Challenge: 50 Books discussion

Raven (my canine companion) and I are looking forward to a great year of reading, unless, of course, the experts have correctly interpreted the Mayan calendar, in which case we still have most of the year. By the end of 2011 we were reading more and enjoying it less, finding ourselves scattered and overwhelmed by all we wanted to read. This year we are going to take it slower, and go back and read some novels that I consider my favorites, but I have not read in a long time. Most of them will be the first time around for Raven. Most of them are pretty long, too, so my book total may go down. 2010 = 75. 2011 = 73. 2012 = ? Happy New Year!

I, too, feel I need to be a little more deliberate about my reading. I find myself unable to remember half the plot points in books that, when asked, I would tell you I really enjoyed. Too much reading, too little estrogen. Wishing you and Raven a great year of reading.

I hope I'm not in for a lot of disappointments in rereading books that were my favorites. in a good portion of those I have reread, when I get to the end I can't imagine why I considered it to be a great influence on my life. I guess I have different concerns at 60 than I had at 20. Do ya think? We shall see.

Or at least your perspective changes. Really, couldn't you just slap Holden Caufield?

No. 1 Nightwoods by Charles Frazier (audiobook)***** I started 2012 off with a bang with an excellent book. I had never read a book by Charles Frazier before, and this one was so beautifully written and atmospheric. A young woman has chosen to live a very secluded life in an abandoned lodge in the mountains. Her seclusion, however, is broken however with the arrival of her sister's damaged and endangered children. I listened to the audio version of this which was excellently narrated by Will Patton, a favorite actor of mine.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 0
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 8 hrs., 46 mins.

Susan wrote: "Raven (my canine companion) and I are looking forward to a great year of reading, unless, of course, the experts have correctly interpreted the Mayan calendar, in which case we still have most of t..."

It should be about quality and not quantity. I am setting a goal of 50 books also but will slow down and enjoy. I have 2 canine companions Tipper and Henry and they are very instrumental in helping me reach my reading goals. Happy New Year and I hope you enjoy your reading.

Sheila wrote: "Susan wrote: "Raven (my canine companion) and I are looking forward to a great year of reading, unless, of course, the experts have correctly interpreted the Mayan calendar, in which case we still ..."

Yes, slow and steady might not win the race, but it will keep you from feeling frazzled and disoriented at the end of the year. I have a second dog, too: Hunter, who sometimes reads with me. However, I don't feel he is really into it; I think he is just there from the ear rubs. Happy New Year to you, too.

Donna wrote: "Or at least your perspective changes. Really, couldn't you just slap Holden Caufield?"

Lol, Donna. I didn't see this until now.

No. 2 The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt **** 2012 continues with another good book. In this unique book -- can a stone cold killer reconcile his lethal occupation with his softer, feminine side? And, what about his dream to open up a little haberdashery?

I had to be in the mood for it, though. Set it aside for a couple of weeks halfway through.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 336 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 8 hrs., 46 mins.

Definitely one I remember from last year's reading. Such a memorable story. Just fantastic. :)

Susan wrote: "No. 2 The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt **** 2012 continues with another good book. In this unique book -- can a stone cold killer reconcile his lethal occupation with his soft..."

No. 3 The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman (audiobook)***** My 2012 luck continues with another great book. I loved this book. I have read a lot of Alice Hoffman's books throughout the years with various reactions, but this one is phenomenal.

In 70 C.E. the Romans have attacked and laid waste to all of Israel. Jerusalem is in ruins; the Temple is destroyed. Four women, Yael, Revka, Aziza and Shirah, serially tell their stories of neglect, grief, loss, banishment and deception, the horrors they had to endure and those they had to commit to survive. They must bear hardships, danger and starvation until they reach a respite of sorts -- the walled fortress built on rock -- Masada. Once there they must again face privation and drought until they meet the greatest of all dangers -- the huge Roman army intent on the destruction of the last Israeli outpost. The book is faithful to the basic facts that we know of the Siege of Masada.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 336 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 8 hrs., 46 mins. + 20 hrs. = 28 hrs., 46 mins.

Susan wrote: "No. 3 The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman (audiobook)***** My 2012 luck continues with another great book. I loved this book. I have read a lot of Alice Hoffman's books throughout th..."

Susan wrote: "I hope I'm not in for a lot of disappointments in rereading books that were my favorites. in a good portion of those I have reread, when I get to the end I can't imagine why I considered it to be ..."

