I thought the Part 3 thread was getting a bit long so I started a new one.

I haven't been listening to any audiobooks lately, though I've tried. Probably just wasn't in the mood for the books I've chosen. Today, however, I struck gold ~ The Mistress of Death by Ariana Franklin. Excellent reader, and the story is fascinating.

i finished the gnostic gospels by elaine pagels. loved it, but at the same time feel that the book was so rich that audiobook was not the best format. there were many passages that i wanted to reread but found myself dreading going back 4 minutes of text. i listen to audiobooks when i'm in my workshop but this one really demanded my complete attention. highly recommended though.

yesterday i began the line of beauty by alan hollinghurst.

In for the kill by John Lutz

I abandoned The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer. It was just tooooooooo loooong and boring. Bleh.

Cathedral of the Sea by Idelfonso Falcones. I'm about in the middle of it. It's a bit of a slow starter, but it's much like Pillars of the Earth. It is set in Catalonia (Spain, now) in the 14th century and centers around the building of Santa Maria del Mar, the most beautiful Gothic church, funded and built by the people of Barcelona.

I am listening to american gods by Neil Gaiman and really like it. In fact I am having some driveway moments with it. I find that I am idling the car while listening to a book! So then I shut off the car and leave the story running so I can get to a good stopping place. Just like when I read a book.

Even though I like the book at first I was not sure about the reader. I didn't exactly like the tone of his voice or something. I still am not sure about whether I like his reading, but I sure do like the story and don't think that my doubts about the reader are effecting my enjoyment of the story. It seems to me that the reader doesn't ruin the story but he/she can make the story come alive in ways that reading it for myself doesn't. Years ago I listened to hunting season by Nevada Barr. I had never read a one of her books and so wasn't an Anna Pidgeon fan coming into the listening, but that reading of the book turned me into a Nevada Barr fan. I am not sure that I would have read any of these mysteries had I not been sucked into them by that rendition of the book. It was this reading that really turned me on to recorded books.

I'm listening to Oliver Sacks' An Anthropologist on Mars, read by the author. What a treat.

Finally getting to The Maltese Falcon and despite knowing and trying to assimilate Hammett's description of Spade, I can't get Bogie out of my head.

Started Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood today. My only previous exposure to her work was an audiobook of early novel Bodily Harm, which I was quite underwhelmed by. On the evidence of the first half disc of this, it is much more up my street.

Oh I LOVED Oryx & Crake and also listened to it. Enjoy!

I just finished The Bible on Cassette by Steven B. Stevens. Wow, that was a long one, 48 cassettes of killing, ethnocentrism, violence, sexual perversion, geneology, public health statutes and really tricked out gaudy temples. And that was just the OT! Favorites included the Torah, Job, Songs (erotica), Gospels (the very familiar) and Revelation (freaky).

Just finished High Noon by Nora Roberts, not sure what is next. I will have to have a look at the library tomorrow and see what strikes me.

Started Magyk by Angie Sage, the first in the YA (or perhaps even childrens') series about Septimus Heap. So far, it's all right ~ not as good as HP or Artemis Fowl, but diverting enough. I almost finished knitting a summer scarf while listening, and that's always a good thing!

just finished listening to american gods by neil gaiman. it was a good listen, although I have to admit that the reader was a bit annoying at first. But i got past that and got so that I enjoyed listening to him.

An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris - third (last?) in her Harper Connelly series - Alyssa Bresnahan does her usual terrific job narrating!

Recently started Descent, book one of the 7th Son series by J. C. Hutchins. Originally released in serial podcast episodes, but I've got all three on the iPod to listen to in full.

The reader is soooo important. Some great works have been destroyed to me because my ears just can't take the reader's voice. Conversely, some less than great works have been enhanced by great readers.

An example of the latter, to my way of thinking is World War Z, by Max Brooks. Since I'm not much of a science fiction buff, took out the audio for curiosity sake, after reading lots of good stuff about it on LT. I would never have made it through the book (only because the subject matter is not my kind of thing), but the readers, all of them famouse actors, with each section read by a different voice) was so enthralling, that I enjoyed every last word.

Fortunately, I haven't had to abandon many audios due to poor reading.

just finished the power of myth which i had read eons ago. yesterday i started suite francaise. this is the first time i download from the library. downloading is very convenient but in this format the tracks are 1hr long each. yikes.

i am really really enjoying suite francaise. great reader. very well written. feels very xix century. breaks your heart knowing how it was written and what happened to the author.

I loved, loved, loved Suite Francaise. It was one of my favorite audios last year. Enjoy!

I love Bill Bryson and so got In a Sunburned Country at the library today. I've already read it, but am enjoying listening him read his own stuff.

>19

thanks vivienbrenda!

The only thing I remember about In a Sunburned Country was the jokes. You know the ones, the one about the widower alone at the football game and the one about the 7-year old helping the contractors next door. Hilarious, but no spoilers here. I'll leave it like that.

BTW, I'm currently listening to a Teaching Company Great Courses series called The Will to Power: The Philosophy of Fredrich Nietzsche. Professors are husband and wife Robert Solomon and Kathleen Higgins. It's just a BIT different than Bryson.

Dodsworth by Sinclair Lewis -- I loved Grover Gardner's narration of the Topper books, set in the same era; although Grover tries hard, the book is dragging, so I'll probably put it aside halfway, and return later ... maybe.

Just finished Cathedral of the Sea finally. It's very good if you can stand a long-18 cds-one. The reader was great--at first I thought he was a little flat, but he has great intonation. A very dynamic voice would get tiresome in such a long book. He pronounces the names and places with their Catalan pronunciation, which adds to the atmosphere.

The reader's name is Paul Michael.

Now, I'm taking out To the Power of Three by Laura Lippman.

Message edited by its author, Aug 13, 2008, 1:42pm.

Generally, I listen to what I call BC (brain candy) books because I am working while I listen and I want to take notes on nonfiction books. Right now, I am listening to Light in Shadow by Jayne Ann Krentz before I move on to Truth or Dare also by Ms. Krentz.

Currently trying to get into a Kimberla Lawson Roby called Changing Faces, having trouble feeling it, looking forward to some that I just got downloaded from Audible, Gena Showalter I think they are the Lords of the Underworld series - something like that.

#20 karenmarie - Great minds think alike, I just picked up In a Sunburned Country from the library today. I started listening to it on the drive home and already can tell I will like it. I haven't read any of Bryson before, but have only heard very good things. I have A Short History of Nearly Everything, that my husband has been reading and I will eventually get to it.

#20 & 28
Years ago I read A Walk in the Woods and it was the funniest thing I had read in a long time. Since then I listened to I'm a Stranger Here Myself. It was read by the author and was an abridged version. I was so inspired by this reading that I purchased the hardcopy and read the entire book. I haven't read any of Bryson's latest books but suspect that like most writer's he gets better with each book.

I'm listening to The Pure in Heart by Susan Hill. I like this mystery series and the narrator, Steven Pacey does a very good job.

At the moment I'm listening to Kuono kohti tähteä by Tuula Korolainen with my toddler daughter, as well as a fairy tale called Neljä hyvää haltiatarta, which is based on an old fairy tale and thus doesn't really have a writer.

On my own I'm listening to A Player's Primer to the Outlands by Jeff Grubb.

Message edited by its author, Aug 16, 2008, 4:22pm.

I've recently become a Bill Bryson groupie. I started by listening to Short History of Nearly Everything, which should have been a snorer if anyone else had writen or narrated it...but I loved it so much that it's on my hard drive forever. I often put Short History back on my ipod just to listen to parts of it. Any part. He's that good.

Since then I've listened to A Walk in the Woods, (which was not read by the author is not as enjoyable as he is in his own voice, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, In a Sunburnt Country, Shakespeare another topic that could have been obscure and frankly boring, since so little is known about Shakespeare, but turned out to be another keeper, and have on my audio ready to go Notes From a Small Country.

None of these audios will ever be deleted from my computer. I just can't praise him enough. And, I thank LT members for introducing him to me. I never would have found him on my own.

the rest is noise: listening to the twentieth century by alex ross. got to cd#12 only to find out that cd#13 is blank. and so is cd#15. feeling cranky.

excellent book. there are brief sections that are too technical for me and stories that are just not interesting. but overall it is an excellent book, specially the chapters on the soviet union under stalin, and german music and hitler. highly recommended. at least up to cd#12.

Message edited by its author, Aug 17, 2008, 12:15pm.

I am listening to The Iliad. It is narrated by the translator Stanley Lombardo. His translation is very down to earth and uses a lot of contemporary language. He is also a good narrator. I would recommend it to any one who likes this book.

