What are we listening to? (audiobooks)

[pwalker8]

Like a lot of writers, Zelazny was a product of his times. In addition, he did a lot of things first that are now old hat. Really, the first 5 books were just one big book that was written as a magazine serial (most of the SF authors back then made their money writing for magazines). I found that once I got use to the somewhat dated style, it flowed much better. To an extent, it's a bit like reading a Verne book, or Doyle book. I will be interested in listening to the next 5 to see if his style changed over the years or not.

[sgoldin]

Yeah, that's why I'm catching up on the first 5, so I can make a stab at the second set. I'm hoping it'll hold me as well as the first set did.

[taosaur]

I'm about halfway through The Lies of Locke Lamora, which I've seen about equal numbers of people recommend highly and say they couldn't get into it. So far I'm enjoying it quite a bit, and the narrator is excellent. It covers plenty of fantasy tropes and to some extent it's Oliver Twist set in an alternate-reality pre-Renaissance Italian city state, but it still manages to feel fresh.

[sabredog]

Currently enjoying the unabridged Destroyermen series narrated by William Dufris.

Superb narration and wholeheartedly recommended for fans of the genre or anyone liking a great yarn.

[CRussel]

I've been listening to (reading) the Foreigner series by C. J. Cherryh, read by Daniel Thomas May. The first book in the series is Foreigner, and the "10th Anniversary" edition was recently released as an eBook and it's been enabled for Whispersync for Voice. What a great way to listen to a book! I love being able to go back and forth between different devices (my Kindle Fire, my Paperwhite, and my iPhone), and switch between listening (on the Fire or the iPhone) or reading (on the Fire or the Paperwhite) as circumstances dictate. Amazon has a winner with this technology, I'm really impressed.

Oh, and the book? This is a re-read, and I'm absolutely enjoying the heck out of it. I goofed off the whole afternoon, sitting around doing some knitting, just so I could listen to it. It's been >10 years since I first read it, and I'd forgotten all sorts of stuff.

Unfortunately, #2-#6 are NOT available in eBook format, but they are in Audible format. So I'll only be able to listen to those. But then they pick up the eBooks again, and it looks like most of them are Whispersync for Voice enabled.

[sgoldin]

I just finished a couple of sf books--Marrow by Robert Reed and The Star Beast by Robert A. Heinlein. Marrow was pretty heavy, and I'm not sure I believe the behavior of the nearly immortal characters. The immense time scale just didn't feel right to me. The Star Beast was a re-read of something I hadn't read in decades. Light and frothy and incredibly funny in places--Heinlein at his best and most entertaining. Highly recommended.

[Marrella]

Over the holidays, I have listened to Tim Curry reading A Christmas Carol, to The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle and to a BBC dramatization of Hercule Poirot's Christmas. All of them were pretty good, the Tim Curry one being awesome.

I have now gone back to more "normal" stuff. Yesterday I finished Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds. I am still not sure if I liked it or not. It was interesting, but I sometimes found it hard to follow the plot. John Lee isn't my favorite narrator, either, though I got used to his voice and look forward to listening to House of Suns next year.

I have now started Storm Front by Jim Butcher, the first book in the Harry Dresden series, which I have read years ago but don't remember a lot of. I have picked this up during the holiday sale at Audible. The reader is very good, though sometimes a bit fast for my taste (English isn't my first language).

I also started Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, which I got when I signed up at Downpour. This is an old favorite, but I have never listened to the unabridged version narrated by Davina Porter before. I like it a lot so far.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Marrella

I also started Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, which I got when I signed up at Downpour. This is an old favorite, but I have never listened to the unabridged version narrated by Davina Porter before. I like it a lot so far.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first couple of books in the series, and definitely thought Davina Porter's reading was excellent. One beauty of these books is that they are LONG. And on Audible they only go for a single credit.

I got stuck at The Fiery Cross when I had to wait over a year for it to be available, and somehow lost my interest. I've got it sitting here, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to reading it and the rest in the series.

[Marrella]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I got stuck at The Fiery Cross when I had to wait over a year for it to be available, and somehow lost my interest. I've got it sitting here, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to reading it and the rest in the series.

The Fiery Cross dragged a bit at times, but it has some very powerful moments. I lost interest after A Breath of Snow and Ashes for a couple of years, but then I have listened to the abridged versions of the first three books earlier this year, which are narrated by Geraldine James, who does a really great job too. Unfortunately, there are huge chunks of the story missing. After that, I picked up An Echo in the Bone at Audible, and the old fascination with the series came back.

I also like the Lord John mysteries quite a bit and might get The Scottish Prisoner as well.

[pwalker8]

Tim Curry is a very good reader. I loved his reading of the Abhorsen (sp?) series.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I've been listening to (reading) the Foreigner series by C. J. Cherryh, read by Daniel Thomas May. The first book in the series is Foreigner, and the "10th Anniversary" edition was recently released as an eBook and it's been enabled for Whispersync for Voice. What a great way to listen to a book! I love being able to go back and forth between different devices (my Kindle Fire, my Paperwhite, and my iPhone), and switch between listening (on the Fire or the iPhone) or reading (on the Fire or the Paperwhite) as circumstances dictate. Amazon has a winner with this technology, I'm really impressed.

Oh, and the book? This is a re-read, and I'm absolutely enjoying the heck out of it. I goofed off the whole afternoon, sitting around doing some knitting, just so I could listen to it. It's been >10 years since I first read it, and I'd forgotten all sorts of stuff.

Unfortunately, #2-#6 are NOT available in eBook format, but they are in Audible format. So I'll only be able to listen to those. But then they pick up the eBooks again, and it looks like most of them are Whispersync for Voice enabled.

I really, really wish that they would come out with audio books (and ebooks for that matter) of her Morgaine series. That was one of my favorite series.

[Marrella]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Tim Curry is a very good reader. I loved his reading of the Abhorsen (sp?) series.

I think it's The Old Kingdom series. I have only read Sabriel, the other two are still sitting on the shelf, waiting to be read. If Tim Curry reads the audiobooks, this is definitely a recommendation. Oh my, my wishlist at Audible threatens to explode and will certainly keep me busy for the next three or four years.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I really, really wish that they would come out with audio books (and ebooks for that matter) of her Morgaine series. That was one of my favorite series.

I'm deep into Invader, and totally caught up in the series again. Which is great, since I will be using it for my swimming and bike workouts. Somehow the Morgaine series never quite worked as well for me.

[Synamon]

I listened to The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. I wish I'd read it so I could have skimmed, since the first half of the book was excruciatingly sloooooow. The description of the Middle Ages was interesting, but not enough to hold my attention for 26+ hours. The story finally came together at the end, but I almost gave up a couple of times. I'm starting to think that historical fiction is hit and miss for me and my avoiding it in the past wasn't all bad.

[sgoldin]

I just finished Sign of the Unicorn, book 3 of Roger Zelazny's Amber series.It's still good, though the series doesn't hold me as enthralled as it did when I first read it in the 70s. Maybe the world has moved on a little since then, or maybe I have...or both. Anyway, I'll go to a few other books before I continue on with the series.