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Interview With Simon Vance
Today it is my extreme pleasure to welcome Simon Vance to The Literate Housewife Review. He is the narrator of my favorite audiobooks thus far: Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Series (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest). I highly recommend them and their narrator. If you’ve ever experienced Simon Vance’s narration, you know what I mean. This interview is for you. If you haven’t, read this review and then go out and buy one, rent one, or download one from Audible.com, where I get my audiobooks.
Be sure to check out Simon’s website. You can catch up with Simon on his blog or catch one of his four vlogs. If you’ve never heard his voice, they are a perfect way to change that.
I want to thank Audible.com for sponsoring a wonderful giveaway in conjunction with today’s interview! Three lucky readers will win VIP access to Audible.com, which will entitle them each to two free audiobooks of their choice! If you haven’t read Stieg Larsson’s series before, you can read the first two novels and find out first hand why Simon Vance is my favorite narrator. To enter, leave a comment for Simon by Sunday, June 27 at 11:59 EST. I’ll announce the big winners on June 28th.
On to the interview!
Literate Housewife: Simon, I’m very excited to have you visit with me today. I will be honest up front and say that you are my favorite audiobook narrator. In fact, it wasn’t until I listened to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo that I “got” audiobooks. Since then, I’ve listened to several books other books that you’ve recorded, the complete Stieg Larsson’s Millenium series, The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, and Chemistry for Beginners by Anthony Strong. Each time it has been a pleasure. You’ve an incredible voice talent and I’m glad you choose to use share them with readers everywhere. I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to answer some of my questions.
Simon Vance: It’s always good to be appreciated – I’m hope I can offer some insights into what I do… and why (I always wanted to be a pilot when I was young)! Maybe I’ll learn something myself.
LH: How did you become a narrator? What was the first book you ever narrated? Which was your most challenging? Which has been your favorite?
SV: I’ve been playing with tape recorders since I was a child – I inherited my father’s technical ability and fascination with gadgets and he gave me a tape recorder when I was about 11. I have said before: I started making noises and silly voices into a microphone at an early age and have never stopped. When I was at the BBC in the 1980’s I started narrating audiobooks for the blind in my spare time at the RNIB in London – that was where I served my apprenticeship.
Can’t remember the first book I recorded there in 1983, nor the first I recorded for Blackstone Audio in 1993 – my first Earphone Award was for Dracula, I remember that! There is a recording of me reading one of the Winnie the Pooh tales when I was six. My mother sent it to me several years ago and I’m still looking for it, if I find it I’ll put it on my website (but don’t hold your breath) – That must qualify as my first book!
Most challenging? Usually the badly written ones and I’m not going to name them.
Favorites? Very hard to say… The Larsson series was very enjoyable, of course – David Copperfield and Great Expectations were a joy to read – The Prestige by Christopher Priest fascinated me. In 500 or so books over the years I probably enjoyed reading 95% of them.
LH: How do you go about recording a book? Do you have a standard amount of time you record each work day or does it depend on the book? What do you feel are the essentials for your craft?
SV: Time spent on a book is often related to how difficult/complex they are. By which I mean, I need to ‘get’ a book before I can read it properly. Some books, like Dickens, I can get instantly (I grew up with them, almost) and I barely need to prep them. Others, like the Larsson books, I need to explore first to follow the twists and turns of the plot so that I know who the good guys are and who the bad guys and so on. So the prep time varies enormously. As I record at home I can spend as much, or as little time in the studio each day as I wish – on a working day I usually ‘schedule’ three hours finished each day – some days I do more, some less. If the book is flowing I can do up to five finished hours a day and then I have time off between books! It also depends on the health of my voice – I have to take care of that!
Essentials? The list could be endless – stamina, imagination, playfulness, a healthy voice, acting awareness, self awareness (could be included in the previous), ability to let go (surrender to the text)… and so on. You’ll notice I don’t put ‘a good voice’ – so many people think it just takes that but it’s not the case. Perhaps it might be better to say a ‘true’ voice – and I’ll leave you to work out what that means!
LH: When I’m reading an uninteresting book that I have to read, I tend to skim read or even skip entire sections if necessary. How do you handle recording books you find boring or appealing? It’s not like you can simply make it an abridged recording – or can you? 
