When it comes to audiobook narrators, I’ve decided Gerard Doyle can take an ok manuscript and make it exceptional. Given a good, or great work, his narration pushes it to the next level.
As an example, one of the first Book Club titles was Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville. I think all who participated in that topic (well, with one notable exception) agreed Stuart Neville can write the heck out of a book. With Gerard Doyle reading, a really great story becomes truly fantastic.
As is the case with the audiobook I started last week, Slow Horses by Mick Herron. This is book one in Herron’s Slough House series. This is my first Herron book, and I’m only about half way through, so I don’t know if it’s representative of all his work, but so far it’s been a very well written story, comparable with Ghosts of Belfast. With the intensity of Gerard Doyle’s narration, I’ve been hardly able to put it down. I usually listen when I’m driving, and I keep finding myself at my destination, sitting in the car for “just a couple more pages”.
Slough House is a spook series (spies, not ghosties). The first installment, Slow Horses, takes place in current day London, and introduces a group of bedraggled and shamed SIS agents. The Slough House office is sort of a last stop in a downward trajectory career path in the SIS.
If you’re interested in spy novels, I highly recommend checking out this series. I’m not generally a fan of spook fiction, but this really has me captivated so far.
@f00l I finished up Slough House this weekend. My initial impression when I started was “so far it’s been a very well written story, comparable with Ghosts of Belfast.” I’m happy to say my initial impression was accurate, and the book maintained momentum through to the end. It’s quite rare for me to spend valuable Audible credits when there’s not a sale going on, but I’m going to make an exception for book 2: Dead Lions.
@ruouttaurmind Thank you for this recommendation! I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this as an audiobook in my car. As you said, it’s a well-written book, and very nicely narrated.
@sligett I’m glad you liked it. Fortunately, this isn’t as prolific a series as some I’ve been sucked into. Only 4 books in this one, so at least I won’t have to find a night job to pay for more books.
@ruouttaurmindBad news (for your budget). A new book is due out in June:
London Rules (Slough House) Hardcover – June 5, 2018
For me, the bad news is that OverDrive only has the first one as an audiobook. I may have to buy the others in one format or another. Oh, my local library has Spook Street in hardcover.
Been busy looking at the Hugo nominations and realize I’ve read NONE of them, eep. So went shopping for a few so I can at least vote for one or two categories.
Audible.com. If you don’t already have an active membership, sign up for one of the many free trial membership offers and get 1 or 2 free books as well.
@f00l Thanks- I missed that. Saw the movie though, now I can check out the papers.
And for $7.50 extra you can pick up the audiobook- 37 hours of documents being read. I don’t think even Tom Hiddleston could make that good. Well, maybe he could.
What is pretty clear and thoroughly documented is that the DOD and the CIA were lying or witholding evidence or evaluating while in the grip of full-on confirmation bias from 1961 on. The second level and top level lifers and military routinely did this to the politicians and recent appointees.
They also did this re Cuba (both Bay Of Pigs and Missile Crisis) and re nuclear deterrence.
No one meant to create tragedy or bad or destructive policy. It seems to have been more a matter of narrow minded arrogance and absolute conviction with no self-query:
“If you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail”.
They were all (in their own minds) patriots, pretty much, on every “side”. The art of questioning one’s own POV and dealing with terrible complexity were not will developed. And each “side” tended to assume the-bad to the-worst about each other’s motivations.
I don’t mean to either condemn or excuse here. Nor to argue that all thought errors or inadequate perspectives or poor judgments or terrible ongoing policy choices are equivalent.
Someone who wants detail (or to know who/what to blame or condemn) will have to do their own looking into a very difficult time.
Thx!
When it comes to audiobook narrators, I’ve decided Gerard Doyle can take an ok manuscript and make it exceptional. Given a good, or great work, his narration pushes it to the next level.
As an example, one of the first Book Club titles was Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville. I think all who participated in that topic (well, with one notable exception) agreed Stuart Neville can write the heck out of a book. With Gerard Doyle reading, a really great story becomes truly fantastic.
As is the case with the audiobook I started last week, Slow Horses by Mick Herron. This is book one in Herron’s Slough House series. This is my first Herron book, and I’m only about half way through, so I don’t know if it’s representative of all his work, but so far it’s been a very well written story, comparable with Ghosts of Belfast. With the intensity of Gerard Doyle’s narration, I’ve been hardly able to put it down. I usually listen when I’m driving, and I keep finding myself at my destination, sitting in the car for “just a couple more pages”.
Slough House is a spook series (spies, not ghosties). The first installment, Slow Horses, takes place in current day London, and introduces a group of bedraggled and shamed SIS agents. The Slough House office is sort of a last stop in a downward trajectory career path in the SIS.
