AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS

2012 Challenges



  • Flirting - Listen to 6 Audiobooks
  • Going Steady -  Listen to 12 Audiobooks
  • Lover - Listen to 25 Audiobooks
  • Married - Listen to More than 25 Audiobooks
  1. Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6; by Jim Butcher; narrated by James Marsters)
  2. When She Woke (by Hillary Jordan; narrated by Heather Corrigan)
  3. Goldfinger (Bond Novel #7; by Ian Fleming; narrated by Simon Vance)
  4. The Year of the Flood (by Margaret Atwood; narrated by Bernadette Dunne,  Katie McNichol and, Mark Bramhall)
  5. Hater (The Hater Trilogy, Book #1; by David  Moody; narrated by Gerard Doyle)
  6. Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins Novels, Book #1; by Walter Mosley; narrated by Michael Boatman)
  7. Dispatches (by Michael Herr; narrated by Ray Porter)
  8. Quantum of Solace/For Your Eyes Only (by Ian Fleming; narrated by Simon Vance) 
  9. Duchess in Love (first in the Duchess Quartet; by Eloisa James; narrated by Justine Eyre)
  10. The Ghosts of Belfast (Jack Lennon Novels, Book #1; by Stuart Neville; narrated by Gerard Doyle)
  11. Julius Caesar (by William Shakespeare; performed by a full cast starring Ralph Richardson; directed by Howard Sackler)
  12. The Mark of Zorro (based on the novel by Johnson McCulley; dramatized by Yuri Rasovsky; performed by a full cast starring Val Kilmer)
  13. The Graduate (based on the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry; dramatized by Terry Johnson; performed by a full cast starring Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys)
  14. I, Claudius (by Robert Graves; performed by a full cast starring Tom Goodman Hill as Claudius and Derek Jacobi as Augustus)
  15. The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 2: The Little Death (by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach)
  16. The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 3: Encore for Murder (by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach)
  17. Unknown (A Special Edition of Out of My Head; by Didier Van Cauwelaert; translated by Mark Polizetti; narrated by Bronson Pinchot)
  18. Thunderball (by Ian Fleming; narrated by Simon Vance)
  19. We're Alive: A Story of Survival: The First Season (by Shane Salk and KC Waylan; performed by a full cast)
  20. The Spy Who Loved Me (by Ian Fleming; narrated by Nadia May)
  21. Zombiestan (by Mainak Dhar; narrated by John Lee)
  22. The Last Werewolf (by Glen Duncan; narrated by Robin Sachs)
  23. Half-Blood Blues (by Esi Edugyan; narrated by Kyle Riley)
  24. A Discovery of Witches (by Deborah Harkness; narrated by Jennifer Ikeda)
  25. The Weight of the Nation (by John Hoffman and Judith Salerno, M.D., M.S. with Alexandra Moss)
  26. Quantum of Solace/Octopussy/The Living Daylights (by Ian Fleming; narrated by Simon Vance)
  27. Oregon Hill (by Howard Owen; narrated by Kevin Kenerly)
  28. North and South (by John Jakes; narrated by Grover Gardner)
  29. From The Arthur Miller Collection (by Arthur Miller; full cast performances)
COMPLETED

