The characters in The Hollow were generally unlikable snobs. We spend a significant amount of time at the beginning getting to know the murder victim,The characters in The Hollow were generally unlikable snobs. We spend a significant amount of time at the beginning getting to know the murder victim, whom I really didn't care about. I guess he's a great doctor, but we honestly get more of that at the end that at the beginning. Generally speaking, his friends and family seem to be much better off without him.
The conspiracy didn't seem plausible ((view spoiler)[specifically, that possibly everyone on the scene when Poirot arrived may have been involved? that's implied, but then only one claims the credit, and it just seemed odd to me (hide spoiler)]), and the story really seemed to drag on and on.
Audiobook narrator Hugh Fraser couldn't save this one for me.
Note: I read the dual edition The Murder of Roger Ackroyd & The Hollow, but I wanted to track & review the two books separately. ...more
The twist in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was interesting, but not enjoyable to me. I loved the running gag with Poirot talking about how much he misseThe twist in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was interesting, but not enjoyable to me. I loved the running gag with Poirot talking about how much he misses his idiot/imbecile friend, Hastings, then going on to tell the narrator that he reminds him of his dear friend Hastings. That made me smile every time.
Audiobook narrator Hugh Fraser is very good. __________________________________
The characters in The Hollow were generally unlikable snobs. We spend a significant amount of time at the beginning getting to know the murder victim, whom I really didn't care about. I guess he's a great doctor, but we honestly get more of that at the end that at the beginning. Generally speaking, his friends and family seem to be much better off without him.
The conspiracy didn't seem plausible ((view spoiler)[specifically, that possibly everyone on the scene when Poirot arrived may have been involved? that's implied, but then only one claims the credit, and it just seemed odd to me (hide spoiler)]), and the story really seemed to drag on and on.
Audiobook narrator Hugh Fraser couldn't save this one for me. __________________________________
The theme of this bundle seems to be (view spoiler)[killers who Poirot allows to suicide (hide spoiler)], which I don't find particularly satisfying. ...more
Wow, this story is slow. Miss Marple is barely in it. She doesn't show up until 2/3 of the way through the book (chapter 10 of 15), and even then, sheWow, this story is slow. Miss Marple is barely in it. She doesn't show up until 2/3 of the way through the book (chapter 10 of 15), and even then, she's barely "on screen." The back cover summary is just plain inaccurate (Marple shows up because she's invited, not because she "questions the coroner's verdict of suicide").
Audiobook narrator Richard E. Grant is much less annoying than Emilia Fox, but he's not my favorite Agatha Christie narrator. I do think he did better with The Moving Finger than The Murder at the Vicarage....more
This is my third Miss Marple mystery, and it's rather a slow starter. I found the first seven chapters (which do include a murder!) rather boring. MarThis is my third Miss Marple mystery, and it's rather a slow starter. I found the first seven chapters (which do include a murder!) rather boring. Marple arrives in the 8th chapter, and it did get better from there. I thought it was obvious who Pip was all along. I had to look up the Pip & Emma pun (it's a play on P.M. = afternoon). I have to assume Christie knew what she was doing with lines like:
"...Lord, I wish I had my own particular old Pussy here. Wouldn't she like to get her nice ladylike teeth into this. Right up her street it would be..."
"Don't you despise the old Pussies in this village of yours, my boy..."
"George, it's my own particular, one and only, four starred Pussy. The super Pussy of all old Pussies..."
"If you'd been up against it, and then, rather like a shivering stray cat, you'd found a home and a cream and a warm stroking hand and you were called Pretty Pussy and somebody thought the world of you... You'd do a lot to keep that..."
I was really not a fan of audiobook narrator Emilia Fox's choices. It seems universal to voice Marple as meek (I cannot fathom why), but in addition to that, Fox voiced multiple female characters as screechy and childish. It was rather unpleasant. And, since so many characters were shrieking loudly, I had to turn down the volume which made it impossible to hear the quieter characters, which included Marple and the police inspector.
The Secret of Chimneys is the first Superintendent Battle book, and Battle is barely in it. This isn't really a criticism as the main character, AnthoThe Secret of Chimneys is the first Superintendent Battle book, and Battle is barely in it. This isn't really a criticism as the main character, Anthony Cade, is quite fun. I enjoyed the mysteries and the little twists.
