THE EARLY DEMISE OF THE 2019 AUDIO BOOK CHALLENGE

This challenge was given in early January by “Caffeinated Reviewer” and “Hot Listens.” My blogging friend, Carla, at “Carla Loves to Read” accepted the challenge, deciding to read 50 audiobooks in the year 2019. Not to be outdone, I signed on for 30 audiobooks.

This weekend I completed book #10, and have come to the conclusion that this is a good stopping place for me. I do not know if audiobooks, in general, are just not a good “fit”, or if I lack the focus to listen and not be distracted by all the things I could be doing, but I’m calling a halt to my listening.

Here are the books I listened to:

1.  The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barberry  This actually was a successful completion of the book after three false starts, and one I probably would never have finished if I had not listened rather than read.
2. Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King  This book was a good one to listen to, and I could do housework, etc. while listening.
3. For One More Day by Mitch Albom  Albom’s books tend to be so short that it doesn’t matter whether one reads them or listens to the audio version.
4. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger  My Better Half and I both listened to this one and enjoyed it immensely. I can hardly wait to read the sequel.
5. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston  This was another I had tried to read unsuccessfully, but completed thanks to the dramatic narration of the audiobook.
6. The Music Shop  This was a delight that was as easy to listen to as it would have been to read.
7. Cambridge by Susanna Keyson  I doubt I would have finished this novel had I been reading it, but I was able to listen to the end and was satisfied with the ending.
8. The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks  I listened to this one after deciding to get into reading “Books about Books,” and its length probably would have prevented my sticking with the printed version; however, listening was a very pleasant experience.
9. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (pronounced Yah Jesse) This book which traced 300 years in Ghana’s history through characters from several generations was an excellent listening experience.  the “exquisite language” kept me eager to listen several times a day, often making it hard to take a break.
10. Finders Keepers, the sequel to Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King rounded out an even ten audiobooks.

I think this is an excellent place to drop the challenge and to finish up some of the many books I have started (or at least looked at) and to clear some space on my TBR shelf.

Signing off on The 2019 Audiobooks Challenge

Rae