What Are You Listening to Now? Part 18

I'm about halfway through Star Wars: The Force Awakens (by Alan Dean Foster; narrated by Marc Thompson) - It's been years since I've listened to a Star Wars audiobook, and I had completely forgotten that it has sound f/x - including, music and voice enhancements! (Perhaps the publisher could have put a little "warning" on the cover) Neither fish nor fowl, this is a hybrid of audio drama with a single narrator reading the story. Correspondingly, I have mixed feelings about it. I'm not unaware of the unique challenges of the Star Wars production studio; nor the cult following that the audio franchise has; but the style is so over-the-top that it frequently distracts from the actual story. That said, I would be lying if I said I wasn't caught up in the thrill of the chase! This is one of the finalists in the APA's Audie Awards in the SCI-FI category, and the first one from the slate that I'm listening to for The Armchair Audies :-)

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I'm listening to Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein and enjoying it every bit as much as Code Name Verity. Terrific reader.

I've just started listening to The Dispatcher (by John Scalzi; narrated by Zachary Quinto) - It's a novella set in the near-future, "a time of miracles and wonders" - The murdered are inexplicably returned to life, safe (and naked!) in their own homes. The story is engaging from the get-go; and the narrator is excellent. The only thing that will prevent this from becoming a five-star is if the plot devolves into a cliche detective story or fall apart completely.

>4 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I recently listened to that and really liked it. I thought the story was great and Zachary Quinto did a great job with the narration.

Just finished Station Eleven, which I really enjoyed. Now I'm back to Reading Lolita in Tehran and will probably be starting Yes, Chef, Marcus Samuelsson's memoir soon.

I'm listening to The Inimitable Jeeves. I decided to listen to them all in order when I couldn't remember which ones I had read years ago.

It's my incentive and entertainment when I take my daily walk on the greenway.

I finished listening to The Twenty-Three by Linwood Barclay and liked it, although it wasn't quite as good as the first two parts of the trilogy.

Now I'm listening to Star Trek: Prey: Hell's Heart by John Jackson Miller. It's a lot of fun so far and the narrator Robert Petkoff is doing a great job with all the voices.

I miraculously finished listening to Five Days at Memorial before my book club. Very good, though the other members found it so hard to read for more than ten or twenty minutes at a time.

Now I'm relistening to A Man Called Ove for a different book club and The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future for my kitchen/unpacking book (I'm in the process of moving).

I'm listening to Terra Incognita, second a series featuring Gaius Russo, a doctor (medicus) in Roman Britain. I couldn't get into the Marcus Didius Falco series, but I like Russo a lot. Simon Vance does a terrific job with the narration.

This past week, I listened to Doctor Who - The War Doctor 1: Only the Monstrous (by Matt Fitton; edited by Nicholas Briggs; performed by a Full Cast starring John Hurt and Jacqueline Pierce) - The Doctor and the other Time Lords are waging a Time War with the Daleks. In this trilogy, The War Doctor has detonated a time disruptor; and in the fallout, has landed on the peaceful planet of Kesca. However, Cardinal Ollistra is the manipulative head of the Time Lords who will stop at nothing to reclaim The Doctor, while he would rather forget who he is and recover in the hands of a Kescan woman. There is quite a bit of intrigue, betrayal, and even sadness in the stories. Last week I listened to three of The Tenth Doctor adventures which were fun and a bit campy; but The War Doctor series seem to be much different: The scripts are sober and a bit more sophisticated with dreams and flashbacks inserted; and The Doctor is much more cynical and unlikable. Still, I think I like these better than the demi-comedies of The Tenth Doctor's adventures. There are sound effects, natch; and original music (a ten-minute track at the end presents a musical suite in full.) John Hurt as The War Doctor is great; and Jacqueline Pierce is equally amazing as Cardinal Ollistra (and sounds remarkably like Judi Dench!)This is a Big Finish Production; and in looking online, it looks like they are the official licensees of the Doctor Who audio dramas from the BBC. I've gone ahead and ordered the next two trilogies in the series. (★★★★)

Listening to A field Guide to Lies. It's very basic, very average.

The Bad Beginning (Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the First, by Lemony Snicket, performed by a Full Cast starring Tim Curry) (★★★★)

The Reptile Room (Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Second, by Lemony Snicket, narrated by Tim Curry (★★★★)

The Wide Window (Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Third, written and narrated by Lemony Snicket) (★★★)

The Miserable Mill (Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the fourth, written and narrated by Lemony Snicket) (★★★)

This series follows misadventures the wealthy orphans Baudelaire as they are handed off from guardian to guardian, and aggressively pursued by master of disguise, Count Olaf. I decided that I wanted to re-read/re-listen to at least the first four books in this series before watching the Netflix adaptation, and discovered that my prints books have disappeared, so I went with the audio this time around. I could have sworn that there was an unabridged edition of the first-in-series; but it looks like the audio drama is all that's available now. It must be mentioned, however that the audio drama, A Grammy nominee a few years ago, is very good and highly entertaining. The sound effects aren't overwhelming, and Tim Curry's lines in particular are delivered with a delicious sense of fatalism, mystery, and eccentricity. The second book in the series is unabridged, and here you get the full effect of his skills; but the author himself narrates the third and fourth books, and it is a disappointment. Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) delivers the material in his flat American voice, seems a bit stilted, and oddly sounds like he was trying to imitate Jim Carrey in some places. A star off from all four if only because you don't get to see Brett Helquist's illustrations (though there is the original music by The Gothic Archies); and another off 'The Wide Window' and 'The Miserable Mill' for having the author narrate them badly.

I'm midway through MASH, which is an odd experience and frankly I can see why the author struggled to find a publisher. I can also see why someone thought it would be perfect for adaptation (though it makes more sense for TV as it's so episodic, I'll need to rewatch the movie when I'm done, as it's been at least a decade since I've seen it).

Also started Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937-1945.

Deep into The Handmaids Tale in honor of the mini-series premiere.

Abandoned a lot of junk these last weeks. I spent time yesterday filling my iphone with material guaranteed to please.

I'm enjoying a collection of old Terry Pratchett short fiction, in A Blink of the Screen. I'm missing some contexts, as unable to see what the words really are when I don't understand the pronunciation. But that's minor.

Just finished Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood, read by R. H. Thomson. This is the retelling of Shakespeare's Tempest and it is really quite funny. Thomson, who is a wonderful Canadian actor, does a terrific job of narration.

>17 gypsysmom: I keep getting re-tempted by Hag-Seed but I worry I'm too attached to the play to enjoy the retelling.

I'm nearly done with Malinche by Laura Esquivel, which has been interesting but not amazing. Also partway through William Wells Brown, a biography by Ezra Greenspan.

I am now on the last (sigh) book in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, League of Dragons, read by Simon Vance. I have really enjoyed listening to this series which is an alternate history set during the Napoleonic wars with dragons fighting with the troops on both sides. And of course, Vance is incredible.

Into Moonglow by Michael Chabon. Love the narrator George Newbern.

Finished Moonglow. Very well written and narrated. On to Dolores Claiborne narrated by Frances Sternhagen.

Nearly done with The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World and halfway through Pavillion of Women by Pearl S. Buck, which I'm loving.

Soon I'll be starting The Slave Across the Street for a book club.

Just started listening to Barkskins by Annie Proulx. It's almost 26 hours long so I think it will be my June/July listen. So far I am enjoying it but it's early days yet.

Started today, The Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow.

Yesterday, I started on Cold Earth by Anne Cleeves, which is the seventh book in the crime fiction series, Shetland.

I am sorry to say that I had read the end of the Hamish Macbeth series by M.C. Beaton in any format, and now I need to find something to tide me over until the author writes another.

All the Birds in the Sky

Almost through North Korea Undercover OMG...

Working through First Salute by Barbara Tuchman and the second volume of The Gulag Archipelago.

Finished All the Birds in the Sky and today started Jurassic Park.

Listening to Thinking, Fast and Slow in the car. It's brilliant, but I think that I am only absorbing about 50% of it because it refers to charts and graphs that are on a pdf that accompany the audiobook. So I would only recommend it if you want a general overview or if you listen on a device near your computer.

Started Small Death in the Great Glen by A. D. Scott today, and am enjoying it thus far.

Just starting Anna Karenina and a re-read via audio to Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, which is my favorite Oz book. I've read it so many times since I was a kid, but I feel like most of the narrators available for the Oz books are pretty sub-par.

Also, just an FYI, Hoopla has fixed their audiobook speed controls so the audio is no longer distorted if you change the speed. SO excited for that since there are a fair few audiobooks I can only get via Hoopla.

Into Station Eleven.

I've just started The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan and Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI as my secondary audiobook.

It took me a month but I have finally finished Barkskins by Annie Proulx. I actually thought it would take me longer because it is almost 26 hours long but it was quite fascinating listening and I probably listened longer each day than I have any recent audiobook. That said, I wouldn't really recommend it because the story involves many generations of two families and it would be much easier to keep track if you had a printed family tree to refer to. It starts in 1693 and goes up to 2013. The destruction of North American forests (and forests in other parts of the world) is the theme but it is not solely a preachy environmental tome. There are lots of fascinating characters and the history of the times is a major part of the book as well.

Now I am listening to Boat Rocker by Ha Jin which seems pretty good although I'm only about 1 1/2 hours in.

Finishing up on Hillbilly Elegy which reads like a real long admission essay for Yale.

