MBS 2017 Audiobook Challenge Completed Successfully!

2017 Audiobook Challenge

I participated in the Audiobook Challenge again for 2017!
Hot Listens and new co-host Caffeinated Book Reviewer hosted for the 5th year of great audio books.

Levels were:

• Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
• Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
• Stenographer (can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15
• Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
• Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
• My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+
• Marathoner (Look Ma No Hands) 50+

I listened to 70 Audiblooks in 2016. I chose the Marathoner Level again for 2017.
I completed the challenge successfully with 79 audiobooks listened to.
I still need to do reviews for the last six titles.

2017 Audiobooks: (Reviews linked as posted)

(JANUARY -5-)
1. ABBTBR- Audio Book Review: Two by Vonnegut: The Big Trip Up Yonder and 2BR02B by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.; Vintage Sci Fi; my rating 4.0.
2. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Patriots of Treason by David Thomas Roberts; Political Thriller; my rating 4.25.
3. ATBR- Audible Book Review: We by Yevgeny Zamyatin; Vintage Sci Fi; my rating 4.0.
4. ATBR- Audible Review: X Minus One: Old Time Radio, Sci-Fi Series; Vintage Sci Fi; my rating 4.25.
5. ABJ- Audio Book Review: Goliath by Steve Alten; Military Thriller; my rating 4.25.
(FEBRUARY -5-)
6. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Linesman by S. K. Dunstall; Sci Fi, Space Military; my rating 5.0.
7. AV- Audio Book Review: The Soldier's Secret by Heather Osborne; Historical Romance, Civil War; my rating 4.25.
8. AeStories- Audio Review: The Detainee by Peter Liney ; Sci Fi, Dystopian; my rating 4.25.
9. ABJ- Audio Book Review: Alliance by S. K. Dunstall; Sci Fi, Space Military; my rating 4.5.
10. ATour- Audio Book Review and Tour #Giveaway: Kill and Run: A Thorny Rose Mystery, Book 1, by Lauren Carr ; Mystery, Police Procedure; my rating 4.5.
(MARCH -5-)
11. ATour- Audio Book Review and Tour #Giveaway: Kill and Run: A Thorny Rose Mystery, Book 1, by Lauren Carr ; Mystery, Police Procedure; my rating 4.5.
12. ATour- Audio Book Review and Tour Giveaway: A Fine Year by for Murder: A Thorny Rose Mystery, Book 2 by Lauren Carr; Cozy Mystery; my rating 4.25.
13. ABJ- Audio Book Review: The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk; Sci Fi, Dystopian, Environmentalism; my rating 4.5.
14. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Excerpts from The Encyclopaedia Britannica; Fiction; my rating 4.5.
15. ATBR- Audible Book Review: We Like You so Much and Want to Know You Better by Dave Eggers; Sci Fi, Dystopian, Preview; my rating 4.0.
(APRIL -7-)
16. ABJ- Audio Book Review: The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart; Fantasy, Classic Fiction; my rating 5.0.
17. A- Audible Book Review: Confluence by S. K. Dunstall; Military Sci Fi; my rating: 4.75.
18. A-ABB- Audio Book Review: Streets of Payne by Jeff Brackett; Cyperpunk, Sci Fi; my rating 4.5.
19. A-TBR- Audible Book Review: The Monster Calls by Patrick Ness; Teen, Fantasy, Family; my rating: 4.5.
20. ABJ- Audio Book Review: Keystone by Dannika Dark; Paranormal, Urban Fantasy; my rating: 4.25.
21. A- Audible Review: Silence Fallen: A Mercy Thompson Novel, Book 10 by Patricia Briggs; Urban Fantasy, Romance; my rating: 5.0.
22. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Quilt by Gary Paulsen; Family, Children; my rating 5.0.