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  • A 19th Century Classic
  • A 20th Century Classic: 
  • (Re-read) A Classic of your choice:
  • A Classic Play: Julius Caesar (by William Shakespeare; performed by a full cast starring Ralph Richardson; directed by Howard Sackler)
  • A Classic Mystery/Horror/True Crime
  • Classic Romance 
  • A Classic that has been translated from its original language into your language: 
  • A Classic Award Winner
  • A Classic set in a country that you (realistically speaking) not visit during your lifetime
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  • Pike's Peak: 12 books from your TBR pile(s)
  • Mt. Vancouver : 25 titles from your TBR pile(s)
  1. Julius Caesar (by William Shakespeare; performed by a full cast starring Ralph Richardson; directed by Howard Sackler) - 2010
  2. The Blackwater Lightship (by Colm Tóibín) - 02/13/2010
  3. The Ghosts of Belfast (Jack Lennon Novels, Book #1; by Stuart Neville; narrated by Gerard Doyle) - 05/29/2010
  4. Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins Novels, Book #1; by Walter Mosley; narrated by Michael Boatman) - 08/13/2010
  5. The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1; by Lemony Snicket)  - 08/15/2010
  6. The Scarlet Letter (by Nathaniel Hawthorne) - 11/21/2011
  7. When She Woke (by Hillary Jordan; narrated by Heather Corrigan) - 11/22/2011
  8. Snow Falling on Cedars (by David Guterson) - 11/22/2011
  9. Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6; by Jim Butcher; narrated by James Marsters) - 11/23/2011
  10. Ready Player One (by Ernest Cline; narrated by Wil Wheaton) - 11/27/2011
  11. The Handmaid's Tale (by Margaret Atwood) - 12/04/2011
  12. George F. Kennan: An American Life (by John Lewis Gaddis) - 12/06/2011
  13. The Blind Assassin (by Margaret Atwood) - 09/11/2009
  14. Alias Grace (by Margaret Atwood) - 02/13/2010
  15. The Year of the Hare (by Arto Paasilinna) - 01/05/2011
  16. Knockemstiff (by Donald Ray Pollack) - 01/05/2011
  17. The Walking Dead, Volume 4: The Heart's Desire (by Robert Kirkman et al) - 11/23/2011
  18. Pest Control (by Bill Fitzhugh) - 11/26/2011
  19. Countdown (by Mira Grant) - 12/22/2011
  20. Empress (by Shan Sa) - 04/18/2011
  21. A Christmas Carol (by Charles Dickens; adapted by Shane Salk; performed by Maurice LaMarche, Rob Paulson, Neil Flynn and Robbie Rist) - 12/21/2011
  22. Martin Misunderstood (by Karin Slaughter; narrated by Wayne Knight) - 06/11/2011
  23. The Walking Dead, Volume #5: The Best Defense (by Robert Kirkman et al) - 11/23/2011
  24. The Walking Dead, Volume #6: This Sorrowful Life (by Robert Kirkman et al) - 11/23/2011
  25. Hellboy, Volume #5: Conqueror Worm (by Mike Mignola)
The dates listed after the title and author are the dates I entered the title on my goodreads "to-read" list.
COMPLETED

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  • A Book with [Something You Carry in Your Purse, Pocket or Backpack] in the Title: The Scarlet Letter (by Nathaniel Hawthorne)
  • A Book with a [Topographical Feature] in the Title: Tortilla Flat (by John Steinbeck)
  • A Book with [Something You See in the Sky] in the Title: From the Land of the Moon (by Milena Agus)
  • A Book with something [Creepy Crawly] in the Title: The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events #2; by Lemony Snicket)
  • A Book with [Type of House] in the Title: The Kitchen House (by Kathleen Grissom)
  • A Book with [Something You'd Find on a Calender] in the Title: The Year of the Flood (by Margaret Atwood; narrated by Bernadette Dunne,  Katie McNichol and, Mark Bramhall)

COMPLETED

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First in Series (overlap with the The 2012 Audio Book Challenge):
  1. Hater (The Hater Trilogy, Book #1; by Gerard Doyle; narrated by Gerard Doyle)
  2. Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins Novels, Book #1; by Walter Mosley; narrated by Michael Boatman)
  3. Duchess in Love (first in the Duchess Quartet; by Eloisa James; narrated by Justine Eyre)
  4. The Ghosts of Belfast (Jack Lennon Novels, Book #1; by Stuart Neville; narrated by Gerard Doyle)
COMPLETED

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Originally, the idea was to read twelve books in twelve different categories; but I revised my goal to read 112 books in 2012 (Overlap with other challenges; no overlap within categories):

