Part 19b ~ What Are You Listening to Now?

Looking forward to four more months of tempting book posts!

Finishing up ~

The Better Sister: A Novel
by Alafair Burke

I started two and quickly decided to switch to print. The first for the density of the information; the second for the beauty of the phrasing. Both harder to capture and savor in audio.

The End of Loyalty and A Corner of White.

>3 2wonderY:

Sometimes I go back and forth between an OverDrive audiobook and an OverDrive eBook.

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

Cold Truth by Mariah Stewart

(Truth series, book #1/police detective Cassie Burke/FBI agent Rick Cisco/true-crime writer Regan Landry/return of a long-missing serial killer)

It's Mueller time!

Yesterday evening, the Mueller Report was at the top of my
must-read-immediately list. I decided to download the 99 cent
Kindle offering (released report/no commentary). The obstruction
section was my starting point. The text-to-speech feature allows
me to go back and forth between the eBook and Alexa's narration.

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

Intervention by Terri Blackstock

(Intervention trilogy, Book 1/drug addiction/murder of an intervention specialist/missing teen/Christian lit)

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

The Cornwalls Are Gone (Amy Cornwall) by James Patterson

(new JP series/the husband and daughter of Army Intelligence Officer Captain Amy Cornwall have been kidnapped/cruel plan/betrayal and secrets)

Most of the way through Black Tudors: The Untold Story by Miranda Kaufmann, which is very good. Planning to start A Stranger in Olondria, a fantasy novel by Sofia Samatar, next.

Enjoying this MP3 disc ~

The General's Women by Susan Wittig Albert

(historical fiction/WWII/fascinating tale featuring Kay S., Mamie and Dwight Eisenhower)

UPDATE: ****

I recently finished How Long 'Til Black Future Month which is a book of short stories by acclaimed science fiction author N. K. Jemisin. I had read her Broken Earth trilogy (all three of which won Hugo awards) which I thought were brilliant. And I wasn't disappointed by her short fiction. Such a variety of sub-genres that each story was like discovering something new. There were a number of narrators and that worked well to also distinguish the stories.

Enjoying this Audible-Kindle combo ~

A Curve in the Road by Julianne Maclean

(Nova Scotia/a seemingly perfect marriage/a car accident/betrayal)

I love listening to The Naked Scientists. Its a twenty year old podcast about science from Cambridge University. https://www.thenakedscientists.com/. I just download episodes and listen. Need to start using a player.

Enjoying Arrows of the Queen.

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

And the Miss Ran Away with the Rake by Elizabeth Boyle

(Rhymes with Love series/1810, London/Miss Daphne Dale/Lord Henry Seldon/the mysterious "Mr. Dishforth")

I finished Audible's free The Mueller Report (couldn't find the right edition for a touchstone), and am almost halfway through Circe. I really liked The Song of Achilles, and I am liking Circe even more.

I've started listening to some psychology podcasts. I listen randomly as I haven't latched on to one yet. Many are based on good research, and I've been enjoying them thoroughly.

>17 zo_ey:

I am a news and information junkie. I subscribe to a few daily podcasts and one weekly podcast.

I'm giving up on The Long Earth. It shifts characters too often and doesn't provide enough connection with those that might be interesting.

I'm sticking with Philbrick's Valiant Ambition, and learning tons about the Revolutionary War and it's principal actors.

I've also got My Antonia, Surprised by Joy and Oil and Honey downloaded for the coming weekend drive.

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

(Aussie tale, author, narrator?/is her death a suicide or a homicide?/women's health)

UPDATE: ****1/2

I finished Circe, and it didn't let me down even though I had high expectations. Now I've started the short If Cats Disappeared from the World, and so far, so good.

I'm working on Embassytown for a bookclub, and Assata: An Autobiography just for me.

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

(continues the Perez family's saga in Florida after Castro's takeover)

I did not care for Embassytown, in the end.

Just starting A Venetian Affair: A True Tale of Forbidden Love in the 18th Century by Andrea Di Robilant.

Enjoying this library audiobook ~

The Celebration by Wanda E. Brunstetter

(Amish Cooking Class series, book #3/Holmes County, Ohio/this novel features a tale about children's cooking classes/recipes are in book #4)

Enjoying this OverDrive audio very much ~

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
(Lagos, Nigeria/Korede enables her murderous sister/Nigerian culture/noir satire/Nigerian-born narrator)

UPDATE: ****1/2

Finished The Rise and Fall of Alexandria which may have been best non-fiction of the year! Begun Accessory to War.

