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Jan, glad to help.

Joy D wrote: "To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers - 3 stars - My Review"

I'm usually not a big fan of Chambers -- I mostly find her novels pretty boring, because she is so focused on having everyone be kind and social and so forth. But I thought this vella was just the right length -- I didn't have time to get bored -- so I liked it a lot. :-)

Still working my way through Invisible Man, and I gave up on A Gentleman in Moscow; in its place, I've restarted the third Johannes Cabal adventure, The Fear Institute. Also narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith, and much more entertaining.

Ashley Marie wrote: "Still working my way through Invisible Man, and I gave up on A Gentleman in Moscow; in its place, I've restarted the third Johannes Cabal adventure, The Fear Inst..."</i>

I saw you were reading Invisible Man. I reread it a couple of years ago and came to the conclusion it had become dated. Both this and [book:A Gentleman in Moscow I gave two stars--OK, but not better than that.

That's the feeling I'm getting, Chrissie; it has good points and the writing is beautiful, but a lot of the metaphors are rather heavy-handed for my taste.

Ashley Marie, they are not bad, but they could have been better. The metaphors have slipped my brain.

I finished The Rose Code and thought it was well done. Tomorrow, I will start another new release, The Witch's Heart.

I finished The Phoenix Guards -- had a lot of fun with it. For those not familiar, it's a combo Dumas-ian action romance/comedy of manners/farce in a fantasy setting. The whole series (known as the Khaavren Romances) is a prequel to the Vlad Taltos books. Good narration by Kevin Stillwell.

I've now just barely started Beautiful by Juliet Marillier. As usual, her writing is -- ahem -- beautiful. Can't tell about the plot yet!

i started listening to Doing Time - the first in her spinoff from the st mary's series about the time police

Dee wrote: "i started listening to Doing Time - the first in her spinoff from the st mary's series about the time police"

Dee, I was skeptical going in to this series that it would be as fun, but I've enjoyed the first two books quite a bit. I look forward to your review.

Started In My Mind's Eye: A Thought Diary, essays by renowned British writer Jan Morris. She does not read the book herself, but at 90 I guess she can't do everything!

Jan wrote: "Dee wrote: "i started listening to Doing Time - the first in her spinoff from the st mary's series about the time police"

Dee, I was skeptical going in to this series that it would..."

I’m only a chapter in but I liked the explanation of the time wars - that was the puzzle piece fir the st Mary’s books I was missing

Nonfiction alert!

I've started the essay collection In My Mind's Eye: A Thought Diary by renowned British writer Jan Morris. Narration (not hers) fits material fine. A note to Chrissie to consider this one, as I'm as certain I could be that she'd like it.

My review of Paradise Blue by Dominique Morisseau

/review/show...

This is an Audible Plus selection.

John wrote: "Nonfiction alert!

I've started the essay collection In My Mind's Eye: A Thought Diary by renowned British writer Jan Morris. Narration (not hers) fits material fine...."

I have checked both Audible in the US and in the UK--it is NOT available to me. Damn. You know how annoyed this gets me.

I burned through 13 Little Blue Envelopes and spent more time thinking how silly (and impractical) it was instead of liking it. A 2 star book for me. Just can't get past overprotective parents letting their daughter take off for a traipse through Europe based on 13 letters from her flaky aunt. Just didn't hit at all for me.

Change of pace and going with Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics next.

Chrissie wrote: "John wrote: "Nonfiction alert!

I've started the essay collection In My Mind's Eye: A Thought Diary by renowned British writer Jan Morris. Narration (not hers) fits m..."

Sorry to hear that. I believe this is the second time recently that a British author's work has been available to Americans, but not in Europe!

You'd think it would be available then instead at Audible.uk. I am a member at both.

Just finished Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim. What a beautiful story and I can see why Bahni Turpin’s narration won an award. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators.

Chrissie wrote: "You'd think it would be available then instead at Audible.uk. I am a member at both."

I just did a search on Audible.Com just using 'thought diary' as the search term... and the book was there. Maybe you can try again and it will show up for you this time.

Jeanie wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "You'd think it would be available then instead at Audible.uk. I am a member at both."

