What are we listening to? (audiobooks)

[Tarana]

Since my last post, I've listened to Wanted: Dead or Alive by Ray Hogan and narrated by Patrick Lawlor (Downpour). Story was good, narrator excellent. Western.

Changeling by Molly Harper narrated by Amanda Ronconi. This book was excellent! Really loved it. Quite a few negative reviews for book 2, so I'll just stop at this one. I haven't enjoyed Molly Harper's recent books, so probably the last I will get of her books. Fantasy.

The Cuckoo's Cry by Caroline Overington, narrated by Aimee Horne, was a freebee from Audible and is an excellent suspense mystery. Mystery/suspense

Tanequil and Straken by Terry Brooks and narrated by Paul Boeme. These are books 2 and 3 of High Druid of Shannara trilogy. Excellent books, but the narrator was irritating by not finding out how names were pronounced. Fantasy

Finally a relisten of Eighty Million Eyes by Ed McBain and narrated by Dick Hill. Love this series. I bought all the audiobooks after listening to many of them via Kindle Unlimited. Dick Hill did a great job on this series. Crime/Detective

[taosaur]

I finished up The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt a few days ago and have been catching up on Welcome to Nightvale (podcast) since then, as well as the Great Courses lectures on science fiction and recorded dharma talks in the morning. The only problem I had with the Roosevelt biography was, it makes a terrible bedtime story. It's too engaging!

I'm about to start a re-listen of Name of the Wind, despite the unlikelihood of the series ever progressing.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by taosaur

I finished up The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt a few days ago and have been catching up on Welcome to Nightvale (podcast) since then, as well as the Great Courses lectures on science fiction and recorded dharma talks in the morning. The only problem I had with the Roosevelt biography was, it makes a terrible bedtime story. It's too engaging!

I'm about to start a re-listen of Name of the Wind, despite the unlikelihood of the series ever progressing.

One of the nice things about that series is that neither book ended in a cliff hanger. One can read (or listen to) Name of the Wind as a stand alone book and enjoy it.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

One of the nice things about that series is that neither book ended in a cliff hanger. One can read (or listen to) Name of the Wind as a stand alone book and enjoy it.

True, but it doesn't mean I don't WANT another...

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by CRussel

True, but it doesn't mean I don't WANT another...

Well, of course. Seems pretty likely that it won't be this year though. There apparently was a big to do earlier when some of the on line book sellers had August 20th listed as the release date, but apparently the editor still hasn't seen the book yet. I can't imagine them releasing that book without a big build up.

[SeaBookGuy]

As I type this, I'm re-listening to Balzac's Cousin Bette read by Joanna Ward (Kate Reading). Pretty much paused on a second go at the terrific recording of Trollope's The Eustace Diamonds brilliantly read by Timothy West. Also enjoying a nonfiction title Dead Presidents by Brady Carlson; integrates the history (primary) and travel narrative aspects well - glad I dropped a credit on it!

[pwalker8]

I finished up the Red Pyramid by Riordan. It's one of the few audiobooks where alternating narrators actually worked. Red Pyramid is the first of the Kane Chronicles based on Egyptian mythology. It wasn't quite as good as his Percy Jackson series, but better than his Norse series.

I think the next up will be Heir of Novron, the last book in Michael J Sullian's Riyria Revelations. It's a long one, some 32 hours.

[Tarana]

Since last post, I listened to quite a few books.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. Another winner! Narrator Peter Kenney was excellent. Scifi Time Travel.

Mullholland Drive - Michael Connelly. Short stories and novellas are just not Connelly's forte. I don't plan to get any more of these. Crime/detective.

Striding Folly - Dorothy Sayers Good story. Narrator Ian Carmichael speaks fast, but has a crisp, clear voice. Amateur slueth/humor.

Theft of Swords - Michael J Sullivan. Absolutely excellent! Fantasy

Probable Paws - Leann Dobbs I almost gave it up but it was much better later on. I had not listened/read the previous books, so that could be the problem. Narrator was good.

Death Pays a Visit - Elizabeth Spann Craig. Love this series. She is a bit acerbic towards her sidekick, but otherwise good characters. Narrators change every couple of books, but they have been all good so far.

Currently listening to The Bearers of the Black Staff by Terry Brooks. Phil Gigante did a good job on this one.

[SeaBookGuy]

Currently juggling...

We Are All Shipwrecks, a memoir by Kelly Gray Carlisle. The hook is that her mother was murdered when the author was an infant, but instead so far it's mostly been about being raised by her eccentric grandfather. Excellent narration!

Midnight at Malabar House by Vaseem Khan. He's known for his Inspector Chopra series, which I've never read. This is the first book featuring India's first female inspector (fictional) in 1950. As with Simon Brett's "Fethering" series, it almost strikes me that the male writer is trying too hard at times with a female character (oozing sexism resentment). Narrator OK though perhaps a bit "plummy" to me.

