-
Redshirts
Redshirts by John Scalzi Published: 2012 Narrated by: Wil Wheaton Andrew Dahl is a new ensign aboard the starship Intrepid, but something strikes him as bizarre during his first week. The other crew members act strangely dramatic at times, senior officers seem to heal a little too fast, junior officers are killed off on away missions a little too often, and the laws of physics don’t seem to be as strict as they really should be. The characters eventually begin to understand the narrative that is driving their universe, and the story turns into the most meta thing ever written. It’s essentially a rant on sloppy science fiction writing with…
-
The Hobbit
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Published: 1937 With the movie coming out, I figured I should give The Hobbit another read. It’s my favourite book, more for sentimental reasons than technical, and this is my fourth or fifth time through it. The book has its flaws, but I find them easy to overlook. Some of my earliest memories are of my dad reading this to me as a child. I remember lying in bed every night excited to get back to the adventure. He’d even do the voices and terrify me with Gollum’s riddles. I found out recently that my mom used to stand and listen to him read from…
-
The Lost World
The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle Published: 1912 Narrated by: Glen McCready I’ve really enjoyed Arthur Conan Doyle’s writing in the Sherlock novels, and I love a good old-fashioned adventure story, so I’m surprised it took me this long to end up at The Lost World. The story begins with Edward Malone, a young reporter, being friend-zoned by his love interest Gladys Hungerton. In order to win her heart, he must do something great with his life. So when the opportunity presents itself to join an expedition to a hidden land in South America, he doesn’t hesitate. Gladys is mainly a framing device and isn’t much part of the…
-
Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy by Isaac Asimov Published: 1993 Every now and then I get a hankering to write some fiction, but writing is hard, so I usually just read a book about writing instead. I have a whole shelf of them, and this time I came across Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy while thumbing through. I bought and read this over ten years ago, but I couldn’t remember a damn thing about it. This is a collection of essays on different aspects of writing, from the fundamentals of plotting and dialogue right up to submitting manuscripts and dealing with editors. Isaac Asimov is listed as the author, but…
-
The Book Thief
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Published: 2005 Narrated by: Allan Corduner Liesel Meminger’s mother left her to foster parents in an attempt to separate her from any Communist ties. We hear the story of her life, narrated by Death, as she grows up in the fictional German town of Molching amidst the Second World War. It’s a story about war and the Holocaust, about growing up bewildered in a world gone mad, but it’s also a story about a young girl finding solace and hope in books while learning to read. I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right. I…
-
The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Published: 1952 Somehow I went thirty years before I read Hemingway. That is just not right. I’ve been itching to read A Moveable Feast for some time now but figured I should have at least one of his fictional works under my belt before tackling his memoirs, so I picked up what is said to be one of his most loved stories. You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him when he was alive and you loved him…
-
Lullaby
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk Published: 2002 It was a hot afternoon, and I was lying over the covers on my bed next to a cute girl. The open window to our right cooled us with a light breeze as we both read our separate books. She told me she was reading about a girl who decided to live a greener life by making a small change every day for a year. She said it was informative, inspirational, funny, and changing her for the better. Then she asked what I was reading, to which I had to respond, “It’s a book about an old African song…that…kills babies.” Oh. So I read…
-
American on Purpose
American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson Published: 2009 Narrated by: Craig Ferguson It’s been a bit of a crazy month, and as a result I’ve managed to finish…NOTHING. I listened to this book over a month ago now, so that shows just how on top of things I’ve been. Life’s starting to settle, though, so I’m hoping to get back to bookworming it up again. I’ve discovered a new love this last year and a half, and that is listening to the self-narrated autobiographies of comedians. I love comedy and stand-up, something that ranks up there in my top five list of things I’d be terrified of ever attempting, so…
-
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Published: 1925 I first read this in high school, but I’ve been meaning to return to it since. I rushed through it quite quickly in order to meet a deadline, and when I picked it up to read this time, over a decade later, I couldn’t remember a thing about it. As a result of this, I wasn’t that impressed the first time through, but there’s so much love for the book out there that I thought it would be a good time to give it another try. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, a recent university graduate and veteran of The…
-
Solaris
Solaris: The Definitive Edition by Stanisław Lem Published: 1961 Narrated by: Alessandro Juliani Translated by: Bill Johnston (in 2010 from Polish) I remember seeing this science fiction classic on my dad’s bookshelves growing up, always meaning to sit down and give it a read. In this case, I’m glad I procrastinated. The only English translation available was actually translated from the French translation of the book, and it apparently wasn’t that good, but now Audible.com has produced a proper Polish to English translation by Bill Johnston. Kris Kelvin has just landed on a hovering research facility on the planet of Solaris. The planet is covered in an ocean that past…