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Partway through Something Borrowed, Someone Dead: An Agatha Raisin Mystery, which is an okay Agatha Raisin mystery read by Penelope Keith. I keep dreading that the next (most recent) one is reported to be seriously inferior with a new narrator.

I'm listening to The Search by Nora Roberts, narrated by Tanya Eby. I'm about 70% through and really like it so far!

I finished Origin In Death by J. D. Robb. Still enjoying the stories and humor. Narration is still fine without making Dallas so abrasive, but past stories sure make her seem plain old mean at times. Still, I've already started Memory In Death.

I'm listening to The First Bad Man. The author, who has a delightfully twisted mind, is doing a great job with the narration.

Jeanie, I love the In Death series. :D

I'm currently listening to The Thickety: A Path Begins. It's a dark MG fantasy. It's pretty good, although for the target age range I'd suggest a parental pre-read because it is pretty dark. It's narrated by Susan Duerden.

i don't know if mean is a word I would use to describe Eve - isolated and hard, but not mean - its true what they say about how early experiences influence later character

listening to To His Lady's Rescue - found it on my touch downloaded, when I didn't have anything to listen to (only a shade over 2 hours); also listening to Dance Upon the Air - both have been sitting in my audible archives for several years (2012 and 2010 respectively)

also listening to Suffer the Children in small segments - its wholely depressing, if well written

Even though everyone I know seems to have given All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr a 5 stars rating I just couldn't get into it, it may be that I was just not in the right mood for it but I have set it aside and will try again at a later date.

I am now listening to Sisters of Shiloh by Kathy Hepinstall narrated by Xe Sands

Susie, I only gave All the Light We Cannot See two stars..... You are not alone.

Chrissie wrote: "Susie, I only gave All the Light We Cannot See two stars..... You are not alone."

That is good to know!

MissSusie wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Susie, I only gave All the Light We Cannot See two stars..... You are not alone."

That is good to know!"

I think the book is way over-rated.

I enjoyed All the Light We Cannot see, but was not at all blown away by it. I, too, thought it was way over-hyped.

Chrissie wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Susie, I only gave All the Light We Cannot See two stars..... You are not alone."

That is good to know!"

I think the book is way over-rated."

MissSusie wrote: "I am now listening to Sisters of Shiloh by Kathy Hepinstall narrated by Xe Sands "

Oh! I hope you enjoy it, Susie. I thought they had quite a gift with phrasing and imagery.

Dee wrote: "i don't know if mean is a word I would use to describe Eve - isolated and hard, but not mean - its true what they say about how early experiences influence later character"

Eve evolves. The last several books in this stretch of the series had Eve doing mean and petty little things to Peabody--some merely thoughtless. Aside from expecting everyone to have the same disregard for eating during the day that Eve does, she won't stop for a bathroom break, calls Peabody away just as everyone else gets doughnuts, punches Peabody in the ribs a few weeks after her severe injury to prove her point that Peabody isn't one hundred percent... her meaness may have a point, but Eve enjoyed them too much. I'm hoping she gets past her petty mean phase cause I don't enjoy those moments even if I understand Eve's basic character--interesting, complex, atypical, and involved with the hottest man in any ongoing series!

Jeanie wrote: "I finished Origin In Death by J. D. Robb. Still enjoying the stories and humor. Narration is still fine without making Dallas so abrasive, but past stories sure make her seem plain old mean at ti..."

IMHO, Origin in Death is one of the best of the whole series. Glad you liked it, and I know you'll also like Memory in Death.

i dunno - I think its more, that is how she operates and its effective for her - so that is how she trains Peabody - obviously its effective because she is the number 1 homicide detective in the city - I know there are times in my day job (especially when I was military) that I would work all day with no break is there was something going on

I have never read the In Death series, but I think some career paths shape our identities in ways we don't acknowledge. I know that for me, being in the public service is who I am, not just what I do. I believe the calling must be similar for military / law enforcement. That may explain why Eve is portrayed as so driven / abrasive / type-A.

Yeah, I've never seen Eve as MEAN! I think she's super compassionate, actually! She's not touchy feely about it, certainly. She's direct and blunt... never sugarcoats anything, but I think she sees Peabody as a little sister!

This discussion is making me want to read the series, but *sobs* there are SO MANY OF THEM.

i ration them - i do like 1-2 a month - they routinely show up on the sales - I just picked up 36 and 37 as part of recent ones

Still listening to Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands. Did anyone else find it hard to follow? It skips around in time so much.

