audio books

On the Shelf

/ Alex Whitehall / Leave a comment

My reading has been sporadic and weird at best, and most of it’s been audiobooks of late. Partially because I’ve been reading less romance (since a lot of it, for me, is tainted by things I see/experience on Twitter, and even authors who I want to read bring up those emotions tangentially), but also because I worry about being too immersed in a genre and wanting to bring “fresh” ideas by tasting other genres. At least that’s the theory 😉

After watching the Series of Unfortunate Events TV show and hearing that there were changes from the books, I was curious. (Oh sure, I could probably find a wiki page about it, but where’s the fun in that.) So far, I’m finding the TV adaptation to be one of the best I’ve seen from a book, and the format Netflix went with was kind of perfect for a youths’ series like this. But more on that as I delve further and more changes are likely to appear. (I just finished The Austere Academy.)

Currently on my nightstand (in real, physical form!) is Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach. I’ve read Stiff by Roach already, so I knew what I was getting into (and I highly recommend reading Stiff if you haven’t, as long as thoughts of death won’t depress/freak out you!)

Bonk was published in 2008 by (as far as I know) a cis straight woman, so in some ways her humor/commentary feels dated and out of the loop for a hella queer reader like myself in 2019. That said, there are still plenty of humorous stories and footnotes, not to mention factoids and historical accuracies that make it enjoyable.

(As an ace person, I sometimes study sex the same way I study religion as an atheist. Is that weird?)

A more thorough discussion once I finish the last 100 pages. Now off to enjoy the sunshine, while it lasts.

Magic Runs Deep has an audio book!

/ Alex Whitehall / Leave a comment

In exciting news, as the header might have clued you in, Magic Runs Deep has been made into an audio book.

You can find it on Audible, Amazon, or iTunes!

The narrator is the lovely Adam Watson, who was a pleasure to work with, and brought just the right voice to Veier and Elrid. I hope you’ll find, just as I did, that he brings the story to life!

For the last five years, Veier has been chained to a king’s throne in his bear form. When a neighboring kingdom overthrows the crown, Veier’s imprisonment ends, but true freedom is not so easily earned. With blood on his hands, he needs someone with patience, strength, and trust to help him become the person he was before and prove to the invaders that he isn’t the monstrous king’s loyal pet.
Elrid, the invading king’s brother and a powerful mage, is everything Veier despises. He’s also the only thing between Veier and execution, because he thinks he can help Veier change from an aggressive bear shifter into a reasonable man. While the pair have a rough start, with long talks and mutual leaps of faith, they begin to care for each other.
However, the closer Veier gets to his freedom, the closer he is to losing Elrid. He must find balance in his heart and his life if he wishes to truly claim the freedom he’s been given—and the man he loves.
 
 

Perhaps my last post before vacation

/ Alex Whitehall / 3 Comments

First off, I enjoyed today’s XKCD, here. Be sure to hover your mouse for the secret message ^.^

Second, I’m tired! I’m looking forward to vacation although it will most likely involve little rest. Speaking of vacation–in this world of technology we seem to take more and more stuff with us. I always make a list of what I need to pack and it used to be all clothing. Now I have clothing (and essentials) plus my ipod, cellphone (+ charger), laptop (+ cables), camera (+batteries).

Third, one day of work left! I’m actually leaving things in somewhat of an organized way so nothing should explode. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Bloodsucking Fiends is pretty good so far. It didn’t really win me over, but more of the individual characters are starting to meet, so I see the beginnings of plot. I’ll be taking it with me on vaca, but I don’t know how much reading will happen. Boy Meets Boy is also being deliciously funny (how can you say no to a book with a drag queen named Infinite Darlene?). Sadly it will not be heard on vacation, because even though it says it’s ipod compatible, my ipod disagrees.

Yay Vacation!

Midnight walks in Paradise

/ Alex Whitehall / 6 Comments

Happy 4th of July, America. Okay, now that that’s done with, onto the post!

My new loveseat arrive with some adventure* but arrived and is being used and has found its place among us. It’s green and big and awkward, but I have seating for more than two people, which is really nice when..you know..more than two people show up.

My current book list hasn’t changed much lately, which happens when you don’t read. Hah. It’s too nice out to spend the time inside reading, and I feel weird reading in open public spaces. It could be said that if I spent less time on the computer I could spend more time reading. I could also hold my breath until my face turns blue, but I’m not gonna!

The audiobook I’m reading is going well, but I run into a slight mixed feeling about it (not the book, the audio version). The reader is good, but per its format, they can’t talk as fast as I read. I wonder if I was reading the book if I’d be done by now (I probably would be, or at least could be). But then I consider how much time I spend reading the books I actually read and I wonder if it would be sitting in a pile with the rest. It’s nice to do work around my apartment and get reading done at the same time (though I’m highly amused when I find myself talking to the air, making snarky comments about what was just said in the book).

I have two days of a riding clinic, which hopefully will be fun, and then another day off before I go back to work. All this time off is spoiling me something rotten. It also makes me want to bake. A lot. I made angel food on Thursday, angel/demon cookies last night, and Monday might be monkey bread. It’s a good think I like feeding people.

Hope everyone enjoys what promises to be a beautiful weekend!

* The adventure: Took one vehicle (Honda Fit) to location. Not big enough. Drive to get truck. Bring truck to location. Not big enough. Strap couch to roof and drive (slowly) to apartment. Get couch off roof (with just two itty bitty girls) and half way through first door. Get stuck. Neighbor comes. He and I get it unstuck and up 3 sets of 8 steps, with me on the bottom–for some reason. Second door is not a problem and I have a couch! I should mention I did this on 2 hours of sleep. And that four hours later I went riding.

Haven’t seen rain in forever…

/ Alex Whitehall / 3 Comments

Today’s dawn rose almost grayish-white, only to become a dark and foreboding gray as the hour passed. So dark that the lights on the street flickered back on to offer some guidance in the misery. It’s not really matching my mood, but it’s matching something…

Yesterday I was cosplay productive, which excited me greatly since my time spent on that has been (err) nonexistent. I downloaded a book on tape from my library and played it while working, which made the work factor more enjoyable, although I do enjoy the work (just not the time spent doing it, if that makes any sense). I now have pants and a jacket. I just need an eyepatch and straps. I can do it!

It’s begun pouring now. This seems like a passing spring storm type rain, but if thursday and friday taught me anything, it’s that the rain can keep falling like that for a while. Unlike those days, today we have the rumble of thunder. Who knows how long it will last.

And now lightning.

BTW, the book on tape I’m listening to is Wicked Lovely and rather enjoyable (it’s young adult fantasy). I find it amusing, since I was always an avid, fast reader, that I’ve become such an advocate for audio books (a more appropriate term). I think this is helped by the fact that I can DL books from my library without having to actually go there. The downside is that some (most) of the books seem to be WMA and cannot be converted to go on my ipod. Which makes me sad.