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November in Review
Books Acquired: None. Books Read: Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky Heat by Bill Buford Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov Ballistics: Poems by Billy Collins French Milk by Lucy Knisley With the move at the end of last month finished, November in comparison was very low-key. It was actually quite nice. December is beginning to sound pretty full, so this was a good way to lead up to it. We stumbled across a few used turntables in a strange little out-of-town cafe and ended up buying one on the spot, Lee-Ann’s early Christmas gift to me. It’s a Technics SL-23 from the 70s, and it’s in great shape. These…
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The Dispatcher
The Dispatcher by John Scalzi Published: 2016 Narrated by: Zachary Quinto Length: 02:19 (75 pages) This is John Scalzi’s latest novella, and it’s somewhat unique in that he wrote it to be published as an audiobook before print. This means he had the audio in mind while writing, and I think it actually did him some good. In his previous writing, he’s had the tendency to get repetitive with using the word ‘said’. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good word. It works well. Stephen King, if you consider him an authority, says it’s the only dialogue attribution that should be used. The problem is that he often writes snappy…
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Amazonia
Amazonia by James Rollins Published: 2002 Length: 510 pages In the first five pages of this book, the main character wrestles an anaconda under water and is sentenced by an Amazonian tribe to trail by combat. We’re also introduced to a secondary character that has a rehabilitated jaguar as a hunting partner and an Indiana Jones whip hanging from his hip, which later he actually uses to flick a gun out of someone’s hand. This novel begins on an absolutely ridiculous level and manages to maintain that for its entire length, which is impressive. Four years prior to the anaconda fight, a scientific expedition travelled into the Amazon rainforest and…
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Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Published: 1817 Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson Length: 08:16 (251 pages) The only other Austen I’ve read is Pride and Prejudice, and while I did enjoy the writing and the spots of humour, I just didn’t connect with the story at all. I did want to try some of her other work, but I just wasn’t left with a burning desire to seek them out. Catherine is innocent to the point of being a bit dense, and she’s just moved to Bath to stay with relatives and attend the season’s social events. As with Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, everyone around her is frantic to…
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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers Published: 2014 Series: Wayfarers #1 Narrated by: Patricia Rodriguez Length: 15:41 (518 pages) A couple weekends ago I travelled to my hometown to help my sister and mother pack up and move house, and it was a bit of an organizational nightmare – scheduling problems, movers not arriving, incorrectly sized storage units. It was a weekend rife with potential pitfalls, but we dealt with each problem as it came up. Much of it sucked, but we stayed calm and kept moving forward. In many ways, this story plays out a lot like my weekend did. The story begins with…
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October in Review
Books Acquired: Room by Emma Donoghue Sex Criminals, Volume 3: Three the Hard Way by Matt Fraction Mortality by Christopher Hitchens Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi Rick Stein’s Long Weekends by Rick Stein Books Read: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Amazonia by James Rollins The Dispatcher by John Scalzi I managed to accumulate a load of books this month without really trying, but two are cookbooks and don’t really count. Also, Room was given to Lee-Ann and passed off to me, so that’s a freebie as well. Had a wonderful time listening to John…