Sound Recommendations: Year-End Blitz, Part I

This is part one of a year-end Sound Recommendations blitz. Come back Monday for part two.

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling) is the second installment in the Cormoran Strike series. The plot is particularly fun because it involves an author, a scandalous manuscript, infidelity, murder, and revenge. The foundations of the mystery are solidly built and the clues are well placed. As with any good series, however, this one gives us more than the current crime. Cormoran and his assistant, Robin, are sympathetic characters with a complicated relationship, and we learn more about each one's personal life. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with them, both together and separately. The unabridged audiobook (Hachette Audio, 17 hr, 22 min) was read by Robert Glenister, who also narrated the first book in the series. Glenister's performance is perfect for Galbraith's prose: he enhances the tension, has a good sense of pacing, creates consistent and believable characterizations, and helps listeners tell the difference between narrative prose, dialogue, and interior thoughts.

When everyone was reading and talking about Jill Lepore's The Secret History of Wonder Woman, I thought I'd give it a try. Despite the title, the book is really about the early feminist movement as well as the secret life of William Moulton Marston, creator of the superhero. Based on primary sources, Lepore discusses, among other things, Marston's unconventional home life, his development of the lie detector, and his connection with Margaret Sanger and how all these experiences influenced Wonder Woman's character, deep history, and even her costume. Although I remained interested, I was not as wowed by the book as others. My bad reaction is almost entirely the result of the audiobook production (Random House Audio; 9 hr, 5 min). The unabridged edition is read by author Jill Lepore, who is way too dramatic, with almost comical characterizations (no pun intended). Unfortunately, she pretty much ruined her own book. If you have any interest in the women's rights movement or in comics, add this to your reading list--just be sure to pick up the print or eBook version.

When I first started this blog, I often wrote about books I DNF'd (did not finish). Now I rarely do. But I picked up City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte based on some positive reviews from trusted bloggers when the book first came out (in 2012) and because it was an Indie Next pick. I bought the paperback but never got to it. Last month, I decided to try the audiobook. I'm so so sorry I wasted an Audible credit on this. The story had all the right elements for me: a bit of mystery, music, time travel, and a little paranormal. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance, but I felt it was a little too . . . I don't know . . . commercial(?) for me. I like escape reading as much as the next person, but this book never drew me in. The audiobook (Penguin Audio; 13 hr, 33 min) was read by Natalie Gold. Although Gold's accents could have been more believable, her narration (the parts I heard) was at least adequate. Either I wasn't in the mood or this book wasn't for me.

One of my top nonfiction reads this year was Eula Biss's On Immunity, a collection of interlinked essays on inoculation. Based on thorough research and personal experience, Biss presents many perspectives on vaccination and protecting our children and society from disease. She examines the veracity of popular opinion, the individual's responsibility to society, medical evidence, research results, and historical facts. I liked the mix of sources, which included not only the expected medical journals but also parents, social commentators (Rachel Carson, Susan Sontag), and her father (a practicing physician). This is an extremely accessible and easy-to-read account of a controversial subject. The audiobook (HighBridge; 6 hr, 23 min), was read by Tamara Marston, who found that magical place where listeners forget that the narrator is not the author. She managed to maintain the personal, conversational tone of the book without detracting from the scholarship. For my full audiobook review, see AudioFile magazine.