Audiobooks

The One and Only Ivan

2013, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Fiction /

I’m not big on animal stories — particularly those that are fiction but based on a true story and extra particularly those written for kids. They’re just … too much.

So I didn’t expect to love The One and Only Ivan. The only thing it had going for it, in my early opinion, was that it was written by Katherina Applegate (who I really like.)

Turns out, I’m a sucker for books about gorillas and elephants and stray dogs and such. I’m awfully sad that I didn’t go to the Atlanta zoo and see Ivan in person before he passed away. That would have been cool. It also would have been cool if Ivan had really done all of those things to get himself and Ruby to the zoo…

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Someday, Someday, Maybe

1 Comment / 2013, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Chick Lit, Favorites /

When I heard Lauren Graham had written a novel, I knew I had to read it. But, I also knew it was highly likely that I’d hate it and hate myself for reading it.

Lauren Graham is Lorelai.

The only hope for me was — either Someday, Someday, Maybe book is so completely different that I forget who wrote it or it’s so Lorelai that I felt comfortable with the characters and the storyline.

Knowing that, I had to decide whether I wanted the print version or the audio version. Discovering Lauren Graham read the audio version didn’t make the decision any easier. See above. Either/or.

I ended up reserving both the print and the audio versions. I figured I’d go with whichever arrived at the library first… the print version arrived BUT I noticed the audio version was in transit and sure enough, it was waiting for me two days later.

I bit the bullet and took the print version back unread… and we started listening.

Oy.

Disconcerting at first but it grew on us quickly, (as Lauren Graham is so good at doing, right?)

At one point, we were picking up the little kids and I decided to freak them out by turning the cd on… mid-story.

They loved it. Immediately loved it.

And while they didn’t listen to the whole thing along with us, they did listen to bits and pieces and were in the car for the ending… which caused them to HOWL in outrage that it was OVER like THAT and WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

And omg you’d have thought Gilmore Girls was ending all over again.

I’m calling this a big win for us. We had a little bit of Lorelai-like fun and I’m very glad I went with the audio version. I suspect we wouldn’t have enjoyed the print version nearly as much.

(tiny note to self: we read this in May and it was counted in my May totals.)

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Chomp

1 Comment / 2013, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites /

I like Carl Hiaasen but I don’t love Carl Hiaasen so I figured I’d enjoy Chomp but I didn’t know I’d really, really, REALLY enjoy Chomp.

The only problem with it (well besides the neverending supply of beer the “bad guy” seemed to have and his inebriation level, but it’s middle grade fiction — that’s to be expected) was that we listened to it on audio and… Dawson, yes that Dawson, was the reader.

I kept expecting Joey and Pacey to show up… that was a little weird.

Great Cybils selection. Great book for those of you who aren’t sure you like audio books.

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The Lions of Little Rock

2013, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge /

Here’s the problem with me and books in the Cybils Challenge — I reserve them at the library without knowing what they’re about.

The Lions of Little Rock was one of those books.

Little Rock in the 50s, so no, I wasn’t really surprised when Liz showed up at school and I knew immediately that Liz was trying to pass and this was not going to end well for anyone.

It was at that moment that I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like the book. In those early pages I had to keep reminding myself that this is a middle grade fiction book. This is a middle grade fiction book. And before long, I wasn’t having to remind myself of that. I could just enjoy the story. And, I really did enjoy it.

I do have one question — after Judy flew from Pine Bluff to Little Rock on New Year’s Eve, how did she get back to Pine Bluff? (It’s little things like this that stick with me and bother me.)

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Wonder

1 Comment / 2013, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Young Adult /

I will admit that I was prepared to be not-so-impressed with Wonder. Books that have glowing reviews cause me to put my hackles up and be overly critical.

But, it was tough to maintain that detached, critical air. Wonder was just too nice. Nice story. Nice characters. Nice family. Nice. Nice. Nice. Just typing that makes me want to NOT like Wonder but I just can’t do it.

Maybe because we listened to it on audio, and finished it up during our happy vacation to Door County — everything was awesome, including the happily ever after ending of Wonder.

Hell. Just go read it.

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The Drowned Cities

2013, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Young Adult /

It took awhile for us to figure out which book The Drowned Cities was the sequel to because Tool was the only character from the first book that was in this book. At first I wasn’t sure that was going to be a good thing but I settled into the story and ended up pretty happy with how it all turned out. I do hope we pick up Tool’s story again — it would be pretty interesting to see if the Half-Man can turn the Drowned Cities around when the Full-Men couldn’t.

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The Clockwork Three

2013, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Young Adult /

I reserved The Clockwork Three, on audio, last year – after we finished listening to the author’s book, Icefall. Two completely different books, both very good – I really enjoyed every single character in The Clockwork Three. The kids, the adults (even the bad adults) – fabulously done. (I’m sorry he doesn’t have another book for me to reserve because I’m pretty darn sure we’d enjoy it, whatever it was about.)

(The epilogue and the reading of the news stories, from the late 1800s, that inspired him to write this book was interesting, too.)

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

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Two Fun Children’s Books

2012, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites /

We love the Ladies #1 Detective Agency (and we prefer it on audio) so I thought it would be  fun to grab  The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe’s First Case on audio. And,  it was fun. The voices weren’t  “right” and it tries a little too hard to be a “teaching” book – re-pronouncing  “hard” names,  stuff like that. I’m guessing Alexander McCall Smith may not really know any 8-10 year olds? But it was fun.  A lot of fun for fans of Precious Ramotswe (and the great Obed Ramotswe).

Riordan’s The Mark of Athena was excellent. I’ve had some trouble really getting into the Greeks vs Romans or Greeks + Romans series but book three has helped a good bit with that. I’m falling into the flow of it and getting comfortable with the Romans. Poor Annabeth. Poor Leo. Poor everyone, pretty much. No happy ending quest in this book, which is a big change and now we have to wait how long for the next one? (Well maybe not that long since this book has been out for awhile and I’ve just now gotten around to reading it, lol. October 2013… I can wait that long and read it at this time next year!)

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Black Heart (and the Problem with Audiobooks)

2012, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

When we finished Leverage, on audio, TW asked for a new audio book but made me promise we would never listen to another book like “THAT” again. I laughed and told her not to worry because I knew the perfect book to listen to next. A book that had come in for us at exactly the same time Leverage came in. A book I had to take back to the library because it took us so long to listen to Leverage and because it couldn’t be renewed (others had it reserved, too.) 

Black Heart, the latest book in the Curse Worker series arrived last weekend. I picked it up on Wednesday. We started listening to it on Thursday afternoon. We finished listening to it today, just after noon. That’s not even three days! Which tells you two things – first, it’s not long. A bit more than six hours on audio, I think. But that also tells you that we spend an ass ton of time in the car. Worse yet because there are times when we don’t listen to the audiobook while we are in the car – when TW’s mom is riding with us, for instance. Or when we’re chatting up the girls.

That’s the only thing I don’t like about books on audio. They can remind me of just how much of my life is spent shuttling around, from here to there. No wonder I never have time to lay on the couch and watch Dawson’s Creek. Poop.

Anyway, back to Black Heart.

I loved the ending. Not just the Cassel/Lila part – but the part about Danica and Barron. The only problem is… Black writes trilogies. Gah. Are we really never going to know what happens next? Or is this the lead up to a new trilogy?

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