Tahleen reviews audibook: "Career of Evil" by Robert Galbraith

Title: Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike #3)
Author: Robert Galbraith
Publisher: Hachette Audio, 2015
Narrator: Robert Glenister

Rating: 4.5 stars

This is the third book in Galbraith's (aka J.K. Rowling) Cormoran Strike series, and here, we have an extremely personal case for Strike and Robin.

The book starts off with the very disturbing delivery of a most unwanted package to Robin Ellacott, Strike's resourceful and determined secretary-turned-partner: the severed leg of a woman. What follows is a race against time to find this killer before he finds them, and Strike has not one, but three men in mind who have a grudge against him might have done this.

This book is just as complex and riveting as the first two in the series, but the notable thing about Career of Evil is how much more disturbing it is than the first two, which is saying something. Here, we are taken into the mind of a serial killer, and witness his sadistic and sociopathic need to kill and mutilate, all while Glenister dispassionately relates it all in his expert narration. Glenister is truly the perfect narrator; the amount of dialects and accents he uses in this book alone is worth listening to the whole thing, even if the book wasn't so darn good in the first place.

One other thing I loved about this book was how we learn more about Robin and her past. In addition, the relationship/friendship between Robin and Strike develops further, and I really enjoyed watching it progress.

I will warn you, this is not for the faint of heart; if you get squeamish easily you might want to skip this series. If not, you are definitely missing out on some top-notch mysteries and fabulous narration. If you're an audiobook listener, put these on your list.

Disclaimer: I got this audiobook from my local library, wahoo!

Tahleen reviews: Audiobook of "Armada" by Ernest Cline

Title: Armada
Author: Ernest Cline
Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator: Wil Wheaton 

Rating: 3.5 stars 

When I found out that Ernest Cline was coming out with another book, and it was also going to be narrated by Wil Wheaton (like his first book, Ready Player One, was), I was super excited. So of course I put that on my TBR immediately. And I finally had the chance to listen to the sci-fi book a few weeks ago.

The basic plot is this: Zach Lightman, a typical 18-year-old, sees something out the window of his classroom that can't possibly be real: a fighter ship from the alien videogame he plays every night, Armada. Soon he finds out that this craft is all too real, and because he is one of the top-ranked players in the world, he is recruited into the Earth Defense Alliance as a pilot. What follows is your basic hostile alien story.

I was kind of disappointed in the book itself. It wasn't terribly original, and I thought characters could have been better developed, especially secondary characters. The ending was kind if interesting, and it makes me wonder if Cline has a sequel in the works. Cline really likes the deus ex machina in his stuff; everything isn't happy by a long shot, but there were a lot of convenient things that happen. It was still fun though. I enjoyed all of the references to different pop culture alien stories, and Cline writes with a lot of humor, which Wheaton delivers extremely well.

As always, Wheaton's narration is on point. I loved listening to him tell me this story, even if the actual story wasn't my favorite. Plus he does voices, like Yoda, so bonus.

Disclaimer: I got this audiobook using my free trail for Audible.com.

Kimberly's review of "The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars!)

Book: Thousand-Dollar Tan Line

Author: Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

Why I read it: As a Marshmallow I couldn't resist!

Rating: 5 stars

 

“Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She's traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case.

Now it's spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is not a simple missing person's case. The house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica's past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined.”

As a proud Marshmallow, I eagerly downloaded the audio book for this, especially after I learned that it was narrated by VMars herself, Kristen Bell.

It was everything I could have hoped for! (Well, minus ONE thing. I could have used a bit more of a certain character… ;) ) It has the sass, the mystery, the genius, the laughter and tension of the TV series and movie. It was so fun to be back with these characters! Every time a familiar character entered the scene it was like a reunion for me. Old favorites back together again. All of the references and inside jokes! It kept me on my toes and challenged my Veronica Mars trivia! I was weirdly pleased every time I made the connection and remembered the right facts and details.

The mystery itself kept me guessing throughout the story. I’d start to suspect someone, then change my mind. Then I’d start wavering again. The “who done it” was pretty surprising, and I was so pleased that I was actually surprised, that doesn’t happen all that often! I did guess a few of the twists.

Overall, it was a great story. Made even better by Kristen Bell’s narration. If you haven’t watched the series, you’d probably be very very lost. I also recommend the audio over print. I’ve been told that the style of writing is a bit too script-like, which makes for a great audio book.

5 stars! 

Now... Where are my fellow Marshmallows???  

Tahleen reviews: Audiobook "Ghosts of Tupelo Landing" by Sheila Turnage

Title: Ghosts of Tupelo Landing
Author: Sheila Turnage
Publisher: Listening Library, 2014 (print available from Puffin Books)
Narrator: Lauren Fortgang

Rating: 4 stars

Mo and Dale, along with all of our other favorite characters from Three Times Lucky, Newbery Honor winner in 2014, are back with another mystery to solve. A decidedly ghostlike mystery. Miss Lana, along with Grandmother Miss Lacy Thornton, find themselves the new owners of an old inn and, as it turns out, a ghost that was in the fine print. Determined to get the inn back up and running in order to sell it to someone nice (gotta have nice neighbors, after all), Miss Lana and the gang sets to work—only to find out that ghost might not just be a footnote after all. Mo, along with a reluctant Dale, seize upon the opportunity to interview said ghost for their history assignment. But can they 1) get her to talk to them, 2) figure out what old Red Baker is doing and why he's sneaking around everywhere, and 3) possibly figure out what happened to their ghost all those years ago? Mo is no coward, and along with Dale and new friend Harm Crenshaw, set out to do it all.

