Sunday Salon: Reading, Read, To Read #33

Happy Sunday! It's August. It's hot. And I haven't been in the best of reading moods lately. (I'm SO happy that Emma and the Vampires and I have parted ways!) But Georgette Heyer has been a great indulgence--a true comfort read!

I recently reviewed several audiobooks of Georgette Heyer's novels narrated by Richard Armitage. The Book Chook had a GREAT question on my Convenient Marriage post. "My question Becky is this (eventually): I love this book, and have read it often. I hear Horry's gruff little voice and Cosby's simper in my head already. Won't hearing someone else's interpretation be like going to a movie that mangled a loved book?"

I do have opinions on books that have been made (badly) into movies. I do see it as a form of interpretation/adaptation. Often changes are made. And (beloved) characters can act out of character. Before this question, I hadn't really seen audio books as a way for a book to be misinterpreted. Not in the same way at least. The words remain the same. Though it's obvious that some narrators are better than others. There are definitely times when enjoyment is lessened by a bad narration. So it's more than just the words themselves, how these words are read does influence your experience. The narrator is interpreting the words--perhaps not as much as in the movies--but still there is some interpreting going on.

In the case of The Convenient Marriage--I thought Richard Armitage did a great job. I would almost say a perfect job. But. There is the little fact that it is an abridged audiobook. I thought he did a great job with Horry's stammer. I thought he did a great job with our hero, Lord Rule. Listening to this one was very happy-making. I do LOVE the book. I've read it twice now. And I do love the book all on its own. Richard Armitage's narration didn't *make* me love it. But I was certainly very pleased with it. I can't guarantee that anyone will love it or even like it the same way I did. But I would encourage people to give it a chance. If it doesn't work out, then it doesn't work out. But if it does...then those five hours will not be wasted.

What do you think? Have you listened to any great audiobooks lately? Any 'favorite' narrators you enjoy spending time with?

What I've Reviewed This Week:

Beauvallet. Georgette Heyer. 1929/2010. Sourcebooks. 301 pages.
Emma and the Vampires by Wayne Josephson. 2010. Sourcebooks. 304 pages.
April Lady. Georgette Heyer. 1957/2005. Harlequin. 270 pages.
Sphinx's Princess. Esther Friesner. 2009. Random House. 384 pages.
Shiver. Maggie Stiefvater. 2009. Scholastic. 400 pages.
Knightley Academy. Violet Haberdasher. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 469 pages.
Complete Adventures of Curious George: 70th Anniversary Edition. Margret and H.A. Rey. 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 432 pages.
Curious George Storybook Collection. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 197 pages.
Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late. Mo Willems. 2006. Hyperion. 40 pages.
Piggy Pie Po. Audrey & Don Wood. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages.
The Most Amazing Hide-and-Seek Alphabet Book. Robert Crowther. 1999/2010. August 2010. Candlewick. 12 pages.
The Most Amazing Hide-and-Seek Numbers Book. Robert Crowther. 2010. August 2010. (1999) Candlewick. 12 pages.
Masquerade by Nancy Moser. 2010. Bethany House. 368 pages.
George Whitefield: God's Anointed Servant in the Great Revival of the Eighteenth Century. Arnold A. Dallimore. 2010. Crossway Publishers. 224 pages.
The Devil in Pew Number Seven: A True Story. Rebecca Nichols Alonzo with Bob DeMoss. 2010. Tyndale. 288 pages

Currently Reading:


The Foundling. Georgette Heyer. 1948/2009. Sourcebooks. 448 pages.

What I Hope To Begin/Finish Soon:



The Half-Life of Planets. Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin. 2010. Hyperion. 256 pages.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews