Where are You Reading? Challenge Wrap Up

The Where are You Reading? Challenge was hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey. The idea was to read a book set in each of the fifty states. I didn't make it; but I gave it an ernest effort and I had a lot of fun playing with the google map! I read/listened to 69 titles across 30 states and the District of Columbia and, posted 27 reviews:

• AL: The Most They Ever Had (written and narrated by Rick Bragg)
• AK: Caribou Island (by David Vann; narrated by Bronson Pinchot)
• AR: Shakespeare's Landlord (by Charlaine Harris; narrated by Julia Gibson)
• AZ: 3:10 to Yuma (by Elmore Leonard; narrated by Henry Rollins)
• CA: When the Killing's Done (by T.C. Boyle; narrated by Anthony Heald)
• CA: The Haunting of Hill House (by Shirley Jackson; narrated by Bernadete Dunne)
• CA : Psycho (by Robert Bloch; narrated by Paul Michael Garcia)
• CA: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Volume #1: The Long Way Home (by Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty)
• CO: Columbine (by Dave Cullen; narrated by Don Leslie)
• CT: Deep Down True (by Juliette Fay; narrated by Robynn Rodriguez)
• CT: Dead Man's Switch (by Tammy Kaehler; narrated by Nicole Vilencia)
• CT: Unexpectedly, Milo (by Matthew Dicks)
• CT: Happy Ever After (by Nora Roberts)
• CT: Hellboy: Volume #2: Wake the Devil (by Mike Mignola)
• CT: Hellboy: Volume #3: The Chained Coffing and Other Stories (by Mike Mignola)
• DC: A Simple Act of Violence (by R.J. Ellory; narrated by Kevin Kenerly)
• DE: West of Rehobeth (by Alex D. Pate; narrated by Dion Graham)
• FL: Nature Girl (by Carl Hiaasen; narrated by Lee Adams)
• FL: The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady (by Elizabeth Stuckey French)
• FL: The Shawl (by Cynthia Ozick)
• GA: A Quiet Belief in Angels (by R.J. Ellory; narrated by Mark Bramhall)
• GA: The Walking Dead: Volume #2: Miles Behind Us (by Robert Kirkman et al)
• GA: The Walking Dead: Volume #3: Safety Behind Bars (by Robert Kirkman et al)
• HI: Unfamiliar Fishes (writtten and narrated by Sarah Vowell)
• IL: The Last Striptease (by Michael Wiley; narrated by Johnny Heller)
• IL: Death Masks (by Jim Butcher; narrated by James Marsters)
• IL: Blood Rites (by Jim Butcher; narrated by James Marsters)
• KY: The Walking Dead: Volume 1: Days Gone Bye (by Robert Kirkman et al)
• MA: A Drink Before the War (by Dennis Lehane; narrated by Jonathan Davis)
• MA: Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? (by Steven Tyler with David Dalton; narrated by Jeremy Davidson)
• MA: The Vices (by Lawrence Douglas)
• MA: House Arrest (by Ellen Meeropol)
• MA: The Handmaid's Tale (by Margaret Atwood)
• MD: Countdown (by Jonathan Maberry; narrated by Ray Porter)
• MD: Patient Zero (by Jonathan Maberry; narrated by Ray Porter)
• MD: Zero Tolerance (by Jonathan Maberry; narrated by Ray Porter)
• MI: Big Girl, Small (by Rachel DeWoskin; narrated by Christine Williams)
• ME: Carrie (by Stephen King; narrated by Sissy Spacek)
• ME: Maine (by J. Courtney Sullivan)
• ME: Hell House (by Richard Matheson; adapted by Ian Edgington; illustrated by Thomas Fraser)
• ME: The Taker (by Alma Taksu)
• MN: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (by Joanne Fluke; narrated by Suzanne Toren)
• MN: Shiver (by Maggie Stiefvater; narrated by Jenna Lamia and David LeDoux)
• MO: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (by Mark Twain)
• MO: The Adventures of HUckleberry Finn (by Mark Twain)
• MO: Finn (by Jon Clinch)
• MS: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (by Tom Franklin; narrated by Kevin Kenerly)
• NJ: Hotel for Dogs (by Lois Duncan; narrated by Katy Kellgren)
• NJ: The Plot Against America (by Philip Roth)
• NY: Rip Van Winkle (by Washington Irving; narrated by Christian Rummel)
• NY: The Ghost of Greenwich Village (by Lorna Graham; narrated by Nicole Vilencia)
• NY: Live and Let Die (by Ian Flaming; narrated by Simon Vance)
• NY: Diamonds are Forever (by Ian Flaming; narrated by Simon Vance)
• NY: A Visit from the Goon Squad (by Jennifer Egan)
• NY: Fables: Volume #3: Storybook Love (by Bill Willingham et al)
• NY: Fables: Volume #4: March of the Wooden Soldiers (by Bill Willingham et al)
• NY: Fables: Volume #5: The Mean Seasons (by Bill Willingham et al)
• NY: Fables: Volume #6: Homelands (by Bill Willingham et al)
• NY: We the Animals (by Justin Torres)
• NY: By Nightfall (by Michael Cunningham)
• OK: True Grit (by Charles Portis; narrated by Donna Tartt)
• OK: Ready Player One (by Ernest Cline; narrated by Wil Wheaton)
• PA: Lily's Wedding Quilt (by Kelly Long; narrated by Christine Williams)
• TN: The Improper Life of Bezilla Grove (by Susan Gregg Gilmore)
• UT: Jitters: A Quirky Little Audio Book (by Adele Park; performed by Adele Park, Susan Paige Lane, Paige Allred, Kristen Henley, Desiree Whitehead, Garry Morris, John Gobson, Steve Coppola, Christine Hyatt, Dave Cochran, Chase Nichter, Tim Porter, Doug Caputo, RickPickett and, Guy Smith)
• VA: The Reservoir (by John Miliken Thompson)
• VT: Double Black (by Wendy Clinch)
• VT: Secrets of Eden (by Chris Bohjalian)
• WA: A Spark of Death (by Bernadette Pajer; narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner)

