Book Review - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I'm back reviewing books again! No more weird End of Year/New Year's Resolution messages! And the name of these have changed! Bye bye Goodreads - it was a good run - but I think, for the sake of people who don't know my blog does book reviews, am changing your name to Book Review! So, out with the old and in with the new!

Last year, I said I was going to reread all seven Harry Potter books. And I did! I COMPLETED MY CHALLENGE! THROW THE CONFETTI AND LET'S CELEBRATE!!!

I admit, I cheated with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as I didn't read it, but I audiobooked it. The lovely people at Midas asked if I fancied reviewing some audiobooks via Audible and when they offered Harry Potter, I jumped at the chance to listen to Stephen Fry reading Deathly Hallows.

Now, for those of you not sure what Deathly Hallows is about, let me be as brief as possible - then we can have a real discussion about this book. Harry has a mission that Dumbledore has left him: find all of Lord Voldemort's Horocruxes and then kill Voldemort, freeing the magical world of his evil. But with Dumbledore dead, leaving Harry very few clues and Voldemort slowly taking over, how can Harry complete this seemingly impossible task...?

This book very much divide the fandom. Yes, it's the last book in the series and yes, it does do a lot of things the series has been running towards, but it does divide the fandom as most of the book, the main characters are camping/hiding and have very little idea on what they are doing. Which is the entire point! The main characters are seventeen years old and have NO IDEA what they are doing! And even though very little happens, a lot happens at the same time. A lot of character development, plotting, explaining. Yes, it's not as action packed as we all hoped (compare to the previous books), but this book does serve a purpose!

It was refreshing to come back to this book as, compared to the others, I haven't read this as often. I think I have read it once or two (normally, I would reread Philisopher's Stone, Prisoner of Azkaban or Goblet of Fire) so it was nice to go back to the final book in this series, sit down and pay attention to little details and clues.

Stephen Fry is a good narrator and his reading of this book (if not, the whole series) is great as he slows readers down and shows things that we readers miss in our reading run. There were several things in this relistening that I went "How did I miss that?!" or events that happened that, because of Mr Fry's reading, made it all the more emotional (let's not go down that route, shall we?). At times, though, Stephen's voice did seem flat or the character's voice didn't match the voice he used a few minutes prior, but this could be down to a number of reasons so am going to be very kind on this front.

But listening to this was very interesting. We all know the immortal line Mrs Weasley screams at Bellatrix (Gif below) but it was surprising how much swearing Ron and a few other characters got away with. Yes, these characters are adults so yes, they can swear but remember, this series is usually placed in the 8-12 reading range in book shops and libraries so go figure that logic. (But compared to The Casual Vacancy, the swearing in this book was very bare on the ground).

What was also interesting to remember was Ron's return. When he left, it was a shocking moment in the book the first read and seeing this build was a long time coming. Seeing Harry's and Hermione's reaction to his departure was hard, but seeing him return and their reactions was interesting. In the movie, Harry forgives Ron very quickly because Ron saved Harry's life and destroys the Locket Horocrux, and Hermione forgives Ron after a few scenes (mainly after Ron's speech). Even in the movie, he still got a bit of stubbornness because he goes "Of course not, I only destroyed a bloody Horocrux! Won't that change anything?" when Hermione says "This doesn't change anything?"). The book, however, is different. While Harry forgives Ron very quickly, Hermione doesn't forgive till much later in the book. Ron's return upsets Hermione because he left and then, he just returns. Even his story doesn't soften Hermione, who talks to him quite coldly and lofty. Ron has to work hard over the coming days/weeks/months to gain her trust and forgiveness again, but in the movie, because of time frame, it happens much quicker.

My main moment where I love that Hermione's attitude towards Ron and even, up to a point, Harry is when they return to the campsite after destroying the Locket Horocrux and Hermione sees them in The Silver Doe chapter. Let me get the UK hardback and US hardback and get the quotes.

"You - complete - arse - Ronald - Weasley!"

She [Hermione] punctured every word with a blow: Ron backed away, shielding his head as Hermione advances.

