Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report: March 2019

I didn't want to keep you waiting.  Wink wink.  Here's how I spent my two Audible credits for March.

The first book I chose was Andrew Ridker's The Altruist.  I can predict what negative reviews will say:  characters not super likeable and often annoying, nothing much happens, ending too tidy.  I really liked it though.  It's a family story about people of all ages trying and, through most of the book, failing to get their sh*t together.  But I was interested in the characters and their sh*t and rooting for them to find their way and find each other.  Lots of "just right" details throughout and some humor too.  It's also sort of a campus novel, which I like, and was set predominantly in St. Louis, a city with which I'm somewhat familiar.  The ending was bravely hopeful, and I found it all pretty satisfying.

Lucy Foley's The Hunting Party was also a satisfying listen.  It was a bit predictable (unless my powers of observation and inference are just extra keen, which I doubt), but I enjoyed the ride.  College friends take their annual New Year's trip, this time to a remote string of luxury cabins in the Scottish Highlands.  Great set-up and setting.  This book shifts perspectives and I liked how the story unfolded in layers.  There were multiple narrators, all strong, which added interest.  Solid listen.

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report: January and February 2019

Once again, I'm failing to report in a timely fashion.  To catch up any new readers:  I've been a 2-credit per month Audible subscriber since 2003.  The ritual of spending these credits is a monthly highlight that I have been reporting upon for the past few years.

I spent my first January credit on John Carreyrou's Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.  I've already written about this book.  It's only March, and I am confident that Bad Blood will be in my top five books of 2019.  This true story is endlessly fascinating to me, and I am so excited to watch the HBO documentary about Elizabeth Holmes.  Before you watch it, I recommend reading Bad Blood.

Not sure why I delayed, but I spent my second January credit in early February on John Kenney's Talk to Me.  The story this novel depicts is one that is going to become increasingly familiar:  the story of how one's life implodes after one does something regrettable/despicable that is caught on film.  Internet-fueled public shamings are part of life now, and I think this novel tackles the topic well, though its ending is perhaps a bit too sunny.  I think I preferred the non-fiction take on this topic in Jon Ronson's So You've Been Publicly Shamed, but still, I'm very glad to have listened to Talk to Me.

Not sure how I bought three books with two credits in February.  Perhaps I had returned something along the way or purchased one of the three books (seems unlikely, but my feeble memory can't reconstruct the events of a few weeks ago).

I chose Jane Harper's The Lost Man because I so enjoyed The Dry and Force of Nature, the first two novels in her Detective Aaron Falk series.  This stand-alone mystery is about past sins and family dynamics and prominently features the punishing heat of the Australian Outback.  I'm basically on board for whatever Jane Harper writes from this point forward and will mostly likely always opt to listen to her books as I love the Aussie narration.

Jessica Hindman's Sounds Like Titanic was an attempt to be thrilled (once again) by a truth is stranger than fiction story, having been so blown away by Bad Blood and by Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone in the Dark.  While Sounds Like Titanic is a mighty strange tale, I didn't find it as powerful as the others I just mentioned.  Hindman pretends (on purpose) to play the violin as she tours with a strange and strangely compelling composer for several years.  Hindman tries to place this experience in the context of feminism, the female body, her West Virginia upbringing, and her outsider status at Columbia.  The second person point of view makes her conclusions feel a bit too sweeping so that didn't work for me.  Hers is definitely a unique and uniquely American story though.  I'd actually enjoy learning more about the composer.

I put Gregory Blake Smith's The Maze at Windermere on my TBR list after reading a glowing review by Ron Charles.  I loved this novel and its glimpses of Newport at different moments in history.  It took a bit to settle in to all the storylines, but I was intrigued by all of them and liked how they were tied together by questions of power, possession/property, love, class, and marriage/potential for marriage.  I've been to Newport twice, which improved the reading experience.  I wanted the novel to go on longer as I felt invested in all of the storylines and would have been happy to see them endlessly play out.

Any other Audible subscribers out there?  Any credit-worthy listens of late?

Audible Monthly Credit Report Catch-Up

Long Post Alert.

It's been six months.  How have you managed without knowing how I spent my Audible.com monthly credits?

March Picks

Jonathan Miles's Anatomy of a Miracle was fantastic.  I've enjoyed all of his books but this one was my favorite by miles (pun intended).  Faith, family, friendship, love, war, reality tv, neighborhoods.  It's all there and his eye for detail is noteworthy.  I really liked Tanya, the sister character.

