Audiobook review: Tar—The Wandering by Helen Sea

Tár—The Wandering by Helen Sea
Genre: Fable
Length: 53m
Audio publisher: Books Are Loud, 2011
Read by: Julia Franklin
From: Review copy from Books Are Loud through Audiobook Jukebox

Story: Tár wanders the frozen world collecting tears. One day her friend Favnea the bird brings her a strange tear. Tár does not know who it came from, but it is not a human tear. This tear seems special. Tár decides to find out where the tear came from, but the journey is harder and more dangerous than she expects.

Thoughts: Tár is a very dense short story, less than an hour long. I listened to it several times and caught something new each time. Tár is an amazing character. She has an all-encompassing job, and her dedication is inspiring. To help with her tear-gathering, she has several unique tools. I'd love to hear more of Tár's family, adventures, and the other Wanderers. There is a lot going on around Tár outside of the story told here.

Reading: This is my first audiobook read by Julia Franklin, and I was very impressed with her professionalism. Her characters were each unique and the melody of her voice lent mystery to the tale. I really enjoyed her reading and will be sure to seek out other books narrated by her.

Music: I am very apprehensive about music in audiobooks. I don't want it to overpower or distract in any way. Tár contains original music composed by the author consisting of short snippets played on a wooden flute. The music was mostly calm and quiet and fit well with the story. The same few bars were used, and they eventually became repetitive, but only a few times did the music clash with the words. At those times the music was too light for the story's seriousness and the music undermined the developing tension. Aside from these few places, I felt the music added to the story and set a mood of calm determination.

Final thoughts: Tár—The Wandering is an impressive fable suitable for middle grades through adults.  Tár's determination is an inspiration to other wanderers.

Audiobook review: Chasing the Dragon by Nicholas Kaufman

Chasing the Dragon (2009) by Nicholas Kaufman
Genre: Contemporary fantasy
Length: 3h 31m
Audio publisher: Iambik Audiobooks, 2011
Read by: Alex Foster
From: Review copy from Iambik through Audiobok Jukebox

Story: Georgia is the world's last hope. Only she can defeat the ancient Dragon that has been stalking the Earth since the time of St. George. The Dragon is determined to destroyed Georgia and everything she has ever loved. With her guns at the ready, Georgia is resolved to follow the dragon's voice in her mind, that is, when she can fight off the cravings of her body.

Thoughts: There's a good story in here, but it's just too short. I would love a prequel following Georgia before the events in Chasing the Dragon. Some of it is provided in flashbacks, and it would be great to learn more about the person Georgia was before she became so numb. I love how the story starts in the middle of the action, and we learn about Georgia and her motives as it moves along. I was startled by the level of violence and gore, but it seems appropriate for the world Georgia is living in. Since there is so much crammed into such a short novella, I got a little confused by the mythology, but overall I'm glad I met Georgia and would like to see her again.

Reading: At first I thought it was odd to have a man narrating a story with a female protagonist, especially since most of the story consists of Georgia's thoughts. However, I was soon won over by Alex Foster's smooth British accent. He does a great job. His reading is very sympathetic, and his choices emphasize and reinforce Georgia's loneliness and isolation. I have to protest that a character from Detroit has a strange New York/Southern accent, but other than that, the reading is superb.

Final Thoughts:A violent, gory, and short novella in a world much like our own where no one is irremediable and mistakes just might lead to salvation.

Graphic Novel Review: Tamara Drewe by Posy Simmonds

Tamara Drewe by Posy Simmonds
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 2008
From: Library

Read Tamara Drew on The Guardian's website

Story: A modern update of Far from the Madding Crowd, Tamara Drew tells the story of "incomers," people who come to the country for the views, versus locals who actually have to live there. London columnist and incomer Tamara returns to her childhood home with a new nose and new wardrobe after her mother's death. The writers at the retreat farm next door are all in love with her except Beth who runs the retreat and manages her famous writer husband's affairs. Told over the course of a year, the story shows the routines of farm life as the humans intentionally and unintentionally hurt one another.

Thoughts: Wow. Tamara Drewe is my perfect graphic novel. It's the story of jealousy, self-destruction, rural life, celebrity, writing, and cows. It follows the first-person account of several of the characters, so we really get to know Beth, Tamara, Andy, Glen and Casey. The dialogue is witty and the characterizations realistic as everyone says the wrong thing and annoys everyone else. Pages are set up so the interior thoughts of the characters are written in paragraphs and only the dialogue is framed out in graphics panels. This is a great way to get more of the complex story into the graphic form. Tamara Drewe is definitely for adults as there is quite a bit of nudity and adult situations. I found it funny that the occasional swear words are ****'d out. One character in particular has all of his speech bubbles *****'d. I appreciated this since it made him more pathetic than offensive. These touches really added a lot of meaning into the few things each character says.

Artwork: The art is fantastic, and I loved the washed-out colors. Most of the panels are in blues with only splashes of pink or yellow for emphasis. I particularly liked the inclusion of letters and tabloid articles to fill us in on events going on in London.

Final thoughts: A fabulous novel for anyone who likes Thomas Hardy, soap operas, farm life or writing. If you haven't read graphic novels before, Tamara Drew is an excellent place to start.