Just finished The Little Book of Hygge. 'The perfect comfortable, happy antidote to the actually impressive Hillbilly Elegy.

Starting Believe Me, Eddie Izzard's memoir, and Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them for my non-fiction book club.

I've been listening to Born A Crime, and enjoying every minute of it. Trevor Noah's reading of his memoir is as fantastic. Everyone should listen to this book. It is serious, sad, funny and fascinating all at the same time.

I am listening to A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki which is read by the author. The book itself is amazing but the audiobook is a pure delight. The book has two protagonists, Nao, a young Japanese girl, and Ruth, a Japanese-American woman living on one of the Gulf Islands in BC. Ruth found a freezer bag washed up on the beach of her island and inside was a diary written by Nao. It is possible that this find is part of the debris from the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011. Ruth becomes obsessed with Nao's story and wants to find out what happened to her. The great thing about this audiobook is the use of Japanese throughout (which is always translated) but hearing the words as they are meant to be pronounced instead of reading them and wondering how they would be pronounced is terrific.

I started Just Mercy this morning. Wow.

Started The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism as my primary audiobook and Venice by Jan Morris as my secondary audiobook.

Half-way through Concussion. A fascinating medical thriller.

>41 vwinsloe: I read that in the last year. It's a stunner all right.

>44 gypsysmom:. It's one of those books that every American should read. Usually, I am not a fan of audiobooks read by the author, but Bryan Stevenson does a fantastic job.

After Station Eleven I went through A Spool of Blue Thread. Now, in anticipation of the movie, I am listening to IT. Actor Steven Weber does a great narration.

Good morning all.

I'm attempting to get through two WW2 setting stories and getting bogged down. Both authors insist on sharing ALL of the material they have discovered, whether it moves the story ahead or not.

The Zookeeper's Wife is more blatant about it, as you can see from other reviews. The details seriously take away from the drama of the main story.

Village of Secrets spends a lot of time giving history, both of the main actors and the organizations involved.

I have no problem with the narrations, but perhaps would have been better read in print, so as to be able to skim material.

Two other books I've started and am delighted with are Lab Girl, read by the author, and My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me. I can tell these both will rank high on this year's list.

Lab Girl is in great demand at my library. I had to wait months for access to it, and I know I won't be able to re-new it.

About halfway through Black Flags: The Rise of Isis and just starting To the Bright Edge of the World. Certainly two very different selections to go back and forth with.

I'm listening to Fall of Giants written by Ken Follett and narrated by John Lee. It's a far-ranging story set around WWI. There are a number of storylines which occasionally criss-cross. It's over 30 hours so it's taking me quite a while to get through it but I am enjoying it.

I'm almost finished with The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham, read by Lucy Price-Lewis. Great psychological thriller.

Next up is American Assassin by Vince Flynn, read by George Guidall.

Finished IT. Went on to A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin, who has a new book coming out this week!

It has been a while since I've updated this thread! I have been able to knock a few more audiobooks from my TBL queue! Without the need to pick up my daughter from school, audiobook consumption becomes virtually nil over the summer; so now that the school year has begun, I have more automatic listening time built into my schedule!

It took me eleven months but I finally finished the audio edition of The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition (by Stephen King; narrated by Grover Gardner!) To be fair, I felt like this was my third time through as when my DH read the original and then this new uncut edition, I would get daily updates. And, of course, when he thought he was getting sick while reading it, I had to deal with someone who thought he was dying of Captain Trips! Interestingly, while there were literally weeks between the time I listened to each of the three sections of the book ("Captain Trips," "On the Border," and "The Stand,") it was very easy to get right back into the story!

For those who may not be familiar with the plot, it's about a virus that wipes out most of the US population (no word on the rest of the world); and the survivors who are called to meet-up in Colorado or Las Vegas via a series of dreams communicated to them through the religious mystic Mother Abigail or The Dark Man, Randall Flagg respectively. This ultimately leads to a showdown between good and evil...

It's worth mentioning that the audio is 48 hours long; and I was good with it despite the clunky social commentary (as poured forth by the character Glen,) the repetition of some details, and the clunky updating of the material from a 1980 setting to a 1990 one... until about 45 hours in when I ended up furious at the anti-climatic showdown. I've been yelling at my husband ever since (with all the convos we've had about it, he did not warn me about the poor writing in this scene!)

The narration was excellent, and I'm glad I tackled this in audio, but it is unlikely I will re-read this chunkster as so many King fans do!

Finishing The Stand seems to have primed the listening pump! I listened to The Cinder Spires as part of the SFFkit's October theme of Steampunk, and Unbroken (after I read Seabiscuit: An American Legend earlier this year, I was eager to read Laura Hillenbrand's other book.)

The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut's Windlass (by Jim Butcher; by Euan Morton) - A demi-Steampunk adventure story about a disgraced and grim aeronautic captain, his piratical crew, and a trio of cadet Guardsmen who are called to serve when their spire (the off-surface realm they live on) under attack from another spire... I had very mixed feelings about the story: I loved the world building, level of adventure, and the overall plot; but I was less enamoured of the nautical jargon, the somewhat tedious battle choreography, and the talking cats. As for the audiobook narration, Euan Morton is a young-sounding pissy British narrator who manages to make all his characters sound pissy, so I was a bit put off by it. Character differentiation was very good (you could always tell who was speaking); but I often wished they wouldn't. :-/ So, three-and-a-half stars for the writing; and two-and-a-half stars for the narration. Rumor has it that the next book in the series is due to be released in 2018; but I'm probably not going to pre-order it, though I might grab it if it goes on one of Audible's famous $4.95 sales.

Unbroken (by Laura Hillenbrand; narrated by Edward Herrmann) - This narrative non-fiction biography covers the life of Louis Zamperini, a one-time Olympic contender for the 1936 games in Berlin, B-24 bombardier during WWII, a survivor of extremely harsh Japanese interments and slavery; and Christian evangelist. The subtitle of this book is, "A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" which pretty much covers it. Solidly written, I didn't think it is as strong as Seabiscuit: An American Legend: There were a couple of times the number dumps bogged the story down, but it's still a great and inspiring story. There was a Christian element to it that I wasn't crazy about, but I had to remember that this was Louie's story; not mine ;-) Though I wasn't keen on Edward Herrmann's using the tertiary pronunciation of "sadism," it is a minor quibble in an overall excellent delivery of a remarkable man's story.

Ah, so now I start in on the Audible backlog I've managed to accumulate, starting with sequels that I pre-ordered back in May! Good thing I got them on the day of their respective releases! : eye roll :

The Boy on the Bridge (by M.R. Carey; narrated by Finty Wiliams) - This is a prequel to The Girl with All the Gifts, and despite the mixed reviews I see on it, I loved it! It's a different story than "TGWATG" not least because we know how off-camera events play out years later. The "wow" factor lies not in the ending but in the journey itself. The story of a team of scientists and their escort as they venture out into the ZA landscape and what they find is superbly narrated by Finty Williams. Also, there is an epilogue which served both "Girl" and "Boy" well.

Waking Gods (The Themis Files #2; by Sylvain Neuvel; performed by a Full Cast - At the end of Sleeping Giants, there is a rather bemusing incident, and that is where Waking Gods not only picks up but runs with it as pretty much the central theme in this science fiction novel goes. It flirts a little with "jumping the shark," until you remember that this is a story about giant robots from outer space. So, a little camp, but a lot of fun, the multi-voice audio production made the most of the epistolary form of the book. There were a couple of sections where the audio processing hurt my ears a little bit, so I went to stereo speakers instead of earbuds or headphones. Looking forward to the third and final book in the trilogy, 'Only Human' due out MAy 1, 2018.

Evey October, I make a point of listening to a Stephen King audiobook. The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger was next on my list, but it was so short, that I went ahead with The Dead Zone as well!

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (by Stephen King; narrated by George Guidall) - This is a Western Fantasy that I've seen other readers criticize as being too slow, and/or too long, but I loved the allegorically rich atmosphere and the journey of The Dark Man. This is a novel that King wrote relatively early in his career, but the first of his books published chronologically where I've sat up and taken notice that this guy can write! George Guidall commits to an engaged performance, but he's a little long in the tooth for the role. You can tell he has dentures and it's a little disconcerting. Five stars for the story, three for the narration.

The Dead Zone (by Stephen King; narrated by James Franco) - Johnny Smith gets in a terrible car wreck and wakes up fifty-five months later from a coma to find the world very much changed. One of those changes is that Johnny himself can sometimes see the future of those whose hands he touches... Though the setting is clearly the mid-1970s, it is surprisingly relevant today: In the novel, the people vote for a rogue candidate, not unlike our current president; and the question of "Would you kill a Nazi?" is addressed. As far as audiobook narrators go, I've heard worse, but James Franco tended to focus more on creating character voices than paying attention to contextual clues (e.g. one character is described as having a high, thin, little girl voice, but Franco gives the character a whisky growl); and I'm not sold on his female characters at all (sound oddly neutral as opposed to feminine.)

Midnight Riot (Rivers of London/Peter Grant #1; by Ben Aaronovitch; narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) - After the bittersweet tone of The Dead Zone, I needed something a bit lighter! I don't often re-listen to audiobooks, but this was just what I needed: It's fun, funny, and clever! Peter Grant is a police constable in London who discovers he has some magic skills. As a series of bizarre and extremely violent homicides grip the city, Peter relies on both magic and his limited knowledge of science to figure out what's going on. The production values in this are terrible (mouth noises, booth noises,) but Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is cast perfectly, so much so that when I tried to read the next book in the series, Moon Over Soho it fell flat without his performance.

