What are we listening to? (audiobooks) - Page 146

taosaur · 01-25-2018, 02:04 AM

I finished up Oathbringer, which was brilliant and had it's own great satisfying climax, begging the question where does this series go half a dozen or more books down the road from now (I should be so lucky as to find out).

By default, I jumped back into WoT where I left off, and have done fairly well keeping the series straight, despite the shared readers and the former having been inspired substantially by the latter. I'll give Jordan credit for maintaining a satirical tone throughout, which does lend interest to his work, but the foundation of that satire is shallow, consisting mostly of "boys be like, girls be like" with arguably an undercurrent of "teenagers be like," though it is by no means clear that the author recognizes stages of development more advanced than adolescence. Sanderson much more effectively integrates characters at various stages of life (I think, as a childless person roughly his age).

sneakyspider · 01-25-2018, 02:54 PM

Currently listening to "The Fisherman," by John Langan. As well as "The Elementals," by Michael McDowell. I admit I've taken a break from both stories recently as I've found myself losing interest, although I do intend to finish them both one day.

WT Sharpe · 01-29-2018, 09:12 AM

Just finished the excellent The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham. This audiobook was read by Reading, and a highly recommendable reading Reading* performed.

*Kate Reading

taosaur · 02-04-2018, 02:40 AM

I'm a little surprised, but Stormlight seems to have been an effective break from The Wheel of Time. I jumped right back into book nine with more interest than I'd left it, and managed to recall most of the vast panoply of characters and nations. I can't say I'm seeing the repetitiveness some people criticize, at least not in the plot. It does seem like one story unfolding, with the characters developing in light of their expanding roles in their world. The "battle of the sexes" shtick gets old, but the handling of prophesy and fatedness in the story is reasonably satisfying, where fatey-watey storylines are usually a pet peeve of mine in fantasy.

pwalker8 · 02-04-2018, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taosaur

I'm a little surprised, but Stormlight seems to have been an effective break from The Wheel of Time. I jumped right back into book nine with more interest than I'd left it, and managed to recall most of the vast panoply of characters and nations. I can't say I'm seeing the repetitiveness some people criticize, at least not in the plot. It does seem like one story unfolding, with the characters developing in light of their expanding roles in their world. The "battle of the sexes" shtick gets old, but the handling of prophesy and fatedness in the story is reasonably satisfying, where fatey-watey storylines are usually a pet peeve of mine in fantasy.

I was never really able to get into the Wheel of Time audio books. I have the first two, but there are large sections of the Wheel of Time books that I would simply scan through and you can't really do that with audio books. Even with the second book, I found myself becoming impatient at times for the story to move along. As the series goes along, there are larger and larger swaths of story that come across to me as verbiage that doesn't move the story along. Oddly enough, I consider the first book, The Wheel of Time, to be one of the best fantasy book that I've read and re-read it a lot.

pwalker8 · 02-04-2018, 10:02 AM

Just finished Weber and White's In Death's Ground. A long book, but one that I enjoyed. I started to listen to the latest Kate Daniels book, Magic Binds, but found myself getting impatient with it. I kept thinking of the opening scene from the old 80's movie "Romancing the Stone" where Joan Wilder is putting the finishing touches on her latest romance novel. So, I decided to put that aside for a while and move on to The Shiva Option, the sequel to In Death's Ground. This puppy is a 25 hour book, so it should hold me for a few weeks.

I generally convert audio books into mp3 audiobooks so I can listen to them on iTunes playlist (aax files are played by iBooks which doesn't have playlist). Generally I like to arrange my books so I don't get burned out on a particular author or series, so I'll alternate. For example, the series that I have on my playlist at the moment are the Weber Stars at War series, Gemmell's Drenai series (very good, btw) plus a number of other books, such as Artemis (up next after The Shiva Option).

When I get a book that I've been waiting for, that book moves up to the next on the queue. Normally, I would have already listened to Artemis since I got it back when it came out, but I somehow missed converting it until a few days ago. The last book to be placed in the next up spot was the last Lockwood & Co book back in August. There just aren't a lot of new books being published that I'm excited about. I have pre-ordered the new Tamora Pierce book coming out on Tuesday (that might move into the next up slot) but there just seems to be a dearth of new books coming out.