Susan, As a little girl thru teen years I would read everything. Loved it. As a young mother I barely could read my name. Now a grandmother of 3 I have written a book, I'm Nobody.. by Erma Steppe. This took me 2 years to complete the writing. I have now returned to reading and it seems like I have to read some books over to get the full impact, unless it's a very romantic love story, well....

Erma wrote: "Susan wrote: "No. 3 The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman (audiobook)***** My 2012 luck continues with another great book. I loved this book. I have read a lot of Alice Hoffman's books..."
Erma -- I realized that I kept telling people I loved such-and-such a book, and then couldn't remember anything about it. I figured I either should reread it or stop telling people it was so great.

No. 4White Truffles in Winter by N. M. Kelby **** Another good book for 2012. As the world marches toward the Second World War, the famous chef Auguste Escoffier and his wife, the poet Delfine Defis, are destitute and nearing death at their villa in Monte Carlo. During much of their marriage, the Escoffiers have lived apart, due to his long affair with the actress Sarah Bernhardt. Escoffier created and named many dishes for Bernhardt, but never one for his wife. Now, together again, Delfine wants a dish created by Escoffier for her, and hires a cook with an uncanny resemblance to Bernhardt to inspire him.

I had some difficulties with this book. I found it difficult to follow what was going on in the present time, but thoroughly understood and enjoyed the flashbacks. At the end of the story, I discovered that the flashbacks had filled in for me what was going on in the present part of the story. But some of the book was frustrating for me while I was reading it. It was interesting to see Escoffier's connection between food and passion, food and love, and food and life, much as an artist or musician would make that connection with their art and passion, love and life. I particularly enjoyed the excerpts from the book that the author has Escoffier writing at the time of his death. All in all a very enjoyable and informative novel. The best part is getting to say over and over in you mind as you read the name Escoffier. It has a lovely sound.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 336 pages + 332 pages = 668 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 28 hrs., 46 mins.

Progressing with my reading S-l-o-w-l-y, but I have been fortunate to find very good books so far.

No. 5 The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough (Audiobook)**** A delightfully entertaining and informative book about Americans' experiences in Paris from about 1830 to the turn of the last century. Amazingly, some of the first Americans to go to Paris were medical students. because Paris had the most up-to-date medical schools. Throughout the century such notables and future notables such as James Fennimore Cooper, artist (I didn't know) and inventor Samuel Morse, entertainers Tom Thumb, P.T. Barnum and Buffalo Bill, artists John Singer Sargent and Mary Cassatt, sculptor Augustus St. Gaudens, Ambassador Elihu Washburn, and Senator Charles Sumner. I also did not know that much about about French politics in the 1880's, except for the Franco-Prussian War, so I found accounts of the citizen king Louis Phillipe, the French commune, and Louis Napoleon very interesting.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 668 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 28 hrs., 46 mins. + 14 hrs., 45 mins. = 43 hrs., 31 mins.

My 2012 luck with great books did not hold out.

No. 6. Ouregano by Paule Constant ** This is a book translated from the French by French author Paule Constant. I am taking a class at the Institute of Adult Learning at our local Chesapeake Community College. I have been taking Margot Miller's classes in French Literature in Translation for several years now. Margot Miller did the English translation for this book, did her dissertation, which was published, on Ms. Constant. Ouregano is a fictional town located in Africa during the time of the French colonization. The story deals with a seven-year-old girl arriving in Ouregano with her parents because her father is to serve as the doctor for the region. I have not read anything about the French colonies in Africa, but I have read much about the English presence in India, and this follows right along the same lines. The characters are introduced, and they are stereotypes well established in the European colonial system, and none of this is breaking fresh ground for me. The tone of the book is very depressing. So, basically, it is, for me, a typical French novel. It seemed to me that about 7/8 of the book is setting up the characters and situation, and it was not until the end of the book that anything actually starts to happen. Despite the books, we usually have a good discussion in this class. It was not so great today because there was a lot of introduction material and I had such a terrible cold that I just wanted to go home. Others in the class appeared to happier with the book than I was.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 668 pages + 195 pages = 863 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 43 hrs., 31 mins.

It had to happen some time...
Hope you feel better.

Donna wrote: "It had to happen some time...
Hope you feel better."

Sadly, yes.

No. 7 <<The>> Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam ***** A Russian woman looking for information on her dead brother, an American man looking for his lost son, a jihadist and a school teacher each seeking sanctuary, all end up in the house of an Englishman living in Afghanistan. This novel was a little hard to follow sometimes, but the horrors of war, and a whole generation of war, is strikingly explicit. At the risk of offending someone, my belief that the traditions of the middle East, along with the misogyny and cruelty of Islam, and the brainwashing by the Taliban, makes it impossible for the East and West to ever understand each other and live in peace.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 863 pages + 352 pages = 1,215 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 43 hrs., 31 mins.