The Secret of Chimneys is the first Superintendent Battle book, and Battle is barely in it. This isn't really a criticism as the main character, AnthoThe Secret of Chimneys is the first Superintendent Battle book, and Battle is barely in it. This isn't really a criticism as the main character, Anthony Cade, is quite fun. I enjoyed the mysteries and the little twists.
Audiobook narrator Hugh Fraser is excellent.
____________________________
A Murder is Announced is my third Miss Marple mystery, and it's rather a slow starter. I found the first seven chapters (which do include a murder!) rather boring. Marple arrives in the 8th chapter, and it did get better from there. I thought it was obvious who Pip was all along. I had to look up the Pip & Emma pun (it's a play on P.M. = afternoon). I have to assume Christie knew what she was doing with lines like:
"...Lord, I wish I had my own particular old Pussy here. Wouldn't she like to get her nice ladylike teeth into this. Right up her street it would be..."
"Don't you despise the old Pussies in this village of yours, my boy..."
"George, it's my own particular, one and only, four starred Pussy. The super Pussy of all old Pussies..."
"If you'd been up against it, and then, rather like a shivering stray cat, you'd found a home and a cream and a warm stroking hand and you were called Pretty Pussy and somebody thought the world of you... You'd do a lot to keep that..."
I was really not a fan of audiobook narrator Emilia Fox's choices. It seems universal to voice Marple as meek (I cannot fathom why), but in addition to that, Fox voiced multiple female characters as screechy and childish. It was rather unpleasant. And, since so many characters were shrieking loudly, I had to turn down the volume which made it impossible to hear the quieter characters, which included Marple and the police inspector....more
How do you rate a book that was amazing right up until the last 5 minutes? I loved this story, and I hated the ending! (view spoiler)[Why couldn't theHow do you rate a book that was amazing right up until the last 5 minutes? I loved this story, and I hated the ending! (view spoiler)[Why couldn't they be OK with Will just not being with either of them? All of the things Cassandra learned, and it turns out Cassandra is the one who doesn't believe her own prophesies. (hide spoiler)] Maybe that's the point, but if so, it's as unsatisfying as most Greek myths.
Audiobook narrator Kristin Atherton was very good except for the loud, squeaky, little girl voice she used for Sophie, which is extremely obnoxious. ...more
Agatha Christie called Poirot "detestable, bombastic, egocentric" but imagine how you'd act if you spent that much time around Hastings.
Hastings: "I aAgatha Christie called Poirot "detestable, bombastic, egocentric" but imagine how you'd act if you spent that much time around Hastings.
Hastings: "I am literally this person's alibi. I still think they're guilty."
I would be insufferable, too, if that was the guy following me around doubting my intelligence every step of the way. Hastings might be TSTL. Anyway, the mystery was interesting, and the twists were fun.
Audiobook narrator Hugh Fraser is one of the better Christie narrators. A-tier.
A fun, cozy little memoir. I was expecting a bit more zaniness from reading Darkshire's posts as Sotheran's on Twitter back in the day, but it was a lA fun, cozy little memoir. I was expecting a bit more zaniness from reading Darkshire's posts as Sotheran's on Twitter back in the day, but it was a lovely read nonetheless.
As an audibook narrator, Darkshire had a few stumbles. There were more in the first couple of chapters than the rest of the book. His enunciation is a little mushy, as well. It didn't really detract from the book, but I did notice. Three and a half stars for his narration....more
My second Agatha Christie mystery is my first Hercule Poirot story. This one was quite enjoyable with lots of twists and turns and opportunities for tMy second Agatha Christie mystery is my first Hercule Poirot story. This one was quite enjoyable with lots of twists and turns and opportunities for the reader to say, "I knew it!"
Audiobook narrator Hugh Fraser is excellent as the voice of Hastings.
My mystery shenanigans with Anty! Fitzsimmons's writing keeps improving, and Anty keeps being the antidote to real-world stress. Hoopla (finally!) addMy mystery shenanigans with Anty! Fitzsimmons's writing keeps improving, and Anty keeps being the antidote to real-world stress. Hoopla (finally!) added this book yesterday, I checked it out when the limits reset at midnight, and I finished it this evening. Highly recommend!
