Audiobook challenge 2023 Final Check in

We’ve come to the end-of-year, and it’s time to share your results for the 2023 Audiobook Challenge hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer and That’s What I’m Talking About. Did you meet your goals? Link up your results below, then enter the giveaway!

Don’t forget to join us for the 2024 Audiobook Challenge! There are new levels & some #JIAM challenges! You can sign up for the 2024 Audiobook Challenge and choose your level HERE.

Omg, I did it again. Next year I will take a look at the end of November how things are standing. SIGHS. I am 3 books away from reaching 75!. Oh well. Maybe I will remember this next year.

So yes I was way over 50 audiobooks.

Here we go:

1. The Duke´s rules of engagement by Jennifer Haymore

2. The pirate queen´s captive by Eve Langlais

3. Melting point by Kate Meader

4- Written in red by Anne Bishop

5. Accidentally Aphrodite by Dakota Cassidy

6. Murder of crows by Anne Bishop

7. Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

8. Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop

9. From rags to kisses by Shana Galen

10. Etched in bone by Anne Bishop

11. Accidentally famous by Marissa Clarke

12. Second bride down by Ginny Baird

13. I want you to want me by Shana Galen

14. Wild country by Anne Bishop

15. Text and confused by Whitney Dineen

16. The earl next door by Amelia Grey

17. Over the woodward wall by Deborah A Baker

18, Lake Silence by Anne Bishop

19. A hate like this by Whitney Dineen

20- The sweetheart fix by Miranda Liasson

21. Wolf in the shadows by Maria Vale

22. Crowbones by Anne Bishop

23. The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay

24. My pumpkin by Marina Simcoe

25. Never look back by Lilliam Rivera

26. Rosewater and soda bread by Marsha Mehran

27. Kill the queen by Jennifer Estep

28. protect the prince by Jennifer Estep

29. Crush the king by Jennifer Estep

30. Tycoon by Joanna Shupe

31. Aziel by Eve Langlais

32. The firefighters dilemma by Marian Ankenman

33. The who became the sun by Shelley Parker Chan

34. Grey magic by Jeffe Kennedy

35. Shadow wizard by Jeffe Kennedy

36. Heart of obsidian by Nalini Singh

37. Shield of winter by Nalini Singh

38. Shards of hope by Nalini Singh

39. Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh

40: Earls rush in by Jennifer Haymore

41. Give the devil his Duke by Anna Bradley

42. Capture the sun by Jessie Mihalik

43. Resonance surge by Nalini Singh

44. Magic tides 

45. Magic claims by Nalini Singh

46. Jaran by  Kate Elliott

47. Do you want to start a scandal by Tessa Dare

48. A night to surrender by Tessa Dare

49. Lord Dashwood missed out by Tessa Dare

50. A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare

51. The governess game by Tessa Dare

52. Nice dragons finish last by Rachel Aaaron

53. Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

54. A christmas tragedy by Agatha Christie

55. Galatea by Madeline Miller

56. Say yes to the marquess by Tessa Dare

57. Through the veneer of time by Vera Bell

58. One good dragon deserves another by Rachel Aaaron

59. One good dragon goes unpunished by Rachel Aaron

60. Undone by you by Kate Meader

61. Some kind of happiness by Claire Legrande

62. A dragon of different color by Rachel Aaron

63. Born to be badger by Shelly Laurenston

64. Hooked on you by Kate Meader

65. Last dragon standing by Rachel Aaron

66. A study in drowning by Kate Meader

67. Forever fantasy online by Rachel Aaron

68. All I want for Christmas is a cowboy anthology

69. Greenshaw´s folly by Agatha Christie

70. Third wish by Carolyn Brown

71. Warden and the assassin by Eve Langlais

72. Traces of magic by Monica Fairview

Best of December

 

Here are our bests of December! Expect to see our Bests of 2023 very, very soon! :D 

Best Movie of the Month:

Blodeuedd -  Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

"Not epic, but pretty cool."

