Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, 462 pages

Loved. This. Book.  Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest for life in 1922 due to a seditious poem.  He is sentenced to live in the same luxury hotel he has been living in for four years, but is moved from his suite to small servants quarters.

Alexander is in his early 30s when he is sentenced and quite a man of the world.  We follow his life for the next 30 years or so, all lived out in the hotel.  The book is full of friendship, love, coping, humor and a cast of wonderful characters. 

I listened to the book, which was read by Brit Nicholas Guy Smith.  Pure heaven.  I stopped listening for a few days because I didn't want it to end.  Alas, I had to finish it because ultimately, I had to know how it ended. 

The Second Confession by Rex Stout 197 pages

Now that the library offers audiobooks by Interlibrary Loan, I can fulfill my dream of listening to all the Nero Wolfe mysteries!  This title, however, is one that we have at our own library.  I must have heard it before, but didn't remember much about it.  Nero Wolfe is hired by a man to discover whether the young man his daughter is dating is actually a communist.  This would not do as far as the client is concerned, for him or his daughter.  All he needs is proof to show his daughter so that she'll break it off with him.  Well, Wolfe confirms with the client that the job is actually to discourage the daughter from carrying on with this young man, for any reason and gets to work.  As always, that means that Archie is really doing the work.  Wolfe can just sit and deduce from reports.  In the process of discovering the young man's political affiliations, Wolfe is contacted by a possible nemesis.  They have not been on opposite sides of an investigation yet, which is how Wolfe hopes it remains, since it will mean he has to go into hiding.  When the young man under investigation is found dead, run over, and by Wolfe's car, things really kick into high gear.  This book was read by Michael Prichard, which is how it is best to enjoy a Wolfe mystery.