Laura and Emma by Kate Greathead was just okay.  Some nice, interesting moments but it didn't add up to much, and I found Laura such a frustrating character.  This book does not live up to any of the Gilmore Girls comparisons posited by some reviewers/bloggers/bookstagrammers.  

April Picks

My Animals and Other Family by Clare Balding -- Not one person who knows me would use the phrase "animal lover" to describe me and yet I loved this book and continue to love Clare Balding's writing.  She's honest, compassionate, funny, and positive.  She does a great job with this memoir framed around different animals in her life.  I shed a few tears.

Meg Wolitzer's The Female Persuasion -- I'm a Meg Wolitzer fan and she gives you plenty to think about here in terms of women in the world, friendship, mentorship, power, etc.  It wasn't heavy-handed or aggressively political.  I enjoyed following the lives of Greer, Faith, Cory, and Z and cared about them.  That being said, this novel is one where the parts are greater than their sum.  Glad I listened to it, but not my favorite title of hers.  

May Pick

I think Stephen McCauley's My Ex-Life was my only (or maybe my first) pick in May.  Looking back at my Goodreads, I see that I didn't write anything about it which either means I hated it but didn't want to be mean, was feeling lazy, the book included a hot button issue of mine and I didn't want to grapple with liking/disliking a book that includes this issue, or it was just fine.  My Ex-Life was fine.  It filled the time.  I didn't not enjoy it.  Twas fine.
 

May Pick #2 (but chosen in June)

Using an Audible credit to purchase Elin Hilderbrand's latest is a summer ritual for me.  The Perfect Couple, her first murder mystery, was not a big departure from her usually delightful Nantucket novels.  I was worried it would be a disappointment, but it was another glorious trip to Nantucket (for everyone except the novel's Maid of Honor).

June Credits?  July?  No clue.

Okay, I'd really love to discuss Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win but I can't say I really loved it.  I did like the inside look into a campaign and the toll it takes on candidates and their families.  I thought the ending was a cop-out, and it kind of pissed me off.

A friend recommended A Polaroid Guy in a Snapchat World by David Spade.  I just cracked up.  Spade is a really funny guy, self-deprecating and seemingly honest.  I tracked down the audio version of his previous memoir after reading this one.  Need a laugh or company for a boring drive or household project?  Spade's Your (Polaroid) Guy.

July Credits?  August?  No clue.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh was a real change of pace.  Sublimely funny in a few moments.  Details and observations that feel real and familiar.  But dark, dark, dark and at the end, either devastating or kind of hopeful.  I'd love to discuss it with someone.  I listened to it late summer, but having just experienced another anniversary of 9/11, this book strikes me as even more poignant.

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin would be perfect for book clubs.  So much to discuss.  A real bubble burster in terms of what we may not know about the "good kids" we know, especially in this new(ish) age of social media.  What are we teaching our kids, especially by example?  Giffin's best book in years.  (Side note: the narrator for the male character in the book had a voice that sounded too old for the character, in my opinion.)

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan is a title I listened to very recently.  I liked the Galway setting and will check out the next installment once it's available.  This new detective series has potential.

August Credits (I think).

I really liked the The Family Tabor by Cherise Wolas, though maybe not as much as I liked Wolas's The Resurrection of Joan Ashby.   Poses good questions about negotiating life without faith and the dangers of trying to bury, discount, or otherwise deny one's past.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is a book I resisted.  I don't like the title, am tiring of Southern novels with secrets, and am sometimes less tempted by books with too much buzz and multiple #bookstagram posts.  Nevertheless, I went for it and I'm glad.  Kya and her beloved marsh were easy to root for and the novel gives you a real sense of time and place as you read. 

Okay then, all caught up on Audible credits until I spend my September ones.  Apologies for the massive post.

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report -- February 2018

I am killing it with my Audible book selections in 2018.  January was excellent, and I chose two winners in February as well.  If only I had some ideas for March...

