What Are You Listening to Now? Part 13

Part 12 was getting a little long, so I thought it was about time to start a new thread.

I'm halfway through The Spellmans Strike Again, fourth book in the Izzy Spellman series, and am finding the family's dysfunction a bit tedious, especially the mother's (borderline psychotic) meddling in Izzy's life.

I finished The Snake, The Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters narrated by Barbara Rosenblat (who is Amelia Peabody) and am now beginning a classic that I just never got around to reading The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway narrated by William Hurt.

Hmmm....I think I lost disk 2 of Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck.

>3 ktleyed: I wonder what Hemingway would be like as an audiobook. Let me know what you think. (BTW, I remember how surprised I was that I enjoyed The Sun Also Rises when I read it a few years ago.)

Started The Night Circus last night. Two disks in, I'm not sure what I think of the novel, but I do know I am not a Jim Dale fan. He makes the young characters all sound like octogenarians. Male octogenarians. With mashed potatoes in their mouths.

>5 Storeetllr: That's what I'm listening to right now! I think you may enjoy the narration slightly more as you go along, mostly because the characters grow a little older. Of course, I just really like his voice in general.

>6 ncgraham: Thanks! I'm sure I'm in the minority with my dislike of Jim Dale, I've heard so much praise of his narration, but he joins a small group of readers whose voices are to me like fingernails on a chalkboard. Anyway, I'm on disk 4 now and so far am managing to ignore the voice enough to keep going. Glad you are enjoying it!

I think I am the only heavy listener of audiobooks who has never heard Jim Dale read anything (nor the much-discussed Scott Brick).

#8 No, I'm one too. In the UK we get Stephen Fry for the Harry Potter books and I've never come across anything else narrated by Jim Dale, nor anything by Scott Brick. I'm not sure if it's a USA/UK divide or I just don't care for the kind of books they read, I've never consciously avoided either of them.

I loved Jim Dale's read of Around the World in Eighty Days. I'd look up more by him.

I finished Cotillion yesterday. Not sure what's next; it all depends on what the library has.

Yesterday started All Quiet on the Western Front narrated by the great Frank Muller.

I'm listening to Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter very different from my usual reading.

#11 I listened to that last year, it was a really good narration I thought, very moving, but I think I would have preferred it to be read with a German accent as I kept having to remind myself these were German soldiers not British.

I'm nearly finished with Coral Glynn, a pseudo-gothic novel that wasn't terrific, but well-narrated by Simon Prebble (who does very good female voices).

Just finished King Solomon's Mines, a lovely Ripping Yarn, beautifully narrated by Toby Stephens. You have to overlook the attitudes of the time (although I think it was probably fairly liberal in its day) but there was plenty of humour and some lovely, and unexpected, lyrical descriptions.

I'm reading Wolf Hall in print at the moment and I have an audio version too so I think I'll make that my next listen.

I'm a few discs into Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin and absolutely loving the book. The reader I'm a bit less in love with. Some of her pronunciations really bother me (especially the way she says Lares and Penates). It's Alyssa Bresnahan, who is good as far as tone and feeling go, it's just the pronunciation (I'm used to 90% of the books involving ancient Rome and Greece being read by British people)...

I've started A Feast for Crows compellingly read by Roy Dotrice. I've just learned that he played the role of the pyromancer in HBO's second season of Game of Thrones.

#17 Was he really? I didn't know that! I will have to watch it again and see if I recognise his voice.

Lavinia was wonderful all the way through, and I highly recommend it.

Now I'm listening to Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey.

I've just finished listening to the delightful Gwen Watford narrating Battles at Thrush Green by Miss Read. What a treat! Thanks to mirrordrum (Ellie) for the recommendation. Watford has recorded several other Miss Read stories and I look forward to them.

I'm enjoying the first in M. C. Beaton's (Marion Chesney) "Poor Relation" series Lady Fortescue Steps Out set in Regency England, expertly read by Davina Porter.

I've started The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card. It's put me back in right relationship with Card. It's the first book in a new series, and it's very promising.

#20 I love the Miss Read books - Fairacre and Thrush Green - and have all of them in print. I have only listened to one so far and, although I enjoyed it, the fact that they are read by so many different narrators puts me off a bit. I think they are all good (though Sian Phillips is not one of my favourites and Carole Boyd is always Linda Snell for me) but I find it hard to remember they are all about the same characters if the voices are different each time.

I finished The Sun Also Rises narrated by William Hurt. I really liked it, though Hurt's narration was so so. Wasn't crazy about his accent and voice for Brett, but the other male voices and accents were fine.

Now I'm starting The Restorer by Amanda Stevens, narrated by Khristine Hvam.

For June is Audiobook month I am trying to listen to new to me narrators so I am listening to Revolver by, Marcus Sedwick narrated by, Peter Berkrot.

And I will be finally listening to Scott Brick & Grover Gardner as they are 2 very well known narrators I have never listened to.

#23 CDVicarage: That's interesting. All the Miss Read books on audio in my library (which is actually a collection of libraries that use inter-library loans) are read by Gwen Watford. I think there are about a half dozen of them.

>23 CDVicarage: and 26, are the different narrators b/c of the different countries? Like in the UK the Harry Potter books were read by Stephen Frye and here in the US we have Jim Dale?

>25 susiesharp: That is a great idea! I was about to wonder if I could do that, but I have without meaning to! We (the kids and I) started The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom last week read by Bronson Pinchot and I know I've never listened to him read a book before. But I think I will seek out another new narrator on purpose.

Penn

ssharp 25:

Grover Gardner is quite accomplished - I'm hooked on his reading the Inspector Montalbano series, set in Sicily, by Andrea Camilleri. I've never heard Scott Brick narrate.

I'm close to finishing Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood.

#26 I think Gwen Watford does a lot but I have also found June Barrie, Sian Phillips and Carole Boyd on Audible UK and a Prunella Scales from Audio Go (a UK company, I think). All unabridged readings, I think there are abridged versions too but I avoid those.

> Penn- Hope you enjoyed Hero's Guide as much as I did!

What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt narrated by George Guidall. This was a book I started in print but couldn't finish, however, I loved the audio version (my only criticism is the lengthy discursive passages on art criticism and theory which bored me silly). For a change of pace, I then listened to Jane Gardam's The Queen of the Tambourine narrated by June Barrie. I chose this because of the many LTers who have recommended Jane Gardam's books and I wasn't disappointed. I will be on the look out for more of her novels.

#8 & 9 You're not alone, I've never listened to anything read by Jim Dale either.

I'm a bit into Grammar Snobs are Great Big Meanies by June Casagrande, which is really fun.

good grief i'm behind by an entire thread. too much to catch up with.

>32 socialpages: you're lucky, Jennifer. Queen of the tambourine isn't available in audio in the US. i had to order it in large print from the UK. she, Gardam, is so unappreciated here.

iPod

i just finished Disco for the departed, the 3rd in the Dr. Siri series. marvelous books, so-so narrator.

reading Generation kill: Devil dogs, iceman, Captain America and the new face of American war. this is an excellent book written by Evan Wright who, on assignment from Rolling Stone, was embedded with the Marines' First Recon Battalion as they headed into Iraq at the beginning of the Iraq war. it was made into an equally fine HBO movie.

i'm getting ready to start The summer isles by Ian R. MacLeod. i like to be able to switch among several books.

NLS db player

i'm still immersed in Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Found the Hidden Gospels. it was recommended by someone in this group, iirc, and i'm taking my time with it and enjoying it thoroughly.

i'll be shuttling between that and Bradbury's Dandelion wine, which i plan to start tonight when i go to bed.

Mirrordrum ~ I didn't care for the reader of the Dr. Siri series either, but I stuck with the books on audio and got used to his voice, eventually. Great series, though, isn't it!

I've just started The Dragon Seekers: How an Extraordinary Circle of Fossilists Discovered the Dinosaurs and Paved the Way for Darwin by Christopher McGowan.

The Dragon Seekers ended up being a bit of a disappointment, though not horrible (awkward writing, Darwin aspect seemed tacked on, and last chapter was all about the author's modern discoveries).

Now I'm listening to The Sanctuary Sparrow, which is the seventh Cadfael book by Ellis Peters.

