All Ears Audiobooks discussion

"atla wrote: "For anyone who is on a classics binge (Donna?), might I recommend Frankenstein as read by Simon Vance? I just finished listening to this, and it is beautiful. I was listening to rand..."

Atla - So... just for the heck of it I listened to Frankenstein. Very wonderful. I couldn't locate a Simon Vance edition but listened to George Guidall who did a nice job. The language is time period wordy, and Shelley makes typical 1st time stumbles, but it is a gripping and marvelous tale. For a 16 year old who was merely writing a ghost story for amusement she produced one of the most amazing cautionary tales. It is worth remembering today - especially since our technology puts us on the brink of repeating the scientist Frankenstein's accomplishments.

"A classic is a book that everyone praises and nobody reads." Mark Twain

Donna wrote: ""..."A classic is a book that everyone praises and nobody reads." Mark Twain
" What a great quote! It is interesting how some books survive the test of time. Out of the thousands of books written in 2009, imagine that only a handful will be remembered in 100 years. And with such a huge attrition rate, how did some of the books we HAD to read survive? I don't know if I have a least favorite classic, but I would probably include Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Anyone have a classic that they hated?

With the holidays almost here I have been way too busy to clean the house, do laundry, sleep or check on goodreads! Of course, there's always time to listen and read books... So here's a quick run down of some of the books I've finished this past month.

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy - Not my favorite book, partly because the main character, cowboy John Grady Cole was so stoic, taciturn, and ... well cowboy-like, that I didn't feel any of the emotions that should have accompanied such a tragic story. The one thing I loved was the narrator, Frank Mueller - what a voice!


Paper Towns by John Green

I just love this author. His books are always about high school kids who are facing typical high school challenges - friendship, finding love, teenage angst, nothing earth shatteringly new. But his characters are so authentic - lots of flaws and the situations they face seem so realistic. The books are funny and poignant. Although it has been years, even decades since I was in highschool, I just love these stories. 5 big stars.

- Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know and Doesn't by Stephen Prothero

This book is a must read for everyone. Prothero, a religion professor at Boston University, presents a compelling argument on how the US is one of the most religious countries and at the same time one of the most ignorant nations when it comes to knowing anything about religion. He is a big proponent of mandatory religion education in the US. I was all prepared to disagree with this book. Living in liberal Northern California, I could not believe that the US is at all religious. But the author brought up so many examples of how we do not separate church and state (why do people swear on the Bible when taking an oath? And the least likely minority to get elected to the presidency are atheists!) that he convinced me that knowing and understanding religions is not the same as believing. And in our current environment, having a background knowledge of relgion is an essential part of understanding ourselves and other world cultures. He even offers a quiz about major religions with common answers. My favorite question - 'Who was Joan of Arc? - Noah's wife was a common answer...' My only disagreement is that he has a tendency to be Christian centric. Rather than requiring a literary course on the Bible, a general course on all religions should be mandatory. But, the tough question is what course should be thrown out. Personally, my vote is Physics...

City of Thieves by David Benioff

One of my favorite audiobooks of the year! I enjoyed this book so much, I am picking it for my bookclub selection. Set in St. Petersburg during World War II, this is a combination of historical fiction and a coming-of-age story for the main character, Lev Beniov. Caught looting a dead German soldier's body, Lev and a Russian soldier are sent on the impossible task of finding a dozen eggs in a starving city during a killing Russian winter. Witty and so heart warming, this story is a winner.

Donna wrote: "Atla - So... just for the heck of it I listened to Frankenstein. Very wonderful. I couldn't locate a Simon Vance edition..."

Donna, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. May I suggest Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro as a follow-up? I just finished this heart-breaking work, and (while I don't wish to say too much as to give anything away), it explores some of the themes of Frankenstein very well, but in a modern setting. The conversational tone of the narrator lends itself well to audio format and I was able to completely immerse myself in the story, losing track of everything else. However, it isn't light reading by any means. Though the language doesn't pose a great barrier, it is emotionally taxing and the ideas offered to the reader are often worth exploring, but they aren't always pleasant ones.

Julie at All Ears wrote: "City of Thieves by David Benioff - One of my favorite audiobooks of the year! I enjoyed this book so much, I am picking it for my bookclub selection...

