smallhobbit | Audiobooks: August & September 2023

And my TBL list is still at 20...

Howards End by E M Foster, read by Edward Petherbridge
The best I can say is I got to the end of it. I had so little sympathy with any of the characters, that even when things happened to them I wasn't really concerned.

Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon, read by Gareth Armstrong
The first Maigret novel, which encouraged me to read/listen to more stories. I could visualise the characters and was keen to see what happened. Initially I hadn't realised it was written in 1931, but once I knew that I could understand the setting a bit better, which did help. I will be adding to my collection.

Anything for a Quiet Life by Michael Gilbert, read by Christopher Scott
A series of mysteries involving a solicitor to semi-retires to a small town on the Sussex coast. The stories have a selection of recurring characters, as Jonas Pickett meets many within the town, and being Michael Gilbert, there's always an excellent twist to the tale. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A Small Town in Germany by John Le Carré, read by Michael Jayston
I didn't enjoy this as much as the Smiley novels, but I was still keen to find out what happened and why. It took a while to pick up speed, but the look at the different individuals involved in the British Embassy in Bonn (this is 1968) and their relationships with each other is good.

Blanding Castle & Elsewhere by P G Wodehouse, read by Stephen Fry
Part of Fry's Blandings Collection. The first part, set in Blandings Castle and featuring Lord Emsworth was the best as far as I was concerned. The other stories are entertaining, but lack the Blandings charm.