Haunted by The Thirteenth Tale

I didn’t consciously choose a type of ghost story for the Halloween season this year, but Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale haunted me through the last few weeks of October, and now that I’m about a week out of it, it continues to haunt me still.

In true Brontë style, The Thirteenth Tale is not a story of the external ghosts that haunt buildings or graveyards. Rather, it tells of the internal ghosts that haunt us all. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the two apart. Jane Eyre, a recurring theme in the book, is referenced often and I have the urge to listen to it again so the mood this book has put me in doesn’t escape me. Setterfield manages to create a landscape for her book that is on the one hand bleak and on the other splashed with colours of passion and madness. There is A LOT of madness in this book.

The story is told from the point of view of a biographer, Margaret Lea, who has been commanded to listen to and record the story of a famous and reclusive writer, Vida Winter, who is dying. In the process, Lea uncovers the truth about Winters’ past, and at the same time acknowledges her own tragic story.

“All children mythologize their birth…” is how the story begins and through the pages we encounter a string of characters who not only mythologize their births, but grip the story of their births to point where they are almost unable to see anything else.

Setterfield has done a masterful job of maintaining the voices of these two women who are reliving their pasts while the present is crashing down around them. It’s hard to believe how well she captured the feel of Jane Eyre while telling a completely new story. The twists and turns of the plot were natural, and yet always unexpected. I found myself driving to work saying things like, “But what about…..”, or “Ah, so that’s it….,” out loud. I’m glad nobody was watching.

At first I thought it was a bit distracting having two readers, one for Margaret (Bianca Amato) and one for Vida (Jill Tanner). The two voices at first don’t have the same kind of contrast I’d come to expect from audiobooks that utilize multiple readers. As the story progressed, however, I saw how subtly and skillfully each embraced her part. By the end I couldn’t imagine only one reader bringing justice to the book.

I haven’t heard either Amato or Tanner read before and both were exquisite. It would be interesting to hear both of them read a book that was more upbeat – I wonder what that would sound like.

I listened to this on CD and it was well worth the irritation I felt changing discs all the time. There is a blank track at the end of each disc which I’m assuming was there to indicate that it was time to change discs. I haven’t encountered that before. It’s less irritating than a strange voice telling me what to do.

Apparently there is also an abridged version of this book on audio. I don't do abridgements (EVER!) so I can't really comment on it. It has different readers as well.

 

Here's a link to the Audible page where you can listen to a sample of the book.

 

Listen Up!

 

The Thirteenth Tale, (15 hrs, 38 mins), Simon and Schuster Audio, 2006

The Seven Realms are an addiction

One of my teen library patrons, Jayden (aka @hunts_alone) got me hooked on The Seven Realms series this past summer. We often like the same types of books so after he pestered me for about a year I finally gave in and listened to the first book, The Demon King, while heading out on my annual 14-hour summer vacation drive from Kamloops, BC to Jackfish Lake, SK. I had a few backup options just in case, but it turns out I was instantly hooked. I listened to the second book, The Exiled Queen, as quickly as I could find it and pretty much dove into The Gray Wolf Throne and The Crimson Crown without coming up for air. Now, having finished, I am a bit lost and I desperately miss the characters (always the sign of a great book or series for me). I wonder what they’re up to. I wonder what their enemies, who are still out there, are up to.

The story of the series follows a group of teens as they are either intentionally, or unintentionally put into situations where they become the new generation of leaders and power players in the queendom called the Seven Realms. Castles, princesses, lords, and wizards engage in battles and endure the restrictions of 1,000 year old rules and traditions. Long bows, short bows, treachery, knives, swords and magic are the weapons of choice as several battles for power erupt from all sides of the story. I could go into more detail but that would take a long time as there are a number of factions and players in this story and most are richly developed with detailed lives, goals, and histories. The relationships are more mature than the ages of these young adults would lead you to expect. All of these main characters, between 16 and 18 years old, must learn to sacrifice teenage stubbornness for adult responsibilities that even most adults would shy away from. At the same time they must question the rules and history they’ve been raised to believe in and face the complex truths in front of them. These stories are really well done and for those who like good fantasy writing, they will appeal to adult and young adult listeners alike. My only complaint is that I wish there were more books and the story didn’t end.

Author Cinda Williams Chima has created a world that is rich with detail and completely believable if you’re a fan of the fantasy genre. Each of the books follows a distinct stage of the story, in a different location, and with what felt like a different pace. It kept the series from feeling monotonous when listening back to back. I can’t recommend these books highly enough if castles and magic, with a nice bit of romance, are your thing.

At first I thought reader Carol Monda’s voice seemed a tiny bit too old for the teens she was portraying, but I quickly realized that these teens were required by their situations to be wise and experienced beyond their years. The voices were all distinct and consistent throughout, and both the male and female voices were strong and compelling. Monda managed to create voices and narration that perfectly matched the style of the story and made me want to listen to more. This is the first time I’ve listened to her read and I would definitely look for more in the future.