I just finished listening to Fall of Giants written by Ken Follett and narrated by John Lee. The narration was okay but I thought some of the accents were poorly done. Nevertheless I enjoyed all 24 sections of the book which is another epic by Follett which covers about 15 years before, during and after World War I. The stories of people from Britain, Germany, Russia and the USA show how this time period impacted people.

Operation Arcana is a collection of fantasy military short stories. Uneven quality. I picked it up mostly to listen to Stefan Rudnicki 's voice. He's not the only narrator, but the most distinctive.

Just finishing The Book Thieves: The Nazi Looting of Europe's libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance and Reality is Not What It Seems: The Journey to Quantum Gravity.

My commute read this week is Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult - This book has multiple narrators. Although I am only 49 minutes into this novel I am enjoying it very much. :)

This past week, I finished two audiobooks:

Kill the Next One (by Federico Axat; narrated by Maxwell Hamilton) - This is a thriller about a serial killer and one of the most original and interesting stories I've read in a long time. I actually can not divulge more without risking spoiling the plot, but I will say that the first two sections ("cycles") may mess with your mind a little bit until the second half of the novel settles things down to manageable proportions. Maxwell Hamilton is a new-to-me audiobook narrator, and while I appreciate his clarity, he sounds too young and too "bright" for the material. So, strong four stars for the writing, and I will be generous with three stars for the narration.

The Remains of the Day (by Kazuo Ishiguro; narrated by Simon Prebble) - This is the story of a butler who serves Darlington House under two owners over the course of decades. It is the ruminations of an Englishman on the nature of dignity and service against the backdrop of changing times. Some find this novel slow, but I find the tempo the perfect foil against the impact of the final chapters. I read this in print a few years ago and I find it interesting that some of my perspectives on some of the topics had changed a bit, and that I cried at a different place in the story as a whole. The audiobook narrator, Simon Prebble doesn't hit the elegiac tone I associate with this book, but he did bring a nice upper-crust voice to the audio.

One hit and one miss this past week:

American War: A Novel (by Omar El Akkad; narrated by Dion Graham) - Against a backdrop of extreme climate change and triggered by a fossil fuel ban & the assassination of a president, the US is launched into a second civil war. One family's daughter in the Red country becomes radicalized, and her actions change the course of history... In this thought-provoking near-future dystopia, Dion Graham lends a great performance, creating a varied and authentic cast of characters. Four strong stars all around. (★★★★)

Pride and Prejudice (by Jane Austen; narrated by Rosamund Pike) - This is leagues better than the edition narrated by Flo Gibson that has been a library staple for many years, but still pretty awful. Rosamund Pike played Jane Bennett in the 2012 film version starring Keira Knightly, which I guess is her "cred" for narrating this; but if I didn't already know this Classic satire of 19th-century manners and mores, upside down and inside out, I don't think I would know what was going on. The audiobook narrator makes some ridiculous choices for character voices, and in other places, you cannot, or barely tell, who is speaking in dialogues. Love the story (★★★★★), but bailed on the narrator (★.)

I just finished the audiobook of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi which was narrated by Dominic Hoffman. I can't say enough good things about this. Hoffman did a superb job which must have been difficult because there were many different voices. The story follows the descendants of two half-sisters through seven generations. One half-sister stayed in Africa as did most of her offspring. The other half-sister was transported for slavery to the USA. Each group had their challenges with horrible life circumstances but the awfulness is redeemed by love or at least ameliorated by love.

A busy week as the parent of a teen (homecoming week, etc.) but I managed to get an audiobook in:

A Gentleman in Moscow (by Amor Towles; narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith) - This is the story of a Russian Count who ends up under house arrest at the Hotel Metropol Moscow for thirty-two years. More than half of the novel seems a bit slow, even maddeningly digressive at times even though the nostalgia-tinged stories are entertaining, but the last third to a quarter of the plot gels, and all I can say is, "Wow." I loved this story and after finishing, I was left with a bit of book "afterglow." I listened to the audiobook edition, but if I were to re-read this, I would go with the print. Nicholas Guy Smith is a British narrator and one who sometimes adds an "r" to the ends of words that end with vowels, and I would have liked a more Russian flavour to the audio as well as a better facility with the foreign phrases as they appeared in the book. Five stars for the book, (★★★★★), (★★-1/2) for the audiobook narrator.

Started “the eight” by Katherine Neville

My player is no longer holding a charge, so I have to keep it plugged in at home. My car listening is now radio and iphone loaded audio books. My CD books are going slowly. However, I'm enjoying Population: 485, read by the author. He is a radio personality, and I get the feeling that these chapters cohere from some of his other broadcasts.
He reminds me of Tom Bodett, who so successfully drew quirky, lovable neighbors in Alaska. Perry writes about rural Wisconsin with the same affection.

November was a bad listening month for me. After trying to get into The Book of Etta (The Road to Nowhere #2 by Meg Elison) and failing, I hit a reading & listening slump. Oddly, though I liked the first book in the series, The Book of the Unnamed Midwife when I listened to it a few months ago, now I recall it as only being "meh." This sequel, which takes place ten years after the first-in-series, features a female raider who dresses like a man when she goes out looking for others to rescue in this post-apocalyptic tale. A virus has wiped out most of the female population, which leaves surviving women both highly valued and at extreme risk. Adenrele Ojo does a great job narrating but the story itself was taking too long to get going and I didn't feel like this installment was offering me anything new for my brain to seize on.

Now I'm listening to Rebecca (by Daphne du Maurier; narrated by Anna Massey.) Years ago, I listened to the audio narrated by Alexandra O'Karma which was lovely, except for the fact that Ms O'Karma sounds very American, not British at all. This modern Classic features a nameless protagonist who meets up with Maxim deWinter in Monte Carlo. Despite their age difference and the lack of declaration of love on his part, they marry and head off to his family estate, Manderly.

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay was written 1990 but Penguin Audio only did an audiobook in 2009. The narrator is Simon Vance who is my favourite narrator for audiobooks, especially fantasy. Even though Guy Gavriel Kay grew up in Winnipeg where I live I didn't really read his books until a few years ago because I never thought I liked fantasy. But fantasy that has underpinnings of history appeal to me it turns out so I've been delving into his books. When I discovered that there was an audiobook of this with Vance as the narrator I knew I had to listen. The audiobook is over 25 hours long but I finished it in about 2 and a half weeks because I was so caught up in the story. Highly recommended.

And then there is Deep Blue (A Doc Ford Novel by Randy Wayne White. The narrator is George Guidall who many people seem to think is a great narrator and that's why I downloaded this particular book. Maybe this is a bad example of Guidall's craft but his men's voices are all the same and his idea of an Australian accent bears no resemblance to any Aussie I have ever heard. The book itself is pretty bad; Doc Ford is a marine biologist who freelances as a hired killer, the women fall into bed with any man around and there is a psychopathic hacker flying drones and piloting submersibles all over the Gulf of Mexico. Definitely not recommended.

>67 gypsysmom: Historical fantasy is the fantasy I like best. Check out Juliet Marillier if you're looking for more. Almost all of hers have a historical basis. Her first trilogy is still my favorite, but her writing improved a lot after the first one, so keep that in mind if you read any.

I'm just in the middle of my yearly re-listen to Hogfather while I wait for some library holds to come in.

Currently listening to the academic Bryson, not the traveling curmudgeon Bryson, Made in America It's really good.

Just finished Hidden Figures Not the best nonfiction writing in the world, but the narrative was orders of magnitude better than the movie.

I'm still plodding along with my print and ebook reads, but this past week I was able to knock off four audiobooks:

The Story of God: A Biblical Comedy about Love (and Hate) (written and narrated by Chris Matheson) - This is a short satirical work by one of the co-creators of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures. It's a look at the life of God from the beginning (Genesis) to the end (Revelations) from the POV of God. Irreverent but insightful and wickedly funny, it's also the perfect example of why authors, in general, should not read their own works! Mathseon has a lot of nervous energy which causes him to read too fast and there is booth noise in a couple of places :-/

Tomorrow, When the War Began (Tomorrow series #1 by John Marsden narrated by Suzi Dougherty) - This is a YA adventure story of survival in rural Australia. A group of high school students go camping one weekend and upon their return find that their friends and family have been taken captive by an enemy force. No real issues with the narration (Australian narrator) though I did wonder why Homer was given a foreign accent when he was born in Australia, and I did have to pause a couple of times to figure out that "tints" was really "tents" and "chook" is an Australian term for "chicken." I wish the author had given a clearer idea of what each of characters looked like but I'm guessing that resolves itself throughout the seven-book series. I'm okay with stopping here though.

Bloody Jack (Bloody Jack Adventures #1, by L.A. Meyer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren) - The audiobook community was stunned last week to hear that Katherine Kellgren passed away after a four-year battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. In her honor, I pulled this audiobook from my storage drive. Bloody Jack is a children's/YA swashbuckling tale of Mary Faber, who transforms herself into "Jacky" and becomes a ship's boy on one of HM ships. The story is set in the late eighteenth/early nineteenth-century, with the Napoleonic Wars looming on the horizon. The story is full of adventure as the shop goes off in search of pirates, and a touch of romance. Katherine Kellgren performed an array of characters convincingly and with energy (though I will admit that sometimes her pitch hammered my ears a little bit.) This is the first in a twelve-book series. I wasn't pleased with the way the story ended (I'm not big on cliffhangers at all,) and after taking a peek at the next book's description, decided I didn't want to continue. And yes, I went to a fandom site to find out if one of the plotlines was resolved to any satisfaction.