Julie, I was also very pleased with City of Thieves. I was disappointed with the ending, but c'est la vie. :)

Julie at All Ears wrote: Anyone have a classic that they hated?

As I Lay Dying by Falkner. I've actually suffered through it twice - once as a teen and once in my late 40's. I've heard all the reasons why it's an amazing book and worthy of my admiration and i still hate it. I can't find any reason to like these characters and i can't find any deep meaning in it worthy of my attention. Yes, i understand the metaphors in it (my mother is a fish) and all that and i still dislike it totally. UGH!!

atla wrote: "May I suggest Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro as a follow-up? "

Ooooh, i love it when someone suggests a book i've never heard of. I'll have to look it up and see if i can locate it!

thanks for the suggestion!

Julie -

how was the violence level in All the Pretty Horses? I've been wanting to ask someone who has read it because i was subjected to Blood Meridian and it was one of the most violent and bloody books i've ever read. The actual plot wasn't bad but the violence was so extreme that i was quite put off. It was a book club selection and I was the only one who managed to finish it - a couple of the other ladies actually had nightmares from the book. After that i've been very gunshy of Cormac McCarthy's books.

Ironically one of my favorite authors, Kent Haruf, who wrote Plainsong and Eventide, both wonderful, gentle western stories, says that McCarthy is one of his main inspirations.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

This is a classic that i've read over and over to the point that i was reciting parts of it along with Michael York.

I had a crush on Michal York when i was a teenager... :) He played Tybalt in the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli Romeo and Juliet and i was smitten!

Anyway this was the first time i'd listened to Alice's adventures instead of reading it and it was a real treat! So, I'm driving along in sub-zero weather, wearing my silly hat with the kitty ears, and reciting "You are old Father William" along with Alice/Michael York. Perfect!!

I'm currently listening to Through the Looking Glass. Looking Glass isn't as much a favorite of mine - but it's still fun!

finished listening to Through the Looking Glass this morning. I decided i was very dissapointed in the narrator - Harlan Ellison. While narrating a throughly British book it seems a bit out of place to use a Southern drawl for the White Queen. And the White Knight sounded like a terrible Slavic accent. Maybe this goes along with the idea the writers are terrible narrators - Ellison is a fairly prolific author.

Michael York was MUCH better.

Regardless of that it was fun to listen to the clever insanity of this book. The poems are so much more fun read aloud! And of course everyone who owns a kitten knows that it can shift dimensions and is really a queen in disguise!

atla wrote: "Donna wrote: "Atla - So... just for the heck of it I listened to Frankenstein. Very wonderful. I couldn't locate a Simon Vance edition..."

Donna, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. May I suggest [book..."


Great suggestion, Atla! I agree - a great book (especially in audio) - disturbing and haunting.

Donna wrote: "Julie -

how was the violence level in All the Pretty Horses? I've been wanting to ask someone who has read it because i was subjected to Blood Meridian and it was one of the most violent and blo..."

Hi, Donna.

I didn't think it was that violent - or at least not gratuitously violent. And the violent scenes weren't graphic. Other people have loved this book, so I'm not sure why it didn't resonate for me. I think it was the overall lack of emotional reaction to everything that was happening.

Glad you mentioned Kent Haruf. Now that's a good western writer. I loved Eventide!

Donna wrote: "finished listening to Through the Looking Glass this morning. I decided i was very dissapointed in the narrator - Harlan Ellison. While narrating a throughly British book it seems a bit out of pl..."

I really like Harlan Ellison's narration of Ursula Leguin's Wizard of Earthsea. He was so energetic - practically shouting during the battles and exciting parts. But, I don't quite see him reading British poetry - especially when there are so many fantastic British narrators.

Julie at All Ears wrote: "I really like Harlan Ellison's narration of Ursula Leguin's Wizard of Earthsea.."

I'm glad to hear he was good for other books. I will agree with your comment about him bringing energy to the reading - he gave a most energetic performance as Humpty Dumpty and even though I didn't like the accent he used with the White Knight, it was done with great enthuaisim.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Much darker and intense than I thought it would be from watching the series. In the series I kind of like Dexter and he seems to have some redeeming qualities but in the book he does not have a feeling that he describes for himself that I can relate with. He is a monster. His compulsion to kill "humans" is overwhelming and he feels no love or compassion even for his foster sister.

