What Are You Listening to Now? Part 10

We were due a new thread!

I finished The Tiger in the Well - had to stop listening at bedtime as it was just a bit scary. The reading, by Anton Lesser, was marvellous but the story less so. I've got the next in the series - The Tin Princess - to read but I think I'll wait for a while.

At the moment I'm listening to The Pursuit of Love, a story I know well. The reader is Emilia Fox and, although her characters' voices are good her diction is poor. One of the characters is referred to throughout as Arn Temily, the main insult is Horrible Counterron and it took me a while to recognise the mysterious Celesta as Sir Lester!

I'm about 1/2 way through Special Topics in Calamity Physics but it should go faster now because I'll be doing quite a bit more driving. I'm afraid this is one of those books that should be read instead of listened to. The annoying haughtiness of some of the characters is so emphasized by hearing them speak that almost no one seems likable.

//thanks msf for the new thread. came on to do it and what lo! 'twere done. :)

finished the Floatplane notebooks. nearly gave up part way through as animals kept getting killed. it wasn't sensational and was probably appropriate to the cultural setting of the story but i don't do well with those kinds of things. i soldiered on, however, and was glad i did.

have started Tom Rachman's The imperfectionists, which has just been released as a downloadable book by NLS and The Thirty-nine steps by John Buchan read by David Case.

I like The Imperfectionists on the whole, but the stories were generally so grim I could only read one at a time.

//#5 Seajack thanks for the hedzup. one at a time will work fine. i'm wand'ring around amongst several books on the same player anyhoo.

finished Ian McEwan's Saturday and do so wish i had the skill to do reviews.

have started Life class by Pat Barker. perfect narrator for a Barker book. very similar tone to Peter Firth who was so sensational in The Regeneration Trilogy.

At present, I'm alternating between Revival: The Struggle for Survival Inside the Obama White House by Richard Wolffe - which is okay for a political junkie/policy wonk type, but now that the American health care debate is over, the story seems a bit dated - and The Dangerous Edge of Things, a new, first mystery from the author, set in Atlanta. I like Renee Raudman's handling of the southern accent, distinctive with being Scarlett O'Hara cloying.

In my car I'm listening to World and Town by Gish Jen. I'm enjoying it, but it is slow moving. I just downloaded Walter Mosley's The Long Fall onto my mp3 player. It's the first in the Leonid McGill series so I'll see if I like it. Then in my home office I'm listening to A Red Herring without Mustard, the 3rd Flavia de Luce mystery. Jayne Entwhistle does a fantastic job with all the accents in this series. Love it.

The Girl Who Played With Fire and loving it.

//# 9. Just a bit confusing with the Swedish names. Good source of who is who is here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girl_Who_Played_with_Fire

Currently listening to Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You but the author keeps referring to various tables in the book. Its a bit disconcerting

Bergs:

I had that recently with American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us - narrator referred to "Figure X.Y" (in the print book) every so often. How is "Snoop" otherwise?

Seajack

A bit too pop Pyscho for me. Lots of obvious statements i.e. messy desk=messy mind etc

Thanks, bergs47 -- after reading reviews I've decided to bail on "Snoop" in favor of Moonwalking with Einstein.

I just finished The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy by, Mark Logue Narrated by, Simon Vance I highly recommend this audio not only does Simon do a great job there is an actual speech by the King on the audiobook which I thought added authenticity to it!

Now listening to Water for Elephants by,Sara Gruen narrated by, David Ledoux & John Randolph Jones

The King's Speech sounds great. I loved the movie, and the addition of the real voice would be great. I've just finished Special Topics in Calamity Physics and while I can recommend the book, I definitely think no one should subject themselves to listening to it on audio. The style is just too annoying. Now I'm going to start on a book by Diana Wynn Jones, Enchanted Glass as a kind of tribute to her due to her recent death.

finished A house unlocked by Penelope Lively and am dithering about my next NLS book.

eta: stopped dithering and started The stone gods by Jeanette Winterson. it's good. i didn't think i'd ever read another sci-fi book but wanted to read Winterson and she's hard to find in either audio or lg print.

also decided that, having read the first story and part of the second in John Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps & the Greenmantle, i would move on. did nothing for me at all.

Finished Sacred Stone and am hesitating re my next effort. Did not care for "J. Charles" as a reader so thank goodness Scott Brick does the next tin the series.

The problem is finding time to listen. Not enough road trips for work and the 15 minutes to work (and then back) doesn't allow much time to get into something. I have taken to driving my sibling to the store, etc. and waiting in the car to listen while he does the shopping. Two separate listening tastes will not make our trip west this summer any easier...

I'm about halfway through Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken" A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption and am thoroughly hooked. I arrive at destinations late, not because I haven't planned enough travel time, but because I'm invariable stuck in the car at my destination so I can listen longer. Edward Hermann does a masterful narration.

>18 heyjude: heyjude,

Your brother's taste doesn't overlap at all? Cuz it doesn't look to me like you only enjoy one type of book.

My dh doesn't like road trips with us b/c the kids and I force him to listen to "our" audiobooks. And honestly, I'd rather listen to my very own, but they're a bit young for most of my audiobooks. But dh has enjoyed most of the choices despite himself. It's kind of hard for him to give us much grief when he's LOL'd as we drive up the road. (We have a number of long trips - his family is 1.5 days away, my parents are a 13 hour drive, my sister a 16 hour drive, and the rest of the family is even farther depending on where we go.)

Maybe you should start a thread asking for recommendations for your road trip a month or two before you head out?

Penn

I finished up The Iron Queen and have started Spirit Dances. They're both part of a series and I was looking forward to both. I loved Queen and am just past the half-way point on Dances and am really liking it. Both are fantasy with action and romantic elements. Although I personally don't care if there's not romantic elements in my fantasy.

Penn

Listening to Though Not Dead, the latest Kate Shugak novel. Lots of Alaskan history in this one, I think it's one of the best in the series.

Touchstone not working.

I finished Weight of Stone (meh) and am listening to Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen, translated by Tina Nunnally. Some of the stories are brilliant and others, well, let's just say there's a reason they aren't very well known!

I'm listening to Irene Nemirovsky, Suite Francaise. It's absolutely wonderful. Each of the two books is read by a different reader, and the second one is particularly excellent. Highly recommended.

>10 bergs47: Thank you, bergs47! That is helpful ~ though there is a rather huge spoiler in it that I wish I hadn't seen yet.

Finished Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. Big disappointment. I enjoyed Gilead and kept hoping this one would improve but it never did. Among other things I found the reader exasperating. She read everything with this almost passive-aggressive tone of resignation ("oh well, I guess I will have to do it myself...."). I am sure that was not intended.

#24 annamorphic (your handle cracks me up)--delghted to know you liked the books. it's queued on my ipod although listening will be diffy as the silly thing gets whims and changes books on me all the time.

#26 oh mejix, i'm so sorry housekeeping disappointed you. i read it several times visually and then later listened to the NLS recording that i seem to remember was quite good.

narrators can make a huge difference, as we know, but maybe the book just didn't work for you. for some reason, it resonated strongly with me.

>27 mirrordrum:

I read Home not Housekeeping. My bad. (Wow. Talk about being absentminded.)

It definitively didn't work for me. The reader was only one of the many many problems I found with the book. People have rated the book fairly well high in this website so there is an audience for this. Clearly not me.

Getting ready to start The Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer.

I'm listening to a lecture on Jewish Intellectual History.

Its quite interesting but difficult for a non-jew(Me) to say too much about.

The Killing Floor by Lee Child.

>20 HarlequinBooks: Harlequin:

LOL. Actually our tastes do overlap a tiny bit. I.e., we both like Lee Child and have done all of his. Unfortunately, his next one is not due out until October. But, it is not just a matter of book choices - our listening habits are different. I tend to hit the stop button because I get antsy in places. I even skip back and forth (the same way I read print). Last trip I was listening to the my book on the car player while driving and, because of road noise, had to turn the sound up. So he had to keep turning up the sound on his CD player earphones. We finally agreed that maybe we should just listen to music and "read" when not together. :-)

As far as current listening goes, I opted to borrow the next in the Oregon Files series from the library and have started it, Dark Watch, in my car. And started the Fargo series (Spartan Gold) in print.

//#32 ah, the stresses of the new millennium. at least you share a taste in music. :)

i have been listening to two books: Life class when i'm dusting and sweeping or sitting about of an evening and Stone gods when i'm having a lie-down.

well, whilst at the library the other day, my book mania seized me and i left w/ about 10 books, one of which is Bel Canto narrated by the late, great Anna Fields aka Kate Fleming.

i thought i'd just dip into it and see if it was one i could remove from the tbr tower. newp. it's amazing.

so i've got another fine book to which to listen while having a lie-down. choices, choices, always with the choices. ;)

thank you again for your craft, Anna Fields.

>33 mirrordrum:, I listened to Bel Canto, must have been read by Anna Fields. It was wonderful.

>32 heyjude: heyjude,

Holy moly, it's not the books, it's the control of the buttons!! I don't think that any of us can help you there! :) Maybe you all should invest in the really expensive earphones that block out the external noise.

I actually like audiobooks for the difficulty in skipping around b/c I am the queen of skipping around and peeking ahead in print versions! So with audio I get to experience twists in plots just as the author intended. I have been scolded by some of our mystery authors for my peek-ahead habits. Yes, really.

I have 5 Lee Childs in my library at audible and have yet to listen to a single one. I keep meaning to...

Penn

Bel Canto is one of my favorites Ellie. I read the print edition but now that I know that Anna Fields was the narrator, my re-read will be on audio.

I'm listening to Jane Eyre on a BBC recording with Juliet Stevenson narrating. It's a wonderful story of course, and Stevenson does a fabulous job.

I've just started Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones, a YA story about orphans, witches and magic. It sounds good so far.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through "From Here to There: A Father and Son Road Trip from Melbourne to London" (tagging glitch - go to Audible for further details) -- Jon Faine reminds me a lot of an Australian Michael Palin; he narrates most, with interludes from his son Jack.

Just finished Tolstoy: The Death of Ivan Ilyich & Master and Man. Nice and short. Well read. Very enjoyable.

//#36 i'm continuing to enjoy Bel Canto. quite different from anything i've ever read and delighted i sort of stumbled on it.

i finished Stone gods, an NLS book with moments of brilliance but lots of problems.

i'd recommend it as a print book rather than an audiobook because the style makes it difficult to follow.

my next NLS book is W. Somerset Maugham 's Ashenden: or The British agent. i've just started it and am hopeful.

>40 mejix:

Two of my all-time favorites.