"You - crawl - back - here - after - weeks - and - weeks - oh, where's my wand?"

...

"Hermione!" said Harry. "Calm -"

"I will not calm down!" she screamed. Never before had he seen her lose control like this; she looked quite demented. "Give me back my wand! Give it back to me!"

"Hermione, will you please -"

"Don't you tell me what to do, Harry Potter!" she screeched. "Don't you dare! Give it back now! And YOU!"

She was pointing at Ron in dire accusation: It was like a malediction, and Harry could not blame Ron for retreating several steps. 

"I came running after you! I called after you! I begged you to come back!"

"I know," Ron said, "Hermione, I'm sorry, I'm really -"

"Oh, you're sorry!"

She laughed, a high-pitched, out-of-control sound; Ron looked at Harry for help, but Harry merely grimaced his helplessness. 

"You come back after weeks - weeks - and you think it's all going to be all right if you say sorry?" 

(Pages 309 to 310 in UK hardback edition & pages 380 - 381 in US hardback)

"Gosh, what a gripping story," Hermione said in a lofty voice she adopted when wishing to wound. "You must have been simply terrified. Meanwhile, we went to Goodrich's Hollow and, let's think, what happened there, Harry? Oh yes, You-Know-Who's snake turned up, it nearly killed both of us, and then You-Know-Who himself arrived and missed us by about a second."

"What?" Ron said, gaping from her to Harry, but Hermione ignored him. 

"Imagine losing fingernails, Harry! That really puts our sufferings into perspective, doesn't it?"

(Page 311 in the UK hardback edition and pages 382 & 383 in US hardback edition)

Another thing that is interesting is that this is the book we look at Dumbledore and the childhood vision Harry and the readers have of Dumbledore is finally gone. No longer the kindly grandfather/God-like figure, we see him as a man who had huge faults and failings. This is the same with Snape, but Dumbledore was the character I focused on as I am going to write a blogpost about Dumbledore in, hopefully, the near future! 

I loved this series and rereading them in 2015 reminded me why I love the series so. So much so, I am making plans to reread at least one Harry Potter book this year and, hopefully, read Tales of Beedle the Bard, Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them before I go see the stage show and the movie... 

2016 is going to be one busy Potter year! 

New Year Resolutions

Dear Andrew,

I know you don't like thinking about New Year Resolutions as you don't usually stick to them. But with the blog, I thought it would be nice of you to have a few. Just for a while. Plus, these are resolutions are resolutions I think will keep.

So, let's talk about these resolutions for the Pewter Wolf, shall we?

1. Don't stress over the blog
I know you worry about the blog. I know this as you worry you're not good enough or the blog isn't good enough. This has to stop. You shouldn't get yourself into a state over the blog. This is suppose to be a fun full-time hobby. So stop worrying. You're doing good, don't let worrying over it.

2. More rereads (#re3) & try and use your Kindle more...
I know you said you would reread more books over the past few years and last year, you read all seven Harry Potter books and you had fun! You enjoyed doing them, and you always started thinking about rereading other books. So, why not? I'm not going to give you a target but this year, just try to read a few rereads. I think we know what rereads you want to read...

And Kindle... yeah... moving on!

3. Don't double up
Ok, I know you don't do this, but let's try and see if we can keep this going. It's rare that you read the same author back-to-back (I know you read Lemony Snicker back to back for a while, but that was in 2015 to get you out a reading slump, so this doesn't count!), but maybe for a month or two, we should try and make this rule go with genre as well. It would be an interesting challenge.

4. Take more risks
You've done this with the audiobooks you listened to last year and you had have kinda started with the books, but let's push ourselves. Let's go further! You might not like everything you read, but at least you're trying new stuff and things outside your comfort zone. If you want, keep trying new things with audiobooks but be braver with stories! BE BRAVER!

5. Take Blog Breaks (And Stick to Them!)
I know you try and take time away from the blog and not post anything for a month - your RSM - but you changed the dates last month. And you didn't really stick to it. You posted guest posts and you wrote posts for the following month. How about for a month, you take a break from the blog and you stay away from your laptop? It will do you some good to have a break. The world isn't going to end because you take some time off. Ever if it's for a few weeks, do it! Enjoy your non-blogger life. You might like that hot glowing thing in the sky...