If you haven't heard about Tara Westover's Educated, you will.  If you enjoyed Hillbilly Elegy or The Glass Castle, you will enjoy Educated.  Westover was kept out of public school by her parents but was not really homeschooled either.  Her story of growing up with a (likely bipolar) doomsday prepper, strictly religious father, a midwife mother with other healing gifts, and many siblings is almost unbelievable.  Imagine never seeing a doctor.  Imagine getting yelled at for rolling up your sleeves (immodest) on a hot Idaho day.  Imagine not having a birth certificate.  Abuse, shifting rules, shifting moods, shifting alliances ... her childhood is not easy.  Her family is not conventional (understatement).  And yet, they are her family, and she loves them, which makes her journey to educate herself all the more challenging and amazing.  The first time Westover ever sits in a classroom, she's a student at Brigham Young University.  Westover's writing is honest, thoughtful, and reflective.  She's not trying to sensationalize her childhood so much as she is trying to make sense of it.  Excellent.  I want to discuss it with someone.

The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances has been on my radar for a while.  It was published last year in the UK and I somehow saw a description of it.  I've been waiting patiently for it to make its way to the USA.  This is the perfect thriller for boy moms!  A mom becomes increasingly wary of her precious son's girlfriend.  It would be a fun pick for a book club that enjoys a lighter read, though the things that happen in this book and the discussion it invites are not necessarily light.

Any ideas for my March credits?

I promise the next post will not be audiobook-related.  I was just playing catch up.

Audible Oddity -- Steam Index?!

I was searching Audible last month for titles worthy of my monthly credits and paused to consider the Julia Glass title above, which is now on my Wish List.  I've read several Julia Glass novels and thought this one sounded promising.  I was taken a bit aback though to see the "steam-o-meter" below the book's details.  I'm certainly not opposed to some steam in a novel as long as it seems organic to the story.  I am not interested in a bunch of sex scenes loosely tied together with generic characters and a weak narrative frame.  If I were looking for a "steamy read" and I would say I am seldom, if ever, specifically seeking that quality in a book (though, again, I'm not opposed if steam is part of the story), Julia Glass would not be the first author that came to mind (or even the fiftieth).  I'm curious about the introduction of the "steam-o-meter" (my term, not Audible's) in general.  The playful language suggests that the meter is supposed to be a selling tool not a warning label.  I just find it odd.

So, this morning, I decided to look up some titles that I enjoyed and that I know to be steamy (though, I did not know that going in since I did not have the steam-o-meter to consult) to check and see whether a) these books were given a steam-o-meter rating and b) what that rating was.

I read Sally Thorne's The Hating Game last summer as a library ebook.  It's a very fun, love-hate office romance story with good characters.  I would agree with the "hot damn" rating.

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan is a book I recommend all the time.  It's just a perfect escape.  Great premise, lovable characters, easy to read.  Again, I agree with the "sizzling" rating.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick and available now on Hoopla (a digital service offered by many libraries).  Despite the title (which I initially found off-putting), I downloaded the title for a weekend road trip.  This book is definitely steamy, but it's in the service of a larger narrative about culture, gender, and religion.  I thought it was great.  If I had to give it a steam-o-meter rating, I'd put it somewhere between "sizzling" and "hot damn."  I find it intriguing, however, that this book did not have a steam-o-meter rating.  Perhaps the title tells you what you need to know already? 

Here's what I know:
1)  Some titles available on Audible.com have been given a steam-o-meter (my term) rating.
2)  For two books that I read that are steam-o-meter rated, I found the ratings to be accurate.

Here's what I don't know but would like to know:
1)  Who's idea was the steam-o-meter? 
2)  Who decides which books are given a steam-o-meter rating?
3)  Who's assigning the steam-o-meter rating?  (Admittedly, I did not dig around on website to see if these come from Audible editors, crowd-sourcing, etc.)
4)  Has Audible received any positive or negative feedback from authors whose books have received steam-o-meter ratings?
5)  Have any steam-o-meter books seen a spike or decline in sales?

As for me, I'm entertained/intrigued by the steam-o-meter feature but think I'd prefer to continue seeking out stories that sound good to me.  If they happen to have a steam factor, so be it, but I think I'd rather be surprised by that element of the story. 

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report -- December 2017

I easily found free library audiobooks throughout December and didn't end up spending my monthly credits until Christmas Day.

Finding Jojo Moyes' The Peacock Emporium felt like a Christmas miracle!  A Jojo Moyes' book I had never read or even heard about?!  Wow!  I was excited.  The past portion of the storyline was much more intriguing than the present portion.  Some nice moments and characters I really liked, but the main character was tough to root for or even to like.  Overall, this one was just okay. 

I'm sad to report that Andrew Sean Greer's Less was a bit underwhelming as well.  There were some very funny moments and the ending was super sweet, but Arthur's journey felt slow, and I was never  that excited to press play and learn more.  As above, this one was just okay.