And this is the map!

View dogearedcopy map 2011 in a larger map

I ended up included pins for every book I read/listened-to so there are plenty of pins set in foreign countries too!

A Drink Before the War

A Drink Before the War

First in the Kenzie/Gennaro series

by Dennis Lehane

narrated by Joanathan Davis

Ⓟ 2011, Harper Audio

8.8 hours

Patrick Kenzie, and by extension his partner, Angela Gennaro, are private detectives hired to retrieve documents stolen from a state senator's office. Except that the documents aren't really documents and, what these "documents" are and why they are important, provide the link to a story which highlights a Boston beyond what tourists see: Racial tensions, extreme economic disparity within blocks and, political corruption. Dennis Lehane has written a hard, truthful story about a city, about a culture within the context of a fictional thriller. Black vs White racial tensions are the biggest axe that Lehane grinds in A Drink Before the War. The politicians are white, the cleaning lady is black; blue collar workers hole up in dives in black neighborhoods and, count the number of black players on opposing football teams on TV; the gang wars are drawn along geo-racial lines: the blacks of The Bury (Roxbury) and the white kids of Dorchester; even a newscasting team on television consisting of a white newsman and a black newswoman, show up the racial lines drawn in the racist city. The economic inequality is played out across the neighborhoods in and around Boston: An obsequious doorman pulls open the doors to posh restaurants and hotels and, Copley Square is a testament to the gaudy splendors of the monied; but in Dorchester, the the lower middle class watches as the dual forces of gentrification and urban decay obliterate their homes into the dust and; in Roxbury, the tenements and sagging homes fall prey to entropy. The environments do not encourage correlative levels of crime, only better cover for the crimes in the better neighborhoods. The dome of the capitol, it turns out, provides better protection against punishment than the streets of Roxbury. Lehane's key protagonist, Patrick Kenzie, has the self awareness to recognize how the city has informed him and; despite his attempts to rise above his circumstances, the scars of his past are ever-present both literally and figuratively. Kenzie's internal struggle to identify his moral dilemmas and excoriate his ghosts add dimension to a character that could all too easily been rendered a mere action figure.

Jonathan Davis gives a solid, nearly neutral and careful reading of the text. He gives the story a very light, somewhat Ben Affleckian Boston accent, and affects an appropriate Irish accent to the equally affected state senator with a deliberate and near comic manner. A light Boston accent is better than a bad Boston accent; but there are inherent risks in that approach because authenticity is sacrificed. Davis slows his meter down to create an illusion of a deepened register for the black characters, but the street cadence is missing. We always know who's talking; but all the voices are slightly "off" either in measure or in idiom. One also has to wonder if Davis has a sense of humor in the literary or narrative sense: Some lines could have benefited from a quicker, more ironic delivery.

Recommendation: For those who like grittier fare a la Adrian McKinty (The Dead Trilogy: Dead I Well May Be; The Dead Yard and, The Bloomsbury Dead; or Richard Price (Lush Life.)

Other Stuff: I received a digital dnload copy from Harper Audio for review purposes.

Also, it turns out that the narrator is the nephew of a consultant for the company I work for. This fact did not inform my review on any conscious level.

This book qualifies for the Where Are You Reading? Challenge hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey. A Drink Before the War takes place in Dorchester and Boston, Massachusetts.

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Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

by Tom Franklin

narrated by Kevin Kenerly

Blackstone Audio, Inc.

9.5 hours

Larry Ott is a total loser: a weirdo, a loner and really, really creepy. Then his date "disappears" on him and, while no one can prove it, you just know he's guilty of something nasty. Thirty years later and another local girl disappears and everyone in the small town of Chabot, MS is out for blood. That the Stephen King-reading pervert is still breathing is an injustice...

But everything is not so black-and-white, either figuratively or literally. The concretized legend of Larry Ott is deconstructed, not though a basic linear narrative; but by peeling back the layers of time, attitudes and people to get at the truth. The keel of this story, the line upon which the narrative hangs, is the relationship between Larry Ott, a poor white trash mechanic and; Silas "32" Jones, a black deputy sheriff. Erstwhile childhood friends who allow racism and self interest to divide them, they are forced to confront themselves and each other after a thirty-year estrangement. Courage is required from both men to broker a difficult entente and confront the devil they don't know. This is not a traditional mystery in terms of structure or content. While a straightforward whodunit or police procedural might have been an easy way to tell the story; the sifting of fact from fiction in Chabot, MS is more realistically presented within the context of real time and people's morally complex natures.