I guess the difference between the TV series and the book is I get to know exactly what Dexter is thinking and feeling rather than how the actor playing Dexter interprets the character. I am glad I read this first Dexter book since it gave me some needed insights into what made Dexter the monster that he is and get to know his adopted Father and how he influenced the monster to confine his kills to those who "deserve" to die.

I listened to this book and the narration is great. Who would have thought there were so many serial killers in Florida that Dexter could keep himself satisfied with killing only those who deserve to die. The whole idea of vigilante justice has always appealed to me and I had thought I might be able to play judge, jury, and executioner but seeing a monster acting the role gave me reason to reconsider my feelings on vigilante justice. The whole wild west idea where justice is served by the good guys wearing white hats and carrying colt revolvers is turned on its head by this look at a bad guy wearing the black hat meeting out justice with torture and a knife.

A definite page turner or CD turner. If you like the TV series I think you will really enjoy this audio version.

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I was wondering if anyone has finished reading ?

The reviews seem really good, but the narrator or is it the opening, that's making me dizzy?

Alisha wrote: "I was wondering if anyone has finished reading The Looming Tower?"

I have, and on audio book. There is a lot to keep track of, but if you stick with it, I think you'll really get a good understanding on what was behind 9/11, Osama Bin Laden, and what is going on in the Middle East that is hard for Americans to figure out, as well as an exciting look into FBI and CIA personalities. I did, anayway. I thought the narrator wasn't too good. He sounded like he was more concerned with sounding good than communicating to his audience.

Just finished The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, per Lars' recommendation. (Thanks, Lars!) I originally picked it up thinking I'd preview it as a possible Christmas gift for my Twilight-loving 12-year-old niece, but quickly realized it was much more my cup of tea than hers. The narrator was absolutely phenomenal, and kept me thoroughly engaged through what felt like a very long novel (considering its young adult audience). I'd highly recommend this for 8th-9th graders, as the subject matter seems a bit dark and advanced for a younger audience.

Diana wrote: "Just finished The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, per Lars' recommendation....a bit dark and advanced for a younger audience."

Definitely dark, but I have read it with two seventh graders, one who liked it, and one who was quite enthusiastic. Nancy Farmer's 'Sea of Trolls' trilogy (placed in the Viking-invasion-of-Britain era) is also quite good, and more upbeat.

Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

Tommy and Tuppence are my favorite of Christie's sleuths. In this book they are typical 1920's- itching-for-adventure 20-somethings and they manage to find it. Hidden documents, secret identities and the the sinking of the Lusitania all play parts in this fun mystery.

Nadia May does an outstanding job narrating. Her lively, light British accent is perfect for Tuppence and even the male characters.

Great fun! I hope i can find another Tommy and Tuppence book narrated by Nadia May!

'Grim Tuesday' by Garth Nix: Could be the perfect series for a road trip: something for all ages, easy to follow without being predictable, great narration by Alan Corduner, at six CD length, very manageable. On to 'Drowned Wednesday!'

Happy New Year, everyone!

I've really gotten behind on posting reviews, so here's a quick run down on some very entertaining audiobooks...

[image error] Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

This book was a perfect selection for me since my family spent the holidays in Belize, which was colonized by British pirates. The manuscript for this book was found after Crichton's death and published posthumously. Although it is not as good as his best, this is definitely an entertaining swashbuckler story filled with pirates, treasure and even sea monsters. John Bedford Lloyd was a strong narrator, putting together some very good accents (but I kept on wishing that this one was narrated by Scott Brick - it could have used some of his 'attitude'). Very entertaining!