I really, really love this series. And I'm so glad it's a series. I was very impressed with Three Times Lucky, as some of you might remember, and this is a great continuation. Turnage still deals with the tough realities of life in a gentle subtle way, without sugarcoating anything. There is an illegal moonshine still, poverty, bullying, and hints of past abuse and neglect, yet it's all very age-appropriate and well done. And Turnage adds in a hefty dose of humor. Mo is never fazed and generally seems to be a fantastic human being, though she does of course make mistakes and poor judgment calls now and then. It is nearly impossible to ruffle the girl, even when arch-nemesis Anna Celeste (aka Attila) continually brings up Mo's unknown origins to be spiteful (Mo was adopted by Miss Lana and the Colonel when she was washed downstream during a storm).

**Possible spoilers for book 1 follow**

Dale's father is now in jail, and Mo is pretty vocal about her opinion of him. She can't understand the complicated feelings Dale and his mother Miss Rose have about him; because at the end of the day, he's still Dale's father, and as Dale says, "you only get one Daddy." It is very clear that the whole situation is very hard for Miss Rose, who is trying to get on with her life despite not having much experience in not being in an abusive relationship. The whole situation was portrayed very well, and I thought Mo's child's understanding of it added much. Lots of showing instead of telling.

I did think it was slightly strange that this volume went into the paranormal realm, but I like a ghost story now and then. This one was good; just surprised it veered into this genre after the first book was strictly realistic fiction/mystery.


As for the narration, Lauren Fortgang was great. I was sad that Michal Freidman passed away shortly after narrating the first, but Fortgang was a worthy choice. Her matter-of-fact tone brought out the humor of Mo's inner dialogue and conversations with others, not to mention the vocal differences between characters was very well done.

Anyway, would I recommend this book? You bet I would. It's a great middle-grade mystery series with a quirky cast of characters in a small-town setting.

Disclosure: I got a copy of this audiobook from OverDrive through my local library.

Tahleen reviews: "William Shakespeare's Star Wars Collection" by Ian Doescher

Title: William Shakespeare's Star Wars Collection
Author: Ian Doescher
Publisher: Random House Audio, and Books on Tape, 2014
Narrator: Full Cast

Rating: 5 stars. No question.

Do you like Shakespeare? What about Star Wars? Would you ever think to combine the two? Ian Doescher did, and he is a genius. What a brilliant production this was! If you have any inclination to listen to an audiobook at all, this should be next on your list.

We start with Verily, a New Hope. Of course, most of us already know the story of young Luke Skywalker, strong with the force but naive, thrust into a rebellion he had not initially intended on joining. Doescher has thought out every detail in how to translate George Lucas's creation into Shakespearean drama and language, not to mention form. Blank verse, prose, iambic pentameter; all are in here, and all work exceedingly well. Nice afterwords describe why Doescher chose to write certain things in certain ways.

As for the actual production? Absolutely fantastic. We have a full cast, complete with actors I assume were chosen because they sound so much like the movie actors (I mean, Han Solo might as well as been voiced by Harrison Ford; it's so good. With the exception that he can't seem to pronounce Millenium Falcon?). In addition, there are sound effects, MUSIC FROM THE MOVIES, alien languages, AND some of the characters get their own SONGS. That they actually SING. It's amazing.

If you haven't experienced the beauty of this audiobook trilogy, get thee to a library and partake! I promise you won't regret it.

Disclosure: After a long awaited release for an audio CD, I was finally able to check these out from my local library.

Tahleen reviews about 3/4 of The Martian by Andy Weir

Title: The Martian
Author: Andy Weir
Publisher: Brilliance Audio, 2014 (print edition available from Crown)
Narrator: R.C. Bray

How can you not want to keep reading a book with this as a first line: "So I'm pretty much f***ed."

This is the story of Mark Watney, one of the astronauts on the Ares 3 mission on Mars. Through a series of very unfortunate events, Mark ends up left alone on Mars, stranded, with the entire world thinking he's dead. He must depend on his wits, engineering skills, and botanist background to keep himself alive.

I am enjoying this book VERY much. It's a great audiobook; R.C. Bray is a great reader. But what I'm really enjoying is how funny it is. I never expected to laugh so much while listening to a book about the dire situation of a guy stranded on Mars. But it is extremely entertaining.

There is a lot of technical stuff going on, but I think that's part of the reason why I like it so much too. I'm not a technically minded person; I don't know much about engineering or space exploration or Mars. But Weir does a great job explaining it, especially to lay readers. I think it's because I can actually believe this stuff could happen. I don't really have to suspend my disbelief much. And from other reviews I've read, it sounds like most of the science is pretty solid.

I also like the writing technique of using log entries. It makes sense, considering he is utterly alone and there would be no conversation, so his goofy personality comes out and it's great. But even though it is very funny, it's also a thriller. So far Mark has almost died a BUNCH of times. So sometimes I'm in my car laughing, or sometimes I'm white-knuckled, gripping my steering wheel.

Bonus: This is going to be a movie soon starring Matt Damon. So there's that. This book would definitely translate well to film. Not to mention it won an Alex Award, which are given to adult books with teen appeal.

I don't yet know how the story of Mark Watney ends, but I'm definitely looking forward to finding out! I highly recommend this audiobook, for science buffs, nerds, or anyone who enjoys a great story.

Disclosure: I got a copy of this audiobook from my local library.

Tahleen reviews: "Sabriel" by Garth Nix, narrated by Tim Curry

Title: Sabriel
Author: Garth Nix
Publisher: HarperTeen, 1997 (first published 1995 in Australia)
Narrator: Tim Curry

Rating: 5 stars

Sabriel has been around for 17 years at this point, and I read it back when I was in 8th or 9th grade for this first time. Recently I discovered a prequel is coming out in October of this year, and to prepare I decided to reread the three books in the series.

