Stuff I Love Post 3

[smallhobbit]

Audiobooks.  I go through times of listening to lots and then I don't listen for a while.  And it's a bit like my physical To Be Read pile - books keep getting added to my To Be Listened To pile, because Audible has an offer on...

I last posted back in May, and since then I've finished C J Tudor's The Other People, which despite my initial concerns I did enjoy.  After that came the sixth in Joy Ellis' Jackman and Evans series, The Patient Man which I enjoyed, and really liked the plot.  After which came The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner, which has been highly rated, but I found unconvincing.  And then Bedlam by L J Ross, which might have been better if I'd liked the main character.

All these were read by Richard Armitage (no surprise there!).  After which came The Chekhov Collection of Short Stories, which Armitage had himself selected following the curtailed run of Uncle Vanya.  I'm still not a fan of Chekhov.  Next was Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales, with each story read by a different actor.  I've never read more than a few of the stories, so it was good to hear them all.  Another Jackman and Evans story, They Disappeared, followed.  Once again this pushed all the right buttons for me.  And after that, Reality and Other Stories, by John Lanchester, with four different narrators.  Generally, I'm not a fan of the spookier stories, but these worked well for me.

Audible sometimes do freebies, which is why I moved onto French & Saunders: Titting About which was entertaining, and perfect for listening to while doing chores.  A sale meant I bought a copy of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irvine, read by Tom Mison.  A combination of always wanting to read the story, plus liking Tom Mison attracted me.  Then another freebie, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, which again was something I'd thought worth reading sometime, read by RA, was a no-brainer.

And so into the current year.  I'm slowly listening to RA read David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.  It's not a book I particularly like, but when it turned out Poirot wasn't available for non-US listeners, free credits were given to those who pre-booked it, so I thought 'why not'.  I listen to about an hour's worth each week, interspersed with other reads.  I've just finished The Burning Girls by C J Tudor, which is narrated by RA and Gemma Whelan.  I didn't like it as much as the two previous Tudor books I've heard; there were too many things which looking back didn't make sense.  And I'm currently listening to The Garden of Angels by David Hewson (again RA).  So far it's interesting, but it's a long book, so I will reserve judgement until the end.

After which, I have two part-listened to audiobooks, both put on hold when the new RAs came out.  And, pause while I count, nine which I've bought as offers (two for one, where I've wanted one and there other has been 'ooh, I wouldn't mind that') or had as freebies.  It's definitely getting as bad as my physical To Be Read pile!

Comments

[corvidology]

I would love to love audiobooks as it would greatly increase my 'reading' time but I can't seem to get on with them.

I get distracted or start thinking 'what would that character's voice really sound like?"

I still keep trying every so often.

[smallhobbit]

I'm not so worried about the sound of the character's voice - so long as I can tell them apart. If it creates the pictures in my head then I'm happy. If it's a good narrator I sink into the book, so I don't notice.

[corvidology]

It's definitely a 'me' problem and not the narrator's problem as I've tried some by very good narrators. I'm quite envious of those they work for.

[smallhobbit]

What I do notice sometimes, because I listen to a lot of Armitage is that I'll suddenly think 'that's the same voice you used for X in Y'.

[luthienberen]

A nice spread of audiobooks! Sinking into a narrative read by someone who captures the story for you is wonderful. I keep trying, but failing to really get into audiobooks with some exceptions such as Rob Inglis for the Lord of the Rings books and the radio plays for the Narnia books. Otherwise, it is is a real struggle to focus on the tale - I keep trying but alas the pleasure is lost in the struggle.

I hope the upcoming RA books are just as entertaining for you! :)

[smallhobbit]

Different things appeal to different people. I wouldn't choose audiobooks in preference to physical books, but they're great for driving (limited at the moment), doing chores and basic knitting because I do more when my mind is suitably engaged.

[luthienberen]

Oh definitely! World would be a boring place if we all liked the same thing :). Do you have a preference for the type of story when doing chores or knitting or as long as the narrator and story are engaging that is most important?

[smallhobbit]

I'm happy so long as the narrator and story are engaging. I did have one story in the summer which I gave up on - I really couldn't stand the two main characters, and didn't care what happened to them.

[margaret_r]

I really should give audiobooks a try, it would be one way of getting through the all the chores with something to keep my mind occupied - housework is so boring! What device do you listen on?

[smallhobbit]

I have audible downloaded on my phone. I also use my phone for the Shedunnit episodes. When I was still in the office and doing a repetitive task on my own I would listen as well.

[margaret_r]

Thanks for that. I've see audible advertised, I'll have to have a look and give it a try.

[kizzia]

I had the same problem with Bedlam; I just can't stand Alexander Gregory. I also found that it played to a mass of racist and classist tropes that I wasn't comfortable with. At least as far as I remember, I tried to read it when it was first released and whilst I'd made it through the first one of these books (as opposed to the Ryan series) it was the racist nonsense that made me DNF it. In fact I was so annoyed by it I left a one star review on Goodreads, which I don't often do.

[smallhobbit]

I'm glad it's not just me. If the main character is supposed to be the hero of the story, then I expect to like them - they don't need to be perfect, but I do need to be drawn to them, not put off by the character's attitude.