At the end of my last road trip (which happened to coincide with the end of .nightsandweekends.com/articles/05/NW0500148.php>The Reptile Room, Book 2 of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events) the clever Baudelaire orphans (Violet, 14, Klaus, 12, and baby Sunny) once again escaped the clutches of the evil Count Olaf, who’s after their family’s fortune. But as I once again got behind the wheel and popped in the first disc of Book 3, The Wide Window, the children found themselves—once again—without a home.
Their new guardian is Aunt Josephine (who’s really their second cousin’s sister-in-law), a dowager who lives by herself (with nothing but her grammar books) in a small home that’s precariously perched on the edge of Lake Lachrymose, the same lake that claimed the life of her beloved husband, Ike. Aunt Josephine is terrified of just about everything (including telephones, door knobs, and realtors, just to name a few), but she’s immediately swept off her feet by Captain Sham, a peg-legged sailor who’s really the dastardly Count Olaf in disguise.
When Aunt Josephine throws herself from her library window and wills the children to Captain Sham, the Baudelaires set out in a hurricane to save themselves from Count Olaf’s evil plans.
For this third audio book in the Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket himself narrates. This is a mixed blessing—a phrase which here means half good and half bad. While Snicket knows the story better than anyone else (and, fortunately, knows enough to refrain from imitating Mr. Poe’s irritating cough), he’s a bit quiet and dry, making it a challenge to listen while driving. The story itself is more of the same—misfortune and adventure and vocabulary lessons—though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Snicket’s wonderful wit shines through in this book—which is his wittiest yet—and you may often find yourself snickering into your steering wheel. It’s well worth your time behind the wheel.
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.
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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