summer post 1

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo; read by Dylan Baker.  A coworker and I recently went up to Spokane for a training.  She is a big audiobook fan and brought along a selection for the drive, this being one.  This is not something I would have picked myself, but I enjoyed it very much.  It's the saddest book I've read in quite some time.
I can't normally listen to audiobook fiction because of the voices the narrator does.  Many of the voices were annoying, but the number of characters wasn't as high as some, so that helped.  I also thought he did a really good job with the male main character, the female main character, and the straight narration.  Since that was most of the talking, I could survive through the rest.

A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen.  I think part of the difficulty I have with many mysteries is that it seems incredibly stupid for the main character to bumble about, trying to solve a difficult mystery and throwing themselves into danger, when the character is so absolutely unprepared for it.  I recently (relatively, like within the last 2 years) read a mystery where the main character knew it was dangerous and knew it was a bad idea, but explained away her meddling by being stupidly curious.  So I like that the main character in this book doesn't want to have to poke her nose in, but is forced to by others.  It's more believable.

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger.  Having read the Tarabotti series is not a requirement, although this book/new series acts as something of a prequel-- shares some of the side characters and obviously takes place in the same world.  (Second book not out til November.)

I'm not sure why the author chose to make the prequel a YA book; I thought the original series circulated well in (and to) adult(s).  It also seems to me that most of the readers for this series will be adults as well.  It's not just the age of the character that has this reclassified as YA-- the writing style is different, and the publisher is Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.  Don't get greedy for new readers, Gail.

Royal Flush, Royal Blood, and Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen.  I like these.  I read Royal Blood and Naughty in Nice, one right after the other, in about 27 hours. 

1-2-3 peas by Keith Baker. We may have to go back and try LMNO Peas again (which the boy didn't really love the first time, but he was maybe 3 when we read it).  He certainly enjoyed this one: read it 3 times in a row!

Libromancer by Jim C. Hines.  I've been meaning to get around to this book for a while.  It's a good concept, I can definitely see potential for the series (the cover says "Magic ex Libris: Book One").  It did feel a little like I was missing something, it almost felt like we were jumping into the second book of a series.  Maybe there could have been a little more careful construction of the world.
I like that at the end of the book there is a list of all titles mentioned.  I think, like the Eyre Affair series, it will appeal most (and make the most sense) to people who read alot.  I've not read even half the books on the title list, but I'm familiar with many of them, so it makes sense.

Kate and Nate are Running Late!  by Kate Egan; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino.  Rhymes felt a little forced, but the initial read was followed immediately be a second read, so the boy approves.