2014 Audio Book Challenge Finished

2014 Audio Book Challenge hosted by Teresa's Reading Corner.

I have now reached my goal of 12 audio books and completed this challenge. I am sure I will continue listening as I am now starting to enjoy audio books when I go for walks, clean and cycle in the fitness centre. Last year I listened to 7 books in total which means I am nearly sure to double that.
Unfortunately for this challenge, the host blog has been down since very early on, instead I have updated my books to Teresa's facebook page.

List of books at the bottom of this post.

Welcome to the Original Audio Book Challenge. This challenge is for Audio Book lovers as well as those who are brand new to them.
There are five levels to the challenge

• Flirting-Listen to 6 Audio Books
• Going Steady- Listen to 12 Audio Books
• Lover- Listen to 25 Audio Books
• Married-Listen to more than 25 Audio Books
• You Define the Relationship- Create your own challenge (choose your own name and level starting as low or going as high as you’d like)

This challenge is completely laid back. I want it to be as enjoyable as possible.

• Audio Books can be any genre
• You can cross challenges
• You don’t have to be a blogger to participate. You can tell us about what you are listening to in the comments of the monthly link up.

There will be a monthly link up that is certainly not required, but I’d love it if you would share what you’ve been listening to. I’ve gotten some great listening suggestions from the link ups.
I hope I’ve enticed you to join in the 2014 Audio Book Challenge. I’m really looking forward to reading your reviews and experiences over the next year.
 
Official Challenge dates: 1/1/2014-12/31/2014.

List of books:

1. Steel and Other Stories by Richard Matheson 
2. A Clockwork Christmas by J.K. Coi, P.G. Forte, Stacy Gail, Jenny Schwartz  
3. Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch 
4. Hex Appeal edited by P.N. Elrod  
5. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch 
6. Boneland by Alan Garner 
7. Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson 
8. I am Legend by Richard Matheson  
9. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien  
10. The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien  
11. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien 
12. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien 

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Fellowship was scattered. Some were bracing hopelessly for war against the ancient evil of Sauron. Some were contending with the treachery of the wizard Saruman. Only Frodo and Sam were left to take the accursed Ring of Power to be destroyed in Mordor–the dark Kingdom where Sauron was supreme. Their guide was Gollum, deceitful and lust-filled, slave to the corruption of the Ring. Thus continues the magnificent, bestselling tale of adventure begun in The Fellowship of the Ring, which reaches its soul-stirring climax in The Return of the King. From Goodreads.

I am enjoying listening to this trilogy, more than I expected. I am also watching the movies of the books just now and of course noticing all the differences but also the similarities between them.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (L-umbrillabird)
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

From the land of Mordor, an evil darkness creeps across Middle-earth. Armies of men and elves and dwarves have been raised in futile efforts to combat this evil. Great wizards have been unable to check it. But in the peaceful, far-off Shire, a hobbit named Frodo Baggins holds a ring that may be the key to defeating Mordor. This stirring saga of epic evil and heroic courage begins with a fellowship joined in a desperate quest that may be the only hope for restoring goodness and light to the land. From Goodreads.

Not much to say. The Lord of The Rings is one of the best fantasy books out there. I have read this at least twice before and it was quite interesting to listen to it. I am of course continuing to listen to the next two books. If you have just the slightest interest in fantasy and have not read these books yet, you are missing out. Best to start with The Hobbit as that book is before The Lord of The Rings trilogy.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges Wheel-A-Thon
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (F-wolf)
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien

Painstakingly restored from Tolkien’s manuscripts and presented for the first time as a fully continuous and stand alone story, the epic tale of The Children of Húrin will reunite fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, dragons and Dwarves, eagles and Orcs, and the rich landscape and characters unique to Tolkien.
There are tales of Middle-earth from times long before The Lord of the Rings, and the story told in this book is set in the great country that lay beyond the Grey Havens in the West: lands where Treebeard once walked, but which were drowned in the great cataclysm that ended the First Age of the World.
In that remote time Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in the vast fortress of Angband, the Hells of Iron, in the North; and the tragedy of Túrin and his sister Nienor unfolded within the shadow of the fear of Angband and the war waged by Morgoth against the lands and secret cities of the Elves.
Their brief and passionate lives were dominated by the elemental hatred that Morgoth bore them as the children of Húrin, the man who had dared to defy and to scorn him to his face. Against them he sent his most formidable servant, Glaurung, a powerful spirit in the form of a huge wingless dragon of fire. Into this story of brutal conquest and flight, of forest hiding-places and pursuit, of resistance with lessening hope, the Dark Lord and the Dragon enter in direly articulate form. Sardonic and mocking, Glaurung manipulated the fates of Túrin and Nienor by lies of diabolic cunning and guile, and the curse of Morgoth was fulfilled.
The earliest versions of this story by J.R.R. Tolkien go back to the end of the First World War and the years that followed; but long afterwards, when The Lord of the Rings was finished, he wrote it anew and greatly enlarged it in complexities of motive and character: it became the dominant story in his later work on Middle-earth. But he could not bring it to a final and finished form. In this book Christopher Tolkien has constructed, after long study of the manuscripts, a coherent narrative without any editorial invention. From Goodreads.