Saturday by Ian McEwan

This story covers a single Saturday in the life of Henry Perowne, a London neurosurgeon. Most of the book covers pretty mundane activities as Perowne goes through his normal weekend routine and planning for a dinner party with his family. At first, I kept on thinking that this was a male version of Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway - a single day, planning for a dinner party, and lots of wandering thoughts. But the book has a definite twist when Perowne gets into a minor traffic accident with a punk which later leads to a serious confrontation. Although the first 2/3 of the book is a bit introspective and meandering, it definitely picks up and becomes more of a story about what we value in life. If you liked McEwan's Atonement, you'll enjoy this one.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

If you feel like picking up a classic, this is a great one. Set at the beginning of the 19th century, the book paints a vivid portrait of life in high society New York - the strict rules of how to behave, who to mingle with, and even who to marry. The hero, Nuland Archer, is all set to marry beautiful May Welland when he meets her cousin, Ellen Olenska who has scandalized New York society by leaving her disastrous marriage to a European count. What a great tragic love story! I had two different audio versions of this book, one narrated by Dick Hill and the other narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan. Although I loved Dick Hill's narration of Huckleberry Finn, after listening to the first cd, I switched over to Alyssa Bresnahan's version. Her portrayal of the high society New York women was perfect!


The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

After finishing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I couldn't wait to listen to the sequel The Girl who Played with Fire. I saved it for vacation and was not disappointed. The first book leaves you wondering about Lisbeth Salander's life and wanting more of this intriguing character. This sequel focuses more on Lisbeth's life and past history. I love Larsson's gritty dialog and clever plot twists - a mystery author who goes way beyond plot, he has created another literary suspense novel. Although I didn't like it as much as 'Tattoo', it was a wonderful listen. Can't wait until the final book comes out this year... and narrated by Simon Vance!

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a great audiobook to start out the year! Niffenegger's book, The Time Traveler's Wife was one of my favorite books, so I was eager to listen to this one, but I was also hesitant. The feedback from people on this book has definitely been mixed. People either love the book or find the ending disturbing. I loved the characters in this story, especially, Martin, an endearing crossword puzzle designer with extreme OCD. I loved how the descriptions of grief and loss were heart rending and evoked memories of people I have lost in my life. I even enjoyed the ghost story aspect of this book - a bit of fantasy, but not so much a stretch that it might not be possible. So why not 5 stars? Great characters, beautiful setting, wonderful descriptions, great audio narration ...but the plot was somehow lacking. I still would have no problem recommending this - definitely an enjoyable listen!


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Couple audio books i've listened to:

Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
Anderson's sharply told tale of life in a small town at the turn of the century. The book is made up of 23 short stories, interwoven with each other to tell the tale of life in this small town. There's little sympathy for any of the characters from Anderson, he relates their stories with almost reporter like precision. Yet the book is enjoyable, and an interesting commentary on pre-WWI life.

Canapes for the Kitties by Marian Babson
Light British Mystery - Marian Babson does it very well. Babson, pen name for Ruth Stenstreem, has written a lot of mysteries that, unlike many mystery writers, are not true series. You can pick up any Babson book in any order and still know the whole story. This particular book finds a village full of mystery writers facing the illusion that their created characters have come to life! The intrepid kitties add to the fun. Nadia May, who I'm really starting to look for, narrates this tale very well. Great, light fun.

Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A fun little adventure. A little heavy handed on the author's leftest leanings but still Dirk Sr. and Dirk Jr. are guys with rapier like names who love the open sea and adventures of all kinds. The bullets always miss guys like this I just wish they weren't named Dirk.

Great narration, Scott Brick, made the book at least palatable.

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Very Bad Deaths by Spider Robinson, narrated by Spider

Spider Robinson is like a guilty pleasure for me. His characters are in no way related to my life, and they usually partake of drugs and "free sex" in a measure that I'd normally think of as unhealthy and unwise. If i were to meet any of his characters in real life we'd probably part ways mostly unaffected by each other, each content with the respective non-intersecting realms we inhabit.

And yet.... I LIKE Spider's books. I REALLY do. His protagonists are generally mild mannered men who have had something really dreadful happen to them and are struggling to deal with it. The characters he surrounds these men with are often wildly off-beat and endearingly strange. I'd give up a month of Starbucks for an evening of drinking at Calahan's Cross-time Salon any time. Heck I'd even ask Mike to let me pay for a round of drinks!

So... this book was a bit of a... well... let down is too strong... not disappointment... um... it was like Spider was trying too hard to write a crime thriller. It was almost there, but not quite.

I had been warned about the violence, but it wasn't gratuitous and since the story was about a maniacal serial killer it wasn't unexpected. What bothered me more was the constant diversions from the plot line... the rabbit trails i was lead on that didn't really have much to do with the plot. This book would have made a great short story.

