What are we listening to? (audiobooks) - Page 45

jgaiser · 09-17-2013, 10:04 PM

Working my way through Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin Series.

The current releases have two different narrators to choose from. Patrick Tull and Simon Vance. While Patrick Tull is a good storyteller, Simon Vance's character voices have become the first choice for these stories. Starting book 6, Desolation Island, and I'm going to stick with Simon.

CRussel · 09-18-2013, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Working my way through Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin Series.

The current releases have two different narrators to choose from. Patrick Tull and Simon Vance. While Patrick Tull is a good storyteller, Simon Vance's character voices have become the first choice for these stories. Starting book 6, Desolation Island, and I'm going to stick with Simon.

I liked them both, and the stories are so good that I'd probably have put up with even a bad one. Though I believe I have the Patrick Tull versions as my preferred.

jgaiser · 09-18-2013, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

I liked them both, and the stories are so good that I'd probably have put up with even a bad one. Though I believe I have the Patrick Tull versions as my preferred.

My problem is that the first couple I listened to were all Simon Vance and now Tull's Aubrey just doesn't sound right.

As I said, Tull is a great storyteller and I have enjoyed the couple times I've listened to his versions.

CRussel · 09-18-2013, 11:28 AM

Ah, I listened to the Tull ones first, thus Vance's Aubrey isn't quite right.

The reader I always thought would be perfect for these was David Case.

MeSue · 09-30-2013, 04:42 PM

I am about 40% into The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. Enjoying it lots. What a kooky family! And I mean kooky scary, not kooky funny... although some of it is funny.

Before that I listened to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. It's only 6 hours or so but by the second half I had to switch to 1.5 speed because parts of it were really tedious. It's written from the POV of a 15-year old autistic boy, so a bit odd.

gabby98 · 09-30-2013, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeSue

After bailing on about 5 or 6 audiobooks that just weren't keeping my attention, I am now almost finished with Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. Pretty funny and great narration. I am thinking of starting a Harry Potter book next since I never read any of them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeSue

That's right. Lenny Henry is the narrator and I loved all the accents. I finished this morning. Liked it more than American Gods, but less than Coraline and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. That's all the Gaiman I have read so far.

I agree with you about Mockingjay... still enjoyed the whole trilogy (I read them one after another in a week), but thought Mockingjay was the weakest.

Just picked up Anansi Boys and only listened to a few minutes (finishing the last two hours of another book first), but curious does the background music play the entire time?

MeSue · 09-30-2013, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gabby98

Just picked up Anansi Boys and only listened to a few minutes (finishing the last two hours of another book first), but curious does the background music play the entire time?

As I recall, it was just those few seconds in the beginning. It scared me, too--I don't like sound effects or background music in audiobooks.

I recently listened to The Cypress House by Michael Koryta and it had these cheesy sound effects every time the paranormal thing would happen. Annoyed me so much.

gabby98 · 09-30-2013, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeSue

As I recall, it was just those few seconds in the beginning. It scared me, too--I don't like sound effects or background music in audiobooks.

I recently listened to The Cypress House by Michael Koryta and it had these cheesy sound effects every time the paranormal thing would happen. Annoyed me so much.

I just finished a book like that (cant remember which one atm)...trying to play dramatic music at suspensful sections. It took all my patience to deal with that, but the whole book I could never do

DianNC · 10-01-2013, 09:26 PM

Listening to Tom Perrotta's The Leftovers. I read it last year, but decided to give it a listen since HBO is considering developing it into a series.

covingtoncat73 · 10-07-2013, 03:03 PM

I listened to The Heavy on audio from the library last weekend. This is the lengthy review I posted on Goodreads: I was torn on whether to give it 2 or 3 stars. It was short and breezy, if repetitive. I did find myself interested in What Bea and her mom (the author) were going through and I don't disagree with some of what mom/author did.

However...the author knows nothing about nutrition. Granted, she admits to not being an expert and the book is more a personal story than a guideline for others to follow but, come on. The author says she had her own "struggles with weight," going from 115 to 100. She does say she is short but I am very short. I was 102 in college and that was a bit too thin, granted not horribly so and I do have a solid build (good proportion of bone and muscle to fat-had it measured).

Also, the author rants against yogurt, salmon, almonds, and exercise. I don't think she likes the taste of the salmon or the almonds and, granted, flavored yogurt can be quite caloric but some non-fat, plain yogurt sweetened with stevia would have been much better and more filling for Bea with her strawberries than the non-fat whipped cream without adding too many calories at all. Maybe Bea wouldn't have been so hungry after school if there had been more real food. I have tried 100 cal snack packs. They just leave me hungry. Greek yogurt and berries or a baby bell cheese and apple does not.

I had and have similar leanings to Bea. I don't have an "off" switch for food. Guess what? I was never a pudgy kid until I was old enough to use my allowance at the school snack bar for candy bars (12-13) and I certainly wasn't obese by any reckoning, just slightly pudgy. My mother took me on walks and let me do her Jane Fonda tape with her and I stopped buying candy bars myself (and food at home was very healthy), so I turned into a slender teen. Obesity happened when I started college and has since been dealt with in an ongoing struggle kind of way (I lost the 30lbs I gained my Freshman year plus a few to get to that 102 I mentioned earlier).

That brings me to the author's views on exercise. *Facepalm* The author's story about passing out on the treadmill and blaming the exercise and not the salad was pretty silly. If the true goal, as she constantly states, is health, exercise needs to be a part of that and, yes, you have to eat a little more if you are exercising. That is WHY I exercise. Heh. Guess what, the weight still comes off and, in my experience, comes off more quickly.

The author, in my estimation, has put her issues with food on her daughter. I get the feeling that the author is a picky eater (re the salmon and almonds. Also, she talks about Japanese and Mexican but no other cuisines and they live in NY for pete's sake. I'm in podunk Louisiana and eat Thai and Vietnamese on a pretty regular basis) and obsessed with thinness, despite her protestations (see her "struggles with weight").

The two best things she did, though, were to put Bea in Karate, though long walks would've done as well and to giver her diet coke. I know there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth over this and my own mother hates that I, as an adult, drink diet coke but it is a way from steering clear of those liquid calories, which are generally no good for your health with the exception of milk. If you're not drinking your calories, you can use them for more filing and nutritious stuff.

CRussel · 10-07-2013, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

Reading right along, we're now on to Ashes of Victory. And as much as I still don't much like the reader, I definitely enjoy the books.

Currently reading War of Honor, the 10th in the mainline Honor Harrington series by David Weber. About half way through, then I'll have to switch to Crown of Slaves, the first in the Wages of Sin spinoff from the mainline Honor Harrington series. At least it has a different narrator. We'll see how he does.

melmac · 10-07-2013, 11:03 PM

Currently listening to Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey narrated by Matt Cowlrick oh boy am I loving this the narration it is so perfect he captures the characters essence so totally that it brings the story alive. I have not listened to Matt before but I will definitely be looking at what else he may have narrated. As for the story I'm enjoying it, it is very Australian and is set locally to me so that ads an extra layer of interest. There is a lot of humour in it and the writing is beautiful it has a lovely rhythm to it that makes it a joy to listen to. Just on halfway through but am a little nervous about how it is going to end.

covingtoncat73 · 10-09-2013, 10:19 AM

Well, I was listening to So Far Away by Meg Moore. I had gotten it from the library via Overdrive on my phone. The premise interested me because it involved an archivist and genealogy but I hate to say I found it rather boring. Nothing seems to happen but the archivist and the teenage girl she is helping complaining about their admittedly bad situations. I think I'm giving up on it because...

I used this month's Audible credit on The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. I haven't been about to listen to much so far (I just got it) but it promises to be a more sprightly and interesting listen.

SeaBookGuy · 10-14-2013, 11:18 PM

I'm tackling Can You Forgive Her? -- first book in Trollope's Palliser series. Timothy West is doing an outstanding job with the narration (as always!), but I prefer Barsetshire I fear.

Geralt · 10-15-2013, 12:16 AM

I'm listening to Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud. Amazing narration. Love Bartimaeus the jinn.

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09-17-2013, 10:04 PM	#661
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,281 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	Working my way through Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin Series. The current releases have two different narrators to choose from. Patrick Tull and Simon Vance. While Patrick Tull is a good storyteller, Simon Vance's character voices have become the first choice for these stories. Starting book 6, Desolation Island, and I'm going to stick with Simon.

09-18-2013, 11:28 AM	#664
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,157 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	Ah, I listened to the Tull ones first, thus Vance's Aubrey isn't quite right. The reader I always thought would be perfect for these was David Case.

09-30-2013, 04:42 PM	#665
MeSue Geek in the Forest Posts: 399 Karma: 1077186 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: FL Device: iPad Air, iPhone 4s, Nexus 7	I am about 40% into The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. Enjoying it lots. What a kooky family! And I mean kooky scary, not kooky funny... although some of it is funny. Before that I listened to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. It's only 6 hours or so but by the second half I had to switch to 1.5 speed because parts of it were really tedious. It's written from the POV of a 15-year old autistic boy, so a bit odd.

10-01-2013, 09:26 PM	#669
DianNC Banned Posts: 1,431 Karma: 5222495 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Nook Color, Entourage Pocket Edge, iPod Touch 5th Gen	Listening to Tom Perrotta's The Leftovers. I read it last year, but decided to give it a listen since HBO is considering developing it into a series.

