What do Katsa & Henry VIII have in common? [Audiobook Month Wrap Up & Weekend Links]

 

I've had fun talking about audio books this month! If you missed some of my June is Audiobook Month posts, I talked about why I love audio books, reviewed audiobooks by Tana French and Deborah Crombie, and judged an audiobook by its cover. And I mentioned my dilemma: is it audio book or audiobook? Or does it matter?

This month I also listened to G.J. Meyer's The Tudors  (for my next History by Threes post), and Graceling, as a refresher before reading Bitterblue. The Tudors  has been really good; I'm 16 of 20 discs done, and still enjoying it. I didn't really like Graceling -- mostly because I really don't like Full Cast Audio presentations. The main guy was good, but a couple of the voices didn't match what I thought the characters would sound like, and the woman who voiced Katsa was irritatingly robotic. I'd have much preferred it if David Baker had just done all the voices.

And, I discovered Audio Book Week at Devourer of Books a little too late to participate. I'll definitely participate next year though! I've been having fun reading posts by those who did link up though -- including discussion on the art of audio book reviewing at Teresa's Reading Corner. Also, the Oddiophile reminded me how much I liked The Thirteenth Tale. It's been a few years, I think I need to listen to it again!

What books did you listen to this month? 

Do you persevere if you find a narrator's voice irritating?

TLC Book Tour: Playing Dead

I've never done a book tour before, so after agreeing to participate in a TLC Book Tour for Julia Heaberlin's Playing Dead, I was a little nervous. What if I hated the book? It seems really awkward to link-up to a blog tour with a negative review, but I wouldn't give it a fake good review.

Luckily my worries were for nothing! I really enjoyed Playing Dead, even though I normally never would've picked a book like this. For one, all the cover blurbs mention how suspenseful it is, and we all know that I don't do suspense. For another, the main character is a girl named Tommie, and I have a thing about baby names. Tommie with an -ie? Weird.

But in spite of those things, Playing Dead was a fun, fast-paced, twisty mystery. It all starts when psychologist Tommie McCloud goes back to Texas for her father's funeral. She receives a letter from a woman claiming to be her mother, saying that Tommie was kidnapped from her thirty-one years ago. The woman Tommie always thought was her mother is in a nursing home with dementia, and can't answer Tommie's questions. So Tommie starts doing some research on her own, and quickly comes to suspect that her whole life might be a lie. She finds unpleasant ties to the Chicago Mafia, and then mysterious strangers start cropping up -- and several of them try to kill her. On the run for her life, Tommie has to question everything she's always thought was true. Who is her mother? Who is trying to kill her and why?

The story is set mainly in Texas, in the ranch country where Tommie has lived all her life. But her questions will take her back and forth across Texas, and as far as Chicago and New York in search of the truth. As the threats to Tommie, her sister Sadie, and her niece Maddie come from every direction, Tommie must dig deep within herself to find the answers to her questions and to figure out whom she can truly trust.

I recommend this book if you're a fan of suspenseful, surprising mysteries. Check out Julia Heaberlin's website if you want to know more about her or Playing Dead.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Should I recommend this to my grandma? Sure, unless she's easily frightened.

Win it! One of you (US addresses, no PO Boxes) can win a copy of Playing Dead for your own!


Update: 7/2 The first winner random.org picked was #12, Jill, who didn't want to be entered. The second was #5, Lisa, who set up the blog tour. But, the third time was the charm! #11, Kelly Wiggains, who lives in Texas and likes mysteries! Perfect! Congratulations Kelly, I'll be emailing you for your details...


I received a copy of the book (plus the copy one of you will win) in exchange for participating in the tour, but my opinions are all my own, and I was not compensated for them!

Judging Covers: All the King's Men

All the King's Men is one of those classic books that I'd never gotten around to reading. Till the audio version came across the trade counter at Bookmans, and I snagged it to listen to while I was a-money-counting. (That was one of the best perks of that job. All the audiobooks I wanted to listen to for free!)

It's read by Michael Emerson (perhaps better known as Ben from Lost) and he does a superb job. I'd say it's one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. It's not a happy story, but I couldn't get enough of it. You can ask my coworkers, I listened to it really loud so that I could hear it even if I was tacking stuff up on the hallway bulletin boards outside my office door.

There were two reasons I picked it up: (1) I liked the cover and (2) it was unabridged. I find that my cover-judging of audiobooks always includes a scan for that little word 'unabridged'.

Do you judge audio covers differently from the real thing? Which of these covers do you prefer?

This post is part of my ongoing Judging Books by Their Covers series. And, don't forget that June is National Audiobook Month!

Kid Pick: Maisy Big, Maisy Small

Eleanor is obsessed with Maisy books. So much so that apparently they also double as pillows during naptime.

We own a handful of them, plus every time we go to the library we check out a few. Her absolute favorite one is called 'Maisy Big, Maisy Small '. We've checked it out from the library at least six different times, plus we always stop to read it every time we're there for story time. Luckily no one else seems to check it out too often, since we always find a copy. I really like this one, because it teaches opposites in a fun way, showing Maisy in different appearances and settings.