Discovered this morning that my Overdrive app updated and I can now increase the speed at which I listen and they added a volume boost. Solves my two biggest issues. Funny how something silly like that can make your day.

Jennifer (Official Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Glutton for Punishment) wrote: "This discussion is making me want to read the series, but *sobs* there are SO MANY OF THEM."

It absolutely is a worthwhile series and, since it is set in the future, it never becomes outdated.

And, yes, Eve's driven, abrasive, bitchy (her own description) style is a part of her and part of what makes her such a good detective. My problem only occurred with a string of two or three books where Eve overtly did some mean things--jokes in her own mind--and it felt a little too intentional rather than a natural byproduct of her driven/abrasive personality. I had to take the early books in doses because the narrator often emphasized the abrasiveness, even when not necessarily indicated by the dialogue, but has dialed that back to appropriate levels. I must say, I've never had a problem with the portrayal of Roarke--where do I go to find a real life one?

Jeanie wrote: "It absolutely is a worthwhile series and, since it is set in the future, it never becomes outdated.

And, yes, Eve's driven, abrasive, bitchy (her own description) style is a part of her and part of what makes her such a good detective. ..."


Eve has pretty much NO social skills, and considering the fierceness with which she pushes herself and her team to get the murderers ("to stand for the victims"), very little empathy. She sees things very much in black and white, few shades of grey, and this isn't just how she sees the law, but how she sees life, at least at the beginning of the series. Her focus has given her blinders to the way she should interact with her friends and co-workers, but over the course of the 30+ books, the author finally has begun to allow her to learn more of how to be a friend, how to be a more rounded person.

It seems like it takes a lot for her to change, but while there are many books, in the timeline of the stories, only about 3 (4?) years have passed (2058-2061).

Sara � wrote: "Yeah, I've never seen Eve as MEAN! I think she's super compassionate, actually! She's not touchy feely about it, certainly. She's direct and blunt... never sugarcoats anything, but I think she sees..."

I agree. Once you get to know her she's not mean. She's tough, doesn't suffer idiots, but is very loyal and caring, she's just not emotive or touchy feely about it. She also has a great sense of humor.

She evolves a bit through the series, and you get to know that better about her as the series progresses.

Auntie J wrote: "Sara � wrote: "Yeah, I've never seen Eve as MEAN! I think she's super compassionate, actually! She's not touchy feely about it, certainly. She's direct and blunt... never sugarcoats anything, but I..."

That's why it struck me in the few books it happened. Eve never learned the social interaction skills as a kid and never had close relationships so she was always rough and gruff and baffled by those who became close to her, even using her gruffness as both a means to keep people at a distance and her means of masking the deep emotions or, to those who knew her, a coded message of closeness. It's just that a few times it felt wrong. If you are past it, it may have softened in memory because we know her gruffness isn't intended to be mean. Or maybe it's just me and the few things that struck me were hits on my mean meter. Great stories, great characters, great narration... nuff said.

Re:the hitting Peabody - I got hurt in college and tried to tough it out because I didn't want to seem weak - ended up wrecking my knee and still having a 13yrs later - I wish I'd had someone do similar to me to prove i wasn't ready - it's why I always harp abt smart to be hard but hard to be smart

Jennifer (Official Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Glutton for Punishment) wrote: "This discussion is making me want to read the series, but *sobs* there are SO MANY OF THEM."

Just commit to the first 3... they're sort of the beginning trilogy. Then take it slow from there. Or binge listen to them all in 6 weeks like I did. Whatever floats your boat!

Chrissie wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Susie, I only gave All the Light We Cannot See two stars..... You are not alone."

That is good to know!"

I think the book is way over-rated."
I was baffled by it too, I had it on fast speed and wanted even a faster one. I didn't think the various parts of the book fit together well and it really dragged.

To CatBook Mom from yesterday's comments (March is frozen so I couldn't reply) - Yes I love Georgette Heyer both on audio and in print.

Jennifer (Official Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Glutton for Punishment) wrote: "This discussion is making me want to read the series, but *sobs* there are SO MANY OF THEM."

Don't let that intimidate you at all! As others have said, just start and read the first one or two, see how you like them.

I highly recommend them, if that helps. If you like murder mysteries with interesting characters you grow to know and care about.

Robin wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Susie, I only gave All the Light We Cannot See two stars..... You are not alone."