The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (by Mathias Malzieu, narrated by Jim Dale - This is a story about a boy whose life is saved when he is given a cuckoo-clock heart. He is cautioned against strong emotions but falls in love with a girl... Translated from the French ('la Mecanique du Coeur') and narrated by Jim Dale of Harry Potter audiobook fame. The first thing I want to mention is that, despite elements akin to "Hugo Cabret," the protagonist being a boy, and Jim Dale narrating, this is not a children's story! Filled with erotic imagery, a word I really wish I hadn't had to explain to my daughter, and some graphic violence, this is really for mature audiences only. Secondly, I haven't rated this book on LT yet, because I'm really not sure what it is that I just listened to. I'm very confused as to what happened in the last third of the book, and what the takeaway was supposed to have been. I'll think about it for a few more days, listen to the music CD that someone gave me (there is a clip of the music used in the audiobook,) and maybe get my French friend to explain some things to me before I render final judgment.

Just starting Faces in the Crowd by Valeria Luiselli and about halfway through Roots by Alex Haley.

I'm listening to Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. narrated by Zainab Jah. Jah is doing a wonderful job of the narration. The book includes quite a bit of Igbo dialect and although I can't tell if she is spot on with the accent for the Igbo her accents when English is used is terrific. She has a substantial list of theatre credits to her name and some TV acting as well. The book which tells the story of the failed Biafran independence movement through the eyes of two Igbo sisters and their respective husbands is wonderfully written. It's easy to see why it is on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list.

>73 gypsysmom: I've loved everything by Adichie, even her short story collection despite not being much of a short story lover.

I've just started Patternmaster by Octavia Butler and Until We Are Free by Shirin Ebadi.

I'm now listening to Lab Girl by Hope Jahren which is also read by Jahren. As a retired scientist I thought I would identify closely with her but she is way out of my league and I don't think it is just because she is a botanist whereas I was a biochemist. There is lots to admire in the book though and I am enjoying the listen.

I've been working on clearing some of the backlogs in my TBL queue and even canceled my audible subscription in order to give myself some breathing room. This past week, I listened to two titles:

Moon Over Soho (Rivers of London/Peter Grant #2, by Ben Aaronovich, narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith - This is an urban fantasy novel set in London about a police constable named Peter Grant who is a nascent wizard. One of his skills is that he can detect "vestigia" off of a recently deceased person (Vestigia is sort of like an echo of the last sensory imprints the victim or deceased had before s/he passed away from a magical assault.) In this story, PC Grant detects the notes of a particular cover of the jazz song, "Body and Soul" which leads him to connect with the jazz scene in London and with his father, a jazz musician. The writing is fast, fun, clever and very British... about what you would expect from a writer for the new Doctor Who series! I actually read this one in print a couple of years ago but without Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's performance, it just didn't "pop" for me, so I came back to it in audio.

All Our Wrong Todays (written and narrated by Elan Mastai) - This is a science fiction novel about a beta-male f---up from a Utopian version of 2016 who uses his fathers time machine to travel back to 1965 to correct a mistake. Instead, he ends up messing up things even further and then finds himself in our 2016! Elan Mastai addresses time travel paradoxes and provides an interesting and original story. In the best of science fiction tradition, he also embeds some conjecture about space and time and possibilities... I had my reservations about listening to an author-narrated audiobook (Generally if the author isn't Neil Gaiman, I'm not keen on it) but a friend of mine rated this an "A"s on his blog. Mastai has an uptick at the end of his sentences which can make him sound a bit whiny but I prefer to think of it as "a la John Cusack" and, it is in keeping with the main character's personality. Solid four stars :-)

I'm working on listening to the compleat Tortall universe by Tamora Pierce. Just now I've got Tortall and Other Lands in the slot. Most of the stories are good and add to the canon. A few are too twee and I had to skip them.

>75 gypsysmom: I'd be interested in your report after the entire book.

I just finished Authority (Southern Reach Trilogy, #2; by Jeff VanderMeer; narrated by Bronson Pinchot) - This is a Weird Science Fiction novel about Jack Rodriguez (a.k.a. "Control") who is the new director of the Southern Reach base located at the border of Area X. Bureaucratic politics, paranoia, and the odd behavior of his co-workers leave Control struggling to figure out what is going on. Bronson Pinchot furthers the unease by instinctively dropping into parenthetical voice at certain points, blurring interior thought with dialogue, and imaginings and ruminations with reality. Aside from being "Weird," it's also a slow-burn suspense story that literally left me with a sharp intake of breath at the end!

Attempting to finish listening to Howards End before it expires from my account. It's just getting cozy, with Margaret and Mrs. Wilcox becoming chums.

>77 2wonderY: Lab Girl was solidly good and I was especially fascinated by her description of her friend and lab supervisor, Bill, who followed her from lab to lab. He never went on to get his own graduate degree although he has done tons of work that could be considered part of a thesis. Jahren, like a lot of research scientists I know, mainly stuck to the administrative details (like getting grant money) and let Bill keep the lab work flowing. She does seem to do more lab work than most of the scientists I worked with and she certainly got down and dirty in field work but she could not have done it without Bill's help. In the early years Bill was poorly paid or not paid if the grant money ran out. At one point he was sleeping in his vehicle and then when he was caught at that by the campus police he just moved into a spare room in the lab. It would be really fascinating to read a book written by him but that seems unlikely to happen. Dr. Jahren wrote this book mainly because Bill asked her to get all the stories down.

Just finished The Wanted by Robert Crais, now onto X by the late, great Sue Grafton>

Finally listening to Shattered, an Iron Druid story. Loving the new character, Owen Kennedy.

I wrapped up the audiobook, Damned (by Chuck Palahniuk, narrated by Tai Sammons) before the weekend. This is the satirical story about Maddy Spencer, the thirteen-year-old daughter of a Hollywood power couple. Maddy dies after smoking too much marijuana and finds herself consigned to Hell. Palahniuk skewers left coast liberalism and its inherent hypocrisy but there's not much of his trademark shock content (That said, this is not family-friendly material!) and the writing itself has a surprising number of word/phrase repetitions. This is actually the first of a two-part story so there's a little bit of a cliff-hanger, though not one that has me screaming to get Doomed. The audiobook narrator sounds like a thirteen-year-old girl, but the number of mispronunciations and her awkward delivery damn this as an audio. If I do get around to the other part/sequel, I'll get it in print.

Then over the weekend, I listened to Whispers Under Ground (Rivers of London/Peter Grant #3 by Ben Aaronovitch, narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.) In this installment, the search for the hidden wizard who has taught corrupted magic to a number of followers continues as PC Peter Grant himself is called to investigate the death of an American art student found with a pottery shard in his back and sewage on his boots... The pacing of the story was a bit slower than the first two books in the series, but the story is still clever, fun, and well-plotted overall (no loose ends!) The audiobook narrator's voices for characters has gotten richer and better developed. Love this series, and I think I'll listen to all the books in the run this year :-)

I've started listening to The Flight of the Silvers (Silvers #1, by Daniel Price, narrated by Rich Orlow.) It's a science fiction story in which an apocalyptic event has sent nine people from the San Diego area into an alternate timeline. I'm about a third of the way through and it looks like each of the "time travelers" has a special gift on the spectrum of X-Men talents. Rich Orlow's voice characterizations are excellent for a couple of characters, not so much for others, and his basic narration is neutral to the point of being boring. Still, I'll stick with the story. If I decide to continue with the second book, The Song of the Orphans, I'll probably get it in print.

Just finished The Nuremberg Trial and now working on Black Boy by Richard Wright, and The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash.

I finished listening to The Flight of the Silvers (Silvers #1, by Daniel Price, narrated by Rich Orlow last night. It is the first in a planned trilogy about a group of people from San Diego who survive an apocalyptic event and find themselves in an alternate timeline. Each has arrived with a sort of superpower, all related to the function of time. This has the familiar ring of an X-Men origins story and a writing style similar to that of Peter Clines (The Ex series), so I've taken to calling it a "Timex" novel :-D The audiobook narrator was okay: His character delineations were great, but some of his characters were better than others, and his basic storytelling voice veered from neutral to the point of boring to a smarmy tone that I am not fond of. Everyone else who has read or listened to this title has loved it, but I'm taking the outlier position and rating it a "meh." There just wasn't anything that intrigued or surprised me here.

I'm listening to Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and wishing for a cheat card of the cast of characters.

I listened to the audiobook, News of the World (by Paulette Jiles, narrated by Grover Gardner) over the weekend. I love this story! I read it in ebook format a couple of years ago but came back to it in audio this time around. It's the story of an old man who goes around to small towns in the West and reads selections from newspapers to crowds who are illiterate and/or too consumed with the business of trying to survive in a post-Civil War landscape. Along the way, Captain Kydd runs into a teamster who passes on to the former Confederate soldier a little girl who had been kidnapped by the Kiowa but now needs to be returned to her surviving relatives. Paulette Jiles crafts her short novels from actual oral histories and then sets about doing her research and blending it with her talent to create compelling and exciting stories. (I will never look at a roll of dimes the same way again! ;-) ) Grover Gardner does a great job of telling the story, creating distinct voices for each character, and adding enough creak to his voice to give it a nice "Western" sounding edge.

