S. Williams

E-Myoos - not E Moos!

Revisado: 04-05-17

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is one of the more "meaty" titles in the Meg Langslow series. There are more issues, real and fictional. It's great that we've gotten another addition Meg Langslow's ever-increasing quirky family.

What other book might you compare The Good, the Bad, and the Emus to and why?

Offhand, I can't come up with another extremely well-written entertaining ecological / rural issue cozy.

What about Bernadette Dunne’s performance did you like?

Other than mispronouncing emu every single time, her performance was excellent, as always!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Emus, mothers, murderers, and minerals - too many things are missing in this small town.

Any additional comments?

Emu is pronounced e-myoo. Not e-moo. Tooth grindingly irritating. That's the only reason to tick off one star for the performance.

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This "should" be good. It isn't.

Revisado: 02-19-17

Would you try another book from Mary Beard and/or Phyllida Nash?

Phyllida Nash - certainly. It would have to be a very different topic - she's not the "earthy" sort of narrator. Mary Beard? Maybe. She'll need to entirely remove every instance of "Here's an interesting topic, but we'll talk about that in a different chapter." She seems to beat very tiny issues to death with a HUGE club.

What do you think your next listen will be?

In this vein, I'm going to try Paper by Mark Kurlansky. I enjoyed Cod and Salt. And the history of paper is fascinating!

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The history of Rome is essentially rough-and-tumble. Phyllida Nash has a cut-glass upper-crust English accent. It was like trying to watch a wrestling match or a football game narrated by your disapproving maiden aunt. Nash is a wonderful narrator. This was NOT her venue.

What character would you cut from SPQR?

Nash starts off by stating that THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT in Roman History was Cicero attacking Cataline. Then she jumps all over history, trying to relate anything that happened (even prehistorical events) to that act. She keeps dragging everything back to that issue. Having said it's THE MOST IMPORTANT thing, she has to then prove it, but it never actually works.

Any additional comments?

I really wanted to like this. I was looking forward to it, and put aside special time for this. I adore the history of Rome and read a lot about it. I sat through five hours of the narration and realized I could not remember any single point that she'd made. Nash's Oxbridge narration didn't help. Perhaps a lustier narrator might have imbued this tome with some life and interest. I gave up after five hours.

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Poor narrator

Revisado: 11-09-16

What did you love best about The Fire's Stone?

The story is unbeatable

What didn’t you like about Bill Hensel’s performance?

When he's doing straight narration, he's fine. The moment he does a "voice", he tanks. All the women are done in a horrid falsetto. Dervish has a funky thick middle-eastern/Spanish accent, despite the fact that the entire rest of his family has no accent. Local military ships captains have thick Irish accents. I doubt I'll be able to listen to the rest. I've listened to more than half. It's too painful. If he could just read it and not try to perform.

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

Hensel's"voices" made me cringe and weep.

Any additional comments?

New narrator? Please?

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I adore Land Sergeant Dodd

Revisado: 09-28-16

I desperately want the entire Sir Robert Carey series in audio. This narrator did a lovely job with the battling accents. The story is one of my favorites. And Dodd is always a treat.

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A "Listen Again" book

Revisado: 08-08-16

What did you love best about Master and God?

I loved the view into the "real" life in ancient Rome. Most books deal with life as an aristocrat. You never think about how the hairdressers and beat-cops live.

What other book might you compare Master and God to and why?

Master and God is very similar to Davis' incomparable "The Course of Honour" - it's both a history and a love story. Both couples ended with the long-term best type of companionship. But the road there was rocky - and the political situation added materially to the bumpy path.

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

I haven't listened to any of Sachs' other recordings. This one was calm. Very, very, VERY calm. He almost spoke in a monotone - but looking back, he nailed every voice perfectly. And, that calm mirrored the attitudes of the two main characters. Nicely done!

If you could take any character from Master and God out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I don't think I'd go out drinking with any of the characters here. Most of Davis' other books have individuals who interest me - but no one here really catches my interest and sympathy. I admire and am interested in them, but am happy to do so from a distance.

Any additional comments?

This is a long book with a lot of history. As with all of Davis' books, I keep nipping out to check maps, look at the history of some of the characters, and find out more about food and implements and activities she mentions. This is my cup of tea. The book is filled with a lot of political stress. Sachs' even narration kept it from becoming too fraught.

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Pronunciation counts.

Revisado: 06-20-16

Would you consider the audio edition of Trick or Treat to be better than the print version?

No. This is the worst of the recordings. (In a very relative way - it's still very very good.) Samhain is pronounced "SOW wen". And the narrator smacks and lisps excessively in this recording.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Trick or Treat?

I'm awfully fond of Uncle Solly, even if he does smack when he talks.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The narrator has too many of the characters "smacking" before they start talking. And the pronunciations of wiccan ceremonies are massively incorrect and irritating. She was trying too hard making "voices" for many characters. (smack smack smack. Sigh.)

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I enjoyed the hostage standoff. Very unlikely but wouldn't it be nice if things turned out this way?

Any additional comments?

Pronunciation counts.

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What would I have done?

Revisado: 06-18-16

If you could sum up The Reluctant Swordsman in three words, what would they be?

Definitely Not Amish.

What other book might you compare The Reluctant Swordsman to and why?

This has some of the same flavor as David Brin's "The Practice Effect" - for being placed in a world where everything is different. Your instincts aren't necessarily right. Everything you've learned betrays you. And that "what's right" is not a constant.

Which character – as performed by Donald Corren – was your favorite?

Donald Corren has a deceptively mild voice to start with. He was *very* good at different voices, and the strong voices that predominated in the swordsmen were done extremely well. He nailed Walliesmith.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Too long for one sitting. And not a comfortablre story. It's challenging morally. And painful ethically. It needs some thinking.

Any additional comments?

Well done - This is a book I read decades ago, and have come back to several times. I wasn't sure how the Audible version would be. Better than I'd hoped!

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The print books are amazing.

Revisado: 06-06-16

If you could sum up Blood Price in three words, what would they be?

Vampires are misunderstood.

What other book might you compare Blood Price to and why?

This is a hard question. There's nothing quite like this series. It's VERY gritty. The bad guys are awful. The good guys are good, and in some cases unexpected. I learned stuff. Very Canadian.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She wasn't awful. But. I stopped listening after about 2 chapters because I just couldn't listen to her any longer. Mispronounciations. Irritating "voices". Whiney. I didn't throw it across the room, but it just wasn't worth listening any longer.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

This is NOT the TV show! It's actually good!

Any additional comments?

Read the books! All of them! And the spin-offs! (worth every moment.)

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Crazy, whacky, thought provoking.

Revisado: 06-06-16

Fforde's books are always hugely tongue-in-cheek. With a razor edge. Susan Duerdan did a magnificent job capturing the absolutely deadpan silliness, and the knife edge. Well done.

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Listen again and again.

Revisado: 05-27-16

Eddie LaCrosse is an unlikely yet totally believable hard boiled detective, in an unlikely but believable medieval world. I'd love to meet him and know him. And the occasional anachronisms, which fit perfectly, make me smile with delight every time.

Stefan Rudnicki has the perfect "Eddie" voice. His character accents absolutely personify a "hard boiled" medieval world, and actually make the stories (if possible) better.

And Rudnicki's voice is liquid dark chocolate velvet. I could listen to him read a phone book, or a doctoral dissertation written in passive voice, and still be happy.

I can (and have) listened to the Eddie LaCrosse stories over and over, and loved then every time.

They're on my "listen to these when you need a reliably entertaining story" list.

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