Category: audio review

A local woman is killed in a tragic car accident that looks to be a clear-cut case of drunk driving with her blood alcohol level dangerously high, yet friends and family assure Detective Patrick Hedstrom that this woman never drank.

A Reality Show is being filmed in town as well, and jealousy brews as some seem to get more camera time than others.  When a party on the set ends with the murder of a contestant, no one knows who they can trust.  Of course much to the producers delight – ratings spike as people tune in (literally) to the reality show with a real murder!

Two incredibly different crimes – but are they connected?  Patrick and his new partner Hannah will just have to figure that out…

I liked the idea of The Stranger.  When the book opens with the details leading up to the car accident and all the pieces that led up to the accident – possible people involved, motives, I was deeply engagedm looking forward to an enticing story.  Then the addition of the reality show story line and the murder took me out of the zone to try to get what one would have to do with the other….

I don’t feel I became as attached to the reality show part of the book as I did with the car crash and the personal story line that follows through the book like a mysterious smoke – the relationship of Patrick and Erica was interesting as well.  I listened to this one on audio which may be a part of my disconnect but in the end, while interesting – I have no big take away from this one.

The writing is beautiful and flowed well – I did enjoy the narration.   Just because this was not a love for me, be sure to check out other opinions on this one.  🙂

Thank you to Highbridge audio for the chance to listen to and review this audio book.

Did  you know that at least one-third of all the people in the world are introverts?  They prefer listening to speaking, reading to going out to parties, staying in as opposed to hitting the grad parties, weddings.  They tend to dislike self promotion and favor working on their own over team brainstorming sessions.  They are labeled quiet, shy, unsure of themselves, non sociable…. and in many cases that is not true at all.

Did you know the introverts of our society actually approach challenges not as rushed as an extrovert, not speaking as loudly or as quickly as an extrovert, and that is ok?  It is ok to be more of a listener and a processor than the up front idea person.  After all introverts contribute much to our society… it was an introvert who invented the personal computer.   Rosa Parks was an introvert.

Did you know that I am an introvert?

I absolutely adored this book.  Why?  Because it absolutely spoke to me and it was about me.  That person who would rather work quietly at their desk prodding along without a team of people to assist?  That is me.  That person who walks into a party and sees no one she knows so finds a quiet corner to hang out in?  Me.  The person who listens more than speaks during staff meetings?  Me again. 

Yet I have friends who are shocked when they hear me refer to myself as an introvert.  I am not overcome by stage fright, I can speak to large groups of people, I can lead a book discussion group, a committee, and be an advocate for a cause.  What my friends need to remember is that the day they met me, I did not run up squeal and hug them.  😀  It takes time for me to warm into a group where I feel comfortable to speak up with my ideas and opinions.  I don’t have the “bull in a china shop” mentality where I can charge on in and look around later…. I need to know my surroundings and get a feel for the environment and the people around me before I can move forward.

What I took away from Quiet is that the way I need to energize is by being alone, and not always wanting to take on a group of people to complete a task I can do on my own, is normal introvert behavior.  And better yet, it is ok to ask this way.  That was kind of life changing for me to hear that.  I do like to work alone.  I do get excited when I come home and I have the house to myself.  I am sure my lifestyle of kids gone and hubby working all the time does not help me control this desire.  I am alone a lot.  And I really like it. 

We know society leans in favor towards the extrovert.  We see them on TV and they are the actors and actresses we are drawn to by the power they have to capture our attention.  They are the people around us who flourish in business discussions, can rule the conversation in a group, and can be found at most social engagements.  Yes what Susan Cain lets us know is not to overlook the person who is more quiet, more reflective than verbal… after all they are the makings of J K Rowling, Steve Jobs, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Steven King.

As book lovers, I think many of us may be considered introverts.

Kathe Mazur does a fine job of narrating this one.  Highly recommended to anyone who has ever been told they need to speak up more, has been called quiet or shy and knows that there is more to them than meets the eye. 

David Safaris does it again with his short stories of his life in laugh out loud humorous ways.  Always witty, from trying to learn French, a cashiers creepy long fingernails, to the hard decisions he had to make about his cat…. David dares you to try to keep a straight face!