Now I've started Mongrels (by Stephen Graham Jones; narrated by Chris Patton and Jonathan Yen.) It is a bildungsroman featuring a teen werewolf in a small family unit living in the US South. This book is not a light-hearted paranormal romp or a thinly disguised YA tale of angst and romance, but more of a character study and how the stories we share shape the people we are. It has more lit-fic tones than anything else, but it's not a "cozy" kind of listen either. Chris Patton nails it as the protagonist, but Jonathan Yen in his sections that have an omniscient POV sounds almost like the unnamed interviewer from the Themis File audiobooks (by Sylvain Neuvel; narrated by a full cast) which doesn't sound right for the tone of this book. And yes, I checked, they are not the same guy!

corrected link
News of the World

>88 2wonderY: That's weird. I distinctly remember correcting the link when I posted because the first hit was the album 'News of the World' by Queen! Anyway, I've re-recorrected the link (Thanks, 2wonderY!)

>89 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I had to get there, as I wanted to read more about it and possibly order a copy; which I've done. Sadly, my system only has it in print.

Mongrels (by Stephen Graham Jones; narrated by Chris Patton and Jonathan Yen) - This is the story about a family of werewolves trying to survive as they run across the Southeastern US. The easy way to categorize this story is as a paranormal tale or a Bildungsroman about a teen werewolf, but it's really much, much more than either. It's a story about longing, belonging, and family; A story about the stories we tell, the stories we're told, how stories tell us the truth about ourselves. It's a story to listen to, to read, to savor. It's relatively short but packed with detail, mood, and feeling. I listened to the audiobook and Chris Patton nailed it as the teen werewolf, Jonathan Yen as the omniscient POV for his shorter sections, not so much, but it all worked.

Clockwork (by Philip Pullman; narrated by Anton Lesser) - This is a short, fantastical tale of clockwork figures, automatons, magic and the power of love. Small backstories cohere and set the main story in motion which is set in small town in Germany at a time before digitization and satellites bounced the time to timepieces. Apprentices, upon finishing their terms, are expecting to add a mechanical figure to the town clock but the current apprentice hasn't been diligent in his work. The night before his figure is to debut, he strikes a deal with a devil-like figure... The story succeeds where The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (by Mathias Malzieu) fails: 'Clockwork' has a clear plotline and a clearer moral to the story. Anton Lesser, who plays Qyburn on the Game of Thrones HBO series, is the narrator. Just as with the Sally Lockhart series, he is a perfect match for Pullman's materials, creating a varied and rich cast of characters and delivering the basic story with aplomb. My only complaint is that wherever this was recorded, sounds like a tile bathroom and there is reverb added to some lines :-/

Finished X by Sue Grafton, now into Practical Magic. Liking the narrator.

Over the weekend, I listened to On Stranger Tides (by Tim Powers; narrated by Bronson Pinchot.) I lived the swashbuckling tale of piratical adventures, the visions conjured by voodoo, and the lush descriptions of the jungle and swamps... BUT I had to work hard to get past the audiobook narrator. I usually love Bronson Pinchot's performances but this was a disappointment: He barrelled into the story too fast, his French accents/patois were labored, and his British accents ridiculous. I would love to go back to this story one day, but I'll do it in print.

I finished listening to Reincarnation Blues (by Michael Poore; narrated by Mark Bramhall) last night. This is a speculative humor novel featuring, Milo who is on the last five lives of his allotted ten thousand. Unfortunately, he hasn't achieved the perfect act or state of being, so he faces complete annihilation pretty soon! To complicate things, he is in love with the manifestation of death, Suzy! Interesting premise, but overall it's really pretty mediocre. If you're looking for a mind-blowing reincarnation tale, I would recommend Kim Stanley Robinson's The Years of Rice and Salt. Poore's sense of humor is similar to that Carl Hiaasen but not nearly as well executed, and it just went on way too long for the lamest of punchlines. Mark Bramhall, who I've heard narrate A Quiet Belief in Angels (by R.J. Ellory) with devasting effectiveness and associate with the lit-fic audiobooks of Wiley Cash, soldiers on in this audiobook, handling the foreign phrases with aplomb, but overall just didn't seem like the right voice for this book.

Horrorstor. About halfway, not terribly impressed.

I'm just about finished with The Whole Thing Together. I can't recall what made me pick it up, as I've not read any others by this author. I was pleasantly surprised. It's mature and complex. Some reviewers say it was hard to keep track of the characters; but I had no difficulties there. In fact, just small changes in pitch and intonation told me which character had taken over the narration.

Halfway though The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle by Lillian Faderman. Really enjoying it.

I just finished listening to Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely #1; by Melissa Marr; narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan) - This is a YA fantasy tale about the Summer King of Faeries who is searching for a queen, THE queen who will rule over the court with him and help him restore his power. Working against him are his own mother who is the Winter Queen, and the girl who all feel certain is destined to be "the one," Aislinn. "Ash" is a high school senior is gifted with "the sight," the ability to see fae all around her. This first-in-series sees her slowly coming into her own and trying to come to terms with her abilities and power - not only in the magical sense but in her dealings with the people in her life as she comes of age. I almost bailed on this book and I'm glad I didn't. I had a sinking feeling two hours before the audio ended that there wasn't enough time to resolve all the issues and that it was going to be a cliffhanger. But I was wrong. There were unexpected challenges and resolutions, and strong female characters. I'm not sure I completely bought into the idea that these are teen characters but it was a good story nonetheless. Alyssa Bresnahan always sounds a bit odd to me with her stilted cadence, but she did a nice job in differentiating character voices subtly and appropriately.

slam by Nick Hornby.

I listened to Broken Homes (by Ben Aaronovitch; narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.) - This is the fourth in the Rivers of London/Peter Grant series and continues the overall plot of searching for the Faceless Man. In this installment, Peter and Leslie go undercover at Elephant & Castle, a housing development within London's city limits. Aaronovitch clearly has a strong interest in architecture and while his main character has also displayed a more than a casual interest in the topic, in 'Broken Homes, it is full-blown with commentary on nearly every standing building, home or shack. As intriguing as it all is, it doesn't distract from the slower pacing of this story compared to others in this series, that Peter Grant makes some fantastical leaps of "logic," or some unclear writing (I have no idea how the Terry's Chocolate Orange-like thing worked in the climactic scene.) Still, I give this four stars for a couple of reasons: 1) Interesting plot twists and a couple of glorious action scenes and 2) Kobna Holdbrook-Smith has truly come into his own as being Peter Grant (see also James Marsters as Harry Dresden, and Ray Porter as Joe Ledger.)

>100 Tanya-dogearedcopy: A Terry's Chocolate Orange is a segmented ball of orange flavored chocolate, meant to separate into 20 slices, opening and falling away from the ball shape with just a blow.

>101 2wonderY: Oh! I know how the actual candy "works" (I've even enjoyed a few over the years at Christmas time) but I don't know how the Terry's Chocolate Orange-like thing works in the big climactic scene in the story...

In the big showdown at the end of the story, the Chocolate Orange-like thing is actually an architectural element in an apartment building that has some sort of magic power. Somehow, and it unclear, Peter Grant does something that triggers it and manages to defeat the efforts of The Faceless Man, even though the Faceless Man manages to blow up the building.

I always get twitchy when I have to use the words "somehow" or "something" too many times when describing the action of a story!

Early this morning, I finished listening to The Power (by Naomi Alderman, narrated by Adjoa Andoh) - There's a lot to unpack and discuss in this novel, which on the surface os about women becoming the dominant gender in society when they develop the ability to zap men like electric eels with their prey. But it's really an exposition on the dynamics of power (biochemical, political, religious, gender, sexual, etc.) It's an interesting story but I hated the casting choice, a British woman takes on three POVs: the voice of a young British lower class girl, a Southern American from Louisiana, and a young man from Sierra Leone. I would have preferred three more appropriate narrators and definitely one with a greater facility for the American accent if not an American narrator for the role of an African-American young adult. There are also small interstitial sections describing museums exhibits and punctuating with an airplane PA system-like alert with an uncredited male narrator. These bring attention to the fact that there are illustrations in the book that the listener obviously cannot see. The strengths of this book lie in its writing and if ever want/need to re-read this, I will pick the print edition instead.

Just finished The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic that Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby, which was very good.

Just starting The Challenge for Africa by Wangari Maathai. The reader, Chinasa Ogbuagu, has a wonderful voice. I can't find out much about her (American actress, great-grandfather from Nigeria, which I only found through an interview with an acupuncture in the NYC theatre scene site, so strange) or why she was specifically chosen to narrate two Maathai books.

Maathai is Kenyan, and I'm concerned about the prevalence of "random British or American with African ancestry narrating with accent from a totally different part of the continent but it reads as a generic 'African' accent to most Americans/Brits so that's fine." It doesn't seem like it would be that difficult to seek out actors, etc... (who are used to speech and rhythm as part of their jobs) who are actually from, or hell, whose parents are at least from, the country being represented. If I were an audiobook producer I'd be reaching out to international students at colleges. Is every random person a great audiobook reader? Of course not, but we always need more and probably need to remind people that this is an actual job! We all have our own accent expertise that I know we get annoyed about when audiobooks ignore it.

