I'dliketosay

Fabulous author now has a fabulous new narrator

Revisado: 11-09-23

Terry Pratchett's the author: what else needs to be said? This book is the second in the Granny Weatherwax series, and Weatherwax is my absolute favorite Pratchett character. I've thought for a long time that this arc would greatly benefit from a female reader--the right FEMALE reader. Does Indira Varma ever fit the bill!

Her voices are right on target, Her intonation is pitch perfect, her timing is superb. She knows when to draw out a sentence and when to spit it out. She knows when the snark should be there and when Granny is speaking seriously. She's got Magret down to a T. She's excellent with the male voices as well.

I bought the entire series just on the strength of this performance alone. I've got hours of enjoyment ahead. I can hardly wait!

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Frothy Fun

Revisado: 12-14-21

I took a chance on this one because of the narrator, and am I glad I did! It's just plain FUN! The characters are well-developed, the plot is complex enough to be intriguing, and the dialogue is exceptionally quick and funny. The icing on the cake is the narrator: Pasqualone is one of the rare few who can delineate every character with a different tone and accent--and each tone/accent is right on the money. He also performs "The Leading Man," another entertaining froth by Lane. Hope Lane writes more--and Pasqualone narrates!

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Smaug, Morkeleb, Mnementh, Ramoth, and now LOIS!

Revisado: 09-25-21

It's getting harder and harder for me to find enjoyable books read by first-rate readers. I've been reading a long, long time, and have probably read every dragon story that can be found in the fantasy genre. But Robin McKinley has, once again, taken a tired old theme and breathed new life into it.

Most of the action in this story is interior: It's a fabulous first-person narration by teenage Jake Mendoza and his utter delight and befuddlement when he takes on the care and raising of an orphaned dragonlet. That's not to say that there's no action--there is, plenty! But much of the exterior action is far away from Jake and is secondary to Jake's concerns about keeping his dragonlet alive.

Noah Galvin is superb as Jake; his intonation is absolutely pitch perfect, and enriches an already-exceptionally enjoyable story. This is one that I can listen to again--and again.

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Perfect narrator for a perfect story

Revisado: 04-10-21

If you're an Elizabeth Cadell fan, then you already know that she writes light mystery romance. She does it effortlessly and charmingly. It's not the male/female leads that usually steal the show: it's the secondary "character" characters. In this one, it's the stepdad, the grandmother, and the uncle. Oh, and Yolanda, who has one of the most memorable scenes in the Cadell canon. Cadell also makes use of her upbringing in India in the plot.

But the narrator is the one who really burnishes this book. Pike appears to be a new reader on the scene, and it's really nice to have a male narrator for this book. His voices are well-differentiated, none are screechy or shrill, and his female voices are well done. He's excellent at the male characters, particularly love-worn-and-torn Paul and the schoolmaster.

I hope he does more. Cadell is always enjoyable, and a good reader makes her better.

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A favorite

Revisado: 06-26-19

I rarely read or listen to romance novels anymore, but this is an old favorite, and has enough mystery to offset the romance label. Roberts really nails the setting in this one: I mean, I'm laying on the bed in my airconditioned home in FL while it's 95 degrees outside, and I have to get a blanket! The characters are many and varied enough so I can tolerate the romance.

But the icing on this particular cake is the reader. Many male readers sound rather embarrassed when they're reading romantic mysteries, but Littman reads the story straight. He' got the characters' intonations and down well; as others have mentioned, he somewhat overdoes the mayor's voice, but she IS described as having a raspy voice with a foghorn laugh, and she smokes continuously through the story.

Not great literature, perhaps, but great story and great reader. This will be one I can listen to again.

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Good reader; so-so story. . .

Revisado: 11-07-18

The Friendly Air is not one of Cadell's best; it's one of her later books (1970) and is very derivative. The fiancé is one of her controlling whiners; the senior woman is a shadow of Lady Rome/Mrs. Belchamber (Family Gathering/The Frenchman and the Lady), and the heroine is very unevenly written. Sometimes she's very strong: she certainly has no trouble standing up to Weybridge, but simply can't face up to her obnoxious fiancé. Really, I was very annoyed with her.

This is one of those books where the reader's characterizations are so spot-on that you really get to know the characters--and all their warts as well as strong points. And the reading is what made me so irritated with the fiancé and the main character.

If wishy washy girls and overbearing men don't bother you, I recommend the book. This isn't one, though, that I'll be listening to again and again. The reader is just too good, which means that the characters are just too annoying.