>34 mirrordrum: Where did you get an audio version of Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Found the Hidden Gospels? It sounds really good but I can't seem to find an audiobook.

I am finally listening to Scott Brick narrating Stay Close by, Harlan Coben new to me narrator and author and will definitely be searching out more from both of these men!

I am truly enjoying listening to Drive by James Sallis, which is just as enigmatic as the film, and the narration by Paul Michael Garcia really lends itself to the story.

Loved Stay Close and will be listening to more by Harlan Coben & Scott Brick.

Now listening to My Name is not easy by,Debby Dahl Edwardson narrated by,Amy Rubinate & Nick Podehl

Started The Glass Castle: A Memoir yesterday and am flabbergasted by that woman's childhood. Amazing she survived.

My Name is Not Easy was a very powerful book I enjoyed it very much!

Now listening to Defending Jacob by, William Landay narrated by, Grover Gardner

>35 Storeetllr: the Dr. Siri books are a delight, Mary. Cotterill has a way of creating characters i want to get to know. i always enjoy the bits and bobs of backstory. also, thanks for the glimpse into the graffiti from Pompeii. some things really just don't change. like dogs peeing on trees and cats rubbing on anything upright, if it's there, humans, apparently mostly men, gotta write, draw or carve on it.

>38 rxtheresa: rxt--i downloaded the book from NLS (national library service for the blind and handicapped). it's one of those rare times that a book is available in audio to the visually impaired that isn't available to others. you can check out available editions and formats through worldcat.

if you're in the US and can only read audio books, it's worth checking out NLS. pm me and i'll give you info.

i'm still reading the same things although i did take a pass at Buddenbrooks from NLS, a novel i loved in a younger day. it didn't quite fit the bill for right now.

presently trying to decide what to listen to during the joyful colonoscopy/endoscopy prep i get to do on July 1st. i'm thinking maybe a reread of the beginning of LOTR or possibly a new Miss Read as i find Gwen Watford both enjoyable and soothing. i certainly don't want anything i have to think about. ;)

Dandelion Wine wants my full attention and Generation Kill, though excellent, is far from soothing. both will be delayed during prep and, probably, recovery which, for me, tends to be extended. good time for catching up on old faves.

I am listening to The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi. I truly enjoyed Ship Breaker, and I'm hoping this one lives up to my expectations.

So glad to find this thread. I'm currently listening to a non-fiction book, Effie: The Passionate Lives of Effie Gray, John Ruskin, and John Everett Millais by Suzanne Fagence Cooper. Effie married the renowned art critic John Ruskin when she was only 19, but the marriage was never consummated. Ruskin claimed that he was repelled by "her person" on the wedding night; there are two theories, that either he didn't expect her to have pubic and armpit hair (having studied all those Greek statues), or that she was having her period. In any case, she stayed with him for six years, fell in love with his friend Millais, and took Ruskin to court to have the marriage annulled, causing a huge scandal.

I'm just starting Birdsong by Sebastian C. Faulks.

For those who listen to non-fiction, I'm almost halfway through the first volume of Jan Morris' "Pax Britannica" trilogy, a survey of the British Empire from Victoria's ascension through its post-colonial dissolution - terrific narration, well worth an Audible credit!

>43 susiesharp:. I loved Defending Jacob! I hope you will enjoy it too.

>49 Penske:-Penske- I am liking it very much hoping my bookclub will pick it as next months read because I want to discuss it!

Just finished P.G. Wodehouse's Something Fresh narrated by Jonathan Cecil.
Mad goings on at Blandings Castle with a a couple of imposters bent on retrieving a valuable purloined scarab.
Makes little sense but so much fun for a summer read.

I just finished The Restorer by Amanda Stevens, narrated by Khristine Hvam who did a great job with it. I'm definitely continuing with the series. Now I'm listening to Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, second in her Wolf Hall series, narrated by Simon Vance, one of my favorites!

I liked The Lost Gate on audio also. Also Magic Street. The Alvin Maker series starting with Seventh Son is also great on audio, but can be hard to find and the last book isn't written yet. Right now, I'm close to the end of State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

I also just finished State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. I enjoyed both the story and Hope Davis' narration. A recommended read! Now on to Huckleberry Finn narrated by Elijah Wood.

I'm going to try Magic Street on audio. I couldn't enter into it when I tried the print book, for some reason.

listening to War and Peace....

Ended up really enjoying Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and am going to start The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr today.

Just starting Bonk by Mary Roach.

Just started Painter of Silence.

Bonk was especially fun and interesting, and I think the reader for Roach's books suits them.

Now I'm starting Galileo's Daughter, which is read by George Guidall. Of course I love Guidall, but really wish they'd gotten a female reader.

Just started The Chaperone by, Laura Moriarty narrated by, Elizabeth McGovern my only problem so far is the name of the character is Cora and it keeps giving me flashes of Downton

About an hour (of 10) into Emily, Alone - I'm a fan of Stewart O'Nan's writing, though I agree with others who've been overwhelmed by the detail in the life of an 80-something, upper-middle-class widow ... at one point, not content with just the highlights of a salad bar visit, he went through (just about) all of Emily's options!

Just finished listening to A Discovery of Witches and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the sequel coming out in July. The rest of my family has been listening to Ready Player One read by Will Wheaton, and I have to catch up so I can listen to it with them.

I'm just starting The Cry of the Go-Away Bird by Andrea Eames. I absolutely love the reader, Clare Corbett.

I've started A Land More Kind Than Home: A Novel by Wiley Cash Narrated by, Nick Sullivan, Lorna Raver,& Mark Bramhall...I've heard great things about this book and its been way to long since I've listened to Lorna Raver!

I'm very excited--Audible just offered me an ARC on CD to review!

I finished Painter of Silence, which was excellent, and The Lemon Tablke which was a real downer. Next up: The Chaperone.

I just finished The Fault in our Stars. I'm not generally a John Green fan for various reasons but I have to give credit where it is due. He created some memorable and very well developed characters in this book. You just can't help but fall in love with them and you become very emotionally tied to them. I ended up enjoying the story very much. The audio was also well done. This is a teen book that crosses over to adults quite easily. People who are John Green fans will most definately love this book.

Iudita, glad to hear that about The Fault in our Stars. I'm not really a John Green fan either, and I've been flip-flopping on whether or not to read that one.

I'm a good ways into The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay. The reader isn't bad, but I think they'd have done better to have an English reader rather than an American (it does take place during the reign of Alfred the Great, and is a historical fantasy sort of thing). I always feel that if most of the book takes place in what became England, the it should have an English reader. Obviously the language and accents were different in that period, but still...

Just getting into A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel. It's read by the author and she's doing a great job so far.

i'm almost finished with Ross Thomas's the Singapore Wink from NLS well narrated by Jack Fox and about an hour into Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano on my iPod. Jonathan Davis' narration is generally fine but particularly enjoyable because of his fluent pronunciation of Spanish. it's so nice to hear the names of countries in Latin America and Spanish proper names pronounced correctly. heaven!

I've just finished Wolf Hall, both in print and on audio, and loved it. I'm fairly familiar with the history and I could tell who was speaking most of the time. I thought the audio would help on this if I had been confused on the page. The reader, Simon Slater, was new to me and I found his reading very good.

I've moved on to The Camomile Lawn a book I've read in print but I found the audio version at the library and thought I'd try it. The reader is Carole Boyd, whom I've always avoided before as she is first and foremost Linda Snell, of Archers fame, to me, but I found that after a while I was able to leave The Archers behind and hear Mary Wesley's characters. In fact she is so good that I will look out for more of her readings.

A Girl Named Zippy was absolutely wonderful, and I highly recommend it (particularly the audio book).

I'm just starting How Great Generals Win by Bevin Alexander. The reader is fine, and seems like a good fit for the content.

#71, I listened to the audio of Wolf Hall too and liked it, I thought Slater was very good, especially of More and Cranmer, and Cromwell of course. I'm in the midst of listening to its sequel of Bring up the Bodies and was surprised that Slater is not doing the reading. Instead, it's Simon Vance, who I am very familiar with but I must admit, I don't think he's as good as Slater who had a certain something that made Cromwell - likable! Ironic since Vance is one of my all time favorite readers!

