How I Choose for Audiobook Week

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Katy K.

Audiobook WeekToday’s Yesterday’s question from Jen at The Devourer of Books is how do I pick my audiobooks and how do I decide whether to read or to listen. (I wrote this yesterday, and then the library got too busy and I didn’t have a chance to post it.)

The vast majority of my books, both print and audio, come from the library. I usually listen on CD in the car, though I’ll sometimes download audiobooks from the library through Overdrive as well. I have a few books purchased from Audible and Pottermore, ones that I’d listened to before and knew I would want again.

Bloody JackDeciding what to read and whether to read or listen is a bit trickier. Often, if I read of a good book in a journal or on a blog, I’ll look first to see if it’s available as an audio book. If it is, I’ll try to listen. Unless I already have a hefty wait list for listening and my stack of print books is shorter, in which case I might skew towards print – but the reverse happens just as often. Katherine Kellgren is my favorite narrator right now, and I’ll listen to just about anything she’s reading – favorite series she’s done include the Bloody Jack/Jacky Faber books, the Enola Holmes books and the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. Wil Wheaton is also amazing paired with the right book Ready Player One – Ready Player One at the top, of course, and Little Fuzzy (which I never finished due to technical difficulties, but should really get back to.) Until she retired last week, I relied on my teen librarian, who was on the Odyssey awards committee and knew what kind of books I liked, to tell me what books I needed to listen to. I will really miss her. I often have long hold lists for print books, but because audiobooks take me longer to finish, I’m more likely to just go to the library shelves and browse for them.

divinersThere are also good reasons to read things in print, though, too. If it’s a part text, part picture book, like Brian Selznick’s books, or the Wimpy Kid books – I know there are audiobooks available, but it makes more sense to me to read in print in that case. I just gave up on the Mortal Instruments series on audio because I didn’t think the narrator worked – even though they switched narrators from the first book to the second. And I am something of a wimp. If there’s a book that I think is scary enough that I don’t want the full immersion that audiobooks give me, I’ll turn to print again – as I did with The Hunger Games and The Diviners. Sometimes, too, length will put me off an audiobook, as I don’t have enough time in the car by myself these days to make it through the really lengthy books. And I read print faster than I can listen, so if it’s something there’s a time crunch on, I’ll also go for print.

Either way, I know I’m a helpless addict because I always need to have at least one book in print and one on audio going at any given time, and preferably at least one backup for each as well.

And wait!  It’s also Kid Lit Blog Hop day.  I’ve been too busy writing about audiobooks in general to write about kid lit yet this week, but I’ll link up one of my posts from last week.  And you should definitely hop over and see what everyone else found the last two weeks!

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Favorite Audiobooks for Audiobook Week

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Katy K.

audiobookweekbutton_zpsdb6e126cIt’s Audiobook Week over at Devourer of Books. I always have two or three audiobooks going at any given time, so I thought it would be fun to join in the audiobook love. Here’s the breakdown: I must always have an audiobook in the car for myself, usually on CD. Right now, that’s The Wake of the Lorelei Lee by L.A. Meyer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren. (I would happily listen to her read a grocery list.) My eight-year-old son also needs a separate book for when he’s in the car. We’re doing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at present. And sometimes (like right now), I’ll listen to a different audiobook on my iPod at home for when I’m doing things like washing dishes or folding laundry. I’m still finishing up Goliath by Scott Westerfeld, which I started for the 48 Hour Book Challenge last weekend. (I also keep a couple of print books going for myself and one to read to my son, but that’s a story for another day.) I grew up in a family that read aloud instead of watching TV, so I transitioned easily from having a family member read to me while washing dishes or driving to listening to audiobooks.

Today’s discussion topic from our lovely hostess Jen was our favorite audiobooks of 2012-2013. Here’s what I’ve been listening to since last June (mostly, I hope, and deliberately skipping the couple that just didn’t work for me):
nightcircusDaughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Read by Khristine Hvam.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham. Read by Jim Weiss.
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. Narrated by Frederick Davidson.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Read by Jim Dale.
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. Full Cast Audio.
Book of 1000 DaysThe Raven Boys. Book 1 of the Raven Cycle. by Maggie Stiefvater. Read by Will Patton.
Harper Hall Trilogy by Anne McCaffrey. Performed by Sally Darling.
Will Sparrow’s Road by Karen Cushman. Read by Katherine Kellgren.
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. Read by Steve West and Fiona Hardingham.
Reckless by Cornelia Funke. Read by and Lionel Wigram. Translated by Oliver Latsch. Read by Eliott Hill.