Finished In a Sunburned Country. Wonderful. I particularly like listening him read his own stuff - he is an American but has lived in England for most of his adult life. It comes out in his phrasing and even accent sometimes.

I started City of Masks by Daniel Hecht. I really don't like female readers - I confirm that opinion with every book listened to - but I'm really enjoying the story so far and so will keep on listening.

It's not their fault, but women just can't do men's voices convincingly. It immediately sets my nerves on edge. For some reason men reading women's voices doesn't bother me.

I am listening to I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming. This series is read by Suzanne Toren, and she does an wonderful job. I love this series and have "read" both print and audio versions of each installment.

#35, I thought your comment about women reading men's voices was interesting, because just this afternoon I was thinking that the lead male character in this book really does sound like a man's voice - not all the male voices are done so convincingly, but the lead certainly is. I think women readers with lower voices do a much better job - all around, but especially with male voices - than those with higher pitched voices. On the other hand, I prefer male readers who have tenor voices as opposed to baritones, but mostly because they are harder to hear on my car stereo (Dick Hill is especially tricky to hear - even though he is an excellent reader). Most men can do a passable falsetto, so I don't have much problem hearing a woman's voice with a male reader regardless of his natural pitch.

Vicious Circle by Mike Carey. 2nd in a burgeoning Felix Castor series. Narrator isn't British and the accent slips a lot...intonation and pronounciation wrong, too, but I'm laughing it off.

Strangely, this title no longer appears at audible.com. It's in my library there and on my iPod now, but when I click on it in my library an error comes up. Very weird. Some snag with the rights no doubt.

Gena Showalter series, Lords of the Underworld the whole series is on sale at audible.com right now. I am excited to start it.

Finished Magyk, which was only okay, and have started Portrait in Sepia, which so far is wonderful!

I'm working my way through World without End by Ken Follett. I'm enjoying it but I liked Pillars of the Earth better.

I listened to Alan Bennett's lateste The Uncommon Reader, read by the man himself over the weekend on a trip to Norfolk. Good fun.

Since then, I've moved onto one of Ian Rankin's non-Rebus works, Watchman. In the introduction written in 2003 (the novel was originally published in 1988, between the first and second Rebus novels), Rankin himself describes it as "a young man's book", and it shows. This is Rankin's attempt at a Graham Greene/John Le Carre style spy novel. Whilst it is by no means dreadful, Rankin made the right decision in sticking with Rebus as a series character.

Message edited by its author, Aug 27, 2008, 12:28pm.

#33

I just purchased the book rest is noise. I was afraid to buy it in recorded version because I might not like it well enough to have invested that much money in it. (Our public library didn't have it in the recorded version.) I heard the author on NPR's performance today and liked what I heard enough to buy the book. I am glad to hear that somebody else liked the essays. There is so little written about the role of music in the culture in general and almost nothing about modern classical music that this has to be enlightening. I am looking forward to the read. Too bad I didn't take the plunge and purchase the recorded book.

I read the comments about the female reader doing male voices and found this idea that women can't do men's voices as well as men can do women's to be of great interest. I think it is because we are still so unaccustomed to hearing women speak in public in general as themselves that the idea of them speaking in another voice is still odd and disconcerting. Especially if the woman is imitating a voice of power and authority. The idea that men can do women's voices is as old as theater. It has not been that long ago that women couldn't act in public and men played women's parts. This didn't make anybody uncomfortable then and still doesn't. (Tootsie) And yet Julie Andrews playing a man was more upsetting to some than Dustin Hoffman as Tootsie or Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire. (If there was a hew and cry about Hoffman or Williams I don't recall it, but I might be wrong.)

There are times when I don't like it when readers try to imitate voices, and it doesn't matter if the reader is a man or a woman. There are times that I wish they would just read the story and quit trying to be actors. That doesn't mean that I don't want life and passion in the voice, I just don't want acting.

Small disaster. Cassette #6 of City of Masks by Daniel Hecht got chewed up in my car's cassette player. I put it in, started re-winding it because the blankety-blank person who listened to it before me didn't have it positioned at the beginning of side A, and it shredded it.

This has never happened to me before. I'm not thrilled at the idea of telling the librarian this, but worse than that, now I've missed a whole bunch of stuff! Cassette #7 mentions stuff on the shredded tape. Bleh.

#43 benitastrnad - very interesting and good points about women readers - I'm the person who mentions this every chance in every thread there's a remote possibility that it makes sense.

I have a pretty low voice for a woman as a matter of course, so I think I could possibly have a crack at imitating a man's voice. Sometimes when I'm on the phone w/someone new to me, they think I'm a man (ok, so this is usually in the early morning when the fog is still really thick in my voice). My gender neutral first name doesn't help either. Overall though, I'm glad for my low voice. Sometimes the high-pitched, cartoon voices of a lot of women are really irritating.

#43 I don't expect readers to be actors, but I like it when they make an effort to differentiate between characters. Being able to imitate a man's or woman's voice, or mimic accents makes it easier to follow the dialogue, and is similar to what my mind's ear hears when I read a print book. Unlike some comments I've seen here, I don't have a preference of male readers vs. female readers. Generally, I expect male readers when the book is told by a male author or male character's POV and vice-versa. However, sometimes having a book read by the opposite gender really gives it bit of extra energy. I like the way you described wanting "life and passion in the voice" - right on the money.

#42 benitastrnad

turns out only cd#13 of the rest is noise is blank. even with that one glitch i did enjoy the book very much. (its a good thing i borrowed it from the library) hope you enjoy it as well!

Started listening to Affinity by Sarah Waters on the way home from work this evening.

As far as readers doing opposite-sex voices is concerned, I tend to have more trouble with male readers doing female voices than the other way around. George Guidall is an example. He often reads a female voice with a tone that sounds snotty or childish to me. Another reader who is actually one of my favorites - David Case/Frederick Davidson - does dozens of different voices for men but only one or two for women. When I was listening to his stuff constantly, this got a little wearing.

I just started listening to The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer and am enjoying it so far.

am about 1/2 way through Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanicka (sp?). have been a fan of his blog for years and am idiotically happy for him and his success. He's and excellent writer and knows his subject well. Makes me VERY glad I've never worked in food service. Retail was bad enough.

I am listening to the first book in Anne Perry's World War I series, No Graves as Yet, and will be listening to the rest of the series over the course of the next few weeks. I do not particularly care for the way that some of the voices are being done by the narrator, Michael Page, but maybe I will get used to it by the time I have finished.

Finally, after many breaks (non-travel status for a while), I finished up Jasper Fforde's The Fourth Bear (author touchstone is picking up wrong title) and enjoyed it very much. I will definitely be looking for some of the other Fforde books in audio format for the future.

Meanwhile, I have an interlibrary loan of Lewis Black's Me of Little Faith which I will start tomorrow on my way to HS reunion.

Got hold of an audio version of Garden Spells, excited to get started.

I'm listening to The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill, which is the last (so far) in her Simon Serrailler mystery series. I'll be looking out for the next one to come out - I really enjoy these.

I just finished listening to Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, which I highly recommend.

Started listening to Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana by Anne Rice last night. While I don't think the reader (sorry, it's on my iPod and I don't know who the reader is) is as good as the reader of the first of the series (don't remember who that is, either ~ sorry, again), I was quickly engrossed in the story and made a semi-conscious decision to ignore the reader as much as possible. It isn't that he was difficult to understand. He just had this slow, low-key, drawling sort of voice that would drive me nuts if I had to listen to it 24-7 for the rest of my life.

finished middlesex by jeffrey eugenides. not sure what i expected but didn't think this was going to be a family saga. the reader was a bit over anxious at the beginning but calmed down after 15 minutes or so. overall i enjoyed it.

right now i'm working through snow by orhan pamuk. at this point its a mixed bag. there were some passages that infuriated me but i just finished a couple of sections that were really extraordinary. evidently the guy can write.

Listened to I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert yesterday. I don't watch the Colbert Report so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but damn, was it funny!

Just kickked off Xiaolu Guo's A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers. It's a cute story so far, but a little bitty and fractured to be ideal for audiobook.

I'm listening to Medicus by Ruth Downie. Story-wise it's OK, but she's got far, far too much modern verbiage in her Trajan-period Rome, even if it is set in the nosebleed section.

Enjoyed the Lewis Black audio of Me of Little Faith. Overall it was pretty good except for the "play" that was included towards the end. Not great even with sound effects, etc. Would have been better to have left it out entirely.

Did Full Bloom by Janet Evanovich on a road trip to and from a conference this weekend. So-so story and similar in some respects to Agnes and the Hitman (Jennifer Crusie) but not as good. I much prefer Evanovich's "Number" series and will be starting Fearless Fourteen tomorrow.

