Title: Wedding Night 
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Date(s) read: May 13 – 15, 2013
Genre: Chick Lit
Source: Library (Hardcover)

Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose during lunch at one of London’s fanciest restaurants. But when his big question involves a trip abroad, not a trip down the aisle, she’s completely crushed. So when Ben, an old flame, calls her out of the blue and reminds Lottie of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. No formal dates—just a quick march to the altar and a honeymoon on Ikonos, the sun-drenched Greek island where they first met years ago.

Their family and friends are horrified. Fliss, Lottie’s older sister, knows that Lottie can be impulsive—but surely this is her worst decision yet. And Ben’s colleague Lorcan fears that this hasty marriage will ruin his friend’s career. To keep Lottie and Ben from making a terrible mistake, Fliss concocts an elaborate scheme to sabotage their wedding night. As she and Lorcan jet off to Ikonos in pursuit, Lottie and Ben are in for a honeymoon to remember, for better . . . or worse.

Have you entered my GIVEAWAY for this book yet?

I simple ADORE Sophie Kinsella. When I’m feeling down or maybe a bit bored with my reading, I know that one of her books will pick me up. No, they’re not literary classics, but they’re FUN — and sometimes we need that in our reading!

This book really was no different than some of her last ones. It was just a fun, fun read and exactly what I was looking for. One thing I love about the characters in Sophie’s books is that you come to care about them — you feel for them, even if they’re making stupid mistakes. And while you’re caring, you’re laughing, because you really can’t NOT laugh while reading one of these books.

I loved that this book was written with two narrators, Lottie and Fliss, two sisters. It was also great that it wasn’t solely about Lottie, but also about Fliss and her search for romance and love.

Of course, it’s not like this book is realistic AT ALL, but that’s so not the point. One thing that you have to remember when you go into reading a book like this is that no, it might not happen in real life, but isn’t that why we read books like this? The setting was a perfect escape and the characters provided heart and a bit of comedy. I FLEW through this book and I’m so happy I could get my hands on it (big thanks to the ladies I work with, who lent it to me before it got on the shelves!).

Sophie Kinsella will always be one of those “must-buy” authors on my list because her books are just the perfect read for a dreary day, or even for a sunny day on the deck or at the beach!

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Thanks to EMG and Random house, I have three (3) copies of Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella to give away to three (3) of my Canadian readers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway (<– Click here to enter!)

Rules:

• Open until July 9, 2013.
• Open to Canadian Residents ONLY.
• No P.O. Boxes (must have a physical address for shipping).

Release Date: April 23, 2013
Publisher: The Dial Press
Pages: 446

Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose during lunch at one of London’s fanciest restaurants. But when his big question involves a trip abroad, not a trip down the aisle, she’s completely crushed. So when Ben, an old flame, calls her out of the blue and reminds Lottie of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. No formal dates—just a quick march to the altar and a honeymoon on Ikonos, the sun-drenched Greek island where they first met years ago.

Their family and friends are horrified. Fliss, Lottie’s older sister, knows that Lottie can be impulsive—but surely this is her worst decision yet. And Ben’s colleague Lorcan fears that this hasty marriage will ruin his friend’s career. To keep Lottie and Ben from making a terrible mistake, Fliss concocts an elaborate scheme to sabotage their wedding night. As she and Lorcan jet off to Ikonos in pursuit, Lottie and Ben are in for a honeymoon to remember, for better…or worse.

 To read an EXCERPT of this book, click HERE.

Watch a video of Sophie talking about her new book:

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: J. K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter, #2
Date(s) listened: March 17 – April 1, 2013
Genre: YA Magic
Source: Borrowed

Length: 9 hours 40 minutes (Unabridged)
Narrated by: Stephen Fry
Published by: BBC Audiobooks (April 1, 2009)

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girl’s bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley’s younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble beings, and someone–or something–starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects…Harry Potter himself.

One thing I’m noticing, while I reread the Harry Potter books through audiobook, is that they are the PERFECT books to listen to on audio — as well as the perfect books to reread. It’s been years since I first read the series, but since then I’ve seen the movies countless times. Even having only the movies in my head, it’s amazing how easily I can be drawn right back into the books.

