Wicked good!

A Book
by Emily Dickinson

He ate and drank the precious words,
His spirit grew robust;
He knew no more that he was poor,
Nor that his frame was dust.
He danced along the dingy days,
And this bequest of wings Was but a book.
What liberty A loosened spirit brings!

I no longer have the patience to sit and read books but I love the art of the written word. I have compromised and become a great fan of audio books. A cassette player, CD player or now my iPod are often hanging off me and plugged into my ears while I'm doing chores, walking the dog or on a long drive.

I've just finished listening to "Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire. Wicked good! Maguire did a beautiful job of winding a more "adult" story before, in and around the original children's version of Oz by L. Frank Baum.

Maguire successfully added layers of complexity and new viewpoints without rearranging the original story. There were many similarities to world history throughout. I kept thinking L. Frank Baum's story is the snippet you would see on the TV network news where Gregory Maguire tells the rest of the story.

The audio book was narrated by the talented John McDonough who has a wonderful reading voice and keeps the story interesting. I'd highly recommend either the audio book or the printed version. Now if the musical would just come to Minneapolis/St. Paul!