I just did a search on Audible.Com just using 'thought diary' as the search term... and the b..."

It's for sale, but only to U. S. residents apparently.

This is a really good one--Precious Bane by Mary Webb. You simply must try something by this author.

My review: /review/show...

I will soon begin Unbeaten Tracks in Japan by Isabella Lucy Bird. Why? Because I recently read and very much liked this author's A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains.

John wrote: "Jeanie wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "You'd think it would be available then instead at Audible.uk. I am a member at both."

I just did a search on Audible.Com just using 'thought diary' as the search te..."

it took me a little while, but then it suddenly hit my brain what the actual problem was... sorry for not understanding sooner. And very sorry that it isn't available to you, Chrissie!

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki - 4 stars - My Review

The narrative combines elements of Zen Buddhism, Japanese culture, environmentalism, and natural phenomena. The plot is intricate. The tsunami of 2011 is featured prominently. The book also explores suicidal ideation, bullying, unreliable parenting, and loneliness. It regularly refers to the writings of Marcel Proust. The character’s name, This book considers humans to be time-beings, which is true, actually, but I never thought of a life in quite that way. I particularly enjoyed the author’s portrayal of the continuity in generations past and present. It took a while for the pieces of this story to gel for me, but once they did, I was enthralled.

The audio book is nicely narrated by the author. I’m not usually a fan of authors reading their own books, but Ruth Ozeki reads well, has a pleasant tone, and we know the Japanese is pronounced properly. (4 stars for the audio)

I'm currently stuck partway into two different books. I started the second Miss Fortune book, Lethal Bayou Beauty, by Jana DeLeon and paused when the MC demonstrated behavior that was just too cringe-worthy. I was already having trouble with the idea that a cIA undercover operative wouldn't have a handle on disguising herself as various kinds of females--hair and makeup included--but her silly ineptitude just rubs me the wron way. I do especially like her two septuagenarian sidekicks, but they aren't quite enough to make me press Play at the moment... hoepfully eventually.

the second book is House of Blades from The Traveler's Gate series by will wight. I think I should have started with this before Cradle. This was his first published work and, while showing definite promise, isn't the same level as cradle. Worse--much worse--Will Wight narrates the audiobook himself. There's a reason professionals usually narrate works of fiction. Fortunately, will Wight sought a professional narrator for Cradle and Travis Baldree more than nails it. Yes, I will eventually finish this book and may even subject myself to the next two in the series if the actual story is good, but I won't be enjoying the audio experience. *fingers crossed he pays a professional to rerecord these someday soon*

Chrissie wrote: "This is a really good one--Precious Bane by Mary Webb. You simply must try something by this author.

My review: /review/show...

I ..."

Glad you enjoyed it!

Starting a middle grade book War and Millie McGonigle by Karen Cushman narrated by, Emma Galvin

Finished Nemesis Games, the fifth full story in The Expanse series of sci-fi thrillers. Really good story this time, with disasters, escapes, and lots of soul-searching. The series just keeps getting better. And thank God that Jefferson Mays is the narrator this time.

UGH. I have the next book on hold at the library, but I'm number 9 on 2 copies! Might be a while.

I finished Beautiful. The first part of this story is a retelling of a Nordic fairytale about a prince under a curse and an evil troll queen who tries to force him to marry her daughter, while the second and third parts show us what happened after the fairytale ended; instead of the prince or the queen, the troll queen's daughter is the MC throughout. It's very YA in tone -- full of wide-eyed naivete and simple, clear storyline and messaging -- and it even has a love triangle. But it's all done with Marillier's graceful prose, so it's mostly endearing instead of grating. And, surprisingly for a YA-type story, (view spoiler)[the girl gets BOTH the guys -- in her culture queens routinely take two husbands! (hide spoiler)]. It's a nice read if you want to relax with a sweet fairytale all about growing up and believing in yourself; not the thing to jump into if you want deep meaning or lots of complications.

Gemma Dawson did a good job narrating the dialogue, but I thought her narration of the narrative portions was rather monotonous.

