Karin Alvtegen: Svik

Utgitt av Lydbokforlaget i 2004.

Lydbok, 7t 16m.

Lest av Andrine Sæther.

The review is in English.

Karin Alvtegen: Skygge

Utgitt av Lydbokforlaget i 2008.
Lydbok, 11t 17m.
Lest av Morten Andresen.



The review is in English.

Johan Theorin: Skumringstimen

Utgitt av Lydbokforlaget i 2008.
Lydbok, 12t 59m.
Lest av Birgitte Victoria Svendsen.
Boka kom opprinnelig ut på svensk i 2007.



The review is in English. :-)

Siân Rees: The Floating Brothel

Published by Review/Headline in 2001/2002.
242 pages + index.

Tom Egeland: Sirkelens ende

Utgitt av Lydbokforlaget i 2005.
Lydbok, 12t 49m.
Lest av Erik Hivju.

Jack Kerouac: På kjøret

Utgitt av Lydbokforlaget i 2006.
Opprinnelig utgitt på engelsk i 1957.
Lydbok, 11t 53m.
Oversatt av Olav Angell, lest av Mads Ousdal.

Harlan Coben: I den skogen

Utgitt av Cappelen Damm i 2009.
Opprinnelig utgitt på engelsk i 2007.
Lydbok, 12t 23m.
Oversatt av Sissel Busk; lest av Christoffer Staib.

Peter Longerich: Dette visste vi ikke noe om!

Utgitt av Forlaget Historie & Kultur, 2007.
528 sider.

Jeg hadde så mye å si om denne boka at det ble to videoer i stedet for en. :-D

Del 1:


Del 2.

Margaret Atwood: Oryx and Crake

Published by Chivers Audio Books in 2004.
Audiobook, obviously; 12h 35m, read by John Chancer.

Karin Fossum: De gales hus

Utgitt av Cappelen i 1999.
372 sider.

Arnaldur Indridason: Vinterbyen

Utgitt av Cappelen Damm i 2008.
Lydbok, 9t 27m, lest av Ivar Nørve.

Ben Elton: High Society

Published by Isis Audiobooks in 2003.
Audiobook, obviously; 12h 45m, read by Greg Wagland.

Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre

Utgitt av Fono Forlag i 2004.
Lydbok, 11t 10m, lest av Marika Enstad.

Kjell Askildsen: En plutselig frigjørende tanke

Utgitt av Lydbokforlaget i 1998.
Lydbok, 2t 25m, lest av forfatteren.

Monique Truong: The Book of Salt

Published by W.F. Howes in 2004.
Audiobook, 12 hours, read by Jeff Woodman.

An audiobook I borrowed at the library and read last month. For a plot summary, go here.

This book is a fictional memoir and also falls into the category of 'foodie books' as it talks a lot - a lot! :-) - about food and things related to food, and entwines its story with these concepts. And it does so very beautifully. I enjoyed this book tremendously in many ways. One of them that I have to mention is the reader. Woodman has a very expressive voice and he reads this book in a way that is very intimate and personal. I really enjoyed his reading here and have enjoyed it elsewhere too. He's definitely becoming a plus for me in my selection of audiobooks.

The plot of this book was very intriguing to me and the setting very convincingly described. A lot of fun characters and entertaining little scenes. The book has many amusing moments but overall is very poignant and sad. An emotional story, a creative and original work. Very well written ... touching without being blatant about it. I enjoyed reading it and I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

David Mitchell: Cloud Atlas

Published by Isis in 2005.
Audiobook, 21h 30m, read by various.

I 'read' this book last month, and I have to say that I have never enjoyed any audiobook more. I picked it up from the library totally on an impulse - I didn't know anything about it other than that it is on the list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. The very vague ideas I had formed about it bore no relation to reality, as it turned out. I started listening with a completely blank slate. At first I was very confused, but pretty soon I was enthralled, amazed and deeply impressed.

I'm sure this book is a great read as a regular printed book as well, but it is ideally suited for the audio format as it is comprised of six different stories, each with its own narrator, and in the audiobook these have all been given their own voices. IMO all the readers did a fantastic job, they were all well chosen and they all read their sections superbly. I loved listening to them all and was completely won over by this book.

