Apparently I am at my blogging
prime in the summer and at Christmas – when freelancing slows down. Catching up
on audiobooks I've listened to in the past few months and I can't not post
about a trilogy that I've listened to twice, an addiction that
still has me wanting to listen again - and together all three books add up to a formidable 55.5 hours. I avoided the enormously successful
Millennium Trilogy (The Girl With the
Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played
With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked
the Hornet's Nest) for a long time because sometimes I resist things when
everyone is telling me I should do (or read) them. I can be a bit stubborn that
way. I'm oh so glad I relented.
Written by the late Stieg Larsson, a writer who died too early of a heart attack without being able to enjoy the
success of his books, these books are a compulsion for many lovers of mystery
and suspense, or just plain good books. They are harsh - there is no way around
that. There is a graphic rape scene in the first book that sets much of the
tone for the series. I'm not usually one for graphic sexual violence, but I
actually believe this was necessary for the story. I do warn my patrons who I already know
may not be OK with reading it, however, but I also reassure them that it is
told briefly, in a matter of fact way, and that it is important to the story –
but it's by no means all of the story. It's really a series about very smart,
strong-willed characters who each, in their own way, refuse to let wrong win
over right. Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant, tortured, and socially dysfunctional
hacker, and journalist Michael Blomkvist, are both intense characters, and both
absolutely compelling.
Award-winning reader Simon Vance does an outstanding job bringing these stories to life for the reader. I
have listened to a number of things he's read, and they are all excellent.
His female characters do sound a bit breathless and more similar to each other
than his male voices, but I can let him get away with it because his voice is
like British honey and apparently that works for me.
As with my previous post (Colin
Cotterill's Dr. Siri Mysteries) about audiobooks being particularly pleasing
when it comes to foreign place and character names, this series also lends
itself to audio very well. My mom, who read the books, enjoyed listening to them
with me (my second time) because her eyes had jumped around trying to figure
out the Swedish pronunciations when she was reading. I've recommended the series to a number of my
patrons, and they have all come back to the library thrilled with the stories
and devastated that Larsson is no longer around.
I listened to these books on CD
as they were not available from the library for download... grrrr! 55 hours means a lot of disc changing!
Simon Vance read the unabridged
versions while Martin Wenner reads the abridged version. If you know me you know
I NEVER choose the abridged version. That will be another blog post someday.
***I just discovered that Random House Audio is having some issues with their sound clips, and at Audible you get a completely different reader - why would they do this???? They have the perfect reader already!
If the sound sample gods are with me right now, you can listen to a sample of Simon Vance's reading here.
***I just discovered that Random House Audio is having some issues with their sound clips, and at Audible you get a completely different reader - why would they do this???? They have the perfect reader already!
If the sound sample gods are with me right now, you can listen to a sample of Simon Vance's reading here.
Listen Up!
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, (16.5 hrs), Random House Audio,
2008
The Girl Who Played With Fire, (18.5 hrs), Random House Audio, 2009
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, (20.5 hrs), Random House
Audio, 2010
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