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January 2, 2019 - February 1, 2019

Joy fom Spring Lake, MI
Rezina from Pullman, WA
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Francisca E B
Radium Girls by Kate Moore
Narrator Name: Angela Brazil

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Angela Brazil does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. However, it took me a couple of discs to get used to her delivery. She seems to pause...after every…few words. Eventually I got used to her pace, but I did read at least a third of the book in text format, because that was so much faster.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Moore brings to life the stories of the brave women who painted luminous watch dials in the early 20th century, using radium-infused paint, which ultimately became their death sentence. The reader is in turns incensed and outraged, surprised by the ignorance and cavalier attitudes, and heartbroken by the pain and suffering these women endured.

Diane
Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
Narrator Name: Katharine McEwan

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Good crisp voice that is great to listen to.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Fun new addition to this universe!

Karen
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Narrator Name: Julia Whelan

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Nice voice. Easy to follow. Distinguishable voices for all of the characters.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Interesting look at living in the wilds of Alaska and how people thrive with a close-knit community. Disturbing issue of domestic abuse.

Simonne
The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn
Narrator Name: Ann Marie Lee

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Superb! Ms. Lee brings the story to life. She lets you know exactly how Dr. Fox is feeling and thinking...and how much she has been drinking!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Yikes! A roller-coaster ride. Rear window all over again. You really feel for the main character’s tragedy and the person she is underneath it all.

Ivette
Harry Potter (all 7 books) by J. K. Rowling
Narrator Name: Jim Dale

Rating the Audio Performance
5
We listened to all of them as a family on our long driving trips over the past three months. We all enjoyed them. We didn't want to stop and turn it off.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Good triumphs over evil. People fighting together to stop evil. Great storylines.

patricia
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
Narrator Name: Marin Ireland

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Marin adroitly narrates the drama faced by the inhabitants in Beartown. I do not even like sports and I loved it.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
It was a wonderful story which I am sure takes place in many communities where sports mixes with politics.

Laura
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Narrator Name: Carly Robins

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Nice job on the narration. Good characterization.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Romance is not my favorite genre, but this was a cute and steamy story. The main character is a young woman with Asperger's who wants to land a man. She hires an escort to teach her about sex and being the in a relationship.

Sandi
The White Darkness by David Grann
Narrator Name: Will Patton

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Powerful mesmerizing voice. A well-known narrator for many books and commercials. Patton has a voice that you can listen to for hours on end. His inflection is impeccable, knowing when to lower his voice, whisper, read faster or slower, pause, and when to express surprise, horror, sadness, happiness or awe. Few narrators do as well as Patton.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
There is not a thing that I have read by this author that I did not like. Grann tells it like it is, leaving you to decide whether you like the story or not. But always nonfiction and compelling. He is diverse in his projects and his knowledge is vast. Now in the Antarctic he gives us a heartbreaking tale of one man's lifetime dream. This short book not only tells us the dreams of Henry Worley, but also details the exploits of Worleys hero, Ernest Shackleton, who attempted to be the first to walk to the South Pole. Worley was obsessed with what they had attempted. So obsessed that he set out alone in 2015 to walk across the broad expanse of the bone-chilling, icy continent. An unforgettable entry into one man's dream.

Lucinda
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Narrator Name: Tina Fey

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Comedienne Tina Fey was, of course, the perfect narrator for her own story, BOSSYPANTS. Her delivery, her inflection made the tale laugh-out-loud funny! Not only was the material funny, but Tina Fey’s delivery made for such an enjoyable time spent listening to BOSSYPANTS.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
BOSSYPANTS was a great story shared by the author of her life growing up and the influences of family and friends on her personality and her outlook on life. The story told made Tina Fey a very real person who grew into one of the funniest comediennes and comic writers of our time, if not THE funniest!! All the while, the reader hears that she is just a regular person like us, (though perhaps funnier, with a ton more energy and perseverance!)