I just finished listening to An Object of Beauty (by Steve Martin, narrated by Campbell Scott.) This is really a love letter to NYC and the art scene using the character of Lacy Yeager as its expositional device. Lacy is a beautiful but emotionally enigmatic woman who works her way up from the bins at Sotheby's to owning her own gallery... This is a novel that settles into you rather than delivering a knockout punch but its writing, poignancy, and overall style have an impact nonetheless. Campbell Scott expertly disappears from the telling of the story, leaving the listener with the story itself, a skill that seems to be a disappearing art itself. When you do hear the audiobook narrator, his voices carries echoes of the author's inflections without resorting to outright mimicry. The understated narration matches the "voice of the book" perfectly.

You're More Powerful than You Think. It's a brisk book and Liu makes every effort to be even handed in his examples. He reads the book himself, and does a good job. But I may jump to the print book in order to take notes.

Listening to The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu It's very similar to Outwitting History. But(1) it is not as well organized and (2) there are apparently a lot more AK 47s in Mali than Long Island.

I finished listening to Foxglove Summer (Rivers of London/Peter Grant #5 by Ben Aaronovitch, narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) last night. This installment in the Rivers of London series finds wizard-in-training/PC Peter Grant out of the London environs and stomping around Rushppol and Herefordshire looking for a couple of eleven-year-old girls... While not as fast or snarky as past Peter Grant novels, it still has plenty of surprises and a couple of laugh-out-loud moments. And, as always, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, the audiobook narrator is absolutely brilliant. Audio really is the way to go with this series.

I just finished listening to Killfile (John Smith #1, by Christopher Farnsworth, narrated by Bronson Pinchot) - This a fun thriller about a CIA-trained psychic who goes freelance. The story opens with a great action scene but then there's a bit of a slog through expository material which I'll forgive as this is the first-in-series, and because after the slog, the action really takes off! Trigger warning for a graphic description of waterboarding but completely relevant to the story. The audiobook narrator seemed bored by it all at the beginning but delivered a decent performance overall. I'll definitely check out the next book in the series, Flashmob soon.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo (by Jill Twiss, narrated by Jim Parsons, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, John Lithgow, Jack McBrayer, and RuPaul) - Marlon Bundo is a black-and-white rabbit with a bow tie who lives at the Naval Observatory. One day he meets Wesley, a big, fluffy, brown rabbit and they want to spend the rest of their lives together hopping in happiness but the Stinkbug insists that boy bunnies can only marry girl bunnies... This is s spoof of Charlotte Pence's children's book about the vice president's family pet, Marlin Bundo but is a charming children's story in its own right. No violence or schadenfreude, just a message of love. And voting. Proceeds benefit the Trevor Project and AIDS United. Links to purchase can be found at betterbundobook.com

Behind on my updates! Finished slam by Nick Hornby and made it through El Paso by Winston Groom. Yesterday, started Lillian Boxfish takes a walk. Really enjoying narrator.

I just finished The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (by Haruki Murakami ; narrated by Rupert Degas.) It took me nearly two weeks to cover the 26-hours and there were a couple of times I wanted to bail, but I was encouraged by some Murakami fans that this was a great entry point into the Japanese author's oeuvre. Unfortunately, where others praised the dreamlike language and strange/eccentric use of leitmotifs, I found it flat, pointless, and without any place to hang my own red plastic hat on plot-wise. Adding insult to injury was the British/Australian narrator, Rupert Degas who makes all the women sound "stabby," ignores text cues, and makes highly questionable narration choices all around. I should have trusted my instincts and bailed on this after the first of the three interior books.

I finally got the audio of Three Men in a Boat. There are some tiresome stretches, which I probably skimmed in print, but still lots of giggles. The reader gets it just right.

Starting Teri Garr’s Speedbumps, read by the author. She powers through at a quick pace. That’s almost annoying. But then she comes up with lines like this: “There were no obstacles; only props.”

Just starting We Were Eight Years in Power and nearly finished with Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe.

Over the weekend I binge-listened to Flashmob (by Christopher Farnsworth; narrated by Bronson Picnhot.) This is a fast-paced and tightly plotted thriller about a mercenary psychic who is charged with finding out who or what is behind a series of attacks on celebrities. This is the second in the John Smith series and both Killfile and this novel are action-packed without devolving into full-on mil-fic or gun- porn. In each of the novels, there is a tech or cyber element addressed; and in Flashmob it's about crowd manipulation through the internet. In the first-in-series, Bronson Pinchot sounded a bit bored at the beginning, but he's fully engaged in this installment. Very strong four stars :-)

I just started and fairly quickly bailed on Germline (The Subterrene Wart #1 by T.C. McCarthy; narrated by Donald Corren.) It's about a reporter for Stars & Stripes who heads down to the battlefront as a last-ditch effort to salvage his career. The thing is, the front line is actually a subterranean landscape, the mines underneath a mountain in Kazakhstan where the US is fighting Russians. I love the premise but the narrator just wasn't doing it for me: His nasal tone, his mispronunciation of "corpsman," and his inability to shape or drive the narrative was an issue to such an extent that I felt that I was missing some great writing. I'll try this again in print or ebook.

So, instead, I picked another title from my TBL queue, You: A Novel (by Caroline Kepnes; narrated by Santino Fontana) and pretty much all I can say is, "Wow!" This is the story of Joe Goldberg, a bookstore clerk who becomes obsessed with, and super stalks, a 24-year old woman named Beck. I didn't know how far Kepnes was going to take her character, and I was riveted to the story as a result. It says something that I started it at 10:30 last night and finished the 11-hour audio early this afternoon. Santino Fontana is absolutely perfect and I want MOAR! (And, yes, I know there is Hidden Bodies. I just have to wait for my next credit to roll around!)

Mur Lafferty is a new to me author. She wrote and narrated Six Wakes. It's a science fiction locked room murder mystery. The 6 person crew of a starship wake in new clone bodies without memories of the almost 25 year journey. While trying to correct major ship problems, they also need to know how they were all killed, and why. I'm impressed by the audacity of the story as well as the professional job of narration. Well done all around.

>118 2wonderY: That sounds great! Taking the BB! :-)

I wrapped up The Hanging Tree (by Ben Aaronovitch; narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) this afternoon:

Lady Tyburn calls in her marker from Wizard/PC Peter Grant (see Whispers Underground (Book #3)) and sets the plot into action. Her daughter has been noted as a person of interest/suspect in the drug overdose of a classmate in the posh neighborhood of Mayfair/Hyde Park and sLady Tyburn wants Peter to excise her daughter from the situation before scandal breaks. This is the sixth novel in the Rivers of London/Peter Grant series and a fix for those who love the series: All the usual suspects are here and of course, there is an exciting scene involving massive property damage! That said, this is not the strongest in the series. It's not as fast or snarky as previous novels in the series but Ben Aaronovitch has toned down the architectural exposition quite a bit. There are references to the graphic novel series (there are four graphic novels with a fifth due to be released on June 5, 2018) and I think I'll indulge in those next and before I listen to The Furthest Station.

Finished Junk Raft, which is part travelogue, detailing the absurd but successful trip from California to Hawaii on pontoons made from scrap plastics; and part educational, covering all aspects of plastics. I'll probably order the print book to read the last chapter and take some notes.

Now, which shall I pursue?
The Vanishing Middle Class
or
Twinkie, Deconstructed

>121 2wonderY: After listening to the samples of both on Audible, I vote for Twinkie, Deconstructed. The Vanishing Middle Class sounds like it would be better read in print (in the sample, the narrator is reading a chart, which is awkward) and, too, the sound quality is odd like it was recorded in a bathroom? As for Twinkie, Deconstructed, after listening to just a few seconds, I was intrigued enough to put it on my wishlist! Where does polysorbate-80 come from?

I just wrapped up Hidden River (by Adrian McKinty; narrated by Gerard Doyle.) - This 2005 stand-alone is actually set in pre-911/1990s America and features a heroin-addled ex-Peeler from Belfast who heads to Colorado to solve the homicide of his ex-girlfriend.

There are some exciting action scenes, the overall plot concept is great, and readers/listeners get glimpses of the author's trademark "staccato"-style lyricism but I had issues with the uneven and sometimes slow pacing of the story, the anticlimactic ending, and the rather lackluster audiobook narration.

Finished the Teaching Company The Era of the Crusades. 36 lectures. Excellent. If you can't fight Muslims (because they're too strong), you might as well beat the living snot out of fellow Christians in Constantinople...

I'll have to renew Twinkie, Deconstructed. It's good, but I got distracted by fiction, The Protector's War. Switching between the two was fun. Stirling describes a post-apocalypse world where most technology no longer functions. Ettlinger is an enthusiastic describer of our huge industrial food industry. He goes beyond edibles and describes the other products these ingredients contribute too.

Just started listening to Practical Magic. Enjoyed the book in print, loved the kitchen/workroom space in the movie. Listening draws out other details of the characters.

Since my last post I've finished Lillian Boxfish takes a walk and been through Since we fell and Everything to lose. In honor of the new film, have started A wrinkle in time.

Finished A Wrinkle in Time. As an adult, underwhelmed. Although I appreciated her ability to make it timeless. It could be set in any decade. On now to Sleeping Beauties. A slow starter.

Finished Sleeping Beauties. Kinda forgettable. Starting The High Mountains of Portugal.

