And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

Jenny Hubbard, And We Stay, Sheila DeChantal, Book Jouurney

Emily Beam is in a Boarding School for girls in Massachusetts.  It is probably due to the fact that her once boyfriend Paul came into the school with a stolen gun and threatened Emily and then took his own life.  It is probably due to the pregnancy.

Now Emily, left with the guilt of ending the relationship and the anger for feeling guilty.  She is not quick to make friends with her dark personality but soon finds that a couple of the girls just won’t shake off so easy.  While Emily is not sharing her tragic story with anyone, it slowly comes out in her writing and her poetry.  As Emily seeks for solace in the  once home of Emily Dickinson that is open for tours just down the street from the boarding school… together it seems the two Emily’s – one in flesh and one in spirit heal together in this strange and uncertain world.

 

 

I chose this book initially for two reasons.  One, I love that Emily Dickinson is part of the story and that they put the home that she wrote in close to where Emily Beam stays.  Two, I adore this cover… a cover like this – could go many directions but I see a closed off, angry and uncertain girl who at the same time is trying hard to look like she is holding it all together.

I can not say I loved this book.  The topics are heavy from teen pregnancy, to suicide, to abortion.  I listened to this book on audio and at a little under 6 hours, it just felt too heavy for my liking.  Emily was not a character I felt for, most of the characters fell flat, to the point that other than the main character and the boyfriend Paul, I could not name another character int he book right now if I needed to.

This book may be a better fit for young adults, but I question if even they too would find it heavy and not of the quality and engagement of much on today’s YA reads. The book had potential but never quite found it.

Narration by Erin Spenser was very good.

 

 

  • Listening Length: 5 hours and 53 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: Listening Library
  • Audible.com Release Date: July 8, 2014

 

I Don’t Know What You Know Me From by Judy Greer

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You may recognize her from being the best friend in the movie 13 Going On 30.  She was also a friend in 27 Dresses.  She had a supporting role in What Women Want, Carrie, Playing For Keeps, The Descendants, The Wedding Planner.   She has had tv show appearances such as Modern Family, ER, House MD, My Name Is Earl, CSI Miami, Two and a Half Men, and more… so much more.

Judy Greer is always in the role of best friend, co-worker, the neighbor… the walk on part.  While you may recognize her from something… Judy Greer laughs at the fact that she is often unable to place, and often, identified incorrectly.

From fun moments (or… not so fun moments) at the Oscars, wardrobe malfunctions, a famous actor giving her father a Harley Davidson, behind the scenes and more.

 

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Many of the movies that Judy Greer has been in I have seen.  While I recognize her and enjoy the parts that she plays, I admittedly, could not have told you her name.

Until now.

Judy Greer’s memoir, I Don’t Know Where You Know Me From, is like sitting with a friend you have not seen in a while and catching up on what is going on in their life.  It is light and funny. I listened to this one on audio, narrated by Judy herself, which was fun, and really added to the “sitting and catching up with a friend” feeling.  The audio is fairly short, but for this it works… much like hanging out with that friend – you do not want them to ramble on and on about themselves to the point that you do not want to see them for a while. 😉  That does not happen here.  Judy leaves you with just enough that you are still friends once her book is over and you look forward to whatever you will see her in next, so you can say – “That, is Judy Greer.  She is funny and versatile, you need to read her book.”

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  • Audible Audio Edition
  • Listening Length: 5 hours and 31 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: Random House Audio
  • Audible.com Release Date: April 8, 2014

 

The One and Only by Emily Giffin

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Thirty-three year old Shea Rigsby lives and breathes football in Walker Texas, and had been a super fan all of her life.  She grew up in this very town alongside her best friend Lucy Carr, whose father was the Head Coach for the Walker Team, and whose mother Connie was good friends with Shea’s mom.

When tragedy hits the Carr family, Shea finds her world turning upside down.  She starts to wonder about the feelings she is having for a man…. a man who just happens to be the father of her best friend.

 

 

I have read and enjoyed author Emily Giffin’s fun style of writing in the past.  Her characters are usually light and fun, and you know what fun you are in for with her books.

The one and Only is a different style for Emily Giffin.  At least, I should say, from what I have read of her books.  The One and Only dealt with a topic that I personally struggled with, and no, I don’t mean football.  😉

I had a hard time connecting with the book and the characters.  As a protagonist, I never connected with Shea, there was not much to her beyond football.  I don’t mind football books, but I never felt a connection to Shea or any of the characters for that matter.

The book is a fair read and I did finish it as I was curious about how it all would end. I listened to it on audio.  The narrator, Sophia Willingham was a great voice for the story and I enjoyed her narration.

 

 

  • Audio CD
  • Publisher: Random House Audio; Unabridged edition (May 20, 2014)
  • Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins

 

 

 

 

Save The Date by Mary Kay Andrews

Mary Kay Andrews, Save The Date, Book Journey, Sheila DeChantal

Cara Kryzik is the owner of a Savannah flower shop called Bloom.  She truly loves her job but with her father on her case for the money he loaned her to start her business, a landlord that will not return her calls when things in her store are not working, a walk in flower cooler that is unreliable, irate mother of brides, and an assistant who is acting stranger and stranger….

what is going to be her breaking point?

When a good-looking guy steals her dog, Cara does not have time to deal with him and manage her flowers for the upcoming weddings… and when this cool drink of water shows up at the wedding Cara is working, she can not believe his gall.  Is he following her???

While Cara is working out the kinks of her own life living event to event knowing that she is one cancelled wedding away from calling it quits… Jack the dog thief has other plans.

 

 

 

Save the date was another fun romp of a read by Mark Kay Andrews.  I enjoyed the protagonist who could not catch a break and the cast of characters that surrounded her flower shop.  I could imagine this as a fun movie.

Looking for a great summer read or in my case, listen?  Do not hesitate to add Save The Date to your list.  Narrator Kathleen Mcinerney does a wonderful job managing a cast of southern fun voices!

 

 

 

  • Audible Audio Edition
  • Listening Length: 13 hours and 47 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: Macmillan Audio
  • Audible.com Release Date: June 3, 2014

 

The Hurricane Sisters by Dorthea Benton Frank

The Hurricane Sisters, Dorthea Benton Frank, Book Journey, Sheila DeChantal

 

Three generations of southern women, Maisie who is eighty years old and set set SET in her ways.  Liz, Maisie’s daughter is taking care of a career, middle age, and one eye on her adult children, especially Ashley, and the other eye on her husband who makes more and more frequent trips to their apartment in New York.  Then there is Ashley, in her twenties she is sweet and innocent but has her eye and her heart set on the cute young senator; despite her roommates warnings.

Ashley has her older brother Ivy who cheers her on from afar when he is not able to visit from his San Francisco home where he lives with his partner.  Ashley lives in one of the family homes with her roommate Mary Beth; living on a shoe string budget but having dreams (and ideas) of how to make some big money to help them reach their dreams… as long as Ashley’s family doens’tfind out and then render her homeless.

These women love each other fiercely but you wouldn’t always know each.  Each woman has their secrets….  and like the hurricane sisters they are about to become… things are about to get crazy.

 

 

 

WOW OH WOW OH WOW OH WOW OH WOW.  I adore Dorthea Benton Frank and her books too!  If you are an audio person – I highly HIGHLY encourage audio for this one.  Robin Miller has a fantastic variety of voices that clearly define each of the southern characters of this book, both male and female.  I seriously had moments I laughed out loud during this one.  I can only imagine that narrating it was just as fun.

A perfect summer read that makes you think of summer flings and summer parties.  But this book is no fluff… in fact I am very impressed with Dorthea Benton Frank’s handling of a hard topic mixed within this story line.

