What are we listening to? (audiobooks) - Page 76

Catlady · 02-03-2015, 06:19 PM

Pretty much any time I'm not doing something that requires concentration.

melmac · 02-03-2015, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

WHEN do you-all find time to listen to books? (Break out, if this should really be a separate topic, but I really only intend a short side question.)

I go for long walks as exercise so that's the bulk of my listening I also have a short drive to work so I sometimes put it on then. This book however disappeared quicker than usual I think that's because it's been super hot over night here so sleep has been difficult so a few times I was laying in the dark at night with the book on. This is not a good thing because I get too engrossed in the book to sleep so I need to stop doing this

wawasteele · 02-03-2015, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

WHEN do you-all find time to listen to books? (Break out, if this should really be a separate topic, but I really only intend a short side question.)

When in the car by myself, doing the dishes, laundry, basically all housework, when walking my dog, simple computer games, soaking in the tub, getting dressed, any part of quilting that doesn't need active brain usage, etc, etc, etc! I guess my answer is with so many things I can't begin to list them all. Audiobooks make some of the normal drudgery of every day almost fun to look forward to.

Catlady · 02-04-2015, 10:38 AM

I usually do a good job picking out books to read; some may be less enjoyable than I hoped, but rarely do I choose one that turns out to be a clunker. However, the one I just finished was so much of a clunker that I wished it had a physical book I could throw across the room. I was so annoyed with the waste of my time and money (over $16) that I actually returned it to Audible this morning.

The book in question, One Step Too Far, by Tina Seskis, was touted as a thriller. The publisher's summary states:

Quote:

The number-one international best seller reminiscent of After I'm Gone, Sister, Before I Go to Sleep and The Silent Wife--an intricately plotted, thoroughly addictive thriller that introduces a major new voice in suspense fiction; a mesmerizing and powerful novel that will keep you guessing to the very end.

No one has ever guessed Emily's secret.

Will you?

Sounds like fun if you like thrillers, right? I'd read and enjoyed two of the books the publisher compared it to (Sister and Before I Go to Sleep), and another highly hyped thriller I'd just read (The Girl on the Train) had actually lived up to the hype, so I figured I'd give this one a go.

It was an unfocused, meandering mess. The story starts promisingly enough with Emily running away from her life and family, and transforming herself into Cat to build a new life. We the readers are kept dangling by the promise of some big twist (Emily's Secret!) to explain it all. First-person chapters about Emily/Cat's new life alternate with third-person chapters about the past: vignettes focusing on Emily's parents' unhappy marriage, Emily's unstable twin sister, Emily's romance and marriage, and even, inexplicably, Cat's new friend's past.

True, some of this was interesting, but it just didn't ever GO anywhere. There was no real mystery; the people Emily left behind would certainly have known why she ran away, even if not the complete reason. There's one bit of misdirection that I simply found annoying and rather stupid--I can only think that THAT was the "twist," but, seriously? It was only the author tricking the readers; it was external to the story itself.

This was in no way a thriller. I don't know what it was, but I can't remember when I last read something so annoying and disappointing.

WT Sharpe · 02-04-2015, 11:46 AM

Finished "Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven" by Mark Twain on my iPod yesterday, and this morning during my morning walk I finished Mr. Spaceship by Philip K. Dick on my android phone. I had started Mr. Spaceship last year, but as I'm not normally in the habit of listening to books on my phone, much time passed between sections. Nonetheless, it was quite enjoyable. I also enjoyed the story about Captain Stormfield's afterlife, but not so much as I had hoped I would. Next up is Seven H.P. Lovecraft Stories by (duh) H.P. Lovecraft, an audiobook read by Phil Chenevert, who also read the Philip K. Dick book. The Mark Twain short was read by Kevin LaVergne.

CRussel · 02-04-2015, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

Driving, walking, swimming.

All of those, and working around the yard as well.

Tarana · 02-06-2015, 07:16 PM

I get in a lot of listening first thing in the morning and after about 5:30 p.m. Sometimes I listen during the day but I get so many interruptions that I end up having to relisten to 1/2 hour to an hour just to get back into sync with the story. If I listen during the day, I listen to something that is either really short (like a novella) or something I've listened to before.

For instance, right now I'm Ebay selling and listening to The Two Towers while I do so. I've read this before, and saw the movies, so the plot stays in sync quite well.

CRussel · 02-07-2015, 02:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

Got sidetracked by Just One Damn Thing After Another, the first in the Chronicles of St. Mary. This $20.85 list, or $1.99 if you buy the Kindle book for $.85. Duh.

This book, narrated by Zara Ramm, is the exploits of time traveling historians, based in St. Mary's College. The narration is good, not great, the story is well done (though like a lot of folks, I find the 4 year gap a bit annoying), and when all is said and done, I was _really_ glad I was on a long trip in the car, cause I was no way going to put this down!