6. See resolution one over you feeling like a book blogger fraud
Relax. Breath. You are not faking this so please don't stress over the feeling you are not good enough to be a book blogger, that you are a fake, a fraud. You are not. How many more times will people need to tell you this?

7. Read for fun!
Ok, this is something you are very good at. Just read what you want to read. And to hell with everyone else!

Do you think you can do that, Andrew? Will you at least try?

Glad we had this chat. Ok, off you go into 2016 and to doing that boring thing we call a job...

Quick End of Year Note

So, it's Christmas tomorrow and the end of the year in a few days time, so it's time for us bloggers to write our end of year post. Our favourite reads, our favourite memories, our year...

Instead, I'm going to say something to you. Something I haven't told anyone expect a few people (my Other Half and a few family members). But here we go:

I was going to quit this blog this year.

Of course I haven't quit. I'm still here, writing blogposts and plotting my future posts for this blog. But yes, a few years ago, I had a plan for this blog. A few years ago, when I had started this blog and other cooler book bloggers and UK publishers started to see my blog, I decided to think ahead. Think about when I should call it a day for the blog, just in case.

2015 was my last year of blogging. I had a plan for this year. I would either email all the publishers at the start or the end of this year, then I would give myself 12 months to get all my blog affairs in order - reviews, guest posts, everything to make 2015 the best year ever!

But I changed my mind. I changed my mind back in March, just after I won my Blogger's Blogger award from UKYA Blogger Award. I was excited over the win, honoured beyond belief and thought "Why not?". Plus, I didn't want to call time on this, just yet.

But this year has been a weird year. I won an award, then I panicked for a good few months, worrying that my blog had to be good enough to represent the award. To show that I deserved the win. But you guys never forced me. I forced me. It took till August for me to go, "Wait a minute! Why am I getting in a state over this?" and, once that clicked in my brain, I started to have fun again and plot things. I have something planned in the New Year which I need to announce and write up so... keep eyes peeled.

But this year has been a strange year. I won an award, panicked my blog wasn't good enough, did public speaking (while panicking! Thank God I had wonderful people who were doing the public speaking with me as I had fun and didn't tie myself into physical and mental knots!), got excited over the wave of new and old book bloggers heading this way and the books. Oh, the books!

Shame am only just climbing out of my reading slump, but BOOKS!!! SO MANY EXCITING BOOKS IN MY TBR PILE! Keep your eyes peeled over the course over the next year for them write ups!

And with private life, I moved (a fact some publishers still haven't grasp), got a kitten, still got a wonderful family and Other Half in my life and feel weirdly like am happy with the way my life is going (though the employment front is still a bit hit and miss, but you can't win them all!).

But to everyone (family, friends, publishers, bloggers, authors, readers, the love of my life), I just want to say thank you. I owe you all so much and I have no idea where to start. So thank you. Just thank you.

Before this gets too soppy, 2016. Where am I going with the blog next year? I can answer in one of two ways. The first is this:

The second (and probably more truthful) answer is I don't know. I have no idea. It's going to be one weird blogging journey and you know what? I can't wait to find out. Hopefully, by then, I will be out of my reading slump. Well, here's hoping... Of course, 2016 could be the year I decide to wear more "grown up" clothes... 

WHAT AM I SAYING?!

So, before I leave you to enjoy the next few weeks silence from me, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a Happy start to 2016, and remember...

Sorry, couldn't resist. See you in 2016!

Twas the Night Before Christmas Book Tag

Merry Christmas Eve Eve! A late, last minute blog post as tomorrow is my “Year in Review” post which I hope isn’t that depressing for you guys to read. 

