November 1, 2018 - December 3, 2018
Patrice from Bernardsville, NJ
Shelley from Centennial, CO
Tessa B C
The Shack by William Paul Young
Narrator Name: Roger Mueller
Rating the Audio Performance
The audio is performed by Roger Mueller. He does a capable job, but I found his delivery in places to be overly dramatic. Then again, perhaps it was the fault of the original material. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Subtitle: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity. Several people have recommended this to me, but it’s really not my cup of tea. I found the message heavy-handed and the writing simplistic. I did like that Young forces the reader to contemplate a different God than the traditional white-haired old man. And that the God he gives us focuses on love and forgiveness, rather than judgment and revenge. Still the writing had me rolling my eyes so often I made myself dizzy, and I just wish I had the time back spent on this book. I didn’t even notice the subtitle until a couple of weeks after reading it when I picked it up to write this review. That ridiculous subtitle annoys me all over again. If I could give it ZERO stars, I would.
Richard N B
The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
Narrator Name: Ray Porter
Rating the Audio Performance
Ray Porter does a superb job reading the audiobook. Great pacing and good characterizations. I really felt Pat’s mania. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
I never saw the movie but knew it was very popular. So I picked up the book knowing basically nothing about it and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. Pat is a wonderful character and narrator. Tiffany is so confused and hurt and hopeful, that she, too, just pulls me in. But it is really Pat I enjoy. Watching him come to grips with his illness and find a path to wellness. Life's a bumpy road, and Pat is an unusual hero, but a hero nonetheless.
THERESA E
Peony by Pearl S. Buck
Narrator Name: Kirsten Potter
Rating the Audio Performance
Kirsten Potter is engaging, but I found this novel slow-moving. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
This was the first book written by Pearl S. Buck that I've read/listen to. Her prose is magnificent, but the storyline of PEONY moved a little slowly for me.
Patricia
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
Narrator Name: Susan Orlean
Rating the Audio Performance
Always great to have the author read as she shares her enthusiasm for her writing. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
As I librarian I loved every word of this book. It is so well researched and shares her love of how vital libraries are now more than ever.
Donna
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
Narrator Name: Kathleen Early
Rating the Audio Performance
She was easy to listen to and clear. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
The book was fantastic. I love Karin Slaughter's writing.
Loretta
The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White
Narrator Name: Vanessa Johnson, Saskia Maarleveld and Brittany Pressley
Rating the Audio Performance
Good. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Great subject, characters but I found the dialogue to be overwrought, repetitive, and sometimes too goody, goody. How many times do you need to keep calling, "Gilbert Gilbert Gilbert?" I found myself talking to the CD, "Really?"
Janice
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Narrator Name: Bahni Turpin
Rating the Audio Performance
Bahni Turpin is a genius. She brilliantly and with great skill portrays Starr, a 16-year-old black girl who witnesses the killing of her best friend Kahlil by a white policeman. Turpin's timing is excellent and her portrayal of other characters is believable. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
This is a book that everyone should read or listen to. If there are any doubts to the importance and need for a "Black lives matter" this story should end them. Starr is a believable and trustworthy character, her family is serious about parenting and raising responsible and productive children in a world fraught with peril. The story is only too believable - sixteen-year-old black girl witnesses her friend being gunned down by a white policeman.
Helen
David and Goliath by Malcom Gladwell
Narrator Name: Malcom Gladwell
Rating the Audio Performance
Riveting! Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Fascinating.
Eve
The Outsider by Stephen King
Narrator Name: Will Patton
Rating the Audio Performance
Nobody can read a King book better than Will Patton. His voices and his dramatic effects are priceless. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Stephen King can tell a story! He can make you crawl in, make your skin crawl and then make you believe it all. Rarely does he disappoint.
Jenelle
The Life She Wants by Robyn Carr
Narrator Name: Therese Plummer
Rating the Audio Performance
Totally enjoyed. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Interesting but not repetitive.
Marianne
Perfect by Rachel Joyce
Narrator Name: Paul Rhys
Rating the Audio Performance
The narrator is obviously British, so it takes some time to get used to his accent. Once you are accustomed to that, his voice somehow fits the characters and tone of the events that follow. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
The plot centers on two young boys in England who are friends, but their parents dislike each other with serious consequences. Once they are sent to boarding schools, their lives spin out of control with each taking a different path, leading to a surprising twist at the end.
