Fiction

Just finished an audio cast production of The Maltese Falcon. I'm not crazy about cast productions because they are often abridged, as this one was. Plus, it had a few idiosyncrasies that annoyed. Mostly where the actor portraying the character also narrates any text related to that character in the character's voice - the dialog and the narrative. Weird. Just downloaded the audiobook from Audible and am looking forward to that.

Reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. Sculptures, or may be aliens, show up in 63 cities worldwide. A graphic artist in NY is the first to get video up on YouTube. Hilarity ensues. I didn't know what to make of it, but it is something of a page turner. It's a lot of things. Sci-Fi (sculpture or alien first contact?). Social media - likes, follows, Tweet count, views - and all the possible related madness and money. Online hate and feuds, and their translation to violence IRL. Love, friendship, transactional relationships. In short, it's something of a riot. Have fun.

Scrublands by Chris Hammer. Australia. Maybe in the outback. Hot. Dry. In the first page a priest opens fire and kills at least two people. Can't wait to see where this is going.

Just started listening to Middlegame by Seanann McGuire. Not at all sure what this is or where it's going. Sci-Fi, maybe? Fantasy? Can't tell. I just finished listening to McGuire's Zombie Apocalypse Trilogy, Newsflesh, written under her Mira Grant pseudonym. That was a trip. So give that a try. Not sure about Middlegame yet, as I just started it.

And finally for this week, I just finished listening to Big Sky by Kate Atkinson, the lastest in her Jackson Brodie series. She is one heck of a writer, has an absolute blast with the English language and with relationships. Some of the most vile characters you will encounter (see also, in real life, Jeffrey Epstein). Narrated by the actor who plays Brodies in the TV productions, Jason Isaacs. He's brilliant. His timing is probably the best of any narrator I've listened to, and I've been listening to audio books since 1985. It helps to have read the previous books, but it's not critical. If you have read the previous books, then this one is a must-read, and you won't be disappointed.