Review - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Radio Theater

As soon as Anne Shirley arrived at the snug, white farmhouse called Green Gables, she knew she wanted to stay forever...but would the Cuthberts send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she's not what they expected—a skinny girl with decidedly red hair and a temper to match. If only she could convince them to let her stay, she'd try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes or blurt out the very first thing she had to say. Anne was not like anybody else, everyone at Green Gables agreed; she was special—a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreamed of the day when she could call herself Anne of Green Gables.

It's not often that I find a story that both of my girls are interested in reading or listening to. I thought this, too, would be a futile effort as they rarely like listening to books on CD. I was wrong. Hallelujah I was wrong! They LOVE Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I started to read it, but then found it at the library on CD as a radio theater version (and I can't for the life of me find the version I'm listening to on Amazon or Goodreads, so the link is back to the book itself). They ask me to take them to school instead of riding the bus just so they can listen to what happens next.

It's fantastic. I do have to say it was quite a different experience than watching the movie. I'd grown so accustomed to Megan Follows as Anne that hearing a different person give life to her voice was weird at first. It was a little like she was over-acting at first, but then I guess given Anne's personality, that's not far off from the truth.

Every time I read or watch (or now listen to) this story, it's like I'd never heard it before. I find myself listening like I don't know what's going to happen. That's what makes it such a wonderful story. Every time it's like it's new and exciting. I love it. And I love that my girls love it.

The movies and TV shows that they watch now a days are so dumbed down that they don't require any cognitive or intelligent thought what-so-ever. I think it's amazing that they looked forward to finishing the CDs even more than I did. Anne is bright and full of a fire for life and has an incredible imagination. THIS is the type of thing I wish they'd bury themselves in more often.

Obviously it's something I'd recommend to anyone. Read the book, listen to it, watch the movies. Just... meet Anne Shirley if you haven't already. And if you have, say hello to her again.

In My Mailbox #21

A big thank you to Kristi, The Story Siren for hosting IMM every week.

I've been lucky two weeks in a row to have something to post on Sunday! This past week my library was having a book sale (well, really books/cds/dvds/videos and BOOKS ON TAPE!).

So I'm looking around to see what they've got and what to my wandering eyes did appear?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. On Tape! And you want to know how much I paid for it? All 14 cassettes of it?

Drumroll please............... 50 cents.

How sweet is that? I've got three out of the seven books on audio cassette now. Only four more to go to complete my collection! And I'm really excited. I mean seriously... who just decides to give that up for 50 cents? Not that I'm complaining or anything. But still.

I totally love Jim Dale as a narrator. I know I've said that before. He made me like listening to books on tape/cd. And there's just something.... magical about his voice. Does that make me weird? Probably. But if you haven't LISTENED to Harry Potter on tape or CD I highly suggest you do so. It's wonderful.

What did you get this week?

Review: Eragon (Audio CD) by Christopher Paolini (narrated by Gerard Doyle)

So in anticipation of the final installment in the Inheritance Cycle, I re-listened to the audio CD version of Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I think I said in a recent post that this audio version is narrated by Gerard Doyle and I have to say I think he is just fantastic. He is tied with Jim Dale who narrates Harry Potter (and has played parts in movies like Pete's Dragon). 

Eragon has been one of my favorite series and I think the narrator plays a big part. I love Saphira's voice and honestly, I can't figure out how he does it without destroying his throat.

Now, there are times when Christopher Paolini goes in to TOO MUCH detail, and it kind of drags on when you're reading, but when you listen to someone else read it, it's not so bad. It's entertaining and best of all, it keeps my GIRLS entertained too. Which is generally a hard thing to do.

I love the series and really wish it had ended with Brisingr, but I understand there was just too much to fit in to one book. But he sure has taken his sweet time letting go of this fourth one. A lot of people say the series mimicks Lord of the Rings with the Urgls being like the Orcs and what not. But really, I don't care. Everyone gets their ideas from someone right?

I definitely suggest everyone who's read the book pick up the audio CDs. Even if you haven't read it and hadn't planned on it, you should pick up the audio CDs. Let someone else do the reading for you.

Review - Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (Audio Book)

Ok, so I know I've posted some thoughts on the Linger audio book once before. Not that far back here. I've recently finished it and like with Shiver, Sam's voice didn't irritate me as much by the end. Maybe because I'd gotten used to it. Or maybe because he stopped ending every sentence like it was a question. I don't know.

I was wicked impatient listening to this one. And tempted to just skip a CD or two to get to the end. Maybe because I already knew what was going to happen. But it was fun to listen to. And I still LOVE Cole's voice. In this blog post by Maggie herself, she introduces you to the voices of Same and Cole. Dan Bittner is not at all what I pictured. But I think that was because I was excpecting... Cole. :-P But still. The fact that THAT VOICE comes out of him makes him incredibly declicious. ::sigh::

Picture from Maggie's blog post 

Pierce Cravens is almost exactly what I pictured him to be. And like with Cole... I think it's because I was picturing Sam. While I can't stand it when people talk like everything they're saying is a question, I believe he sounded more the age of Sam than David Ledoux. Sam number 1 sounded about 20 years too old for him. But Pierce was just right. Though, not as yummy as Cole.

Also taken from Maggie's blog

I was happy with the audio book overall. And I loved the extra tracks at the end playing  Maggie's music. She's an amazing musician. And her music is just gorgeous. I definitely recommend listening to the series if you get a chance. Even if you haven't read the books yet. Just make sure you listen to them in order. :-P

Shiver vs Linger Audio Books

A while ago I wrote a post about audio books. Graceling and Shiver in particular.

I wasn't too fond at first of the guy they chose to narrate Sam's part. He sounded really nasally and creepy because you could tell that he was just so much older than the role he was supposed to be portraying. About halfway through the book though, he got much better. I enjoyed listening to him. I really did.

Once I was finished with Shiver I put Linger in the CD player. Different Sam. This one is more the age I thought Sam should sound, and at first I almost liked him better. But the more I listen the more it irritates me. He reads every sentence like it's a question. And it SOUNDS like he's reading. His narration is not as effortless as Jenna Lamia. It sounds like he's trying too hard. Honestly I think they should have stuck with David Ledoux.

I love Isabel and Cole though. I think they picked perfect people for those parts. Cole's voice is soft and could almost put me to sleep. It's just... melodic. I guess that's a good thing to sound like since Cole is a rock star. I'm not really sure what to say about Isabel. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is about the person who reads Isabel. I just love her voice.

I definitely recommend listening to both books on CD. No matter how much it bothers me that every sentence Sam says in book 2 sounds like he's asking someone something.