Kevin Kenerly narrates Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter with an amazing facility for both white and black characters, and with rich vocal legacies for all. Whether it's the slow and easy cadence of "32," the relatively more nasal qualities of a redneck or, the emotional rhythms of 32's romantic interest, Tom Franklin's characters resonate from the page to the speakers with a lushness that reflects the heat of Mississippi and the tensions of the South.

Other Stuff: I borrowed a library edition CD from Blackstone Audio, Inc.

This post is part of the Murder, Monsters, Mayhem feature being hosted by Jennifer L. at www.jennsbookshelves.com

This book qualifies for the Where Are You Reading? Challenge hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is set in the fictional small rural town of Chabot, Mississippi.

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"But screw your courage to the sticking place,

And we'll not fail."

-- Lady Macbeth from "Macbeth," Act 1, Scene 7, lines 59-61; by William Shakespeare

Zero Tolerance

"Zero Tolerance"

by Jonathan Maberry

narrated by Ray Porter

Blackstone Audio, Inc.

.75 hours

What the hell did Sergeant Harper do? Pay Attention! Because what starts out to be another cinematically driven action-adventure episode in the Patient Zero canon, turns into something much subtler, only hinted at at the end of the full length novel. This elegantly constructed short story will have you drawing a sharp intake of breath as you realize what Maberry has done: taken the moral ambiguity from Patient Zero to a whole new level. "Zero Tolerance" is described as a sequel to the full length novel, a tying-up of loose ends; but that's arguable. Patient Zero ended and you could go on without feeling like you've missed anything if you didn't listen to this short; but don't. This is Maberry at his finest: concentrated in form and function.

Ray Porter is the narrator of the Patient Zero series and no one could do it better. Whether it's a whispered caress in the ear or the all out assault on a target, Ray Porter delivers the ful range of the characters', and the story's, voice.

Other Stuff: I borrowed a MP3-CD copy of Joe Ledger: The Missing Files from Blackstone Audio, Inc. There are five short stories in the collection: "Countdown" (precursor to the full-length novel, Patient Zero), "Zero Tolerance" (follow-up to Patient Zero), "Deep Dark"(prequel to the full-length novel, The Dragon Factory), "Dog Days"(follow-up to The Dragon Factory) and "Material Witness" (a crossover to The Pine Deep Trilogy.) I split up the mp3 files on the CD into the five groupings that made up each story; but each story is available separately as a digital dnload.

This post is part of the Murder, Monsters, Mayhem feature being hosted by Jennifer L. at www.jennsbookshelves.com

This book also qualifies for the What's in Name? Challenge #4 hosted at BethFishreads.Patient Zero is an audiobook with a [number] in the title, "Zero."

This book also qualifies for the Where Are You Reading? Challenge hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey. Patient Zero is has scenes in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Patient Zero

Patient Zero
by Jonathan Maberry
narrated by Ray Porter
Blackstone Audio, Inc.
14.75 hours

Patient Zero is the action-packed, high-octane thriller about Joe Ledger and his team of elite fighters who battle zombies and attempt to save the world! Jonathan Maberry combines mil-fic, action-adventure and horror in a cliche-ridden (but nonetheless effective) story of cinematic excess . Every bullet, jujutsu move and gaping maw is detailed in this novel about impacts: the impact of decisions made for monetary gain; the impact of causes motivated by religious fanaticism; the impact of a hollow point when it penetrates the skull; the impact of a hand chop to various body parts; the impact of having to bear witness to something so horrifying that it impacts your psyche; the deeper impact of having to do something so horrifying it impacts your very soul...

The facet of Joe's ego that he self-identifies as "The Warrior" dominates the story and the tone of the writing. There is absolutely nothing subtle about Maberry's writing and, in and of itself it is rather formulaic; but the formula works and, it is entertaining and fun.

There is plenty of action, a little humor, a tender moment or two and, lots of suspense. The unrelenting pace drives home the imperative that constant threat must be met with constant vigilance, however tiresome it might be.

Ray Porter is quintessentially Joe Ledger, reflecting the character's toughness, humor, anger and doubt perfectly; but more than that, Ray Porter makes narration sound easy. There is a naturalness to the narration that lends credence to

the highest compliment paid: "Ray Porter IS Joe Ledger" - a perhaps overused and simplistic statement, but nonetheless true. Hooah.

Other Stuff: I borrowed a library-CD edition of this audiobook from Blackstone Audio, Inc. Patient Zero is the first full-length novel in the Joe Ledger sequence. "Countdown" is the short story listed as a prequel to Patient Zero, and can be found as part of the short story collection, Joe Ledger: The Missing Files or; it can be dnloaded individually.

n.b. "Countdown" is not really a prequel so much as it is a previous version of the first chapter of Patient Zero.