After having a major book hangover from a paper book The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by, Jenny Wingfield (because it was absolutely fabulous) then listened to A Land More Kind Than Home: A Novel by, Wiley Cash and not enjoying it as much as I think I should have, I decided I needed to step away from southern fiction for awhile so am now listening to Her Royal Spyness by, Rhys Bowen narrated by, Katherine Kellgren

Grandad, There's a Head on the Beach by Colin Cotterill, read by Kim Mai Guest. So far, starting disc 2 of 8, really good, both story and reader.

Started today The Last Dickens. So far, so good.

Finished Her Royal Spyness by, Rhys Bowen narrated by, Katherine Kellgren this was a cute litle cozy and I look forward to listening to the rest of the series as always Katy's naration was wonderful!

Now listening to The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón Narrated by Peter Kenny I've been waiting for another book in this series for a long time can't wait to dig into this one and get back to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books!

I finished Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel narrated by Simon Vance and am now beginning One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper FForde narrated by Emily Gray.

I'm just starting The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and read by her.

I am still listening to Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese when I'm by myself (narrated by Sunil Malhotra and since it's over 23 hours long will probably be listening to it for a while) and with the kids we are listening to Daughter of the Mountains by Louise S. Rankin (narrated by Eve Bianco).

Penn

I'm about halfway through It's Behind You, a sort-of British murder mystery, and send-up of acting (soap operas especially). First part dragged for me, with s-l-o-w narration, but now that's there's been an actual murder the pace has picked up. The book's central character is sooooo over-the-top with her scheming and manipulation that I'm at the edge of my earbuds waiting to see what plot twist is coming next.

I'm listening to A People's History of the United States, though I think I'll be listening to it in sections and not straight through (it's 34 hours long).

I'm listening to Michaelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, a little hard to catch all the history while driving but otherwise interesting.

on the NLS player, Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie, Ill wind by Nevada Barr (a reread) and still hanging with Sisters of Sinai. on the iPod, Blackout by Connie Willis who has tried to put way too many eggs in her basket. some of the eggs are great and some are, well, not so much great and there's too much skipping round between events. i am enjoying it though. also still reading Open veins of Latin America.

After a break for two lighter works - The Camomile Lawn and Summer at Fairacre I'm back to Dickens. Our Mutual Friend is the first Dickens I've listened to that is not read by Anton Lesser. The reader is David Troughton and he's fine but he's not Anton. I'm following LizzeD and Lyzards's thread about their re-reading as I don't know the story at all.

I'm about an hour into The Clock Winder by Ann Tyler - one of her earlier books. Not bad, but not great either, but will work to fill time.

have added Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins to my listening to mix because AudioFile enthused so about narrator Edoardo Ballerini's narration and i wanted something different.

I'm over halfway through The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, and wondering why on earth it has a British reader.

I know they're both English, but the vast majority of the characters are American. There's been many 10 minutes total (in the first 8 1/2 of 11 total hours) of British characters talking, so the rest is having to listen to the reader do an "American" accent that I don't think really exists and hearing it slip all the over the place and GAH. It's annoying.

It's a great book (and I'm not usually one for science fiction), and I'd be enjoying it so much more if the reader actually matched the characters and setting.

The kids and I finished Daughter of the Mountains over the weekend (really loved it) and started The True Meaning of Smekday today. They've read the print version but wanted to do the audio, too, and since I'd picked it up based on recommendations from people here at LT I have high expectations. :)

I have given up on listening to an audiobook for myself right now. With kids underfoot I get interrupted and then I get cranky. Not conducive to a happy experience.

Penn

Started A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, which shows promise, although the early scenes mirror my own family's dysfunction to an eerie extent.

I am listening to Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt. It is the type of book I enjoy listening to but would never read myself. It is a nice relaxing, easy, entertaining story. Great to kick back on the porch on a summer afternoon and listen to.

>90 Seajack: well, the title was enticing enough but "she exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade" + the excellent narrator have sold me.

i just finished Christie's Destination unknown . saints preserve us, what a contrived, convoluted piece of writing. just godawful. i have no idea why i trudged through 8 hrs of it. perhaps a sort of fascinated horror? i know what to expect from Marple and i can live with formulaic in her case but this one was something else. my word! ghastly.

have started Tyler's Digging to America from NLS. we shall see.

Finished "Tractor" today - awesome narration makes this one a solid "better heard than read" book!

I've been waffling A Short History of Tractors, but I'll have to put it on my list now. A good reader can make a book.

I'm a couple hours into The Comedy is Finished by Donald E. Westlake. Reader isn't terrible but he's way too theatrical, and is doing a really high voice for one of the male characters which is getting on my nerves.

Re: Tractors

The older sister's "voice" reminded me A LOT of Penelope Keith's character Margot from the 1970's "The Good Life (Good Neighbors in the U. S.)" comedy series.

I finished The Chaperone a fewe days ago. It was good--fine narration by Elizabeth McGovern--but I'm not quite as keen on it as many LTers have been. Now I'm listening to Yes, Chef, Marcus Samuelsson's memoir.

>94 mabith: Seajack unwaffled me, too, Meredith.

>96 Cariola: Deborah, i recently bought the chaperone from audible.com and had meant to start it next, after i finish Blackout but then saw The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry narrated by Jim Broadbent, whom i esteem most highly as an actor. i listened to about a paragraph of his narration and was hooked so that will probably come next.

last night i finished The Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels narrated by Mitzi Friedlander for NLS. it was excellent and i shall miss reading about these two formidable women and their adventures from the mid-19th to the early 20th century. if you're eligible for NLS talking books (US) or can read visually, i recommend it highly.

i also just discovered that NLS has finally finished processing the hare with amber eyes into DB (downloadable book) format. i download it as we speak, er, as i type. another recommendation from Anne. we'll see how the narrator does. audible has a good narrator but Mark Ashby may be tolerable.

I'm just starting The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean, read by Sam Runnette. I don't think I've heard that reader before, and he threw me a bit at first but after 15 minutes or so I got used to him.

>97 mirrordrum: Mirrordrum, just a heads up -- Blackout ends right in the middle of the story, so after you finish it you may find you want to have All Clear on hand.

97> I just downloaded The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry yesterday. I'm also a Broadbent fan and thought the sample was promising.

>99 aviddiva: thanks for the hedzup, Liz. i expect i'll need a break after Blackout. my favorite parts are those with Alph and Binnie Hodbin. Katherine Kellgren does a truly wizard job voicing those two little rascals. i hope they appear in All clear as well.

>100 Cariola: nice to meet another Broadbent enthusiast. it will be interesting to see what we think of 'Pilgrimage.'

Oh yes, they're back. You can't get rid of the Hodbins so easily! I thought Katherine Kellgren did a great job of voicing almost everyone in that book, but I did resort to reading the print version for some of it, because it was so long and I was impatient.

Today, I started another Nordic detective story, Mons Kallentoft's Summertime Death, which, thus far, has flowed seamlessly from the first book, Midwinter Sacrifice.

Scott Brick makes In Cold Blood sound as if it was a Victorian novel. I'll try again next week.

I started Christie's Why Didn't They Ask Evans? yesterday, read by Emilia Fox. She has an odd gravelly quality to her voice that takes some getting used to.

I'm about halfway through A Different Kind of Courage by Gretel Wachtel

The sound is not well done though. The reader whispers too much and but then shouts a lot as well, so it's difficult to find a comfortable volume. Wish the audiobook publishers would teach all the readers stage whispering and shouting...

I finished One of Our Thursday's Is Missing by Jasper Fforde and as much as I've enjoyed the previous books in this series, this one was sub par compared to the others. The narrating was fine by Emily Gray, but the plot was a big disappointment. Now I'm beginning Song of Susannah by Stephen King.

mejix ~ As I've said before (probably too many times, sorry), Scott Brick is one of the readers I will not listen to. To my mind (and ear), his voice and reading style are awful.

I'm currently listening to Clockwork Prince, which is read by Ed Westwick and Heather Lind in alternating chapters (I think ~ it could be based on whether the pov is Will's or Tessa's). It's okay, so far; better than Clockwork Angel, at least.