Speaking of death and dying, I'm finishing Landscape Turned Red. General McClellan was such a piece of work. Horrible.

I started listening to Greenwitch this morning and am enjoying it. I finished The Dark is Rising a few days ago. Earlier this week the daughter and I started listening to Friendship According to Humphrey which is fine, but nothing I would seek out if I did not have small children.

>#19 NarratorLady: I had the same response as you to Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. It didn't make me late for anything, because I'm currently in a no-driving situation, but the one time I can remember having that experience was several years ago with the same author's Seabiscuit. I've never heard of a multi-lap horse race, but there I was, driving around the block when I neared home because I wasn't ready to stop when I would have come to our driveway.

More recently I have been in can't-stop-listening situations with Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee and Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire.

#44 oldstuffer: It's going to be hard to follow Unbroken but I think I'll try to get something else - anything! - narrated by Edward Herrmann.

#45 Narrator Lady: Edward Hermann has done a lot of the books that I naturally gravitate toward, and he has become part of the attraction. Ones that I can recall are three by David McCullough: John Adams, The Johnstown Flood, and The Great Bridge. Also Einstein: His Life and Universe, Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and Isaac's Storm. I recommend every one of those.

Edward Herrman, whom I'd never heard before, did such an outstanding job with Stegner's The Spectator Bird that as soon as it was over, I dropped another Audible credit on its "prequel" All the Little Live Things.

Thank you oldstuffer and Seajack! I'll get on my library's website and see if I can find these right away.

finished Carpe Jugulum last night. an unexpected diversion. well, one does periodically need a Pratchett fix.

i am not allowed to start any more books until i finish the 3 i already have going. well, actually 4. not including Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver which i know so well i can just drop in on it from time-to-time without losing the thread.

Oldstuffer, I was just wondering if anyone here has listened to The Emperor of Maladieswhen you mentioned you are doing so now! This is a title I'm very interested in getting so please let us know what it is like.

I finished Little Bee a few weeks ago and the ending made up for the rest of the novel which wasn't great. Then I finished this past weekend Dean Koontz's The Husband which was fun in a thriller sort of way. Koontz's
killers are so extreme that they are cartoonish and they get to be a bit much after a while but I stuck with this one to the end and I'm not sorry I did.His thrllers become very intricate, sort of like Harlan Coban.

Now I'm listening to my second Jonathan Kellerman,Boneswhich so far is just ok. John Rubensteinis the narrator and I find his reading style way too agressive and sarcastic for my liking. But this is my walk to work book and I will stick with it.

I'm half way through The Woman in Black by Susan Hill and narrated very well by Paul Ansdell who has the perfect voice for a ghost story. I have also just started Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen which is my book club's choice for May. I didn't think I'd like this one, but so far so good.

I am thoroughly enjoying Thank You, Jeeves, read by Alexander Spencer (though it's definitely dated in its use of the n word!).

Next up is John Piper's Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. I haven't done much nonfiction on audio, so this should be interesting.

Burmese Days by George Orwell. The first disk didn't sound very promising but all of a sudden I am on disk 4. Very enjoyable.

in the last few days, i finished 3 books. first was Carpe Jugulum, another mad, mad discworld whirl with the Wyrd Sisters and company.

then i finished Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. it's considered to be one of the grandfathers of the modern spy novel. no derring do in this one. it's a foreshadowing of Le Carré, i feel sure.

today i finished Pat Barker's Life class. wow! set during WWI, Life class raises issues similar to those in Regeneration Trilogy, also set during WWI, and, as in the trilogy, Barker offers no easy answers. more than in the trilogy, Life class sounded for me questions that have haunted, and continue to haunt, me throughout the US's endless wars, but especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan. we also get to meet, second hand, Lady Ottoline Morrell and the Bloomsbury group.

i'm not sure what's next. i'm sampling Anil's ghost by Michael Ondaatje and An Iron Rose by Peter Temple, which is my first mystery set in Oz.

i'm also about halfway through Bel canto, which i'm savouring.

too many books!

//eta just remembered that i stopped in the midst of the imperfectionists as it was getting lost amongst a lot of good books. so i do want to go back to that as well.

#50 I actually "read" Emperor of All Maladies which I found to be hugely informative. There are slow parts (particularly much of the long history of fundraising), but I learned to respect cancer not for what it can do but for what man has learned to do to battle it.

It's not for the meek (hypochondria is a dangerous response), but it is somewhat uplifiting when all is said and done.

Mejix #53:

If you like that one, please consider Finding George Orwell in Burma - a terrific read!

I'm on a D.E. Stevenson kick. I have finished Miss Buncle's Book and Miss Buncle Married, and went on to listen to Charlotte Fairlie, which is like a boarding school story for grownups with unexpected depths of sorrow. I am embarking on Peter West, but actually wish I had a copy of the text to follow along. I am listening to it as I fall asleep and there is a good deal of scene-setting and characchter history before the protagonists have been introduced.

>56 Seajack:
Seajack, thanks for the tip, I will look it up.

I, not too infrequently, "switch off" between concurrently reading and listening to a book. Just finished The Lost City of Z in this manner. I think I enjoyed reading, a bit better. Actor Mark Deakins' narrative of this Random House Adio version seemed, I don't know, a bit robotic.

I'm currently listening to One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. 'Better vibes on this one.

Just finished The Persian Wars aka The Histories narrated by Charlton Griffin. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Griffin is becoming one of my favorite classic readers.

#50 Alans: Emperor of all Maladies was outstanding, and very well narrated as well. To my non-expert eye/ear, Mikherjee did a wonderful job of interweaving the medical research with the human experience of the patients and their doctors. He is a very compassionate author, not a trait I had necessarily expected when I began his book. His focus was mostly on leukemia (including Hodgkins), breast cancer, and lung cancer. The complexity of the disease - is it one disease? many? why can't we successfully declare war on it? why can't the clinicians, the surgeons, and the researchers get on the same page - comes through clearly. The book does not unfold as a linear chronology. At times this gets a little confusing, especially in the audio format where you can't easily turn back to identify the earlier reference to the same person, but ultimately I believe that the author's approach was the correct one. One of the things that fascinated me a lot was how some arcane bit of research - the type that Sen. Proxmire used to ridicule with this Golden Fleece Awards - turned out to be the key to a later breakthrough in understanding or treating some aspect of cancer.

One of the things that fascinated me a lot was how some arcane bit of research - the type that Sen. Proxmire used to ridicule with this Golden Fleece Awards - turned out to be the key to a later breakthrough in understanding or treating some aspect of cancer.

Thanks so much for mentioning that. The same anti science attitude abounds. The idea is that funds are limited and some esoteric research sounds not only unnecessary but ridiculous. Scientific inquiry is so difficult for people to understand, especially when they are rather determined not to.

I just finished The Fall of the House of Usher: The Pit and the Pendulum and Other Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe, read by William Roberts. It pretty well met my expectations of what 19th century horror and macabre à la Poe might be like, though of course as a modern reader, the stories weren't quite as shocking as they might have been to his contemporaries, though I have to say that The Black Cat traumatized me quite a bit as an animal and cat lover. I found Robert's narrative style a bit bombastic for my taste, by then again, he certainly knew how to express all the drama of these stories. My favourite was The House of Usher, which I enjoyed so much I listened to it twice to make sure I caught all the subtleties of the story.

I am in audio heaven right now: just began Jane Eyre narrated by Juliet Stevenson. This is one of those stories that I know from movies and teleplays but am pretty sure I've never actually read! I'm very happily correcting this egregious error.

I'm having a lot of fun listening to Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld.

just finished Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, wonderfully narrated by the late Anna Fields (real name Kate Fleming).

i've put aside Anil's ghost for the moment. with all the storm damage about, something less demanding was called for so i've started Josephine Tey's Franchise Affair. i thought i'd read everything of hers but not this one, apparently.

Mm, I really enjoyed The Franchise Affair. I dreamed about the villain afterwards.

I'm listening to Jeeves in the Offing read by Frederick Davidson (a/k/a David Case), and much as I like him as a narrator overall, this is one of those later works of his - unfortunately, his voice started going at the end; he really should've retired before it got to that.

//#67 fascinating that you dreamed about the villain, wisewoman. for the first time that i can remember, i dreamed about a book. after finishing bel canto i had a long dream that included a number of the characters. it was one of those books in which i became so involved that it was as though i were there. Kate Fleming's narration played a large part in that. i still hear the voices of the characters.

//#68 there was a book, i forget which, that i wanted to listen to that he recorded not too long before he died. i couldn't get any farther than the first paragraph because all i could think about was his throat cancer and then, too, the narration was strained.

i understand, though, why he kept on. it was his life's work. it's terribly difficult to know when to let go of work you love to do.

I just finished The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino and thought the narrator did a really good job bringing the Japanese characters to life.

Had "Jeeves" been a longer book (than 5 hours), I probably wouldn't have continued.

Over that past couple of days, I listened to a 5-hour new age, self-help book that really resonated: "Lost and Found: Unexpected Revelations About Food and Money" by Geneen Roth (the book - ISBN 0670022713 - exists in LT database, but wonky touchstones!)

I'm listening to Water for Elephants and it's surprisingly good. Now I'm looking forward to seeing the movie when it hits the screens here in Australia.

I'm also annoyed with myself for using one of my audible credits on an abridged version of Killing The Shadows by Val McDermid. I saw that Emilia Fox was the narrator and didn't notice it wasn't the complete book. It was okay but the build up of suspense wasn't there. All too quickly the killer was discovered and apprehended. Oh well, a lesson learnt... make sure the audio book isn't abridged.


#66 & 67 I purchased Josephine Tey's The Franchise Affair last week for $1 from my library book sale. It's on cassette tapes but your comments have made me move it up in the 'to listen to' pile (which is growing at an exponential rate since joining this LT group - so many excellent recommendations).

Last night, I started In the Land of Believers - an atheist goes "underground" at Jerry Falwell's church. The plot is okay (although I found the phrase "accept Jesus as your Personal Savior" tedious the first time I heard it), but I've run across a strange situation: the author mentions her "northern California upbringing", yet the narrator has a pronounced Boston accent!

I am about 1/3 of the way done with The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot Narrated by Cassandra Campbell, Bahni Turpin
Very interesting so far!

finished Franchise Affair last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. classic Josephine Tey. i thought she was going to bollix the ending but she didn't. shoulda known. this is an NLS book. the narrator, Anne Flosnik, is apparently British and did a fine job. I'll look for more of her work.

not sure what's next. have some at the library waiting for pickup so will probably add at least one of those.

oh, i know what's next. i need to return to either Anil's ghost or The imperfectionists.

