Clarissa: June Progress Notes

Terri and I are co-hosting a yearlong group read of Clarissa by Samuel Richardson. Links to June update posts are being collected here.

June Progress Notes Confession

 That's right, confession. There has be no progress this month, none whatsoever... a statement made even more embarrassing considering I am co-hosting this group read. I am stalled near the end of the April letters.

The problem: Lack of motivation. While reading Clarissa, I am engaged and involved. However, once I put it down, I cannot gather enough motivation or enthusiasm to pick it up again. Sure, Richardson was in dire need of an editor, but I like Clarissa (most of the time) and want to see how it all turns out for her.

The solution: Don't put it down. I've never been good at reading several books at once, so what I probably need to do is make Clarissa my primary focus. Looking back on previous 'really big book' success stories (most recently A Suitable Boy and The Count of Monte Cristo), I read them exclusively over a month or two.

The implementation: Just read it. I have several commitments for July and August, but by late August or early September, Clarissa will become my number one reading priority.

How was your reading this month?

Clarissa Group Read: June Links

Here is the June collection post for our Clarissa Group Read. If you've written a post for Letters 219-304 or have comments on your June reading of Clarissa, please let me know in the comments and I'll add your link.


1. JoAnn @ Lakeside Musing
2. Cat @ Tell Me a Story
3. Adam @ I Lodge in Grub Street
4. Christina @ The Literary Bunny
5.

Audiobook Week: Resources and Recommendations

Audiobook Week, hosted by Jen at Devourer of Books, wraps up today with a discussion of audiobook resources and recommendations.

Where do you learn about great audiobook titles? Find reviews? Buy your audiobooks? Share your secrets with the rest of us!

I have to say that bloggers are my primary source of audiobook recommendations. After seeing all the love for Ready Player One this week, you can be certain that's gone to the top of my wish list. There are two bloggers in particular who never steer me wrong: Jennifer at Literate Housewife and Sandy at You've GOTTA Read This. When either one of these ladies declares an audiobook a must-listen, I take note. It may take awhile before I actually get a chance to listen, but I will listen.

Audible.com is another wonderful resource. I've had a membership for years. In addition to purchasing audiobooks, I maintain a wish list, learn about new releases and recent additions, listen to audiobook samples, and have access to their listener reviews.

Every month, I pick up a free copy of BookPage newspaper at my library. Their audiobook column has provided some great recommendations over the years, too.

And finally, sometimes finding a great audiobook is purely a matter of chance. While perusing my print wish list a couple months ago to see which titles were available on audio, I discovered You Deserve Nothing not only featured multiple narrators (I love this format!), but one of the narrators was a favorite (Cassandra Campbell). That turned out to be one of the best multi-narrator productions I've experienced.

I'm looking forward to reading other posts on today's topic. There will surely be plenty of great tips, resources, and recommendations.

Thanks, Jen for all the work you've put into making Audiobook Week such a huge success!

Winter King by Thomas Penn (audio)

Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England
by Thomas Penn
Narrated by Simon Vance
Blackstone Audio, 2012
14 hours and 34 minutes

Publisher's Summary:

A fresh look at the endlessly fascinating Tudors - the dramatic and overlooked story of Henry VII and his founding of the Tudor Dynasty - filled with spies, plots, counter-plots, and an uneasy royal succession to Henry VIII.
Near the turn of the sixteenth century, England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy and civil war. Henry Tudor clambered to the top of the heap, a fugitive with a flimsy claim to England’s crown who managed to win the throne and stay on it for 24 years. Although he built palaces, hosted magnificent jousts, and sent ambassadors across Europe, for many Henry VII remained a false king. But he had a crucial asset: his family - the queen and their children, the living embodiment of his hoped-for dynasty. Now, in what would be the crowning glory of his reign, his elder son would marry a great Spanish princess.
Thomas Penn re-creates an England that is both familiar and very strange - a country medieval yet modern, in which honor and chivalry mingle with espionage, realpolitik, high finance, and corruption. It is the story of the transformation of a young, vulnerable boy, Prince Henry, into the aggressive teenager who would become Henry VIII, and of Catherine of Aragon, his future queen, as well as of Henry VII - controlling, avaricious, paranoid, with Machiavellian charm and will to power.
Rich with incident and drama, filled with wonderfully drawn characters, Winter King is an unforgettable account of pageantry, intrigue, the thirst for glory, and the fraught, unstable birth of Tudor England.

Why this book?
A couple of months ago, I found myself searching for an audiobook to enjoy with my husband during a long car ride. His only request was that it be nonfiction. I often listen to nonfiction, but was having a hard time settling on a title until I came across this post on nonfiction audiobook recommendations at Beth Fish Reads. Finally, a book I was certain we could both enjoy.

My thoughts:
Manipulation, intrigue, and more. I have a long-standing interest in Tudor England that mostly centers around Henry VIII. Henry VII, however, was a mystery. Through Winter King, I developed an understanding of both Henry VII's reign and the making of Henry VIII.

Many of the names were already familiar yet, especially in the opening chapter, I had a hard time keeping them straight and wished I could refer to a print copy. Unfortunately, the library hold list was quite long and I wasn't able to obtain one prior to finishing the audio. As a result, some of the early details went over my head, yet I was still able to relax and enjoy the book thanks to Simon Vance's excellent narration.

Accounts of intelligence, counter-intelligence, sabotage, and the overall oppression of subjects during Henry VII's reign came as somewhat of a surprise. I enjoyed learning more about Catherine of Aragon - her marriage to Arthur,  life as a widow, and the proceedings that lead to her marriage to Henry VIII. The death of Henry VII and events surrounding Henry VIII's rise to power were also especially interesting.