Anyway, I discovered this tag on YouTube a few days ago and I loved it.The “Twas the Night Before Christmas Book Tag” was created by Fred Weasley Died Laughing (WHY?! WHY CALL YOURSELF THAT!? MY HEART!!!) and I discovered it via Mikayla Eve Reads (who pushed me into doing this - will show tweet below!). I will link both their videos now:

So, in case you don’t understand it, The tag is asking bookish related questions based on lines from Twas the Night Before Christmas. And I really liked this idea - I always like a tag video which is a little off centre! So, I tweeted the video this morning (to get more people to view it! Plus, tweeting it made me very nearly late, FYI) and Mikayla tweeted me back with this challenge! 

@PewterWolf13 Why not now? Do it now! DM me your answers & include television show answers for triple points!

— Mikayla (@MikaylaEveReads) December 23, 2015

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! So, my answers will be both book and TV related. This is gonna be a long post, so let’s get started!!! 

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse,” A book/TV that kept you up so late, everyone else was asleep. 

I would have to go with my last read and last TV obsession. The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket. Why this book? Am just crawling out of a reading slump and I wanted to blitz this very quickly before Christmas (so why have I started The Wide Window is anyone’s guess?). For TV, The Blacklist. It’s rare my other half and I find TV shows we watch together but we discovered this via fluke and we have devoured seasons 1 & 2. We need to get the first few episode of season 3 and we’re on it! 

“And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,” A book/TV that made you fall asleep. 

Books rarely make me tired. Am trying to think. I think I fell asleep during my reread of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Not because I don’t like the book. I do (it’s not my fave but I respect it) but I was SO TIRED!!!

TV - I think I was very ill and I think it was either an episode of Qi or some football match. Am sure it was a football match as it was 0-0 at one point and then I woke up and it was 2-0 (was snoring for nearly 20 minutes). Let’s say the footie as I’m not much of a sport fan. 

“When out on the roof there arose such a clatter,I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter,” A book, or a book scene that made your heart race 

With me, it’s usually when a character I love is in danger that makes me sit on the edge of my seat and panic for them! 

I’m currently listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows audiobook and that’s putting me through the ringer at the moment. Am currently in the Battle of Hogwarts chapter and… yep… 

In TV world, the last time my heart raced was when I was watching the season 2 finale of The Blacklist. But I watch way too many shows that have so many twists and turns. 

“when, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,” An object in a book/TV that was utterly magical/or a magical book 

I wanna say a time turner from the Harry Potter series (come on! wouldn’t you?!), but am going to restrain myself and say The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. I adore this world - am hoping to reread the series next year. If not, Clariel & maybe Lirael - but I love Abhorsen’s bells. I find them fasanating. I would be a useless Abhorsen and if I lived in the Old Kingdom, I would be dead within a few minutes! 

I weirdly don’t watch my fantasy-based TV. I know, how very odd of me. So this one’s a bit hard to answer. But I can’t help but thing of a few gadgets from Agent Carter just because!

“With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick,” A twinkle-eyed book/TV character that made you happy. 

I have a load of characters that make me smile when I read. Some are old faves - Luna Lovegood, Mogget, Hermione, etc - and some are new - Simon and Baz, Levi, etc - but am going to go really left-field (aka not YA) in my answer and say Mog from Judith Kerr’s Mog the Forgetful Cat. This and The Tiger Who Came To Tea was my stable of my childhood and as someone who has very young family members, I want to share the love. Plus, the advert featuring Mog is beyond wonderful. 

TV-wise, am going to go Friends and say Phoebe. I love Phoebe. I can’t explain why, but I love her. She’s just goes with the flow and that’s something I wish I could be. Plus, why hasn’t there been a book about her life?! I’m also going to say Agent Peggy Carter from Agent Carter, because not only does she kick butt but she is a strong, kind person who knows who is she and knows her own worth, even when others around her don’t because she’s a woman. Stupid sexist characters.  

“so up to the house-top the coursers they flew, with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too,” A book/TV that made you fly to another land. 

HOGWARTS! (Sorry, but am going to say nothing else but Hogwarts!)

“And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof, the prancing and pawing of each little hoof,” A book/TV creature you love. 

I am a huge fan of mythology creatures so anything in fantasy gets me very excited and very happy. I love daemons from His Dark Materials as I found them interesting to read and people’s opinions on whether they are the person’s soul or not. Although, any animal in Harry Potter holds my heart a little. 