Well, now you've done it.

Sorry. i hoped no one would notice.

No. 8 Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks **** The title Caleb's Crossing has a dual meaning. Caleb, a Native American born on what will someday be called Martha's Vineyard, crosses to the mainland to attend Harvard College in the 1660's. The title also refers to Caleb's decision to become a Christian and learn to live like the white men because he realizes that the vast numbers of whites coming to America will crush the Native Americans out of existence. That said about Caleb, the book is narrated by and centers mostly on the story of Bethia Mayfield, a white girl from a Puritan family who has come to live on the island. Bethia, without her family's or anyone else's knowledge, befriends Caleb when they are children and they both enjoy the Island like a new Adam and Eve in their personal Garden of Eden. When they grow older, however, they must give up their friendship as Bethia takes on her stilted female role in the Puritan society. They are thrown together again when Caleb converts and studies with Bethia's minister father. The very strong part of the story follows the difficulties of Bethia, as a young woman who thirsts for knowledge and education, being forced into the very subservient female role of the times. The author's use of antiquated language and her knowledge of customs of the times gives the reader great understanding of the role of women in the 1600's. And, yeah, Caleb is there, too

TOTAL PAGES READ: 1,215 pages + 320 pages = 1,525 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 43 hrs., 31 mins.

I am way behind because I am reading longer books. This one, for example:

No. 9 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (Audiobook) **** (given under duress).
See my review http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...

TOTAL PAGES READ: 1,535 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 43 hrs., 31 mins. + 46 hrs., 46 mins. = 90 hrs., 17 mins.

No. 10 Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West (audiobook) ** This book about eastern college-educated young women going out West to teach school, had some interesting moments, but never really caught my attention.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 1,535 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 90 hrs., 17 mins. + 8 hours & 9 mins. = 98 hrs., 26 mins.

No. 11 Confidence pour confidence by Paule Constant (Trading Secrets in English) **** On the fifth book of Constant's that I had to read for a class, I finally found one that I enjoyed reading and actually finished. There was a delightful discussion about and around the book, with the equally delightful members of class, as always.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 1,535 pages + 165 pages = 1,700 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 98 hrs., 26 mins.

No. 12 Leaving Van Gogh: A Novel by Carol Wallace (audiobook)*** This book was about the last few months of the life of artist Vincent Van Gogh told from the perspective of Dr. Paul Gachet, his doctor and friend, in the small village of Auvers-sur-Oise outside Paris where they both were living. According to a letter from Vincent to his brother Theo, Vincent considered Dr. Gachet to be "fighting the nervous trouble from which he certainly seems to me to be suffering at least as seriously as I." The famous Portrait of Dr. Gachet by Van Gogh (http://www.vangoghpaintings.net/?s=dr...) shows a deeply depressed man. There are mysteries today about Van Gogh -- exactly what was he suffering from, did he really commit suicide or was he killed (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10...), and, ironically, there is a mystery surrounding his portrait of Dr. Gachet (www.usnews.com/usnews/doubleissue/mys...). Author Carol Wallace gives her interpretation of the facts in this novel, and it was interesting point of view.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 1,700 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 98 hrs., 26 mins. + 10 hrs., 75 mins = 109 hours, 41 mins.

No. 13 Journal: The Short Life and Mysterious Death of Amy Zoe Mason by Joyce Atkinson and Kristine Atkinson **** Beautiful looking book, made to look like a journal kept in an altered book format. And, a very quick read. I'd love to keep a journal like this -- with a different ending, of course.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 1,700 pages +160 pages = 1,860 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 109 hours, 41 mins.

No. 14 A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World by Tony Horwitz ***** Reading Tony Horwitz is a wonderful way to learn history. His research on his subject takes him to the most interesting and improbable people and places, and his easy style of writing with always a touch of humor keeps things lively. In this book, the second of his that I have read, he seeks out and follows the paths of those who "discovered" America. Finding that a large number of Americans confuse Columbus and the Mayflower, he sets out to find out what happened in the century between these momentous events, and why some discovers' stories resonate with the American mind, and why some are forgotten. Fascinating reading; highly recommended.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 1,860 pages + 445 pages = 2,305 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 109 hours, 41 mins.