108
You know, I think I've heard him before but he didn't bother me. This time around I'm like what's up with this guy?

I listened to him read The Passage and hated his voice and style. Like fingernails on a chalkboard. I don't to this day know why (or how) I managed to finish it.

(I know there are some who really like him as a reader, so don't take my word for it. If he's reading something you want to listen to, go for it. You could be one of his admirers.)

I'm listening to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Just starting Shine Shine Shine by, Lydia Netzer narrated by, Joshilyn Jackson I've heard really good things about this one hope it lives up to expectations!

I'm reading Shine Shine Shine in hard copy right now -- so far it's excellent.

I decided to go for something entirely different: Venetia by Georgette Heyer. I've never read any of her novels. The narrator is Richard Armitage (swoon).

A while ago, I dropped an Audible credit on Miss Buncle's Book based upon rave reviews - at about 1/3 of the way through I remain underwhelmed, and slightly bored.

Cariola, enjoy! Though I am afraid Armitage's recordings are for Naxos and those all appear to be abridged :(

I'm listening to When Everything Changed: the Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins.

I'm one disk into The Good Earth. Excellent narration.

I had to give up on Our Mutual Friend as the library copy was faulty and I'm now relaxing with Village Diary. However the reader, Gwen Watford, has an over emphatic style and reads each sentence in odd chunks. I think this may be intentional - to denote someone writing a diary? - but it doesn't make for very pleasant listening in some parts. Annoyingly, I 've bought this one so can't just take it back to the library!

CDVicarage: I've read several Miss Read books narrated by Gwen Watford and I find her voice delightful but perhaps Village Diary is written in a diary format and is different from the style of her other books? It could account for the choppiness.

I've also listened to June Ritchie reading them and she's marvelous but Watford's voice has a somewhat richer tone so she remains my favorite.

I love the Miss Read books in print and have been disappointed that there are so many different readers. Although most of them are very good (and Gwen Watford's style has either improved or I have grown used to her) they are too different so that it feels to me that the books are about sets of different people rather than one particular schoolmistress and her companions. So far I've heard Gwen Watford, Prunella Scales and June Barrie acting as Headmsitress of Fairacre School!

Well I guess Shine Shine Shine either wasn't for me or I wasn't in the right frame of mind so I am going back to C.W. Gortner for another historical fiction The Confessions of Catherine de Medici narrated by, Cassandra Campbell

I don't know if this is the right place to mention this, but Audible has just made "The End of the Affair" read by Colin Firth free (today?) for U. S. members. I had thought it was just a sample, but they're providing the entire book!

Seajack, do you have a direct link? When I go to Audible and search for it the price is still $19.95...

Here you go mabith-
http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B008GXLSKE&source_code=AMZFP9060EM073112

Thanks!

Sorry - I thought if one is logged in as a member it would automatically come up as free.

Does anyone else have trouble finding the promotions on Audible? They show up as a banner on my account for a few days, then disappear, even though they are still in effect. Currently I know there is a discount credit sale on (through August 31) but I can't find a link to get to it to use it. Frustrating.

123> Audible has had this book for awhile; I listened to it several months ago. Firth was great, but I wasn't too keen on the novel itself.

128> I think a lot of things on the audible site have gone screwy in the past few days, ever since they asked members to start using their Amazon log-in. For one thing, I no longer have my 50+ followers, nor has it saved any of the folks that I was following. I usually get emails about specials, and I did get the one you mentioned on buying three credits for the price of two.

Do you ever get those little white pop-up boxes that offer your a book for $4.95 as a "once in a blue moon" sale? I've had them pop up three times, and every time I have had to call in about it. The box only appears when I hover on it; if I click it, it disappears, so I can never see what books are being offered. Usually they will either read me the list over the phone or email the list. It happened last week and they gave me a free credit instead. That's actually better, since the lists are usually quite limited. But it is very frustrating to have to keep calling in about it.

I am glad to see that they will now let you exchange a book if you hate it--up top a year from the time of purchase. Too bad--there are two in my library that I will NEVER go back to, but it has been over a year.

129 Cariola --

I had actually bought the book when it came out, but haven't listened yet; I mentioned it here now as it's being offered free (at present).

131> Oh, sorry I misread your post. What a nice deal for anyone who doesn't already own the book. I wonder if they will be doing more of these promos.

I finished the Tantor recording of The Turn of the Screw. A good narration, but I wasn't totally thrilled with this ambiguous story.

I'm currently listening to Carpe Diem. I'm sure the book is full of tables and other references, but this audio format is working out just fine.

I'm now reading and listening to The Warden. The reader is Nigel Hawthorne and he does it very well but in my mind he is Archdeacon Grantly (as he was in the BBC TV adaptation), which makes it seem as though the whole book is by and about the Archdeacon. When he comes to some dialogue from the Archdeacon he uses a different voice entirely! I'm sure it will soon settle down as I get used to the reading but it's a bit disconcerting at the moment. I have the next story in the series, Barchester Towers, but that is read by Timothy West. I think he has done the rest of the series, too.

134> I like Timothy West's narration of Trollope. His son, Samuel West, is my all-time favorite narrator.

I've started The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer. I really enjoyed his guide to Medieval England. If these sound hokey and just silly, they're not!

>134CDVicarage- I have the Trollope ones narrated by Simon Vance I know he narrates the whole series too

#137 I think I'm the only audiobook listener in the whole world who has never listened to a book read by Simon Vance! Not intentionally, but he's just never been the narrator for a book I've chosen. I came close to it as he reads Bring up the bodies, but I'd already listened to Wolf Hall read by Simon Slater and I don't want to hear different voices for the same characters.

He also reads as Robert Whitfield, if that names means more to you? I like him, but am not as much of a fan as others.

I still think you'll like TImothy West's reading.

#140 Yes, I expect to. The whole West family are marvellous narrators - Prunella Scales is one of my favourite readers. For all the complaints I have recently made I usually find that after the first few chapters I have settled into the current reader and any reading 'ticks' that irritated me to start with are absorbed into the whole and no longer noticed.

I've just finished Jane Eyre read by Juliet Stevenson--wonderful reading!

Just finished two: Clockwork Prince, which was read well enough and certainly better written than Clockwork Angel, but I found myself getting impatient with all the teenage angst and melodrama, on top of which the darn story doesn't really seem to be going anywhere. But I will soldier on with the next in the series, if only to see if Jem dies or is miraculously saved, and how that will effect Will and Gemma's doomed love. (See what I mean about melodrama?)

The second was one that I stopped reading halfway through because I got so emotionally invested in it that I wanted to stab Dr. Bliss, the arrogant, intransigent old fool, to keep him from totally screwing everything up with his entrenched ignorance.

Okay, calming down.

Anyway, once I went back to it after a month's hiatus, I was right back under its spell - without the impotent rage, thank heaven (though I did cry at the end). Oh, the name of the book? Destiny of the Republic. History. As if things could be changed now, more than a century after the event. *sigh*

143 - I got quite angry and misty during Destiny of the Republic as well, but the story of the nominating convention made me laugh aloud several times, at least.

Yes, those were funny bits. Even now just thinking about it makes me grin. :) I ended up so glad to have stuck it out, though like I said I had to walk away from it for awhile because I was letting it get to me too much.

I'm listening to Darker Than Any Shadow by Tina Whittle, the second mystery featuring Atlanta gun and civil war memorabilia dealer Tai Randolph. Stands on its own in the sense that there's little direct dependence on the plot of the first book, but it'd probably be best to read that one before this one. Mentioned specifically here as Renee Raudmann does an ace job with Tai's voice.

I just found out that Step Across This Line by Salman Rushdie in audiobook only has 7 out of the 63 original writings in the print version. The cover says unabridged. I guess the essays weren't abridged but I feel that I was misled. Good thing this is from the public library, but buyers beware!

Thanks for the tip mejix they really should be more clear.

Am finally finishing "Harbour" by John Ajvide Lindqvist now that Audible have uploaded the remaining 6 hours initially missing from their audio offering.

Just finished Dead Ground by Gerald Seymour. Acquired somewhat impulsively free from my public library's online service.

My first Seymour. The topic - sort of spy novel, Germany (Ost) 10 years after the wall came down sounded dreary and I typically don't find such an environment attractive. But a wonderful read/listen. Methodical pace but always attractive, great characters and involving story line, surprise ending.