SV: I read the whole text – it’s in the contract!
As I’ve indicated above a well written book is a joy to read. When I’m reading I go beyond the text to the imagination of the writer behind it. The text is just his/her way of translating the thoughts onto the page – I bring those thoughts back off the page, but using the author’s words. If an author can’t write then he won’t be published and I won’t have to read him – though a few do slip through because the kind of story he/she writes appeals to some people/fans. I’ll read them, but I often describe reading a difficult book as ‘wading through mud’ – slow going, but I’m determined to get to the other side…
LH: Stieg Larsson’s work contains graphic language, sex, and violence. I’m thinking primarily of a particular scene between Lisbeth Salander and Nils Bjurman. It was extremely powerful and painful to listen to. You as narrator melted away, making it seem as if I was in the room as helpless as Lisbeth. I can only imagine that it would be as hard to read out loud as it was to listen. How difficult is it to record scenes like that? How do you manage it so convincingly?
SV: I don’t know. It’s for the audience to judge whether I was convincing or not. I never finish a scene thinking ‘Well, I was convincing there’! To go a little ‘woo-woo’ for a moment – it’s as if I’m channeling the author’s imagination. There’s no denying it can be a little uncomfortable at times, but perhaps I can describe myself in the same manner as a journalist: I have a responsibility to tell the story. My own personal feelings would interrupt the journey of the facts in front of me on their way to the listener’s mind. But, of course, if I’m describing the scene from the perspective of a person in the story, rather than as a neutral ‘observer’, I’m going to allow my acting awareness to creep in and affect how the scene is being described.
LH: (My regular readers will probably be able to anticipate a question like this) Is it fun to get paid to cuss like a sailor? I think that might be my dream job.
SV: But I don’t cuss – it’s the characters in the novels I read that cuss…
LH: It seemed to me that you read the Swedish names and places in Stieg Larsson’s novels effortlessly as if you were a native speaker. When you are reading words from a foreign language, how do you get to the point where you can read them so fluently?
SV: I was brought up in a town full of foreign students in the summer – it helped to meet ladies if you could speak their language… so I learnt Swedish (a bit). I also learnt a little of a couple of other languages as well as the usual languages in school. When you do that at a young age, and also have a facility with mimicry you can ‘fake’ almost any language. That said – I do an awful lot of research when I have sentences in a foreign language – I do owe it to the language to get that right.
But I don’t think I’m always entirely accurate – I live by what I was taught at the BBC regarding those occasions when you have doubts about the pronunciation: “say it with authority”.
Regarding ‘Dragon Tattoo’ I actually don’t pronounce some people/place names authentically as it would get in the way of the understanding. If I said ‘yawterbory’ would you know I was referring to the town we call Gothenburg – written (in Swedish) as Göteborg? Have you heard of the Swedish Tennis star Björn Borey (we call him Borg). I adapt and I say it with authority.
LH: If I were to ever bump into Samuel L. Jackson and could work up the nerve, I’d ask him to say one of my favorite quotes from Pulp Fiction. Like him, you have a very distinctive voice. Have you ever been asked to say something specific for someone?
SV: Someone once asked me to record a happy birthday greeting for her husband! But not generally, no. Though my wife likes to hear me say ‘I love you’ as often as possible.
LH: When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time? If you enjoy reading, what do you like to read just for yourself?
SV: We bought a house with a large garden at the end of last year (you can see me refer to the ‘lawn of weeds’ on my video blog from time to time) so we’re spending a lot of time deciding what we’re going to do with it. It has several raised beds and we’re learning about the hazards of growing our own vegetables, etc. – and when the fall comes and the weather turns we’ll have lots of indoor projects to work on. Of course, and you must find this, now that I’ve upgraded my website and started blogging and so on there’s a lot of time taken up with that!
Of course, I love reading! – but I honestly don’t have much time these days to read full length books for myself. For my own pleasure, outside of the books I have to read, I find myself dipping into magazines like The New Yorker and Wired.
LH: Are there any upcoming projects that really have you excited? If so, when can we expect them to be available?