Ok, first off if you tell me you have read Sedaris I am going to flat out tell you you don’t know Sedaris.  In fact, I may put in a few hip hop moves and add some slang like ” You ain’t no friend of Sedaris – you don’t know him!”  I may even push you with my pointer finger in your chest.

Now, I am not a mean person – quite the contrary, but I have to say that if you have not listened to Sedaris on audio – which he narrates himself.  Well…

you are missing out. 

I listed to Sedaris a few weeks back and was hooked.  In his funny, witty, matter of fact tone he shares the happenings of his life which as we know – not everyone can pull off.  This is no invitation to come over and watch 4 hours of slides of a family member from a recent vacation with 28 different shots of little Billy peeing in the pool… oh no, David Sedaris had me laughing out loud.

“Every day we’re told that we live in the greatest country on earth. And it’s always stated as an undeniable fact: Leos are born between July 23 and August 22, fitted queen-size sheets measure sixty by eighty inches, and America is the greatest country on earth. Having grown up with this in our ears, it’s startling to realize that other countries have nationalistic slogans of their own, none of which are ‘We’re number two!”
― David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day

 

“At the end of a miserable day, instead of grieving my virtual nothing, I can always look at my loaded wastepaper basket and tell myself that if I failed, at least I took a few trees down with me.”
― David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day

 

“Unlike my father, who blindly churned out one canvas after another, I had real ideas about the artistic life. Seated at my desk, my beret as tight as an acorn’s cap, I projected myself into the world represented in the art books I’d borrowed from the public library. Leafing past the paintings, I would admire the photographs of the artists seated in their garrets, dressed in tattered smocks and frowning in the direction of their beefy nude models…”

I highly recommend giving David’s books a try.  He is occasionally vulgar in language, but if that doesn’t bother you, you will find a great listen in Sedaris.

Tennessee.  Early 1800’s.  James Richardson, a man who has fought his way to the top to build up his own wealth and status finds himself looking for some strong male slaves to help him keep up with his ever-growing property.  He is surprised when his eyes fall on a proud looking woman slave, although Richardson is not in the market for female help, he finds himself purchasing her, Mena, anyway, almost before he realizes what he is doing.

Richardson puts Mena to work minding his kitchen and as time passes he realizes she is pregnant with child.  What a bargain Richardson had for purchasing a pregnant slave.  Soon, Mena gives birth to Wash.  As Wash grows into a man, he holds the same strong confident will that his mother does.  When Wash is a young man, Richardson, who is struggling financially, notices how the female slaves watch Wash.  Richardson gathers his neighbors and offers Wash as a stud service (for a small fee) to go to their properties and lay with their women to create babies that will grow up to be strong like Wash which is of course, more slaves for the lot of them.

And so it begins.

Told in the alternating voices of Wash, Richardson, Thompson, Thompsons son Eli, and Pallas who is the woman who Wash really wants to be with. 

When I read the synopsis of Wash I was thrilled with the story line.  I had never thought of slaves breeding slaves (I don’t know why – I am sure now that it must have happened) but it felt to me both repulsive and brilliant on the landowners part.  I mean that in no disrespect – but instead setting myself in the time period in which this story unfolds.

Wash is incredibly likeable.  I pictures him as strong and quiet but knows how to hold his own and protect his own when he has too.  Wash’s mother taught his right and as he grows he is able to get a better understanding to the messages she had given him in his younger years.

Narrated by a cast of different voices this audio plays our nicely as each voice is its own.  There are times the multiple narrator-ed books are not appealing to me but this one flows nicely.  Each time a chapter changed perspectives of who was talking I looked forward to hearing their part of the story.

As a whole, Wash is a powerful and captivating read.  I found his situation unfathomable and yet I had to know his story… how do you love one, but be with another because you have to – sent out to stud much like a horse….

Wash is truly worth your time.

Christina and Cara Parravini were identical twins.  Raised in a poorish home by a single struggling mother the girls made their own world between themselves eventually making their way to college, careers, and marriages.  While Christa kept moving forward, Cara seemed to get stuck in the past.  Unable to shake the happenings in their younger home life of revolving door “father figures” and rape, Cara struggles with depression, drugs, and inappropriate relationships with men.  Eventually her self-destructive behavior spirals out of control causing Cara to die at a young age.