Extra note: Tamara Drewe was made into a 2010 movie starring Luke Evens.

Grade: 5 out of 5

Audiobook review: Goldfinger by Ian Fleming

Goldfinger (1959) by Ian Fleming
Series: 7th James Bond book, 3rd movie
Genre: Gentleman spy
Length: 8h 28m
Audio publisher: Blackstone Audio, 2000
Read by: Simon Vance
From: publisher

This review is full of spoilers, so be warned!

Story: Tired of killing people for a living, when his flight is delayed in Miami, James Bond takes some time for himself. At the airport he's recognized by a fellow player from Casino Royale who asks Bond for help in exchange for a night at a swank hotel. Bond is to find how a certain Auric Goldfinger always wins the daily canasta game. Back in England, Goldfinger's name comes up as a matter of national security and M wants Bond to track him down.

Thoughts: The James Bond at the beginning of Goldfinger is a complete departure from the James Bond at the beginning of Dr. No. In Dr. No, James was jumping at the bit and couldn't wait to get back in the action. Now he's been working for awhile, and he's sick of killing. He needs a vacation. He does have a martini, and again it's a vodka martini with lemon. There's even a bit about how vodka has less toxins than other spirits because it's filtered, but James doesn't really care. He just likes the taste.

The solution to the canasta cheating was quite obvious, so it was funny that Junius DuPont kept playing with Goldfinger and keeps losing. Just stop playing! I guess addiction is tough to fight. When James gets back to England, he tracks down Goldfinger at the golf course, resulting in the longest game of golf described in literature. I never thought it would end. I hope James tipped his caddie well.

The plot with the gold went over my head. I mean, Goldfinger buys used gold, so he's not stealing, then he sells the gold somewhere else to make money. Isn't this the basis of the stock market? The gold was in people's dressers before he got it, so how is this national security? I guess is he's not paying enough taxes or something. Anyway, James doesn't like Goldfinger because Goldfinger's short, so that's reason enough for James to track him down. I don't know what James is supposed to do when he finds Goldfinger. Kill him? For being rich? or short?

I really liked Tilly Masterton when she showed up. She doesn't like James and won't put up with his bull. He wrecks her car, but she gets him take her where she wants to go. She should have taken that shot at Goldfinger and not listened to anything James said. After they're captured, Tilly loses all agency and becomes a nothing character, which is unfortunate.

For the amount of exposure the gold woman gets, she never shows up in the book. It's mentioned that Goldfinger likes to paint his women and kills them this way, but it's all in the backstory. James never sees a gold woman.

I lost interest in the story after James was captured. I liked how James' personality came out then. He was prepared to die, and his job was to make it easier for 008 to avenge his death, but the plot became cartoonish, and we could only sit back and see how it played out.

In Dr No, I liked the names that described people, but Pussy Galore  is too much. She wasn't much of a character, and the stuff about James converting her with his manliness was over the top. I'll just pretend that James did die at Goldfinger's lair and everything after that was just a dream.

Reading: Simon Vance was professional as ever and made some of the more outlandish parts of this book palatable with his smooth delivery. My very favorite part was the extremely minor character of an American doctor. I think he has one line, but I loved Simon Vance's delivery of the nerdy American. I don't think I've heard Simon Vance do an American accent like that before. Usually the Americans in these books are Texas millionaires or military men. I kept waiting for the nerd to come back, but he never did. Now my goal in life is to find more books where Simon Vance voices a nerdy American male. It was brilliant!

Final thoughts: With Dr. No, I preferred the book to the movie, but with Goldfinger, I'm not so sure. I'm looking forward to watching the movie and seeing how it's different. And to hear the famous lines "Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die."

Many thanks to Blackstone Audio for providing this copy of Goldfinger to review!

This post is part of the Shaken, Not Stirred challenge. We'll be watching Goldfinger starting at 9:30 pm Eastern US time on Saturday, January 21 and commenting on twitter at #shakennotstirred. Join us!

Audiobook review: If I Were You by L Ron Hubbard

If I Were You (1940) by L Ron Hubbard and L Sprague de Camp
Genre: Fantasy action
Length: 2h 6m
Audio publisher: Galaxy Press, 2008
Read by: Nancy Cartwright and full cast (Lynsey Bartilson, Corey Burton, Bob Caso, RF Daley, Jennifer Darling, John Mariano, Jim Meskimen, Phil Proctor and Tait Ruppert)
From: the publisher
More information at goldenagestories.com

Story: If I Were You contains two short stories: "If I Were You" is the story of the circus dwarf Little Tom Little who desperately wants to be the master of ceremonies. When he inherits a mysterious book from the fortune teller, his dreams may come true, in a different way than he thinks.

In "The Last Drop," Mac the bartender is on the search for the perfect drink. He thinks he has made it using a new liqueur from Borneo, only there are unfortunate side effects.