I. Audiobooks (overlap with The 2012 Audio Book Challenge  - see above)
  1. Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6; by Jim Butcher; narrated by James Marsters)
  2. When She Woke (by Hillary Jordan; narrated by Heather Corrigan)
  3. Goldfinger (Bond Novel #7; by Ian Fleming; narrated by Simon Vance)
  4. The Year of the Flood (by Margaret Atwood; narrated by Mark Bramhall, Bernadette Dunne and, Katie McNichol)
  5. Hater (The Hater Trilogy, Book #1; by David Moody; narrated by Gerard Doyle)
  6. Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins Novels, Book #1; by Walter Mosley; narrated by Michael Boatman)
  7. Dispatches (by Michael Herr; narrated by Ray Porter)
  8. Quantum of Solace/For Your Eyes Only (by Ian Fleming; narrated by Simon Vance)  
  9. Duchess in Love (first in the Duchess Quartet; by Eloisa James; narrated by Justine Eyre)
  10. The Ghosts of Belfast (Jack Lennon Novels, Book #1; by Stuart Neville; narrated by Gerard Doyle)
  11. The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 2: The Little Death (by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach)
  12. Thunderball (by Ian Fleming; narrated by Simon Vance)
  13. The Spy Who Loved Me (by Ian Fleming; narrated by Nadia May)
  14. Zombiestan (by Mainak Dhar; narrated by John Lee) 
  15. A Christmas Carol (by Charles Dickens; audio drama adapted by Shane Salk; performed by four voice-over talents, starring Maurice LaMarche)
  16. Martin Misunderstood (by Karin Slaughter; narrated by Wayne Knight)
II. Summer Reading 
  1. The Last Werewolf (by Glen Duncan; narrated by Robin Sachs)
  2. Half-Blood Blues (by Esi Edugyan; narrated by Kyle Riley)
  3. A Discovery of Witches (by Deborah Harkness; narrated by Jennifer Ikeda) 
  4. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (by John LeCarré) 
  5. Knockemstiff (by Donald Ray Pollack) 
  6. Ten Things I Love About You (by Julia Quinn) 
  7. The Looking Glass War (by John LeCarré) 
  8. Darkness, Take My Hand (by Dennis Lehane) 
  9. A Small Town in Germany (by John LeCarré) 
  10. You Only Live Twice (by Ian Fleming) 
  11. Smut (by Alan Bennett)
  12. The Weight of the Nation (by John Hoffman and Judith Salerno, M.D., M.S. with Alexandra Moss) 
III. Short Novels/Novellas (books less than or at about 200 pages long)
  1. Comedy in a Minor Key (by Hans Keilson; translated by Damion Searls) 
  2. The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1; by Lemony Snicket) 
  3. Heartstones (by Ruth Rendell)
  4. Go With Me (by Castle Freeman, Jr.)
  5. 84, Charing Cross Road (by Helene Hanff)
  6. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street (by Helene Hanff)
  7. Man in the Dark (by Paul Auster)
  8. Lesley Castle (by Jane Austen)
  9. The Uncommon Reader (by Allan Bennett)
  10. Coraline (by Neil Gaiman)
  11. Tortilla Flat (by John Steinbeck)
  12. The Year of the Hare (by Arto Paasilinna; translated by Herbert Lomas; foreward by Pico Iyor)
IV. Armchair Audies 2012
  1.  The Mark of Zorro (based on the novel by Johnson McCulley; dramatized by Yuri Rasovsky; performed by a full cast starring Val Kilmer)
  2. The Graduate (based on the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry; dramatized by Terry Johnson; performed by a full cast starring Kathleen Turner and Matthew Rhys)
  3. I, Claudius (by Robert Graves; performed by a full cast starring Tom Goodman Hill as Claudius and Derek Jacobi as Augustus)
  4. The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Vol. 3: Encore for Murder (by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins; performed by a full cast starring Stacy Keach)
  5. Unknown (A Special Edition of Out of My Head; by Didier Van Cauwelaert; translated by Mark Polizetti; narrated by Bronson Pinchot)
  6. We're Alive: A Story of Survival: The First Season (by Shane Salk and Kc Waylan; performed by a full cast)
  7. The Arthur Miller Collection (by Arthur Miller; full cast performances)
V. Classics (overlap with The Back to the Classics Challenge 2012 - see above)
  1. The Scarlet Letter (by Nathaniel Hawthorne)
  2. Julius Caesar (by William Shakespeare; performed by a full cast starring Ralph Richardson; directed by Howard Sackler)
    VI. TBR (oldest titles on my goodreads to-read shelf; overlap with the Mount TBR Challenge 2012  -see above)
    1. The Blind Assassin (by Margaret Atwood) - 09/11/2009
    2. Alias Grace (by Margaret Atwood) - 02/13/2010
    VII. Graphic Novels
    1. The Walking Dead, Volume 1: Days Gone Bye (by Robert Kirkman et al; Re-read; review updated with two illustrations; revised (copy edits))