(MAY -5-)
23. ABJ- Audio Book Review: The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals: Wollstonecraft Detective Agency, Book 3, by Jordan Stratford; Children, Mystery; my rating: 4.0.
24. ATour- Audio Book Review, Feature and Tour Giveaway: Old Loves Die Hard by Lauren Carr; Cozy Mystery; my rating 4.0.
25. ATour- Audio Book Review and Tour Giveaway: Dead on Ice by Lauren Carr; Cozy Mystery; my rating 4.25.
26. ATBR- http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/2017/05/audible-book-review-one-dog-night-by.html One Dog Night by David Rosenfelt, Narrated by: Grover Gardner; Mystery, Legal Procedure; my rating 4.5.
27. AAuthorTour- Audible Book Review: Shadow Sight: Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective Series; Urban Fantasy; my rating: 4.25.
(JUNE -7-)
28. ABB- Audio Book Review: Quest of the Dreamwalker: The Corthan Legacy, Book 1 by Stacy Bennett; Epic Fantasy; my rating 5.0.
29. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Finding Dory by Disney Press; Children; my rating 4.25.
30. AAuthor Tour- Audible Book Review and Feature: Hounds Bite by E.J. Stevens; Urban Fantasy, Paranormal; my rating 4.25.
31. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi ; Epic Fantasy; my rating 5.0.
32. ATBR- Audible Book Review: You Will Not Have My Hate by Antoine Leiris; Memoir; my rating 4.5.
33. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Zoo at the Edge of the World by Eric Kahn Gale; Middle Grade; my rating 4.5.
34. A-ABJ- Audio Book Review: Mission Impawsible by Krista Davis; Cozy Mystery, Animals; my rating 4.25.
(JULY -6-)
35. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Avenging Home: The Survivalist Series, Book 7 by A. American; Post Apocalyptic, Survival; my rating 3.75.
36. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Days of Noah: Book One: Conspiracy by Mark Goodwin; Sci Fi, Conspiracy, Christian; my rating 4.25.
37. ATBR- Audible Review: The Curse of Tenth Grave: A Novel by Darynda Jones; Paranormal, Mystery; my rating 4.0.
38. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Into the Black: Odyssey One by Evan Currie; Sci Fi, Space Opera, Military, First Contact; my rating 4.25.
39. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer; Christian, Classic, Religion, Theology; my rating 5.0.
40. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Jackaby by William Ritter; Mystery, Paranormal,Teen; my rating 4.25.
(AUGUST -7-)
41. A-ABJ- Audio Book Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon: A Minnesota Mystery by Larry Millett; Mystery, Historical; my rating 4.5.
42. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Borrowed World: A Novel of Post-Apocalyptic Collapse by Franklin Horton; Post-Apocalyptic, Sci Fi; my rating 4.25.
43. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown; Dystopian, Fantasy, Sci Fi; My rating 4.75.
44. ATBR- Audible Book Review: H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald; Personal Memoir; My rating 4.0.
45. A-ABJ- Audio Book Review: The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson; Christian, Historical, Teen/Young Adult; my rating 4.0.
46. ATBR- Audible Book Review: No Easy Hope: Surviving the Dead, Volume 1 by James N. Cook; Fantasy, Horror, Thriller, Zombie; my rating 4.25.
47. AKids- Goodreads Audible Book Review: Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies; Children's, Poetry; my rating 4.25.
(SEPTEMBER -7-)
48. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Until the End of the World by Sarah Lyons Fleming; Post-Apocalyptic, Sci Fi, Zombie; my rating 4.0.
49. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Pax by Sara Pennypacker; Animals, Middle Grade; my rating 4.5.
50. ATBR- Audible Review: Koban, Volume 1 by Stephen W. Bennett; Alien Invasion, Genetic Engineering, Sci Fi; my rating 4.5.
51. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Valor's Choice (Confederation, #1) by Tanya Huff; Military Space Sci FI; My rating 4.0.
52. ATBR- Review: Audible Book Review: Skinwalker: Jane Yellowrock, Book 1 by Faith Hunter; Paranormal, Urban Fantasy; my rating 4.25.
53. A-Narrator: Audible Book Review: The Rampart Guards by Wendy Terrien; Adventure, Fantasy, Sci Fi; my rating 4.0.
54. A-ABB- Audio Book Review: The League of Governors by Wendy Terrien; Adventure, Fantasy, Sci Fi; my rating 4.0.
(OCTOBER -7-)
55. A-TBR- Audible Review: Blood in the Water: Destroyermen Series, Book 11, by Taylor Anderson; Alternate History, Sci Fi; my rating 4.5.
56. A-Narrator- Audible Book Review: Breakthrough: The Great Martian War, Book 2 by Scott Washburn; Alternate History, Sci Fi; my rating 4.25.
57. A-Author- Audio Book Review: The Case of the Cursed Dodo by Jake G. Panda ; Animals, Children, Mystery, Noir; my rating 4.25.
58. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Purity in Death: In Death, Book 15 by J.D. Robb; Female Detective, Mystery, Police Procedures; my rating 4.25.
59. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Of Treasons Born by J. L. Doty; Sci Fi, Space Military; my rating 4.5.
60. A- Audible Book Review: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate; Animals, Children; my rating 4.5.
61. ATBR- Goodreads/Audible Book Review: To Die For by Alice Clark-Platts; Mystery, Drama; my rating 4.0.
(NOVEMBER -10-)
62. A- Audible Book Review: Apocalypse: The Days of Elijah, Book 1, by Mark Goodwin; Apocalyptic, Religious, Sci Fi; my rating 4.5.
63. A- Goodreads/Audible Book Review: The Undead: Deleted Scene by R.R. Haywood; Sci Fi, Zombies; my rating 3.75.
64. A-Narrator- Audible Review: Fight like a Man: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller by L.L. Akers; Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi; my rating 4.25.
65. ATBR- Goodreads Book Review: Christmas Present (The Chronicles of St Mary's #4.5) by Jodi Taylor; Fantasy, Sci Fi; my rating 4.0.
66. ATBR- Goodreads Book Review: A Literary Christmas Anthology; Classics, Holiday; my rating 4.0.
67. A-Author- Audio Book Review: Virus: Earth's Last Battle by Ray Jay Perreault; Military, Post-Apocalyptic, Sci Fi; my rating 4.0.
68. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Tech World by B.V. Laron; Military Space, Sci Fi; my rating 4.5.
69. ATBR- Audible Book Review: We Are Legion (We Are Bob) Bobiverse by Dennis E. Taylor; Sci Fi; my rating 5.0.
70. ATBR- Audible Review: Terms of Enlistment by Marko Kloos; Military Space Opera, Sci Fi; my rating 3.75.
71. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Cloak of the Light by Chuck Black; Action and Adventure, Religious, Sci Fi; my rating 4.25.
(DECEMBER -8-)
72. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Defining Diana by Hayden Trenholm; Cyberpunk, Mystery, Police Procedure, Sci Fi; my rating 4.0.
73. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Letters form Atlantis by Robert Silverberg; Fantasy, Sci Fi, Time Travel; my rating 4.0.
74. A State of Treason
75. Western Christmas
76.  Saving Grace
77.  About a Dog
78.  Cast in Shadow 
79.  When a Child Is Born, A Chronicles of St. Mary's Short Story