Thoughts: Originally published in the magazine Five-Novels Monthly, these stories are pure pulp: over the top, yet so much fun. "If I Were You" has a byline by L Ron Hubbard while "The Last Drop" was written by L Sprague de Camp and L Ron Hubbard. They both have mysterious forces, evil bad guys, and lots of running around. My favorite part is when the bar patrons are discussing the square-cube law, the fact that when something doubles in size, its volume is increased by 8 and weight is similarly affected. This is so often ignored in fiction and in this type of fiction specifically. But in this story they bring it out there, discuss it directly, and the events in the story follow the law. Priceless!

Reading: It was strange hearing Bart Simpson pop up as Little Tom Little in "If I Were You," but Nancy Cartwright and the other actors pull it all together. I normally don't like full-cast recordings since the acting often takes away from the story, but full-cast is how these stories are meant to be read. I especially loved the main narrator and am disappointed I can't tell who it is from the way the credits are listed. His voice is perfect for radio, and his introductions, along with the music, really set the stage and get the action moving.

Final thoughts: A great bit of pulp-fiction nostalgia with Bart Simpson thrown in.

Grade: 4 out of 5

I want to thank Galaxy Press for providing a copy of this book for review.

Audiobook review: The Apothecary by Maile Maloy

The Apothecary by Maile Maloy
Genre: YA historical fantasy
Length: 7h 35m
Audio publisher: Penguin Audiobooks, 2011
Read by: Cristin Milioti
From: Library

Story: In 1952, Janie moves from Los Angeles to London. The cool guy at school, Benjamin, also happens to be the son of the neighborhood apothecary. When the Benjamin's dad is kidnapped, he and Janie must keep safe his ancient book, the Pharmacopoeia. That doesn't mean they can't try out some of its secrets...

Thoughts: The Apothecary is a fun story of kids trying fit in and learning about a mysterious magic world right under their nose. Set in 1952, it takes place in a very realistic London where there are no sock hops or poodle skirts but instead food shortages and ration cards. Everything is backwards and grey in London after sunny Los Angeles, and I really felt for Janie as she adjusted to her new school and life. Then Benjamin catches her eye with his non-conformist ways and the story takes off with kidnappings, chases, murder, and magic.

Reading: Cristin Milioti's young-sounding voice works well for 14 year-old Janie. I liked all of the British accents she was able to put into the story, especially dreamy Benjamin.

Final thoughts: The Apothecary is a fun story of magic and growing up that stands well on its own while still leaving some room for sequels.

Grade: 4 out of 5

Graphic Novel Review: The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen and Rebecca Guay

The Last Dragon
Writer: Jane Yolen
Artist: Rebecca Guay
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Dark Horse, 2011
From: Publisher through NetGalley
Check out the beautiful images in this preview

Story: It's been 200 years since dragons have been seen, but something's been taking the village's sheep and cows. Can they find a hero in time or will it be up to the healer's daughter to save the day?

Thoughts: The Last Dragon isn't written like my usual graphic novel. There are several pages of text at the beginning providing background on the dragon wars and the rest of the story relies heavily on description and dialogue. Luckily, most of the words can be ignored in favor of the gorgeous pictures. Just look at the cover. The images are amazing. They seem to be colored in pastel and watercolor, and the hues are beautifully muted. On my first pass through, I just gazed at the pictures. It took some effort to buckle down and concentrate on the words. I liked the story of Tansy the healer's daughter, but the focus quickly shifts to other people in the village. I wish there had been more on Tansy since she's a great character: feisty, intelligent, and willing to leverage other people's strengths to make up for her weaknesses. But really, the story is secondary to the fabulous images.

Final thoughts: The amazing pictures in this novel more than make up for the weaknesses in the story.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Audiobook Review: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

"In one respect at least the Martians are a happy people; they have no lawyers." -- John Carter, A Princess of Mars

A Princess of Mars (1917) by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Genre: Science fiction romance
Length: 7h 26m
Audio publisher: LibriVox, 2008
Read by: Marc Nelson
Download audiobook from LibriVox
Download ebook from Project Gutenberg

Story: After ending the War of Northern Aggression on the less than victorious side, Captain John Carter of Virginia traveled West to look for gold. In Arizona he found a strange cave where he passes out and later wakes up on what must be Mars. John is then taken captive by its mysterious green inhabitants. Luckily, due to the limited Martian gravity, John possesses extraordinary strength, speed, and the ability to leap tall buildings. John spends his time learning the language and customs of the green Martians until the day they take another prisoner, this time a red Martian who looks almost human and happens to be a princess.

Thoughts: A Princess of Mars follows John Carter through his various Martian adventures. The beginning spends a lot of time describing the green Martians' way of life: their social structure, class system, methods of reproduction, manner of education. Even though these digressions are pretty dry, I came to enjoy them since they're very detailed and well thought-out. The group of Martians that finds John Carter is well described, but the other types of Martians, especially the red Martians, are not as well-formed. The red Martians look like humans and are more technologically advanced than the green, but I wasn't sure how their social structure differed. Mars is a very violent place.  Everyone is obsessed by war, and all conflicts are solved by killing. Sometimes John Carter comes up with a clever instead of a violent solution, but these are few and far between.
Usually he just uses his fists. And his superpowers.

My favorite parts of the book were the descriptions of the Martian technology, especially their oxygen creation system. I would have liked to learn more about those aspects and less about hand-to-hand combat.

I wasn't prepared for the very dense writing style in A Princess of Mars, but I loved it. Here's an example:

I do not believe that I am made of the stuff which constitutes heroes, because, in all of the hundreds of instances that my voluntary acts have placed me face to face with death, I cannot recall a single one where any alternative step to that I took occurred to me until many hours later.

The whole book is written like that. It's fun to listen to, but I could only handle it for short stretches. I missed a lot of the beauty of the phrasing by listening to the audio since I was focused on the words' meaning instead of their placement, but I don't know if I'd have been able to power through the visual version. I can barely get through that sentence.

I also had a few issues with continuity. There are said to be no mammals on Mars, but everyone sleeps on furs. More confusing was John Carter's ability to read minds, which came and went. He's also the only person who can lie, but then meets up with other liers, so maybe it's only green Martians who tell the truth. I did like how they were all vegetarians.

Reading: Marc Nelson did a fabulous job. I can't imagine reading some of that text silently, never mind aloud. He flawlessly delivered every run-on sentence and compound prepositional phrase in a way that brought out the meanings of the words and made them fun.

Final thoughts: While I'm glad I listened to A Princess of Mars, I'm not clamoring to listen to its many sequels.The story is interesting for historical value, and it has a lot of great ideas scattered through, but the emphasis on mindless violence turned me off.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

This book qualifies for several challenges as a science fiction classic:

Graphic Novel Review: Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry

"As it did every morning...with spiteful inevitability...the sun rose."

Britten and Brülightly by Hannah Berry
Genre: Detective noir
Publisher: Metropolitan Books, 2008
Check out some sample pages
From: Local library

Story: There's not much sun in the noir city where Fernández Britten makes his living as a "researcher." He's tired of telling jealous and vengeful lovers what they already know, so now he doesn't get out of bed for less than murder. He doesn't get out of bed much. But today he has a case. With his partner, Stewart Brülightly, who happens to be a talking teabag, Britten is off to meet a lady of mystery and talk about murder.

Thoughts: Mysterious death. Long silences. Rain. Britten and Brülightly has it all. This isn't a kid's book but instead a noir mystery with violence, murder, and even swearing. I think this is the first graphic novel I've checked out that's shelved in the adult section. Instead of hard-boiled, Britten is world-weary. He's seen more than his share of deceit and cares too much to let it go. His partner, although a teabag, has managed to stay upbeat. Stewart adds some levity to the bleak existence that's weighing Britten down. The plot moves swiftly, and Britten is swept along. He wants to help people, but the truth only makes things worse. And he's too intelligent to go after anything but the truth.

Art: The artwork in Britten and Brülightly is amazing. Each panel is painted with just the faintest touch of color creating a washed-out image that adds to the bleak atmosphere. The city is  populated with the most beautifully drawn details. A desk. A fish. A shoe. The never-ending rain and angles looking down on Britten from a height only emphasize his insignificance. My one criticism is some of the lettering is hard to read. I love how the narration is written out in cursive, but it takes a couple of passes to get the whole gist. The story is well-done, and the art that makes this book.

Final thoughts: If you like noir or detectives or graphic novels or tea, you should read Britten and Brülightly. Well, maybe not tea. I wouldn't want Stewart in my cup. But it's an excellent choice for any graphic novel fan and mystery buffs who want to give graphic novels a try.

Grade: 5 out of 5

This review is part of the Graphic Novels Challenge.

Trencarrow Secret by Anita Davison

Trencarrow Secret by Anita Davison
Genre: Gothic historical romance
Length: 12h 22m
Audio publisher: Iambik audio, 2011
Read by: Ruth Golding

Story: Isabel Hart is almost twenty-one and has lived a very sheltered life. She has debilitating fears of the lake and the maze at her family's country house. She is also afraid to acknowledge the many secrets her family keeps: her mother's illness, her father's way of coping, why her fiance wants to marry her, her sister's early life. As she begins overcoming her fears, Isabel starts to see her family as they really are, and the true secrets of Trencarrow are revealed.

Thoughts: Trencarrow Secret could be described as Gothic, but it doesn't take place in the traditional Gothic setting. Trencarrow is an open and airy mansion filled with the Harts' friends and relations all congregating for Isabel's twenty-first birthday. The Gothic moodiness is in Isabel's mind, where her fears cast a shadow over everything and everyone. Isabel is naive and acts young for her age, although this could be a realistic portrayal of a sheltered gentleman's daughter of the time: dutiful, docile, and a slave to propriety.

Romance is on the sidelines as Isabel thinks about what she wants from life and from marriage. As the story progresses, more and more people reveal their true selves to Isabel, and she tries to come to terms with the unwelcome changes around her. The book moves fairly slowly as each person's secret is revealed. Mystery is downplayed as the secrets are plain to everyone except Isabel, and she wants to keep them hidden.

I enjoyed this book more in hindsight than while listening to it. At the time I didn't quite know what to think. Some of the secrets were not secret at all while others were too well hidden. I wish the hidden ones had come out a little sooner so I could have enjoyed them more at the time.

