5/26/11

A Conversation about Audiobooks with the Hubs

I really wish my husband would write a review for me, but then...he hates writing anything. He hates reading, too. But he's an avid audiobook "reader."

The other day, we were talking about what appeals to him and what he's been listening to. Here is a paraphrased transcript of that conversation.

Me: Do you want me to buy the newest Black Dagger Brotherhood book for you?
Hubs: No. Why bother? That last one [Lover Mine] ruined the series for me.
Me: Why?
Hubs: The ending. She [the author, JR Ward] turned Xhex into a wimp. She's a badass. She wouldn't be out there getting all teary-eyed over a dress. Or her mom.
[breaks out in falsetto with effeminate hand waving]
Look at my dress! It's so pretty!!!
Me: What are your favorite series or authors right now?

Hubs: the Mercy series and the Magic (Kate Daniels) series. [Patricia Briggs; Ilona Andrews]
Me: Why? What do you like about them?
Hubs: the Mercy series has great characters. I like the fact that there's a ton of paranormal creatures: vampires, werewolves, fey... The Kate Daniels series is more f-ed up. Darker. Plus I can catch more detail each time I listen to the books. They're pretty complex.
Me: The next Mercy book isn't due out until 2013. What are you going to listen to until then?
Hubs: Why don't you ask those people you're always twittering at?
Me: Ok. I will. I know you have a weakness for sarcastic women [coughs self-consciously]...what other personality types do you like to listen to?
Hubs: I like the guys to get their hands dirty. I don't want them to be straight arrows. They need to be smart enough to break the rules when they have to. If they can't do that, the stories need to make me laugh.
******

OK...I got a few audiobook recommendations from Twitter the other day. But I can always use more. My husband listens to fantasy, mystery, paranormal romance and urban fantasy. He really likes series, too.  He drives for a living, so he goes through several audiobooks a week.

So far, he's listened to Stephen King's Dark Tower series, the Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost, The Mercy Thompson series, the Kate Daniels series, the Dragon series by Katie MacAlister. He's also liked a few of the Iris Johansen forensic books and loves the In Death series by JD Robb. He enjoyed the one Barry Eisler book I downloaded for him.

He hated the Amelia Peabody series (sigh), couldn't stand the Carpathians by Feehan and disliked the Tempe series by Kathy Reichs.

Any more audiobook suggestions?

4 comments:

  1. My hubby is also an "audiobook-only" guy. He complains of eyestrain when he reads a lot. He's listened to all the Harry Potter audiobooks and enjoyed them. Also several of the Laurie R. King Mary Russell mysteries. I got him the CDs of Across the Universe by Beth Revis which he hasn't finished yet, and he got several audiobook sets for Christmas this year, including The Passage by Justin Cronin.
    Also, we both listened to all the Dan Brown books and liked all of them. The Lost Symbol got a little silly though and I thought the end was unsatisfying.
    Another mystery author that we both like is Boris Akunin. I listened to the audiobook of The Winter Queen and really enjoyed it. He's listened to several of the audiobooks in Russian (his native language).
    I think in general he likes mysteries or thrillers with paranormal aspects that don't have a lot of violence or gore.

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  2. I'm currently (slowly....) working through Lee Child's Jack Reacher series. Narrator is decent, and the stories keep me engaged while I'm exercising.

    If he's open to female PIs - my favorite series on audio is Sue Grafton's Alphabet series. Mostly because the narrator is just THAT good. Plus I find Grafton to be pretty consistent with her series "world" and characters.

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  3. I second the rec for the Jack Reacher series by Lee Childs, excellent audiobooks and great series. How about Prey series by John Sandford? The series follows Lucas Davenport, all-round badass cop/investigator through something like 25+ books and now a spin-off series about Virgil Flowers, a guy who works for Lucas. Most of the books are available in audio but you have to read them in order (mostly) to keep up with the goings-on in Lucas' life. Great mystery/cop series though!

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  4. Thank you for all of the great recs!

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