Juggling Audiobooks: A Fun and Frustrating Pastime

Fun, because, well, audiobooks are awesome! Frustrating because I get my audiobooks from the library and my tastes run to long books. We're talking books that literally take a work week or more worth of hours to get through.  

Just can't seem to finish

For one, I'm working through Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive books, I'm on Oathbringer (have been for a few months now), and after I got booted from the first borrow, I've since been plagued by incredibly bad timing on hold releases and my tendency to not check my email in time to download them. I'm now on another 6 week wait list because Libby decided I must not really want to borrow it and dropped my hold. 😂

But really, borrowing these has been a game changer for me. I can't afford a subscription or to buy the sheer volume of audiobooks I would want to consume, but loading them on my phone with Libby, I can get close!

Just finished

As for recent finishes, I've just completed the audiobooks for the Caraval Trilogy by Stephanie Garber. Holy cow, great series!  Lots of fun, magic, and immortals. Highly recommended in audio, but I would have liked it in print, too. The first one takes us to the mysterious Caraval games with Scarlet, the older sister. The second, Legendary, with Tella, the younger one. And the third ties it all together, giving us a very well named Finale for both sisters. 

On it now

Next, and currently, I'm listening to the Battlefield Earth audiobook by Galaxy Audio. I'm on Part 6 now, where it's getting really good. Terl has found his leverage. Johnny Goodboy Tyler has lost his. I'm looking forward to the coming chapters, having already read this many times in the past. 

There's also a blog, videos (including about the making of the audiobook), and a listing of more books by L. Ron Hubbard, who was a very prolific writer of fantasy and later science fiction, including the one I'm reading, which he called his attempt at writing pure science fiction. If you read or listen to this, you can learn more about what that means by listening to the foreword. In the audio, it's read by Stefan Rudnicki (links to books he's narrated), one of my favorite narrators, who read Ender's Game and the other books in that series.

With that, back to reading (or listening)!

Drop a comment to let me know what you're reading or to chime in on these.

Review of the Movie Tie-in Audiobook: A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet #1) by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet #1)
by Madeleine L'Engle

Description:
It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract".

Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space?


My Review:
First off, this was a decent story, but I'm not sure it all quite made sense. I also found it to be a little bit anticlimactic/convenient. Didn't read like a 50-year-old book, though. Far from it. I can see why they made it into a movie.

Overall, I'd recommend it to folks who enjoy youth adventures with a happy ending. Then again, I noticed the Quintet tag when posting this so I guess there's more to it.

As for the audio, I have a lot of comments on that.

The narrator (or the person advising her) chose to interpret the "sharp" voice of Mrs. Witch (Which?) as kind of a wavery, ghosty voice. That is not how I interpret sharp, and I must say, I missed most of what she said, even with the volume turned up. I wonder if this was based on how the character is channeled in the movie, rather than how described in the book. I haven't seen it yet, so I cannot say.

Also, I could have really done without the two forewords. I think I commented on it in Goodreads. The second one bled into the first chapter of the audio, so they didn't quite nail those transitions, and that made it difficult to figure out where the story actually began.

I listened to the movie themed audiobook from the library.

Steampunk YA Review: Manners & Mutiny (Finishing School #4) by Gail Carriger

Manners & Mutiny (Finishing School #4)
by Gail Carriger


Description:

If one must flirt...flirt with danger.

Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine's floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia's sootie Soap nearby. She would rather thwart dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored.

Who can she trust? Royal werewolf dewan? Stylish vampire Lord Akeldama? Only one thing is certain: a large-scale plot is under way. Sophronia must be ready to save her friends, her school, and all of London from disaster.


My Review:
A very satisfying conclusion to the Finishing School series, though I do very much want more. The overall plot builds to this final installment, where Sophronia and friends must stop a plot no one seems willing to believe exists.

I strongly recommend it to folks who enjoyed the first few in the series. I recommend reading these in order and having them all at hand so you don’t have to pause between them (you won’t want to wait).

I borrowed the audiobook from the library.