This is a book that will leave you looking for more of Dorthea Benton Frank.  I have read her before… and I am already looking through her books to see what I may have missed.

Fantastic through and through!

 

 

splooch

 

 

 

The Dinner by Herman Koch

The Dinner, Herman Koch, Book Journey, Sheila DeChantal

The Dinner is a deliciously disturbing read that tells the length that some of us will go to protect our children. ~ Sheila

 

It is a lovely summers eve in Amsterdam and Paul and Claire Lohman are meeting Paul’s brother and his wife for dinner.  Paul’s brother, Serge is well on his way to being Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Paul finds his brother to be full of himself and cringes at the thought of spending dinner at a restaurant where everyone will be watching them and treating them like royalty.

But there are bigger things to discuss at dinner.

Each of the two couples have a 15-year-old son and through appetizers to dessert it will become clear that the two boys have been involved in a horrific act involving the death of a homeless woman.  Some of the guests at this table know all about it… others are just starting to figure out what happened.  Through forced politeness and forks full of delicious food, this family tries to unite on what the right thing to do is…

and are they willing to do it.

 

 

 

I have been wanting to read this book for a while now – since I first heard about it.  First of all it is a foodie type book and I do love my foodie books.  It is also very intriguing that the entire book is set around this one dinner.  Told through flash backs and present time, from pleasant chit-chat around the subject of politics, menu choices, family and then…

We need to talk about our children.

 

I really enjoyed this book on audio.  Narrators Sam Garrett and Clive Mantle were appropriately chilling in their telling of this story that is fed to the reader/listener forkful by forkful.  I am glad I listened to it on audio, I feel it gave the story line a higher level of understanding and I especially enjoyed having the story unfold from Paul’s perspective.

Witty and a bit dangerous ( a little bit of a Jo Nesbo tamed down feel)… I did enjoy The Dinner.

 

 

  • Audible Audio Edition
  • Listening Length: 8 hours and 55 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: AudioGO
  • Audible.com Release Date: February 13, 2013

 

 

This is probably a stretch but I really want to connect this review to Weekend Cooking over at Beth Fish Reads.  😀  It wasn’t really cooking… but it was foodie and it was listened to over the weekend 😀

 

 

Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit Of Less by Greg McKeown

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Do you ever feel stretched too thin, flitting from one project to the next, feeling over extended and really enjoying nothing because you are already thinking of your next “to do”?

Do you ever feel overworked and underutilized?

Do your days tend to get hijacked by someone else’s agenda?

Do you say yes to fill a need or because you feel you should only to stress and regret it later?

 

Greg McKeown shares in this enlightening book that you can say no to things – you can do less, feel better about it, and produce a better outcome.  It is about regaining control of our own choices where to spend our time and energies instead of giving others permission to do it for us.

Essentialism isn’t one more thing – it’s a different way of doing everything.

 

 

 

First up – I loathe self-help books.  I think, probably more accurately I loathe the category “self-help”.  It implies (IMO) that we are unable to help ourselves… it makes me personally feel weak-minded.  And not to say that there is anything wrong with these books – I just do not like how they are categorized.

This is NOT a self-help book.

This book is a way of tweaking how you do life, and more specifically what you say yes to, and evaluating why you say yes.

Family obligation

you feel if you don’t do it, who will?

There is a need and no one else is offering

It’s not a big commitment

 

I do all of his… ALL THE TIME.  I have turned into a yes person, and it is not all bad – by saying yes to things I have really experienced some awesome things.  I do have to admit though I have also taken on too much, been bitter about my commitments, missed out on things I wanted to do because I said yes to something else…. you get the picture.

I wanted to listen to this audio because I find the whole concept interesting.  Our world we live in is full of choices and commitments and opportunities… oh my!  I can not even imagine how many choices I make in a day.