SV: Some books come out within a couple of months of recording – some take longer. I particularly enjoyed recording the 12 novels that make up A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell last September/October (about 85 hours total) and they still haven’t been released by Audible (who commissioned them) – I understand they’ll be out by the fall. A recent book that should be out very soon is ‘Paul is Undead’ (the Beatles as zombies…). It’s written as an oral history with each character being ‘quoted’ and the author inserting narrative along the way. There were more than 50 people in the book; about 30+ of them are/were real people. I listened to a lot of recordings of these people to try to capture their individual styles (I’m really not an impressionist) – Ed Sullivan, Timothy Leary, Brian Epstein, Mick Jagger, for example, as well as the four mop-tops themselves. I’m sure I’ll take a lot of flak for the inaccuracies in my portrayal – but it was fun to do and I’m keen to see how it’s received.
LH: Thank you so much for spending time with us at The Literate Housewife Review, Simon. You’ve made my drives to and from work, waits at the pool while my daughters are at swimming lessons, and cleaning out my closet so very much fun. I’ll even forgive you for the times you have kept me glued to the seat of my car to the point where I’m almost late for work. In all seriousness, many of my readers and I always look forward to enjoying more audiobooks with you.
SV: You’re more than welcome!
#263 ~ Dragonfly in Amber
Dragonfly in Amber
Published by: Random House Publishing
Published on: July, 1992
Page Count: 752
Genre: Historical Fiction / Time Travel / Romance
My Reading Format: An audiobook purchased using an Audible.com credit
Available Formats: Hardcover, paperback, audiobook, eBook
FYI: Dragonfly in Amber contains some graphic sex and violence
My Review
In some ways, Dragonfly in Amber picks up where Outlander left off. In other ways, it didn’t. I don’t really want to say too much about the plot in this review for readers who have not yet read Outlander. I’m going to just list out a few of my thoughts about the book instead.
- I enjoyed the sense of vindication I had when I learned what I did about Frank.
- Claire and Jamie’s time in France was my least favorite adventure thus far. I love the ruggedness of the Highlands. It was a necessary storyline given what had taken place in Scotland, though. It wasn’t horrible, don’t get me wrong. I just wanted them back where I felt they belonged – and King Louis just doesn’t do much for me.
- I really got mad at Claire for several reasons, especially the ways in which she put Frank in front of Jamie. Knowing that I am firmly a fan of Jaime may temper my opinion and I theorically understand Claire’s reasonings. She also got really whiny in sections. Elle pointed out that this is not an uncommon phenomenon for newlyweds heading toward the rest of married life, which is true. Still, I get enough of that from my daughters. LOL!
- As if he needed to, Jamie shines even brighter in Dragonfly in Amber than he did in Outlander.
- Davinia Porter continues to nail her narration and I can’t wait to begin Voyager.
My Final Thoughts
Overall, I didn’t like Dragonfly in Amber as much as I loved Outlander. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy the novel and wasn’t compelled to keep listening because I was. Just as with everything else you fall in love with, over time you start to see the cracks a little bit. I also think that reading the two books back to back the way I did took it’s toll, which is why I am taking some time off between Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager. Several of my fellow book bloggers have indicated that Voyager is their favorite book of the series and I wanted to be fresh for it. That didn’t me from buying the paperback version of Voyager just in case.
Other Voices
You’ve read what I have to say. Why not dig in even deeper?
Fyrefly’s Book Blog
At Home with Books
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I’m publishing this review as part of Audiobooks Week, coordinated by Devourer of Books.
#262 ~ Outlander
Outlander
Published by: Random House Publishing
Published on: June 1, 1991
Page Count: 896
Genre: Historical Fiction / Time Travel / Romance
My Reading Format: A combination of audiobook, which I purchased using an Audible.com credit and paperback, which was sent to me by a friend
Available Formats: Hardcover, paperback, audiobook, eBook
FYI: Outlander contains some graphic sex and violence
My Review
Ever since I’ve become aware of the greater book blogoverse, I’ve seen people gush about Diana Gabaldon and her Outlander series. Clearly I wasn’t paying very close attention to what was being said, because I put those novels in the same category as the Clan of the Cavebear. I thought it was set in a medieval time period and I just was not interested. In 2008 or 9, I signed up for an Outlander challenge, determined to find out what this was all about. I used one of my Audible.com credits for Outlander and was so daunted by the length of the book that I didn’t go any further. I actually forgot all about purchasing it. When my great blogging friend Elle, who has been with me from nearly the beginning, offered to send me a copy of Outlander. She loves the series moer than anyone else that I know. Even though I was almost positive that it wasn’t going to work for me, I couldn’t turn her down. After all, she’s read some of the most horrible novels with me as part of my attempts at hosting book clubs online. When I finally sat down with the paperback, I remembered the audio version that I’d never even downloaded. I loaded up my MP3 player and the rest is history.