I won't go into the plot, I don't think, because I don't know where I'd be able to stop. ;-) It's a complicated story, or rather six complicated stories, all of them entangled in each other, and all of them intriguing, well constructed and well written. Each centers on one character who has some connection to the next in line. The book is constructed as a pyramid ... and I'll leave you to find out exactly what I mean by that. ;-) You can read more about the book and its author here. It's pretty fascinating. I am so happy that I read this book.

This book was a completely enthralling read. I could, metaphorically speaking, hardly put it down. I was sad to see it end. I think it may well end up to be my #1 read this year. It's so clever, such an intelligent and complicated construction of stories ... it's original, it's inspired ... it's so well written, the author adapts his language to each character and they are all so believable. The settings are fascinating and the plots engrossing. I was so impressed with this book. I can't believe that I'd never really heard of the author before now. I will so definitely be reading more of his books. He is a brilliant writer. :-)

Don't miss this book. I seriously cannot recommend it enough.

Tracy Chevalier: Girl with a Pearl Earring

Published by W.F. Howes in 2003.
Audiobook, 8 hours, read by Ruth Ann Phimister.

A book I wanted to read because I've heard a lot about it - a lot of positive things - and because I saw the movie when it came out and enjoyed it a lot. Of course, Colin Firth ... but I also liked the story and the setting. I do like a good historical drama, so I decided to finally try this book.

Not sure any plot summary is necessary, but here it is: Our heroine, Griet, is from a respectable family that has fallen on hard times because her father has lost his eyesight and thus can no longer work. Griet is the oldest child - 14, as fas as I recall - and as such has to do her share for the family. A place is found for her in a household where the husband is a respected painter and the wife is a baby-making machine. They're low on cash - because he paints so slowly - and in need of an extra pair of hands. Griet doesn't quite fit in, and at first is unhappy in the Vermeers' home, but as the time passes she settles in more and more. During her daily shopping trips she gets to know a boy at the market ... and during her work in the house she gets to know her master and his quirks. She becomes more and more impressed with the great artist's work. In fact she can hardly tear herself away. But the society she lives in is very strict and its rules are not to be trifled with. What will her master ask of her, and what will she choose to do ... ?

A very low-key story with a fascinating and extremely well described setting. I totally believed in this recreation of 17th-century Delft. The characters were very well-rounded and convincing. Although not a lot happens - the plot is hardly action-packed - the story is both moving and fascinating. The reader does a fantastic job - I had never heard of her before coming across this audio edition but her voice is perfect as Griet's. She does an amazing job and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing her read this novel.

I will definitely be reading more by this author. :-)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Purple Hibiscus

Published by Whole Story Audio Books in 2005.
Audiobook, 12h 15m, read by Lisette Lecat.

I picked this book basically because I've heard good things about the author, although I had never read her before, and because I was interested in reading a book from Nigeria. I had actually looked at the book before too, but had never had an opening, so to speak. :-) But then one day I needed a new audiobook and this was on the shelf.

Very luckily, in fact, as it was a wonderful read. A low-key but absorbing story with fascinating characters, beautifully narrated. I enjoyed the book tremendously and will definitely be returning to this author.

Brief plot summary: The main character, Kambili, is a teenage girl who lives with her father, mother and brother in a prosperous home. Her father is a successful businessman, but he is also domineering, overbearing, obsessed with his religious ideals and determined that his whole family be picture perfect. He sets impossible standards for his two children, who almost erase their own identities striving to live up to his demands. They've lived with this man their whole lives, and so don't see the way he is metaphorically suffocating them ... terrible things happen in their comfortable home, but they don't impinge properly on Kambili and her brother Jaja. Not until they spend some time with their father's sister Ifeoma and her family. Aunt Ifeoma opens their eyes to just how messed up their own family is. But what are they to do? Both of them are so beaten down by their father's possessiveness and his crushing ideals. Kambili almost despairs at the thought of going back to her locked-up life, but feels there's nothing she can do. Jaja, on the other hand, refuses to let things go back to how they were. And as their mother too is touched by the need for change, an opportunity opens for Jaja to really make a difference ...