To me, no book in the series adds up to that first read of the first book — what with it being such a special surprise when you’re not expecting it. But it’s always within those first few chapters of each book that makes me remember how much I love the series as a whole. One thing I do love is that this story starts to take a darker turn from where we left of in year one. I like that the darker themes are introduced bit by bit as the series progresses, so that it’s not so jarring when we start to get the really dark themes by the end.

But, seeing as this is book number two, the darker themes are kept to a minimum, but they’re still present. And, as always, there is the humour and friendship that I’ve come to expect in the stories. I love seeing the friendship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione getting stronger in this story — especially in the beginning, with Ron and his brothers coming to rescue Harry from the Dursleys. I also really love seeing the comeraderie between Ron and Harry — they make great companions!

This is also the book where we’re introduced to Dobby. He’s not my favourite character in the series, what with him being a little too aggressive and not always doing things in the proper way, but still an interesting one at that. I kind of loved his storyline in this book and how Harry saved him. I look forward to seeing him in future stories! We also meet Gilderoy Lockhart in this story and I love, love, loved Fry’s voice for him — after seeing the films, the voice just seemed so perfect for him, so hoity-toity and such a know-it-all (and, yet, a coward at heart).

Again, I must credit Stephen Fry with being an amazing narrator. Even though his voice does sound older for the age group he’s portraying, he does such a fantastic job at differentiating between the voices and telling the story in a way that keeps you intrigued until the very end. I think he’s a spectacular narrator and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series with him.

I’m so happy that I’m listening to this series and I still think that this will be one that I’ll listen to again and again as the years go by. I think Anne from Creativity’s Corner says it perfectly, though, when she says that this book is definitely more of a filler book in the series — while it has its moments, it doesn’t particularly stand out. But it is a fun read and I’ll take that.

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BOOK HOARDER’S SELECTION, is a feature of Reading In Winter, which will feature one book from my collection that I plan to read in the coming week. These are NOT review books, but books I’ve purchased, which have been neglected for a long time.

TITLE: At Home: A Short History of Private Life

AUTHOR & NARRATOR: Bill Bryson

HOW LONG I’VE HAD IT: Oh gosh … since last summer?

WHY I’M READING LISTENING TO IT: I’ve heard LOTS of good things about Bill Bryson’s books. I know it’s non-fiction, but it’s also humour, which I think is great for listening to in the car! It’s about 16 hours long, but probably a good book to listen to in bits and pieces — maybe a chapter at a time. I think this would be a great way to get into Bill Bryson’s work!

SYNOPSIS: From one of the most beloved authors of our time—more than six million copies of his books have been sold in this country alone—a fascinating excursion into the history behind the place we call home.

“Houses aren’t refuges from history. They are where history ends up.”

Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped. Yet one day, he began to consider how very little he knew about the ordinary things of life as he found it in that comfortable home. To remedy this, he formed the idea of journeying about his house from room to room to “write a history of the world without leaving home.” The bathroom provides the occasion for a history of hygiene; the bedroom, sex, death, and sleep; the kitchen, nutrition and the spice trade; and so on, as Bryson shows how each has fig­ured in the evolution of private life. Whatever happens in the world, he demonstrates, ends up in our house, in the paint and the pipes and the pillows and every item of furniture.

Bill Bryson has one of the liveliest, most inquisitive minds on the planet, and he is a master at turning the seemingly isolated or mundane fact into an occasion for the most diverting exposi­tion imaginable. His wit and sheer prose fluency make At Home one of the most entertaining books ever written about private life.

Have you read listened to this book?

Title: Two-Way Street
Author: Lauren Barnholdt
Date(s) listened: April 10 – 11, 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Library (playaway)

Length: 6 hours 55 minutes (Unabridged)
Narrated by: Cassandra Morris
Published by: Playaway (June 1, 2011)

There are two sides to every breakup.

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They’re even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.

Then Jordan dumps Courtney — for a girl he met on the Internet.

It’s too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney’s heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la — this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.

