November 2016

Trigger Warning

by Neil Gaiman

Narrated by Neil Gaiman

I’ve given a lot of thought to trigger warnings since listening to Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman.  He begins the book making a good argument against all of the recent trigger warnings for just about everything.  I have to admit that I am guilty of mentioning trigger warnings frequently in reviews.  Gaiman’s reasoning is that reading things that are uncomfortable promotes personal growth. 

I have to agree that as a child I read just about anything and everything.  I did not have my reading material monitored and did not monitor it myself.  Everything that I read did contribute to who I am as an adult.  However, as an adult, I do choose not to read some books that I know will put me in a negative place for a lengthy period of time.  I think that is part of knowing and taking care of myself. 

Do I really need trigger warnings to make that decision?  Probably not.  I do read reviews and I can generally tell where a book is headed before it gets too graphic.  I think that the same is probably true of most readers.  So, in addition to being a great book of short stories, Trigger Warning has significant content in the introduction.

There is absolutely nothing in Trigger Warning that would warrant one, from my perspective.  Once again, Neil Gaiman’s narration is possibly the best part of the book.  I love to hear him reading his own books and this one is no exception.  I highly recommend listening to Trigger Warning as an audio book, although I’m sure it would be a great read, too.

The Dispatcher

by John Scalzi

Narrated by Zachary Quinto

I’m a John Scalzi fan and I loved The Dispatcher.  It was not exactly sci-fi, but futuristic and full of twists.  I listened to the Audible version.  Zachary Quinto did a great job narrating.  It’s short, a little over two hours, and it goes quickly.  Definitely a good listen!

American Gods: Tenth Anniversary Edition

By Neil Gaiman

The tenth anniversary audio edition of American Gods was awesome!  My husband and I listened it during a long road trip and we both enjoyed it immensely.  Please keep in mind that we are both avid Neil Gaiman fans and love his writing… every book that we’ve read and/or heard.  The cast of readers in the anniversary edition, including Neil Gaiman, was excellent.  The story was long and involved, but kept us engaged and entertained from start to finish.  Definitely a great book!

Commonwealth

By Ann Patchett

Narrated by Hope Davis

Ann Patchett is one of my favorite author’s.  I love her writing and Commonwealth was not a disappointment.  The story involved divorce, dysfunction, two families and the children of those families..  For me, Commonwealth illustrated the feral quality of neglected children and how that feral-ness follows children into adulthood.  The setting and the children bounce between California and the Commonwealth of Virginia, hence the title.  I listened to this as an Audible book, but I’m sure I would have enjoyed it equally reading.  Definitely a great listen and/or read!

Good Omens

By Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Narrated by Martin Jarvis

I enjoyed listening to Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.  It was a fairy tale format of sorts and not my favorite Neil Gaiman book.  It took a while for me to get into the story, but once I was hooked I enjoyed it.  The narration by Martin Jarvis was good.  Good Omens is definitely a good listen.

Anatomies: a Cultural History of the Body

By Hugh Aldersey-Williams (author)

Philip Hoffman (narrator)

I totally enjoyed Anatomies: a Cultural History of the Body by Hugh Aldersey-Williams.  The narration by Philip Hoffman was great.  The cultural tie-in to the various parts of the body was well done and very interesting.  The audio book went too quickly and was a good listen.

October 2016

The Chateau Murder (Molly Sutton Mysteries Book 5)

By Nell Goddin

I’ve grown very fond of the Molly Sutton Mysteries and look forward to each new book in the series.  They are all charming cozy mysteries.  The Chateau Mystery Book 5 was no exception.  As always, Goddin wove a mystery into and around the daily lives of the residents of the French village of Castillac.  This time, Molly split her time between a murder investigation and several ventures aimed at saving her from financial doom.  I love the details of village life and the reoccurring characters.  The Chateau Mystery is definitely a good read!