Am listening to The naming of the dead by Ian Rankin. I like the narrator ok, but it's really annoying when there are skips and problems on the cds. This is a library copy.

Am almost to the end of the strangely enjoyable Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde.

Now, what is strange about that is I tried to listen to this 2-3 months ago and absolutely hated it. What is different? Same reader. Same book (obviously). Different mood? I hope. Otherwise it goes on the "Things That Indicate I Have a Split Personality" side of the ledger.

I'm listening to 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. Quiete enjoyable. Several stories of polygamy and the polygamos lifestyle threaded together, some fiction, some non-fiction...

I guess this is catagorized historical fiction, but a good part of the book is based on an actual memoir by Ann Eliza Young, the outcast 19th wife (although I've read her place in his family of wives was probably a much higher number). The ficitionalized version of the real memoir is recounted, along with "interviews?" and "newspaper articles",

Interspersed among this background is the story of a contemporary woman accused her murdering her husband --- she being his 19th wife.

I don't even know if this second story really happened, and haven't found out yet; I really don't want to do any more research until I've finished listening to the audio. I do highly recommend this, however.

I'm listening to Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik. Fun fantasy, dragons during the Napoleonic wars.

I'm listening to The Host and so far it is pretty interesting. Very different from the Twilight series. I'm not usually a huge Sci fi fan but this is holding my interest.

# 66

Funny! I am currently listening to The Host as well. I have never read or listened to the Twilight series (I have intentions to do so, but just haven't done it yet) and purchased the CD of this book on a whim. It has taken me until about CD 5 to really get involved with the story. My friends, most of whom are not SciFi fans, said the same thing. I have read some SciFi and I thought this book was slow going at first. It is getting much better but even so it is not at the stage where I can't wait to get into the car just so I can find out what happened.

Oh and # 63

I read the Eyre Affair and have listened to the others in the series (as well as his Nursey Crimes series - and just love them! They are so funny. I also admit that almost, they have inspired me to read a couple of the classic works by the Bronte sisters. (Jane Eyre is on my list - I have already read Wuthering Heights so don't have to do that one). I have a feeling that these books are so full of literary puns that if you haven't read the classics to which they refer that you miss out on some of the humor. By-the-way, the books have these wonderful comic book style pages at the end that are just as funny as the story itself. After listening to the books go to a bookstore or a library and take a look at the hard copy. It will really make your day!

#68 Thanks! I'm going to the library tomorrow and will do just that! BTW, I read Jane Eyre about a year ago, would you believe in preparation for reading The Eyre Affair?!? So that wasn't the problem the first time I tried to listen to it. I'm now looking forward to listening to Lost in a Good Book, which I have on my iPod. That is, after I finish my current audiobook ~ The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman, which started out pretty strangely and slow but which I am now scarcely able to stop listening to long past my bedtime.

Message edited by its author, Oct 3, 2008, 10:18pm.

finished the worst reading of madame bovary ever. avoid the ronald pickup version at all costs. tis painfully bad.

just started american pastoral by philip roth, read by ron silver. silver is perfect for roth. he was great on the plot against america and is doing great on this one too. oh and the story is developing beautifully.

Message edited by its author, Oct 5, 2008, 8:11pm.

#71 Mejix ~ Thanks for the info! It's my goal to read Roth this year (for the first time), so it's good to know there's a good audiobook of a couple of his novels.

Finished The Ice Queen which was amazing after the first half, and am now in the middle of and loving Ines of my Soul, by Isabel Allende.

Just started Sarah Addison Allen - Sugar Queen, loved Garden Spells. Heard Sugar Queen not as good compared, but how about as just another book. I wanted to know so, now I will.

i"m new to audio and already a huge fan. I started out listening to Robert Parker's School Days which was wonderfully read by Joe Mantegna. My only complaint was that Mantegna did the women's voices in a strange manner that was somewhat off-putting. Next I listened to Harlan Coben's wonderful The Innocentwhich was beautifully read. Now I am on my third and so far favourite audio book, this is Ruth Rendell's A Sight for Sore Eyes and I don't know who the reader is (some english dame) but she is phenomenal. The reading has taking the novel to such a high level that I am constantly astonished by how sensational this work is.

I just got The Odyssey narrated by Susan Sarandon and Stanley Lombardo and it is GREAT! I originally purchased it in prep for tackling Ulysses, but I'm enjoying it so much, I might continue on with their rendition of The Iliad instead.

I just finished Anne of the Island and I'm now downloading Pride and Prejudice (read by Kate Redding) onto my MP3 player to listen to next.

I started listening to Skeletons at the Feast today in the car, but grrrr...there's skipping on Disc 1. I'll probably have to return it to the library unread.

I'm listening to the new Agatha Raisin mystery A Spoonful of Poison by M.C. Beaton on my iPod.

In my car I'm listening to The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry.

Finished Fearless Fourteen on the way home tonight and have already got Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day ready to start on Monday - unless a loverly Indian Summer weekend road trip should occur....

My new audiobook is Kate Atkinson's Case Histories. I listened to Behind the Scenes at the Museum a few years back and thought it was just great. So far, this is shaping up well too. It is read by Susan Jameson.

I'm listening to The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton now. Just started, but so far it's good.

I finished listening to Ruth Rendell's A Sight for Sore Eyeswhich was an excellent novel and beautifully read by an english woman named Dunota ...She did a remarkably fine job. I am now listening to Michael Connelly'sCrime Beatwhich is a collection of journalistic pieces he wrote in the late eighties and early nineties. This is a mixed bag. There is a lot of repetition in the stories and some are not as worthwhile to listen to as others are. And there are some that are very powerful. The readings are done by three different narrators. The first was Len Caiou and he did an alright job, nothing spectacular but what can you do when you are reading journalistic pieces? Now the reader is a woman, I don't know her name. There is a third reader coming up in the next set of discs. The entire work is abridged so I'm not sure if the actual pieces have been edited(if so poorly as it reflects on the inconclusiveness of some of the work) or entire sections have been cut. If you're a big fan of true crime this might be for you, if you're a fan of
Connelly(and librarything has tons of them) this isn't such a great work.

Am listening to Brave New World as read by Michael York. Surreal is about all I can say.

#82 I'm pushing my son to download that one. They're remaking the movie you know.

I'm listening to A Confederacy of Dunces, a Blackstone recording. I'm half-way through, it still makes me crack a smile and I haven't tired of it yet.

I'm not even aware of the current Brave New World movies. This is my first reading of it and wasn't sure what to expect. I still say it's very surreal. Not only in message and content, but in delivery and organization. Difficult to say how this would translate to screen. So far Mr. York is doing a good job, but all I can picture in my head is Basil Exposition. : )

Has anyone listened to The Lovely Bones on audio?

I recently finished listening to all of the "Anne of Green Gables" series with my daughter, which both of us really enjoyed; I've read the books many times over but this was her first experience, although we have watched the Kevin Sullivan TV productions. I enjoyed Barbara Caruso's narration, but could barely tolerate those done by Phoebe Moyer, who never did learn that "Avonlea" is only three syllables, not A-von-le-ah! Even my daughter was cringing by the umpteenth time it was mispronounced. I couldn't believe the audio book publishers didn't put a bug in her ear about the correct pronunciation.

Now we are listening to "A Light in the Window" by Jan Karon, narrated by John McDonough. He does an adequate job although he tends to have extra-long pauses that make me think the track has come to an end when it hasn't. Once again, I've read the books but my daughter is just being exposed to Father Tim and the Mitford folks.

I'm listening to The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. It's hilarious!

#88 I loved that audio! I played it in the car when I took my son for an out-of-town campus visit last winter. He had his i-pod, so I planned to listen to the book while he listened to music. It wasn't 20 minutes down the road before he turned the music off and listened to the story with me. We both laughed out loud all the way there and all the way home.

finished american pastoral by philip roth which i enjoyed very much. i'm about two thirds into atonement. the jury is still out on this one. it is clearly well written but i'm not convinced it lives up to the hype. the reader -jill tanner- sounds very much like nadia may, who i barely tolerate.

Message edited by its author, Oct 22, 2008, 1:00am.

>86 - Yes, The Lovely Bones on audio was very good.

Christine Feehans Dark Prince is on the mp3.

'Done with A Confederacy of Dunces. Now that's just one funny book. Best characters in a novel. Wow!

I've moved on to Vanity Fair.

#86, Yes alans I've listened to The Lovely Bones on audio too and really enjoyed it. I thought it was beautifully done. Are you listening to it?

#41 : I thought I was losing my mind when i saw The Uncommon Readeron this month's early review list because I too listened and/or read that book early this summer. I thoroughly enjoyed it--lots of fun. Wonder why it is now Early review? Was this a European edition we read (I got mine from the public library) and now we have the American version coming out? Any ideas?