This is darker than the Lord of The Rings and there is no hope for the future. It starts with the curse of Hurin and his children and the rest of the book is the curse running it's course.
Even though it is so dark I still enjoyed it. I wasn't sure what to expect but it is a brilliant tale of a family's downfall.
If you haven't read any of Tolkien's books I would suggest starting with The Hobbit as that is a gentler introduction to Middel-earth.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
Jumble Your Genres Reading Challenge 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection - Sub-Genre Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

"If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler. The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger. In following the path of this humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did) - if you do not already know all about these things - much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, and get some glimpses into the history and politics of a neglected but important period."
"For Mr. Bilbo Baggins visited various notable persons; conversed with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent; and was present, rather unwillingly, at the Battle of the Five Armies. This is all the more remarkable, since he was a hobbit. Hobbits have hitherto been passed over in history and legend, perhaps because they as a rule preferred comfort to excitement. But this account, based on his personal memoirs, of the one exciting year in the otherwise quiet life of Mr. Baggins will give you a fair idea of the estimable people now (it is said) becoming rather rare. They do not like noise." From Goodreads..

I have read and reread this book umpteen times. For the first time I now listened to the audio version. I think Rob Inglis does a very good job of narrating The Hobbit, I enjoyed listening to it. 
There is nothing to say but do read it, it is a brilliant book. 

This book qualifies for: 
2014 Audio Book Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection: 1000 Member Celebration!
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (B-umbrellabird)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

I am Legend by Richard Matheson

It seems strange to find a 1954 vampire novel in Millennium's "SF Masterworks" classic reprints series. I Am Legend, though, was a trailblazing and later much imitated story that reinvented the vampire myth as SF. Without losing the horror, it presents vampirism as a disease whose secrets can be unlocked by scientific tools. The hero Robert Neville, perhaps the last uninfected man on Earth, finds himself in a paranoid nightmare. By night, the bloodthirsty undead of small-town America besiege his barricaded house: their repeated cry "Come out, Neville!" is a famous SF catchphrase. By day, when they hide in shadow and become comatose, Neville gets out his wooden stakes for an orgy of slaughter. He also discovers pseudoscientific explanations, some rather strained, for vampires' fear of light, vulnerability to stakes though not bullets, loathing of garlic, and so on. What gives the story its uneasy power is the gradual perspective shift which shows that by fighting monsters Neville is himself becoming monstrous--not a vampire but something to terrify vampires and haunt their dreams as a dreadful legend from the bad old days. From Goodreads.

I think I might repeat myself here from my review in 2012. 
Read the book, it is so much better than the film with Will Smith and the film is nothing like the book. In a scary way I like the ending in the book and find it more possible than the film version.
I am sure I will either read or listen to this book again. 

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014

Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson

One night while the moon gleamed out of the clouds in the east, a young female otter gave birth to three cubs in a hollow oak by a woodland river. The pride of the litter was Tarka, "Little Water Wanderer," the name the ancients gave otters in Britain's long-vanished tribal past.
First published in 1927, this classic story of Tarka's life in the country of the Two Rivers has charmed generations of readers. It pictures a never-to-be-forgotten rural England and, through the character of Tarka, lets us experience nature in her infinite variety. Narrated By Michael Maloney. From Goodreads.

This is a long description of the English country side. Sometimes quite long winded. There was some interesting otter hunting sequences when Tarka was being hunted by the hounds.
The best part of this book was that I was listening to it while going for walks in the Danish countryside. I was watching birds of prey, hares and lots of different birds on these walks. I even got spooked by a pheasant that was hiding in the long grass right next to the road.
I can recommend this book to people who like very long and detailed descriptions of nature.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (W-owl)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #5