Go for it!

I finished The Song of Achilles; I hadn't expected to like it, but it was nothing short of fantastic.

Now I'm back to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

Listening to The Book of Night Women and have to say that it is fantastic. Very dark, but fantastic.

Started The Broker by John Grisham yesterday. Not sure I will stick with it...

Just starting Sons by Pearl S. Buck. Not too sure on the narrator.

I finished the audio of Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls yesterday, which I didn't really enjoy, but if you have an Audiobooks.com account don't listen to it there. The volume is really low altogether and varies somewhat throughout the recording (the narration is absolutely fine, it's just the mixing or general recording volume that's off).

Finished The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C.W. Gortner This is narrated by, Cassandra Campbell and as big fan of hers, I was a bit apprehensive because she doesn’t have a British accent ( Yes, I have a thing that no matter where it is set all historical fiction should be done in a British accent) that being said she was Fantastic and she has changed my stance on this !

Now listening to Sophie and the Rising Sun by Augusta Trobaugh narrated by, Rue McClanahan its a really good story about a Japanese American in the south at the time of Pearl Harbor it's an interesting chaste love story and a story of friendship and the bigotry that came about towards Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor.

Just finished listening to Gone Girl on audible.com. Has anyone else? Not sure I liked the ending but don't know there is one that would have really satisfied. Terrific narration!

I'm a big fan of Idylls of the King - and want an audio version but after many years gave up until found it at free service! http://librivox.org/ Also for apparently the top 10 freee services http://www.xmarks.com/topic/audio%20books?sid=gk8fw96o&product=xmarks&fe...

Finished Sophie and the Rising Sun by Augusta Trobaugh narrated by, Rue McClanahan of Golden Girls fame and she did a good job but sometimes with someone so recognizable her voice almost gets in the way of the story because you are picturing her as all the characters instead of the characters speaking for themselves.

Now starting Little Century: A Novel by, Anne Keesey narrated by, Tavia Gilbert

I'm nearly done with Lost on Planet China by J. Maarten Troost. Simon Vance is the perfect narrator for his books, I think. They're a nice mixture of amusing personal stories, adventures, and cold hard facts.

Les Miserables. I am reading some portions in print and listening to some portions in audiobook.

I've just started The Lion Wakes by Robert Low.

I finished Song of Susannah by Stephen King narrated by George Guidall and am now beginning The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens narrated by Khristine Hvam.

I'm listening to The Man of Property, the first book in The Forsyte Saga.

I'm listening to Little Bee. Not sure how I feel about the story or the narration. I'm about half way through so I will wait and comment when I am finished.

I read Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway long ago, and couldn't remember a thing about it, so I decided to listen to it (again). My library has it as a download read by Phyllida Law (actress Emma Thompson's mother) - the story itself seems a bit dated and stilted, but the narration being a solid five star keeps me interested.

The kids and I are about to start The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan. I'm listening to The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts and when I finish that I have The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern waiting.

Penn

I've started Stories: All-New Tales By Neil Gaiman (author and editor), Al Sarrantonio (editor), Joe Hill, Lawrence Block, Carolyn Parkhurst, Joanne Harris, Richard Adams, Jeffery Deaver
Narrated by Anne Bobby, Jonathan Davis, Peter Francis James, Katherine Kellgren, Euan Morton

Was in a bit of a rut started like 3 audiobooks and none of them grabbed me but all I needed was to hear Neil Gaiman's voice and I am all better now!

I've started listening to Juliet Stevenson read Jane Austen's Persuasion. She perfectly captures the wistfulness of Anne Elliot. Amazing.

Just starting A Place of Safety by Caroline Graham. I've been feeling a burnt out on reading (well, and most other things) and definitely need a few light books to bring me through it.

>165 Seajack: loved Mrs. Dalloway then, love her now. when i selected an audible.com version, was torn amongst various excellent readers and finally chose Phyllida over the ever-amazing Ms. Stevenson but haven't listened to it yet. one of many books i wish i hadn't read so i could read them for the first time. Man of property is another, especially the opening scene at Timothy's.

i'm presently listening to:

Middlemarch narrated unbelievably by the said Ms. Stevenson. her Casaubon is for to die.
Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano--should be required reading
Flaubert's parrot by Julian Barnes (just starting it after pearl-ruling Divergent with 4 hours to go.)
The Devil's feather by Minette Walters
Digging to America by Anne Tyler
Endangered species by Nevada Barr
The hare with amber eyes by Edmund de Waal

dropped Beautiful ruins by Jess Walter, completely at a loss about the hoo-ha this generated.

Well sucked into Taken At the Flood by Agatha Christie. I saw the TV episode of this one pretty recently, so I actually know the basics of the crime, though of course the book will take different turns.

I definitely needed a book that I'd wholeheartedly enjoy and Christie always suits since the Poirot reader is good.

Mirrordrum 170:

And now, a confession ... I bailed on Mrs Dalloway halfway through, the incredibly introspective, dated story couldn't hold my attention, but Law's narration is very good - you made the right choice.

>oh gosh, seajack! well the lovely thing is, there are so many wonderful books that there's something to cater to every taste. interestingly, it's the introspection and the dated story that intrigue me. i also like Wolfe's view of WWI and am fascinated by, among other things, the way she used her own suffering to inform the character of Septimus Smith. i'm a great fan of dated stories. they often have more savour to me than many contemporary stories. i read some of the lines in Mrs. Dalloway over and over.

and i put Flaubert's Parrot aside, deciding that i needed to read at least one book by Flaubert first. that will have to wait till i finish Middlemarch and that will be a good while.

eta started Faithful place by Tana French.

Ellie: I picked up Flaubert's Parrot years ago and can't remember a thing about it - except that I stopped and thought I'd have to read Flaubert to understand it well. And haven't done it yet ...

My fave Julian Barnes is Arthur and George based on true events having to do with Arthur Conan Doyle. Beautifully written and compelling - and I didn't have to read Conan Doyle to get it.

Listening to You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney. It's narrated by Don Hagen, who's all right, but easy to tune out. Also he keeps pronouncing bio-pics (as in biographic picture movies) as sounding like optics. It's so odd to me.

edit: they didn't do a good job choosing the reader. This book is full of young references and not slang but informal writing, yet they chose a much older reader with a very formal style. I often think the audiobook publishers are not people who actually listen to audiobooks.

>174 NarratorLady: thanks for the feedback, Anne. i liked the Lemon Table but can't remember any of it. not b/c i didn't like it but b/c my audio memory truly sux. any book, or any bits, i want to remember i have to listen to multiple times or else read if i can find in large print.

in re: Arthur and George, ooh, i'm torn. NLS has A & G by Anne Flosnick, a good narrator, but Nigel Anthony, the narrator for audible, is excellent and a male voice, which would be nice. here's a sample of his work. well, i expect i'll get through Middlemarch and see where i am. and i've read a good deal of Sir ACD though i know absolutely nothing about him.

Started Locomotion by, Jacqueline Woodson narrated by, Dion Graham I've already listened to the second book in this series and thanks YASYNC I am able to finally listen to the first one loving Dion's voice of course!

I've gone for some fantasy fiction in audio format with Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce in which Peter's sister has returned on xmas day after being away, presumed dead, for 20 years. Tara doesn't look any older than when she left, and her story just doesn't quiet add up.

It's good thus far (Chapter 4), but the narrator has muddled the accents a bit, but it's not terribly distracting.

176: Ellie dear, far be it from me to dissuade you from the NLS version of any book. Having said that, I should add that I've never heard Anne Flosnick read (nor any other NLS narrator except the ones I work with) but have no doubt she does an excellent job.

But the little snippet from audible with Nigel Anthony's voice tells me he is just a shade away from Anton Lesser - a narrating god as far as I'm concerned. So for this book I would definitely go for the guy - after all it is about Arthur and George.

Anne, those are my sandymints exactly. here's a sample of Anne's work. she's quite good at some things and i've enjoyed some of her narrations a lot but compared to NA's voice, and considering the gender issue, i think it would be worth a credit to hear Nigel. he's vocally a bit rustier, in a good way, than Anton. suits the book, i think.

btw, i read your Mercy Watson goes for a ride last night. not my favorite of the first 3 but as long as there's always well-buttered toast . . . i hope they're as much fun to narrate as they are to listen to. i'm eking them out.