Outlander tells the story of Claire Randall, relatively newly married woman in her mid 20s. Both she and her husband Frank have spent most of their marriage apart. He was fighting in WWII for the British and she was serving as an army nurse. They are just finding themselves when Frank, a college history professor focused on the Jacobites of Scotland, travel to the Highlands of Scotland to learn more about the the clans who were emaciated by the British in the uprising of 1745. Claire is supportive of her husband, but she isn’t nearly as interested in his historical hunt until she learns more about some nearby standing stones, not far from where they are staying. While Frank continues to work on the Jacobites and his Jack Randall, his grandfather many generations removed, Claire sets out to discover the lure of the rocks on Belldane. What happens when she touches the rocks alters her destiny in ways she could never imagine.
Claire comes out on the other side of the rocks in another world in the midst of a small skirmish between Scottish Highlanders and Jack Randall himself. It took some time before Claire came to terms with the fact that she was now centuries in the past. Jack Randall was also not the calibre of man Frank would have appreciated. Claire would have discovered this fully if she hadn’t been rescued/captured by the band of Scottsman. As the Scottsmen led by Dougal MacKenzie led her back to Castle Leoch, Claire began to plot her return to Frank. She had to find a way to get back to the standing stones. Destiny and Clan McKenzie had very different ideas. Before she could see anyway out of it, her fate is tied to young Jaime Frazer. She doesn’t give up the hope of seeing Frank again, but can she keep Jamie from her heart?
At over 40 hours in length, I thought it would take months for me to finish Outlander. In the end, it took just about two weeks. I could not get enough of Claire and Jamie’s adventures in the Highlands. I became fully engaged in the politics and plotting of the clans and never willingly stopped listening when I had to go into work or go into the house at the end of the work day. There were several times when my paperback copy came in handy. I just couldn’t bare not knowing what would happen next, so I’d find my place and continue with my reading. I loved every minute of it, feeling guilty all the while for willing Claire to forget Frank (after all, he was never any where near as sexy or protective of her – I can rationalize infidelity in my fiction with the best of them). Thankfully by the time I had finished Outlander my Audible credits renewed, because I didn’t want to have to wait to continue on with Dragonfly in Amber.
Davinia Porter does a magnificent job narrating Outlander. Her voice was perfect and fit so well with the story, reading the romantic parts as easily as the adventurous and dangerous parts. Her voice was so much a part of the novel that when I read from the paperback copy I was reading with her voice in my ears. That I couldn’t wait on my next drive to finish the novel, I still felt like she was with me in the end.
Reading this book was also fun because I couldn’t help but Tweet about it. Being one of the last people in the universe to read it had its advantages then. So many people jumped in on the conversation, especially Elle. Tweeting about it with her was an absolute treat. If you can’t live in the same country, Twitter sometimes can be the next best thing.
My Final Thoughts
There is so much to love about Outlander. It’s a great deal of fun and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Its at parts adventure, intrigue, mystery, and saucy romance. If you enjoy historical fiction and a romance that doesn’t entirely dominate the story, you really must do yourself a favor and give this novel a try. It’s an addiction that will sweep you away.
Other Voices
You know what I think. Why not check out what others have to say?
Farm Lane Books
Fyrefly’s Book Blog
Kaye’s Bookshelf
Caribousmom
A Dribble of Ink
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I’m publishing this review as part of Audiobooks Week, coordinated by Devourer of Books.
