What are we listening to? (audiobooks) - Page 99

taosaur · 01-11-2016, 11:24 AM

I'm near the end of Use of Weapons, which has been on my TBR for a long time. It was a little hard to follow audio-only, but reading + listening is working out well. It's some delightful space opera with larger-than-life characters and a bit of a progressive bent which I find perfectly agreeable.

CRussel · 01-11-2016, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

I've finished Sharpe's Prey which was a great listen. Perfect mindless entertainment. I'll note, however, as I did on Goodreads, that the survival rate for Sharpe's love interest in the two books I've heard is currently at 0 for 2. One of the problems with prequels. Run, ladies! I note that the next book is read by Frederick Davidson. I like him as well as Patrick Tull; I hope it won't be hard to switch gears.

I've read Sharpe's by both, though not in immediate side-by-side. They're both excellent narrators, and I had no issues switching back and forth.

I've been holding off on Sharpe's Prey for my trip to the Continental Cup of Curling starting tomorrow. Long drive, then shortish flight. I hope to finish it during that. (And somehow, my memory from the TV movies is that the survival rate doesn't improve any time soon. )

pwalker8 · 01-24-2016, 05:56 PM

Just finished up the second of Brian Daley's Alacrity Fitzhugh and Hobart Floyt series, one more to go. It's a pretty fun series and I like the reader. Next up on the list is "A Mighty Fortress", book 4 of the safehold series by David Weber. This one is 35 hours, so it's going to be several weeks.

Catlady · 01-29-2016, 12:10 PM

I'm finally, finally listening to Gone Girl. Since it's definitely my kind of book, I don't know why I've put it off for so long--partly the length (19 hours), I guess. I'm only a few hours into it.

I just finished listening to two other thrillers, both of them quite good: What She Knew, by Gilly Macmillan, and Black-Eyed Susans, by Julia Heaberlin.

What She Knew involves a child abduction and the ensuing investigation, with two first-person narratives--one the mother's, the other the lead detective's. It featured the usual quota of family secrets and red herrings, but the author handled them well.

Black-Eyed Susans focuses on the survivor of a serial killer's attempt who has come to believe that the man about to be executed for the murders is innocent. The chapters alternate from present day (the run-up to the execution) to the past (the crime and the trial). Other than one egregious factual error that took me out of the story (Anastasia was NOT a Disney film!), this was an intriguing book.

Conan46 · 01-29-2016, 12:25 PM

Just finished listening to Louis L'Amour's "The Empty Land". I probably read it back in the 1990s, was good to read it again with my ears, excellent western. Just started Asimov's "Prelude To Foundation" haven't read it before, though I enjoyed the original Foundation books decades ago.

CRussel · 01-29-2016, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

I've read Sharpe's by both, though not in immediate side-by-side. They're both excellent narrators, and I had no issues switching back and forth.

I've been holding off on Sharpe's Prey for my trip to the Continental Cup of Curling starting tomorrow. Long drive, then shortish flight. I hope to finish it during that. (And somehow, my memory from the TV movies is that the survival rate doesn't improve any time soon. )

Finished Sharpe's Prey, and Sharpe's Rifles, and then got sidelined by Treecat Wars from David Weber. Not quite sure how that happened, but I've finished it and have Sharpe's Havoc and a Kristen Britain on the read right now. Sharpe's Havoc is read by Patrick Tull, so a real pleasure, but the Kristen Britain is read by Ellen Archer and less so.

WT Sharpe · 01-29-2016, 11:23 PM

Just finished Breakfast With Buddha this week and found it very enjoyable. I bought it expecting comedy and found it surprisingly focused on philosophical and religious concepts. There were comedic moments, but the story took center stage. The characters were well drawn and believable.

Catlady · 02-01-2016, 12:34 AM

I finished Gone Girl; I mostly enjoyed it but it seemed to lose steam in the middle section--I think it might have benefited from some cutting and tightening. I did enjoy the two narrators, especially Julia Whelan.

I hadn't read anything much about Gone Girl, so I was quite surprised that it seemed to be a riff on the Laci Peterson murder. I'm tempted to see the movie now--partly just to see how the story got condensed into a couple of hours.

Rich_D · 02-01-2016, 02:33 PM

I just finished Reilly's Luck by Louis L'Amour. I thought Beau Bridges did a pretty good job with the narration. As a matter of fact, I listened to it twice because I had a road trip last month and finished that month's selections. The only bad thing about L'Amour's books are that they are too short, so I normally only buy them when there is a sale going on instead of using my monthly credits.

issybird · 02-04-2016, 10:43 AM

I finished The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome . Whew, that was a slog; I can't recommend it. Granted that given the breadth of the topic depth had to be sacrificed, but I think the author made poor choices. It listened like a laundry list of battles and regimes and nothing else.