TV is hard as it’s rare for animals to get attention on TV. But am gonna say Jess the Cat from Postman Pat. Not sure why, but Jess the cat. (although the theme song for James the Cat has popped into my head…)

“He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot,” A character that proves to more than his/her first impression 

That’s a hard question.There are so many characters in books that are so much more than their first impression. Not sure how to answer that! Let me have a think about that and will answer on Twitter at a later date. 

Any character from a Shonda Rhimes TV programme comes under this question! My TV obsession is How to Get Away with Murder (winter finale airing in the UK tonight! SO EXCITED OVER WHO SHOT ANNALISE!) so am going to say Annalise as she is such a complex character…

“He had a broad face and a little round belly, that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly,” A book or book character that made you laugh 

I find reading humour in books a bit hard. But I love reading either Magnus Bane from the first 3 Mortal Instruments books and the Infernal Devices and Mogget from The Old Kingdom series. Both make me smile over their humour and how they don’t honestly care about what other people think of them. They know their own self-importance and that is a very important for readers to know. 

I was going to say Friends but that’s my fail-safe answer. But last week, I howled with laughter over Modern Family and a random episode of Undateables. But I always like finding new comedies that actually make me laugh. 

“A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread,” A book/TV that makes you feel safe. 

Harry Potter is my safe series. I always read them when I feel low. And if I ever get into a reading slump, I always go to Sabriel by Garth Nix. It really depends on what kind of safe I need. 

With TV, I love a good comfort TV. So Friends is usually on when I want comfort. But a comedy makes me happy. Although, I loved The Great British Bake Off and that was a safe show for me. Though it made me tension as heck (what if the cake didn’t rise?!)

“He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk,” A book/TB that put you to work (a book/TV that you felt you really needed to concentrate on)

I love a good mystery so am going down that route with this answer. The one that jumps to mind is We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. I remember reading it going “What on earth?!” and it was only after the reveal where I thought over everything and went “How could I have not thought of that?!”

I can’t say Blacklist for this answer. So, am going to say Mr Robot instead. I really liked it but you had to pay so much attention to it. I could only do 2 or 3 episodes as I would get myself into a state over what the hell was happening! 

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" A book/TV with a magnificent ending. 

Ooooh! That’s an interesting question. Endings are very hit and miss with me. Either they are so spot on or so off the mark… You can’t please everyone. 

I want to say Harry Potter up to a point as I agree with that the fight of Hogwarts is needed (bloodbath!), but there are one or two things that make me quite upset. With TV, I want to say Miranda but even now, it doesn’t hit all the mark. I loved that Miranda finally grew up and realised that she didn’t need Gary to complete her, but I’m annoyed as heck that her and Gary got together and married. 

Books And Their Theme Songs - Volume 31

It's very close to Christmas, and because of that, I will be going on a tiny Christmas blog break. But I couldn't leave you without some music. Well, the music I have been listening to while reading the past two months.

So, let's get started! I hope you like...

CARRY ON by Rainbow Rowell
"You Picked Me" by A Fine Frenzy


HALF TRUTH by Sally Green
"Forget" and "I'm A Ruin" by Marina and the Diamonds



YEAR OF YES by Shonda Rhimes
"Where Did The Good Go" by Sara and Tegan & "Cosy in The Rocket" by Psapp

Lucy Saxon Explains Cosplay

I am very excited to welcome Lucy Saxon onto the blog today! Lucy is the author of Take Back the Skies and The Almost King, but she is also a cosplayer. As someone who knows very little about cosplay (my first real interaction of cosplay was from this year's YALC - what a uncultured person I am!), I wanted to know more so when I asked Lucy if she could write a post about cosplay, I didn't think Lucy would reply so happily!

So, thank you Lucy for taking time out to write this! And now, I hand you over to Lucy (if you want to chat to Lucy, check her out on Twitter at @Lucy_Saxon or you could check out Lucy's CosPlay Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LucySaxonCosplay/).

