James Whitaker
- 26
- reviews
- 4
- helpful votes
- 332
- ratings
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So Thirsty
- By: Rachel Harrison
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 302
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 289
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Story4 out of 5 stars 289
Sloane Parker is dreading her birthday. She doesn’t need a reminder she’s getting older, or that she’s feeling indifferent about her own life. Her husband surprises her with a birthday-weekend getaway—not with him, but with Sloane’s longtime best friend, troublemaker extraordinaire Naomi. Sloane anticipates a weekend of wine tastings and cozy robes and strategic avoidance of issues she’d rather not confront, like her husband’s repeated infidelity.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Weak Ending
- By Jennifer on 10-09-24
- So Thirsty
- By: Rachel Harrison
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
Decent writing, not what I expected for the story, kinda depressing.
Reviewed: 11-04-24
The writing itself was good and engaging. I thought from the description of the story it was gonna be more of an adventure of a woman finding herself. It was way more depressing of a book for me because the main character had an internal dialogue of worry, self denial, contemplating what was right or wrong… and being angry at her best friend for perceived wrongs well loving her fiercely, and she also didn’t liked herself that much. The book revolved around this unlikable main character’s mental struggle. It was much more about her internal word and thinking than the adventure around her. The last couple paragraphs/how it ended redeemed it from a 2 to 3. If you are looking for a vampire adventure, or a fun read I wouldn’t recommend this book, it is much more in the vein of how women are conditioned by society and revolves around the female main characters mental struggles and thoughts based on that, and maybe gaining a self awareness to break it. I just wasn’t expecting it to revolve around her thoughts and internal war. I am sure some other people may enjoy it.
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Little Rot
- A Novel
- By: Akwaeke Emezi
- Narrated by: Adepero Oduye, Chukwudi Iwuji
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 78
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
Aima and Kalu are a longtime couple who have just split. When Kalu, reeling from the breakup, visits an exclusive sex party hosted by his best friend, Ahmed, he makes a decision that will plunge them all into chaos, brutally and suddenly upending their lives. Ola and Souraya, two Nigerian sex workers visiting from Kuala Lumpur, collide into the scene just as everything goes to hell. Sucked into the city’s corrupt and glittering underworld, they’re all looking for a way out, fueled by a desperate need to escape the dangerous threat that looms over them.
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4 out of 5 stars
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It was ok
- By joyk on 02-14-25
- Little Rot
- A Novel
- By: Akwaeke Emezi
- Narrated by: Adepero Oduye, Chukwudi Iwuji
Fast paced thought provoking read
Reviewed: 10-27-24
If you are not sexually aware/open to BDSM, and dislike violence, I wouldn’t recommend this book. That being said I really enjoyed this book because of it’s rawness about the under belly of worlds we live in but often try to deny. I think it’s important work when writing explores how people in power can mask the bad things they do with it. I appreciated the character depth, and self exploration of each characters journey seeking to release their past, discover themselves, examine their sexual nature, and how as they each made choices the consequences intertwined their lives and we are never the same person we were after each action we take. The writing had a poetry that gave body to the culture and city connecting all the characters in a fast paced race until the end. I would have rated the book a 5 on how well the characters and story was written but the end was just slightly flat for me. Still an awesome read!
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The Complete Jaipur Trilogy
- The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, and The Perfumist of Paris
- By: Alka Joshi
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan, Ariyan Kassam, Deepa Samuel
- Length: 33 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 402
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 375
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Story5 out of 5 stars 375
Vivid and compelling, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel. Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own. Years later, she is confronted by her husband who has tracked her down.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An fabulously expanding adventure !
- By Miki Lee on 11-24-23
- The Complete Jaipur Trilogy
- The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, and The Perfumist of Paris
- By: Alka Joshi
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan, Ariyan Kassam, Deepa Samuel
Wonderfully written and interwoven
Reviewed: 01-06-24
All 3 books flowed together really well but it seemed like you could have listened to them as stand alones. I loved the development of the characters, how they grew and changed in their lives. Really pulls the reader in. Also learning about India and culture through story is wonderful.
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1 person found this helpful
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The Last Train to Key West
- By: Chanel Cleeton
- Narrated by: Kyla Garcia, Rachel L. Jacobs, Karissa Vacker
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,203
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,937
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,917
For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape. After the Cuban Revolution of 1933 leaves Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position, she agrees to an arranged marriage with a notorious American.
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4 out of 5 stars
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need True male voices performing the book
- By Issa on 06-24-20
- The Last Train to Key West
- By: Chanel Cleeton
- Narrated by: Kyla Garcia, Rachel L. Jacobs, Karissa Vacker
Loved the interwoven voices done so well!