I'm glad you liked The Franchise Affair, mirrordrum! I've listened to Flosnik's narration before (for Flesh and Fire and Weight of Stone). Honestly, I didn't care much for her at first. She grew on me, but I wouldn't call her a favorite. She has a habit of holding on to the last syllable of each word to make it more expressive, and while that works in some scenes, I found it tiresome for an entire audiobook. But apparently it didn't bother you, so good :)

I'm listening to Desiring God by John Piper, read by Grover Gardner. I couldn't stand Gardner's voice at first but I'm warming to it now. It helps that the book itself is revolutionizing the way I look at pleasure, joy, and duty. Kant was wrong.

I'm listening to Dubliners by James Joyce, narrated by Jim Norton, who does a fantastic job—and what a sexy voice and Irish accent! There's are old music recordings between each story which really add a lot of ambience. I'm not generally a fan of music on audiobooks—HATED what they did with Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana, so jarring!—but when it's well done like it is here, it really is a pleasure.

I'm listening to Whose Body, the first in the Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy L. Sayers. The book is a good mystery, but the narrator, David Case, is shredding my ears with his affected nasal British tone.

I just finished Bossypants. Fey did a great job in the reading. Smart & funny. I'm starting Townie, also read by the author. I've heard very good things about this memoir. Looking forward to it.

//77 wisewoman--i agree with you that Ms. Flosnick isn't a super favorite but i appreciate her willingness to narrate for NLS and like her well enough that i'd happily listen to her again.

//79 CJ--if possible, never listen to a DLS mystery narrated by anyone but Ian Carmichael. he was the original LPW on PBS' Mystery (BBC) back in the day. perfect voice, totally wrong physically.

he was succeeded by Edward Petherbridge in tandem w/ Harriet Walter as 'that Vane woman' in PBS' trilogy of BBC's LPW/Harriet Vane mysteries. Petherbridge's physical presence is LPW to a T though, perhaps because he comes from legit theatre, he's not as good a film actor as one might wish. but i digress.

i've come to love David Case/Frederick Davidson for many things but for LPW, i can't imagine anyone but Carmichael. he comes very close to fully voicing his work. he's worth paying for from audible.com.

i most often listen to The nine tailors and second after that is Unnatural death but they're all wonderful.

you probably know all this and here i am wittering away. well, i had fun, anyway. :)

//eta: blasted touchstones.

I didn't know anything about the Lord Peter Wimsey series until just recently, and I had no idea they'd been done on PBS. How is that possible? At any rate, I'll have to try to listen to something narrated by Ian Carmichael to get the taste of David Case out of my mouth. I can tell Case has a great voice, he just doesn't use it for LPW. Did people really talk that way or is that just a dramatic stereotype?

//82 netflix has the 1987 LPW/Harriet Vane trilogy--start with Strong poison.

several of the books are available on cd in our local (knox county, tn, usa) library system so presumably you could find them in yours as well or perhaps get them through inter-library loan since they're on cd. i got them on audiotape before cds were in vogue.

i was wrong about audible. they only seem to have Carmichael in the full-cast recordings but you can hear Ian Carmichael as LPW here. his is the first voice in the sample and he's under cover as the character "Mr. Bredon." i love Miss Rossiter. long sample for audible.

as far as the way LPW is spoken, the description of him somewhere or other is that he's "fair and Mayfair." born in the late 1800s, he's the younger brother of the Duke of Denver. educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, where he took a first in history. served in WWI. i suppose he's a bit of a caricature. dunno.

Joyce:

Case (a/k/a Frederick Davidson) is really good for Anthony Trollope's sarcasm and such. I recently heard him read a Jeeves and Wooster book - okay, but from some samples of other Wodehouse narrators, there are better.

Carmichael's LPW on PBS is *not* recent - that's why you hadn't heard of it!

i've also listened to Case reading Dickens' A tale of two cities and, as Fredrickson, iirc, one of John Le Carré's books. each was very well done.

i do think his is a voicing style that takes getting used to. once i did get used to him and knew what he did well, i came to adore him. i especially love the way he voiced women.

he looked to me very much as though he should have been in a Dickens or Trollope novel. i envision Mr. Cruncher from Tale of two cities looking much as he did.

audiofile has a nice section on him complete with photo.

If you want a narrator who "takes getting used to" - try Flo Gibson - oy!

Currently listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets read by Stephen Fry, it's light but as I'm listening to it on my I-Pod at the gym that's just what I need, and honestly these books could have been written with Stephen Fry's narrative voice in mind, he's just perfect!

Currently listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets read by Stephen Fry, it's light but as I'm listening to it on my I-Pod at the gym that's just what I need, and honestly these books could have been written with Stephen Fry's narrative voice in mind, he's just perfect!

finished Days of obligation and picked up On the origin of species and At the Center of the Storm

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was really good totally fascinating story it captivated me add me to everyone else who highly recommends this book!

Since I am also reading a non-fiction I decided I better listen to something light! so I decided on Rapture of the Deep: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Soldier, Sailor, Mermaid, Spy by, LA Meyer narrated by the wonderful Katherine Kellgren

>83 mirrordrum: mirrordrum, thanks for the Carmichael site. I do prefer that voice. I'll check to see if my library has the LPW/Vane DVD's.

Case seems to have had qite a career, and I can understand why, just not for LPW.

#86 yeah, seajack, i'm with you on Flo Gibson but she's pretty much the only choice for Jane Austen. still and all, once i've listened to her for a while, i just sort of relax and go with it.

I've listened to Whose Body and liked David Case's narration a lot — especially (as mirrordrum noted) his female voices. Funny how we all have such different preferences! (Randomly, I just finished the print book Clouds of Witness last night and am inspired to look for the BBC/PBS productions — are they any good, anyone?)

I've never heard Flo Gibson; is she really "the only choice for Jane Austen"? That is high praise indeed! The only JA I've heard on audiobook was Persuasion read by Juliet Stevenson, and I thought she was brilliant.

#92, #93 I wonder if it's an accent issue. I have many audiobooks read by Juliet Stevenson (including Jane Austen) and I think she's a wonderful reader. I'm British (English) and so are the books she reads. However well Flo Gibson reads (and I like her voice) it wouldn't sound right, to me, to hear her reading British books in an American accent. Similarly I wouldn't like to hear and English accent performance of, say, Little Women or Anne of Green Gables.

#92, #93 I wonder if it's an accent issue. I have many audiobooks read by Juliet Stevenson (including Jane Austen) and I think she's a wonderful reader. I'm British (English) and so are the books she reads. However well Flo Gibson reads (and I like her voice) it wouldn't sound right, to me, to hear her reading British books in an American accent. Similarly I wouldn't like to hear an English accent performance of, say, Little Women or Anne of Green Gables.

I listened to Flo read Armadale by Wilkie Collins, a British book, and she was okay; there is (or wasn't then) no other (commercial) recording. Similarly, I listened to an American cast perform Austen's Lady Susan, which was jarring at first, but worked out well - those L. A. Theater Works full cast productions can be pretty good.

LibriVox's second version of Lady Susan also has a largely American* cast, if memory serves. The quality of readership was less than perfectly even, but that was more likely due to the cast being unpaid volunteers than to their accents.

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* And/or Canadian; either way, I remember a lot of North American accents.

#94 I'm British too (Welsh) and I must admit I am a bit sensitive about accents on audiobooks, it may be that it doesn't bother American listeners so so much because for them an American accent is so unremarkable as to be neutral, but to a British listener an American reading, for example, Charles Dickens would sound jarring and strange. Having said that I also would find it very wierd to hear someone with a cut-glass English accent reading Huckleberry Finn, so I'm not sure. Maybe I'm just fussy.

I recently listened to Richard Wolffe reading his book Revival: The Struggle for Survival inside the Obama White House. He is a British journalist, resident (for a long time) in the States, appearing regularly on television. It was, indeed, disconcerting to hear him read the dialogue between (among?) all of the American personalities (including the president!) in an English accent.

I didn't have any problem with Flo Gibson's reading Wilkie Collins' Armadale and No Name in an American accent at all. I think had there been a lot of aristocracy or lower class characters it might've made that tougher.

I am having a real problem with my current book (which is good as a book) as the author is from California (mentioned more than once), and the reader has a distinct Boston accent! (insert eyebrows-raised emoticon here)

The whole accent thing isn't a big deal I suppose its just one of those things that can get under your skin and slightly sour the experience, even if the book is well read in all other respects.

I've just started listening to Unbroken: a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand read by the delightful Edward Herrmann. I'd say he doesn't have any accent at all, but possibly others would hear him as American. It is a wonderful voice. I had to stop my cringe affair with David Case because the last 2 CDs of Whose Body were messed up and I'm awaiting replacements.

#95 CDvicarage--Juliet Stevenson!!! yes. bless you a thousand times. i've been trying to find an alternative to Flo Gibson in order to reread some Jane Austen. i knew I'd listened to a sample by another narrator but a search for Austen's works didn't bring up anyone but Gibson. a search for Stevenson, however, hit the jackpot.

speaking of accents, check this out: one woman, 21 accents. my favorite is the switch from Aussie to Kiwi. amazing.

Actually, I listened to Emma read by Jenny Agutter - who was fine, although I didn't really get into the book itself (no fault of hers).

The sanctimoniousness of the evangelicals in In the Land of Believers is driving me up the wall. I would've died of boredom hearing constantly about Jesus as much as the author did - and I'm only halfway through! I may have to stop and finish it later.

>103 mirrordrum: Wonderful, Mirrordrum. When does Amy Walker start narrating? It sounds like she'd be perfect for everything.

>103 mirrordrum: Wonderful, Mirrordrum. When does Amy Walker start narrating? It sounds like she'd be perfect for everything.

103/105

Amy Walker was impressive - the only one I thought was kind of "off" was the Kiwi (too weak). I couldn't hear any accent at all in her Seattle intro (I'm not from here originally, so it's not as though I'm "used" to local speech); Texas and Charleston were quite good! New York I thought slightly overdone.

CitizenJoyce & mirrordrum: After listening to the fabulous Edward Herrmann narrate Unbroken, I needed to follow it up with a book and narrator of equal skill. So of course I turned to the amazing Juliet Stevenson and am currently happily wallowing in Jane Eyre.

I own her rendition of Emma and have listened to it more than once. She actually appeared in the Gwyneth Paltrow version of "Emma" (as Mrs. Elton - great performance) but in listening to her, you wish the film was made earlier so that she could have played the lead character. IMO, she is a narrator without peer.