Reading: Ruth Golding does a fabulous job. Her older-sounding voice lends a feel of nostalgia to the story, as if Isabel is thinking back to her time in Trencarrow. The voice for Isabel is childish and whining, fitting the character. Sometimes the younger female voices started to sound a little similar, especially Isabel and Laura, but I enjoyed her male voices immensely.


Final thoughts: Not quite a romance and not quite a mystery, Trencarrow Secret is more Gothic in hindsight than it appears at first glance.


Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Thanks to Iambik and Audiobook Jukebox for providing an audio copy of this book for review.

Graphic novel review: The Arrival by Shaun Tan

The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2006
Awards: Many, including the Locus Award for best art book (2008)
From: Local library

Story: Told without words, The Arrival is the story of a father who leaves his family to find work in a new country. The language and customs of his new home are strange and hard to comprehend, but with the help of his adopted animal, the man learns to communicate and discovers how his neighbors came to this place.

Thoughts: This book is beautiful. It's huge, with each page a full 8 1/2 x 11. The art is in brown pencil, like the drawing on the cover, and the designs are fancifully amazing. I especially liked the strange alphabet. The images are so moving, I cried throughout most of the book. The man has a lot of difficulties finding his way around and understanding how things are done, but he is determined to succeed and keeps at it no matter how many mistakes he makes. He never gets disheartened and eventually meets others who help him and share their enjoyment of life.

Final thoughts:  This is such an inspiring book for the start of a new year. Although things can be difficult, if we help others and persevere, we all become stronger.

Farthing by Jo Walton

Farthing (2006) by Jo Walton
Series: First in the Small Change trilogy
Genre: alternate reality mystery
Length: 9h 46m
Audio publisher: Audible, Inc, 2011
Read by: John Keating and Bianca Amato

Story: In a 1949 where Hitler retains control of Europe and England has withdrawn from the war, the Farthings are the well-connected family who orchestrated this "Peace with Honor." When one of the Farthings is found dead at their country estate, Scotland Yard inspector Peter Carmichael is on the case. Who did it? Was it Jews? Bolsheviks? Or someone more connected to the family?

Thoughts: Wow. In addition to being a fun cozy mystery worthy of Ms. Christie, Farthing shows life in a world where democracy is eroding and  persecution is tolerated. The point of view alternates from daughter of the house Lucy to Inspector Carmichael, and this dichotomy is inspired. Farthing is the first mystery I've read to use this convention, and it allows the reader to get an inside view into the family machinations and prejudices while also learning about events back at Scotland Yard. Does anyone want to solve this mystery, or do they only want use it for their political advantage? You don't need to like science fiction to love this book. It's real and chilling on a personal level in a setting that could be our history.

Reading: I haven't listened to either Bianca Amato or John Keating before, and I really enjoyed their interpretations. Ms. Amato has a very light, refined voice that perfectly captured the naive young wife, while Mr. Keating lent a world-weariness to Inspector Carmichael as his illusions are removed one by one the further he gets into the case.

Final thoughts: I started Farthing not knowing what to expect and left amazed. I'm so glad this book is out in audio.

Grade: 5 out of 5. One of my best 5 audiobooks of 2011!

Audiobook review: Space Captain Smith by Toby Frost

Music to my tympanic membrane. - Otto, Space Captain Smith

Space Captain Smith (2008) by Toby Frost
Series: First in the Chronicles of Isambard Smith series
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 7h 6m
Audio publisher: Iambik Audio, 2011
Read by: Clive Catterall

Story: In the 25th century, the British Space Empire is threatened by evil aliens. bungling Captain Isambard Smith is keen to be sent on his first mission, ferrying a secret envoy from the hippy colony of New Francisco. However, his ship is falling apart, his pilot is still reading the manual, and Smith doesn't seem to have any crew. With a stiff upper lip and plenty of tea, Space Captain Smith takes on androids, flying sharks, Martins, and headhunters in an effort to to fulfill his mission.

Thoughts: A pastiche of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Star Wars, Moby Dick, Blade Runner, Casablanca, War of the Worlds, and many more, Space Captain Smith is a space farce like no other. While listening, I had to throw out all expectations and just go along for the ride. There are a lot of funny moments as Captain Smith races into the fray with no skill or forethought. Although I felt some parts tried a little too hard with body function jokes and innuendos. The story is set in the distant future, but the characters are taken from historical eras or books. Captain Smith is a purely Victorian explorer who gets off at the sight of an ankle, his friend is a headhunter alien in the vein of Queequeg from Moby Dick, the hippies of New Francisco are living in the 60's with sex and drugs, while the Martins are from HG Wells' War of the Worlds. The narration follows several of the characters as each pursues a different agenda, and the vastly different points of view add a lot of unexpected tangents to the story. My favorite was Rick Drecket who, in a send up of Blade Runner, tries to determine if his companion is an android. I'll be sure to try those questions on my next date.

Reading: Clive Catterall's smooth, limber voice was sent through its paces in Space Captain Smith, and he delivered. Each character was energetic and distinct. It sounded like he was having a lot of fun, and his enjoyment was infectious.

Final thoughts:  A space farce to out-farce the rest, Space Captain Smith has a lot of good sections loosely tied together.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

This audiobook was provided by Iambik Audio through the Audiobook Jukebox Solid Gold Reviewer program. 