If you ask a cosplayer why they cosplay, you’ll get any answer ranging from ‘because I love it’ to ‘help me, I can’t stop’. My response tends to be towards the latter end of the scale — I do love cosplay, don’t get me wrong, but for something considered a hobby it takes more money, time, and stress than just about anything else in my life, writing included! My friends always laugh at me for being more concerned and anxious over cosplay deadlines than I ever get over book ones. Cosplay can become an addiction; a quest to make the perfect costume, to get the perfect photos, to challenge yourself more and more with each costume choice. A fun addiction, but an addiction nonetheless! 

For me, cosplay is all about expressing love for a character or franchise. In the same way that people create fanart and fanfiction, cosplay is a creative way to put yourself out there as a fan of something, and to use that to connect with other fans of the same thing, by forming cosplay groups or just going up to someone and saying “Hey! I love your costume!”. It’s a form of art, and it’s incredibly satisfying to wear a costume you worked really hard on, especially if you get complimented on said costume! The confidence boost is enormous, and there’s nothing quite like the feeling of becoming one of your favourite characters for a few hours.

Cosplay is a great hobby in that there are varying levels of commitment, so you can put in as much or as little as you’d like; if you want to spend ten months or more building some hugely extravagant costume that’s perfectly accurate and detailed and wonderful, go right ahead. Alternately, if you’d rather buy something off the internet or throw together a quick closet-costume and just focus on enjoying yourself while in cosplay, that’s cool too! There are no real requirements, other than that you consider yourself to be in costume. However, it can become a very slippery slope once you discover the joy that is making and wearing costumes yourself. 

I tend to choose costumes based on how cool they look and how much I love that character, which means things like realism, practicality and my own skill at costuming rarely come into the equation until I’ve already decided I want it. Not the best way of doing things, I’ll admit, but it does mean I get to learn new skills and push myself that little bit further; with cosplay you can start small and build up until you get where you want to be, and then push yourself beyond that. 

Of course, some costumes are more complex than others, and a lot of cosplayers will try and have both low-work and high-work costumes if they can. The more intricate your costume, the more things there are to possibly go wrong while wearing, and chances are it’s probably not all that comfortable! Sometimes it’s nice to have a simpler costume for one or two of the con days, to have a chance to relax. It’s surprisingly exhausting being in costume all day, having to be ‘switched on’ to be asked for photos at any moment, while wearing something that could hinder your movement or comfort a fair bit. In my Hyrule Warriors Zelda costume, I couldn’t sit down for the entire eight hours I was in it!

Usually cosplayers will wear one costume per day of the convention, though I have known people to wear 2 or even 3 in a day if they change partway through! They’re not always new costumes, but even older costumes will sometimes need repairing or parts replacing in the run-up to a convention, so usually cosplayers have plans in place weeks or even months before a convention. Even longer with group efforts; depending on group size, I’ve sometimes been in planning for cosplay groups over a year before they’re due to actually happen. 

A huge amount of self-discipline is needed for cosplay, especially once you’re well and truly hooked. It’s easy to get swept up in it all; plan a dozen huge costumes and agree to a bunch of cosplay groups, then realise you have neither the time nor the funds to do most of it. I’m lucky in that I’m pretty flexible with the time I have to make costumes, due to working at home — most cosplayers have to fit it in around work, or school, or family. I’ve managed to settle into a pretty good routine for balancing cosplay and writing; I plan my costumes around a year in advance, scheduling out when I’ll make which costume and which convention I want to wear it to first. That way I can leave out blocks of non-cosplay time to write or edit, and if a new costume comes along that I absolutely need to make, I’ll switch it out with one already on the list instead of adding it on — otherwise I’d add a new costume every other week!

It’s hard to say exactly what it is about cosplay that gets people from all walks of life interested, but be warned; while we can offer a huge amount of fun, a brilliant community and an excellent skills-based hobby — your bank account and your free time may suffer in the process. Come on down the rabbit hole and join us in the madness!

Press Release - Pride and Prejudice for Audible

Audible has been very busy lately, hasn't it? Got the audiobooks for Harry Potter (at last!), the third dramatisation of Sebastian Fitzek, Passenger 23, as well as a dramatisation of horror, Carmilla and Joe Hill's Locke and Key.