I also finished Nothing Serious by P.G. Wodehouse, read by Simon Vance, which was the Downpour Rental of the Week a couple of weeks ago. As much fun as you'd expect, although I'll note that much as Vance is my favorite reader, I prefer Frederick Davidson's Wodehouse.

I'm currently listening to I Am Legend, the freebie Downpour weekly rental. So not my thing, but it's holding my interest. I'm just about ready to listen to Robertson Dean again, after spending more than 60 hours listening to him read The Power Broker last summer!

ApK · 02-04-2016, 11:11 AM

I just finished the Sherlock Holmes story "The Sign of the Four" (Which I think is the far better title than "The Sign of Four", which my Audible version was published as).
I tend to read Sherlock Holmes for the Sherlockisms, not so much for the actual plot, which I could barely follow and didn't find very interesting.
But this story contains a 7% solution of cocaine, something being 'afoot', something 'elementary', and we first meet Watson's future wife, and we see the root of some of the 'deduction' tricks they adapted for the first episode of the BBC series "Sherlock."
All of which I find fun.
This version was read by Patrick Tull, who did a fine job. Though, I am tempted to listen to another version I have and see if I find the plot any more interesting.

issybird · 02-04-2016, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ApK

I just finished the Sherlock Holmes story "The Sign of the Four" (Which I think is the far better title than "The Sign of Four", which my Audible version was published as).
I tend to read Sherlock Holmes for the Sherlockisms, not so much for the actual plot, which I could barely follow and didn't find very interesting.
But this story contains a 7% solution of cocaine, something being 'afoot', something 'elementary', and we first meet Watson's future wife, and we see the root of some of the 'deduction' tricks they adapted for the first episode of the BBC series "Sherlock."
All of which I find fun.
This version was read by Patrick Tull, who did a fine job. Though, I am tempted to listen to another version I have and see if I find the plot any more interesting.

I agree with you about this. I thought it was a far better listen than book. But much of the charm of Sherlock Holmes escapes me. It's so preposterous; I find I can't suspend my disbelief to the extent necessary.

CRussel · 02-04-2016, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

I also finished Nothing Serious by P.G. Wodehouse, read by Simon Vance, which was the Downpour Rental of the Week a couple of weeks ago. As much fun as you'd expect, although I'll note that much as Vance is my favorite reader, I prefer Frederick Davidson's Wodehouse.

Interesting. I've only ever heard Davidson's Wodehouse, and liked it very much indeed. I will have to try the Vance version at some point - I also like him a lot, but I can see where David Case (real name of Frederick Davidson) would be a better Wodehouse, especially Bertie. Should be an interesting comparison, however, and the books are such fun.

Catlady · 02-04-2016, 01:24 PM

I am listening to Advise and Consent, by Allen Drury (33 hours!). I read this, more than once, long ago, but--as I've found with several other books--I remember the movie version so much more than the book, so a lot of it feels fresh.

The narrator, Allan Robertson, is generally pretty good, except for the female voices, which are largely cringe-worthy. Luckily, a story set in the corridors of power in the 1950s features very few women except as helpmates to their men!

I've already picked up the follow-up audiobook, A Shade of Difference, though I don't know if I want to listen to another lengthy book immediately. I'm hoping for more Allen Drury audiobooks, but so far these are the only two.

WT Sharpe · 02-04-2016, 03:50 PM

I've just finished chapter nineteen of Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (narrated by Christian Rummel). So far the title has been more sinister than the actual story, but it is beginning to get creepier. Or it could turn out to be a happy tale of magic. This one could go either way. The story unfolds through the eyes of a child, but I'm not sure I would label this a children's book.

01-29-2016, 11:23 PM	#1477
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	What are we listening to? (audiobooks) Just finished Breakfast With Buddha this week and found it very enjoyable. I bought it expecting comedy and found it surprisingly focused on philosophical and religious concepts. There were comedic moments, but the story took center stage. The characters were well drawn and believable.

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01-11-2016, 11:24 AM	#1471
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 near the end of Use of Weapons, which has been on my TBR for a long time. It was a little hard to follow audio-only, but reading + listening is working out well. It's some delightful space opera with larger-than-life characters and a bit of a progressive bent which I find perfectly agreeable.

01-24-2016, 05:56 PM	#1473
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,196 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	Just finished up the second of Brian Daley's Alacrity Fitzhugh and Hobart Floyt series, one more to go. It's a pretty fun series and I like the reader. Next up on the list is "A Mighty Fortress", book 4 of the safehold series by David Weber. This one is 35 hours, so it's going to be several weeks.

