Lily Fairbairn
Gondolin
Jul 10, 3:52pm
Views: 9212
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It's the occasional reading thread!
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I have finished listening (again!) to Andy Serkis reading LotR. This time through I stayed to listen to the Appendices, which helped to straighten out some details of Rings of Power and War of the Rohirrim
Andy does the voices of several characters in the voices of the actors who played them in the movies, notably the four hobbits, Gandalf, and Boromir. That he gives Boromir Sean Bean's Yorkshire accent means all the men of Gondor speak that dialect as well!
I also listened to a newish audiobook of Terry Pratchett's Guards, Guards, the first in his Ankh-Morpork City Watch series. (Although all his Discworld books are interconnected). I've always visualized Sean playing Sam Vimes. Either this reader (Jon Culshaw) agrees with me, and this time around Vimes sounds like Sean, or my American ear is failing me when it comes to British dialects.
I also listened to the quirky but very entertaining Bryant & May's Peculiar London, by Christopher Fowler. This is neither fiction nor non-fiction, but falls in between, with Fowler's characters in his Bryant and May mystery series exchanging stories about genuine---and genuinely odd---corners of London. You could read this without being familiar with the characters, but you'd miss many amusing asides.
I'm now listening to Marble Hall Murders, by Anthony Horowitz, third in his trilogy beginning with Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders. Warning! If you haven't read Magpie you'll be thoroughly spoiled by this one, as it's a direct sequel. The dramatizations of the first two of these have been top-notch, quirky in their own way, and I'm anticipating the dramatization of this one. Lesley Manville, who plays Susan, and Tim McMullen, who plays Atticus, read the audiobook.
On paper, I read Divine Might by Natalie Haynes, an exploration of the characters and stories of the Greek goddesses. It's written in the personal and contemporary style that I've been seeing more frequently, but with a solid academic background. Highly recommended if you're at all into Greek mythology.
I also read the ebook of Making a Killing, the second in the Lambert and Hook British police procedural series by J.M. Gregson. These are nicely written and plotted, even if the author does spend a bit too much time showing and then analyzing details of body language and voice.
And there's a new Peter Grant/Rivers of London book by Ben Aaronovitch, the first since Amongst Our Weapon in 2022. I pre-ordered the audiobook of Stone and Sky (also read by the superb Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) and it's waiting for me like money in the bank. I've also have the ebook on hold at the library since I enjoy both print and audio of such special books.
Which to do first? What a delightful dilemma. 
So what have you been reading?
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
(This post was edited by Lily Fairbairn on Jul 10, 3:52pm)
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