As Christa deals with her sister’s death, she wonders if she too will fall into the same destructive behavior that took her sister.  She had battled so long and hard to keep her sister moving forward that without Cara to care for now, she hadn’t noticed that she had the same demons to fight.

*sigh*  I have really struggled with this review.  First let me say I can not imagine the bond between twins and especially twin girls.  I in no way mean to discount that, or the fact of the immense crushing loss of someone you are so close too.  I lost a sister when she was 5 years old and I know that pain, so I can imagine that losing someone you were with from the moment of birth into adult hood sharing so much has to be all that much more painful and for that, I extend my deepest sympathy.

I listened to Her on audio, which is narrated by the author, Christa Parravani.  I found the narration to be very monotone.  Very matter of fact and never really changing throughout the entire book. 

As far as the book itself, I struggled immensely with the self-destructive behavior not only in Cara, but eventually in Christa too.  The whole thing was extremely depressing like I could never catch a full breath as I waited for something light-hearted to happen – between the monotone narration and the all-consuming sadness of the book, it never came – or if it was there, due to the monotone narration, I missed it as “exciting” or “moments of lightness and humor” are not things you would say to describe this book.  In fact I would find myself using words like:   heavy, depressing, overly sad, confusing….

I wish I could say something more positive,  There was really nothing I enjoyed about this audio.  I remember thinking I was so glad I was an upbeat, fairly well-adjusted happy person as if I was a person prone to depression and read this book I think it would have been overall too much to handle.  In fact, it almost was. 

Now please do not take only my opinion on this book/audio.  Amazon and Audible.com both have great reviews posted about it.  It was just not a fit for me.

Raven Boys was so different than what I had expected… different good.  This is a different writing for Maggie Stiefvater, a more complex and engaging writing.

~Sheila

At sixteen, Blue knows her life is different than others her age.  For starters, her family are psychics.  This alone would be enough to make her stand out – and she is told that her presence in a room helps her family see into others lives more clearly although Blue sees nothing.

Until one day while Blue and her mother are waiting in the graveyard to see the spirits of those who will die in the next twelve months.  And this time, Blue sees something.  At first it is a flicker in the air, nothing you could put a shape too… but then.. she could.  It is a boy and his name in Gansey and now Blue knows he will die within the year….

Blue is told…

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve, Blue. Either you’re his true love…or you killed him.”

And days later when this same boy arrives at Blue’s door step for a reading… Blue knows she is in deep.  Warned by her family to stay away from Gansey and his friends known as the Raven Boys, Blue does what any sixteen year old girl would do when confronted with an ultimatum and a chance to hang out with some interesting boys… she starts sneaking around and helping then with their mission… to locate a line of energy that could connect them to a Welsh King, Glendover…

I admit that Raven Boys wasn’t what I thought it would be.  I have read Maggie Steifvater before with her Shiver series and enjoyed them finding then very YA, very Twilight like… good fun easy reads.  So when I put myself into Raven Boys I was surprised to find something deeper and more involved than I had bargained for.

Maggie Steifvater takes her writing to a whole new level in Raven Boys.  It is more detailed than her past writings that I have read, it is a meatier read and it took me a while to wrap my head around it.  Yet once I did, I couldn’t stop. 

The character of Blue takes on an interesting twist as she brings a little something to the party that most can not.  With her abilities through her psychic family… she is an asset on the Raven Boys Team.  But for me, the Raven Boys themselves trump Blue 100 fold.  They are well developed… the story line as they figure out clues to a past they are unsure of id truly impressive.  As I followed along I kept having these, “What the!” and “Oh…. awesome!” moments. 

There are many story lines that are left open and hearing this is a 4 book series (the second coming out this fall) I imagine that the teasers of this book… opening doors that we do not yet get to walk through, will lure this reader for sure, on to the next book… and probably the next after that. 🙂

I listened to this book on audio and narrator Will Patton did a wonderful job with the cast of characters he was working with.