WT Sharpe · 02-26-2018, 07:38 AM

Just started Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone by G. S. Denning (narrated By Robert Garson) and so far am enjoying it immensely. Warlock Holmes is, of course, a supernatural spin on Sherlock Holmes, and shares many personality traits with the more well known detective, with the exception that, as a roommate, he's not as easy to get along with. Perhaps most irritatingly; while Sherlock is subject to bouts of violin playing at all hours of the day or night, Warlock is an accordion player. And while some of the people seeking Sherlock's help tended to be a tad strange, some of those seeing Warlock's help aren't even alive. Or people.

chyron8472 · 03-12-2018, 07:48 PM

Tried multiple times to get into Cephrael's Hand by Melissa McPhail, but just couldn't get drawn in to it.

So... having looked at other books by Nick Podehl (and also books published by Podium Publishing who published the Expeditionary Force series and The Martian) I started listening to Free the Darkness, King's Dark Tidings book 1.

It's a fantastic story. And Nick Podehl is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators.

CRussel · 03-12-2018, 07:50 PM

Currently listening to David Case's narration of Flashman, by George MacDonald Fraser. This is the first of the Flashman Papers, and quite entertaining. And David Case's narration is, of course, superb.

WT Sharpe · 03-14-2018, 10:19 AM

Now listening to Into the Light by Aleatha Romig; an audiobook read by Kevin T. Collins, Erin deWard, and Noah Michael Levine. This novel is about the abduction and brainwashing of a woman by a fanatical religious cult who intends her as a bride for one of the faithful. I'm enjoying this story immensely.

orlok · 03-14-2018, 10:30 AM

I'm listening to The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson, read by the author. Several laugh-out-loud moments already, it is a memoir of him growing from a small person to a not so small person.

pwalker8 · 03-14-2018, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chyron8472

Tried multiple times to get into Cephrael's Hand by Melissa McPhail, but just couldn't get drawn in to it.

So... having looked at other books by Nick Podehl (and also books published by Podium Publishing who published the Expeditionary Force series and The Martian) I started listening to Free the Darkness, King's Dark Tidings book 1.

It's a fantastic story. And Nick Podehl is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators.

I've liked Nick Podehl for a while. I have several books that he's narrated. He did the Kingkiller Chronicles and Andre Norton's Witch World. I really liked the book, The King's Dark Tidings. The audio book is in my wish list.

Catlady · 03-16-2018, 11:11 PM

I listened to Clare Mackintosh's latest domestic thriller, Let Me Lie, narrated by Gemma Whelan--I think it's the best thriller of the year.

Her first book (I Let You Go) was terrific (great twists and misdirection); her second (I See You), a bit less so. This third book is a return to top form--she manages to pull off one surprise after another. Near the end I thought I'd put it all together, but she surprised me, and then surprised me again. I recommend it highly.

steven168 · 03-18-2018, 05:05 AM

Currently listening to "A" is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

pwalker8 · 03-18-2018, 09:59 PM

Just finishing up The Shiva Option (about 30 minutes to go). A very good and long space opera. Next up is Artemis.

01-29-2018, 09:12 AM	#2178
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.	Just finished the excellent The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham. This audiobook was read by Reading, and a highly recommendable reading Reading* performed. Kate Reading Last edited by WT Sharpe; 01-29-2018 at 09:15 AM.*

03-12-2018, 07:48 PM	#2183
chyron8472 Groupie Posts: 180 Karma: 558490 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Kindle 5, Amazon Fire 5th Gen, Moto Z Play Droid	Tried multiple times to get into Cephrael's Hand by Melissa McPhail, but just couldn't get drawn in to it. So... having looked at other books by Nick Podehl (and also books published by Podium Publishing who published the Expeditionary Force series and The Martian) *I started listening to Free the Darkness, King's Dark Tidings book 1. It's a fantastic story. And Nick Podehl is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators. Last edited by chyron8472; 03-12-2018 at 07:51 PM.*

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01-25-2018, 02:04 AM	#2176
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 finished up Oathbringer, which was brilliant and had it's own great satisfying climax, begging the question where does this series go half a dozen or more books down the road from now (I should be so lucky as to find out). By default, I jumped back into WoT where I left off, and have done fairly well keeping the series straight, despite the shared readers and the former having been inspired substantially by the latter. I'll give Jordan credit for maintaining a satirical tone throughout, which does lend interest to his work, but the foundation of that satire is shallow, consisting mostly of "boys be like, girls be like" with arguably an undercurrent of "teenagers be like," though it is by no means clear that the author recognizes stages of development more advanced than adolescence. Sanderson much more effectively integrates characters at various stages of life (I think, as a childless person roughly his age).