One of the high points of this was listening to Spider narrate his own work. Normally I don't like listening to authors reading their own work, but Spider has a very conversational tone that is perfect for the story. He is Russell Walker, the main character of the story, who tells the tale.

Not bad, not great, and if you're squeemish... not your cup of tea.

Finding Noel: A Novel by Richard Paul Evans


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this read quite a bit. I was surprised how much I liked the book. It made me happy and sad just like a good Christmas Read should produce. All in all I felt emotionally manipulated but it was done in a nice way.

I enjoyed the setting in Utah, since I have spent many years there in the past. I was able to recognize many of the geographic references and that was fun. I thought the plot complications were great but the complications were too easily overcome and I thought the author took some short cuts to resolve the issues and there was a noticeable lack of depth even for an easy audience like me. I thought the premise and the conflicts originally established would have made this book a classic Christmas tale reaching Dickensian heights but the execution of the plot came up short.

Still I loved the book and was glad for the journey.

Also I am not sure I have yet listened to a book that was narrated by the author that I have liked the narration. Authors leave the narration to the professionals and just write!

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Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was surprised by this book and how much I liked it. Denise and I listened to most of it on our drive to Arizona during the Christmas Holidays but it took us quite a bit of time to finish the last CD. I think the book sort of ran out of steam at the end and I know for Denise she found Calliope's running away from home unbelievable.

I never would have thought reading about incest and a hermaphrodite would make such a good book but we both really enjoyed listening. The narrator was great and I loved learning a little more about Greece and Greek Americans. I lived next to a Greek American who we called YaYa, she was like a grandmother to us and introduced me to Greek food which I still love to this day. I can still remember the smells from YaYas house whenever I entered and my mouth would start watering. Such a different smell than my own home where overcooked vegetables and bland meats were the stock in trade.

YaYa taught my Mom how to make Baklava and to this day I have never found a better tasting Baklava than YaYa and my Mother could create.

I learned more history of Greece and Detroit than I had known and it was fascinating. The characters were great and I grew to love and care for this Greek Immigrant family. I highly recommend this book.

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Wayne wrote: "Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: I was surprised by this book and how much I liked it."

I'm with you, Wayne. 'Middlesex' is one of my favorites, but if you had told me that was going to be the case before I read it, I probably wouldn't have believed you.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I picked this book up because:
1 - it's narrated by Scott Brick and
2 - according to one of the goodreads features, this book is one of the most common books that my goodreads friends have read and enjoyed.

Well, my friends are right! Although I wasn't thrilled with the idea of reading a non-fiction book about some gruesome killings, this story captivated me. Capote reconstructs the murder of a model family living on a farm in Kansas. From the beginning, you know the identity of the 2 murderers. The story focuses on their lives - the abuse they endured and the stories of their families and childhood. By the end of the book, I found myself liking one of the killers. If you are on the fence about the death penalty, this is an compelling read. Non-fiction, but reads like a novel and wonderful in audio. Scott Brick sets the pace for this classic.

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I just finished Wizard's First Rule (The Sword of Truth) by Terry Goodkind. This book was my first foray into the fantasy genre and, for a mostly non-fiction guy, it was a new experience to say the least. I thought the story line was very interesting and creative (at least for a newbie like me) even if his writing style was simple. After starting it, I internalized how long the book was (26 discs) and felt the need to pushed through it at 3-4 hours a day to get back to something non-fiction. He draws you in with the imaginative details of their adventure, the endless list of magic and powers of this world, and the determination of the good guys. But the extended descriptions of the cruel things done by the bad guys were too dark and detailed for me. I couldn't help feeling that there are so many sad and serious problems for us to deal with in the real world that I didn't want to feel the pain of fictional cruelty done to innocents by super powerful underworld characters. Guess that's why I prefer non-fiction. Overall - very memorable, but not my type.

I've recently finished an eclectic set of books that I have mostly enjoyed.

