Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen

Rating: 3.5

skinny Skinny Dip

Author: Carl Hiaasen

Reader: Stephen Hoye

Short Review: An engaging, funny, environmental crime novel set in the Florida Everglades. Hiaasen is a gem, and Hoye is good but doesn’t shine quite as brightly.

Long Review: As the book opens, Hiaasen has us witness an attempted murder at sea. The beautiful young Joey Perrone is thrown overboard by her husband Chaz. In the water, Joey reminisces over just how useless her murdering husband is as she struggles to stay alive. Retired cop Mick Stranahan rescues Joey the next morning, and hilarity ensues. Hiaasen draws a number of memorable likeable (or dislikeable) characters and sketches some extras to fill out the plot. Chaz is truly distasteful; Joey, Mick, and Karl Rolvaag are truly likable.

I won’t reveal any more about the plot. Hiaasen’s books are as enjoyable as they are because he plays with plot and language so effectively, and I’d hate to diminish any of that fun for a reader. Suffice it to say that Hiaasen keeps it fun and maintains quick pacing throughout the story.

I always hesitate to criticize audiobook narrators–it’s a hard job, and one I don’t have any direct experience with. But I do criticize, because I know that a reader whose work puts me off will put me off of an audiobook entirely. There are readers I cannot bear to listen to and readers I absolutely love, and the differences in their styles aren’t always noticeable to other listeners. In this instance, I found Hoye’s narration too affected at the beginning of the book. Thankfully, his reading grew on me as he relaxed into the role, and by the end, I was comfortable with his style. Skipping back to the beginning to work on this review reawoke my misgivings, though, so it seemed worth mentioning.

By Lanea on August 17, 2009 |Comments (0) |
More reviews of Funny Audio Books, Mystery Audio Books, Social Commentary Audio Books, , |

Making Money by Terry Pratchett

Rating: 3.5

money Making Money

Author: Terry Pratchett

Reader: Stephen Briggs

Short Review: This follow-up to Going Postal follows Moist Von Lipwig as he embarks on a new venture: running the Mint at the all-too-pointed behest of Lord Vetinari. Briggs, as usual, reads well and beautifully. Pratchett, as usual, is funny and satirical. What’s not to love?

Long Review Considering when this book was released and when Pratchett must have started work on it, I’m beginning to believe the man is downright prescient. Making Money opens in the midst of a financial crisis in Ankh-Morpork. Lord Vetinari encourages Lipwig to take over Ankh-Morpork’s banks and mint and reverse the longstanding gross mismanagement and corruption. Lipwig tries to refuse, finds he can’t, and digs right in.

The familiar Vetinari, Lipwig, and Dearheart all return, and are joined by a number of other interesting characters like Malvolio Bent, chief cashier and Harry King, garbage kingpin. We learn more about Dearheart’s work in the Golem’s rights movement, Lipwig’s past, and business happenings in Ankh-Morpork.

The plot isn’t quite as organized or fast-paced as Going Postal, which makes me wonder if it was rushed to press, or if Pratchett fell out of love with the story towards the end. Whatever the reason, I’m not all that disappointed. This isn’t Pratchett’s best work, but it’s much more entertaining than most of the jolly satire laying about. I’ll keep listening to his audiobooks and reading his paper books as long as he produces them, and I’d encourage you all to do the same.

By Lanea on August 6, 2009 |Comments (0) |
More reviews of Fantasy Audio Books, Funny Audio Books, Social Commentary Audio Books, , |

Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett

Rating: 4

johnny
Johnny and the Dead

Author: Terry Pratchett
Reader: Richard Mitchley

Short Review: A standout story from Pratchett’s Johnny Maxwell trilogy, read with great personality and skill by Richard Mitchley. Our hero Johnny learns that he can see and speak to the Dead in his local cemetery, and winds up facing down corrupt, frightening enemies.

Long Review: The second book in the Johnny Maxwell series follows Johnny as he discovers his ability to see and talk to the dead, and then intercedes on the behalf of the ghosts living in his local cemetery. Johnny stands up to crooked local politicians and thugs, hangs out with his friends, and learns a great deal about local and British history and politics along the way. As I’ve come to expect, Pratchett’s story is funny, sharp, and thoroughly enjoyable. The story is slightly scary in a few parts, but it’s never the Dead who are frightening–Johnny is threatened by normal, flesh and blood evil.