No. 15 Lord John and the Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon (audiobook) **** I am not a fan of Diana Gabaldon's Lord John series, because, while I think he is an excellent supporting character, he is not interesting enough to me to be a major player. I read this because it had Jamie Fraser of the Outlander series in it. It was good to be with him again, even though his lively wife Clare was not in his life at this time. The story was all right, although I was more interested in what was going on with Jamie than the actual plot. ONE SERIOUS THING WRONG. I read it in audiobook form. I am used to Davina Porter's wonderful narration of the Outlander books, and she manages to speak Jamie's voice excellently. This book had two male narrators for some reason. It took me a while to notice that there were actually two narrators, one reading the story from Lord John's POV and one from Jamie's. The one who read Jamie's part of the book, when speaking in an atrocious Scots accent for Jamie, was way too high pitched. AND, he often SPOKE WITH A LISP! A LISP! For Jamie Fraser, the manliest of men? I think NOT.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 2,305 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 109 hours, 41 mins. + 16 hours = 125 hours, 41 mins.

No. 16 The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker. ***** I loved this book while I was reading it. Was a little thrown off be the ending, so I am still processing it (and processing whether it deserves my 5 star rating). So, I may revise this, although I'll probably forget.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 2,305 + 343 pages = 2,648 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 125 hours, 42 mins.

No. 17 In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson (audiobook) ** I usually like books like this: non-fiction that concentrates on one small segment of history. I have read a lot about WWII and Germany. I found this rather boring. Interestingly, although so many people have told me they loved The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, also by Larson, I could never get into that either. It must be something about this writer's work that does not resonate with me. I finished this because it is a book for my book club.

TOTAL PAGES READ: 2,648 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 125 hours, 42 mins. + 13 hours = 138 hours, 42 mins

Donna wrote: "I, too, feel I need to be a little more deliberate about my reading. I find myself unable to remember half the plot points in books that, when asked, I would tell you I really enjoyed. Too much rea..."

I have this exact problem too... I can remember whether I enjoyed the book or not, but can't actually recount most of the events in the story!

No. 18 Travels With Myself and Another by Martha Gellhorn ***** I thoroughly enjoyed myself on Martha's travels.

My review: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92...

TOTAL PAGES READ: 2,648 pages + 294 pages = 2,942 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 138 hours, 42 mins.

No. 19 Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins by Emma Donoghue **** Very enjoyable.

My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

TOTAL PAGES: 2,942 pages + 228 pages = 3,170 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 138 hours, 42 mins.

No. 20 Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard. **** 1/2 To me, the only thing that distinguished James Garfield from the other hard-to-remember, interchangeable late 19th Century president with questionable facial hair, was the fact that he was assassinated. This book focuses on James Garfield as a man, a family man, a candidate, a president, and a brave but unfortunate patient. He is shown as a lovely man, good-humored, modest, intellectual, hard working, who was drafted into the presidency by a constituency that loved and admired him. The book also follows the life of his assassin, the life of Alexander Graham Bell, who is much more than the inventor of the telephone (as if that weren't enough), and the accomplishments of Joseph Lister, the pioneer of antiseptic surgery. A riveting story that puts a spotlight on a pivotal moment in history.

TOTAL PAGES = 3,170 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 138 hours, 42 mins. * 13 hours, 25 mins. = 152 hours, 7 mins.

No. 21 The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukov *** I was flipping through the TV channels awhile ago, and paused for a few seconds on OWN. Oprah Winfrey was talking to Gary Zukav about The Seat of the Soul. I thought it sounded interesting. The next day for some reason I lost audio on OWN and Oprah never spoke to me again. I got the audiobook and it sounded familiar. It was written in 1984. In the 1980's I read a lot of New Age stuff, and I figured I had it all memorized. Then in the second-to-the-last disc he said something about dolphins, and I knew I had definitely read this book before. Part of my mental processes wondered that if Karl Marx was right and "Religion was the opiate of the masses," was the New Age stuff the opiate of the 1980's masses? It basically said, we are all evolving, and if you don't feel like evolving right now, that's okay, because you'll get around to it eventually in some future lifetime. So, don't worry; be happy. Hakuna matata. Que sera, sera. But, something on that same second-to-the-last disc hit home to me. It made sense, and I've got to work on that. Ding! Oprah has earned another set of wings.

TOTAL PAGES = 3,170 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 152 hours, 7 mins. + 6 hours & 39 mins. = 158 hours, 46 mins.

No. 22 And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (audiobook) *** It was an Agatha Christie mystery.

TOTAL PAGES = 3,770 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 158 hours, 46 mins. + 5 hrs. 52 mins. = 163 hours, 38 mins.

