AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS

2009: AUDIOBOOKS


In 2008 I wrote:

I listened to 42 audiobooks this year, 17 of which were mysteries. The rest were mostly fiction (classics, lit fic and modern fiction) though there's a sprinkling of non-fiction (history, instructional and, even one spiritual!) For 2009, I'd like to see if I can get an even 50 audiobooks listened to.

In 2009 I wrote:

I listened to 56 audiobooks this year: 35 mysteries, 9 general fictions, 4 non-fictions, 3 science fiction/fantasies, 1 biography, 1 Classic, 1 humor, 1 poetry title and, 1 Western; Grand total of 493.95 RH. I also sampled 12 audiobooks which I ended up dispositioning as "DNFs," one or two of which I will probably try again in 2010. For 2010, I like to see if I can read across more genres and not have such a heavy concentration of mysteries.

My "A-List" titles for 2009: 
Waiting for Columbus (by Thomas Trofimuk; narrated by Grover Gardner,) A Happy Marriage (by Raphael Yglesias; narrated by Grover Gardner) and, The Girl Who Played with Fire (by Stieg Larsson; narrated by Simon Vance.) I also really enjoyed a 2007 release, 1984 (by George Orwell; narrated by Simon Prebble.) And too, there was a trilogy whose whole was greater than the sum of it's parts, The Dead Trilogy: Dead I Well May Be ["B"]; The Dead Yard ["B+"] and; The Bloomsbury Dead ["B-"] (by Adrian McKinty; narrated by Gerard Doyle.)

My B+ List: Cheever, A Life Story (by Blake Bailey; narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner,) The Big Heat (by William McGivern; narrated by Christopher Lane,) The Gargoyle (by Andrew Davidson; narrated by Lincoln Hoppe,) Lush Life (by Richard Price; narrated by Bobby Canavale,) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (by Stieg Larsson; narrated by Simon Vance,) The Dead Yard (book #2 in The Dead Trilogy by Adrian McKinty; narrated by Gerard Doyle) and, The Neon Rain (by James Lee Burke; narrated by Will Patton,) 

My participation in SLAM: I read 10 out of the 12 group selections, participated in 6 of the discussions in the designated discussion times, participated in 1 discussion late and, made comments (or did not fully participate in the discussions) for 3 of the titles. I listened to one title for the Next-Six-in-a-Series challenge and 4 for the First-in-Series Challenge in addition to the 7 first-in-series that were also Group selections.

I listened to 38.64% (19 titles/167.90 RH) of my backlog.

2009:

BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR:
01) Cheever, A Life Story (by Blake Bailey; narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner)

CLASSICS:
01) A Christmas Carol (by Charles Dickens; narrated by Tim Curry)
FICTION:
01) The Alchemist (by Paul Coelho; narrated by Jeremy Irons);
02) The Art of Racing in the Rain (by Garth Stein; narrated by Christopher Evan Welch);
03) Invisible Monsters (by Chuck Palahniuk; narrated by Anna Fields);
04) The Gargoyle (by Andrew Davidson; narrated by Lincoln Hoppe);
05) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows; narrated by Paul Boehmer, Susan Duerdan, Rosalyn Landon, John Lee and, Juliet Mills);
06) The Tea House on Mulberry Street (by Sharon Owens; narrated by Caroline Winterson);
07) Waiting for Columbus (Thomas Trofimuk; narrated by Grover Gardner);
08) A Happy Marriage (by Rafael Yglesias; narrated by Grover Gardner);
09) Tom Sawyer, Abroad (by Mark Twain; narrated by Grover Gardner) 