Turns out, he’s got a secret or two that he’s not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can’t get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

Two-Way Street was my introduction to playaway audiobooks from my library. Since my library was in the process of moving, I was actually going to return this book so that I didn’t have any books out (the horror, I know!), but I decided to give the playaway a go — it was a new way of listening to a story for me and I felt like a story like this one would be the perfect first.

One thing I really liked about the story was that it was told from Jordan’s point of view and from Courtney’s point of view. Along with this, it was also told in snippets from the past, from the road trip, and after the road trip. It was nice to see how Jordan and Courtney grew as characters from when they first met and dated to them starting out at university. I also really liked Jordan’s character, for the most part, and found him to be somewhat more endearing than Courtney. I wasn’t too sure about all of the references to MySpace (do people still use MySpace?) since it just doesn’t seem like a popular social medium (coming from someone who has used it in the past). I would have preferred Barnholdt to have made up some social platform than to use one that’s already out there.

I can’t review this book without talking about the narration. Cassandra Morris was a good narrator, but I felt like she sounded way too young for a character who was going off to college. Her voice wasn’t one that I wanted to listen to in another book, so I’m hoping that she doesn’t narrate the rest of Barnholdt’s books, since I would like to check them out. Her pacing of the story worked well, but I felt like the story would have been better had it been split between a female narrator and a male one. Cassandra’s voice for Jordan just wasn’t convincing for me. It was also a little confusing to listen to this on audiobook, with the constant jumping around between the past and the trip — it was nice to visit both of these areas, but when listening on audio, it was hard to keep track of WHEN the story was taking place. Also, like I said with only having the female narrator, it was also hard to keep track of WHO was speaking. It might have been nice to follow along with the book while listening, but I guess that would defeat the purpose of listening to the audiobook.

In the end, this was a fun story to read — quick and light, and not very deep at all. It was nice to have the story told in befores and afters, as well as the trip itself. It might have been a wee bit predictable, but that was okay since I was listening to it as an audiobook — it was perfect for listening to in the car. I don’t think that I necessarily learned anything from the story, but it’s nice if you’re looking for something with little substance, but something that’s still entertaining.

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But I have a good excuse!

First off, you may have noticed that I’ve been reading less, blogging less, and have been on Twitter less. This is not going to change, unfortunately. I’m in the process of scheduling WAY ahead on my blog because …

Baby Reading In Winter is on the way.

I’ve been feeling nauseous and very tired lately, so my attention span for reading hasn’t been great. I’m hoping it picks up a bit soon so that I can schedule as much as I can into the new year, since I’m due in December. I do plan to keep the blog going, but it definitely won’t be ALL about the blog anymore. I’ll do what I can, but I’m sure most of my time will be spent with the new addition to the family.

Anyway, I just thought I’d share the happy news with you all!

Title: Jellicoe Road
Author: Melina Marchetta
Date(s) listened: April 11 – 12, 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Library (playaway)

Length: 8 hours 53 minutes (Unabridged)
Narrated by: Rebecca Macauley
Published by: Findaway World (April 1, 2009)

Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham, now seventeen, is finally being confronted with her past. But as the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn’t a lot of time for introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family, has disappeared, Jonah Griggs is back in town, moody stares and all. In this absorbing story by Melina Marchetta, nothing is as it seems and every clue leads to more questions as Taylor tries to work out the connection between her mother dumping her, Hannah finding her then and her sudden departure now, a mysterious stranger who once whispered something in her ear, a boy in her dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago, and the maddening and magnetic Jonah Griggs, who knows her better than she thinks he does. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future.

There are some books that everyone has read and loved and I feel so far behind that I wonder if I’ll ever get around to them. This book wasn’t the book I had intended to listen to. I had gone to a neighbouring library, during the brief closure of my own, wanting to take out Melina Marchetta’s Saving Francesca, a book which has been receiving plenty of praise. The audiobook I took out was a playaway and, unfortunately, it didn’t work when I went to listen to it. I went back in the library and saw Jellicoe Road and took it out instead. Only after I started listening to it did I realize that this book was by the same author as Saving Francesca, so it was kind of funny that I ended up picking it out.