Finished. And the next in the series, A Symphony of Echoes. I enjoyed them, but I think a break is in order. Next up, a Mercedes Lackey Valdemar book,

melmac · 02-07-2015, 06:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

Finished. And the next in the series, A Symphony of Echoes. I enjoyed them, but I think a break is in order. Next up, a Mercedes Lackey Valdemar book,

Thanks I didn't realise One damm thing was whispersync I already owned the Ebook so have now grabbed the audio

Catlady · 02-07-2015, 01:18 PM

I'm listening to The Woods, by Harlan Coben. I needed to read an author who would really deliver a solid thriller after being burned by my last choice (One Step Too Far). Enjoying it so far, but I still am not a fan of Scott Brick as a narrator. In this one he's sometimes not differentiating enough when there are scene/POV changes. But the story is engrossing.

pidgeon92 · 02-07-2015, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catlady

I'm listening to The Woods, by Harlan Coben.

I listened to this one a few years ago. The narration was great, but I really hated the book.

Catlady · 02-07-2015, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I listened to this one a few years ago. The narration was great, but I really hated the book.

Uh-oh.

Catlady · 02-08-2015, 12:28 PM

I finished The Woods. I thought it was OK, though I anticipated some of the twists. One thing that really annoyed me was that Coben's writing seemed to be rather wordy. (E.g., in dialog, there were passages like: " 'You know what?' she said. 'What?' I asked," instead of simply having the character say "You know what?" and then launch immediately into whatever she wanted to say, or leaving out the "You know what?" entirely.) I hadn't noticed this kind of padding in other of Coben's books I've read; maybe he didn't do it or maybe I was just more engrossed in the other plots.

Not sure what to listen to next.

WT Sharpe · 02-08-2015, 04:48 PM

Just finished Seven H.P. Lovecraft Stories by H.P. Lovecraft (audiobook read by Phil Chenevert). Next up is American Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, a collection of short stories read by various Librivox volunteers.

Catlady · 02-09-2015, 10:10 AM

I'm listening to In Search of the Rose Notes, by Emily Arsenault, narrated by Khristine Hvam. It's about two young women whose teenage babysitter, Rose, disappeared when they were kids; they reconnect and renew their interest in Rose when her remains are finally found some 15 years later. The story alternates past and present, and despite a few inexplicable mispronunciations (red dish for reddish!), the narrator does a wonderful job with the voices of the young girls vs. their adult selves, making them still identifiable yet different.

I'm liking this one quite a bit, especially the author's depiction of the young girls and their actions and silly obsessions.

02-04-2015, 11:46 AM	#1130
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) Finished "Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven" by Mark Twain on my iPod yesterday, and this morning during my morning walk I finished Mr. Spaceship by Philip K. Dick on my android phone. I had started Mr. Spaceship last year, but as I'm not normally in the habit of listening to books on my phone, much time passed between sections. Nonetheless, it was quite enjoyable. I also enjoyed the story about Captain Stormfield's afterlife, but not so much as I had hoped I would. Next up is Seven H.P. Lovecraft Stories by (duh) H.P. Lovecraft, an audiobook read by Phil Chenevert, who also read the Philip K. Dick book. The Mark Twain short was read by Kevin LaVergne.

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02-03-2015, 06:19 PM	#1126
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,419 Karma: 52613881 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	Pretty much any time I'm not doing something that requires concentration.

02-06-2015, 07:16 PM	#1132
Tarana Wizard Posts: 4,040 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	I get in a lot of listening first thing in the morning and after about 5:30 p.m. Sometimes I listen during the day but I get so many interruptions that I end up having to relisten to 1/2 hour to an hour just to get back into sync with the story. If I listen during the day, I listen to something that is either really short (like a novella) or something I've listened to before. For instance, right now I'm Ebay selling and listening to The Two Towers while I do so. I've read this before, and saw the movies, so the plot stays in sync quite well.

02-07-2015, 01:18 PM	#1135
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,419 Karma: 52613881 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I'm listening to The Woods, by Harlan Coben. I needed to read an author who would really deliver a solid thriller after being burned by my last choice (One Step Too Far). Enjoying it so far, but I still am not a fan of Scott Brick as a narrator. In this one he's sometimes not differentiating enough when there are scene/POV changes. But the story is engrossing.

02-08-2015, 12:28 PM	#1138
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,419 Karma: 52613881 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I finished The Woods. I thought it was OK, though I anticipated some of the twists. One thing that really annoyed me was that Coben's writing seemed to be rather wordy. (E.g., in dialog, there were passages like: " 'You know what?' she said. 'What?' I asked," instead of simply having the character say "You know what?" and then launch immediately into whatever she wanted to say, or leaving out the "You know what?" entirely.) I hadn't noticed this kind of padding in other of Coben's books I've read; maybe he didn't do it or maybe I was just more engrossed in the other plots. Not sure what to listen to next.

02-08-2015, 04:48 PM	#1139
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.	Just finished Seven H.P. Lovecraft Stories by H.P. Lovecraft (audiobook read by Phil Chenevert). Next up is American Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, a collection of short stories read by various Librivox volunteers.

02-09-2015, 10:10 AM	#1140
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,419 Karma: 52613881 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I'm listening to In Search of the Rose Notes, by Emily Arsenault, narrated by Khristine Hvam. It's about two young women whose teenage babysitter, Rose, disappeared when they were kids; they reconnect and renew their interest in Rose when her remains are finally found some 15 years later. The story alternates past and present, and despite a few inexplicable mispronunciations (red dish for reddish!), the narrator does a wonderful job with the voices of the young girls vs. their adult selves, making them still identifiable yet different. I'm liking this one quite a bit, especially the author's depiction of the young girls and their actions and silly obsessions.

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