Pierke
What a wonderful read. I love the humour. It's time to re-read all the previous Jackson Brody's in audiobook format, as earlier I only read the paperbacks. A pity though, that they aren't narrated by Jason Isaacs, for he's doing a great job on this one.
I listened to the complete Avery & Blake series, wonderfully narrated by Sam Dastor, in 10 days. Sorry, if this maybe will offend the admirable Miranda Carter, who must have laboured over these books, as a lot of research went into them. I love the two opposing characters of Avery & Blake. However, Avery sometimes seems a bit too innocent and blundering. The atmospheric depiction of India in the first book and 19th-century London in the last two, gives you a taste of the awful British class system and how the upper classes treated the oppressed and needy. The ‘sleuthing' parts of the stories were exciting and sometimes even surprising, but it was the historical background that kept me engaged. I do hope there will be more Avery & Balke stories and I hope they will return to India, as Sam Dastor's voice is so very well suited to narrate Indian material.
Ably written, concise overview of the natural history of the Galapagos islands. Listening to the audio book version I sometimes thought I was listening to Simon Winchester. John Adams' voice is very reminiscent of the voice of Simon Winchester. The clear prose style also does resemble Winschester's prose. So I was lured in under false pretenses, but it was definitely worth the listen, I enjoyed every minute of it.
I wasn't able to visit the exhibition in 2017, so I listened to the audio book instead, while looking at the paper book version simultaneously. You will need the print version to augment the audio book, or you will miss a lot of visual pleasure as it is first and foremost an exhibition catalog. The audio book gives a lot more background information, like an audio tour in the museum, with the book on your lap as the exhibition. I especially enjoyed the conversations with Jim Kay, in which he tells about the background of certain drawings. The illustrations made be J.K. Rowling were a surprise too. A pity that some illustrations of Olivia Lomenech Gill, talked about in the audio version, didn't make it into the book. I later discovered that the juvenile version of the catalog:[b:Harry Potter: A Journey Through A History of Magic 35704107 Harry Potter A Journey Through A History of Magic British Library https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1500670878s/35704107.jpg 57200177], does contain those missing illustrations. Even if you have seen the exhibition, the book and audio book will be an enhancement of your memory; well worth your time.
The story of the Spanish flu expertly told from contrasting perspectives, which kept me captivated throughout. It gave me tons of new information and tiny tidbits to treasure.
Loved every minute of it, although I had to put it down for longer periods because it went so deep. Emotionally raw, but using beautiful language, it's an exposing memoir, that must have needed a lot of guts to write.
An unflinching look at the women in Juliet Nicolson's own family, starting with her great-great-grandmother Pepita, the Spanish dancer and closing her story with the birth of her granddaughter Imogen.For one with an ongoing interest in Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson, the first part of the story was familiar territory. The story picks up when she tells about the marriage of her parents, Nigel Nicolson (Vita and Harold's son) and Phillipa Tennyson-d'Eyncourt and her own childhood. Her honest and compelling account of being a mother and battling with alcoholism is admirable.The book reminded me of Margaret Forster's [b:Hidden Lives: A Family Memoir 115432 Hidden Lives A Family Memoir Margaret Forster https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408926212s/115432.jpg 111158]. Also a story centered on the women in one family. It's a story that I will savour for a long time.
Normally not into supernatural stories, so for me the Inspector McLean stories are an exception. Although there are supernatural aspects to the plot, they are not overwhelming the story. I was hooked since the first book came out and am already looking forward to the next one. This is partially due to Ian Hanmore superb reading. Prayer for the Dead is as suspenseful as its predecessors; I only missed a few characters from the earlier books. I do hope they will return in future stories, for I've gotten attached to them.
Mary Stweart has been one of my favourite writers for a long time. I read most of her books in the '70s, rereading them whenever I needed an escape (like I did with the books of John Buchan and Nevil Shute). Rereading ‘Nine Coaches Waiting' now, after an absence of nearly 30 years, it still hasn't lost its charm. She certainly knew how to spin a good yarn!
I listened to the audiobook version this time and was pleasantly surprised that the reader, Ellie Heydon, was fluent in French as well. One of my perpetual frustrations is that audiobook narrators do sometimes atrociously mispronounce foreign words. It can completely spoil the pleasure of listening to an audiobook. Think I will listen to more of her books, now that Hodder & Stoughton has decided to produce them as audiobooks as well.
From the start I had a bit of trouble liking the leading characters, but curious where the two plot lines would lead I read on. All loose ends were neatly brought to a close at the books ending, but I still don't know if I am sufficiently interested in the protagonists to move on to the other books. Especially the treatment of Helen Jamieson by her colleagues and superior rankled me. In this day and age, are women still only judged by their looks? Even by other females? One womanizing unpleasant superior would have been enough in my opinion. Jamieson's own insecurity about her looks was too big a part of her personality as well. Maybe I'll try the next book, just to see how and if the personalities are maturing while the author's writing abilities mature.