Posts tagged ‘audio book’

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February 17, 2012

Book Review: #10 – Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (audio)

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Narrator: Rebecca Lowman
Source: Audible
Finished: 2/8/12
Rating: 8 out of 10
Publisher: Viking
Pages: 352
Published: 2011
Challenges: 2012 Audio Book Challenge

Synopsis (from Amazon): Set during the hazy, enchanting, and martini-filled world of New York City circa 1938, Rules of Civility follows three friends–Katey, Eve, and Tinker–from their chance meeting at a jazz club on New Year’s Eve through a year of enlightening and occasionally tragic adventures. Tinker orbits in the world of the wealthy; Katey and Eve stretch their few dollars out each evening on the town. While all three are complex characters, Katey is the story’s shining star. She is a fully realized heroine, unique in her strong sense of self amidst her life’s continual fluctuations. Towles’ writing also paints an inviting picture of New York City, without forgetting its sharp edges.

Overall Impression: Rules of Civility is a book to get lost in. Towles decadent descriptions of life in 1938 reeled me in and I found myself just falling into the story. Towles has an incredible gift for writing beautiful language, and Rebecca Lowman’s soft, elegant narration did it justice in a way that made me wonder if I would have missed it had I read it in book form. It was all just so lush and thick and delicious. This was, by far, my favorite part of the book — seeing how Towles crafted his sentences and paragraphs. Gorgeous.

The plot got off to a somewhat rocky start for me (it felt a little contrived), but then it sort of flattened out into a more even, realistic story. It’s truly a story of a woman’s independence and coming of age, a little later in life than most. I found myself loving the subplots more than the main triangle of friends — particularly Katey and Wallace and Katey and Anne. These two stories felt particularly timeless — they could have happened any time, but I was lucky enough to read about them in 1938.

This could have been a knock-it-out-of-the-park stellar book if it was not for one thing — I have a hard time when men write female characters. Towles did an admirable job, but there were still parts that didn’t feel distinctly feminine, though, of course, I couldn’t put my finger precisely on it. Maybe it’s that Katey didn’t quite have the emotions that would be spot on for pretty much all women — for the most part, I find that we care about certain things more. Other than this, though, it was an excellent book.

Positives: Towles! Write more beautiful things! Please! I will read them!

Negatives: Katey was missing…something. I can’t put my finger on it, though.

Narration: Rebecca Lowman was wonderful — a little timid in some places, but overall she did an excellent job.

Other books I’ve read by Amor Towles: none

Other books I’ve listened to narrated by Rebecca Lowman: Vaclav and Lena (review)

Other blogger opinions:

books i done read: “We have a heap of Theme and Nuance in this corner, and then a pile of Genuinely Enjoyable Read over there.  And underneath the diving board I believe I spied some Humor.”

Devourer of Books: “Perhaps the real problem for Rules of Civility was simply that it fell victim to my as-yet undiagnosed general dissatisfaction with historical fiction based in America, despite my love for American history.”

Reading with Tea: “Well worth the read. Get your hands on a copy if you can, and even better if it’s in audio!”

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January 27, 2012

Book Review: #6 – The Gunslinger by Stephen King (audio)

The Gunslinger by Stephen King (audio; book #1 in the Dark Tower series)

Narrator: George Guidall
Source: Audible.com
Finished: 1/22/12
Rating: 7 out of 10
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Length: 7 hours, 24 minutes
Pages: 264 pages (print version)
Published: 1982, revised in 2003
Book Club: Book Eaters
Challenges: 2012 Audio Book Challenge

Synopsis (from Library Journal): The Gunslinger introduces protagonist Roland as he pursues the Man in Black through bleak and tired landscapes in a world that has “moved on.” Roland believes that the Man in Black knows and can be made to reveal the secrets of the Dark Tower, which is the ultimate goal of Roland’s quest. They journey through imaginative landscapes, over astounding obstacles, and meet with and confront a unique and fully drawn cast of characters, both human and nonhuman. 

Overall Impression: I had absolutely no idea what The Gunslinger was about when we selected it for book club. All I knew was that it was fantasy and not horror, so I was down to read it. Then Audible had it in their $7.95 sale the other day and…win!

I thought it started off a little slow for me, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect, or even what was happening. The book has a slow, sort of western-y, meandering feel to it, and it took me a while to get acclimated to the style. The world, as well, that King has created is very similar to Earth, but has some striking differences as well. A parallel universe? I think so, but I’m not sure. The plot sort of chugs along, alternating between Roland’s (the Gunslinger) current search for the Man in Black and flashbacks that explain how Roland came to where he was in the present day. The action came in short, satisfying bursts, breaking up the slow hunt that was characteristic of the rest of the novel. Roland still needs some fleshing out as a character — and as there are at least six other books in the series (I believe a seventh is due out this year?), I think that will come in due time. Really, this felt like a prequel to me more than anything. Like it was telling the back story for some great tale that is to come.