Audiobook narrator Tim Bruce brings these stories to life. Five stars for Bruce!...more
My first Agatha Christie novel! There's a reason Christie is the Queen of her genre. I couldn't put it down. I admit, I wasn't expecting Marple to plaMy first Agatha Christie novel! There's a reason Christie is the Queen of her genre. I couldn't put it down. I admit, I wasn't expecting Marple to play such a small part in the overall story. I'm also not entirely sure when/where the final note (the one found in the curate's room) was written. This might be my own fault. I didn't want to stop reading, but I was trying to multi-task, so I kept pausing and skipping back, and maybe I still didn't catch when that was explained.
Audiobook narrator Richard E. Grant was a bit disappointing. On one hand, this book is told from the Vicar's perspective, and he does seem to be a rather dull man who wouldn't manage voices well. OTOH, this book would have been better served by a narrator who did voices well. Miss Marple, especially, could have used a bit of PERSONALITY. Overall, Grant's performance detracted from the story.
DNF @ 10 minutes. Audiobook narrator Em Eldridge is unlistenable! If I didn't know better, I'd say this was read by a bad AI using her voice, but EldrDNF @ 10 minutes. Audiobook narrator Em Eldridge is unlistenable! If I didn't know better, I'd say this was read by a bad AI using her voice, but Eldridge actually did this herself. There are weird long pauses in the middle of sentences that remind me of text-to-voice pausing at the end of a line. The inflection is bizarre. Someone compared it to the TikTok voice, and maybe she did that on purpose as an homage to the book's origin? Whatever her reason, it was a bad choice. Even bumping the speed up to 1.2x didn't help. ...more
Woo, this one's rough. Apparently, I bought it for $2 on Kindle in Nov 2020. I have no memory of this purchase, but I came across it in my lDNF @ 24%.
Woo, this one's rough. Apparently, I bought it for $2 on Kindle in Nov 2020. I have no memory of this purchase, but I came across it in my local library's Hoopla audio offerings, and decided to check it out. I now slightly regret not reading the digital version, so I could highlight the terrible lines. So many quotes that sound like they're straight out of the Men Write Women twitter feed!
"Confident women didn't exist in Aberystwyth; they only existed in books or in Beatrice's dreams."
Audiobook narrator Gabrielle Baker is much, much better than this writing warrants, and her Welsh accent sounds vaguely Jamaican.
Merged review:
DNF @ 24%.
Woo, this one's rough. Apparently, I bought it for $2 on Kindle in Nov 2020. I have no memory of this purchase, but I came across it in my local library's Hoopla audio offerings, and decided to check it out. I now slightly regret not reading the digital version, so I could highlight the terrible lines. So many quotes that sound like they're straight out of the Men Write Women twitter feed!
"Confident women didn't exist in Aberystwyth; they only existed in books or in Beatrice's dreams."
Audiobook narrator Gabrielle Baker is much, much better than this writing warrants, and her Welsh accent sounds vaguely Jamaican....more
This book is crazysauce! If you go in expecting pleasant silliness or any type of logical story line, you WILL be disappointed. If, however, you expecThis book is crazysauce! If you go in expecting pleasant silliness or any type of logical story line, you WILL be disappointed. If, however, you expect a Shakespearean comedy (without the fairies) and 3rd party interference, well, this book is there. The only truly "good" characters are the sisters & step-mother. Everyone else is dumb or evil or at least chaotic neutral. Turns out the only reason the MC really has to get married is because her aunt didn't and regretted it, which seems like a terrible reason to force someone into a marriage. I don't believe for one minute that the MC & love interest will actually have a HEA. If the plot had been less ridiculous, it would have been unreadable.
The tea party epilogue is even weirder than the story. You would have to be a hardcore Victoria Alexander fan to enjoy it. I was just lost and gave up less than halfway through.
Audiobook narrator Charlotte Parry really struggles. Her inflection is usually good, but she uses two voices for all the characters, which means the male love interest sounds the same as the female best friend, which is... offputting. I would rather she didn't do any voices at all.