Helen
At the Wolf’s Table by Rosella Postorino
Narrator Name: Polly Stone

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Stone captures the emotional thoughts and feelings of the characters in this true story. I couldn’t stop listening- I would sit in my car at my work for finish listening to an incident in the book .
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I am so glad this story is being told. It is hard not to get angry while listening, not to grieve at the horror. I recommend this book to all. I hope that history books used in schools include the events in their text books.

Jill
If You Knew Her by Emily Elgar
Narrator Name: Katey Sobey

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I thought Katey did a superb job of reading this. I was captivated by her reading and it engaged me from the start.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I listened to this book and I think it was better than if I had read it myself. I love a good psychological thriller and this will not disappoint. I would like my book club to read this.

LouAnn
The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa
Narrator Name: Joy Osmanski

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I love listening to audiobooks when the narrator uses accents. It makes it so much more realistic. She did the changes between male and female voices very well also.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I love reading books about this time period. This was one of the better ones. I loved the way it switched between World War II time frame and present time. I thought the relationship between the German girl and Leo was very sweet.

Mary
The Outsider by Stephen King
Narrator Name: Will Patton

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Patton captured not only the personalities of the characters but the emotions of the characters. He created a moving voice for a woman who lacked confidence but not conviction. That, for me, was the best part of the narration. As the characters learned more and changed, so did his delivery. I was so impressed by the narration that I have listened to books that I would not otherwise have selected because I am so impressed by his narration.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
A young boy is found brutally murdered and evidence points to a beloved baseball coach. There is also evidence to show that he was somewhere else at the time. Can a murderer be in two places at once or is there something less than human behind the murder?

Valerie
A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
Narrator Name: Bahni Turpin

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The best part was the narrator Bahni Turpin. She could read me a cereal box. Love her voice!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
1
I started reading this book and had to stop it was so confusing. So many characters, going backwards in time. Jodi what are you doing to us OLD fans? Then I ordered the book on audio cd and with the lovely and talented narrator Bahni Turpin I listened through it. Painful the read, the topic, the hours I can't get back. I read everything Jodi writes. I don't love every book. A SPARK OF LIGHT will go on my not so favorite list. There was to many characters to keep track of, working backwards in time. Then it jumps to the character's life (who, what, where, when), what brought these women to the abortion clinic. The patients, the doctors, the protesters, the cops, all going backwards.

Rezina
Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie
Narrator Name: Susan Ericksen

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Good voice and distinct characters.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Quick, fun read.

Tessa
The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Narrator Name: Mia Barron

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Mia Barron does a fine job. She has a great pace, clear diction and enough skill as a voice artist to make each character unique. But when point of view suddenly shifts it’s difficult to reconcile what’s happening without the text in front of you.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
3.5 stars. This debut novel is a character-driven tale that explores sibling relations, family dynamics, and a host of other issues that require open communication - something the Plumb siblings have never learned to do. I got drawn into their dynamic fairly quickly, but I think Sweeney was a bit too ambitious, covering many more issues and including many different points of view. I’ll be interested to see what Sweeney’s next novel is about.

Shirley
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Narrator Name: Cassandra Campbell

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator changed the tone of her voice when speaking for and of Kya, making her seem sweet and soft, when she was resilient and warm.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
This novel took me where I did not want to go, but I'm glad that I had the jourrney! Kya is a remarkable character, who lives independently, loves fiercely and finds friendship in unexpected places.

pat
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Eric Idle
Narrator Name: Eric Idle

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Eric is of course the perfect narrator for this memoir. He delivers a wonderful narrative in his wonderful words reminding the reader of the origin of Monty Python. Perfect for fans...
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
We learn about the origin of the group and the enormous talent that the merry members of the troupe possess. It was a real treat for fans of Monty Python.

Joy
Home by Julie Andrews
Narrator Name: Julie Andrews

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Ready good. Loved hearing her voice on the CDs. Her voice hasn’t changed that much since "The Sound of Music" in my opinion. I highly recommend it!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
It’s about the early life of actress Julie Andrews. (The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, The Princess Diaries 1 & 2)

Joy
Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson by Ian Halperin
Narrator Name: Richard Allen

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Richard Allen did a really good job. I don’t agree with everything Ian wrote about Michael Jackson but I enjoyed Richard Allen’s performance.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
It’s about the last years of The King of Pop, Michael Jackson’s life.