The House of the Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne - This is the first book I ever read in highschool that I did not finish. I have been eyeing this book for awhile and decided to give it another shot, but this time in audio. Recently I've been enjoying relistening to the classics. The Count of Monte Cristo made by Best of 2009 list. This book, is not going to make it the Mediocre of 2010 awards. The plot was interesting, a bit of a ghost story combined with a view of colonial America. I just couldn't stomach Hawthorne's indirect style. I love the way Dickens goes off on a tangent. He throws in a subtle sense of humor with his long descriptions. But Hawthorne just seems to meander along. Am I missing something? I am proud that I finished the book - probably wouldn't have accomplished this without audio!

- Slam by Nick Hornby - I'm a big fan of Nick Hornby. His recent book, Juliet, Naked was fabulous. Slam, is Hornby's first young adult book and although it was funny and enjoyable, it wasn't as brilliant as some of his other titles. The main plot of this story is about Sam, a 16 year old boy who accidentally gets his girlfriend pregnant. Very realistic portrayal of the panic a teenager goes through when his life 'slams' into a wall. 3 stars.

- A Death in Vienna - Daniel Silva. This was my first Daniel Silva mystery, but will not be my last! This is the 4th in the Gabriel Allon mystery series, starring Allon, an Israeli intelligence agent. In this mystery, Allon is tracking down a Nazi war criminal who was responsible for hiding the murder of thousands of Jews at Treblinka. The flashbacks to the Holocaust were vividly described and brutal. What I enjoyed about this book is how it really made me reconsider some of my thoughts about the effort placed in bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. When you read about this in the papers, sometimes you have to wonder what the purpose is in chasing down these men who are footsteps away from the grave. Does it really matter? After reading this book, I realize that crimes like these cannot be ignored or forgotten - no statute of limitations for cruelty or genocide. Good story! 4 stars

And I saved the best for last... Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadahota. I'm a big fan of Newbery winners - I don't think I've read a dud yet. Kira-Kira (which means glittering in Japanese) shines as one of the best. Set in the 1950's, the book follows the Japanese American Takeshima family from Iowa to Georgia where the parents work long grueling hours processing poultry. Although the family faces many obstacles from the struggle of making ends meet to racial discrimination in the Deep South, life is fine for the Takeshima's until the oldest child, Lynn, becomes ill. The story is told by Katie, the younger daughter, who adds humor and innocence to this touching story. The narrator - Elaina Erika Davis was perfect - she handled the various ages of the characters as well as the challenge of Southern and Japanese accents beautifully. 5 Kira-Kira stars.

Just finished listening to The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Read it last summer. Listened to it last week for book club. Both ways, Kathryn Stockett can sure tell a story. Bahni Turpin and Octavia Spencer's reading of Aiblileen and Minny, respectively, allowed me to get into these two women's heads 100%. Something that is not easy for a Yankee to do. Too bad that I so strongly identify Jenna Lamia's voice with the 14-year old Lily Owen in The Secret Life of Bees. Skeeter sounded older to me, than Lamia's interpretation, when I read the book - a minor distraction for about 1/3 of the book.

Just so happened the day after I finished the book, Dolores and Mercedes, my cleaning ladies of 12 years came to clean, and the following day, Roberto and Raymond, came to mow and blow. The book has totally heightened my awareness of my relationship with them. The book has also heightened my interest in examining assumptions I've made about people I encounter on a daily basis that might be totally off. I was particularly struck by a scene toward the end of the book, where Skeeter takes a fresh look at a girlfriend she had previously dismissed as clueless.

Candide by Voltaire 4 stars
A wonderful satiric romp through Europe and South America and even Turkey, with wars, hangings, slavery, pompous rulers and an odd cast of characters.

Voltaire's commentary on the human condition still rings true three centuries later. I laughed out loud several times during Candide's adventures and Voltaire's often caustic commentary. We may think we are more politically correct these days, but there's many similarities to the 21st century in this tale.

I picked this up on a whim and i'm really glad i did.

