Episode 31: The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox

We sample a bit of the humor and imagination of Barry Hughart
in ancient China that "never was,"
as told in The Bridge of Birds,
featuring Master Li and Number 10 Ox.

Bridge of Birds

Rating: PG

This book is under copyright.

Author Links

• Barry Hughart Bibliography
• Books: Barry Hughart
• Wikipedia article about Barry Hughart

Book Links

• Science Fiction Book Club
• Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was
• Story of the Stone, The
• Eight Skilled Gentlemen
• The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox ( Bridge of Birds, The Story of the Stone & Eight Skilled Gentlemen)

Featured Podcast:

• Podcast Junky (website here)
  

Episode 186: Bridge of Birds, chapters 20-22

In which we visit the Cavern of Bells, meet a third handmaid, and hear from a Mouse.

Episode 186, chapters 20-22
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. It is available on Kindle too!
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Podcast Highlight
A Podcast to the Curious
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M. R. James (LibriVox)

Other Links

• A Good Story is Hard to Find - The Wrath of Khan
• SFFaudio
• CraftLit
• Ken Harmeyer's story: Mike
• The New Mother by Lucy Clifford
• The New Mother read by Heather Ordover

Episode 178: Bridge of Birds, chapters 12-13

In which we learn about the Duke of Ch'in,
after which Master Li and Number Ten Ox try to get rich quick.

Episode 178, chapters 12-13
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. It is available on Kindle too!
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Highlight

• We're Alive - A Story of Survival

My Huffduffer Feed
(where you can easily download sample episodes of the podcast highlight or other various podcasts I want to share)

• Julie D's Huffduffer feed

Episode 190: Bridge of Birds - Chapters 27-28

In which we get to the bottom of something silver, something gold ... literally.

Episode 190, chapters 27-28
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. It is available on Kindle too!
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Movies

• Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Your Sister's Sister
• Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
• I'm a Cyborg But That's OK (Korean)
• John Carter
• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
• The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Vote on the next book:

• Popo's Miracle
• Cabin on Kettle Creek
• Arundel
• The Unforeseen

Episode 182: Bridge of Birds, chapters 16-17

In which Legs of Great Power can only carry us so far and
we meet an old acquaintance who tells of a blessing in disguise.

Episode 182, chapters 16-17
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. It is available on Kindle too!
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Podcast Highlight

• Salt & Fat (podcast, blog)

Other Links

• SFFaudio - The Odyssey (books I-IV)
• The Flicks That Church Forgot - Dracula Movies 1, 2, 3
• CraftLit/Just the Books - Dracula (the book)

Episode 170: Bridge of Birds, chapters 4-6

In which there is great need of a goat
(it doesn't have to be that good a goat) ...
and we encounter bandits.

Episode 170, chapters 4-6
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox.
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Halloween Podcast Highlights

• Halloween Haunt
• The Moonlit Road
• American Folklore's Countdown to Halloween podcasts 
• Redecorating Middle-Earth in Early Lovecraft (Always Halloween and Never Thanksgiving)

Other Links

• The Onion's A.V. Club

October is Fundraising Month!
Consider donating to your favorite podcasts ... even if only a few dollars or a comment/review to show your support.

My Huffduffer Feed
(where you can easily download sample episodes of the podcast highlight or other various podcasts I want to share)

• Julie D's Huffduffer feed

Episode 175: Bridge of Birds, chapters 10-11

In which the reason for murder is revealed and Master Li tells a story.

Episode 175, chapters 10-11
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. It is available on Kindle too!
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Highlight

• Harry Strange Radio Drama

My Huffduffer Feed
(where you can easily download sample episodes of the podcast highlight or other various podcasts I want to share)

• Julie D's Huffduffer feed

Episode 173: Bridge of Birds, chapters 7-9

In which we hear about a dancing girl, see ghosts, and have a brief interlude for murder.

Episode 173, chapters 7-9
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. It is available on Kindle too!
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Highlight

• Patient Zero

My Huffduffer Feed
(where you can easily download sample episodes of the podcast highlight or other various podcasts I want to share)

• Julie D's Huffduffer feed

Episode 189: Bridge of Birds, ch. 25-26

In which there is a daring escape and the Emperor of Heaven is detected.

Episode 189, chapters 25-26
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. It is available on Kindle too!
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Podcast Highlight

• Everyday Einstein
• Domestic CEO

Vote on the next book:

• Popo's Miracle
• Cabin on Kettle Creek
• Arundel
• The Unforeseen

Episode 168: Bridge of Birds, ch. 1-3

In which we meet Number Ten Ox and Master Li ...
and discover how a plague can learn to count.

Episode 168, chapters 1-3
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox.
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Podcast Highlight

• Dr Karl's Great Moments in Science

My Huffduffer Feed
(where you can easily download sample episodes of the podcast highlight or other various podcasts I want to share)

• Julie D's Huffduffer feed

Episode 180: Bridge of Birds, chapters 14-15

In which Number Ten Ox and Master Li encounter a tiger, a dragon, and a ghost.

Episode 180, chapters 14-15
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. It is available on Kindle too!
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Podcast Highlight

• Rex Factor (podcast, blog)

Episode 191: Bridge of Birds, ch. 29-30

A spectacular finale.

Episode 191, chapters 29-30
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. It is available on Kindle too!
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Highlights

• Ash Tree Press
• Delphi Classics

Vote on the next book:

• Popo's Miracle
• Cabin on Kettle Creek
• Arundel
• The Unforeseen

Episode 188: Bridge of Birds, chapters 23-24

In which we discover there really is no better way to pass the time before being tortured to death than to listen to a fairy story.

Episode 188, chapters 23-24
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. It is available on Kindle too!
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Podcast Highlight
Supernatural Horror in Literature

Episode 184: Bridge of Birds, chapters 18-19

In which we discover an oasis, an invisible hand, and a bamboo dragonfly.

Episode 184, chapters 18-19
(download or listen via this link)

Book Information

• Story rating: PG-13 for occasional adult situations.
• This book is in under copyright. Forgotten Classics has been granted permission by author Barry Hughart to read Bridge of Birds. Please contact Mr. Hughart or his agent for any permissions.
• If you are enjoying this reading, please buy Bridge of Birds and the other two books in the trilogy that comprise The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. It is available on Kindle too!
• More information about Barry Hughart
• Subterranean Press

Links

• Gregg Margarite
• Kaylee - our newest dog
• Jane Eyre at A Good Story is Hard to Find
• Phoenix Pick - free books for 10 weeks

Welcome Sword and Laser listeners!

I received an email yesterday mentioning:

You may have noticed that many people have been visiting your blog. The Sword & Laser book club (on GoodReads.com) is reading Bridge of Birds this month. Someone in the book club mentioned your blog as a way to listen to the book.

I actually don't really keep track of stats around here but when I went to check I saw that there was indeed increased traffic. (As well as some very nice comments in their forum thread.)

My husband checked bandwidth use and was stunned. My apologies for slow downloading. I'm not sure how many of the 15,000 members were trying to listen rather than read but it was enough to test the hosting company's capacity evidently.

Also, my apologies, again, for the Chinese pronunciation. This is where knowledge can indeed hurt you (or your ears!).

Many thanks to Tamahome from SFFaudio who kept bringing my reading to the Sword and Laser gang at Goodreads! It is nice to have such a persistent friend.

If you're new here and haven't listened to Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart, I recommend it. It has consistently been a favorite and with good reason. Mr. Hughart has a rare talent. I thank him again for allowing us to enjoy it together.