Audiobooks discussion

Pamela wrote: "Haven't checked in for a while. January was a bust then got through 4 books last month. This month I started listening to Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. I'm only 1.5 hours in bu..."

Hi Pamela, just finished this one today. I have been reading slowly (on paper), I didn't listen because on paper I can easily look back something etc.

As with most (all?) books by Backman, the characters slowly grow on you. I loved it.

my ⭐⭐⭐.6 audiobook was Olive by Emma Gannon https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

I finished Migrations yesterday. I thought it was mostly very good, though far from perfect.

My review here.

I started Legendborn, but I may dnf it. The prose is trying way too hard, it set up a nascent love triangle even before the two-hour mark, and I just got to the spot where it turns out there's gonna be a Big Competition At School. Yecch, same ol, same ol.

Specs wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Haven't checked in for a while. January was a bust then got through 4 books last month. This month I started listening to Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. I'm only ..."

As with most (all?) books by Backman, the characters slowly grow on you. I loved it.

Thanks Specs. That's good to know.

Oh, just now I remembered that I heard an interview with the author and he made the book sound very interesting. (of course, right?) Anyway, I'm sticking with it, it'll probably grow on me too.

I finished Angelborn, second in the Ash Angels series by brian K. Fuller and read by R. C. Bray. I liked this one as much as the first. It has a slight MHI vibe and I'm able to tolerate the violent scenes since all the angels get fully restored at dawn and feel pain only under certain circumstances. As always, I enjoyed R. C. Bray's narration.

I have completed The Natural by Bernard Malamud.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The book just read was bleak. I need something heartwarming and cheerfully now. The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede should fill the bill.

I want to read The Day the World Came to Town since I listened to the soundtrack of the musical Come from Away, which is based on it. If all goes as planned, I will even be able to see the musical this fall in person.

Wow, what fun to attend the musical! I am happy for you, Robin.

Starting the final book in the Stillhouse Lake Series from the late Rachel Caine she wrote this book while fighting cancer and unfortunately cancer won so this is a bittersweet read. Heartbreak Bay narrated by, Emily Sutton-Smith, Dan John Miller & Tovah Ott

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe - 4 stars - My Review

This book is a combination of history of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and an investigation into the murder of Jean McConville. It is structured chronologically, moving methodically forward from 1972 to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement to recent legal ramifications. This book reads as a narrative history interspersed with the consequences of McConville’s murder and what happened to her children. The book is informative and will appeal to anyone interested in the history of Northern Ireland. The author offers his theory of what happened to McConville and who killed her. It is a well-written piece of investigative journalism.

I listened to the audio book, beautifully read by Matthew Blaney. He lends an authenticity to the narrative through is Northern Irish accent. The only downside to the audio is that it does not contain the author’s end notes or the photos included in the hard copy.

Pamela wrote: "Anyway, I'm sticking with it, it'll probably grow on me too. "

Hope it works for you too, Pamela!

Dem wrote: Finished Death Sentence: The Inside Story of the John List Murders

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/3853159779

I read Tangled and Treason, a prequel short story to the Vampire Knitting club series by Nancy warren. It is the backstory of raif and how he became a vampire, acquired his manservant, and married his first wife. It was okay, but didn't really go far enough in explainingcertain things or, perhaps, the reasons seemed insufficient.

Much of my time has been taken up listening to my Alexa read Kindle books to me since they aren't available on audio. A former colleague has published a series called The Sundown Motorcycle Club, A Vampire Romance. They are set in my neck of the woods, Northwest Louisiana, and so have that appeal in addition to knowing the author. We actually talked some while she was writing the series, but reading the full book is a different experience. She is a novice writer but shows some strengths in description and the romance. I wish her the best of luck. BTW, I actually bought the books... no freebies here.

Just started The Yellow House and while it's a lot to take in the geography and family lineage I'm enjoying the personality of the memoir. The narration is also great.

I finished Find Her Alive which was just meh. An unlikely police procedural set around Philadelphia. The lead character/detective would have aha moments that were very thin in order to move the plot along.

Fran, views are split on The Yellow House, so I am curious to see what you have to say.

Chrissie wrote: "Fran, views are split on The Yellow House, so I am curious to see what you have to say."

I was somewhat lost with the family tree, but I love the little stories about how they got their names and little quips about their lives. I'm also a bit overwhelmed with the geography and landmarks. I've never been to New Orleans, but it's also a New Orleans from long before Katrina. It's 14 hrs. long and I'm about 3 hrs. in. Hopefully the introduction and vignettes about all the minor characters, or seemingly minor characters, is going to quiet down. I'm going to stick with it because I like the metaphor of the Yellow House being a main character that is an unruly 13th child.

Robin P wrote: "I want to read The Day the World Came to Town since I listened to the soundtrack of the musical Come from Away, which is based on it. If all goes as planned, I will even be able to see the musical ..."

I read this book recently and have seen the show Come From Away twice on Broadway and once in a traveling show and heartily recommend whatever version you can see. Also went to a discussion of the show at the Mark Twain House in Hartford and saw this at a Festival of Musicals at Goodspeed Opera House in 2013 so a real fan of this show!

