Audio Review: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls and her family live deep in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Their log cabin is surrounded by miles of trees, and their closest neighbors are bears, wolves, and panthers. Daily chores keep Laura and her sister Mary busy, but they still find time to go exploring with their dog, Jack. (Goodreads)

Narrated by Cherry Jones

I am a country girl who grew up in a small farm town in southern Minnesota. Little House On the Prairie was a big deal for me as a girl. My family and I watched the show religiously. I read all the books. I visited the sites. I stood in the hole in Walnut Grove where the little house once was.

I got the idea to listen to these from the patrons at the library I work at. So many families were checking these out and listening to them together. I loved that! And when I discovered they were narrated by the amazing Cherry Jones, I knew I had to listen.

Cherry Jones has the perfect blend of wonder, naivete, and sweetness to portray Half Pint. I really felt transported to that little cabin in the woods; eating frozen snow with maple syrup and listening to Pa play the fiddle. I think it's important to experience Little House on every scale. Print, Audio and  TV all are so different but still all very worthwhile and enjoyable.

Highly recommended. Already started Book 2.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole

A sweeping story told in letters, spanning two continents and two world wars, Jessica Brockmole’s atmospheric debut novel captures the indelible ways that people fall in love, and celebrates the power of the written word to stir the heart.
 
March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence—sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets—their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he’ll survive.
 
June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago. (Goodreads)

This audio book came into my library as a new item and I happened to be the one processing it. A new author, an intriguing storyline, it had the potential to be good. It took me a little while to finish it because I wasn't driving as much during this month. I finished it on my road trip to Iowa. 

It had four different narrators and they were magnificent in bringing the story to life. I wasn't sure how I would feel about listening to letters being read but it turned out that listening to it is better than reading it. There is something incomplete about a story in letter form to me. I feel like parts of the story are missing. Though the story line jumped around and weeks would pass, in this case, the letters connected the dots quite nicely.

I loved the location of this story and the two time periods. The love story was genuine and sweet. I don't know if it was my slow listening pace or the story itself, but I got a tad bit impatient with waiting for the love story to happen. No spoilers here! There was some back and forth drama that went on that made me a little anxious for the outcome. 

Overall, it was an unique story and told with heart. I definitely recommend it for fans of historical fiction, centered around the World Wars.

Author Website:
Jessica Brockmole

Happy reading and listening and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

The sequel you’ve been waiting for: the follow-up to the sensational #1 bestseller The Devil Wears Prada.Almost a decade has passed since Andy Sachs quit the job “a million girls would die for” working for Miranda Priestly at Runway magazine—a dream that turned out to be a nightmare. Andy and Emily, her former nemesis and co-assistant, have since joined forces to start a highend bridal magazine. The Plunge has quickly become required reading for the young and stylish. Now they get to call all the shots: Andy writes and travels to her heart’s content; Emily plans parties and secures advertising like a seasoned pro. Even better, Andy has met the love of her life. Max Harrison, scion of a storied media family, is confident, successful, and drop-dead gorgeous. Their wedding will be splashed across all the society pages as their friends and family gather to toast the glowing couple. Andy Sachs is on top of the world. But karma’s a bitch. The morning of her wedding, Andy can’t shake the past. And when she discovers a secret letter with crushing implications, her wedding-day jitters turn to cold dread. Andy realizes that nothing—not her husband, nor her beloved career—is as it seems. She never suspected that her efforts to build a bright new life would lead her back to the darkness she barely escaped ten years ago—and directly into the path of the devil herself...(Goodreads)

I was so excited to see this one on an upcoming release list. This author fell off my radar even though I LOVED Devil Wears Prada. It was chick lit at its best. And the movie is one of my favorites, one I can watch over and over again and never grow bored.

I chose to listen to this one this time and I'm glad I did. Actress Megan Hilty, from the TV show Smash (which I don't watch) is the narrator. She is absolutely fabulous! You can really tell in audio, when a narrator is a skilled actor. It comes across in the nuances of the characters and the range of emotion. She didn't over act the male parts or annoyingly talk in a baby voice for children. Every character was subtle yet defined. 