This post is part of the Murder, Monsters, Mayhem feature being hosted by Jennifer L. at www.jennsbookshelves.com

This book also qualifies for the What's in Name? Challenge #4 hosted at BethFishreads. Patient Zero is an audiobook with a [number] in the title, "Zero."

This book also qualifies for the Where Are You Reading? Challenge hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey. Patient Zero is has scenes set in Baltimore, Maryland.

View dogearedcopy map 2011 in a larger map

"Can I have a cookie?"

Countdown

"Countdown"

by Jonathan Maberry

narrated by Ray Porter

Blackstone Audio, Inc.

digital dnload

20 minutes

Meet Joe Ledger. Army Ranger vet. Tough Baltimore cop. Now a member of a joint task force heading in on a warehouse raid. Lots of guns, bullets, and a body in a big blue box... "Countdown" is a short story that introduces the listener to an action adventure hero in the making and, whets the appetite for more. What happens next? Who is Mr. Church? What's with the tinted glasses inside? The Vanilla Wafers? Is Mr. Church a good thing? A bad thing? An X-Files thing? The answers to all this and more await in the first full-length novel in the Joe Ledger trilogy, Patient Zero.

Ray Porter renders the character of Joe Ledger with natural ease. Jonathan Maberry, while generous with the mil-fic elements, also fleshes out the protagonist with an interior life beyond the jarhead mentality you might expect. Joe Ledger is smart, funny and most importantly, human. Ray Porter, in his turn, is Joe Ledger, inhabiting the character so completely that there is no disjunct between the writing and the narration.

Other Stuff: I borrowed a MP3-CD copy of Joe Ledger: The Missing Files from Blackstone Audio, Inc. There are five short stories in the collection: "Countdown" (precursor to the full-length novel, Patient Zero), "Zero Tolerance" (follow-up to Patient Zero), "Deep Dark" (prequel to the full-length novel, The Dragon Factory), "Dog Days" (follow-up to The Dragon Factory) and "Material Witness" (a crossover to The Pine Deep Trilogy.) I split up the mp3 files on the CD into the five groupings that made up each story; but each story is available separately as a digital dnload as well as on this short story collection.

This post is part of the Murder, Monsters, Mayhem feature being hosted by Jennifer L. at www.jennsbookshelves.com

This book also qualifies for the Where Are You Reading? Challenge hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey. "Countdown" is set Baltimore, Maryland.

View dogearedcopy map 2011 in a larger map

Jitters: A Quirky Little Audio Book

Jitters: A Quirky Little Audio Book

by Adele Park

performed by Adele Park, Susan Paige Lane, Paige Allred, Kristen Henley, Desiree Whitehead, Garry Morris, John Gibson, Steve Coppola, Chrystine Hyatt, Dave Cochran, Chase Nichter, Tim Porter, Doug Caputo, Rick Pickett and, Guy Smith

Straight to Audio Productions

www. jittersaudiobook.com

6.5 hours

"When Radio and polygamy collide..."

I will be the first to admit openly that, as I was live-tweeting the results of the Audies, I was extremely bemused when Jitters was announced as the winner in the Multi-Voiced Performance category. I had no dog in this fight and I had only listened to one title in this category (The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde; performed by a full cast from L.A. Theater Works, starring James Marsters;) but Jitters was up against not only "Ernest;" but the high profile title, Room (by Emma Donoghue; narrated by Michal Friedman, Ellen Archer, Robert Petkoff and, Suzanne Toren,) Great Classics of Science Fiction (by H.G. Wells, Stanley G. Weinbaum, Lester Del Ray, et al; narrated by Simon Vance, Nick Sullivan, Robert Fass, et al) and The Shadow Effect (written and narrated by Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson and, Debbie Ford.) Big titles, well-known authors and veteran narrators were superseded by an unknown quantity. Adele Park reached out to bloggers this summer and I, eager to hear the David that slew its Goliath competition at the Audies, readily accepted a review copy for consideration.

The story itself is funny, clever and full of surprises. Set in the fictional small towns of Navel and Zion Flats, Utah, shock jock Nancy Neptune arrives to shake things up in the small Mormon community. Nancy has been exiled to a remote, risk-adverse radio station to be its program director and, dj the morning drive. (So, right off the first joke is on the listener as this isn't a radio drama; but a drama about radio!) The story of Nancy Neptune's impact on the community is told from several characters' points of view, each of the twenty-two chapters dedicated to a voice to advance the story. The format is such that each testimony is preceded by a radio news spot which also provides a tell as to the action off-camera. Nancy's presence is a lightning rod for events that have unanticipated results and, for a slew of eccentric characters including (but not limited to): an obese, divorced woman, a drag queen, a one-armed argro reporter/erstwhile detective and, a mentally challenged, inbred Yeti-like man who likes to sing along to Cheap Trick songs... While the easy laughs lie in the obvious idiosyncrasies of the characters, in the physical humor of their mere existence, the surprises come as the complexity of their characters is revealed.

There are eight key characters and, a number of smaller roles and bits, all performed by the voice-over talent that Adele Park has assembled. Exaggerated accents/mannerisms provide each character with a distinctive and appropriate voice. Because the setting and premise of Jitters is predicated on the radio theme, the production quality also adheres to the same clear, perhaps over-articulated, sound. [If I quibble here, it's only because there are reasons I don't listen to radio anymore and, one of them is that I find radio very harsh on the ears.]