What Greg is saying in his book, that saying no does not have to be a bad thing.  If saying yes to something at work is going to overextend you, make you stay late, put pressure on your other projects – then politely decline.  While it may cause irritation in the beginning from those who are used to you saying yes, in the long wrong it will gain your respect.

(for the record I am that person who will say yes, stay late to get it done, be upset with myself because now I have made myself late to whatever was next….  vicious circle!)

I enjoyed listening to this audio.  Greg McKeown narrates this himself (great accent!) I did pick up some things from it that I can apply and hope to. I like to learn, and by listening to this audio I did pick up on some tips I can apply to my own life and know that you should say yes…

to the right things 🙂

 

Publisher:  Crown Business

Release date: April 15, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Do you sometimes feel overworked and underutilized?
  • Do you feel motion sickness instead of momentum?
  • Does your day sometimes get hijacked by someone else’s agenda?
  • Have you ever said “yes” simply to please and then resented it?

If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.

The Way of the Essentialist involves doing less, but better, so you can make the highest possible contribution.

The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s not about getting less done. It’s about getting only the right things done. It’s about challenging the core assumption of ‘we can have it all’ and ‘I have to do everything’ and replacing it with the pursuit of ‘the right thing, in the right way, at the right time’. It’s about regaining control of our own choices about where to spend our time and energies instead of giving others implicit permission to choose for us.

In Essentialism, Greg McKeown draws on experience and insight from working with the leaders of the most innovative companies in the world to show how to achieve the disciplined pursuit of less.

– See more at: http://gregmckeown.com/essentialism-the-disciplined-pursuit-of-less/#sthash.QpirtZky.dpuf

  • Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin?
  • Do you sometimes feel overworked and underutilized?
  • Do you feel motion sickness instead of momentum?
  • Does your day sometimes get hijacked by someone else’s agenda?
  • Have you ever said “yes” simply to please and then resented it?

If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.

The Way of the Essentialist involves doing less, but better, so you can make the highest possible contribution.

The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s not about getting less done. It’s about getting only the right things done. It’s about challenging the core assumption of ‘we can have it all’ and ‘I have to do everything’ and replacing it with the pursuit of ‘the right thing, in the right way, at the right time’. It’s about regaining control of our own choices about where to spend our time and energies instead of giving others implicit permission to choose for us.

In Essentialism, Greg McKeown draws on experience and insight from working with the leaders of the most innovative companies in the world to show how to achieve the disciplined pursuit of less.

– See more at: http://gregmckeown.com/essentialism-the-disciplined-pursuit-of-less/#sthash.QpirtZky.dpuf

How To Become A Narrator by Narrator Robert Fass (included in the June Audio Month Giveaway)

Audio month

Yes, yes… I know it is July.  If you read my morning post you will know that I inadvertently missed posting one of our awesome narrators responses for the June Audio Book Month features.  Robert Fass was also one of the narrators that was at the Narrator Luncheon in New York in May.  I had the pleasure of meeting him, but did not have enough time to really chat much with him.  Now, Robert has graced Book Journey with his thoughts on Narrating – a question that seemed to pop up frequently throughout the comments last month.  How does one become a narrator?  Please welcome, Robert Fass.

 

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I’m Robert Fass, and I started narrating professionally in 2005, though it took a number of years before I started making a living at it.

I have completed around 80 titles at this point, across just about every genre, including:
  • THE UNWINDING by George Packer (2013 National Book Award winner for nonfiction)

  • DOUBLE DOWN: GAME CHANGE 2012 by Mark Halperin & John Heilemann

  • SNOW WHITE MUST DIE by Nele Neuhaus (bestselling German crime thriller)

  • SAY HER NAME by Francisco Goldman (fictionalized memoir – listed in AudioFile Magazine’s Top Ten

  • Audiobooks of 2011, Earphones award winner)

  • IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY by Ned Vizzini (YA)