Mitchley is a fantastic reader. He developed many distinct voices for the different characters in the novel, and he maintains clear separation between the characters as he narrates. His pitches, accents, and pacing are enchanting. Mitchley’s work is an absolute treat to hear, and I plan to seek out other audiobooks he has narrated.

By Lanea on August 3, 2009 |Comments (0) |
More reviews of Children's Audio Books, Fantasy Audio Books, Funny Audio Books, Young Adult Audio Books, , |

The Dragon’s Eye (Erec Rex Book 1) by Kaza Kingsley

Rating: 5

The Dragon's Eye (Erec Rex)The Dragon’s Eye (Erec Rex)

Author: Kaza Kingsley
Reader: Simon Jones
Extra: Introduction by author Kaza Kinglsley in which she explains how she got the idea of Erec Rex and some of her process of creating the first book.

Short Review: Entertaining fantasy in which a 12 year old boy discovers a parallel but hidden world of magic. Fun characters plus a great reader makes for a captivating audio book.

Long Review: Kingsley has created a rich tapestry of a world which our protagonist Erec and his new friend Bethany must learn to navigate in order to find and rescue his mother. There are many mysterious things going on, and Erec and Bethany make a great team (along with a few other new friends) to unravel what must be done while finding their proper place in this new world. There are some nice messages here about taking advantage of your own gifts and doing the right thing for others. Jones is a great reader with distinct voices for each character and good pacing.

While some may look at Erec Rex and only see a Harry Potter clone, I found an inventive, fun story about a young man discovering a magical world in which things are not quite right. Yes, Erec is twelve and has to go through a magical competition in which he must compete with much more advanced magical children (some of whom are mean bullies), but there is plenty to this story to distinguish it from the world of Hogwarts.

The best plug I can give for this book is that my six year old son absolutely loved it. He was willing to sprawl on the floor of the living room for hours listening intently. Attempts to turn off the book were greeted with tears and pleading for more. One thing to note is that my son rated The Dragon’s Eye as ‘less scary’ than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (which in my son’s world was a good thing). While he only got a few chapters into the 2nd Harry Potter book before setting it aside – he flew through the next 2 Erec Rex books. When I catch up to him I will post reviews of them here of course!

The Dragon’s Eye is also available from Audible.com

By Jeanne on July 3, 2009 |Comments (2) |
More reviews of Children's Audio Books, Fantasy Audio Books, , |

The Precipice by Ben Bova (The Asteroid Wars)

Rating: 4.5

The Precipice by Ben BovaThe Precipice (The Asteroid Wars)

Author: Ben Bova
Readers: Scott Brick, Amanda Karr, Christian Noble, Karesa McElheny and Stefan Rudnicki(with a cameo by Theodore Bikel)

Short Review: Well-woven story set in a not-too-distant-future full of corporate intrigue and environmental chaos, both on earth and in colonized outer space. The amazing readers bring our cast of characters to life – I highly recommend it and am scheming for when I can start the next book in the sequence.

Long Review: The story is set in a not so far off future in which earth has hit what they call a “Greenhouse Cliff”. After decades of ignoring global warming, the balance of earth’s environment has gone over the edge leaving behind rapidly melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels, flooding and violent weather of all types. The moon has been colonized, science and technology have made dramatic breakthroughs, governments are still generating more red tape and tycoons still want to make more money. Different countries are tackling the increasing number of disasters in their own ways, but you get a strong sense that all this is too little too late. Some folks seem to have found this book a bit too preachy on the woes of global warming and imminent worldwide natural disasters, but for me it worked well as the backdrop to the story being told. Ultimately, a lot of our story takes place up on the moon or on space ships.

What I love most about this story are the people. I especially appreciate that it was not immediately obvious to me who was meant to be the “good guys” or the “bad guys”. The story isn’t that simple. People aren’t that simple. Bova has done a fine job with giving us individuals with strengths and weaknesses. Some of them you would love to get to know over dinner, some you likely would give a lot to avoid – but the way their stories intertwine (plus the suspense and intrigue about how it all will turn out) should keep your attention.

Each shift in point of view is accompanied with a change in reader. I am not sure I always understood the logic behind the selection of which narrator used for each section or why music was included sometimes and not others – but overall it worked. After a while of listening to audio books, a familiar voice is like an old friend. Seeing Scott Brick’s name listed on this book immediately boosted my confidence that it was likely going to be a good listen – and I was obviously not disappointed.