Sabriel is 18, and gets excellent marks at Wyverly College, where she has been a student since age 5. Her father, Abhorsen, visits every once in a while, either in the flesh or via the spirit world, as his work requires he be in the Old Kingdom across the wall. He is Abhorsen, necromancer and sorcerer who lays the dead to final rest, when they might walk the earth instead of staying in death. But when Sabriel receives her father's sword and his bandolier that holds the bells which control and banish the dead, she knows something is wrong and sets out to find her father, whom she suspects is trapped in death. Little does she know what kind of journey she will be undertaking; there is much more than her father's life at stake, and it is up to her to bring the Old Kingdom back from the chaos that has taken hold.

Garth Nix is a master. The world he has created is incredibly lush, dark, and complex, one that stuck with me long after I finished reading the books. And Sabriel is one admirable and amazing heroine. I remember wishing I were brave like her, comparing some of my discomforts with what she has to go through in this book and thinking my life wasn't so bad. Plus, the magic (both free and Charter) and dead creatures that walk in life are thrilling and chilling. I don't think I realized this is kind of a zombie book when I first read it; I loved it just as much upon rereading it, and zombies usually freak me out. So high fives to Nix for creating world with all kinds of zombies that is creepy, but won't give me nightmares. There is too much beauty and excitement in the Old Kingdom to keep me from reading about it.

One little note: I did listen to the audiobook the second time around, and as it's narrated by Tim Curry, it was pretty great. I did find myself having to rewind a lot though, as Curry's voice is pretty soothing and I found myself zoning out. But, I recommend it.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my local library.

Tahleen reviews: "The Queen of the Tearling" by Erika Johansen, narrated by Katherine Kellgren

Title: The Queen of the Tearling
Author: Erika Johansen
Publisher: HarperCollins Audio and Blackstone Audio, 2014 (print available from Harper)
Narrator: Katherine Kellgren

Rating: 4.5 stars

Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, the 19-year-old heir to the Tearling throne, has been in hiding since she was one year old. Raised by an older couple with the knowledge that she would one day rule her kingdom, the time has come for her to return to the castle and take her place as queen. Though, of course, this will not be an easy task. Many want her dead, including her uncle the regent; Arlen Thorne, a man with many tricks up his sleeve; and the dreaded Red Queen of Mortmesne, who kills and orders death easily and without qualm, and has brought terror across the kingdoms. With her devoted Queen's Guard led by Lazarus by her side, Kelsea must survive long enough to lift the Tearling from the brink of ruin.

First, let me say that I was not expecting this book to be so excellent. Kelsea is a formidable heroine, and though young and a bit naive in politics, she has a remarkable mind and is a born leader. The intrigue, action, and politics that make up the plot are all very well paced, and the shifting of perspective (all in third person, each perspective giving us insight into one of a handful of characters' thoughts) allows the readers to see what is happening around the kingdom and gives insight into what we might expect Kelsea to encounter.

I think what surprised me most was Johansen's world itself. I was fascinated. The book starts out sounding like a typical high fantasy set in a medieval world, but as the story progresses, there are more and more clues as to what this world truly is. Not a fantasy, but a science fiction novel. A dystopia. Something has happened called the Crossing, and once the old world crossed over to this new world, everything collapsed. Hints of the world as we know it pop up now and then, and I kept trying to glean more and more information. Johansen is not forthcoming with the history of how the Tearling, Mortmesne, and the other surrounding countries came to be. I am very much looking forward to the next installment so I can get some of this information!

(As a quick note, this is not a teen novel—there are some very disturbing scenes, and a lot of sexual situations. That's not to say a mature teen couldn't handle it, but I wanted to make that distinction as I normally review teen lit.)

I listened to The Queen of the Tearling on audio, and Katherine Kellgren is, as always, a master of her craft. If you've never listened to her before, trust me, she is one of, if not the, best.

I am eager to hear about the movie that is supposedly going to be made, especially casting. It seems like it might be a book that lends itself to a movie version; I hope the producers do it justice.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my local library.

Tahleen's favorite audiobooks

I am a big audiobook fan. I am always listening to one in the car and one on my iPod, usually while running. As a result, I have found some excellent audiobooks with excellent narrators. Here are some of my favorites:

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford, narrated by Nick Podehl.

Those of you who listen to audiobooks avidly probably already know of Nick Podehl, who is one of the foremost narrators in the business. This book, about a freshman boy's life, is probably one of the funniest and well done YA audiobooks I've come across. Podehl's voices and the way he directs his voice away from the microphone for effect are spot on, and his timing is perfect.

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, narrated by Bahni Turpin.

Turpin won the Odyssey Award (best audiobook narration for youth) for her work on this book, and it's well deserved. Her voice for the aliens, especially J.Lo, is just too perfect. I have no idea how I would have read those voices, but now I can't even think about this book without hearing her. I'm super excited about the sequel coming out next year, and I hope hope hope she will narrate that audiobook too. Oh, and the book itself is very funny and I love it.

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles, narrated by Kate Rudd.

Time for something serious. This audiobook is not funny like the previous two picks, but it is still very affecting. Rudd does a masterful job giving voice to Fern, a 12-year-old middle child who feels invisible in her family. She and her brother are bullied, her family takes her for granted, not to mention her dad keeps trying new, embarrassing tactics to advertise for their restaurant. But this one becomes a tissue-box novel once a heart-wrenching tragedy is thrown in. I will never forget listening to Rudd's grief-stricken voice.