I think there are only three in the Mercy Watson series. Tons of fun to narrate as are many children's books when we can really let 'er rip when narrating.

Over-acting is a big no no in the NLS world but when it comes to children's books, the bigger the better.

(The snippet of Anne F's work didn't come through. I think it's tough to get an audio link from BARD.)

mmm. the link was from audible.com so should've worked. BARD doesn't have links, nor should they, being a free service.

there are 6 Mercy Watsons but i don't remember if NLS has them all. i think i've read them out of order. not that it matters. :)

any other fun-to-narrate kids' books you've done and would recommend would be appreciated.

re: Anne Flosnik

I thought she did a decent job reading My Life on a Plate (centering on a married Bridget Jones-like character).

I'm listening to The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny. About half way through and loving it.

Penn

On to the second installation of The Forsyte Saga: In Chancery.

I finished The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens and am now beginning Overseas by Beatriz Williams, narrated by January LaVoy.

About halfway through Talulla Rising and am liking it a lot.

I'm a ways into Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. It's actually the first thing by Adams that I've read (I have hard time wanting to start Hitchhiker's Guide since I know the whole story already).

Popping in to say that I recently bought the mystery Uncommon Grounds on a $5 sale at Audible, but see now it's priced at over $15. Worth what I paid, but NOT that much (or dropping a credit).

I also finished a travel narrative about circling the earth alone by sea: "Islands, Oceans, and Dreams" by Michael Salvaneschi (19 hours, that I did in three pieces) - recommended for those with a strong interest in sailing/boating/maritime adventure.

mabith, knowing the story and hearing or reading the words and phrasings of the author are two different things altogether. Do treat yourself.

I am now listening to The Cove by, Ron Rash narrated by, Merritt Hicks really liking this one so far.

Audbile just added Zadie Smith's newest, NW, this morning, and I'm already into it.

>>190 2wonderY: - Oh I know, it still makes it hard to actually start the book though. I'll get to it eventually.

Tried to start Justinian's Flea, but it's read by Barrett Whitener who sounds like a very advanced voice synthesizer.

Now I'm starting The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, with an okay but not wonderful reader (edit: I don't like Richard Dawkins doing it, but I like the other reader, Lalla Ward).

>193 mabith: "sounds like a very advanced voice synthesizer." wonderful, mabith! :D

Absolutely Loved The Cove by, Ron Rash narrated by Merritt Hicks highly recommend!

Now Listening to Age of Miracles by, Karen Thompson Walker narrated by, Emily Janice Card

Just finished Ready Player One read, appropriately, by Wil Wheaton. I enjoyed it.

Just finished Jane Rogers' superb The Testament of Jessie Lamb, which deserves wide praise and recongition.

Now onto Jeffrey Eugenides' The Marriage Plot.

I've just finished two books - 13 Things That Don't Make Sense by Michael Brooks, and The True Adventures of The Rolling Stones by Stanley Booth. Very different books but very entertaining in their different ways.

Finished A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute read by Robin Bailey. A wonderful story although quite rascist in parts due to the time it was written. Audible did provide a warning at the start of the book so I knew what to expect.

Okay, the narration on The God Delusion was SO annoying because the two readers switched back and forth pretty much every paragraph, and sometimes in the middle of sentences as one would do a quote (but not all the quotes were done by one). There seemed to be no rhyme or reason and it was very jarring. An interesting book, but I just don't understand why they would have done the audio version like that.

Now I'm listening to The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf. It's an older recording and has that sort of nobby, English historian reader that you used to get all the time (this one is David Case, but he's definitely of a type).

201> Oh, yes, David Case is the reader for the version of The Forsyte Saga that I've been listening to. In the end, he's perfect for that, but it took awhile to get used to his voice.

Cariola, oh he's definitely a good fit for a lot of things, particularly a dry history book, I just hadn't heard that type in a while.

Mabith - I have The God Delusion on my Kindle Touch; I intended to read it alternating with The Science Delusion. Thanks for the warning about the annoying audio (one of the readers is Dawkins himself, right?).

Tid - Yes, it's Dawkins and Lalla Ward. I didn't like Dawkins voice at first but it grew on me quickly, so they were both fine readers it was just so odd. I mean they literally switched almost every paragraph (and they weren't long paragraphs...).

Still working my way through 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I've got about 5 and 1/2 hours to go. The other day I was thinking that it would be nice if I could split this between my Kindle and Audible. I think I could finish it faster.

Yesterday I read where Amazon and Audible announced Whispersync for Voice. Bingo! And then I read that Audible is giving away 20 free audiobooks if you also download the free Kindle version. My TBR list just expanded exponentially. (Yay! Ugh!)

Whispersync sounds amazing. For those who don't know, it allows you to move from your Kindle to your audiobook without losing your place. It's only good with certain applications and/or devices, however, and not available with all books (although I saw a lot of them when browsing today). And you have to purchase both versions, which might get a little pricey after those first 20 books.

I agree that Whispersync is an amazing technology. What I find appalling is the Kindle Touch's lamentable screen-saver behaviour :
- you CAN'T set how long before it comes on, if at all
- you CAN'T dismiss it by simply touching the screen (yet it's a "Touch"!!!)
- you CAN'T even dismiss it by pressing the Home button
So if you're listening while lying back in a chair, and doze off, and find you want to start again from the beginning of the chapter, you have to pick the Kindle Touch up, press its quite horrid little fiddly on/off button on the thin end that requires two hands to operate, before getting the screen back with the controls on. Aaargh. Amazon, have a look at a few Apple products and find out what good design is about.

I am currently listening to The Roots of the Olive Tree by, Courtney Miller Santo narrated by, Karen White really good so far!

Just finished We Have Always Lived in the Castle and now I'm just starting Small Island by Andrea Levy (which is read AMAZINGLY).

Highly recommend The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santo narrated by, Karen White set in California but has a southern fiction feel.

Now listening to Heading Out To Wonderful by, Robert Goolrick narrated by, Norman Dietz about 60% done and still not sure what I think Goolrick is a great writer but this one is a very slow simmer.

Finished Heading Out To Wonderful by, Robert Goolrick narrated by, Norman Dietz a very different but good book.

Now finally listening to Gone Girl by, Gillian Flynn narrated by, Kirby Heyborne & Julie Whelan

Finished Barchester Towers read by Timothy West; it was even better than in print. His oily Mr. Slope voice, with not-quite-good-enough vowels was wonderful.

I think I might listen to some more Dickens next, I still have one more read by Anton Lesser - A Tale of Two Cities.

yes, Kerry, Timothy West is a wonder, isn't he? he makes Slope so slick he slides. i also liked very much West's voicing of Septimus Harding. i'd have adored the fellow anyway, but the narration made him even more loveable.

I'm about halfway through A Few Green Leaves by Barbara Pym, which is proving almost hypnotically fascinating as a study of several incredibly mundane lives.

Re: Timothy West ... I cannot recommend his reading of Injury Time by Beryl Bainbridge highly enough! I've dropped a credit on his narration of Trollope's The Eustace Diamonds, but haven't listened yet.

CDVic and mirrordrum ~ Awhile back, I tried to listen to Barchester Towers & just couldn't get into it, but on your recommendation I started again and find I am liking it. Almost done with first CD and definitely intend to carry on with it. I am not, however, quite sure what is going on, exactly. Is there a story hiding in all that delicious descriptive narrative, by chance?

Barchester Towers' plot is one of infighting between the Old Guard represented by Archdeacon Grantley, who've run things at Barchester forever, and the new, foisted-upon-them Proudies, including her pet curate Slope, who takes whacks at the hornets' nest with great abandon - which faction will prevail?

I've just started A Land So Strange by Andrés Reséndez.

I've gone back to the Forsyte Saga. I'm up to To Let. The reader is David Case but, although I like his narrating voice and his character voices are wonderful, he mispronounces the name Fleur, making it sound more like Floor, sometimes. I listened to a sample before I bought it so I was forewarned but it still grates a bit.

