I have always loved audiobooks for long car trips. But for around the house? I have never listened to audiobooks at home. Until I retired. And now I listen to them every day. Let me share some you may have missed.
Across the Nightingale Floor is a 1001 Children's Book that takes place in ancient Japan. There are many assassins. One large Japanese castle has installed a "nightingale floor," which sings like a nightingale if an assassin tries to sneak across it. Excellent Women was my favorite read last year. It's the story of an older single woman trying to make her way in 1950's England. It was great fun to listen to the Welsh accents of the characters in 1001 Children's Book, The Owl Service. It can be very difficult to find copies of the 1001 Children's Books. I was never able to find Owl Service in book form, but I was delighted to find it available as an audiobook. Classics are wonderful choices for audiobooks. There is something very nice about having a classic read to you. I read all of Jane Austen's oeuvre last year, and I enjoyed listening to a couple of them, including Persuasion. I read (literally) Big Magic a long time ago, but I decided to listen to an audiobook of Big Magic as NaNoWriMo approached last November. I loved it. I liked it as a book, but I loved it as an audiobook. My husband and I loved listening to Three Men in a Boat last summer when we took a road trip. It's a fun experience to listen together to a comedy about three men taking a trip down the Thames.
Two summers ago, we took a long trip to Chicago to visit our son and daughter-in-law. We listened to an amazing five audiobooks on the trip: Wolf Brother, The Amulet of Samarkand, Dragonsong, The Pigman, and The Book of Three, all of which are 1001 Children's Books. That was almost 37 hours of stories.
I'm listening to North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell now. It is over 18 hours, and it will definitely be my longest ever audiobook. But it is a fabulous story. It may be my best book of 2019.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girlin January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
I've been reading since I was two years old, and, if you do the math, that's almost sixty years of reading. I can't remember (literally and figuratively) a time when I wasn't reading. At Goodreads, I've managed to remember over 4,000 books read.
That said, there have definitely been times when my reading slowed. When I had little kids. When I took on a very busy job. After my mother died....
Over the years, I've learned lots of little tricks to get back in the reading saddle, including:
If none of this works, ask your fellow bloggers for help.
We love to offer up book counseling.
What do you do when you hit a slump?
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girlin January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
Another readathon for the books. I had so much fun, reading, visiting blogs, and doing mini-challenges. So. Much. Fun.
And I won a Mini-Challenge! Woo hoo! It was serendipitous, because the challenge asked me to randomly shuffle through my music and Smile by Jimmy Durante came up. Crazy because the first book I read was 1,033 Reasons to Smile. I'll be receiving a copy of Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. Thank you, Leah and 26 Letters!
HOURS 24
I woke up in time to enjoy some yogurt and a banana and a cup of coffee and to see readathon winding down. I'll do some reviews and sum up the wonderful day that is readathon, I think.
Closing Survey!
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
As is usual for me, the hours after nine pm are daunting. So daunting that I had to cave.
2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read!
1,033 Reasons to Smile by Elizabeth Dutton (160 pages) Roland the Minstrel Pig by William Steig (32 pages) Ed Emberly's Drawing Book by Ed Emberley (32 pages) A to Z by Sandra Boynton (16 pages) Dave's Down-to-Earth Rock Shop by Stuart J. Murphy (32 pages) Amazing Bone by William Steig (32 pages) Tadpole's Promise by Jeanne Willis (32 pages) Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (64 pages) One Happy Tiger by Catherine Rayner (20 pages) Napping House by Audrey Wood (32 pages) The Wanderer's Guide to Lucca by Brian R. Lindquist (369 pages) The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy edited by John Brehm (179 pages) Italy for the Gourmet Traveler by Fred Plotkin (723 pages) The Castle by Franz Kafka (audiobook; 318 pages)
3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners?
1,033 Reasons to Smile was perfect. As were the travel books, children's books, poetry books, and audiobooks.
I'm a Readathon Expert.
4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you smile?
It was so much fun to have the Mini-Challenges open all 24-hours. I did them all.
I loved trying to read a cumulative 1,000,000 pages.
5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep?
For the in-between times, I had The Castle on audiobook. I finished it before I fell asleep, so let's add in another 318 pages.
HOUR 14
Another book finished. It's The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy. That makes thirteen books, with a total of 1,454 pages.
HOUR 13
Another Mini-Challenge, Bookish Playlist, is complete. That's my ninth. The challenge was to randomly select a song from one's playlist and pair it with a book. Smile by Jimmy Durante was my random song, and, good grief, guess what my first read was during the readathon? Yep, it was 1,033 Reasons to Smile. Crazy.
And finally, for the win, the twelfth and last Mini-Challenge, Vague Recollections. Any librarian knows this one. You post some vague thoughts about the book you are currently reading and see if anyone can figure it out. Fun.
HOUR 12
I've finished another book, The Wanderer's Guide to Lucca. It adds another 369 pages to my total so far.
It's the midpoint and it's time for another survey.
Mid-Event Survey
1. What are you reading right now? The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy 2. How many books have you read so far? 12 3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? This one. 4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I forgot to wake up early. I forged on. 5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? It surprises me how many books I've read.