Eleanor obviously doesn't quite grasp "pattern", because she always says "Maisy plain", "Maisy pat it" and pats that page. She is also always concerned that "Maisy being naughty!" on the messy page.

Most of the pages are just Maisy alone, but a few have her BFFs - Charley, Tallulah, Eddie and Cyril. (By the way, there's not much funnier than a 2 year old's attempts to say 'Cyril'!)

If you're looking for some cute kid books, I can't recommend the Maisy books enough. We have the Count with Maisy Board Book and a few of the Maisy First Experiences (Maisy Goes Camping, Maisy Goes to the Museum, etc), and they're all favorites. You just can't beat the cuteness of the illustrations, and I like how Maisy and her friends all have fun together and help each other out.

What's your favorite Maisy book?

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Tweet-Style Book Reviews

Back in April I published a post with my first 140 character book reviews. It was so much fun that I decided I had to do it again! Here are quick glimpses of a few of the 79 books I have read (so far) this year.

The Garden Intrigue by Lauren Willig. Napoleon commissions Emma Delagardie to write a play for him. Little does Emma know that her handsome co-author is actually a British spy!

Elizabeth the Queen: Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith. Queen Elizabeth is an impressive, intelligent, strong woman. You'll learn a lot about the royal family, British history, and racehorses.

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura's future husband Almanzo is a smart, hard-working kid. The food descriptions are mouth-watering; you'll need a snack while you read!

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale. Enjoyed this YA sequel to Goose Girl. Enna is a fascinating, complicated character who must save the threatened kingdom of Bayern.

An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd. Book 2 starring sleuth/nurse Bess Crawford. On leave from the battlefields of France, Bess witnesses a London scene tied to a murder.

Faithful Place by Tana French. Depressing but wonderful. Dublin Detective Frank Mackey is drawn (by a dead girl) back into the life he tried to escape 22 years earlier.

Have you read any of these books? Care to sum up the book you're currently reading in 140 characters or less?

OUAT, Words, Pigeons & the Giveaway Winner! (Links)

• The winner of the $10 Amazon gift card for the June Summer Reading Club Link-Up is Amanda Junkel, who read both The Eyre Affair and The Grand Sophy! Congrats Amanda, I'll be emailing you to get your address! If you want to participate in July's Link-Up (for Pardonable Lies  and Drop Dead Healthy); it'll be 7/22. Will you link up in July?
• I'm newly obsessed with Once Upon a Time. I've watched five episodes in the last 3 days! All spring I had to avert my eyes from Megan at Sorta Crunchy's Once Upon a Time Tuesday posts, and now I'm looking forward to going back and reading them! Do you watch OUAT?
• Eleanor likes the Pigeon books by Mo Willems, and her cousin Ezra is a huge fan. I enjoyed Kelly Wiggain's review of his Elephant and Piggie books this week. "They don't make me want to stab my my eyes out with ballpoint pens" is a pretty good kid book recommendation for me! Do you like Mo Willems' books?
• Kathy at Bermuda Onion's "Wondrous Words Wednesday" posts are a lot of fun. I think I'm going to start working friable into conversation. What words have you recently learned?

We have a nice lazy weekend ahead! Hopefully a few trips to the neighborhood pool, maybe a McDonald's lunch for air-conditioned play, and some barbecue time with friends! What do you have planned?

Book Review: The Jane Austen Marriage Manual

 

Katherine Shaw is confident, successful and unworried about her looming 40th birthday. But then Kate is blindsided by the loss of her job, her house and her grandmother. She's grieving and broke when she's offered the chance to write a freelance article about marrying for money. In Jane Austen's day, women frequently married to better themselves, so why not now? Is Kate too old, or can she still marry for money?

This sends Kate (now known as "Lady Katherine Billington Shaw" thanks to some scheming by her best friends) jetting off around the world, using the remnants of her dwindling retirement fund. She gets in with an international polo crowd and meets a handsome billionaire named Scott. Kate decides Scott is the man for her--only he can provide her and her family financial security--and pursues him from Palm Beach to St. Moritz to London, to the disapproval of her friends and family. But there's a flaw in Kate's plan: handsome, irritating Griff Saunderson, who works at a bed and breakfast and keeps cropping up in Kate's life in unexpected ways.

Kim Izzo makes this extravagant tale surprisingly believable, grounding Kate's story in the financial meltdown of 2008. And, in spite of Kate's occasional snarkiness and undeniable avariciousness, she remains likable; her antics to preserve the character of "Lady Kate" and worm her way into Scott's life are downright funny. The themes may not be new, but The Jane Austen Marriage Manual puts a timely, entertaining spin on the classic "love or money?" debate.

It was a little predictable, but I still thought that this was pretty funny. If you're looking for some light beach reading, you'll probably enjoy it!

Rating: 3 out of 5  
Should I recommend this to my grandma? Maybe. Doubt my grandma would approve!
I wrote this review for Shelf Awareness, and was compensated for it.