This morning, I finished Pride by Ibi Zoboi, which I enjoyed, but felt it was a little too predictable. I started The Secret History of Twin Peaks but I got bored quickly and quit. Maybe it would have been good if I'd gone further but...well, I just didn't feel like it. And now I'm going to start The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, which became available in my library's online account. Good timing!

Enjoying this library Playaway audiobook ~

Bluff by Jane Stanton Hitchcock

(NY high society/world of poker/Maud Warner shoots a billionaire financier at the Four Seasons/a whydunnit caper)

>26 Molly3028: I really liked My Sister, The Serial Killer too!

Over halfway through Crosstalk by Connie Willis now, which is kind of a science fiction rom-com (but quite light on the actual romance) focusing on telepathy.

Enjoying this iTunes audiobook ~

Hard Truth by Mariah Stewart

(Truth series/missing children mystery/suspense, lite romance)

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

Unsolved by James Patterson
(Invisible series, book #2/FBI researcher Emmy Dockery/her skill is seeing connections others miss in seemingly unrelated deaths/FBI leaker/two narrators)

and

Started this fascinating library audiobook ~

The Quintland Sisters by Shelley Wood
(Canada, 1930s/historical fiction featuring the famous Dionne Quintuplets/diary entries of a midwife-in-training turned nurse-in-training teen who helped care for them)

UPDATE: ****1/2

JUNE IS AUDIOBOOK MONTH

I finished The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, and enjoyed it. I'd heard of the blue people but didn't know much, so I went to Ms. Google multiple times.

Now I'm listening to Siege: Trump Under Fire by Michael Wolff. I know there is controversy about the author, and I find that he puts too much of his own opinions and conclusions in the book, but it is interesting nonetheless. I also listened to Fire and Fury. (I can't find the touchstone for Siege.)

>33 TooBusyReading:

I recommended the Siege eBook at our OverDrive site yesterday. I'm looking forward to reading this Trump update book as soon as possible.

>34 Molly3028: I recommended it to our library's Overdrive selection too, so was able to get it quickly. I was surprised but pleased to get it so quickly. I hope you do, too.

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

Before and Again: A Novel by Barbara Delinsky

(after a tragic accident, "Maggie" moved to a central Vermont town to forget and start a new life/secrets/ex-spouse issues)

Just finishing up Rogue Protocol, which continues the story of an alienated security robot whose character is sterling.

Going to start the biography Maggie Smith.

I'm listening to H is for Hawk for the second time. The author's voice and her poetic imagery drew me in to listen again.

I finished Michael Wolff's Siege: Trump Under Fire, and It was interesting but not as good as Fire and Fury, IMHO.

I'm listening to the mediocre Lottery by Patricia Wood and getting ready to start The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.

Enjoyed this library audiobook ~

Chocolate Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
(Hannah Swensen cozy mystery series/Lake Eden, MN/Hannah tries to get her life back on track after experiencing deeply painful disclosures involving her "husband"/recipes)

and

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

Evidence of Mercy by Terri Blackstock
(Suncoast Chronicles, book #1/was a private plane crash an accident or sabotage?/Christian suspense and lite romance tale)

Enjoyed this Library audiobook ~

The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell
(England/three wives, five children and serial husband/death mystery/family dynamics/mysterious young woman)

and

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

Girl in the Rearview Mirror by Kelsey Rae Dimberg (4 stars)
(psych suspense/features the young nanny of a prominent political family/deadly lies)

Enjoyed this iTunes audiobook ~ 5 stars
No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency: BBC Radio Casebook: BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations by Alexander McCall Smith
(Vol. 1/eight mini-plays AMS wrote based on his long-running series)

Enjoyed this library audiobook ~
Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben
(NJ 15 years ago ~ suicide-pact deaths or murders? ~ was a disappearance related to this event?)

Enjoying this Audible/Kindle combo ~
The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White
(Dark Lure series/Canadian police detective Rebecca North believes her father's suicide is suspicious/romantic suspense)

Feeling pastoral and cozy listening to the exquisite performance of Robert Hardy (remember him as Siegrfied Fannon on PBS) as he distinguishes the voices of members of the Mellstock Quire in Thomas Hardy's Under the Greenwood Tree.

Just heard phrase "miser'ble dumbledores" description of a mumbling rival "quire." Hah! Rowling read her Hardy!

Since the last time I posted, I finished Lottery by Patricia Wood, which was okay but only that. A sweet, gullible protagonist.

The I listened to The Silent Patient, a pretty good psychological thriller that had me thinking, "how could that have happened?" about some of the discoveries, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

Next came Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. It's nonfiction about the Osage nation, many of whom were murdered for their oil rich land. Very interesting, very sad what was done out of nothing but greed.