#56 - I too had the same reaction to the narrator of Christ the Lord by Anne Rice. I really was looking forward to this as I had read (hard copy) the previous book, but the slooooow drawling voice put me to sleep too often. I still have the book on my mp3 and maybe will try again, but a voice that doesn't resonate with the listener for an audio book is as bad as a font that's too small for a printed book.

I just finished The Worst Hard Times by Timothy Egan, the story of the survivors of the Great Dust Bowl during the depression. It was fascinating, and gave me a lot of insight into an era and an area of the country I wasn't familiar with. I also recently finished The Thirteen American Arguments by Howard Fineman. Really interesting, and easy to listen to since it broke up into small segments (download from Overdrive thru the public library.) Am currently listening every evening to a live podcast from the UK of Alexander McCall Smith's newest book Corduroy Mansions. It's read by Andrew Sachs, better known as Manuel on Fawlty Towers. i really enjoy sitting down after dinner with a cup of tea, and 'tuning in' just like we did to the radio when I was kid (I'm really dating myself!).
I'm about to start a Margaret Maron, or one of the Hamish MacBeth mysteries from M.C. Beaton for a change of pace.

I'm going to be listenning to The Lovely Bones starting this weekend. I'm currently in the middle of
Agatha Christie's The Body in the Library. It's
wonderfully read by Stephanie Colewho is a British actress. My only complaint is her rendering of Miss Marple. She is such a frail, delicate thing that her voice sounds wispy and irritating. The other characters are excellent. I also find Miss Marple to be irritatingly smug. I think it's the reading. Otherwise I would say Ms. Cole is doing an excellent job.

I am listening to People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, which is a wonderful novel that goes back and forth in time to trace the history of a Jewish hagada (the book read at Passover), dating back to its beginning 500 years before.

But I really want to weigh in on the reader, Edwina Wren, who just blows me away with her incredible narration. She takes on so many characters, and despite previous complaints about female readers having problems doing male voices, she slips back and forth with such ease, I simply can't believe it. Telling the story involves many cultures and nationalities, and again, she assumes the character and the voice of each as if she has been taken over by the actual spirit of the character.

In the future, I will defintely look for audios read by her. I'm not sure if other LT users or audio listeners are familiar with her, but this is an historic discovery for me.

I just finished listening to People of the Book. The story was fascinating, and I loved the way it went back and forth. I thought the narrator overtried however with all the different accents. i would have preferred that she read them in her own voice. There were times when I thought I was listening to an episode of "Hogan's Heroes" and Sgt Schultz 'vaz talkink for everybohdee.' It really turned me off.

Some accents don't bother me. I love Lisa Lecat reading the Alexander Mccall Smith books because I can really hear how the characters sound, and I can understand the pronounciation of words I'm not familiar with, but the People of the Book reading bothered me enough, that I made a note to look for a used copy to add to my library, so sometime in the future, I can sit down and stroll through without the accents getting in the way.

Recently finished World Without End by Ken Follett - ideal for audio IMHO. I had read the first book in this series, Pillars of the Earth, earlier this year on paper, and I must say I liked this one much better. I do believe the format had something to do with that.

Currently listening to Skull Session by Daniel Hecht. The story's building kind of slowly. The main character has Tourette's Syndrome, so it made for an interesting choice on audio. The reader (sorry, in the car) is handling that very well.

Finished up Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day today - absolutely lovey book, even better than the movie (of course). Read by Frances McDormand who does a very nice job.

Started The Mysterious Benedict Society. Not too sure I like the reader but the story is ok so far (definitely geared for young readers).

I listened to Mysterious Benedict Society and have to say that at first I didn't like the reader. He sounded too much like Mickey Rooney, with that grating child like voice. However, I got past that and got so that I enjoyed his rendition. The story is ok, but it is for younger readers and a little preachy for my taste. But then I am an adult and like my messages to be more subtle.

I just started Duma Key. I was very excited to snag this one. I always get excited when I see a new release, unabridged on the audio shelf at the library.

I just finished Lost on Planet China by J. Maarten Troost. The narrator was Simon Vance who is fast becoming one of my favorite narrators. This book was fascinating and hilarious ad the same time. I loved it so much that I immediately downloaded The Sex Lives of Cannibals which I am going to start today or tomorrow.

I listen to three books at a time, one at home, one in my car's cd player and one in my traveling cassette player for when I'm out of my car shopping, etc.
Now it's Resurrection by Tuckler Malarkey at home interesting and well read so far, Skeletons at the Feast by Christopher Bohjalian in the car excellent and just starting The Champion by Elizabeth Chadwick on the cassette.

finished atonement this last weekend. up next: a bbc radio recording of the history boys by alan bennett which is only a couple of cd's long. after thatthe world is flat by tom friedman. been curious about it for a while so i will give it a try.

>103 Well, I have made it to disk 3 and I am not sure if I am going to go much further. I keep hoping it will get better. I'll be taking a back-up with for my road trip this weekend....

Message edited by its author, Nov 6, 2008, 8:35pm.

Freaky Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oates and She May Not Leave by Fay Weldon.

I finished Resurrection and The Bat by Mary Roberts Rinehart which I liked.
My new "at home" book is Working stiff by tori carrington I recommend this series.

I haven't posted to this group before, but I listen to lots of audio so I decided its time I start!

I just started Roads to Quoz by William Least Heat-Moon and am already in love with it! His sense of humor is right up my alley and I can tell there is lot of adventure on the way. I'll have to look and see who reads it. He has a beautiful, deep, gravely voice that is really nice to listen to.

I just finished Dog Named Christmas which was the perfect feel-good Christmas story. Great reader, heartwarming story, and only three discs long!

Finished Freaky Green Eyes (very good) and am now working on Over Her Dead Body by Kate White. On the last disk of She May Not Leave by Fay Weldon.

I just listened to "Mistress of the Art of Death" - very well done! I have also enjoyed "All Shall Be Well." Next I will listen to "Middlesex."

Started last night The Lovely Bones and so far really unimpressed with the narrator. Her male voices are dreadful, all of the men sound like munchkins and she tends to pause a lot, I have no idea why. The plot is getting better but at eleven discs I'm not sure how much I will enjoy this one. Maybe it will improve a lot.

I'm listening to Death of a Celebrity by M. C. Beaton. I don't even know the name of the reader, but I love his voice - all Scots and baritone-y.

Am near the end of the first 3rd of The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss. It took me some time to get used to the narrator. Story is absolutely great.

for #116

I listened to Coffee Trader by Liss last spring. It was a good story, but I had some trouble with understanding the way the reader pronounced some of the words. Names in particular. I like Liss's books. He takes some obscure historical topic and makes it into a wonderful mystery, adventure, and thriller. Coffee Trader turned out to be very timely. It is about the beginning of the commodities exchange markets in The Netherlands back in the 1600's. I am not sure that I understand the workings of the modern commodities markets any better after having listened to this book, but I do recognize some of the terms that are used in the markets of today. I also for sure got the idea that these markets can be manipulated, and that even the smartest and most experienced traders can be fooled. Therefore, much of what has happened in the last six months in the financial world wasn't that surprising to me. Sometimes the truth is as strange as fiction. Fiction can be a good learning tool and this is certainly true of Liss's work. The plot may be complicated but they do help to explain some things. This is one author that needs more exposure.

Agreed. The Coffee Trader is the only other Liss book I have read, but want to get to Conspiracy of Paper (if that's the correct title) as well. Good combination of period accuracy and engaging plot.

Suite Francaise and Three Cups of Tea one in the car and the other in the house while cooking, sewing etc. Both wonderful books--I can remember having read several books about WWII but none centered in France. "three cups" as it's affectionately known in this house is so touching. It is a wonderful testament to one man's vision and ingenuity. I'm still early enough in the book to say ingenuity mixed with naivete.

#115 Some audios are worth listening to just to hear the reader's voice - A baritone with a Scottish accent sounds absolutely yummy! I love MC Beaton, especially the Hamish MacBeth series, but I can't remember the last time I got one on audio - can you find out the reader's name?

I know that. I've gotten some Henry Strozier books just to hear him.

finished the history boys. this was a radio adaptation of the play by alan bennett. it was hard to distinguish the characters, some of the voices were too similar. hard to follow the story. i wonder if they actually adapted anything for the radio version. i do have to say that all the actors had rich voices that were a real pleasure to listen to.

#120 sjmccreary - the reader is Graeme Malcolm. I'm really enjoying this book. It's a Hamish MacBeth book and I will look for more by MC Beaton.

#121, 123 Just got finished ordering audios by each of these readers. The readers I've gotten on my last several audios have only been so-so, so I'm looking forward to a couple of good ones! I think these will both be new for me - neither name is familiar.

Strozier doesn't do many, unfortunately. the best is probably the Recorded Books version of Gorky Park. Bonus that it is a great book, too. I just finished reading it in hard copy, but I hear Strozier in my head. It's great.

#125 When I searched for him at the library, he came up with quite a few titles. I didn't recognize any, but I noticed that he did several Larry McMurtry's. I didn't notice Gorky Park until I went back just now to check again. The one I picked out is The Killing Moon by Chuck Hogan - don't know anything about this book or author, but it sounded interesting.

I am listening to The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates. I'm in the last third of the book, and I hope Oates pulls it all together. It is a view into post-war America that I don't know much about.

I finished Silks by Dick Francis. It started a little slow but I ended up enjoying it. I can recommend it even if I do have trouble believing that someone can get so beat up and still function.

I am now listening to Tell It to the Skies by Erica James, a favorite author of mine. It is a little too wordy and the description on the back of the container wasn't written by anyone familiar with the book (so far and I'm halfway through!). It affects what I expect to be listening to... Anyway, I'm caught up in the story but there is just too much detail for it to be one of my favorites.

I go to Twilight by Stephenie Meyer next.

If I didn't post before about Brisingr by Christopher Paolini, it really needed editing. I am caught up in the story, but this third book was WAY too long. There is an author interview at the end which is always interesting.

Just finished The Whiskey Rebels - absolutely fantastic, one of my year's best reads. HIghly recommended.

Began The Likeness on the way to work this am. Predictable so far, but I think the author wanted me as the reader to feel comfortable and in familiar territory before she yanks the rug out from under me. Loving the gentle Irish accent of the narrator.

Re: Henry Strozier

He reads Goodbye to a River by John Graves (non-fiction), which I got into more than I thought I would.

I've been toying with downloading that one just to hear him. Maybe I'll give it a go. Love the voice. I even stop and listen to commercials if he's doing them. Crazy.

I am on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - a murder mystery. It's good, but fairly predictable for the genre. It occurs to me that it's a tricky thing making a genre book surprising.

I can't decide what I want to listen to next. I've been eying Anathem but it's gotten such horrible reviews and I'm worried about how they will handle his author created vocabulary on mp3.

I'm listening to The Story of Dr. Doolittle and The Boyfriend List.

I am starting killing rommel by steven pressfield who is one of my favorite writers. I just finished bitter recoil by steven f havill which I enjoyed and Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir another good one. That one is fiction which I generally like better than biography.

I finished the Hamish Macbeth and absolutely loved it.

I just started A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss and it's enjoyable but not really grabbing me yet.

I'm listening to the magician's assistant by ann pratchett which I love.

Finally finished The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. It was good, kept my interest to the end, the story was certainly implausible in some parts, especially nearing the end, but the reader was good.

Now I'm onto non-fiction, listening to The Darkest Jungle by Todd Balf, and read by Scott Brick (always a delight, as we've discussed). This sounds like an amazing story of an expedition across the narrowest piece of land in Central America to explore for possible canal development in the 1850's.

Now I'm listening to Another Man's Moccasins by craig johnson read by George Guidall I've always liked him as a narrator and this mystery in the Walt Longmire series doesn't disappoint.

I just finished The Titanic Murders by MaxAllen Collins and now I'm listening to To Rescue a Rogue. I was pleasantly surprised by the Titanic Murders since I simply downloaded to give myself something to listen to while I got ready for Thanksgiving. I couldn't stop, it was very engrossing.

Roma by Steven saylor read by john lee is what I'm listening to now. I just finished varjak paw by s f said read by george guidall which actually is a childrens' book ages 9 and up. I found it interesting and think it's a good listen for the kids.

One of the best books I ever listened to was Moon of the Red Ponies by James Lee Burke. This is a murder mystery series that is set in Montana - Burke's other home state. I really enjoyed listening to it and thought the book was wonderful. Burke has written so many books and is famous for his Dave Robicheaux books, but I had never heard of this series before I listened to this book. I now wonder if I thought the book was so good becuase I liked the voice of the reader. Has anyone else out there read or listened to this other Burke series? If so what did you think?

I wonder how much affect a reader with a slight accent from the place in which the book is set has on our perceptions of that book? Perhaps this is politically incorrect but after reading some of the earlier posts find it on my mind. I know that in listening to Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency and Blue Shoes and Happiness the reader enhanced my appreciation of that series. I also know that Dan Rather had to take elocution lessons in order to learn to speak with a flat midwestern accent when he was tapped for a job as a major Washington reporter becuase his southern U.S. accent was not acceptable. (he wrote about this in one of his autobiographies.) Several of you posted that you liekd the slight Scottish accent of a certain reader and I wonder if this is because this accent conjurs up images of Sean Connery and the ever debonair James Bond? I wonder if we might think that a female Germanic accent is sexy due to the influence of Heidi Klum or Claudia Scheffer while the Germanic accent of Arnold is heard as somewhat menacing? There is no doubt in my mind that the sound has to affect the way we hear a story, but I wonder to what degree?

The reader makes a big difference for me. Some readers can make me detest a book while others make the book better.

I just finished A Highland Christmas by M. C. Beaton and it was delightful. Only two cd's so it was fast. It was fun and perfect for this time of the year.

And next I start Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.

Message edited by its author, Dec 1, 2008, 2:05am.

Finished Darkest Jungle, wow! Short recording, but compelling listening. I was carrying my iPod around with me everywhere.

I started listening to Inkdeath but found I couldn't remember quite a bit of the previous story, so went back to Inkspell to listen to again. I enjoy Brendan Fraser reading Inkspell, I was disappointed he didn't do Inkdeath as well.

Brendan Fraser also read Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke and did a very good job. Some people don't like the Inkspell series because it gets too long and involved. Plus it is scary. I think it is very European in its outlook. It doesn't baby young adult or children as readers. This series is definately for a more sophisicated reader. I liked the more obsucre and convoluted story line, but my 13 year old neice, who reads alot, did not. She said she wouldn't read another Cornelia Funke book. I thought it just goes to show that cultural differences are very real - even in books.

Have started a fresh Jack Reacher installment, Tripwire. Don't know if I'm hormonal or what, but I almost feel like skipping the evil villian gets in people's faces parts. Oy vey.

I just finished A Conspiracy of Paper and found myself oddly disappointed in in it. It just didn't gel for me and I didn't particularly like Benjamin Weaver. Oh well.

I've started Mary Anne by Daphne du Maurier.

I'm listening to FireFly Lane by Kristin Hannah. So far so good, and the narrator is really good!

Message edited by its author, Dec 3, 2008, 1:15pm.

#145 I've often wondered how younger readers enjoy Cornelia Funke, so that's interesting to hear your niece's feedback. The Inkspell books are certainly not for the faint of heart as there is violence and cruelty in them, as well as being long and convoluted as you say. I enjoy them and am looking forward to Inkdeath. I have Dragon Rider too and enjoy Brendan Fraser's reading of it, I'd forgotten he had done it, it's been awhile since I listened to it.

There are other young adult books out there though that are equally, or even more violent and scary, I'm thinking of Neil Gaiman's Coraline, or Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. I don't read as much YA as I used to, but those two pop to mind.

I finiished The Lovely Bonesyesterday and really ended up loving the book. I didn't care for all of the scenes from heaven because that struck me as being kind of weird, but for the most part I found it to be a very moving work. Next up is Someone to Watch Over Me by Judith McNaught.

Just finished listening to Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell. It had its ups and downs and I didn't like the ending but it kept me listening to the very end. Thought the reader did a good job but the book was only average. Not as many drveway moments as with some books. I like listening to mysteries but decided to do something completely different for the next one so am listening to Natural Born Charmer for a mid-winter change.

Things they carried by Tim O'Brien is an amazing audio. The writing is so eloquent. The reader, Tom Stechshulte is magnificent. This is a -truly moving psueo-memoir of a Vietnam veteran. It reminds of M.A.S.H. without the humor. Brutal but beautiful in it s own way. I know now why it is taught in high school and college classes.

I learned about this book from Library Thing. So thanks once again to all the members who take the time to share their reading/audio experiences.

finished the dissappointment artist by jonathan lethem. took a break and just started blindness by jose saramago. i like the reader in this one. he modifies his voice only very slightly for each character. just enough to identifiy them. i love readers that do that. sometimes they try to hard and sound cartoonish.

touchstones not working tonight apparently.

Message edited by its author, Dec 8, 2008, 11:48pm.

I just finished The Hindenburg Murders by Max Allan Collins and now I've started The Pearl Harbor Murders. I'm also still in the middle of To Rescue a Rogue. One book is upstairs, the other down, so depending where I am, is what I listen to.

