Master and Commander Audio Book Review

Simon Vance does a superb job reading every character in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander except one: the central character Jack Aubrey. I just finished listening to Blackstone Audio's unabridged version of Master and Commander, and the book keeps getting better each time I experience it. I first read it about ten years ago, then a few years after that I listened to Patrick Tull's unabridged audio recording from RecordedBooks.com. This time around I didn't get so bogged down trying to understand the naval jargon, so I was able to concentrate more on the characters. If you've never read any of O'Brian's books, you're missing out on some fantastic characters and compelling stories. But Simon Vance just didn't read Jack Aubrey correctly, in my opinion. Vance read him with a deep voice that sounded overweight and pompous, rather than forceful and commanding. I realize that Aubrey is a big man, and Maturin is constantly harping on him to lose weight, but Vance's reading went a bit beyond what was necessary. I much prefer Patrick Tull's gravelly, rough voice. However, Vance's overall narration was excellent, and I would still recommend this recording to those who can't get a hold of Patrick Tull's superior reading. And speaking of the late Patrick Tull, I'll end with a video of Tull reading from The Reverse of the Medal, and one of the most powerful scenes in the whole series. Warning: the video contains a strong vulgarity and gives away some of the plot, so take that into account before watching.

How to Adjust the Audiobook Narrator's Speed on Your iPod

I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and occasionally the narrator speaks a little too fast or a little too slow for my taste. I don't have an iPod for my audiobooks (I use the Creative Zen Nano because it's cheaper and remembers where I left off), but I know many of you do. Here's a nice little video tutorial that shows you how to adjust the narrator's speed on an iPod: VideoJug: How To Adjust The Audiobook Narrator's Speed On Your Ipod

Unburying Literary Treasure

Julie of Happy Catholic has a new podcast called Forgotten Classics that you should definitely check out. Everyone's looking for something good to read, and Forgotten Classics helps to uncover great stories that have been overshadowed by more well-known authors. Julie reads portions of copyrighted stories and plans on reading public domain titles in their entirety. She has a clear, comfortable voice, and a lot of personality comes across in the podcast. As with any podcast, you can listen on your computer or download episodes to your mp3 player and take them with you. Listen to the first two episodes where she reads from Tales from Silver Lands and Topper.

The Knight of the Sorrowful Face Will Put a Smile on Yours

I finally finished listening to the Don Quixote audiobook narrated by George Guidall, and it remains my favorite book of all time. It took almost five months to listen to (I have a very short commute to work), but it was worth the time. Guidall is deservedly known as the king of audiobooks, and his reading was masterful. In a book full of dozens of characters, he managed to give each one a separate personality and voice. I don't want to say too much about the story itself, since the people at Tilting at Windmills are reading Don Quixote right now. One thing I will say, however, is that the second half of Don Quixote is far superior to the first half. I enjoyed the first half, but most of my fond memories come from the second half. It's funnier, more interesting from a literary point of view, and really develops the character of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. It's important to know that the second half was written some fifteen years after the first half as a reaction to unauthorized sequels that were circulating through Spain at the time, making Don Quixote possibly the first book in recorded history to have fan fiction. Cervantes did not like others messing with Don Quixote, so he really had no choice but to write his own sequel. Thank goodness he did! Finally, the Edith Grossman translation that was used for Guidall's audio recording is marvelous. It's easy to read or listen to without sounding too modern. Every reader of literature should get to know Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, so let Edith Grossman and George Guidall introduce you to them. You will come to love the Knight of the Sorrowful Face and his trusty squire, and they will entertain you for hours on end.

11 Free Audiobooks from SimplyAudiobooks

Cover art for "Madonna of the Future" by William James Books by William James, Mark Twain, Jack London, Sun Tzu, T.S. Eliot, Kafka, all for free. Get them here. (Hat Tip: Lifehacker)

Another Outbreak of Manchegan Madness?