Carole - Barbie (2023)

"This was a lot of fun!"

Best Book of the Month:

Carole - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

"This had me feeling everything. It has a lot of meaning and messages you can take from it."

Blodeuedd - A study in drowning by Ava Reid

"I finally understood the ending too after speaking with an Australian lol."

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd - Hilda (s3) & Wrexham (s2)

"I was watching Hilda. Love it.

And welcome to Wrexham. The 2nd season was thrilling"

Carole - Reservation Dogs (s1 & 2)

"This show is SO good. I can't wait to start season 3!"

Best Cover of the Month:

Carole's pick - "So dang pretty! Xmas-y and I love her outfit. Gorgeous."

Blodeuedd's pick - "Best cover. Simple yet pretty"

Dnfs of 2023

 DNFs of 2023

When I´m gone, look for me in the East: Not feeling it

Smooth as Ice: Narration, nope

Whalebone Theatre:  Not interested

Love struck café: Narration not working for me

Great circle: Nope

The firekeeper´s daughter: Nah

On earth we´re briefly gorgeous: Forgot why

Force of nature: Another one I just left

Where my heart used to beat: Seems I was on a roll

Secretly yours: I could not even feel that this was a Bailey book

Icebreaker: I have opinions ;)

This was dreadfully slow and boring. Every character just felt wrong and all interactions were weird. I gave up. It seems to be NA, but the maturity level of everyone involved was loow.

Never trust booktok. They are all: smutty, awesome! And it is omg so badly written and never smutty at all. They have the worst opinions

Before I let go: gave up

Pariah: One of those that I might still give a second try

The Hunger of the gods: Arghh, what happened?! I loved book 1, but I just can¨t get into this one. I have no idea what is happening, I can no longer keep track of the million characters. The povs change too fast and just utter sadness on my part

Been trying to finish it since MARCH

House Cerulean sea: Not feeling it

Descendant of the crane: Can¨t get into it

Call me by your name: Seems I dnfed a lot and never wrote anything

The burning girl: forgot

Christmas at the Château: WHY is nothing happening!?!?!?!

Simon and the : Did I watch the movie?

Fever dream: Nope

Bingo Challenge 2023 Check in

Hosted by: Blodeuedd @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell

           Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About

                                                                             Carole @ Carole Rae's Random Ramblings

Ok I am checking in already cos I FAILED, so much failure this year. I always try to get every square, but I still have 10 unchecked boxes and cos how they stand...I only got one Bingo. Not the best romance year for me. But then I did have a big book meltdown and hey I only do this Bingo for fun anyway :D 

But at least I got the one!!

 

Rules:

• It has to be a romance novel (it can be multiple genres, but romance has to be a main focus).
• One box per book (if you have a book that meets multiple boxes, you have to pick one).
• No changing the box. Once you assign a book to a box...no switching it. 
• Books can be used in other challenges (ex: Goodreads, Library Love, TBR, Audiobooks, etc).
• Try to get at least ONE bingo (see Bingo Levels).
• The bingo can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. 
• No free space.
• Starts 1/1/2023 and ends 12/31/2023.
• Join whenever.

Bingo Levels:

1-2 Bingo - Beginner

3 - You're getting the hang of this!

4 - Expert Level

Entire Sheet - Supreme Ruler of Bingo

Audio: Greenshaw´s folly

By: Agatha Christie

Narrated by: Isla Blair

Series: Miss Marple

Length: 54 mins

Release date: 10-15-20

Publisher: HarperCollins

Historical fiction mystery /bookbeat.fi

I had 1 hour left of reading time at my audiobook site so I went for Agatha Christie again. It was really short and fast, and no I did not figure out who did it.

An old house. A murder. But who did it? Miss Marple do the rescue. Since it is 1 hour long I can not say much but she has it all figured out as always.

