Sunday, March 23, 2014

Audiobook Mini-Reviews

I've been on a bit of an audiobook kick lately in between my regular reads, so I decided to do a bit of a round-up instead of individual posts. These were all on the shorter side and perfect for car trips and general multi-tasking around the house. I gave these a mix of ratings, but would recommend all of them except for the Stephen Colbert one, though my 1-star rating probably gives that away...


If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)
Series? No
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Date: 2011
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

What's not to love about Betty White? When I spotted this one available as an audiobook from my library, I couldn't resist. I remember the Golden Girls fondly and have enjoyed seeing Betty pop up in other projects and shows more recently. This is basically a series of anecdotes from her life along with a lot of great lessons she's learned throughout the years. A wonderful & quick read!

P.S. I was surprised to see how "high" the page count was of the print book when I looked this one up on GoodReads -- 258 pages -- given that the audio version was only 2 1/2 hours long. Turns out there are a lot of photos in the print book which I took a peek at the next time I visited the library.

* * * * *


Books, by Larry McMurtry
Series? No
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Date: 2007
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

I usually love books about books, but this one is much more about book-selling and the book trade than anything else. There is nothing wrong with that, but there were a lot of names and places McMurtry seems to assume the reader would be familiar with that were not necessarily well explained, but I decided to not let that bother me. I gave up on keeping track of every single store and book dealer and enjoyed the stories as the anecdotes they are, even if I couldn't keep up with all the name-dropping. If I read this in print, I may have given up on it (or taken much longer to read it), but found it quite enjoyable on audio. An interesting look into the world of rare and antiquarian book selling. (P.S. The one location I knew right away was England's Hay on Wye from reading Charlie Lovett's The Bookman's Tale -- such a good book if you haven't read it!)

* * * * *


I am America (and So Can You!), by Stephen Colbert
Series? No
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Date: 2007
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 1 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

I really did not care for this one. I don't watch The Colbert Report, but have seen occasional clips and thought this might be entertaining as an audiobook. That turned out to SO not be the case. I know Stephen Colbert is known for satire and dead-pan delivery, but something got lost in translation from performing in front of a live audience to narrating an audiobook. It was really hard to remember he was poking fun at the various topics he addresses without an audience's laughter or the comedic timing involved in a live show. If you didn't know anything about Colbert previously, you would probably think he meant everything he was saying seriously (and literally). If you like him, I recommend sticking with the show.

* * * * *


Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and Other Concerns), by Mindy Kaling
Series? No
Publisher: Random House Audio
Date: 2011
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

I picked up a whole slew of audiobooks from the library on a whim and then went to check reviews on GoodReads after I got home -- when I realized by friend Christy gave this one 5 stars, I bumped it to the top of the pile. I don't watch The Office and the few clips/episodes I've seen haven't inspired me to watch any further despite my brother's pleading to give it another chance. I was still intrigued by Mindy and am really glad I read her book. She seems so down to earth and I can probably relate to her upbringing and outlook on life a lot more than other celebrities out there. I particularly loved her list of "best friend rules" and her plea for men to leave their chest hair alone. Enjoyable all the way though and made even better by Mindy own narration.

* * * * *


I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I've Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High, by Tony Danza
Series? No
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Date: 2012
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

I only vaguely remembered that Tony Danza had a (short-lived) show about his year as a teacher, so thought this one would be a fun listen and it definitely was. His experience is different from a regular teacher's, given that he only taught one class and had cameras following him around, but it was still an interesting look inside a profession I've only viewed from a student's desk myself. It's clear Danza cared about his students and their education and his year in the classroom really affected him. This book reminded me a bit of The Freedom Writers' Diary, but not quite as intense for obvious reasons.

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Reading Challenges:
Audiobook
Non-Fiction
New Author
Diversity on the Shelf

12 comments:

  1. I really need to get some more non fiction books in my life! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these few.
    :-)
    Bits & Bobs

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    1. Non-fiction is a favorite genre of mine for audiobooks, otherwise I probably never would have found the time for these :)

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  2. Quite a number! I've never seen Kaling in anything before, but so many have raved about this book I'd like to read it anyway.

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    1. That was the same with me...I would say it's still a very enjoyable read even if you are not familiar with her work.

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  3. Great reviews! I've been loving humorous memoirs lately, so I'll have to get to the Mindy Kaling one.

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    1. Humorous memoirs are some of my favorites! Mindy's isn't specifically funny, but it was a very good read. I hope you get a chance to read it :)

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  4. I rarely read non-fiction, thanks for sharing these. I need to explore more!!

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    1. I hope you find some you like! There are so many different options to appeal to all different interests when it comes to non-fiction.

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  5. I have Mindy's book on my TBR list. By the way you should link your review of her book to the D.O.T.S. reading challenge. I need to get into non-fiction more. Great reviews

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    1. Oh, duh! Thanks for the reminder, I really need to pay better attention! So many challenges to keep track of, LOL

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  6. For some reason Mindy's voice drives me crazy, so I wouldn't be able to listen to the audio book but I don't think I would mind reading it. I really need to read more comedy books, I do like them.

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    1. That could definitely be a problem for audio! This wasn't super-funny, but it was a very good read.

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I'd love to hear what you think :)