Audio Review: Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Septys

We received several new audio book titles in our young adult section at our library and I was so torn between which one to pick first. I settled on Between Shades of Gray because of the historical mood I was in.

At first I did not know if I would get into it. I wondered if it would be too sad, if the narrator's voice would be too whiny, etc. Let's just say I  haven't been too keen on some other female narrated YA titles.

But this particular narrator was spot on. She narrated voices for characters age six to sixty and had the right emotion for each.

Here's a brief description from Goodreads:
Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.

Lina's story was so powerful and painful to listen to. At times it was incredibly graphic and sad and  I wonder about the young adult audience it was geared for. With any depiction of real life horrific moments in history, it's going to feel like a jagged pill to swallow, young or old, I guess. I am glad I chose this over the others. I think fans of The Book Thief would enjoy this. 

I find it comical that after I read this I had an older woman customer come up to me at my bookstore and ask if that was the Shades of Gray book everyone is talking about. I couldn't help exclaim "Good God NO!  Not at all. Are you kidding me?! That would NOT be in the teen section." She walked away thinking I was tad crazy. 

Well, if she had stuck around, I would have recommended it to her. However, i think she really wanted that other "Shades of Gray book everyone is talking about" :)

Author Website: Ruta Sepetys
Purchase: Indie Bound

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review Part 1: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

It absolutely, positively amazes me that I picked this up to listen to. First, it's 30 discs long. That's gotta be a bazillion hours, atleast :)
Second, it's Stephen King. I haven't read anything by him in YEARS. Haven't really been interested in him either. I loved IT, The Shining, Skeleton's Crew and a few other stories along the way. Thanks to him, I am still scared of clowns, fog and semi trucks. 

I wanted a grand story. Something different. Something rich. And folks I know said this was absolutely wonderful. 

I am half way done, hence the Part 1 review. 15 discs in and I am riveted. 

I love the whole concept of it all. Man gets sent on a time traveling mission to erase the bad of the past, most importantly the assassination of JFK. That's the base of the story but SO much else happens along the way. Jake (his present self) grows to be quite comfortable in his past self as George. The people he meets. The love he finds. The others he gets to save. 

Though at times a little meandering, like typical King, it comes back around and you do see how each piece is part of a giant puzzle.

Anyone out there brave this one? Listen or read?

It only took me 2 weeks to get through the first half. I'm hoping the second half will go as quick!

Happy Reading (or listening) and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Update

Audio books have been my life saver this year in staying connected to books. I have officially listened to more audio books than read books this year. It's weird but I've accepted it.

I've also started to learn the complexities of audio books; what makes them great, what makes them suck. So I give you a brief audio update on the last three audio books I've digested or tried to atleast.

Ransom River by Meg Gardiner
Here's an example of what makes an audio stink. (no offense to the great Meg Gardiner, who is a fabulous mystery writer). The story was good but the narrator was...well, terrible. Flat as can be. No emotion. Felt like she was reading a school assignment. Yes, she was delivering the words from the book but I did not feel it at all. She wasn't the character she was reading. She did not portray any emotion to her words to make me feel invested in the story and its characters. Sorry, but I did not finish this one. Got about 3 discs in.
Too bad. Guess I'll stick to reading Meg from now on.

The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Greggory
This one, on the other hand, didn't blow my mind BUT was so much better in the narrator department. I'm a huge fan of Philippa G's books, having read most of them while I was hormonal on maternity leave. :) This was my first try with the audio. This was one I had to pay attention to, just like in reading, because of all of the similar sounding character names and the historical aspects.
Delightful all around. I would be interested in giving her other novels a try.

Ready, Player, One by Ernest Cline
This one was by far my favorite audio book as of late. Though it took me the entire three weeks of check out time from the library, it was worth it.
I'm a 80s gal and this was known for being chock full of 80s trivia and fun facts; from old video games, popular TV shows, number one music hits and random other tidbits of pop culture. Sheila from Book Journey is the one I have to thank. She recommended this to me, saying it was one of her favorite audio books this year. I'm not really a fantasy girl so this one surprised me. There were a few moments over half way that it got a little tedious. The explanation of the games and virtual reality got to be a bit  much but overall this audio rocked!