The story line is just as juicy and engrossing as Devil Wears Prada. This one was a bit more relatable considering Andy becomes a mother. But it's still filled with fashion, drama, money, New York and romance. I loved it. The way Hilty narrated Miranda Priestly was spot on and her character still makes me feel like I'm hearing nails on a chalkboard.

Since Devil Wears Prada is so engrained in our heads because of the movie with Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, I would say it would be fine to just pick this one up. But if you want to do a back to back fun summer beach reading pair, these books would be perfect!

Because Hilty was so amazing in her narration, I think I may have to check her out on Smash. 

Author Website:
Lauren Weisberger

Publisher and Ordering Information:
Simon and Schuster

Happy reading and/or listening, and as always thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: Let's Pretend this never happened by Jenny Lawson

Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to pretend never happened—are in fact the ones that define us. In the #1 New York Times bestseller, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor. Chapters include: “Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel”; “A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband”; “My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking”; “And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.” (GoodReads)

This book came out a few years back and popped up on my radar when I found out the author was the Keynote speaker at a Book Blogger Convention during BEA. I was unable to attend that year and didn't really know much about Jenny Lawson at all. She was a blogger, appropriately named The Bloggess. That's all I knew.

Well, like most things, I was waaaaaaay behind on this one. I am so incredibly happy I finally got around to reading/listening to this. The Ladies' Book Club chose this for our June pick and I can not be happier with it. Lawson reads it herself, which is perfect, much like Tina Fey was reading her humorous memoir. 

Lawson's squeaky, anal, always somewhat self righteous and perturbed tone makes her over the top stories and opinions an absoolute riot to listen to. I was lucky to find a whole Goodreads page of favorite quotes from this book because I honestly could not keep up with how many I wanted to write on my walls for a quick reminder chuckle for the future. 

“When I was in junior high I read a lot of Danielle Steele. So I always assumed that the day I got engaged I'd be naked, covered in rose petals, and sleeping with the brother of the man who'd kidnapped me.” “It's true, I did say I wanted girlfriends," I capitulated hesitantly, "but couldn't we start with something smaller and less terrifying? Like maybe spend a weekend at a crack house? I heard those people are very nonjudgmental, and if you accidentally say something offensive you can just blame it on their hallucinations.” 


Excuse me while I fall off my chair from laughing.

"It's true, I did say I wanted girlfriends," I capitulated hesitantly, "but couldn't we start with something smaller and less terrifying? Like maybe spend a weekend at a crack house? I heard those people are very nonjudgmental, and if you accidentally say something offensive you can just blame it on their hallucinations.” 

Hilarious.

It's so much better on audio, to hear her tell it all. I am so excited to discuss this with my book club. There are actual serious moments too. Lawson is honest in her attempts to have a child and her battles with her health and keeping a marriage going. But you can tell that humor is what has carried her and helped her gain some much needed perspective on life. I actually learned quite a bit from listening to her. Look for the light in situations.

So far this is her only book and I'm kind of going through a withdrawal. Luckily she has a blog that I can stalk... I mean, follow. :)

Author Website:
Jenny Lawson

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: Carrie and Me by Carol Burnett

“More than anything, we are remembered for our smiles: the ones we share with our closest and dearest, and the one we bestow on a total stranger who needs it right then, and God has put us there to deliver.” — Carrie Hamilton

You are about to meet an extraordinary young woman, Carrie Hamilton. The daughter of one of television’s most recognizable and beloved stars, Carol Burnett, Carrie won the hearts of everyone she met with her kindness, quirky sense of humor, and wonderfully unconventional approach to life. Living in the spotlight of celebrity, but in an era when personal troubles were kept private, Carrie and Carol made a brave display of honesty and love by going public with teenager Carrie’s drug addiction and recovery. Carrie lived her adult life of sobriety to the fullest, enjoying happy and determined independence and achieving a successful artistic career as an actress, writer, musician, and director. Carrie’s passion for life and her humorist’s view of the world never wavered as she aggressively battled cancer. Carrie died at the age of 38.