Are you a chick lit fan? Would you ever marry for money?

P.S.The link-up for the Summer Reading Club is still open till tomorrow. Hurry and link up if you want a chance at winning the Amazon gift card!

Audio Review: Deborah Crombie

 

June is National Audio Book Month. It's a great excuse for me to listen to even more audio books than usual - because I love 'em so much!

I've really been enjoying Deborah Crombie's books lately. They're police procedurals, starring Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid, and his sidekick/sergeant/love interest Gemma James. I grabbed the first book in the series, A Share in Death, on a whim at the library. It had a rather 'cozy' feel to it because Kincaid was on vacation, and Gemma was in this book far less than any of the others.

Kincaid, although using his cousin's timeshare in a grand Yorkshire mansion, can't help but start policing when a body turns up in the swimming pool. I enjoyed Kincaid's thoughtful conversations with his fellow guests, and how he delicately managed to be involved with the case in spite of the resentment of the Yorkshire police at his supposed "interference".

The audio production was well done - Michael Deehy's voice is smooth and pleasant, and I liked his rendition of the different Yorkshire/English accents.

Summer Reading Club - June Link-Up!

I'm so excited! The first link up for the Summer Reading Club has arrived. If you missed the first post, go check out the details. And if you want to participate later - there'll be link-ups in July and August as well! Keep reading to see my take on the two June books -- The Grand Sophy and The Eyre Affair -- and to link up your reviews to share!

The Grand Sophy

I think this is my favorite Georgette Heyer of all time. It has all the best Heyer tropes - a witty, independent heroine, annoyingly Austenesque side characters, a detailed look at Regency life. Miss Sophy Stanton-Lacy isn't necessarily beautiful, but she's determined, funny, indomitable, and a hero to the people whose lives she sets right. She can't help but meddle when she sees unhappy people around her. Unafraid to set up elaborate schemes to break engagements, foster romance, and make everyone happy, Sophy's exploits make me giggle. I also love the large Rivenhall family (her cousins) with whom she is staying. The antics of a household of high-spirited children are hilarious, even if Charles Rivenhall's uptight fiancee Miss Eugenia Wraxton doesn't approve of them!

And you just can't beat Heyer's gifted dialogue. I laughed out loud at several scenes, including towards the end of Charles and Sophy's big fight in Chapter Four.

Charles, "Let me tell you, my dear cousin, that I should be better pleased if you would refrain from meddling in the affairs of my family!"

"Now, that," said Sophy, "I am very glad to know because if ever I should desire to please you I shall know just how to set about it. I daresay I shan't, but one likes to be prepared for any event, however unlikely."

Sidetracked (or, Why You Need to Read The Fault in Our Stars)

So I've read a LOT this last week. I'm feeling almost caught up. And I even gave in to a few guilty pleasure reads.

I was reading a book for review at my grandparents' house while Eleanor napped, and I got done faster than I thought I would. Eleanor awoke and was happily playing with my grandma, so I was able to write up the review. {Coincidentally we had stopped by the library that morning to turn in 2 overdue books and pick up The Fault in Our Stars, which had FINALLY come in, so I had it with me.} I figured that since Eleanor was happy and I had a few extra reading minutes, I'd just try a few pages of The Fault in Our Stars.
I ended up semi-ignoring my whole family for a while as I kept reading. Then I put it down to be sociable during dinner and swim time. But as soon as we got home and got Eleanor to bed, I grabbed it again and read furiously till 11:30 when I finished it. It was SO good. I can't even really sum it up.

Kim from Sophisticated Dorkiness recently read The Sparrow for the first time and afterward she said, "I couldn’t imagine picking up another book… it would just pale in comparison. But I also wanted to READ ALL THE THINGS because The Sparrow reminded me how supremely great literature can be. It was a conundrum."

That's basically exactly how I feel about The Fault in Our Stars. GO READ IT! It was absolutely worth having my planned reading schedule sidetracked, I didn't care at all that I didn't really have time to read it. It made me laugh out loud, and cry really hard. It was awesome. Since I'm rather incoherent about the whole thing, read Jill's review if you want more plot info. And then, GO READ IT!

Rating: 5 out of 5
Should I recommend this to my grandma? Sure, why not? It may be YA, but I think anyone would like it.

Have you read The Fault in Our Stars? 

What was the last book that you got sucked in to?

Judging Book Covers: The Return of the King

 

One of the fun things about stocking the sci fi/fantasy section at Bookmans was seeing all the different versions of the books in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I've seen all of these above, and more. I have no idea how many times they've been reissued, but the cover art options run the gamut from gorgeous to bizarre to strangely intriguing.

I like the central one and the second from the right the best. My very favorite is probably the tree-covered paperback editions from the 1970s, because those are the ones my dad had, and I first read the books in that format. But I couldn't find an example of them on Amazon.

Which cover do you like the best? 

If you've read LOTR, which editions did you read from?

Cover images are affiliate links.  

This post is part of my Judging Books By Their Covers series. Check out the rest of the posts here.