Angie
The Christmas Hirelings by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Narrator Name: Richard Armitage

Rating the Audio Performance
4
The perfect accent, the perfect uppity tone for the head of the household, Sir John. Richard Armitage does a great job on this performance!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
Sweet, too sweet, but it is a feel-good Christmas book!

Melanie
The Dependents by Katharine Dion
Narrator Name: Robert Fass

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Narrator captured voices and feelings very well, even the female characters.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I was surprised at some of the bad reviews of this book, comments were that the book didn't have a plot. I found the musings of the main character very compelling. It made me think of how some elderly people must feel when their body starts giving out.

Mary Pat
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
Narrator Name: Xe Sands

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The reader was excellent, making me feel like Lillian was actually telling her story.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
A delightful story and well written.

Francisca
Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith
Narrator Name: Robert Ian Mackenzie

Rating the Audio Performance
4
The audiobook is masterfully performed by Robert Ian MacKenzie. He has clear diction, a good pace and is a skilled voice artist able to differentiate the many characters.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
In this novel – not part of any series – four strangers meet on a train bound for London from Edinburgh. As they get acquainted their stories come out. I love Alexander McCall Smith. I love the way he puts together an ensemble of characters and slowly reveals their everyday lives and the little (and big) dramas hidden in plain sight.

Mary
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Narrator Name: Samantha Bond and Allan Corduner

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I loved how the two narrators take on different aspects of the book - the story within the story. This made it easier to follow and both did a great job.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
If I had been reading the book rather than listening to the audio, I probably would have given up half way through the second part of the book. It seemed to go on too long. The narrator of this part of the story (Samantha Bond) kept me engaged even when the story started to drag for me.

Rene
America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
Narrator Name: Cassandra Campbell

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The audio performance truly added to the book. I would think often of Patsy, her thoughts, her future, her predicaments while away from the audiobook and would hear her voice in my head as I did so.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Excellent story about the outstanding daughter of Thomas Jefferson. Her life is followed from the time she is a young child until she is in her 60s. Great story.

pat
Cover Her Face by P. D. James
Narrator Name: John Franklyn-Robbins

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Narrator expertly keeps the murder investigation in check as Dalgleish slowly interviews each witness. His voice is exactly as I would expect Adam D. to be - cool and in charge.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
P. D. James is inscrutable in developing and laying out the investigation patiently. Adam is so perfect in disarming witnesses so they reveal some vital fact without even realizing it!

Betty
The Fallen by David Baldacci
Narrator Name: Kyf Brewer

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Audio performance was okay. He did Mr. Barron extremely well.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Very current opioid problem.

Tessa
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear
Narrator Name: Kim Hicks

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Kim Hicks does a fine job of voicing the audiobook. She has good pacing and is skilled at using the various dialects and accents required for this series.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
The second book in the Maisie Dobbs series. She is a resourceful, intelligent, assertive young woman, who listens carefully and shows compassion when helping others confront their demons. Billy Beale is a wonderful sidekick and I like the relationship between Maisie and Inspector Stratton of Scotland Yard.

Lory
I Am Watching You by Theresa Driscoll
Narrator Name: Elizabeth Knoweldon

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator was very intriguing and kept me interested in the story.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I really enjoyed this mystery. It drew me in and kept me wondering the whole way through. The narration was great, the plot was interesting, and I didn't see the end coming. Highly recommend.

Lory
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
Narrator Name: Rebecca Serle

Rating the Audio Performance
1
The narration to this was horrible. I just learned the author narrated it herself, and she shouldn't have. There was no emotion, no intonations; it was bland. I had to push through and force myself, "focus on the storyline, focus on the storyline". Rebecca you're a bad narrator - don't do it again.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
This is such an interesting concept. Having one dinner with the people you want most, dead or alive. The invited guests were a mix of individuals who have positively impacted her life and those who she carried along with unresolved issues, feelings, and questions. Although Sabrina's estranged father was obviously one of the dinner guests, it was her ex-fiance/lover who was the focal point of the evening. This book is about relationships: how we infuse meaning in them, what makes them meaningful, and recognizing the impact others truly have in our lives. Sabrina's recognition and emotional struggle with having all of these "players" in one room was intriguing and telling. The entire book is of their conversations over the meal.