Looking back at my whole list, I’m impressed to see that there were really only two books that I listened to that were so awful that they didn’t make this list of good audiobooks. My very favorites of these were The Night Circus, Raven Boys and The Scorpio Races. But really, all of the books above had me longing for more time doing otherwise less than pleasant tasks so that I could get more story, thinking about them even when I wasn’t listening.

Do you like audiobooks? What are your favorites?

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Amelia Rules. Vol. 2. What Makes You Happy.

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Katy K.

I’ve been trying to read more kids’ graphic novels, so when this came home from a Daddy-sponsored library trip for the kids, I had to try it. It’s a series I’d been hearing about as one of the Big Kid Series for years, and now I understand it. Big as in nominated for multiple Eisner awards, Harvey awards, won a Cybils award in 2007, and the most recent volume, Her Permanent Record, made the New York Times Bestseller list.

Amelia RulesAmelia Rules. Vol. 2. What Makes You Happy. by Jimmy Gownley
Amelia is a happy-go-lucky, rock’n’roll-loving fifth grader who lives with her mom and her aunt Tanner, a former rock star. Her stories are told in episodes that are certainly longer than a comic strip, but shorter than a typical floppy comic book – short enough to be clear that the humor is important, but long enough to go for some character development as well. Amelia is a member of the GASP club for superheroes, more because it’s run by her crush, Reggie, than because she really aspires to be a superhero. Also in the club is her frenemy Rhonda, a rival for Reggie’s affections, and the quiet and shy Pajama Man. This is younger middle grade romance, so what the girls are aspiring to is getting Valentine’s Day cards from the object of their affections. There are also stories about GASP’s battle with the ninja kids from across town, Aunt Tanner’s brief moment of returning fame, a bittersweet episode as Amelia deals with the death of an unknown great aunt and its impact on her mother and aunt, and a trip to Manhattan to visit her dad and her old best friend.

I have to say, this book deserves its accolades. The stories hit just the right balance of realistic kid, hilarious adventure, and kids learning about life. The art is solidly done, very aware of the comic heritage it’s drawing on, from Peanuts to Calvin and Hobbes. While he mostly uses an easy-to-follow grid pattern, Gownley sometimes breaks the grid to hilarious effect. For those who like their stories realistic and funny – I’d give this to fans of Big Nate, Dork Diaries, and yes, Calvin and Hobbes, as well as the standard realistic but funny middle grade fiction.

Speaking of kids’ comics, I recently heard about the Kids’ Comics Revolution Awards. Podcast hosts and comic book artists Dave Roman and Jerzy Drozd have started this first-ever award for kids’ comics where only kids can vote. The categories range from best in a variety of genres to best hair in comics and grossest moment in comics. Voting is online (see the link above) or in person at the Kids Read Comics Convention in Ann Arbor next weekend.

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Sapphire Blue

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Katy K.

sapphireSapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier.
This is the second book in the Ruby Red trilogy (called “Liebe geht durch alle Zeiten” or “Love goes through all times” in the original German.) It is more time travel fun, with a light chick lit feel even as our main characters’ lives are in danger. It’s only been a few days since the start of the first book. Gwyneth/Gwendolyn/Gwen is getting more involved with the organization that controls the time travelers, still falling in love with handsome fellow time traveler Gideon and trying to figure out what his feelings are. Her suspicions that something is not quite right with the official story is getting stronger, but she doesn’t seem to be able to convince anyone (including herself) that she’s competent enough to be taken seriously. This last is much more common in chick lit than in fantasy, and I found it quite refreshing to have a heroine whom we know has some talents but who’s mostly considered Saphirblautoo ordinary to matter much. In the “something is not right” category, we have young runaway lovers Lucy and Paul, who are sweet when we see them but believed to be bad, versus the very creepy but clearly in charge Count. Gwen also acquires a sidekick in the form of a gargoyle-like creature that no one else can see, Xemerius, and spends time with her best friend trying to figure out what it means that she is supposed to be the Raven. It all started out looking very clear-cut (but still addictive), and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the plot did have some unexpected twists.

All three books in the series and the movie version of Ruby Red are out in Germany, but Emerald Green isn’t due out in the U.S. until September. I really, really wish I could find an ebook version of the German, because then I could read it right now and I’d love to read it in the original anyway. All my searches on this have been unsuccessful, though – if any of my German readers have any tips, I’d love to hear them.

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Jinx

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Katy K.

This is the second and final book that I finished as part of the 48-hour Reading Challenge.

