Tag: Audiobooks

‏Eleanor & Park (Audiobook) by Rainbow Rowell, Rebecca Lowman, Sunil Malhotra

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On November 22, 2016

In Audiobook, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, P-U, Rainbow Rowel, Reread Project, YA/MG/Children's Books

Eleanor & ParkEleanor & Park

by Rainbow Rowell, Rebecca Lowman & Sunil Malhotra (Narrators)

Unabridged Audiobook, 8 hrs., 57 min.
Listening Library (Audio), 2013
Read: May 31 – June 1, 2016


Okay, so yesterday I talked about a book that was hurt by the audio narration — this is one that’s helped by it (but not much, because it really doesn’t need much). I read this back when it came out, and gave it 4 Stars — which boggles my mind, was I a harsher grader back then? I remembered liking it more than that, though. Anyway, this audiobook is the perfect example of what the medium can be.

It perfectly captured the flavor, the emotion and the detail of the original. Now, it didn’t become all about the performance, the narrators brought the words to life, but not at the expense of the text.

Lowman and Malhotra were spectacular — they were Eleanore and Park. You fall for them while the characters were falling for each other, and when they expressed emotion, you certainly felt it. Well, I don’t know about “you,” but definitely me.

I’m really not sure what else I can say. This is a perfect story about first love, how it defines who you are in a way you didn’t expect — how it reveals the best of you and improves the worst of you. Using these two social misfits to tell this story grounds it in a way that the Prom King and Queen couldn’t — I just loved it. It’s probably the best thing Rowell’s done, and it’s one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever heard.

—–

5 Stars

Every Heart a Doorway (Audiobook) by Seanan McGuire, Cynthia Hopkins

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On November 21, 2016

In Audiobook, Fantasy, Fiction, K-O, Reread Project, Seanan McGuire, Wayward Children

Every Heart a Doorway (Audiobook) Every Heart a Doorway

by Seanan McGuire, Cynthia Hopkins (Narrator)
Series: Wayward Children, #1

Unabridged Audiobook, 4 hrs., 44 min.
2016, Macmillan Audio

Read: November 17 – 18, 2016


When I get to considering my favorites of 2016, there’s no way that Every Heart a Doorway doesn’t make the Top 10 (see my initial post), so when I saw it available on the library’s audiobook site when I needed something to end the week with, I grabbed it, certain I was going to have a lot of fun.

Wow, was that a mistake. The story was just as good, the characters as rich, the world(s) just as fascinating — the writing, the wordplay, the language . . . it was just as good as I remembered. But man, the narration just didn’t work for me at all. The book is creepy, funny, spooky, beautiful — and remains so despite the narration. The jokes don’t land, most of the characters seem to lack affect. Actually, I have a list of problems, but I don’t want to get nasty, so I’ll just leave it at that.

I did pick up a bit of a William Ernest Henley’s “Invictus”-vibe towards the end this time that I hadn’t picked up the first time — but I still like it, regardless. I noticed more details, and appreciated the examination of the ideas of what’s home and what’s real maybe a little more this time, so it wasn’t a wasted effort. But it was a disappointing one.

I do want to make it clear that I don’t think Hopkins couldn’t turn in a good performance — I don’t have enough information to say that. I do think that she was wrong for this project, didn’t understand it, or had an off day. I’m not sure. But a novella as exceptionally good as Every Heart a Doorway deserves the best, and this wasn’t it. So for this audiobook (not the text version), I’ve gotta go with 4 stars (and even that feels a little generous).

—–

4 Stars

Hammered (Audiobook) by Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels

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On August 19, 2016

In Audiobook, Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne

Hammered Hammered

by Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels (Narrator)
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles, #3

Unabridged Audiobook, 9 hrs, 40 min.
Brilliance Audio, 2011

Read: July 25 – 26, 2016


This one is my least favorite in the series (I think, I’m pretty sure, anyway) — Atticus is held to promises he made in the last book, which brings him into contact with the Norse pantheon — particularly Thor — and knocks over the dominoes that will change the lives of Atticus, Granuaile, and Oberon forever. This book prevents the Iron Druid Chronicles from being a Dresden Files-Light series, which I’m glad for.

But it just doesn’t work that well for me. Oh, I could point to passages that are stirring, well-written, thoughtful and so on — some of Hearne’s best action scenes are here. He’s got some great character work going on, too (Perun was one of my favorites from the start). I just think Hearne could’ve done better.

Some of Hearne’s funniest material is in this book — Atticus’ internal monologue where he replaces the angel/devil on your shoulder with a Spock and Kirk combo, the stuff about American beer, Oberon’s extended rant about Bacon Lattes from Starbucks. Just great. Sadly, the story surrounding all that just doesn’t hold up too well.

Still, a less-good Iron Druid book is still pretty good. It’s like an iffy pizza. It’s still pizza 🙂

Luke Daniels solidified his place as my favorite Audiobook narrator with this one — I laughed out loud at and loved his Ratatoskr. I don’t think I mentioned in the last book how much I appreciated his Coyote (and if I did, it bears repeating). His accent work was good — just everything. He even elevated the slow part of the book — the sitting-around-the-campfire, telling-stories-about-what-a-jackwagon-Thor-is chapters.

Not my favorite, but for who it introduces, what it sets up — and for the completest in me — worth your time. It’s probably a victim of Hearne’s rush to finish the trilogy to fulfill his very quick publishing contract. Which just means it gets better from here.

—–

3.5 Stars

Audiobooks and Other Programming Notes

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On June 16, 2016

In Audiobook, News/Misc.

Two days without a post about a book, which is pretty annoying — I’ve been working on a couple, but somehow I haven’t finished any since Tuesday. Sorry!

So my new job involves a lot of — I want to say mindless work, but that’s not true. Le’s just say that there’s a lot of work where you’re isolated and could use something to occupy part of your mind. So I’ve been listening to more audiobooks than normal. Many of which are books I’ve read before, so they’re sort of part of the Reread Project. But I’m working in a few new books, too. I need to get better a simply regurgitating what I’ve said before about these re-reads, I realize.

Let me just say, I’m really disappointed in the tastes of whoever it is in my library that borrows audiobooks. Based on the selection, there’s high demand for lousy books.

Come to think of it, looking at the shelves, that’s true of paper books, too — it’s just more obvious in the small sample size of audiobooks.

Anyway, when it comes to audiobooks, it’s impossible to just keep things to the writing itself, performance comes in to play, too. So I have to talk that some (and I’ve listened to a couple lately that have hurt the books, and a couple that have helped the books, one or two that made no difference). I want to keep the focus on writing, story, character — but part of the audiobook experience is the narrator(s). I may end up lumping a few write-ups into one post instead of several individual. Also, I’m going to try to keep the audiobook talk to Fridays (no reason, just wanted to pick a day).

So, that’s what’s going on with me — a little writer’s block, a whole bunch of good books, a new type of book showing up regularly, and me falling more and more behind on posts.

What are you reading lately?

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