One thing that I really enjoyed with this story was the characters. It took me a while to warm up to some of them, but I liked how Melina didn’t let us fall in love with them right away, but gave us a bit to love and a bit to hate for all of them so that we could make up our own minds. There was also some wonderful romance to this story — something that I wasn’t expecting, but something that made me so happy. Really, the story is more mystery than anything else, so bringing in the romance really kept me intrigued. The story also took me way past my comfort zone, almost to the point where I would stop what I was doing just to really take in the narration.

The one thing I didn’t quite understand with this story was the war games — maybe it was just me, but it didn’t seem to enhance the plot at all, although maybe it was there to introduce some of the characters from Taylor’s past. It also took me quite some time to really get into the story. There was a bit of jumping around, so it came across a little confusing for me while listening, but eventually it all came together. There was one pivotol moment in Taylor’s history that was the part that got me hooked and from that point on, I couldn’t stop listening.

I can’t talk about this book without talking about the narration. Rebecca Macauley was an AMAZING narrator — so wonderful that I had to go and see what other titles she had narrated because I loved her so much. Rebecca added so much emotion to Taylor’s character — and, really, to all of the dialogue and story. Her pauses were spot on and there were sections that almost brought me to tears because there would be a quaver in her voice as she spoke an important piece of dialogue. Normally, with a female narrator. I dislike the male voices, but not with Rebecca. There was a huskiness to her male voices that didn’t seem fake, but seemed to suit the characters. I also didn’t have any issues with the Australian accent, something I found confusing with other audiobooks.

I really can’t wait to try out more stories by Melina Marchetta. I think she’s a wonderful writer and can really bring out such emotion in a story. She writes wonderful characters, brilliant romance, and such great stories of family that it’s hard to put the story down. This might not be a favourite of mine just yet, but Melina Marchetta is definitely an author I hope to see more of in the future.

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When we think about books, there are so many formats available — paperback, hardcover, ecopy, etc. For people who like to listen to audiobooks, there are also several formats — CDs, cassette tapes, playaways, library downloads, Audible downloads, etc. Not only have we come a long way with physically reading books, but we’ve also come a long way when it comes to listening to our favourite books.

Let’s talk about them!

Cassette Tapes
Do they make these anymore? Around the library where I work, I’ve seen lots of language tapes on cassette’s but it seems like audiobooks have become obsolete in this area. The awkward thing about cassette tapes is that they’re two-sided, so not only do you need a cassette player, but you have to be on the ball when it comes to flipping the tape over and changing the tape. In fact, while these still exist, I don’t really consider them in the running as an option anymore.

CDs
This is the best way to get audiobooks at my library. They’re convenient and widely available, but are best for listening to (I find) only when it comes to getting them from the library. When it comes to BUYING audiobooks, this is NOT a good option. I mean, a physical book could cost from $8-$30, whereas an audiobook on CD can cost upwards of $40+. Just like listening to cassette tapes, you really have to be listening and into the story when it comes time to change the CD — it’s not so bad in the car with a multi-disc player, but if you’re using a discman, you’ll need batteries AND it can be pretty awkward if you’re going for a walk with your book. Basically, you need to make sure you have enough story to listen to on a disc, unless you want to cart around ALL of the discs. For me, it’s the batteries — I love my discman, but reusable batteries are KEY when it comes to listening on it!

Playaways
I’ve never bought a playaway audiobook, but I have gotten them through the library. A nice thing about them is that there’s no way to scratch it, unlike the CDs, BUT it still requires headphones and batteries. AAA batteries. Who has lots of those on hand? Of course, the pro to playaways is that they’re small — around the size of an iPod — so it’s easy to take with you on the go. A con is that it can’t be listened to in the car, which is a big negative for me, since I like to be able to listen to my books EVERYWHERE.

Library Downloads
As you can tell, I get a lot of my audiobooks through the library. Just like I can get ebooks through the library, I can also download audiobooks using Overdrive. This is super handy and costs the price of a library card (which is free in some places!). The one downside to this is that there are different formats for Macs and different formats for PCs. This can get irritating when that ONE BOOK you really want is only available for the computer you DON’T have. Also, when your time is up for your loan, it gets returned — usually you can’t renew an audiobook download.

