The Year of Audiobooks - Part Two

I have been atrocious with reviewing things this year but I thought I would at least mention my audio books for 2013. I posted the first part a couple weeks ago here. These are the others I have listened to this year.

I have to admit that Neil Gaiman and I have a love/hate relationship so I don't get quite as excited about him as others. That being said I really enjoyed The Graveyard Book and had high hopes for this one. And, they were rewarded! I really liked this one, too. The book takes place when a man returns home for a funeral and visits his childhood neighbours. This leads to him reliving the events from 40-years before and takes the rider along for the ride. Gaiman definitely puts an original spin on fantasy. And he narrates his own book which worked really well because it was a more personal experience to hear his story.

Sussex, England: A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. He is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet sitting by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean), the unremembered past comes flooding back. Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie - magical, comforting, wise beyond her years - promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. A stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.

I now want to listen to more Neil Gaiman audiobooks. It might give me a new appreciation for an author that so many people love and I try to see the appeal.

I have wanted to read this series for ages and thought what better way than by audio. I have been told this book isn't quite as good as the rest of the series and I figured I would have a better chance of finishing it on audio if that was the case. I actually quite liked it. I wasn't bored. I am not sure if that would have been different if I had tried to read it? I used a credit on book two, but wanted to wait a bit before getting to it so I wouldn't burn out on the series. I liked the interesting approach to music and the various paranormal creatures that Andrews writes about. You would think with how overdone paranormal is getting to be it would be hard to keep being original about it. Plus, Kate is strong and sarcastic. I like that in a female character. And I finally got to see who Curran was. I had heard of him despite never reading this series before.

When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate's guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta's magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate's guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she's way out of her league—but she wouldn't have it any other way…

The book is narrated by Renee Raudman. She did a really good job. I could easily picture her as Kate. I imagine that might be why I liked this book more than I expected to. I am pretty sure she narrates the whole series so I am looking forward to more from both her and Andrews.

Finally! Do you know that I lucked into a whole bunch of this series in hardcovers but decided I didn't want to undertake a huge series at the time and turned them in at the bookstore for credit? I figured I would regret it, but I am always so far behind in series that it seemed like a smart idea at the time. Frankly, the reason I decided to star the series this year is because I heard Elizabeth Peters had passed away and the series should be drawing to a close. It seemed a bit more manageable that way. As I expected I quite enjoyed Amelia Peabody. The story was a bit predictable, but it was still fun. I think I am going to enjoy reading on in this series.

Amelia Peabody, indomitable Victorian, embarks for Egypt armed with confidence, journal, and umbrella. Enroute to Cairo, she rescues dainty Evelyn, abandoned by her lover. They sail up the Nile to the archeological dig of the Emerson brothers - irascible but dashing Radcliffe and amiable Walter. A lively mummy, visitations, accidents, kidnap attempt - evil is afoot.

Some of the audiobooks have two narrators. I went with Barbara Rosenblat because I had heard good things about her. I was not disappointed. I can't wait to work my way through this series next year!

I actually reviewed this one! You can read my review here.

Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.

In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

So, I love Terry Pratchett and then never read him... I am also not very good at following along in his series. I have read all over the place so far. I have wanted to read this one forever and since it had a Christmas connection, I thought I would make it my 'Christmas' read. I could have just read it, but I decided to use an Audible credit on it. I really enjoyed the story. It was fun just like Pratchett always tends to be. I mean, really, Death as the Hogfather? Pratchett really plays with 'conventional' Christmas ideas. Plus, Deaths Grand-daughter, Susan, was a wonderfully written female character.

Susan had never hung up a stocking . She'd never put a tooth under her pillow in the serious expectation that a dentally inclined fairy would turn up. It wasn't that her parents didn't believe in such things. They didn't need to believe in them. They know they existed. They just wished they didn't.

There are those who believe and those who don't. Through the ages, superstition has had its uses. Nowhere more so than in the Discworld where it's helped to maintain the status quo. Anything that undermines superstition has to be viewed with some caution. There may be consequences, particularly on the last night of the year when the time is turning. When those consequences turn out to be the end of the world, you need to be prepared. You might even want more standing between you and oblivion than a mere slip of a girl - even if she has looked Death in the face on numerous occasions...