The Witness

By Nora Roberts

Narrated by Julia Whelan

I picked up the Witness by Nora Roberts as an audio book through an Audible.com sale.  Having never read or listened to Nora Roberts before, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  The narration was good and the story line was OK.  I found it to be slow moving, with a little bit too much emphasis on romance for my taste.  I got about half way through and then skipped to the end.  It wasn’t horrible, but it also wasn’t my cup of tea.

The Husband’s Secret

By Liane Moriarty

Narrated by Caroline Lee

I love books by Liane Moriarty, and The Husband’s Secret was no exception.  I actually listened to the Audible version twice… once last January 2016 and then again in October of the same year.  The Husband’s Secret contained all of the elements that I love in Moriarty’s books.  The Australian setting is always somewhat exotic when reading from the US.  However, the elementary school mothers’ culture appears to be universal.  I like the strong female characters, their struggles, growth and intertwined relationships. In The Husband’s Secret, the strong females were woven around several male characters that were significant, but not particularly strong.  There were also some unexpected twists.  Caroline Lee’s narration was excellent.  The Husband’s Secret is definitely a good listen and I’m sure it would be an equally good read.

 What Alice Forgot

By Liane Moriarty

Narrated by Tamara Lovatt-Smith

What Alice Forgot is another book by Liane Moriarty, my current guilty pleasure.  Alice falls during her cycling class and awakes to find that a decade has passed.  She has three children that she doesn’t recognize and is in the process of divorcing a husband she loves.  Without giving away any spoilers, Alice experiences personal growth… majorly.  I thought of the silly, romantic movie from 2004, 50 First Dates.  The book wasn’t silly, but it did have romance.  It also had a lot of food for thought.  It made me wonder how I would cope if I suddenly lost ten years of my life.  The narration by Tamara Lovatt-Smith was great.  Definitely a good listen and/or read!

Fieldwork

by Mischa Berlinski

I loved Fieldwork by Misca Berlinski.  Berlinski began the book as a nonfiction account of the lives of native tribes in Thailand.   Although he turned the book into fiction while writing, the book seems very real.  Berlinski writes in first person as a reporter who is spending a year in Thailand with his girlfriend.  He investigates the death of an American anthropologist, exposing the conflicts between religion and spirituality, civilization and primitive cultures.  I had to keep reminding myself that I was reading fiction.  The book was haunting and a really good read.

September 2016

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes

by Diane Chamberlain

Audio Book

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes is one of two books that I’ve read recently that explores the theme of consequences.  The other was The Witness by Nora Roberts. In both books, a sixteen-year-old girl makes decisions that have life altering consequences.  Both girls need to change their identities and go into hiding for the rest of their lives. In The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, CeeCee makes a decision to participate in a crime.  This decision molds her character and her life.  It also affects the lives of her future family.  Diane Chamberlain wrote a compelling story about the loss of innocence and the consequences of mistakes made by a naïve young adult. The book made me think of mistakes that I made at sixteen and their consequences.  Chris Dukehart did a great job of narrating the Audible version.  The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes is definitely a good listen.

Broadsides from the Other Orders: A Book of Bugs

By Sue Hubbell

I loved Broadsides from the Other Orders: A Book of Bugs, but I also love bugs.  I bought this book years ago when I was teaching insects to second graders, because it contains lots of interesting stories and facts about lots of bugs. There are chapters covering all of my favorites: butterflies, ladybugs, daddy longlegs and dragonflies.  Lesser-known bugs, such as syrphid flies, were also discussed.  Sue Hubbell, a beekeeper from the Ozarks in Missouri, did a great job of making bugs interesting and relevant.  My only complaint was the ending.  I was left wondering what happened with the camel crickets!  It’s definitely not a kids’ book and probably not a scientific textbook.  It is, however, a very good read for people who have an interest in bugs.

