Score! I, Claudius, Robert Graves

One of the first audiobooks I listened to (back in 1992, I believe) was I, Claudius. Written by Robert Graves, read by Nelson Runger, and produced in unabridged form by Recorded Books, this is still one of my favorite audiobook readings ever. The copy I listened to belonged to the public library. I listened to it again the next year, and went back for it a couple of years later ... only to find the library had sold it in one of their book sales. Apparently, I was the only one to ever have checked it out. I'm sure it's shelf space was given to a Clive Cussler potboiler, or something equally unworthy.

Anyway, I have been keeping my eyes open for a copy for years. I happened to think about it tonight, after learning that BBC radio aired an abridged reading of the book in 2007. So I checked eBay, that great bazaar where we all buy back our past at some point or another, and there it was. $13.00, including shipping/handling, and it's mine! All mine!

Now I just have to do the work of converting the cassettes to mp3's ... a process at which I am an old hand.

If you have never read this tale of a most unlikely (and surprisingly likable) Roman Emperor who survives all the malicious plots of his scheming relatives, you should. I have never seen the television productions, myself, which makes me a bit of an oddity. (Anyone who happens to know the title I, Claudius, is more likely to have seen the TV series than read the book.) The sequel, Claudius the God, is also pretty good. (And there is a Nelson Runger recording of it as well.) Having read that book once, though, I don't have any desire to return to it.

#20: The Archer's Tale, Bernard Cornwell

The Archer's Tale, a.k.a. Harlequin, is my first introduction to the fiction of Bernard Cornwell. Cornwell is a prolific writer of historical fiction and is best known for his novels about Richard Sharpe, a soldier in the colonial British army. (A quick count of his Wikipedia entry indicates there are about two dozen "Sharpe's ***" novels alone.

While this book ranks slightly lower on Amazon.com than some of Cornwell's other novels (4 stars), I thought it was a very enjoyable adventure story with some nice historical trappings. It is the first book in the Grail Quest Trilogy, and I'm pretty certain I will pick up the other two, even though The Archer's Tale is a self-contained story. The story is definitely devoted to high action and an agile plot. I would call it a Romantic tale, if it weren't for the fairly realistic gore. To achieve this style, Cornwell does occasionally push the envelope of believability. However, I am pretty sensitive to such things and it never reached the tearing point for me. Had it done so, I would probably be writing a sarcastic review now, rather than contemplating reading the next two novels n the trilogy.

"The archer" is Thomas of Hookton, an English longbowman in 14th century England. Thomas joins the forces of King Edward the Third to fight against France at the beginning of the Hundred Years War. The story begins with the sacking of Thomas' home town, Hookton, and the death of his father, the village priest. Worse, the town's holy relic, the lance of St. George is stolen. The story revolves around Thomas' quest to establish himself as a longbowman, a vocation his father most definitely did not want him to pursue, and to recover the lance. The holy grail is mentioned in the story, but its real importance seems to be a matter for the sequels.

Quick facts:
400 pages, genre=historical fiction (adventure), pub. in 2005

#19: Diary, Chuck Palahniuk

Diary is about Misty Wilmot, a once-upon-a-time artist who lives with her daughter, overbearing mother-in-law, and the memory of her husband, a failed suicide in a persistant vegitative state. Misty is doing her best to make ends meet, but it doesn't seem good enough for her daughter and mother-in-law, who both want her to take up the brush again and paint a masterpiece that will save them from poverty.

If you think this sounds like one of those toothless modern fiction stories about real people with sucky lives, well, you would be wrong. It's much more sinister than that, though I would be doing the book a disservice to explain that comment any further. Perhaps it would be enough to tell you that Chuck Palahniuk also wrote Fight Club.

Reading this book is like trying to pass a horrible highway accident without rubber-necking. You really don't want to look. Your first glimpse shows you something vaguely nauseating and frightening, and rather than looking away, you stare harder. Even though you don't want to know more or see more, you stare harder. Because you have to. Yep, that's what Diary is like. Have a great time. Try not to dream about it. Might as well leave a light on when you go to bed.

On a quick side note, as a person who used to paint a lot, was pretty good at it, but does't much anymore. Wow! Palahniuk writes a psychological portrait that seems real to me. Either he used to be a painter himself, or he has done his research, or he has a pretty amazing empathy for other creative types.

In the final analysis, Palahniuk is a masterful writer, but it takes some fortitude to read his dark prose. I am pretty certain I will pick up another of his books soon. I'm just as certain it will be at least a month or two before I'm brave enough.

Quick facts:
261 pages, genre=horror, pub. in 2003

D. Kelley Fine Used Books, Newport, RI (USA)

I love finding a new bookstore, don't you?

From time to time in this blog I'm going to give a nod to great "unchained" bookstores that I discover. (I might also talk about some of my favorites from past encounters.) These will primarily be used bookstores, but will also include those rare bookstores that sell new books but are not part of a chain. (I have nothing against chains, by the way, but they are easy to find and they are pretty much the same experience no matter which town you find them in.)

I would also like to hear about your favorite unchained bookstores. As soon as I collect a dozen or so, I'll put them in a Google map and share it.

Today I want to point you to D. Kelley Fine Used Books in Newport, Rhode Island (330 Broadway, (401) 846-4140). I discovered this book store while on a recent business trip. I needed the third book in the Len Deighton Game-Set-Match trilogy, and I knew it was out of print. I happened to drive by this corner store, stopped, and there was London Match on the shelf!

I wish I had talked with the owner some, so I could share his story here. I'll remember that next time. All I can tell you is that this was a cozy, old, hardwood-floored store with lots of room between the aisles. The selection was rich, if not expansive; it had more quality than quantity. Obviously, it's better to have both, but if you have to skimp on one or the other, this is the right mix.

The store manager took the time to comment on my purchase and we agreed that cold war spy fiction had kind of seen its day ... that most people today wanted to read something more current in this genre, usually involving terrorists. At least that was our rationalization why such a fine series of books could be out of print.

#18: London Match, Len Deighton

This is just a quick not to say I finished the Game, Set, Match trilogy by Len Deighton. It continued strong to the end. The third book had more action scenes in it, perhaps, than the other two. It felt a bit more "hollywood."

Quick facts:
416 pages, genre=thriller, pub. in 1985