Despite a rocky start, I ended up enjoying the book quite a bit.

A note on the audio production:
Simon Vance, where have you been all my audio life? Vance is a perennial favorite among audiobook fans, and with good reason. His flawless narration was incredibly engaging, and definitely the high point of the book for me.

My ratings
The book:

The audio production:

Bottom line:
Winter King provides a fascinating look at the beginning of Tudor England, especially the reign of Henry VII. Highly recommended history buffs.

FTC disclosure: purchased from Audible.com

Audiobook Week: Mid-Week Meme

Audiobook Week, hosted by Jen at Devourer of Books, continues with a quick and easy mid-week meme. All titles mention are linked to audible.com.

Current/most recent audiobook:
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, narrated by Juliet Stevenson

Impressions:
Although I've read several of Gaskell's short stories, this is my first novel and I'm struck by the similarities to Jane Austen. Stevenson's narration, with a wide range of accents, is excellent.

Current/most recent favorite audiobook:
The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield, narrated by Catherine Taber

Favorite narrator you’ve discovered recently:
Juliet Stevenson. Her narration of Trespass by Rose Tremain and was nothing short of amazing. When faced with a choice of eight editions of North and South at audible.com, my decision was made based her reading.


One title from your TBL (to be listened) stack, or your audio wishlist:
Don't laugh at me - there are nearly 150 titles on my audio wish list, so I'll break this down.
Most recently added: 
The Invisible Ones by Stef Penny, narrated by Dan Stevens (thanks, Jen)
Top of the list: 
The End of the Affair by Graham Green, narrated by Colin Firth (!)
A Grown Up Kid of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson, read by the author

Your audio dream team (what book or author would you LOVE to see paired with a certain narrator, can already exist or not):
It may already exist in The End of the Affair.

Visit Devourer of Books for links to other posts on this topic.

Audiobook Week Day 2: Reviewing Audiobooks

It's Day 2 of Audiobook Week 2012 hosted by Jen a Devourer of Books. Today's topic for discussion is audiobook reviews:
Discuss the essentials of audiobook reviewing. What do you make sure to include? What do you want to see when you read other people’s reviews?

When it comes to reviewing books and audiobooks, it's important to remember that there is no set formula. Each of us has our own quirks and habits, so it makes sense that there are as many different review styles as there are bloggers. Although it's taken a couple of years, I've finally worked out a review format that works for me.

I always start with the basics: title, author, narrator, publisher, publication date, and length of production. The length important to me because it's nice to know whether the time commitment is eight hours or thirty hours.

A brief plot description follows. Some bloggers write wonderful plot descriptions but, unfortunately, I am not one of them. I will often use summaries from amazon or the publisher, and always give them credit. I have a feeling not many people read this section of a review. They may already have a general plot idea or prefer not to know too much about it.

Personal reaction and thoughts about the book comes next. This the main body of the review and consists of a few sentences or a few paragraphs (whatever it takes) explaining what I liked or didn't like, and, when possible, why. I'll often mention the reason I chose the book - book club selection, recommendation from another blogger, etc.

Specific thoughts on the audio production is an absolute necessity! How was the reader? Did his/her voice fit the book? I usually mention previous experience with the narrator. I also talk about special quirks or things to be aware of with the production. Finally, it important to mention whether the book works well on audio and why.

A rating. This is a semi-controversial area of reviewing. I rate books and appreciate when other do, too. I find it very helpful, especially with bloggers whose tastes I've become familiar with over the years. Rating can be trickier with audio - on rare instances, I've had to give two ratings, one for book and one for audio production. Many bloggers choose not to rate books and that's fine, too.

I like to end with the bottom line or a one sentence summary. This often restates my overall reaction and recommendation.

So that's my approach as it has evolved over the past few years. It works for me, but I know it's not for everyone. How do you go about reviewing audiobooks?

Visit Devourer of Books for links to others posts on this topic.

Audiobook Week 2012 Kick-Off

Welcome to Audiobook Week 2012 hosted by Jen at Devourer of Books. I love audiobooks and have participated in this event for the past two years. Each year, I've made new friends and discovered some great audiobooks. The week ahead will be filled with discussion, reviews, and prizes, and promises to be just as exciting.

Today's topic/discussion: Are you new to audiobooks in the last year? Have you been listening to them forever but discovered something new this year? Favorite titles? New times/places to listen? This is your chance to introduce yourself and your general listening experience.

Let's get started with my 'listening background'. I first turned to audiobooks in 2002, when I was spending exorbitant amounts of time in my car. The library was my sole source of audiobooks and I listened to whatever happened to be on the shelf. I didn't pay much attention to narrators and never considered listening outside the car.

Ten years later in 2012, most of my audiobooks come from audible.com. I have come to understand just how crucial the narrator is to a good listening experience and have developed a short list of personal favorites. I never select titles haphazardly. Instead, a thoughtful choice is made from my wish list of over 150 titles. Most of my listening still happens in the car, but I often use my iPod to listen...

on the treadmill (a good book often leads to an extra mile),

in the kitchen, especially while chopping fruits and vegetables,

while cleaning (the better the book, the cleaner the house),

and working outdoors.

I have experimented with listening while walking Zelda, our greyhound, but that didn't work out - she prefers my undivided attention.

2012 is already shaping up to be my best year ever for audiobooks. Favorites so far include:

You Know When The Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon

You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen (review coming soon)

What kind of audiobook year are you having?

Visit Devourer of Books for links to others posts on this topic.