[Tarana]

Finished the The Bearers of the Black Staff by Terry Brooks. Phil Gigante narrated. 1st of two book story. I'll start 2nd book on Sunday when I have fewer interruptions.

Started Gateways edited by Elizabeth Ann Hull. First story was good. Anthology by many well known scifi authors in the style of Frederick Pohl. Narrated by Oliver Wyman. I have to keep my feet up in the evening, so listen while cross-stitching or knitting.

For listening while working on downsizing project (endless), I'm relistening to Ghosts by Ed McBain from the 87th Precinct series and narrated by Dick Hill. Great detective series, I have all the available audiobooks in this series (Thank you Whispersync!).

[CRussel]

Just finished listening to Patrick Tull's excellent narration of Around the World in 80 Days for the New Leaf Book Club. We'll be discussing this book starting Tuesday, so come join us if you're interested. It's an open discussion, any one can join in, and there isn't a time limit.

Next up, Lois McMaster Bujold's The Physicians of Vilnoc, narrated by Grover Gardner, so it should be an excellent narration.

[SeaBookGuy]

I'm not a huge Dickens fan (more Team Trollope, sorry), so perhaps not the bullseye target audience for A. N. Wilson's bio The Mystery of Charles Dickens. If you're such a fan of the man, I think it'd mean more to you. However, I've developed a major "narrator crush" on Mark Meadows - would drop a credit on his reading the proverbial phone book.

[taosaur]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

One of the nice things about that series is that neither book ended in a cliff hanger. One can read (or listen to) Name of the Wind as a stand alone book and enjoy it.

Haha, that's arguable given the framing story, but I did carry on through A Wise Man's Fear and found the books more enjoyable on the re-read. I had forgotten so much of the second book that I found myself questioning whether I ever actually read/listened to it, but here and there something would ring a bell. The only bittersweet element was having the world-building and main quest line (the Chandrian & Amir) remain mostly a mystery, with the final book in limbo for, arguably, 20 years since Rothfuss claims to have first drafted the full story.

On a random recommendation in another forum, I picked up a series that never made my TBR before now: Robin Hobb's first Farseer book, Assassin's Apprentice. I'm more than halfway through, and it's holding my interest mainly on the strength of the characters, and maybe the abundance of puppies is helping I wouldn't call the characters well rounded exactly, but they are satisfyingly fleshed-out tropes. There's a kind of washed-out bleakness to the world and the magic system that reminds me of The Wheel of Time, which I found one of the redeeming factors of those books. Overall I'm finding it satisfactory and cozy, aided by Paul Boehmer's British Grandpa narration.

[Tarana]

Since last posting, I have finished the following (most bought at Audible).
The Measure of Magic by Terry Brooks narrated by Phil Gigante.
Good ending to two book story. Gigante was excellent.

Peace Talks by Jim Butcher and narrated by James Marsters.
I enjoyed this book. Finished in two days, but I knew that it was a 2 book story. Plan to start Battle Ground as soon as I'm finished with current book.

Body at Bunco by Elizabeth Craig and with new narrator Judy Blue. I love the story. I don't love the narrator. I'm unhappy to see that she will be narrating the remainder of the series. The squeaky old person voice she uses for Myrtle Clover tells me that she spends zero time around 80 something women. My Mom is 86 and doesn't sound all squeaky like this. Stuck with it. I won't be buying book 13 and just get ebooks.

A whole bunch of short stories. Only one worth mention was Tidy the F*ck Up: The American Art of Organizing Your Sh*t by Messie Condo and narrated by Natalie Naudus. This was briefly available for $1.99 over at Chirp. Absolutely hilarious parody of Marie Kondo's book "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up which I also got at Chirp for $1.99 some time back. Really, you should get this book when you see it on markdown. The narrator was GREAT! Yes, cussing in here but totally appropriate.

Currently listening to Wizard at Large by Terry Brooks (part of the Landover series) and narrated by Dick Hill. I absolutely adored Dick Hill in the 87th Precinct series by Ed McBain. I don't like him so well as narrator of this fantasy series. This is book 3 and I'm still not excited by his narration although he does excellent on the wizard Questor Hewes and Abernathy. Maybe it's because I came into this after listening to all of the 87th Precinct.

So that's it for now! Starting Battle Ground after this.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Next up, Lois McMaster Bujold's The Physicians of Vilnoc, narrated by Grover Gardner, so it should be an excellent narration.

Devoured. Now doing a re-read of the Solar Clipper series from Nathan Lowell. Read well by Jeffrey Kafer, though I admit to preferring the author's own narrations for the podcast versions of these.