Canadian eReader

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…

This week on my reading roundup I will be discussing some non-book format but book related content.  The first of these is the movie Rubinrot, which is the German made adaptation of Kerstin Gier’s Ruby Red. Rubinrot (Ruby Red) Movie directed by Felix FuchssteinerSeries: Gem TrilogyGenres: Epic FantasyFormat: Blu Ray DVD Starring: Jannis Niewöhner, Maria EhrichLength: 122 minutes Buy from Amazon •  One of the trilogies I’ve loved most this year has been Kerstin Gier’s Gem trilogy.   I was very excited to hear that they were making a movie of it.  First the practicalities.  I live in Canada, so I was concerned that a Blu Ray bought from Amazon Germany would not play on my North American Blu Ray device.  However Rubinrot is sold region free in Blu Ray (DVD is European region locked).  It also comes with the English dubbed soundtrack.  I had no issues playing it on my Blu Ray player.   I loved this movie.  The script and casting were excellent.  Maria Ehrich really captures Gwyneth’s humour and spirit.  I found myself liking Jannis Niewöhner’s portrayal of Gideon much more than I liked the character in the book.  Even the smaller roles are perfectly cast – most notable for me…

This week on my reading roundup I will be discussing some non-book format but book related content.  The first of these is the movie Rubinrot, which is the German made adaptation of Kerstin Gier’s Ruby Red. Rubinrot (Ruby Red) Movie directed by Felix FuchssteinerSeries: Gem TrilogyGenres: Epic FantasyFormat: Blu Ray DVD Starring: Jannis Niewöhner, Maria EhrichLength: 122 minutes Buy from Amazon •  One of the trilogies I’ve loved most this year has been Kerstin Gier’s Gem trilogy.   I was very excited to hear that they were making a movie of it.  First the practicalities.  I live in Canada, so I was concerned that a Blu Ray bought from Amazon Germany would not play on my North American Blu Ray device.  However Rubinrot is sold region free in Blu Ray (DVD is European region locked).  It also comes with the English dubbed soundtrack.  I had no issues playing it on my Blu Ray player.   I loved this movie.  The script and casting were excellent.  Maria Ehrich really captures Gwyneth’s humour and spirit.  I found myself liking Jannis Niewöhner’s portrayal of Gideon much more than I liked the character in the book.  Even the smaller roles are perfectly cast – most notable for me…

This was my final week of nightshifts, and a public holiday as well, which meant I was primarily listening to audiobooks.  Expect full reviews of Clockwork Princess and The Golem and the Jinni in the near future. [book-info]This has been another week in which I gave up on a book.  This time it was First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones.  It started off excellently; the concept of a private investigator who is also a portal to Heaven and who must help the dead pass over sounded really intriguing and fun.  I immediately clicked with the main character Charley.  You’ve got a love a girl who, on waking up at 4am to the phone ringing and a strange dead guy standing by her bed asks said dead guy to answer the phone!   The narrator, Lorelei King, did a great job bringing the story to life.  My biggest issue with the book was that it very quickly veered HEAVILY into paranormal romance territory which was a real turnoff for me.  I was more interested in hearing about Charley’s life as a Grim Reaper and far less in hearing about how her mysterious dream lover fires up her loins. Steelheart by…

This was my final week of nightshifts, and a public holiday as well, which meant I was primarily listening to audiobooks.  Expect full reviews of Clockwork Princess and The Golem and the Jinni in the near future. [book-info]This has been another week in which I gave up on a book.  This time it was First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones.  It started off excellently; the concept of a private investigator who is also a portal to Heaven and who must help the dead pass over sounded really intriguing and fun.  I immediately clicked with the main character Charley.  You’ve got a love a girl who, on waking up at 4am to the phone ringing and a strange dead guy standing by her bed asks said dead guy to answer the phone!   The narrator, Lorelei King, did a great job bringing the story to life.  My biggest issue with the book was that it very quickly veered HEAVILY into paranormal romance territory which was a real turnoff for me.  I was more interested in hearing about Charley’s life as a Grim Reaper and far less in hearing about how her mysterious dream lover fires up her loins. Steelheart by…