I listened to these books on CD and the man who announced the end of one disk and the beginning of the next in the first book (possibly the first two) had a very staccato voice that grated me the wrong way and every time I got to the end of a disc I flinched a bit, but in the last couple of books it was a woman who was much more pleasant.

Here’s a link to the Audible page for The Demon King so you can hear Carol Monda bring the world of the Seven Realms to life.

Listen up!

The Demon King, (15 hrs, 6 mins), Recorded Books, 2010

The Exiled Queen, (17 hrs, 49 mins), Recorded Books, 2011
The Gray Wolf Throne, (14 hrs, 59 mins), Recorded Books, 2011
The Crimson Crown, (17 hrs, 15 mins), Recorded Books, 2012

 

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

I first came across this book when I ordered the print copy for my library. It didn’t occur to me to read / listen to it at the time but it looked interesting. Little did I know!

I have always struggled with being a person who doesn’t like parties, who hates crowds and finds them exhausting, and who needs a lot of alone time to think and organize my thoughts. I couldn’t possibly be in introvert, however, because I know I am “On” when I’m in front of a crowd. I come across as confident and outgoing, even talkative. I have no problem speaking in front of a group of people. In my younger (much) days I made much needed extra money as a nude model for art classes. I have dabbled with acting classes in the past, and when I was young and living in Ireland, I made it to the front door of the Gaeity School of Acting (the National Theatre School of Ireland) before I chickened out and turned around. The person I described above couldn’t possibly be an introvert.

Yet, I definitely didn’t feel like an extrovert. I know I have a way of turning on my outgoing nature, it actually feels like I’m turning on a switch and this outgoing person takes over for a brief period. She can do anything! I used to fantasize about an invisible cave, floating high above parties. It’s filled with quilts, books, music, art, and me… and probably some popcorn or chocolate and ice cold Coke Zero, or Gingerbread Spice tea. In my cave I can float above the crowds and watch the people, see how they move, talk, interact with each other, but I never have to participate.

Recently, while idly clicking through some links on Twitter, I noticed that actor Mark Ruffalo had tweeted a link to a Huffington Post article with a quiz – 23 SignsYou’re Secretly an Introvert. I was dumfounded…. and just a little vindicated! The next day at work at the library I told my friend Wendy about this quiz I did and how shocked I was. Her response? “Duh, you should read this book….”

So, here I am.

This is the first non-fiction book I’ve listened to and I was a bit worried. I also placed a hold on the print copy at the library just in case. What helps make up for the lack of dragons and wizards is that reader Kathe Mazur is awesome. This is the first time I’ve listened to her and she’s quickly jumped onto my favourite readers list. She’s perfect for this book – reassuring and not patronizing, confident and light hearted, serious when she needs to be. The other thing that helps is Susan Cain’s writing – she’s just plain excellent. She has a very engaging and inviting way of manoeuvering through studies, facts and numbers and getting to the heart and humanity of an issue. Brilliant.

In this book Cain talks about how the current extrovert-driven culture undervalues introverts, and explains the physiological and psychological differences between the two. She also talks about how the two sides actually need each other, and function better together, but just require different styles of working. It’s almost like she’s explaining the care and feeding of your inner introvert. I was captivated by every story, and even every study she discussed because they related to real people like me.

One thing I’ve noticed, however, is that I take in this kind of factual information differently when it’s verbal than when I read it. Different pathways and I'm a visual learner. This is information I desperately want to absorb, so I actually invested in the ebook as well.  

Click on the Audible page here and you'll find a link to a sound bite of Kathe Mazur reading Quiet. 

Listen Up!

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, (10 hrs, 39 mins), Random House Audio, 2012

 

 

The Good Thief's Guides are… OK

OK, time to play catch up on blog postings.

I think I found this series of books by British author, Chris Ewan, when I was searching for audiobooks read by Simon Vance. These came up on Library to Go and even though I hadn’t heard of them, I thought I’d give them a try. The series features Charlie Howard, a moderately successful mystery novelist who supplements his income with a secondary career as a more than moderately successful thief. Old-style burglary is his crime of choice.

Not willing to stay in one place for too long, Charlie moves from city to city, avoiding most of the trappings of long term relationships and settling instead for a pattern consisting of: write a novel, commit some heists, and then move on. Oh, and there’s the fact that he usually gets the crap beat out of him at least once in every book, double crosses some bad guys, and is encouraged by local authorities (who can’t convict him of anything because he’s usually helping them) to move along at the end.

The first book, The Good Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam, was published in 2007. Paris, Vegas, and Venice followed. It looks like AudioGo picked up the audio rights in 2011. I don’t think these are the best books I’ve ever listened to – not by a longshot, but they have all been irritatingly intriguing – maybe this time he won’t get the crap beat out of him???? The mysteries have been pretty good, too.