There is absolutely no subtlety here. The precociousness of the writing and of the performances can wear a bit thin; but it is certainly original in all regards.

Other Stuff: This book qualifies for the What's in Name? Challenge #4 hosted at BethFishreads. Jitters: A Quirky Little Audio Book is an audiobook with [size] in the title, "Little."

This book also qualifies for the Where Are You Reading? Challenge hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey. Jitters: A Quirky Little Audio Book is set in the fictional towns of Navel and Zion Flats, Utah.

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Where Are You Reading?: Update

I haven't updated for awhile; but I am still working on the challenge!

GA: A Quiet Belief in Angels (by R.J. Ellory; narrated by Mark Bramhall)

Other Person (male): So, what have you been listening to?

ME: A Quiet Belief in Angels

OP: So how do you like it?

ME: [Long pause] Ummm, er...

OP: What?

ME: I finished it like two weeks ago and I still haven't written the review. I don't know what to say. There's so much to recommend it and yet it was, well, disturbing.

OP: Why do you say that?

ME: Well, it has to do with a serial killer of little girls...

OP: Oh.

ME: Yeah.

OP: How bad was it?

ME: I almost fainted in the grocery store parking lot at that one scene where he discovers a body.

OP: Hunh. [Pause] Should I pick it up?

ME: I don't know.

OP: Well, I'll try it.

Two weeks later:

OP: [Standing in my doorway for a very long time]

ME: What's up?

OP: I finished A Quiet Belief in Angels.

ME: And?

OP: Yeah... no.

ME: Do you need to sit down?

OP: Uh, yeah.

ME: [After a few minutes filled with long pauses and struggling to articulate how he/we felt about the book] I don't think I can go there again.

OP: Yeah, me either. I mean, I couldn't stop listening to it because I had to know how it turned out; but I wasn't having any driveway moments either.

ME: I'm having a hard time "putting it away." I've listened to two other audiobooks since then; but [sic] A Quiet Belief in Angels still looms in my mind as the last audiobook I listened to. I don't don't know if I can handle any more Ellory. We've got Anniversary Man; but I think I'll pass for awhile. It's another serial killer.

Two weeks later:

I got assigned to be the studio engineer for A Simple Act of Violence (by R.J. Ellory) :-/

Bracing myself, I picked up a copy and settled down to pre-read this puppy before we headed into the studio. It turns out that, even though it features another serial killer, it's not as intense as A Quiet Belief in Angels. Set in Washington, DC, it's more of a thriller and conspiracy revelation than a whodunit. So, despite the numerous typos and Briticisms that were supposed to have been edited out, I was relieved and happy to head into the studio.

Now, remember a couple sentences ago, when I said it wasn't as intense as A Quiet Belief in Angels? Well, that was when I was in my 1950's ranch house living room while I was slouched on the ugly green couch; NOT while Kevin Kenerly was murmuring those same words into my headset! I mean I knew what's going to happen next and I still got a chill down my spine and got rachetted up in the suspense of it!

Alright, now let's go back to the second conversation I had with Mr. Other Person in which I mentioned that I had listened to two other audiobooks since finishing A Quiet Belief in Angels. One of those books was The Last Striptease (Joseph Kozmarksi first-in-series; by Michael Wiley; narrated by Johnny Heller.) A noir novel set in present day Chicago and read by a native Chicagoan and noir aficionado, I thought this would be stylistically different enough from A Quiet Belief in Angels that I could move on from Ellory's dark tale. Well, to be honest, I just couldn't focus on The Last Striptease sufficiently to evaluate it. I still felt rather traumatized by A Quiet Belief in Angels; So, in all fairness to both Michael Wiley and Johnny Heller, I passed on reviewing The Last Striptease. That doesn't mean you should skip it though. AudioFile Magazine gave it an Earphones Award and Johnny Heller cites the title as "The Best Book I Ever Narrated" (audible.com promotion.)

IL: Death Masks (The Dresden Files, #5; by Jim Butcher; narrated by James Marsters)

Eventually, I did rise above my bad mood and I got around to listening to an audiobook set in Illinois. Death Masks is the fifth in The Dresden Files series and incredibly well narrated by James Marsters. Jim Butcher is not the most careful of writers however. Stuff like naming a character Larry and them calling him Jerry; not keeping track of where the gun is and, having a character wear a short sleeve and then a long sleeve shirt in the same scene are irksome; but it's a testament to Marsters' talents that I keep returning to this series and consider them a personal favorite.

MS: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (by Tom Frankin; narrated by Kevin Kenerly)

So, while I was pre-reading A Simple Act of Violence, I was also listening to Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. Going straight from "Crooked Letter" to "A Simple Act" left a rather strange impression in my head that Silas "32" Jones had left Mississippi had headed up to Washington, DC to become a detective up there! I haven't written a review for this one yet; but for now I will say that it was really, really good; probably a B+ if I were a rating/grading kind of girl! It's not your classic police procedural; but rather the revealing of different layers of a situation in which a girl has disappeared and suspicion has fallen on Larry Ott. Unfortunately for Ott, his date disappeared on him decades earlier... I'm not sure why I wouldn't grade this in the "A" range; but maybe that will come out in the review when I write it!

