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  • Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 2)

Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 2)

kdk June 14, 2005
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Read Time:6 Second

Unabridged recording

3 CDs (3

hours, 11 minutes)



See? What did I tell you? After seeing the movie

version of .nightsandweekends.com/articles/05/NW0500146.php>Lemony

Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events, I was strangely drawn to the books. So

as I prepared for a 10-hour road trip to visit my family, I rushed out to pick up the

first two books on CD.



And I wasn’t disappointed.



Book the

Second of A Series of Unfortunate Events picks up where the first book, The Bad Beginning

left off. After a short recap of the first book, the mysterious Mr. Snicket tells the

continuing story of the three Baudelaire orphans—Violet (14), the inventor, Klaus (12),

the reader, and Sunny (just a baby), the biter—whose parents were killed when their house

burned down. After escaping the evil Count Olaf, the children are brought to meet their

new guardian, Uncle Monty, a herpetologist (“herpetologist,” meaning that he studies

snakes). Life with Uncle Monty is a high point in the children’s unfortunate lives.

They’re allowed to read and study and invent and bite—and Uncle Monty takes them to the

movies every night. But, unfortunately, that changes when Uncle Monty’s assistant,

Gustave, who’s supposed to accompany them on a trip to Peru, resigns unexpectedly—and

he’s replaced by Stefano, who isn’t really Stefano but Count Olaf in

disguise.



As I suspected, The Reptile Room is an absolute pleasure

to read. It’s definitely grim—filled with deadly snakes and murder. And the author

repeatedly warns his readers that it’s only going to get worse. But the tone is still

entertaining and darkly humorous—not to mention exceptionally clever. And while the

subject matter may be a little scary to children who have become used to pleasant stories

with happy endings, they may just learn a thing or two along the way—since Snicket often

takes time out from the story to explain certain words and

expressions.



The audio recording, narrated by Tim Curry, is a great way to

pass a few lonely hours on the road. Be warned, however, that you might want to bring

the caffeinated beverage of your choice, since Curry’s voice tends to be soothing and

even entrancing at times. Curry was, however, an excellent choice for narrator. He does

a wonderful job of portraying the characters (though Mr. Poe’s constant hacking cough is

somewhat disturbing and distracting)—in a tone that seems to be exactly as the author

intended.



I can’t wait for my next road trip—I’ll definitely be picking

up Book 3.

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About Post Author

kdk

Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it. Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course. As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com). Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
kdk@nightsandweekends.com
http://www.NightsAndWeekends.com
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kdk

Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.

Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.

As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).

Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.

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