Hello, I’ve spent some time this afternoon adding my virtual library to my blog. You can find it under Virtual Bookshelf on the top menu – the books are under sub categories. They link to amazon.ca if you are interested in buying one of the books. For audiobooks, I’ve not imported my entire collection – the ones there are ones that I particularly enjoyed listening to in audiobook format. Enjoy!
As many of you know, I am a big fan of audiobooks. I find though that I am very sensitive to the quality of the narrator. Much of the time I will choose whether to buy a book in Audible format or Kindle format based on the Audible sample. A great narrator can bring a whole extra dimension to a book, and so I thought I’d share some of my favourite narrators with you. James Marsters Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files is narrated by James Marsters whose narrative style fits perfectly the jaded, harassed attitude of Chicago’s only consulting wizard. He doesn’t do distinct character voices to the extent of some narrators, but when Marsters is narrating he IS Harry Dresden. This is one series that is definitely best experienced in audio format. Check out a sample here: Nathaniel Parker At the helm of the Artemis Fowl series is Nathaniel Parker. I’ve grown quite fond of narrators who have different voices for the different characters and Parker is one of the very best. I adore his Irish accent for Artemis and if memory serves he has even distinguished between an Australian and New Zealand accent. You can find a sample here…
As many of you know, I am a big fan of audiobooks. I find though that I am very sensitive to the quality of the narrator. Much of the time I will choose whether to buy a book in Audible format or Kindle format based on the Audible sample. A great narrator can bring a whole extra dimension to a book, and so I thought I’d share some of my favourite narrators with you. James Marsters Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files is narrated by James Marsters whose narrative style fits perfectly the jaded, harassed attitude of Chicago’s only consulting wizard. He doesn’t do distinct character voices to the extent of some narrators, but when Marsters is narrating he IS Harry Dresden. This is one series that is definitely best experienced in audio format. Check out a sample here: Nathaniel Parker At the helm of the Artemis Fowl series is Nathaniel Parker. I’ve grown quite fond of narrators who have different voices for the different characters and Parker is one of the very best. I adore his Irish accent for Artemis and if memory serves he has even distinguished between an Australian and New Zealand accent. You can find a sample here…
Hello, my name is Azrael. I am an archdemon and easily the most powerful character in a novel called “The Final Requiem.” You probably have not heard about the novel yet, and that is perfectly fine. The novel has not been published yet. The creator of my world, Joe Donahue, is looking to try to self publish the novel sometime in the next couple weeks. It is turning out to be a very exciting and stressful time for him. It is turning out to be a very monotonous and boring time for me. He has been having me write a constant stream of these things he calls guest blogs so that you mortals can read them. It essentially amounts to me writing what I think about the book in the hopes that people will read it. Sometimes, if it is not for a blog that typically does book reviews, it will be me talking about whatever that blog usually talks about. The end result is always hoping that it will lead more people to read the book. Personally, I think the fact that the book gives people the opportunity to bask in the brilliance that is me should be enough…
Hello, my name is Azrael. I am an archdemon and easily the most powerful character in a novel called “The Final Requiem.” You probably have not heard about the novel yet, and that is perfectly fine. The novel has not been published yet. The creator of my world, Joe Donahue, is looking to try to self publish the novel sometime in the next couple weeks. It is turning out to be a very exciting and stressful time for him. It is turning out to be a very monotonous and boring time for me. He has been having me write a constant stream of these things he calls guest blogs so that you mortals can read them. It essentially amounts to me writing what I think about the book in the hopes that people will read it. Sometimes, if it is not for a blog that typically does book reviews, it will be me talking about whatever that blog usually talks about. The end result is always hoping that it will lead more people to read the book. Personally, I think the fact that the book gives people the opportunity to bask in the brilliance that is me should be enough…
[book-info title=”Emerald Green” author=”Anthea Bell (translator), Kerstin Gier”] Hey guys, Tor has an excerpt of Emerald Green on its website for your delectation – check it out here.
[book-info title=”Emerald Green” author=”Anthea Bell (translator), Kerstin Gier”] Hey guys, Tor has an excerpt of Emerald Green on its website for your delectation – check it out here.
I recently came across a fun thing to do – a Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt. This was something created by BookTuber The Library of Sarah, and here’s her introductory video. My bookshelf is more virtual, but it sounds such an interesting idea, I thought I’d give it a go. So without further ado, let’s get started: Find an author’s name or title with the letter Z in it My bookshelf contains both ebooks and audiobooks. For this one I chose the audiobook of Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. This is a fun series – each time you think you’ve got to the heart of the matter, another layer is pulled away. Find a classic This one’s easy. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. A classic if ever there was one. Find a book with a key on it I struggled with this one for a bit. I was even going to suggest the Wheel of Time’s Winter’s Heart which depicts Rand working with the Choedan Kal which is the access key to huge amounts of the One Power. However, I thought that was stretching it somewhat. Eventually I found this: Find something on your bookshelf that’s not a book…
I recently came across a fun thing to do – a Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt. This was something created by BookTuber The Library of Sarah, and here’s her introductory video. My bookshelf is more virtual, but it sounds such an interesting idea, I thought I’d give it a go. So without further ado, let’s get started: Find an author’s name or title with the letter Z in it My bookshelf contains both ebooks and audiobooks. For this one I chose the audiobook of Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. This is a fun series – each time you think you’ve got to the heart of the matter, another layer is pulled away. Find a classic This one’s easy. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. A classic if ever there was one. Find a book with a key on it I struggled with this one for a bit. I was even going to suggest the Wheel of Time’s Winter’s Heart which depicts Rand working with the Choedan Kal which is the access key to huge amounts of the One Power. However, I thought that was stretching it somewhat. Eventually I found this: Find something on your bookshelf that’s not a book…
As many of my regular readers will know, I am a big fan of both ebooks and audiobooks. For those of you unsure about e-reading or looking to take the first step, take a look at my Newbie’s Guide to eReading. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them. For my audiobook needs I go to Audible. Here’s how it works. You can either buy audiobooks at full price, with no membership or monthly commitment. An average audiobook, say for example The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling, costs around $25 USD for non members. A larger book, like say Fires of Heaven from the Wheel of Time may be as much as $60 USD, but most are in the $25 USD range. Alternatively, you can choose to take a membership with Audible. The basic plan $14.95 USD per month which gives you one credit per month to use on any audiobook. An ideal introduction to Audible. The Platinum plan, which I have, is two credits to spend on books a month. That costs $22.95 USD per month. They also have an Annual plan for which you pay…