I'm a bit behind on keeping up with the challenge and in the end I may end up posting print book reviews of titles that qualify for the Challenge.

Congratulations to Her Royal Orangeness at Only Orangery for completing this challenge! I'm seriously in awe and envy :-) Check out her map!

Where are You Reading? Challenge

Hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey

View dogearedcopy map 2011 in a larger map

Rip Van Winkle

Rip Van Winkle

by Washington Irving

narrated by Christian Rummel

.65 hours

Audible, Inc.

"Rip Van Winkle" is an iconic piece of American literature, ingrained in our cultural memory so deeply that it has become a part of American folklore. Surprisingly, "Rip Van Winkle" is not a novel, not even a novella, but rather a short story that has achieved this iconic status. The basic premise of the story is that Rip Van Winkle, a kind but indifferent farmer and husband, heads to the hills one afternoon to hunt. While traipsing through the Hudson River Valley, he comes across the mid-eighteenth century version of a kegger and indulges in some particularly potent brew. Afterward, he settles down into a postprandial nap and, when he awakes, he discovers that he has been asleep for quite a bit longer than he had expected :-/ Despite it's short length, "Rip Van Winkle" manages to convey time, place and character with incredible acuity, making even the implausible appear like realistic fiction.

Christian Rummel delivers Washington Irving's words at a fast pace, just shy of being hurried and, with a nod of inflection here and there. The narration ignores the tenor of some key scenes, draining the story of tension. Audible.com is marketing this short story as children's fare, which could have informed the narrator's choices; but it is unfortunate that those choices condescend to children rather than expose them to a great story's timbre and texture.

Other Stuff: "Rip Van Winkle" is a free dnload for members at audible.com

This book qualifies for the Where Are You Reading? Challenge hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey. "Rip Van Winkle" is set in the Hudson River Valley in New York.

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A Quiet Belief in Angels

A Quiet Belief in Angels

by R.J. Ellory

narrated by Mark Bramhall

15.30 hours

Blackstone Audio, Inc.

A Quiet Belief in Angels starts in the late 1930's in a small town in Georgia. Little girls are disappearing and their raped, mutilated and murdered bodies reappear, evoking profound angst in the mind of the book's protagonist, a young boy named Joseph Vaughn. Through successful decades, the murders haunt, obsess and firmly take root in Joseph's psyche, informing his world view and his writing. As Joseph tries to escape his past in the literary Bohemia of Brooklyn, it becomes all the more evident that the past will destroy him unless he confronts it and understands it.

The writing in this novel is rich with metaphor. Long discursive passages captivate the listener, evoking strong imagery of places, of people, moods, even dreams. Sentences wander back and forth between the real and the imagined, the present and the past, creating a hypnotic rhythm that ensnares the listener in a story that is equally enthralling and disturbing, beautiful and horrifying. It's unrelenting brutality finally starts to break a little more than halfway through the book, giving cause for accusations that the writer is pulling punches; but A Quiet Belief in Angels is such a taut psychological thriller that the relief is needed in order to continue. That said, the final passages are anti-climatic in that it doesn't feel like the true ending; but rather one that finally lets the reader off the hook.

Mark Bramhall delivers the text in a slow, entrancing Southern cadence that make the material easier going down; though his voice too is unable to sustain the tension and the affection throughout the entirety of the novel. Somewhere between the ninth and tenth finished hour, we lose the character and hear more of Mark Bramhall. If the narrator had been able to sustain his character throughout or backed off from the character early on, the change wouldn't have been as noticeable. The first nine/ten hours though? Mark Bramhall is on par with Will Patton. Yeah, that good.

By virtue of selecting a fictional story to listen to, we are asking the author to deceive us, to take us out of ourselves and see the world from a different perspective and, to do so in artful and impactful ways. We are asking to be manipulated and, authors comply, often evoking certain tropes that they know will effect the reader in a certain way. Some authors use dogs to make you cry and some others, use child killers to incense you. Ellory has chosen the latter, providing the reader with an antagonist that cannot be understood or championed under any circumstance than sheer madness. And, both Ellory and Bramhall have delivered the villain in hard-hitting, purpling punches. It hurts, and a little piece of you dies every day you listen; because try as you might, no understanding actually arrives. Was I literarily pwned? I don't know, but if I was, it was done well and thoroughly.

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Other Stuff: I borrowed a library CD edition of this audiobook from Blackstone Audio.

This book qualifies for the Where Are You Reading? Challenge hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey. A Quiet Belief in Angels is set in Augusta Falls, Georgia.

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Where Are You Reading? Challenge: April Update

Where are You Reading? Challenge
Hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey

FL: Nature Girl (by Carl Hiassen; narrated by Lee Adams)

This title had been in my TBL-Q (To Be Listened to Queue) for a few years and I was eager to have an excuse to move it to the top of the list, listen to it and, clear it from the decks! I've listened to a couple of other titles written by Carl Hiaasen - Hoot (narrated by Chad Lowe) and Flush (narrated by Michael Welch) - which were both Young Adult titles of mediocre caliber. I thought Hiaasen's adult fare would be better; but apparently, I have a knack for picking Carl's less-than-best efforts :-/

GA: A Quiet Belief in Angels (by R.J. Ellory; narrated by Mark Bramhall)

I haven't written the review for this one yet. I'm still mentally processing it. I loved it. I hated it. I'm just not sure what it is I want to say about it; but I will definitely have something up by the end of the week and, I'll include it in next month's wrap-up.

It looks like I'm a bit behind on this challenge. I have several books lined up this month, even knowing that there's no physically possible way I'm going to be able to tackle all of them... but I do have a round trip cross country flight and train trip at the end of the month, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up a little bit:

ID: All Over Creation (by Ruth Ozeki; narrated by Anna Fields)

IN: Raintree County (by Ross Lockridge; narrated by Lloyd James) (tentative)

IA: Shoeless Joe (by W.P. Kinsella; narrated by Grover Gardner)

KS: The Scent of Rain and Lightning (by NancyPickard; narrated by Tavia Gilbert) (tentative)

KY: Coal Miner's Daughter (by Loretta Lynn and Goege Vecsay; narrated by Sissy Spacek)

LA: Black Cherry Blues (by James Lee Burke; narrated by Mark Hammer)

ME: IT (by Stephen King; narrated by Steven Weber)

MD: Patient Zero (by Jonathan Maberry; narrated by Ray Porter)

Plus, I need to get a start on a Minnesota State Audiobook listening challenge - four mystery/thriller titles by the end of June. I have the titles lined up for this one as well:

Immoral (by Brian Freeman; narrated by Joe Barrett)

Stripped (by Brian Freeman; narrated by Joe Barrett)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (by Joanne Fluke; narrated by Suzanne Toren)

Strawberry Shortcake Murder (by Joanne Fluke; narrated by Suzanne Toren)

I'm currently listening to The Last Striptease (by Michael Wiley; narrated by Johnny Heller) which is set in Chicago, IL.

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Nature Girl

Nature Girl

by Carl Hiaasen

narrated by Lee Adams

Random House Audio, Inc.

11.50 hours

What is it about Florida that inspires writers to create kooky characters? Is it the heat? Is Florida the unofficial sanctuary of eccentric people, both fictional and real? Perhaps the natural landscape throws human absurdities into sharp contrast. Maybe it's Carl Hiaasen himself, who has created a world of quirkiness, that has given other authors implicit permission to set their respective eccentric characters in Florida. Hiaasen has been inculcating a world of idiosyncratic fictional personae for nearly a quarter of a century, set in the back waters of the peninsular state and, brings to mind other Floridian authors and humorists such as Elizabeth Stuckey-French (Mermaids on the Moon and The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady,) Paul Levine (the Solomon vs Lord series) and, Jeff Lindsay (the Dexter series.)

In Nature Girl, Hiaasen delivers, as expected, an offbeat cast of characters, including Honey Santana, a single mom who designs an elaborate payback for a telemarketer who not only calls her during her dinner hour, but who also calls her an offensive name. The vendetta serves as the main story line to which a number of farcical sub-plots become entangled - all threads coming to a denouement on the appropriately named Dismal Key in the Everglades.

But for all the experience Hiaasen has had in developing the funnily unconventional plots and casts of characters playing out their dramas in the Sunshine State, Nature Girl falls flat. The kookiness has become something of a Hiaasenian trope. Because comedy requires a straight man or at least a straight context with which to be most effective, the comic aspects of Nature Girl are all too familiar and, as a result Nature Girl just isn't funny enough. When everything is depicted as absurd, nothing is.

Lee Adams delivered the material in a clean, clear, even pace. Her delineation of characters was well done, especially the role of Louis Piejack, a walking, rotting corpse of a man (both physically and morally) who stalks Honey. However, the novel seemed a bit overlong, never a good thing if the title is supposed to be light and breezy, which indicates that a faster pace and a better sense of comic timing is called for than what was delivered.

Other Stuff: I borrowed a library CD edition of this title from a public lending library.

This book qualifies for the Where Are You Reading? Challenge hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey. Nature Girl is set near Everglades City in Florida.

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Where Are You Reading Challenge? March Update

Where are You Reading? Challenge
Hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey

I am totally grooving on finding books set in certain states! I'm being exposed to books that I might not have otherwise tried and, finding out more about the places has been interesting and fun. Sadly, I'm making no dent in my TBR stacks, so maybe that's a challenge for next year!

AK - Caribou Island (by David Vann; narrated by Bronson Pinchot)

After the SNAFU involving "The Call of the Wild" (not really set in Alaska) I grabbed this title, even after so many people "warned" me about it. My recommendation: Read/listen to the book for David's Vann's writing and/or Bronson Pinchot's well imbued narration; but don't expect a fairy tale ending.

