What I'm Reading Now: August Edition

I hope you've been getting some summer reading in, whether by the pool or curled up in an air-conditioned room. I've been back in the reading groove and here's what I've got going on right now.

On my Nook: I have been working through Andrew Lang's collected Fairy Books and I'm on the twelfth and final one - The Lilac Fairy Book. These have provided a lot of fun and some ideas for novels, as well. The further I got into the series, the less familiar the stories became and the wider the cultural spread, though I do have to wonder how much was changed when they were translated and "adapted" for children. An excellent place to start, though, if you want to spread your fairy tale wings.

On my Phone: Still chugging along in Don Quixote - got past the familiar parts and realized I haven't, in fact, read this before. Enjoying it when I have a few minutes to read here and there.

In Print - Fiction: I just started Fairest by Marissa Meyer. Now getting into the part of the series I hadn't read before and loving every minute of it. I'm particularly curious to see Levana's back story, because I have a feeling there are going to be some big surprises there. The Lunar Chronicles is an excellently told and crafted YA fairy tale retelling and I highly recommend them.

In Print - Non-Fiction: Also just started All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg. I'm already intrigued and I'm only a chapter in. I really enjoy memoirs and biographies.

On Audio in my car: The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan is the final book in the Kane Chronicles trilogy and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It's a fun series and a fun take on Egyptian mythology. And, as I mentioned before, the narrators totally sell the story through their narration.

On TV: I just binge watched the entire first season (all 8 episodes of it) of the new Stranger Things on Netflix. Loved it. I was trying to describe it to NaomiRuth, who I knew would also enjoy it, and it's basically X-Files meets Pretender meets Super 8 with some Lost sensibilities. It's dark and fun and creepy and mysterious and most of the main cast are middle schoolers.

So what are you reading or watching? Share in the comments!

What I'm Reading Now: July Edition

This summer has been an absolutely crazy one for me, so I haven't had much time for reading, but here's a look at the books I'm crawling through right now.

On my Nook: I just started rereading Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I've read the first 3 books in the series before, but I want to finish it and it's been long enough that I really felt like I needed a refresher before I read Fairest and Winter. I love this series so much, so I'm really excited to read the first 3 again and then attack the rest of the series.

On my phone: I've made it a few more pages into Don Quixote. I'm so familiar with many of the story events that I can't remember if I've just read excerpts/heard plot points or if I've actually read the whole thing before. I'm leaning toward the former, but we'll see how familiar it stays as I continue through the story.

In print - fiction: I made it through almost all of L.M. Montgomery's novels before the conference, and I'm determined to finish them off. I'm about a third of the way through Pat of Silver Bush. It's been so long since I read it that I don't remember anything at all about it, so it's like reading it for the first time all over again! It's definitely a very different novel from most of Montgomery's others.

In print - non-fiction: Still reading All Cracked Up by Patsy Clairmont. I love her and her style, but I have not been in the mood for non-fiction lately. I read a bit here and there and have made it about half way through, but I've been saving my reading time for other things.

On audio in my car: Having worked through A Series of Unfortunate Events and Harry Potter I was looking for another "kids" series to listen to. I really enjoyed the audio version of Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles so I started those on my drive to Prince Edward Island. Now I'm almost done with The Throne of Fire, the second book in the trilogy. The narrators do a really good job of bringing the story to life.

On TV: I'm going back and forth between Leverage and Star Trek: The Next Generation on Netflix. But the show I'm absolutely loving right now is So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation currently airing on Fox.

I've been a fan of SYTYCD for years now and this new twist has been so interesting. The kids are incredibly talented and I cry at least 3 times during each episode. I do wish there had been a way for them to do both a regular and a kids' version of the show rather than switching from one to the other. But if you're looking for a great dancing competition with talent that will blow you away every week, I highly recommend it. The first live show was Monday and it looks like Fox has a few episodes available for streaming on their website if you want to catch up a little. If you've watched the show before, the kids are paired with all-stars from earlier seasons so you get to see some of your favorites dance and mentor the next generation, which is all kinds of cool and warm and fuzzy.

What are you reading or watching?

What I'm Reading Now: October Edition

First! A reminder that our contest to win an ARC of Gregory Maguire's newest book After Alice is still going on! You know you want to win it, so go enter now!

I can't believe October's almost over! Someone posted on their Facebook wall that there are only 8 more Fridays until Christmas, so if you wanted to have a freak out, go check and you'll see this is true and makes Christmas seem much closer than I thought it was.

So what am I reading now in this lovely fall month? Check it out:

On my Nook - Fiction: I'm now reading The Red Fairy Book edited by Andrew Lang. I love fairy tales and these collections are a lot of fun.

On my Nook - Non-Fiction: Still. Reading. The Madwoman in the Attic. But I'm almost done!Only about 100 pages left and I'd really like to wrap it up before the end of the month.

On my Phone: Still working my way through A Medicine for Melancholy by Ray Bradbury. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I've had less opportunities to read on my phone in the last 6 weeks or so.

In Print: The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst. I am only a couple of chapters in, but I am absolutely in love with this world and these characters. I can't wait to read more!


In Audio in my Car: Continuing my Series of Unfortunate Events re-read, I'm on The Grim Grotto and more in love with the series than ever before. Also, Tim Curry's narration continues to be perfection.