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report -- November 2017

This month's credits were not that easy to spend, but I was also out of free and attractive ready-to-borrow options from my library so I went ahead and spent them.  These days, I try to save my Audible credits for new releases of the sort that I'd have to wait on a long hold list for elsewhere.  There were no new releases calling out to me so I went with different criteria.  My choices ...

Sarah's Cottage by D.E. Stevenson -- I've been working my way through D.E. Stevenson's catalogue for about six years now.  These books are mostly set in Scotland and England and are stories of family, friendship, and love, often set against a wartime (WWII) background.  Some of them are witty and almost edgy, some of them border on bland, but I usually find them comfortable and enjoyable and especially appreciate narration with Scottish accents.  There's almost always a ridiculously self-obsessed character (or couple) that it pleases me to dislike.  Sarah's Cottage is one of those that seemed like it was going to be boring, but a couple hours in, Sarah's sister Lottie is really at her worst, and I'm intrigued to see where it goes over the next six hours and twenty-seven minutes (but less, because I am listening at 1.5x speed).  Sarah's Cottage is a sequel and would be difficult to find in print.  If you are going to read D.E. Stevenson, start with Miss Buncle's Book (a nice Source Books edition is available) or Listening Valley. 

Girl on the Leeside by Kathleen Anne Kenney has been in my wish list for several months.  I've hesitated to spend a credit on it because only three listeners have reviewed it.  However, it's not a book that I can access via the library in any form (not in print, audio, or electronic versions) so seems like a good choice for a credit.  It's set in Ireland so I am hoping it will tide me over until Marian Keyes's The Break is available in audio in the United States or until Maeve Bincy comes back from the dead to write one more lovely novel.

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report -- October 2017

I had a false start with my October audiobook credits.

I began with Jennifer E. Smith's Windfall, a YA novel wherein girl buys lottery ticket for boy who is her friend who she also is in love with, tickets pays out big, and girl and boy have lots to figure out.  It was set in Chicago, but the book didn't really feel Chicago to me.  It was a sweet story but not completely satisfying in its answers to the tough/cool questions it didn't quite pose. 

Kimberley Tait's Sweet Plastic Love might be fantastic, but five minutes in, I pressed stop and took advantage of Audible's generous return policy.  I may try to read the print or ebook edition at some point, but the narrator was not a good match for me so no listening to Sweet Plastic Love.  In the case of narrator mismatch, I find it best to abandon ship early. 

With the credit credited to my account for the above, I purchased Susan Rieger's The Heirs, an audiobook that exceeded my expectations.  Rieger structures this book so creatively.  Moving between past and present and among various family members and outliers, Rieger lets the story unfold slowly and expertly.  Very interesting characters and questions.  Pretty much loved it.

I'm already starting to think about how to spend my November credits, which will roll my way on the 12th. 

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report -- September 2017

Playing catch up again.

Here's the lowdown on my September credits...

The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas was an excellent listen.  Joan Ashby is a brilliant writer who meets early success only to have her career nearly eclipsed by motherhood.  While a novel with this premise could slip easily into stereotypes and heavy-handedness, Wolas tackles it in a nuanced, interesting way.  Snippets of Joan's writing are interspersed throughout the text.  As a listener, I just sat back and enjoyed them, but I might have been frustrated with these "interruptions" if I were reading the print edition. I though the samples of Joan's writing helped illustrated the ways an author's life might be reflected in his/her (even) fictional work.  I'd love a chance to with others about this book, especially with those who are mothers, writers, and artists.

The Weight of Lies by Emily Carpenter did not live up to its ratings (currently 3.88 star-average on Goodreads) for me.  Lots of interesting elements here:  a mystery, a bestselling novel that may be true, a romance, two bad moms and one confused daughter, wild horses, and an old inn.  I thought it fell short.  I never felt engaged in the mystery.  I never felt like I had enough good clues or information to try to figure anything out for myself or even to care enough to.  I just sat back and listened as I was eventually told what really happened.  Okay.

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report -- July and August 2017

I ignored this writing space most of the summer so I have a lot of catching up to do.

Quick recape for my tens of readers:  I treasure the monthly ritual of choosing two audiobooks worthy of my Audible.com credits.