Then, The Guest Book by Sarah Blake disappointed me. I know it's very popular, but for me, it moved too slowly. I usually don't mind that, but in this book, there were only a couple of characters who interested me.

Next, the Dennis Lehane book Shutter Island. I've been meaning to get to it for quite some time, and now that I've finally listened, I'm not disappointed. A couple of federal marshals go to an island housing a sketchy institute for the criminally insane. I enjoyed the suspense and the twists of this one.

The Most Dangerous Animal of All by Gary L. Stewart was next. The author narrated and he had help writing the book, but it was still not well written, and the narration was not good, felt like a child reading a book report. Still, this book about why the author thinks his father was the zodiac killer was interesting. He has lots of evidence, much of its verity being questioned by others. Apparently, there are multiple people who claim the killer was their father. So I don't know what I believe and I thought it dragged in spots, but still interesting to me.

Then came Dave Barry's Lessons from Lucy. It's a short, wonderful story about the lessons Mr. Barry learned from his own old dog and is trying to incorporate into his own life. Funny and touching. I usually avoid animal stories because there is almost always abuse at some point and/or the dog dies at the end. Nothiing like that in this book, and much of Dave Barry's humor, but also some glimpses into his personality.

Then, A Name of Her Own by Jane Kirkpatrick. It's historical fiction about Marie Dorion, and was recommended to me. It's fairly long, which I like, but it also dragged in places, which I don't like. The abridged versions seem popular, and having listened to the unabridged one, I can understand why.

Then a silly cozy mystery, Arsenic in the Azaleas by Dale Mayer. Totally unbelievable, but something light for when I wasn't ready to tackle something else yet. Besides, it was only $.99 on Chirp.

Now I'm on to Little Faith by Nickolas Butler, which I've just started but am enjoying so far.

I think you can tell I listen to a lot of audio books. I can listen while I'm doing other things, and because my eyes aren't great, it's easier than reading. But I usually have a print or ebook or two going as well.

I listened to most of Team of Vipers, but it got automatically returned before I was all done.

Now listening to Songs of America. Jon Meacham does a very good job painting context, and I'm learning some subtle pieces of the Revolutionary period.

>44 TooBusyReading:

The multitasking factor of audiobooking makes them my go-to fiction versions a majority of the time. I also borrow some eBooks (mostly non-fiction and cozies) from OverDrive (Alexa can read them to me).

*************************
Enjoying this library audiobook ~

The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory
(Plantagenet and Tudor Novels/mid 1500s/Elizabeth I/Robert and Amy Dudley)

I've sped through How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England by Ruth Goodman, which has been fun and interesting.

Just recently finished A House for Mr. Biswas but found it so-so.

>47 mabith:

I loved "Biswas"! After I finished the book, I missed being a member of the contentious family in which the hapless hero has been entrapped. Was it the plot? No. Can't say there was one. Was it Mr. Biswas? Not really. His personality did not lend itself to being liked. But I loved this huge novel about Big Themes that provoked me to think more about what it was really about after I closed the covers than it had when I was living in Trinidad, as an Indian migrant, out of place, estranged by a family who exploit me, and longing all the while for a home I can call my own, an identity that garners respect, and a feeling that somewhere I could leave an imprint of myself in a place where I feel I belong. How to achieve these dreams? Embody them in a house of my own, my castle.

But I totally understand that long, essentially plotless character studies that meander through the quotidian details of the life of a dissatisfied man can't be everyone's cup of tea, especially when they're allegorical novels about the misfit immigrant post-colonial experience! What's to like? ;^)

>48 Limelite: Books are so subjective and that's part of the joy! I can totally see why it would be loved, and I loved bits of it, but I ended up getting hung up on how these children kept being born out of nowhere (according to what was actually in the text) while Biswas wasn't living with his wife or seemingly interacting with her. It's funny what will get in our heads sometimes.

Mr. Biswas wasn't home, but while the cat was away. . .
;^)

Maybe you can suggest a title for me that you really liked and we can see if our tastes converge?

Enjoying this OverDrive eBook (Alexa can read this to me) ~

Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake by Sarah Graves

(Death by Chocolate Mystery, book #1/two friends in Maine open a bake shop)

>50 Limelite: Looking at our shared books, we have lots of converging favorites over a wide variety of genres. I didn't see Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard on your list, which is one my recent favorites.

I'm currently listening to Paper Boats by Dee Lestari, which I'm having mixed feelings about. It's not my usual type of read (college age students and romance), but there's a good bit left to go, so we'll see.

