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.