Nice narration. I like these short ones

Raymond West's niece is invited by an elderly recluse to help compile her late grandfather's diaries for publication. After only two days at their sprawling home of Greenshaw's Folly, she witnesses a murder, which only Miss Marple can solve.... 

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

12/26/2023 What are your favorite books/audiobooks that you read in 2023? 

You know what, I will get back to that in a few days ;) I need to check out my books, but honestly. In the end The Heartstrikers ruled once more

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

2024 Reading Romance Challenge

 

Hosted by: Blodeuedd @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell

           Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About

                                                                             Carole @ Carole Rae's Random Ramblings

We are hosting another Romance challenge! Going back to the Bingo Sheet-ish style!

 

Rules:

• It has to be a romance novel (it can be multiple genres, but romance has to be a main focus).
• One box per book (if you have a book that meets multiple boxes, you have to pick one).
• No changing the box. Once you assign a book to a box...no switching it. 
• Books can be used in other challenges (ex: Goodreads, Library Love, TBR, Audiobooks, etc).
• Try to get at least ONE bingo (see Bingo Levels).
• The bingo can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. 
• No free space.
• Starts 1/1/2024 and ends 12/31/2024.
• Join whenever.

Bingo Levels:

1-2 Bingo - Beginner

3 - You're getting the hang of this!

4 - Expert Level

Entire Sheet - Supreme Ruler of Bingo

Category List: 

• SciFi/Fantasy
• non-US/UK setting (real country)
• Xmas setting
• Main Character name starts with 'S'
• Blue Dress on cover
• Necktie on cover
• Animal on cover
• Food on cover
• Arranged/Marriage of Convenience
• Non-wolf shifter
• Celebrity for one at least one the mains
• Waterfront on cover
• Medical Professional for at least one of the mains
• Royal main character(s)
• Small town
• STEM/Bluestocking
• Witch/Warlock
• Borrowed from the library
• Sports
• Fake Relationship
• Single Parent for at least one of the mains
• Romantic Suspense
• LGBTQ
• Audiobook
• On your TBR list for over 1 year

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Saturday Movie: Christmas as Usual

 

This month we decided to review 'Christmas as Usual'. 

Blodeuedd is in red and Carole is in green. BE WARNED! There are mini baby spoilers sprinkled throughout our chatting. 

Title: Christmas as Usual (Så var det jul igjen)

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Released: 2023

Rating: TV-14

Site: Netflix 


Thea is going to her rural hometown to celebrate a classic Norwegian Christmas with her family, but this year she's bringing along Jashan, her Indian boyfriend, which will put everyone's preconceived beliefs and traditions on their heads.

Click here for the trailer. 

DISCUSSION:

Yayy Xmas movie!!!!

I have been watching a few ;) Gotta get some in before the big day

I’ll be honest….that was the only one I have watched this year. I have been baaaaad. 

What! Carole, that is crazy! I am watching one right now!

I’ve only read like 3 or 4 books too. That is sooooo weird for me. I guess I’m not feeling the Xmas joy, BUT that movie did make me want to watch more.

I hear you, it´s hard getting into the spirit of things. But ok, we chose a Norwegian xmas movie, let´s do it

I’m excited for this one. It is a different take on Xmas and a different location than what we are used to. Normally these Xmas movies take place in the US or UK. Soo I was excited for a fresh setting. 

Well for me it was more like my backyard, but it was fun not for it to be a US or Uk setting ;D

Yes. It was nice. 

But honestly, I am all with Jashan on this one, damn it, Xmas cult people!

Yes. I am for sure with Jashan. The only thing I was cringe about him was when he was pretty much SCREAMING outside on the phone. Like, dude! But other than that? Eeesh. I’m surprised he would want to stay. I would want to leave like day 1. After thinking about it….I do understand why they wanted to keep Xmas precisely the same. They were still grieving the dad. 