Message edited by its author, Dec 6, 2008, 3:24pm.

I'm listening to The Master and Margarita. I'm starting to get into it, thanks to some great internet pages that provide information on characters, themes, symbols, etc.

One of the borrowed library CDs was trashed. No problem, I just caught up reading a few minutes from a free online version and I'm back to audio!

I just finished Bill Bryson's In A Sunburnt Country. It was hilarious. I really enjoy Bryson reading is own work. Made me want to hop on a plane and head to Austrailia.

Message edited by its author, Dec 8, 2008, 9:19pm.

Finished The Lecture by Randy Paush recently - I would not recommend that.

I did like The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer.

I also liked Goldengrove by Francine Prose. This is the story of a young teenager who suffers the death of her older sister and the subsequent course of grief she and her family go through. I thought it was good, but it was pretty emotional.

I also enjoyed as very light reading Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler--a time-travel/light romance.

Currently reading Play Dead by David Rosenfelt and The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry.

Just started See Delphi and Die on the way to work. Love Falco and his bizarre menagerie.

I am wading though Twilight. Usually I like YA fiction and I love romance so I thought I'd like this. I am only halfway through and maybe it gets better, but I have almost fallen asleep on two different occasions in the car listening to it. This one is boring so far! There has been almost no plot yet.

I have switched for now to The Secret of Bees and it is a lot better.

I'm not sure why this posted four times. If it was something I did, my apologies.

I waded though Twilight. It was awful. The premise is really interesting, but there was too little story and too much angst for my taste.

Message edited by its author, Feb 17, 2009, 2:38am.

I'm half-way through Hot, Flat and Crowded. Timely, Important and Depressing!

Currently listening to Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. As an office drone myself, I'm finding it a little underwhelming. This place sounds far too interesting. A poor man's Douglas Coupland, basically.

Finished The Pearl harbor Murders, still listening to To rescue a Rogue and now also listening to Benjamin Franklin

Decided on A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World for my 6 hours of driving tomorrow.

finished blindness by saramago and began do androids dream of electric sheep? by philip k. dick. well read. very enjoyable.

Listening to Anne of the Island. I'm not sure if this is a different reader or if she just changed the voices, but everyone sounds different from the rest of the series. Not badly read, just different.

I just finished Killing the Shadows and it was awesome! Now, I'm on to a much different audio, 100 Ways to Simplify Your Life.

Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb. Not sure who the reader is, but I am not enjoying her reading style or voice or something as much as I've enjoyed the others in the series that I've listened to on audio. The story itself is good, as usual.

Robert Clark's In the Deep Midwinter. Not absolutely mezmerizing, but an interesting study of life in the 1950s in the US and the struggles of the middle-class midwesterner.

I just got an unabridged audiobook of The Alchemist's Daughter home from the library yesterday. The reader is Tanya Myers. I've listened to the first 10 minutes and there is just something about her reading (the speed, the accent....?) which irritates me. I can't imagine listening to another 14 hours of it so I'll probably just move on to another book.

Just began The Olive Route by Carol Drinkwater -- her accent reminds me of Miss Brahams from an episode of "Are You Being Served": I can talk posh!

finished do androids dream of electric sheep? by philip dick and started my name is red by orhan pamuk.

I just started Saving Cascadia and it is wonderful. I listened to Susan Wigg's Snowfall at Willow Lake and thought it okay. I think I've already said that I hated Twilight.

I started John Adams yesterday. So far, great ---- it's 26 discs and I'm up to 12th disc.

I'm listening to Death and Venice and other tales, right now I'm on a series of depressing little short stories.

I'm in a Harry Potter phase - just finished re-listening to book 1 and have started book 2.... will continue 'til I'm done. It will be interesting to see how long it takes at 30 minutes commute in the a.m. and 40 minutes in the afternoon. I started on January 1st, so it will be easy to figure out.

I just started Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer. It's not bad, though there is some music during the reading and it's a little distracting. Not too bad though if you don't mind that kind of thing!

Just scared the pants off of me at one point so far!!

Finished listening to Book of Air and Shadows and it was wonderful. Much better than DaVinci Code with a much more complex plot that doesn't get lost in all kinds of techno wonders and all that over-the-top ending for which Dan Brown is famous. This was truely a literary mystery. I even loved the ending. With this one there is no hope of a sequel and that is so refreshing.

Right before that I had listened to Rule of Four and while it was entertaining it was so Joe College. Of course, it was about college life, but you could tell that the writers were college students. While it too was literary mystery it wasn't nearly as good as Book of Air and Shadows. As good as Book of Air and Shadows was it still isn't in the same league as Shadow of the Wind. (This book was mentioned earlier on this list.) That one is in a class by itself.

Well, I finished John Adams yesterday and now I'm trying to finish Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich.

karenmarie - I envy you....If I didn't have so many books on my TBR list, I'd re-read HP all the way through. AS it is I have HP & DH slated for my 999 category for Harry Potter and related books to be read in April.

Message edited by its author, Jan 12, 2009, 2:22pm.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane.

Finished Twelve Sharp and starting Lean Mean Thirteen.

I'm indulging in lots and lots of News from Lake Wobegon.

Recently finished The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini which was absolutely brilliant.

Now in the middle of The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner which is very interesting and has quite a few chuckles sprinkled throughout.

Can't decide on which to listen to next as I've come back from a trip to the US with over a dozen new downloadsi...either Lost on Planet China or The Uncommon Reader or The Whiskey Rebels.

Message edited by its author, Jan 16, 2009, 12:01pm.

Almost done Bird by Bird, read by the author.
Next up is Shakespeare: The World as Stage also read by the author.

#187 bell7 - I read Shakespeare: The World as Stage and loved it. I've listened to Bryson read his own stuff and it's even better listening to it than reading it, in my opinion. Have fun!

thanks, karenmarie! I'm looking forward to it, as I've really enjoyed the Bill Bryson books I've read before, and like most of the Shakespeare I've read. Haven't always had the best of luck with authors reading their own work, so it's good to hear he does a good job! :-)

Bill Bryon's own read books are NEVER removed from my ipod, as I tend to want to listen to all or parts of it from time to time. I adore his voice, his humor, and the ease in which he relates every day experiences or intellectual manna, both with the same ease and sense of humor.

I've currently finished the two Ken Follett tomes, Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, 14th century tomes that are so addictive. Read by John Lee, these two audio kept me listening for may 100 hours over a period of weeks. Still, they were so compelling and so full of the best Saturday morning serial cliffhangers, that the entire series kept me enthralled. Highly recomended for someone taking a long car drive.

Some audio books are just "comfort listens" aren't they? I feel that way about Barbara Rosenblat and the Amelia Peabody series, when I'm sick or in a rut I listen to her, she's just such a delight. Sounds like Bill Bryon (Bryson?) is like that too.

I adore John Lee's voice. Last year I listened to Pillars of the Earth. I immediately downloaded World without end but couldn't bear to listen to it until a few months ago because I knew that was it. I loved them both so much.

On to A Magnificent Catastrophe and Killer Heat one upstairs, one down.

I finally finished Death in Venice and 11 other stories. It was a Recorded Books collection translated by Jonchum Neugroschul and performed by Paul Hecht.

It really helps to listen to some of this more complex German prose, instead of reading it. These stories comprise melancholy, angst, heterosexual lust, homosexual lust, neurosis, loneliness, rage, artistic fervor, righteousness, ant-semitism, incest, angst and many other cheery topics. 'Fascinating stuff that again, I'd probably have a tough time staying with it, if I were reading.

Hi Erica471. World Without End was captivating. I know you'll love it. Does anyone know if Folllett is working on another in the series?

>187-191, it's the first book I've listened to by him (only discovered his books last year), and definitely enjoyable so far. I had a minor audibook-emergency when Disc 1 of Shakespeare: The World as a Stage started skipping. I had to bring it to the library to ask my coworker to clean it, and then it wouldn't play in my portable CD player (but it plays in my computer, so emergency avoided by finishing that Disc today and moving on the next, which does play). Bill Bryson does do a good job of narrating, and quite frankly it's fascinating stuff. I love the fact that he throws in minor details, I feel like I could read (or listen) over and over again and not feel bored because there would always be something I forgot.

I've just started to listen to the 19th wife So far it is great.

