#AD was ill and LW wanted her to do the audiobooks

[dobismuted]

I love how I always forget that Lee Winter was the fanfic writer, RedCharcoal. I keep coming back to The Staircase. A fanfic that starts with a very triggering event and eventually turns into a story of redemption and healing. I tend to read bits and pieces of it, then end up reading to the end, and I'm always surprised that she's also Lee Winter.

It's rather fitting since she's my most listened to author on Audible. Breaking Character, Hotel Queens & Requiem for Immortals are my comfort listens, especially Breaking Character. Many an audiobook I've listened to solely for Angela Dawe.

#adaobi tumblrs #don't know why i wrote that #but there it is #Lee Winter #and her ice queens #Lee Winter + Angela Dawe is the GOAT duo #seriously she wrote her villains duology because of the voice AD used for Michelle Hastings in a short #AD was ill and LW wanted her to do the audiobooks #but since AD was ill and had a backlog LW's audiobook publishers wanted to hire Abby Craden #she explained to AC about it and how she really wanted AD to voice it so AC turned it down #and they simply waited for AD to get better #and it was worth it #so worth it #one day I'll stop writing missives in the tags #today is not that day #oh and AD's Bess in Breaking Character... lawdy

[highfunctioningflailgirl]

My reaction to the “Troubled Blood” reading sample

I wrote my reactions to chapters 1 through 7 down while I was reading and added a few thoughts after finishing.

🚨SPOILER ALERT!!!! Read at your own risk! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!🚨

(continued under the cut)

Chapter 1

Aaaand we’re in Cornwall. We knew this was going to happen, but we’re plunged straight into a situation here, which is...

Aunt Joan! Oh no. Nonono… 😟 Did NOT see that coming. It means she is not going to be around for Cormoran and Robin to get together (or marry?), and that makes me sad. 😔

Cornish terms. Cornish names. I need to do some googling. I like a bit of local patriotism, although Dave is a bit too hostile for my taste.

I wanted to like Dave but now I want to slap him for his marriage attitude.

The one redeeming factor is how he “adopted” Cormoran at school. 

So Cormoran doesn’t have a Cornish accent. Interesting. I love listening to the Cormoran Strike audiobooks, and Glenister always gives him a heavy West Country tint. Apparently, he should sound more London. (But I do love his Cornish burr)

Ted and Joan are Strellacott shippers! Like all of us. 🥰

Chapter 2

Family time. Jack! I love seeing Cormoran with his family, even if there is a LOT of friction. And even though we’re not going to see Jack in the TV series, it appears. 

So nephew no 2 has a name: Luke. And he is an arsehole. (He really is, and I am allowed to say that, I have kids myself, and they would never run off with an amputee’s leg or be gleeful about their mishap. It’s mean, period.

But of course saying that out loud to Lucy, the mother, wasn’t the best idea. 🤣

Joan. I hadn’t expected her false optimism and pushing her opinions of what everyone (and Corm in particular) should be thinking or doing. I guess I’ve always coloured her too kind and sweet in my head. People are more complicated than that, I guess.

Strike misses Robin’s voice when he’s alone. Awww 🥰

Saul Morris, the new subcontractor. So he’s the one who gives Robin unwanted attention. Screw his black Irishman looks. WE DON’T LIKE YOU.

Anna and Kim, a married couple. Is this JK trying to prove to us how open-minded she is to queerness? (She’s not. But that’s a different discussion)

Anna saw a medium - is this where the weird stuff begins that the tarot cards alluded to?

A serial killer who beheaded his victims. *shudders* 

Chapter 3

Robin and Matt will have to go through a two year separation to divorce. Two years! Strike’s not going to make a move on her until that’s over.

12 months?! It’s been a YEAR since LW?!

Matt is an asshole. We knew that. Just mentioning it again. 😡

Pat Chauncey, the new office manager - I think I may like her. Not the smoking so much, but she seems to be good at her job, and I kinda like that she isn’t impressed the least by Cormoran and calls him out on his grumpiness. I think he needs that sometimes. We’ll see.

Saul Morris. Eww

Charlotte! She has something he wants? What on earth could that be? 

Ilsa is a huge Strellacott shipper. JK must have been reading @lulacat3​‘s fanfic. And several others.

So Charlotte attempted suicide. Twice. And one wasn’t serious, only to manipulate Strike? I never really liked how JKR mixed mental illness with intentional behaviour in the Strike books. It’s dangerous territory and inadequate representation. Not comfortable with that.

Woo-hoo, Robin is coming down to Cornwall! 🤗

Chapter 4

A grumpy Cormoran in t-shirt and boxers. Yum.

Lil’ Corm crying because he couldn’t go and explore caves with Dave broke my heart. And that he only cried twice in his life. (When was the second time?) 😢

Lucy “Leda wasn’t my mother” Ouch. But I understand why. And, of course, Cormoran bristles, always having been #TeamLeda. Although what we’re reading here doesn’t really make me like her better. Maybe someone should have called child services. 

Lucy is too abrasive in her reproachfulness. But when she says that Cormoran is good in a crisis, but has trouble with longterm commitment, she hits a sore spot.

So Cormoran was “both battleground and prize” between Leda and Joan? It’s a good analogy.

Nephew 3 is called Adam, and he’s whiny. 

I don’t think Strike will ever want to have kids, and after the week he’s had, who can blame him?

Chapter 5

I love that Robin knows how to read Corm, knows when his leg is hurting him. She has so much empathy.

Oohh... Friction between them, and it’s only due to Robin’s understanding that it doesn’t escalate. 

And of course the idiot suffers in silence rather than just asking for a Paracetamol. *exasperated eyeroll*

Did I mention that he’s an idiot?🙄

Chapter 6

 Cagney & Lacey, lol! And look at that: Strike is a cat person! (I had to think of @lulacat3‘s fics immediately)

Just a thought: Did Roy kill Margot? It would be too obvious though

That sounds like an interesting case and like a very dysfunctional family

Chapter 7

There’s an interesting parallel between Robin and Strike: While everyone tries to force them into doing something they believe is best for them, pulling and pushing and badgering, Strike and Robin, amongst each other, NEVER do that. They let each other be who they are, not attempting to get the other to change. And that’s why they get along so great.

Love the nick names for their clients.

“You can’t count a croissant. Mostly air!” 😄

Strike shares private stuff with Robin, without even being asked. That’s new! I like this camaraderie and easy friendship between them. They’ve grown closer. So much trust between them now. 

Strike, who hasn’t been able to relax on anyone’s passenger seat since Afghanistan, sleeps while Robin’s at the wheel. That’s complete trust. 

The get a whole YEAR to investigate? That’s... expensive, but Anna and Kim apear to be wealthy. And could it be this book takes us through a whole year of investigating?

I love road trips in the Landrover. So looking forward to seeing this on screen.

#troubled blood #SPOILER ALERT #spoilers for chapters 1 - 7 #robert galbraith #cormoran strike #sample