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Newman
Member
09-25-2004
| Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 6:31 am
I'm trying to listen to audio books on tape while I case mail for 3 hours in the mornings, instead of listening to the radio, which doesn't come in clearly at my post office. I used to listen to them on long vacation drives and long drives to a girlfriend's house who lived 40 minutes away. The most recent book I heard was The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Loved it until the ending. Has anyone else here read it? Would love to discuss it? Any other book on tape (or cd) recommendations? Am trying to start a small "bookclub" at work. Need suggestions. Enjoyed Alyssa Bresnahan as the narrator.
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Westtexan
Member
07-16-2004
| Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 7:14 am
I read The Lovely Bones, and like you, I really enjoyed it until the ending, too. The ending was just too weird, sappy, and sci-fi-ish (there's a better descriptive word out there. I can't find it in my mind right now.) I thought the whole twisted ending was unnecessary and took away from the rest of the story. If the book is made into a movie, which I suspect it will be, I imagine they will rewrite the ending and make it more realistic.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 6:17 pm
I am a HUGE audio book fan. I adore the Harry Potter books -- but hated them until I heard them on tape! The audio converted me. Other favorites include: 1. Ken Follet's -- Hornet Flight 2. Diana Gabaldon's UNABRIDGED -- Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn and Fiery Cross. Between the 5 books there are over 100 tapes -- plenty to keep you busy! Unfortunately, the unabridged aren't out on CD (yet), and the abridged are horrid. 3. Brian Jacques' Redwall series -- any of the books are fun to listen to. Jacques reads them himself, they have a "full cast" for the various characters, they're unabridged. Technically, these are kids' books, but I just love Jacques' voice. 4. To Kill a Mockingbird Have fun picking out books! Recordedbooks.com has a new package- - similar to Netflix. You pay a monthly fee, set up your "list," keep the books as long as you like, when you mail one back, they automatically sent the next one on the list.
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Newman
Member
09-25-2004
| Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 9:05 pm
Thanks for the feedback, Teach. I should check out recordedbooks.com one of these days but the libraries out here seem to have very many selections and it's FREE. Westtexan, thanks for the validation. I have never "loved" a book so much as this one, loved it the way it was written, the way the characters were developed, and so forth, loved it 8/10ths of the way thru...and then hated the way she ended it! Could not recommend this book just because of the ending. The audiobook had an interview with the author. She was never asked why she ruined the book with her sci fi ending. How about the part where the Mother, Abigail, leaves the family, because she can't deal with IT anymore, and then returns 5 years later after the Father has a heart attack? (Oh, in the meantime, the Mother in law, Granda Lynn moved in?!!). Believeable??? I think not.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 9:20 pm
I confess -- I listened to Lovely Bones a couple of years ago when it first came out, but at the moment, I have absolutely no idea how it ended! I remember liking the book, so I don't think the ending ruined it for me like it did for you -- but after spending 9 months a year reading classics like Crime and Punishment, Don Quijote, etc. the idea of "light" reading just enchants me; I'm not too picky, then! What was the sci-fi ending? (if you don't mind posting a "spoiler")
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Newman
Member
09-25-2004
| Sunday, December 12, 2004 - 12:03 am
The part that I'm complaining about was where our hero, Suzy, the dead, raped girl victim, comes back to earth, from her heaven, and occupies the body of her friend, Ruth, so she can have sex with the only boy who ever kissed her, Ray Singh. She sleeps with him. She had never had sex before she was raped and murdered. She was only 14 when she died. I just didn't see the point of this. The boy Ray had a teen crush on Suzy and wrote her a love poem just before she was murdered. Why do this? So she can experience sex in a nice way, once? When she comes back down to earth Ray is now 22 or 25, whatever. Why?? Why not have her get pregnant and experience that too?! Experience motherhood and having a family while she's at it. Why limit the earth visit to a few hours? Why not driving a car? Getting drunk with friends at a bar? Passing the bar exam? Watching the Red Sox win a World Series?? Getting a cameo role on Joan of Arcadia? The possibilities are endless.
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Westtexan
Member
07-16-2004
| Sunday, December 12, 2004 - 12:45 pm
I read The Lovely Bones a couple of years ago so my memory is a little fuzzy. When I got to the ending I'm sure I rolled my eyes and thought, Oh Please. The sex between the boy and girl, I imagine, was to provide closure for them. Since when does sex provide closure???...except when the only motivation for the sex is lust. If this boy is somewhat obsessed with her memory, wouldn't the sex just compound that? Also, part of the reason I found that final scene so ridiculous was not because the dead girl was able to inhibit someone else's body (I could suspend belief for that), but that this boy would believe it and not freak out that this strange girl, Ruth, whom he wasn't attracted to, was coming on to him with this cockamamie story. (Remember how long it took Demi Moore to believe Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost. And Demi had been having a serious loving relationship with Patrick Swazie only recently. Good flick!) Anyway, if the author had instead brought the guy and Ruth together as a couple after their years of grieving and growing up together, I think that would have been sweet. Afterall, in real life grieving people often do find themselves in the arms of each other. Happens all the time. One more note, I think that it would have been more realistic if the guy would have moved on with his life after a year. I don't think this horrific event would have deterred him from living a normal teenage life. (Speaking somewhat from experience. ..a highschool friend was raped and murdered by a stranger. Small town. We were all shocked and confused for months, but eventually life goes back to normal. No one ever forgets, but the currents of life propel you on...and that is a good thing. It's too exhausting to grieve forever.)