I liked Pillars of the Earth. I read it and didn't listen to it. The version I had was the Oprah Book Club edition with the architectural drawings. My first thought when I saw them was that the editors had stolen drawings from David Macaulay's books. (He of the Building Big fame.) Macaulay had published a book about building cathedrals twenty-five years ago that had beautiful technical drawings. One of the dissapointments in this book was the lack of technical explanation. For instance, how did they dig the foundations? Why wouldn't the mortar set in the cold weather? etc. It was a good enough story, but I found it to be very predictable reading. No surprises in that plot. I also found it to be historically implausible in some aspects of the story. It was not that easy for women to be running businesses in the Middle Ages. In fact the laws worked against it. However, there were other parts of the story that made history very accessible. The over-all description of the civil war between Stephen and Maud explained very well what was going on in England and why the times we so hard for people. I also found the explanation of the rude local economy to be interesting as well as the beginnings of manufacturing. Sorry to be a wet blanket on the Pillars of the Earth love fest, since I read the whole book and didn't quit I have to say that it was a good story, but not a great one. And at that number of pages just getting through it is a feat in itself. I can't imagine listening to it. Even on a long trip. I imagine that there were quite a few driveway moments with this story.

In general I don't care for authors reading their own works. There are exceptions. Bill Bryson is one. Sarah Vowell is another. I just finished listening to Assassination Vacation and have Wordy Shipmates up next on my list. Right now I am listening to Don't Get Too Comfortable by David Rakoff. He is a buddy of Sarah Vowell's and while I am enjoying the content of the book I find him hard to listen too. His voice is too soft and I have to keep turning up the volume and backtracking to figure out what he said. Then all of a sudden he is louder and I am turning the volume down, just to have to do it all over again. It could be that there was poor sound engineering with this book, but it is produced by Random House and one would think that they would have done a better job of modulating the sound quality.

I finished Killer Heat but still listening to A Magnificent Catastrophe. It's very interesting - the telling of the very first contested Presidential election.
I'm listening to it between my John Adams & Thomas Jefferson biographies since it was their election.

One disc left in Ian Rankin'sfirst of his series Knots and Crosses. For the most part this is a very weak
book, the plot is so squishy and all over the place and the characters are so dull. The reading of the book is
exceptional though. The book takes place in Edinburgh
and the Scottish accent of the reader is wonderful.
I just read a passage that involved a gruff old man and
it was read with such delightful humour that i'm not entirely sorry I'm reading the book. Next up for me
is The Bone Garden. Anyone read that?

Isn't that Naughts and Crosses? AKA tic-tac-toe?

Yes it is called Knots and Crossesthough and I guess it's a form of tic-tac-toe. The game is discussed in the novel. It's a key moment in an otherwise dull book.

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara ~ brilliant!

I'm almost done with The Vicar of Wakefield, a short 18th century "sentimental novel." This is an old Recorded Books edition. The format is antique (casette).

I have listen to a couple of very good books this month one being the 19th wife and another being the 37th hour. Now I'm going to listen to ain't she sweet. It also looks promising.

I'm listen to Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard and then to King Solomon's Mines. I had King Solomon and finally got Allan Quatermain.

finished my name is red by orhan pamuk. i rated it a 4ish. just started gilead by marilynne robinson. heard the first hour. the narrator has a very rich voice.

i've also been reading essays from lives of the artists by calvin tomkins. i'm actually holding the book and using my eyes for this one. its a different kind of pleasure.

I recently finished The Last Spymaster by Gayle Lynds, and am now listening to Northern Lights by Nora Roberts. I've got 5 or 6 more saved on various players -- ready to choose from as soon as finish the current one!

#208 mejix - I'm just starting the last disc of Gilead, and I totally agree with you about the narrator - he has a wonderful voice - especially for the character. I have found I have relistened to many parts and get even more the second time. It's a nice story, very thoughtful and honest.

I started The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry so far very interesting.

#208 and 210

I loved Gilead. I read it so can't address the quality of the sound recording. But it was one of those books where nothing earth shaking happens but the way it was written I found I loved the characters and the story. I recommend this book to people who want a quiet story that quietly draws you into it. Sounds like the narrator on the sound recording has done this same thing with his voice.

sydamy, benita

finished gilead a couple of days ago. i agree, it is powerful in a very understated way. i have to admit that it took me a while to get into it because of technical problems but also because of the way it is written. overall a very good book. recently i've been reading books that start strongly and then lose steam but this book was the exact opposite, i was more interested as the book progressed. loved the grandfather's sermon.very interesting ending. very strong last sentences. interesting way to learn about the midwest.

Message edited by its author, Jan 29, 2009, 10:37pm.

The Anglo Files by Sarah Lyall -- the print version would probably be a better bet as I ended up FF'ing through some of her talk of Brits and sex, as well as her (to me) lengthy anecdotes on sexism; her English husband comes from somewhat of an upper class (or at least very high middle) background, so her perspective regarding the folks she's encountered there seems quite skewed in that direction. I'm sticking with it, hoping things get a bit more "general interest" soon. The narration (not author) is pretty good.

I'm listening to The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsenand really loving it. It's not great literature but the story is a lot of fun. The one weakness is the narration. The narrator is alright with the women's voices but a lot of the male voices sound ridiculous. Still I am enjoying this book very much.

I finished The Templar Legacy very interesting
Now I've moved onto Crocodile on the sandbank

finished heart of darkness by conrad and will begin a little history of the world by gombrich.

i remember enjoying heart of darkness in college but had more of a mixed reaction this time.

I'm listening to The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. I wasn't sure about it when I first started, but now I'm in love!

Message edited by its author, Feb 8, 2009, 12:21pm.

I've been listening to audiobooks for several years now. I haven't quite figured out a foolproof way of deciding which books to read and which to listen to. Lighter, faster-moving stories are more compelling as audio...but then again, they're more compelling in print as well.

One I really liked on audio was The Memory of Running by Ron McClarty. It was read by the author, who apparently was a well-known narrator before he started writing. As I recall, the book was released first on audio.

It's a great story -- highly recommended!

Listening to The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner, a book I really didn't like when I tried to read it last summer, but I'm enjoying it a lot on audio. Thanks to a fellow LTer Seajack who recommended I give it a go on audio.

In the car, I'm listening to Tom Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded. So far very very interesting.

Message edited by its author, Feb 9, 2009, 11:49pm.

I listened to Up Close and Personal by Fern Michaels and hated it! Okay, I liked it well enough to listen to the whole thing, but it irritated me all the way through. I must have read something by her that I liked because I keep trying other books...

I finished Saving Cascadia by John Nance and really enjoyed it. It is action adventure and was a nice reprieve between two books that annoyed me.

I just started The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and am enjoying it very much! I think it was recommended here. It is a series of letters, set during WWII, and read by various readers. It was hard to get out of the car tonight!

206> I enjoyed Ain't She Sweet so much I bought a copy - print and audio! It was my introduction to Georgette Heyer, a truly wonderful author... (The little quote thingies, I know they have a name but I don't remember what it is, before each chapter is from Georgette Heyer.)

Message edited by its author, Feb 10, 2009, 9:47pm.

I finished Geography of Bliss and now started Wicked. Not sure yet how I'm going to like this one. Still doing Hot, Flat & Crowded in the car.

I'm currently listening to Wicked and have to say I'm enjoying it a lot - it's the first audio book I've listened to, so it's probably somewhat of a new experience for me.

Just finished a bit of fun fluff by Jayne Castle (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) called Silver Master and am now listening to Just After Sunset, a bunch of new short stories by Stephen King. The first one was really excellent, as good as the vintage Stephen King stuff I remember so fondly from the last millenia, and I'm hoping the rest are similarly excellent so I can begin to shout:

The King is back! Long live the King! ;)

P.D. Wodehouse's The Inimitable Jeeves

Just finished Supreme Court: personalities and rivalries that defined america, but thought it tried to achieve too much and fell short and was dull in parts. Am now onto some lighter stuff with When you are engulfed in flames which hopefully will be good and fluffy, though I find David Sedaris to be so-so funny. His StadiumBuddy story was good though.

Glad you enjoyed the audio experience, tutu!

I finished The Anglo Files by Sarah Lyall recently, which I'd wished had been the print version instead - found myself FF'ing several times, which isn't nearly as efficient as skimming. Narration is fine, it's the book's focus that put me off.

Now I'm on to T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton, which is turning out much better than I'd expected.

Have just got to Disc 7 of Engleby by Sebastian Faulks.

I'm still listening to Harry Potter - I'm on Goblet of Fire about 1/3 of the way through. I'm really enjoying them. Started January First with book one - we'll see how long it takes.

#199 benitastrnad - I loved reading The Wordy Shipmates. It's a marvelous book and I hope you enjoy listening to it. I keep meaning to read more books by her.....

I'm listening to The Given Day it's a long one so it might take me a while. So far it is very good.

I'm listening to Right Ho, Jeeves. I don't read much of the whole humor genre, but this recording does frequently make me crack a bit of a smile. In this hectic world, it is a nice change. 'Reminds me of a BBC comedy show on that rare, slow, quiet, boring Saturday night.