>52 mabith:

Great title, I'll give it a look. Thanks!

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

First Mistake by Sandie Jones
(England/suspense/involves a woman, her husband and her "best" friend/Brit narrator)

UPDATE: ****

I recently finished Commonwealth by Ann Patchett and really enjoyed it. Mind you ever since I read Bel Canto in 2007 I have loved everything of hers. I see she has a new book out which looks like it is set during or just after WWII. Anyway Commonwealth is about two families with a total of 6 children who are very close in age. The mother of two of the children divorces their father to marry the father of the other 4 children. The 6 children spend summers together in Virginia and one summer the oldest boy dies. Although there are hints we don't learn the cause until close to the end of the book. This devastating loss affects all the remaining children and all the adults in the family as well. Patchett is a master at crafting a plot and fleshing out characters.

Started this NF OverDrive Kindle eBook Alexa can read to me ~

American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump by Tim Alberta

(Covers 2008 thru 2018)

UPDATE: ***** (the GOP has been on a decade-long suicide mission)

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
(part 2/WWII England/Ada is a very independent 11-year-old with a younger brother/middle-grade lit/narrated by Jayne "Flavia" Entwistle)

UPDATE: ****1/2

Enjoying this library audiobook ~

Lost and Found: a novel by Danielle Steel

(Maddie is 58 and a photographer/a home accident leads to re-evaluating past choices/road-trip adventure/romance)

Finishing up this library audiobook ~

Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier (4 stars)
(Ohio, mid 1800s/Honor Bright is a Quaker who left England after a major trauma/Underground Railroad/quilting/historical fiction)

and

Starting this OverDrive audiobook ~

Evvie Drake Starts Over: A Novel by Linda Holmes (4 stars)
(Maine/Evvie is young widow/Dean is an ex-pro baseball player and Evvie's tenant/romance with serious topics sprinkled throughout)

Taking a break from Under the Greenwood Tree as hearing the rural English accents is wearing on my ear and taxing my brain as I have to listen intently and almost translate into modern American English in the effort to understand. Not the fault of Robert Hardy's performance! In spite of it being a mundane novel about extraordinarily ordinary village folk, I think I'll stick with it.

Though, IMO, Elizabeth Gaskell does a far superior job to the "Literary Giant," Thomas Hardy's, handling the same subject matter in her Cranford novels. Her characterizations are sharper and more distinct and her personalities less one note than those of Castlebridge.

On deck: Paris Echo, by Sebastian Faulks, narrated by the team of Elham Ehsas and Deborah McBride. Reviews indicate a mediocre work. Will see.

Just finished Fleishman is in Trouble and I thought it was good but not as good as all the hype online had lead me to believe. And for those who care about that sort of thing there is a lot of sexual discussion which might be enough to turn off a listener (or reader). Simply put it is the story of a broken marriage; you will first of all feel that the wife is all in the wrong because she abandoned her children to be cared for by the father. Except, as the saying goes, there are two sides to every story and we do eventually get to find out the other side of the story.

The October Man is the first installment of a new line of stories in The Rivers of London world; but with Peter Grant's German counterpart starring.

So far so good; except for technical problems with Hoopla. I was all good with Overdrive. Why do they have to change providers?!

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

You Can't Hide by Karen Rose

(part of Chicago series/Tess is a psychiatrist/someone is causing her patients to commit suicide/psych thriller and romance)

>38 vwinsloe: vwinsloe: I'm just getting into audiobooks myself here. I'm definitely going to check this one out. Thanks!

>64 railheater:. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Enjoying this OverDrive Kindle eBook Alexa can read to me ~

Full Throttle by Julie Ann Walker

(Black Knights Inc., book 7/a spec-ops guy has to rescue the president's daughter/steamy and suspenseful)

>65 vwinsloe: vwinsloe: I just got H Is for Hawk on audible yesterday! I had to have customer service help me set it up, but I got it eventually. Not very tech suave here, lol.

I love the author's voice and am enjoying the book thus far. Thanks again!

Haven't started listening yet, but got The Weight of Ink from Chirpbooks (bargain audio recordings of books) https://www.chirpbooks.com/ for a measly $0.99 yesterday. Looking forward to it!

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson

(Hagenheim Castle fairy tales, book #2/Sophie is a Snow-White-type character/Germany/Middle Ages period/YA Christian lit)

>55 gypsysmom: I read Bel Canto for a book club read at the "Y". Not one of my favorite reads but most really liked it.

I picked up the audio of The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells today at the library.