Audiobooks and Reviewing
Today, Jen at Devourer of Books suggested that we write about how we review audiobooks. I’ve had to think about this topic because I can’t honestly say that I approach an audiobook any differently than I would a print book. I will point out that I read them via audio and will discuss the narrator. He or she does play a role. Like I mentioned in my Why Audiobooks? post yesterday, I would also point out outside factors such as mood that impacted my reading of any type of book. So, discussing the positives and negatives of a narrator is no different in my eyes than discussing why my opinions about a certain print book may have been influenced by waking up on the wrong side of the bed, having flowers delivered out of the blue (it could happen), a weird association I have with the topic, etc… In all of my reviews I discuss the topics and storyline of both types of books. There’s just no real difference in my mind.
I post my audiobook reviews with pride. They are not red-headed stepchildren here. In fact, I never even considered that I would have to try to “trick” anyone into reading a review of an audiobook until I read Jen’s topic for today. I do think it’s interesting that people might not want to read reviews of audiobooks. If you don’t, why not? I am very curious.
#261 ~ This Time Together
This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection
Published by: Crown Publishing Group
Published on: April, 2010
Page Count: 288
Genre: Memoir / Personal Essays
My Reading Format: Audiobook purchased in CD format from my local Barnes & Noble store
Available Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
My Review
This Time Together is a collection of Carol Burnett’s memories from her life. This book sprang from her question and answers tour, similarly to how she used to open The Carol Burnett Show each week. Since she won’t be performing this show much any more, she tried to answer some of the questions she’s answered over time for those who haven’t seen her show.
I have loved Carol Burnett for as long as I can remember. Although I was alive when her comedy sketch show was originally taping, I’m quite sure I watched them in reruns because I had a strict 8pm bedtime until I was in junior high. It was her “Went With the Wind” sketch that first brought Gone With the Wind to my radar screen and for that I’ll be forever grateful for that introduction. What I love the most about that show was how Tim Conway could always make the other comedians laugh when they weren’t supposed to. Some of my favorite characters were Ms. Awiggins, Tim Conway’s dentist, and, of course, the main characters in the Mama sketches. I think those sketches highlight just how extremely talented that group was. The dynamics between Mama, Eunice, and Ed were hilarious and priceless.
When Ms. Burnett published her biography in the 1980s, I remember reading it with my mom. I loved the story of her and her beloved grandmother. I wasn’t mature enough to fully understand exactly what delighted me about Carol Burnett then, but isn’t a wonderful to read about a person who makes lemonade out the lemons instead of just being bitter? Remembering how much I enjoyed One More Time
Here are the highlights:
- Carol Burnett is the epitome of class and grace. Of all the people she’s ever known and all the things she’s seen, she only shines a spotlight on what is good, fun, and heartfelt. There are a few sections where she had to point out quirks in people’s characters to completely tell a story, but she never names them. She doesn’t have a negative word to say about anyone. What a decent and stand up woman she is. Her lasting legacy will be laughter, love, and friendship. Those who feel the need to tear others down to lift themselves up should look to Carol Burnett before publishing a memoir or autobiography.
- The chapter about meeting John Steinbeck cracked me up. If you’ve ever met an author you admired, you will relate to Burnett’s story and see yourself in it.
- I love it when people are as obsessed with their soap operas the way I was (was only because it was cancelled)! If you’re a fan of soaps or just like a laugh at their expense, Carol Burnett’s story about keeping up with All My Children will really tickle you.
- There are many touching moments in This Time Together. When she speaks of her late daughter Carrie it is clear how much she loved her daughter and how much she appreciated the moments she had to spend with her. The most touching part of the book for me revolved around her story about Kathy, a sick young girl she met toward the end of her life. Unfortunately I had to stop listening to that story just at the end because I had to get to a meeting. If I’d been able to listen to it all the way through I would have been crying like a baby when it was all done. As it was, it took me a second to stop the tears.
- Several years ago Tim Conway and Harvey Korman came to perform at our local Civic Center. Danny and I knew it was something we wouldn’t want to miss. I am glad that we went, but it was apparent how much they’d aged from their heyday. It shouldn’t have been shocking because those shows premiered nearly 30 years ealier, but a shock it was. I am still so thankful to have had that opportunity to see them in person. They are part of what shaped my sense of humor and just thinking about them makes me smile. Carol Burnett did moreso. I suppose you don’t think of your icons as mortal because I got a little of the same sense listening to This Time Together. Carol Burnett sounded just like Carol Burnett, but you can hear the age in her voice. This might be a touch sad, but she has lived her life well and without regrets. Who could ask for anything more.