About a month ago I wrote about Manchegan Madness, and it now appears that certain members of the blogging community may be experiencing early symptoms. Sylvia at Classical Bookworm reports that she has joined Tilting at Windmills, a group of readers who will be spending May and June reading about the exploits of the famed Don Quixote of La Mancha. I've seen this before. It starts as a reading group but ends as a support group. Pretty soon they'll be naming their pets Rocinante or Sancho Panza. Be careful! Manchegan Madness takes on many forms. It has definitely affected a young lady named Obelia medusa. Just take a look at this. And this. Poor girl. She probably never even saw it coming. Take it from me: Manchegan Madness is nothing to be trifled with. How do I know? I'm in recovery myself. In fact, I'm listening to Don Quixote on audio cd to prove that I'm cured. Now, you'll have to excuse me while I feed my dog Pippin. He gets snippy when he doesn't get his second breakfast. Update: There is now a Manchegan Madness blog for all the afflicted. Check it out! Related Posts: Sancho Panza on Death Do You Recognize the 7 Early Signs of Manchegan Madness? Video Book Talk: Don Quixote Don Quixote as You've Never Seen Him

101 Essential Web Sites for Readers of Literature

(Updated May5, 2007) You've heard the saying, "So many books, so little time." It's also true of book resources on the internet: "So many websites, so little time." To help you navigate through them all I've put together this list of essential web resources for readers. This list reflects my own tastes, so no doubt I've left some of your favorites off the list, or put some on that you find fault with. Leave a comment and tell me where I've done you wrong, or tell me about your favorite book sites. And please let me know if you have any problems with the links. Be sure to bookmark this page so that you can find these websites quickly and easily. Audio Books 1. Librivox - Audiobooks. Unabridged. Free. Need I say more? 2. Recorded Books - My favorite source for audio books. Top quality narrators. 3. Naxos Audio Books - Another great source audio books, especially the classics. 4. Audible.com - I love the fact that you can listen before you buy. 5. Ejunto - Free historical and philosophical audio books; Plato, Lincoln, Pascal and others. 6. The Poetry Archive - Recordings of famous poets reading and discussing their poems. Fabulous! Blogs 7. Arts and Letters Daily - Comprehensive and engaging 8. Bibliophilic - Personal reflections on reading, writing and publishing - one of my favorites 9. Brit Lit Blogs - A collection of British literary blogs 10. Classical Bookworm - Another favorite of mine; beautifully designed, excellent content 11. Claw of the Conciliator - Science fiction and faith 12. Kimbooktu - Where I always go to find out the latest book gadgets 13. A Life in Books - Personal reflections on being a book lover 14. Metacritic.com: Books - A roundup of critical opinion on new books 15. New York Review of Books 16. New York Times Book Review 17. People of the Book - Publishing from Catholic perspective 18. Powell's Books - An overview of new books from Powell's bookstore 19. A Reader's Journal - She's never met a reading challenge she didn't like... 20. Reading Matters - Book reviews by a Australian journalist living in London 21. So Many Books - "The agony and ecstacy of a reading life." 22. Liam's Pictures from Old Books - Some great scanned images Booksellers 23. Amazon.com 24. Abebooks - My favorite used book site 25. Alibris - Another great source for used books 26. Barnes and Noble 27. Powell's Books - A HUGE brick and mortar store with a great online presence 28. Booksense - A large group of independent booksellers 29. Auntie's Bookstore - My favorite local bookstore; be sure to visit it if you are ever in Spokane Children's Literature/Teaching/Homeschooling 30. SCORE Cyberguides - This is a great site for enriching a student's reading experience 31. Glencoe Study Guides - Study guides in .pdf format for many different titles 32. Children's Literature Web Guide - A comprehensive website for teaching children's lit 33. Reading Aloud to Children 34. Linda's Links to Literature - General resources for teaching literature Genre Fiction 35. Recommended Fantasy Author List - Annotated list of fantasy authors; one of my favorite sites 36. Refracted Light: A Christian Perspective on Fantasy - Excellent reviews, helpful rating system 37. Fantastic Fiction - Information on 10,000 authors and 200,000 books 38. Encyclopedia of Arda - The best Middle-earth encyclopedia on the web 39. Ultimate Science Fiction Web Guide - Not very pretty, but extremely thorough 40. Adherents.com: Religion in Science Fiction - Fascinating list of the presence of religion in sci-fi 41. Course Materials for the Study of Science Fiction - College-level study materials 42. John's Nautical Literature Page - For fans of Patrick O'Brian or C.S. Forester (like me) How to Read Well 43. Radical Academy's Mortimer Adler Archive - Don't miss this site if you love reading and philosophy 44. The Great Books Foundation - Teaches the Shared Inquiry method of discussing books, based on Adler's