So now I'm on to either Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier or Life of Pi by Yan Martel or Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan.

Choices. Choices.

Happy Reading (or listening) and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Book Update

Oh how in love I am with audio books! I've been listening to them so fast these days that I have not had the chance to write reviews for everything! So I can going to do a quick review on the last few that I listened to and loved.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. What Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother reveals is that the Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that. Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions and providing a nurturing environment. The Chinese believe that the best way to protect your children is by preparing them for the future and arming them with skills, strong work habits, and inner confidence. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother chronicles Chua's iron-willed decision to raise her daughters, Sophia and Lulu, her way-the Chinese way-and the remarkable results her choice inspires.

I posted on Goodreads as my review, "This lady is crazy but she gets shit done!" That was the gist of my review. :) I don't have much to add except that it was fascinating, terrifying and quite a learning experience as a mom. I recommend for it's unique approach to parenthood. Warning, you may get ticked off and want to punch her at times.

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Oh how sweet this was!
For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a "savvy" -a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity . . . and now it's the eve of Mibs's big day.

As if waiting weren't hard enough, the family gets scary news two days before Mibs's birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible accident. Mibs develops the singular mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a salesman's bus . . . only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs finds herself on an unforgettable odyssey that will force her to make sense of growing up-and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin.

This was full of adventure and whimsy and fun loving characters and sweet, sassy kids. I loved it all. I wish I had a savvy of my own! :)

A few gems, though very different, I thought you all should know about. I'm wrapping up The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian. It is MARVELOUS!

Happy Reading (or listening) and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: The Unholy by Heather Graham

The Unholy by Heather Graham
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Format: Unabridged Audio
Challenge: 2012 Audio Book Challenge
Purchase: IndieBound

Heather Graham has been on my list to read for some time now, ever since I started my A-Z Mystery Challenge. Though I like the paranormal aspect in movies and am admittedly, a huge fan of the TV show Ghost Hunters, I have yet to really find reading a book or paranormal series as exciting.

The Unholy was my first pick from Brilliance Audio to review and unfortunately, not the best first pick. But it was me entirely. I just don't think reading or listening to paranormal is my thing. So much of the scare of the unknown is visual for me. I am a horror movie junkie. Listening to the ghost of Humphrey Bogart (like in The Unholy) is not spooky. It's kind of cheesy. Sorry!

So, I did not enjoy listening to this and honestly, I don't think the reading of it would be better. The narrator was quite good for what he was working with, very noir feel, very theatrical. I just didn't get into the story.

I did not finish this one so I can not give it a full review. I am eager to review more Brilliance Audio titles and am a bit bummed out my first wasn't stellar. I think I need to stick to literary fiction or memoirs for listening or atleast stay away from campy thrillers.

Rating: Like I said, I did not finish and only listened to two discs so I can't give it a full "not recommended". The narrator was impressive as far as emotion and changing up the different characters but I just got a bit bored with the story.

Author Website:
Heather Graham

Happy listening and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Format: Unabridged Audio
Challenge: 2012 Audio Book Challenge
Purchase: IndieBound

I originally received the book format of this to read and review. I don't know what made me switch to the audio version but I'm glad I did. I gave the book copy to my mom and she loved it. And I absolutely enjoyed the audio format.

I have far exceeded my audio book goal for this year, having only signed up to listen to 6 for the 2012 Audio Book Challenge. I am now up to 10 for the year. The selections I've been choosing are from many different genres, from memoir to mystery. This selection was my first venture into honest to goodness women's fiction.

I've read one other Jennifer Weiner book a few years back and really enjoyed it. I haven't read a TON of women's fiction and unfortunately, the marketing of the covers tends to look the same from book to book. Women on a beach, walking down a road, all in pastels and light colors, etc etc. I tend to glaze over books because they don't stand out. Luckily, I looked passed that when I chose Jennifer's books.