My Final Thoughts
If you are a fan of Carol Burnett, you must read this book. You’ll feel like you were able to attend one of her Question and Answer shows. Listening to her read the book made this feel even more intimate. I enjoyed every minute I spent with Carol listening to her stories. I plan on passing this along to my mother and grandmother. It is sure to be a treat for every Carol Burnett fan in your life.
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I’m publishing this review as part of Audiobooks Week, coordinated by Devourer of Books.
Why Audiobooks?
Welcome to Audiboook Week here at The Literate Housewife Review! I want to start the week by thanking Jen from Devourer of Books for hosting this event. There’s a lot going on this week, so be sure to head over to her sight for full coverage. I will be posting more often this week as there are daily topics and I have several audiobook reviews to as well. My first Audiobook Week post answers the question, “Why Audiobooks?”
At the dawn of my blog, my goal was to read 52 books in a single year. Early on in that experiment, I read the first of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books. I can’t recall if I actually posted my thoughts or not, but although I read a few more of those Plum novels, I didn’t count them in my total. Why? They were brain candy and read so quickly that they seemed to pad my count. It felt like cheating in my mind anyway. There was a touch of embarrassment there, too. Although I’m not the Classics snob I was in my 20s, this holder of a Masters Degree in English literature was reticent to admit to reading anything so frivolous.
Audiobooks fell into that same category. At that time, I don’t believe I’d ever listened to an audiobook. My logic at the time was that since I wouldn’t be doing the “work” of reading, they certainly wouldn’t count. I’m not why I felt that audiobooks were a lazier way to read. Does it really matter which organ you use? Granted, you must be literate to read a book in print. With all things being equal, either way you are processing language.
I first started listening to audiobooks while going through a rough patch with getting the girls to go to sleep at night. While we were working through that, I felt it would be less painful for me if I was reading. Audiobooks allowed me to read quietly and without light. I created an account on Audible.com and got started. The Sister by Poppy Adams was the first book I downloaded. It received mixed reviews from bloggers when it was part of Barnes & Noble’s First Look book club. I missed the deadline for signing up and was really curious. I love dark, Gothic fiction and hadn’t been reading much of that at all. I really enjoyed the book and found Juliet Mills, the narrator, simply perfect. To this day, I can still hear her say “pupal soup” in my head. Had I read that in print, I don’t believe it would have had the same impression.
After that, I listened to audiobooks on and off haphazardly. It wasn’t until I started listening to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoothat things changed. Once Lisbeth Salander arrived on the scene, I had the insatiable desire to listen to it. I could not get enough of it until it was finished. That is when I started listening to audiobooks in the car, while cleaning, whenever I had a spare moment to turn my MP3 player on. For me, the story and the narrator came together so perfectly. From then on, my current audiobook and I have been regular companions.
Why audiobooks? The real question is why not? It’s broadened what I’ve been reading latest. For example, I’ve also enjoyed listening to the memoirs of some of my favorite icons such as Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett (my review of This Time Together will be posted later today). When listening to them narrating their own life stories, what could be better? I’ve found audiobooks that have grabbed me and not let me go, those that I’ve simply enjoyed leisurely, and those I knew nearly immediately just were not for me. How is that really any different than print books?
One could say narrators can make a difference. This is true both to the bad as well as to the good. While many narrators have made books for me, I’ve never let the narrator ruin a book for me. I simply add the book back to my TBR. There are equally as many times when even the best narrator couldn’t save a rotten book. I would also contend that my mood has just as much of a role with print books as narrators do with audiobooks. The key is to make the most out of your reading experience, no matter what form it takes.
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Please be sure that you come back to The Literate Housewife Review regularly this week. You’ll be hearing a lot about Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy. I will be reviewing the last book in this series on Thursday, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. Best of all, I will be posting my exclusive interview with Simon Vance, the trilogy’s narrator!!!! He is far and beyond my favorite narrator. If you’ve never experienced his narration, I cannot recommend it enough. In conjunction with his interview, Audible.com has sponsored a wonderful audiobook giveaway. Be sure to check out that interview because you just might get the chance to listen to Simon Vance for free!