I was very pleased with July's credit redemptions.  Both books had been on my radar, and I enjoyed both even more than I thought I would.  Michael Frank's The Mighty Franks invited me into a family very different from my own.  Families are complicated.  Love is complicated.  I admired Frank's ability to capture the complication and the love.  To paraphrase and revise:  they'll mess you up, your aunt and uncle.

Katherine Heiny's Standard Deviation was a gem.  Marriage is complicated.  Love is complicated.  Parenting is complicated.  They're all worth it though.  Heiny gets all the little details right -- a lot of yes, yes, yes-ing as I read.  I also liked how she managed to be smartly funny without being snarky.

The Misfortune of Marion Palm by Emily Culliton was a book I had been looking forward to all summer.  Despite a promising premise, this book was just not what I wanted it to be.  The writing is good, the characters interesting, but it wasn't for me.  The missing ingredient may have been hope.

Tom Perrotta's smart and witty books have offered me many hours of Audible.com listening pleasure and Mrs. Fletcher was no exception.  I was a tad overwhelmed by the sex, porn, and MILF aspects of the book early on (as was my best friend who was also listening and texted "I am listening to Mrs. Fletcher.  Wow") but then I figured out what he was trying to do and thought he did it well.  I'd love to discuss Mrs. Fletcher and/or to eavesdrop on book club conversations about it!  

Want to know how I spent my September Audible credits?  Want to know why I am longer biting on the Audible Deal of the Days?  Want to know how audiobook listening is going without my lil green ipod?  Visit again as future posts will provide answers.

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report -- May & June 2017

Two months and four Audible.com credits.  I've listened to them all by now.  Very brief reviews to come.

Graeme Simpsion's The Best of Adam Sharpe:  Graeme Simpsion wrote The Rosie Project, which I quite enjoyed, and its sequel, The Rosie Effect, which felt like a novel-length episode of Three's Company-esque mix-ups but with more interesting, likable characters.  As for The Best of Adam Sharpe?  I didn't hate it and in fact enjoyed a lot of the musical references and laughed a few times.  However, I felt like I was reading the fantasies of a middle-aged man, especially when the story moves to France.  Unless that's your demographic, don't rush.

Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine:  This novel is VERY FINE.  More layers than I anticipated.  Humorous but also hefty, it's an excavation and transformation story.  I want a sequel and highly recommend the audio version unless you hate Scottish accents.  Which, who could?  The Sunday of my college reunion weekend, one of my friends was facing a long drive home.  I told her to download this audiobook for company.  She texted me a few days later:  "Just finished Eleanor Oliphant.  Crying while I clean my bathroom.  I already miss that Scottish weirdo!"  Don't skip this one!

Kevin Kwan's Rich People Problems:  I've listened to all three books in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy.  They are fun even though the wealth/spending of many characters is staggering/disgusting.  Talk about a glimpse into a whole other world.  There are a lot of characters to keep track of and my cousin mentioned in her Goodreads review that it would have been nice to have a family tree to use a a refresher before jumping into the third book.  I agree.  Good news for new Kevin Kwan readers?  You can start now and keep going.  You won't have to wait between each book as I did.

Elin Hilderbrand's The Identicals:  Listening to Elin Hilderbrand's newest books is a summer tradition for me.  This year's did not disappoint -- probably my favorite of the past few years' offerings.  The Identicals tells the story of twin sisters and their sister islands.  It was fun to visit Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard in one book and I'm a sucker for a sister story.  Some good mother-daughter stuff in this novel too.

Come July 12th, I'll have two new credits to spend.  I'll keep you informed. 

End of An Era: No More Lil Green iPods

The era of the Lil Green iPod has ended.

In 2003 (or maybe 2004), I received my first (sort of Lil) Green iPod.  This iPod was my companion as I explored our new Chicago neighborhood, Lakeview/Southport Corridor, and a technological gem that allowed me to finally listen to audiobooks without a walkman or discman (and the ziploc baggie that held extra batteries and/or the next cassette or CD in the book).  I was in grad school at the time and so thankful for audiobooks for giving me an easy way to squeeze in books from outside the academic realm.  Some favorite listens from this iPod:  The Time Traveler's Wife, The Blind Assasin and I Am Charlotte Simmons.

I can't recall the demise of the first green iPod, but I know I received a second.  Significantly smaller than the first, Lil Green iPod #2 was my companion as I pushed my babies and toddlers around Lakeview.  I did a lot of walking as I tried to get my oldest to fall asleep already before I lose my mind and I couldn't have kept going without my audiobooks.  Some favorites from this iPod:  Lonesome Dove, Free Food for Millionaires, and Olive Kitteridge.