Her stories are real and complicated, filled with characters that you feel like you know. Though in the two books I have experienced, the endings were summed up quite nicely, it doesn't leave a corny feel. 

Here is a description of Then Came You from Goodreads:

The lives of four very different women intertwine in unexpected ways in this new novel by bestselling author Jennifer Weiner (In Her Shoes; Best Friends Forever). Each woman has a problem: Princeton senior Jules Wildgren needs money to help her dad cure his addiction; Pennsylvania housewife Annie Barrow is gasping to stay financially afloat; India Bishop yearns to have a child, an urge that her stepdaughter Bettina can only regard with deeply skepticism until she finds herself in a most unexpected situation. Interlocking dramas designed to ensnare; bound to be a bestseller.


The audio has four distinct narrators, for each woman. They made the characters pop. Bettina was a brat (though justified most of the time) and the narrators voice was perfect. Annie was warm, earthy, friendly, sweet and the narrator was right on. Jules was serious, frank and smart. India was exotic, savvy and all I could think of was Catherine Zeta Jones. Though the narrator was NOT her, she did an awesome job.

At first, I was a tad impatient how they were all going to collide but towards the middle, it picked up. I then appreciated the back story build in the beginning. Very interesting look at the definitions of family and having a child. Each character made you feel so many things. At times I hated Bettina's privileged snottiness, or India's self centeredness. And times I loved how frank Jules was or how sweet and naive Annie was.

It was such a lovely listen overall. It was like having friends in my car telling me their story. It was so simple yet intricate all at the same time. For branching out into women's fiction, I was pleased with this choice. 

Rating: Recommend
This is a very good pick for book clubs. With the many different voices and sides to the story, you will find plenty to talk about. The definition of a family. What makes a mother. Loyalty. Forgiveness. I recommend for readers of Jodi Picoult and Kristin Hannah. 

Author's Website:
Jennifer Weiner

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Review: Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Publisher: Knopf
Genre: Memoir
Format: Unabridged Audio
Challenge: 2012 Audio Book Challenge

I knew Oprah would get my vibes of how awesome this book is and pick it for her new book club choice. Yes, Oprah is back and she picked this stellar memoir as her first pick for her new Oprah Book Club 2.0.

Normally, I am not an Oprah book girl. Chalk it up to working in book retail for so long. She kind of wears on you. Yes, she did huge things for book business but she also held tight to that crazy control like a mad woman. And sometimes us folks on the frontlines were left hanging.

Anyway, this isn't a post about Oprah. It's a post about a magnificent book that is going to be getting a ton of well deserved attention. I am very happy about that. 

WIld by Cheryl Strayed first got quite a bit of attention in my neck of the woods, most notably, the bookstore I work at. She is a local gal, having been raised in Northern Minnesota. A lot of her story mentions her time growing up and living here in her early years. It had been a consistent seller since it's release last winter. I had this on my list for awhile and it took me until the buzz died down to finally listen to it on audio.

It was STELLAR. The narrator was exceptional and had the range of emotion, the sadness, the intensity, the humor that was covered in the highs and lows of Strayed's life.

The story starts off with Strayed's mother dying of cancer at a very early age. She is in her early 20s at the time and is floored that her beautiful, healthy living, natural, organic loving mother is dying of cancer. This event sets her on a downward spiral of bad decisions and hard living. Four years after her mother's death, she was in a place so far removed from her former self, that the only way to get back, was to do something drastic. Going through a divorce, estranged from her siblings, distant from her friends, Strayed makes the decision to hike the Pacific Coast Trail from the Mojave Desert to Washington State. Devouring her guide book, she plans intricately every step of the way; the supplies, the money, the time. And yes, she does it alone.


Never in a million years do I think I could ever do this and because of that I thought, "Holy Shit, girl, you are awesome!" But then again, if I were to go through what she did losing her mother so young, I just may have felt that intense need to squelch by grief by taking a wild pilgrimage.