Kate
When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica
Narrator Name: Julia Whelan and Jayme Mattler
Rating the Audio Performance
Two separate characters tell the story and the two narrators they picked are so perfect. The young woman who just lost her mother is wistful but lost, and the sadness comes through so well in her tone. The older woman, frantic, desperate for a child, has a voice that slowly gets more and more anxious and you feel for them both so, so much. I felt like they were real! Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
I LOVED this book. The story is thrilling and riveting and there are so many questions and so many different emotions that follow you though this book. You FEEL it. And the audiobook makes you feel it even that much more with the fantastic narration!
Julie
Midnight Line by Lee Child
Narrator Name: Dick Hill
Rating the Audio Performance
Dick Hill reading Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels is one of my absolute favorites!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Always an entertaining story, and Jack Reacher is one of my favorite characters.
Vicki
Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
Narrator Name: Kimberly Farr
Rating the Audio Performance
Like the audio voice on this one. I thought she had a real feel for the Baltimore sounds. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
I found the time lines difficult to follow and the decisions unlikely.
Tessa B C
3rd Degree by James Patterson and Andrew Gross
Narrator Name: Carolyn McCormick
Rating the Audio Performance
Carolyn McCormick does a fine job reading the book. Too bad the producers felt compelled to add cheesy sound effects which irritate me no end. And, of course, there’s the less-than-stellar writing she had to work with. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
This is book three in the Women’s Murder Club series with Patterson’s name getting top billing on the cover, but I suspect mostly written by Andrew Gross. The formula must not have been working well because there’s a significant change among the club members. I’ll say this for the team of writers – they keep things moving quickly.
Cynthia
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Narrator Name: Dan Stevens
Rating the Audio Performance
With many Spanish-language words still included in the English translation of this book, I appreciated the narrator's ability to lend the authenticity of a Spanish accent. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
An aspiring author's devotion to his mentor, unrequited love, and the power of evil are themes that make this a compelling story. Great characters and a suspenseful plot.
patricia
Leadership by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Narrator Name: Beau Bridges, David Morse, Jay O. Sanders, Richard Thomas and Doris Kearns Goodwin (intro/epilogue)
Rating the Audio Performance
Wery interesting that each narrator represents the voice of Lincoln, TR, FDR or LBJ. You really feel the emotion of their difficult decisions. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Wow. So thoroughly researched as to each president's leadership style based on their early experiences growing up and then their start in government. Amazing!!!!
Rezina
The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Narrator Name: Mitch Albom
Rating the Audio Performance
Easily understood. Good inflection. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Interesting premise. Enjoyable and thought-provoking.
THERESA E
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
Narrator Name: Robert Dugoni
Rating the Audio Performance
I think Robert Dugoni did an excellent job of reading his novel. His narration almost made the story come across as an autobiography. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
This is one of the best coming-of-age/underdog stories I've ever read; I laughed, cried, and cheered and was never bored.
Ricki
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
Narrator Name: Marin Ireland
Rating the Audio Performance
For a book with so many characters, the narrator only really worked for one. Also, her enunciation of the beginning of words left something to be desired (it wasn't until the first scene in the Bear Skin pub that I realized the name of the town was Beartown, not Maretown.) Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Way too many characters, and some that occur often do not even get names. This made it hard to really connect with any.
Nora
Borderline by Nevada Barr
Narrator Name: Barbara Rosenblatt
Rating the Audio Performance
The narrator is a familiar voice who is able to convince you other people are talking even though it is her voice all the time. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Her recurring character, Anna Pigeon, is always entertaining and she gets into the most awful situations through the most normal seeming activities. This book began with a river trip on a rubber raft along with several young people and a guide. Things quickly get out of hand when the raft is destroyed and then people start getting shot and dying!
Lori
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Narrator Name: Gabra Zackman
Rating the Audio Performance
Zackman did a great job reading the book. It was a pleasure to listen to it. It was very easy to follow the characters in the story, and there was something very soothing about her voice while listening to the story which tackled very challenging subject matter. I would be happy to listen to other books read by her. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
This book let me learn a lot about transgendered children and the difficulties they and their families face. The parents and social worker in the book were almost too good to be true, but they portrayed great examples and inspiration in dealing with the issues that arise. The book made me much more sympathetic to the challenges of these families, and I think the ethical issues would be very interesting for a book group to discuss. I highly recommend this book.