Juliet Stevenson is oe of my favorite narrators!Loved her narration of Jane Eyre!

Narratorlady & susiesharp--

Juliet is marvelous. i often think of narrator's voices in comparison to coffee or, occasionally, tea. Stevenson is like Sumatra blue batak w/ perhaps a touch of cream. or if you're a tea drinker, maybe a really fine Assam or Keemun. Flo Gibson has more of a green tea voice. ;)

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just finished Anil's ghost, which was a most painful book. i'd recommend it but in print version. there were too many character and place names i couldn't get. also it skips around in time and location so i got lost from time-to-time. glad i read it though it's a bit like a punch in the stomach.

am trying on Devil in the white city by Erik Larson. the narrator is Scott Brick, who's tolerable but has a tendency to punch multiple words in a sentence for emphasis. if the book gets too awfully sordid, or i get bored, i've given myself permission to stop and move on.

started P. D. James' The lighthouse on my NLS db player. it's read by Charles Keating, who's great.

on ipod, I've started Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky narrated by Daniel Oreskes and Barbara Rosenblat. it only gets 3-1/2 stars on audible.com but LTers give it 3.99. like it thus far.

if Devil in a white city palls, i want to start a book narrated by Stevenson. I'm overwhelmed by the choices for Stevenson's narrations on audible. I'm waffling amongst either a revisit to Sense and sensibility or Mrs. Dalloway or previously unread Middlemarch or North and South by Elizabeth Gaskill.

in re: Middlemarch, can i really bear to tinker w/ ipod every minute or so for 35 hrs? aaaaack. i wish they'd fix these blasted things so they'd play well with audiobooks.

To Susiesharp: Are you highlighting, saving all, and dragging the entire disc to your iPod playlist, or just letting the iPod load the disc itself? Audiobooks on iPods, those burned from discs, need to be organized before you download them. You should not need to do anything after that except just beam up and listen.

If I've not made myself clear, it's because I'm thinking you may already know what to do and are having other difficulties.

It took me awhile to get the hang of loading books onto my iPod and actually got instructions from Audio File Magazine.

I've just finished listening to Edith Wharton's "Bunner Sisters" as part of a three-novella audiobook, narrated by the late Anna Fields: Madame de Treymes and Two Novellas. A powerful story, much better than the Wharton short stories I'd recently heard; here, Wharton has the room to express herself fully. Highly recommended.

Just finished Burmese Days. Loved it.

I found an audio version of Swann's Way. I wanted to reread the book but I just don't think those sentences are going to work well in audiobook format. We'll give it a try.

I'm just over half-way through Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris and enjoying it. The reader in this series does the best job.

I'm struggling to get to the end of The Passage by Justin Cronin, read by the lugubrious Scott Brick, and have to stop and take deep calming breaths to keep myself from screaming at the way he reads. The book is already longer than winter in the Arctic, and Brick reads every single sentence like a funeral director giving the eulogy of someone killed by an axe murderer as said axe murderer is creeping around outside and peering in the windows searching for his next victim. Oh. My. God. Why am I still listening to it, you ask? Because I've managed to get to disk 27 of 29, and I just want to see how it ends without having to wrestle with what has to be a doorstop of a print book.

Next up: Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich, because I NEED something light and relatively mindless to counteract the last two weeks worth of listening.

I have The Passage on Nook but haven't read it yet, and you don't make me think I'd want to give it a listen. Love your description though, Mary.

Thanks, Joyce. I think this is the kind of tome that a person either loves or not. I'm on the not side of that fence, though I think some of my unhappiness with it stems from listening to the voice of the reader. It might be better on the Nook. If I wasn't so far along I might consider buying it for my Kindle as the novel itself has some good parts. At this point, though, I feel certain that, after I'm done with it, I never want to see it again. In any form. (BTW, Scott Brick is the main reader, but there have been two or three other surprise readers along the way who were just wonderful and such a relief to listen to during their brief appearances.) (And, btw again, no matter what anyone says, The Passage is NOTHING like King's The Stand. Nothing. I mean, yes, it's about a secret gov't. bio-weapon program run amok, but that's it, and to say otherwise is like saying Red Badge of Courage is like MASH, just because they were both set in wartime. IMHO.)

Have just finished listening to the glorious Juliet Stevenson read Jane Eyre. I already know that when the time comes to re-read this book (everyone I know reads this more than once) I'll probably re-listen instead.
Problem: how do I follow this one up?

I'm listening to Eat,Pray,Love by and read by Elizabeth Gilbert. I'm enjoying the travel but she really is as into herself as the reviews say.

//119 well, NL, if it weren't another reread for you, i'd say how about Anna Fields reading Bel canto. i'm having a very difficult time following that one up.

have never had any desire to read Jane Eyre. i think i've started it twice but nothing has come of it.

just finished P. D. James' The lighthouse read by Charles Keating for NLS. classic James but with some fine, evocative descriptions of places, sights and sounds not usual in her books.

now taking on the challenge of Vanity Fair on my wacky iPod, damn and blast the silly thing. i suppose it's a character-building experience, but at 67, surely i have enough character already. QUERY: did i but the commas in the right place in that last sentence?

i'm infatuated by master storyteller Donald Davis reading Listening for the crack of dawn. i could weep that it only comprises 2 tapes. i shall be savouring every bit.

from NLS, i'm reading Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie narrated by the exquisitely-voiced Lisette Lecat.

finally, delighting in The history boys full cast performance whilst simultaneously rewatching the movie on DVR. silly, i know, but i do love it madly.

started Corduroy mansions by Alexander McCall Smith but it wasn't the right time. i couldn't get involved.

Sense and sensibility narrated by our Juliet is next in line.

I've begun Blood River, story of a British journalist's (relatively recent) travels through the Congo (solo, non-employer-sponsored). He sounds like the U. K. version of the Federal Express Man! I reset my player to 50% slower, which helped some, but he's still right quick!

I finished Unbroken and was quite disappointed. It turned out to be a book long advertisement for the 700 Club. But for good news, the missing last 2 CDs of Whose Body just came in, and surprisingly it's read by someone different, a woman this time whose voice is much easier on the ear. So, I guess it was worth the wait.

Listening to Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, a YA book about the beginnings of the Montgomery bus boycott of the fifties. Seems that young Miss Colvin refused to go to the back of the bus before Rosa Parks did. She was fifteen at the time, arrested and found guilty, and Rosa Parks was one of the adults who supported her during her trial. Fascinating story about the birth of the civil rights movement.

#111 I never have problems with audiobooks loaded on my iPod from Audible of course, but still trying to figure out how to get my iPod (iPhone, actually, but I assume it's the same thing) to recognize them as audiobooks when I copy them from CDs. I looked it up on the internet, but only found very old and complicated instructions. If you know of something better to direct me to, I'm all ears.

I recently listened to The Tiger's Wife, and wasn't crazy about Susan Duerden's reading style, though having a man take over the parts of the story told by the grandfather was a nice touch. This is one book which I think would have been best enjoyed in a text format, if only to allow one to go back and re-read certain sections again just for the pleasure of it, and I plan on getting the printed book for future re-reads.

You can all count me among the Juliet Stevenson fans. I discovered her while listening to Jane Eyre and am currently listening to her rendition of Mansfield Park. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get her recordings of Middlemarch and North and South as well. In fact, I've wishlisted almost all her recordings on Audible, even the ones for books I've already read!

I agree about accents being important too. I'm Canadian, so am kind of in the middle when it comes to English vs American accents, but part of the pleasure of audiobooks for me is hearing the books read the way they were meant to sound when originally written.

Once you've downloaded the CD tracks to itunes select them all, go to Get info (in the File menu or right click), choose the Options tab and under Media Kind select Audiobook. You might want to set Remember Position, too, as book tracks can be quite long. The tracks are instantly moved to the books section with all your Audible books.

I find it annoying that you can't set these details before you rip the CD, so if anyone knows that you can, please let me know!

I've just discovered this thread. I'm an avid listener of audio books, in the car and when I'm doing tasks that require my hands but not my brain (I am working on a fixer upper house). I'd say 50% of my book total for the year comes from Audiobooks.

I'm currently listening to Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher, an autobiography about her life and troubles being a product of Hollywood, having a man die in her bed, and going through electroshock therapy. Despite it having wiped out her memory, she is still a very funny, self depreciating woman.

//127 welcome to the audiophiles crew, Jessie. :)

I'm shifting between The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex and Sunshine by Robin McKinley.

Smekday is meant for the younger crowd and is laugh out loud funny in parts.

Sunshine is another vampire movie - er - book. The reviews here say that the narrator, the main character, is whiney and drab. Fortunately, the reader does what's needed to make her more bearable. I agree, I would have a hard time reading the print book. The Audio version is an improvement.

>129 2wonderY:-I've heard great things about Smekday and the narrator is one of my favorites Bahni Turpin!

I'm currently listening to Maisie Dobbs by, Jaqueline Winspear narrated by, Rita Barrington
she does a good job but I see that this one and the second book are narrated by different people then all the rest are narrated by Orlagh Cassidy who is one of my favorite narrators!Also wondering why I haven't read this series before I am really enjoying it so far!

Finished Jane Eyre read by Juliet Stevenson. I was sorry to finish it and I can only add my agreement with all the previous comments about the wonderful Ms Stevenson. I'm now listening to Camilla by Fanny Burney and downloaded from Librivox. Unfortunately, the narrators are a mixed bag (though it's not easy to follow a Juliet Stevenson narration) so I'm thinking life's too short to continue with Camilla and I've got 2 Audible credits in my account waiting for me to make a decision.

#126 Bless you Kerry!!! You don't know how happy you've just made me. To think... so simple really. But like most things simple, you have to know about it before you can make it work!

One of the sites I was looking at had a bunch of steps to prepare a CD so that it could be copied as an audiobook, but to be honest, I backtracked when I saw how many steps were involved. I'll be doing it the way you've suggested from now on.

eta: the only problem though is that every single track is listed, as each has a different name (unlike Audible books, which don't list every track that way). I'm not sure how to get around this... also, do you mind telling me what Remember Position does exactly?

The Pig Did It my April ER book(audio). 8^)

#132 I've posted instructions on your profile as it was getting a bit long.

#134 Really appreciate it, thanks Kerry!

I started listening to Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming and less than an hour into it was bored silly. I like Simon Vance as a narrator, so can't blame him, but I won't continue with this one.

Am about 2 hours in to Soulless by Gail Carriger and enjoying it. Initial response is that I'm going to like it more than the friend who recommended it said I would.