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch

Yet another troll-fighting 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch
Series: First in the Hereville series
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fantasy
Publisher: Amulet Books, 2010
From: Local library
Here's a 15-page preview from Barry Deutsch

Story: Mirka's goal in life is to fight dragons, but instead her stepmother makes her learn "womanly arts" like knitting. One day while outsmarting bullies, Mirka finds a strange house in the forest. Afterwards, an evil pig starts following Mirka and won't go away. How can she find a sword when she can't even keep her homework safe?

Thoughts: I picked up this book because of its cover, and I'm glad I did! Mirka is an excellent heroine who's smart and brave yet still has things to learn. I especially liked Mirka's step-mother who's a little wicked, but in a good way. The action stops a couple of times to describe Mirka's Orthadox school, her classmates, and the Saturday Shabbos celebration. These parts got a little teachy as the narrator talks directly to the reader, but the action soon picks up again. My favorite part was the visual description of Mirka's word problems, and Mirka's solutions. Mirka's so fun I could have read a whole book just of her doing math!

The art is grayscale on an orange background. I love this style. The mostly black and white drawings let the action jump right out, while the addition of one color allows for unexpected touches. I especially liked Mirka's striped socks. When it turns to night, the background switches to blue, giving the perfect midnight feel. It's such a great effect, the perfect compromise between the visual interest of color and clarity of black and white.

Final thoughts: A great girl adventure with a window into Orthodox Jewish life for middle grade readers or anyone who had to resort to their brain because they didn't have a sword handy. The second book in the series is in the works. Can't wait!

Grade: 5 out of 5

Audiobook review: Reversing Over Liberace by Jane Lovering

My grandfather's left me his nose. It's in a matchbox. -Willow Cayton

Reversing Over Liberace (2008) by Jane Lovering
Genre: contemporary romance
Length: 8h 38m
Audio publisher: Iambik Audio, 2011
Read by: Cori Samuel
From: Iambik Audio

Listen to the first chapter on Cori Samuel's blog.

Story: Willow's beloved grandfather has died, and all he left her was his nose. The mummified body part fits in a matchbox, but it could have been worse. Her brother inherited 12 pairs of rubber boots. Even without the nose, Willow's life hasn't amounted to much. She's 32, has never been married, and works a lousy job in the town where she was born. Then Luke shows up. Willow had a huge crush on him at university, but back then he wouldn't give her the time of day. Maybe this time things will be different...

Thoughts: I was in the mood for a lighthearted comedy, and Reversing Over Liberace hit the spot. Willow is a 30-something singleton who spends her spare time in the pub with her mates, but she's more than a sex-starved Bridget Jones. She cares about people, especially her three older brothers and sister, even though they drive her insane with their strange obsessions. The story has a lot of unexpected goings-on as everyone bangs about their business leaving Willow to get Luke's attention and make peace with her grandfather's passing as well as his strange inheritance.

I loved Willow's dysfunctional family. It's great to see siblings who are realistically self-centered without being mean. They "hate, resent, and adore" one another, and show it through clever insults. I especially enjoyed Ash, Willow's hot gay twin. It would be great to have a story following Ash and his motorcycle, and another one following big brother Bree who never speaks but binds books. The beginning of the story had some clunky pop culture allusions, but the witty dialogue soon smoothed everything over, and by the time the Jasper Fford references came out, I was hooked. I couldn't wait to see how it all turned out.

Reading: A lot of my fondness for Willow's family rests squarely on the shoulders of Cori Samuel. I thoroughly enjoyed her excellent narration. Her young voice is perfect for Willow, and the other characters were spot-on with their Irish, Welsh, and other British accents which I can never identify but love to hear. I especially fancied the male voices. Each was distinct in tone and style and added to the character's feel. I want to hear more adventures of Ash mostly because of his suave voice, even though I know he's gay. And fictional.

I have a pronunciation fetish over the word "pastie," and I learned Jane Loverling has one over the word "scone." I didn't even know there were other ways to pronounce that one! Luckily, all scones were pronounced correctly and no pasties made appearances in this book.

Cover: I have to say, the audio version of this book has one of the worst covers ever. I can't even tell what it is. A big nose and a cat in a goal post? The paperback cover is better but implies the story takes place in New York instead of the other York and makes Willow look like a ditz. The book is better than either cover or even the title implies. Take a listen and judge for yourself.

Final thoughts: A super fun romance with witty, entertaining characters who love to rag on each other because they care.

Grade: 5 out of 5

Thanks to Iambik Audio for providing this review copy of Reversing over Liberace through the Audiobook Jukebox Solid Gold Reviewer program.

Audiobook review: Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

"Interesting...in an eerily nasty way."  - Richard St Vier, Swordspoint

Swordspoint (1987) by Ellen Kushner
Series: Book one of the Riverside series
Genre: fiction
Length: 10h 54m
Audio publisher: Neil Gaiman Presents, 2011
Read by: Ellen Kushner, Dion Graham, Katherine Kellgren, Robert Fass, Nick Sullivan, Simon Jones, and full cast

Story: Richard St. Vier is the greatest swordsman in Riverside. He is constantly in demand for nobles' parties and to settle points of honor, but he doesn't do weddings. St. Vier puts his life on the line each job he takes, but life is cheap. Everyone dies. Honor and reputation are what's precious. Now Richard is a pawn in the power games played by the city's bored nobility. Can he keep his honor, reputation, and life intact?

