Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

(Random House Audio, 2015)

Read by January LaVoy

This title is a nominee in the 2016 Audie Awards: Young Adult Category

From Goodreads: “After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O’Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. With her uncanny ability to read people’s secrets, she’s become a media darling, earning the title “America’s Sweetheart Seer.” Everyone’s in love with the city’s newest It Girl…everyone except the other Diviners.

Piano-playing Henry DuBois and Chinatown resident Ling Chan are two Diviners struggling to keep their powers a secret—for they can walk in dreams. And while Evie is living the high life, victims of a mysterious sleeping sickness are turning up across New York City.

As Henry searches for a lost love and Ling strives to succeed in a world that shuns her, a malevolent force infects their dreams. And at the edges of it all lurks a man in a stovepipe hat who has plans that extend farther than anyone can guess…As the sickness spreads, can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld to save the city?”

Creepy, taut, and populated by a diverse gang with varying abilities and strengths, book 2 of the Diviners series makes good on the promise of book 1. Having defeated an actual demon, Evie’s personal demons have her at bay, while Ling and Henry delve into dreamworlds that Bray seems to delight in creating expressly so her readers can no longer sleep easy. There’s less outright horror and more pervasive terror in this novel, with hints of creepiness to come in future installments.

January LaVoy is a stunning narrator. Lyrical, strong, witty. She handles the myriad voices and accents and emotional tones with ease, never overdoing anything, not even the creepiest dream-whispers. This novel would be a challenge for anyone to narrate, and it’s wonderful for us all that she’s paired up with Bray for this series.

This is my pick to win the Audie!

Armchair Audies Category Report: Teen Fiction

I love listening to YA books. It works well with my desire to listen while on the job, generally - being more plot-driven than writerly - so as long as it's not too full of vampires and self-indulgently tragic teens, I like it. So I was delighted to sign up to opine about the Audies Teens category for the Armchair Audies.

Here are the nominees - as I said with my post about the Literary Fiction category, the 'read' link below includes a sound sample so you can judge my judging. 

INHERITANCE Christopher Paolini Read by Gerard Doyle (Listening Library) Read the review
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS John Green Read by Kate Rudd (Brilliance Audio) Read the review
ENCHANTED Alethea Kontis Read by Katherine Kellgren (Brilliance Audio) Read the review
THE DIVINERS Libba Bray Read by January LaVoy (Listening Library) Read the review
DODGER Terry Pratchett Read by Stephen Briggs (Harper Audio) Read the review

I have thoughts. :)

Inheritance is in last place for me. It's not Gerard Doyle's fault - I've enjoyed his narration of the Eragon series, he's great with tension and emotion and all the funny names involved. But this book didn't need to be 31 hours long. It didn't need to be 21 hours long. The convoluted wrapping up of the series just didn't flow nicely for me, so I was too often bored or frustrated while listening. So blame Christopher Paolini - or his editor - and enjoy anything else Doyle narrates.

The next three are all yummy texts, so it's harder to rank them. I'll put Diviners at the bottom of the bunch, despite my major fondness for Libba Bray, whose Beauty Queens I (correctly) pegged as the Narration by Author Audie winner last year. January LaVoy's narration is sweet and she handled the tension really well, but there is something a little too plummy about her voice that keeps me at a distance. I felt that this book - which takes place in the world of flappers and mysterious happenings in 1920s New York - should have had a narrator whose voice was younger and a little rawer. It's rare that I think a book would be better in print (as opposed to just as good, or better), but I wish I'd read this one instead of listening. 

Dodger, as I've said, is a grand character in a not-quite-grand-enough book. I loved listening to it, because Stephen Briggs was as sharp and bright and clever as the character he was telling us about, but Terry Pratchett's novel wasn't quite the gem I'd wished it to be. 

A gem in truth: Alethea Kontis's Enchanted. It is a treasure of a book, and Katherine Kellgren is pure magic as a narrator of YA books. (Of others, too - I follow her from genre to genre, but rarely in non-YA is she called upon to growl or howl or croak.) Her characters, be they human or fairy or frog, are charming and true and as I posted when I first listened to this book, I was caught up from beginning to end of the entire tale. Though I think Kellgren should automatically win every award, and I consider this as exemplary as it gets, I suspect the winner this year will be:

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, narrated by Kate Rudd. There's a reason everyone you know has read this, even if they don't have teens in their lives pushing it on them. It's sweet and sad and smart and so very superb. I'll repeat: an amazing listen, but difficult, especially if you're not into bawling with headphones on. Rudd has an excellent teen voice, sarcastic and unsure and headlong and scared as the plot demands (and this plot demands a lot, emotionally, from the reader.) All thumbs up.