The Intellectual Devotional: Health 

By David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim

It took us almost a year to finish The Intellectual Devotional: Health, eleven months to be exact.  We started on October 20, 2015 and finished the last week in September 2016.  My husband and I have read several of the books in the Intellectual Devotional series.  I have to say that this was our least favorite, so far.  Each week was divided into seven topics: Children and Adolescents; Diseases and Ailments; Drugs and Alternative Treatments; The Mind; Sexuality and Reproduction; Lifestyle and Preventative Medicine; and Medical Milestones.  The reading was dry at times, and totally gross at others.  However, as with all of the Intellectual Devotionals, it gave us a shared reading and something different to discuss.  We also learned a little along the way.  We’re on to Intellectual Devotional: American History, and then we will have read the entire series.  Definitely good books for shared reading!

Les Liaisons Dangereuses: Play Read by the Cast of the Stage Play

By Choderlos de Laclos

Audio from Audible

Les Liaisons Dangereuses is an enjoyable recreation of the play by the stage cast for Audible.com.  This version was in English and was told through letters read by the cast.  It was short, light and a little bit naughty.  Definitely an entertaining listen! 

Big Little Lies (Reread)

By Liane Moriarty

August 2016

Click: One Novel Ten Authors

by Park, Almond, Colfer, Ellis, Hornby, Doyle, Wynne-Jones, Ozeki, Lanagan, Maguire

 I picked up Click: One Novel Ten Authors at our local library book sale.  It looked like an intriguing idea.  This young adult novel was actually written by ten award winning Young Adult authors.  They weave the story of Maggie and Jason’s inheritance from their grandfather, a world-renowned photojournalist.  Each story was unique.  Some worked better than others.  It seemed more like an anthology of short stories with a common theme than a novel. I found it to be a good read… but I’d be interested in what young readers think of it. 

Who Knew?

By David Hoffman

Who Knew? Is one of those quick read books that you can pick up at Barnes and Noble.  I purchased it as a gift for someone and read it before sending.  There were actually a few quirky facts that I really didn’t know.  None were terribly significant, as I can’t remember any at the moment.  However, it’s cute and a good gift.  I’d definitely recommend it, especially if you can get it on sale.

Ulysses

By James Joyce

Audio Book

I can’t think of too many reasons to read Ulysses by James Joyce.  It was a long, boring day with Leopold Bloom, a middle-aged man, and his friends in Dublin.  I read it in an attempt to relate to a sister who insists that she is actually reading the book, which I find very hard to believe.  One reviewer recommended reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man before reading Ulysses.  I’m probably missing something, but I don’t think that was necessary or even helpful.  Neither of them was great, however Ulysses is far less depressing than A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man.  It was just boring.  James Joyce is definitely not my cup of tea!

I purchased the illustrated and annotated Kindle version of this book.  If you have to read Ulysses, the LibriVox audio version is the way to go:

https://librivox.org/ulysses-by-james-joyce/. 

Different narrators read the audio version, which makes it possible to understand the incomprehensible written text.

July 2016

You’re Never Weird on the Internet (almost)

By Felicia Day

You’re Never Weird on the Internet (almost) by Felicia Day was the July selection for our public library book club.  I have to admit that I’m a Baby Boomer, and that age was definitely a factor as I read this book.  This book was written by, and probably for, an entirely different demographic.  When I first started reading, I quickly learned that the author was a Millennial Tekki, and that I was out of my area of comfort.  I have to admit that, if it hadn’t been a book club selection, I probably would not have gone farther than the first chapter.  However, I’m glad that I continued for several reasons.

First, I learned a little about Millennials and generational differences.  Felicia Day’s memoir is filled the thoughts and words of a true Millenial.  She is a creative, entrepreneurial, and majorly tech savy.  Her world is global and virtual, in a way that I’ll probably never understand.  However, it gave me a much better understanding of my son and, especially, my daughter-in-law.  She, too, was an early gamer and has also evolved into a global Internet job. 

Related to that, I’ve gotten a glimpse into the world of gaming and the place of females in that world.  As a teacher, I always had more concerns about boys playing video games.  I never thought about girls or their part in that world… obviously, a big mistake.