-----

As this is the final in the series, I think it important to comment on the other two series set in this world. I suspect the Parasol Protectorate series picks up somewhere after this one, though likely with different characters. It is on my to-be-read list so I’m afraid I have no further insight on the matter.

That being said, I have read the Custard Protocol (books 1 and 2), and they most certainly occur after both aforementioned. These latest books use the same narrator whom I find delightful, and this provides a consistency I seek out when listening to a series. From checking the author’s website, I know more books are coming from that series, so I’m keeping a look out.


About the Author:



Photo by Vanessa Applegate

Gail Carriger writes comedies of manners mixed with paranormal romance (and the sexy San Andreas Shifter series as G L Carriger). Her books include the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, and Supernatural Society series for adults, and the Finishing School series for young adults. She is published in many languages and has over a dozen NYT bestsellers. She was once an archaeologist and is fond of shoes, octopuses, and tea.

Join the Chirrup for sneak peeks & giveaways! http://gailcarriger.com/chirrup

More links:
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads
Twitter @gailcarriger
Facebook

Steampunk YA Review: Waistcoats & Weaponry (Finishing School #3 ) by Gail Carriger

Waistcoats & Weaponry (Finishing School #3)
by Gail Carriger


Description:
Sophronia continues her second year at finishing school in style—with a steel-bladed fan secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Such a fashionable choice of weapon comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey stowaway on a train to return their classmate Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland.

No one suspected what—or who—they would find aboard that suspiciously empty train. Sophronia uncovers a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos and she must decide where her loyalties lie, once and for all.


My Review:
A strong third in the series. 

I enjoyed the characters and the humor, particularly the eclectic blend of etiquette and adventure. The author does a fine job with Sophronia’s personal dilemma, keeping her concerns period correct (although the period does also feature some rather non-period correct science, werewolves, and vampires).

Highly recommended for folks who want a fun read set in a steampunk alternate history with plenty of paranormal entanglements.

I borrowed this audiobook from the library.


About the Author:



Photo by Vanessa Applegate

Gail Carriger writes comedies of manners mixed with paranormal romance (and the sexy San Andreas Shifter series as G L Carriger). Her books include the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, and Supernatural Society series for adults, and the Finishing School series for young adults. She is published in many languages and has over a dozen NYT bestsellers. She was once an archaeologist and is fond of shoes, octopuses, and tea.

Join the Chirrup for sneak peeks & giveaways! http://gailcarriger.com/chirrup

More links:
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads
Twitter @gailcarriger
Facebook

Steampunk YA Review: Curtsies & Conspiracies (Finishing School #2) by Gail Carriger

Curtsies & Conspiracies (Finishing School #2)
by Gail Carriger


Description:
Does one need four fully grown foxgloves for decorating a dinner table for six guests? Or is it six foxgloves to kill four fully grown guests?

Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy--won't Mumsy be surprised? Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.

Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a field trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot--one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card.

In this sequel to New York Times bestselling Etiquette & Espionage, class is back in session with more petticoats and poison, tea trays and treason. Gail's distinctive voice, signature humor, and lush steampunk setting are sure to be the height of fashion this season.


My Review:
And…devoured.

I simply adore this series and the world Gail Carrigan has created for us. Supernatural, steampunk romance with all the thrills of an action flick.

Sophronia is a delightful heroine, and her budding romance/friendship with Soap was a highlight for me. Then again, I also dug the competition. As for the theme and humor, delightful.

I highly recommend this series to folks who enjoy a bit of whimsy with their thrills.

I borrowed the audiobook from the library.


About the Author:



Photo by Vanessa Applegate

Gail Carriger writes comedies of manners mixed with paranormal romance (and the sexy San Andreas Shifter series as G L Carriger). Her books include the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, and Supernatural Society series for adults, and the Finishing School series for young adults. She is published in many languages and has over a dozen NYT bestsellers. She was once an archaeologist and is fond of shoes, octopuses, and tea.

Join the Chirrup for sneak peeks & giveaways! http://gailcarriger.com/chirrup

More links:
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads
Twitter @gailcarriger
Facebook

Steampunk YA Review: Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger

Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1)
by Gail Carriger

Description:
It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.