What are you reading now? Anything interesting? Good? Bad?

Do You Hear What I Hear?

I've been thinking about my next Fairy Interesting post (maybe Beauty and the Beast or Little Mermaid next!) but when I learned that June is Audiobook Month I knew I had to share some of my favorites with you all!

I've commuted to school for six years (first undergrad and then grad school) so I've had lots of time to enjoy a variety of books. 
One of my all time favorite audiobooks is Fairest by Gail Carson Levine and narrated by Sarah Naughton. This is a retelling of Snow White that twists and turns and is an amazing book. But when narrated by Naughton it becomes even more marvelous. The kingdom in which the story is set is famous for its singing and Aza is known for her inventive song skills and every song is actually sung by Naughton. This combined with the different voices she uses makes for an unforgettable listening experience.

A more recent favorite is Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles series. These books were coming out while I was in the middle of grad school and I didn't have time to read them. Fortunately my local library stocked the audiobooks and I snatched them up. The books alternate between Sadie and Carter as they tell the story and the books were simply made to be heard (literally, since the preface treats it as though the two Kanes are actually narrating their story into a recorder). Katherine Kellgren and Kevin Free take the parts and make them live in an amazing way. Having listened to the first two I can't bring myself to pick up and read the third - at least not until after I've heard the audiobook!

If you're tastes fall away from fantasy books you should try The Penderwicks and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall. Not only are these books engaging, sweet, and entertaining but Susan Denaker makes each of the four sisters so unique that you feel like you know them and wish you were one of them.

Heading away from middle grade books, the young adult title Chime by Frannie Billingsley caught my attention. The story line is fascinating and a perfect blend of historical fiction and fantasy. Susan Duerden gives the right touch to Briony and her sister Rose, pulling you into their heartaches and troubles and making you root for the right outcome.

If you like things a little darker, try out Rotters by Daniel Kraus. This is a story about teenaged Joey Crouch who gets sent to live with the father he never knew after the death of his mother. However, what he doesn't know is that his father is part of a long tradition of grave robbers. Narrated by Kirby Heyborne this audiobook will give you the creeps - but in a good way. And there are a couple of places where I would definitely advise not listening to it while eating. Kraus holds no punches and Heyborne puts you right into the middle of the action.

Moving on to the regular fiction section - Having heard so much about the book (and movie) The Help by Kathryn Stockett I decided to see what all the commotion was about. And, of course, not having time to read it, I requested the audiobook from my library. With four different narrators the story is brilliantly told and I enjoyed the book even more because of it.

Another multi-narrator production is one of my favorite books, which was our book club choice for April - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I had read the book before, but when I stumbled across this on the library shelves I knew I needed to listen to it as well. I already loved the way Shaffer and Barrows developed so many characters so fully only through letters, but hearing those characters brought to life by a cast of narrators made it even more engaging.

So there you have it - some of my all time favorite audiobooks! Do you have a favorite narrator or audiobook? Have you ever listened to an audiobook? If not, why? We're always curious to learn more about our readers!

That's the Best Book I've Heard All Day

June is Audiobooks month.  To commemorate, we thought we'd share some of our favorite audiobooks with you.

I actually haven't listened to that many audiobooks.  However, I do remember one wonderful day when I discovered audiobook versions of Sweet Valley High books 2 and 3, "Secrets," and "playing with Fire."  I ran home and put them in my cassette player.  This audio version didn't feature any voice actors, instead they were narrated by a man who sounded distinctly like John Ingle who plays billionaire patriarch Edward Quartermaine on "General Hopsital."  It was oddly comforting to hear teen books read by someone who sounds so much like your beloved, cantankerous TV grandfather.  I tried to research these tapes to find out if John Ingle did the narration but unfortunately my search merited little results.

Meanwhile, Jess B, loved listening to "Trace," by Patricia Cornwell. "This book was amazing by itself," she says,  "...Carolyn McCormick who voices it just makes it.  Being a Mystery it is filled with ups and down...she just makes the story come alive!"

Jess P can't get enough of Jim Dale's work on the audio versions of the Harry Potter novels, "[he] is phenominal! Different voices for each character...I'm impressed he got them all straight!"

True to form Naomi has a great story that is best told in her own words, "Audio books are super difficult for me to listen to because I am not an auditory learner at all and can't focus without concrete things in my hand (not concrete as in concrete, but like, physical objects), but one day I was sick and Rebecca had the audio book for 'Ella Enchanted' by Gail Carson Levine. It was the first time I had even heard of the author. The girl who narrated it also did the voice for the young Miriam in The 'Prince of Egypt' (I'm pretty sure). I loved how she did all of the voices and it was just wonderful."

Meanwhile, Rebecca is a huge fan of audiobooks, they helped her commute fly by she had a hard time selecting a favorite.  However, "if I had to choose a favorite I would go with the' Series of Unfortunate Events.' Most of them are narrated by Tim Curry and he does all of the different voices and makes it absolutely hilarious. And the books he doesn't narrate are done by Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket himself. I love hearing the author read because you know you're getting exactly what they intended in all of the inflections."

So, what is the best book you've heard ?  Share with us, we're all ears !