My only quibble was I am really not sure I liked the narrator, Nigel Planer. He does well overall and is great on male voices, but he cannot do female voices at all. He narrates a vast majority of the series, but there are others interspersed. I am not sure if I want to listen to more of them or just go back to reading them.

And that concludes my audiobooks so far for the year. Considering before this year I never really listened to them before, I am impressed with how many I made my way through. I am hoping 2014 will lead to many great listens and hopefully I can finish 1 or 2 more before the end of the year.

Any recommendations? I always appreciate them!

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (Discworld Series, Book 3)

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

Completion Date: May 7, 2011

Reason for Reading: Buddy Read with Heather.

On Discworld, a dying wizard tries to pass on his powers to an eighth son of an eighth son, who is just at that moment being born. The fact that the son is actually a daughter is discovered just a little too late. The town witch insists on turning the baby into a perfectly normal witch, thus mending the magical damage of the wizard's mistake. But now the young girl will be forced to penetrate the inner sanctum of the Unseen University--and attempt to save the world with one well-placed kick in some enchanted shins!

This is the second part of our review of Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett. You can read the first part of it on Heather's blog, Tales of a Capricious Reader. Enjoy!

Heather: My favorite so far is Nation. It was the first one I read and the one that made me fall in love with Pratchett’s writing. Being the first, it introduced me to the... uniqueness of the Pratchett world and I just loved, loved, loved the two main characters. Equal Rites probably falls in behind the Tiffany Aching books, which are all pretty much equal in my eyes. Nation is like Pratchett dialed up to 11, with Tiffany Aching being around an 8. I can totally see where the similarities between Tiffany Aching and Equal Rites could affect your enjoyment of the book. I think I’m still so new to Pratchett, and new to my completely adoration of him, that it didn’t bother me quite as much. It just felt like more fun in Discworld to me. I have Wyrd Sisters on hold with the library for my Nook; I hope I can start it soon!

Incidentally, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents is probably a 9.5.
How about you? What is your favorite Pratchett?

Kelly: Good Omens is my favourite. It was my first read by him and I loved it. It was so weird, it was brilliant. It is actually one of my favourite books of all time. It was my introduction to both Pratchett and Gaiman, so I think that is part of its appeal. I just don’t think that I have presently read a book by Pratchett that compares. I always really enjoy his stories and the world he has created, but I always am left wanting more.

I have read a few random books in the Discworld series, but that was a while ago. More recently I have read the same books as you. Nation was what lead me back to reading more Pratchett and it was really good. The Amazing Maurice was a lot of fun and the Tifanny Aching series a really good young adult series. He has written a very empowering female lead and the books should be read by a wider audience! I loved the random Discworld books that I read and they were later books in the series, so I know that I have lots of good things to look forward to in the future.

Heather: I need to read Good Omens. I should adore it, since I love both Pratchett and Gaiman! So far, all the female characters I’ve encountered in Discworld have been strong, empowering women - another reason I adore Pratchett. I wish I knew how to convince more people to give him a read. I think they hear “fantasy” and it scares them off, which is such a shame. They really should give him, and a lot of fantasy, a try. I think they would be pleasantly surprised.

Kelly: I know. Fantasy seems to one of those scary genres that people group together and just refuse to read any of it. It’s rather sad! I confess to not loving some genres, but I still have been known to try a few here and there if the book sounds interesting. I don’t like to limit myself because then you might miss out on something great. An example, the Gardella Vampire Chronicles by Colleen Gleason. They are placed in the romance section, so I was a bit wary at first, but they turned out to be a great series. Pratchett wrote books that should appeal to all ages if people can look beyond the fantasy label.

Heather: I agree about the Gardellas. And of course, about Pratchett. He is definitely one I want to convince everyone and their mother’s sisters cousin to read. He’s just so bloody brilliant and funny and and and oh, just amazing.

Which Pratchett are you going to read next? Are you going to continue on to Wyrd Sisters or try something new? I was thinking of reading Good Omens, the one he wrote with Neil Gaiman. That book has AWESOME written all over it!

