Lee Fiora knew from a young age she wanted out.  Out of her hum drum life in South Bend Indiana, out from under her parents smothering thumbs….  she dreamed of being a boarding school student but her family did not have the means or the desire to see her attend such a place.  Lee knew is she wanted to make that dream come true, she would have to work for it.  When Lee earns a scholarship to Ault, her family is shocked but accepts that their daughter is going away.

What Lee finds at school is mostly money kids who have always had access to money and never have known what it is like to live on a budget.  These students were raised as privileged and Lee finds herself feeling insecure in her placement at Ault, while few know she is on scholarship, she fears she reeks of inadequacy. 

Between hot girls and cute boys (enter the likes of super hotty Cross Sugarman), Lee stumbles along always feeling like an outsider.  She works hard to earn every tiny step she makes towards feeling good about herself and if making slow but steady progress when she makes a major lack of good judgement and destroys all that she has worked so hard to earn.

Prep, is Lee’s story.  She narrates this as being 24 years old looking back at her days in Ault, reliving each feeling and what, now in hind site, she could have done differently.

Why did I want to read PREP?  I actually started reading PREP over a year ago.  At no fault of the book, life became busy, I sat it down and just did not get the time to finish it.  This year, I found the audio version at a sale and could nor resist giving it another go.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out this book was also a Banned Book, so it fit right into my Banned book Week planning. 
PREP is Lee’s story.  Narrated by Julie Dretzin this 17 hour+ audio can feel long at times, and yet author Curtis Sittenfield keeps it  engaging.  As Lee retells her prep school adventures you can feel for her… trying to find a good roommate, avoiding the girls that others pick on so she can up her status, meeting the guy, thinking about the guy, dreaming of the guy… and then getting the guy…

sort of.

It’s hard to review this book because it really is day-to-day life at Ault and while as I mentioned above, there are periods in Lee’s retelling that seem to be drawn out… in reality, life is not one big moment after another… but times of small moments… with occasional big ones. 😀  All in all, while PREP wasn’t over the top engaging, it did hold my interest and I am glad I had this opportunity to listen to it. 

Why was PREP challenged/banned?

In 2008 and in 2009 Pulled from the accelerated reading program in the Heritage Oak School in Yorba Linda (CA). A parent complained that the book was “pornographic.”

My thoughts:  PREP has a few sex scenes, but they are not anything detailed and I have read much more detailed scenes in books that are not banned. 

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

Check out other banned book reviews and giveaways here

For this giveaway – A $10 Amazon gift card will be given away at the end of Banned Book Week.  To enter, let me know in a comment what book on the banned book list really surprises you.  Click here for a list of these books.

Rose Mae Lolley knew the power she had over men… they looked at her and they liked what they seen.  As a  teenager and as a young woman Rose Mae knew how to get what she wanted with a bat of an eye…

But now, that wild flirty girl Rose Mae is buried down deep, and Ro, as she now goes by, is quiet, patronizing, shy, and trapped in a marriage to Tom Grandee filled with both love and abuse.  No longer does Rose wear the frilly sleeveless shirts of her youth, traded instead for Ro’s wardrobe of long sleeves and pants that cover the bruises…

Then one day Ro crosses paths with a gypsy who shares with her the cards that spell out Ro’s future… that if she does not escape her current path she is going to die, killed at the hands of her husband… unless…. she kills him first.
Bubbling beneath Ro’s quiet and scared demeanor, Rose Mae makes her way back to the surface working on taking back her life, and while she’s at it, Fat Gretal her dog as well.  But Tom does not let go easy and Rose has to make sure she knows how far she is willing to go to live again.

Why did I want to listen to this audio?  I have seen Joshilyn Jacksons books around and have heard good things.  This one had a fun title and narrated by the author, I thought this would be the way to go.  If you listened to the YouTube video above you hear Joshlyn’s voice and that accent makes this listen so much fun!

Pack yourself up for a fun southern spin on this one!  Rose Mae is a fun little southern number who’s mama left a long time ago and her dad was as quick with his fists as her husbands.  It seems like Rose Mae has never had the chance to experience what it was like to be loved by a good, kind, man. 

Author and Narrator Joshilyn Jackson makes this audio book a fun journey.  She really breathes life into her creation, Rose “Ro” Mae with a kickin attitude and a way of making things work…. eventually.  The more I listened the more I wanted to know what was going to happen.  While dealing with a heavy topic, it never feels that way…. mixed in with some lighthearted fun, I actually hope Rose Mae shows up in a future story because I really wouldn’t mind knowing more about a group of offbeat characters that hold a soft spot now in my heart. 

I will be looking for more from this author.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

Andy Barber has become known as someone not to go up against court rooms of Massachusetts, New England. He is well respected in his community and has been a pillar for about twenty some years.  Andy’s home is a happy one where he lives with his lovely wife Laurie and their 14 year old son Jacob.  If Andy were to be asked what he wished for, he would say all his wishes had come true already.

