Tag Archives: books

The Best of Shrdlu by Denys Parsons

Posted by melydia on August 7, 2012 None comments

The Best of Shrdlu by Denys Parsons: Though I thought this was going to be a book about unfortunate typographical errors, it’s more than that. These are excerpts from books, magazines, and even short stories where the author’s intended meaning has somehow gone awry, whether due to misprint, mixed metaphors, unfortunate word choice, or subject matter. That last took me a while to get, because there are indeed a number of stories that appear to be exactly as printed, and are just so unusual as to be amusing. I will admit that I did not find the humor in all of them, and at times I was frankly puzzled before deciding to write it off to some unintentional double entendre that only makes sense if you’re familiar with the most obscure British slang. All the same, it was good for the occasional giggle.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant

Posted by melydia on August 3, 2012 None comments

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant (unabridged audiobook read by Stephen Hoye; 14 hrs on 12 discs): Our story begins with the 1527 sack of Rome, and famous courtesan Fiammetta Bianchini is readying her household for the soldiers’ arrival. She and her dwarf companion Bucino, who narrates this tale, flee to Venice to start their lives over again. The description pulls no punches, as it were, laying it all bare without nary a euphemism in sight. But it’s not just crudeness and filth that is described this way, but great beauty and purity is as well. All in all, a sumptuous presentation of Renaissance Italy as told through the eyes of a cranky dwarf. I wish there had been more plot – I would have liked to know more about what happened to the Jew and the Turk, for example, and that more ends had been tied up by the end – but I suppose that isn’t always possible with first-person narration, and the looseness of the story did make it feel more realistic. I especially appreciated the historical notes at the end, explaining which characters were based on real people and where things deviated from fact. It appears there’s nearly as much history as fiction in this historical novel. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more by Dunant.

A note on the audio: Hoye was just okay. He didn’t really do any distinct character voices, which is fine, but he also didn’t pause enough between speakers so sometimes dialogue ran together and I lost track of who was speaking. And while I roll my eyes at people who insist on British accents for any English-language film not taking place in America, this book probably would have sounded better read by an Englishman. It seems to have been written with that cadence in mind.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

Posted by melydia on July 31, 2012 None comments

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson (unabridged audiobook read by Simon Vance; 18.5 hrs on 15 discs): Oh Lisbeth, how I’ve missed you. This second installment of the Millennium Trilogy finds two of Mikael Blomkvist’s friends murdered and Lisbeth’s fingerprints on the gun. Thus begins a complicated story of Lisbeth’s past, prostitution, and Swedish government secrets. Meanwhile, we’re introduced to the various people Lisbeth has touched and who line up to be in her corner during this her darkest hour. When I think of “strong female characters” I don’t think about Buffy the Vampire Slayer; I think of people like Lisbeth. She’s fascinating and flawed and wonderful to read about. I doubt she’d be all that impressed with me were we to meet, but I’ve enjoyed witnessing her adventures so far. In fact, the very last couple lines of the book had me laughing with joy. Can’t wait to read the third book, but part of me is a little reluctant because I don’t want to say goodbye.

A note on the audio: Something about Vance’s voice makes me picture Liam Neeson as Mikael Blomkvist, as opposed to Daniel Craig. Also, I sometime confuse Daniel Craig with Christopher Eccleston. My brain does not work.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Posted by melydia on July 24, 2012 3 comments

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (unabridged audiobook read by Roy Dotrice; 33.5 hrs on 28 discs): Eleventy-billion characters and the only truly interesting one is the dwarf. Sure, there were a few decently intertwined stories, but I really only paid attention when it was focused on Tyrion Lannister. His cynicism was refreshing amidst all the obsession over who gets to be king next. I liked this book far more than I’d expected, given that I tend not to favor political intrigue of any genre, but I don’t feel any particular desire to read more of the series.

A note on the audio: Dotrice’s voice is rather…um…moist. It was more noticeable with some voices than others, and at times I felt like I was listening to a grandfather with loose dentures. It didn’t help that I was listening to this book on headphones rather than in my car, where that sort of sound would probably be lost in the background. It wasn’t a problem most of the time, but it made certain words (like “breasts”) pretty jarring.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

On Book Reviews and Full Disclosure

Posted by melydia on July 18, 2012 None comments

I’ve read a few stories* recently about book reviewers charging money or being bullied for their reviews, and it occurred to me that maybe I should explain how things work around this here blog.

  1. I don’t usually mention in a review that I got a book free from an author. I also don’t usually mention when I’ve picked up a book for free at The Book Thing or when I checked it out of the library or when I got it as a gift from a well-meaning friend or when I won it through the Early Reviewers program on LibraryThing or when I found it by chance via BookCrossing. The point is most of the books I read were free to me so I don’t feel any need to specify in the review how the book made its way into my hands. An author seeking a review has to pitch the book to me first and if it sounds like something I’d enjoy then I accept, but if not, then not. All the books I read are because I want to, not because I feel obligated. Getting it directly from an author only means that I’ll read it sooner, not that I’ll have different thoughts about it.
  2. The book and its author are separate in my mind. I don’t care if the author is a jerk or an angel; the work stands on its own. I don’t assume, for example, that an author necessarily holds the same opinions as the narrator of his/her novel. So whatever I say about a book, positive or negative, is what I feel about the book. I don’t have any feelings whatsoever about the author as a person.
  3. I have never been bullied into giving a more positive review. I say up front in my book review guidelines that I make no promises to like any book, after all. The worst treatment I’ve ever received from an author after they read my review of their book was a complete cessation in communication; that is, they simply never replied to my email. And that’s fine. The rest of the authors I’ve worked with have been very friendly and gracious.
  4. There’s no paid advertising on my blog. When I make posts encouraging you to purchase something or visit a site or whatever, it’s because I either totally believe in what I’m promoting, am doing a favor for a friend, or (most often) both. It is never because I am being paid for it, and if it ever is then I will most definitely say so.