Lil Green iPod #3 was a gift for Christmas 2012.  I know that because it is engraved on the back.  This iPod lived its life in Chicago's Western Suburbs and was my companion for five years of household chores.  LGI #3 helped me enjoy many an Audible Deal of the Day.  I've mentioned before that discounted audiobooks have often pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and give something new or different (to me) a try.  I was rewarded with great listens many times over on LGI #3.  Some favorite listens from this iPod:  Commonwealth, Cuckoo's Calling, Miss Buncle's Book (which opened the door to many D.E. Stevenson audiobooks), Ready Player One, and The Royal We.  I could go on and on with favorites from this LGI.  More available audiobooks and more access to reviews from Goodreads, social media, etc. made it easier to find winning listens for LGI #3.

I am thankful for all of my Lil Green iPods and all the stories they allowed me to experience while walking, washing dishes, doing laundry, and driving.  I wish I had photos of all three iPods but alas, there are just these two pics of LGI #3 (both books featured, by the way, were Audible Deal of the Days and both were excellent). 

LGI #3 still works with audiobooks owned since 2003, but the newest audiobooks downloaded from Audible.com would not play as of a month ago.  I spent some frustrating time trying to troubleshoot with the folks at Audible and online tutorials, but ultimately, I threw in the towel and kissed it goodbye.

We're now in the era of the Lil Blue iTouch.  More later.

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report -- April 2017

I was waiting for these two new releases on 4/25 and then snapped them up with my Audible monthly credits.

Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteredge ranks among my top ten audiobook experiences.  I liked the slim but powerful My Name is Lucy Barton (which I read in print) and am looking forward to its companion, Anything Is Possible.  On a whim, I recently pressed play on Strout's The Burgess Boys.  The reviews on it were just so-so and while it's not an uplifting book (at all), I enjoy hearing the Maine accent in narration and like getting a sense of Maine, a place with which I have no familiarity (with the exceptions of my son's Acadia National Park project, L.L. Bean, and the fact that Nancy Atwell--a writing guru for middle school teachers--and one of my brother's college basketball teammates are both from Boothbay Harbor, Maine). 

Fredrik Backman's Beartown.  Quick Backman recap:  Adored A Man Called Ove.  Not super into My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry.  Really liked Britt-Marie Was Here.  Very, very excited to listen to Beartown.  I love community stories, underdog stories, and, most of the time, sports stories.  Plus, it's about a hockey team.  We live in a hockey crazy town, and for years my attitude was, "Good for you, not for us."  Then, my son begged and begged, and we let him play hockey.  And then the next year his big brother wanted to play too.  They just play for teams at our local YMCA (which has a super cool, old school outdoor rink) so it's not too time-consuming or crazy intense, but it is SO FUN to watch them and I'm so glad they're experiencing the camaraderie and challenge of hockey.

There have been quite a few tempting Deals of the Day on Audible of late as well so I am sitting pretty with listening fodder.  I started listening with my ipod set at 2x about six months ago, and the increased speed has allowed me to listen to even more audiobooks!

Book Ritual Updates

I love my bookish rituals each month.

You already know that I look forward to spending my Audible.com audiobook credits each month.

Let me catch you up on the other bookish rituals.

I love choosing a Book of the Month Club title each month.  For a while there, I was choosing more than one.  However, it's fair to say there is a BOTM Club pile-up on my shelves so those days are over.  I've also found that these are buzzed-about books that are often part of one-day ebook sales and/or easy to reserve at the library.  I'm currently enjoying Startup -- I'm not a millennial, a tech gal, or a New Yorker/Brooklynite, but it's fun to read about the scene and to have sympathy for the book's old lady (36, ahem) who's juggling career, kids, debt, and marriage woes. 

I also peruse the Literary Guild selections each month.  Though there are often books on offer that I would enjoy reading, my choices are rarely among the three curated monthly selections.  Those tend to be books that don't appeal to me (AT ALL) and the discounts for additional books don't kick in unless you start with one of those three selections in your box.  Makes it easy to click "skip my monthly credits" at the beginning of each month.  The selections refresh on the 15th of the month so I always check back.  However, a few months ago, a book I was super excited about was a monthly selection.  I boxed up Jennifer Ryan's The Chilbury Ladies' Choir and Jane Harper's The Dry.  Although I am very close to my saturation point with WWII novels (not forever, just for a bit), I did like Ryan's story of community, family, romance, and friendship set in the wartime English countryside.  It's told through letters and journal entries -- all of which are way too long to be believable, but which tell a good story.  Haven't cracked the spine of The Dry yet.