Jeanie wrote: "I read Tangled and Treason, a prequel short story to the Vampire Knitting club series by Nancy warren. It is the backstory ..."

There was more to Tangles and Treason than I expected. It read as though it was written to provide brief answers to reader questions. More answers than I expected though some were lacking when it came to detailed explanation.

...Much of my time has been taken up listening to my Alexa read Kindle books to me since they aren't available on audio....

Been doing a lot of that too, though with kindle or computer text-to-speech rather than Alexa.

The Sundown Motorcycle Club, A Vampire Romance
Let your friend know, in case she doesn't, that her claimed author profile is D.F.^^Wilson, with ^ indicating a space. Amazon imports don't have the extra space so aren't on her profile. I'll add the space for the Sundown MC on GR.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents came in for me at the library today, as did The Vanishing Half

Dee wrote: "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents came in for me at the library today, as did The Vanishing Half"

Excellent combination!

Robin P wrote: "Dee wrote: "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents came in for me at the library today, as did The Vanishing Half"

Excellent combination!"

right?? and I have lots of travel over the next couple of weeks

Fran wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Fran, views are split on The Yellow House, so I am curious to see what you have to say."

I was somewhat lost with the family tree, but I love the little stories ab..."

Thanks for filling me in. A mix of good and bad it seems. I will wait and see how you feel at the end. I too like the metaphor. This is what is so hard about books--capturing why the prose is ordinary versus special.

Trying to go through some of my Audible oldies. Listened to two classics:

Emma Thompson narrating The Turn of the Screw. Outstanding narration - story was just okay.

Also listened to Fahrenheit 451 narrated by Tim Robbins. Very entertaining narration. I've always loved the first part of this story but it somehow loses me in the last third. But all in all - a great listen.

Fran wrote: "Just started The Yellow House and while it's a lot to take in the geography and family lineage I'm enjoying the personality of the memoir. The narration is also great. ."

Fran, Coincidentally, I just started to read The Yellow House the other day and was completely lost with the multitude of characters. So it isn't easier in print. I very much wanted to see a family tree. However, it is very well written and I'm enjoying it too.

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede is a book of oral history not to be missed.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have begun The Captains and the Kings. I want to try more by the book's author, Jennifer Johnston.

I am starting the Cork O'Connor mystery series with Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger. I loved both Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land. The audio is fine but I think the narrator is missing opportunities to give distinctive voices to the people of northern Minnesota which would include some of the upper Midwest sound (exaggerated in the movie Fargo, but not that much) and the speech of native peoples, which even after all this time, tends to have a distinct tone. Those were captured better in Ordinary Grace and in another Minnesota book, Virgil Wander. I lived 25 years in Minnesota, although not that far north, and I enjoy the local references. But I will probably read the rest of the series in print because I have so many audio TBL already.

My take on The Death of Mrs. Westaway...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Secret Knowledge of Water: There Are Two Easy Ways to Die in the Desert: Thirst and Drowning by Craig Childs - 4 stars - My Review

Craig Childs takes the reader on a journey to the deserts of the Southwestern US in search of water. Childs’s writing is a combination of travel, adventure, nature, and science. In a similar vein as Barry Lopez or Edward Abbey, Childs combines his personal musings with descriptions of his adventures in the wilderness. He educates while he entertains, providing information about fossils, animal life, and conservation. It appears to be Childs’ goal to highlight the interdependence of humans and nature, and to encourage “a respect for life and its uniqueness that goes almost unspoken, a reverence for the incomprehensible diversity of organisms that has woven itself into patterns across the earth.” His writing is more poetic than many writers of non-fiction, though his topics are sometimes not as tightly focused.

I listened to the audio book, capably read by the author. He is familiar with the material and reads well.

Just started Courting Mr. Lincoln, narrated by Tavia Gilbert and Robert Fass.

I finished The Space Between Worlds. It's an entertaining read.

My review here

I finished Through Black Spruce today. It seemed to take forever to finish this 15 hour book, even bumped up to 1.9x speed.

I will start The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa tomorrow.

L J wrote: "
Jeanie wrote: "I read Tangled and Treason, a prequel short story to the Vampire Knitting club series by Nancy warren. It is the backstory ..."


There was more to [bookcover:Tangles and Treason|..."

LJ, thanks, I'll let her know!

Over the past two days I've been binge-reading Women's Paranormal Fiction/Romance... a genre I'm finding meets my personal reading tastes even better than most typical PNR that features a twenty-something heroine.

I finished the three available books in Michelle M. Pillow's series Order of Magic: second Chance Magic (Book 1), Third Time’s a Charm (Book 2), and The fourth Power (Book 3). These are relatively short--approximately six hours--and are fun, funny, filled with interesting characters, and on the spooky side without sending this wimp to hide under her covers!