I was so absorbed in her journey that when it came to an end, I was really sad. Though the book ends on a relatively light and happy note, I still felt very invested in her journey. She encounters so much a long the way, her bravery is outstanding. Bears, lost shoes, creepy dudes, bad weather, crappy food...the list goes on. But she also encounters wonderful folks on their own journeys, kind people who offer her supplies and food and a place to camp and new friendships.

I never expected anything bad to happen to her along the way and even when it gets rough, you really get the sense that she will carry through. Sprinkled in her time on the trail, she also shares stories from her childhood, her marriage, her youth, etc.

Told with such warmth, humor, smarts, and some badassery (yes, I made that word up), Strayed's journey is one to share with your best friend, your sister, your mother. Whether you are going through a loss or just need to get to the root of who you are, Wild will leave you with hope and inspiration. It may not lead to a three month hike alone in the woods, but it may give you courage to take your own kind of pilgrimage.

Rating: Recommend
HIGHLY. I can relate to the bad decisions made in your twenties. I can relate to the trying to find who you really are. I can relate to the feeling of nostalgia when you lose someone close to you. I invested so much of my emotion in Strayed's story, I have nothing but good things to say about it. If you are looking for a well told memoir that doesn't hold back, this is for you. 

Author's Website:
Cheryl Strayed

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Genre: Young Adult

Format: Audio

Publisher: Razorbill

Challenge: 2012 Audio Book Challenge

Purchase: Indie Bound

13 Reasons Why you should listen to (or read) Thirteen Reasons Why:

1.It has stellar narrators.
2.It deals with bullying.
3. It deals with peer pressure.
4. It deals with body image.
5. It deals with depression.
6. It deals with our kids.
7. It deals with suicide.
8. It deals with the definitions of friendship.
9. It speaks to any age of reader.
10. It is bold, brash, in your face, no holds barred.
11. It made me cry and laugh.
12. It made me, above all, relate.

13. It captures the "voice" of teenagers perfectly, shockingly and unapologetically.

Goodreads Description:
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers. 

I was riveted from disc 1. Listening to it brought an edge and weight to it that I don't think reading it would have. The voice of Hannah made me ache and want to reach in to help her. The voice of Clay was so honest and endearing, he felt like a son to me.

All parents should read/listen to this book. When you think  you know your children, you might not. This book shows us, sadly, what can go horribly wrong with our kids when they deal with their lives in school.

Rating: Highly Recommended

Author Website:
Jay Asher


Book Club Pick?
Most definitely.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: Stories I Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

Title: Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Author: Rob Lowe

Genre: Memoir

Format: Unabridged Audio

Challenge: Memorable Memoir Reading Challenge

Let's be honest. It wasn't necessarily all the glowing reviews of this title that prompted me to listen to this. It was this cover of Vanity Fair.

Oh I knew he had written a memoir. It was great and wonderful and it was definitely on my list. I must say though, I had forgotten about Rob Lowe. I hadn't caught up with the rest of the world in watching The West Wing, or Parks and Rec or Tommy Boy. My relationship with Rob Lowe started shortly after Outsiders and Youngblood and ended right after St. Elmo's Fire and About Last Night.

There were just too many others to fawn over at that time, mostly going by the name of Corey.

So, this fabulous cover shot ( Way to stay up on it Rob!) zoomed Mr. Lowe squarely in the center of sight. As I was on an audio kick, I thought hearing his smooth voice would be an awesome way to spend time driving in my car.

I was right.

These  discs were filled with candid, funny, heartwarming, sad, hopeful and sarcastic stories of his life in the spotlight. Starting from his Midwest upbringing with dreams of being an actor to his transformation into the stereotypical Hollywood party boy, I loved it all. He goes into great detail over some of his times in his life especially during the making of the Outsiders, his big break. I have always loved that movie and it was a blast hearing tales of all of those well known names.

