Book Discussion: Audio Books

 

Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is doing well this lovely Friday the 13th! I have decided to implement a new tradition and watch a Friday the 13th movie when it occurs. Tonight, it's part two. I don't have any fun life updates, but I finished the audiobook version of Jane Seymour by Alison Weir a few days ago. I enjoyed it but didn't have enough thoughts to give it a substantial review. I got the idea for this post, but I haven't had time to sit and write it out until tonight.

I'm relatively new to audiobooks, but I've absolutely loved them for multitasking. I don't have a ton of titles, but my library has been growing steadily since getting into them last year. I've probably listened to books more than I've read this year. 

Discussion Question

Who are some narrators/performers you like listening to if you listen to audiobooks?

I'm listening to the latest Wandering Inn book (The Empress of Beasts). Andrea Parsneau is easily my favorite audiobook performer. I'm amazed at how many different voices she can do, giving each character a unique sound. She's even given character groups from various cities with different accents. I'm extremely impressed by her. She's done work on other LITRPG books, and I'd like to check them out in the future just because she's performing them. 

Another Narrator I've really enjoyed listening to is Michael David Axtell. I've read a few of the books in the Adam Binder Novels by David R. Slayton that Michael David Axtell narrates. He has a lot of voices that keep the books enjoyable. They aren't as unique as the ones Andrea does, but they are still good. 

Rosamund Pike did a narration for Pride and Prejudice, which I loved. She just has this very soothing voice that I love listening to. Rosalyn Landor, who narrated Jane Seymour by Alison Weir, also had a very calming voice. I don't know how often Rosamund Pike narrates books since she's busy with acting, but I'd definitely listen to more audiobooks narrated by her or Rosalyn Landor. 

Those are a few of the narrators I've really enjoyed. Who are some of your favorites? Let me know in the comments!

Book Review: Pestilence by Laura Thalassa

 

Goodreads Summary: They came to earth—Pestilence, War, Famine, Death—four horsemen riding their screaming steeds, racing to the corners of the world. Four horsemen with the power to destroy all of humanity. They came to earth, and they came to end us all.
When Pestilence comes for Sara Burn's town, one thing is certain: everyone she knows and loves is marked for death. Unless the angelic-looking horseman is stopped, which is exactly what Sara has in mind when she shoots the unholy beast off his steed.

Too bad no one told her Pestilence can't be killed.

Now the horseman, very much alive and very pissed off, has taken her prisoner, and he's eager to make her suffer. Only, the longer she's with him, the more uncertain she is about his true feelings towards her… and hers towards him.

And now, well, Sara might still be able to save the world, but in order to do so, she'll have to sacrifice her heart in the process.

From bestselling indie author Laura Thalassa comes a dark fantasy romance between the Horseman Pestilence and Sara, the girl who shoots Pestilence down only to realize he can't be killed. He takes her as prisoner, but the longer they're together, the more uncertain their feelings for each other grow.

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, New Adult, Dystopia

Goodreads Rating: 3.89 stars with over 100,000 ratings

Goodreads/StoryGraph Challenge: 19/40

2024 Reading Challenge: #25 Read an Enemies to Lovers story (See the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is doing well. I picked up Pestilence a while ago. It was an interesting concept, and I really enjoyed Laura Thalassa's Unearthly series. Plus, the cover was pretty. I picked up the other 3 for the pretty covers while Target was having a sale recently. 

I enjoyed the story. I wasn't expecting any great work of literature, but I was entertained. Honestly, that's what I hope for with a book- entertained and gets me out of my head. This succeeded in doing so. I liked Sara as a character. I thought she was funny and relatable. Pestilence was a little dry in personality, but that seemed fitting. The story is basically sexy Stockholm Syndrome in an apocalyptic setting. 

The scene setting was pretty basic apocalypse stuff - abandoned houses, some with electricity, some without. I was confused that there was still TV, but I'm probably overthinking this. For the Romantacy readers - this is probably a 1 or a 2 on the spice level. I'm unfamiliar with the rating system, and it's likely subjective. The sex scenes don't really happen until the last 40% of the book, and they're pretty tame. There are 3-4 scenes, if that. The religious overtures were surprisingly light, considering the premise. It's mostly presented as humans had some of the story of God, but not all of it. I never felt like it got preachy, which was good. I probably wouldn't have finished it if it did.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. It's good for a light Fantasy/Romance read. If you want to be entertained for around 400 pages, I recommend it. I'll probably read the rest of the series eventually since I have all four books.

August Reading and Life Updates

 

Hello, Readers! It's been a while, and I decided to do an update post. This is going to be a Reading Challenge update as well as a life update. The latter will be longer, so I'll do the reading updates first. 

