2/14/2014

Twitterature - February 2014

I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy for Twitterature!



January was a pretty bad reading month for me, so I'm thrilled to say I actually found a couple winners in February!  

However, I didn't really read them.  I had eye surgery the middle of January, and it didn't go quite as expected, which means that reading - my lifeline, my one real passion, the only hobby I really care about - has been off the table for most of the past month.  

So... I discovered audio books.

And I'll be completely honest here.  I have enjoyed them.  But I don't LOVE listening the same way I LOVE reading.  However, given my current circumstances, they are serving the purpose of keeping me from quietly going insane, so I'll take it.

I can see well enough to read again, providing I crank the font size on my e-reader up to ginormous size, but I can't do it for long or I get a terrible headache (and I've been using the few good hours I get with my eyes each day to blog and read blogs and comment on blogs - well, you get the picture) so audio books will probably be my best friends until this ridiculous eye business gets straightened out.

Anyway, I did find some good stuff last month.  Here's what I read (well, sorta read).



Help for the Haunted by John Searles - I actually read this book right before my surgery, so it was the one book I read read for the month.  Sylvie's parents are in the unusual occupation of helping lost souls find peace.  Well, they are until they are murdered.  Much of the story revolves around what Sylvie did or did not see on the night her parents were murdered.  I could have probably done without the violence, but the storyline about lost souls and the fascinating and quirky characters kept me interested.



The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd - I loved loved loved this book, which is loosely based on the life of abolitionist and women's rights activist Sarah Grimke.  The story follows Sarah and the fictional slave Handful through their lives together in Charleston in the early nineteenth century.  They grow up together, but so separately, and the friendship that develops between them is unexpected and beautiful.



 The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - I have a terrible habit of not wanting to read things that are ridiculously popular.  I think it comes from all my years working in the bookstore and having such huge runs on a certain book that I would lose interest in it before I ever read it.  Lately I've been trying to pick a book every month that I skipped on purpose over the years and this time it was the Lovely Bones.  It was beautiful in parts, sort of boring in others, and overall I think I would have enjoyed reading this one more than I enjoyed listening to it.



The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith - I'm trying to listen to this one now, and I'm not that far into it but so far I'm not loving it.  I'm going to keep going for a bit, but I'm afraid it might be abandoned before long.  I really think this one might be a case of a boring narrator for the audiobook, and not the book itself.  I may move this one back onto the list to read instead of listen to.


And that's my month in books.  It's not as many as I usually read, but listening to books seems to take a lot longer than reading them.

Do you listen to audio books?  If so, do you think the narrator makes a difference?



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35 comments:

  1. Definitely going to have to look into The Invention of Wings - hope your able to READ read again soon - thank god for audio books to keep you sane in the meantime!

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  2. I've actually never listened to an entire book. A few years ago, I was on a road trip with my parents and they had one in the cassette deck. My problem is I have serious squirrel brain and I could not, for the life of me, stay focused. But thanks for the suggestions. Because I love to read and love a good book. Although, I've been fighting Lovely Bones since it came out because I'm just afraid of it. Hope you get those eyes of yours back to where they belong soon!

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  3. This is great, MJ! And thanks for my word. I think you are pretty accurate. When are you coming over for a cup of coffee? You live in Kentucky? If you start running now, you can be here in umm, approximately 55 days. No problem. Hey, at least the snow should be gone by then.

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  4. Ha! This is so fun! I did the test and discovered that I am ENFP. Interesting.

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  5. I love this idea of going back to read books you've missed! I have the same knee jerk reflex when it comes to popular books. I actually have a copy of the Prince of Tides waiting for me because I missed it the first time around! Putting The Lovely Bones on my list too.:)

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  6. Oh, and hope your healing goes well!

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  7. I got The Invention of Wings and can't wait to read it now!

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  8. I don't often listen to audio books, but I keep thinking that I should give it a whirl! I'll be putting The Invention of Wings on my GoodReads list. Thanks for all of the great reviews!

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  9. I LOVED The Lovely Bones, but I read it way before the movie, and I never saw the movie. I can't picture the book having the same impact being read as it did reading it myself. I started trying to read Cuckoo's Calling, and quit after a sample. I am going to have to try Help for the Haunted, based on your recommendation.

