Book Reviews

I enjoyed the parallels between the characters. The novel alternates between 1934 & 1984.  It’s an examination of how depression effects not only the patient but the entire family sometimes multi-generations. It’s a great example of the stigma that still has a grip on mental illness. 1934 Frankfurt Pre-war Germany we are introduced to Inga eldest daughter, Frieda the overbearing mother, and Rigmor the baby of the family. Inga & Frieda are constantly arguing about how best to help Rigmor with her anxiety/depression.  1984 Belmont, Mass, USA, we meet Sabine, daughter to Lisbet, Tanner & Mia are Sabine’s husband & new baby.  The connection among everyone is Inga, her love for knowledge and her devotion to family and her commitment for helping whatever way she sees fit. The book is very much a comparison of “then and now.” It’s about family dynamics. It’s also a comparison of economics and social status. Enlightening read. You will continue to think about this...

  This novel is so cute & filled with innocence. You will really enjoy this book if you can accept the adventure story as told by a very young 12-year-old boy with a curious mind. Yes, an adult can enjoy this book every bit as much as a YA reader may enjoy it. It’s refreshing to read stories from a child’s point of view, and Ruby, the main character, is no exception. He’s so accepting and honest. I was cheering him on the whole way. I think many readers will be reminded of Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer and/or the boys from the movie Stand By Me as comparable characters/situations.  Thank you to #Netgalley, #RichardMBrock, and #BogieRoadPublishing for this refreshing ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Before listening to this audiobook, I had no knowledge of Mikel Jollet & had never heard of The Airborne Toxic Event. For me this was a good thing, I probably wouldn’t have listened to an audiobook narrated by a musician I’d never heard of. Now having heard the memoir, I would like to learn more about the “C-U-L-T” as well as check out the music. So, I guess I’ve stumbled upon this in the proper order and if you’ve never heard of Mikel Jollet, I would recommend you still give this book your attention. If you’re already a fan of Mikel Jollet, i’m willing to bet, you will not be disappointed by the story. I’ll also, now, always hear the word “depression” and think “The Deep Russian” and it will help give me a little chuckle & who couldn’t use a smile when hearing, thinking, or talking about “The Deep Russian?”

The main characters meet & fall in love at a writing retreat in Italy. While there, everyone at the retreat has an pen name.  Our main characters meet & know each other only as “Dutch” and “Aria”.  They aren’t allowed to share personal information or their real names.  After the retreat, when they return home, they stumble & bumble trying to make it work, insisting they love each other. They appear to have nothing in common. Was it just a fantasy or can they make it work? Read it & find out.  The narrator does a wonderful job changing voices for the multiple characters with dialogue in the story. It’s always amazing to me how this narrator can seamlessly slip in to a character voice and somehow remember how each voice should sound & switch between characters. It’s pretty incredible.  The author, Sophie Kinsella, has written many books in the past 20 years. She has sold over 40 million copies of her books, in many countries & in various la...

This audiobook was alright. It wasn’t mesmerizing or spellbinding for me. It was just a good story. I liked only the younger sister, Amy, as a character. Everyone else seemed so cold & distant in the story. The narrator, Samantha Quan, of the audiobook was great. It still may be a worthwhile read for some, it certainly has received high reviews. The summary is intriguing.  It’s setup to be a mystery with alternating chapters between Sylvie, Amy, and their mother. Sylvie was raised by her grandmother in the Netherlands. When Sylvie in 9 she is brought to America to live with her parents & to her surprise a younger sister. Of course there are plenty emotions of inferiority for Sylvie & this follows her through her life. As an adult Sylvie receives a call from her grandmother who is dying. Sylvie drops everything (a bad marriage, job, outlook) to go back to be by her grandmother’s side. When Sylvie’s sister Amy can’t get in touch with her and feels she’s the only one who c...

Thank you to #Netgalley for the voice galley of this forthcoming young adult romance #Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry” in exchange for an honest review.  This is an excellent, realistic debut from Joya Goffney. I certainly hope we have more stories from her in the future. The romance & high school drama in the book are spot-on and the book has appeal for adult readers as well. There are educational moments regarding cultural diversity which is very important. Books such as these help people to understand how they can be more thoughtful in their speech and their gestures. So in that regard, I would compare & highly recommend this book for those who enjoyed Angie Thomas’s debut, “The Hate U Give” or “Such A Fun Age,” A debut from Kiley Reid.   The storyline revolves around Quinn, a high school senior who keeps a journal of lists. Many, many private lists, such as “lies people believe about me” or “boys I’d like to kiss.”  The journal is misplaced and falls into the hands...

  Orphan x, the nowhere man, is Evan Smoak. An incredibly trained, never defeated, assassin-for-hire. Once a fostered young man, never adopted, found his way into a secret society— his only way out of the dead-end life he was trapped within.  He was taught to be an assassin extraordinaire. This story is part of an adventure/thriller good-versus-evil deadly series. The techy gadgets & drone warfare mentioned in this book would also make for an exciting on-screen experience. Great characters & Great cliff hanger too! Thank you to Gregg Hurwitz & Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful audiobook and offers the chance to learn some new things regarding the history of Jewish people being ostracized, ridiculed, looked down upon even before the WWII/Holocaust began.  This book is a detailed history, with some reading from letters, diaries, notes from various (approximately 20) women who were courageous enough to join the resistance no matter the cost. There is no dialogue between characters.  I highly recommend reading & thinking/talking about this book with others. People have been lying to manipulate/influence the way others act, think, or treat those who are somehow different from themselves.  The levels that some will go to just to promote hate is, unfortunately, just as rampant today as it ever has been. Having books such as this can help only if these tough topics are talked about & all people recognize that hate, oppression, violence is never the answer to making positive choices.  Thank you to @Netgalley for the adva...

Short review:  Ish    I reallyq found the main character loathsome. I also didn’t care for the tone in which the audiobook narrator read the book, somewhat snide. Narrator was good with her male impersonations. Perhaps it was good writing that had me disliking the characters so much? Because we really aren’t meant to admire them. So maybe some will appreciate the book for its obsessive, fatal attraction Narrative. I was just waiting for it to end & the end was very predictable in my opinion. 

  This is an historical fiction audiobook that explores the efforts of women to do their best to be of service during the war.  In this story a group of volunteers travel to Europe and attempt to establish service and assistance to the war-torn cities surrounding them. There were plenty of obstacles to overcome, including finding last-minute replacements for volunteers who opt out for other opportunities. What they accomplish with what they have on hand is respectable and makes for a great story. I loved this audiobook! The narrator is one of the best! She’s great with voices, animating the story with vocal expression, enunciates well/easy to understand. 

  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3744609124