Another complaint about this whole series of readings: it's quite an old recording, I think, and it's obviously taken from the CD edition and every time we pass from what would have been one CD to the next a sentence is repeated. While this would be quite useful if you've just changed CDs to remind you where you've got to it's very annoying when listening to an mp3. I feel a bit ripped-off (like the CD!) since it would only have taken a quick bit of editing to remove this repitition - something I do for myself when I rip a CD book to mp3.

I'm listening to Stoneheart, by Charlie Fletcher and read by Jim Dale.

Excellent! Excellent! Just the kind of writer I love - great phrasings.

219> What a coincidence! I started listening to To Let--same version--just this morning!

I noticed a similar issue with In Chancery. At the end the entire last 12 minutes or so was repeated. I wondered if something else was missing. I haven't yet noticed the last sentence repetition, however.

219

I had the same problem with the reader of Walter Isaacson's otherwise excellent biography of Steve Jobs. He read it well, but insisted on referring to "OS Ten" as "OS X", which annoyed me!

I only have one and a half discs to go in Cutting for Stone (19 cd's). On a recent roadtrip, my brother and I listened to His Majesty's Dragon. Both of these I've enjoyed.

#221 No, I think this is the first book that has had exactly a sentence repeated periodically. The last 12 minutes was obviously an editing error but one sentence seems intentional.

Finished The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark read by Nadia May. Excellent narration however the book was kind of "meh" and I'm a fan of Spark's work. Nearly finished The Master of Ballantrae by R L Stevenson - a podcast read by BJ Harrison. It's the story of two brothers - one leads a quiet, good life at home on the family estate in Scotland and the other is a scoundrel who betrays his country, becomes a pirate and wastrel. Great stuff! BJ Harrison is a wonderful narrator.

219> "He tapped, and Smither opened the door, very red in the face."

"He tapped, and Smither opened the door, very red in the face."

I see what you mean!

#226 It gets worse: I had the opening music and 'Audible presents...' in the middle between two chapters. I panicked, thinking that I had got the same file twice and had gone back to the beginning, but it must have been another CD change as the story went on as I expected.

227

And the Kindle Touch truncates long Audible book titles so you lose the end of it. Which means there is no way to distinguish between Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, etc, as that important bit always comes at the end. You have to listen to the start of each to find out which is which , as the Kindle reverts each Part's chapters to start again from 1. Sigh. Why didn't Kindle study Apple's approach to design?

I finished Overseas and could barely stomach all the syrupy dialogue. Now I'm reading Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen which I'm enjoying very much, narrated by Katherine Kellgren.

228 - Audible works perfectly on the regular Kindle 3 keyboard version! How weird that they somehow lost that in going to the touch.

230

But... but... I was told that the Touch was the first Kindle to play audiobooks! Are you saying that the regular Kindle plays them? I feel cheated. (Don't get me wrong - the books play fine, it's just so many minor details, e.g. screensaver, that have been carried across from the regular Kindle without any thought how it should be done for listening rather than reading).

My old (14 month) keyboard Kindle plays audiobooks. The only problem is the volume. It is better with earphones, but without, I have to hold it sort of close to my ear. (Yes, I'm older and my hearing isn't perfect, but it isn't terrible.) I guess those insy binsy speakers do the best they can. I do wish they had a version that played the books as more than an afterthought feature.

232

The speakers on the Touch are better, as long as you place the Kindle flat on a surface so the sound is reflected back. The problem is that the only way to dismiss the screensaver is NOT by touching the screen (why not? It's a "Touch" for heaven's sake!) or pressing the nice "Home" button, but by pushing the utterly horrible on/off switch which is that ghastly, fiddly thing on the edge that requires the K be picked up and operated with two hands to work it. Aaaaargh!!

Huh, I find the volume on my Kindle to be quite high (and much louder than I'd expected, honestly). But why is dismissing the screensaver such an issue? Does the audio stop playing when it comes on or something?

But yes, the Kindle Keyboard (previously called the Kindle 3) has an Audible application so it saves your place. I add regular audiobook MP3s (from librivox or wherever) to the Audible folder as well, though of course that won't save your place if you pause for an extended period.

234

If you're listening to the Kindle (rather than reading) you're likely to put it down and either do something else while listening, or recline back in a chair, or something. There comes a point - quite frequently with me! - where I realise my attention has wandered and I need to wind back a minute or two.

Now, if the screensaver is on - and there's no way to control if or when it comes on - you'd want to just stretch out, touch the screen, hit the rewind button, and all's well. The way things are you have to PICK UP the Kindle, press that horrid on/off switch with one hand while resisting your push with the other, before the screensaver goes off... now do you see how poor the design is? It's like they added audio as an afterthought, without bothering to design for it.

My Sony e-reader has audio capability (mp3 format - no Audible, no WMA), and I have used it for spoken stuff: podcasts and short stories mostly. As I understand it, the feature was intended for adding background music during e-reading.

234 - I wouldn't say that's not planning for audio, just not planning for people's attention to wander. I think it's the same button, and I do mine one handed by holding the side of the kindle with my fingers while sliding the button with my thumb. Surely it's only an extra ten seconds to pick it up before you rewind? It does seem ridiculous that with the Touch you can't just touch away the screensaver, but does that extra 10-15 seconds really matter?

237

It's not the time involved. I'm disabled, so the effort involved is increasingly great. And let's face it, anyone's attention can wander! Like when you're reading, and you have to read the same paragraph three times, you know?

Unfortunately, the fiddly on/off switch isn't a slider. I wish it was. It's a grotesquely small, thin little bar that has to be pushed IN.

I bought the Touch after my thumbs almost fell off from the games I was playing on my keyboard Kindle. I, too, miss the slider button.

When listening to the Touch, I have to wait for the screen saver to come on before I can walk around and do other stuff or I accidently touch the screen and do something I don't want to do to the audio.

I want the new lighted screen feature and I've been looking at the new models. I see the Fire has nicer speakers. I just don't want to have to find a WiFi spot just to read the book description. I wish the books came with the description without having to go to the store. (I'm talking about the ones I've already bought.) Dust jacket descriptions are not always accurate, but they are better than nothing! (I do have the lighted cover for my keyboard Kindle, but my brother has appropriated it and so I have to use an external light to read my Touch in the dark.

239

We would both have been catered for if the Touch settings allowed us to set WHEN or IF the screensaver comes on.

Yes, exactly! I sure wish people would talk to me when they are designing stuff. :)

Ah, I understand about difficult buttons (I have chronic pain and flexibility in my hands).

It seems odd to me that a smaller kindle was needed at all, given how small and light the keyboard one already is. I don't understand the mania behind touch sensitive screens though. It seems like they should have just improved the keyboard Kindle rather than creating a million new lines, all of which seem to have serious issues and in some ways seem like a downgrade. I'm not sure I understand the lighted one either, since for me the whole point of the Kindle was that it wasn't internally lighted and thus wouldn't hurt my eyes anymore than reading a print book. More and more I want to buy a second keyboard model as a backup for when they inevitably stop making it.

Back to audiobooks, I'm a few discs into A Ship for the King by Richard Woodman.

I have the same screen-saver problem when listening on my Android smartphone. I much prefer using my little cheapy Sansa Clip. It has physical buttons that I can press without looking, because my hands know where they are. Other bonus is its tiny size and light weight. I can't imagine carrying a Kindle around while I exercise or do yard work!

I just finished listening to Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman read by Lenny Henry (not a favorite of mine usually but he did a really good job with this book). It was brilliant, really good fun, but slightly dark and creepy at times too, Gaiman on top form. It got me through walking home from walk in the rain for a week :)

I think that adding audio to Kindles was an attempt to get folks who didn't own mp3 players to consider Audible, rather than an attempt to make Kindles into mp3 player alternatives.

245

I think that's possibly true. My objections are :

1. Why can't you access the Audible shop on the Touch like you can the Amazon shop?
2. Why didn't they expand the available space to minimum 16GB, considering an audiobook is around 100 times bigger than a text book?

When in the Kindle store, there is a see Audio option. Of course, the 3G won't let me download a book. I still have to wait for Wifi.

I like my Touch. I didn't buy a cover so it is a lot lighter than my keyboard with cover version. And my thumbs are very grateful. I play a lot of games (I also read a lot too at the expense of household chores :().

