Are there any audiobooks that you would definitely recommend to someone whose concentration isn't always what it could be? I wanted to cancel my audible account but I can get six books before I do so I might as well get ones I'll actually enjoy!
Please share your favorites with me!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Mini reviews
OK, it's mini-review time. If I don't do these soon, they won't get done before the end of the year, so here goes.
The Secret Life of the Unborn Child by Dr Thomas Verny
I tried reading this all year (honestly, I started when I was pregnant) and I still didn't manage to finish it. I bought it because I liked the idea that unborn Baby S understood more than I tended to think. But the author really pissed me off. He kept talking about how if a mother is sad/stressed etc the baby suffers. And how if the birth is induced the baby suffers. And although he did also say that he's talking about higher-than-normal stress, that normal levels are ok, it still made me feel guilty. And what about things you can't do anything about, like an induced birth? That would make me feel guilty too. Basically, I was on the defensive the whole time I was reading this so I decided that I got the general idea of what he was trying to say and left it at that, about halfway through.
A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen
This is a chraming little book about simple happiness. I read it during the October read-a-thon because it's super short, but I think I'll leave it on my nightstand and will read it again from time to time, when I'm in need of things being put in perspective. That's what Anna Quindlen does, she makes you look at the world differently. A lovely book to give as a gift, I would think.
The Borden Tragedy by Rick Geary
Another one I read during the read-a-thon, this is a short graphic novel. It's based on the apparentlt famous (though I'd never heard of it) 19th century double murder of Abby and Andrew Borden. Lizzie Borden, their daughter, was accused, tried and later acquitted and she remained under suspicion for the rest of her life. The story is interesting, especially as it's based on fact, and Geary's illustrations are wonderful. The Borden Tragedy is part of A Treasury of Victorian Murders, which also includes Jack the Ripper and The Murder of Abraham Lincoln. I understand that Geary's series is very well researched (The Borden Tragedy includes the text of original press clippings), which pretty much means that I won't be able to stay away from the rest of the series.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Who knew that this book, which I argued my way out of reading when I was a kid, would be so charming? I didn't really read adventure stories as a child, I much prefered Judy Blume and the like, and it seems that I missed out on a lot! Tom Sawyer is a great character and a charming little rascal. The stories were fun and I was surprised at just how trouble Tom got himself into. Although I'd never read the book, I must have seen the film when I lived in the States, because I kept getting flashes of Becky in a frilly dress at some picnic. Has anyone read the one about Huckleberry Finn? Is it just as much fun?
That's October's books done, now only November's books are left to do and I'll be all caught up! :-)
I tried reading this all year (honestly, I started when I was pregnant) and I still didn't manage to finish it. I bought it because I liked the idea that unborn Baby S understood more than I tended to think. But the author really pissed me off. He kept talking about how if a mother is sad/stressed etc the baby suffers. And how if the birth is induced the baby suffers. And although he did also say that he's talking about higher-than-normal stress, that normal levels are ok, it still made me feel guilty. And what about things you can't do anything about, like an induced birth? That would make me feel guilty too. Basically, I was on the defensive the whole time I was reading this so I decided that I got the general idea of what he was trying to say and left it at that, about halfway through.
This is a chraming little book about simple happiness. I read it during the October read-a-thon because it's super short, but I think I'll leave it on my nightstand and will read it again from time to time, when I'm in need of things being put in perspective. That's what Anna Quindlen does, she makes you look at the world differently. A lovely book to give as a gift, I would think.
Another one I read during the read-a-thon, this is a short graphic novel. It's based on the apparentlt famous (though I'd never heard of it) 19th century double murder of Abby and Andrew Borden. Lizzie Borden, their daughter, was accused, tried and later acquitted and she remained under suspicion for the rest of her life. The story is interesting, especially as it's based on fact, and Geary's illustrations are wonderful. The Borden Tragedy is part of A Treasury of Victorian Murders, which also includes Jack the Ripper and The Murder of Abraham Lincoln. I understand that Geary's series is very well researched (The Borden Tragedy includes the text of original press clippings), which pretty much means that I won't be able to stay away from the rest of the series.
Who knew that this book, which I argued my way out of reading when I was a kid, would be so charming? I didn't really read adventure stories as a child, I much prefered Judy Blume and the like, and it seems that I missed out on a lot! Tom Sawyer is a great character and a charming little rascal. The stories were fun and I was surprised at just how trouble Tom got himself into. Although I'd never read the book, I must have seen the film when I lived in the States, because I kept getting flashes of Becky in a frilly dress at some picnic. Has anyone read the one about Huckleberry Finn? Is it just as much fun?
That's October's books done, now only November's books are left to do and I'll be all caught up! :-)
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Odyssey - Check-in the Third
I'm finding Homer's The Odyssey a very curious beast - after reading a chunk of it I find myself thinking, ok, I've now had enough of this old language, time for something different. And then, out of nowhere, the chapter ends on a cliffhanger of sorts and I'm compelled to read on. Who would have expected this from such a classic? I'm very surprised at how much of it I'm happy to read in one sitting.
I'm reading The Odyssey for Trish's read-a-long, which I'm enjoying very much. The Monday posts are like one big literature class, with everyone picking up on something different and focusing on various aspects of the story. It's great!
Last week, we were reading books 13-18. I finished Book 18 this morning, so I'm right on track. This section covered Odysseus landing back in Ithaca, Athena making him appear as a beggar and him going onto his estate in this unrecognisable form to plan his revenge. I guess 'Revenge is a dish best served cold' should be this section's tagline... boy, does it take him time to plot out his plan! I would have lost my cool a thousand times already! I guess that's why I'm not a famous hero. ;-)
I found a lot of this section slow going, nothing really happens. There's a lot of talking and scene setting but that's pretty much it.
A lot of it annoyed me too. Like if beggars piss the suitors off so much how come they don't just kick them out? Why do they have to keep them in the banquet hall and insult them instead? Honestly.
And the whole having to be patient thing. Ody's been away so long, how can he wait even longer before he takes his house and his wife back? Maybe I shouldn't be annoyed by that, maybe I should aspire to it instead... Hmmm...
Also, what's up with Eumaeus the loyal swineherd? Why does the text talk directly to him, in the second person? As in 'And you replied, Eumaeus, loyal swineherd'. Is there something I'm not getting?
I'm still enjoying reading this though and am really looking forward to the next bit, when Ody meets up with Penelope... Finally. :-)
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