A beautiful story, actually, despite its tragedy. The setting is fascinating and the characters very believable and well-rounded. Very well written. The narrator reads the book wonderfully, I thought her voice was completely convincing as the timid and oppressed Kambili. A fascinating plot, and a story that shows very well how religion can destroy the human mind. A book I definitely recommend.

Qiu Xiaolong: Når rødt er sort

Utgitt av Forlaget Press i 2006.
Opprinnelig utgitt i 2004.
Oversatt av Jan Verner-Carlsson.

Dette var den andre boka for meg av denne forfatteren. Den første leste jeg for et års tid siden. Xiaolong skriver kriminalmysterier som foregår i Shanghai i Kina (forøvrig forfatterens fødeby) rundt 1990. Deng Xiaoping har nylig satt i gang med 'åpningen' av Folkerepublikken og det er store omveltninger i det kinesiske samfunnet. Vår helt, kriminalførstebetjent Chen, har gammeldagse verdier og føler seg til tider som en fremmed fugl i det nye samfunnet som er i ferd med å vokse frem.

I denne boka skal ikke Chen egentlig jobbe ... i hvert fall ikke som politi. Han arbeider ved siden av politijobben med noen oversettelser nå og da, og nå har han fått et meget stort prosjekt i hende. Han får permisjon fra jobben for å konsentrere seg om dette oppdraget. Så når en kvinnelig forfatter blir funnet død i sitt eget hjem er det hans nestkommanderende Yu som må ta saken. Han jobber hardt, men saken er vanskelig, og til slutt kreves det en innsats fra Chen for å få samlet trådene og komme til bunns i saken.

Jeg likte denne boka godt, akkurat som den første jeg leste. Jeg synes det er kjempeinteressant å lese en krim med en så original og uvanlig setting (uvanlig i alle fall for meg :-). Boka er godt skrevet og godt oversatt - ganske poetisk i språket, faktisk. Persongalleriet er spennende og troverdig, plottet er godt konstruert og historien er spennende med innslag av humor som aldri virker malplassert. Alt i alt en meget lesverdig bok og en forfatter jeg helt sikkert kommer til å lese mer av. :-) Anbefales for alle som vil lese en krim utenom det vanlige.

Marianne Fastvold: Kjærlighet for viderekomne

Utgitt av Gyldendal i 2008.

Denne boka leste jeg for et par måneder siden i forbindelse med lesesirkelen min. Jeg ville ikke ha lest den på eget initiativ og det ville jeg ha gjort rett i. :-) Denne boka likte jeg ikke.

Kort fortalt handler boka om en kvinne, Anne, som går fra det ene forholdet til det andre og tilpasser seg som best hun kan til 'the man of the moment'. Hun faker interesse i ting hun egentlig ikke bryr seg om og skifter meninger etter hva mannfolka er opptatte av. Mao så er tematikken i denne boka noe som både er uinteressant for meg og som innerst inne byr meg imot. Boka har layout som nærmest en serie noveller - disse er tildels ganske gode (objektivt sett :-) men skjemmes av diverse 'mellomtekster' som tydeligvis er ment å binde hovedtekstene sammen, men som virker helt overflødige. De består mye av gjentagelser og av 'spoonfeeding' til leseren. Disse delene av boka burde ha vært luket ut - en eller annen redaktør har ikke gjort jobben sin her.

Boka er ganske godt skrevet, men IMO er persongalleriet uinteressant og ikke helt troverdig, historien er urealistisk og slutten er dårlig. Slutten er faktisk ganske merkelig. Historien foregir å skulle foregå i den virkelige verden, den skal være realistisk, noe som faktisk kan skje. Men det blir rarere og rarere og mot slutten sklir det helt ut. Jeg vil ikke avsløre noe, men slutten på denne boka er helt i tåkeheimen. Den ødela hele boka for meg ... jeg syntes ikke den var så ille frem til da, bare ganske intetsigende, men slutten ødela den. Boka som helhet kan jeg ikke tro på ett sekund.

En veldig lite givende leseropplevelse, grei nok tidtrøyte, men fort glemt. Denne forfatteren kommer jeg ikke til å lese noe mer av.