Sunday, March 22, 2009

Book Notes: Jeeves, etc.

I just finished Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse this morning. I was listening to it while unpacking boxes this weekend, so Hubby kept asking what I was laughing about. I want more! But I admit to being a little worried about further Wodehouse reading. I have been reading Wodehouse with my ears because my library has a lot of the Jeeves books on CD, as well some of Wodehouse's non-Jeeves books like my favorite, Love Among the Chickens. They are so wonderful to listen to because you really pick up on all the quips and linguistic word play when you hear them out loud. So I have some trepidation about switching over to the book books and reading with my eyes. I am worried that they will seem flat after the audio books. But I have come to the end of my library's supply, so I am going to have to take the plunge. According to List of Bests, I am only ten percent finished with my list of Wodehouse books. Book Psmith is inspiring with her Wodehouse-centric blog. I am in a Wodehouse mood and ready to start flipping pages!

8 comments :

  1. Thanks for coming by my blog. It's so nice to meet you. Funny what you said about the audio Wodehouse books vs. the paper version. I did the opposite of what you did; I listened to some library Wodehouse books on tape. Then I decided I liked them so much I had to "promote" them to my must-read-on-paper selections. I think because I'm not a great auditory learner, when I hear things I miss a lot. But when I read them, I can enjoy every word and every pun. Hope you enjoy reading the paper copies as much as you've liked hearing them.

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  2. I keep hearing that P.G. Wodehouse is very funny, but when I go to the library I am overwhelmed by the selections and which I should start with. Maybe Right Ho, Jeeves?

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  3. I am having the opposite problem:) I tried listening to Eggs, Beans and Crumpets and kept falling asleep. I am afraid to try another. So I have beens sticking to reading them instead of listening. Do you have a preference for the reader of the audiobooks? The one I tried was read by Jonathon Cecil.

    I was wondering about Love Among Chickens. I am glad to know you liked it. He has written so many...reading all of them is going to be a long-term project for me...but everytime I finish one, I am happy knowing there are so many more waiting for me.

    Thank you for the shout-out. I look forward to seeing where your Wodehouse mood takes you. And I hope the transition from audio to visual goes well.

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  4. I am glad to hear that both Lynn and Psmith prefer the paper versions. That diminishes my trepidation.

    Love Among the Chickens was Wodehouse's first novel (I think I have that right) and the first of his I read. I was smitten from the get go.

    Nicole -- Right Ho, Jeeves is as good a place to start as any. I'd recommend starting with one of the Jeeves books, because those are his most famous. But there is no need to go in order and picking one of the others would be fun too. The plots are all pretty much the same -- it is the words that make them wonderful and funny. Enjoy!

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  5. I was going to ask the same thing as Nicole. I guess I'll give Right Ho, Jeeves a go first! Thanks.

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  6. I just love Bertie and Jeeves. It's been ages since I've read any Wodehouse. My husband and I used to enjoy watching the BBC versions with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. So fun! Glad you are getting the chance to enjoy the stories.

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  7. The Code of the Woosters is another great one. Like I said, they are all so similar that it is hard to keep them separated in my head. But Code is the one with the cow creamer and the Tirolean hat. It is probably my favorite of the Jeeves books so far. Just keep in mind that they are talking about a cream pitcher shaped like a cow and the whole thing makes a lot more sense.

    I prefer the novels to the short stories, although I plan to read them all eventually.

    And I look forward to watching the BBC tv show, but have to wait to order from Netflix when Hubby is out of town. We tried watching it together and, although Hubby is a goof ball himself, he didn't care for it. Said it was too slapstick (which it is not). But then, Hubby's choice of television runs to 42 reruns of WWII on The History Channel; and he prefers books that include "and then, we had to eat the sled dogs."

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  8. If your hubby likes "and then, we had to eat the sled dogs" books, allow me to ask: Has he read Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat? While no dogs are eaten, I believe the author does include a recipe for mouse stew. I almost blogged about it but . . . naaaah. We adventurous eaters have our limits :)

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