Carrie and Me is Carol Burnett’s poignant tribute to her late daughter and a funny and moving memoir about mothering an extraordinary young woman through the struggles and triumphs of her life. Sharing her personal diary entries, photographs, and correspondence, Carol traces the journey she and Carrie took through some of life’s toughest challenges and sweetest miracles. Authentic, intimate, and full of love, Carrie and Me is a story of hope and joy that only a mother could write. (Simon and Schuster website)

What I remember of Carrie Hamilton is sadly her troubled past and the rocky relationship she had with her mom, Carol Burnett. I was blown away while listening to the complex and inspiring woman she truly was. Her struggle with addiction was such a small (although impactful) piece of her life. Narrated by Carol Burnett herself, this audio experience was hugely emotional. Burnett's trademark crack in her voice made me smile. Her love for her daughter really comes through and their relationship certainly is one every mother and daughter would hope for. They managed to make it through the rough times and come out shining. He unfortunate death at such a young age broke my heart.

Carrie and Me briefly chronicles the hard time Carrie had as a teen and young adult with drugs but mostly concentrates on her growth as an adult and how she finds peace in Colorado. You learn about her music and writing career and  a little bit about Carol's life at the the same time.

The last portion of the book is Carrie's story she wrote before she died. 

I listened to this right around Mother's day and found it to be the perfect thing to listen to. I recommend it for fans of Carol Burnett and/or memoirs of mother, daughter relationships. You get a little Hollywood thrown in but it's mostly the power of that bond and the story of a great woman taken too soon.

Publisher Website

Happy Listening and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

Sage Singer befriends an old man who's particularly beloved in her community. Josef Weber is everyone's favorite retired teacher and Little League coach. They strike up a friendship at the bakery where Sage works. One day he asks Sage for a favor: to kill him. Shocked, Sage refuses…and then he confesses his darkest secret - he deserves to die, because he was a Nazi SS guard. Complicating the matter? Sage's grandmother is a Holocaust survivor.

What do you do when evil lives next door? Can someone who's committed a truly heinous act ever atone for it with subsequent good behavior? Should you offer forgiveness to someone if you aren't the party who was wronged? And most of all - if Sage even considers his request - is it murder, or justice? (Goodreads)

I have been a fan of Jodi Picoult since I read The Pact back in 1998. Through the years I have seen her live many times, hosted two events with her and have been called by her, at one point, "My greatest fan from Minnesota". I enjoyed being a part of the early success of her as an author. It's one of the things I loved about book selling and recommending.

Obviously Jodi Picoult does not need my help so much anymore with recommending her books. She has success down pat. With this success, a cookie cutter, if you will, book outline has taken shape for her. No longer do I feel her stories are as poignant and put together and unputdownable. The last few, for me, have been needlessly over the top and tragic; side characters too fleshed out for no reason and more drama that you can shake a stick at. Does this dislike her as an author? No. Power to her. She has found a niche, a brand and she has made it her own. Does it get to me rush to a bookstore eagerly anticipating the read? No. Not anymore. However, it is deeply rooted in me, come every March, to see what her next book is, curious. I poke at it, flip through the pages and with a sigh, give it a go.

This year, I decided to shake it up. Why not try the audio version? How would her books translate? Would it make me get jazzed about her again? Why not?

Because of the high demand for her new books, I had to listen to The Storyteller in two chunks. I can't get through an audio book in the 10 day time frame, no matter how much I like it. This left me a bit fractured from the story  and I had to remember the story and go back a bit.

There is never just ONE story, or ONE narrator or one anything going on in her novels, so, of course, they were multiple narrators and stories told in two different times. For the more part I enjoyed it. I really did. It had all the drama, the tragedy, the flawed characters, the secrets from the past but it was entertaining to listen to it. The narrators were actually quite good. I enjoyed the story from the past much more than the modern day. Sage's character was not a favorite of mine. I could have done without the romance with the FBI agent. Really? You fall in love in one day? She's everything to you? She's so flawed, she's perfect? Ack. This didn't need to happen but, of course, most readers love the whole "save me" love story. Not me this time around.

Overall, it was a good listen. I may try the audio for future books. We'll see. It helped this time around anyway. I say to her loyal readers to give it a shot. 

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

The majestic and haunting beauty of the Italian Alps is the setting of the first meeting of Enza, a practical beauty, and Ciro, a strapping mountain boy, who meet as teenagers, despite growing up in villages just a few miles apart. At the turn of the last century, when Ciro catches the local priest in a scandal, he is banished from his village and sent to hide in America as an apprentice to a shoemaker in Little Italy. Without explanation, he leaves a bereft Enza behind. Soon, Enza's family faces disaster and she, too, is forced to go to America with her father to secure their future.

