Jäsen: ShannonMDE

Thanks for the recommendation, but from what I know of the book it's exactly the opposite of what I'm looking for. I'm looking for YA books that, like Marr's Wicked Lovely series and Black's Modern Faerie Tale series draw upon the traditional (Celtic) folklore, rather than the Victorianised, cutesy fairies like Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairies or J.M. Barrie's Tinkerbell and the like. (Even the Grimm's fairytales were already adapted and sanitised versions even before they reworked them to be more child-friendly.) I'm sorry that wasn't entirely clear. ^-^; *should go back to clarify, will in a bit*

My problem with the aforementioned YA series is that the fey portrayed in there are still too human. If you look at 'adult' literature like Hope Mirrlees' Lud-in-the-Mist or Elizabeth Bear's The Stratford Man or even Charles de Lint's books or Terri Windling's The Wood Wife... They have these gorgeous, dangerous, whimsical fey(-like) creatures in them that have a completely different way of thinking/set of morals than humans... I'd love to find a YA book that does similar. Marr and Black's series do, but not as far as I'd like.

Lähettänyt: Shanra 4:29 pm (EST) Dec 7, 2009

Shannon,
I'm delighted that the new players are working out so well; they should make everyone's life easier.
I'm currently narrating my 210th title so you can imagine that choosing my favorite would be a little difficult. Good writing always carries the day but my best memories are "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" and "Tuck Everlasting" (children); Joan Didion's "The Year of Magical Thinking" (non-fiction); "Cheri and the Last of Cheri" by Colette for fiction. I've had good feedback about "The Sweet Potato Queens First Big Ass Novel" which some people find hilarious (PG rated) and the Twilight Saga. The last was not my personal favorite but I'm pretty sure it will be the most often listened to!

One lovely surprise was the day that two battered copies of "Those Who Love" by Irving Stone arrived at the studio. The book is out of print but someone wanted it badly enough to have it recorded. It's historical fiction about John and Abigail Adams and the author used their many letters as the basis for his narrative. Many Irving Stone novels are still in print and I can't help but think that the reason for this lovely book's lack of popularity has more to do with its unfortunate title - sounds like a bodice ripper to me!

Anne

Lähettänyt: NarratorLady 9:21 am (EST) Dec 7, 2009

Shannon,

Have any of your patrons been exposed to the new technology yet? I hear that it's supposed to be very good, eliminating the noise that some well-used tapes have.
Years ago I went on a tour of NLS in Washington and I was told that oftentimes a narrator's voice may be the only voice a person hears in a day. She was, of course, talking about patrons who are bedridden but it was something I hadn't thought about and it made an impression on me. Reading is a very important part of my life and it feels like such a privelege to be providing the means for others who can't read in a traditional way to enjoy their books.

Lähettänyt: NarratorLady 1:16 pm (EST) Dec 4, 2009

Hi Shannon,

Yes, I've narrated for NLS since 1995. I'm also listed as AnneH and I see from your comments below that you've seen my communication with Kerry.

What is your job at the library like?

Anne

Lähettänyt: NarratorLady 10:47 am (EST) Dec 4, 2009

Hi Shannon, We've just begun reading chapter books to my daughter. We read a Magic Tree House book and we tried another book at a similar level. She listens attentively and seems to enjoy them, so I've been looking for other similar kinds of things. But "Hate the Cat" sounds like something for later on. Thanks for the response!

Cheers,
d

Lähettänyt: dchaikin 1:51 pm (EST) Nov 10, 2009

Hi Shannon- Thanks for stopping by! Yes, I'm enjoying "Assassination Vacation" quite a bit. I enjoy US history. I heard her speak before, so her voice keeps popping in my head as I'm reading, pretty funny. Her style also reminds me of Tony Horwitz, who does similar books, one being 'Confederates in the Attic", which was terrific, (he's also married to Geraldine Brooks). Also loving the Brooks book, although I'm only a short way in. What are you reading?
Mark

Lähettänyt: msf59 12:44 pm (EST) Nov 2, 2009

Wow! I've been a Talking Book reader for *many* years, but never before met (in the ordinary course of things) anyone who worked for the program. Most people have never even heard of it. Thanks so much for your note.

Er... Do you know when they'll have Stephenie Meyer's Eclipse and Breaking Dawn? I got both Twilight and New Moon through the NLS, and I find their narrator far superior to the narrator of the commercial audiobooks. I want to hear her read the third and fourth as well. But according to the Perkins web site, they are not yet available. I don't suppose you have any inside knowledge...

Kerry (Cat)

Lähettänyt: Catreona 10:34 pm (EST) Jul 1, 2009

LOL! Maybe I am. I really enjoy it. Some people try to justify the purchase as economical, because the 350 dollar price tag is pretty steep. But, I went into it knowing it was a pure pleasure spend. I really enjoy it, but moreover I enjoy reading, so it was just a compliment to my reading hobby. Is that clear as mud? LOL

Lähettänyt: leperdbunny 2:11 pm (EST) Jun 10, 2009

Hi Shannon, The Girls Who Went Away - Isn’t it funny the way some books seem to pop up repeatedly in our lives? I’ve recently recommended it to some women myself. I’m still only about half way through it – it is just so sad and makes me so angry that I had to put it down for a few days. I don’t understand the mindset of the time and it really wasn’t that long ago. I just happened to restart reading it the night before I saw your profile comment.
Thank you so much for stopping by! It is a book that just begs to be talked about and I find it so surprising that this is a topic that I have never heard discussed especially in light of certain hot button political topics!

Happy Reading (even when reading tough subjects)!, Joanne

Lähettänyt: coppers 5:47 pm (EST) Jun 5, 2009

Picador is doing a (mostly) weekly book club on Twitter. They have everyone interested in a title direct message them or email them on a Tuesday afternoon, then the books are sent out and there's a discussion on Friday a few weeks later. There are more details about it on their website: http://www.picadorbookclub.com/

Lähettänyt: DevourerOfBooks 5:14 pm (EST) Jun 3, 2009

Hi Shannon!

Thank you so much for your comment on my review of "Stiffs"! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I imagine Mary Roach would be a wonderful author to hear speak, I hope I get that chance one day.

Lähettänyt: retropelocin 7:33 pm (EST) Apr 17, 2009

Hi Shannon,

Yes, our book discussions are by telconference. We have 5 groups. Our phone system will accomodate 6 patrons plus me. One group was combined with another group and they do theirs differently they call through the ICN (I can't remember what this stands for, so I hope you know what I am talking about.) There are 12 people in that group.

We choose our books in advance and that gives us time to get the study guides off the Internet and the books duplicated. I have found many of the discussion books aren't available through NLS. We have a lot of our earlier study guides on our website. I haven't reminded our web master to update with the newer ones.

I have also used this with kids in our Summer Reading Club. We have discussed Shiloh, Because of Winn-Dixie, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Harriet Spies Again, The Tale of Despereaux and this summer Chasing Vermeer. We have had anywhere from one to 3 kids who participate.

It is a lot of fun. I have read many books I would not have read otherwise and quite a few that I have just loved.

Dara

Lähettänyt: dara85 9:43 pm (EST) Mar 27, 2009

Hi Shannon -- good luck finding a book club. You should try a library -- all the branches of our public library system (I'm in CO) have at least two book clubs, and if there are no organized clubs, then someone in the library might know of one in the area. Also try book stores, particularly independent book stores. They often know about book clubs, and make recommendations. I think there's a even book club or two through Barnes and Noble near where I live.

Good luck!
Anne

Lähettänyt: AMQS 5:02 pm (EST) Feb 4, 2009

Same here on doorstops. I ended up picking up a much smaller book. And as I said in Talk, I gave up on Don Quixote because it was arguing with my other hobby.

Lähettänyt: AnnaClaire 11:35 am (EST) Feb 4, 2009

Re: the kindle...
I meant to say that there is no provision for folders or tags, not files or tags.

Lähettänyt: auntmarge64 4:05 pm (EST) Jan 30, 2009

>What's the verdict on the Kindle? Do you like yours? I keep thinking about getting one, >but I like libraries and free books too much. Are there resources to find free books for >download on the Kindle? I've sort of asked around about free downloadable books, but then >can't seem to figure out if they are Kindle compatible.

I LOVE my Kindle. Although I keep only 2 dozen or so books and sample chapters on it at a time, it can fit about 200 books and, with the addition of just a 1 GB SD disk, it will hold about 1000. No matter what mood I'm in or where I go, I always have plenty to read right in my purse. If I were going to travel, I'd download from my computer all the books I've got stored there.

Here's a 5-star review I wrote for Amazon last fall:
Bought mine 4 months ago. At any one time I have on it a bunch of samples to check out, a few purchased and free books, and daily newspaper and blog downloads. While I still go to the library sometimes, I find the Kindle to be an almost complete replacement for buying or even borrowing print books, unless they are unavailable on Kindle or have many illustrations. I was bothered at first by the lack of various fonts (I don't mean type size, which is adjustable) and the background color, which makes reading in dim conditions impossible without a light of some sort. The unchanging font doesn't seem to be a problem at this point, but I have not yet found a clip-on light that works conveniently. And because of the e-ink, still in early stages of development, illustrations are pretty awful. Battery life is also an issue for anyone who downloads news updates or blogs. So, why do I still give it 5 stars? Because even with its faults, I can't imagine living without it now. I've got three chargers, one for my bedroom to charge it all night, one in the kitchen for when I'm not using it during the day, and a backup put away in the Kindle box. If I drove much I'd have a charger for the car. Now I'm wondering if I should have a backup Kindle...

Now, after having it for 8 months, I am bereft if I leave it at home. I've stopped using it for newspapers and blogs because leaving Whispernet on depletes the battery in about an hour, so I turn Whispernet on only to download books or samples every few days. Since I read before going to bed, I just plug the Kindle in before turning off my light, and it stays at full charge. Others report the charge will last at least a week if Whispernet is off most of the time.

There are quite a few free download sites, and most use formats which are directly readable on the Kindle or easily converted. These include txt, PDF, and doc. Files can be mailed to your Kindle via Whispernet or transferred via cable or wireless network from computer to Kindle. Here's a post from the Amazon Kindle Discussions which gives links to many free (and some pay) download sites: http://www.amazon.com/Million-Kindle-boo....

While the majority of free reading is classics,occasionally Amazon or a publisher or author will make more recent publications available for free. I currently have "Whiskey Rebels" as well as an Andrew Vachss novel and three Charlie Huston books waiting to be read, all available free from Amazon. Free pubs are usually announced by someone on the KindleBoards (http://www.kindleboards.com/) under the "Book Corner/Free Books" topic.

In addition to the drawbacks I mentioned in the original review, the main problem I have is that there is no facility for files or tags. Therefore, all books which are on your Kindle are visible from the main page, which is why I keep the number low. When files become available, hopefully via a software upgrade or on v.2 (no date on that yet), I'll keep more on the Kindle itself. A big + for the Kindle is the built-in dictionary. I've gotten so accustomed to clicking on a word to get a definition that reading a paper book is disconcerting: I'm always looking for the definition button.

Any more questions, I'll be happy to answer them....

Margaret

Lähettänyt: auntmarge64 8:24 pm (EST) Jan 29, 2009

Hi Shannon, Thanks for the message. Let me know anytime you plan to visit - it would be wonderful to meet a fellow reader. Re the library here, I'm afraid it is listed as a tourist attraction because it is a historical building, having once been the public jail. Interesting architecture, but it is not a very good library - reading is not of much interest here and, government figures to the contrary, the literacy rate is abysmal. Most people think I'm crazy!

Lähettänyt: XenaBallerina 7:20 am (EST) Dec 9, 2008