Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
by John Le Carre (audio) – The reader is terrific, so it’s not the format. I made it through two discs, but for a spy thriller, it is slooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. I mean, nothing happens. Conversations, mostly. Just couldn’t get through it.
Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler (audio) – I love Anne Tyler’s work, but I didn’t like the reader. I’ll probably try this in print at some point.
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian (audio) – I enjoyed Midwives, but since then, I’ve tried two books by Bohjalian, and neither have worked for me. I think this may just be a case of not a good match between author and reader.
Gypsy Boy: My Life in the Secret World of the Romany Gypsies by Mikey Walsh – Beautifully written but too disturbing. You can read more of my reasons here.
You’re (Not) the One by Alexandra Potter – The characters seemed one-dimensional, and the dialogue didn’t ring true. Made it to page 60.
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky – I wasn’t in the mood for the type of book that follows a bunch of different characters that aren’t inter-related – especially not in audio. May try this one in print at some point.
Plugged by Eoin Colfer – I think I’ll stick with his YA and children’s fiction.
The Day the World Ends: Poems by Ethan Coen – After I agreed to review this one, I was warned by a blogger friend that these poems were vulgar and crude. I figured I could handle it, but these went beyond crude. I like poems that make me think, that describe something beautiful, that make me laugh, that change the way I understand the world, that distill a human experience into a few lines. I don’t like poems that make me want to take a shower after reading them, or literally make my stomach turn. I only made it to page 20.
The Sheen on the Silk by Anne Perry – The writing is beautiful and I am very interested in the historical setting, but it is a historical fiction epic – lots of different characters, and the plot switches between them. I find this type of book hard to follow on audio, so I’ll be looking for this one in print at some point.
Impact by Douglas Preston – Two discs into a thriller, I should want to keep listening. I didn’t.
Viper’s Tangle by Francois Mauriac – I tried to read this one for a Faith and Fiction discussion, but it wasn’t holding my attention.
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – I gave it three discs of the audio edition. While the writing is beautiful, the characters left me cold, and I found myself avoiding it.
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake – I love the premise of this one and will read it in print at some point, but the audiobook narrator is very stilted and sounds like he is reading aloud.
Seeing by Jose Saramago – I don’t know if this is a translation issue, or if this reflects the way Saramago writes, but the grammar drove me crazy. Tons of comma splices – and sometimes dialogue would change speakers in the middle of a sentence! I simply couldn’t get past page twenty.
Khatyn by Ales Adamovich and The Time of Women by Elena Chizhova – These were both very poorly translated, and I didn’t feel like spending the time to slog through them.
I couldn’t read Gypsy Boy either, too disturbing indeed.
irene´s last post ..Year of reading total…
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Irene – it simply bothered me too much.
Twitter: bermudaonion
says:
I really liked Skeletons at the Feast so you might enjoy it more in print.
bermudaonion(Kathy)´s last post ..Wondrous Words Wednesday
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Kathy – I’ll have to give it a try that way.
Tiinker Tailer Soldier Spy made for a very slow moving and confusing movie too…I don’t imaginbe the book is much better. And I could not agree more about Anna Dressed in Blood…I had to force myself to finish it…the narration was so bad…
Melissa´s last post ..Book Blast & Giveaway: Purrs of Wisdom: Conscious Living, Feline Style by Ingrid Kind
Twitter: myeclecticbooks
says:
Oops…commented with wrong id…grrr…I hate how wordpress makes me login to comment and then always defaults to the wrong ID! LOL
Melissa´s last post ..Book Blast & Giveaway: Purrs of Wisdom: Conscious Living, Feline Style by Ingrid Kind
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Melissa – log-in problems drive me crazy, too! I’ve started using my Twitter account to comment on all WordPress.com blogs – it’s just easier. Otherwise I keep getting thrown into spam!
I think of the books you mention, Bohjalian’s is the only one I do want to read. I am sorry it didn’t work for you. I read one book by him, Before You Know Kindness, and I fell in love with his writing. The book was good, but nothing to write home about.
Literary Feline´s last post ..Wordless Wednesday: Taking a Walk
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Wendy – I really enjoyed Midwives, but nothing else has grabbed me.
Life is too short to finish books we don’t like. Good for you for setting them aside to make room for books that you will love!
Kathleen´s last post ..Out with the Old, in with the New!
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Kathleen – I agree – there are too many good books waiting out there!
Twitter: Vasilly
says:
I definitely understand why you gave up on Seeing. I love Saramago’s writing but his lack of paragraph breaks and page-long sentences can drive you crazy. Happy New Year!
Vasilly´s last post ..Review: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
V – It was just too hard and I didn’t have the patience for it. Maybe I’ll try him again someday.
You lasted longer than I did on Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I think I made it an hour before throwing in the towel. It just does not work well on audio, does it?
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Michelle – no, not good on audio at all!
I liked the recent film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy quite a bit, but some folks I think thought it slow. I had to look up what I thought about it here http://www.thecuecard.com/node/689
cheers.
Susan´s last post ..The Sunday Salon: Last Days of 2012
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Susan – my husband and I tried the movie and gave up an hour in. I just think it’s not the story for me.
Twitter: PattiRSmith
says:
I think I have Gypsy Boy on my WishList…getting it off there now…soooo do not need that. :/ I’m going to give myself permission to stop reading stuff that doesn’t really float my boat. I especially feel bad about review books, but I guess that’s the whole point right?
Patti Smith´s last post ..Notorious Nineteen – Book Review
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Patti – exactly! Life is definitely too short.
Pingback: The Sunday Salon – January 6, 2013 | BOOKS AND MOVIES