(Um, as of the time I wrote this post, it is THREE DOLLARS for an MP3-CD on Amazon.)

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger, narrated by Moira Quirk.

Who doesn't love a good, amusing steampunk novel mixed with some paranormal happenings? Carriger's YA series set in her version of Victorian England (which has werewolves, vampires, and is powered by steam and innovation) is a rollicking good time, delivered with panache by Quirk in her narration. The sequel, Curtsies & Conspiracies, is just as good. Looking for an adult series instead of YA? Check out Carriger's Soulless series, though I'm not sure about the audio versions for that.

The Jacky Faber series by L.A. Meyer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren.

Katherine Kellgren is another audiobook heavyweight, winning awards left and right, and for good reason. She throws herself into her character, getting each and every accent down and nailing it. Jacky Faber, a young teen girl in the early 1800s, travels around the world on adventure after adventure, all trying to keep one step ahead of trouble, which always seems to find her.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, narrated by Rupert Degas.

I honestly can't imagine reading this series over listening to it. I'm so sad the audio version are so difficult to find after #3. Degas deadpans the sarcastic and witty banter, as well as giving truly fantastic voices to each and every character. He does a perfect job, and bonus points for his Irish accent. Love it.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, narrated by Wil Wheaton.

Yes, that Wil Wheaton. Who is the best man for the job. I loved this audiobook, especially once the action really starts up. Basically we've got a future where people spend most of their time in the Oasis, a virtual online world, and the creator of this place has left clues throughout the game leading to his fortune. But he hid it so well that no one has found it in over a decade. Until Wade.

The Flavia de Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley, narrated by Jayne Entwhistle.

I love Jayne Entwhistle's voice, which is perfect for 11-year-old Flavia de Luce, lover of chemistry and poisons and amateur sleuth, whose stories take place in rural England in the 1950s.

Really, anything by any of these narrators is probably a good bet. If you are thinking about jumping on the audiobook bandwagon, this is a good starting point.

Happy listening!

Tahleen reviews: "Road Trip" by Gary and Jim Paulsen

Title: Road Trip
Author: Gary Paulsen and Jim Paulsen
Publisher: Listening Library, 2013 (print from Wendy Lamb Books)
Narrator: Mike Chamberlain, with John H. Mayer

Rating: 4.5

Road Trip by Gary Paulsen and his son Jim is a quick, fun middle-grade listen for summertime.

Ben is woken up early one morning by his father, who informs him they're going on a road trip for a few days to rescue a border collie puppy. Because they're on a border collie rescue list, and they already have an older border collie named Atticus, he's not too surprised. He is surprised, however, when his dad informs him that he quit his job in order to start flipping houses—and because money is tight, Ben can't go to hockey camp this summer. Ben is beyond mad, so he lashes out by inviting his older, and possibly delinquent, friend Theo along. What follows is a road trip like no other, where they meet new friends (and enemies), have some adventures, and work through their relationship issues on their way to a cute little puppy who needs them.

I downloaded this book from my library on a whim because I needed something quick on my phone for a run when I realized my iPod was dead. This was a great choice! I really like Mike Chamberlain as a narrator (I had encountered his work previously with Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea), and Atticus the dog, voiced by John H. Mayer, adds his perspective every now and then, which is great to listen to.

The audiobook is only a few hours long, but it is a satisfying story nonetheless. There is no shortage of serious situations, either; Theo is in some serious trouble when he crosses the wrong guy, and Ben is genuinely worried about his father's new jobless situation. Plus, they need to get to that puppy in time.

In short, pick up this audiobook if you're looking for a quick road trip book for the summer! It won't disappoint, but what else would you expect from Gary Paulsen?

Disclaimer: I got this digital audiobook from my local library

Tahleen reminisces and reviews: "Roomies" by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando

Title: Roomies
Authors: Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks, 2013 (print available from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Narrators: Becca Battoe, Emily Eiden

Rating: 3.5 stars

When Elizabeth (EB) gets the email with her roommate assignment for college in the fall, she immediately shoots off an email to introduce herself and ask about logistical things like microwaves and mini fridges. She is excited and very ready to leave her suburban New Jersey town for UC Berkeley in San Francisco, especially since her mother is driving her crazy. Plus, she might be able to finally see her gay father who moved to SF years ago. Lauren, on the other hand, is disappointed when she gets the email, since she had requested a single. She just wants to get some peace and be alone for once, as she is the oldest of six by at least 12 years. So their correspondence does not get off on the right foot, but eventually they start to open up to each other—perhaps too much.

When I started listening to this, I immediately was brought back to when I received my roommate assignment for college. It was a little different, as Facebook had just been released and you still needed a .edu email address to sign up for a page, and I didn't get an email address. I was just given a name and a phone number,  but I didn't have any qualms about calling Vanessa. As it turns out, I ended up talking to her mother for a while since she wasn't home when I first called, but eventually we caught up with each other and luckily we seemed perfect for each other. I still feel really lucky I got to have her as my roommate for two years! (Miss you, Vanessa!)

Anyway, back to the audiobook. Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando do a great job of creating unique voices for their characters, though I'm not 100% sure of who wrote which. My guess is Zarr wrote Lauren's part, and Altebrando wrote EB's. Each girl had very different situations and drama she had to deal with at home, and they shared a lot of this with each other through email. As we all know, it can be MUCH easier to talk about something in writing with someone you don't necessarily know in real life, especially since they might not know the other people you're talking about. But because each girl actually has her own personality and set of morals, things get hairy.