As always, Simon Vance is an outstanding reader, and will more often than not sway me toward listening to a book that he narrates just for the simple reason that I’m pretty sure he won’t disappoint me.

I don’t think I would ever lose sleep waiting for the next edition of the series to come out, but at the same time, I just noticed that The Good Thief’s Guide to Berlin has just been released. I’ll have to go download it. Maybe this time he won’t get the crap beat out of him!

It seems I'm unable to embed or link directly to the soundbite  of the reliable Mr. Vance reading from a Good Thief's Guide so you'll have to click here and click on the sample button when you get to the page for the audiobook.
 

 Listen Up!

The Good Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam, (7 hrs, 16 mins), AudioGo, 2011

The Good Thief’s Guide to Paris, (8 hrs, 20 mins), AudioGo, 2011
The Good Thief’s Guide to Vegas, (8 hrs, 9 mins), AudioGo, 2011
The Good Thief’s Guide to Venice, (8 hrs, 47 mins), AudioGo, 2011
The Good Thief’s Guide to Berlin, (8 hrs, 30 mins), AudioGo, 2013

 

Still Life a work of art - Louise Penny paints with words

I'm coming up for air after nearly a month of obsessive listening to Ralph Cosham as he and author Louise Penny lured me into the mythical village of Three Pines, Quebec. I feel like I know Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir, Peter and Clara Morrow, eccentric poet Ruth Zardo, and other fictional characters better than I know some of my friends – most don't listen to audiobooks so I doubt they'll be reading this anyway.

Penny writes like a painter, and Cosham is the only possible reader who could translate her brush strokes into sound. I have listened under the covers when I know I have to get up early the next morning, in the car waiting to meet a friend to go cross country skiing when normally I would do a lap around Stake Lake while I waited.  I've gluttonously grabbed at five minutes here and two minutes there for just another taste of the story – they are just that good. I know there is another reader, Adam Sims, who read another version of Bury Your Dead, and no offense to him, but it's Cosham or nothing for me!

So far there are eight books to this series, beginning with Still Life and ending with The Beautiful Mystery, and they need to be listened to in order as the greater story builds through each book. Another book is due this summer and I'm trying to find enough things to distract me until it arrives. I may need to take a week's worth of holidays in solitude so I'm not interrupted when it comes out. The final scene of the most recent book, The Beautiful Mystery, was so shocking and heart wrenching that sleeping may be difficult until I know what happens next. These are not gory murder mysteries, they are more about the people than the blood, much like P.D. James, who I also admire. In fact, Chief Inspector Gamache and Adam Dalgleish would likely be very good friends if they knew each other.

Trust me, if you love a good mystery, a good story, and a passionate look at the humanity in the world around us, just go get the books.

I got some of the books from Library to Go (why they don't buy an entire series is beyond me), and some on disc at the library.

 

Since Audible and the publishers don't seem to be including embeddable links for sound bites, I have a different treat - a Youtube video of an audio excerpt (I know, weird) from the fifth book - Bury Your Dead.

 

Click here for a soundbite.

 

Listen Up!

 

Still Life, (9 hrs, 30 min), Blackstone Audio, 2006

A Fatal Grace (a.k.a Dead Cold), (10 hrs, 30 min), Blackstone Audio, 2007
The Cruelest Month, (12 hrs), Blackstone Audio, 2008
A Rule Against Murder (a.k.a. The Murder Stone), (11 hrs), Blackstone Audio, 2009
The Brutal Telling, (13 hrs), Blackstone Audio, 2009
Bury Your Dead, (13 hrs), MacMillan Audio, 2010
A Trick of the Light, (11 hrs, 43 min), MacMillan Audio, 2011
The Beautiful Mystery, (13 hrs), Blackstone Audio, 2012

The Rook – Indescribably fun!

I had The Rook by Daniel O'Malley downloaded for quite awhile and I'm not sure where or exactly when I acquired it – bit of a mystery. In a moment where I was between the audiobooks I had been waiting for I decided to give this a try. It was a shocking delight! I had heard nothing about this book, and had no idea what I was in for. It isn't very often I read or listen to a book where I can't anticipate what's going to happen next. In The Rook I was constantly surprised at where the story took me and its cast of slightly supernatural freakish characters who work and live within a cutthroat world of corporate operatives. Well over a month after I finished listening to it I'm still lying awake at night thinking about it.

"The body you are wearing used to be mine." As an opening line, this worked very well – I was more than a bit shocked. Susan Duerden, a reader I'd heard grace one of my favourite audiobooks of all time – The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, has this pleasing and captivating voice that instantly lured me in. She perfectly matches the ironic sense of humour that lead character Myfanwy Thomas (rhymes with Tiffany) carries throughout the book. She is the perfect voice to express the "What the fuck?" attitude that drives Myfanwy through the story.