01-25-2018, 02:54 PM	#2177
sneakyspider Ereader Addicts Anonymous Posts: 329 Karma: 1071692 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: USA, FL. Device: (2)KO2, PW7thGen., KT2, iPadMini1	Currently listening to "The Fisherman," by John Langan. As well as "The Elementals," by Michael McDowell. I admit I've taken a break from both stories recently as I've found myself losing interest, although I do intend to finish them both one day.

02-04-2018, 02:40 AM	#2179
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 a little surprised, but Stormlight seems to have been an effective break from The Wheel of Time. I jumped right back into book nine with more interest than I'd left it, and managed to recall most of the vast panoply of characters and nations. I can't say I'm seeing the repetitiveness some people criticize, at least not in the plot. It does seem like one story unfolding, with the characters developing in light of their expanding roles in their world. The "battle of the sexes" shtick gets old, but the handling of prophesy and fatedness in the story is reasonably satisfying, where fatey-watey storylines are usually a pet peeve of mine in fantasy.

02-04-2018, 10:02 AM	#2181
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 finished Weber and White's In Death's Ground. A long book, but one that I enjoyed. I started to listen to the latest Kate Daniels book, Magic Binds, but found myself getting impatient with it. I kept thinking of the opening scene from the old 80's movie "Romancing the Stone" where Joan Wilder is putting the finishing touches on her latest romance novel. So, I decided to put that aside for a while and move on to The Shiva Option, the sequel to In Death's Ground. This puppy is a 25 hour book, so it should hold me for a few weeks. I generally convert audio books into mp3 audiobooks so I can listen to them on iTunes playlist (aax files are played by iBooks which doesn't have playlist). Generally I like to arrange my books so I don't get burned out on a particular author or series, so I'll alternate. For example, the series that I have on my playlist at the moment are the Weber Stars at War series, Gemmell's Drenai series (very good, btw) plus a number of other books, such as Artemis (up next after The Shiva Option). When I get a book that I've been waiting for, that book moves up to the next on the queue. Normally, I would have already listened to Artemis since I got it back when it came out, but I somehow missed converting it until a few days ago. The last book to be placed in the next up spot was the last Lockwood & Co book back in August. There just aren't a lot of new books being published that I'm excited about. I have pre-ordered the new Tamora Pierce book coming out on Tuesday (that might move into the next up slot) but there just seems to be a dearth of new books coming out.

02-26-2018, 07:38 AM	#2182
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.	Just started Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone by G. S. Denning (narrated By Robert Garson) and so far am enjoying it immensely. Warlock Holmes is, of course, a supernatural spin on Sherlock Holmes, and shares many personality traits with the more well known detective, with the exception that, as a roommate, he's not as easy to get along with. Perhaps most irritatingly; while Sherlock is subject to bouts of violin playing at all hours of the day or night, Warlock is an accordion player. And while some of the people seeking Sherlock's help tended to be a tad strange, some of those seeing Warlock's help aren't even alive. Or people.

03-12-2018, 07:50 PM	#2184
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,159 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	Currently listening to David Case's narration of Flashman, by George MacDonald Fraser. This is the first of the Flashman Papers, and quite entertaining. And David Case's narration is, of course, superb.

03-14-2018, 10:19 AM	#2185
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.	Now listening to Into the Light by Aleatha Romig; an audiobook read by Kevin T. Collins, Erin deWard, and Noah Michael Levine. This novel is about the abduction and brainwashing of a woman by a fanatical religious cult who intends her as a bride for one of the faithful. I'm enjoying this story immensely.

03-14-2018, 10:30 AM	#2186
orlok Close to the Edit! Posts: 9,797 Karma: 267994408 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Amazon Fire 8", Kindle 6"	I'm listening to The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson, read by the author. Several laugh-out-loud moments already, it is a memoir of him growing from a small person to a not so small person.

03-16-2018, 11:11 PM	#2188
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,345 Karma: 52398889 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I listened to Clare Mackintosh's latest domestic thriller, Let Me Lie, narrated by Gemma Whelan--I think it's the best thriller of the year. Her first book (I Let You Go) was terrific (great twists and misdirection); her second (I See You), a bit less so. This third book is a return to top form--she manages to pull off one surprise after another. Near the end I thought I'd put it all together, but she surprised me, and then surprised me again. I recommend it highly.

03-18-2018, 05:05 AM	#2189
steven168 Zealot Posts: 121 Karma: 5508 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Singapore Device: Kindle Paperwhite 1 & 3	Currently listening to "A" is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

03-18-2018, 09:59 PM	#2190
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 finishing up The Shiva Option (about 30 minutes to go). A very good and long space opera. Next up is Artemis.