The Subtle Knife & The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman Audiobook

Who knew it, but June is actually Audiobook Month. So today, I today I thought I'd write about an audiobook I've recently listened to (and adored).

While I'm not really an audio book person (I'd much rather to physically hold a book and turn the pages one by one), I am partial to having something playing while I'm driving around or exercising since the radio usually drives me batty. As a added bonus (and to make me feel like I'm being sneaky and getting two things done at once) I try to either listen to either classics or books I've always wanted to read but never really had the enthusiasm to sit down with for any length of time. A while back I decided to listen to the final two books in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy since I never really got around to finishing the series after reading The Golden Compass almost two years ago. Mostly this decision came about after listening to Aimee of My Fluttering Heart declare her undying affection for one Will and Lyra during Literary Love. 

Luckily for me, I unwittingly stumbled upon what has to be the best audio book production I've ever come across when I began The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. The novels themselves are read by the author himself supported by a complete cast in what I can only describe as being brilliant. The cast preformed with such emotion and depth that I was literally adding extra time to my running route or making random trips to the store just so I could listen a little bit more. Multiple times I found myself crying (er..sobbing really) over some particularly poignant scene or gasping loudly at each new unexpected revelation. Though I didn't really love the final conclusion to the series, I have to admit that even the ending was fiercely poetic in it's star-cross'd lovers way.

And while I don't exactly hold with Philip Pullman's views on organized religion and God, Lyra and Will's adventures are nothing short of magical. The worlds they visit and the people/creatures they meet! The armored bear Iorek Byrnison, the aeronaut Lee Scoresby, the witch Serafina Pekkala, the Mulefa, the Gallivespian Chevalier Tialys...too many to count here but each one is characterized beautifully. Lyra and her adventures in The Golden Compass were enjoyable and interesting, the addition of a full cast reading turned this series into something spell-bindingly wondrous.

series reading (listening) order:
~ The Golden Compass or Northern Lights
~ The Subtle Knife
~ The Amber Spyglass

See Michelle Laugh

Every so often, a truly funny book comes along. Not just one you chuckle over or one that garners a smile every so often, but one that makes you laugh out loud, giggle uncontrollably or snicker repeatedly. You know the ones: books so hilarious that you find yourself laughing aloud even when you're sitting by yourself in the lunchroom when no one else is even close to your table and all your co-workers turn around to stare at you while you try (usually unsuccessfully) to contain your giggles (not at personal experience). Sometimes these so-called 'funny' books are suspiciously hard to explain to spouses, parents, and random passer-bys. You may actually try reading aloud a particularly humorous passage but when your unappreciative listener only gives you a courtesy laugh, you try and explain (usually unsuccessfully) why you were snickering uncontrollably moments before, "and then Pam's creepy-deadpan voice comes on the answering machine and she's like 'we know where to find you'! Hah! Get it?...cause she's a vampire and they know?....oh, never mind." (definitely not a personal experience either). If you've ever been in one of these situations, this list is for you.

Without further ado, these are the books that I find to be Pure Comedy, A Rollicking Good Time, and Unusually and Unquestionably Funny.

Ahem.

Pure Comedy
Clarice Bean series by Lauren Child
You've probably seen Charlie and Lola on the Disney Channel, but did you know Lauren Child has also penned a series of chapter books about one Clarice Bean who loves the spy Ruby Redford and dreads school more than a dentist appointment. She's constantly at odds with her teacher, Ms. Wilberton and her younger brother Minal Cricket. That's not even mentioning the clever illustrations and text art. Let the British hilarity ensue!

The Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison
Journal-style entries from one insecure yet completely bonkers teen in Britain keep me coming back for more in this series. I love Georgia's pranks, her helpful glossary for everything she's happened to rename, and her constant usage of fabbity, fab, fab.

Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding
Hmmm. This is the third British book on my list. Can you tell my preferred type of comedy? Bridget has been immortalized on the silver screen but you must read her diary entries on losing weight, getting drunk (alone), and finding love. Mr. Darcy himself (Colin Firth) actually makes an appearance in The Edge of Reason and I was literally rolling around the floor as Bridget quizzed him about emerging from the pond in Pride and Prejudice...wet. *snort*



A Rollicking Good Time
Stephanie Plum mysteries by Janet Evanovich (particularly High Five)
Stephanie Plum has to be one of my favorite fast-talking heroines at the moment. She gets into some doozies and has a full complement of friends and family who never fail to keep things interesting. My personal favorite happens to be Grandma Mozer - give that woman a gun and I know serious comedy will follow.

Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park
Please be warned, there is some serious hilarity in these little gems which have been mistakenly marketed to grade-school children only. My favorite Junie B.-ism? "Band aids! I love those little guys!"