Next I randomly selected from my TBR list Free the Darkness, book 1 of the King's Dark Tidings series. Narrated by Nick Podehl. The writing is good enough, but the jury is out on whether I'll stick with it -- I'm not convinced of the plot yet.

Jeanie, publication restrictions are why I have fewer books available than Americans. I search by the author since titles can be abbreviated. John is correct. Glad you now understand why.

Robin P wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "This is a really good one--Precious Bane by Mary Webb. You simply must try something by this author.

My review: /review/sh..."
Yeah, special writing. The alter-ego aspect of it is interesting to note.

I think anyone who enjoys Ellis Peters's Cadfael series will enjoy Webb's books. They share a common Shropshire setting.

Joy wrote: "Just finished Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim. What a beautiful story and I can see why Bahni Turpin’s narration won an award. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators."

This has been on my "to read" list forever - will have to move it up!!!

Just finished and reviewed Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. 4 stars may be a bit generous after all the tangents and heavy-handed metaphors, but the writing is pure poetry and it's going on my to-reread-as-a-physical-book list.

Listened to Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World by Simon Winchester. It was decent, learned a few interesting bits about the world. Many parts of the world was skipped over, but I liked how the book was organized. For me the section on Netherlands building the new province Flevoland out of the North Sea was one of the highlights of the book.


Started up The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton.

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia - 4 stars - My Review

Multigenerational story of mothers and daughters in migrant families, this book reads as a series of interlinked stories. The stories offer commentary on addictions, abuse, US immigration policies, race, and class. These are stories of strong women making hard choices. The author has taken on a large topic and covered it in a rather short novel. The prose is elegant. Garcia populates her stories with characters that feel authentic. They avoid categorization or stereotyping. One woman has developed a hard outer shell of protection, and has never shared her struggles with her daughter, leaving the daughter to wonder if she has ever truly known her mother. For me, the main drawback is a feeling that one storyline is not adequately established before moving to another. I found it an insightful examination of the variety of challenges faced by immigrant women.

Frankie Corzo does a nice job with the audio. She reads well, pronounces the Spanish correctly, and her voice is pleasing.

Content warnings: (view spoiler)[ domestic abuse, sexual assault, drug addiction. (hide spoiler)]

I haven't posted in awhile, so I'm catching up!

I listened to two that were problematic. Or I should say tried to listen since I didn't get very far with the second book. First,Trash: Stories just did not live up to the reviews as far as I'm concerned. It wasn't what I expected. The stories seemed to be based on Dorothy Allison's (author of Bastard Out of Carolina) life and growing up poor in the South. The problem was the amount of lurid details of lesbian sex. So that's the cautionary tale. Then, for some unknown reason, I had picked up Pimp: The Story of My Life. I ditched it after about an hour. It also got good reviews, but on the heels of Trash: Stories I just wasn't ready for another earful. Both books are raw.

The next problem was Never Ask Me. A mediocre thriller with characters that are not communicating with each other and making bad decisions. Barely 3*

I finally landed on The Quiet Game by Greg Iles. I seem to like Penn Cage and Natchez, Mississippi. 4*

Now I'm listening to When the Lion Feeds by Wilbur Smith. Set in South Africa it's historical fiction and this is the first of what appears to be a trilogy. I've enjoy Smith's fiction in the past and this audiobook has great narration by Sean Barrett. Barrett is British but as far as I can tell his South African accent is very good.

Fran wrote: "I finally landed on The Quiet Game by Greg Iles. I seem to like Penn Cage and Natchez, Mississippi. 4*"

I enjoyed this whole series - he's a writer that just makes me want to fall into his world's as horrific as they are

Into the Light
authors David Weber and Chris Kennedy
narrator Ralph Lister
25hours 38minutes

I finally did immersive read with print as well as audio. The narration was worse than I thought when just listening. I thought it was me having problems. It's not me. It's the narration.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel - 4 stars - My Review

This story shifts among its main characters - Paul, his half-sister Vincent, and businessman Paul Alkaitis. Their stories are tied together by the theme of making decisions that result in severe consequences and the idea of longing for the chance to go back, make a different choice. Ghostly figures are present, which may be figments of imagination, or conscience, but can also be read as magical realist elements. In these fantasies, the line between imagination and reality is crossed, where people seem to exist in two states of being at once. The idea that “it’s possible to both know and not know something� is also explored. In this case, people have been involved in shady business dealings, but have been fooling themselves to believe they have done nothing wrong. Of course, their dealings have definitely impacted clients, and this impact is clearly portrayed. But the idea is valid, and many people struggle it when making ethical choices. It kept my attention throughout and provided lots of food for thought.