Honestly I was super annoyed with EB for almost the whole second half of the book. She really seemed to be a brat for a lot of that to me, but then again I have never had to deal with the situations she does. Still, I was glad (relieved?) when she came around.

As for the narration, I thought it was good. Becca Battoe reads Lauren's part, and Emily Eiden reads EB's. Both voices were different enough that I had no trouble distinguishing whose part was whose, and for the most part they were easy to listen to. I especially liked Battoe's narration; her voice is pretty soothing.

All in all, I do recommend this book if you like realistic fiction, dual-voice narrations, and/or are feeling nostalgic about college or are excited for your upcoming college experience. It's a good, easy read with a bit of drama and some nice character development.

Disclaimer: I got this digital audiobook via OverDrive from the library.

Tahleen reviews: "Zombie Baseball Beatdown" by Paolo Bacigalupi

Title: Zombie Baseball Beatdown
Author: Paolo Bacigalupi
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2013
Narrator: Sunil Malhotra

Rating: 3.5 stars

Rabi, Miguel, and Joe have bigger problems than their losing Little League season. It's true, Rabi is a terrible hitter, and their coach doesn't seem to know what he's doing or how to create a batting line-up. Most of the other kids on the team would like to beat the three of them up, and know how to spin it to their advantage. Miguel's parents have been deported, and his aunt and uncle, who are also in the United States illegally, live in fear that they will be next. You'd think that would be enough problems for the boys. But all that pales in comparison when they stumble upon their coach—zombified. Finding a brain-hungry zombie is only the beginning, as their investigation leads them to the revelation that the zombie problem is much, much bigger than their small Iowan town.

Paolo Bacigalupi has managed to write a book, really a social commentary, on the meatpacking industry, immigration, racism, and zombies. You read that correctly.


I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. I enjoyed Sunil Malhotra's narration, mostly his zombie sounds, and it all works together as a cohesive unit, but part of me feels like Bacigalupi tried too hard to get too much in there, and it was like I was being lectured to at times. We leave this book knowing exactly how the author feels about certain hot-topic issues of the day.

I really enjoyed the relationships between the main characters and the development of their relationships with secondary characters, and the climax is great. The parts with the zombie attacks really make this book worth listening to; if it weren't for that, I'm not sure I would have bothered.  I am not so sure how I feel about the complete open-endedness of the book, but I can understand the logic behind Bacigalupi's choice to end it the way he does. It is impressive that Bacigalupi is able to write a readable and zombie-filled story while really writing a social commentary on two major contemporary issues, I just wish the execution had been a bit more subtle.

I listened to this book as part of the 2014 Hub Challenge. It was one of the Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults.

Disclosure: I got a copy of this audiobook from my local library.

Tahleen reviews: "One Summer: America 1927" by Bill Bryson

Title: One Summer: America, 1927
Author: Bill Bryson
Publisher: Random House Audio, 2013 (print available through Doubleday)
Narrator: Bill Bryson

Rating: 4 stars

Of course you all knew I would get here eventually. Bill Bryson is one of my very favorite people in the whole world, and I love just about everything writes. As usual, I got an audio edition of his latest book, One Summer: America, 1927 and enjoyed his narration.

Bryson tells the many stories of what went on in the United States in the summer of 1927, as the title suggests. He mostly chronicles aviation and how Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic sparked off this huge reaction around the world, but he also talks about Babe Ruth and his record-breaking 60 home runs in a season, Al Capone, Sacco and Vanzetti, Prohibition, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, various sensationalized murders, and lots of other things. A lot happened that summer.

And that was part of the problem with the book, I think. There is TOO much going on. If I am going to read anything about history, I'd rather have Bryson write it, but the sheer amount of information in here made it difficult to keep everyone straight, especially since I was listening. I would often find myself wondering who he was talking about. That said, this made it easy for me to turn off and back on again without feeling like I needed to know what was going to happen next.

Bryson has this conversational tone that makes me feel like I'm hanging out with a very interesting and very smart friend. That's why I love his books, and that's why I will continue to buy them so long as he keeps writing them. He can make anything interesting, and I know a lot more now about the 1920s than I did before, that's for sure.

Disclosure: I bought this audiobook.

Tahleen reviews: "Three Times Lucky" by Sheila Turnage

Title: Three Times Lucky
Author: Sheila Turnage
Publisher: Penguin Audio, 2012 (print available from Dial)
Narrator: Michal Friedman 


Rating: 4 stars

I really liked listening to this audiobook, the print version of which nabbed a Newbery Honor this year. Mo LoBeau, rising sixth grader and our narrator, finds herself and her small NC town of Tupelo Landing in the middle of a murder mystery t
hat ends up being years in the making.

We are first treated to a bit of exposition and an introduction to the small, sleepy town and its residents. Mo and her adoptive family, the Colonel and Miss Lana, run the town cafe. We learn about Mo's history, a baby who was washed away from her "upstream mother" (as she calls her) during a hurricane and rescued by the Colonel, who came to town with a "suitcase full of money" (so they say) and without his memory.

Various other townsfolk wander in and out of the narrative, and they are mostly well-rounded characters at that.

Tupelo Landing itself is a charming setting for such a serious event as a murder, and I felt Turnage handled it all incredibly well. The murder itself is not glossed over for the benefit of the children, and Mo's reaction to the news is very believable, as are everyone else's. Yet Mo's quick tongue and humor are enchanting, lifting the mood considerably despite the danger and ugliness. Abuse, abandonment, and poverty are all major themes, but Turnage's prose is delightful and calming, which balances everything out nicely.