I get my fix for free when I choose my Kindle First selection each month.  I've mentioned this perk before:  if you have Amazon Prime, you can choose one free Kindle First selection each month (a month before the book is published).  To be honest, I don't always read these books in a hurry (or ever), but there's nothing to be lost (except five minutes of my time) by choosing one.  Last month, I chose Laura McNeal's The Practice House (which sounds kind of creepy but also kind of good).  I surprised myself this month by selecting A Small Revolution by Jimin Han.

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report -- March

You know what is a lot easier and far less intimidating than writing a blog post every once in a blue moon?  Writing a blog post every day.  I'm going to try to get back into that habit as it's much more liberating.  When I wait so long between posts, there's too much pressure and everything I don't/won't blog about (for example, politics and world affairs) weighs me down and the whole endeavor feels pointless and petty.  When I blog every day, it's easier to remember that the point is to practice writing for writing's sake (and my own sake) and put a little something out there in the world. 

I'm stepping back up to the plate with a softball ... a backdated Audible Monthly Credit(s) report.  Here's how I spent my March audiobook credits...

Blue Sapphire by D.E. Stevenson -- I've been working my way through D.E. Stevenson's books (this Scottish scribe wrote many novels) for six years now.  I find them very soothing, particularly as listens.  They are old-fashioned and narrated with melodious Scottish and British accents.  Blue Sapphire is not the one to start with though.  It's all over the place (abandoned storyline about the mystical powers of a blue sapphire, hints at insider trading, glossing over of disturbing implications of mining) and hasn't aged as well as some of Stevenson's others.  Not my favorite.  If you're intrigued though?  Start with some of my favorites, like Miss Buncle's Book (and then its many sequels) or Listening Valley.  

The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso -- I was glad I listened to The Woman Next Door because I would not have been able to properly pronounce some of the names on my own.  At the same time, I wish I had read it in print as there's a lot to ponder with this one.  This novel is about female friendship, race, marriage, and the shadow of Apartheid.  No easy, happy endings here, but definitely hope.  Funnier than I expected, but parts are very serious and difficult to read.  I now have a soft spot for these two difficult neighbor women.

I haven't spent my April credits yet.  There have been some great sales and Deals of the Day so I'm well stocked with listening material.  Plus, I have my eye on a couple of books that release on 4/25. 

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report

As you know, spending my monthly audiobook credits is a cherished monthly ritual for me. 

This month's choices were easy.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders is buzzing all over the place -- especially in the world of audiobookers.  I've had many incredible listening experiences involving a single narrator and am thinking my head might explode when I begin listening Lincoln in the Bardo with its cast of 166 narrators.  Added to all of that, I live in the Land of Lincoln, have/had academic interests in female friendship and democracy in nineteenth-century America (that included Mrs. Lincoln), and welcome the opportunity to immerse myself in a different moment in presidential history.

Laurie Frankel's This Is How It Always Is is even more buzzed about than Lincoln in the Bardo.  I finished it this morning.  I loved Frankel's writing and loved being with Claude, Poppy, Rosie, and Penn as they navigated difficult (woefully inadequate adjective) terrain.  No easy answers here but lots of good questions, including one which Penn asks about whether we want things to be easy for our kids (only paraphrasing since I listened and can't easily locate exact quotation).  I'm definitely still processing.  Tons to unpack here in terms of secrets, gender, family, narrative/storytelling, parenting, and the comforts and limits of binaries.  Another friend is poised to finish soon so I'm hoping we can discuss it. 

What's on your March listening list?

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report -- January

Surfacing after a busy month in the school volunteer zone.

Sorry to keep you waiting (ha!).  Here's how I spent January's audiobook credits.

Jim Lynch's Before the Wind came highly recommended by a reader I trust.  For me, it was just an okay listen.  I felt like I never quite got the feel of the story and definitely didn't connect with the characters.  To be honest though, I had a lot on my mind during the period of time when I was listening to this one so maybe it was just the wrong book for the moment.  Those with knowledge of sailing might want to investigate this one.  Which sailing novel would I wholeheartedly recommend, you ask?  Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute.  Do I sail?  Absolutely not.

