What are we listening to? (audiobooks) - Page 139

ApK · 09-30-2017, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

Also listening to To Fire Called, the latest Solar Clipper tale from Nathan Lowell. An undemanding pleasure.

I just listened to those two "Seekers Tale" books and while it was nice to reunite with Ish and Pip in the Golden Age, I did not find the books as satisfying as the "Trader's Tale" books. Too many threads left unresolved. Too much a begining of series and not enough a complete story. But it did prompt me to start re-listening to the Trader's Tale books again.
I just finished Quarter Share and am half way through Half Share.

Those who slavishly follow my every post here might have seen me mention that the misuse of "I" and "me" in simple constructions is a pet peeves of mine.
In re-listening to these books I am absolutely stunned at how much "I" is used incorrectly. So much so that I'm wondering if Lowell did it intentionally for some reason.
The fact that I didn't remember this from the first time I listened to these books and really enjoyed them is either a tribute to Lowell's immersive storytelling, or a sign I'm now getting old and persnickety.

ApK

orlok · 10-01-2017, 09:31 AM

I'm a little way through Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, read by Simon Slater. It is well narrated, though some of the accents are a little inconsistent, but I am finding it quite hard to follow as an audiobook. Too many names and abrupt changes of setting/personnel that may be fine on the printed page where these changes are obvious, and you have the opportunity to go back more easily and reread. I'll persevere, but I'm not very engaged so far.

issybird · 10-01-2017, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orlok

I'm a little way through Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, read by Simon Slater. It is well narrated, though some of the accents are a little inconsistent, but I am finding it quite hard to follow as an audiobook. Too many names and abrupt changes of setting/personnel that may be fine on the printed page where these changes are obvious, and you have the opportunity to go back more easily and reread. I'll persevere, but I'm not very engaged so far.

I loved Wolf Hall when I read it, but I think it would be a very difficult book to listen to, for the reasons you mention and also because of the shifts between thoughts and conversations. I dunno; I'd be tempted to bail, myself.

I thought the sequel was terrible, but I'm obviously in the minority on that one.

orlok · 10-01-2017, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

I loved Wolf Hall when I read it, but I think it would be a very difficult book to listen to, for the reasons you mention and also because of the shifts between thoughts and conversations. I dunno; I'd be tempted to bail, myself.

I thought the sequel was terrible, but I'm obviously in the minority on that one.

Funnily enough I just got back from picking my daughter up from work, and decided as I was listening to it while driving to do just that, and bail. Maybe I'll try it in its written form sometime, but for now enough is enough.

Sounds like you won't be trying the final installment in the trilogy?

taosaur · 10-10-2017, 03:18 AM

I'm about halfway through The Wheel of Time with no breaks so far (though I've been reading other things with my eyeballs). Since book two I can't say any of the others have bogged down on me. Others have said it got repetitive,

Spoiler:

but on the whole the story seems to be moving forward and the characters developing. Gender roles are certainly problematic, but not more than other 20th century fantasy, and treating every narrator as unreliable undercuts it somewhat. Gender-binding the magic system could be said to exacerbate the situation or partly justify it. All of the "Boys be like..." "Girls be like..." does get a little tiresome, regardless. Still, as a story of flawed characters stepping into larger-than-life roles and doing the best they can, it stays engaging.

CRussel · 10-10-2017, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ApK

Those who slavishly follow my every post here might have seen me mention that the misuse of "I" and "me" in simple constructions is a pet peeves of mine.
In re-listening to these books I am absolutely stunned at how much "I" is used incorrectly. So much so that I'm wondering if Lowell did it intentionally for some reason.
The fact that I didn't remember this from the first time I listened to these books and really enjoyed them is either a tribute to Lowell's immersive storytelling, or a sign I'm now getting old and persnickety.

And why would you think that those are mutually exclusive??

I've been listening to The Furthest Station, the latest in the Peter Grant series from Ben Aaronovitch, narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. What a pleasure these are, and they're definitely made better by the superb narration. I simply can't imagine any other narrator for this series.

pwalker8 · 10-10-2017, 08:47 PM

I finished up Goldenhand by Garth Nix and started The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud.

Goldenhand was a fun read. It took a chapter or so to get use to the narrator and she certainly isn't Tim Curry, but then again, who is? All in all, I can't complain. I do like Nix's Old Kingdom stories. Hopefully, he will continue the series.

