What are we listening to? (audiobooks)

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by ApK

<never mind....not funny enough to warrant the backlash from the humorless P.C. types.>

Aw, what a killjoy. I'm not necessarily P.C., but I can be quite humorless.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Currently listening to Provenance, by Ann Leckie. She's won every SF award out there in the last few years, and it's well deserved. Such a pleasure to listen to SF that isn't male-centric.

If you haven't ever read (or listened to) anything by her, start with Ancillary Justice.

She seems to be another of those award winning authors that I'm suppose to like but am never able to warm up to. I've started Ancillary Justice a couple of times and never got very far into it.

[CRussel]

I would say that it took me a bit to get into Ancillary Justice, but ultimately I quite enjoyed it. I have it 4 stsrs, and the sequel 5 stars.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I would say that it took me a bit to get into Ancillary Justice, but ultimately I quite enjoyed it. I have it 4 stsrs, and the sequel 5 stars.

Same; it took me a good 100-150 pages to get sucked in, and I really liked the sequels. They weren't the page-turning compulsive reading that say the NK Jemisin series was, but still good, and one of those series that improves with time, rather than disappearing in my memory. Provenance is standalone, and doesn't require reading the Ancillary series first, though they are set in the same universe.

I've just finished* the Lady Trent/Natural History of Dragons series by Marie Brennan, and enjoyed them greatly. I read the first two a while back and liked them well enough, but then found that the third, fourth and fifth each improved on the last. I like a series with a well-thought-out series arc as well as the individual arcs within each novel. I'm glad I wasn't spoiled for the long arc.

*ETA: Sorry, I thought this was the What are you reading? thread. I read these on text, not audio, but I'm leaving this in for posterity nevertheless.

[issybird]

As part of my summer-themed reading, I'm listening to Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, set in New York at the time of Nixon's resignation and Philippe Petit's amazing feat. Various narrators for the different first-person sections of the books. Recommended. It won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2009.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by issybird

As part of my summer-themed reading, I'm listening to Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, set in New York at the time of Nixon's resignation and Philippe Petit's amazing feat. Various narrators for the different first-person sections of the books. Recommended. It won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2009.

I never heard of this, but my library has it. I have a hard time with books that involve the World Trade Center, though, so I'm hesitating.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I never heard of this, but my library has it. I have a hard time with books that involve the World Trade Center, though, so I'm hesitating.

I understand. I can't do 9/11 books or anything else having to do with that dreadful day.

This is going way OT, but if anyone wants a wonderful depiction of Phillipe Petit's exploit and ever goes to the real library, I recommend a children's picture book, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein. It has terrific visualizations of what it looked like at Petit's level; admittedly it tugs at the heartstrings, too.

[BenG]

Originally Posted by issybird

As part of my summer-themed reading, I'm listening to Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, set in New York at the time of Nixon's resignation and Philippe Petit's amazing feat. Various narrators for the different first-person sections of the books. Recommended. It won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2009.

I was convinced that this had been made into a movie, but apparently I was thinking of Man on Wire, which is an excellent movie in its own right.

[BenG]

I'm currently listening to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day(1938) by Winifred Watson, read by Frances McDormand.
The movie is one of my favorites and I read the book soon after. Francis McDormand, who played Pettigrew in the movie, does a good job with the narration.

[pwalker8]

Finished up Arrows of the Queen. This is one of my comfort books, i.e. one of those books that I've read a large number of times and that I re-read when I'm in one of those moods. The new narrator did a very good job, definitely recommended.

Next up, Armada by Ernest Cline, narrated by Wil Wheaton. When Armada first came out, it didn't get very good reviews but the first 15 minutes or so has been pretty good. Some of that is Wil Wheaton, one of the better voice actors around. I also suspect that some of that is simply that it's pretty hard to top Ready Player One. We shall see.

[CRussel]

Just finished listening to A Taste For Vengance, the latest in the Bruno, Chief of Police seres. The US version is narrated by Robert Ian MacKenzie and he does a good job. Plus I love these books.

Next up is Some Golden Harbor by David Drake, narrated by Victor Bevine. This is the fifth in the Leary/Mundy series and I'm enjoying it as I pretty much always do. The narrator is OK -- not adding much to the story, but not killing it either.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

I have mixed feelings about Something in the Water. It was good for a debut, and I'll definitely read the next book that she publishes. The narration was excellent with the exception of an annoying tin-can sound effect every time there was a phone conversation. The storyline was in some ways unique and in other ways predictable. It was a slow-building suspense novel. What I didn't like was it's told from the perspective of one main character who could be irritating at times. The plot advancement was dependent on the character making decisions that I didn't think were always believable!

I finished it the other day. It seems that the author couldn't quite decide if she was writing a caper or psychological suspense, and didn't do justice to either. I agree with you about the irritating protagonist and her choices, which I found increasingly bizarre. But I too will give the author another chance.

[BenG]

Currently listening to Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker about a young man who, while being shown an old church by the sexton, invents "Miss Connie Hargreaves" a mutual friend of the beloved late pastor. Having some fun he goes into elaborate detail describing the imaginary friend, an eccentric 90 year old spinster. It was all a great laugh until he receives a letter from Miss Hargreaves.

It is narrated by Julian Elfer who does a decent job, except that I didn't care for his Miss Hargreaves voice.

[CRussel]

Just finished listening to Some Golden Harbor, by David Drake, and narrated by Victor Bevine. This is book #5 in the Lt. Leary/Royal Cinnabar Navy series, and I admit I'm quite enjoying them. The narrator is acceptable and the books are good fun.

Next up is the Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury and narrated by David Aaron Baker. This is the New Leaf Book Club selection for this month, and I'm quite looking forward to it.

[Tarana]

I'm listening to Closed Circles by Swedish writer Viveca Sten. Excellent crime mystery in the Swedish archipelago and well narrated by Angela Dawe. This is book 2 of the series (there are 4 with a 5th coming out in September). You can get the audiobook free via Kindle Unlimited.