I just finished listening to, "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" by Laurie King. As I started listening to this book, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. Sherlock Holmes is retired and living out in the country raising bees. He's still interested in science and figuring out how things work, etc. He just is no longer paired with Watson solving crimes all over London and whatnot. In steps Mary Russell, a 15 year old orphan who lives down the road with her Aunt. Her Aunt is not her favorite person and so Miss Russell spends most of her time out of the house reading, walking, and observing. She literally runs into Mr. Holmes while out reading and thus their relationship begins. It still took some time from there for me to get sucked in, but eventually I did. The characters of Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes began to come to life and the mystery began. I won't give anything away as this book is definitely worth reading, especially if you like mystery novels. I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

I also just finished reading, "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Cadavers" by Mary Roach. I picked up this book out of curiousity. What was there to know about donating your body to science? I myself have the little sticker on my Driver's license to donate my organs and have often thought about donating my entire body. But I always thought of donating my body as it going to some anatomy lab in a medical school. I never thought about all the different ways that cadavers are used or have been used. Let me just say now that I am very thankful I did not live in the 18th or 19th centuries, especially as a test animal. Some of the ideas that the scientists of old had were unbelieveable. I am not saying that I am not thankful for science and experimentation, but some of it was just INSANE!! I definitely reccomend this book to those of you who would like to know the history of the cadaver in science and technology. It's pretty interesting and often disturbing. It has made me really think hard about donating my body to science and whether or not I could handle what could become of me. I know I'll be dead and so much good could come from someone being able to use my body, but this book has left me with much to think about.

Donna wrote: "Candide by Voltaire: I picked this up on a whim and i'm really glad i did."

I also got into this by chance, and listened to it on audio. I couldn't locate the audio version in a brief research foray (it was so long ago it was probably on cassette), but I loved it! Whoever narrated was fantastic. What an amazing book, and how accessible. And funny...in a mordant way.

Julie at All Ears wrote: "Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadahota. I'm a big fan of Newbery winners - I don't think I've read a dud yet."

I agree with you, Julie, about 'Kira-Kira,' which I read in print, and Newbery winners. There was a big to-do a couple of years ago about the Newberys losing thier mojo and not picking books kids liked prompted by an article in School Library Journal by the excellent writer on kidlit, Anita Silvey (http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/a...). But I have liked the choices she seemed to find lacking I hav read, including 'Kira-Kira.'

For the next month i'm in book lover's heaven - i'm helping sort books for a charity sale. Since i know a bit about kid lit, i work with one other gal on sorting the kids' books. I nabbed a copy of Kira-Kira for myself along with Eggs by Jerry Spinelli and and advanced realease of Avi's The book without Words. I'm looking forward to reading them! And, since there are literally hundreds of books we sort, I'm sure there will be others i find :)

Jennifer wrote: " I also just finished reading, "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Cadavers" by Mary Roach. I picked up this book out of curiousity. What was ..."

Nice review, Jen! I've heard so many good things about this book - I'll definitely give it a listen.

Lars wrote: "I also got into this by chance, and listened to it on audio. I couldn't locate the audio version in ..."

Donal Donally narrated the version i listened to and he did a fantastic job. First time i've listened to him.

I located several copies of the audio on the Evil Empire's (B&N - my local indie book store's fav name for it) website but didn't see any of Donally's. Betcha Julie could find one for you though since it's readily available. :)

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

This was an interesting guide to living in the present moment, and developing an awareness of the ego's influence on thoughts and behavior. I'm still trying to decide whether it would be filed under psychology, philosophy, or spirituality.

I finally broke down on got on the Jane Austen band wagon of late, though I decided to start with one of the latest spin-offs, "Jane Bites Back." Jane Austen is still alive, living in New York State, and is a 200+ year old vampire who owns a book store. Jane wants to publish her manuscript she wrote before she "died" more than anything, but has been turned down by every publishing house she's ever sent it to, keeping a list of all those who have rejected her over the years. Everyone is clueless to her true identity. Then one day everything changes...I'll leave it that. It's a fun and very quick read. Good for a rainy weekend spent indoors or a long plane ride. I'm interested to see what happens in the next one

Donna wrote: "Lars wrote: "I also got into this by chance, and listened to it on audio. I couldn't locate the audio version in ..."

Donal Donally narrated the version i listened to and he did a fantastic job..."

Great job, identifying the narrator, Donna! Yes, we carry the same version, published by Recorded Books. I've listened to it and I thought it was very good - just the right amount of satire in the narration.

Donna - have fun sorting books. What a great volunteer job - hope you find some gems!

Jennifer wrote: " I finally broke down on got on the Jane Austen band wagon of late, though I decided to start with one of the latest spin-offs, "Jane Bites Back." Jane A..."