Yes, I get it, but everyone was walking on eggshells and it was doomed to all fall apart. And yes Jashan screaming on the phone was beyond cringe. But poor guy, why was everyone so weird about him being from India? Like omg there are actually people in Norway that are not blonde and Norwegian. It was like they had never seen anyone else in their life. And why did she not want to tell anyone about them getting married? I just did not get it

It really was weird. The little girl didn’t care at all. Are they super remote and never travel to the city? The mom had it stuck in her head SO bad that she wanted her daughter to date the neighbor. I was stunned by them being stunned he was Indian. 

I was stunned by that too! And I think they said Telemark so that is in the south. Pretty sure when she went to the airport she went to Oslo. So nope not even in the middle of anywhere. Close to the capital instead. Also, I really disliked…omg I even forgot her name! Like how they went skiing, poor guy, poor guy! Either you let him stay home or you take that poor guy for like a 30-min ski trip. Not on a day trip

For real. I have never skied personally so I could only imagine his pain AND he was so nice. I would’ve been pissed. He was just so nice and they treated him like crap. The sister-in-law and little girl were the nicest to him. They seemed to actually try. 

When I said 30 min that is just him trying to like stand, lol, so yes this blew my mind that they made a newbie go on a freaking hour-long trip. Skiing is hard for the muscles. The other traditions, well those I understood. Church, sure, not that I would go, but I guess they are more traditional in their atheism. Church is surely nice on xmas. 

I’m glad they didn’t get mad about the dinner. Gah. Jashan deserves all the love. I’m glad they all did the big gesture at the end because they all did him so dirty. 

I would have loved to taste that dinner. That I did get, how would we even get real Indian cuisine? It is all very fake. Like here if you want Chinese food, then the restaurant might actually be owned by someone who is Thai. He did diss our poor food that has no taste though. Lol

To be fair…I think he was pretty much done at that moment and super hurt. I think it was after the skiing and church scenes. Ooooo and her lies about the ex? Oof. Again, if I was Jashan I would’ve just feigned being sick or something. IDK. So awkward. BUT the ending was worth it. They all seemed to have talked and opened their hearts. I hope they make a second movie. I want to see them all go to India next ;) 

I did not get the mum there. Ok so they had shot glasses, but she was all no no?! And of course, it will go to the guy´s head. That´s like vodka there.

And why didn´t she just say he was her ex? She really was the problem all along. If she had just said it at the beginning then things would have gone more smoothly. I think the mum would have tried then too.

Honestly…all the problems were because of her. She didn’t tell anyone anything. She didn’t communicate. Maybe give Jashan a heads-up about the neighbor who’s an ex. Tell her mom and brother that Jashan is Indian. Tell Jashan some of the traditions AHEAD of time. That is what I would’ve done. She just stayed mum. I don’t get why she was so scared? I feel like the wedding is going to be a hot mess because she won’t stand up for herself or for the people she loves. 

I mean isn´t that one of the most important things you tell when you have met someone. Who he is, where is he from, job blah blah. To leave it out was pretty weird by her like she was ashamed. And then support the guy! The mother did not seem like a monster, dunno why the SIL was so scared too. Wearing things she does not want, and eating things she does not like. Hell, when I met my SO and moved forward, oh they know I do not like fish ;) Small things, not gonna fake loving that for the rest of my life.

No one in that family wanted to talk. I feel like the Dad was the only one that forced them to talk. Once he was gone….they just all bowed down to Mom to not upset her. Very strange family so no wonder why the girl was weird (why am I blanking on her name?) *Googles* THEA!! There it is. But yes, so freaking strange. I told my parents all about not only my partners I would bring home but my friends. That is just what you do. So weird.

Communication. It is important. I get that some families have a hard time with that, but come on. You took him home to Norway. They would assume it is a serious relationship then. It was not like she was one town over. Plane tickets cost money!

Yeaaaaaaaah. So this isn’t a feel-good Xmas movie. It actually has some depth and I can’t complain. Yes, there is a HEA, buut it wasn’t an easy journey…especially for poor Jashan. 