Merged review:
This book is crazysauce! If you go in expecting pleasant silliness or any type of logical story line, you WILL be disappointed. If, however, you expect a Shakespearean comedy (without the fairies) and 3rd party interference, well, this book is there. The only truly "good" characters are the sisters & step-mother. Everyone else is dumb or evil or at least chaotic neutral. Turns out the only reason the MC really has to get married is because her aunt didn't and regretted it, which seems like a terrible reason to force someone into a marriage. I don't believe for one minute that the MC & love interest will actually have a HEA. If the plot had been less ridiculous, it would have been unreadable.
The tea party epilogue is even weirder than the story. You would have to be a hardcore Victoria Alexander fan to enjoy it. I was just lost and gave up less than halfway through.
Audiobook narrator Charlotte Parry really struggles. Her inflection is usually good, but she uses two voices for all the characters, which means the male love interest sounds the same as the female best friend, which is... offputting. I would rather she didn't do any voices at all....more
I had been really looking forward to this. I like Three Men in a Boat a *lot*. It's in my insomnia rotation, which means I listen to it several times I had been really looking forward to this. I like Three Men in a Boat a *lot*. It's in my insomnia rotation, which means I listen to it several times per year. It is lovely and insightful and funny. Three Men on the Bummel is... not. It lacks the self deprecation that made the first book so charming. Where Three Men in a Boat's Jerome discovers the universal truths, the Jerome on a Bummel already knows it all. There is no empathy in this story, certainly not from the writer toward the people he describes, which made it impossible for me to feel any for the writer either.
Audiobook narrator Frederick Davidson is an excellent choice. I recommend his takes on Three Men in a Boat, and I always enjoy his Wodehouse narrations. He couldn't save this book for me.
I started listening to this book 9 months ago (it's free on Audible Plus), and I keep meaning to go back to it. I'm giving myself permission to let it go. Life's too short for bad books.
Merged review:
I had been really looking forward to this. I like Three Men in a Boat a *lot*. It's in my insomnia rotation, which means I listen to it several times per year. It is lovely and insightful and funny. Three Men on the Bummel is... not. It lacks the self deprecation that made the first book so charming. Where Three Men in a Boat's Jerome discovers the universal truths, the Jerome on a Bummel already knows it all. There is no empathy in this story, certainly not from the writer toward the people he describes, which made it impossible for me to feel any for the writer either.
Audiobook narrator Frederick Davidson is an excellent choice. I recommend his takes on Three Men in a Boat, and I always enjoy his Wodehouse narrations. He couldn't save this book for me.
I started listening to this book 9 months ago (it's free on Audible Plus), and I keep meaning to go back to it. I'm giving myself permission to let it go. Life's too short for bad books....more
This is the last book in the series in the Audible Plus Catalog, and while Hoopla has book 6, I think I'm done with the series. It's not terrible, butThis is the last book in the series in the Audible Plus Catalog, and while Hoopla has book 6, I think I'm done with the series. It's not terrible, but it is FRUSTRATING. As soon as a certain piece of evidence (the (view spoiler)[bloody handkerchief (hide spoiler)]) shows up, the MC says that it absolutely could not belong to a certain suspect. And then, she ignores this for the rest of the book. Every time that piece of evidence is brought up, I expected her to explore the fact that it DOESN'T BELONG TO THE SUSPECT, and she just doesn't.
Audibook narrator Sarah Zimmerman still does her weird inflection thing for the MC. I also noticed in this book she often sounds like she's got something in her mouth, especially when she's doing the male voices. ...more
I can't tell if I've gotten better at tuning out Sarah Zimmerman's odd inflection choices or if she's makinOne of the better mysteries in the series.
I can't tell if I've gotten better at tuning out Sarah Zimmerman's odd inflection choices or if she's making fewer of them. (If I deliberately listen for them, it will get harder to tune them out, so I'm not going to do that.) Either way, she does have a nice voice....more
![Immersionplus German [With Listening Guide] (German Edition) by Penton Overseas Inc. (2003-12-01) Audio CD](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1699486681l/141774041._SX50_.jpg)
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