work 45. Northwest Great Books Foundation - Be sure to check out the Leader Resources *Bonus: ROMAN Reading: 5 Practical Skills for Transforming Your Life through Literature, my free eBook Libraries 46. The Library of Congress 47. The British Library Miscellaneous 48. Today in Literature - Daily stories of literary events and people; great for teachers or homeschoolers 49. Book Crossing - Share your books with the world and find out whose reading them 50. Fictional Cities - This is a must-see for book lovers who travel to Venice, Rome or London Online Books/ebooks 51. Project Gutenberg - One of the foundational sites of the Internet, in my opinion 52. Prepare a Gutenberg Text for eReading - Easy-to-use directions from Lifehacker 53. Christian Classics Ethereal Library - Premiere source of public domain Christian texts 54. Online Books Page - A searchable catalog of online books to be found on the web 55. Google Books - Scans of complete books and lengthy previews of others 56. Wikibooks - Open-content textbooks in every area; great potential here 57. Bartleby - Another great source of etexts, especially quotations 58. The Wondering Minstrels Online Poetry Anthology - Easiest-to-use poetry archive on the web 59. Rare Book Room - Awesome scans of rare books; check out Euclid and Newton 60. Anthology of Middle English Literature - Texts and background information 61. HTI American Verse Project - Well organized American poetry database * Bonus site: The Baldwin Project - Online children's literature Organizing Books 62. Librarything - If you don't have librarything you don't have anything Palm/PDA Books 63. Manybooks - Free ebooks for handhelds 64. Memoware - Another database of free ebooks 65. Palm Pilot eTexts for Catholics Podcasts 66. NPR: Books - High quality news, reviews and interviews (Subscribe) 67. NPR: A Way with Words - One of my favorites; dont' miss the quizzicist! (Subscribe) 68. SimonSays Podcast - Simon & Schuster's podcast (Subscribe) 69. Amazon Bookclips - Audiobook previews (Subscribe) 70. Barnes and Noble Meet the Writers - Entertaining author interviews (Subscribe) 71. The BookShow: ABC Radio International - Australian book talk (Subscribe) 72. KCRW Bookworm - Author interviews from KCRW in Santa Monica, CA (Subscribe) 73. Maria Lectrix - Public domain audiobooks read to you each day (Subscribe) Reading Groups/Communities 74. Habitual Reader - A comfortable, friendly online fiction book community 75. Book and Reader Forum 76. The Great Conversation Yahoo! Group - Following the Britannica Great Books reading plan 77. More Great Conversation Yahoo! Group - A complement to Britannica's list, featuring mostly Asian and other Eastern literature Reading Group Resources 78. Book Clubs Resource - Comprehensive information on reading groups 79. Penguin Groups Reading Guides 80. ReadingGroupGuides.com 81. Modern Library Reading Group Guides 82. Sparknotes Literature Guides 83. Reading Group Choices 84. Bookbrowse.com 85. The Book Group List Reading Lists 86. Robert Teeter's Great Books Lists - All bow before Robert Teeter for this incredible site; don't miss it! 87. Philip Ward's A Lifetime's Reading - A 50-year reading plan! Start young or live long 88. Great Books Ten Year Reading Plan - Britannica's suggested reading plan 89. Whichbook.net - A fun way to find what to read next 90. Center for the Study of Great Ideas - Mortimer Adler's legacy 91. Alan Nicoll's Great Books of the Western World - Companion site to the ten year reading plan 92. Essential Baseball Library - Why is it that baseball is the only sport with a consistent history of great literature and film? Reference 93. Online Etymology Dictionary - Got a question about the origin of a word? Get your answer here. 94. Encyclopedia Mythica - Mythology, folklore and religion 95. Malaspina Great Books 96. Start of the Hero's Journey - Explore this archetypal literary structure 97. Dictionary.com 98. Oxford English Dictionary 99. Book Rags Fun 100. Bookworm - A highly addictive online word game (don't go here unless you have time to kill) 101. Crossword Links Bonus Links ROMAN Reading: 5 Practical Skills for Transforming Your Life through Literature, my free eBook www.ROMANReading.com, the companion web site Nick's Summary of Great Books Lists: Introduction, Part I, Part II Nick's Catholic Classics Reading List: Introduction, Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII Nick's 10 Best Books for New Catholics

Ever Wonder How Audio Books Were Recorded?

Naxos Audiobooks has released a video trailer of Neville Jason recording War and Peace. It's fascinating to watch him act out the book as he reads. I never realized that audio book narrators actually read from books. I always thought the book was made into a script before recording. But you can see for yourself that he's using a hardcover copy of the book, and has even dog-eared some of the pages: I read War and Peace once, but I have to admit that I went through the last quarter of the book pretty quickly. If you've always wanted to read War and Peace but never found the time or the persistence, try the audio book. You can find it unabridged in two volumes at the Literary Compass bookstore.