I was a fan of The Family Fang so was really looking forward to Kevin Wilson's Perfect Little World.  Solid listen.  I would have liked the perfect little world of the novel to be more fully developed, but I liked thinking about how the ways the family can (and cannot) be stretched and extended.  Spoiler alert:  not sure of what to make of the suspiciously happy ending, though it's the one I wanted.

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report: December

My audible.com credits refresh on the 12th of each month, and I didn't get around to spending my December credits until January.  December is a heavy listening month for me with all the cleaning, wrapping, and cooking that beg for audiobook accompaniment.  I never ran out of listening material though and squeezed in my annual revisting of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, expertly narrated by the late, great Flo Gibson. 

This month, two credits got me three audiobooks.  I don't usually bite on the 2-for-1 sales as the curated selection of titles isn't always my cup of tea, but this month I managed to find two books I thought I'd enjoy.

 

I think it's safe to say that I may be the only Audible.com subscriber who selected these two books together.  Paul Beatty's The Sellout has been on my radar for a while:  Winner of Man Booker Prize, Winner of National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction, Winner of John Dos Passos Prize for Literature, and more.  I'm listening to it now.  The writing is great, sharp, really just excellent.  The book is funny but in an uncomfortable-edgy-semi-ridiculous-maybe-tragic-way.  I'm about a third of the way through and still getting a feel for what Beatty is doing here, but very much liking the book.  Very well narrated, by the way.

I read If You Only Knew by Kristan Higgins for a book club last year (though, per usual, I missed the meeting).  It was enjoyable, satisfying but not taxing and funnier than I expected -- just the kind of listen I like to have on reserve.  We'll see if All I Ever Wanted is similar.   

 

Since one monthly credit had earned me two books, I spent a couple days pondering how to spend the second credit.  I've been hiding from Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing (sisters, Africa, America, slavery) even though it's getting raves all over the place and positive reviews from readers I trust.  I didn't select it from the BOTM Club.  I didn't bite on the post-Christmas ebook deal price.  But I decided to put on my big girl pants and buy it.  I'm sure I'll love it.  The New York Times, NPR, Time, and Oprah all did.

Treat Yourself Sale

I couldn't post yesterday because I was freezing my toes off while watching two high school football state championship games.  Very fun day though!  The game watching kept me completely out of the Black Friday scene, which is probably for the best since I have not much idea what anyone on my list really wants or needs.  Had I hit the mall, I would have ended up treating myself to bargains instead of shopping for others.

Having skipped Black Friday, I figured I could treat myself to four books at the Audible Treat Yourself Sale and still come out well ahead.  

Goldy Modalvsky's Kill the Boy Band -- creepy title, but I've seen lots of positive buzz about this one on my Twitter feed

Broken Angels by Gemma Liviero -- this is a book club pick, was going to skip it (the book, not the meeting and earring gift swap) as it sounds too depressing for holiday season reading, but it's supposed to be great so maybe I'll listen

Fishbowl by Bradley Somer -- sounds DIFFERENT, but cool, exactly the kind of title I like for listening

So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson -- I think I'll learn from this one, have been curious about it for a while

If you're interested in audiobooks, there are many great titles in the Treat Yourself Sale:  The Goldfinch, Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, A Man Called Ove, The Time Traveler's Wife (one of my first-ever Audible listens), and many, many more.

Audible Monthly Credit(s) Report -- November

I spent some time this morning deliberating on how best to spend my two audible.com credits for this month.  Drumroll please! 

 

Bold but unverified declaration:  No audible.com patron has ever purchased these two audiobooks in the same transaction.  

I just read a very positive review of Trevor Noah's Born a Crime in EW yesterday and am excited to listen to Noah narrate his memoir of growing up in South Africa as a mixed race child.  

With the holidays drawing near (and everything, joyous and exhausting, that comes with them), I'm looking for some "bubble-type" reading of the sort that will make me feel calm and peaceful.  D.E. Stevenson's novels are very relaxing to me, particularly because they are usually narrated by individuals with melodic Scottish accents.  I'll let you know how I like Young Mrs. Savage.  I have to say that cover's a bit more intense than the usual D.E. Stevenson cover.  

I was tempted to spend one of my credits on Anna Kendrick's Scrappy Little Nobody, but I've got a near-the-top spot in the library queue.  Ditto Lauren Graham's Talking As Fast as I Can.  I'm already in line at the library so will make the fiscally responsible choice to wait.