Diane
You Think It, I'll Say It: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld
Narrator Name: Emily Rankin and Mark Deakins
Rating the Audio Performance
Good voices, clear and compelling. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Intriguing and fun stories, this author has a good voice. It is a little disconcerting having a transgender taking a female voice when the topic is sex, and he doesn't really get it right, but very savvy psychological insights nonetheless.
Tessa B C
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas
Narrator Name: Tanya Eby
Rating the Audio Performance
Tanya Eby does a great job performing the audio version. The voices she uses for the different characters are believable – even the little girl, Holly. Good pacing and clear diction. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
I knew going in that this was a cheesy holiday romance. Despite the book jacket’s promised “magic” there isn’t much of it here…unless you count a child’s belief in fairies and Santa Claus as magic. But that’s okay, it’s still a fun read.
Deb
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Narrator Name: Cassandra Campbell, Kathleen Gati and Kathrin Kana
Rating the Audio Performance
Hearing the story through three different voices brought the story to life. Accents were impressive and emoting! Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Presented three different perspectives of WWII not typically portrayed in other novels of this genre. While some details were stark and gruesome, they were authentic. The author's extensive research is evident.
Francisca E B
Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures by Emma Straub
Narrator Name: Molly Ringwald
Rating the Audio Performance
I really liked Molly Ringwald’s performance on this audiobook. Her pace was good, and I was never confused about which character was speaking. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
This is a rags-to-riches, poor-girl-marries-powerful-executive, money-can’t-buy-happiness story that would have easily been produced by the studio-system of Hollywood in the 1930s and ‘40s. The book is light on character development, but it’s a quick read, and although I found the plot somewhat predictable, I was content to go along for the ride.
Dixie
You've Been Warned by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
Narrator Name: Ilyana Kadushin
Rating the Audio Performance
The narrator did an excellent job of distinguishing between male and female characters and also in adjusting her tone and volume. Ilyana has a frightened tremor in her voice, which really adds to the suspense of the story. Between chapters the audio had a woman's voice chanting a number, which added to the feel of the narration. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
I have always loved James Patterson's books because they grab you from the beginning, move at a great pace and hold your interest throughout. At times I thought I knew what was going to happen, then would be surprised by a sudden turn. The ending especially really surprised me. Kristin is a photographer and her photographs are being considered by a major gallery. She also is a nanny to two children she loves and is having an affair with their father. She believes he will divorce his wife soon. Every morning she wakes up to a nightmare and isn't sure if it's just a dream or real. It begins happening during the day also and up to the last sentence, so you are kept in suspense.
Patricia
Heartland by Sarah Smarsh
Narrator Name: Sarah Smarsh
Rating the Audio Performance
It was wonderful to hear Sarah share her personal experiences first hand with the listeners. It had a great emotional impact. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
As a suburban dweller, I really learned so much about folks in parts of the country I know so little about. I thank Sarah for her honesty in sharing her experiences and informing us of the sacrifices made by Americans in the heartland.
Patrice
A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell
Narrator Name: Andi Arndt, Xe Sands and Matthew Waterson
Rating the Audio Performance
Very well done. Three performances that keep you hanging on their every word. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Sadly, the storyline, which holds your interest all the way through, has a less than satisfactory ending. It reminded me of GONE GIRL, in that by the end of the audiobook, you have no sympathy whatsoever for the three main characters.
Rachel
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Narrator Name: Robert Bathurst
Rating the Audio Performance
We have listened to all the Gamache books on CD. Bathurst is reading his second Gamache here and has fitted in nicely. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Engaging storyline with new characters introduced. It was fun hearing the new characters being introduced to the old denizens of Three Pines.
Shelley
The Vengeance of Mothers by James Fergus
Narrator Name: Laura Hicks and Erik Steele
Rating the Audio Performance
Well done. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Provocative.
Sheree
The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
Narrator Name: Clare Corbett
Rating the Audio Performance
My first audiobook and I am hooked. What a pleasant way to commute. The narrator was British so I found myself thinking in a British accent. She did a great job sounding like a male and female.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
I really enjoyed the book and was very surprised with the ending. I thought I knew how it was going to go and I was completely surprised at the ending. I found myself talking to the character and saying, "Are you nuts? Get out of the relationship!" but love is blind! I wish the author would have cleaned up some things - like does Pammy really have cancer?
