listened to "Landline" by Rainbow Rowell. This was a delightful story for a long drive.