My Review:
This story is a delight. Sophronia, a tomboy, finds herself shuffled off to finishing school, only to discover that it isn’t quite the normal kind.

I simply adore this book, especially as an audiobook. The characters are delightful and varied, the steampunk paranormal mix is intriguing and feels natural in the world the author has created.

Overall, strongly recommended to folks who enjoy YA with a twist. Nothing like a bit of etiquette mixed with a bit of bladework!

I borrowed this audiobook from the library. I was, and am, delighted that all four of the Finishing School books were at my library in audio. Of course, I devoured them as soon as they each came off hold.


About the Author:



Photo by Vanessa Applegate

Gail Carriger writes comedies of manners mixed with paranormal romance (and the sexy San Andreas Shifter series as G L Carriger). Her books include the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, and Supernatural Society series for adults, and the Finishing School series for young adults. She is published in many languages and has over a dozen NYT bestsellers. She was once an archaeologist and is fond of shoes, octopuses, and tea.

Join the Chirrup for sneak peeks & giveaways! http://gailcarriger.com/chirrup

More links:
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads
Twitter @gailcarriger
Facebook

YA Review: Invincible (Nick Chronicles #2) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Invincible (Nick Chronicles #2)
by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Description:
Nick Gautier's day just keeps getting better and better. Yeah, he survived the zombie attacks, only to wake up and find himself enslaved to a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul.

His new principal thinks he's even more of a hoodlum than the last one, his coach is trying to recruit him to things he can't even mention and the girl he's not seeing, but is, has secrets that terrify him.

But more than that, he's being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn't learn how to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them...

My Review:
I am so hooked on this series. There is nothing I don’t like about it.

First off, audiobook is the format I’d recommend. I’m sure this would be great as a regular book, but the narrator they chose to perform all these books is perfect for this story.

That being said, this installment is even more sinister and engrossing than the first. The threat is identified early on, but the exact nature of it and how to defeat it is revealed in a way that kept me interested and made it extremely hard to stop listening.

I also really enjoyed the perspective of Nick, the kindhearted Cajun who’s destined to become a horrifying demon that destroys the world. Talk about the thread that holds the series together.

Overall, loved this book. Strongly recommended.

Borrowed the audiobook from the library.

About the Author:

Photography by Sheri Reno/Nashville.

 

 

New York Times and international bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon is a regular at the #1 spot. With legions of fans known as Menyons (thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her series and who travel from all over the world to attend her appearances), her books are always snatched up as soon as they appear on store shelves. Since 2004, she had placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats including manga and graphic novels. Her current series are: Dark-Hunter, Chronicles of Nick and The League, and her books are available in over 100 countries where eager fans impatiently wait for the next release. Her Chronicles of Nick and Dark-Hunter series are soon to be major motion pictures while Dark-Hunter is also being developed as a television series. Join her and her Menyons online at SherrilynKenyon.com and www.facebook.com/AuthorSherrilynKenyon

Author Webpage: http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/
Chronicles of Nick: http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/book-series/chronicles-of-nick/

YA Review: Infinity (Nick Chronicles #1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Infinity (Nick Chronicles #1)
by Sherrilyn Kenyon


Description:
At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he's next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?


My Review:
Absolutely recommended!

Loved Nick's character. He's lippy, good natured, and charming, but also good at getting into trouble. His mom's awesome, especially her mom threats. Mark and Bubba, so funny.

And, add in the threat of football player zombies, dark powers, and an evil that wants to turn Nick into something that threatens the future of the world and you have one fantastic read.

I loved this story. Strongly recommended for fans of YA paranormal with plenty of humor and danger.

I borrowed the audiobook from the library, and I must say that I would totally recommend this format if you can get it. I adored the narrator's performance. Every character is unique in the story and the narrator channels them perfectly, especially the ones I mentioned above. Love it!


About the Author:

Photography by Sheri Reno/Nashville.