No. 23 Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (audiobook)***1/2 I am giving this book 3-1/2 stars. I listened to this on an audiobook, and (I never thought I would ever say this) I do not recommend it. Many people who read the book in print said that they loved it, that it was witty and amusing. The narrator, Rebeccas Lowman, sounds like she is tired and perhaps bored by having to tell her (Katey's) story. I found myself almost jarred when Rebecca (as Katey) gets in some good one-liners. Despite this passionless narration, I found that when one character exits the scene, things became more interesting, and I realized that I was hooked. This could have been a really good audiobook. Also, I could not figure out why George Washington's book was a tie-in to this, and what was so bad about it.

TOTAL PAGES = 3,770 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 163 hours, 38 mins + 11 hours, 30 mins. = 175 hours, 8 mins.

No. 24 Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick (audiobook) **** I read this for my May book club, so I will wait to review this.

TOTAL PAGES =3.770 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 175 hours, 8 mins. + 8 hours, 45 mins. = 183 hours, 53 mins.

No. 25 When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman *** 1/2 I enjoyed this story of a very secular humanist family living in England who creates an extended family among friends and takes all alternative lifestyles easily in its stride. I found it confusing in many parts to figure out what was happening in the present time and what had happened in the past, and how far in the past. All in all, however, that confusion did not take away from the story too much, and sooner or later everything fit together well enough.

TOTAL PAGES - 3,770 pages + 296 pages = 4,066 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME = 183 HOURS, 53 MINS.

No. 26 The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (audiobook) (reread) ***** My second experience with this book was perhaps even better than the first. Unfortunately, I cannot go up to six stars. The audio version of the book, narrated by Alan Corduner was amazing. He has a beautiful voice, and acts the part of Death to perfection. The story is so touching, and, oh, Hans Huberman, you are the best of all humans.

TOTAL PAGES = 4,066 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME - 183 hours, 53 minutes + 14 hours, 30 minutes = 198 hours, 23 minutes

No. 27 The Sisters by Nancy Jensen ***

My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

TOTAL PAGES: 4,066 pages + 336 pages = 4,402 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 198 hours, 23 minutes

No. 28 Fanny Stevenson: A Romance of Destiny by Alexandra Lapierre ****

My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

TOTAL PAGES: 4,402 pages + 565 pages = 4,967
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 198 hours, 23 minutes

No. 29 Great House by Nicole Krauss (audiobook) ***

My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

TOTAL PAGES: 4,967 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 198 hours, 23 minutes + 12 hours, 45 minutes = 211 hours, 8 minutes

No. 30 As the Twig Is Bent by Winifred Foley (reread) ***** A sweet and delightful memoir of the author's childhood in a Gloucester mining town in the 1920's, and her experiences of going "into service" at the age of 14, the only option available to girls of her class at that time. It is hard to imagine such living and working conditions in civilized countries today. Throughout it all, however, is the love among all members of the family, and utter joy in the beauty around her. I have given it five stars because I first read this about 20 years ago, and there are parts of it that I have remembered and thought about and have found deeply affecting, and made me want to revisit it.

TOTAL PAGES: 4,967 pages + 254 = 5,221 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 211 hours, 8 minutes

No. 31 The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (audiobook) ** This is a retelling of a Russian folk tale, but, for me, it lacked magic.

TOTAL PAGES 5,221 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 211 hours, 8 minutes + 10 hours, 51 minutes = 221 hours, 59 minutes.

No. 32 The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney ***** This is the author's second book, and it is the second of her books to which I have given 5 stars. I really love her work. She has created a wonderful character in the teenaged boy JJ.

My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

TOTAL PAGES: 5,221 pages + 399 pages = 5,620 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 221 hours, 59 minutes.

No. 33 The Ballad of Tom Dooley: A Ballad Novel by Sharyn McCrumb (audiobook) * Big disappointment from an author I usually enjoy.

My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

TOTAL PAGES: 5,620 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 221 hours, 59 minutes + 9 hours = 230 hours, 59 minutes

No. 34 Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall **** While the Civil War is waging elsewhere, a plantation wife is brought to remote Sanibel Island off the Florida coast to begin her confinement, and possible rehabilitation, in an elite lunatic asylum. Interestingly, the definition of insanity at that time was whether or not one accepted one's role in society. As the story unfolds, it brings forth questions of exactly who is insane in this time of insanity, and who is confined.

I gave it four stars.

TOTAL PAGES: 5620 pages + 270 pages = 5,890 pages
TOTAL LISTENING TIME: 230 hours, 59 minutes.