Boneland by Alan Garner

A major novel from one of the country’s greatest writers, and the crowning achievement of an astonishing career, BONELAND is also the long-awaited conclusion to the story of Colin and Susan – a story that began over fifty years ago in THE WEIRDSTONE OF BRISINGAMEN…
Extract from book:
A woman was reading a book to a child on her knee.
“‘So the little boy went into the wood, and he met a witch. And the witch said, “You come home with me and I’ll give you a good dinner.”’ Now you wouldn’t go home with a witch, would you?”
Colin stood. “Young man. Do not go into the witch’s house. Do not. And whatever you do, do not go upstairs. You must not go upstairs. Do not go! You are not to go!”
Professor Colin Whisterfield spends his days at Jodrell Bank, using the radio telescope to look for his lost sister in the Pleiades. At night, he is on Alderley Edge, watching.
At the same time, and in another time, the Watcher cuts the rock and blows bulls on the stone with his blood, and dances, to keep the sky above the earth and the stars flying.
Colin can’t remember; and he remembers too much. Before the age of thirteen is a blank. After that he recalls everything: where he was, what he was doing, in every minute of every hour of every day. Everything he has read and seen.
And then, finally, a new force enters his life, a therapist who might be able to unlock what happened to him when he was twelve, what happened to his sister.
But Colin will have to remember quickly, to find his sister. And the Watcher will have to find the Woman. Otherwise the skies will fall, and there will be only winter, wanderers and moon… From Goodreads.

I was really disappointed in this book and wish I hadn't read it. In my opinion it belittles The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath. The dark fantasy is gone and instead we have a grown up Colin that is a brilliant scientist but also a psychiatric patient. He is crazy because of what happened in the first two books which he has now kind of forgotten but not completely which is why it haunts him.
What I did enjoy was the description of  Jodrell Bank and the whispering discs as I visited there just last summer.
I can recommend reading The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath but don't read this book.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon 2014

Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

A mutilated body in Crawley. Another killer on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil; an associate of the twisted magician known as the Faceless Man? Or just a common or garden serial killer? Before PC Peter Grant can get his head round the case a town planner going under a tube train and a stolen grimoire are adding to his case-load. So far so London. But then Peter gets word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle, on an housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans and inhabited by the truly desperate. Is there a connection? And if there is, why oh why did it have to be South of the River?
Full of warmth, sly humour and a rich cornucopia of things you never knew about London, Aaronovitch's series has swiftly added Grant's magical London to Rebus' Edinburgh and Morse's Oxford as a destination of choice for those who love their crime with something a little extra. From Goodreads.

I enjoy the humour and banter in these books, also upper class Nightingale as opposite to working class Peter.
As I like to continue reading series I enjoy without much of a break, it is annoying to catch up with the series which means I have to wait for the author to write the next one. Get a move on Ben Aaronovitch!
I would soon like to have the story of the faceless man finished though it did provide for a major twist and surprise at the end of the story.
This book was read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and even though I still prefer to read books myself he is one of the best narrators I have heard.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Nothing but Reading Challenges - April Showers
Paranormal Addicts & Newbies - Paranormal Creatures Seasonal Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (A-impala)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon

Hex Appeal edited by P.N. Elrod

Fall under the intoxicating spell of their hex appeal…
In the magical world that lies hidden beneath our own, witches and conjurers play deadly games. They know just the right spell to kill a man with one kiss—or raise him back again. And they’re not afraid to exact sweet revenge on those who dare to cross them. But what if you’re the unlucky soul who falls victim to a conjurer’s curse? And if you had the power to cast a magic spell of your own, would you use it?
In this bewitching collection, nine of today’s hottest paranormal authors tell all-new, otherworldly tales.  Spellbinding stories featuring bigfoot, albino vampires, professional wizards, resurrected boyfriends and even a sex droid from the twenty- third century named Silicon Lily.  But as our conjurers are about to discover, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hexed.  And sometimes, even the best spun spells can lead to complete and utter mayhem.
Includes Stories From: Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Carole Nelson Douglas, P. N. Elrod, Simon R. Green, Lori Handel, and Erica Hayes, Carrie Vaughn. From Goodreads.

I am reading a few anthologies at the moment in order to read some of the short stories that go with the series I am reading. This was much better than the last because I really liked the two stories I was going for.
Retribution Clause by  Ilona Andrews features new characters but it is still extremely good and I hope they will write more with these characters and develop their relationship.
Bigfoot on Campus by Jim Butcher is also really good though I didn't know it was the third in a series of 3 short stories. I will have to get hold of the other two somehow.
The rest were fine but no more.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge (The Dresden Files #11,9 - 60 pages)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (H-narwhal)
Crazy Challenge Connection Bard of Avon (published 2012)
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #3

Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch

A WHOLE NEW REASON TO MIND THE GAP
It begins with a dead body at the far end of Baker Street tube station, all that remains of American exchange student James Gallagher—and the victim’s wealthy, politically powerful family is understandably eager to get to the bottom of the gruesome murder. The trouble is, the bottom—if it exists at all—is deeper and more unnatural than anyone suspects . . . except, that is, for London constable and sorcerer’s apprentice Peter Grant. With Inspector Nightingale, the last registered wizard in England, tied up in the hunt for the rogue magician known as “the Faceless Man,” it’s up to Peter to plumb the haunted depths of the oldest, largest, and—as of now—deadliest subway system in the world.
At least he won’t be alone. No, the FBI has sent over a crack agent to help. She’s young, ambitious, beautiful . . . and a born-again Christian apt to view any magic as the work of the devil. Oh yeah—that’s going to go well. From Goodreads.