10-07-2013, 03:03 PM	#670
covingtoncat73 Wizard Posts: 2,745 Karma: 83407757 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Lenovo Duet Chromebook, Moto e	I listened to The Heavy on audio from the library last weekend. This is the lengthy review I posted on Goodreads: I was torn on whether to give it 2 or 3 stars. It was short and breezy, if repetitive. I did find myself interested in What Bea and her mom (the author) were going through and I don't disagree with some of what mom/author did. However...the author knows nothing about nutrition. Granted, she admits to not being an expert and the book is more a personal story than a guideline for others to follow but, come on. The author says she had her own "struggles with weight," going from 115 to 100. She does say she is short but I am very short. I was 102 in college and that was a bit too thin, granted not horribly so and I do have a solid build (good proportion of bone and muscle to fat-had it measured). Also, the author rants against yogurt, salmon, almonds, and exercise. I don't think she likes the taste of the salmon or the almonds and, granted, flavored yogurt can be quite caloric but some non-fat, plain yogurt sweetened with stevia would have been much better and more filling for Bea with her strawberries than the non-fat whipped cream without adding too many calories at all. Maybe Bea wouldn't have been so hungry after school if there had been more real food. I have tried 100 cal snack packs. They just leave me hungry. Greek yogurt and berries or a baby bell cheese and apple does not. I had and have similar leanings to Bea. I don't have an "off" switch for food. Guess what? I was never a pudgy kid until I was old enough to use my allowance at the school snack bar for candy bars (12-13) and I certainly wasn't obese by any reckoning, just slightly pudgy. My mother took me on walks and let me do her Jane Fonda tape with her and I stopped buying candy bars myself (and food at home was very healthy), so I turned into a slender teen. Obesity happened when I started college and has since been dealt with in an ongoing struggle kind of way (I lost the 30lbs I gained my Freshman year plus a few to get to that 102 I mentioned earlier). That brings me to the author's views on exercise. Facepalm The author's story about passing out on the treadmill and blaming the exercise and not the salad was pretty silly. If the true goal, as she constantly states, is health, exercise needs to be a part of that and, yes, you have to eat a little more if you are exercising. That is WHY I exercise. Heh. Guess what, the weight still comes off and, in my experience, comes off more quickly. The author, in my estimation, has put her issues with food on her daughter. I get the feeling that the author is a picky eater (re the salmon and almonds. Also, she talks about Japanese and Mexican but no other cuisines and they live in NY for pete's sake. I'm in podunk Louisiana and eat Thai and Vietnamese on a pretty regular basis) and obsessed with thinness, despite her protestations (see her "struggles with weight"). The two best things she did, though, were to put Bea in Karate, though long walks would've done as well and to giver her diet coke. I know there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth over this and my own mother hates that I, as an adult, drink diet coke but it is a way from steering clear of those liquid calories, which are generally no good for your health with the exception of milk. If you're not drinking your calories, you can use them for more filing and nutritious stuff.

10-07-2013, 11:03 PM	#672
melmac Wizard Posts: 1,399 Karma: 5573651 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Perth AU Device: Sony PRS650, Sony T3	Currently listening to Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey narrated by Matt Cowlrick oh boy am I loving this the narration it is so perfect he captures the characters essence so totally that it brings the story alive. I have not listened to Matt before but I will definitely be looking at what else he may have narrated. As for the story I'm enjoying it, it is very Australian and is set locally to me so that ads an extra layer of interest. There is a lot of humour in it and the writing is beautiful it has a lovely rhythm to it that makes it a joy to listen to. Just on halfway through but am a little nervous about how it is going to end.

10-09-2013, 10:19 AM	#673
covingtoncat73 Wizard Posts: 2,745 Karma: 83407757 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Lenovo Duet Chromebook, Moto e	Well, I was listening to So Far Away by Meg Moore. I had gotten it from the library via Overdrive on my phone. The premise interested me because it involved an archivist and genealogy but I hate to say I found it rather boring. Nothing seems to happen but the archivist and the teenage girl she is helping complaining about their admittedly bad situations. I think I'm giving up on it because... I used this month's Audible credit on The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. I haven't been about to listen to much so far (I just got it) but it promises to be a more sprightly and interesting listen.

10-14-2013, 11:18 PM	#674
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,015 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	I'm tackling Can You Forgive Her? -- first book in Trollope's Palliser series. Timothy West is doing an outstanding job with the narration (as always!), but I prefer Barsetshire I fear.

10-15-2013, 12:16 AM	#675
Geralt Witcher Posts: 933 Karma: 7321117 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Swamp. Slaying Drowners. Device: Kindle PW2	I'm listening to Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud. Amazing narration. Love Bartimaeus the jinn.

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