If you’re interested in spy novels, I highly recommend checking out this series. I’m not generally a fan of spook fiction, but this really has me captivated so far.
@ruouttaurmind
Thx for rec.
Yes re Doyle.
@f00l I finished up Slough House this weekend. My initial impression when I started was “so far it’s been a very well written story, comparable with Ghosts of Belfast.” I’m happy to say my initial impression was accurate, and the book maintained momentum through to the end. It’s quite rare for me to spend valuable Audible credits when there’s not a sale going on, but I’m going to make an exception for book 2: Dead Lions.
@ruouttaurmind Thank you for this recommendation! I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this as an audiobook in my car. As you said, it’s a well-written book, and very nicely narrated.
@sligett I’m glad you liked it. Fortunately, this isn’t as prolific a series as some I’ve been sucked into. Only 4 books in this one, so at least I won’t have to find a night job to pay for more books.
@ruouttaurmind Bad news (for your budget). A new book is due out in June:
London Rules (Slough House) Hardcover – June 5, 2018
For me, the bad news is that OverDrive only has the first one as an audiobook. I may have to buy the others in one format or another. Oh, my local library has Spook Street in hardcover.
Been busy looking at the Hugo nominations and realize I’ve read NONE of them, eep. So went shopping for a few so I can at least vote for one or two categories.
I’m such a bad fen.
/image HUGO award
The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries de-slided
Audible.com. If you don’t already have an active membership, sign up for one of the many free trial membership offers and get 1 or 2 free books as well.
@f00l wrote in another thread
Word.
One of the Kindle deal of the day books has some weight.
https://smile.amazon.com/Pentagon-Papers-Secret-History-Vietnam-ebook/dp/B076BWP5H6/ref=lp_6165851011_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1524358758&sr=1-2
** The Pentagon Papers**
$1.99 thru midnight PDT today.
@f00l Thanks- I missed that. Saw the movie though, now I can check out the papers.
And for $7.50 extra you can pick up the audiobook- 37 hours of documents being read. I don’t think even Tom Hiddleston could make that good. Well, maybe he could.
@sammydog01
I have been into Cold War history recently.
What is pretty clear and thoroughly documented is that the DOD and the CIA were lying or witholding evidence or evaluating while in the grip of full-on confirmation bias from 1961 on. The second level and top level lifers and military routinely did this to the politicians and recent appointees.
They also did this re Cuba (both Bay Of Pigs and Missile Crisis) and re nuclear deterrence.
No one meant to create tragedy or bad or destructive policy. It seems to have been more a matter of narrow minded arrogance and absolute conviction with no self-query:
“If you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail”.
They were all (in their own minds) patriots, pretty much, on every “side”. The art of questioning one’s own POV and dealing with terrible complexity were not will developed. And each “side” tended to assume the-bad to the-worst about each other’s motivations.
I don’t mean to either condemn or excuse here. Nor to argue that all thought errors or inadequate perspectives or poor judgments or terrible ongoing policy choices are equivalent.
Someone who wants detail (or to know who/what to blame or condemn) will have to do their own looking into a very difficult time.
In honour of World Book Day, Audible is giving away three audiobooks: Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne, Emma by Jane Austen, and that effing whale book which is just too damn flowery for me to enjoy by Herman Melville.
I don’t know if you need a current, active subscription, but you will need to create at least a free Audible account.
Hurrah books!
/giphy hurrah books
@ruouttaurmind thanks!
Amazon also has 9 books for free in Kindle format- most are available for $1.99 after you pick up the kindle book.
https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=nav_shopall_nav_sap_WBD_2018?ie=UTF8&node=16522054011&pf_rd_p=75a576c1-4170-4348-9469-366bacb6254c&pf_rd_s=nav-sa-books&pf_rd_t=4201&pf_rd_i=navbar-4201&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=FK40M7JWXYJP19REJTNA
@sammydog01
That link did not work for me?
Here is a list of the mine free books.
Associated audiobooks are $1.99 plus tax after the free Kindle book is added to a customer’s library.
https://www.amazon.com/article/read-the-world
For one book, there is no matching audiobook.
: (
These prices are good until midnight PDT Tonite.
The Audible freebies mentioned earlier in the topic by @ruouttaurmind are also still free as of today.
@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01
More Kindle freebies.
Most with low cost associated Audible books.
At least for today.
@ruouttaurmind @sammydog01
More World Book Day “Read Around The World” books.
Most of these are included in Kindle Unlimited or in Amazon Prime reading.
https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sr_aj?node=17728818011&ajr=0