The audio book is nicely read by Dylan Moore (4 stars for the audio).

Pamela wrote: "Listened to Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World by Simon Winchester. For me the section on Netherlands building the new province Flevoland out of the North Sea was one of the highlights of the book.."

When driving past this piece of art, you are aware you are actually driving on the bottom of the sea. The "smoke" (water) and boat on it, is where the surface of the sea used to be. The smoke/water is a wind vane so it changes with the wind.

Last night I finished House of Blades, first in the Traveler's gate series by Will Wight and narrated by Will wight on an equal par with Alexa reading aloud the Kindle book. The story itself shows promise and the magical system demonstrates will Wights creativity. I may read the remaining two in the trilogy since it is part of the Willverse and has concepts that relate to the other series wight has written. It's still up for debate as to whether I have Alexa or will read it to me.

Speaking of having Alexa read something to me... I couldn't wait for the audiobook of The Seige of Skyhold, book 5 in the mage Errant series by John Bierce and got the Kindle version... stayed up all night reading it. Part of me knows this was probably the best book in the series so far--tremendous character development, real progression in their magic, fantastic battles, and a well-crafted story. The other part of me absolutely hated the twists the author cleverly hid until the reveal and I'm devastated by the story choices... damn the art of good story telling! It's hard to have the most recent books in my two favorite series released in the same month and not fully enjoy either of them... again, damn the art of good story telling! The up side to reading the latest Mage errant is that I am now far less disappointed in the outcomes in the latest Cradle release! ;P

i finished listening to Little Men - its set about 10yrs after little women - about Jo's school at plumfield - good narration, decent story

Joy D wrote: "The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel - 4 stars - My Review

This story shifts among its main characters - Paul, his half-sister Vincent, and businessman Paul Al..."

Interesting that you posted this today, as the author based her story roughly on the case of Bernie Madoff, whose death was just announced in the last 24 hours.

I was surprised at how different this was from Station Eleven, where most of the characters were decent people trying to help each other. In this book, as you say, many people make selfish and unwise decisions. Still, I think she is a very good storyteller and I hope we get more from her.

Specs wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Listened to Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World by Simon Winchester. For me the section on Netherlands building the new province Flevoland out ..."

Thanks for posting that Specs. It really gives perspective on how much of the North Sea is held back.

Half way done with Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices by S.K. Ali (Editor), & Aisha Saeed (Editor), narrated by, Siiri Scott & Neil Shah learning new things!

Finished The Fear Institute this morning! Not my favorite of the Cabal series so far, but I'm excited for book 4 and the various shorts in between :)

Unbeaten Tracks in Japan is good, but I prefer what I have read before by the author Isabella Lucy Bird.

My review: /review/show...

I have begun Shadows on our Skin by Jennifer Johnston. It is set in Derry, Northern Ireland. during t the "Troubles."

Starting The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard narrated by, Alana Kerr Collins & John Keating
-- a funny audiobook addict story to go along with this title--
I first got this book from NetGalley for review but didn't get to it before it was archived, then there must have been a sale on Apple Books(which I rarely use) so bought the book on there, I had completely forgotten that I bought it on Apple books so I bought it again on Audible and it is also now included with Audible Plus this month. So now that I have bought it twice downloaded it 3 times it better be worth it!! ; )

I have a couple that I bought both on Audible and as a sale ebook, not because I wanted both but because I forgot I had it. I have tried to get better at recording all my books on GR and checking before I buy something.

Robin P wrote: "I have a couple that I bought both on Audible and as a sale ebook, not because I wanted both but because I forgot I had it. I have tried to get better at recording all my books on GR and checking b..."

I need to do better at checking because I even had it shelved under Apple books lol