That is good to know!"

I think the book is wa..."

I am glad to read these thoughts on All the Light We Cannot See because it has been on my TBR list for quite some time. Makes me wonder if it is worth using a credit on it.

Robin wrote: "To CatBook Mom from yesterday's comments (March is frozen so I couldn't reply) - Yes I love Georgette Heyer both on audio and in print."

Yay, another fan!

In Death might have to be a summer project :-)

Jennifer (Official Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Glutton for Punishment) wrote: "In Death might have to be a summer project :-)"

That will make your summer hotter!

Heeheehee... Seriously. I love romance novels, and I've yet to read about a couple better than Eve and Roarke... Love them!

FYI, any obsessive/compulsive Hamish Macbeth fans out there... books 16, 17, 18, and 20 that were previously missing on Audible are now available with graham Malcolm narrating. Once my In Death binge is finished or takes a hiatus I will get to these.

Jennifer (Official Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Glutton for Punishment) wrote: "In Death might have to be a summer project :-)"

Yay! I have the Audible versions. I've listened to many of them multiple times.

Sara � wrote: "Heeheehee... Seriously. I love romance novels, and I've yet to read about a couple better than Eve and Roarke... Love them!"

I typically don't read romance, and I am glad these books aren't primarily romance novels (although of course they do contain romancy parts) and I love them too!

I finished Red Seas Under Red Skies. It was feeling quite anxious because it was so tense. I even had to break out the tissues. I can't wait to read the next book in the series to find out what scrapes Locke and Jean get themselves into, and how they get out of them.

But first, I'm going to read Wizard and Glass for a buddy read. April's going to be a good month!

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet was very good, though I occasionally spaced out during my work road trip (where I listened to the last half) and lost track of who was who. I didn't realize that the author is the same as for Cloud Atlas, which I haven't yet read but seems like a very different book. I think I'm thankful that the narrator didn't attempt a Dutch accent.

Next up: The Secret History.

Robin wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Susie, I only gave All the Light We Cannot See two stars..... You are not alone."

That is good to know!"

I think the book is wa..."

The book really irritated me and yet I was reading it with others who loved it so maybe a one star represents my true feelings. It does have some nice lines though. I hated the mix of fantasy and holocaust atrocities. It also has historical inaccuracies - which a woman married to an history professor husband pointed out to me.

Auntie J wrote: "I typically don't read romance, and I am glad these books aren't primarily romance novels (although of course they do contain romancy parts) and I love them too!"

I typically hate mystery novel novels, so I'm glad there's more to the books than that. They're very character driven, which I really love. Even when I'm not terribly interested in the case Eve is working on, I'm always excited to see what's going on with the characters!

Finished the book I was listening to. I'm relistening to Poison Study and books 2 & 3 before listening to the new book in the series! :)

I'm excited to be starting Shadow Scale Rachel Hartman's sequel to Seraphina about a young musician who is half human and half dragon.

Still listening to Read My Heart: A Love Story in England's Age of Revolution. There's something about Wanda McCaddon's voice that makes my attention wander.

I've been reading the "In Death" series over the years in print. I also spread them out (because after a while they do start bleeding together). I love Eve - but I really think Roark is delish. I enjoy the books. In fact, it's about time for me to grab the next one! I'd always heard the audio versions were good but were already into them in print and never switched over...

Jeffrey wrote: "Robin wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Susie, I only gave All the Light We Cannot See two stars..... You are not alone."

That is good to know!"

I think ..."

I absolutely loved All the Light We Cannot See but I read the book, did not listen to the audiobook.

Storyheart wrote: "I'm excited to be starting Shadow Scale Rachel Hartman's sequel to Seraphina about a young musician who is half human and half dragon."

It's out???? Yay!!

I'm a couple hours into The Secret History, and like the book but am unsure about Donna Tartt's narration. I keep hearing her southern dialect come through. Not a biggie, except that the story's in first person, and the book's narrator is from from California, so there's some disconnect for me. Hmm...we'll see.

Currently listening to Jim Henson: The Biography and loving it.

Kristie wrote: "I'm a couple hours into The Secret History, and like the book but am unsure about Donna Tartt's narration. I keep hearing her southern dialect come through. Not a biggie, except that t..."
I loved the book in print (first time was years and years ago), and I agree that Tartt reading the audiobook herself is an odd choice. Wrong gender, wrong dialect.