Though he has had his share of bad times overall, you do get a very blessed life story. He managed to reign it all in in time, meeting the love of his life, his wife Cheryl, raising a family and managing to reinvent himself after a stalled career for over a decade.

Rating: Recommend
I'm glad he chose to read his own memoir. It would have seemed off it someone else was narrating it. His voice was warm and inviting and it was indeed like you were sitting next to him listening to him tell his stories to his friends. Children of the 80s would probably appreciate this more but even if you are simply a television and movie fan, this is an awesome listen.

Book Club Pick?
Sure. It's a fun one to "gossip" about.

Happy Reading (or Listening) and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Title: The Paris Wife

Author: Paula McLain

Genre: Fiction

Format: Unabridged Audio

Publisher: Random House

Source: Library

Challenge: 2012 Audio Book Challenge

The Paris Wife is the fictional tale of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley. I am probably one of the few people who have never read any Hemingway and know very little about him as an author or man. I enjoy discovering history through novels like this. A little bit historical. A little bit fiction. Definitely enjoyable.

I chose this in audio out of sheer impulse. It is in at my library. I needed one to listen to. There you go. I was hooked from the beginning. The narrator, Carrington McDuffie, was passionate and subtle in her reading of Hadley. She vocalized the strength I imagined the character to have but also the weakness and naivete as well.

Here is a description from Goodreads:

A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wifecaptures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.

Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill-prepared for the hard-drinking and fast-living life of Jazz Age Paris, which hardly values traditional notions of family and monogamy. Surrounded by beautiful women and competing egos, Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history, pouring all the richness and intensity of his life with Hadley and their circle of friends into the novel that will becomeThe Sun Also Rises. Hadley, meanwhile, strives to hold on to her sense of self as the demands of life with Ernest grow costly and her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Despite their extraordinary bond, they eventually find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for.

The love story between Hadley and Hemingway was an unique one. She was older than him, quiet, reserved, old fashioned. He was young, impulsive and self absorbed.

Whether or not she grounded him or he opened her up, they worked and married during the exciting, passionate, turbulent early 1920s. They traveled, drank, smoked, debated, argued, wrote, and loved all over the world though most of the story takes place in Paris.

I loved traveling through it all with them. There is something wonderful when you get a really good audio narrator teamed with an exceptional well written novel. You get gleeful storytelling that keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting more.

This made me want to research Hemingway a bit more and possibly pick up a few of his books. Unfortunately after asking several friends of mine who passionately exclaimed, "I hate Hemingway! What an ass!", I suddenly became turned off. :) Perhaps I'll feel differently later. He was definitely portrayed as pompous but in that child like, self absorbed creative type. He was constantly in his head as a writer and demanded his time to write when he wanted it.

Much like Loving Frank, I enjoyed learning about a real couple. They were passionately smart people who, most of the times, brought out the best in one another. Though it's no surprise that the marriage did not last, the mutual respect continued the rest of their lives.

Rating: Recommend

This was beautifully written and narrated by an exceptional voice. I am so glad I picked it on a whim. For anyone interested in the literary past, this book has it all. Not only do you hear Hemingway's story, you get to hear snippets about Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and John Dos Passos. And you get a remarkable love story.

Book Club Pick?

Yes, I would recommend this for book clubs. We read Loving Frank and had a heated discussion about that one. I think this has similar themes that would create a stir.

Listen to a Taste of the Audio Book

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Review: Faith by Jennifer Haigh

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Harper

Format: Unabridged Audio

Source: Library

Challenge: 2012 Audio Book Challenge

Purchase: IndieBound

Once again, I continue on an awesome audio roll. This book I have seen reviewed many times around the blogosphere. I've only read good things. For some reason, I held off on it because I didn't think I would want to read a story about a priest as an alleged child molester. Not usually my cup of tea. But I gave in and am glad I did.