JinxJinx by Sage Blackwood.
Jinx is a young boy growing up in the Urwald, where one just learns to stay on the path, and better yet, stay in one’s own clearing. But his stepparents decide at the very beginning of the book that he’s no longer worth keeping, and sell him to the wizard Simon Magus. At least, his stepfather would have sold Jinx if he was willing to accept the price the wizard was willing to give him, but it’s really not such a good idea to stand around haggling in the Urwald. And now Jinx is warm and well-fed and treated gently for the first time in his life, and if the wizard is somewhat rude and doesn’t want to share his secrets – well, Jinx will probably find a way around that, at least the secrets. He meets Simon’s wife, Sophie, who lives on the other side of the solid stone wall in the secret part of Simon’s house. I’d somehow heard a lot about Sophie before reading the book, and have to agree that she is a most delightful character. Anyway (coming to a point where avoiding potential spoilers is tricky), one thing comes to another, years pass, and Jinx runs away from Simon, suddenly finding himself traveling with a boy and a girl his own age. The boy, Reven, knows nothing of the Urwald, and has to be protected from doing idiotic things like trying to spend the night off the path or cutting up living trees. Simon has been watching the girl, Elfwyn, from Simon’s magic window for years, and finds that she is not nearly as instantly sweet and understanding in real life as she was in his imagination. All three of them are under some sort of curse, and they head off to the Bonemaster, the most feared wizard in all of the Urwald, to see if he can reverse their curses, even though Simon told Jinx most particularly to stay away from the Bonemaster.

This is really just the perfect kind of book for me, full of characters that I like and want to know better, and magic that involves being able to hear trees talk (something I tried very hard to do as a child) and a setting that is both new and filled with familiar things. It is split up into two distinct sections, the first part with more internal conflicts as Jinx gets to know Simon and Sophie and tries to learn magic, and the second one, where he is engaged in a Daring Quest with Noble Companions. I enjoyed both parts, and I liked especially that the quest started not because of a big prophecy and Jinx being the chosen one, but because he got in a fight with Simon. And that fight was both about the particular magic of that world and also about something that comes up so often in our world, an adult keeping secrets from a child, thinking that said child isn’t yet ready to handle the truth. It all came together just beautifully. I’d say this is an excellent choice for fantasy-loving people of about ten and up, and recommend it very highly.

I won this book from Charlotte’s Library, and Sage Blackwood was kind enough to autograph the book and write me a separate notecard, so that I can keep her signature even if I decide that the book should move on, say, to my son’s underfunded school library. When I mentioned this possibility to my son, he said that we could pass it on after we’d read it “a dozen or a hundred times.” That’s my sweet booklover, even if reading is still an uphill struggle for him. And I did really love it, so I don’t think I’ll be passing it on just yet.

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48 HBC Done

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Katy K.

48 Hour Book ChallengeI did it! I finished reading a little after 10 pm last night, and did not wake up this morning in time to count any more reading (really, that’s a happy thing). I read for 731 minutes, or 12 hours 11 minutes, of which 391 minutes or 53% was audio – actually a higher proportion of print reading than I’d expected. I finished two print books, The Cup and the Crown and Jinx. I made it halfway through Goliath and not even a full disc of the Jacky Faber book, alas.

The birthday cake came out just fine, though I was distracted enough that I forgot to split the layers in half to make a four-layer cake. And I forgot the camera, so no pictures. I’m hoping since this isn’t a cooking blog you won’t be too disappointed.

I still need to write a review of Jinx, answer a bunch of sweet comments, and see how everyone else is doing – but it’s late and we were out all day and the internet is not wanting to load things for me. So I’ll plan to catch up with that tomorrow morning at work before my shift starts, and try to make my kitchen a little less disastrous tonight. It’s been fun reading with all of you!

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The Cup and the Crown

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Katy K.

This is the first book I’ve finished for the 48 Hour Reading Challenge. It’s also the last published book in one of my formerly unfinished series.

The Cup and the CrownThe Cup and the Crown by Diane Stanley
In <em>The Silver Bowl, our heroine, Molly, started having visions that led her to saving the prince. She also learned that her mother and grandfather before had had similar visions, but that hers is not a safe country in which to have visions.