MBS 2017 Audiobook Challenge Semi-annual Update and Check-in

2017 Audiobook Challenge

 

HOSTS: Hot Listens and Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Audiobook Challenge Levels:

Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
Stenographer (can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15
Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30-50
Marathoner (Look Ma no hands) 50+

I listened to 70 Audiblooks in 2016. I chose the Marathoner Level again for 2017 and hope to get to at least 70 if not more!
I have reached My Precious level  at 30 audios in five months and two weeks so I am moving along pretty well.

(January -5-)
1. ABBTBR- Audio Book Review: Two by Vonnegut: The Big Trip Up Yonder and 2BR02B by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.; Vintage Sci Fi; my rating 4.0.
2. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Patriots of Treason by David Thomas Roberts; Political Thriller; my rating 4.25.
3. ATBR- Audible Book Review: We by Yevgeny Zamyatin; Vintage Sci Fi; my rating 4.0.
4. ATBR- Audible Review: X Minus One: Old Time Radio, Sci-Fi Series; Vintage Sci Fi; my rating 4.25.
5. ABJ- Audio Book Review: Goliath by Steve Alten; Military Thriller; my rating 4.25.
(February -5-)
6. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Linesman by S. K. Dunstall; Sci Fi, Space Military; my rating 5.0.
7. AV- Audio Book Review: The Soldier's Secret by Heather Osborne; Historical Romance, Civil War; my rating 4.25.
8. AeStories- Audio Review: The Detainee by Peter Liney ; Sci Fi, Dystopian; my rating 4.25.
9. ABJ- Audio Book Review: Alliance by S. K. Dunstall; Sci Fi, Space Military; my rating 4.5.
10. ATour- Audio Book Review and Tour #Giveaway: Kill and Run: A Thorny Rose Mystery, Book 1, by Lauren Carr ; Mystery, Police Procedure; my rating 4.5.
(March -5-)
11. ATour- Audio Book Review and Tour #Giveaway: Kill and Run: A Thorny Rose Mystery, Book 1, by Lauren Carr ; Mystery, Police Procedure; my rating 4.5.
12. ATour- Audio Book Review and Tour Giveaway: A Fine Year by for Murder: A Thorny Rose Mystery, Book 2 by Lauren Carr; Cozy Mystery; my rating 4.25.
13. ABJ- Audio Book Review: The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk; Sci Fi, Dystopian, Environmentalism; my rating 4.5.
14. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Excerpts from The Encyclopaedia Britannica; Fiction; my rating 4.5.
15. ATBR- Audible Book Review: We Like You so Much and Want to Know You Better by Dave Eggers; Sci Fi, Dystopian, Preview; my rating 4.0.
(April -7-)
16. ABJ- Audio Book Review: The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart; Fantasy, Classic Fiction; my rating 5.0.
17. A- Audible Book Review: Confluence by S. K. Dunstall; Military Sci Fi; my rating: 4.75.
18. A-ABB- Audio Book Review: Streets of Payne by Jeff Brackett; Cyperpunk, Sci Fi; my rating 4.5.
19. A-TBR- Audible Book Review: The Monster Calls by Patrick Ness; Teen, Fantasy, Family; my rating: 4.5.
20. ABJ- Audio Book Review: Keystone by Dannika Dark; Paranormal, Urban Fantasy; my rating: 4.25.
21. A- Audible Review: Silence Fallen: A Mercy Thompson Novel, Book 10 by Patricia Briggs; Urban Fantasy, Romance; my rating: 5.0.
22. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Quilt by Gary Paulsen; Family, Children; my rating 5.0.
MAY (-5-)
23. ABJ- Audio Book Review: The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals: Wollstonecraft Detective Agency, Book 3, by Jordan Stratford; Children, Mystery; my rating: 4.0.
24. ATour- Audio Book Review, Feature and Tour Giveaway: Old Loves Die Hard by Lauren Carr; Cozy Mystery; my rating 4.0. Open Worldwide. Ending 7/22/2017.
25. ATour- Audio Book Review and Tour Giveaway: Dead on Ice by Lauren Carr; Cozy Mystery; my rating 4.25. Open Worldwide. Ending 7/22/2017.
26. ATBR- http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/2017/05/audible-book-review-one-dog-night-by.html One Dog Night by David Rosenfelt, Narrated by: Grover Gardner; Mystery, Legal Procedure; my rating 4.5.
27. AAuthorTour- Audible Book Review: Shadow Sight: Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective Series; Urban Fantasy; my rating: 4.25.
JUNE (TBD)
28. ABB- Audio Book Review: Quest of the Dreamwalker: The Corthan Legacy, Book 1 by Stacy Bennett; Epic Fantasy; my rating 5.0.
29. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Finding Dory by Disney Press; Children; my rating 4.25.
30. AAuthor Tour- Audible Book Review and Feature: Hounds Bite by E.J. Stevens; Urban Fantasy, Paranormal; my rating 4.25.

Audible Book Review: Finding Dory by Disney Press

This is a fun, cute listen.

Finding Dory
Written by: Disney Press
Narrated by: Adam Verner

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:03-14-17
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Genre: Kids
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Disney-Pixar's Finding Dory reunites everyone's favorite forgetful blue tang, Dory, with her friends, Nemo and Marlin, on a search for answers about her past. What can she remember? Who are her parents? And where did she learn to speak Whale?

Review:
I would imagine that most anyone with children or grandchildren around has seen Finding Nemo. I had enjoyed it and know that the grandkids liked to watch it in the car while traveling.
I guess I knew that there was a sequel but I had not seen the movie, nor read the book.