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, December 12, 2004 - 7:44 pm
Thanks for reminding me. I had completely forgotten that part! Like I said, it didn't 'ruin' the book for me, but like both of you -- it required quite a bit more "suspension of disbelief" than the rest of the book! Maybe I'll have to go back and listen to it again.
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Newman
Member
09-25-2004
| Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 7:16 pm
Just finished "listening" to Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Don't have the author in front of me. Dajje?? Liked it. Had to do with 3 older teenagers around the Cultural Revolution in China. Their parents were "enemies of the state" and the 2 boys were taken away from them and sent to be re-educated. There, they fell in love with the Little Seamstress. Love triangle. The book made me think of life before TV. The young men were valued at the coal mine because one was a very good story teller and the other played the violin. They found another friend who had a stash of western books hidden away in a suitcase. This opened up a whole new world to them. One of our heroes even went to great lengths to inscribe some passages from Balzac on the inside of his coat! In the end the pretty little seamstress...well...I don't want to ruin it for you, LOL.
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Rslover
Member
11-19-2002
| Tuesday, December 28, 2004 - 8:21 pm
Anyone listen to Bill Clinton's book? I'm thinking of doing that since it is so darn long. At least you can do some stuff while you're listening.
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 8:41 pm
Rslover- Wow- that was an old question. Two months later.... Have you listened to it? I did last fall or summer sometime- soon after it came out. It's abridged, which is probbaly good given the length of the actual book. I actually really liked it- it wasn't too political. He does have some bitterness toward Starr that shows- even in his voice. I listened to Hillary's too (also abridged). They were both good. I'm just finishing up John Howard Griffin's "Black Like Me" which I'm really enjoying. I have one disc, plus the epilogue disc left. It's a little over 7 hours total.
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Rslover
Member
11-19-2002
| Friday, March 04, 2005 - 5:28 pm
Yes, I did - all 17 cassettes and 21 cds! I enjoyed it and the reader sounded so much like him. I read Hillary's book awhile ago.
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Friday, March 04, 2005 - 8:08 pm
I think he did do the reading for it. Hillary read for hers. My library I think must have had the abridged version. It was a thick set of CDs, but I don't think it was that many.
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Rslover
Member
11-19-2002
| Saturday, March 05, 2005 - 11:33 am
My library had the complete version. I just checked on Amazon and all I see is the abridged version. I guess it was too much for Bill to read, LOL!
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Saturday, March 05, 2005 - 2:15 pm
I've never bought audio books and many times I wish that I would. I just read Naked Pictures Of Famous People by Jon Stewart and I know I'm reading the way that he's speaking but I bet it would be so much funnier if I was listening to him read it.
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Saturday, March 05, 2005 - 2:59 pm
Don't buy them! Go to the library! Audio books are expensive.
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Puppylov3
Member
01-26-2004
| Saturday, March 05, 2005 - 8:05 pm
I finished Night Fall by Nelson Demille Friday. GREAT book. unabridged audio. the cd from the library also had an interview with the author at the end.
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Newman
Member
09-25-2004
| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 7:42 pm
Just finished listening to "Illusions" by Bill Pronzini, a Nameless Detective novel. I'm looking for other detectives or mystery writers that people have listened to. Tried one by Stuart Kaminsky but didn't like it at all. My library has so many books. I don't know how long to give one. I tend to get impatient. If it's not grabbing my attention in 10 minutes my ADD tells me to give up on it. Don't you think that's fair?
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 6:44 am
I don't give them too long- they have to get my attention pretty quickly. Well, there have been a few that I thought were boring and sometimes would get to the last disk before being too bored to finish. I started 3 yesterday and didn't get into any of them. Sometimes the reader's voice bugs me too.
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Puppylov3
Member
01-26-2004
| Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 8:19 am
that's what I like about the library! And yeah - if you don't have my interest by the end of the first tape - buhbye. And I've not listened to at least one because I hated the readers voice as well. I've got a shorter commute now so I don't listen to as many audio books - I used to listen to the alllllllllll the time though.
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 1:16 pm
You know what's bothering me now at my library? They're getting MP3 Cds in for their new books on CD. My CD player in my car is, um, about 8 years old. They don't work! And some of the new ones look really good!
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Newman
Member
09-25-2004
| Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 6:58 am
Oh no! I still have a cassette player in my car. Keeping up with technology is expensive and annoying. What was wrong with tapes! Have bought a portable CD player for work and have several boom boxes of course. Finished Nicholas Sparks "A Bend in the Road." Have a small audio bookclub at work and we had a pretty good discussion about what I thought was an average book. Am in the middle of a small book called "Julie and Romeo" by Jeanne Ray. Love this one. Recommend it. It is read by author which may have been a mistake. It's about a family feud and love between people who are in their late fifties or 60. Lots of family dynamics and such. I dropped another book about step families because it had too many characters. Too hard to keep track of who was who while working...
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 7:02 am
I've gone through about 6 diferent ones in the last few days. I just can't get into any, and one that I probably might have liked, the authors voice just grated on me too much to listen to for 7 hours! So back to the library I go today. I've pretty much listened to all of them I'm interested in though- may have to search other libraries for authotrs and get them on hold. Only problem is you can only have 15 items on hold at any given time and i'm pretty much always maxed out on that. I even have tim's library card number memorized so I can place holds onto his card for myself!
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