What are we listening to? (audiobooks)

[Bookworm_Girl]

I recently listened to The Winter Queen, an historical detective mystery set in 1876 Russia. I enjoyed it, but this book was best when I could concentrate to keep up with the names and action. For future books in the series, I may switch to the ebook. I just finished Anne of Green Gables since I was in the mood for a fun and entertaining book. Rachel McAdams does a fantastic job with the narration!

Now I am listening to Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen. It is narrated by Tavia Gilbert.

From Goodreads:

Twenty-five years after her passing, Audrey Hepburn remains the most beloved of all Hollywood stars, known as much for her role as UNICEF ambassador as for films like Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Several biographies have chronicled her stardom, but none has covered her intense experiences through five years of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. According to her son, Luca Dotti, “The war made my mother who she was.” Audrey Hepburn’s war included participation in the Dutch Resistance, working as a doctor’s assistant during the “Bridge Too Far” battle of Arnhem, the brutal execution of her uncle, and the ordeal of the Hunger Winter of 1944. She also had to contend with the fact that her father was a Nazi agent and her mother was pro-Nazi for the first two years of the occupation. But the war years also brought triumphs as Audrey became Arnhem’s most famous young ballerina. Audrey’s own reminiscences, new interviews with people who knew her in the war, wartime diaries, and research in classified Dutch archives shed light on the riveting, untold story of Audrey Hepburn under fire in World War II.

[Tarana]

Alternating between To The Far Blue Mountains, Book 2 of Sacketts by Louis L'Amore and Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I often listen to more than one book at a time (one on my Nano, one on the Echo), but they have to be different genres. The thing with Terry Pratchett is that I just can't do anything else but listen. Otherwise, I keep having to go back because I miss stuff. Fast transitions.

[pwalker8]

Finished up The Rose and the Thorn, a good book and a good reader. The gaps between chapters is a bit longer than most audiobooks. As I usually do, when there is only 15 minutes or so left in the book when I get out of the car, I finish it up inside.

I haven't decided which book to go to next. I might go with Closer to Home, one of Mercedes Lackey's books just as a change of pace.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

Now I am listening to Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen. It is narrated by Tavia Gilbert.

I enjoyed Dutch Girl, even though I am not a fan of Tavia Gilbert's narrations (her voice annoys me).

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I enjoyed Dutch Girl, even though I am not a fan of Tavia Gilbert's narrations (her voice annoys me).

I agree. I listened to her read Still Lives and that was ok. However, I don't think she was right for this book. Good thing that the content is so captivating! I'm really enjoying the book - very insightful.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Finished up The Rose and the Thorn, a good book and a good reader. The gaps between chapters is a bit longer than most audiobooks. As I usually do, when there is only 15 minutes or so left in the book when I get out of the car, I finish it up inside.

Looking forward to it. Have all 3 books now (two of them on sale, one with a credit).

[Catlady]

I listened to Ruth Ware's latest, The Turn of the Key, narrated by Imogen Church. This was great spooky-suspenseful fun, an updated version of the classic Victoria Holt/Mary Stewart/Phyllis A. Whitney-style gothic, complete with a nanny, disturbed children, a smart home with a dark past (are the strange occurrences ghosts or a malfunctioning app?), hidden agendas, etc. Thoroughly enjoyable; I think it may be my favorite suspense novel of the year.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I listened to Ruth Ware's latest, The Turn of the Key, narrated by Imogen Church. This was great spooky-suspenseful fun, an updated version of the classic Victoria Holt/Mary Stewart/Phyllis A. Whitney-style gothic, complete with a nanny, disturbed children, a smart home with a dark past (are the strange occurrences ghosts or a malfunctioning app?), hidden agendas, etc. Thoroughly enjoyable; I think it may be my favorite suspense novel of the year.

I’m glad to hear that! I just started reading the ebook version yesterday and so far wasn’t sure if it was going to be spectacular or not live up to her past novels. I’m just at the part where she has arrived at the house for her nanny interview.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

I’m glad to hear that! I just started reading the ebook version yesterday and so far wasn’t sure if it was going to be spectacular or not live up to her past novels. I’m just at the part where she has arrived at the house for her nanny interview.