I'm "re-reading" the last three discs of Harry Potter HBP before I start the "re-read" of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I'm hoping to finish over the long weekend.

#226--bfertig--I'm currently listening to The Nine: Inside the Secret world of the supreme court by Jeffrey Toobin--it's turning out to be much better than I expected. I've been walking around wired to an MP3 all day today and expect to finish it by early tomorrow. It's 13 discs, but very well done, and really well written. You might enjoy that since the the other proved not to your liking.

He does a really good job looking at all the different personalities of today's court.

Just finished listening to the London Telegraph podcast of corduroy mansions by Alexander McCall Smith. The link is here.

I listened to this as a nightly podcast (one chapter every evening) for the past 3 months.. It was delightful. There is a vast cast of characters--sometimes hard to keep track of, but the Telegraph webpage that hosted this electronic delivery, did a wonderful job of providing additional information to make the experience unique.

I can hardly wait to see if he develops a series similar to the 44 Scotland Street. There are too many interesting relationships and stories 'just beginning.' Lots of fun. There's a dog, (named Freddie De la hey), a boomerang adult child, a Marvin Milquetoast gentleman who drives a Morris Mechanic, several assertive but insecure females, a pompous egocentric MP, etc. The hardcover is due out in July 2009 according to Amazon. Andrew Sachs (from Fawlty Towers) does the narration. It's terrific

Starting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows This will finish my Harry Potter category.

By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer. OK, but clearly a case of "do more research before downloading". It's a Recorded Books production from audible.com, however it's an "imprint" of Recorded Books called something like Inspiration series. Ugh. The writing is so politically correct and devoid of anything remotely approaching a vice that it's like being inside the bubble with Glinda the Good Witch. Scrubbed clean of any sex, violence, greed and even harsh language (hardened gang members in jail call each other jerks...just jerks without any modifiers...as if) that it has no reality at all. Innocent and safe it produces no thrills and approaches the story with such wide-eyed optimism that I can't believe this person lives in this century. It's squeaky clean crime for the faint of heart. Bah.

Message edited by its author, Feb 16, 2009, 5:21pm.

The Twelve Ceasars by Suetonius, an audible download. Terrific narration, but I'm over 1/4 through and we're still on Augustus - hope we don't rush through the rest!

Finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
getting ready to start Dead Heat by Dick Francis. I've never read anything by him but he is supposed to be good, so I have my fingers crossed.

I just started listening to No Graves As Yet by Anne Perry. I loved mysteries but have never read or listened to an Anne Perry book so decided it was time. However, I think this story, or else it is the reader, gives an overall impression of hyper emotion. The word I would use to describe it is overwrought. And whats with the women in this story? They seem to be over protected baby dolls. Can anyone enlighten me? Should I stay with this book or quit and move on to something else?

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent. GREAT!!!!! Salem Witch Trial book. Well done.

239>>
I've never been able to get into the WWI series by Anne Perry. I do love the Monk series and the Pitt series is good too.

Listening to and really, really enjoying A Handful of Earth by Barney Bardsley, read by Ruth Sillers. It's just fabulous and I'm not even into gardening...!

Message edited by its author, Feb 21, 2009, 6:24pm.

City of Thieves read by Ron Perlman. He has a great voice and is doing a creditable job, but I can't get Hellboy out of my head.

Listening to Bloodline, a Repairman Jack mystery. Took awhile to get into it ~ in fact, I had to start it twice before I got far enough into it for it to click ~ but now (7 disks in) it's hard to turn it off.

One thing I found difficult was the way the reader portrayed the different voices, esp. Jack's. He gave him a strong Brooklyn accent, which I guess is okay, but it was a little difficult to get used to since I didn't imagine him speaking that way when I read hardback Repairman Jack novels. Also don't like the way he portrays women's voices.

A reader really makes a difference, doesn't it Storeetllr!

I just started Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and I am loving it. I saw the movie and am looking forward to seeing the differences. (I enjoyed the movie so much I wanted to read the book.)

#239, I enjoyed the books but I haven't listened to the audio books. I have to agree with you though, the women in the series are pretty lame.

I'm listening to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and it is truly a delight. There are different readers for each letter writer and each one is very well done IMO and the story is just wonderful. Love it.

I'm glad to hear about Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day xorscape, I loved the movie as well so it's good to get the audio book recommendation. One for my wish list :-)

Listening to the author A.J. Jacobs read The Year of Living Biblically. I don't always like author being a narrator, but this one is great.

Message edited by its author, Feb 24, 2009, 12:08pm.

listening to Dead Heat by Dick Francis. I'm also listening to Still Life in the car.

The Women by T.C. Boyle. Very early on so hard to tell whether this narrator will suit all the characters, but he suits this initial one fine.

#247
A. J. Jacobs was a reporter and commentator for NPR so I suspect he would do a good job of reading.

tutu247: I read that one in print, and liked it, so will look into reading his first one on audio.

I'm halfway through Marc Acito's Attack of the Theater People read by Jeff Woodman, who does an outstanding job (as he did with the book to which this is a sequel How I Paid for College).

I just started The White Tiger. I'm sure it will turn out to be very different than anything I've written. Other than reading The vendor of sweets, and the Bhagavad Gita, I'm not too familiar with India or Indian lit.

Oops. I MEANT "read" not "written". Wow, I'm tired. At least I didn't claim to write the Mahabharata!

i finished a little history of the world by e.h.gombrich, and because i couldn't decide what else to listen to while in my workshop i heard it a second time. this is a history book for children that gombrich wrote during the 30's and that apparently paved the way for his magisterial the story of art. its only a panoramic view of history of course. you can quibble with some details but the spirit of the book is generous and humane. not sure how else to describe it.

today while doing laundry i started the consolations of philosophy by alain de botton. the jury is still out on this one.

Great Souls: six who changed the century absolutely outstanding. Every once in a while, I listen to a book that is so deep and inspiring that I must have it on my shelf to read again, refer to and ponder. This is one of them. I'll post a full review over on my 999 challenge here.

Finished listening to A Handful of Earth by Barney Bardsley, which I enjoyed immensely. I've only listened to a few audiobooks, but this one was definitely my favourite so far.

Now listening to Miss Chopsticks by Xinran. Good so far - but I've only listened to about 10 minutes of it.

Message edited by its author, Feb 26, 2009, 6:07pm.

Dante's Inferno and Still Life by Louise Penny

I'm in Merry Old England with Andrew Sachs' audiorecording of Silas Marner. Can't recommend this highly enough. There is a smoothness, warmth, and versatility in voicings (when he speaks for the female characters, too!) that makes it a pleasure to be home, "reading" --i.e., doing whatever I need to do around the house -- in my very own Raveloe.

Nothing! I just finished John Lee's reading of The White Tiger. Excellent! Funny sometimes, disturbing often, but excellent.

I finished Still Life and started Comfort Food.

Just started listening to The Blind Assassin read by Lorelei King. I'm aware the novel has multiple plot strands, so I'm hoping these won't be took difficult to follow.

Understanding the Fundamentals of Music, a Teaching Company lecture course by Robert Greenberg.

I'm beginning A Tale of Two Cities today, unabridged, the Lesser recording.

Message edited by its author, Mar 3, 2009, 10:47am.

I've graduated from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I'm about 1/3 of the way through.

I'm actually a bit impatient to finish this one up to listen to HBP again.... and then, of course Deathly Hallows.

Funny, I have been listening to audio books quite a bit lately and this is the firts book I thought of when wanting to comment on audio books - "The Mistress of the Art of Death!" Another "gold" one is "The Shadow of the Wind."

Message edited by its author, Mar 8, 2009, 11:35pm.

i finished beowulf translated and read by seamus heaney. i'm halfway through the hero with a thousand faces by joseph campbell.

seamus heaney did a fine job reading. for the first couple of disks the guy reading the campbell book sounded like he was in a hurry to get somewhere.

I'm in the middle of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. So far, so good.

Still struggling with The Women by TC Boyle. Even though I skipped over a couple of hours (Miriam is intolerable and I just couldn't take her anymore), I'm loathe to pick it up again because I'm not in the mood to read about this bunch of assholes.

Listening to The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir. Just finished suffer the Little children by Donna Leon -really enjoyed it and will look for more in that series.

#267 - Who was doing the reading for the Joseph Campbell?

Where has everyone gone? The last posting here was in March! I finished listening to Minette Walters's
The Chameleon's Shadow. It started out to be a wonderful listen, with great psychological portraits and some very amusing characters, but the whole thing gets bogged down in itself and the story really starts to lose it's punch after a while. By the end I just couldn't care what happened to who.

There is a Part #5 of this thread with more recent posts

I was surprised to read today that Audible.com is
owned by Amazon..I had no idea.