Kelly: Good Omens remains my favourite by both authors. I haven’t read anything yet by either that I enjoyed more! It was my first by both of them, so I am picky. You are in for a treat! It was such a great book. One of these days I must reread it... Currently I am planning to go with Wyrd Sisters, but that can change with my mood. I have a few other options and then there are always rereads.

Is there anything else you want to say about the book?

Heather: Can’t think of anything! We have to do this again soon!

Kelly: I know! It was a lot of fun!

This book counts for the Once Upon a Time Challenge.

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

Is Discworld ready for educated rats?

Set in the Discworld, a brand new and marvellously eccentric fantasy tale for young readers.

Maurice, an amazing cat, who has survived four years on the toughest streets in the whole of the Discworld, reckons that rats are dumb. Clever, OK, but dumb. Maurice, however, is smart -- smart enough to recognize that there’s a new kind of rat around; rats that have been eating wizards’ rubbish and can now talk. And Maurice is also smart enough to get a pretty amazing idea when he spots a kid playing the flute. Now he has his very own Pied Piper to go with his “plague of rats”. And Maurice’s money-bags are getting fuller and fuller. That is, until the group reaches the far flung village of Bad Blintz.

Dear Debi,

I blame this book and me reading it all on you! Don't worry, though, it was a good thing. For someone that likes fantasy as much as I do, Terry Pratchett is a big hole in my reading. I read a couple books by him a few years ago, and then I entered a dry spell until this year. This the second book I have read by him in 2009; the first being Nation, which I happily blame on Ana (Nymeth). Unfortunately, this was a second time is the charm read. The first time I started it I read a couple chapters and then got drawn in by other books. It took it having to go back to the library and being nonrenewable for me to sit down and read it the other night.

The first thing that I really enjoyed about this book was that while it was a Discworld novel, it was still a standalone. That big gaping hole means that I have only read a couple Discworld novels, so I am still a newbie on what that all means. This book was a good reintroduction without having to have read all the books that came before it. In a world where everything is trilogies and series, it is nice to read a book that you can consider on its own. You can read more books set in Discworld, but you don't have to right away. It's a whole lot less pressure, don't you think?

The best thing about this book was Maurice. It was like revisiting with my childhood. As an adult, I am more of a dog person than a cat person, but in my single digit years I was obsessed with books about cats. I had piles of them. The second-hand bookstore in my hometown would put aside books that she thought I would like. This love affair would exist for about a year, and then I moved on to horses. Maurice was a great trip down memory lane. He is such a fun character! He is totally a cat, no matter how 'amazing' he thinks he is, but he is trying to break away from it. The book is a bit about how you shouldn't be ashamed of who you are just because some aspects of your life have changed. That's a big lesson for a cat. I wish my mother's cat would have some life-changing moments. Sadly, I think she will always rule my mother's house and annoy me when I have to kitty-sit.

Anyway, I digress. The story also had some rodents, a young boy, and a town girl. The girl was fantastic. I could relate to her so much! Remember that trip down memory lane, well it extended to her, too. She was almost like me when I was her age. My parents were not getting along and would wind up divorcing, like most of the world, so it was better to live in my books sometimes than in the 'real world'. She is a bit exasperating in how everything is a story to her. I am not sure I was quite so noticable, but who doesn't want to leave their own world behind once in a while. I think that is probably why I started reading fantasy, if anyone was ever wondering! So, even though she could be a bit annoying at times, which was pointed out by both cat and humans, she was a fun character. I also liked the rats. There was a lot of great personality present in this microcosm of society. Ever wonder what talking rats would be like? I guess you will have to read this book to find out!

I should also add that this book is essentially a retelling of the Pied Piper fairy tale. A young boy plays his music and starts a town on a path that will make them their fortune. It isn't exactly playing them off a cliff or anything, but it is used to change a way of thinking. There is also historical fiction mixed in with the story because rats really were the cause of plagues back in history. Pratchett includes some truth in his fantasy world.

So, Debi, thanks for making me check this book out from the library! Not only was it a fun read, but writing you a letter was funner than a regular post.