Now she is Lady Marguerite, granted an estate by King Alaric, who now wants her to help him again. He needs to make a good political marriage, and wants her to bring back one of the magical loving cups that her grandfather made to help him. The Lady Marguerite would much rather still be Molly, but she’s happy for a chance to follow the visions of the cup she’s been having: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if, just this once, it portended something good?” She takes a mixed party with her: her friends Tobias and Winifred, an older lord who’s not really convinced that Alaric is old enough to be king, and someone whom the king tells her is his valet. The journey is roundabout, but, helped by a raven, they end up at the hidden city her grandfather left years earlier. And now Molly’s troubles begin in earnest. The hidden city is one where Molly’s particular kind of magic is highly valued. They’re thrilled to have a lost member returned to them, but No Outsiders Must Know of Their Existence. (This is somehow reminding me of this XKCD comic: http://xkcd.com/515/) Even as she’s feeling that she’s come home for the first time, Molly has to find a way both to take advantage of training in her skills and to get her friends out alive. Not to mention the matter of the cup, which will involve the help of her newly-found cousin, Jakob. There’s also decisions to be made about where Molly should make her home, and whether or not she can develop her friendship with Tobias further. Like its predecessor, this is a nice character-focused book with enough action to keep the story moving.

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48 HRC Update #2

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Katy K.

48hbcAnd long overdue at that…
Yesterday, I went around the house doing usual things, listening to Goliath and trying to find a few extra minutes to sit down and read The Cup and the Crown. Even though I of course turned off the book and listened whenever my daughter called for me and let her have unlimited screen time, and we baked the cake together, she must have been feeling neglected: she gave herself a haircut and only made it to the bathroom on time twice all day. Then my son managed to throw her shoe up on top of the climbing structure on the school playground, so that we had to wait half an hour for the swimming pool pole to be fetched to get it down. Of course this would be the time that I hadn’t stuck a book in my bag, having expected to go straight home. Also, having tried folding laundry both while reading a print book and while listening to an audio book, I’d have to recommend the audio book. With all of that hilarity, I was really pleased that I was able to get in more than six hours yesterday.

I finished The Cup and the Crown over breakfast this morning, listened to The Wake of the Lorelei Lee on the way to work and more Goliath while opening up the library. I was hoping that it would be slow enough that I could read Jinx in between patrons while doing my morning desk shift, but instead, I had lines of people waiting to be helped and no real in between. Also, I was weak and accepted when my colleague asked if I wanted to visit the Farmer’s Market with her for break. Even though I got a start on Jinx over lunch, I’m feeling a little nervous about fitting in the rest of my reading today. I’m still having fun reading and getting to know so many other readers!

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48 Hour Book Challenge Update 1

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Katy K.

I started reading The Cup and the Crown over breakfast at 6:40 this morning, read aloud five minutes of Barefoot Pirate to my son while waiting for his ride to school, and then listened to Goliath for 1 hour 20 minutes while doing dishes and laundry.  I’m now taking a break to give the girl her snack and try to get the cake in the oven.  I think my goal is going to be reading at least 12 hours of the 48.  Even though that’s the low goal, it’s still feeling wildly ambitious.

Two weaknesses in the plan so far: I can’t use streaming Netflix to distract my daughter while I post here, as the Netflix uses all the bandwidth and won’t let me post (duh!).  And I’m a little nervous, too, about leaving her to her own devices while I wander around the house wearing noise-canceling headphones.  Still, so far, so good!

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Countdown to 48 Hour Reading Challenge

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Katy K.

I’ve been hearing about this 48 Hour Reading Challenge that goes on every year in the Kidlitosphere, usually hosted by MotherReader, but this year hosted by Ms. Yingling Reads.

Well, Charlotte suggested that doing the 48 Hour Reading Challenge would be a good way to tackle my long, long list of unfinished series. I thought about what I have to do the next two days: a weekend’s worth of chores and laundry, on my own with a three-year-old tomorrow, and a full day of work followed by a family birthday party on Saturday. Sunday will be an all day family reunion on the other side, which is why all the weekend work has to happen tomorrow. Also I have to bake the cake for the family birthday party (assisted by said three-year-old), and I really should start sewing for the two weeks of medieval camping we’ve got coming up. Naturally, I decided that of course I should participate in the challenge. It will be fun, even if all I do is make the other participants feel better about their reading.

Here’s my physical reading list:Reading Challenge Pile

Thanks to Charlotte for the copy of Jinx!  My pile is feeling a little wimpy compared to others I’ve seen, but I’ve got two more text books on my e-reader, Barefoot Pirate by Sherwood Smith and Lament by Maggie Stiefvater.  Also Goliath by Scott Westerfeld on the iPod.  I am planning on doing lots of listening to books while I do the things that have to be done to fit in more reading.  Seeing as how most of my series books are at the library, not home, I figure I can always stock up on more at work on Saturday if I need to. Because reading piles and piles of books in two days is totally possible, right?

The books are posing in front of my rosebush, Therese Bugnet, whom I love because she thrives without my doing anything to her and smells lovely besides.  The picture didn’t show any flowers, though, so here’s a better picture: Therese Bugnet

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