Better Off Imagining A Sequel...

Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Did poor narration make the sequel boring, or did writing that dragged and dragged and dragged give the narrator nothing to work with?
One of the problems is that "The Haunted Bookshop" seemed really conflicted about what it was trying to be. Charming? A tiny bit of that. Mystery? Tiny bit. Espionage? Tiny bit. Romance? Itty bit. SEVERAL bombastic lectures about many, many books, eras, authors, not even parsed out as discussions but vomited onto the page as diatribes? Oooooh, plenty, PLENTY of that! And keep in mind that Stefan Rudnicki's voice is that of an anchorman, or an historian. Considering that this novel takes place after World War I, I could easily hear Rudnicki narrating a lengthy historical work on the time period, and that would have been fine. This, however? What little charm there might have been was lost.
I would've missed Nadia May from "Parnassus On Wheels," but the characters were missing here, and she would've had nothing to work with. It was odd, really. In the last book, there was some scrapping that went on, but that just seemed like some hardheadedness. Here, I found individuals to be, quite simply, obnoxious and foul. Go figure.
I missed the characters, I guess.
Once again, I'll advise: If you do wish to listen to this: Get the kindle whispersync for cheap first, so you can get the special audible price. Trust me, you don't want to pay full price for this one...

8 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Refreshing change from modern literature!

I so enjoyed listening to this book written in 1919! It was so refreshing to read a book without foul language without characters texting, Making phone calls or stealing information from computers. Refreshing to see a romance budding without sexual content. I enjoyed seeing the mystery develop And as always loving for the Gallant young man coming to rescue the Young woman in danger! The kind of story that is a good mystery and leaves you feeling good with a good ending! I appreciate the patriotic content

5 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Old fashioned adventure yarn.

This is a sweet story about a man and his love of literature and the people who support him and find love in the haunted bookstore.

3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Pretty boring

What would have made The Haunted Bookshop better?

There was nothing haunted about it. I was hoping for a few thrills and chills but it's more of a treatise on books and booksellers. I think this might be of the few books that is better off read instead of listened to.

Has The Haunted Bookshop turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, I can't say that because this is also the era when Sherlock Holmes stories were being written. However, there is a vast difference. I guess I'll think long and hard before trying anything else by Christopher Morley.

Would you be willing to try another one of Stefan Rudnicki’s performances?

No, I didn't like that his voice was SO DEEP or his old-fashioned delivery.

Any additional comments?

I'm an old Sherlockian and so I hate to diss Christopher Morley in any way, but this book is really mediocre. Set in 1919, so it's very old fashioned. When it comes to a mystery I'd like some thrills and I was hoping this would be at least creepy but there's nothing haunted about it and the "mystery" was pretty predictable.

2 persone l'hanno trovata utile

no soup for you

this is nothing but well written and decently witty self indulgence. no soup for you

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

Not thr sequel I was looking for...

3.75 stars.

This is the sequel to Parnassus On Wheels, but it felt nothing like a sequel.

The Haunted Bookshop (haunted by books and authors) was a strange tale about a bookseller and his wife doing a favor for a wealthy businessman man by hiring his daughter to teach her something about life and having a job. Then enter Aubrey, a representative from an advertising agency who wanted to represent The Haunted Bookshop. He is turned away but is so enchanted by the shop that he returns. Aubrey is instantly infatuated with the lovely Miss Tatania. After he is attacked on his way back from the bookshop, he thinks the neighborhood is much too dangerous for an unsoiled dove like Tatania. He then names himself her watcher/protector. In the end, he (stupidly) uncovers an insane plot and inadvertently foils it.

Aubrey was a most annoying character with his insane ideas and self-importance. A lot of the craziness could have been avoided if he had just gone to the police with his suspicions, which could have been proven by his attack. His ridiculousness kind of took me out of the rest of the narrative, which is why this got a much lower rating than Parnassus. Otherwise, it was a good mystery. And I always love hearing my home town (Philly) mentioned in books.

Fun Little Msytery with a Side of Literature

This little mystery is set soon after WW I. It's not a ghost story. Some will find it quaint as it was written in its own time (1919), but that can be refreshing if you need a break from the graphic violence , sex and non-stop action in many current mystery/thrillers. It's a quick trip, but has good writing, well-drawn characters and a decent adventure. It also includes many references to great literature, several of which I bookmarked to look up later. Finally, if you come from the world of advertising, you'll get a kick out of one of the main characters, who is constantly translating his experience into concepts and slogans.

Almost unlistenable

I had looked forward to this sequel to "Parnassus on Wheels" - - which was narrated by the inimitable Nadia May. What a difference a narrator makes. Mr. Rudnicki se-pa-rates every word from the next. Zero flow. This, plus a gravelly voice, makes for an irritating, exhausting experience for the reader. Sigh.

Adorable!

Plus, I learned so much about books I should already have read in my life, and which I will be reading ASAP.
I just loved the Book Man and his wife. If only everyone felt it their duty to teach others what they have learned!

haunted bookshop

so enjoyed the twists and variety of language of a 1919 mystery. Please read you will enjoy!