20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

by Carol5 Comments
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea alternates between positively boring and absolutely fascinating. At the story's opening, the seas are (maybe) being terrorized by (maybe) a giant monster. Professor Pierre Aronnax, a French marine biologist and narrator of the story, and his servant Conseil join an expedition leaving from New York to hunt the creature. Also among the crew is a Canadian whaler and master harpoonist, Ned Land. The ship finds the creature after a long search. It attacks, but the creature damages its rudder and our three protagonists are thrown into the water, only to be rescued by the monster, which, as we all know, turns out to be the Nautilus, created and commanded by Captain Nemo. Thus begins their journey of exploration under the seas, during which they travel the titular 20,000 leagues, or over 69,000 miles. First the boring. Aronnax is a biologist and Conseil is gifted at classification and they are both entranced with all the fish and sea creatures...
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A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, adapted by R. D. Carstairs

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, adapted by R. D. Carstairs

by Carol4 Comments
A Christmas Carol tends to be one of my selections every year, whether it be in print, on audio, or watching a movie adaptation. It's just a good story. Ebenezer starts off as an arrogant, obstinate, miserly man, but by the end, he's generous and warm-hearted, a changed man. I listened to the story this time around on the Audible Channel. Honestly, it took me a little while to get used to the full cast. It's just unusual that a story I listen to has more than one, or at most two, narrators. Once I got into it, though, I enjoyed the format. It was like listening to a play with a narrator taking up the pieces that couldn't be handled well through dialogue. It's a traditional Christmas story and I think this format would make it a nice listen for the whole family....
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The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells

by Carol6 Comments
I expected The Invisible Man to be a horror novel, turns out it's more science fiction. He's not a monster, he's just a man. Griffin is a genius scientist who used chemicals and electricity to turn himself invisible. However, after the years of research, when he finally figures out how to do it, it's winter. Does he wait? No, he goes ahead and does it to himself, after testing the solution on a cat, and becomes invisible. Mind you, to not be seen, he has to be naked - in the cold - in England. While he may be brilliant, he is not the best planner. I think I enjoyed The Invisible Man in part because I had no expectations. I knew it was about an invisible man, but I didn't know anything about the plot. Needless to say, life as the invisible man is not easy. He's isolated, often hungry and tired, he can't trust anyone. When he finally finds...
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Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

by Carol4 Comments
Around the World in 80 Days was pretty much what I expected. Phileas Fogg makes a bet with his friends that he can travel around the world in 80 days and sets off with his newly-hired servant, Passepartout. Fogg is a calm, organized, rich man, and nothing throws him. It's basically his money that lets him accomplish his aim. Passepartout has most of the adventures. It's really more about the race against the clock than experiencing the countries they were travelling through. The story was first published in 1872 and it's attitudes toward native cultures are definitely dated. It was interesting to see the view of the America West at that time, though. The blurb makes it sound a bit more exciting than it is. Fogg is a bit too reserved, while Passepartout worries about everything that comes up, we know Fogg will make it work. He is too unflappable. In all honesty, Passepartout is my favorite character. He's the one out in...
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The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

by Carol4 Comments
Yeah, so I'm not a fan of The Picture of Dorian Gray. I'm sorry, but it was kind of boring and I knew how it was going to end. The idea itself is interesting; Dorian doesn't age, but his portrait does and it shows all the signs of his downfall instead of him. Of course, it takes almost half the book to get to that part. it's a much more philosophical book than I though it would be. It touches on the nature of art and on society's adoration of youth and beauty. Sin is obviously important to the story  and what a person will do if they are free from consequences, but I think even more important is the dangers of truly influential people. Dorian wasn't the star for me, his "friend" Henry was. It's Henry who leads him down the hedonistic path. Henry is charming and witty, he theorizes and shocks people. He encourages Dorian, even though he himself seems to...
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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

by Carol3 Comments
How can I really write any comments about Pride and Prejudice that haven't already been written? This is probably my third time reading it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The dialogue, and the story relies on its dialogue, is sparkling and fun. Elizabeth and Darcy are a wonderful couple and complement each other well. This time around I actually chose to read it because my daughter is reading it for her English class and it's nice to be able to discuss the books she's reading at dinner or on car rides. I didn't read A Tale of Two Cities with her, and I only partly remembered Dracula, but I'm glad I joined her in this one. Amber and I have talked about the story some. It's interesting, since she's looking at it from a different perspective. She's 17 and it's the first time she's read it. Neither of those things can be said of me. I think the thing that struck me...
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