What are we listening to? (audiobooks) - Page 53

CRussel · 04-05-2014, 05:00 PM

I saw that the Morgaine series was on Audible. I think I read it back when it was first released, but that was a LONG time ago, and I confess I have no memory at all of it. I'll be curious what you think of it.

pwalker8 · 04-06-2014, 11:07 AM

I re-read it from time to time, but it's been a few years. Pretty much all my reading is ebooks now. The Morgaine series, Roger Zelazny's books and the remainder of Katherine Kutz's Deryni books top my ebook wish list these days. There was only one review when I bought the audio book that said disappointing. Apparently, she didn't like the fact that the reader was female when the view point character is male. She also said that the reader talked too fast. I listened to a bit of it and don't have a problem with the narrator based on a couple of minutes. The average rating is 4 stars, so perhaps it's just the one reviewer's issue. That reviewer gave the reader a 1 star rating.

CRussel · 04-06-2014, 11:17 AM

I did listen to a snippet of the audio. I can definitely see why someone thought it was too fast. As for male/female? Don't care, as long as the reading is good. There are some where I would care a lot, where the book is completely told as a particular character and point of view. (The Amelia Peabody series from Elizabeth Peters, for example, where the late-Victorian , English woman's voice is a critical part of the context.)

I may get the first. I've got plenty of credits right now, and need to make sure I get my 4 books this month to get a credit.

pwalker8 · 04-06-2014, 06:39 PM

Just as a side note, I really don't get people who give 1 star reviews just because they are mad about one thing. I've seen one star reviews because they thought the book was too expensive, because they didn't like the way the narrator pronounced one name, or didn't like the author's politics. All sorts of reasons that really have nothing to do with the actual quality of the product.

CRussel · 04-06-2014, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Just as a side note, I really don't get people who give 1 star reviews just because they are mad about one thing. I've seen one star reviews because they thought the book was too expensive, because they didn't like the way the narrator pronounced one name, or didn't like the author's politics. All sorts of reasons that really have nothing to do with the actual quality of the product.

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Though that "one name" one is a pretty annoying problem that unfortunately is used on just about every page! And resulted in the author falling on his sword and taking the heat for it, very publicly. And, I confess, it was annoying enough that it DID affect the quality of the product. (Hey, if it's an audio book, then accents and pronunciations are very much part of the quality. )

But rating a book based on price? I'd certainly note it in the review, but not give it a 1star. And if I don't like the author's politics, why the heck did I buy his/her book? I vote on things like that with my $$ thank you. (Of course, if the book is explicitly a political book trying to make a political point, then again it tends to move it over into the quality side of the equation.)

cadele · 04-08-2014, 11:07 PM

I'm currently listening to Divided Allegiance - book 2 of the Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon. Very enjoyable so far and in fact I like it better than the first book, Sheepfarmer's Daughter.

covingtoncat73 · 04-09-2014, 09:56 AM

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. It is quite good so far.

MeSue · 04-14-2014, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. It is quite good so far.

So how do they handle the vintage photos for the audiobook?

covingtoncat73 · 04-15-2014, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeSue

So how do they handle the vintage photos for the audiobook?

Well, I suppose that is a problem with audiobooks. This was an eaudio I borrowed from the library via Overdrive. It didn't have a PDF with the pictures or anything.

taosaur · 04-17-2014, 01:59 PM

I'm inches from finishing Words of Radiance, alternating between the Kindle and audiobook editions, and one nice thing Sanderson and/or Tor did was provide all of the illustrations from both books online. There are a lot of illustrations (one character's sketchbook figures prominently) including a few helpful maps, none of which translate well to the Kindle screen, much less audio. I've been keeping my tablet handy while reading to pull up the illustrations.

CRussel · 04-17-2014, 03:33 PM

That's a nice touch. Probably the things I miss the most with audio books (and really, eBooks as well) are the maps that so often help us find our way around these worlds we are in. You can sort of use a tablet for them, but it would be nice to have them online.

MeSue · 04-17-2014, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

Well, I suppose that is a problem with audiobooks. This was an eaudio I borrowed from the library via Overdrive. It didn't have a PDF with the pictures or anything.

In this case it might be an improvement. I thought the photos in the ebook were corny and gimmicky.

pwalker8 · 04-18-2014, 08:24 AM

I finished Fated by Benedict Jacka. It was pretty good. The reader really grew on me as the book went on. I would definitely recommend it. So far Gate of Ivrel, the first of the Morgaine series has been pretty good.

WT Sharpe · 04-18-2014, 09:32 AM

I just finished listening to The Clicking of Cuthbert by P.G. Wodehouse during my semi-daily walks. Now it's on to The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant; a book that's going to take a lot of walks with Norton to finish.

I got both books as well as several others from that invaluable free source of public domain audiobooks, Librivox.

Catlady · 04-18-2014, 12:09 PM

I've just gone on an audiobook mini binge:

Missing Child, by Patricia MacDonald
I picked this up because the premise seemed to based on the still-unsolved Kyron Horman disappearance a few years back. But the premise was pretty much the only similarity, and while the story held my attention, it veered off into an overabundance of melodrama by the end.

What I Saw and How I Lied, Judy Blundell
This was a Downpour deal of the week recently that I bought on a whim, even though it's marketed as "young adult," and I'm glad I did. It was a wonderfully evocative, intriguing story set just after WWII, with a believable 15-year-old protagonist.