The Empty Grave is apparently (in that they finish up the story arc and settle most of the loose ends) the end of the Lockwood & Co series. I thought the ebook was excellent and have enjoyed the narrator during the previous 4 books, so I fully expect to enjoy this one.

Sweetpea · 10-19-2017, 09:19 AM

I've been listening to Homonids by Robert J. Sawyer, narated by Jonathan Davis. It's an awesome book (read it several times already), but also very well narated.

CRussel · 10-19-2017, 01:01 PM

Just finished listening to (and WhisperSync reading) the first book in a trilogy from Jack Campell - The Dragons of Dorcastle. Narrator was MacLeod Andrews, and I was pleasantly surprised by the book, and the narration was quite acceptable. Overall, 4 stars, when I was actually not expecting that.

Next up: Philip Pullman's new La Belle Sauvage, book one in the new Book of Dust series. Really looking forward to this.

WT Sharpe · 10-21-2017, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I've been listening to Homonids by Robert J. Sawyer, narated by Jonathan Davis. It's an awesome book (read it several times already), but also very well narated.

I enjoy Sawyer's work; his WWW trilogy in which the Internet achieves consciousness is one of my favorites.

Your post reminded me of another of his works that I finished last month, Calculating God, read by Jonathan Davis (and partially by Robert J. Sawyer himself). Calculating God is about humanity's encounter with two alien species, both of which are stunned to learn that most of Earth's scientists don't believe in God, despite what to them are clear evidences of God's activity throughout the Cosmos. If you have a theological ax to grind, whether it be on the side of the village atheist or the religious fundamentalist of any stripe; this book isn't for you, but if you enjoy well-written and engaging speculation on the big questions of existence, this book will captivate and entertain you immensely.

WT Sharpe · 10-22-2017, 08:46 PM

I just finished A Brief History of Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice by the late Jack Holland (audiobook read by Cameron Stewart). A very informative book and one of those I wish were read by every man and woman in the country. It has a forward by his daughter, who writes with great love and admiration of her father, which said a lot about the man considering the subject of the work. Holland was a very capable writer and this book, the author's last as he finished it while battling a terminal illness, never fails to both interest and inform from beginning to end. Highly recommended.

CRussel · 10-23-2017, 12:50 PM

Sounds like a good book, Tom. Why not nominate it for this month, since we're doing History? It's short enough, and cheap enough as an eBook to not be a problem. And I'll give it my last nod.

pwalker8 · 10-23-2017, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

Sounds like a good book, Tom. Why not nominate it for this month, since we're doing History? It's short enough, and cheap enough as an eBook to not be a problem. And I'll give it my last nod.

Speaking of history, the Storm before the Storm comes out tomorrow. This is Mike Duncan's (History of Rome/Revoluitions podcasts) new book about the period of Rome right before Caesar. Basically from the Gracchi through the first Roman Civil Wars, a period of roughly 50 years. He is going to be the narrator. He posted the first chapter on his Revolutions podcast a while back and it was really good. I've already pre-ordered it in both e-book and audiobook.

DuncanMacLeod · 10-30-2017, 08:00 PM

I'm listening to "Memory Man" by David Baldacci. It has really noticeable edits that I find a little jarring. The guy reading has a nice, crotchety old voice that suits the work well, but I guess he had to make some changes, so he went in and re-recorded parts of it on a different day in a different room with a different microphone.

Then to make matters a little worse, he doesn't do women's voices, so they have a woman who sounds suspiciously like Siri read all the female voices. It's a great story so far, but I have to say the production values are a little lower than I expected.

This is my first book by the author and he's got 45+ more books out there, so I will keep my fingers crossed that others are of a higher quality.

Catlady · 10-31-2017, 01:01 PM

I binge-listened to the first ten Nancy Drew books. These were a lot of fun, even though they were the revised versions, not the originals, more's the pity. The last time I read Nancy, I powered through the original first 56 titles in hardcover.

But now even the revised versions seem quaint and dated. Nancy makes calls from phone booths, wears dresses and gloves, relies on snail mail and telegrams. Dress shopping involves a clerk solicitously helping her choose and try on frocks. Bess and George are out for the day with $3 between them in their purses; no credit cards. Of course investigations require lots of driving around rather than a quick Google search; the driving around is often on dirt roads.

And these are the "modern" revisions!