Donna
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
Narrator Name: Catherine Steadman

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Loved this audio -- the narrator really added to the suspense of the story.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Great mystery that kept you guessing and reading.

Mike
The Widow by Fiona Barton
Narrator Name: Hannah Curtis

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I thought Hannah handled all the different characters very adeptly. She did accents and inflections masterfully and really enhanced the listening experience.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I didn't find it as twisty as other people did. I had a friend who said she didn't see the end coming. I kind of did. I didn't have it all figured out ahead of time but had a couple of options of what I think happened and one of them was correct. Don't get me wrong. Figuring out a mystery early doesn't ruin the experience by any means. I am just saying I loved being surprised and this wasn't all that surprising. However, overall, I thought it was well written and fun with the different perspectives. Well done!

Kimiko
Past Tense by Lee Child
Narrator Name: Scott Brick

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Since most of the characters were men, Mr. Brick did a very fine job. Even with the female characters, it was believable.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Loved this story. Simultaneous stories set in the same general area. Reacher decides to "take a look" at his father's birthplace, only to discover some long-lost family secrets and stumble into a horrific criminal "game". Loved it.

Corinne
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
Narrator Name: Helen Duff

Rating the Audio Performance
5
You got to know the characters very well through all the different voices. The narrator did an excellent job, especially considering the variety of accents needed. I would definitely consider looking for her in the future as I constantly have an audiobook playing in my car.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I loved this book! I recommended it to several of my friends already. One of the top audiobooks I have listened to. This was an extremely well-done book with twists and turns and surprises all along the way. I especially loved the letter found in the book at the end. Closure.

Karen
The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
Narrator Name: Mozhan Marno

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator has a nice voice. She does a great job switching between all of the characters with various distinctive voices.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Interesting story about the life of Einstein's brilliant wife.

pat
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
Narrator Name: Susan Orlean

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Susan Orlean is a wonderful storyteller and her narration of her own book is riveting.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Susan Orlean vividly describes her journey to describe a fire that destroyed thousands of books and archival material at the Los Angeles Library's main branch in 1986.

Elizabeth
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
Narrator Name: Emily Klein

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Awesome recording. The narrator uses several different voices for the different characters.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Lots of detail. Hated for my drive to end as I wanted to keep listening.

Elizabeth
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Narrator Name: Jayne Entwistle

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Voice totally to fall in love with. Definitely felt as if it was that true character telling the story.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Great storyline. Kept me on the edge of my seat. Hated the mother! Good stand-alone story, but I want to read the next novel in the series.

Helen
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Narrator Name: Malcolm Gladwell

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Fascinating read to listen to.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Intriguing theories and stories.

Richard N B
So Brave, Young and Handsome by Leif Enger
Narrator Name: Dan Woren

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Dan Woren does a marvelous job of performing the audiobook. I almost felt as if I were listening to a master storyteller around a campfire. Part of this is Enger’s way of writing the tale, but Woren’s narration really brought the story to life. I really liked the way he voiced the many characters, but particularly Monte and Glendon.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
I was caught up in the road trip. The story takes place in 1915, when automobiles were scarce and more people lived in the rural area of America. As Monte and Glendon head West and South, the landscape virtually becomes a character in the novel.

Kimiko
A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo
Narrator Name: Kathleen McInerney

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Pretty good, although her voice is so high that it was tough to discern the male voices in this novel.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
This is the first one of this series I've read and was intrigued enough to go search out the others, starting with Book 1. Liked that Kate is a former Amish, giving her some insight with the cast of characters. This case was set awfully close to home for Kate. Great novel.

Joyce
The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter
Narrator Name: Jess Walter

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I thought it was such a great performance so I looked up the performer. I was shocked that it was the author.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Laugh-out-loud funny with interesting comments about the financial crisis and our feelings about "things."