01-29-2016, 12:10 PM	#1474
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,419 Karma: 52613881 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I'm finally, finally listening to Gone Girl. Since it's definitely my kind of book, I don't know why I've put it off for so long--partly the length (19 hours), I guess. I'm only a few hours into it. I just finished listening to two other thrillers, both of them quite good: What She Knew, by Gilly Macmillan, and Black-Eyed Susans, by Julia Heaberlin. What She Knew involves a child abduction and the ensuing investigation, with two first-person narratives--one the mother's, the other the lead detective's. It featured the usual quota of family secrets and red herrings, but the author handled them well. Black-Eyed Susans focuses on the survivor of a serial killer's attempt who has come to believe that the man about to be executed for the murders is innocent. The chapters alternate from present day (the run-up to the execution) to the past (the crime and the trial). Other than one egregious factual error that took me out of the story (Anastasia was NOT a Disney film!), this was an intriguing book.

01-29-2016, 12:25 PM	#1475
Conan46 Fanatic Posts: 575 Karma: 3400000 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Paperwhite 3	Just finished listening to Louis L'Amour's "The Empty Land". I probably read it back in the 1990s, was good to read it again with my ears, excellent western. Just started Asimov's "Prelude To Foundation" haven't read it before, though I enjoyed the original Foundation books decades ago.

02-01-2016, 12:34 AM	#1478
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,419 Karma: 52613881 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I finished Gone Girl; I mostly enjoyed it but it seemed to lose steam in the middle section--I think it might have benefited from some cutting and tightening. I did enjoy the two narrators, especially Julia Whelan. I hadn't read anything much about Gone Girl, so I was quite surprised that it seemed to be a riff on the Laci Peterson murder. I'm tempted to see the movie now--partly just to see how the story got condensed into a couple of hours.

02-01-2016, 02:33 PM	#1479
Rich_D Fanatic Posts: 581 Karma: 1314896 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Pittsburgh, PA USA Device: Android phone, Kobo Glo HD, nook ST with Glo (backup)	I just finished Reilly's Luck by Louis L'Amour. I thought Beau Bridges did a pretty good job with the narration. As a matter of fact, I listened to it twice because I had a road trip last month and finished that month's selections. The only bad thing about L'Amour's books are that they are too short, so I normally only buy them when there is a sale going on instead of using my monthly credits.

02-04-2016, 10:43 AM	#1480
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 21,329 Karma: 234636059 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: Mini, H2O, Glo HD, Aura One, PW4, PW5	I finished *The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome* . Whew, that was a slog; I can't recommend it. Granted that given the breadth of the topic depth had to be sacrificed, but I think the author made poor choices. It listened like a laundry list of battles and regimes and nothing else. I also finished *Nothing Serious* by P.G. Wodehouse, read by Simon Vance, which was the Downpour Rental of the Week a couple of weeks ago. As much fun as you'd expect, although I'll note that much as Vance is my favorite reader, I prefer Frederick Davidson's Wodehouse. I'm currently listening to *I Am Legend, the freebie Downpour weekly rental. So not my thing, but it's holding my interest. I'm just about ready to listen to Robertson Dean again, after spending more than 60 hours listening to him read The Power Broker* last summer!

02-04-2016, 11:11 AM	#1481
ApK Award-Winning Participant Posts: 7,389 Karma: 68329346 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: NJ, USA Device: Kindle	I just finished the Sherlock Holmes story "The Sign of the Four" (Which I think is the far better title than "The Sign of Four", which my Audible version was published as). I tend to read Sherlock Holmes for the Sherlockisms, not so much for the actual plot, which I could barely follow and didn't find very interesting. But this story contains a 7% solution of cocaine, something being 'afoot', something 'elementary', and we first meet Watson's future wife, and we see the root of some of the 'deduction' tricks they adapted for the first episode of the BBC series "Sherlock." All of which I find fun. This version was read by Patrick Tull, who did a fine job. Though, I am tempted to listen to another version I have and see if I find the plot any more interesting.

02-04-2016, 01:24 PM	#1484
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,419 Karma: 52613881 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I am listening to Advise and Consent, by Allen Drury (33 hours!). I read this, more than once, long ago, but--as I've found with several other books--I remember the movie version so much more than the book, so a lot of it feels fresh. The narrator, Allan Robertson, is generally pretty good, except for the female voices, which are largely cringe-worthy. Luckily, a story set in the corridors of power in the 1950s features very few women except as helpmates to their men! I've already picked up the follow-up audiobook, A Shade of Difference, though I don't know if I want to listen to another lengthy book immediately. I'm hoping for more Allen Drury audiobooks, but so far these are the only two.

02-04-2016, 03:50 PM	#1485
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	I've just finished chapter nineteen of Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (narrated by Christian Rummel). So far the title has been more sinister than the actual story, but it is beginning to get creepier. Or it could turn out to be a happy tale of magic. This one could go either way. The story unfolds through the eyes of a child, but I'm not sure I would label this a children's book.