Unusually and Unquestionably Funny
The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman by Louise Plummer
Awkward Kate is about to embark on her own real, live romance starring her brother's best friend which she describes in classic Harlequin cliches in this quirky teen novel I could not get enough of.

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
I am a Jane Austen enthusiast myself and I couldn't have loved Julie more as she sets off to find her own Mr. Darcy - especially when her best friend calls dibs first and she discreetly tries to steer her in another direction. Teenage drama and hilarity at it's finest.



Chuckle Your Way Through or honorable mentions:
Sookie Stackhouse mysteries by Charlaine Harris
This blond and perky waitress can not only read your mind, but she can deal with vampires, fairies, and shape faster than you can say "gumbo." I find the unintentional comedy of the vampires (primarily Pam) at the top of my list.




Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
What started out as a fondness for the Disney movie, has escalated into a full blown love-affair with these classic books. Pooh and (my personal favorite) Piget trying to get out of a pit while fearing the presence of Heffalumps is a hoot.

Patrick McManus - if you happen to be married to a Idaho farm-boy, then chances are, these gems have found their way into your hands over the years. All are extremely funny and usually deal with hunting, fishing or camping incidents or just small town life in general - making your husband's stories exponentially more hilarious. I particularly recommend A Fine and Pleasant Misery for beginners.


This list is ever-expanding so please, please tell me if I missed out on your favorite funny book. I am particularly interested in reading more humorous YA books since I seem to be lacking in that department but any other suggestions would be welcome too. I do have a reputation to keep up and co-workers to make curious people.

It's the end of the world as we know it

I have no idea why I enjoy reading doomsday or post-apocalyptic books. Maybe it's the extreme circumstances that build strong characters (or sometimes expose weak ones for that matter) or maybe I just have an unhealthy obsession with the end of the world. Whatever the reason, these books never fail to catapult me directly into the story and leave me shivering with delight. It's like watching a train wreck - it's gruesome and horrific but you just can't tear yourself away. So I thought I'd put together a list of some of my favorite post-apocalyptic books that just might make you want to get a gun, food storage and a whole stockpile of medicine.



How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Dark and moving book about teens living on their own in England through a devastating war. Told from the first-person, I loved the narrator’s psychological development and struggle to deal with the reality of her new life. And of course, it's a Printz winner - no further recommendation needed.





Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Boy does this book ever make me want to get my food storage! In a series of diary entries, a young girl records her life after an asteroid hits the moon, throwing it off it’s path causing all kinds of natural disasters. The honest narration compelled me to honestly evaluate what I would do in the same situation.




The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Panem ruthlessly controls the 12 districts that once were known as North America. Their ultimate control over the populace lies in the Hunger Games where one boy and girl are chosen as 'tributes' from each District every year and are forced to fight for their lives while the struggle is broadcast to the entire nation as mandatory viewing. But that doesn't even begin to encompass it's greatness - just read it.




The Road by Cormac McCarthy
McCarthy has a classic on his hands here. An utterly amazing story of a father and son who travel across a devastated and scorched America. Along the way, they deal with love, loss, courage, the will to survive, and simple pain. Some of McCarthy’s images will stay with me for a really long time. It completely blew me away.





World War Z by Max Brooks
A compilation of first-hand 'accounts' from when zombies tried to destroy earth's population. Various countries and communities are featured, each giving a different look at how people reacted to a large scale threat – often in chilling ways.





The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Government control gone crazy. Each person has a ‘job’ but even in this highly strict society, corruption and greed are found as one woman tries to escape her life as a handmaiden to a civic leader and his barren wife. Not for the faint of heart.






1984 by George Orwell
George Orwell's bleak vision of a world under the thumb of a brutal, oppressive regime in which we are first introduced to that all-knowing and all-powerful presence: Big Brother.





Among the Hidden (Shadow Children series) by Margaret Peterson Haddix
These quick yet thought-provoking junior fiction books introduces us to a time when America is suffering from food shortages due to population explosion. The military has taken control and Haddix forces the reader to consider what our own government would do in the face of such crisis.



The Giver by Lois Lowry
A fascinating, almost chilling tale about a boy, Jonas, who is chosen to be his community's new Receiver. Jonas receives memories from The Giver; memories that are full of feeling - pain, love, loss, color, and life - that are deemed too dangerous for the community to be able to experience.




Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
A totalitarian regime controls the populace through nonstop entertainment. Don’t think, don’t read, don’t be an individual – just enjoy TV. Follow the transition of Guy Montag from book burner ‘fireman’ into a man who is on the run for not only possessing books, but killing a fellow fireman to protect them.




So that's my list of post-apocalyptic books. I'm always on the lookout for the next great addition to this list, so please let me know if I've missed your favorite doomsday book!