Still feeling the whole Xmas cult over it. Dressing up in bunad. Doing everything on the exact day. It could have been a horror movie. Think about it.

Yes, it was weird and very cult-like. Like really? You can’t change ANYTHING up for the newbie? The look of horror on her face when he made Indian food for Little Christmas (or whatever it was called) was like he murdered the neighbor. 

See my first thought was omg he has been using the food especially for xmas! But nah, it was just that they had to have their special dish on a special day. Weirdos

For real. I would’ve been mad that he used the food I needed, but that wasn’t the case. They were nice to “try” it but damn the dramatics of the spice was too much. I’m sure it wasn’t THAT spicy. I don’t think he would try and kill them. 

Like they never had spicy food before? We have all have had spicy food, I def know that water does not help. But I guess they do not know

It felt like they went back in time. Hahaha. Weird family man. I’m curious to see if they do a second movie….I want to watch that disaster too!

I am more stuck on this being a horror movie, they are saving him for the annual Xmas slaughter! Omg, that would have made so much sense!

But a 2nd would be fun

Hahahaha sacrifice him to the Christmas gods. 

We used to do that in the olden days. 

See? Thea is a time-traveler and Jashan is her next victim. 

All hail Oden and Thor. Here is the sacrifice for Yule. Then they eat his heart. Gory. And wait for the next year and who they will take now. No wonder the SIL was scared. She could be next!

That’s why the SIL keeps getting preggo. Hahahaha

Makes sense! Pretty sure the ex is the one killing the victims too. Pretty sketchy guy

DUDE thank you for bringing it up. He was creepy…esp when he was acting as Santa. 

Come sit on my lap! No, no man not cool. And everyone was all do it. No. 

If that was my partner sitting on their ex’s lap….I would’ve yeeted that ex out the window. Poor Jashan. 

The ex had it coming.

FOR real. 

Ok. I did like the movie, even in its absurdity. It would have made more sense if it was set like 40 years or something. But it was also based on a true story so I guess Norwegians are just pretty weird.

Maybe it is just this family. Like the SIL was normal-ish. She actually tried. IDK. Some people are weird and closed-minded so I guess even the absurdity can happen in our modern times? 

So true. Close-minded people and racists are everywhere. But I would have liked more of a cultural clash movie. Like him being all you guys are weird, and then they all tried to get along. Instead of this…whatever it was.

But I’m with you. I liked the movie. Slightly a mess with the cult, but it does have a good meaning. Be freakin’ nice and welcoming darnit!

And do not be a Thea! Hold on to the one you love and stand by them

Yes. Be open. Be nice. TALK. 

The end?

Yesss,  the end. Happy holidays!! Until 2024!

Violeta by Isabel Allende

336 pages, Paperback

Published; January 25, 2022 by Bloomsbury Publishing

Historical fiction/library

This took me a while to finish. It was good, and at the same time it was dry.

Violeta is the narrator, but I never truly knew Violeta. She is just telling her story in a very not passionate way. There is sadness, revolutions, and more. But yes it is just her telling her story. I never felt that passion she spoke of. It was dry.

100 years of her life. Failed marriage. Kids. Lovers. Bad choices. South America changing before her eyes.

Eh, honestly I have not much more to say. I changed my mind, it was ok only.

Violeta comes into the world on a stormy day in 1920, the first girl in a family of five boisterous sons. From the start, her life will be marked by extraordinary events, for the ripples of the Great War are still being felt, even as the Spanish flu arrives on the shores of her South American homeland almost at the moment of her birth.

Through her father's prescience, the family will come through that crisis unscathed, only to face a new one as the Great Depression transforms the genteel city life she has known. Her family loses all and is forced to retreat to a wild and beautiful but remote part of the country. There, she will come of age, and her first suitor will come calling. . . .

She tells her story in the form of a letter to someone she loves above all others, recounting devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, times of both poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy. Her life will be shaped by some of the most important events of history: the fight for women's rights, the rise and fall of tyrants, and, ultimately, not one but two pandemics.