I Get Judge-y About Audiobooks, Junior

Okay, you've all devoured my thoughts about the Narration By Author or Authors category in the upcoming Audies Awards, but never fear! My Armchair Audies work continues. I also listened to all of the books in the Teens category, and what a strong category is was. Check out the nominees:

Teens To Category List PICK-UP GAME: A Full Day of Full CourtMarc Aronson, Charles R. Smith Jr. Read by Dion Graham Bernstine, Quincy Tyler (Brilliance Audio/ Candlewick) Read the review
CHIMEFranny Billingsley Read by Susan Duerden (Listening Library) Read the review
OKAY FOR NOWGary D. Schmidt Read by Lincoln Hoppe (Listening Library) Read the review
THE WAKE OF THE LORELEI LEE: Being an Account of the Adventures of Jacky Faber, on Her Way to Botany BayL.A. Meyer Read by Katherine Kellgren (Listen & Live Audio) Read the review
BEAUTY QUEENSLibba Bray Read by Libba Bray (Scholastic Audiobooks) Read the review

I already talked in more detail about Libba Bray, L.A. Meyer, Gary D. Schmidt, and Franny Billingsley, so let me start with the stories edited by Marc Aronson and Charles R. Smith, Jr. Pick-Up Game is a tightly constructed series of interwoven stories by different writers, linked by poems and photos of the basketball court, and it has a kaleidoscopic joy and tension holding it together. The narration by Dion Graham Bernstine and Quincy Tyler is rhythmic, at times melodic, and the production sound effects work seamlessly with the narration and the text to bring the day of street ball to vivid life. This is one of those cases when having the book would be great, because the photos and layout tell the story, too. But if opting between the two versions (paper and audio), I'd still go with audio because the voices are so rich.

In general, this category is incredibly strong. I have been listening to more and more teen/YA audio in recent years - in part because it's great for listening while at work (except for when it compels me to tears, as so often happens. I'm a crier.) But I also think that more and more great YA audiobooks are being produced. There is a serious wealth of titles out there, so it makes sense that five such strong contenders are on the table now.

So I'm ranking Pick-Up Game, Chime, and Okay for Now in a tie for 3rd place. I think Pick-Up Game had the most effective production values, Chime had the most compelling voice, and Okay for Now had the strongest ability to transport me into the story and not let me go until 'The End.'

In 2nd place, Beauty Queens, which as I explained for the Narration by Author or Authors category (in which I pick this title to win), is an entirely captivating and delightful story, told with charming skill. Mad props to Bray, of course, for such a strong showing when up against narrators who really excel at interpreting books for a living. Sometimes when I'm writing I read parts of the novel to myself, and sure, I'm untrained and Bray isn't, but let's just say that when I publish my book, I'm not going to be the one narrating the audio version. (You can picture me knocking on wood here, fyi.)

And the top prize in my opinion goes to The Wake of the Lorelei Lee. I'm a fan of Meyer's series, and an even bigger fan of Kellgren's narrations of them. This title, with the myriad voices and accents, the constant singing and fighting and longing and loving, was a true wonder to listen to. It was one of my favorite audiobook listening experiences ever, and I hope this duo continue to work together for another dozen Jacky Faber adventures.

Good luck to all the nominees. It's, as I said, a great slate of titles, and it was a joy to listen to them for this project.

I Get Judge-y About Audiobooks, Vol. I

The Audies Awards for awesome audiobooks will be announced anon (I have very little impulse control, sorry.) My Armchair Audies work has proceeded apace. By that I mean that I listened to the Teen & Narration by Author or Authors categories, and had a chance to hear a few titles from several other categories as well. I have thoughts. And opinions. And recommendations. So, here is the list of nominees for Narration by Author or Authors:

Narration by the Author or Authors To Category List STORIES I ONLY TELL MY FRIENDS: An AutobiographyRob Lowe Read by Rob Lowe (Macmillan Audio) Read the review
BEAUTY QUEENSLibba Bray Read by Libba Bray (Scholastic Audiobooks) Read the review
DRAMA: An Actor's EducationJohn Lithgow Read by John Lithgow (Harper Audio) Read the review
SERIOUSLY . . . I'M KIDDINGEllen DeGeneres Read by Ellen DeGeneres (Hachette Audio) Read the review
BOSSYPANTSTina Fey Read by Tina Fey (Hachette Audio) Read the review

Okay, let's talk criteria. The Audies site says only that the awards recognize "distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment," which is a pretty broad basis for judging. Production values, narrative technique, ability to engage the listener, preferably in a way that makes listening to a title even better than reading it would be - it's all part of the package, in my opinion.

Balancing that, particularly in this category, is just that ephemeral thing: what I like. So, given all of that, it was easy to pick the two books that wouldn't be my top choice. 

Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends is a good book. He has a distinctive and often engaging voice, and I'm glad this project pushed me into listening, because not a chance would I have otherwise. But his tendency to give odd or effete voices based, it seemed, on his personal feelings was unappealing. In addition, his text is great for anyone who loves Rob Lowe, but it has a certain tabloid-y lack of depth that did nothing to leave this book stuck in my gut afterwards.

Ellen DeGeneres's Seriously... I'm Kidding is funny. Her narration is great - she can deliver a punch line like nobody's business (well, like it's her business, which it is), and she's so conversational, friendly, and wry. But this book is sketches, not a narrative. I didn't feel it gave me anything, as a product, I couldn't get from hearing her do stand-up, and I'm not a big fan of listening to stand-up comedy. I'm a big fan of books, with story arcs and themes and forward momentum. If you like anecdotes, and Ellen DeGeneres, you'll love this, I'm sure. But it just didn't do much for me. 

Now, about the other three. I wouldn't be shocked or disappointed if John Lithgow's Drama: An Actor's Education won. It's not my favorite, which comes down to a lack of much interest in the subject (I mean, he's a nice guy, and I got a ton of flavor from his tales, but the acting profession is so far away from my realm that seeing his journey across the boards just wasn't my thing.) I'll tell you what all of those years on stage and screen and in acting classes did, though, and that is to create a brilliant storyteller. John Lithgow can really draw in the listener, and the book itself is well-written.

Rounding out the celebrity portion of this category is Tina Fey's Bossypants. Now this is a witty, interesting book and Tina Fey reads the heck out of it. She has excellent comic timing and a far better use of narrative elements than the other three Hollywood types in this bunch. I pretty much think everyone should listen to this book, because Fey has something to say, and an excellent way of saying it. This title was nominated in an amazing four categories (Humor, Biography/Memoir, and Audiobook of the Year in addition to this one) and I totally get that. It's bound to win something. It's an ambassador of audiobooks - if you are foolish enough not to love listening to books as much as I do, I dare you to listen to this and still feel the same. 

But my pick to win this category is to Libba Bray's Beauty Queens. The production is a great deal of fun, and the story is hilarious and goofy and brilliant. Plus, Libba Bray does amazing work with voices, even what should be grating teeny-girl-airhead voices. She strands a handful of teenage beauty queens from various American regions on an island to face horrors and enemies and each other, with interjections from The Corporation's advertorials, and it ought to be enough to confuse the listener. Too many talkative characters for one narrator is one of the bigger pitfalls for audiobooks not narrated well. Libba Bray's command of everyone in her book makes that a non-issue. 

So perhaps my bias towards fiction is informing this choice overmuch, but I really feel that the clear winner in this category is Libba Bray's Beauty Queens. Can't wait to see if I'm right!

I know I say this all the time, but these are some good books

New-to-me author (and how I do love good new-to-me authors) Chris Adrian's latest, The Great Night, went around tickling my brain's funny-bone through every chapter. It's a retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which I listened to a couple of months ago, set in Buena Vista Park in San Francisco. Three would-be-party-going mortals are trapped in the park along with Titania and her crew, a rampaging Puck, and a group of homeless people-cum-theatre troupe with a beef against the mayor. There's romping and running, magic and menace, and a lot of the aftermath of heartbreak. Adrian is very playful, although the core of the story is sad and lonely - the dichotomy can be disconcerting. But I have faith that, somewhere beyond the pages, Jordan Sasscock will move his party into the park and restore a missing balance to a lot of lives, faerie and otherwise.

My first Libba Bray encounter (A Great and Terrible Beauty) was enough to put her on my "read everything she's ever written, STAT" list, which leaves me terribly impatient now that I'm done with the catalogue and have to wait for new titles. Fortunately, my hunger has been slightly slaked thanks to Beauty Queens, her excellent tale of a bunch of pageant teens who crash on a deserted island only to discover darkness afoot. They also discover some personal depths to accompany their skin-deep beauty; even the seemingly-tritest revealing to themselves and each other that they're good for a lot more than walking well in sparkly dresses. Bray throws in reality-show pirates, eco-warriors, corporate/government hybrid manipulations, and some funky flora and fauna to keep the beauty queens on their toes, even though their high heels were lost in the plane crash. I listened to the audio, read by the author, which was a huge treat.

Started Early, Took My Dog is Kate Atkinson's fourth Jackson Brodie novel - the private investigator just can't seem to settle down into a nice, quite retired life. He is, as always, drawn into the past of a missing girl, and it is his dogged determination to see things through as much as any investigative skill or luck that sees him through the twists and turns ahead. I enjoy the long, slow arc of Jackson realizing a bit about himself as well as Atkinson's clever references, smashing details, and evocative literary tour through England. She is another author I've followed faithfully for years, and although her Brodie books are a departure from the rest, everything she publishes is entertaining and worthwhile.