I've started Clouds of Witness the next in the LPW series, and this one is read by Ian Carmichael. As you said, much better than David Case.

I'm listening to Blood River, story of Tim Butcher's 2004 journey through the Congo. He reads really, really fast -- as though he's being paid to cram in as many words-per-minute as possible!

>136 HarlequinBooks:-HarlequinBooks- That whole series is great and the narrator Emily Gray has become a favorite after listening to that series!

>139 susiesharp: - Susie - That's great to hear. Not that I have time for another series, but hopefully some of my projects that have been needing to get done around the house will get done this summer while I listen to books. School gets out here on June 6th . . .

Penn

I was a third of the way through No Dominion and just decided to give up. I enjoyed the first book in the series Already Dead to a degree, even though vampires and zombies really aren't my thing and lots of things about it outright disgusted me, but this one just seems filled with unpleasantness and no action so far. Scott Brick does a fine job narrating, so the quality of the audio isn't in question. It's the content I'm none too keen on. Too many other great books in store to keep on with something I'm not happy with, right? Right.

I'm about an hour (of 14) into Gillian Flynn's Dark Places, which I decided to try after really liking her first book Sharp Objects. Narration on this one is terrific.

Will begin The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht this weekend. Currently working on the print version of Just Kids by Patti Smith.

Am just loving The Help!

#144 Mary, as far as audiobook go, I have to say that The Help was one of my favourites this year.

I've made quite a lot of progress on Killing Floor, the first of the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child. I actually discovered this series a couple of months ago, when Audible was having a $4.95 sale and I picked up Tripwire, the 3rd in the series, after which I decided to go back and start the series from the beginning. I don't know if you noticed this Mary, or if this was an issue at all for you, but it's driving me crazy that almost every sentence of dialogue ends with either "right?" or "ok?", even when it's not an actual question, no matter which character is talking as in (not a quote, just an example):

"My father came from Texas, and then he moved to Florida, right?"
or
"I went to the diner, and ordered a coffee, ok? and then... "

This wouldn't be a problem with occasional usage, but it's so frequent that I find it just seems like a bad editing oversight. I don't remember this from Tripwire so maybe they caught on to it by then. I'm wondering if Lee Child (a British man born Jim Grant) maybe overcompensated when trying to create American-sounding dialogue?

finished The history boys by Alan Bennett w/ original BBC cast from both the National production UK and Broadhurst theatre US. Tonys, Oliviers and Baftas galore. superb!

skimmed along in a print version as well. i always feel terribly ignorant and cognitively deficient when i read Bennett. probably one of the reasons i like him. he's inspiring.

most highly recommended. i'd say watch the movie, listen to the book and read it at the same time. there are interesting differences amongst them. but then, i'm a Bennett/History Boys freak. :)

The History Boys is a great play and is worth revisiting. So much goes on and the wordplay is so inventive, you have to see, read or listen to it more than once.

It helps to be a little older to catch all the references. I saw it in Boston a couple of years ago and laughed in places that no one else seemed to find funny. Have you listened to Alan Bennett's Talking Heads? They're priceless as is The Lady in the Van, a true story about an irascible woman who parked her van in Bennett's front garden and stayed their for years. Of course, Maggie Smith played her on the stage.

>146 mirrordrum: Actually I did not pick up on the "right" and "okay" usage in the dialogue of Killing Floor. Must have completely zoned them out. I may relisten to at least the first disc to see if I catch it.

I finished Clouds of Witness today and so enjoyed Ian Carmichael's narration. I have the first Harriet Vane book, Strong Poison on it's way then may skip ahead to Gaudy Night. Would I miss much by doing that?

I read the Harriet Vane books all out of order. I enjoyed them tremendously, but I wished I had read them in order. The character development was so good. Just personal preference though.

I recently listened to an Alan Bennett followup to "Talking Heads" (in addition to "Talking Heads 2"): Triple Bill, with Patricia Routledge, Thora Hird and Judi Dench. The first one is the best (most twisted), the second one is more straightforward about growing old, and the last very short (barely 10 minutes) - more a skit really.

I only recently began listening to audio books and am finding that I have a unfortunate tendency to drift off. I will be seeking out hard copies at the library of Running The Books by Avi Steinberg, The Taliban Shuffle by Kim Barker, and The Anglo Files by Sarah Lyall and filling in the gaps.

//147 NL i've watched Bed among the lentils till it's about worn through and never tire of it. and yesterday, oh be still my heart, i got from Alibris UK what was, i swear, the only extant large print copy of Talking heads to be had. so last night i regaled myself with the altar flower arrangement scene and laughed myself into an endorphin haze. surely this was written w/ Maggie Smith in mind.

Lady in the van is marvelous and also worth multiple visits.

i have Triple Bill on my iPod but haven't listened to it yet.

am ordering the Talking heads cd today!

//149 CJ--you would miss a good deal by way of back story if you skipped Have his carcase (play on habeas corpus) but there is a caveat.

originally, only Strong poison and Gaudy night were released in audio format. LPW/Carmichael fans so hounded Chivers that, maybe 10 years later, they finally issued Have his carcase. sad to say, by that time Carmichael was probably in his mid to late 70s and the change in his voice can't be disguised as that of the younger Wimsey. maybe it only bothered me because i'd listened to him so often in his many other LPW books. fwiw.

again, i'd recommend the BBC Mystery! trilogy on dvd w/ Petherbridge and Walter as well as the books.

It looks like Have His Carcase comes after The Unpleasantness at the The Bellona Club which I'm off to get now. By the time I'm finished, Strong Poison will be in, and then I guess I'll do Carcase and Gaudy, not to forget Five Red Herrings I didn't really expect to become a LPW fan. Life works in wondrous ways.

#147 I am also a massive fan of Alan Bennett and really looking foreward to reading his new book Smut: Two unseemly stories, about sex in the British novel, it sounds as though it will be hilarious. But what I'm keeping all my fingers crossed for is that he voice the audiobook of it himself! Can you imagine!

//156 your wish is granted, Kay. i just downloaded it today from audible.com and it is, indeed, narrated by AB. :)

Yay!

The Help is the best audiobook I've read this year! It had me in tears on the commute home last night, actually two or three times during my commute back and forth from work, and then I would find myself smiling through the tears and even laughing out loud a little later on in the story. When my sister gets back from North Carolina next month, I'm going to listen to it all over again with her.

>159 Storeetllr:- It was my favorite last year I think it is one of the best multi-cast audiobooks..
Octavia Spencer who is the voice of Minny on the audiobook also plays her in the Movie that comes out later this year which I think is going to be very well done as the producer and director are friends of Kathryn Stockett

Oh! Oh! I was hoping it would be adapted to film!!! So exciting! Thanks for that great news, susie!

Oh, my, a 7 exclamation point post. I guess it shows that I am very excited about this.

I know how you feel I am very excited for this one too!!! It comes out Aug. 12,2011

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454029/

Well, I know what I'm going to be doing on August 12! In fact, I'm asking right now for the day off work. I'm going to want to see the first showing of that movie and may want to see it more than once. BTW, GREAT trailer!

#163 I found out about the movie when I landed on the wikipedia page. Forgot to mention it to you earlier. Really excited about that too! Haven't seen the trailer yet... off I go!

Finally finished An Echo on the Bone and am now beginning A Game of Thrones.

Well ... I've finished Dark Places, which I liked though it was a long journey to the end; I could understand if others didn't care for it though. Many of the criticisms I've seem are valid I'd say.

Today I've managed the first hour of re-listening-to Three Men in a Boat, read by Martin Jarvis; I believe the first time was with David Case. Not as funny as I'd remembered - Diary of a Nobody (read by Jarvis) was easier to get into.

I finished The Unpleasantness at the Bellano Club and have started on the first book with Harriet Vane, Strong Poison. I'm just part of one CD in, and so far it's the best yet. Again Ian Carmichael is narrating.

Y'all mention Ian Carmichael, whom I associate with the Winnie-the-Pooh record I had as a kid.

I am nearing the end of Eve by Iris Johansen. The reader, Jennifer Van Dyck, is quite good, but, frankly, I found the plot a bit dull. Judging from the reviews, I am in the minority in that respect, but there you have it.

Just finished Dead Reckoning, the most recent Sookie Stackhouse novel by Charlaine Harris. The reader, Johanna Parker, is bloody brilliant. The book was fun, though the plot-line was a bit thin. Ms. Harris really tried to cover too much ground in too few pages. However, as I said before, I did enjoy the book.

I'm on my fifth of 6 CDs of Strong Poison. Love is in the air for the LPW clan. Dorothy Sayers has hit her peak with this one.

I've started Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin - the book begins with her declaration of candidacy for governor, at which the author signs up for the long haul with her; not long afterwards it does cross his mind that almost no one from her past local campaign is onboard for this one .... hmmmmm ......

170: I saw the Strong Poison audiobook at the library the other day and almost picked it up... thanks for making me regret not grabbing it! :P

I'm listening to the FotF production of The Silver Chair. It's excellent. After that I will be joining the legions of enthusiastic readers who have read/listened to The Book Thief.

Wisewoman, Strong Poison is still sitting there waiting for you when you're done listening to Death. No regrets, just know you'll be happy to listen when you get to it.

Having dispatched Sarah Palin, I've moved on to The Mapping of Love and Death, last year's Maisie Dobbs mystery, since the new one has recently been released. The book itself is okay, but not great. However, I'm not really thrilled with Orlagh Cassidy's American voices -- she has an upper class Boston matron of the 1930's sounding like a modern middle class woman, and a prominent doctor from Mass. General Hospital sounded only somewhat removed from a Catskills comedian to me; the matron's son-in-law sounds like the doctor as well.

Ian Carmichael's attempt to sound like an American woman in Gaudy Night is cringe inducing.

Maisie has proved a bit tough to get through in a single go, so I've switched to One Vacant Chair, which I purchased at Audible for $2.95, and have gotten into fairly easily.

Jim Dale reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. One of the best audio book productions ever. Jim Dale is amazing.

Sarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)

My library couldn't provide Juliet Stevenson's reading of Jane Eyre, so I settled for Juliet Mills, and I've been very happy with it. I'd missed this classic, and now I feel cozy with it, and will probably open the print version and savor parts.

@177 -- I couldn't agree more with you! Jim Dale added a depth to the characters that was amazing. He ruined the movies for me, because the casted actors just did not live up to the character depth Mr. Dale had built up in my head! Brilliant!

I am now listening to A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, performed by Jennifer Ikeda. So far, so good.

