Category: audio review

Don Tillman is a professor of genetics with a few social issues, possibly with a touch of Asperger’s.  Don is awkward in social situations, including trying to find someone suitable for dating and eventually, as his genetics mind calculates – marriage.

Don, as his nature tends to be, decided that the proper way to meet that special someone would be not to waste time on idle chit-chat (which he hates) over ridiculous dating rituals, but instead to create a 16 page survey for potential female partners to complete to filter out the undesirables.  Undesirables in Don’s mind, are those who have tendencies to be late to appointments, vegans, those who smoke, and/or drink.

Thus, the Wife Project is born.

When Rosie Jarman walks into the room where Don is working on the Wife project applicants, she is not only late, but also excuses herself in the middle to go out and smoke.  SMOKE!  Did she even read the application?  As time goes on Don finds that Rosie pretty much does everything that was on his list of undesirables.

Yet Rosie, with her wild red hair, does have something that Don is interested in.  Rosie is hoping to find her biological father, and Don just happens to work with DNA testing, decides that while she is eliminated from the wife project, he wouldn’t mind assisting her in what could be called the Father Project.

As quite an unlikely pair, (every person Don meets his mind automatically calculates how old he thinks they are as well as their BMI), Don and Rosie find out throughout the Father project that not all relationships, fall into report worthy categories.

 

YAY!  I say YAY!  The Rosie Project was a fun quick audio jaunt with a geeky over detailed guy named Don, and a fiery red-head named Rosie.  Loved it!  I have heard people refer to this as a “Big Bang Theory” type read and I would tend to agree.  Picture the geeky dude who over thinks and analyzes everything because that’s the way he is wired, and then the girl who lives each day to the fullest.  Put them together to solve out a problem, and you have The Rosie Project.

I think this is a time to bring our the words, Awesome Sauce. 

The Rosie Project was fun and funny.  Don’s quirky ways were laugh out loud at times. He calculates everything with a scientific mind right down to how long it takes him to shower…. and adding in an extra minute when he conditions his hair because of the “leave in” instructions.  As the two go through the story line, I smiled often.  And that… is a good thing.

Dan O’Grady is an excellent narrator for this book.  He gives a believable rendition of Don. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio.  It was light and fun and perfect for coming off a busy season and wanting something that fits that category.

Give this one a try, at 7 hours and 32 minutes on audio it is a perfect sized audio to finish in a week or less while working in the house, cooking, or while calculating your BMI. 😉

Much like Downton Abbey, Longbourn gives us a look at what happens downstairs in the kitchens, and maids and footman’s quarters of the Bennet household (the Bennet’s of Pride and Prejudice).  From the housemaids Sarah and Polly, to the Housekeeper Mrs. Hill, to the mysterious and handsome new footman named James Smith, there is just as much emotion and drama going on below the stairs as there is above. 

 

 

In a modern world of many books taking a turn at the Pride and Prejudice classic (how can we ever forget Pride and Prejudice and Zombies???), it is almost with a sign of relief that I entered into this audio book knowing that I was entering the Bennet household zombie, vampire, and sea monster free. 

As a big fan of the Downton Abbey Series (insert *sigh* here) and seeing many positive things said about the book, I eagerly downloaded this one to my phone.  I am, as many are, fascinated that we as a society are not only intrigued with the rich and famous of the world, but also with the goings on of those who work for them.  It is like a whole new era of potential rewriting.

Narrator Emma Fielding executed a wonderful flow to the book.  Her voice was smooth and engaging. 

Overall, I am going to be in the minority on this one.  Perhaps my feelings are based on the fact that I have never read Pride and Prejudice in its entirety (I know, I know.. put the torched down!  I am working on it!) I found Longbourn to be a bit drawn out and not as action packed as I had hoped – instead it was more of a slowly drawn out romance read, strongly leaning on a few main characters instead of the household.  Romance reads have never been my thing.  Longbourn does have its moments.  My favorites are when the staff engage with the characters we know from Pride and Prejudice.  I am sure if I had read P & P I would have connected more with the happenings.

I may have chosen the wrong time to listen to it, my mind tended to wander during the audio and it did not hold me for whatever reason.  In this case, it may have served better to have read the book. 

I do, as I mentioned, realize I am in the minority on this one, and as I do in any review that was not as favorable as I had intended, I offer to you reviews from bloggers I trust who had other opinions on Longbourn:

Beth Fish Reads

The Lost Entwife

Literate Housewife

 

 

Bernadette Fox was once an architect that was coveted by many.  She had won awards and was sought after my big industry names.  Married to Elgin, a head honcho with Microsoft, they could very well have been considered a power couple.

