Ode to the Audiobook

This  Ode to the Audiobook perfectly describes my addiction. I may forget to take my cell phone, I may forget to lock my door, I may even forget to put on real shoes when I go out to do errands, but I never forget my audiobook! Most of the time I get my chores & errands done while I'm in another world.

This past week I was still in the world of Maisie Dobbs.  So far I have heard four books from the series, the first 4 actually.   I heard Messenger of Truth (4th in the series). This book shows how Maisie has grown both professionally and personally.  In the midst of solving two mysteries, Maisie realizes that her independence and her work are more important than personal relationships and she ends her romantic relationship with Andrew Dean.  She always seems to get involved with a mystery other than the one she's paid to solve.  I enjoyed reading Jacqueline Winspear's blog Maisie Dobbs - Inspiration from an Extrardinary Generation.

The last Maisie Dobbs book I heard was the second in the series Birds of a Feather.  This one is set in the spring of 1930.  Maisie has an office and an assistant, Billy Beale.  She has been summoned to find a wealthy heiress who has disappeared.  Three women who were friends of the runaway woman are dead, apparently all killed by the same person who left a white feather at the murder scene.  Maisie solves the crimes and finds the heiress by using her powers of observation and meditation.  I highly recommend the Maisie Dobbs series to anyone who loves a strong female protagonist and a good mystery without blood and violence. 

I have now heard three different narrators and I'm not sure who is my favorite.  I really liked them all but Kim Hicks who narrated Birds of a Feather might be my favorite.

My mp3 player keeps skipping tracks and causing me to utter words I don't say in public.  I can't afford another right now but I've been researching to see what brand I want next.  So far I've only used Creative products and have been happy for the most part but I'd hate to have a temper tantrum and stomp it because it failed me at a crucial moment.   I really wouldn't do that, or would I?