Myfanwy awakes in a park in London, in the pouring rain, with a black eye and surrounded by dead bodies who are all wearing surgical gloves... and absolutely no memory of who she is. How could I not keep listening? She discovers a letter in her pocket, supposedly from her former self, and follows the instructions it lays out. Once she recovers her wits in a hotel under an alias prearranged by her former self, she continues reading the letter from her pocket. She discovers her previous self has left her two options. For option A she goes to a certain bank, opens a large safe deposit box and safely (presumably) escapes to a new life and new identity in a foreign country. Option B has her going to the same bank, opening a different safe deposit box, and finding out who the bloody hell did this to her.

It turns out Myfanwy is a high ranking official in a supersecret British organization called the Chequy (pronounced Shek-ay) that reminds me a bit of Men in Black, but less secret agent and more dull corporate. Instead of dealing with aliens from other planets, however, they deal supernatural freaks from right here on earth. Some of those freaks, who seem pretty normal in the Chequy world, even work as part of the organization. Did you know that a certain percentage of men who routinely wear hats are wearing them to cover horns? I had no idea! Myfanwy herself has some odd quirks (hence the latex gloves on the people who tried to kill her – and ended up dead).

Officials in the Chequy take on the title of chess pieces. There are two Rooks, two Bishops, a King and Queen, and a whole lot of Pawns (you can guess what happens to a lot of them). Myfanwy is a Rook (referred to within the organization as Rook Thomas) with an incredible talent for organizing, budgeting, and sitting in an office doing paperwork.

I'm not going to tell you more because if you're not already hooked you never will be, and if you do read it I wouldn't want to spoil any of the delightful surprises that await you!

The Rook is author Daniel O'Malley's first, and hopefully not last, book. I desperately want a sequel! He has a web page and a blog that is too infrequently updated for my liking (I know, a bit of the pot calling the kettle black here!). As I mentioned before, Susan Duerden is an outstanding reader who makes you feel like she's sharing a great secret story with you – like you're inside the inner circle of the characters. I've loved her storytelling in two books now (The Rook and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society), and she rescued a third – a juvenile that I think was poorly written and I haven't covered in this blog.

I can't recommend this book enough. Although it comes in at a whopping 17 hours, it's the kind of audiobook I'd sneak five minutes here or there to listen to more of. Usually I listen when I'm on long drives to work or other places. It's also the first time I listened to an MP3 version on my new Samsung Galaxy SIII phone – not doing that again – too weird getting calls and trying to coordinate my hands free blue tooth, etc. From now on, my fabulous phone is not for audiobooks! Plus, they only play MP3s... what's with that??? The selection is too limited.

 

The Rook is not available on Library To Go but if you live in the TNRD I have ordered the audio and print versions for my library. If you're not in the TNRD - beg your own library to get it! or buy it from Audible - it's worth it!

 

You can listen to a sample here but it doesn't look like I can embed samples from Audible anymore - I'll keep pursuing it.

 

 

Listen Up!

The Rook, (17 hrs, 51 mins), Hachette Audio, 2012

Death Comes to Pemberley - A visit with the Darcys

One of my favourite authors of all time, P.D. James, left her long-suffering detective Adam Dalgleish behind on some grisly murder case and escaped to the lush world of Jane Austen and the Darcy's of Pemberley. When we last saw Mr. Darcy (played to perfection by Colin Firth in the BBC Miniseries of Pride and Prejudice) he and Elizabeth Bennett were just getting married and preparing to live happily ever after. Now, six years and two adorable children later, they are about to throw an annual ball at their home when a murder occurs on the estate. Of course, if there is the overdramatic and selfish Lydia and her scoundrel of a husband, Wickham, who is accused of the murder, making things difficult for the Darcy's. Sigh, why can't they just live happily ever after?

Others have tried to explore what could have happened to this timeless romantic couple, but I think James is the one who really succeeds. She captures the characters and their necessary restraint perfectly. Her writing style is as simultaneously restrained and passionate as Austen's. The flow is seamless between the two. And, of course, P.D. James is the grand dame of the British murder mystery and the story itself is as well plotted as those starring Commander Dalgleish. I loved it!

Rosalyn Landor, who I previously heard as part of the group who read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, is amazingly well suited for the part. She has a broad variety of both male and female voices that match the era and the characters perfectly, instilling each with a great sense of depth that rises above merely narrating the text.

All in all Death Comes to Pemberly  is a lovely murder mystery for a cold winter's evening. I downloaded it from Library to Go and here (if the computer gods are willing) is a sample I pulled from Random House Audio:

                                                       
Listen Up!


Death Comes to Pemberley, (9 hrs 47 mins), Random House Audio, 2011