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Good fun

Revisado: 09-29-17

Rather tongue-in-cheek take-off on the vampire/werewolf Victorian scene. The world-building by the author is complete and very well thought out/through. Clever dialogue. Fans of Georgette Heyer/Lois McMasters Bujold/Elizabeth Peters can rejoice. The prose is simply sterling, as is the vocabulary choice--nary a stumble over the wrong word.

But the one thing that sends this romp over the top is the narrator: like Grover Gardner for the Vorkosigan saga and Barbara Rosenblatt for the Peabody/Emerson series, Emily Gray is absolutely perfect as ALL the characters, as well as the running commentary that sends up the alternate Victorian era. A real listening pleasure.

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Definitely a period piece

Revisado: 09-20-17

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The narrator was first rate. The only negative is one I find with many male narrators: it's difficult for them to do female voices that sound natural/normal.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I'm either going to download another Andy Carpenter (David Rosenfelt) or All Creatures Great and Small.

Have you listened to any of Eric Meyers’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to any other of Mr. Meyer's performances. I will look at his other works. He has a very pleasing voice, and is good at giving each character a nuanced reading.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Maltese Falcon?

The repetition of physical characteristics and watching ol' Sam roll yet another cigarette in excruciatingly minute detail. If Hammett talked about Spade's hard bright eyes, or yellow grey eyes or his bland expression once, he brought them into every conversation. Brigid was always worrying or pinching her bottom lip between her teeth. Each character had certain physical characteristics that were repeated over and over.

Any additional comments?

I read this only because I'm pursuing some of the roots of the mystery. I have now been through Poe and some of Conan Doyle. Falcon definitely showed me where the stereotypical characters of the genre originated. The story itself was drawn out, slow moving ( I mean, really: did there have to be five minutes of walking the drugged daughter around and around the room???), and melodramatic. Sam couldn't have been any more hard-boiled if he'd been in a pan of bubbling water on the stove; Brigid was teeth-grittingly phony, and Eppie was the original gal Friday. As with Poe and Doyle, this book just got to be eye-rollingly funny due to coincidences and Sam's ability to get a confession out of everybody without much trouble at all. I realize I'm knocking an iconic work, but I'm certainly glad that the murder mystery genre has evolved WAY past this bilge.

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Reader Wrecks It

Revisado: 02-25-17

If you could sum up A Rather Lovely Inheritance in three words, what would they be?

What to say? I suppose this book is definitely chick-lit, but it's several notches above that: the writing is excellent, the setting is great, and the heroine is not too ditzy. It's what I call TNT (Top Notch Trash), a thoroughly enjoyable well-written book that's very good for an afternoon's pleasure, but not going to change the world. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

What other book might you compare A Rather Lovely Inheritance to and why?

For comparable writers, I suggest old-time greats Elizabeth Cadell, Mary Stewart, Angela Thirkell.

Would you be willing to try another one of Katherine Kellgren’s performances?

I have tried other Katherine Kellgren performances: specifically some of Rhys Bowen's "Her Royal Spyness" series ( I stopped at about the sixth book; they were getting repetitive and really silly). Her reading there was perfect for the characters. Here, I was sadly disappointed. She came off as harsh and brash, and that's not how I picture Penny. I won't be buying the rest of Kellgren's reading for this series; it detracts too much from the simple pleasures of the book.

If you could take any character from A Rather Lovely Inheritance out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Aunt Pen. I'd love to have her reminisce about her experiences.

Any additional comments?

For me, these books were better in print. Too bad Penny isn't British: Kellgren could, no doubt, do much better with that accent.

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Perfect puzzle cozies

Revisado: 02-25-17

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The apprehension lies in having the first two chapters of every story from the victim's point of view, and the rest of the story from the detectives' point of view. Mostly very nice tight plotting for such short stories. Also love the "character" characters.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't have a favorite scene; I enjoy the entire series as you get to know everybody over a period of time. The authors do a very nice job of using the "telling detail," just the right thing about just the right person.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The stories make me smile/chuckle in places. I just like the fact that the good guys are really good, not sanctimonious, and the bad guys always get what's coming to them, if not always in the way I'd expect.

Any additional comments?

These short (novella) mysteries are enjoyable, "radio days" mysteries. The reader has the perfect voice for the stories and their characters. The plots involve small town English characters, and the usual vices for small town characters. Several have really surprise endings, but perfect for the crime. What I appreciated about these is that there is no over-the-top graphic violence or sex, just characters working together and getting to know each other, and an outsider finding his place.

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