Thoughts: Swordspoint is described as "if Jane Austen wrote fantasy," but it's closer to Les Liaisons Dangereuses than Sense and Sensibility. The story follows several points of view from the slums of Riverside to the nobles' Hill as each person sets up their games of power using other people's lives. The book is subtitled "a melodrama of manners," and there is a lot of chocolate drinking. There are also Machiavellian politics, swordplay, theater, and revenge. The characters are compelling but hard to fathom as each has their own hidden motivations. Everyone uses everyone else, and only the quick survive. While Swordspoint's action takes place in a country that uses swords, there is no magic or fantastical elements in the book. It's fantasy because it takes place in a country with different laws and customs. And swords.

Production: I've had bad experiences with author-narrated audiobooks and with full-cast audiobooks, so when I found out Swordspoint was an author-narrated, full-cast audiobook, I was very apprehensive. Happily, my fears were unfounded. Ellen Kushner reads clearly and with grace, and it really sounds like she's having fun. She reads most of the book. The full cast is only brought in when there are larger group scenes. Occasional sound effects are added (doors opening, footfalls), and the full-cast sections has background sounds and music. I would think having a narrator read the voices of the main characters for most of the book and then switching to other people reading them for the group scenes would be confusing, but it works very well. Having the consistent narrator allowed me to sink into the story, and the infrequent group scenes were a fun diversion.

Final thoughts: If you've already read Swordspoint, the full-cast version is well done, and an excellent introduction to audiobooks. Swordspoint is also a good book if you enjoy stories of political intrigue or duels. No interest in fantasy needed.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Bonus fact: Ellen Kushner wrote five choose your own adventure books including #56 The Enchanted Kingdom. This makes me happy.

Graphic Novel Review: Re-Gifters by Mike Carey

Dixie. Korean dwarf fighting frog. 

Re-Gifters by Mike Carey, Sonny Liew, Marc Hempel
Genre: contemporary romance fight story
Publisher: DC Minx, 2007
From: local library

Story: High schooler Dixie only cares about two things: the martial art hapkido and Adam in her class. But obsessing over Adam is interfering with her focus, her "ki." If she can get Adam the perfect gift for his birthday, she'll be able to focus and everything will turn out all right. Right?

Thoughts: What a fun story! I loved Dixie and her crazy family. As one who has been tempted to re-gift, this story shows the dangers of the practice. What goes around, comes around.

Re-Gifters starts off strong and keeps it up as Dixie and her friends are introduced right in the middle of the action. Dixie is clumsy and scattered. She's strong but not sure how to use her strength except to beat people up. Dixie's friend Avril, with her cheerful openness, is a great counterbalance to Dixie's spiky moods, and the other secondary characters are realistic teens with their own problems and obsessions. One of the things I like best about graphic novels is their refreshing brevity. Re-Gifters tells its story with no extra padding. It's fun but focused. Balanced.

The Re-Gifters' artwork is black and white. The drawing is loose with a freestyle, sketch-like appearance that adds a lot of energy to the hapkido fighting scenes. I was confused in one place where thugs tell Dixie to get back to Koreatown, but the buildings right next to them all have Korean signs. Maybe the Korean businesses are encroaching the punk's territory and that's why they're upset. Since I'm illiterate in Korean, I missed all of the hidden jokes, but I did like how the black guy was wearing a shirt with the Chinese character for black (黑).

Final thoughts: The Karate Kid meets Pretty in Pink, Re-Gifters is another excellent Minx title. I'm going to be sad when I've read them all.

Grade: 5 out of 5

Audiobook review: Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
Series: First in the Art of Death series
Genre: historical mystery
Length: 13h 12m
Audio publisher: Penguin Audiobooks, 2007
Read by: Rosalyn Landor
From: local library

Story: Cambridge, 1171. A child has been murdered, and the town blames the local Jews. Since the Jewish population is locked in the local castle, they're not generating revenue. This doesn't sit well with King Henry II. In an effort to exonerate the Jews and get the taxes flowing, he sends for a "Master in the Art of Death."

Adelia is a physician and pathologist in progressive Sicily, but she could get herself killed in backwater England where women who know too much are called witches. Adelia needs to learn as much as she can about Cambridge's farmers, crusaders, tax collectors and clergy quickly and without giving offence, not her strong suit. She's not sure if she can trust anyone, but she has to find the killer before another child dies.

Thoughts: After a slow start with too much introduction (three preambles) the narrative takes off. Adelia is a fabulous, strong female character. I'm not sure if her difficulties relating to people are because she's Sicilian and doesn't understand English culture, because she's dedicated to her work so not picking up social cues, or if she just didn't care. She reminds me of the TV version of Bones, so she may have Asperger's syndrome. Of course, most of her issues are people saying "women don't do that," which she doesn't stand for. Instead, she fills us in on the state of medieval doctoring. I never know if washing one's hands in brandy is something one person of that time might think of or if it's all imposed on the characters from our modern perspective, but it's fun to see what goes on and what Adelia thinks about it. I especially liked her asking for vegetables and everyone else groaning about how she's such a picky eater.