Finding Dory tells Dory’s story as she struggles to remember her past and what/where is “home”. Dory has trouble with her memories. Her parents use paths and tools to help her find her way but she gets lost and ends up far away. She makes friends with Marlin and Nemo and they become her family. But one day she remembers the place that was home and she insists that her friends help her find her way home. They travel far and Dory gets separated from Nemo and Marlin. She makes new friends, Hank the octopus, Becky the loon, two whales Destiny and Bailey, otters and more.

Dory faces one obstacle after another but manages to come up with creative, and sometimes daring, solutions. The story is wonderfully cute. My four-year-old granddaughter has seen the story but she still loved listening to this on the computer and with my MP3 player. I enjoyed it too for a quick, light listen.

Audio Notes: Adam Verner does a wonderful job with the narration. He gives each character a believable, unique voice with distinct emotions. He makes the story fun to listen to. I will be looking for other books he narrates.

This was from my TBR Audible shelf. This qualifies for my Audiobook Challenge, Mount TBR and “F” in Alphabet Soup Challenge.

Audio Book Review: Two by Vonnegut: The Big Trip Up Yonder and 2BR02B by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Quick, engaging and thought provoking vintage sci fi. (ABB-Narrator)
Two by Vonnegut: The Big Trip Up Yonder and 2BR02B
Written by: Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Narrated by: Kitty Hendrix

Length: 44 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:12-08-16
Publisher: Listen2aBook.com
Genre: Sci Fi, Vintage
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1922-2007) was a prolific and genre-bending American novelist known for works blending satire, black comedy, and science fiction, such as Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), Cat's Cradle (1963), and Breakfast of Champions (1973).
These two short works, "The Big Trip Up Yonder" and "2BR02B", are science fiction tales originally published in the magazines Galaxy Science Fiction and If: Worlds of Science Fiction in 1959 and 1962.
©2016 Kurt Vonnegut (P)2016 Kitty Hendrix

Review:
These are two short sci fi stories that address aging in the future; or more accurately not aging. They reflect two different extremes which make them interesting as a pair.

The Big Trip Up Yonder tells of Gramps Ford, a 172-year-old, who is the head of his clan of children and grandchildren. They are all living together cramped into one three bedroom apartment where the head of the family gets the perk of the best bed in a private room. Gramps gets to dole out the use of the bedrooms as a reward to his favorite child, grandchild or great-grandchild of the moment, as well as changing his Will bequeathing his bed and couch anytime one heir falls out of favor. If Granps continues to take the special medicine that keeps him from aging and dying the family is stuck in this terrible routine. Everyone’s nerves are on edge and Gramps decides something has to be done. The solution is an ironic twist that I have seen so often in these vintage sci fi stories…and in the modern ones.

2BR02B is another satiric story that deals with death in a future world where government controls the population and a new child is only permitted if another person dies. I really liked the authors use of the wall mural to mirror the events that were happening.

I wouldn’t want a steady diet of these stories, but they are fun to read/listen to. I particularly like to compare the “vintage” tales of the future with the current day imaginings. Often the themes are similar and certainly the twists of irony are always present.


Audio Notes: Kitty Hendrix does an excellent job with the narration. This is not so much an issue of presenting character voices, although she does that well also. The plus is that the narration focuses on the story so the listener gets to think about the point that Vonnegut is making. I’m glad I received this audio for an honest review.

I received this audio title from the narrator in exchange for an unbiased review. This qualifies for 2017 Audiobook Challenge, 2017 TBR, Sci Fi Experience and Vintage Sci Fi.

MBS 2017 Audiobook Challenge

The Audiobook Challenge is back for 2017!
Join Hot Listens and new co-host Caffeinated Book Reviewer for the 5th year of great audio books.
Check either link for the full Challenge details, links to resources and the sign-up form.
Levels

• Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
• Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
• Stenographer (can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15
• Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
• Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
• My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+
• Marathoner (Look Ma No Hands) 50+

I listened to 70 Audiblooks in 2016. I choose the Marathoner Level again for 2017 and hope to get to at least 70 if not more!

2017 Audiobooks: (Reviews to be linked as posted)
I ended up keeping my list in WORD on my computer. The final list is linked HERE.