Audrey
The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney
Narrator Name: Christopher Evan Welch
Rating the Audio Performance
This reader is excellent - uses different voices for the characters and emotes well. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
This is a young adult series, but as a grandma I am enjoying it very much.
Audrey
The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn
Narrator Name: Jim Frangione
Rating the Audio Performance
This reader does the voice of a dog and he pulls it off without being hokey. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Very entertaining - a dogs perspective as he and his person run a detective agency and get involved in capers.
Audrey
Night Shift by Nora Roberts
Narrator Name: Kate Rudd
Rating the Audio Performance
The performer was excellent but she had a handicap - her part was that of a D.J. with a voice described as a whiskey voice - smooth and potent. Kind of hard to live up to that. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Good love story with the bodyguard falling in love with this damsel who is more hard-headed than distressed as she is targeted by a killer.
Audrey
99 Coffins by David Wellington
Narrator Name: Bernadette Dunne
Rating the Audio Performance
This reader conveys the story well and has experience in the theater so she does not sound like she's reading but like the character. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
This is a modern vampire story and the main character starts as a vampire hunter's apprentice. In this story, the hunter she works with leads her to a place that contains 100 coffins. One is missing. 99 of them have no hearts - but in this series those hearts can be collected and then, later, replaced in the bodies bringing them back to "life".
Audrey
The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick
Narrator Name: Louisa Jane Underwood
Rating the Audio Performance
Part of the problem with the performance is something that is really not the reader's fault - in the opening, there is a lot of yelling going on in the newspaper office. I listened to the first one and then gave up. Later I tried again and once I got past the place where things quieted down it was better. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
This is first in a series and was not memorable, but I am expecting the next one to be better. In this one, the main character, a reporter, goes to a hotel where stars who want privacy check in. Turns out the day the reporter goes, one of them is found dead in the pool.
Tessa B C
Plaid and Plagiarism by Molly MacRae
Narrator Name: Elaine Claxton
Rating the Audio Performance
Elaine Claxton really brings these characters to life on the audio version. I love her various accents, really helped in following the plot.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Four women take possession of their new bookshop, Yon Bonnie Books, in the Highlands of Scotland. Before Janet can move into her new house, however, they find a body in the garden shed. I like these characters. Add some colorful local citizens, a constable who’s never had a murder case before, and lots of references to books and you have a recipe for an enjoyable cozy mystery.
Autumn
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Narrator Name: Wil Wheaton
Rating the Audio Performance
I really don't think I would have finished reading this book if it was in my own narration. It probably helped that I needed to finish for a book club, and had a 9-hour round-trip drive when I listened to it, but I did enjoy the narrator's version.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Not my typical genre, but since I grew up in the 80s, a lot of the references to fashion, TV shows, and video games was like a flashback to childhood.
Dottie
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Narrator Name: Michelle Obama
Rating the Audio Performance
Wonderful hearing the book in the author's voice and with her passion. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
I found this book inspiring, insightful, honest and realistic. I have never envied politicians or their families because of the scrutiny they have to endure. I do however, greatly respect and am in awe of Michelle Obama because of the decisions she has made and the strong influence she has made on our children, nation and the world. She is a woman to be emulated in both her passion and principles. She is truly a First Lady!
Richard N B
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
Narrator Name: John Lee
Rating the Audio Performance
The audiobook is masterfully performed by John Lee, whose voice reminds me of Jeremy Irons. He really had his job cut out for him, given the style of writing and the many characters. There were times when I had to read the text to be sure I hadn’t missed something. Still, Lee was definitely up to the task. I would rate his narration at 5 stars. Bravo. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Set in 16th-century Istanbul, this is a murder mystery, an art history lesson, and a love story all in one. I found it difficult to follow because of Pamuk’s unusual style. Each chapter has a different narrator. When he focuses on the murder and the investigation, the story is quite compelling. However, Pamuk also includes long passages on art, the history of Turkey, and the teachings of Islam. I found these interesting, but felt they interrupted the story arc and sometimes had me scratching my head wondering what I had just missed.
