My foray into the world of audiobooks continues.

3.5 stars for the stories and the extra 1.5 stars for the excellent narration.

I've not ever been what one could call a James Bond fan. I'm not a James Bond hater, either. I had no strong feelings about the character/books/movies one way or the other. This was based on my trying to watch assorted Bond movies when I was younger and not being able to get into them. Therefore, I never attempted to read any of the books, assuming I wouldn't like them.

Flash forward to me discovering audiobooks narrated by actors whose voices I find appealing and I end up owning a copy of this book narrated (mostly) by Tom Hiddleston, and I find my opinion has changed somewhat.

It consists of several short stories:

• Octopussy
• The Property of a Lady
• The Living Daylights
• 007 in New York

It also has an interview with Tom Hiddleston.

I'd have to say my favorite of the lot was Octopussy, but The Living Daylights is right up there with it. I enjoyed all the stories enough that I am considering trying out at least one more in audiobook format. Though, having looked at the lengths of some of the other novels, I'm feeling a bit cheated that the one Hiddleston narrates clocks in at just under four hours.

Speaking of Tom Hiddleston...I won't go into how his voice affects me--anyone who's known me any length of time knows that. But I will give him major kudos for his narration. The voices he gives the characters are all distinctive and his narration flows smoothly. He also did a great job with various different accents, and never fell into sterotypical, disrespectful sounding accents. And his ohmygosh, his voice, y'all askadsgdjslaldjsha. *coughs* Sorry, it just slipped out.

The final story is narrated by Lucy Fleming, and she does a fine job with the extremely short, 007 in New York.

All in all, I was very pleased with this collection. I only wish it had been longer.

I never actually got around to reviewing this book when I read it last year, but I gave it an actual rating of 3.5 stars...rounding up to 4.

I've just finished listening to the audiobook version, which is narrated by Tom Hiddleston, and I am still unsure as how to review this book. It's just really so bizarre, and even though I wasn't exactly sure if I was enjoying it, I couldn't stop reading it...or listening to it, this time around.

So, I'll stick with my original rating of 3.5 star for the actual content, and Tom Hiddleston's excellent narration earns it the extra 1.5 stars. I mean, with that voice, he could narrate the phone book, and I'd find it utterly compelling and spellbinding. Heh.