I am enjoying listening to this series. Peter Grant isn't doing things quite like they should be done or as his superiors want but he gets there in the end. I like that Leslie is back and playing a bigger part again.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (fantasy)
2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (P)
Crazy Challenge Connection Chinese New Year Challenge (#3)
Sequel Spring Reading Challenge
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (A-hawk)
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection 2014 RaT #3

A Clockwork Christmas by J.K. Coi, P.G. Forte, Stacy Gail, Jenny Schwartz

We wish you a steampunk Christmas!
Changed forever after tragedy, a woman must draw strength from her husband's love. A man learns that love isn't always what you expect. A thief steals the heart of a vengeful professor. And an American inventor finds love Down Under. Enjoy Victorian Christmas with a clockwork twist in these four steampunk novellas. This anthology includes:
Crime Wave in a Corset by Stacy Gail
This Winter Heart by P. G. Forte
Wanted: One Scoundrel by Jenny Schwartz
Far from Broken by J. K. Coi 
From Goodreads.

It has taken me quite a while to finish this audio book.
There are four stories in this book:
★Crime Wave in a Corset by Stacy Gail: I didn't like this much, I just couldn't get into it.
★This Winter Heart by P. G. Forte: More interesting and a happy ending.
★Wanted: One Scoundrel by Jenny Schwartz: This I enjoyed the most. The scoundrel is not what he seems.
★Far from Broken by J. K. Coi: This was okay but a very violent theme.
All in all this was only okay. It was steampunk but not particularly Christmassy.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge
CCC A-Z Book Titles 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Book Buffs’ Battleship

Steel and Other Stories by Richard Matheson

In the title story of this collection from "New York Times" bestselling author Richard Matheson, "Steel," human boxing has been replaced by heavyweight bouts between massive robots. But that is just one of over a dozen unforgettable tales in this collection, which includes two new stories never before published in book form. From Goodreads.

This was definitely not for me. Quite a variety of weird short stories of which some made a bit of sense but others didn't. I liked I am Legend and I might read other books by Richard Matheson but no more short stories.

This book qualifies for:
2014 Audio Book Challenge
2014 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge (short stories)
CCC A-Z Authors 2014
You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2014
The Challenge Factory Spell It Out - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (R)
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014
Nothing but Reading Challenges - Spell it Out - Animal Alphabet (R-badger)
Crazy Challenge Connection Monopoly
Crazy Challenge Connection Scrabble, anyone?

2014 Audio Book Challenge Sign Up

2014 Audio Book Challenge hosted by Teresa's Reading Corner.

Welcome to the Original Audio Book Challenge. This challenge is for Audio Book lovers as well as those who are brand new to them.
There are five levels to the challenge

• Flirting-Listen to 6 Audio Books
• Going Steady- Listen to 12 Audio Books
• Lover- Listen to 25 Audio Books
• Married-Listen to more than 25 Audio Books
• You Define the Relationship- Create your own challenge (choose your own name and level starting as low or going as high as you’d like)

This challenge is completely laid back. I want it to be as enjoyable as possible.

• Audio Books can be any genre
• You can cross challenges
• You don’t have to be a blogger to participate. You can tell us about what you are listening to in the comments of the monthly link up.

There will be a monthly link up that is certainly not required, but I’d love it if you would share what you’ve been listening to. I’ve gotten some great listening suggestions from the link ups.
I hope I’ve enticed you to join in the 2014 Audio Book Challenge. I’m really looking forward to reading your reviews and experiences over the next year.
Official Challenge dates: 1/1/2014-12/31/2014.

This is my second year taking part in the Audio Book Challenge. I am still not completely taken with this way of reading but I see the advantages of it. In 2013 I managed 7 audio books so I will start low.

My goal will be Flirting-Listen to 6 Audio Books.
Update 3rd of May: I have now listened to 6 so I will upgrade to Going Steady- Listen to 12 Audio Books. 

List of books:

1. Steel and Other Stories by Richard Matheson 
2. A Clockwork Christmas by J.K. Coi, P.G. Forte, Stacy Gail, Jenny Schwartz  
3. Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch 
4. Hex Appeal edited by P.N. Elrod  
5. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch 
6. Boneland by Alan Garner 
7. Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson 
8. I am Legend by Richard Matheson  
9. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien  
10. The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien  
11. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien 
12. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien