June Reads (& Listens).
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (read by Lynn Redgrave)
When I was a kid, this was my 2nd to least favorite Narnia story (1st was The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe). Alas, I was out of library audios and had to settle for what I already owned. Lynn Redgrave did a bang-up job reading this novel and made me like it a whole lot more. Definitely, a reader to keep an eye out for.
Lolita by Nabokov (read by Jeremy Irons)
I was mostly revolted by this novel -- not so much because of the pedophilia (I don't think is glorified in the way I had previously believed) -- but because it was so full of the most beautiful descriptions and cunning phrases that I nearly forgot exactly what Humbert Humbert was describing (usually inappropriate lust, nymphets, etc).
I think, in some ways, Nabokov has described mid-girlhood sexuality pretty well. Based on my own experience, 12/13 year old girls are brimming full of sexuality and crushes and cruelty and Dolores seems not unusual by herself. Even after Humbert Humbert rapes her/enslaves her/loves her, her behaviors still seem realistic. It's because everything is seen through the distorted lense of HH's story that it all becomes .. revolting.
This Is Not Chick Lit: Original Stories by America's Best Women Writers ed. by Elizabeth Merrick
Some really excellent stories here. Sadly, I was more embarrassed to be seen reading it than I ever was with any actual chick lit piece. I would have loved this better were it not for the title and its hot pink lettering.
Reading Lolita in Tehran by (read by )
Overall, I liked the audiobook a lot, but I do think it tried to be three different stories all at the same time. The story I appreciated least was the one about her students -- they seemed more like vehicles to extend her storytelling that actual people. Sometimes, it actually made me think of Plato's Dialogues -- philosophical essays masked by the conceit of conversation. Or something.
The Professor's Daughter written by Joann Sfar (illus. by Emmanuel Guibert)
Graphic novel set in Victorian London about a girl who has a romance with a mummy. Nonsensical little read with rather lovely illustrations.
Cast In Shadow by Michelle Sagara
First book in the Cast series, this is essentially the story of a girl who grows up on the wrong side of the tracks, escaps, and then returns to Make Good. You can also read it as a detective or romance novel masquerading as fantasy. It doesn't really matter how you read it, just as long as you do.
Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer
Yes, I have read this before. Yes, I will read it again. Yes, it is that good.