This is just the first volume in the Asteroid Wars series and I am excited to move on to the next book and find out what Bova has in store for us. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Precipice is also available on Audible.com

By Jeanne on May 26, 2009 |Comments (0) |
More reviews of Intrigue Audio Books, Near Future Audio Books, Sci-fi Audio Books, , , , , , , |

Local Custom by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Local Custom

Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Reader: Michael Shanks

Short Review: Star crossed lovers set in an intricately woven universe including space ships, elements of magic and linguistics. The reader needed someone to insist on better pacing in an otherwise very solid performance.

Long Review: The list of things I enjoyed about this audio book is fairly long. Deeply developed characters with a solid back story, a carefully crafted universe and enough suspense to keep you guessing.

Often with a story like this, the author is tempted to start too early – but Lee and Miller toss us into the middle with fine results. I love books with compelling characters, and on that front this one definitely delivers. I care about the whole lot of them. I want everything to work out, but am not quite sure how it might. I also like that just when I was getting frustrated by the lack of communication between characters, one of them steps forward and starts dealing. Much of the fabric of this story is tied up in how hard it is to communicate with someone who cannot totally understand local customs. Even the learned linguist who can manage to navigate conversations that require careful use of  just the right ‘voice’ cannot anticipate culturally based responses to her actions.

It was only after I had finished listening to this book that I realized that it is in fact Book 1 of a full series set in the Liaden Universe. It does not seem that any others are available (yet) in audio form, but I like the story enough that I plan to read the rest on paper.

The biggest drawback to this audio book was getting used to the reader. Michael Shanks, who portrayed Dr. Daniel Jackson in Stargate SG-1, does a fine job with the actual reading and voices.  My frustration is with his phrasing. The first time he shifted to a new character’s point of view I was very confused for a minute or two until I figured out that I was now hearing someone else’s thoughts. I often experienced a sort of point of view whiplash throughout the book.

I haven’t seen this book in paper – but a quick peek Local Custom on Amazon.com shows me that there are in fact numbered chapters and paragraphs separated by extra space. There is no mention of chapters and no pauses between sections. It sometimes felt like he was in a rush to keep moving through the book. I was able to adjust to this odd pacing, but your mileage may vary. You can download the first three chapters for free from the Buzzy Multimedia page for Local Custom, so you can easily see if this bothers you before you purchase it.

I wish they could re-edit it and just add in more pauses and chapter breaks. It would bring this book up to a five star experience.

By Jeanne on May 15, 2009 |Comments (0) |
More reviews of Audio Books Read By The Author, Fantasy Audio Books, Intrigue Audio Books, Sci-fi Audio Books, , , |

Free Audiobook Short Stories from Barnes and Noble!

Barnes and Noble is offering nine audiobook versions of short stories by wonderful authors absolutely free! The books appear to cost a penny each at first (still a steal), but when you check out you won’t be charged a single penny. You do need to create an account on barnesandnoble.com to get the freebies, but you can associate it with a paypal account if you prefer. They’re only available for a few weeks. Run! Go! Get free books! Your ears demand it!

By Lanea on April 22, 2009 |Comments (3) |
More reviews of Free Audio Books

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Rating: 4.5

james James and the Giant Peach
Available from Audible.com

Author: Roald Dahl

Reader: Jeremy Irons

Short Review: One of my favorite Dahl books, read enchantingly by the inimitable Jeremy Irons.

Long Review: I love Dahl in general and this story in particular. It’s a wonderful book that manages to reward the main character’s kindness, and bravery, punish his evil aunts, exemplify great comic poetry, and lionize bugs. It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s filled with black humor . . . it has so many things to recommend it as a book read on paper. Irons’ narration makes it even better. He throws himself so completely into the reading, building excitement, savoring the poetry, playing with accent and pronunciation, and just generally having such a great time that I couldn’t help but have a great time listening to him.

I know the book itself has been challenged a number of times as inappropriate for children, but I think the claims against it are ridiculous. Yes, the two villains are criticized for their body types, but no more so than would a woman in any fashion magazine. Yes, there is profanity in it, as well as smoking and drinking–big deal. The world is full of all three, and kids know it. The book has also been attacked because it encourages children to rebel against adults. I think that is perhaps the truly telling attack: many people are so busily wishing kids would just do what they’re told and forget there are times when children absolutely need to rebel against adults who are wronging them. My heart soars each time I think of James breaking the yoke thrown on him by his evil aunts and finding friends who appreciate his cleverness and bravery.