I hope that clears things up. (If they needed clearing up, that is.) If anyone has strong feelings on the subject I’d be happy to add a section of my blog posts to explain how the book made it into my hands. I don’t think it’s all that important, but maybe it is to other people, and it’s certainly no huge burden for me to do so.

*Hat tip to Cleolinda for the links.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Posted by melydia on July 17, 2012 None comments

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke: Meggie lives with her father Mo, a gifted bookbinder. One night, a stranger named Dustfinger appears at her window, prompting Mo and Meggie to flee to the home of Elinor, a bibliophile of the highest order. This is a story for storylovers, for people who wish they could bring books to life outside their imaginations. Though the pacing is arguably a touch slow at first, the characters are charming and I had fun not quite knowing whom to trust. I look forward to the rest of the trilogy.

Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

Posted by melydia on July 13, 2012 None comments

Lost in a Good Book (unabridged audiobook read by Elizabeth Sastre; 11.5 hrs on 10 discs): This is the second book in the Thursday Next series, and while familiarity with Jane Eyre was essential for enjoyment of the first one, I didn’t feel the same flailing desire for a list of prerequisites to understand this one. It deals a lot more with time travel and the perils of paradox, coincidence, and general literary shenanigans. Sure, an appreciation for Austen, Dickens, and the Brontes will certainly enhance your experience (mostly in the form of understanding more of the jokes), but I’m far from the world’s biggest Brit Lit fan and I still got a good chuckle from time to time. That said, I don’t see myself going out of my way to read the rest of the series. I suspect I don’t fall into the target audience quite neatly enough.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Literary Synchronicity

Posted by melydia on July 3, 2012 None comments

Coincidence is a funny thing. I suppose if you do enough reading you’ll start picking out patterns whether or not they’re actually there. Still, even if my own brain is inventing the connection it amuses me all the same to note them. Sometimes I’ll encounter the same book in many unrelated places, or something amazing will fall into my lap at random. Then there are the strange connections that seem to pop up between books. For example, I read The Fault in Our Stars, which involves both cancer and Amsterdam, immediately before starting Her Fearful Symmetry, which begins with one character dying of cancer and another moving to Amsterdam. Then I was reading both Inkheart and Lost in a Good Book simultaneously, which are both about real people and fictional characters jumping into and out of books. I wonder what little connections I’ll notice next.

Any strange literary coincidences pop up in your life lately?

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Posted by melydia on June 29, 2012 None comments

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (unabridged audiobook read by Bianca Amato; 14 hours on 12 discs): This is more or less the tale of a small apartment building overlooking an old London cemetery. On the top floor is Martin, a man with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder dealing with being housebound by his illness and the recent departure of his wife who moved away because she could no longer deal with living that way. On the bottom floor is Robert, a thirtysomething academic working on a definitive history of the cemetery for his thesis. In the middle was Robert’s lover Elspeth, who dies at the beginning of the book and leaves everything to her American twin nieces Julia and Valentina. Elspeth has never met the girls, and it’s worth noting that they are the daughters of Edie, Elspeth’s long-estranged twin sister. Shortly after her death, Elspeth is surprised to discover herself haunting her own flat, unable to leave. Most of the characters feel trapped in some fashion or another, and the ways they deal with it make up for the bulk of the story. I did not like the ending; I feel pretty unclear on what happened to Robert and I wish a little more had been said about Elspeth’s future. All the same, it was a reasonably interesting book, if not exactly what one might call exciting or even engrossing.

A note on the audio: Amato was fine, though sometimes her American accent came across a little strange to my native ears. Also, having a chapter titled “the end” on the last disc can be a little disconcerting to the listener, since many audiobook companies use those words to let you know the book has indeed ended!

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Merciful Flush by Lane Manion

Posted by melydia on June 26, 2012 None comments

Merciful Flush by Lance Manion: A rambling collection of essays, anecdotes, and assorted madness. The punctuation leaves a lot to be desired, but despite that it’s still quite readable. The humor often borders on the demented, sort of a cross between David Sedaris and Happy Tree Friends. There were parts where I laughed, parts where I cringed, and even a few parts where I was tempted to skim – but most of it was quite unforgettable either way. I may think of one story in particular every time I take a shower for the rest of my life. If you’re looking for something well outside the mainstream, this will probably amuse you. I’d like to read more of Manion’s blather because much of it is really quite funny, but I think I’ll wait until it’s visited a proofreader first.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

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