I've wanted to reread the His Dark Material books, but I'm on a trip and didn't want to cart the books around with me, so I thought I'd get the audio books. Super glad I did, because they are fantastic. I often don't want to stop listening because I'm so into it. I'm on The Subtle Knife now.

>180 carma91:　carma91

I usually bring audiobooks to ski or camping, so I can keep our children quiet in the back seat.
Their favorite books are His Dark Materials of course. :-)

I am about to start To Kill a Mockingbird. I have to go to the library to pick up the copy on hold.

I am listening to Life by, Keith Richards narrated by Johnny Depp & Jon Hurley.
I am loving this book it’s like sitting down with Keith Richards as he tells you stories!

#177 Nooooooo Stephen Fry! Stephen Fry every time!

I'm listening to The Book Thief read by Allan Corduner. It's well written but I'm not entirely sold yet; sometimes it's almost cutesy. Corduner, though, is a brilliant narrator.

So excited! I just picked up The Cabinet of Curiosities, read by Jonathan Marosz (don't think I've ever heard him read before), from the library today and plan to start it tonight.

>183 KayEluned: KayEluned,

As far as I know, we can't get the Stephen Fry version here in the States, but given how much I loved the Jim Dale version and how much the Fry fans loved his, I'd be game to listen to his. Of course, I wouldn't be able to afford to buy it even if I could get a copy . . .

So what makes Fry's performance so memorable?

Penn

He just has the perfect plummy voice for reading audiobooks, I wish he would do more! And his accents are always spot on, his Malfoy and his Hagrid were the best. Plus he always sounds like he's really enjoying himself. I was amazed he was never given a part in the films, after all he is a good friend of Jo Rowling's, but maybe that was because he was already doing the audiobooks. I haven't heard the Jim Dale so I can't really say Fry is better, but he would definatly be hard to beat. I bet you could find a Fry version on E-bay or somewhere like that for a reasonable price.

Stephen Fry also narrated the first Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy however they are then taken over by Martin Freeman who played Arthur in the movie version he was ok but Stephen Fry did a better Marvin!

If you have kids he also narrates Winnie the Pooh.

Also Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman by, Eleanor Updike I read this book a few years ago and loved it and may have to go back and listen to the audio now!

I am listening to two books, in car and at home selections which are read by two of my favorite narrators. Elizabeth 1 by Margaret George narrator Kate Reading It is 31 hours long and it is an interesting book and well read. I recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction and especially to those who prefers long books. I usually don't listen to books this long and I am getting a bit restless with it but it is so interesting I'm sticking with it.

The second book is Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay narrator Simon Vance I am really enjoying this story set in 8th century China.

just finishing crooked letter, crooked letter

>190 jldarden: how was that??

Just finished Life by, Keith Richards narrated by Johnny Depp & Jon Hurley I enjoyed it very much just remember his life is sex drugs & rock & roll!

Now starting Bossypants by Tina Fey read by the author

Susiesharp: I just received Bossypants from the library - I was on the list for a couple of months so it was a surprise when it came in. Looking forward to hearing Tina Fey since I've heard only good things about this one.

Narratorlady- I was on the waiting list for it too and finally got it from Library2 Go

Currently listening to Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian. I had a little trouble keeping track of the multiple perspectives at first, but now I'm settling in and am really quite absorbed.

I finished A Game of Thrones loved it, narrated by Roy Dotrice. Took me a little while to get used to his voice which sounded harsh at first, but by the end, I thought he was great. Now I'm listening to My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir by Dick Van Dyke always loved his show from the 1960's, one of my favorites still to this day.

I finished The Franchise Affair which like others on this thread I thoroughly enjoyed. Carole Boyd did an excellent job of narrating the book. I've still got The Man in the Iron Mask by Dumas read by BJ Harrison in the car but for an adventure story it's kind of slow. My kitchen audio book is Unless by Carol Shields narrator Joan Allen and I've only listened to the first five minutes.

I loved the Battlefield Earth audio book, read by Roddy McDowell. Just discovered it released on a Playaway. Can't wait to listen to it again. Planning to pick it up this week at my local library. Anyone else heard of this one?

I finished My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir which I really enjoyed by Dick Van Dyke. He narrated it himself and it was sitting down and having a long, long talk with him over a cup of coffee. Now, I'm beginning The Eight by Katherine Neville.

Just finished Tina Fey's Bossypants. I listened to most of it while driving, a bit of a hazard when throwing one's head back and laughing but I'm still in one piece.

Just began The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht. Its too early to tell if I'm going to like the novel. Not liking the reader though. We'll see.

I finished Gaudy Night and have to count it as my least favorite Sayers so far. I thought I take a break from her and try something new so I started The Darling Dahlias and The Cucumber Tree by Susan Wittig Albert. Not thrilled so far. I don't know if I'll finish.

since i last dropped by, finished 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff narrated by an all-star cast: Barbara Rosenblatt as Hanff, John Franklyn-Robbins as Frank Doel w/ bit parts by Barbara Caruso, Davina Porter and two other stars but can't remember who. it was great.

finished Listening for the crack of dawn by Donald Davis which was marvelous. i rarely cry when reading books but the last story in this one really got me.

read Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. a very good book w/ excellent narration by Lisette Lecat. hope they'll put more of her work in audio soon.

finally, Ladies of Letters: Crunch Credit by Lou Wakefield narrated by Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales. with those two, i expected i'd like it better than i did. it was alright but not great.

i'm about halfway through Sense and Sensibility narrated by Juliet Stevenson. she sounds remarkably like Emma Thompson when she's voicing Elinor and is wonderfully obnoxious as Marianne in the full throes of 15-year-old passion. one forgets that these characters were really quite young. makes me realize that teenagers haven't changed much since Jane Austen wrote about them. i'm enjoying it immensely.

have just started Crimes of conscience by Nadine Gordimer from NLS narrated by Lisette Lecat.

Just started listening to The Help, and the writing is superb. Thanks for the recommendation!

Perhaps I didn't give The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree a fair chance, but I chucked it in favor of another LPW, Unnatural Death and feel much better now.

#202: Ellie, I just loved 84 Charing Cross Road and was recently thinking of re-reading it. I'll definitely get the audio version the next time around. The movie (with Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins and Dame Judi) is great too.

Just started listening to The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope, read by Andrew Pugsley. Pretty good so far, helping to stave off boredom at the gym anyway :)

I started the audio of My Lucky Life and it's been a sheer delight. It's read by Mr. Van Dyke himself and it feels like he's walking beside me, sharing his past. Wonderful.

I finished The Franchise Affair read by Carol Boyd earlier this week and really enjoyed it. Both this new to me author and the narrator. In fact, so much so that I immediately looked up other available selections of books narrated by Boyd on Audible. I was surprised to find that nearly half the books she narrates—and those I might be interested in—are all abridged versions, which I stay away from, and that there were only one or two that appeal to me in the limited unabridged selection; South Riding by Winifred Holtby, and Atonement, though I already have the latter in print. Suggestions are welcome.

I've since moved on to The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, which I'm enjoying quite a bit.

Starting Still Life With Crows and am very excited about it.

Just started A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters. Still getting used to the British accent but it started out intriguing.

So very unhappy. Still Life with Crows was read by Scott Brick, whose reading I cannot stand. (Terrible accents, awful reading rhythm, and the pitch of his voice is like nails down a chalkboard.) Ended up reading it in print, which turned out well, but I was so looking forward to listening to it.

FYI all ye fans of either our Juliet (Stevenson) or Doris Lessing CH may be interested to know that JS rec'd a 2011 audie for her narration of The golden notebook. i rejoice. and i've asked for it from interlibrary loan. it's been years and years and years since i read it. :)

#205 narratorlady--i decided to listen to the book after rewatching 84, charing cross road for the umpteenth time. i'd read it in print several times too, and it was great to hear a good narration.

#208 South Riding is a novel? i had no idea. i just finished watching the series on PBS' masterpiece theatre. it was quite good. excellent cast. never heard of Carolyn Boyd.

#211 storetllr--i feel your pain. ;) poor old Scott. he does his best, i feel sure, but he is a bit of a trial. i tend to pass his books by.

>213 mirrordrum: Thanks, mirrordrum. I am passing Brick's stuff up from now on too. (The first (and worst) by him was The Passage, and then I swore I'd never listen to him read again. Then I found out he was the narrator for The Omnivore's Dilemma, an Audible selection I recently bought. I'm preparing my nerves so I can endure listening to it. So far, my nerves haven't recovered from The Passage, so it may be awhile. lol)

2 hours into The True meaning of Smekday by, Adam Rex narrated by, Bahni Turpin so far I am enjoying it very much!

#211 Scott Brick does have a strange style, and such a strong accent! I didn't mind him at all when I listened to Charlie Huston's Already Dead, because I found his style fit the character of a NYC vampire, but I couldn't finish No Dominion which I found repetitive after the first book and not nearly as exciting, AND was annoyed with Brick. So I completely understand, and would certainly not seek him out. I might make an exception if I ever decide to jump into Dune, but only because it's a multi-cast which includes Simon Vance, whom I adore.

#212 Count me in among the BIG fans of Juliet Stevenson. She makes me want to listen to books that I would have considered to be a yawn-fest otherwise. I started reading The Golden Notebook in print a year ago, and couldn't say why exactly, but wasn't in the mood for it. I just may try again and spend one of my Audible credits for it eventually. Thanks for the tip!

#213 Ellie, I only found out about Carol Boyd—and South Riding when I did a search on Audible for Josephine Tey books. There are only two of the latter's available there. Boyd narrates The Franchise Affair which I loved; both the book and the narration.

#214 Mary, another narrator that I'm avoiding is Susan Duerden. She annoyed me all through The Tiger's Wife. It says a whole lot for the book that I still gave it 5 stars (very rare rating for me), AND got the print hardcover version so I can read it with my own inner voice next time. Gorgeous voice and accent, but she's got this kind of lulling rhythm which loops round and round—I guess it's her signature style, but it doesn't at all take into account the author's rhythm, which is EXTREMELY ANNOYING to me. I wanted to get Miéville's latest, Embassytown, but when I saw it was narrated by her, I decided I'd rather read the print version instead of suffering through her irksome drone again.

I've started listening to My Korean Deli narrated by Bronson Pinchot -- interesting so far.

>216 Smiler69:
Agree on the reader for The Tiger's Wife. Don't like this singsongy reading. Its a bit mannered. Very romantic where it shouldn't be.

#212: Ellie, I've had Stevenson's rendition of The Golden Notebook on request at the library for a couple of months and according to them it's "on route". I've always meant to read it, so I'm delighted that I'll be listening to my favorite narrator read another classic.