Audible Downloads
This is one of my FAVOURITE ways to get my audiobooks. Not only is Audible affordable, but they have a great selection of audiobooks. A big con for me is that it’s almost TOO easy to get audiobooks through them. One thing I recommend is to listen to a sample of the book you’d like to purchase before buying, since the quality can vary! And reading the reviews on the narrator and quality help, too.

I think, ultimately, I love any audiobook that is portable and listenable everywhere I go. This is why I love listening to books on my iPod — I can listen while cleaning the house, driving in my car, or even while mowing the lawn. It’s not cumbersome and awkward, and it’s easy to get audiobooks to listen to! CDs are great, but the only way I would get a CD audiobook is through my library since money is DEFINITELY something I take into consideration before purchasing!

What is your favourite way to listen to audiobooks? Have I missed any other ways to get audiobooks?

Title: Patient Zero
Author: Jonathan Maberry
Series: Joe Ledger, #1
Date(s) listened: April 1 – 10, 2013
Genre: Zombie Thriller
Source: Purchased (Audible)

Length: 14 hours 45 minutes (Unabridged)
Narrated by: Ray Porter
Published by: Blackstone Audio (October 1, 2010)

When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week there’s either something wrong with your world or something wrong with your skills… and there’s nothing wrong with Joe Ledger’s skills.  And that’s both a good, and a bad thing.  It’s good because he’s a Baltimore detective that has just been secretly recruited by the government to lead a new taskforce created to deal with the problems that Homeland Security can’t handle. This rapid response group is called the Department of Military Sciences or the DMS for short. It’s bad because his first mission is to help stop a group of terrorists from releasing a dreadful bio-weapon that can turn ordinary people into zombies. The fate of the world hangs in the balance….

I’m not sure why, but for the last year or so I just haven’t been “into” zombie stories. I want to like them, but I just haven’t been able to find the story that really attracts me. One thing I really liked about this story was that there was an actual explanation about WHERE the zombies came from. Too many times, it’s like the zombies are just “there” in a story, but in Patient Zero, the zombies are an act of terrorists.

I have to admit that I loved the character of Joe Ledger. He was snarky, sarcastic, and QUITE the character. I think if I had any other type of character, I might not have been interested in the story, but Joe Ledger had a charm about him that I found very intriguing. Even when the times were tough and zombies were, you know … zombies … he still made me laugh. There were times that I wanted a lot more Joe, and a lot less of Afghanistan and the terrorists. I also really loved Bunny and Church — as well as the emphasis on the cookies. I didn’t expect the book to get me craving cookies as much as I did!

I’m also very happy to have listened to this story via audiobook. I had bought it during a sale on Audible after hearing really good things about the series and from the instant I started listening to it, I loved the narrator. Ray Porter was a PERFECT fit for Joe’s character. I couldn’t imagine anyone else narrating the story. It did seem long in a few parts, but there was enough of a blend of humour and gore, as well as plenty of other characters that the story still moved at a good pace. I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed the story as much had I physically read it, rather than listened. What also worked, for listening, was the fact that the chapters were quite short — they ranged from 5 minutes to 20 minutes, so it was easy to stop listening at a chapter’s end. The only thing that got a little confusing was that at the beginning of chapters, it would be told where the chapter was taking place, with who, and the time — it would’ve been nice to be able to flip back and see this sometimes.

By the end of this story, I was still torn. I liked the story, but I’m still not sure about how I feel about the whole “terrorist” aspect of it. I’m not sure if the rest of the series is the same, but if one thing would keep me listening to it, it would have to be the narration of Ray Porter, as well as the character of Joe Ledger. And, as most series go, I feel like the first book is only the beginning — it can only get better from here.

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June is Audiobook month (JIAM 2013). The audiobook community is giving back by teaming with the Going Public Project by offering a serialized audio story collection. All proceeds will go to Reach Out and Read literacy advocacy organization. Throughout June, 1-2 stories will be released each day on the Going Public blog and on author/book blogs. The story will be free (online only – no downloads) for one week. In collaboration with Blackstone Audio, all the stories will be available for download via Downpour. The full compilation will be ready June 30th.