  • THE LIEBERMANN PAPERS series of historical mysteries by Frank Tallis

  • EMPIRE OF LIBERTY by Gordon S. Wood (Audie winner for history, 2011)

I am one of only two narrators approved by the authors’ estate to narrate the Ellery Queen mysteries (I’ve narrated 10 so far), plus works by John Steinbeck, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, Carlos Fuentes, Jeffery Deaver and more.  Along the way, I’ve had 7 Audie nominations and won twice.
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I have been a professional actor for over 30 years – a longtime member of the performers’ unions, trained in the classics, studied for many years with the great Uta Hagen – and I have always loved the spoken word. My mother was a librarian and my dad was a volunteer narrator for the blind for over 25 years. When my dad passed away in 1997, I began volunteering in his honor at a local radio reading service for the visually impaired here in NYC. I lucked out the first week I showed up: one of the readers for THE NEW YORKER magazine was out and I was asked to step in. It became permanent and I spent nearly every Wednesday for the next 11 years reading the best fiction, journalism, criticism, and poetry around to a national audience. It was the best training ground anyone could wish for.

My mother was a librarian and my dad was a volunteer narrator for the blind for over 25 years.

Around 2005, a fellow volunteer offered me her invitation to a seminar given by the Audio Publishers Association (APA). They were at that time seeking to bring more theatrically trained performers into the narrator community. I went and was given the opportunity to record a sample and send it to the senior producer at Brilliance Audio, which is a large producer in the mid west (now owned by Amazon). His response was that while I didn’t have the richest voice in the world, he thought I was a very good reader and might expect to find a small amount of work in this field. That was enough encouragement for me to create a professional demo CD – and I sent it to every single producer and publisher in the APA member directory.  A handful of producers were impressed enough with it that they wanted to give me an opportunity to narrate for them. I was lucky to get to narrate works by some major authors right out of the gate, my first couple of titles got reviews (positive ones) and I started to make fans within the producing community. That put me firmly on the path and I chose to pursue it from there.

So… You Want To Become A narrator…

1. Know that narrating audiobooks is a craft. If you’re serious about it and you aren’t a trained actor, start taking classes in acting and vocal production.
2. Don’t think you can be a narrator simply because people tell you that you have a nice voice.
3. Get good before you cut a demo.
4. Join SAG-AFTRA so that if you are fortunate enough to find work in this field, you can begin receiving pension and health benefits.
5. Be prepared to spend long periods of time alone working your ass off in a little box. And loving it.
6. Unless you are in one of the major markets, you will very likely need to invest in a home studio which – even if you do it on the cheap – ain’t cheap.
7. Be aware that any narrator starting out today also has to be an engineer and a director, because it’s just you in the booth doing everything.
8. Know that you rarely have a choice in the material you are offered.
9. Be patient and tenacious.
10. There are many versions of this next basic piece of advice, but if you think you would like to be an audiobook narrator, the first thing you should do is to take a book off the shelf at random, open it to a random page, take it into the closet and read the entire page aloud. Then go back to the top of the page and read it again. Then do it two or three more times. If that’s your idea of a good time, you might think about taking a first step into narration. There is a more comprehensive version of this point in a video by narrator/instructor Sean Allen Pratt.

 

Amazing Narrator Happening… oh yes…. IT HAPPENED

 

An illustration of the need to be patient when starting out: when I sent my original demo around, a very senior, highly respected producer responded with tremendous enthusiasm. “You’re on my A-list! You can obviously do everything! I can’t wait to work with you!” She was quite sincere about it. But at least a year went by before a project came along that she felt was a good fit for me to audition. It was going to be a big deal, a new series that was hoping to be the next Harry Potter. We worked in the studio for a long time together, but in the end I didn’t get it. And I didn’t hear from her again for months. But one day, I got a call from her out of the blue. Unbeknownst to me, she had been circulating an excerpt from that audition as a voice sample for consideration in various projects, and it turned out that Ray Bradbury had selected me to narrate what turned out to be the last book published in his lifetime, FAREWELL, SUMMER (which was the sequel, 50 years in the making, to his beloved classic DANDELION WINE). That was the second book I ever narrated.

