Nov 20, 2010

The Sunday Salon: Audio Books

The Sunday Salon.com


I finally stopped procrastinating and did reviews of books I've read. Sometimes I let the reviews-to-do pile up. It's too tempting to just start reading new books instead.

Done last week:The Tapestry of Love, a romance set in France; The End of Marking Time, a dystopian novel; A King of Infinite Space, a detective novel, and Ever Bitter Thing, a police procedural set in Brazil. The week before, I reviewed The Insane Train, a mystery novel.

 Sea of Poppies
I'm continuing to listen to audio books although I've pretty much recovered after eye surgery and can read again. I'm now listening to Sea of Poppies, a book I had found hard to read before because of its complexity, detail, and length. I've decided to listen to it instead and that seems to be working fine for me. The novel's set in nineteenth century India and China during the time when the British were exporting opium from one country to another. There's a lot too about Indian culture and customs of the time.

The Angel's Game (El cementerio de los libros olvidados #2)
The Angel's Game
I admit I abandoned the audio version of The Angel's Game, an interesting book of magical realism, if you are in the mood for it.  I stopped listening at the point where one of the characters entered a house, followed a foul smell and found a decaying dove in a box, with something like a dart or needle through its breast. Magic and supernatural terror at work. I was not in the mood. I thought Zafon's previous book, The Shadow of the Wind, was one of the best books I've read in a long time.

Made plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays! What have you been up to?

12 comments:

  1. I haven't listened to any audio books lately, but we do listen to them on long family trips to the coast. They're so nice. I like that you're highlighting some here on your blog! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know what you mean by wanting to read the next book before you write a review. Sometimes we just can't help ourselves. I enjoy audio books in the car going back and forth to work. Enjoyed your reviews here. Some very interesting books.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't listened to any audio books...I don't usually enjoy the listening process, as I take a lot of pleasure in seeing the words on the page and how they convey the images. Something that is lost to me in audio.

    These books do sound intriguing, though.

    Here's my salon:

    (click my name)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sea of Poppies looks to be pretty interesting.

    I've read Shadows of the Wind, but not The Angels' Game. Looking forward to that one!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I haven't had good luck with audio books--I find it hard to concentrate. I am glad Sea of Poppies is working for you now. it is an exceptional book!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm still just getting into audiobooks and hoping to to find some that work for me, though 90% of them seem not to...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yeah, The Angel's Game definitely wasn't as good as The Shadow of the Wind. Angel's Game was very long and took some perseverance to get through, and then had a confusing ending.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I don't do a lot of audio only because I find myself drifting off!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I once tried audio and slept off while listening to it :(

    I kind of want to try the 2nd book, I love magic realism.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love listening to audiobooks in my car. I have about a 20 minute ride both in the morning at the end of the day, but I found that enjoy listening to more of the suspense genre when I don't enjoy actually reading them.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm glad SEA OF POPPIES is working better for you on audio. And you know hwat? I've never heard ANYONE say anything good about ANGEL'S GAME despite SHADOW OF THE WIND being a popular favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Pst, you have been emailed cos you won my giveaway

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comments and thoughts...

Han Kang: Witness Literature

A new genre to me: Witness literature  - stories and narratives that reflect a writer's knowledge and experience of world shattering eve...