I had trouble with the ending of the novel, which felt abrupt to me. Everything was wrapped up very quickly, and I was surprised when I got to the end as I felt like something was missing. But despite this minor quibble, overall I thought it was a well done piece of writing. Deserving of the Newbery Honor it received? Maybe, maybe not. But definitely deserving of your time.

Michal Friedman does an excellent job narrating. She gave Mo a young girl's voice with spunk and a gentle Southern twang, giving every word and phrase just the right amount of emphasis. Her acting was spot on, and it's very disappointing to hear that she's passed on and will be unable to give her voice to any other characters in the future.

This is a lovely, well-done audiobook that I definitely would recommend to fans of middle-grade fiction, Southern fiction, and mysteries.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my public library.

Tahleen reviews: "The Whale Rider" by Witi Ihimaera

Title: The Whale Rider
Author: Witi Ihimaera
Publisher: Bolinda Audio, 2005 (Originally published in 1987, American release 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Narrator: Jay Laga'aia

Rating: 5 stars

Many of you may remember the movie The Whale Rider, which was released in 2002, and that Keisha Castle-Hughes got an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress at the age of 12. This movie was based on a book originally published in 1987, and it is a beautiful work that I highly recommend, both to teens and adults.

The Whale Rider is narrated by 24-year-old Rawiri, the uncle of young Kahu. From the day she is born, she has disappointed her great-grandfather, Koro Apirana, because she is not a boy. She is the eldest child in this generation, and he was counting on a boy to be his heir, the next Chief of their Maori clan. She is adored by Koro's wife and her great-grandmother, Nanny Flowers, and her uncles, but as she grows, it's clear that she loves Koro deeply and continually seeks his approval.

The story here is linear, but we skip a lot of time in between. It begins with Kahu's birth, then Rawiri tells us about a few summers Kahu spends with her father's family (her mother's family raises her after her mother dies). Yet despite it's episodic nature, it is a very smooth narrative that doesn't seem choppy in the least. We also follow Rawiri as he spends time in Australia and Papua New Guinea, looking for excitement in his life and to quell the wanderlust he feels, with mixed results.

Really, I can't even sum this book up, even though it's less than 100 pages in print and only 3 hours and 40 minutes on audio. There is a lot of depth to this story; in terms of character, social practices, race relations, gender norms, and plot. There is magical realism and Maori lore. We learn about the family dynamics and relationships between members of Kahu's family. Some scenes are tough to read and/or listen to because of their graphic nature, and some scenes will warm your heart. Listening to this book was just a beautiful experience, and I'm grateful Sync Audio gave me a chance to listen to this.

Speaking of listening, Jay Laga'aia was perfect as narrator. Native to South Auckland, New Zealand, he has that lovely accent. I also found it extremely helpful to hear the Maori language instead of reading it. His melodious voice made my reading experience even better than if I had read the story in print, though I'm not by any means discouraging you to take that route.

One word of warning though. I listened to this while I went on my morning runs, and I found myself getting emotional while I was running. Not the best time for that.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this audiobook from Sync Audio during their free YA audiobook summer promotions. Visit Sync Audio to see this summer's selections.

Tahleen reviews: "Skulduggery Pleasant" by Derek Landy

Title: Skulduggery Pleasant
Author: Derek Landy
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2007
Narrator: Rupert Degas

Rating: 4.5 stars

Stephanie Edgley is a normal, if a bit antisocial, 12-year-old. She has normal parents and lives in a normal house in Ireland. Her Uncle Gordon, however, was not so normal; an author of horror novels, he lives in a large, old house and tends to keep strange company. That is, until he dies.

To the surprise of everyone, Stephanie is named Gordon's sole heir to his estate and fortune. It is at this point that things start to get interesting. She meets one of Gordon's strange friends, a Mr. Skulduggery Pleasant, who, as it turns out, is a skeleton (long story)—and she announces that she is going to help him find her uncle's killer, since she's pretty sure he was murdered. What follows is a madcap adventure to, of course, save the world from evil forces.

This was an exceptionally entertaining and darkly funny middle-grade/teen novel. It's the first in a series, and I will most certainly be checking out the rest of the books. This is indeed a very dark book, full of death and tragedies, but Landy keeps it age-appropriate and keeps gore to a minimum, though some not-so-likable characters meet deliciously gruesome demises.

Landy has created a world where magical beings coexist with non-magical humans, with the latter more often than not being none the wiser. It's similar in that sense to Harry Potter, but there the similarities end. Magical folk live in a dangerous world, where a war between those who seek power and those protecting the general population has been waged for decades (probably longer, I can't remember exactly, but a really long time). At the time we join the characters in their story, both sides have agreed to a tenuous ceasefire, which of course blows up in everyone's faces, otherwise there would be no story.

As for characters, these are all brilliant. Skulduggery is stoic but with an incredibly wry humor, and Stephanie has some excellent zingers too, along with her determination, stubbornness, and incredible courage. They are, to put it simply, awesome. Oh, and they are both great fighters, which we get to see a lot of.

I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Rupert Degas, and it was fantastic. Degas was excellent at distinguishing voices, and paced his narration perfectly. Plus he has an accent.

Long story short, if you like dark, humorous, action-packed fantasy, this is a great series to start.

Disclaimer: I borrowed this audiobook via OverDrive from my local library.

Julia Reviews Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Title/Author: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Narrator: Wil Wheaton
Publisher/Year Published: 2011 by Random House Audio
How I got this book: I got this audiobook from the library
Why I read this book: It was our first book pick at the new bookclub at work.
Rating: 5 stars

I really liked this book and the production of it. So much so that once I was fully engaged I would turn it on and listen as I got ready for work. I'd listen until I had to turn it off then play it as soon as I could. I'd fall asleep every night lying in bed listening to the book. Hell, I even went to the gym to give me an excuse to read this book!