I've slowed down a little bit in terms of the number of audiobooks I've been listening to, and will pretty much stop when the school year is over in a couple of weeks, but will resume in the Fall. This past month, I only listened to two bonafide audiobooks, the other two being a novella and a short story on audio:

Hidden Bodies (You#2 by Caroline Kepnes; narrated by Santino Fontana - This is the sequel to the thriller, You and this time around, Joe stalks Amy to Hollywood... This feels like the author started writing one book and ended up writing another with the result that the drive and focus of both the character of Joe and the overall narrative suffered. Hidden Bodies suffers in comparison with You but ut's still good, and it has its moments (I started getting nervous about that mug of pee almost right from the start!) Santino Fontana is perfect, as the voice of Joe and elevates the novel from mediocrity to a pleasure to listen to.

Born with Teeth (written and narrated by Kate Mulgrew) - Kate Mulgrew narrates her memoir as a girl from an Irish Catholic family in the Mid-West who starts to come into her own as an actress in NYC. Hearing about her family and career was wonderful, but hearing how she out her career above all else was a bit dismaying at times. There are feminist tones that are at times amplified to the point of suspect self-righteousness. She has an Irish storyteller's charm of lyricism and enhancement which help swallow the honest writing, but I'm not sure I like her as much as I did before I listened to this.

These two are filler bits in the Peter Grant series (by Ben Aaronovitch; narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith): The Furthest Station (Peter Grant #6.5) is a novella featuring a police constable in London and his neighbor's daughter, Abigail. Peter and Abigail go ghost hunting on the Tube. What are the ghosts trying to tell them? Much of the novella lacks tension, i.e. no sense of urgency, though when the stakes are elevated, things move quickly. Aaronovitch writes himself metaphorically into a corner as he literally writes one of his characters into another, and I can't say I'm convinced that he resolved things satisfactorily. A Rare Book of Cunning Device is a lame short story about an issue that a librarian is having with her inventory. Seriously, Arronovitch needs o stop messing around with shorts, novellas, and comic books and get back to writing novels. I can't wait until November when the next Peter Grant story is due to be released!

I'm over the halfway mark for the long haul listen, Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and The Conquest of Everest. Also listening to The Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska.

>129 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Agree with you about Peter Grant. Get on with it!

I've had several duds in audio, so decided to go with a classic for my car trip yesterday, and I'm in the middle of Treasure Island

Done with The High Mountains of Portugal. Now on to Forty Signs of Rain.

>132 jldarden: And what did you think of The High Mountains of Portugal? I listened to it recently and really found it strange. And I had such high hopes for Yann Martel.

A few weeks ago, for World Book Day, Amazon gave away nine different titles in the e-book format. One of those books was A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea (by Masaji Ishikawa.) It's a short non-fictional memoir, but after only a few pages in, I wasn't sure I was going to finish. There was something about the writing style that felt lacking. It needed a voice behind it, so I downloaded the audio narrated by Brian Nishii. Wow, it made all the difference! The story itself is a poverty story about a boy who was repatriated from Japan to North Korea, and who later as an adult, escaped. The testimony is fraught with repetitive phrases and ideas, the bitterness born of eating weeds and battling fate, and the fervor and zeal of a man clinging to hope for survival. Brian Nishii brings it all to life, incorporating the Japanese and Korean words into the performance without fault.

Finished The Children of Willesden Lane today, which was a good book, but I don't recommend the audio edition. They try to have bits of music behind the talking (and sometimes actual speeches, while they narrator was reading!!) but it was too loud and just made it really hard to listen to. Music is a key part of the book, but if they really want the reader to hear it they should break the actual reading. I really REALLY dislike when publishers do that kind of thing, since it rarely works well. If they want to create a radio play, they should do that.

Almost done with Zinky Boys: Soviet Voices from the Afghanistan War by Svetlana Alexievich. The audio edition isn't done as well as her other oral history works, as they only use one reader, vs having several so that when a new speaker begins you also get a different reader. Still an important work.

Just starting The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantu. No complaints about the audio yet!

On the recommendation of two friends with wildly different tastes (one prefers SFF and horror and the other prefers lit-fic,) I downloaded and listened to Fantasticland (by Mike Backoven; narrated by Luke Daniels and Angela Dawe.) It's a thriller/horror story about what happens when a level-5+ hurricane hits an amusement park near Daytona Beach, FL. The two audiobook narrators do an extraordinary job of portraying the 20+ characters who are interviewed in this novel that combines Lord of the Rings and Hurricane Katrina. Looking at the pictures of the now-abandoned Six Flags in Louisiana can give you an idea of the aesthetic being employed. It's a bit dark but ultimately it was only rescued from a "pan" rating because of Daniels & Dawe. The thing that killed it for me was the author's explanations as to why it all happened/character motivations. None of it rang true and settled in right with me (Yes, I know it's fiction but what I mean is that it didn't feel like it could have been true.)

>133 gypsysmom:; I did find it strange also. Not so much connective tissue to the 3 narratives as was hinted at.

Am now into Echo Park.

I enjoyed this OverDrive audiobook ~

The Hellfire Club
by Jake Tapper
http://www.librarything.com/work/21383687/book/158207875

(1954 McCarthy era DC political thriller/narrated by Jake/
a fave for the year)

**********************************
I am now enjoying this library audiobook ~

Lilac Lane (A Chesapeake Shores Novel)
by Sherryl Woods

(latest book in the O'Brien family saga/a favorite series)

Floundering a bit in audio books. Started Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. It's okay; and better than several non-fiction that happened to be on my phone. I was on the road yesterday and had to stop at a McDonald's just to search and download something besides what I had loaded.

Enjoying this library Playaway audiobook ~

Ike and Kay: A novel
by James MacManus

(WWII/relationship of General Eisenhower and Kay Summmersby/
narrated by a British actress/a fave for the year)

Over halfway through the very long Barkskins by Annie Proulx. It is very well done, but not really hitting me in any strong way for most of it.

Also listening to the exceptionally odd Memoirs of a Polar Bear by Yoko Tawada.

I don't do as much listening over the Summer so there's not much to report, but I've managed to get a couple of hours in listening:

Night Night Sleep Tight (by Erin Lee, K.L. Roth, Mary Duke, A. Maslo, Lorah Jaiyn, and R.L. Weeks; narrated by Beth Stewart) - This is a short horror story anthology about things that go bump in the night. Interesting premise but weak execution. The narrator does all the stories and shows great promise but she couldn't save this one.

Rescued (Andy Carpenter series #17 by David Rosenfelt; narrated by Grover Gardner) - This is a cozy mystery about a lawyer/amateur detective who needs to find out who really commits the crimes his clients are accused of having committed. In this case, though, Andy's client does commit the crime but the motivation needs to be cleared up, the difference being between self-defense and homicide! Complicating matters, of course, is some sort of wider conspiracy, and the fact the accused is Andy's wife's ex-boyfriend. Non-anthropomorphized dogs and a snarky sense of humor are involved as well... Love this series and no one could do it better than the narrator.

"The Very First Damned Thing", "When a Child is Born", "Roman Holiday", and "Christmas Present" (Chronicles of St. Mary's .5, 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 respectively by Jodi Taylor; narrated by Zara Ramm) - The Chronicles of St. Mary's is sort of like a Magic Treehouse for adults: Time travel enables research teams of historians to go back to events in the past and observe them in contemporary times. They are utterly ridiculous, and not particularly well-written but I love them anyway! They are loads of fun with adventure, romance, and a bit of humor as well. The first few shorts are available for free on audible and Zara Ramm, a British female narrator does very well by them, not sounding either aristocratic, cockney, or rural. I think it's referred to as the "Estuary Accent?" Anyway, highly addictive in print or audio.

I'm listening to The Outsider by Stephen King which is the best kind of listen. I listen mostly in the car and arrive wherever I'm going without remembering much of the trip. It's very absorbing.

Enjoying this Kindle/Audible combo ~

The Dragon Queen
by William Andrews

(Korean peninsula today and 1800s/Queen Min/read by
Asian narrator Janet Song/a fave for the year)

Started listening to Joanna Trollope's Sense and Sensibility, and realized that I've never read the original story of the Dashwoods. So I downloaded that and I'm bouncing back and forth.

Also loaded the Hoopla app on my phone, but discovering I can only listen to books there if I've got phone connectivity. Not able to listen to that checkout on the road in the middle of Ohio.

I'm having a lot of comfort re-listens with the middle grade fantasy series, The Keys to the Kingdom, by Garth Nix, starting with Mister Monday.

Listening to this OverDrive audiobook ~

An Expert in Murder (Josephine Tey Mysteries Book)
by Nicola Upson

(London 1934, JT is a crime novelist & playwright &
crime solver/book #1)

Started yesterday, The Right Side by Spencer Quinn.

It took me all of the month of July, but I finally finished the 34= hour audiobook, Swan Song (by Robert McCammon; narrated by Tom Stechschulte) - This is a horror/fantasy novel in which nuclear strikes have devasted the world. Against a perpetual winter landscape, survivors struggle with the breakdown of society, loss of technology, sicknesses, and death. Hope comes in the shape of a young girl who has the ability to call forth Life, and the mystic powers of a crazy bag lady on the streets of NYC who finds a melted mass of glass and jewels in the ruins of Fifth Avenue. The cast of characters, many plot devices, and themes are clearly ripped off from Stephen King's The Stand but McCammon is a better writer. Yep, I said it. Tom Stechschulte is the perfect narrator, bringing the 1980s zeitgeist and McCammon's characters to life.