Waiting for Simon Vance
Next week Tuesday is a day I’ve been waiting for since, oh, I don’t know… the minute I finished Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Played with Fire narrated by Simon Vance. The final novel featuring Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander is released on May 25th and I’m chomping at the bit to sit and listen away. Patience is one (of the many) virtues in which I am lacking. I didn’t have to be in this situation. Knopf sent me an ARC, but that caused a conundrum of its own.
I took part in the Tattoo You contest that Knopf put together for the release of Stieg Larsson’s second novel in his Millennium series, The Girl Who Played with Fire. The first X number of bloggers to sign up to host for this contest would receive an ARC of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
The afternoon that the ARC arrived, I tweeted about it – something to the effect of “Read my ARC of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest or wait for Simon Vance?” I received responses ranging from “I don’t know,” “I’d read the ARC NOW,” or, “Wait for the audio & send me the ARC.” Later that evening I saw an email that I had received a DM from SimVan. When I saw that notice, I instantly felt flushed and tingly all over like I do when I find out something wonderful (i.e. when I did that I found out that Emma’s birthmother selected us or when I saw the positive sign on the pregnancy test for Allison). Could it really be true? Could The Simon Vance have DMd me? See for yourself:
The man, for whom I openly have a narrator-crush, asked me to wait for him. How could I not? Now it didn’t escape my notice that he made the wait even that much more unbearable by telling me how good it is. Sadist! That must be why his narration is spot on. LOL!
Back to the Present…
I preordered the audio book from Audible.com last night. A benefit of preordering was receiving a 32 minutes sneak peak from the audio book. I loaded it on my MP3 player and listened to it on my way in to work. Knowing full well that it was just a short snipit to tide me over until Tuesday, when it stopped, I said, “WTF? Seriously, you had to cut this off here?” Can I just say that it is INCREDIBLE? Not that I ever doubted it, but Simon Vance was definitely worth the wait. Can I hold on for a few more days? I suppose I have to. Once I have that hot little audio book loaded on my MP3 player, you can forget about hearing from me. I don’t know why I’m in such a hurry to get it. I’m never going to want it to end.
#220 ~ Chemistry for Beginners
Chemistry for Beginners
Dr. Steven J. Fisher is an intelligent biochemist, working for Oxford University. His previous work with bonobo apes brought him to where he is today – studying the female orgasm in hopes of finding a cure for female sexual dysfunction. While Dr. Fisher is brilliant about things the size of molecules, he is your stereotypical scientist. He is nerdy and unable to pick up on the dynamics between men and women. When his lab takes on Ms. G., a final subject for their testing of his chemical breakthrough, KXC97, Dr. Fisher finds himself attracted to her and he doesn’t know why. In desperation to keep her as part of the stud, he agrees to teach her chemistry. All the while, this scientist who notices every nuance of what happens beneath a microscope, misses all of the drama surrounding him in the lab. It takes a major biochemical breakdown for him to see his world for what it is.
I doubt I’ll ever be able to hear the word biochemistry without thinking of Diane Court from the movie “Say Anything”. The way that the school principal annunciates “b-i-o-chemistry” during her introduction at graduation cracks me up. It’s as if he cannot believe that of someone from his high school. In many ways, Ms. G reminded me of Diane Court as a graduate student – if she hadn’t found Lloyd Dobler in high school. She is an attractive and intelligent woman who is tired of being someone’s trophy and wants to be on equal footing with her partner. She isn’t interested in sex, but perhaps that is because her English professor boyfriend has definite expectations of what she will like and how she will enjoy it. She turns to Dr. Fisher’s study because her boyfriend threatened her if she didn’t. I found it interesting how she found her passion in all possible ways as a result.
I very much enjoyed Chemistry for Beginners. I connected with both of the main characters and the way that the story was told in the form of a scientific paper. There were a few things that didn’t work for me, though. There are sections of the novel that are compilations of email and I found the repetition of the email addresses and signatures irritating. Although the novel isn’t long, there was a point where it felt long. I can’t remember the exact point where I began to feel that way, but it was after Ms. G began studying with Dr. Fisher and his team. The novel definitely picked up again once there was competition for her affection. These things were not so bothersome that I didn’t like the novel. Far from it. They do keep me from giving my highest recommendation.