Imogen Church's narration definitely added to my enjoyment of the book; she's one of my favorites for suspense--she does a great job here in some quite delightfully creepy scenes. But even without the narration, I think this is Ruth Ware's best so far; I can't mention some of the reasons because I don't want to be even slightly spoilery. I hope you enjoy it!

[trichobezoar]

Listening to chapter 1 of The Power of Now. The book is narrated by Eckhart Tolle, the author, I believe. He has a wonderful voice. I've tried listening to the audiobook before, but I couldn't finish it for some reason. This time I will.


[Update: On chapter 4 now.]

[SeaBookGuy]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

I recently listened to The Winter Queen, an historical detective mystery set in 1876 Russia. I enjoyed it, but this book was best when I could concentrate to keep up with the names and action. For future books in the series, I may switch to the ebook. I just finished Anne of Green Gables since I was in the mood for a fun and entertaining book. Rachel McAdams does a fantastic job with the narration!

Now I am listening to Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen. It is narrated by Tavia Gilbert.

From Goodreads:

I loved Akunin's first Sister Pelagia book, unfortunately there's a library hold queue on the second (of three).

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Imogen Church's narration definitely added to my enjoyment of the book; she's one of my favorites for suspense--she does a great job here in some quite delightfully creepy scenes. But even without the narration, I think this is Ruth Ware's best so far; I can't mention some of the reasons because I don't want to be even slightly spoilery. I hope you enjoy it!

Finished! It was very good. Definitely creepy! I just started listening to The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda. I have not read any of her previous books. I don’t think I’ve listened to Rebekkah Ross before but so far she’s ok.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

Finished! It was very good. Definitely creepy! I just started listening to The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda. I have not read any of her previous books. I don’t think I’ve listened to Rebekkah Ross before but so far she’s ok.

I had listened to Miranda's All the Missing Girls and The Perfect Stranger and thought they were OK but I wasn't overly impressed. The Last House Guest has a long waiting list at my libraries and I'm content to wait for it.

I am trying to decide now between Shari Lapena's Someone We Know, Madeline Stevens's Devotion, and Megan Goldin's The Escape Room, all library holds that came through at the same time. Decisions, decisions!

[Catlady]

I chose wrong; I'm listening to Madeline Stevens's Devotion, and it's barely holding my attention. It reminds me of another bad choice: last year's Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton. Devotion isn't quite as awful--at least not yet--and I live in hope that maybe something--anything--will happen. It's books like these that make me want to rethink my policy of never abandoning books.

[taosaur]

I'm still on Max Gladstone, well into the third published Craft Sequence book. The series goes 3, 2, 5, 4, 1, with numbering prominent in the titles, prompting the author to publish a blog post, "This is how I numbered my books and I'm sorry." Each of these books is wildly different so far, but all set in a crypto-20th-century world where magic displaces science in literally killing the gods of the old world. So far book one (er, three) was most engaging as far as characters, being kind of a "small town girl moves to NYC" type of story with solid bad guys and solid "grey" guys. Book two was set in a crypto-LA with some pretty cool world building and all grey guys, no bad guys, which is probably appropriate for crypto-LA. It's almost a "Barton Fink" type story of a writer learning how to live in LA. Book three seems to be set in crypto-Hawaii with a Dickensian urchin's tale (folding in a character from book one-slash-three) alternating with an almost Hemingway vibe from the trans co-protagonist.

Some might see some of Gladstone's characters as political, but I suspect it's more that Gladstone is "writing what he knows," and these are people he knows.

So far, I'd rate Empress of Forever as most engaging, followed by the first (numbered three) Craft book, followed by the third (numbered five) Craft book I'm still reading, followed by the second (numbered two, believe it or not!) Craft book. The narrator on the second book was adequate at best, with fairly frequent mistakes on homonyms and stresses, but the first (numbered three) was solid, and the third (numbered five) is the same brilliant narrator as Empress of Forever, Natalie Naudus.