The narrator did an excellent job in portraying the multitude of characters in this novel. Each had their own heaviness, history and spirit, I was astounded that the narrator could jump so easily and gracefully between them all. Each character's story had its own power and she brought them all to life as if there were ten different people doing the recording.

Now that I have established some audio rules, I would say this passed quite splendidly. The story took place in and around Boston and for those of you new to my blog, I used to live there many years ago. I will always have a soft spot for Beantown; the accents, the drinking, the sites, the politics, everything about it, I loved. These characters are perfect examples of what makes Boston so unique. You have the hardworking single mother, the guilty priest, the proud former cop, the prodigal daughter. I loved them all.

Goodreads description:

When Sheila McGann sets out to redeem her disgraced brother, a once-beloved Catholic priest in suburban Boston, her quest will force her to confront cataclysmic truths about her fractured Irish-American family, her beliefs, and, ultimately, herself. Award-winning author Jennifer Haigh follows her critically acclaimed novels Mrs. Kimble and The Condition with a captivating, vividly rendered portrait of fraying family ties, and the trials of belief and devotion, in Faith.

This is my first taste of Jennifer Haigh. I've been curious about her other novels. If they are as good as this one, I'm all over it. The way she captured the feel of a community was flawless. I enjoy when an author can make the setting of a book just as strong of a character as its humans.

Rating: Recommend

Because the narrator was so strong, this book was brought to such life that I am glad I chose to listen to it rather than read. It was such a strong human story filled with characters that move you. For fans of familial dramas, this is for you.

Author Website:

Jennifer Haigh

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Format: Audio Book

Genre:Fiction

Purchase: Indie Bound

Challenge: 2012 Audio Book Challenge

This is a book I tried to read after BEA 2 years ago because of all the buzz. I couldn't do it.

It is in the voice of a 5 year old boy and it was difficult for me to wrap my head around his simple verbage or lack thereof.

So, I turned to the audio. Though jarring at first to hear the tale being told by a animated, mostly cheerful child, it turned out to be utterly, wholly absorbing. I was fascinated, riveted by the awesomeness of his perception of things. Room to him was his world. He knew no other. The rituals, the structure in which his mother created for him, safe, sound, secure, everything he needed.

The voice of his mother, naturally, was the opposite. Lovable, nuturing, yet tense. Calm yet ready to break at any time. Encouraging yet bored with the pace of their existence.

The story alone is one that will make you shudder. A woman kidnapped, forced in captivity, assaulted repeatedly, made to give birth alone and raise that child in one room with no questions asked and no hope of escaping. It made my blood boil at times.

I was so moved to rage and sadness while listening to this story. I loved the little boy Jack, wanted to rescue the mother, kill the abductor and shake the media. Then I would flip flop and get irritated at the boy, curse the mom and the whole situation.

You as a reader, understand Jack's inability to care about the outside world because he doesn't know anything else but you also feel the frustration of the mother who so badly wants to get back to it.

Rating: Recommend

Overall, the listening experience proved to be much better than the reading for me. The voice of Jack was riveting to listen to and I yearned for freedom and happiness for them both. I won't spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read it or listened to it.

I'm on a listening roll. This one did not disappoint.

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

Format: Unabridged Audio

Genre: Fiction

Purchase: Indie Bound

Challenge: 2012 Audio Book Challenge

I won this book some time ago from Jenny at Take me Away. I knew it would be a book I would love, having been a fan of novels about Chinese American culture. My change, however, is that I ended up listening to it on audio instead. This year is proving to me The Year of the Audio for me. I am now on my fifth audio book and am really loving it! I am starting to discover the nuances of audio books; what makes them great and what can make them suck. For me, the big screw up factor is if the narrator stinks or is not believable in some way. I tried listening to The Ice Princess by Camille Lackberg, a swedish mystery and the narrator was awful! First it was a male narrator for a female protagonist (duh) and he talked in a really high squeaky voice during her dialogue parts. ugh.

Anyway, I digress.