Told through the eyes of a woman whose unforgettable passion, determination, and sense of humor will carry her through a lifetime of upheaval, Isabel Allende once more brings us an epic that is both fiercely inspiring and deeply emotional.

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

12/19/2023 Which phone apps can't you live without?

Well I am sure if I survived I could do without them all. But a friend did get me hooked on pokemon go, I mean to play it with my kid, but I play alone

I do need whatsapp, it´s the best app to communicate with.

For audiobook playing I go with Smart audiobook player. I tried a bunch and this was the one that suited me

Weather apps. Always good to have

12/26/2023 What are your favorite books/audiobooks that you read in 2023? 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s Monday review: Before I go to sleep

Author: SJ Watson

Title: Before I Go to Sleep

Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery

Format: Paperback 

Pages: 360

Published: October 1, 2011

Where I Got It: My Shelf (Flint Library Sale)

Summary: 

As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me...

Memories define us.

So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love- all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may be telling you only half the story.

Welcome to Christine's life.

Review:

I've had this on my self for quite some time. I picked this up at the Flint Library book sale eons ago. I think right before COVID started *does math* Dang! Forever agooo. 

Now, Christine has a little problem....when she goes to sleep and wakes up 95% of her memories are gone. She barely remembers who she even is sometimes. Her husband is the only person she has relied on and she is starting to think she can't trust him. 

This is like '50 First Dates' meets 'Memento'. I didn't and couldn't stop reading. I HAD to know. When I was 100 pages away I stayed up late to just finish it. WHOOPS. But omg that ending. 

The mystery was good. I thought I had it all figured out...things happened and I doubted my theory....and then I was right! YAYY!!!!!!!! Damn, but the details were still a mystery so it was fun unraveling it with Christine. 

Dang...this is a hard review to write because I don't want to spoil anything........

Yes, this was good and I loved how it was written. She is writing in her journal so we really only know what she knows when she backtracks and reads what she has written. It was fitting. 

The ending was SO good. I would have liked to see more of the resolution though. I will say no more of this so I don't spoil anything. 

Overall, this was really good! I loved it and I didn't and couldn't want to put this down. I wanted a hair more in the end, but this was really good. 4 stars from me. 

Challenge(s):

- #10 TBR Pile Reading

Audiobook Challenge 2024

Challenge Details

Runs January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024. You can join at any time.

The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2024 than you did in 2023.

Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)

All genres count.

Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.

You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Facebook, etc. I recommend creating a shelf on Goodreads titled 2024 Audiobook Challenge. You can keep track and link the shelf.

Grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. You can post on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or X, Threads, Mastodon, your blog etc. about the challenge.

Updates plus a giveaway will be posted twice during the year. The first update will be July 6, 2024, and the last update will take place on December 28, 2024. You’ll have one week to link up and share your progress and enter giveaway

Achievement Levels

What level will you choose?

Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5

Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10

Stenographer (can listen while multitasking) 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+

Over-Achiever (Power Listener) 75+

The 100 Club (Audiobook Addict) 100+

I Can’t Hear You (earbuds always in) 125-150

Audibly Addicted (listening to all the books 24/7) 150+

Mini- Audiobook Challenge News!!

June is Audiobook Month, and we’ll have a special mini-challenge just for the month. Anyone can sign up. You’ll have chances to win audiobooks for finishing an audio series (3 audiobooks), tackling audiobooks from your TBR pile or listening to 3 audiobooks from your library. Look for details in May!

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

Since my reading had declined I am doing 50 Marathoner :)

Audio: Forever Fantasy online by Rachel Aaron

By: Rachel Aaron, Travis Bach

Narrated by: Josh Hurley

Series: Forever Fantasy Online, Book 1

Length: 19 hrs and 23 mins

Release date: 06-05-18

Publisher: Audible Studios

Own /Fantasy

Ok so this took me forever, not because it was bad, but because I had decided to listen in my car, and most of the time I just want music. It took me so long that bookdepo went under and now to get more of these, sigh, well this might just be the end of this series for me. Damn bookdepo.

