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amanuensis1I need to, like, take a cross-country-and-back trip this weekend. Why? Because I've got the unabridged book-on-CD of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell in my car, and the f**ker is 26 discs long, and my daily drives are short, and the book-on-CD belongs to my public library which won't let you renew CD's and I don't have the time otherwise to sit down in my house and just listen to books-on-CD. So, the car it is. I can put myself back on the waiting list after I turn the thing back in--and, as it was sitting on the shelf when I got it, means there might not even be a waiting time of more than a day--but even a day's delay is awful to contemplate, with this one.
It is SO GOOD. The book's got this wonderful dry narrative voice--and the reader for this audio book matches it perfectly--and it's full of irony and subtle shivery suspense and just yesterday there was a bit describing the justice done to a detestable character that made me shriek with joy and I had to shut the thing off momentarily so that I could screech and pound the steering wheel in "Yes, yes, YES!"-ing hilarity.
And it'll be due soon and I'm only six discs in. Bugger.
(And don't tell me just to go get the book and read the rest of it, which, granted, would be much faster. That's completely missing the point of how an audio book is experienced. I've stalled on the Master and Commander books because my library doesn't have them on CD after The Far Side of the World, and I tried reading the next one and it just wasn't as much fun as hearing the narrator read them.)
The funny thing is, I was not that keen on reading this book for the longest time because of a sort of...visual typo. I thought the book was called Jonathan Strange and Mrs. Norrell, see, and for some reason this put me off. I knew it was supposed to be a historical magicians' tale, and this title must have given me...I don't know, images of the developing romance that would have taken up great chunks of the story, no doubt.
And then I learned that the title was Jonathan Strange and MR. Norrell. And I went, "Oh! It's about two men, and they're colleagues, probably, and, well, that's all right then! I wonder if it's slashy?"
Plus, I was prepared to forgive it after hearing it called "Harry Potter for adults" so many times and being annoyed with this and not able to understand why, and then having Stephen King say that he did like the book and recommended it highly, but that it was "not Harry Potter for adults. HARRY POTTER is Harry Potter for adults." He did not add "you morons," but, y'know, I'm sure it was implied. So, JS & MN and I were suddenly squared up and I could let myself read it. Thanks, Steve-a-rino.
(And, so far, the slash has come from unexpected corners. Ooh, if I could draw, I would make an illustration of the bit with The Man With Thistledown Hair and Stephen Black looking together into the mirror at their contrasting handsomenesses. Mmm!)
But, no, I shall not be taking that cross-country drive this weekend. I'll be seeing Star Wars instead. Because, y'know. Star Wars.
You know, when I was a wee thing, I made this deal that if the Powers That Be would let me live to see all of the Star Wars movies, I would, afterwards, die without a protest. Wonder if I should worry, after this weekend. Well, granted, that's when we thought there would be nine of them. Think the Powers That Be would take that as an excuse?
It is SO GOOD. The book's got this wonderful dry narrative voice--and the reader for this audio book matches it perfectly--and it's full of irony and subtle shivery suspense and just yesterday there was a bit describing the justice done to a detestable character that made me shriek with joy and I had to shut the thing off momentarily so that I could screech and pound the steering wheel in "Yes, yes, YES!"-ing hilarity.
And it'll be due soon and I'm only six discs in. Bugger.
(And don't tell me just to go get the book and read the rest of it, which, granted, would be much faster. That's completely missing the point of how an audio book is experienced. I've stalled on the Master and Commander books because my library doesn't have them on CD after The Far Side of the World, and I tried reading the next one and it just wasn't as much fun as hearing the narrator read them.)
The funny thing is, I was not that keen on reading this book for the longest time because of a sort of...visual typo. I thought the book was called Jonathan Strange and Mrs. Norrell, see, and for some reason this put me off. I knew it was supposed to be a historical magicians' tale, and this title must have given me...I don't know, images of the developing romance that would have taken up great chunks of the story, no doubt.
And then I learned that the title was Jonathan Strange and MR. Norrell. And I went, "Oh! It's about two men, and they're colleagues, probably, and, well, that's all right then! I wonder if it's slashy?"
Plus, I was prepared to forgive it after hearing it called "Harry Potter for adults" so many times and being annoyed with this and not able to understand why, and then having Stephen King say that he did like the book and recommended it highly, but that it was "not Harry Potter for adults. HARRY POTTER is Harry Potter for adults." He did not add "you morons," but, y'know, I'm sure it was implied. So, JS & MN and I were suddenly squared up and I could let myself read it. Thanks, Steve-a-rino.
(And, so far, the slash has come from unexpected corners. Ooh, if I could draw, I would make an illustration of the bit with The Man With Thistledown Hair and Stephen Black looking together into the mirror at their contrasting handsomenesses. Mmm!)
But, no, I shall not be taking that cross-country drive this weekend. I'll be seeing Star Wars instead. Because, y'know. Star Wars.
You know, when I was a wee thing, I made this deal that if the Powers That Be would let me live to see all of the Star Wars movies, I would, afterwards, die without a protest. Wonder if I should worry, after this weekend. Well, granted, that's when we thought there would be nine of them. Think the Powers That Be would take that as an excuse?
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no subject
Date: 2005-05-20 03:50 pm (UTC)I was so excited to see a book called Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell! I steathly caressed the book cover in a very public bookstore and thought 'It's slash! OMG, it's the slashiest title ever!' and then (cough) I bought the book. Of course, Neil Gaiman recommendation helped. :P
no subject
Date: 2005-05-20 04:13 pm (UTC)*runs to Amazon.com*
(and I am gleeful over the image of you caressing a book in the store because of the slashy. Yum!)
no subject
Date: 2005-05-20 04:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-20 10:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-21 12:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-20 11:10 pm (UTC)http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~gatti/gabaldon/excerpts/succubus.htm (http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~gatti/gabaldon/excerpts/succubus.htm)
And for her next book, Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade , there is a long excerpt including some spoilers here, too. :D
http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~gatti/gabaldon/excerpts/stepbrothers.htm (http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~gatti/gabaldon/excerpts/stepbrothers.htm)
no subject
Date: 2005-05-21 12:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-20 08:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-20 10:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-21 12:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-21 03:45 pm (UTC)