Jerri C

Family Saga

Revisado: 01-11-25

This early novel by D. E. Stevenson covers over 20 years in the life of the Shaw family. In some ways it might be considered the story of Fanny, as it starts with her courtship and marriage to John Shaw. Their first child, the Rosabelle of the title, is named after a Great Aunt, and much of the book then follows this daughter, although other family members including John, a foster child called Jay, a young brother to Rosabelle named Bill and various neighbors also enter into the tale. An interesting look at life on a farm in the boarders area of Scotland in the years leading up to WWI. To go into plot details would provide too many spoilers. Eilidh Beaton does a very good job of the narration, distinguishing between different characters and getting the right mood.

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Georgie Again

Revisado: 12-04-24

I very much enjoyed this book, as I have been reading and/or listening to the series from the very beginning. I would not recommend this book as an introduction to the world of The Royal Spyness series, as the mystery element is actually pretty weak. But to someone who loves Georgie and most of her friends and family we get something that I could really enjoy. Time spent with them, including the new baby and puppies with relatively little angst/danger.

In this book the historical fact that was driving the plot was the Abdication of "David" so he could marry "the woman he loved".

I do hope that the next book in the series has Belinda make an appearance, I did miss her in this one. And another appearance by Darcy's father would be nice also.

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Thomas Nightingale back in time

Revisado: 09-01-24

This novella takes us back in time to see a youthful Thomas Nightingale, before the horrors of WWII have marked him, just a few years after his education, visiting New York City on an investigative journey to solve a mystery related to music and magic. I will avoid details, as I don't want to spoil the adventure for listeners, but Thomas is assisted by a young man who he had known in their school days, Augustus Berrycloth-Young, who is spending some time in New York after causing some trouble in the UK. Augustus reminds one of Bertie Wooster, and that helps set the tone.

Not a full Rivers of London novel, but an enjoyable addition to the quilt made up of the novels, the novellas, and the graphic novels. And I enjoyed seeing the youthful Nightingale, and learning a bit more about his background. It is on occasion a stretch to remember that Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is voicing Augustus rather than Peter Grant, but I think we are better off with him than with some new narrator who doesn't know the world.

I do not understand why the audiobook has been released in the US before the English language Kindle or dead tree editions, but am grateful not to have to wait any longer.

Recommended.

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Travels with Barbie

Revisado: 06-03-24

Barbie France, who had been a minor character in D.E. Stevenson's novel Five Windows, comes to the front in this novel. As the novel opens Barbie is very ill in hospital and her friend Nell (who also had been in Five Windows) is worried. Those of us who have lived through Covid will see parallels between Barbie's illness and Long Covid. Barbie is moved out of very foggy (think smog and air pollution) London to her aunt's property in the Cotswalds of England, where she gradually rebuilds her strength. There are two potential romantic interests, the "Tall Stranger" of the title and Barbie's cousin Edward. But the novel isn't simply romance, we also get to see Barbie in her job as interior decorator, and for this job she travels to a castle in Scotland where she encounters more challenges both as a professional and in interpersonal relationships, including befriending the young daughter of the house and assisting in a rescue from an island during a storm.

All in all a fairly complex set of plot elements interwoven into a complete whole. I enjoyed it and enjoyed the narration also.

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Yogi Bear reads Dr Suess

Revisado: 05-08-24

Daws Butler doesn't use his Yogi Bear voice as he preformed this classic Dr Suess tale with his two sons, but he did bring his professionalism and enthusiasm to the project. This performance was apparently kept in family archives until fairly recently, when it was found by researchers and remastered and made available to the public. The very best way to listen to this would be with a copy of the book in hand so one can view the illustrations at the same time. But for those of us who have read the story, or had it read to us many times over the years, our mind's eye and reproduce the illustrations when a physical copy isn't available.

I greatly enjoyed listening to this half hour joy, and know I will listen to it over again a number of times in the future.

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Barsetshire after WWII

Revisado: 03-17-24

I very much enjoy Angela Thirkell's series of novels set in the English county of Barsetshire, a fictional place she borrowed from Anthony Trollope. Some of her characters are descended from some of his characters. My personal preference is for the books set prior to or during WWII. After the war they tend to get more complex as she brings back many characters from earlier books as well as introducing a number of new ones. And her books are creations of a certain time and place, and some of the attitudes expressed by characters and even by the narrative voice at times can be a bit uncomfortable.

However, I enjoyed the book/audiobook as a whole, and also treasure it and the other books in the series as not only enjoyable stories but also pieces of social history. A historical novel set in the late 1940's would have the details of how people really felt, thought and spoke smoothed out, and leave the reader/listener in a sanitized world more like today without cell phones. I want to read and listen to the real thing, books written more or less at the time in which they were set rather than what today's autors/editors want us to THINK that time was like.

I would like to see more Thirkell audiobooks in the future, so my collection can grow. Thirkell's use of language and dry wit, her ability to create characters we can love or love to hate is wonderful in spite of her lack of perfection.

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Five for one credit

Revisado: 01-24-24

This package gives the listener 5 Lord Peter Wimsey books for one credit. Four novels and her first collection of short stories. Jonathan Keeble does a creditable job of narration - he isn't Ian Carmichael, my favorite narrator of this series, but I feel he does a good job. And to get the first 5 for one credit is a bargain, if you don't already own these already. And I admit, I did already own the four novels, and purchased this to get the short story collection Lord Peter Views the Body, but this version of some of the novels will now become my go to listen, especially Whose Body? which has been out of copyright in the US for a long time, and has been read by some dreadful narrators.

Hopefully one of these days Audible will get some of the other Sayers/Lord Peter novels available in unabridged for for US listeners. Especially Have His Carcase, Five Red Herrings, and Nine Tailors. And if they choose to do new recordings, I would be content if they had Jonathan Keeble narrate.

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Vintage Bryson

Revisado: 12-06-23

It is enjoyable to read Bryson's writing read in his own voice. And he (or his staff) have done a pretty good job researching various back stories to various Christmas traditions. I do wish I could find a version to read the words. sometimes I want to know how some word or name is spelled, so I can do some looking up and that is difficult with a audio only format. However, since this was available at no additional cost as part of my membership, my thanks to Bill and Audible for a fun holiday gift.

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Fun romp

Revisado: 10-05-23

I first read most Elizabeth Peters novels in my yputh, soon after they were published. It is fun to listen to them now, and be transported back to those days.

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Chapter by Chapter

Revisado: 09-14-23

Mugglecast is probably the longest running Harry Potter themed Podcast out there, and is probably also one of the longest running Podcasts in all out there, just having celebrated its 18th birthday. And with a fair amount of continuity in the hosts. It is a very enjoyable, entertaining and also informative podcast. They are currently just over a year into doing a Chapter by Chapter detailed discussion of the books, with the full knowledge of how the series ended, and comparing their memories of how various issues appeared to them when they were teens and how they feel about those issues as full adults, with real jobs, families, etc.

Highly recommended.

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