Ready Player One is the story of Wade Watts, an 18 year old senior who lives in a sort of dystopian America. It's 2044. The world ran out of fossil fuels and the unemployed roam, homeless and starving. People live in trailer parks where the trailers or RVs are just stacked on top of each other. The only happiness in anyone's life is a virtual reality video game called the OASIS.

Wade is known in the OASIS as his avatar Parzival (at least that is how I think it is spelled... I've never seen it written). He pretty much lives in the OASIS, even going to school there. But his primary goal and that of so many others is to participate in the contest.

The contest was started by James Halliday, the creator of the OASIS, on his death with a video challenging the world to find three keys and pass through three gates all hidden in the game. The winner would be his heir, gaining his fortune and pretty much control over the OASIS.

The story is centered around this contest as well as his relationships with his friends whom he has only interacted with online: Aech (said like the letter H) and Art3mis.

This book was an amazing surprise. I loved all of the questions it brought up with the parallels drawn to our current world and where we could end up technology wise. Not only that but it brought up some interesting points about identity and what makes a relationship real? We spend a lot of our time online interacting with people we may never have met face to face but does that make them any less of a friend then one we party with on Fridays?

The book itself is heavily based in the 1980s and cult geek culture. This was hugely entertaining. The contest pretty much brought about a resurgence of the 80s, so while set in the future it’s also steeped a very relatable past. I loved all the references to old video games and movies. Cline's creative ingenuity of the worlds both in and out of the OASIS are staggering. Like, who wouldn't want to take the place of their favorite movie character and act out the movie? That would be the best virtual reality game ever.

Also, being an Ohioan (like the author) I loved the spotlight Ohio has in this world as the technological mecca. It made me chuckle.

The themes in this book are pretty heavy actually, the primary one being the role technology plays in our life. I mean in this world, Wade and pretty much the rest of the world live in a virtual place where so many things are possible. In fact, the real world adapts to make the fake world easier to access. It's a chilling thought. Completely replacing reality, touch, face to face interaction with a fake version of it.

Don't get me wrong, virtual reality is cool and I could totally see myself doing the same things as these characters. That's why this book was so good. It felt like everything in it could happen.

That said I had a few issues with the length of time in the middle not focusing on the contest and instead on a boring romance subplot. And I also thought in the beginning that Wade was a little too smart for me to believe, but as the book went on and I thought about the level of commitment these people have to the contest, I believed it more.

I am being purposefully vague here because this book is awesome, and I don't want to spoil it. If you are even remotely intrigued by this concept, please check it out!

One final word on the audiobook. Wil Wheaton was the best narrator I could have hoped for in a story like this. His inflection and commitment to the story had me believing his was Wade. There could not have been a better narrator for this book. Though sometimes, hearing some of the dialogue or certain phrases did make me laugh out loud. I think overall though I enjoyed this being an audiobook because it forced me to slow down and actually listen to it. If I would have had this book in written form, I would have devoured it in a day.

So yeah, read this. Or listen to it. It is totally worth it.

Tahleen reviews: "Night of the Howling Dogs" by Graham Salisbury

Title: Night of the Howling Dogs
Author: Graham Salisbury
Publisher: Recorded Books, 2009 (print available from Laurel Leaf)
Narrator: Robert Ramirez

Rating: 4.5 stars

Dylan and his scout troop from Hilo, Hawaii are psyched to be camping out at the base of a volcano in Halape during the summer of 1975. But when he finds out tough, older Louie, with whom he has a history, will be joining them, his enthusiasm is dampened. They start off the camping trip on a rocky start, with Dylan struggling to assert himself as senior patrol leader with the other boys. Then disaster strikes, and the beach paradise they started camping in turns into a nightmare when an earthquake causes rockslides and a tsunami. Dylan, Louie, and the rest of the troop must put aside their differences, rely on their wits, and on each other to survive.

This book might be short, but it's a true tale of survival that is based on actual events. As soon as the earthquake hits, we as readers are never sure who will survive, or when they will be rescued. Tensions were high to begin with, but it goes through the roof once the natural disaster hits and people go missing.

At first I didn't really like Dylan. He was kind of irritating and petulant. But I warmed to him once he started showing what he was really made of. I liked Louie much more than Dylan from the beginning, mostly because it was clear there was more to him than Dylan seemed to see. He just had a huge chip on his shoulder, and an attitude to go with it. Plus he was not friendly toward white people, or haole.

The setting and culture are one of my favorite aspects of all of Salisbury's books. He really infused the Hawaiian mythology into the story; one of the characters says that one of the howling dogs of the title is Pele, the volcano goddess, and a shark is a spirit watching over the island. The dialogue is often in pidgen, creating a strong sense of character and place.

Robert Ramirez did a good job on the narration. At times he sounded like he was accenting words a bit too much, but it was not something that took away from the storytelling. I've listened to him narrate before, and I would have no issue with listening to him again.

Ever since visiting the beautiful islands of Hawaii on my honeymoon, I've loved traveling back through novels. Salisbury is one of the best authors I've found for this. His authenticity in writing for young people is unparalleled in this regard, and I look forward to reading his other works. (I've already read a number of his Calvin Coconut books, and he also wrote the Scott O'Dell Award–winning Under the Blood Red Sun.)

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my local library.