And my eighth Mini-Challenge, Perfect Pairings, is completed.
I chose one of my favorite characters, Anne of Green Gables, as my pen pal. Wouldn't she be delightful? Such a wild imagination and so positive.
Here's my bookish scribble for my current read, 1001 Photographs You Must See in Your Lifetime. #readathonscribbles
HOUR 9
My fifth Mini-Challenge, Reading Alphabet, led me to read nine books this hour. Wow!
I chose children's books, so I'd have time to read front to back, the requirement of the challenge. Fortunately, I have a huge collection of children's books.
Roland the Minstrel Pig by William Steig Ed Emberly's Drawing Book by Ed Emberley A to Z by Sandra Boynton Dave's Down-to-Earth Rock Shop by Stuart J. Murphy Amazing Bone by William Steig Tadpole's Promise by Jeanne Willis Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson One Happy Tiger by Catherine Rayner Napping House by Audrey Wood
HOUR 8
My fourth Mini-Challenge is Artful Covers, in which we are asked to create a new cover for our current read. Here is mine:
I'm currently reading Christ Stopped at Eboli by Carlo Levi. It's about Levi's time as a political prisoner in the poor southern part of Italy. This is a copyright-free photo of the area in which Levi stayed.
HOUR 7
Another book complete. God Save Texas by Lawrence Wright. Wonderful read. Texas, I never knew ya.
My third Mini-Challenge: Tell Me a Story. Some of my favorite reads have been short story collections, including all of Bradbury and Dubliners. #tellmeastory
HOUR 6
Oh my! I had to share this. How have I missed this?
I've finished my first book. It's 1,033 Reasons to Smile, and it comes in at 160 pages. Smile.
HOUR 4
I am set to do some Mini-Challenges (love the idea of having them open all day, btw) and some visiting of blogs (I'm aiming at five every hour), and, of course, reading.
I just woke up, so I'm off to a late start, but oh well! If there is anything I have learned in my sixty-one years on this planet it is that we do the best we can, but we don't beat ourselves up...there are plenty of other people out there who will happily do that for us.
So, it's all good. I'm ready to jump in and read all the hours I can today. Let me start by playing catch up.
Pre-Event Survey
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
I'm here in Alvin, Texas in the USA.
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I'm reading Italy today in prep for our trip there in three weeks. I have about fifteen books set in Italy ready, and I have two audiobooks in case I need a break.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
I bought healthy snacks, including bananas, grapes, strawberries, yogurt, and lots of water and coffee. My husband also oh-so-sweetly gave me a bag of Hershey's Kisses. Just in case.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I'm a school librarian (at least for three more weeks, until I retire). My husband and I will celebrate our 40th anniversary in Italy. We have two grown sons, both married to wonderful wives, and one beautiful granddaughter.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?
I decided not to take on any extra roles this time, and just enjoy reading and blogging.
Let's see.
Dressed in book shirt and pencil leggings? Check.
Stack of books ready? Check.
Snacks? Check.
I think it's time to jump in. Readathon time.
How about you? Did you readathon-ize this time? Did you enjoy it? If you didn't get to participate, I'm sad for you. But there is always next October.
What are you reading today?
What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them,and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....That's what happens at the Sunday Salon, except it's all virtual. Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon get together--at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones--and read. And blog about their reading. And comment on one another's blogs. Think of it as an informal, weekly, mini read-a-thon, an excuse to put aside one's earthly responsibilities and fall into a good book. Click here to join the Salon.
The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Kimba at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news and recap the past week.
Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share books that we found in our mailboxes last week.
Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which you can share the books you've acquired.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is now being hosted at The Book Date.
I've just returned from a whirlwind eight-day road trip to Chicago and back.
What with side trips to a geode hunting site and a bed-and-breakfast along the Mississippi and a visit with our wonderful son and daughter-in-law in Chicago, that's over 2,500 miles of driving.
How do you keep entertained when you are putting in over 36 hours in the car?
Audiobooks, of course.
For our trip, I brought along five of the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read audiobooks:
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (4 hrs. 56 min.)
Nothing happens to Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper, until his pig runs away. In his search, Taran meets the talkative Eilonwy, funny Gurgi, and heroic Prince Gwydion. It's a fun adventure, with great characters and lots of action.
My husband's rating: 🌟🌟🌟
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey (7 hrs. 15 min.)
Menolly is a gifted musician but because she is a girl, she can never be the harpist of her hold. She runs away and, taking refuge during a thread fall, encounters fire lizards. Gradually, she finds her place in Pern. Dragons...music...quest...it's a wonderful tale.
My husband's rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟
The Pigman by Paul Zindel (4 hrs. 35 min.)
Mr. Pignati is old and alone. John and Lorraine prank call Mr. Pignati which leads, very gradually, to a friendship between the two teens and the old man. It's a moving story of a friendship between people of widely different ages as well as the consequences of being irresponsible and careless.
My husband's rating: 🌟🌟🌟
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness: Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver (6 hrs. 26 min.)
