The Marci Rating System

A recent audiobook was WAY more of a journey than I expected, and it went something like this:

*oh, here's one to try, it's only 4 and a half hours long; that seems good

*I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M NOT EVEN ONE HOUR INTO THIS IT FEELS LIKE IT'S GONE ON FOREVER ALREADY

*am I bored enough to stop listening?

*ooh, but I'm mildly interested in what happens

*[trying to explain it] 'there's a volcano! and there was just an avalanche! by all reckonings, this book SHOULD be exciting, but somehow it isn't!'

*okay, I only have an hour-ish left, and I'm now moderately interested in how this is all going to wrap up, because it feels like there's a lot of plot to resolve and not a ton of time to do it

*[checks time remaining] hang on, now there's less than five minutes left?????

*oh, so they're just... not going to resolve the plot, okay, that's cool too

*sometimes the best a way to end a story is to just stop writing

*it was what the author wanted! (I guess? I don't actually know how published books work.) I genuinely love that for them! it wasn't my favorite book of all time, but I sure did have an experience, and I appreciate that!

I've now read (listened to) the first four Murderbot Diaries audiobooks, plus Fugitive Telemetry (book 6, but the internet advised that it fits into the timeline as book 5, which it definitely seemed to do).

They were great, I loved them! (ESPECIALLY 'Artificial Condition,' because of ART, and also 'Exit Strategy,' because of TEAMWORK)

And NOW I'm up to Network Effect, and I'm NERVOUS! I have a vague idea of stuff that happens, and it's SO MUCH! I'm taking a break right now by listening to some other more relaxing audiobooks before I dive in.

I'm two books into the three-book series 'Chaotic Orbits' by Beth Revis, and looking forward to book three today. Well, 'looking forward to' in the 'squinting through my fingers and hoping this turns out okay' sense.

On the one hand, it seems like there is definitely an opportunity for some clever plot stuff to happen!

But on the other hand the plot is stressful, and I would mostly just like the two main characters to hold hands and have a nice vacation!

[note to self: write more stories where characters hold hands and have a nice vacation]

Yesterday I started listening to an audiobook that was ten hours long. I usually try to listen for at least 20% of the run time before deciding if I'm going to bail out, because that's ABSOLUTELY what the 80/20 rule is.

(Note: that is not what the 80/20 rule is. Except that it sort of is, in the sense that we all seem to have collectively agreed that we can call almost anything 'the 80/20 rule.')

I got an hour and a half into the book, and thought to myself, 'these characters are absolutely UNHINGED,' and I couldn't decide if I was reluctantly admiring of that fact, or just reluctant. But I wasn't at the two-hour mark yet, and there was an action scene, and so I kept listening. I made it to three-ish hours before I threw in the towel.

(I completely agree that in real life, people can feel nervous and playful and angry all at the same time. We contain multitudes! But I read fiction because I prefer to relax with characters who are LESS complicated to figure out than real people.)

Also, it was right about that point when the library app informed me that a copy of 'Murderbot' was ready to borrow, which turned out to be Extremely Entertaining! EXCELLENT TIMING, LIBRARY APP!

Love getting the email from hoopla telling me I still have borrows left for the month -- it's like 'hey, you signed up for free things! you could get more free things if you want! just making sure you're taking full advantage of your free things! if you want them!'

I mean, I do want them! Thanks, hoopla! I'm actually fully aware of how many borrows I have left for the month, along with a vague and ever-changing plan of what I'm going to use them for. I'm simply savoring the anticipation of them, and the vast possibility they currently hold.

AUDIOBOOKS AT THE DENTIST: A REVIEW

*Yesterday I was at the dentist office, having some work done. Not too long, thank goodness; only about 40 minutes. And instead of music, I had AN AUDIOBOOK.

*I happened to be listening to a VERY DRAMATIC part of the book at that moment, so while I have a vague recollection that the dentist did all the usual things, my brain was SUPER DISTRACTED by hearing about fighting vampires in a forest.

*The timing worked out well, and probably isn't something I could predict with any accuracy. Would have been LESS GREAT if the book happened to be at, say, a sex scene. AWKWARD.

*But overall a success! I didn't mention that it was an audiobook this time, so I escaped the 'oh, what book are you listening to?' questions. (It was Dianne Duvall's 'Night Reigns,' which I wasn't averse to sharing. It's just that the dentist already perceives my physical existence more than I'd really prefer, and it's comforting to still have some things be private.)

*Got 'The Wedding Witch' by Erin Sterling from my hold list this week, which is the third of a three-book series. Getting it was a fun prize all on its own, since notifications like 'the book you placed on hold is now ready to borrow' are an EXCELLENT use of technology.

*The first two books of the series were largely memorable for the talking cat (obviously my favorite character). The talking cat only had a tiny cameo in this book, which was unfortunate. There was a second cat introduced, though -- a delightful surprise despite not having a speaking role.

*The summary offered bears Very Little resemblance to the story itself (like, way less than usual). Unless 'Declan' is the Welsh way of saying 'Colin,' which could actually be the case, I don't know.

*I really thought the author was going to do something clever to wrap up the plot, not just 'time travel is so weird, I guess magic?' BUT I absolutely respect the 'I'm finishing this story and that's THAT' strategy, and I was definitely not reading it for the plot. So, that's fair.

*I definitely WAS reading it for the cat and the relationships (both romantic and family), which got the main focus. Hooray!

THE BEST PART OF THE AUDIOBOOK

*It's narrated by Mary Jane Wells. This is the first book I've listened to with her narrating, but she was GREAT. I was experiencing 'Raphael Corkhill narrating 'Winter's Orbit'' levels of listening enjoyment. I immediately looked up what else she's narrated and tagged some for future listening. A book I enjoyed that leads to other books I might enjoy: MY FAVORITE THING!

Full disclosure: I cannot speak in a Welsh accent. I would not even know where to begin with such a thing.

Despite this lack of knowledge and ability, I'm going to bring it up anyway! Because this book has a character who is canonically from Wales, and grew up in Wales, and I am enjoying listening to the book very much, but would also personally would be enjoying it even more if he had a Welsh accent.

I always find it challenging to rec any pro-published work, because it feels more fraught, somehow. With fanfic, I figure AO3 includes all the tags and warnings, so it's easy for anyone to get a basic idea of whether they want to read something. (Plus there's always Ctrl+down arrow, my personal favorite technique! I just want to know how it ends, okay? I GET NERVOUS.)

But I've recently been enjoying audiobooks as a way to read and crochet at the same time, and searching out free offerings on Libby and hoopla (both offered through the local library, both highly recommended!). And I've especially enjoyed audiobooks by Jessie Mihalik, which seem to hit the sweet spot for me of 'I wonder what's going to happen next?' without veering into 'I wonder if I can skip ahead and not miss too much' or 'I AM SO STRESSED ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THIS BOOK.'

(ALSO after my previous grumbling about four-book series, I'm pleased to report that each book in Jessie Mihalik's trilogies can be enjoyed as a standalone story. There are plot arcs that carry through, but nothing I would call a cliffhanger, particularly relationship-wise.)