Barbara
The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
Narrator Name: Cassandra Campbell
Rating the Audio Performance
Ms. Campbell did a very good job of distinguishing between the different characters. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
This book was recommended by my library after reading THE LILAC GIRLS. This was a very different view of the war. It was interesting and informative. I don't think I ever thought about the fact that there would be a resistance movement to Hitler or how it affected the allies of Germany. My grandmother was German and many of the traits of Marianne reminded me of her. The lives of three women interwoven with stories of how they got to the place they were after the war was about as different as they could be. It is a testament to how sometimes when you try to do something good, it backfires and causes more issues for all involved. A great read that I have recommended to others.
BK
Don’t Let Go by Harlan Coben
Narrator Name: Steven Weber
Rating the Audio Performance
Good audio performance. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
A New Jersey detective is drawn back into his high school days when a cop is shot while making a traffic stop. But was the stop legitimate? Fingerprints from the detective’s old girlfriend who has been missing since high school were in the car. Were the girlfriend and cop, who was also a classmate, part of a scam of some kind?
bk
Miss Julia Raises the Roof by Ann B. Ross
Narrator Name: Cynthia Darlow
Rating the Audio Performance
Excellent narrator. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
My favorite character, Miss Julia, is in a frantic effort to stop a home for homeless teen boys from moving in next door to Hazel Marie and her family. My favorite narrator, Cynthia Darlow, always reads the Miss Julia books. Once again she did an excellent job. I cannot imagine anyone other than Darlow being the voice of Miss Julia.
BK
The Rooster Bar by John Grisham
Narrator Name: Ari Fliakos
Rating the Audio Performance
Good narration. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Three graduating law students realize they have been duped by a law school mill making millions from poor students who should never have been given massive loans. As time approaches for graduation they decide that the big paying jobs they planned for can never materialize and that they can do better by pretending to be licensed lawyers and trolling the hospitals and courts looking for low level cases.
BK
Camino Island by John Grisham
Narrator Name: January LaVoy
Rating the Audio Performance
Pleasant audio performance. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
An unsuccessful author becomes involved with a private insurance company trying to recover a stolen manuscript. I always enjoy Grisham, but this one was a bit slow for my taste. The narrator was good.
BK
The Late Show by Michael Connelly
Narrator Name: Katherine Moennig
Rating the Audio Performance
Good narrator. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
The author introduces a new detective: Renee Ballard. Ballard does not really fit in with some of the men in the squad, but is determined to do the best job possible. She is a surfer and a dog lover. She uses her wits to try to solve the brutal assault of a transgender woman who was tortured in the Upside Down House.
Maureen
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
Narrator Name: Tamara Lovatt-Smith
Rating the Audio Performance
Narrator has a pleasant female voice and has a questioning tone as the words need as the main character has amnesia. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Good story about a woman in divorce who loses her memory. Can she make it all better as her memory returns? The question for the reader is, "Should she?"
Pat
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
Narrator Name: Dion Graham
Rating the Audio Performance
The narrator gives the details of this author's reporting in a very believable and compelling way. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
I was not sure about this book, but reading (listening) opened my eyes. Matthew Desmond did a great job describing how difficult life can be.
Dawn
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
Narrator Name: Reese Witherspoon
Rating the Audio Performance
I thought Reese's performance was excellent! Her authentic southern accent was just what this reading needed. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
I enjoyed the book and thought it was an interesting perspective on that time period in history.
Deb
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Narrator Name: Saskia Maarleveld
Rating the Audio Performance
Saskia Maarleveld is an excellent narrator. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
This is an interesting view of wartime. The characters stay with you long after the book is finished. There were many women whose wartime efforts were never acknowledged.
Diane
A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett
Narrator Name: Victor Garber
Rating the Audio Performance
Good voice, easy to understand with good enunciation, compelling to listen to Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
It was fascinating to have this glimpse of history in a moving drama.
Joanne
The Great Quake: How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet by Henry Fountain
Narrator Name: Robert Fass
Rating the Audio Performance
Robert Fass made the quake and its effects on residents come alive. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Unfortunately, the end of my listening coincided with the most recent quake in Alaska, making the elements of this book more real than I anticipated. The geological information, the effects of the quake on people, property and the earth itself make this book fascinating. So many were killed in 1964, so much of the land changed forever, and so much science evolved from studies of this event that I found myself drawn to the story. Although not a scientist myself, the information was well presented, easy to understand, and is woven into stories of individuals' lives and lives in the communities throughout Alaska. Well worth the listen.