After many miscarriages, Bernadette gives birth to fragile but beautiful baby girl who they name Bee.  As the years go on Bernadette goes farther and farther away from who she once was, so far in fact that she hires a woman from another country on-line to do all her personal errands from shopping, to appointments, travel planning and more.  If Bernadette can avoid socializing with other people she is happy and chooses not to leave her house unless necessary. 

Bee now 15, aces her report card and as her reward she is given the choice of any trip she wants and Bee chooses a cruise ship to Antarctica.  At first Bernadette is filling her time making plans for the trip, purchasing excursions on-line and ordering up multiple pairs of everything to be delivered and tried on and returned if not right.  Yet as the trip grows closer Bernadette becomes fearful of the trip itself and the people all the people on the cruise who will want to small talk and there will be no place to breathe and….

Bernadette disappears.

Bee now is looking through the pieces that led to her mothers disappearance – emails, letters, travel notes… trying to find the mother she loves and bring her back home.

Where’d You Go Bernadette is a fun crazy tilt a whirl of a read.  Do not enter this book with the thought that you are about to read something deep and profound and Kleenex at hand…. instead enter this one with the anticipation of a fun house at a carnival filled with plenty of those wacky mirrors that cause you to see things as they truly are not. 

This book is impracticable, unrealistic, and border line insane.  Yet… it is also captivating, encouraging, and witty like a Janet Evanovich read.  You read this one for pure enjoyment.  The neighbors are crazy.  Saltine cracker with cool whip on it crazy.  The school faculty is stuck up and Elgin… well, lets just say he belongs with Bernadette. 

I wanted to read this book because earlier this year my book club read This One Is Mine by this author and truly did not like it across the board.  (Read my review here… we honestly think it is a Midwestern thing).  I had heard such good things about this book I had to give the author a second chance. 

I listened to this book on audio and Kathleen Wilhoite did an amazing job as narrator (there is a point she sings that wowed me). She captivates the voices of Bernadette and Bee very well. 

Overall… grab your Skittles and a cherry flavored slurpy and you are ready to dig into this one… its crazy unrealistic and funny bone funny and I am sure that is exactly what the author was going for.

A portrait of finding those you have loved and lost in the hearts of others.

Beautiful.  ~Sheila

14-year-old June Elbus thought the sun and moon rose and sat around her Uncle Finn.  He was her everything, her confidant and the one who really understood her.  He was an artist, known for his may with a canvas and he even created an incredible painting of June and her sister Greta. In the early 80’s it was hard for people to talk about what made Finn sick, but June’s mom (Finn’s sister), sat June down and explained that Finn had AIDS.

Suddenly June’s world is turned upside down.  She now has to fear what happens in Finn leans in to hug her, of offers her a drink of his beverage. And then, Finn dies.

At the funeral June sees a very sad-looking man and learns another shock.  This man, Toby, has been Finn’s long time partner of 9 years.  June’s mom will have nothing to do with him saying that he is the one who gave Finn AIDS.  Yet slowly as time goes on June meets with Toby and starts to learn about a side of Finn she never knew.  Hiding the fact she is meeting Toby from her family who would not approve and her always accusing eye of her troubled older sister Greta, June expands her world and understanding of how fragile life can be.

There are so many layers to this story that it is hard to put into a review.  Obviously the main story is of Finn and June and AIDS.  But there is also the painting of June and Greta that follows right along throughout the book in a powerful way – almost a metaphor of how life is never how we see it at one glance and how we are always changing and growing in ways that are seen and unseen.  And there is also Greta, battling her own demons as almost this under layer of turmoil that everyone is caught up in.

Powerful?  yes.  There were a couple of things in the book that I felt were unnecessary, and I am just going to say it. Toby drinking and smoking with June probably had some purpose to the story.. something about living on the edge or throwing caution to the wind – but it bothered me because 1) June is 14 and 2) Toby is an adult (30’s I believe) and should know better.  It just felt unnecessary.

Ok that said – the book is a brilliant look into the scare of the AIDS epidemic of the 80’s and the reaction of the families it touched.  It takes a young girl to see through the disease to the people, and for that reason, the book is brilliant.

I listened to this one on audio and Amy Rubinate narrated this very well.

Louisa Clark has spent her life comfortably living at her home (even though she is in her later 20’s).  She has a steady long term job that keeps her happy and a boyfriend of 7 years that is just as comfortable to her as the rest of her small life.  When her job suddenly disappears when it is unexpectedly closed, Louisa applies for a well paid position that is completely out of her skill set – a temporary job of assisting a 35 year old man who is a quadriplegic, wheelchair bound and needs assistance and someone to watch over him while his mother and father are at work.  Surprisingly, Louisa is offered the job.