I love the book. I’ll listen to it again, and I’ll share it with my nieces and nephew. If their parents complain about anything in the book, I’ll have a hard time working up an apology.

Sample audio available.

By Lanea on April 13, 2009 |Comments (0) |
More reviews of Children's Audio Books, Fantasy Audio Books, Funny Audio Books, , |

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

Rating: 5

dress1 Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

Author: David Sedaris

Reader: David Sedaris

Short review: One of Sedaris’ best books of essays and stories, read tenderly and hilariously and scathingly by the author. Several pieces are live performances, and many of them are downright great.

Long review: I’m a fan of David Sedaris, and this book has a lot to do with that. This time around, he includes more stories about his family and growing up in North Carolina, including some really poignant pieces about his own weaknesses. “Repeat After Me” is particularly important to me, because Sedaris deals with his guilt and his family’s anguish over being used as fodder for his work. Sedaris is generally funny, but he’s also clearly a man who loves his family and isn’t particularly comfortable with the way he exposes them to scrutiny by writing about them. I love that about him, in part because I’m always terrified that I’ll hurt my family and friends in my own (nowhere near as successful) writing.

“Six to Eight Black Men” is a side-splittingly funny story about Dutch Christmas traditions. Sedaris’ pieces about travel and other cultures always get me, but this one succeeds because of both how very ridiculous the traditions seem to Americans and the reaction of the live audience.

Sedaris’ significantly-younger brother Paul is perhaps the star of this book. He features in two great stories: “Rooster at the Hitchin’ Post,” about Paul’s wedding, and “Baby Einstein,” about Paul’s daughter’s birth. The first is read in front of a live audience, which I particularly appreciate. Within the confines of the stories, the contrasting sexuality and temperaments of the two Sedaris brothers make for a wonderful dichotomy. Paul pokes at David’s homosexuality (referring to him as “Big gay hoss”) and David explains that his would-be macho brother is short and sloppy, with a higher voice than David’s nasal high tenor. The portrayal could seem cruel in another writer’s voice, but David Sedaris skewers himself right along with his little brother to keep things fair. But it all seems loving. Sedaris’ constant turns from the sweetness of love and birth to the family’s odd jokes about kids’ names, sexuality, in-laws, and the like keep the pace moving quickly and allow the shock of his humor to build over and over again.

By Lanea on April 13, 2009 |Comments (0) |
More reviews of Audio Books Read By The Author, Funny Audio Books, Non-fiction Audio Books, |

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Rating: 5

metalk Me Talk Pretty One Day

 Author: David Sedaris

 Reader: David Sedaris

 Short Review: Sedaris’ funny, self-deprecating, heart-breaking stories about moving to France with his partner Hugh, learning French, his family, and his own flaws and experiences. The author reads his own work in his distinctive voice, never flinching as he excoriates himself either in front of a live audience or alone in a studio. Sedaris is an amazing, brave writer and reader. I’ve listened to this particular book three or four times, and I know I’ll keep returning to it.

Long Review: I adore Sedaris’ stories. I learned of his work listening to his pieces on NPR’s This American Life. I’ve read several of his books on paper, but because I fell for this writer reading his own work, I truly prefer his audiobooks to their paper siblings.

There are a few real standouts in the book. My favorites are “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” a description of his traumatic time in a French class taught by a heartless misanthrope; “Jesus Shaves,” a recounting of his French class’ strange discussion about how holidays are celebrated in their home countries; “A Shiner Like a Diamond,” about his sister Amy’s habit of transforming herself into strange characters and how it tortures their father; “The Youth in Asia,” about the Sedaris family’s relationship to their pets; and “I’ll Eat What He’s Wearing,” about his father’s strange views on food and frugality.

Some listeners may be put off by some of Sedaris’ topics. He openly discusses some medical and dental issues that may gross out the delicate. He’s gay and out, and there are some people who still take offense at that for whatever reason, though I doubt they’d settle on Sedaris’ work for entertainment in the first place. And he openly discusses some very self-destructive drug use when he was a student. None of those things throw me, though. It’s his honesty that makes me love Sedaris’ work so much, and I have a deep-seated appreciation for people who describe their faults without hesitation.

By Lanea on March 9, 2009 |Comments (0) |
More reviews of Audio Books Read By The Author, Funny Audio Books, Memoir Audio Books, Non-fiction Audio Books, Short Story Audio Books, |