Positives: King is really great at showing and not telling — I could picture the book in my mind easily.

Negatives: A slow start, and a lack of character empathization (I just made that up). In other, non-made-up words, the characters, specifically the stoic Roland, were hard to empathize with.

Narration: George Guidall is a wonderful narrator (I read that King selected him personally for this book). I swear I’ve listened to something he’s narrated before, but none of the 900 books he’s narrated seemed familiar. Perhaps he’s done some other voice-over work that might be familiar.

Other books I’ve read by Stephen King: On Writing (read before I started writing reviews)

Other blogger opinions:

Theresa at Shelf Love: “As fans of the whole series, we’re going to naturally view this book as an exposition to a larger story, but there’s some darned impressive storytelling in this single volume.”

Jenny at Shelf Love: “I do think, though, that the tone of the book — its style — is different from what I consider “normal” Stephen King.”

Opinions of a Wolf: “I’m shocked to discover, I like a Stephen King book.”

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January 18, 2012

Book Review: #4 – Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson (audio)

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson (audio)

Narrator: Peter Altschuler
Source: Sacramento Library (I also own an hardcopy)
Finished: 1/15/12
Rating: 8 out of 10
Publisher: Random House Audio
Length: 13 hours, 8 minutes
Pages: 384 (print version)
Published: 2010
Challenges: 2012 Audio Book Challenge, 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Synopsis (from the Book Description): Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, the Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother’s death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and regarding her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition? 

Overall Impression: This is another one of those novels that seemed to get high reviews all around, so I was a little skeptical that I might be The-Night-Circus-style over-hyped. Thankfully, though, to combat the over-hyping I went into it with my expectations fairly low, and I was pleasantly surprised. While it had its cheesy romantic comedy moments, this novel was filled with a lot of heart, backed by solid writing, deep ethical dilemmas, and an engaging plot. I think I found so much of it lovely because it was a late-in-life love story — it felt very realistic, since these two people know who they are and what they want out of life and exactly what will make them happy.  It’s very easy to love Major Pettigrew — with his staid British ways, his desire for decorum and respect, and his abhorrence of much of modern society — as well as Mrs. Ali, who has everything one loves in an older woman, including dignity, a humorous streak, and a deep sense of duty (and the knowledge of when to go against it). The supporting cast gets a little cliched, but for the most part, they are nice bunch as well.

Positives: Overall, it was just one of those books to be enjoyed. A lovely read all around.

Negatives: Everything wraps up very neatly at the end. Even the messy parts are somehow a little too tidy.

Narration: I really loved Peter Altschuler’s narration of this book. He was able to handle a host of different British accents, and I really felt the emotion he put in the voices of the characters. I’d love to listen to other books he’s narrated.

Other books I’ve read by Helen Simonson: none

Other books I’ve listened to narrated by Peter Altschuler: none

Other blogger opinions:

A Lifetime of Books: “And it bugs me that the book brought up a very important issue then simply brushed it aside: can a mixed religion marriage really work?”

Just a Book Worm: “The plot did have some cheesy twists, but overall it’s a very well written and enjoyable book.

S. Krishna’s Books: “She never drags the reader down with heavy subjects though; they are expertly incorporated in the story, such that the reader doesn’t even realize there’s any sort of social commentary taking place until after the scene has passed.”

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January 13, 2012

Book Review: #3 – The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (audio)

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (audio)

Narrator: John Pruden
Source: Audible (I also own an hardcopy)
Finished: 1/10/11
Rating: 7 out of 10
Publisher: HarperAudio
Length: 7 hours, 42 minutes
Pages: 336 (print version)
Published: 2011
Challenges: 2012 Audio Book Challenge, 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Synopsis (from the Book Description): With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters – losers, cheaters, and ne’er-do-wells from all stripes of life–and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.

Overall Impression: First off, this might be one of my favorite book covers of all time. It’s awesome on so many levels.

