Wednesday Earplugs- the Weekly audios

It's been a few weeks since the last update,  but I haven't been listening as much as I used to.  During our recent road trip, I had over 20 books loaded up on my MP3, but found I was really having trouble finding any that appealed to me.  I had forgotten to transfer the one we really wanted to listen to in the car, and we ended up doing a lot of talking and/or sleeping when it wasn't our turn to drive, so the earphones are just getting resurrected.
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I did manage to finish

An Irish Country Christmas

by Patrick Taylor
narrated by Jack Keating

A thoroughly enjoyable cozy read about two doctors who love their patients, who live in a big rambling house with their surgery in the same building, who are lovingly cared for by one of the most delightful characters- Mrs, Kinky Kincaid- I've met in a long time. Both docs are suffering from unrequited love, which lends some depth to their characters and the story. Not great lit, but a fun read, and it certainly got me in the mood for thinking about the upcoming holidays.  It even gave me a boost to be able to contemplate the holidays without some of my children/grandchildren being able to be physically with us.
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Now here's what I had to abandon:

As I previously said, I put aside The Shadow of the Wind,, but based on a wonderful and lively book discussion with friends in Florida while we sat on the beach eating great seafood in St Augustine, I'm going to try to finish this one.  She said she had the same reaction in the center of the book, but indicated that it was definitely worth finishing.  So I'm going to move that one back to the front burner.

A Family Affair

by Rex Stout
narrated by Michael Prichard

Since we own almost everything Rex Stout ever wrote, I was determined to read at least one Nero Wolfe mystery this year.  Many of my LT friends think these are wonderful books.  So when I saw this on the rack at the local library, I grabbed it, thinking it would be something great to listen to on the trip.  I cannot for the life of me see why anyone wants to listen to, or read about, a pompous overbearing egotist who thinks he is so wonderful that there is a new solar system of which he is the center.  I stand ready to be proven wrong, but this one didn't work for me AT ALL.

Death In a Strange Country

by Donna Leon
narrated by Anna Fields

As most of you know, I really enjoy this series.  The problem with this audio was the narrator.  All the other books I've listened to have had marvelous narrators who read with a decent Italian accent when it was called for.  Ms. Fields slaughtered the perfectly beautiful Italian, and it was too painful to listen to.  This one is still on my list to be read, but my eyes will have to supply the words to my brain on this one.
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I'm currently listening to Malice Prepense, a Barbara Holloway courtroom drama, by Kate Wilhelm.  Like her others in the series, this one is terrific.

Before next week's post, I'll try to finish Shadow in the Wind, but I also have plans to listen toShepherds Abiding by Jan Karon (I know I'll like that one- I read it every year for Christmas), and one of many others that look appealing.  I'll suprise myself (and you my readers) by picking something different.