When a classmate of Jacob’s is killed, Andy is one of the first ones to investigate this unthinkable crime.  When talking with other students he is lead to start watching social networking sites and what he finds there is disturbing, the trail is leading to his son Jacob.  When Jacob becomes a suspect, Andy is removed from the case and even accused of interfering with the clues.  When Jacob is charged with the murder, Andy and Laura are tossed into a new world of accusations every where they turn. 

As Andy and Laura work at defending their son more and more information comes out including a past pattern of Jacob being cruel to animals as well as some unmentionable activity on a website Andy had never even heard of.  Yet Jacob swears he is innocent and Andy believes him, now with his hands tied, all he can do is sit back and watch the trail play out, hoping that the real killer is found.

Why did I want to read this book?  From the moment I heard about this one on line I was interested.  Court cases have always kind of sucked me in (years ago it was John Grisham, more recently Jodi Piccoult…).  A story about a young boy accused of murdering a classmate was something I wanted to know more about.

Defending Jacob was a phenomenal listen.   Grover Gardner did an excellent job of Narrating, distinguishing clearly between the many male voices in this tale of crime and accusation. 

Imagine if your child was accused of a murder.  Yes, your child who you tuck in at night, watch him play sports, pull in decent grades, and has a nice network of friends.  He is not a loaner.  He is not a dark distant child.  He is a typical teenage boy…. you can not fathom this accusation. 

That is the feeling that grabbed me as I listened to this novel.  I imagined as a parent what that would feel like and how you would hold it together.  As you listen you will see two parents trying to hold it together as their world around them falls apart.  Really, a story line that reads true, like anything you could read in the paper. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Defending Jacob and I am so glad I finally made time to experience it.  As I listened I could not decide it…. did Jacob do it?  Is he innocent?  If not Jacob, then who?

There’s only one way for you to find out…

READ THIS BOOK.  😀

When Sean Astin received the call to come in and try out for the part of Samwise Gamgee he was excited and apprehensive.  The excitement stemmed from the fact that the possible job offer was good timing, his career has stalled and good movie roles were few and far between.  Sean was a little apprehensive because although he had heard of the books… he had never read them. 

Who really was Samwise? 

Upon receiving the part, Sean packed his bags for an 18 month stay in New Zealand for the filming of the movies.  While the part was exciting, it was hard work and Sean was frustrated with how little his role was, after all, his hours upon hours on the set took away from his time with his wife and child and the money wasn’t all that great.

This audio is Sean’s telling of the behind the scenes look at the filming of the movies, the actors and the controversy…

Why did I want to listen to this audio?  I am a fan of all things Tolkien and I guess if I say that, that means Tolkien actors as well.  When I first heard of this book I was intrigued as here was Sean who played Samwise, not the biggest role, and that sparked my interest too.  What would he say about his role?  The making of the movies?  Bilbo? 

There And Back Again is indeed Sean’s story.  Well…. scratch that a second.  I just recently picked up on the fact that The Hobbit is officially called The Hobbit, or There And Back Again.  It’s true.  There And Back Again was already taken by Tolkien… sort of, as we all know the book to be known as The Hobbit. 

Oh how I digress….

Anyhoo… While Sean’s story is interesting and I enjoyed hearing all the backstage stuff about the costumes, and how long it takes to get ready, there was an underlining feeling of forcefulness throughout the book….

What do I mean?

On one hand Sean would be talking about how great it was to meet and work with the other actors and then he would be pulling out character flaws about them – “unfriendly, self-absorbed, made him feel unworthy, late to the set…”  To me if felt like Sean was saying one thing and then someone else was telling him to “add more”, give the reader more!!!!”  So he does, by throwing some under the bus… actually, almost everyone in the movie as well as some extra actors not in the movie for good measure (Sorry Johnny Depp, Brendan Fraser…)

I did find There And Back Again interesting and I did like knowing more about the movie, the budgets, the long hours, and the low pay, things I tend not to think about when I am sitting in a theater with my popcorn and diet coke as big as my head staring at the big screen thinking “This is soooo awesome!”  My only regret for Sean Astin is that I think his book may have done harm to relationships and possibly even for future roles as he comes off as having low self-esteem and  paranoid. 

Personally, I like the guy and I like his acting.  I wish him the best in all he does… but to my readers, if you want to try this one – borrow it from the library.

It’s 1920, and Alaska is a harsh place to try to build a life but that is exactly what Jack and Mabel have done.  Having never been able to have a child of their own, the couple now growing older seem to be drifting apart as Jack struggles to maintain the farmland and survive the brutal winters while Mabel suffers from loneliness and depression. 

When the seasons first snowfall comes, in a rare moment of lightness the couple build a child out of snow covering her with Mabel hat and scarf.  In the morning the snow child is gone, but the couple start seeing a mysterious young girl in the woods wearing the hat and scarf. 