The full schedule of the story release dates and narrators are at Going Public. Engineering and Mastering are provided by Jeffrey Kafer and SpringBrook Audio. Graphic design provided by f power design and published by Blackstone Audio. Project coordination and executive production by Xe Sands. (written by Mary Freeman)

Photo from Mark’s Twitter page.

Today I’m lucky enough to have audiobook narrator MARK TURETSKY on the blog! Among other things, he narrates one of my favourite middle grade series, Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger. 

Mark Turetsky is an award-winning audiobook narrator and voice over artist living in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to his audiobooks, Mark has voiced numerous commercials, video games, and online presentations. He is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and holds a minor in English and American Literature.

For Going Public … In Shorts, Mark recorded a narration of Philip K. Dick’s ‘Beyond Lies the Wub’ (which you can listen to below) a short story that we’re going to discuss below. This story will be part of a larger compilation of stories that will be available this month is available NOW — see below for the link. 

 

 

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Mark: At the outset, I’d just like to point out to any readers that we’re going to be spoiling the heck out of the story, so they should take a listen to it before reading ahead. Now that that’s taken care of, the first thing I’d like to discuss is to pose the question of what the heck is going on in the story on a purely surface level.We’ve got this space ship crew who is restocking their larder on Mars, and they’ve picked up this animal called a wub, which to them looks exactly like a pig. The story ends with the wub taking over the body of the Captain of the ship, after the captain has eaten the Wub. the question that immediately comes up for me with this whole story is whether the pig creature was born a wub, or whether the wub is the consciousness that moves from body to body, who just happens to be inhabiting the body of a pig at the beginning of the story. I personally have a pretty strong opinion, but I’d like to see what conclusion you’ve come to. Also, you’re pretty new to Science Fiction, right? What did you think of the story?Kristilyn: Yes. I am very new to science fiction. I bet this is something my older brother (who is an AVID science fiction fan) would have read, but it’s something I would have only heard about in passing and probably never would have picked up. I did like how accessible the story was, what with it not scaring away a newbie sci-fi fan, like myself. There was a good mix of humour throughout — along with plenty that had me shaking my head. I mean, it’s a story that could be taken in a very silly way, OR it can be quite scary. I think the part that is most scary is how we come across as human beings, only wanting to EAT something like the wub, rather than accept it as an equal. What kind of monsters are we? When it comes to the wub itself, I think that it wasn’t a thing that was born; rather, I think it’s an entity on its own that took over the body of the pig, and then that of the captain. Since the captain was so keen on eating the wub, I wonder if he had been successful, would the entity still survive? Would it have been able to take over the captain’s body AFTER its current body had passed? Also, if the wub was indeed a pig, I guess it makes more sense of the term “when pigs fly,” since they CAN fly — on spaceships, but flying nonetheless.

Mark: Yes, I find Captain Franco’s lust for delicious wub meat is somewhat unusual, and I find it pretty funny. But, I mean, if we re-frame this in a more familiar mode, that they’re say, 19th Century explorers on a long ship who’ve spent the last year at sea, it’s pretty easy to imagine they’d be licking their chops over having a nice juicy pig on board. Legend has it that the galapagos giant turtle didn’t make it back to London for examination as it was so delicious (and is endangered now). What’s really weird is that knowing that the wub is an intelligent creature seems to make the captain even more eager to eat it. I have a hypothesis about what precisely is going on here, which is how I approached the reading. First off, the wub is obsessed with creature comforts, he says he’s “addicted to various forms of relaxation,” and a bit later talks about the taste of wub meat, saying, “The taste, I am told, is good. A little fatty, but tender.” Do you see where I’m going with this? I personally believe the wub has started manipulating the captain when he meets in his cabin: Franco’s got a nice, cozy apartment, and, since he seems dead set on eating the wub, maybe the wub is a bit curious to see how he tastes. For a creature who’s “addicted to various forms of relaxation,” it seems like it might just be the most decadent thing to try. This little section ends with the captain and the wub exchanging a strange telepathic moment, where the wub seems to come out on top, making me think the captain’s under his control at this point, and the wub, despite his protestations, wants to be eaten. Later on, as the captain is shooting the wub, the wub looks deeply into his eyes, and at that moment, the wub transfers his consciousness into the captain’s body.