10-10-2017, 03:18 AM	#2075
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 about halfway through The Wheel of Time with no breaks so far (though I've been reading other things with my eyeballs). Since book two I can't say any of the others have bogged down on me. Others have said it got repetitive, Spoiler: and there was a bit of a freak-of-the-week quality to the Forsaken battles in the first 2-3 books but on the whole the story seems to be moving forward and the characters developing. Gender roles are certainly problematic, but not more than other 20th century fantasy, and treating every narrator as unreliable undercuts it somewhat. Gender-binding the magic system could be said to exacerbate the situation or partly justify it. All of the "Boys be like..." "Girls be like..." does get a little tiresome, regardless. Still, as a story of flawed characters stepping into larger-than-life roles and doing the best they can, it stays engaging.

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10-01-2017, 09:31 AM	#2072
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 a little way through Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, read by Simon Slater. It is well narrated, though some of the accents are a little inconsistent, but I am finding it quite hard to follow as an audiobook. Too many names and abrupt changes of setting/personnel that may be fine on the printed page where these changes are obvious, and you have the opportunity to go back more easily and reread. I'll persevere, but I'm not very engaged so far.

10-10-2017, 08:47 PM	#2077
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	I finished up Goldenhand by Garth Nix and started The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud. Goldenhand was a fun read. It took a chapter or so to get use to the narrator and she certainly isn't Tim Curry, but then again, who is? All in all, I can't complain. I do like Nix's Old Kingdom stories. Hopefully, he will continue the series. The Empty Grave is apparently (in that they finish up the story arc and settle most of the loose ends) the end of the Lockwood & Co series. I thought the ebook was excellent and have enjoyed the narrator during the previous 4 books, so I fully expect to enjoy this one.

10-19-2017, 09:19 AM	#2078
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	I've been listening to Homonids by Robert J. Sawyer, narated by Jonathan Davis. It's an awesome book (read it several times already), but also very well narated.

10-19-2017, 01:01 PM	#2079
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,160 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	Just finished listening to (and WhisperSync reading) the first book in a trilogy from Jack Campell - *The Dragons of Dorcastle. Narrator was MacLeod Andrews, and I was pleasantly surprised by the book, and the narration was quite acceptable. Overall, 4 stars, when I was actually not expecting that. Next up: Philip Pullman's new La Belle Sauvage*, book one in the new Book of Dust series. Really looking forward to this.

10-22-2017, 08:46 PM	#2081
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.	I just finished A Brief History of Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice by the late Jack Holland (audiobook read by Cameron Stewart). A very informative book and one of those I wish were read by every man and woman in the country. It has a forward by his daughter, who writes with great love and admiration of her father, which said a lot about the man considering the subject of the work. Holland was a very capable writer and this book, the author's last as he finished it while battling a terminal illness, never fails to both interest and inform from beginning to end. Highly recommended.

10-23-2017, 12:50 PM	#2082
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,160 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	Sounds like a good book, Tom. Why not nominate it for this month, since we're doing History? It's short enough, and cheap enough as an eBook to not be a problem. And I'll give it my last nod.

10-30-2017, 08:00 PM	#2084
DuncanMacLeod Author Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Los Angeles, CA Device: Overdrive for iPhone	I'm listening to "Memory Man" by David Baldacci. It has really noticeable edits that I find a little jarring. The guy reading has a nice, crotchety old voice that suits the work well, but I guess he had to make some changes, so he went in and re-recorded parts of it on a different day in a different room with a different microphone. Then to make matters a little worse, he doesn't do women's voices, so they have a woman who sounds suspiciously like Siri read all the female voices. It's a great story so far, but I have to say the production values are a little lower than I expected. This is my first book by the author and he's got 45+ more books out there, so I will keep my fingers crossed that others are of a higher quality.

10-31-2017, 01:01 PM	#2085
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,345 Karma: 52398889 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I binge-listened to the first ten Nancy Drew books. These were a lot of fun, even though they were the revised versions, not the originals, more's the pity. The last time I read Nancy, I powered through the original first 56 titles in hardcover. But now even the revised versions seem quaint and dated. Nancy makes calls from phone booths, wears dresses and gloves, relies on snail mail and telegrams. Dress shopping involves a clerk solicitously helping her choose and try on frocks. Bess and George are out for the day with $3 between them in their purses; no credit cards. Of course investigations require lots of driving around rather than a quick Google search; the driving around is often on dirt roads. And these are the "modern" revisions!