I've also finished the first two books in Mandy M. Roth's series, Grimm Cove: Cloudy with a Chance of Witchcraft (Book 1) and Hexing with a Chance of Tornadoes (Book 2). the first showed potential with a couple of truly great and unique characters with some truly funny lines and moments, but didn't quite flow in a narrative sense and felt a little too rushed in some places and dragged out in others. Still, it had enough promise for me to try the second, which was hysterically funny and well worth having gone through any slight deficits in the first one in order to get to the second one. The narrator does a great job with all the females, but the male voices really lack the quality the characters needed. Next, I'm starting Spellcasting with a chance of spirits and hope it is as good as the second book.

I've had a lot going on and can't remember what I mentioned in my last update.

Wheel of Time book 4 was great. I really enjoyed Watchers by Koontz.

I can't decide what's next.

I’m listening to the Audible version of Jane Austen’s “Persuasion” again, narrated wonderfully by Greta Scacchi.

Robin P wrote: "I am starting the Cork O'Connor mystery series with Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger. I loved both Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land...."

I've really enjoyed the Krueger books. I don't know what took me so long to discover him as an author.

My review of Mind of a Killer: An Alec Lonsdale Victorian Mystery:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I knocked out the 2nd in the Atlee Pine series (A Minute to Midnight) by David Baldacci pretty quickly. It's solid FBI/Baldacci stuff but I *still* want to know what happened to her twin sister so I will be getting the 3rd book as soon as it frees up.

Trying The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto next.

Robin P wrote: "I am starting the Cork O'Connor mystery series with Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger. I loved both Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land...."

I just finished the audio version of This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger and it is the first book I've read by this author. I heard a great interview of Krueger recently through Bookreporter.com. I absolutely loved this book and the narrator is Scott Brick who always does a great job and I seek out his narrations. What should I listen to next?

I am finishing an audiobook edition of[ Welcome to the Monkey House by K. Vonnegut. I am appreciating the rye take. Vonnegut recognizes almost any well intended idea can be stretched to absurd levels. He pokes our idealism. The story Harrison Bergeron was something I'd originally come across in high school. It highlights the divergence between all are equal and all have equal opportunity.

I like The Captains and the Kings by Jennifer Johnston very much. Having read only two of her books, I will soon read more.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have begun Surviving the White Gaze: A Memoir by Rebecca Carroll. So far it's good. Good writing. Reads as a novel.

Melinda wrote: "Robin P wrote: "I am starting the Cork O'Connor mystery series with Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger. I loved both Ordinary Grace and This Tender..."</i>

If you liked This Tender Land, you will probably like Ordinary Grace. Also two books by other authors that have some resemblance to This Tender Land in my opinion are [book:Virgil Wander and Driftless. They both have the same kind of Midwest magical realism and a message about how everyone is connected. Neither one is about children, though, while Ordinary Grace has a boy narrator.

Published in 1972:
Albert Einstein: Creator and Rebel by Banesh Hoffmann - 4 stars - My Review

The book covers Einstein's theories and methods. It is a book for science fans. Those interested in his personal life will find only the basics, but it does give the reader a glimpse into his temperament, political views, and fears about the ways his discoveries could be (and were) used. Topics include the general theory of relativity, special theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, and properties of light, electromagnetism, and gravity. The author has a wry sense of humor and occasionally asks the reader to “bear with me – we’ll return to this exciting discovery later.” I looked Hoffmann up later and found that he worked with Einstein personally, and contributor Helen Dukas worked as Einstein’s administrative assistant. I loved the inclusion of Einstein’s interactions with other notable scientists of the day, It sheds light on Einstein’s opinions beyond science, lively discussions with other scientists, and personality quirks.

Wanda McCaddon does an excellent job with the narration, giving voice to Einstein, and clearly articulating the occasionally complex subject matter.

Finished listening to And Playing the Role of Herself by K.E.Lane. It was awesome and I love the narrator. This is one that I will be listening to again sooner rather than later.

Listening to One More Chance by Ali Vali. I’m really enjoying it thus far.

I finished Spellcasting with a chance of Spirits, third in the Grimm Cove series by Mandy M. Roth. I laughed until I couldn't catch my breath. The first book in this series only gives a taste of the potential humor to come, but is worth getting through in order to get to the next two books. I hope another is coming out someday soon!

Jeanie wrote: "Over the past two days I've been binge-reading Women's Paranormal Fiction/Romance... a genre I'm finding meets my personal reading tastes even better than most typical PNR that features a twenty-so..."

I second you on Michelle M. Pillow and Mandy M. Roth. Both are fun reads.

I'm rereading "The Likeness" by Tana French and struck anew by writing; her visually rich writing - when she describes an Irish cottage I can see and smell the place. Or characters; how the light illuminates or obscures a character's face and character. I get lost in the lilting brogue and Irish slang. You have to be patient and the audio format lets the words and voice wash over me. STARZ has a new series based on two of her books, but it mangles the stories (actors are great though).

Robin P wrote: "Melinda wrote: "Robin P wrote: "I am starting the Cork O'Connor mystery series with Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger. I loved both Ordinary Grace and [..."

Thanks, will definitely check out Ordinary Grace.

Omid Scobie's Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family unexpectedly came available several days ago, so I spent my week with it; felt like an extension of Prince Harry and Meghan's explosive CBS interview. 5 stars, excellently read by the author.

Starting a reread (relisten?) of Frankenstein, narrated by Simon Vance.