Tourak and his wolf set out on a quest to take on a terrible bear. Wolf Brother is an exciting story of action and adventure, along with a bit of magic.
My husband's rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (13 hrs. 31 min.)
Nathaniel is an apprentice to a magician. When Simon Lovelace scorns Nathaniel, the boy decides to take action. He calls a genie and bids him to steal Lovelace's prized Amulet of Samarkand. All kinds of funny. Love this genie.
My husband's rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I've never been a big audiobook person, but now that I've listened to these five audiobooks, I think I am one now. I'd love to hear your recommendations for other good audiobooks.
MAILBOX
My mailbox was full when I returned. Here's what was inside:
When a Wolf is Hungry from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
The Dire King and Ghostly Echoes from Algonquin Young Readers
Karma Khullar's Mustache from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Let's see what I can get read before our school teacher inservices start on Monday and children arrive on the 17th.
What are you reading today?
If you have recommendations for good audiobooks, I hope you'll share them in the comments.
What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them,and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....That's what happens at the Sunday Salon, except it's all virtual. Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon get together--at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones--and read. And blog about their reading. And comment on one another's blogs. Think of it as an informal, weekly, mini read-a-thon, an excuse to put aside one's earthly responsibilities and fall into a good book. Click here to join the Salon.
The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Kimba at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news and recap the past week.
Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share books that we found in our mailboxes last week.
Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which you can share the books you've acquired.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is now being hosted at The Book Date.
What's my favorite audiobook series? No doubt about it. Hank the Cowdog.
Who, you ask, is Hank the Cowdog?
You ain't from Texas, is ya?
If this were a perfect world, Hank the Cowdog would be up there with Harry Potter in sales. Hank the Cowdog has adventure. Hank the Cowdog has action. Hank the Cowdog has drama. Hank the Cowdog has humor. Hank the Cowdog even has a bit of romance. Hank the Cowdog has everything a good book needs.
Hank the Cowdog author John R. Erickson at the Texas Book Festival.
We first ran across Hank the Cowdog when my older son won a writing contest in elementary school. The winner got to meet the author of Hank the Cowdog, John R. Erickson, and got to hear Erickson read from his latest book. Forever after this event, my husband, two sons, and I always dragged along several Hank the Cowdog audiobooks on every vacation. I've seen John R. Erickson at many, many book events over the years, including the Texas Library Association Conference and the Texas Book Festival. Erickson not only writes the book, but he writes the songs and does all the voices for the characters in the audiobook and publishes the books and audiobooks. Erickson is a one-man wonder.
John R. Erickson at 2012 TLA
What's the story? Hank is the Head of Ranch Security on a cattle ranch in far west Texas. He has a sidekick, Drover, who often resorts to opting out of Hank's more dangerous endeavors because of a bad leg. Hank's nemeses are the ranch owner's wife, Sally May, who Hank always seems to cross, and the ranch cat, Pete the Barncat. Hank dreams of the beautiful collie, Beulah. There are also Rip and Snort, the coyote brothers, and Wallace and Junior, the buzzards, and Slim Chance, the hired man on the ranch, and High Loper, Sally May's husband, and lots of other wonderful characters on the ranch.
Hank the Cowdog author at TLA 2015.
Here are my ten most favorite Hank the Cowdog audiobooks. If you only have time for one, don't miss #8, The Case of the One-eyed Killer Stud Horse.
I hope you will give Hank the Cowdog a listen soon.
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!
Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.
I spent the last ten days in the wilds of New Mexico. You may (or may not) recall that I have suffered greatly in the past when I've visited the wild, including a scorpion bite, a close encounter with flat tires, and an adventure with a rattlesnake. This time, we very nearly ran into a black bear, almost drove off the edge of a cliff, and came within a few miles of a New Mexico wildfire. Despite all our difficulties, I returned home safely yesterday, and I'm certain I'll get rested up from my vacation in a few days.
What I Finished Last Week
I read some great books set in New Mexico last week.
Death Comes for the Archbishop
Two Frank Waters books: People of the Valley and Mountain Dialogues
Hour of the Bees
I'm still reading a couple with New Mexico connections.
Sacred Clowns (audiobook) by Tony Hillerman
The Great Spring: Writing, Zen, and the Zigzag Life by Natalie Goldberg
Thanks to everyone who shared great books set in New Mexico!
What Arrived Last Week
Quite a stack of books poured in my mailbox while I was gone last week.
Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story The It Girl Trouble the Water by Frances O'Roark Dowell A Tiger Tail (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School) The Invoice
What were you doing while I was out of town? Did you read anything I should pick up? I'm glad to be back. I missed you!
What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them,and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....That's what happens at the Sunday Salon, except it's all virtual. Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon get together--at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones--and read. And blog about their reading. And comment on one another's blogs. Think of it as an informal, weekly, mini read-a-thon, an excuse to put aside one's earthly responsibilities and fall into a good book. Click here to join the Salon.
The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Kimba at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news and recap the past week.
Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share books that we found in our mailboxes last week.
Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which you can share the books you've acquired.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is now being hosted at The Book Date.