HUMOR:
01) I am America (And So Can You!) (by Stephen Colbert; narrated by Stephen Colbert)
MYSTERY:
01) The Black Echo (by Michael Connelly; narrated by Dick Hill);
02) The Man on the Balcony (by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo; narrated by Tom Weiner);
03) Tooth and Nail (by Ian Rankin; narrated by Samuel Gillies); 
04) Dance of the Thunder Dogs (by Kirk Mitchell; narrated by Stefan Rudnicki);
05) Child 44 (by Tom Rob Smith; narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris);
06) Open and Shut (by David Rosenfelt; narrated by Grover Gardner);
07) The Big Heat (by William P. McGivern; narrated by Christopher Lane);
08) Dead Eyes (by Stuart Woods; narrated by Richard Ferrone);
09) The Mysterious Affair at Styles (by Agatha Christie; narrated by Nadia May);
10) First Degree (by David Rosenfelt; narrated by Grover Gardner);
11) Brother Odd (by Dean Koontz; narrated by David Aaron Baker); 
12) The Bodies Left Behind (by Jeffrey Deaver; narrated by Holter Graham);
13) Hellfire ("Lord John and the Hellfire Society") (by Diana Gabaldon; narrated by Jeff Woodman);
14) Lord John and the Private Matter (by Diana Gabaldon; narrated by Jeff Woodman);
15) Lord John and the Succubus (by Diana Gabaldon; narrated by Jeff Woodman);
16) Rebecca (by Daphne DuMaurier; narrated by Alexandra O'Karma);
17) Bangkok 8 (by John Burdett; narrated by Paul Boehmer);
18) Odd Hours (by Dean Koontz; narrated by David Aaron Baker);
19) Kill All the Lawyers (by Paul Levine; narrated by William Dufris);
20) Lush Life (by Richard Price; narrated by Bobby Canavale);
21) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (by Steig Larsson; narrated by Simon Vance);
22) Excursion to Tindari (by Andrea Camilleri; narrated by Grover Gardner); 
23) The Crossroads (by Chris Grabenstein; narrated by J.J. Meyers);
24) The Girl who Played with Fire (by Steig Larson; narrated by Simon Vance);
25) Dead Before Dark (by Charlaine Harris; narrated by Johanna Parker);
26) Dead I Well May Be (by Adrian McKinty; narrated by Gerard Doyle);
27) The Dead Yard (by Adrian McKinty; narrated by Gerard Doyle);
28) The Bloomsday Dead (by Adrian McKinty; narrated by Gerard Doyle);
29) The Wings of the Sphinx (by Andrea Camilleri; narrated by Grover Gardner);
30) Rounding the Mark (by Andrea Camilleri; narrated by Grover Gardner);
31) The Neon RainT(by James Lee Burke; narrated by Will Patton);
32) Tom Sawyer, Detective (by Mark Twain; narrated by Grover Gardner); 
33) Bury the Lead (by David Rosenfelt; narrated by Grover Gardner);
34) Sudden Death (by David Rosenfelt; narrated by Grover Gardner);
35) Absolute Certainty (by Rose Connors; narrated by Bernadette Dunne)

NON-FICTION:
01) Harbor Hill (by Richard Wilson; narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner);
02) The Pursuit of Elegance (by Matthew E. May; narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner);
03) The Rape of Nanking (by Iris Chang; narrated by Anna Fields);
04) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (by Dee Brown; narrated by Grover Gardner)

POETRY:
01) The Collected Works of Billy the Kid (by Michael Ondaatje; narrated by Stefan Rudnicki)

SCI-FI/SFF (SCIENCE FICTION/SPECULATIVE FICTION AND FANTASY):
01) 1984 (by George Orwell; narrated by Simon Prebble);
02) Shards of Honor (by Lois McMaster Bujold; narrated by Grover Gardner);
03) Farnham's Freehold (by Robert A. Heinlein; narrated by Tom Weiner)

WESTERN:
01) Shane (by Jack Shaefer; narrated by Grover Gardner)
  
ELIMINATED:
01) Fer-de-Lance (by Rex Stout; narrated by Michael Pritchard);
02) Glass Houses (by Jeanette Walls; narrated by Julia Gibson);
03) The Jane Austen Book Club (by Karen Joy Fowler; narrated by Kimberly Schraf);
04) The Woods (by Harlen Coben; narrated by Scott Brick);
  05) The Devil in the White City (by Erik Larssen; narrated by Scott Brick);
06) Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (by Diana Gabaldon; narrated by Jeff Woodman);
07) Lord John and the Haunted Soldier (by Diana Gabaldon; narrated by Jeff Woodman);
08) Deep Blue Alibi (by Paul Levine; narrated by William Dufris);
09) The Time Traveler's Wife (by Audrey Niffenegger; narrated by William Hope and Laurel Lefkow);
10) Strip Jack (by Ian Rankin; narrated by Samuel Gillies);
11) A Bend in the River (by V.S. Naipaul; narrated by Simon Vance);
                12) The Secret Scripture (by Sebastian Barry; narrated by Wanda McCaddon)

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