Told from the perspective of the less-violent of the Sisters brothers, Eli, this was a controlled romp through the Old West. I say controlled because of the style of story-telling that deWitt infuses in Eli. Everything is on one level. A shoot-em-up in a bar? Told with the same amount of enthusiasm as Eli and Charlie discovering tooth brushes for the first time. The whole tone of the book is at this same level, which I thought was very clever of deWitt and gave Eli a strong, dry narrative voice. This dryness also managed to convey a level of humor that I wasn’t expecting. Overall, I thought the book was good but not great — while I enjoyed listening to it while I did stuff around the house, there was nothing about it that made me stop what I was doing just so I could listen more closely. I’d definitely recommend this to fans of Westerns — I think this was a good homage to the older style Westerns. I did enjoy that this all took place around Sacramento — once again I’m a sucker for the Gold Rush and everything connected with it.

Positives: It was a solid effort and I’d definitely pick up deWitt’s other book Ablutions.

Negatives: Nothing stood out to me as being spectacular. It really was one level all the way through. Perhaps this, however, was spectacular in its own way.

Narration: Pruden captured the dry story-telling style of this book perfectly.

Other books I’ve read by Patrick deWitt: none

Other books I’ve listened to narrated by John Pruden: none

Other blogger opinions:

Book Atlas: “This books stands out for me as an entertaining, well-written, imaginative piece of fiction and deWitt’s storytelling is head and shoulders above a lot of his better reviewed contemporaries.”

The Mookse and the Gripes: “It’s a good western — not one that breaks the mold, certainly not one that “revises” the genre (as some reports would have it) — but it’s certainly one I recommend.”

Book Chase: “If I had to describe Patrick deWitt’s western novel, The Sisters Brothers, in one word, for instance, I would probably choose ‘irreverent.’”


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January 1, 2012

Book Review: #109 (from 2011) – The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Narrator: Jim Dale
Source: Personal copy
Finished: 12/29 /11
Rating: 8 out of 10
Publisher: Doubleday
Pages: 400
Published: 2011

Synopsis (from Barnes & Noble): Erin Morgenstern’s dark, enchanting debut takes us to the black and white tents of Le Cirque des Reves, a circus that arrives without warning, simply appearing when yesterday it was not there. Young Celia and Marco have been cast into a rivalry at The Night Circus, one arranged long ago by powers they do not fully understand. Over time, their lives become more intricately enmeshed in a dance of love, joy, deceit, heartbreak, and magic.

Overall Impression: This was highly praised by All The Bloggers. Everywhere I went, people were praising this all over the place. Which meant that I went into The Night Circus with a big case of Over Hype.

I also went into it with a horrible case of Jim Dale Of Harry Potter Fame Was Narrating It And While I Adore Jim Dale It Was Like Listening To Harry Potter And So My Brain Thought It Was OK To Tune It Out A Little Because I’ve Read Harry Potter Before. This is, obviously, a very rare and specific disease. But it meant that I found myself having a hard time concentrating and sometimes I’d realize I hadn’t comprehended anything for the last few minutes. I also had such a difficult time with the timeline and the short chapters, especially in audio book form. I think this kept me from enjoying the book as much as other people did. I do own a hard copy — I’m guessing I’ll give it a shot in a year or two. I think it will go down better than the audio did.

But other than that criticism, I really did enjoy it. Morgenstern is one of those writers who has the gift of painting with their words onto a page. It’s more than writing — it’s truly art, and the story came alive through her words. Her descriptions of setting and characters were magnificent. I loved how she created a deep romance without resorting to cliches. And while I had a difficult time following the timeline in the beginning, everything came together about 2/3 of the way through the book and I really loved it from there on out.

Positives: Her writing! It was gorgeous.

Negatives: Difficult to get into due to a changing timeline.

Narration: I really do think that Jim Dale is one of the best audio book narrators out there. His skill with Harry Potter was phenomenal and I love hearing his voiceover work in the (sadly canceled) show Pushing Daisies. His reading of The Night Circus was excellent, but like I said above, it might have been too similar to Harry Potter, so I had a hard time keeping my brain on the book when I was doing other things (cleaning, cooking, sewing, etc.).

Other books I’ve read by Erin Morgenstern: none

Other blogger opinions:

My Books. My Life.: “This is not a mere tale of magic. It is a story of love, friendship consequences, and destiny.”

Literary Musings: “If you are looking for something unique that offers a balance of enchantment, romance and mystery, you’ve got to read The Night Circus.”

Little Red Reviewer: “Don’t let the non-chronological order thing make you nervous, there is no better way of telling this story.”

books i done read: “I started reading this and was enjoying it muchly and then the twitternets went all squirrelly with the BEST BOOK EVAR and CHANGED MY LIFE and BOOK CURES CANCER and I was internally like, Dudes!  You must mellow the hype.  Because The Night Circus is excellent and great and good (and yes, has stripey end papers) but it will not bring your blood sugars down to an acceptable level or make you attractive to the sex of your choice.”

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