Grayce Way, the narrator for Girl in Translation was absolutely amazing. Riveting. Talented. Just plain wow. She had the subtle differences within each character down pat. The story is about a Chinese American family, mostly a mother and daughter. The mother knows very little english and the daughter, having arrived from Hong Kong at the age of 8, learns quickly how to speak English and translate for her mother. The narrator really could portray those differences in language and really gave each character such a unique voice.

The story is about Kimberly Chang, a young girl who moves from Hong Kong with her mother to work in her aunt's clothing factory in Brooklyn. Having accrued quite a bit of debt from the trip over and some medical issues of her mother, Kimberly is indebted to her aunt and forced to work at the factory after school. They live in a cold, dank, run down apartment close to the factory arranged for them by the aunt.

Things are grim but the one thing Kimberly has going for her is her school smarts. Exceptionally brilliant and hard working, she knows the way out for her and her mother, lies in her doing well in school, getting into a great college and having a promising career.

What she struggles with through it all is her language barrier, discrimination that prevents her from being taken seriously, and her secret life of working in the factory and

living in filth.

Kimberly is tough, though, you come to find out. Not just smart but strong inside. She fights the bullies, she finds a friend, she continues to work hard and get good grades. Soon enough, the right people notice and give her the opportunity to go to a good private high school.

The whole experience of listening to this book was wonderful. Kimberly's story goes from her awkward childhood to a more confident adult. You experience her struggles with remaining loyal to her family and to the young man she meets at the factory, Matt while also pursing her dreams and living in a much different, affluent white world.

Rating: Recommend

I highly recommend this. I'm sure I would have enjoyed reading the book as well but listening to it brought so much passion, emotion, and life to it all. I felt for Kimberly the whole time and just wanted her to succeed. She was such a lovely character to follow and listen to.

If you are a fan of Chinese American culture or mother/daughter stories, this is for you. It was simply a joy to listen to and I look forward to another novel by Jean Kwok.

Author Website:

Jean Kwok

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

B.Y.O.B Book club Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Publisher: Delacorte

Format: Audio

Purchase: Indie Bound

Challenge: 2012 Audio Book Challenge

This was the second audio book I listened to in its completion. It was a hard transition from my first choice but as I got going, I found it to be quite fun to listen to. My B.Y.O.B Book club chose this as our first young adult book to read. I was planning on reading it but I thought I would give the ol' audio a try.

A brief description from Indie Bound:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess.

If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

My friend Laura wrote her review from the book club since I made the silly mistake of overbooking myself and missed the meet up. Check out Myriad Musings for her take. My opinion will be a bit different since I was the only one who listened to it.

It was an intriguing story and I was eagerly anticipating what was going to happen. Would they get out of the maze? Who was really controlling it all? Why did Thomas seem to feel like he had been there before?

I was easily intrigued and looked forward to getting back to the story after each pause. Once again, I listened to it in my car so it took me a good two weeks to finish. My only real issue with it all was the language in which the characters created. Having been confined to this world surrounded by a maze with no recollection of a life before, they essentially created their own swear words. They would call each other "Shank!" and "Greenie". It was a tad bit annoying at first and it took me a few discs to get used to. Also, there were several different characters and one narrator. He did a good job making each individual character stand out, however, some of the voices were a bit over the top. It got a bit jumbled at times. If I had read it, I don't know if I would have had the same irritation with it. Usually if there are parts that I find a bit tedious in reading, I would skim. You can't really skim with the audio version.

Most of my fellow book club friends continued on with the series; Scorch Trials and Death Cure. I had the best of intentions to do so but ended up choosing other things to read and listen to. I can't say that I won't in the future but not at this time.

Overall, they all seemed to enjoy it.

Rating: Recommend

This would not be my favorite young adult read, but I did enjoy it. It was fast paced once it got going and kept my interest. It was different enough and the world of the maze was interesting. This would be more suited to a younger reader, perhaps a fan of Maximum Ride series by James Patterson or The Last Apprentice series by James Delaney.

Next Book Up:

Blindness by Jose Saramago (March)

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child