Unbeknownst to one another, they both build fledgling lives in America, Ciro masters shoemaking and Enza takes a factory job in Hoboken until fate intervenes and reunites them. But it is too late: Ciro has volunteered to serve in World War I and Enza, determined to forge a life without him, begins her impressive career as a seamstress at the Metropolitan Opera House that will sweep her into the glamorous salons of Manhattan and into the life of the international singing sensation, Enrico Caruso. 

From the stately mansions of Carnegie Hill, to the cobblestone streets of Little Italy, over the perilous cliffs of northern Italy, to the white-capped lakes of northern Minnesota, these star-crossed lovers meet and separate, until, finally, the power of their love changes both of their lives forever. 

Lush and evocative, told in tantalizing detail and enriched with lovable, unforgettable characters, The Shoemaker's Wife is a portrait of the times, the places and the people who defined the immigrant experience, claiming their portion of the American dream with ambition and resolve, cutting it to fit their needs like the finest Italian silk.

This riveting historical epic of love and family, war and loss, risk and destiny is the novel Adriana Trigiani was born to write, one inspired by her own family history and the love of tradition that has propelled her body of bestselling novels to international acclaim. Like Lucia, Lucia, The Shoemaker's Wife defines an era with clarity and splendor, with operatic scope and a vivid cast of characters who will live on in the imaginations of readers for years to come. (Goodreads)

I started this audio book right after I finished 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I knew I would need a favorite author of mine to pull me out of the spell of that story. The Shoemaker's Wife has now left a void of its own. I had an ARC of this from some time ago and started reading it but never finished. Who knows why? Too many books going? Too busy? Whatever. I am so glad the story came to me in any way shape or form. It was absolutely splendid. I have not read any of Trigiani's Big Stone books just her Valentine novels about an Italian-American family. Oh how beautiful a story she tells. Her Italian roots comes across so vividly in The Shoemaker's Wife as it did in her Valentine novels.

I just melted when she would describe the mountains of Northern Italy or the gnocchi the family made or the Opera music that was played. It was all so vivid and enticing. Annabella Sciorra begins the narration as Enza. The second part of the audio is narrated by Adriana Trigiani herself as Ciro. Both have vastly different voices and though I loved Sciorra instantly, it took me some time to like Trigiani's voice. After a few discs, I grew to appreciate her voice and could really tell she was incredibly close to the characters she created.

Ciro and Enza's love story is one I wish I could relive. Fortunate at times and heartbreaking at others, their story is real and relatable. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves history and romance.

This would be a great pick for any book club.

Author Website:
Adriana Trigiani

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review Part 2: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

If you caught one of my earlier posts in December,you will remember I reviewed the first half of this audio book at that time. It is a total of 30 discs and I was only at 15 but really, really excited to talk about it even if it was just a little. I knew with the holiday coming up that it would take me awhile to finish it. I ended up shelving it for a month while I listened to two other audio books, just to mix it up.

I finally finished it three days ago and I am in a Stephen King fog. Now I just want to listen to more! Like I said previously I hadn't really read Stephen King since I was a teenager. I am a child of the 80s and he was the shit for a long time. Maybe it was just my lack of knowledge at the time but books and authors seemed different back then. There just weren't that many that were marketed as heavily as Stephen King, Danielle Steel, John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark, that sort of thing. These are who you read if you wanted horror, romance, mystery. 

I miss that. Also, Stephen King's books just conquer some weird nostalgia in me, like the feeling I get when I hear wind chimes on a windy evening in the country. Spooky, yet comfortable. I can't really explain it that well. All I can say is that I loved this audio book and I absolutely loved the narrator. He was amazing!!!!  And King was at his finest. Yes, it was lengthy and involved but damn, he did it well. It had all the politics and the drama and the love story that just kept it going.

I was also big into the Kennedy family when I was a teen. I did a lot of papers on them so to have the underlying story here be about the assassination of JFK really intrigued me.

I was hitting a wall previously with a certain disc/hour limit before this but now I am really opening my eyes up to other books that are longer. I don't mind investing the time if the story is going to rock my socks. 