But now, to end the year, Audible is releasing a production of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Read by Rosamund Pike, who most of you will know from the movie Gone Girl, this excites me as I always wondered to read an Austin, but have been a bit scared as it's "An Austin. The Austin", so I will, hopefully, try this out in the coming few weeks.

Here's the press release (thank you Midas PR) and YouTube video of Rosamund talking Austin.

ROSAMUND PIKE PERFORMS JANE AUSTEN’S PRIDE AND PREJUDICE FOR AUDIBLE

NEW RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD AT AUDIBLE.CO.UK

London – 8^h December, 2015 – Audible Studios, a production arm of Audible, today announced the release of Rosamund Pike’s narration of Jane Austen’s beloved classic, Pride and Prejudice. This memorable performance by the Academy Award-nominated star of Gone Girl is now available for download at audible.co.uk/prideandprejudice.

“Pride and Prejudice will always resonate with people because Austen is dealing with a theme that is so universal: falling in love for the first time,” said Pike, whose artistic relationship with the novel dates back to the 2005 film adaptation, in which she played Jane Bennet. “I hope people enjoy what I’ve done with it, and find my characterizations convincing. While narrating this, I was constantly listening, and making recordings of people’s voices which I thought might have some qualities useful for a character – whether it be the person’s tone, intonation, pitch, or cadence of speech. Performing this audiobook has been extremely rewarding for me. It’s made me think afresh about familiar things, and made me again appreciate what a great heroine Austen has given us in Elizabeth Bennet.”

“Pride and Prejudice still captivates modern readers and listeners, and this new recording, makes it easy to see why,” said Audible UK Content Director Laurence Howell. “Austen’s timeless story of romance, family and social dynamics combined with Rosamund Pike’s beautiful performance make this a must-have for devotees of Austen’s novel, and it is a wonderful introduction to the book for a new generation of Austen fans.”

In addition to Pike, among the acclaimed performers who have narrated works of literature for Audible are Aiden Gillen, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kate Winslet, Jesse Eisenberg, and Aidan Gillan. In 2013, Audible Studios won its first Grammy Award, for its production of Janis Ian’s memoir Society’s Child, and also won the Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year, for Colin Firth’s performance of Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair.

Audible, the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word content, invented and commercialized the first digital audio player in 1997, and has since been at the forefront of the explosively growing audiobook download segment. In 2014, listeners around the world downloaded 1.2 billion hours of audio from Audible outlets; Audible members downloaded an average of more than 17 books over the course of the year. Two thirds of new Audible members are first-time audiobook buyers.

ABOUT AUDIBLE, LTD

Audible, an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible’s mission is to establish literate listening as a core tool for anyone seeking to be more productive, better informed, or more thoughtfully entertained. Audible content includes more than 150,000 audio programmes from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the preeminent provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.

Reading Slumps Are a *****!

It's happened. I fear this would happen for quite some time, but it's happened. I have fallen into a reading slump...

I don't know how this happened, dear readers to my blog. One day a few weeks ago, I was fine. I was reading. I was happy. I was like this, dear readers. 

And then, it hit. I was trying to avoid it, but not this time. Not this time... 

I have tried several things over the past few weeks. I have taken this as a book holiday. I have tried to read books that call to me. I have tried to read sample chapters from NetGalley. I have even tried reading Harry Potter. And all of them aren't working! 

So... not exactly sure when am going to recover from this horror! I apologise in advance if my blog goes quiet the next few weeks. I am planning a small blog break over Christmas and New Year but I was going to keep blogging till just before. But now... now not so sure what the plan of action is. 

But, dear readers, I hopefully will kick this reading slump up the rear and will back in my swing in the next few weeks. If not, the New Year. I am plotting stuff.

I am taking time my reading slump break to scare that thing in the corner of the room that is called a television, that red thing called a 3DS and my blue iPod that use to hold my audiobooks but not anymore (and those things called a partner, family and a kitten!). But soon, I will return to the beauty of books. Because, dear readers...