Tahleen reviews: "Death Comes to Pemberley" audiobook by P.D. James

Title: Death Comes to Pemberley
Author: P.D. James
Publisher: Random House Audio, 2011 (print available from Knopf)
Narrator: Rosalyn Landor

Rating: 2.5 stars

Taking place a few years after the ending of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, enough time for Darcy and Elizabeth to have a couple of sons, the main plot of Death Comes to Pemberley deals with a murder on Pemberley property, and the suspect is none other than... DUN DUN... GEORGE WICKHAM. However, Darcy and Elizabeth are convinced Wickham couldn't have possibly committed the heinous crime of bludgeoning his best friend (whose name is escaping me right now) to death. They are faced with a mystery, with the outcome being life or death for Wickham.

If this were just a mystery set in early 19th-century England, it would not be that bad. It was a decent mystery, and the outcome was not obvious. James did her research on the period, too, so it seems genuine. The writing is good, but my biggest problem with the novel was the characterization. I understand it's difficult to try to continue a story that is so deeply ingrained in our literary consciousness, but I found it hard to believe I was reading about the same characters in Austen's novel. I felt James took liberties with the characters, which is understandable considering the fact that she is writing a new story, but being such a fan of the original I was not impressed with the outcome.

Rosalyn Landor was a good narrator. Nothing remarkable, but she had a proper British accent that fit the story well.

If you like Georgian-era novels and mysteries, you might enjoy this latest P&P sequel/continuation/whatever you want to call it. If you are a purist and don't like anyone messing with your Austen, I would just move on.

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from the library.

Julia Reviews Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence

Title/Author:Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence, Narrated by Emilia Fox
Publisher/Year Published: Audiobook: October 2008 by CSA Word (first published 1928)
How I got this book: The Library
Why I read this book: Long car trip alone :)
Rating: 3 stars

I often wonder what makes a book live through history. Why am I still hearing about this book published in the early 20th century and not some other book? The best way to start this review of Lady Chatterley's Lover is to give you the summary off the back of the audiobook:

Lady Chatterley’s Lover was the subject of one of the most infamous trials of the 20th century when its publisher, Penguin, was prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act. Finally, after testimony from expert witnesses for the defense, including E. M. Forster, Penguin was acquitted and permitted to publish the novel in 1960. It quickly became a bestseller, largely on account of its explicit sex scenes and liberal use of four-letter words. Nearly 50 years later the sex scenes are still graphic, even by today’s standards, but the book is now read for its brilliant portrayal of the tenuous relationship between the nobility and the working class. Explicit, romantic, and emotional, Lady Chatterley’s Lover is a tour-de-force, a passionate embrace of life itself. Emilia Fox reads with energy and feeling, further enhancing the narrative and extracting every bit of nuance and subtlety within the text.

Now, there is a nice summary of the background surrounding this book. When I started listening to it, I was relatively unaware of this. I knew it was a banned novel and I knew it was about an illicit romance because of the title. I may have known about the naughty words, but I sure as hell forgot until I heard them spoken to me aloud in a car riding down the highway.

It's pretty safe to say I went into the listening of Lady Chatterley's Lover with a pretty open mind as I had forgotten all of this. In a side note about how I read books, I put books on my TBR list on Goodreads and don't read the description again unless I am looking to read something specific. Lately I just chose and go into the book trusting that I added it for a reason.

Getting to the story, we hear about Lady Chatterley's past and what brought her to current circumstances in the first chapter. This includes how her husband came back from the war paralyzed. They no longer have an intimate relationship and instead are just living in the patterns that they have each established.

We can see she is bored with her life and that leads her to take on lovers, and then THE lover, the Gamekeeper. That is the basic bones of the story, really. I want to talk more about how this fits in with society today, and if the book when listened to by a modern audience is still as shocking.

As a women whose books read in a year consist of almost half romance, I was shocked by some of the passages.

There is a lot of descriptive sexual acts written in the book as well as some fun usages of certain four letter words. I think this fact alone is really what people remember it for. Why was this shocking to me, as I have read about people's intimate sexual acts in sometimes graphic detail? Two reasons that I can think of: 1) it was spoken aloud to me via the audiobook 2)there really wasn't much of a build up to the beginning of any romance.

Let's look at point two first. Lady Chatterley pretty much just sleeps with these men most dispassionately sometimes. There is no emotional connection or even very much attraction sometimes. Then when she finally engages, it's with almost negative participation on her part. Many of her internal monologue makes it feel like having sex with these men is a chore. That didn't sit well with me.

The story rests on the love or love affair between Lady Chatterley and the Gamekeeper (seriously, I think they said his name like four times. He was always the Gamekeeper). But the love didn't seem solid enough for them to act as they did. Was it not believable? At times. Did the overly sexual language pull me out of the story at all? Sometimes.

Did I enjoy it though? You know, it wasn't bad. I think I enjoyed it more because I was listening to it, which brings me back to point number one. Any dirty scenes read aloud by someone who slightly resembles Mary Poppins (especially when she did her Lady Chatterley voice!), just makes me laugh or blush. It didn't help that they always seemed to be in the middle of a passion scene when I was going through a toll booth.

Emilia Fox does a great job bringing each character to life. Her voices were actually quite good and distinguishable. My one complaint is how she did the Gamekeeper. He sounded like a crotchety old man which took the picture of Johnathon Rhys Meyers right out of my head. But overall it was really her reading the story to me that upped the enjoyability factor. And it kept me company on my lonely car ride.

Will I read it again? Probably not. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes, and I am glad that I can say that I have. Going back to my original musing on what makes a book withstand the test of time, I can see why in this case. At its heart it's about taking yourself out of your 'going through the motions routine' and take something you want. Live your life the way that pleases you. And of course, the descriptive dirty-word riddled sex. There is that, too.