Audible book ~

Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World by Scott McCormick

(4 humorous history stories with sound effects ~ dinosaur hunters Edward Cope & Othniel Marsh/sport shoe manufacturers Adidas & Puma/royals Queen Elizabeth I & Mary Queen of Scots/politicians Aaron Burr & Alexander Hamilton/young readers lit)

Chicago by David Mamet

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
(thriller/Jules becomes an apartment sitter in one of Manhattan's exclusive apartment complexes/dark history behind a gleaming facade)

UPDATE: ****

Working on Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here: Untold Stories from the Fight Against Muslim Fundamentalism by Karima Bennoune. It's really good.

I finished Little Faith by Nickolas Butler, which I enjoyed but it was a bit heartbreaking.

Next, Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo, which I think lived up to its hype.

Then, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman, a novel about a very unlikely older woman who volunteers to be a spy. Quite entertaining.

I followed with Queen Sugar, which I probably wouldn't have put on hold at the library if I'd seen the ads for the TV version first. Those seemed way too melodramatic to me, but I ended up enjoying the book, not so overblown.

Next, the short Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, which left me unimpressed.

Then Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, the prequel to Silence of the Lambs. Although I saw that movie ages ago, I'd never read any of the books. I thought Red Dragon was pretty good -- a little grisly for my tastes by certainly entertaining.

I listened to a little of the mediocre Even Tree Nymphs Get the Blues by Molly Harper before I went to sleep for a few nights, and it's a good book to read before sleep. Not a lot else to recommend it, but it's not horrible, just not much substance.

Now, I'm about 1/3 through The Enemy of the People by Jim Acosta, about journalism generally and Mr Acosta's journalism during the age of trump. Pretty interesting so far.

>76 TooBusyReading: The TV version of Queen Sugar seemed to me to be only loosely based on the book which I read first. If you hadn't read the book then I guess the TV series might appeal to some people but it was disappointing to me as a reader.

Enjoying this library audiobook ~

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick

(Victorian era London/Slater is an archeologist & adventurer/Ursula is the owner of Kern Secretarial Agency/a death due to mysterious circumstances/amateur sleuthing and romance)

Found an old cassette tape set of Bastard Out of Carolina read beautifully by the author. The writing is so gorgeous and lyrical.

Starting this Kindle eBook Alexa can read to me ~

Amish Cookie Club by Sarah Price (4+ stars)
(book #1/Myrna is a young, out-spoken Amish woman and the grown daughter of one of the bakers/Ezekiel is a widower with 4 children/wholesome romance)

and

Revisiting sections of this favorite OverDrive audiobook ~

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Enjoying this Kindle eBook Alexa is reading to me ~

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

(delving into the post-war chapters of this favorite)

Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

15th Affair (Women's Murder Club) by James Patterson

(San Francisco/Lindsay Boxer and crew/personal revelations shake things up)

Consider the Fork is proving delightful, beyond the sometimes bloody anecdotes in the knives chapter.

Trying to get through The Trial of Lizzie Borden. The reader is really not great, but I want to read the book.

>83 2wonderY: Glad Consider the Fork is good! It's on my to-read list. I really liked one of the authors other books, First Bite: How We Learn to Eat.

Almost to the end of Under the Greenwood Tree. Had to take a break because the "voices" of the English rural folk begins to wear on one. Thank gawd I'm not having to read in print, decipher, and translate. The last two are taxing enough thanks to marvelous vocal acting by Robert Hardy ("All Creatures Great and Small" TV vet).

The story is sweetly innocent and the humor is frequent and outstanding. Thomas Hardy never impressed me as a comedic writer until now. It's the same dissonance of the mind Dickens provokes when you recall the author of A Tale of Two Cities also wrote The Pickwick Papers.

FYI

The Part 19c thread ~ the final 2019 'Now' thread ~ will be on tap August 31.

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Enjoying this OverDrive audiobook ~

That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron (4+ stars)
(1800s-1921/historical fiction/the life and loves of Winston Churchill's infamous American mother)

Also,
A novel written by Marie Benedict about Winston's wife ~ Clementine ~ is due out in early January.

Final audiobook for August ~

Outfox by Sandra Brown

(a young businesswoman/a master con man/an FBI agent hunting for a ruthless con man turned serial killer/suspense and romance)

Will see August out with the last bit of Thomas Hardy's Under the Greenwood Tree and bid farewell to my romantic rustics. Waiting in the audio wings is Paris Echo by Sebastian Faulks. It will be a mixed-voice duet that performs this "melancholy and mournful" (Kirkus Reviews) tale.

The Ghost Ship by Clive Cussler. Not as good as some of his from my opinion.

The final "Now" thread for 2019 is here ~
https://www.librarything.com/topic/310735