For audio fans, pick this one up. It's well worth it. My husband picked up the book and read it along with me. He finished the book in less than a week. He is amazing like that! It was fun to talk about it together.

I'm off to placed a request for Under the Dome by him as well. Let the horror begin!

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: I, Rhoda by Valerie Harper

The heartwarming memoir from beloved, award-winning television actress Valerie Harper.Valerie Harper is finally ready to tell her story. In this, her first memoir, the beloved and award-winning television actress reflects on the role that made her famous—Rhoda Morgenstern on the groundbreaking series The Mary Tyler Moore Showand on the spin-off show Rhoda—and the pressures of helming her own sitcom, Valerie. From her childhood in New Jersey and upstate New York to the beginnings of her acting career as a dancer and chorus girl on Broadway—performing alongside stars like Lucille Ball and Jackie Gleason—to her recent battle with lung cancer, Valerie shares the story of her life, both the highs and the lows, in this heartwarming memoir, filled with charming anecdotes about Betty, Lucy, and Mary, to name a few (Goodreads)

"We're going to make it after all...."

I really wasn't a Mary Tyler Moore fan. I was a freak and geek about Maude, Golden Girls, One Day at a Time and Alice. But my good friend, Cheryl, LOVES the show. I would have to listen to her love for it when we were living together many years back. I know it's going to be right up my alley so I finally requested the first season of the show from the library. 

Just because I didn't watch Mary Tyler Moore does not, however, mean that I don't love Valerie Harper. I was a huge Valerie (and then The Hogan Family) fan. Remember that show? I had to say yes to reviewing this on audio. I didn't expect reading it would be as fun as listening to Valerie herself narrate her life in her raspy, New York voice.

This was really sweet and fun. She dives into a little bit of her troubles with eating, her cancer scare and her troubles with some network folks over Valerie but overall, it's just a fun listen to her journey through acting. She starts us off with her love of dancing, her early years in theater, to network TV star, to movie star, to mom, and so on and so forth.

For all of the "celebrity" memoirs out there, this one was worth the listen. I liked that it wasn't filled with over the top drama or life lessons. Straight forward, simple with a little sass, just like Ms. Harper.

Thanks for Simon and Schuster Audio for sending me a copy to review. Click here for a listen.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Audio Review: Motherland by Amy Sohn

Rebecca Rose, whose husband has been acting aloof, is tempted by the attentions of a former celebrity f lame; Marco Goldstein, saddled with two kids when his husband, Todd, is away on business, turns to anonymous sex for comfort; Danny Gottlieb, a screenwriter on the cusp of a big break, leaves his wife and children to pitch a film (and meet young women) in Los Angeles; fallen sanctimommy Karen Bryan Shapiro, devastated by her husband’s infidelity and abandonment, attempts a fresh start with a hot single dad; and former A-list actress Melora Leigh plots a star turn on Broadway to revive her Hollywood career. As their stories intersect in surprising ways and their deceptions spiral out of control, they begin to question their beliefs about family, happiness, and themselves. (Goodreads)

Oh sweet honey on the rock was this book shallow. I like my trash as much as the next gal but, man, these characters needed a slap. I liked Prospect Park West, Sohn's earlier book featuring the same neighborhood and some the same characters. I can't remember if it was before I had a child though. It seemed everyone in this book was either bothered, burdened or anxious about their children, which resulted in them being bitchy spouses, cheaters and substance abusers. Oh and not to mention CONSTANT COMPLAINERS. Yowsa!

I think I may be over this a bit. I couldn't look past the drinking while taking care of your kids or having quickies with strangers while your kids napped in the next room. Call me a prude but that's just rude!

Anyway, the narrator was right on in her bitchiness and maybe that added to my dilemma with it all. She had the tone. You know the tone. The snotty, whiny, "Who me? The world doesn't revolve around me?!" tone. Ack. 

I listened to it all however. I did. It was shocking and I had to see how it ended. This  book, in my opinion ,would be suited for the chick lit crowd, perhaps or those that want the cliche fluff. Not a whole heck of a lot of substance. Sex, Drugs, Infidelity, repeat.

Format: Unabridged Audio
Source: Brilliance Audio
Author Website: Amy Sohn

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

red headed book child