    2. The Walking Dead, Volume 2: Miles Behind Us (by Robert Kirkman et al; Re-Read; review updated with an illustration; revised (copy edits))
    3. The Walking Dead, Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars (by Robert Kirkman et al; Re-read; review revised (copy edits))
    4. The Walking Dead, Volume 4: The Heart's Desire by Robert Kirkman et al; 
    5. The Walking Dead, Volume 5: The Best Defense by Robert Kirkman et al; 
    6. The Walking Dead, Volume 6: This Sorrowful Life by Robert Kirkman et al; 
    7. Hellboy, Volume #5: Conqueror Worm (by Mike Mignola)
    8. Hellboy, Volume #6: Strange Places (by Mike Mignola)
    VIII. eBooks
    1. The Handmaid's Tale (by Margaret Atwood)
    2. Tilt-a-Whirl (by Chris Grabenstein)
    3. "Countdown" (by Mira Grant)
    4. Discount Armageddon (by Seanan McGuire)
    5. Heartless (by Gail Carringer)
    6. The Boy in the Suitcase (by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis)
    7. One Night Rodeo (by Lorelei James)
    8. The River Witch (by Kimberly Brock)
    9. The Gun Seller (by Hugh Laurie) 
    10. Little Fuzzy (by H. Beam Piper)
    IX. Studio A (Titles I worked on professionally; No Reviews)
    1. Soldier Dogs (by Maria Goodavage; narrated by Nicole Vilencia)
    2. By Blood (by Ellen Ullman; narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner)
    3. Say Nice Things About Detroit (by Scott Lasser; narrated by Kevin Kenerly)
    4. First Evidence (by Ken Goddard; narrated Kevin Kenerly)
    5. The Indispensable Milton Friedman (edited by Dr. Lanny Ebenstein)
    6. Oregon Hill (by Howard Owen; narrated by Kevin Kenerly)
    7. North and South (by John Jakes; narrated by Grover Gardner)
    8. The Sword of Allah (Black Samurai #7, by Marc Olden; narrated by Kevin Kenerly)
    9. Black Geniuses: Inspirational Portraits of African American Leaders (by Dick Russell; narrated by Kevin Kenerly)
    X. Library Books
    1. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (by Sherman Alexie) 
    2. The Sense of an Ending (by Julian Barnes) 
    3. Götz and Meyer (by David Albaharai; translated from the Serbian by Ellen Elias-Bursać) 
    4. The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains (by Nicholas Carr) 
    5. The Gates (by John Connolly) 
    6. Wordy Shipmates (by Sarah Vowell) 
    7. From the Land of the Moon 
    8. The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine (by Alina Bronsky) 
    9. Invisible Murder (by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis) 
    10. The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt (by Caroline Preston)
    11. The Infernals (by John Connolly) 
    XI. Children's Books
    1. Zombie in Love (by Kelly DiPucchio; illustrated by Scott Campbell) 
    2. Coraline (written and narrated by Neil Gaiman) 
    3. The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events #2; by Lemony Snicket)
    4. The Worst Best Christmas Pageant Ever (by Barbara Robinson) 
    5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (by Roald Dahl) 
    6. The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events #3; by Lemony Snicket)
    7. The Witches (by Roald Dahl; narrated by Jean Marsh)
    8. It's a Book (by Lane Smith)
    XII. Other 
    1. Jones of Colorado (written and illustrated by Ralph Steadman) #print #cats #illustrated
    2. Accidents of Providence (by Stacia M. Brown) #print #arc
    3. Invisible (by Paul Auster) #print #lit_fic
    4. The Blackwater Lightship (by Colm Tóibín) #print #lit_fic
    5. Snow Falling on Cedars (by David Guterson) #print #lit_fic
    6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (by Ian Fleming) #shakennotstirred #thriller #print
    7. Pest Control (by Bill Fitzhugh) #print #suspense #humor
    8. Sacred (by Dennis Lehane) #print #mystery
    9. The Man with the Golden Gun (by Ian Fleming) #shakennotstirred #thriller #print
    10. Quantum of Solace/Octopussy/The Living Daylights (by Ian Fleming; narrated by Simon Vance)  #Shakennotstirred #thriller #spies #audiobook
    11. The Marriage Mistake (Marriage to a Billionaire series #3; by Jennifer Probst) #print #romance
    12. The Kitchen House (by Kathleen Grissom) #print
    13. Maximum Bob (by Elmore Leonard) #print
    14. The Power and the Glory (by Graham Greene) #print
    15. Empress (by Shan Sa) #print
    16. Bridget Jones' Diary (by Helen Fielding) #re-read #print #humor
    COMPLETED

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