(I've never listened to Scott Brick but he is one of the busiest narrators in the biz. Somebody must like him!)

I've just finished listening to An Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett about the dire results of the queen's developing an interest in reading. The narrator name, alas, is not listed. He does a good job, but I think it would have been better with a female.

The Uncommon Reader

because touchstones are being really wonky.

Thank you. I always forget if a book ends with the or an or this, but it is The Uncommon Reader.

Just got The Golden Notebook from the library. It's 21 discs long! Yikes!

//223 NL oh carp! 21 disks. well, she never was reticent. i shan't ever be able to get through it on ILL's understandably stringent limits. well, i'll start it, see how it does in audio, and see whether i want to buy it and donate it somewhere.

i put aside Gordimer's Crimes of conscience from NLS to read a very old recording of The club of queer trades i got from ILL (inter-library loan). i do like G. K. Chesterton but am not sure i'll read the entire thing because i'd rather be reading Gordimer.

#223 That's an additional incentive for me to get it on Audible!

Here's one for you specialists out there:

I just spent the better part of an hour talking to a senior advisor at Apple Care about this issue (since I'm on a Mac platform), and they don't have an answer for me, and in fact, suggested I send a request to iTunes developers, which I did.

Thanks to suggestions from LT members, I now know how to import audiobooks to iTunes from regular audio CDs and then save them as actual Audiobook files for full audiobook functionality. While there is a lot of manoeuvering required, it's 100% feasible.

Not so with MP3 CDs.

For starters, iTunes doesn't recognize the CDs when they're inserted in my computer. The CD icons appear on the desktop, but from what I've gleaned on internet forums, it seems that the only way to import MP3 files from a CD into iTunes when this happens is to select "Add to library" (or "⌘O"). On the whole, other than requiring lots of handling and the fact that advanced functions, such as "Join CD Tracks" aren't available, this system works. But a further problem arises with some MP3 CDs: when the files are transferred into iTunes, they lose their original track names (which include track numbers), and are additionally copied in random order, making it impossible to organize them further. This is probably due to the programming from the audiobook manufacturers.

I've contacted Apple Care and spoken to a senior advisor, who tells me there is no way around this issue with the current version of iTunes, and that the only way to go about it is to copy the music files one by one. When there are hundreds of tracks to handle, and several CDs to import this becomes a much too laborious task.

Does anyone know a way around this?

I'm about 2/3 of the way through My Korean Deli - not so sure I like/respect the author and the situation his family gets into, but Bronson Pinchot's narration is terrific!

I finished Unnatural Death and now get to another LPW with Harriet Vane, Have His Carcase. So far, so good. I do hope the Cattery is in this one. It's my favorite part of the series. I think that's one reason I didn't like Gaudy Night that much. Vane should have used
the Cattery.

Just finished The True Meaning of Smekday by, Adam rex narrated by, Bahni Turpin I highly recommend this one to young and old alike fantastic book and narration!

Now listening to Smokin' Seventeen by, Janet Evanovich narrated by, Lorelei King

Have been listening to what feels like ages to Tears of the Desert by Halima Bashir. This is the memoir of a young girl growing up in Darfur, and the civil war that affects her country. The book is ok, there is a tremendous amount of information on her schooling and her childhood and after listening to what feels like seven hours already she is just starting to talk about the civil war which is what brought me to the book in the first place. I'm not sure if the author is the narrator because audible is not clear about this, but she has a way of a-n-n-u-n-c-i-a-t-i-n-g every word and it's a bit precious for me. I feel like it's time for the book and I to part ways but there is still about three more sections to go. Sigh. This book feels like it runs longer then the civil war did.

Just finished Eleanor Updale's Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman, deliciously narrated by Stephen Fry. It's the story of a Victorian thief who serves his time and upon his release from prison formulates a new criminal plan: he uses the newly built London sewage tunnels as a getaway system. As Scarper, he does the thieving and as the aristocratic Montmorency, he enters high society and spends his ill gotten gains. There's plenty of tension as the reader wonders if either of his personas will be caught in the act. Great fun.

#226 smiler69...I don't know if this would solve your problem but I just thought I'd make you aware of it. There's a program I use (I also have a Mac) called Audiobook Builder, from Splasm Software. I've only used it to rip what I guess you would refer to as regular audio CDs, so I have no idea if it would work on MP3s or not, but you could check it out. I prefer it to using iTunes in general for importing books on CD.

Hope this helps!

231# NarratorLady

Montmorency has been on my tbr list for ages, now I know Stephen Fry narrates the audio version I might listen to it instead. It all depends on whether it is abridged or not, I don't really listen to abridged audio books. I will have to go and find out :)

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi is the cat's meow. Most enjoyable yarn that deals with similar themes as Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

#233 KayEluned: It's unabridged. I feel the same way about abridged books. I know that Fry recorded the sequel Montmorency on the Rocks so I'm trying to track that one down.

He really is a wonderful narrator and he voices all the characters superbly.

#232 Thank you, I'll check it out. Though I have a feeling from what I've experienced so far that MP3 CDs are a while different kind of animal than the regular kind and require different technology.

oh joy! i just downloaded Betjeman: A life by A. N. Wilson from NLS narrated by our very own NarratorLady. it takes quite a long time from completion of the narration to appearance on NLS as a downloadable book.

although i'm on my way to meditate, i had to just sneak an audio peak and nearly couldn't tear myself away after the opening sentences.

it will give me a nice break from the angst of Crimes of conscience. well, there's also Sense and sensibility ongoing but, like 'crimes,' it's fiction. i like to have a non-fiction book in hand, er, ear.

oh goody. it's like Christmas in June. :)

After finishing the Stephen Fry readings of the Harry Potter series I had a break from audiobooks - nothing else seemed to follow on - but now I've just started the second volume of the Forsyte saga In Chancery and I'm enjoying listening to David Case drawl his way through the story.

Well, I tried. I got through one disc of the 21-disc The Golden Notebook and despite Juliet Stevenson's brilliant narration, I just couldn't get interested in the characters or even like any of them. The whole thing was starting to feel like one long slog and I realized that life's too short to stick with a book just because it's something I think I "should" read.

So, I've begun My Lucky Life in Show Business by Dick Van Dyke. I love the sound of his voice and it brings back memories of sitting in front of the TV with my parents watching the first show that everyone in the family loved and laughed at.

So call me shallow, but I've just eschewed a fine piece of literature for a light memoir, and I'm smiling all the way to work.

>234 djriave:

Your touchstone goes to the wrong book.

The Sparrow

#239 NarratorLady, I don't think anyone would call you shallow for that. I tried reading The Golden Notebook last year, and gave up for pretty well the same reasons after 100 pages or so. I wish I could remember what I had replaced it with, but my guess is, it was probably some kind of crime fiction. This was before I'd discovered audiobooks, and I did seriously consider getting the this very same version you mention with Juliet Stevenson narrating as I like her so much, but your comment is definitely making me think twice!

Enjoy the Dick Van Dyke book!

I made it all the way through The Golden Notebook in paper form. It has prevented me from reading any more of Doris Lessing. She's a famous woman, I want to like her, but just can't. She doesn't seem to me to care much for any of the real human women I know or would want to be.

Having finished My Korean Deli - Bronson Pinchot's narration was great, but the book left me little respect for the author and his wife - I've moved on to my first Librivox book: Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins ... the storyline featuring a blind central character, and the audio being superbly narrated by a blind woman herself (Sandra G.) from a braille edition.

2/3 through At the center of the storm ... he is just now getting to the part about iraq.

I'm really enjoying I don't know how she does it : the life of Kate Reddy, working mother : a novel by Allison Pearson.

>239 NarratorLady: well, that completely erases any respect i ever had for you, ms. narratorlady person. shallow. shallow, shallow, shallow. ;)

Does it help that I'm saddled with guilt while chortling over Mr. Van Dyke?

I hang my head in shame.

#247 - NarratorLady - I loved it too, I had so much fun listening him talk to "me" over coffee at the kitchen table!

I'll finish Have His Carcase today and have had enough of LPW for a while. Next up is Incantation by Alice Hoffman narrated by Jenna Lamia while I await the arrival of In the Woods by Tana French (the library site has said "in transit" for 3 days now).

Just Finished Still Life by, Louise Penny narrated by, Ralph Cosham it was good but I think because I've read later books in this series it kind of spoiled it a bit for me.

Now listening to Immortal Beloved by, Cate Tiernan narrated by, Kelly Lintz

@249- Jenna Lamia is a great narrator!

I just finished The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: The Primary Phase (BBC Radio Collection) by Douglas Adams. I had listened to in on radio maybe 20 years ago, and it has aged very well I must say since it was originally produced in the late 70s.

#250 I borrowed Still Life from the library recently, when I saw they had Ralph Cosham narrating. I quite like him. Haven't gotten round to listening to it yet, but it's on my audio TBR file!

I finished Born to Run. It was an excellent audio presentation and an outstanding book. Please search it out! 5 stars!!
I think I saw one or 2 people mention Stephen Lang as a narrator. I just started Heart-shaped Box, read by him and he does a terrific job. Nice creepy story too! Is this Lang also the actor?

I finished Have His Carcase, and to quote Lord Peter Wimsey and almost all the men in the book, "Ha, ha, ha." Great ending, I'm just tired of getting to them. I'm almost done listening to Incantation. It's a great story of the persecution of Jews under the Spanish Inquisition. The narrator, Jenna Lamia, has a very soft girlish voice, but she's supposed to be a sheltered 16 year old Spanish girl. After a bit, the voice works.

Started The Return of the Dancing Master last night and am enjoying it very much. It's my first Henning Mankell, so I don't know who the characters are, but the story's really hooked me.

I'm listening to (and loving) Trollope's The Small House in Allington narrated by the most excellent Timothy Vance. It's light on plot but I don't care a jot, it's a pleasure to drive to work each day knowing I'll have 20 minutes of uninterrupted listening time.

255#
You can't beat a good Trollope

You all probably know this already but Audible has a killer sale on right now. Best I've seen in
a very long time.
Finished last night Girl in Translation, narrated by Gracye Wey. I really enjoyed this book in the beginning because the sttory of a young Asian immigrant to America and the difficult life she and her mother face was really well drawn. But the book sort of stays stagnant after a while and it isn't until the last section does it really move forward into an interesting sphere.
I don't know anything about the narrator, it seems as if this is her first and only book but she really does a great job. One of the reviews I read said her Chinese accent diminishes as the book progresses and the protagonist learns more and more English. If you're into immigrant stories and their hardship this is a good pick. I just wish it had more momentum.