Elizabeth
The Conviction by Robert Dugoni
Narrator Name: Dan John Miller
Rating the Audio Performance
The audio performance was well done and each character well defined. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
THE CONVICTION is an interesting storyline highlighting corruption in a courtroom in the mountains of California. Fresh Start was a juvenile camp for supposed wayward teens that ended up uncovering deeper crimes. David Sloan,a renowned attorney, became involved when his troubled stepson committed vandalism on a father/son outing with a friend who was a detective. This book held my interest and was an entertaining read.
pat
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
Narrator Name: Susan Orlean
Rating the Audio Performance
It was great to have the author share her story with us directly by narrating. No one could do a better sharing of her six years of research for this remarkable book. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
For book lovers and avid public library patrons, this is a perfect treat! Susan Orlean describes with detailed research the events leading up to and after the fire that consumed the main branch of LA Public back in 1986.
Mary Lou
Lethal White: A Cormoran Strike Novel by Robert Galbraith
Narrator Name: Robert Glenister
Rating the Audio Performance
I loved this book, and Mr. Glenister's performance was perfectly nuanced and made it such a great listening experience. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
I am a huge fan of these characters, and am enthralled at how the author gets inside each of their heads. I feel like I know them intimately by the time the book is finished. The only thing I can't figure out is why I am not a fan of the Harry Potter series, since I enjoy Robert Galbraith's writing so much.
Mary Lou
The Reckoning by John Grisham
Narrator Name: Michael Beck
Rating the Audio Performance
Great job. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
John Grisham is such a great storyteller. This one was intriguing, but it was not one of my favorites. Still it held my interest throughout, and I looked forward to each opportunity to listen to it. A simple story, really, but full of mystery. Set in the mid-20th century, with all the racial prejudice and bigotry alive and well. Grisham does not flinch when addressing it, and doesn't sugarcoat it by converting the racist ideas and language to more politically correct versions, so be prepared. I enjoyed the book and appreciate the journey of the story.
Mary Lou
Dark Sacred Night: A Ballard and Bosch Novel by Michael Connelly
Narrator Name: Christine Lakin and Titus Welliver
Rating the Audio Performance
Ms. Lakin was great as Renée Ballard, and, oh my gosh, Titus Welliver will forever be Harry Bosch for me. I am a huge fan of the Amazon series, but began reading Michael Connelly years ago. When I first saw Titus Welliver in the role on Amazon, that was it for me. I can't imagine any other performer narrating these books in the voice of Harry than Titus Welliver. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
I so enjoy the noir of these books. Chatting with my son Josh today about the Harry Bosch character, he mentioned that while he is a huge fan of the Amazon series, he never really overly liked the books. On the other hand, the Harry Bosch books captured my imagination from the first one I read. I was living in LA then, and had been on ANGELS FLIGHT one day. And there were a rack of the paperbacks for sale in the ticket office at the top of the hill. But back to this book, it is filled with local character and is an awesome police procedural --- one of my favorite genres, plus full of dark, LA noir. Keep 'em coming, Michael Connelly.
Mary Pat
The Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel
Narrator Name: Sandra Burr
Rating the Audio Performance
The narrator does a good job of differentiation between characters. She is easy to listen to. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
On par with other books in the series. I reread it prior to beginning THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES.
Francisca E B
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Narrator Name: Dominic Hoffman
Rating the Audio Performance
There is a family tree in the front of the book, which is helpful, but I was listening to the audiobook and didn’t have that readily available. Dominic Hoffman’s performance of the audio was excellent, however. And once I got used to the format, I did not feel confused by the constantly changing narrators and timelines. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
A sweeping historical fiction that follows the descendants of two half-sisters over 300 years. Trying to cover 300 years of history, on two continents, is an ambitious undertaking. Doing it in just over 300 pages is just about impossible. But Yaa Gyasi does a credible job. Each chapter focuses on a different character, moving the action forward generation by generation. This debut shows that Gyasi is an author to watch.
Kezia
In the Woods by Tana French
Narrator Name: Steven Crossley
Rating the Audio Performance
I thought the narrator did an amazing job. The story has a bit of a creepy feel, and he did a great job portraying that. Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
Tana French is such a great writer, and I loved this book. The story has a creepy, supernatural feel to it but is basically a thriller/crime procedural. The best thing about this book is the characters. They are so vivid and interesting, even if they aren't always likable. 