Day also expressed some universal truths that I think apply to many people.  I understood her need to get all A’s and to maintain a 4.0 GPA in college. I recognized her need to basically give up her life for a summer to get an A instead of a B. Unfortunately, I also related to her discovery that after graduation her GPA meant nothing… period. 

Finally, I really liked that Day accepted and embraced her weird childhood, and ultimately her own personal weirdness.  As with everyone, all of her experiences molded her into a unique adult.  It’s to her credit that she discovered this at such an early age.

One of the biggest reasons that I enjoy book clubs is that I read books that are out of my comfort zone.  You’re Never Weird on the Internet (almost) definitely qualified as out of my comfort zone.  I’m glad that I read it.  I’m rounding my 2.5 stars up to 3.  It provided a lot of food for thought and will, hopefully, provide material for a good book club discussion.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

By Robin Sloan

Narrated by Ari Fliakos

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore  by Robin Sloan was a total surprise.  I thought that it would be a bookstore fantasy, which it was, but it was also so much more.  The old-fashioned bookstore was the center of a twenty-first century adventure, complete with tech-connected, entrepreneurial Millennials and silver-haired, senior readers.  I loved the mystery, the bookstore and the eccentric characters, both young and old.  Ari Fliakos’ narration was great on the audio version.  I was so sorry when the story ended.  It made me want to run to the nearest independent bookstore.  Definitely a great listen or read!

Into the Beautiful North

By Luis Alberto Urrea

Narrated by Susan Ericksen

After listening to the audio version, I have to amend my review of Into the Beautiful North.  My listening experience was very different from my reading experience.  The audio narration by Susan Ericksen was excellent and I still enjoyed the book.  However listening to the audio version, I did not notice as much Spanish being spoken.  Perhaps they eliminated some of it, but more likely, it flowed more easily when read aloud.  I wasn’t stumbling over the language; I was just assimilating it as the story unfolded.

Also, when I read the book, I felt that it was a very light version of the illegal immigration situation.  I did not feel that at all when listening to the book.  Perhaps the narrator’s expression gave a different tone to the words.  Perhaps I’m getting older and my reading comprehension is failing.  In any event, I would still highly recommend the book.  I would also recommend the audio version.  For me, they were two different experiences.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

By James Joyce

Librivox audiobook

Despite the reputation of the author, I found A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man to be a dated and offensive book.  The quality of the Librivox audio edition was good, as was the narration by Tadhg (probably not the real or whole name).  The book, however, was anti-Semitic and misogynist.  It was also dark and depressing, with alcoholism and poverty prevalent throughout the book.  All of the above should serve as trigger warnings to anyone with sensitivities in those areas.  I read it as a precursor to the reading of Ulysses, also by Joyce.  I’m only reading the books on the recommendation of one of my sisters, although I’m finding it hard to understand why she would be reading Joyce’s books.  I definitely do not recommend either of them.

The Girl on the Train

By Paula Hawkins

I read The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins as a book club selection.  The book was well written, and obviously, very popular.   It was #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was nominated for various awards.  As with all books, I read Girl on the Train with my own personal experiences running in the background.

The story unfolded through the eyes of three young women with serious, emotional issues.  Each woman told the story through her own perspective in a series of morning and evening entries.  The dates of the entries are not all consecutive, which I found confusing at first.  Once I realized what was happening, it read more smoothly.  As mentioned in all of the book promos, there is a mystery that involves something viewed by the girl on the train.

I would add trigger warnings for those sensitive to the topics of alcoholism, sexual addiction and/or domestic abuse.  Having been raised by alcoholic parents, I found the reading of this book difficult.  I did finish it, but memories of a childhood in an alcoholic household definitely clouded my reading.  Viewing blackouts and the struggle with drinking through an alcoholic character’s perspective was interesting.  As difficult as the struggles were on the pages, they seemed much messier in real life through a child’s eyes.  I didn’t enjoy the book and don’t plan to attend the meeting to discuss it.  However, The Girl on the Train did what all good books do.  It made me think and feel.  For me, however, it was not a great read.