Well, I just abandoned The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe today three quarters of the way through. It's narrated by Michael York, and I don't know if it was his particular style that bugged me or what, but I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters, and even though I had just one hour left to go it just seemed like too much of a long slog to go through. I'm sorry about this, because I know this is a very popular book, but there you have it.

On the other hand, I just took advantage of the latest Audible sale and got a couple of books that had been on my wishlist for quite some time: Watership Down and The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn, the former read by a narrator I already know and like (Ralph Cosham) and the latter performed by Elija Wood, which seems very promising.

I recommend the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It's full cast with excellent music and sound effects. My only reservation is the way that David Suchet voices Aslan... just a little over the top at times! But on the whole, it's brilliant.

Ooh, Elijah Wood narrates Huckleberry Finn? I bet it's great. He played Huck in a movie version and he was very good.

I finished The Book Thief (excellent!) and am moving on to Strong Poison, read by Ian Carmichael.

Shoot, I'd love to have the Huckleberry Finn with Elijah Wood narrating. Instead, I just got a version from the library narrated by Tom Parker. I haven't listened to it, so don't know yet if it's any good.

#259 The full cast version sounds like it could be a lot of fun. I'll keep my eye out for it.

#260 The Elija Wood version is for what they call a "Signature Performance", which I guess is an Audible original title. I'm about to take Huckleberry Finn for a spin shortly, when I go out to walk the dog. I loved the sample I listened to, so looking forward to it.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who does that. I don't have trouble keeping up with them. I haven't found many people that can keep up with an audio book - I love them myself though I still read lots of bound books as well.

The beauty of the audiobook for me is then I come beat from work and having worked nonstop on the computer, my eyes really need a break. I can put one on, turn off the light and just relax. We are so blessed to have the technology.

I'm listening to Fool by Christopher Moore. It's a parody of King Lear, told from the POV of the Fool, but rather, uh...bawdier than Shakespeare's version. It's read by Euan Morton, who does a hilarious job. He hasn't done many audiobooks, but I gather he was a reader on an audio version of Dune.

As I started typing this post, I was listening to today's episode of The Writer's Almanac. Today's poem, by Lou Lipsitz, is "Have a _____ Day" -- and hearing Garrison Keillor read the title is itself worth a listen. :)

I am hoping to find The Book Thiefat my public library this afternoon. My brother read the book and he's trying to get the whole family hooked on it. I'm really looking forward to the audio rendition.

alans: I just finished it on audiobook. The narrator, Allen Corduner, was excellent! Hope you enjoy it.

I haven't been over here in awhile. I need to correct that. I finished Heart-Shaped Box. It was read by Stephen Lang, who did an excellent job. Any other fans of Lang's work?
I started Emily, Alone and this one begins with much promise.

Has anyone tried the audio for Watership Down? If so, is worth listening too. I was thinking of joining a Group Read of this one, later this month, but only if I could listen to it.

Mark, would it be this Group Reading of Watership Down you're referring to? Jim (aka drneutron) has just started the thread for it today. The suggested start date is next week, July 22nd so it can fit into Children's and YA month. All are welcome of course!

I've got my audio narrated by Ralph Cosham standing by, and I quite like him as a narrator, so should be good. Another incentive might be that it's currently on sale at $8.95!

Re The Book Thief. I've had it for a couple of years and never made time to listen. What's the youngest age you all who have listened to it would recommend for a kid to listen? When I got it I know my kids were too young, but at the rate I'm going, it's one that we'll be able to listen to all together . . . so some advice? Please? Cuz right now I am NOT enjoying the kids' book that we've got on my Nano.

Thanks,

Penn

I guess the youngest age would be whenever you thought kids were ready to know about Nazi Germany and the holocaust. Some kids hear it in their cribs, some not until they're adults.

The Book Thief is awesome. I're read and listened to it numerous times. The audio version is an experience in itself. Alan Corduner is a marvel. Don't miss it!

It really depends on the kids. The subject matter is heavy stuff and there's lots of language (much in German, but sometimes translated).

Strong Poison is simply fantastic. I am really enjoying Ian Carmichael's reading. Even though I know what happens I am scheming ways to make listening time outside my usual commuting home schedule.

Thanks you three for the info on The Book Thief. I suspect my sensitive child needs more time. Oh, to have time to listen to it! Soon, hopefully, but not soon enough. :(

Penn

HarlequinBooks: I recall that when I read The Book Thief I was surprised that I'd found it in the young adult section. Its themes are very adult but I suppose because the protagonist is a young girl, that's the reason for it. I would think that a child who already has some information about Nazi Germany might be ready for the book. It's the kind of book that you wouldn't buy for a young person just because you knew he/she was a reader. You'd need more information and their level of maturity.

@HarlequinBooks-If you are looking for a fun road trip book that you and your kids would enjoy I highly recommend The True Meaning of Smekday by, Adam Rex narrated by, Bahni Turpin it is a good book and great fun!

wisewoman, Strong Poison remains my favorite Dorothy Sayer.

>275 susiesharp: Susie,
Actually, I wasn't actively looking for a new book, but that one looks excellent. And heaven knows, the kids and I do get through a lot of audiobooks (my family is 16 hours away one way plus we listen just driving around town). And it definitely sounds better than the one we're listening to. Although, to be honest, I'm starting to like the one we're on right now. I don't like that it took me 10 chapters and a few hours to start liking it though . . . the kids have enjoyed it from the get-go, but I'm a little pickier *g* than they are. Especially since I know that there are so many well-written books that we can all enjoy.

Thanks again,

Penn

I'm listening to I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson read by Josephine Bailey and I'm loving it!

Finished at the center of the storm.

started what hath god wrought. its an excellent narrative of american history.

I've got Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris going and it's quite delightful so far.

Just finished Heartless by, Gail Carriger narrated by, the wonderful Emily Gray. I love this series! If you are a fan of the paranormal or steampunk with a great dose of humor give this series a try you won’t be disappointed!

Now on to one I've been waiting for forever ;) is
Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 3) by, Maggie Stiefvater narrated by, Jenna Lamia, Pierce Cravens, Dan Bittner, Emma Galvin, Maggie Stiefvater I think this is the last and the series and am very curious how she wraps it up!

Listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire again, read by the wonderful Stephen Fry. Honestly I think I have a Fry addiction. I need help.

Well, we will just have to pitch in and help. Who knows of more Stephen Fry audiobooks we can round up for Kay?

Oh, that's not the kind of help you wanted? Never mind then :P

I finished Strong Poison last night and didn't want it to end. Miss Climpson is the real heroine, I think! I am envisioning Anna Massey in the role; wouldn't she be great?

I have heard so much about the Coffeehouse cozy mystery series by Cleo Coyle, and I like her Haunted Bookshop series (as Alice Kimberly), that I decided to download the first one On What Grounds, read by Rebecca Gribel. Unfortunately, I gave up after a couple of hours, being heartily sick of the obsessive coffee-related details (I swear the protagonist must drink coffee during sex!), and leery of the heavy-handed hinting of a romantic triangle among herself, her "hot" Italian-American ex-husband, and the Irish-American (possibly married, though possibly separated) cop. Ugh!

I finished The Eight by Katherine Neville which was pretty good, narrated by Susan Denaker who did a wonderful job with the various accents. Now I'm beginning Bossypants by Tina Fey for a little lighthearted humor.

what hath god wrought is fantastic, a really quick and easy narrative and despite the length, I am already a quarter way through listening to it.

The kids and I are listening to Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror by Jennifer Finney Boylan, read by Fred Berman. The reader is doing a fine job with voices, but I'm not enjoying myself. The kids are loving it, though, and want to listen even when we're not in the car.

For myself, I'm listening to On Her Trail by Marcelle Dube, read by LouAnn Cooper. I'm enjoying the mystery elements but not the romantic elements. But that usually happens when I'm reading a romantic suspense.

Penn

//283 Shirley Cain played Miss Climpson in the tv series and was excellent. you can find her on youtube playing one of the women in the ad agency in Murder must advertise with Ian Carmichael as LPW. to get to her just roll in to about 7:20.

she's not unlike Anna Massey, who would also be superb.

youtube has the entirety of Strong poison in about 15 parts. two of my very favorite bits are in part 4: LPW's first meeting with HV in the, ahem, gaol and his subsequent interview with the admirable Miss Climpson. if you don't care to watch LPW and Miss Vane, just go in about 5 minutes to catch the interview with Miss Climpson. i've probably watched these scenes at least 50 times over the years, first on PBS, then on video, then on DVD.

enjoy. :)

I think the reason I didn't like Gaudy Night as much as some was that I so fell in love with the members of The Cattery in Strong Poison, and I couldn't believe she didn't use them in her big spinster mystery.

I finished listening to Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris, narrated by Steven Pacey. Very good mystery with a suspense that keep you guessing all the way. Definitely recommended.

Started listening to Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell.

Well, I finished the Librivox recording of Poor Miss Finch, and ... wow! The plot was pretty much pure Victorian melodrama, though I really liked Madame P. - the "omniscient" voice through whom the story is (almost entirely) delivered. However, it's really the narrator, Sandra G. who knocks it out of the ballpark, superbly juggling all of the characters, from pompous Reverend Finch to his daughter's somewhat loopy German eye doctor. Sandra, by the way, is blind herself!

>292 Seajack: Not even in the catalog in all of Ohio's Consortium libraries. Shoot!

It's not in anyone's "catalog" -- go to librivox.org and download the book. It's a free book for everyone to hear!

Yay! Thanks.

Thanks mirrordrum! :) I will certainly need to watch those soon.

In other audiobook news, I listened to the LA Theatre performance of Pygmalion. Fun stuff!

Finished Faceless Killers (read by Dick Hill) and am now listening to The Man from Beijing (read by Rosalyn Landor).

I'm toward the end of the 14th CD out of 18 of In the Woods. Wow, all he twists aren't just in the case. I'm really glad I got this one even though I thought I might be mysteried out.

>255 socialpages: Simon Vance or Timothy West..? :)

I love Trollope on audio.

//294 thanks, seajack! what a wonderful service!

i'm downloading it as i'm writing this. :)

I finished Bossypants which I really loved, narrated and written by Tina Fey. Not to sound sexist, but woman will really appreciate much of the humor in this book. Although I'm not completely discounting men, they will find it funny too, but some of the things she mentions.. ahem, well, only a woman could really understand, if you get my drift. It was very funny.

Now I'm beginning Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin, narrated by Kate Reading.