rosegarden Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I don't 'read' books very often - I mostly listen to audio books, either on my ipod when I'm travelling or walking to work or I download them to my laptop and listen to them while in the house, washing up or doing similar boring jobs. It does make the time pass Books I have either LISTENED to or READ so far this year 1. Janet Evanovich - One For The Money 9/10 2. Helen Dunne - Trixie Trader 7/10 3. Erica James - Hidden Talents 7/10 4. Daniel Defoe - Robinson Crusoe 6/10 5. Patrick Suskind - Perfume 8/10 6. Josephine Cox - The Beachcomber 4/10 7. John Grisham - A Time to Kill 8/10 8. Harlan Coben - Gone For Good 9/10 9. Joanna Trollope - Girl From The South 4/10 10. Frances Hodgson Burnett - The Secret Garden 7/10 11. Rebecca Shaw - A Country Affair 6/10 12. Sue Monk Kidd - The Secret Life of Bees 9/10 13. Tony Hawks - Round Ireland with a Fridge 7/10 14. Kathy Reichs - Deja Dead 7/10 15. Barbara Comyns - The Vet's Daughter 7/10 16. Brian Sibley - Shadowlands: The True Story of C.S. Lewis & Joy Davidman 6/10 17. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - The Hound of the Baskervilles 6/10 18. Marina Lewycka - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian 7/10 19. Salley Vickers - Miss Garnett's Angel 7/10 20. Anchee Min - Empress Orchid 9/10 *BOOK* 21. Felicity Kendal - White Cargo 8/10 22. Janet Evanovich - Two for the Dough 8/10 23. JK Rowling - Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban 8/10 24. Maeve Binchy - Circle of Friends 6/10 25. Cecilia Ahern - P.S. I Love You 8/10 *BOOK* 26. Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Shadow of the Wind 6/10 27. Bernard Cornwell - Stonehenge 7/10 28. Victoria Hislop - The Island 8/10 *BOOK* 29. Salley Vickers - Mr Golightly's Holiday 7/10 30. Willy Russell - The Wrong Boy 0/10 *DIDN'T FINISH IT* 31. Allison Pearson - I don't know how she does it 7/10 32. John Connolly - The Book of Lost Things 8/10 33. Audrey Niffenegger - The Time-Travellers Wife 7/10 34. Catherine Aird - Amendment of Life 8/10 35. Michael J. Fox - Lucky Man 7/10 36. Sue Grafton - A is for Alibi 7/10 37. Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 7/10 38. Ken Follett - The Pillars of the Earth 9/10 *BOOK* 39. Irene Dische - Between Two Seasons of Happiness 8/10 *BOOK* 40. Louis Sachar - Holes 8/10 41. Maureen Lee - Lime Street Blues 8/10 42. Kerry Jamieson - The Golden Door 8/10 43. John Grisham - The Pelican Brief 8/10 44. Margaret Atwood - The Blind Assassin 8/10 45. Graham Swift - Last Orders 6/10 46. Kate Moss - Labyrinth BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY LISTENING TO Marion Keyes - Sushi for Beginners Philip Pullman - Northern Lights BOOK I AM CURRENTLY READING Kate Mosse - Labyrinth Books on my to be Listened To/Read List Janet Evanovich - Three To Get Deadly Ian McEwan - Amsterdam James Patterson - Kiss The Girls Allison Dubois - Don't Kiss Them Goodbye Leo Tolstoy - War and Peace (abridged) Martina Cole - Dangerous Lady Sue Grafton - B is for Burglar Zadie Smith - On Beauty Eoin Colfer - Artemis Fowl Karen Joy Fowler - The Jane Austen Book Club Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities Jodi Picoult - Perfect Match Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper Diane Setterfield - The Thirteenth Tale Jonathan Kellerman - Gone Jed Rubenfeld - The Interpretation of Murder *BOOK* Lee Child - Die Trying *BOOK* Heather Graham - The Island Margaret Atwood - Oryx and Crake Khaled Hosseini - The Kite Runner *BOOK* MC Beaton - Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House *BOOK* Harlan Coben - No Second Chance *BOOK* Pete McCarthy - McCarthy's Bar *BOOK* Pete McCarthy - The Road to McCarthy Nora Roberts - Dance Upon The Air JD Robb - Naked in Death Jesse Kellerman - Sunstroke Theresa Monsour - Dark House Michelle Lovric - The Remedy *BOOK* David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas Val McDermid - The Grave Tattoo Zoe Heller - Notes On A Scandal *BOOK* Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Wow you listen to a lot of your books! How did you start "reading" this way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 As I'm someone who's relatively new to audio books, I'd love to have some recommendations of particularly good ones - I've downloaded a few free ones onto my ipod, as I think it's a great way of getting in extra reading while it's not feasible to be holding a book, and I'm going to be on the lookout for more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Agatha Christie written by the actor who plays Hastings are good. Harry Potter with Stephen Fry and Artemis Fowl are all good! I listened to all the Alex Rider ones on CD. I don't count audio books as books I've read which maybe I should. Have never listened to an audio book that I didn't like but am more careful than I would be with ordinary books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I've never tried audio books, I remember my grandma used to have them because she was almost blind and couldn't managed even the large print books. Might have to look into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 The only time I have listened to audio books is when I was studying for my O level English Literature - especially Macbeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I recently listened to a Rosamunde Pilcher novel which was nice and over the years I have listened to poetry collections etc. and Tarka the Otter LOL. Recently I decided that loading one into the computer, or downloading one and listening while you surf is a good way of getting to know books, as is listening to them being read on the radio. PP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 I've only been listening to audio books for about a year. I've listened to about 35 books so far since I started. I spend a lot of my day staring at a computer screen which can make my eyes ache, so listening to an audio book gives my eyes a rest. I've downloaded books onto my computer and my ipod (last summer in Spain I was relaxing on my sunbed listening to Jim Dale reading Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone! Wonderful. ) There's also a great digital radio station (Oneword) www.oneword.co.uk which serialises lots of different books every day, (from classic books like Frankenstein to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time....both starting this month) which I then record and listen to at my leisure. At the moment, there are about 13 different books being serialised every day. I also borrow a lot of audio books from my local library....only 60p for cassettes and 90p for cd's for 3 weeks...which I think is great value. They have a good and varied selection. Charity Shops and Car Boots are also good and cheap sources. I think they're perfect for listening to while doing those mundane tasks like washing up, ironing etc. And also for long train/bus journeys...they do help to pass the time. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 I have never tried audio books Carole, but after your explanation, I can understand their allure and versatility. I will definately look out for one to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 You will have to let me know what you think of Perfume on audio. I read the book last year and thought it was awful but I have read so many reviews from people who love it, I am obviously missing something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 I have only just started listening to Perfume but my first thoughts are favourable . I'm enjoying the narration by Sean Barrett (I've never heard of him but he is, apparently, an actor). He's very clear and doesn't speak too fast. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 You've convinced me that I'm on the right track Rosegarden. I looked at online sites last night. Most seem to charge for downloads, so maybe I should go to the library. PP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 Have you looked at http://www.librivox.org? You can download the books for free on there. I downloaded The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I haven't got round to listening to it yet. The books are read by volunteers and they are all in the public domain so they're mostly the classic books not modern ones. I'd be interested to know if other local libraries have many audio books and how much they are. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Carole said... Have you looked at www.librivox.org? You can download the books for free on there. I downloaded The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I haven't got round to listening to it yet. The books are read by volunteers and they are all in the public domain so they're mostly the classic books not modern ones. I'd be interested to know if other local libraries have many audio books and how much they are. Carole Carole, thats great. I've just had a peep and it looks great Goning to download something later. I'll let you know about the library if and when I go. Thanks, PP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 Carole said... Carole, thats great. I've just had a peep and it looks great Goning to download something later. I'll let you know about the library if and when I go. Thanks, PP You're welcome Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted January 14, 2007 Author Share Posted January 14, 2007 I've just finished listening to Hidden Talents by Erica James (read very well by Jenny Agutter) and enjoyed it very much. It's the story of a newly-formed creative writing class, about the lives and loves of the members, of how their lives intertwine with each other, and how their friendships change and develop. When crises (is that how it's spelt? ) occur everyone rallies round. All their lives are changed in some way. Overall, I thought it was a lovely feel-good easy to read (or listen to) story. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted January 21, 2007 Author Share Posted January 21, 2007 I've just finished listening to Perfume by Patrick Suskind. It's one of those books that has stayed with me for a few days, I keep going over the ending, the incredible life of the main character and the wonderful narration by Sean Barratt whose dark and rich tones were perfect for this engrossing, brutal and very unnusual story. Not for the squeamish After that, I need some light reading so I've just started The Beachcomber by Josephine Cox. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted February 16, 2007 Author Share Posted February 16, 2007 If you enjoy reading or listening to childrens books (which I do, I've never grown up ) I would recommend The Secret Garden. Synopsis After the death of her parents, Mary is brought back from India as a forlorn and unwanted child, to live in her uncle's great lonely house on the moors. Then one day she discovers the key to a secret garden and, like magic, her life begins to brighten in so many ways. Its a wonderfully happy story of how a little girl's life changes due to tragic circumstances and of how her love of life and the secret garden she discovers also gradually transforms her little cousin's life. It's also about the power of positive thinking. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 I've got The Secret Garden waiting on my TBR mountain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted February 16, 2007 Author Share Posted February 16, 2007 I've got The Secret Garden waiting on my TBR mountain. I'd love to know what you think of it when you get round to reading it. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Yep, I'll let you know - but it could be a while before I get to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 The Secret Garden, my all time favourite film. I should dig the book out of my children's collection and add it to the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 There's also a great digital radio station (Oneword) www.oneword.co.uk which serialises lots of different books every day, (from classic books like Frankenstein to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time....both starting this month) which I then record and listen to at my leisure. At the moment, there are about 13 different books being serialised every day. I used to listen to Oneword and thought it was brilliant - must get back into it again as I've got out of the habit - it's lovely having a story read to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted February 16, 2007 Author Share Posted February 16, 2007 I used to listen to Oneword and thought it was brilliant - must get back into it again as I've got out of the habit - it's lovely having a story read to you. I love Oneword.........I record one chapter of a book every day till it's ended then I listen to it all at my leisure. I've discovered authors I've never heard of and if I've enjoyed it I'll look out for more of their books. It's a great way to try some new genres which I probably wouldn't try normally. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 I love Oneword.........I record one chapter of a book every day till it's ended then I listen to it all at my leisure. Is it easy to do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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