I can't believe I forgot to mention one of my very favorite audiobooks from the past year in my last post. It's "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield, narrated by Bianca Amato and Jill Tanner. Very, very good!
* I'm sure I've forgotten a few others, too, but this one was too good to leave out of the list.
I've been meaning to add a "Reading" sidebar to my blog for a long time now, and finally got around to it. I tend to have several books in rotation at any one time -- something to escape into, something to learn from, something to be inspired by, something that someone recommended... my mood will dictate what gets picked up at any given time. I also have a particular weakness for books written for children and young adults, so I tend to have one of those on the nightstand at all times as well.
I usually also have a book to listen to waiting on the iPod for times when multitasking is called for. I have a labrador retriever that loves long walks (what lab doesn't?) and while I enjoy walking immensely, I sometimes find that treading the same city paths over and over again gets quite tedious at times. Listening to a book as we walk brings a whole new dimension to that activity, and I've spent many happy hours with my old girl walking the paths in our neighborhood, catching up on those books that I never seem to have the time to read in paper form. We both get our exercise, and I get caught up on some really good stories -- what's not to love?
I get most of my audiobooks from audible.com. I love that they have an extensive selection of unabridged titles (I just can't bring myself to listen to abridged versions of books) in almost every genre. I tend to listen to mostly escapist fare, with the occasional classic or non-fiction piece mixed in. So far, here is a list of my favorite listens from the past year -- if anyone reads this and cares to add their favorite audiobook titles to the comments, I'd love to see what other folks have enjoyed listening to lately!
So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are some audiobook titles that I highly recommend:
-- "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke, narrated by Simon Prebble
-- "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte, narrated by Amanda Root
-- "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon, narrated by Davina Porter
-- "Out of the Silent Planet" by CS Lewis, narrated by Geoffrey Howard
-- "Son of a Witch" by Gregory Maguire, narrated by John McDonough
-- "1776" by David McCullough, narrated by David McCullough
-- "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card, narrated by Stefan Rudnicki and Harlan Ellison
Ask any published author for their advice to budding writers, and chances are the response will be simple. Write. Put words on paper. Practice your craft, and then worry about the rest.
Writers write. This is the one true requirement for pursuing the profession. But the blank page is a daunting one, and ideas are not always a dime a dozen. Enter one of the coolest new online communities I’ve come across in a long time… 52Stories.net. The concept is simple and elegant – every week a new picture is posted, and anyone inspired by that image can write about it and submit their story (or poem, or song lyrics, or novel if desired) for publication on the site the following week. Readers are encouraged to give you comments about your submission – it’s basically an online writing group where everyone is writing about the same thing with wildly different results.
If you like to write, but need prompts or ideas, I highly recommend this site. If you simply just like to read, it is a fascinating glimpse into the variety of ideas that a single image can inspire.
*Or in my case, 3,350 to be exact…
I am an unabashed lover of children's fiction. I enjoy reading almost anything in general, although I do have a love/hate relationship with some literary fiction. But that's a topic for another day.
There will always be a special place in my heart for children's books. As I get older, I find more and more that children's books are usually just as interesting to adults, but in different ways. If I could indulge in that ever-popular hypothetical activity of picking any living celebrity to have dinner and an evening of conversation with, it would be J.K. Rowling, hands down. To repeat what millions of fans worldwide have said time and again, I think she's brilliant, and an inspiration on many levels. But again, I digress.
The book I'm currently reading, "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, is generally classified as "young adult fiction", but as often happens, I think that classification is misleading. There is no reason that this book would not appeal to adults as much as teens; halfway through I know that I am certainly enjoying it so far. The most unique thing about this book is its unusual narrator, and his lyrical simplicity. The book is narrated by Death, that dread figure garbed in black. "You will know me well enough and soon enough," he says in the first chapter, addressing the reader. A simple phrase that a child might overlook, but one that certainly gives an adult pause. This gentle version of the Grim Reaper has an unusual obsession. It is color. Life, to this Death, is an ever-changing parade of color that he catalogs and collects. He drinks it in, savoring it like wine, describing it in vivid terms as though it were a gourmet meal or a physical, tactile experience.
It is inspiration to look at the world again, anew. Even when the looking is hard.