Princess Elizabeth's Spy, by Susan Elia MacNeal
Second book in the Maggie Hope series. I preferred the narrator for the first book (Donada Peters) to this one (Susan Duerden)--the youthful voices were especially distracting. Maggie seemed less than brilliant and missed too much that was obvious. There was a lot of set-up for the next book in the series.

Caught, by Harlan Coben
This was a roller coaster ride filled with surprises, big and little. I couldn't stop listening. It was only my second Coben title (I previously read Six Years), but now I'm looking forward to more.

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04-05-2014, 05:00 PM	#781
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,156 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	I saw that the Morgaine series was on Audible. I think I read it back when it was first released, but that was a LONG time ago, and I confess I have no memory at all of it. I'll be curious what you think of it.

04-06-2014, 11:07 AM	#782
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,195 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	I re-read it from time to time, but it's been a few years. Pretty much all my reading is ebooks now. The Morgaine series, Roger Zelazny's books and the remainder of Katherine Kutz's Deryni books top my ebook wish list these days. There was only one review when I bought the audio book that said disappointing. Apparently, she didn't like the fact that the reader was female when the view point character is male. She also said that the reader talked too fast. I listened to a bit of it and don't have a problem with the narrator based on a couple of minutes. The average rating is 4 stars, so perhaps it's just the one reviewer's issue. That reviewer gave the reader a 1 star rating.

04-06-2014, 11:17 AM	#783
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,156 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	I did listen to a snippet of the audio. I can definitely see why someone thought it was too fast. As for male/female? Don't care, as long as the reading is good. There are some where I would care a lot, where the book is completely told as a particular character and point of view. (The Amelia Peabody series from Elizabeth Peters, for example, where the late-Victorian , English woman's voice is a critical part of the context.) I may get the first. I've got plenty of credits right now, and need to make sure I get my 4 books this month to get a credit.

04-06-2014, 06:39 PM	#784
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,195 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	Just as a side note, I really don't get people who give 1 star reviews just because they are mad about one thing. I've seen one star reviews because they thought the book was too expensive, because they didn't like the way the narrator pronounced one name, or didn't like the author's politics. All sorts of reasons that really have nothing to do with the actual quality of the product.

04-08-2014, 11:07 PM	#786
cadele Addict Posts: 372 Karma: 3710372 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: Kindles, Sony 650	I'm currently listening to Divided Allegiance - book 2 of the Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon. Very enjoyable so far and in fact I like it better than the first book, Sheepfarmer's Daughter.

04-09-2014, 09:56 AM	#787
covingtoncat73 Wizard Posts: 2,745 Karma: 83407757 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Lenovo Duet Chromebook, Moto e	Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. It is quite good so far.

04-17-2014, 01:59 PM	#790
taosaur intelligent posterior Posts: 1,562 Karma: 21295618 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ohiopolis Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2, Samsung S8, Lenovo Tab 3 Pro	I'm inches from finishing Words of Radiance, alternating between the Kindle and audiobook editions, and one nice thing Sanderson and/or Tor did was provide all of the illustrations from both books online. There are a lot of illustrations (one character's sketchbook figures prominently) including a few helpful maps, none of which translate well to the Kindle screen, much less audio. I've been keeping my tablet handy while reading to pull up the illustrations.

04-17-2014, 03:33 PM	#791
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,156 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	That's a nice touch. Probably the things I miss the most with audio books (and really, eBooks as well) are the maps that so often help us find our way around these worlds we are in. You can sort of use a tablet for them, but it would be nice to have them online.

04-18-2014, 08:24 AM	#793
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,195 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	I finished Fated by Benedict Jacka. It was pretty good. The reader really grew on me as the book went on. I would definitely recommend it. So far Gate of Ivrel, the first of the Morgaine series has been pretty good.

04-18-2014, 09:32 AM	#794
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,073 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	I just finished listening to The Clicking of Cuthbert by P.G. Wodehouse during my semi-daily walks. Now it's on to The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant; a book that's going to take a lot of walks with Norton to finish. I got both books as well as several others from that invaluable free source of public domain audiobooks, Librivox.

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04-18-2014, 12:09 PM	#795
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,345 Karma: 52398889 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I've just gone on an audiobook mini binge: Missing Child, by Patricia MacDonald I picked this up because the premise seemed to based on the still-unsolved Kyron Horman disappearance a few years back. But the premise was pretty much the only similarity, and while the story held my attention, it veered off into an overabundance of melodrama by the end. What I Saw and How I Lied, Judy Blundell This was a Downpour deal of the week recently that I bought on a whim, even though it's marketed as "young adult," and I'm glad I did. It was a wonderfully evocative, intriguing story set just after WWII, with a believable 15-year-old protagonist. Princess Elizabeth's Spy, by Susan Elia MacNeal Second book in the Maggie Hope series. I preferred the narrator for the first book (Donada Peters) to this one (Susan Duerden)--the youthful voices were especially distracting. Maggie seemed less than brilliant and missed too much that was obvious. There was a lot of set-up for the next book in the series. Caught, by Harlan Coben This was a roller coaster ride filled with surprises, big and little. I couldn't stop listening. It was only my second Coben title (I previously read Six Years), but now I'm looking forward to more.