    There are really great books that are meant to be read aloud--like Moby Dick and anything Tolkien. But I can imagine that a horrible narrator would ruin a book pretty fast!

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  10. I really enjoyed The Cookoo's Calling, but I read the actual book. I often find audiobooks to be slowpaced, even when they're good books. Hope you find it worth the time!

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  11. Wait - I have a better idea. I'll start running, you start running, we will meet somewhere in the middle in (insert math, fractions, pi here) some days less than 55. The math got me. Maybe it's warm and sunny somewhere in the middle.

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  12. Ah we are complete opposites on this one! That makes you The Inspirer: https://www.personalitypage.com/ENFP.html

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  13. The Invention of Wings was really lovely - and after I found out it was loosely based on real events it made it even better. Thanks for the well wishes!

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  14. Thanks! I think I will add it back to my list and give it a try sometime later when I can read it read it. The premise sounds interesting so I would hate to abandon it altogether.

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  15. Thanks so much! And I'm sure you're right about the narrator. Now I just have to figure out the right way to choose a good one!

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  16. Thanks - I hope I get my eyes whipped back into shape soon, too. This is really my first attempt at audio books and I like them ok - but it's really not the same as reading for me. Sigh...

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  17. Oh the Prince of Tides is amazing! I really loved that one. I think my next attempt at a popular book I skipped on purpose will be the Red Tent.

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  18. It was a really lovely book. It was hard to read (hear) in places but the subject of slavery is never an easy one. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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  19. This month is really my first foray into audio books. So far so good. I think I would always prefer reading but there is a lot of freedom in being able to listen to a book while I run or make dinner or whatever, so it's better than nothing I guess :)

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  20. I somehow completely missed that the Lovely Bones had even been made into a movie. I just looked it up and Mark Wahlberg was the dad? That just seems weird to me.


    I totally agree that some books just lend themselves to being read aloud. Now I need to find a few more of them!

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  21. Yes, audio books really do move at a much slower pace. There isn't really a way to skim the boring parts like I occasionally do with books.

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  22. I've heard soooo much about The Invention of Wings lately! I really enjoyed her previous work, and I'm glad to hear you liked this one. :)


    Thanks for sharing your reading with us!

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  23. Yay for good reads this month ;) The Invention of Wings sounds fabulous...adding it to the list! I liked Cuckoo's Calling....until the end. I would have found it hard to keep track of everyone in an audio book, but I never can really listen to them.

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  24. Perfect! There has got to be warm and sunny somewhere on this God-forsaken planet!

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  25. I know! What a dork, huh? ;) It's so funny to me now because I know it's really out of character for him.

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  26. The Invention of Wings was definitely my favorite of the month! I loved The Secret Life of Bees, too, but I need to read some of her others.

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  27. I have loved Sue Monk Kidd's books so far, and I've got that one on my hold list already. I did enjoy The Lovely Bones too...but it's been a minute since I read it last. Audiobooks are one of my new obsessions...and yes, the narrator makes a difference!

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  28. I have never really tried audio books before now. Maybe I need to find a few simpler, more straightforward titles to try in audio form. Keeping up with characters is much harder when you're listening.

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  29. I have been meaning to add the Invention of Wings to my library list. Stick with A Cuckoo's Calling, I felt that same way and slogged through just because I love HP and the end was great.

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  30. I discovered audiobooks the semester I commuted two hours each way twice a week for college; they made the monotony of driving bearable (and a good doughnut didn't hurt either). I haven't listened to an audiobook in ages. Maybe it's time for me to start back up again.

    I really hope your eyes heal entirely, though; a girl can't live on audibooks alone forever ;)

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  31. I don't know if I will ever be obsessed with audio books, but they are serving an important purpose right now. I just need to track down a few more with great narrators!

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  32. I have heard so many good things about A Cuckoo's Calling - I want to finish it, but I think I will have to wait until I can read it instead of listening to it. You should give The Invention of Wings a try - I really loved it!

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  33. I can totally see the appeal of audiobooks for commuting - I think driving is crazy boring so that would be a great way to help pas the time, but you are so right. A girl cannot live on audiobooks alone! Thanks for your comment!

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  34. What a great story!

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