 

 

New York Times and international bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon is a regular at the #1 spot. With legions of fans known as Menyons (thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her series and who travel from all over the world to attend her appearances), her books are always snatched up as soon as they appear on store shelves. Since 2004, she had placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats including manga and graphic novels. Her current series are: Dark-Hunter, Chronicles of Nick and The League, and her books are available in over 100 countries where eager fans impatiently wait for the next release. Her Chronicles of Nick and Dark-Hunter series are soon to be major motion pictures while Dark-Hunter is also being developed as a television series. Join her and her Menyons online at SherrilynKenyon.com and www.facebook.com/AuthorSherrilynKenyon

Author Webpage: http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/
Chronicles of Nick: http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/book-series/chronicles-of-nick/

Fantasy Review: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless
by Marissa Meyer

Description:
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.

Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

My Review.
Great story. Tragic.
I was on the waitlist for this one for a long time, months I think, at the local library. Finally came up and I must say it was worth the wait.

The author flawlessly carries off this origin story for Alice in Wonderland’s infamous Queen of Hearts, taking the reader through Cath’s first true love, her daring attempts to dodge fate, the sinister threat of the Jabberwock, and the inexorable pull of her own sense of right and wrong. All of this makes the story memorable, unique, and surprisingly suspenseful, even when one can’t help but know how it has to end.

Overall, I loved this book and strongly recommend it to folks who love twists on classic fairytales.
I borrowed the audiobook from the library.

Intrigued?
Add it on Goodreads.
Find it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.


About the Author:

Marissa Meyer is a fangirl at heart, with a closet full of costumes, a Harry Potter wand on her desk, and a Tuxedo Mask doll hanging from her rear view mirror. Han and Leia are still her OTP. She may or may not be a cyborg.

Marissa writes books for teens, including the NYT bestselling series: The Lunar Chronicles.
Follow her blog or sign up for her newsletter at http://www.marissameyer.com.

Check out Marissa's other books on Amazon.

Audiobook Review: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Simon Prebble (Narrator)

Nineteen Eighty-Four
by George Orwell, Simon Prebble (Narrator)

Description:
Blackstone Audio presents a new recording of this dramatically popular book.

George Orwell depicts a gray, totalitarian world dominated by Big Brother and its vast network of agents, including the Thought Police - a world in which news is manufactured according to the authorities' will and people live tepid lives by rote.

Winston Smith, a hero with no heroic qualities, longs only for truth and decency. But living in a social system in which privacy does not exist and where those with unorthodox ideas are brainwashed or put to death, he knows there is no hope for him.

The year 1984 has come and gone, yet George Orwell's nightmare vision of the world we were becoming in 1949 is still the great modern classic portrait of a negative Utopia.


My Review:
It took me quite some time to get around to reading (listening) to this book, and I must say I wasn’t disappointed.

It boggles the mind how pervasively fictional (in the context of the story) every known fact and history in the book is. The concept of double think, well, it’s amazing and seems like it wouldn’t be possible, but the way George Orwell explains it in the book, gives examples, and shows it happening to the characters makes it start feeling pretty real by the end of the story.

I found it particularly chilling how the government run media in the story proactively rewrote history, made all the more so by how easily the citizens of that future dystopia instantly adjusted their own perceptions of history to match.

Then, the romance. I had no idea that this story, with all its reputation of dystopia and Big Brother, was actually a tragic romance. Not only did it make the story hard to put down, but it perfectly illustrates just how well Orwell’s society controls every aspect of those who reside in it.

As for relevance? Well, it’s eerie and eye opening. Having read this, I find myself paying closer attention to trends in what stories the media shares, what they say, and how certain popular figures respond to it. While the story takes the ideas of social and thought control to the extreme, current events make it seem rather possible that the concepts in the book aren’t quite as fictional as one would hope.

Overall, an excellent and chilling story. Highly recommended. The audiobook performance by Simon Prebble was fantastic.

I borrowed this audiobook from the library.


*Note that the image I used is for a boxed set of this book along with Animal Farm. It was the closest match I could find to the one I read from the library.