I love my old iPod and don't know what I'll do when it dies (it's almost 5 years old). I tried listening to an audiobook once on my keyboard Kindle and wasn't thrilled. It seemed kind of cumbersome, compared with the iPod.

Right now am listening to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, though I had to skip over one disc which was defective. It wasn't too much of a problem, though, because the story conforms to the plotline of the original P&P, except to the extent zombies are added, so I wasn't lost.

"Mr Bennett, may I pick your brains for a moment?" "Certainly. Did you bring your own fork?"

:D

Tid 246:

I'm assuming that they went with the idea that folks only needed enough space to load one (part of a) book at a time onto their Kindles.

My Sony e-reader has a memory card slot; I have the 1Gb card that came with my mobile phone (where I'd never use it) filled with a few short MP3 books (less than 6 hours each), and some podcasts, which takes up much of the available space.

I finished Her Royal Spyness which was fantastic light mystery on audio, I didn't want it to end, wicked, satire of London in the 1930's, delicious! Katherine Kellgren was terrific with all the many aristocratic accents. A must on audio. Now I'm beginning Deception by Amanda Quick, narrated by Anne Flosnik.

>249 Tid: LOL Yes, really funny bits like that have me giggling, and I'm not really much of a zombie fan.

I started Speak Memory today but I don't think it's going to work. The sentences are exquisite but hard to follow, at least for me. Then the tracks are 8 mins long and the reader is not all that great.

250

Yes, but when they advertise that for (non-audio) books you can have "3000 novels on your Kindle!!!", then why should that not also apply to audiobooks? I could fit fewer than 30 on mine, where I would realistically like to have at least 100.

Dune narrated by Simon Vance.

I've finished To Let and, despite the complaints earlier, I loved it. I think I'm ready for more Dickens now. The only Anton Lesser-read story I have left is A Tale of Two Cities, which is quite short (for Dickens) so I will make that my next listen.

Staring Call the Midwife by, Jennifer Worth narrated by, Nicola Barber wanted to listen to this one before it comes on PBS Masterpiece Theater

256> Glad to hear that you ended up liking To Let! I'm about 1/3 into the second part, and the repetitions are really starting to grate on my nerves. I hit the part where "THIS . . . is audible" comes in around Chapter 7--really bad editing there.

256 - That is my favorite book by Dickens and my favorite Dickens reader :)

Critics often call it out as Dickens' weakest novel put I enjoyed its over-the-top symbolism and melodrama.

I'm currently chuggin' through a dry BOT version of Pillars of Hercules

Yesterday started The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux. Read it many years ago. Just found it on audio at my local library. Enjoying it so far.

I'm enjoying The Rook, debut thriller/mystery novel by Daniel O'Malley. It's got it's flaws, but holds my interest well. I'm not keen on the reader, Susan Duerden. She has a repetitive upswing in her tonation that would be better for a romance than a thriller.

#260 - I've never understood why critics don't like A Tale of Two Cities, in my opinion all of Dickens' books are melodromatic and over the top, that's what I love about them :)

Starting Casual Vacancy by, J.K. Rowling narrated by, Tom Hollander

264 - I am definitely curious to know what people think of that one!

I've just started Cahokia by Timothy R. Pauketat.

Mabith-- I'm already enjoying the narrator and trying to just listen to it without thinking of who the author is.

Tom Hollander is a terrific character actor. Not surprised that he narrates well. Can't wait to hear what you think of Casual Vacancy.

NarratorLady--Thanks for mentioning that I was trying to figure out who he was because he only has 3 narrations on audible.

Susiesharp: Here are photos of him:
http://www.google.com/search?q=tom+hollander&hl=en&prmd=imvnso&tbm=i...

He's been in tons of things from Gosford Park to Pride and Prejudice to the John Adams series where he played King George III. I'll definitely wait to get the audio book to hear him read Casual Vacancy.

Narratorlady-- Ok I recognize him now!Thanks! BTW I am absolutely loving his voice!

Oh yes - he's the very short guy who stars in Rev (sitcom set in a London church). I like him.

Just started American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition: A Novel by Neil Gaiman, the multi-cast recording. Going to have to get used to that.

I'm a couple of hours into Kosher Chinese - Jewish author's time in the Peace Corps in China. That's a bit of a stretch as a "hook" since he's not Kosher, or otherwise particularly observant. Wish I could've seen the look on his face when a student asked whether "American cheese" would work to make a pizza!
The narrator speaks kind of slowly, and sounds older than the author, but his Chinese, and Chinese-accented English, seem flawless to me.

Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik. I am enjoying the series, mostly. Enough that I am on book 4.

>272 spounds: How are you liking the multi-cast recording of American Gods? My dh wanted me to pick it up and I'm hesitating.

Thanks,

Penn

I'm about to begin Salman Rushdie's memoir, Joseph Anton.

#272 I love that audiobook, and didn't find it difficult to get into the full cast production at all; I think it made the book.

272 - Ah, I'll have to avoid that one (it would be a reread). I really don't care for multi-cast recordings. If they want to do a radio play they should just do that,

I've just started Dodger by Terry Prachett. Read by Stephen Briggs, who I like quite a lot (he's done the last 14 Discworld books).

Well I had to quit The Casual Vacancy for a little while when I realized book club is a week away so I am now listening to Crocodile on the Sandbank by, Elizabeth Peters narrated by, Barbara Rosenblat we decided to read something light and fluffy this month after a couple pretty heavy books! I will go back to Casual Vacancy eventually.

Listening to something I tried to listen to a year ago and just could not get into. It stayed on my iPod, though, and, recently, when I ran out of something else to listen to, I went back to it. Now I'm hooked and cannot stop listening to it ~ the heck with sleep, and grocery shopping, and checking to see what's going on here with LT and with Facebook. Luckily, I can eat while listening to it or I might starve. Oh, yes, the novel is Under the Dome. Strange how something that is "meh" at one time can be "wow" another.

280

There's hope for some books then! I just downloaded Fatherland (Robert Harris) as I liked the "what if...?" behind the novel's premise. I'll report back what it's actually like.

Just browsing the library shelves for audio books, so that I am NEVER without a couple of options, I picked up Mister Monday by Garth Nix. And I've found an author I can rely on to tell a good story and keep my interest. And he's prolific enough to keep me in tales for a while.

280> I still think the two that I never finished are probably hopeless for me: The Elegance of the Hedgehog and Special Topics in Calamity Physics.

I'm feeling a bit under the weather (a bad cold) so I'm giving A Tale of Two Cities a break and consoling myself with some Georgette Heyer Bath Tangle. I shall go back to the Dickens when I'm feeling better.

Just started Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling.

Re: 275, 277, 278

It is getting a little less annoying. At the very beginning the conversations are fairly brief and so the one word responses to each other sounded inauthentic, but now that they are talking in paragraphs, it's not as bad. I'm still really early on in the book. I am a slow listener.

I'm listening to Moby Dick; or the whale by Herman Melville as read by a variety of famous and not-so-famous people via The Moby Dick Big Read, http://mobydickbigread.com . . . check it out! A chapter a day from September 2012 until . . . January 2013? (135 chapters)

Tonight is a good night to turn the TV off and finish Speak Memory.

I finished Deception by Amanda Quick, narrated by Anne Flosnick and am now beginning Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintryre, narrated by John Lee.

>283 Cariola: I don't know about Elegance, Cariola, but I listened to and enjoyed Special Topics, if that helps any, though I saw some bad reviews for it. Actually, for both of them.

I felt that way about The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wau and The Eyre Affair when I first tried to listen to them and, same as with Under the Dome, fell under their spells on the second (and in the case of Oscar Wau, the third) tries. There are others though that I am certain I will never finish; American Psycho sprints* immediately to mind. On the other hand, never say never is my motto. At least until I kick the bucket. Then all bets are off. So to speak.

*(Edit) I meant "springs," but "sprints" works just as well.

>284 CDVicarage: Feel better soon, CDVic. I haven't read that Heyer yet ~ enjoy! Heyer's sure to perk you up, at least your spirits, and that's sometimes half the job.

I'm listening to Gunslinger narrated by George Guidall and I am really enjoying it. I love the story and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job of the narration.