And yes, it is that Rachel Aaron, but it so Heartrstrikers quality book

Tina and James are playing a game called FFO, and suddenly the game sort of just continues. It takes them a while but they soon realise that they are in the game, and if they die...do they die for real? Not to mention all monsters are angry and the NPPs are even angrier. And all are angry at Players. The scum of the earth.

There is a lot of fighting, against baddies, and to survive in a very hostile world. How they ended up there and how it is real I do not know. I do want to know and how it turns out. I did enjoy the book even if it took me forever,.

Good narration. Constant action made it a good book to listen to

In the real world, twenty-one-year-old library sciences student Tina Anderson is invisible and under-appreciated, but in the VR-game Forever Fantasy Online she's Roxxy—the respected leader and main tank of a top-tier raiding guild. Her brother, James Anderson, has a similar problem. IRL he's a college drop-out struggling under debt, but in FFO he's famous—an explorer known all over the world for doing every quest and collecting the rarest items.

Both Tina and James need the game more than they're willing to admit, but their escape turns into a trap when FFO becomes real. Suddenly, wounds aren't virtual, the stupid monsters have turned cunning, and death might be forever. Separated across a much larger and more deadly world, their skill at FFO is the only thing keeping them alive. But as the harshness of their new reality sets in, Tina and James soon realize that being the best in the game is no longer good enough.

TMST

 

 

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12/12/2023 What were your favourite games/toys when you were a kid?

Favorite toys. How could I remember? 

I loved playing with Barbies. I loved reading. As for games. I honestly do not remember

12/19/2023 Which phone apps can't you live without?

12/26/2023 What are your favorite books/audiobooks that you read in 2023? 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

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Carole reviews: The Midnight Library

 

Author: Matt Haig

Narrator: Carey Mulligan

Title: The Midnight Library

Genre: Fiction, Magical Realism, & Science Fiction

Format: Audiobook

Published:  August 13, 2020

Where I got It: My shelf (Audible)

Summary: 

Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets? A novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

Review:

This is our book club book. I've seen the name and heard good things but I never added it to my TBR. Yayy for being forced! 

Here we follow Nora who finds herself with life just throwing everything at her. Everything has gone wrong, she feels left behind, left alone, and full of regrets. She now finds herself between life and death. In this area, there is a library and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a life that could have been if you made a slightly different choice. Nora will find herself dealing with her regrets and possibly choosing a new life. 

First...I will say there may be some triggering things here. This character is terribly depressed and full of anxiety. We deal with heavy things like death, addiction, and so forth. So be warned. 

I figured I would cry. I was close at the beginning when you just wanted to hug Nora and beg her not to do what she wanted to do. Poor thing. THINGS WILL GET BETTER!!!!! Nora is a doll and it broke my heart. But no tears. This will make you feel and make you think. 

To be honest...I did contemplate all my regrets and choices I made. Life could've gone a whole different direction. It would be interesting to see those lives....mainly out of curiosity not because I think they would've been better. But yes...a crazy and interesting concept. 

The ending was perfection *chefs kiss*. It was fitting and made me happy. It was slightly open-ended but it was fitting. Rare that an open-ended ending is good, but it worked well. 

Mhmmmmm....what to say without spoilers..................errrrrrrrr......this was good. It was interesting to see all our side characters and how they would end up with decisions Nora made. 

This is a great book club book. I can't wait to discuss this so I can go over the spoilers lollll!

The narrator was fantastic! Perfection. 

In the end, I liked this WAY more than expected to. This has a great concept and interesting characters. Normally endings that are even remotely open-ended bother me, buuuuut this was done right. It gives you just enough and it is sort of symbolic of the meaning of the book. I for sure recommend this. I'll stamp this a 5. 

Challenge(s):

- #56 for Audiobook Challenge