This is the first novel I purchased because of the narrator, Simon Vance. I have loved him from Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy, so when I found myself with an Audible credit to spare, I searched on books that Vance narrated. This was one of the more recent novels. I did not go wrong. Chemistry for Beginners is a great farce. There were more times than I counted that I laughed out loud. In particular, the scenes where Dr. Fisher believes he is paying an actual Ph.D. for “clinically proven” ways to get a woman in bed were some of the funniest I’ve read in a long time. Anthony Strong has written an entertaining love story about nerds, for everyone. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good laugh and isn’t squeamish about the workings of sexual biology from a clinical standpoint with a vibrating apparatus or two added to the mix.
*****
I purchased this novel from Audible.com.
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#211 ~ The Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Bod, although named Nobody Owens, isn’t a nobody. Someone wants him dead. The Man Jack killed his parents and sister one dark night. Bod was just a toddler and narrowly escaped The Man Jack’s knife when he wandered off into the cemetery just across the way from his parent’s home. It was highly unprecedented, but Mr. and Mrs. Owens, both ghosts who have already lived in the graveyard for many years, agree to adopt Bod when the ghost of his mother begs Mrs. Owens to care for him. The graveyard as a whole did not agree to accept Bod and give him the freedom of the graveyard only after Silas also agrees to be his guardian. Silas, unlike the ghosts inhabiting the cemetery, has access to the world outside of the graveyard and can ensure that Bod is fed and educated. Thus begins Bod’s unconventional upbringing. Despite the circumstances, Bod is a typical boy and that often gets him into trouble. It is just that which teaches him what he needs to know to survive within and without the walls of the graveyard.
I had intended to read Neverwhere as my first Neil Gaiman novel, but when I found myself with a credit at Audible.com and noticed that the author himself narrated The Graveyard Book, I had to buy it. Once it was on my MP3 player, I couldn’t stop myself from listening to it. I couldn’t be more thrilled that book was my introduction. It was alive in place and character. I loved Bod, Silas, Mrs. Owens, Scarlett, and Liza. I even enjoyed the less savory characters Bod meets along the way. One of my favorite chapters was when he meets up with the ghouls. I loved the imagination that went into creating their existence, their means of transportation, and their names: The Duke of Westminster, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Lord High Mayor of London, and The 33rd President of the United States (poor President Truman – I had to look that up because I had to know). The dialog was equally delightful – not just with the ghouls, but with all of the characters. While I’m sure that the dialog would have stood out if I had read the print version of this book, Gaiman is fantastic in his narration and really brought out the interplay and poetry in his prose.
I cannot say enough about this book. I listened to it on audio as narrated by Neil Gaiman himself. I listened to Bod’s story on my way to and from work and whenever I got a chance in between. I was enthralled by the different worlds I got to explore along with Bod. It really captured my imagination. I looked forward to my time in the graveyard and was very impressed by the author’s narration. In many ways, I think that made the experience for me. To hear the accents of the ghouls, the Owens’, Silas, and Scarlett made them all come to life. I have a print version of this novel as well and I found myself going to it to reread what I had heard that day and getting excited all over again. The ending, in so many ways, was bittersweet for me. I miss Bod, all of his friends, and all of the things to see and explore in his adoptive home. I look forward to the day that my daughters are old enough to listen to this story along with me, not that I think I can wait that long to read The Graveyard Book again for myself.
To enter for a chance to win the prizes for this theme month, go to the Neverwhere and Beyond page and use the following code: N&B-R1.
*******
I read the audio version of this book through a purchase on Audible.com.
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Audiobooks from emusic
My husband is often a wealth of knowledge for me. He just sent me an email today letting me know that emusic is now offering audiobook downloads as an add-on to their monthly music subscriptions. What impressed me the most about this is the types of books and the breadth of options they have. I can’t say that I’ve fully researched other audiobook sites, but seeing Special Topics in Calamity Physics right away impressed me very much. For a service just getting started, they have books an impressive selection of historical fiction and memoirs as well. You can count on me signing up for this service. Danny’s investigating if there are any advantages to adding on to what he already has. I can’t wait to download my first book!
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