AR - Shakespeare's Landlord (by Charlaine Harris; narrated by Julia Gibson)

In an effort to avoid reading a book about Bill and/or Hillary Clinton, I seized upon this book by Charlaine Harris, though making doubly sure there were no vampires in the story. It was okay. Just okay. Yeah, that's me, full of faint and damning praise :-/

CA - When the Killing's Done (by T.C Boyle; narrated by Anthony Heald)

This is the fictionalized account of an environmentalist and the war he waged against the Park Service over efforts to eliminate non-native species from Anacapa Island off Oxnard, California. As I worked on the audiobook production of this title, I technically cannot review it; but I will say that my favorite chapter was the story of Anise ("Chapter 6" I think.) This chapter reads like a novella in the middle of the book. It's exquisitely poignant.

Also, this ☞☞☞ A podcast produced by Blackstone Audio featuring the narrator of When the Killing's Done, Anthony Heald and, the author, T.C. Boyle. I did not work on the podcast in any way, shape or form and will derive no compensation, either in terms of cash or services or, good will as a result of providing a link to the podcast :-)

CO - Columbine (by Dave Cullen; narrated by Don Leslie)

I had The Silver Rush Mysteries (by Ann Parker) on hand; but in the interest of time, I elected to pick up Columbine instead. I had heard that it was good and a "Must Listen;" but quite frankly I wasn't all that sure that I was interested in an account of that day. I decided to listen to the first CD and then decide on whether to go on with it or not. Less than 4 days later, I had managed to listen to all 14+ hours. Really, truly, a "Must Listen."

CT - Deep Down True (by Juliette Fay; narrated by Robynn Rodriguez)

This is the story of a newly divorced woman who finds herself embroiled in drama that illustrates that, though we may get older, the underlying social mechanics of finding out where we belong and our sense of self are as challenging as ever. I worked on the audiobook production of this title too, so no real review. The book did have me running home and talking to my daughter about body image and showing her how photographers Photoshop images of models. There are a lot of YouTube videos out there; but this one remains one of my favorites, ironically produced by Unilever/Dove Soaps: Model Evolution with Makeup and Photoshop

DE - West of Rehoboth (by Alexs D. Pate; narrated by Dion Graham)

Wow, I had no idea that finding an audiobook set in Delaware would prove to be so hard! I thought there would at least be something out there on the DuPonts; but apparently not! After West of Rehoboth was recommended to me, I ended up finding and buying a used library CD copy. Since I bought this audio soley on the premise that it was set in Delaware, I had no idea what to expect. It's a novel with a bit of a mystery, Black History and even a little magic. Maybe not necessarily for the young adult audience despite its fourteen-year old protagonist.

BTW, still on the lookout for sugar-based Pepsi or Coke!

HI - Unfamiliar Fishes (by Sarah Vowell; narrated by Sarah Vowell and featuring the voices of

Fred Arminsen, Bill Hader, John Hodgeman, Catherine Keener, Edward Norton, Keanu Reeves, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph and, John Slattery)

This is the non-fiction account of the U.S.' acquisition of territories in the 19th century, focusing on Hawaii. I've cheerfully and eagerly checked out the YouTube links of the book trailers and Sarah Vowell's

interviews on the late night talk show circuit; but a little Sarah Vowell goes a long way :-/

She is funny and smart and, because there are some personal takes in the book, I can see why casting her to read her own book would be a plus; but she has a distinctive voice that can wear a little thin after a short time if you're listening for more than the novelty of Sarah Vowell herself. I admit that sometimes I reflexively tuned her out, so that I had to rewind to catch what I missed; but it's worth it to catch a really fun and fascinating part of U.S. history that you probably weren't taught in school :-)

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Unfamiliar Fishes

Unfamiliar Fishes

written and narrated by Sarah Vowell

and featuring the voices of Fred Arminsen, Bill Hader, John Hodgeman, Catherine Keener, Edward Norton, Keanu Reeves, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph and, John Slattery

Simon and Schuster Audio

7.4 hours

Unfamiliar Fishes is the fun, smart and entertaining history of Hawaii, the focus being on the nineteenth century when New England missionaries came to the islands and introduced Christianity, literacy, infectious diseases and, Western ideas like democracy, entrepreneurship and, marginalization. The topics may be heavy; but Sarah Vowell's wry style of delivery makes this a relatively digestible lesson in history that probably wasn't covered in your classroom.

Ms Vowell herself is funny and smart; but the novelty of having her narrate her own book wears thin after a little while. Because she includes personal memories or thoughts in the book, she is perhaps the best narrator for her own material; but her shuttered, neurotic clip and even a mispronunciation ("forecastle" should be pronounced "FŌK-sull") may cause the listener to reflexively tune out as a defensive mechanism. The other voices listed as narrators occasionally pop in with a quote; but nothing substantive or consistent. Sometimes Sarah Vowell reads a quote, sometimes someone else. The celebrity guest roster of contributing narrators is impressive; but really no more than a gimmick and the intrusive edit-ins of their lines is disruptive to the listening experience, as is the music that signals the end of each chapter.

Recommendation: Check out Sarah Vowell on the book trailers, on the late night show circuit and even at any of her appearances on a book tour if you get the chance. She's funny and delivers her bits flawlessly; but then go buy the print book.

Other Stuff: I bought a digital dnload copy from weread4you.com

This book qualifies for the Where Are You Reading? Challenge hosted by Sheila at her blog, Book Journey. Unfamiliar Fishes is set in Hawaii.

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