Will Trainer used to be the guy who had everything.  The looks, money, body, and ability to go anywhere and do anything.  He loved to ski, and travel and explore the world and all that was taken away in the blink of an eye.  An accident that left him unable to move his body on his own, except for his mouth to speak, and eyes. 

Louisa quickly learns she will be earning her pay.  Will is very angry with the loss of his previous life.  He hates that he can do nothing for himself and hates that people make decisions for him instead of asking him his opinion.  Yet Louisa is no pushover and Will learns to respect her as they spend day after day together.  When Louisa overhears that Will has made a decision that is shocking and unthinkable, Louisa decides that her time with him must be used to do everything she can to change his mind before it it too late.

Oh.

I just finished listening to Me Before You moments before I started writing this review.  I wanted to get my thoughts down right away.  Why why why did I wait to read or listen to this amazing book?  I am overcome right now with emotions that are exhilarating and heart breaking and well… I am all over the board.

Louisa makes for a great protagonist in contrast to Will.  She has lived life quite the opposite of Will, having enjoyed the regularity of her day to day.  Will on the other hand, has been everywhere and done everything.. it is amazing to see how a man confined now to a smaller life, can broaden the horizons of a girl who could go and do things, but chooses not to.

Choices.

Really – Me Before You is about choices.  The choices we make and how they affect not only us but those around us.  Honestly I want to go on and on about this book, gushing out why you must read it, why you should request a copy now, and holy smokes seriously GET ON THIS LEVEL of book satisfaction with me and together we shall embrace the world with our new found wisdom….

If I was a “book rating” kind of gal I would give this 5 shiny stars and a snap. 

I must bring out the spoiler page so those of you who have read this book can talk about it because I do want to talk about it.  Please push that button below if you are in the “have read” on this one.  Let’s do this.

Scarlet raises her two young daughters alone while holding down a good job at the local hospital.  When it is her ex- husbands weekend with the girls, Scarlet does not mind working an extra long shift to help out a co-worker.  Then the woman comes into the ER with a mysterious story.  She claims a few days ago while coming out of a bar with her boyfriend, she was bit by what seemed to be a deranged man.  Since that time, this woman has lost around 20 pounds.  20 pounds!?!  When examined the findings are bleak.

And this is just the start of the strange happenings…

Soon the reports are coming over the news and radio stations.  There seems to be some kind of outbreak happening.  People are being bitten and dieing at alarming rates but then, coming back to some sort of “zombie like life”  where they are up and walking but what used to be the person inside is gone….

Suddenly all Scarlet wants to do is to get to where her children are if she possibly can.  It seems that the Apocalypse is at hand.

 

 

Yowza.  After reading a couple incredible gushing reviews of this book, I decided to give it a try on audio.  Having recently becoming obsessed with the Walking Dead series (another story for another day….) I was curious how this would compare.  While some things were a bit too spot on to Walking Dead ( they bite you or eat you and you too become one of them only to be put down by a shot through the head…), the rest was intriguing and fast paced…. and creepy real feeling.

This is my first book by Jamie McGuire and pretty sure it will not be my last.  Red Hill took me through a fast paced different world than I am used to.  One of fear and survival, but also of connecting with people and creating a sense of family.

That day that Eleanor got on the bus and Park had the only available seat, or more truthful, the only one that would make room for this overweight girl with frizzy red hair and clothing that looked like they belonged to a man, was a day that Park would not soon forget.

As their bus routine continues, Park finds himself becoming more and more interested in Eleanor, and Eleanor felt the same about Park.  An odd couple to say the least, Park with his half Korean heritage and Eleanor who is bullied at school, friendless, and lives in fear of her moms boyfriend create a friendship based on a love for music and comic books.

*sigh*  Why didn’t someone tell me about author Rainbow Rowell sooner than this?  After having recently listening to Fangirl by this same author and finding it a pretty sweet listen, I followed up on the buzz on Eleanor and Park.

I think one of the things I appreciated most about this book was the fact that Eleanor and Park were not your typical protagonists.  They were not the popular students.  They were not the shy misunderstood student that takes their glasses off, gets a hair cut, and comes out beautiful and everyone wants to be their friend…. Instead, Eleanor comes from a very povertish home.  Her mother is in an abusive relationship and Eleanor lives in fear for her family’s safety.  Her clothes are not new and stylish but whatever her mom can scrape together and find.  Park is quiet.  His home life is good but he feels he can’t be himself.  His mother is over protective, his father… well his dad for the most part is pretty cool… everything that Eleanor’s family life is not.

Set in the mid 80’s, you have to just fall in love along with this misfit pair, believing first love can last forever… and in a way…. doesn’t it?

Swoon worthy.  Thank you Rainbow Rowell for braving the road less traveled and creating characters that can make your heart ache.  *I bow to you*