I already did a What I’ve Been Listening To column first week of the month. But more and more, audiobooks are an ongoing part of my day. Having traded in a lifetime of on-and-off running, for daily walks, I’m getting some quality listening time in that way as well.

The TBL (To Be Listened to) list is growing beyond manageable proportions. But I continue to mix in some ‘new things’ with my re-listens. I am quite happy listening to some things over and over again: like the Dirk Gently BBC radio plays, John Maddox Roberts’ SPQR books, and Lee Goldberg’s Eve Ronin.

I mentioned last month that I’m revisiting Robert B. Parker’s Cole & Hitch, read wonderfully by Titus Welliver (Bosch). The next one up just became available through my library app, so I’ll be back to those soon.

DICTATOR (Robert Harris)

In my earlier Listening column this month, I talked about Imperium, the first book in Robert Harris’ trilogy about the Roman statesman, Cicero. I went on and listened to Conspirator, and then Dictator (all available on audio from my library app).

The books are told in the first person by Cicero’s secretary, Tiro, and narrated quite well by Bill Wallis.

Unlike John Maddox Roberts’ SPQR books (which I LOVE and are mysteries, these Cicero books involve his legal and political careers. The political shenanigans, and depiction of Roman society and culture, make these fascinating books. Caesar, Pompey, Crassus, Claudius – you wanna talk about power hungry and ruthless!

This third and final book is twice as long as each of the first two, and takes us through Cicero’s death (which befit his times). Cicero left behind a great many writings, and has been portrayed more and less favorably by different writers. These are on the more positive side.

The trilogy was adapted into six plays of an hour each, and performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Man, I’d love to see them!

Steven Saylor’s Roma Sub Rosa mysteries feature Cicero, and those are on my list to work through. I enjoyed the first book.

If you like Ancient Rome historical fiction, you really should read – or listen to – this trilogy. Harris (author of Fatherland) is a very good writer.

DON’T PANIC (Neil Gaiman)

The only other Gaiman I’ve ever read is Good Omens, which he co-wrote with the amazing Terry Pratchett. So whatever he may or may not be as a human being, I don’t care. He and Douglas Adams were friends, and he wrote a must-read for any fan of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series.

I read this book and learned a lot. I listened to read it, and it was again a treasure trove of information. It also spurred me to start re-reading the first Hitchhiker’s book again. And I bought two more biographies (I had the official one already), as well as the terrific collection of Adams miscellanea, 42. I love Adams, and any fan of his should read/listen to Gaiman’s book.

MISTLETOE MURERS – SEASON 4 (Prime)

So, before this was a popular Hallmark+ streaming series, it was an Audible streaming series. I prefer the Audible, which I’ve talked about before here at Black Gate. Season 4 just dropped, so I re-listened to the first three (I’m also watching the TV series for the first time; I like it). Then, I listened to season four.

Emily Lane runs a year-round Christmas store in a Canadian tourist town. But she’s got a murky past, having been some kind of government operative. And while she solves a murder every episode in classic Hallmark fashion, there’s a Hydra-like evil organization that hasn’t been completely left in the past.

Cobie Smulders (Marvel’s Agent Maria Hill, and the female lead on How I met Your Mother), is superb as Emily. I’d listen to this show just for her. But every episode is a tense thriller. Highly recommended. There’s a spin-off, Middlebridge Mysteries, featuring the daughter of Mistletoe’s co-lead, police officer Sam.

THE ANNOTATED SWORD OF SHANNARA (TERRY BROOKS)

My buddy Fletcher Vredenburgh just did (another) deep dive into this book. His post was also on the Annotated version.

I’m working on a couple upcoming posts on that book, which is my favorite fantasy novel of all time. It has been for over forty years. And frankly, those of the Lin Carter mindset who disparage it, can go to Hell.

I’m not a total Brooks fanboy. I haven’t read all of the Shannara books, which total almost three-dozen in one massively epic cycle. And I wasn’t that impressed with his memoir on writing, Sometimes the Magic Works. But I like a lot of the Shannara cycle. And Sword remains atop my fantasy book list. I even played the PC game three decades ago.

The Annotated Sword is 27 hours long! Now, that’s still way shorter than the 44 hours it took me to listen to Steven Erikson’s Toll of the Hounds. I’m a Malazan fan, but that audiobook was like going to work every day for months. I did not enjoy it (terrible narrator, and my least favorite story line so far).

I am 14 hours into this book, so I’ve got a ways to go. Brooks’ insights are adding to my knowledge of the book. He’s a bit disingenuous about the Tolkien influence, but he is probably wary of giving fuel to his critics’ fires. Sword is reinforcing that while I like sword and sorcery, I like epic/high fantasy, more. Brooks, Tolkien, Eddings, Jordan, Feist, McKiernan – I dig this stuff.

Sword remains my favorite fantasy, and the Annotated version is worth the listen so far. I will probably read the three short stories next, but I’m not going to do a Shannara deep dive. But I will write about Sword some.

MISC

I mentioned that I regularly fall asleep at night to the two Dirk Gently (more Douglas Adams) BBC radio plays, as well as Norbert Davis’ Max Latin (I mentioned that I wrote the intro to Steeger books reissue, right?).

I reinstalled another one I drift off to: Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel. This BBC series was a somewhat revised version of an old Marx Brothers radio show. The actors playing Groucho and Chico, are PERFECT. I can’t imagine any Marx Brothers fan not laughing along with these.

Maybe I’ll do a post on the audiobooks on my wish list. I put things in it and leave them there for over a year. Others come and go. I get ‘in a mood’ for a type or author, and that may last or pass. I am using my library app more to expand my listening. But right now I have 22 books on my wish list; slightly less than half of which I have in print form and have read.

Prior Audio Posts:
What I’ve Been Listening To: November, 2025
What I’ve Been Listening To: August, 2025
What I’ve Been Listening To: June, 2025
What I’ve Been Listening To: February, 2025
What I’ve Been Listening To: November, 2024
What I’ve Been Listening To: September, 2025
What I’ve Been Listening To: August, 2024 (Part II)
What I’ve Been Listening To: August, 2024
What I’ve Been Listening To: July, 2024
What I’ve Been Listening To: September 2022
May I Read You This Book? – (My favorite audiobook narrators)

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Bob Byrne’s ‘A (Black) Gat in the Hand’ made its Black Gate debut in 2018 and has returned every summer since.

His ‘The Public Life of Sherlock Holmes’ column ran every Monday morning at Black Gate from March, 2014 through March, 2017. And he irregularly posts on Rex Stout’s gargantuan detective in ‘Nero Wolfe’s Brownstone.’ He is a member of the Praed Street Irregulars, and founded www.SolarPons.com (the only website dedicated to the ‘Sherlock Holmes of Praed Street’).

He organized Black Gate’s award-nominated ‘Discovering Robert E. Howard’ series, as well as the award-winning ‘Hither Came Conan’ series. Which is now part of THE Definitive guide to Conan. He also organized 2023’s ‘Talking Tolkien.’

He has contributed stories to The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories — Parts III, IV, V, VI, XXI, and XXXIII.

He has written introductions for Steeger Books, and appeared in several magazines, including Black Mask, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, The Strand Magazine, and Sherlock Magazine.

You can definitely ‘experience the Bobness’ at Jason Waltz’s ’24? in 42′ podcast.