audiobooks

The crazy commute continues, and while I love my NPR and the Broadway channel, Audible is keeping me sane. I have to say, though, that I often miss things because I have (wait for it —- ) concentrate on driving! I don’t “rewind” or whatever you’d call it digitally simply because I need to focus on driving, not fiddle with my audio player. However, if the choice is listen or not get a book at all, then I’m definitely up for listening!

In this last stretch I listened to six books – one was an Audible gift for the holidays while the rest I either got with my monthly credit or purchased because I couldn’t wait until the end of the month.

After All the Stars in the Heavens (reviewed earlier and separately), I purchased WONDER by R. J. Palacios. Yes, I know I am the LAST PERSON IN THE WORLD to get to this book, but it never seems to be in at the library. Well, it was worth the wait and the $9.99 I paid for it because this book (which you’ve probably all read already) is a gem. WONDER tells the story of Auggie Pullman, a fifth grader who has always been schooled at home because of his physical differences (which are facial). It’s a year in Auggie’s life as he integrates into school and navigates the social scene. I loved this story! When I first heard the main narrator (Diana Steele for Auggie) I thought it was Paula Poundstone trying to sound like a little kid, but eventually it grew on me and I decided it was just perfect. I can still hear that voice in my head!

Next I received a free download from Audible also a holiday treat – the short story of THE CHIMES by Charles Dickens. Wow – this was a miserable and depressing story. I guess Dickens published three stories about Christmas with THE CHIMES coming after A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Anyways — while superbly written, the story centered on this poor, hapless man named Toby “Trotty” Veck whose whole happy life is just a big illusion because everyone’s really dead. Whew — Merry Christmas!

Anyway – after that pick-me-up, I got the NEW Agatha Raisin by MC Beaton – DISHING THE DIRT. I couldn’t wait for it so I bought it for myself as a treat. Agatha is dealing with a new gal in town – a therapist – who not only seems to know a lot about people (including about Agatha’s past), but she uses it to her own devices. That said, she promptly ends up dead (the therapist that is) and Agatha needs to figure out who dunnit! This story was ably read by Alison Larkin.

Over the actual week of Christmas I listened to THE TIME BETWEEN, which I got on sale. It is by Karen White and I really like her stories. Understandably though, close to Christmas is not a good time for listening as there are many crazy people on the roads (or at least there are around here/Boston). This is a story of family and relationships, sisters and secrets. It takes place in the South, which many of Ms. White’s stories do. It was really good and had my fave themes of redemption and forgiveness in it. It had more than one narrator/voice for the women portrayed and all were very good and appropriate: Jennifer Ikeda, Barbara Rosenblat, and Angela Goethals. I may go back and listen to it again.

Well this ends Part One! Part Deux will be coming — featuring a YA novel I really wanted and loved called Nightfall by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski and Isabel Allende’s new novel: The Japanese Lover.

With my new commute (Boston area traffic!!), I’ve become a devotee of Audible and audiobooks which I purchase via Amazon.

Here’s what I’ve been listening to in the car each morning (well,along with NPR):

FALL OF GIANTS by Ken Follett — This is SUPER long (over 30 hours) and I’m still listening to it. If this was a book (um – it is) it would be 1,000 pages! It’s the first in the Century trilogy and normally I love, love, love these sweeping sagas that are multi-generational and trace a family line through the years (a la Edward Rutherfurd). It focuses on several storylines that apparently converge and take place around the time of WWI. Have to be honest here — while listening to it I found it had a lot of sex and violence. I just couldn’t always stay focused; but of course that might have been the traffic…

THE STORMCHASERS by Jenna Blum — How did Jenna Blum have a book out that I did not know about? I loved her “THOSE WHO SAVED US” and her short story in GRAND CENTRAL. This was totally different for her – twins Charles and Karena haven’t seen each other in years, not since Charles, who suffers from bipolar disorder, disappeared in his quest as a storm chaser. Karena is determined to find him now and her path takes her into the subculture of storm chasing. This was interesting and compelling and heart breaking – all at once. Jenna Blum does a great job of painting a picture of what life is like with a family member who suffers from mental illness. Charles’ bipolar comes with psychotic episodes and is especially frightening. I liked this novel, but I didn’t love it as I found it depressing. The narration sometimes bothered me when the narrator used what I call a “voiceover voice” – when you pitch your voice slightly higher and lift your soft palate, if you know what I mean.

THE BONES OF PARIS by Laurie R. King — I love Laurie King’s Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes books and I thought I’d love this one. It was a sometimes gritty mystery about missing young women in Paris during the Jazz Age and an intrepid detective’s search for them. It was very well-written, but a bit too harsh sexually for my tastes (I don’t like to grimace while driving). Definitely not a cozy, but well-plotted and interesting. I loved the narrator’s voice (Jefferson Mays). Oddly enough it had characters in it that I was reading about in another book (Mann Ray and Lee Miller from THE BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN).

NIGHT ROAD by Kristin Hannah – I just finished this one. I loved Kristin Hannah’s THE NIGHTINGALE, so I wanted to read another by her. This was great and I couldn’t stop listening (which is good because if you know Boston traffic, I had plenty of time to sit and listen). In this novel, twins Mia and Zack befriend new girl Lexi and the three become inseparable. The twins’ mother, Jude, welcomes Lexi into their home, though she has a definite plan for her children. Then, senior year, events happen that will change forever the lives of all of them. This book has some of my favorite themes of self-forgiveness and reconciliation in it. I really enjoyed it and Kathleen McInerney’s narration.

ECHO – by Pam Munoz Ryan – I’m listening to it now! It’s a children’s fantasy story. There’s music mixed in, too.

With my next Audible credit, I will purchase ALL THE STARS IN HEAVEN by my gal Adriana — love her books!

What are YOU listening to these days?