At first the girl is a rare sighting, they only see her in the winter months and they speak to their friends about the girl in the woods they are told that no child lives in the area.  Yet Jack and Mabel continue to see her and one day she comes out of the woods, and when invited into their home she comes in.  The girl says her name is Faina and even though she comes for supper with the older couple, she always leaves and when spring comes she is gone until the following years snowfall…

Mabel’s sister sends her a book that their father used to read to them as children about a child made of snow, and to Mabel it almost seems as though the child has stepped right out of the pages of this fairy tale!  But the ending in the book is not a happy one and Mabel refuses to believe that Faina is merely something magical and will suffer the same fate, although seems seem to be following the books story line…

Why did I choose to read this book?  I blame the book bloggers!  A while back I seen this title popping up everywhere and it sounded like a sweet read.  When I found it on audible.com I had to give it a try.

The Snow Child is everything I hoped it would be.  The story line is filled with a richness that takes your breath away.  Told in this fairy tale like way I could easily picture the couple so desperately wanting a child that bring one to life out of snow.  You could envision the cold long winters of early Alaska and I would imagine being in a small house for months on end with little to do but try to make the food last and stay warm could wear on a person…. but now imagine if you could break up these long days with the chance of seeing a young girl who has become like a daughter to you.  You sew coats for her and talk to her and she appears to be everything you have been missing in life. 

The Snow Child is a book that makes you believe. 

Amazon Review

Goodreads

I purchased my copy of this audio from audible.com

In 1948, in a small town in Virginia, not much happened and the people liked it that way.  Your mail, your routines, were predictable and comforting, and no one….not one person had any inkling as they sipped their coffee and enjoyed their newspaper; that all… was about to change.

Charlie Beale arrived in this very small town, yes, the one I just spoke of above, with two suitcases.  One was filled with his earthly possessions.  The other, with money.  Charlie is self-assured, fairly good-looking, well-mannered and clean.  He has no trouble securing a job at the local butchers with his amazing skills of butchering just right and every cut is mouth-watering tender.  Charlie feels welcomed and soon buys himself a home and spends his free time fishing and playing ball with his bosses son Sam.

Elsewhere in town, Harrison Glass, the richest (and possibly the meanest) man in the area, has “saved” a poor family from loosing their homestead by offering to buy their pretty daughter to become his wife.  Sylvan is only 17 years old, she is a beautiful long-legged creature with little education.  Once married to  he much older Harrison, she takes a liking to picture shows and magazines filled with glamorous dressed women.  Sylvan finds a local woman to sew her the fine garments that she sees in the movies and in the magazines, and while the whole town finds her ridiculous dressed in such finery and going nowhere…. one person, finds her irresistible.  Charlie Beale.

When Charlie first lays eyes on the beautiful Mrs. Glass he can not stop thinking about her.  Soon he is finding excuses to stop by her home, bringing along Sam and his new dog Jackie Robinson to keep the visits looking innocent.  Sylvan has no love lost between herself and her husband.  Harrison merely wanted a trophy wife but she easily annoys him and he is quick with his fists.  In Charlie she finds a much gentler man, one she never knew existed.

Of course, small towns do not miss much and it is only a matter of time until there are whispers of Charlie’s truck parked at the Glass house mid day while Harrison is away.  And a young boy and a dog may make it seem all so innocent… but truth has a way of climbing and crawling to the surface…

Why did I want to read this book?  I had seen the buzz about it on the blogs and thought the story line sounded wonderful.  When I was able to pick it up on audio thanks to Audio Jukebox, I was excited to give it a try.

Heading Out To Wonderful was narrated by Norman Dietz.  Norman had a great voice for this novel, soft and crackly at the edges, he tells the story smoothly and gave me visions of an elderly man sitting on a front porch sharing a tale. 

Heading Out To Wonderful was a well written book that moved smoothly through Charlie coming to town to Harrison’s purchase of a wife, back and forth the two story lines swing as though on a pendulum, keeping time and never losing me as each story heard steadily towards the other.  I don’t think author Robert Goolrick missed a beat when he wrote this.  Usually in a book with so many details and happenings a loose end lays to the wayside and as the book closes I think about the loose end… where should it have went?  Why was it not tied up?  That was not the case here.  Even as I think back fondly on this story for this review, I can not think of one thing that did not come into closure. 

And really people, what a story.  If you can imagine, Charlie Beale, the man that everyone in town has come to love (for reasons I can not mention in this review to avoid spoilers) falling for the girl who no one really knows or likes because of her odd sense of dress, her inability to socialize with the other women in town, and of course the man she is married to. 

Never dragging, never dull, there are plenty of small town happenings to keep our readers minds busy throughout and then at the end… at the end… when all comes to a head… I was shocked, and yet it made sense after I let that initial emotion run its course… as the audio came to an end, I breathed in deeply knowing I had indeed just experienced something wonderful. 

I suggest treat your self to the book or the audio, I suspect both are amazing.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

Thank you audible Jukebox for connecting me with this audio book!