Book Journey

Searcy Roberts grew up in small town Alabama and when she married her high school sweetheart, Alton, moved to Atlanta and enjoyed the unlimited funds that his successful career brought them, she swore she would never go back. Living the dream of having a personal shopper, a doorman to carry her bags, and expensive lunches out, you can imagine Searcy’s surprise when Alton says he wants out.

Out?

Suddenly Alton seems to be having a midlife crisis.  He decides he does not want his job anymore, is cancelling credit cards, and filing for divorce.  He tells Searcy that their apartment will be leased out within the month and he will help her relocate wherever she decides, within means.  And then he leaves.

Searcy is shell-shocked.  Her beautiful clothes!  Her unlimited credit.  Her husband who she does truly love!

Unsure of what her next move should be, a timely phone call from her mother asking her to come home and help out with the family business, Pie Girls, is what normally Searcy would say no to, however considering the circumstances, maybe a get away is exactly what she needs.

Pie Girls is a sweet (pun intended) chick lit read that I really enjoyed.  Ceecee is an interesting protagonist with a high-class attitude that changes throughout the book as her life as she knows it crumbles before her eyes.  I absolutely loved the southern twang of narrator Mary Hollis Inboden, she made the audio fun to listen to!  Jobe Cerny is also on this audio as the voices for the men, an interesting fact about Jobe is that he is most known for his role as the voice of the Pillsbury Dough Boy (although there were no “Dough Boy” voices in this book  😉  )

• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening Length: 8 hours and 27 minutes
• Program Type: Audiobook
• Version: Unabridged
• Publisher: Camellia Press
• Audible.com Release Date: December 23, 2014

Sarah Nickerson. Married. Mother of three.  Home owner.  Career driven.  Vice President of Human Resources at Burkley Consulting.  Between the shuffling of husband, home, kids, sports, family/friends obligations, and her job of 80 hours per week, she is nothing short of…

super mom.

Sarah thrives on keeping a tight agenda and there is little room for error. On the days when she wins the rock,paper,scissors for who does not have to take the kids to school, she loves the rush of being able to go directly to work.

On one such of these days Sarah decides that her drive time is an excellent time to catch up on a few phone calls and while dialing a number – in the blink of an eye, everything goes…

white.

When Sarah awakens she is in the hospital having been in a horrible car accident that has left her with a brain injury that has erased the left side of her world.  She can not feel or see her left arm or leg, and her brain acts as though they do not exist.  Suddenly Sarah who prided herself on being fiercely independent now finds herself at the mercy of those around her for all her needs including flossing her own teeth.

As Sarah struggles to make herself whole again with visions of returning to her job and her life she once had, that vision begins to fade and a new vision may very well be taking its place.

Left Neglected was an amazing audio book to listen to.  I was fully engaged in this story line of a woman whose life was too full… too busy… and then it all came to an end.  Who hasn’t at least for a time had a schedule like that?  And who hasn’t made a phone call or talked on the phone while driving?  I sure have.

Lisa Genova really did her homework on this book.  I had never heard of left brain neglect but it is a real thing.  For Lisa to place herself in this characters world of relearning how to find her left side, how to see things on her left and how to use her left side is amazing.  I can just imagine the struggles of this independent woman who has to retrain her mind just to engage in simple things like eating and walking.  I can imagine her struggles as people visited her and she wanted so much to appear whole… to appear healing… to be complete.

Narration by Sarah Paulson, another new to me narrator.  Sarah was a wonderful easy to listen to narrator who captured the essence of this book.

Fantastic read!  I recommend Left Neglected highly.

• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening Length: 9 hours and 12 minutes
• Program Type: Audiobook
• Version: Unabridged
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Audible.com Release Date: January 4, 2011

June Anderson is a professional.  Her job as Vice President of Finances at her bank is fulfilling and she has found that she has a gift for being able to close doors on struggling businesses saving her bank a lot of money.  It’s not personal, it’s business, is her motto and struggling mom and pop shops do not have a chance to win her over.

When June receives a letter that her beloved Aunt Ruby has passed away she is devastated.  Ruby owned a Children’s Book Store called Blue Bird Books in Seattle and June is surprised to learn that the store has been left to her.  Taking a planned short leave from her job, June heads to Seattle to plan the selling of the book store.  However, the quaint book store floods her with memories from her childhood… and June soon finds out that Ruby still has a few surprises for June as well.  Perhaps June’s future is not at all what she thinks.

What a beautiful listen!  I absolutely love books with book references and Goodnight June is filled with them.  Plant the setting in the center of a beloved book store and you have me hooked!  Reading this book was like spending a day with a dear friend. At the spa.  In Jamaica.  🙂

Goodnight June reminded me of the movie You’ve Got Mail, another struggling book store and every time I see the movie I cry when they have to close the doors.  In fact I tear up as I type this… egads… what a wimp!

The storyline is sweet and feels real in today’s economy and struggling small businesses.  Put a good-looking guy as owner of an Italian restaurant next to the book store and we have the makings of a pretty amazing read.

Sarah Jio is a fairly new author to me but one that I want to spend more time with.  This is my second book by her and I loved them both.  Narration of this audio book was by Katherine Kellgren and was a smooth fit. Kellgren had just the right mix of vocal skills to make this an excellent listen.  I do not think I have heard Kellgren’s narration before but found I enjoyed her very much.

• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening Length: 8 hours and 30 minutes
• Program Type: Audiobook
• Version: Unabridged
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
• Audible.com Release Date: May 27, 2014