What are we listening to? (audiobooks)

[issybird]

Congrats on Anna K!

Vanity Fair might be my favorite Victorian novel of them all.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by issybird

Congrats on Anna K!

Vanity Fair might be my favorite Victorian novel of them all.

No danger of it becoming a favorite for me. It would be greatly improved if I could excise all Thackeray's "humorous" commentary. As it is, I'd rather reread Anna K!

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Catlady

No danger of it becoming a favorite for me. It would be greatly improved if I could excise all Thackeray's "humorous" commentary. As it is, I'd rather reread Anna K!

Well, that's a pity, especially since you don't abandon books and it's a long 'un.

I'm listening to two terrific books myself (and it's been a while since I could say that), Empire of Liberty by Gordon S. Wood, a history of the early American republic and The Master by Colm Tóibín, an imagination of Henry James's interior life.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by issybird

Well, that's a pity, especially since you don't abandon books and it's a long 'un.

Well, since I have read it before, I do have a loophole, should I choose to use it. But I won't. It's not like some other book is calling to me.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Currently listening to The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. I know nothing about the author, but this book being shortlisted for the Booker Prize (and a previous book of his winning the Everyman Wodehouse Prize in 2016) tipped the scales for me to risk the unknown. So far, so funny.

The writing was great, but this thing was just too damn long for its own good. It's basically the same story told multiple times from multiple points of view. I didn't really tire of the multiple retelling aspect, only the sheer length of each. I had to take multiple vacations from this audiobook to recharge a bit. There are five different narrators: three female and two male (very long stretches for each; it's not like they switch for dialogue or anything). The female narrators definitely had the advantage in keeping my interest from waning in this one.

[DiapDealer]

I'm most of the way through Richard Powers' Bewilderment. A very near future story of a neurodivergent child and his astrobiologist father, who is recently widowed. Much more digestible than his overly ambitious, not to mention behemoth, The Overstory (though I still enjoyed The Overstory for the most part).

Family, grief and environmental themes.

Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini.

[Catlady]

After I finally finished Vanity Fair, I followed it up with, of all things, Crime and Punishment--which means that I've read two classic Russian novels this year (the other being Anna Karenina). I liked both of them MUCH better than Vanity Fair.

I abruptly switched gears to true crime; last week I happened to catch a TV movie based on Ann Rule's Bitter Harvest, so I decided to pick up the book, narrated by Cassandra Campbell. It was so much more engrossing and fast-moving than the Russian doorstoppers, but just as depressing!

[Tarana]

Haven't posted in awhile. The Flu by Jacqueline Druga and narrated by Dave Courvoisier was good. I'll skip over the average books but did want to mention Starship Vectors - Allan Kaster ed. which was outstanding both for chosen short stories and Tom Dheere as narrator. I bought it at Audible. Another surprising good one was Live and Let Die - Ian Flemming narrated by Rory Kinnear. I found it enjoyable from start to finish despite its age. This was part of a series of celebrity recordings for the entire James Bond collection. Unfortunately, it appears currently pulled from the Audible catalog.

Currently listening to Shogun by James Clavell and narrated by Ralph Lister. Excellent so far!! I'm about 10 hours in. I can see why this book was so popular when it first came out! Very good writing that moves. I bought this at Audible when it was still a single recording. The publisher pulled it and replaced it as two parts in December. It is the same recording. Yah, there's a lot of controversy over that.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Tarana

Currently listening to Shogun by James Clavell and narrated by Ralph Lister. Excellent so far!! I'm about 10 hours in. I can see why this book was so popular when it first came out! Very good writing that moves. I bought this at Audible when it was still a single recording. The publisher pulled it and replaced it as two parts in December. It is the same recording. Yah, there's a lot of controversy over that.

I have Shogun as a single recording. All 53 1/2 hours of it. And it really is a monumental work, quite well read by Ralph Lister, as I remember it. I've been watching the new TV series of it, and I think I need to re-listen to the book to see where the variations are.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by issybird

Well, that's a pity, especially since you don't abandon books and it's a long 'un.

I'm listening to two terrific books myself (and it's been a while since I could say that), Empire of Liberty by Gordon S. Wood, a history of the early American republic and The Master by Colm Tóibín, an imagination of Henry James's interior life.

I have never gone wrong with Colm Tóibín!

[wildhoney66]

The Door To December by Dean Koontz it's pretty good so far

[DiapDealer]

I'm listening to James, by Percival Everett (narrated by Dominic Hoffman). It's billed as a reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from Jim's point of view. But so far, it seems to be more of a reckoning than a reimagining. Most key elements from the original are still there, but where it diverges (for the better, I might add) is in the overall satirical humor, and the intelligence and the agency of the slave Jim.

[astrangerhere]

I'm listening to Hope Jahren read her second book The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here. Her memoir Lab Girl was amongst my top books of the year last year. She has a very pleasant reading style and you can just hear her passion in her work.

[davtay]

I just finished listening to/reading "A Prayer for Owen Meaney" by John Irving. I was very moved by this book. Even though it is very long and detailed, the story and characters were very touching and believable. I find myself thinking of this story, and I believe it will stay with me for a while. Highly recommend.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm listening to James, by Percival Everett (narrated by Dominic Hoffman). It's billed as a reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from Jim's point of view. But so far, it seems to be more of a reckoning than a reimagining. Most key elements from the original are still there, but where it diverges (for the better, I might add) is in the overall satirical humor, and the intelligence and the agency of the slave Jim.

I really enjoyed this one. Funny and poignant. It may have wandered a bit in the middle, but the book is short enough that there's not much middle to wander around in. Very solid and satisfying ending.