Oh my! Classics, vampires, AND a book store owner! Could a book ever be more perfect?

[image error] Under the Dome by Stephen King


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mr. King knows how to build up suspense. I think this is one of his best books since the Gunslinger series. It was a great ride and very realistic in how people reacted to living under the dome. I kept thinking the dome was a test for mankind and if the people living under the dome did the right things the dome would be lifted. This was not the way Mr. King wrote the book and I liked his take on the reason for the dome much better than my initial take.

The real monsters in this book were the citizens living under the dome led by Selectman Reny, and there were plenty of sheep who turned into wolves as they followed Big Jim and his plans for total domination under the dome. I kept thinking why would Big Jim need to dominate under the dome since his domination wouldn't be that great an accomplishment and then I realized the dome was a metaphor for our world and seen in that context the attempts by despots in this world like Hitler, Stalin, Chavez, Castro and the like are men just like Big Jim.

These despots are very dangerous but their ambitions are short sighted and in many respects ultimately futile. These sort of monsters are dangerous and it led me to think of the simplicity of the bullet. I kept thinking the town could solve all its problems with a bullet to Big Jim's dome but they were to ethical and naive. They couldn't imagine the monster that Big Jim was becoming and so they placated him and allowed him to get so powerful that he killed almost everyone under the dome.

Earlier preemptive strikes to destroy bad guys may not be such a bad idea after all. Do we become like the bad guys by thinking along the lines of a well placed bullet?

Anyway, I liked the book quite a bit. I don't think the book is that scary but it is a thriller and a page turner or in my case CD turner. The narrator was great. I especially liked how he did Big Jim's voice. His children voices sucked but the book didn't have too many children.

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My husband and I were in the bookstore the other night (he was trying to find another author to read...he always gets so hooked on one and won't read another which makes it hard for him to move on), when I stumbled across this book. I have a big pile of books next to my bed already and wasn't supposed to looking for something else just yet, but this one really caught my attention. It had a catchy title and when I read the back, I was intrigued. I remember the days of making mix tapes fondly and the memories each one holds. I used to agonize over what songs to put on mix tapes, would they flow well, what to name them, and what feelings I was trying to express through them. So of course, I just had to read this book. This book is a memoir by Rob Sheffield, a contributing editor for the Rolling Stones. Music has been apart of his life, all his life, but when he met his wife, music took on a whole other life to him. The beats sounded different, the words meant different things, music shared with someone else was a different experience, a wonderful experience, an unforgettable experience. Mr. Sheffield uses music through the decades to express himself, his love for his wife, and his grief at her loss. I was hooked the minute I started reading it. It was hard to put down. I highly reccomend this book. It is well written, honest, and heartbreaking. I think one reason this book really spoke to me is because losing my husband is something I worry about all the time. I think about how he has become such a part of my life, interwoven into everything, that life without him would be so different, so uncomfortable, so lonely, and so weird. I wonder if I'd be able to go back to who I was before I married him. This book really makes you think about and cherish what you have because it can literally be there one minute and gone the next.

Julie at All Ears wrote: "Did you ever play that game where one person starts a story and at a critical point, passes the role of storyteller onto the next person to finish? Well The Chopin Manuscript is just that type of ..." This sounds like a great book...I"m gonna have to add this one to my list.

The Chili Queen: A Novel by Sandra Dallas
narrated by Barbara McCulloh i'd give it 3.5 stars

this was Sandra's first book, even though it was the 4th published and it has several first time author issues. However the story has some great plot twists that if you're paying attention you can figure out. It also has some of Sandra's typical insights into life in the west, especially Colorado. I enjoyed it. It's not my favorite of hers - I still like The Diary of Mattie Spenser and Prayers for Sale better, but it was still a worthwhile read.

I just listened to Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom. This is another wonderfully touching and inspiring book from Albom. He narrates the audiobook and his gentle, unassuming voice adds to the humility and sincerity of the story. Like in his other books, he softly draws you into the lives of others and gently holds your attention to the end. Throughout the book there are sprinkled many passages, observations and short poems that resonate with truth and wisdom that we are often too busy to see. For me his books are not ones to over analyze or critique, but ones to let wash over you to awaken feelings you have forgotten, to kindle reflection and introspection. The book is like a warm hug, tender and kind.