Finishing July with this library audiobook ~

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

(1500s/tale features the Boleyn family and King Henry VIII/
sisterly rivalry)

Reading Eight Cousins in print with granddaughter, and it wasn't available immediately on audio. But Rose in Bloom is, so that's what I'm listening to.

Just starting It Devours! by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, but got side tracked by a fantasy favorite, Jovah's Angel.

I started this one on Saturday thinking I would listen to an hour a day and finish in August, but I ended up finishing it today. I can't say it was that good or compelling, it's just that I ended up with more audiobook listening time than I had anticipated:

Dog Blood (Hater Trilogy #2 by David Moody; narrated by Gerard Doyle) - A few years ago, when I was in my zombie phase, I had picked up the first two audiobooks in this series thinking I would love them. In fact, the first one was so mediocre (and not really a zombie story) that I put this one on the back burner and forgot about it. When I saw that Guillermo del Toro had assigned a director for the film adaptation of the first book in the series, Hater I went back to it in print and still thought it rather tepid. And yet, I still felt compelled to take this one down from my stacks.

It picks up where the first-in-series left off when Danny McCoyne states his intent to search for his daughter, Ellis who is "like" him in a world divided between Haters and everyone else. Danny goes through a series of adventures that leads him to question more closely exactly whose hearts contain more hate, the actual Haters or those who fight against them. This is also the saddest, f-ed up custody battle of all time. The writing still isn't very convincing and the audiobook narrator's lack of enthusiasm or energy doesn't help. There are some interesting ideas in there but it's all pretty much lost in the poorly executed scenes of gratuitous violence.

Enjoying my first OverDrive audiobook for August ~

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

(present day and 1950s Cuba/family secrets/a Reese Witherspoon
Book Club pick/a fave for the year)

Finished off The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson just as July was coming to an end. I am partial to books about WWI so this one was right up my alley. However it is not just about the war; it has a great deal to say about women's rights at the time and it made me reflect that we have come a long way.

Enjoyed this Audible book (nonmember freebee) ~

Thrill Ride by Julie Ann Walker

(book #4, Black Knights Inc. series ~ Spec-Ops team/
suspense-romance/a favorite series)

Finished this library audiobook ~

Believe Me: a novel by JP Delaney

(psych thriller/Claire ~ a Brit in US without a green card ~ gets a job
entrapping straying husbands for a firm of divorce lawyers/ensemble
cast ~ a semi-play format)

WEIRD

Finally reading the third book in Lindsey Davis' Flavia Albia series, Deadly Election. I wasn't convinced by the first two, and didn't enjoy them as much as her other works. I'm struggling to pick books to read though, but re-read so much last month I wanted to at least read something new-to-me if by a favorite author.

Enjoying this library audiobook ~

The Art of Baking Blind: A Novel by Sarah Vaughan

(England/baking competition/1960s for Kathleen and present
day for the contest participants)

Listening to this Kindle/Audible combo ~

The King Tides by James Swain

(book #1, Lancaster & Daniels series/Florida/kidnappings)

Enjoying this library audiobook ~

Crimson Lake by Candice Fox

(book #1, in Crimson Lake series/murder mystery/Queensland, Australia/
interesting info about geese and crocs/the Scottish narrator uses an Aussie accent)

My son-in-law highly recommended We are Legion (We are Bob). It is lots of fun, and the audio is very well done.

Researched the narrator. Ray Porter seems worth following. Audible named him their Narrator of the Year in 2015. They've got him reading new publications as well as classics.

I love Ray Porter! I've only listened to a couple of the books he has narrated but his Audible accolade is well deserved.

The Joe Ledger series (by Jonathan Maberry) - A mil-fic series about an ex-Baltimore cop who joins a secret government unit that fights zombies and other types of mutants. reading the stories, the writing flaws are evident, but R.P. makes these sound much better. This is also one of those series where the narrator is the protag :-)

Dispatches (by Michael Herr) - Modern Classic about a journalist in the Vietnam War, the opening chapter throws a lot of people; but if you consider that the protag is alcohol- and drug-addled it makes a lot more sense. R.P. handles the text well and brings the whole of the story into cogency.

The Amityville Horror (by Jay Anson) - This is the modern-day cult classic about a haunted house in Amityville, NY. Well, this is one where I don't think the story has aged well at all, and admittedly R.P. doesn't shine here either; BUt on Audible it has a four-star average, so what do I know?!

>163 Tanya-dogearedcopy: On the strength of your recommendation and a scan of the reviews, I will try a Joe Ledger book. I can stand the gory descriptions in Harry Dresden only because I like the character and the narrator. Hoping this proves true again.

I'm currently listening to Exodus by Leon Uris. It had been in my "To Read" list forever and I'm finally getting around to it. I'm enjoying quite a bit.

Enjoying this Walmart-Kobo audiobook freebee ~
(new digital service)

Texas Ranger by James Patterson (Rory Yates is searching for his ex-wife's killer)

UPDATE: a fave for the year/the Kobo app isn't as user-friendly as my
other audiobook apps ~ dropped membership

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

Along Came A Duke by Elizabeth Boyle
(book #1, Rhymes with Love series/England, 1800s/Cinderella-type tale)

UPDATE: a fave for the year

Recently did a relisten to the Colours of Madeleine YA fantasy trilogy by Jaclyn Moriarty, which starts with A Corner of White. Because of certain shifts the first book is fine as an audio production by the second and third have issues due to shifting characters and narrators lack of ability to mimic the other's accents. It says something though that this is my third listen to the three books, as I love the stories enough that the audio editions don't bother me (helps that the first one lets you get sucked in before the issues start).

Partway through both Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom by Lisa Delpit and Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright.

Finishing August with this OverDrive audiobook ~

Balloons Can Be Murder by Connie Shelton

(Charlie Parker series ~ sister & brother PI firm/Albuquerque, New Mexico ~
interesting info about hot-air ballooning/a one-off for me)

I am listening to She Caused a Riot which is a completely irreverent cook's tour through 100 of history's notable women. If you don't like snark and profanity, skip this book, but seriously, it's 2018, and it is ridiculous that so little is commonly known about these women.

I've been listening in the car, just on short trips lately, and this book has been perfect for that. Since there is no story arc, I'm not sure that it would be the best for an extended listening experience.

*****Thread 18b is now in play until the end of the year*****
http://www.librarything.com/topic/295686

True Legend (by Mike Lupica; narrated by Prentice Onayemi) - I started this short, six-and-a-half-hour audiobook at the end of October but just now wrapped it up! It was no fault of the writer's skill or the narrator's performance, but because I started a new job that has really sucked out all the reading and listening air in the room, metaphorically speaking. I decided that this week (U.S. Thanksgiving) would be the perfect time to catch up!

This is a middle-grade book about a high school senior who has the attitude and latitude granted to a promising basketball star. Dealing with opportunists, hangers-on, his friends, and family, he finds escape on a park court at night where he meets a "playground legend." Older, but clearly with professional level ball-handling skills, the man's past come to light as he becomes involved in the boy's life. The story is clean (definitely family friendly) and edifying, but really a boy's story and/or for basketball fans. The audiobook narrator enunciated clearly and differentiates characters well in dialogue, but there is something a little formal or stiff in his overall presentation.

I very much enjoyed The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, so I thought to sample another by this author. I'm listening to This Would Make a Good Story Someday. It doesn't have the same sense of fun and camaraderie that the Fletcher family had. Each character, while part of a family, still seem too separate. It's not uplifting.

Also listening to Star Wars from a certain point of view. It is 40 short stories that expand on the lives of the bit players. Generally good tie-in, but oddly, out of chronological order. This is a full cast recording, but that doesn't stand out.

The Hobbit (by J.R.R. Tolkien; narrated by Rob Inglis) - I first read this and The Lord of the Rings trilogy many, many years ago, probably when I was in high school. The quest, the journey, the fantastical bests that Tolkien created made a huge impression on me and I have always held the story with some reverence in my mind. I picked the audiobook up a few years ago for my daughter, who was struggling a bit with the print edition, but it wasn't until this year that I listened to it myself. I was surprised at how much I had remembered and how much I forgot! I was also unexpectantly caught up with some of the tension of the story.

However, I think if I were to re-read this again, I would go back to the print. The audio was recorded in 1991 and, at the time I'm sure the audiobook publishers were very excited to have a musical score written for the audio edition and to have the narrator sing the songs in the book, but the narrative style wasn't to my taste, and I wasn't that keen on the singing either. The audiobook narrator seemed to be forcing his voice into false registers to create character voices, and many of the characters had the same voice. The scene with Gollum was nearly unintelligible.

And finally, I wasn't happy on the style/tone of the performance either. I know the book is often on the shelves of middle school libraries, but I had always thought of it as a book for all ages. The audiobook narrator used a patronizing voice I associate with Kindergarten teachers (and before you jump all over me for that, I have nothing against Kindergarten teachers. Except when they talk to me like I'm one of their students!)

So yeah, overall, still love the story but wasn't happy with the audiobook edition and won't be returning to the audio (same narrator) for The Lord of the Rings.

Don't know how I stumbled upon it, but I'm getting some enjoyment listening to Black Man, White House, the parody by D. L. Hughley. The narrative begins before Obama even decides to run, and is carried forward by Michelle Obama and political counselor, David Axelrod. Those voices are straightforward. It's the interjections by all of the other players that are funny.

Since I paid little attention to politics at the time, I'm learning recent history while I'm at it.

***Part 18b is the up-to-date thread for your posts***

Just finished Full Wolf Moon. Getting ready to start The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.