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This is the final audio book month post.  For every post you comment on in June (and this one on July 1st) that has this audio book symbol:

Audio month, Book Journey, Sheila DeChantalI will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice).  Winner will be drawn this week!

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedwick

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Seven stories though separated by centuries somehow intermingle as though merely breaking the surface of something much larger that lies just beneath… just out of vision…

An archeologist, an airman, a painter, a ghost, a vampire, and a Viking… center around an island called Blessed.  Eric and Merle show up within the stories in different forms of their name as the stories unfold.  What is this tale that binds?

 

 

Midwinterblood is a rhythmic tale appropriately read by the narration of Julian Rhind-Tutt.  While short stories have never been something I was drawn to, always wanting “more to the story”, Midwinterblood unfolds in such a way that while the stories are separated by time and tale that I found myself looking for the clues that drew them together. That, as it turns out; was a good thing.

Midwinterblood is marketed as a children’s book but I felt it would have a stronger calling to more of the YA listeners and readers.

While I adore the cover that was on the copy I listened too; it was interesting to see the others covers on-line.. each engaging in their own way:

7

5 hours and 49 minutes

Publisher: Square Fish (April 22, 2014)

 

 

Audio Book Month – The Wrap Up and YOUR Thoughts w/ Giveaway!

Audio month

Is it  wrong that now that we are at the end of June and audio month sadly draws to a close that I want to take this above picture and cross out the word June and put July?  *sigh*  All good things must come to an end.

It seems like audio book month went so fast!  I had a blast being such an active part of it this year and I hope that you enjoyed the posts here from audio book discussions, audio book reviews, and the amazing narrators who chimed in with their thoughts and experiences with audio.  Special thanks to our narrators who hung out here:

Johnny Heller

Therese Plummer

Allyson Johnson

Tavia Gilbert

Xe Sands

Karen White

Patrick Lawlor

Ellen Archer

Khristine Hvam

Good times people… good times. 🙂

And now as I wrap this up I would love to hear some feedback from you on these posts. This posts comments also go into the giveaway that has been running all month for commenting on Audio Book related posts..

Here is what I would love to know:

1.  Did any of the posts from this month encourage you to try an audiobook?  (New or a long time listen of audio, which audio, and which post?

1a.  If you did try an audiobook how was it?

2.  Was there a particular post that you enjoyed out of all the audio posts.  If so, which one?  Why that one?

3.  Did you learn anything from the posts by the Narrators?

4.  What would you like to know more of about audio books?

 

 

As a refresher – here are the posts once again for the last time:

Intro to Audiobook Month

The Acting Of Narration with Johnny Heller

Delicious by Ruth Reichl

A Day In The Life Of Narrating by Narrator Therese Plummer

The Beginning of Narration by Narrator Allyson Johnson

The BEST audiobooks according to the listeners

If I Can’t Have You by Gregg Olsen and Rebecca Morris

Top 5 audiobooks according to narrator Tavia Gilbert

Look Ma!  NO hands!  Audiobooks MY Way!

Things To Look For When Picking Your Next Audio by Narrator Xe Sands

Then and Always by Dani Atkins

Beyond Books by Narrator Karen White

The Other Story by Tatiana De Rosnay

The Narrating Life by Narrator Patrick Lawlor

Mrs. Hemingway by Naomi Woods

The Art Of Secrets by James Klise

The Best Part Of Narrating By Narrator Ellen Archer

That’s Narrating!  By Narrator Khristine Hvam

 

Please watch this site for June audio book related posts like this one.  For every post you comment on in June that has this audio book symbol:

Audio month, Book Journey, Sheila DeChantalI will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice).  Winner will be drawn in July.