Reading: Rosalyn Landor is an audiobook superstar. Her voices in Mistress of the Art of Death are spot-on, from the king to the sheep herder. I especially loved the little kids. She also aced my person audio hurdle by pronouncing "pastie" correctly. Not everyone does. Well done!

Final thoughts: A great medieval medical mystery. I'm looking forward to the next in the series!

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Audiobook Review: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Genre: Fantasy Horror
Length: 46h 50m
Audio publisher: Audible, Inc (2011)
Translated by: Philip Gabriel
Read by: Allison Hiroto, Marc Vietor, Mark Boyett
From: purchased from Audible

Story: Tokyo, 1984. Aomame hears some music in a taxi, and ever since things have been different. When did the police change guns and uniforms? How does she not remember the building of an observatory on the moon? She concludes she's in a parallel universe and calls it 1Q84.

Tengo is presented an offer he can't refuse: rewrite a moving fantasy story written by a 17 year-old girl to enter in a writing competition. But as Tengo learns more about Fukaeri, he begins to wonder how much of her story is true, and what that means for both of them.

Thoughts: The connection between 1Q84 and to George Orwell's 1984 is in name only. 1984 has Big Brother while 1Q84 has the Little People, sinister sprites with no clear goals or agenda. 1Q84 ostensibly takes place in Tokyo, but the setting could be anywhere. There are few references to Japan and none to Japanese 80's pop culture. 1Q84 mostly takes place in a vacuum of place and time with no clear goals or agenda.

The first third of 1Q84 has a lot going for it. Aomame is serious, calm and in control. Nothing rattles her, but she still wonders if she's doing the right thing in her job as a contract killer. She cares about the results of her actions. When she discovers the differences between the world she knows and the world she's in, she doesn't even consider that she's going crazy. She decides it's not her, it's the world that's wrong. And she stands by her convictions. Tengo is a mess, still fixated on his mother's breasts, but he loves to write and is slowly getting himself together. Unfortunately, as the book progresses, the fun action from the beginning stagnates and is replaced by repetition and horror. The Little Men are seriously creepy, the characters affectless, and I haven't been able to look at the moon the same since. Most disturbing is the defense and support of child molestation and pedophilia.

If someone asked me to abridge 1Q84, I would have no problem. This book needs some serious editing. There are many sections that are merely repeated as the point of view goes back and forth between Aomame to Tengo, and late in the book a completely unnecessary third point of view is added. I'm sure I could take off 20 hours and not lose any of the small amount of story. Long, boring books are particularly hard to listen on audio. When you're reading the print version, it's much easier to skip over or skim the boring bits.

Reading: Allison Hiroto reads in a soft, lightly accented voice. Some words were too heavily enunciated while others were difficult to distinguish, but overall she gave the feeling that Aomame is a fun-loving person despite her voluntary isolation.
Marc Vietor starts out reading Tengo's point of view enunciating every word, like a robot, but as the story goes on he loosens up and reads in a more relaxed manner.
Mark Boyett has a small part at the end of the book, but adds a lot with his reading. He uses an almost gangster accent, contributing a noir feeling to his sections. Even though this part of the book is completely superfluous, I enjoyed his reading the most of the three narrators.

Final thoughts: The cover is the best part of this book.

Grade: 2 out of 5 - I enjoyed the first third, but after that it falls apart.

Graphic novel review: kimmie66 by Aaron Alexovich

"But...is it real?"

kimmie66 by Aaron Alexovich
Genre: YA SF mystery
Publisher: DC Minx, 2007
From: Paperbackswap.com 

Story: Telly is a normal 23rd century goth teen. She lives most of her life in the virtual world, and who wouldn't? But she's worried about her friend, kimmie66. Kimmie sent Telly a suicide note that couldn't be real, could it? People are still seeing Kimmie all over the net. Telly has never met Kimmie in real life and doesn't know her real name, so she can't find out for sure. Unless she breaks the law.

Thoughts: kimmy66 is much darker than the other Minx titles I've read, both in its theme of suicide and from the black backgrounds used in most of the panels. The artwork is edgy and distorted, fitting with the virtual reality setting. I usually prefer clear and open artwork, but the darker images work to set the bleak tone. The story reminds me of Serial Experiments Lain, one of my favorite animes. Both titles have a sad and eerie feeling, but the scary clowns add an extra creep factor to kimmie66.  I like Telly. She figures things out and questions the status quo. She also has fab messy hair. The everyday use of virtual reality put me in mind of Ready Player One. In fact, both of these books could take place in the same world. The only difference is in Telly's world virtual travel is illegal while for Player One it's just expensive.

Aaron Alexovich contributed character designs to Nickelodeon's Invader Zim, and I recognized his unique drawing style from that show. He also did the art for Minx's Confessions of a Blabbermouth and has his own story, Serenity Rose, from SLG.

Final thoughts: I liked this creepy gothic cyber-mystery. It's a fast read but fun if you don't mind scary clowns.

Grade: 4 out of 5