Reading Challenge Update

I've read 18 books so far this year. I had lofty reading goals, but those definitely aren't going to be met. I lowered my challenge numbers from 60 to 40. I'll probably drop it again to 25 to 30. A lot of the Wandering Inn books haven't fit on the challenge yet. I'm waiting to see if I end up reading anything else for other categories and will slot things into my Free Space when I do my final update for the year. I'm currently listening to Pirateaba's The Witch of Webs and reading Pestilence by Laura Thalassa. I'm enjoying both and hope to have time to make posts for both.

Level 1: Book of the Month Club

1 Read a book you got for free

2 Read a book by an author you've previously read- The Last Light by Pirateaba

3 Read a book that is under 400 pages - Fairy GodMurder by Sarah J. Solver 

4 Read a book published in 2014 (10 years ago)

5 Reread a book you have recommended to someone else- The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

6 Read a retelling of a fairy tale or a classic novel

7 Read a book that is a comedy or satire

8 Read a book that's been on your "shelf" for over a year - A Killer's Mind by Mike Omer

9 Read a book with a color in the title - The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

10 Read a book from the Los Angeles Public Library's staff recommendations // https://www.lapl.org/books-emedia/lapl-reads/staff-recommendations

11 Read a caper story (heist, thievery, etc.)

12 Free Space! Pick any book

Level 2: Casual Reader Club

13 Read book 1 of a Duology

14 Read book 2 of a Duology

15 Read a book about faeries - A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

16 Read a book you meant to read for last year's challenge

17 Read a book with three or more colors on the cover

18 Read a book by an author who shares a first or last name with a family member - Deadbeat Druid by David R. Slayton

19 Read a book published by Simon & Schuster or one of its imprints

20 Read a book with the word "Dark" in the title

21 Read a book published in 2004 (20 years ago)

22 Read a book with a Gothic theme

23 Read a book on a banned book list

24 Free Space! Pick any book

Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club

25 Read an Enemies to Lovers story

26 Read a Lovers to Enemies (or Friends to Enemies) story

27 Read a book that starts with the letter "S."

28 Read a book from Refinery29's "The Ultimate Book Bucket List: The 75 Best Books Of All Time"// https://www.refinery29.com/en-au/best-books-of-all-time

29 Read a book with a grey cover

30 Read a book by an author you think has an interesting name - Winter Solstice by Pirateaba

31 Read a Historical Fiction novel

32 Read a book with the name of a place in the title - The General of Izril by Pirateaba

33 Read a book about a veterinarian (or someone who works with animals)

34 Read the first book in a series you've wanted to start

35 Read a book that was published before you were born

36 Free Space! Pick any book

Level 4: Speed Reader Club

37 A book by Eleanor Hibbert under any of her pseudonyms // https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Alice_Burford

38 Read a Memoir

39 Read a book that is referenced in a film or TV show

40 Read a book with a skull on the cover

41 Read a book with the word "Truth" in the title

42 Read a book that involves gamer/fandom/geek culture- Flowers of Esthelm by Pirateaba

43 Read a book with a Scientist as the main character

44 Read a book that takes place in a cold climate- The Tsarina's Daughter by Carolly Erickson

45 Read a book that has double letters in the title - The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

46 Read a book by two or more authors 

47 Read a book involving or inspired by Egyptian mythology

48 Free Space! Pick any book

Level 5: Overachiever Club

49 Read a book with a Unicorn in it- Fae and Fare by Pirateaba

50 Read a book that takes place during the 18th century (1701-1800)

51 Read a book by Jonathan Coe

52 Read a book with over 700 pages

53 A book with a title that has 5 words

54 Read a non-fiction book

55 Read a book with a picture of food or drink on the cover

56 Read a book by an author with Fred in their name

57 Read a book that takes place in South America

58 Read a book you previously started but left unfinished

59 Rickrolled! Read a book with one (or more) of the following words in the title: Never Going To Give You Up

60 Free Space! Pick any book

Life Updates

2024 has been a hectic year for me. I haven't put the time into reading that I've wanted to. I've been working a lot of hours, and for some reason, I decided to go back to school for a second master's degree. The only thing I can determine from this is I'm insane. Aside from school and work, the animals keep me on my toes. The puppy will be eight months tomorrow, and I don't know where the time has gone. Earlier this month, my divorce was finalized, and now I get to do with all the fun paperwork that comes with changing my name. That's really about where I'm at with life. Nothing too exciting or crazy, just busy.

I got my photos back from dressing as an Evil Queen at JordanCon! Check them out below. I highly recommend Kathy from A Life Condensed Photography.