Since I have gotten myself an audible account I have been keenly listening to them. It’s a lovely service, and a god-send for those who do not have the time to curl up with an actual book, or any reading device for that matter.
Luckily, thus far, I have been reading lots of books on my Ipad as well as kindle–but I am happy to state that I have also listened to plenty of books on my audible account. Thus far I have accumulated 14 books on Audible and only five of them are unfinished–and I hope to complete at least three of them during the “lockdown.”
So, without further ado, following are the books that I am listening to on audible service in April 2020:
- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Written by William L. Shirer.
My Knowledge of Second World War was negligible prior to this book but I never grew tired of searching about my various curiosities regarding the Nazi party and its charismatic leader Adolf Hitler. I never understood what was Hitler’s endgame with regard to his misadventure in Soviet Union and as to why he never went for the kill against Great Britain when he had the chance. Listening to this book is a very rich and rewarding experience. It is available on audible and is narrated by a gentleman named Grover Gardner. This book has really whetted by appetite for Second World War literature.
2. Talking to Strangers. Written by Malcolm Gladwell.
To tell you the truth, I have no idea whether by the end I am going to like this book, or end up terming it as a waste of time. The book is narrated by the Author himself, and while listening, I get the impression that I am listening to some podcast by some generic American podcaster. Lucky for me, only seven hours is left to listen to. However, there are parts in the book thus far which I am digging.
3. Mythos. Written by Stephen Fry.
So, this audiobook narrated by Mr. Stephen Fry and I would listen to any words enunciated by the multi-talented gent that is Mr. Fry. This is a completely uncharted territory for me: I don’t know anything about the Greek Myths or any other European pre-Christian culture or stories. However, I am intrigued by Mr. Fry’s manner of narrating this book and as to how he expounds on the stories relating to Zeus et al. I have only just begun and therefore do not expect to complete it soon–a good 13 hours are left; but hopefully, by the end I would have finished a major chunk of it and would be in a better position to talk about it.
4. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. Written by Yuval Noah Harari.
This audiobook is ready by Mr. Derek Perkins and is written by best seller writer YNH. I have only just started this audiobook, so cannot say for certain where this book will take me by the end but I intend to finish. Interestingly, I was almost moved to exchange this for I listened that the author has referred Mr. Xi Jinping as batting for liberal order as opposed to other “democracies” embracing populist strongmen. I am convinced that the author has misread the situation but i let it pass as I am interested to know how the author would tackle humanity’s exigent and important issues in the 21st Century.
5. Sherlock Holme: Definitive Collection. Written by Arthur Conan Doyle.
This audiobook–as the name would suggest–contains all the novels and stories featuring the world’s most famous and perhaps loved Detective character. And, it is more than 70 hours long and I am, I think, going to take lot of time on it. I don’t intend to finish it quickly but complete it at a leisurely pace, say 8-9 months?
I will not finish all five books in this month on account of shortness of a human being’s natural lifespan and one’s reality of having other stuff to do. But, I will, hopefully, finish at least three of them.