There’s another really fun reading of this story which fits in well with your belief that the wub is a consciousness inhabiting a common pig, and not the name for a telepathic animal that looks like a pig. The wub, in this case, reminds me of a parasite called dicrocoelium dendriticum. It lives in cattle or other grazing animals. The cattle or sheep’s poo is full of parasite eggs, which then get eaten by a snail. The snail then excretes these little parasites in its slime, and then an ant comes along to drink the slime as a source of water. Once the parasite is inside the ant, it actually begins to control the ant’s brain, making it climb a blade of grass, and once the ant is at the top of the blade of grass, it can be eaten and then the whole business starts again. So, in this case, this may just be part of the wub’s life cycle. It seeks out a tasty-looking creature, it manipulates the creature into being eaten by something higher up the food chain. Once it’s eaten, it takes control of the host brain, and on and on. Maybe Captain Franco’s ship is just the unwitting trojan horse of a huge planned invasion of Earth, with the end result being all of humanity taking over by slovenly wubs. It’s a fun way to think about this story, since it’s not all that much different than what’s out there on Earth, just re-cast with a science fiction twist, with humans as the ants. It’s quite unsettling, in that case.

Kristilyn: Wow, Mark — you sure did your research for this story! I think there’s a lot of instances of parasites just feeding off of animals, moving from animal to animal. It doesn’t seem so unsettling when you think of it in real life, but I do think that the fact that the wub (or the parasite or consciousness inhabiting the wub) is highly intelligent is what makes it very unsettling in the story, the fact that the captain is so eager to eat it. BUT I do like your theory about the wub coercing the captain into wanting to eat it. Maybe if the captain didn’t seem so keen on eating the wub, it might have moved on or chosen another body to move into. Perhaps it just wants to inhabit the body of those creatures who seem dead set on killing, maybe weeding out the bad eggs of human society?

I like thinking that this story is only the first part of many, the beginning of an even larger plan to take over Earth. It’s really great when a story plants an idea like that in your brain, leaving you to want more or to create the larger story in your head. I’d be interested to know if Dick made a series out of this story, or if the idea lends itself to any other of his works.

Mark: I guess this demonstrates a key difference between us: I see an invasion force bent on conquering the planet, you see one set on civilizing us, and turning us into peaceful vegetarians! Philip K Dick did visit the wub again in a story called “Not By Its Cover”. In it, a publisher on Mars is binding books in luxuriant wub fur, and the books bound in wub fur end up having their text changed. So, this is a pretty hardy creature, if the fur can survive being removed, and it’ll even still telepathically get into philosophical conversations. I guess what really interested Dick about the wub, beyond its remarkable survival traits, was that it had deeply held philosophical beliefs, as that’s what it really wants to discuss, if given the chance.

There’s a wonderful part in “Not By Its Cover” where it replaces Tom Paine’s The Age of Reason with the single word “bleh.” The wub in “Beyond Lies The Wub” seems most interested in the common cultural traits between wubs and humans, and specifically the story of Odysseus. The wub describes it as “a brief journey of the soul,” after which “the wanderer returns to land and race.” So, maybe the wub isn’t as nefarious as I might be positing, but someone out to have an adventure, after which time he’ll return to the creature comforts of home (admittedly, in a new body).

Well, that’s about all I have to say about this story at the moment. Anything else you’d like to add?

Kristilyn: I love that — like the wub is just out there to have fun and mess with people, but will ultimately return home. Who says science fiction has to be so serious? Thank you for mentioning the other wub story of Dicks — I know I’ll for sure be checking that one out! Sounds like another great read for my rising science fiction tastes.

Thanks so much, Mark, for being on the blog today!

Check out yesterday’s post over at Linus’s Blanket! 

Get ready for tomorrow’s post over at The Reading Date!

Have you read this story before? What are your thoughts on it?