Reviewed: 11-03-23
I really love Chanel, this is my 3rd book in the series and they just get better! I appreciate her telling me so engagingly about history, some of which I don’t know ,While weaving in such captivating characters. I hesitated that it was 3 different stories/voices wondering if it would be good. I often find stories either written this way or in a couple different time periods confusing and not pulled together well. The way she overlapped and intertwined the 3 main female stories was so good, natural and easy to follow. A must read or listen to for historical fiction fans!
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Jackaby
- By: William Ritter
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,851
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,693
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,687
Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1890, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary - including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant.
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4 out of 5 stars
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YA Sherlock and his Dr. Who companion - with fae
- By withherownwings on 02-20-15
- Jackaby
- By: William Ritter
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
Fun listen, good story.
Reviewed: 12-31-22
The performer was great and I enjoyed the accent and multiple characters. The story was enjoyable and a fun listen.
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The Raven Spell
- A Novel (A Conspiracy of Magic, Book 1)
- By: Luanne G. Smith
- Narrated by: Susannah Jones
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,478
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,337
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,331
After a nearly fatal blow to the skull, traumatized private detective Ian Cameron is found dazed and confused on a muddy riverbank in Victorian London. Among his effects: a bloodstained business card bearing the name of a master wizard and a curious pocket watch that doesn’t seem to tell time. To retrieve his lost memories, Ian demands answers from Edwina and Mary Blackwood, sister witches with a murky past. But as their secret is slowly unveiled, a dangerous mystery emerges on the darkened streets of London.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Too gruesome for my sensibilities
- By Carol A. Marsyla on 03-09-22
- The Raven Spell
- A Novel (A Conspiracy of Magic, Book 1)
- By: Luanne G. Smith
- Narrated by: Susannah Jones
Amazing narrator, wonderful story.
Reviewed: 12-13-22
I have really enjoyed Luanne G. Smith’s previous books but she keeps getting better and better! What a fun time period magical mystery. I loved that the historical and magical elements seem very accurate and well research and the story has a really good pace that keeps you engaged. The narrator was so perfect and amazing with so many different accents and voices, even singing some parts. Well done! Can’t wait for the next book!
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Other Birds
- A Novel
- By: Sarah Addison Allen
- Narrated by: Siiri Scott
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,436
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,260
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,263
Down a narrow alley in the small coastal town of Mallow Island, South Carolina, lies a stunning cobblestone building comprised of five apartments. It's called The Dellawisp and it's named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy. When Zoey Hennessey comes to claim her deceased mother's apartment at The Dellawisp, she meets her quirky, enigmatic neighbors including a girl on the run, a grieving chef whose comfort food does not comfort him, two estranged middle-aged sisters, and three ghosts. Each with their own story.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Brilliance Audio should be ashamed.
- By joydox on 08-31-22
- Other Birds
- A Novel
- By: Sarah Addison Allen
- Narrated by: Siiri Scott
Solid story, narrator was good :-)
Reviewed: 12-09-22
I read the reviews and was a little apprehensive because of a couple negative ones about the narrator. I actually thought she did a great job for the feel and accent of the story. The story was really solid and good but left me wanting something for the older flavors of S. A. A. Writing… it just didn’t have the same wonder or magic for me as previous novels.
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The Salt Roads
- By: Nalo Hopkinson
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 391
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 360
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Story4 out of 5 stars 359
In 1804, shortly before the Caribbean island of Saint Domingue is renamed Haiti, a group of women gather to bury a stillborn baby. Led by a lesbian healer and midwife named Mer, the women's lamentations inadvertently release the dead infant's "unused vitality" to draw Ezili - the Afro-Caribbean goddess of sexual desire and love - into the physical world. As Ezili explores her newfound powers, she travels across time and space to inhabit the midwife's body - as well as those of Jeanne, a mixed-race dancer and the mistress of Charles Baudelaire living in 1880s Paris, and Meritet.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Salt Roads
- By Valerie D. Pegram on 12-04-18
- The Salt Roads
- By: Nalo Hopkinson
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Beautifully written, amazing narration!
Reviewed: 11-16-22
Loved how poetic and and engaging the story was using Erzulie as the spirit inside each women in each story spanning over centuries. Loved the narrator, she was absolutely amazing, would give her a 10 if I could!
It was very helpful to read the description of the book right before listening to it as a few of the time period/story changes wouldn’t have been easy to grasp as they happened if I didn’t.
Also I felt like I could understand the story a lot better because I know a bit about the background of Erzulie, other loas in the story, voodoo, vodou, and vodun. I think the story wouldn’t have been as easy to follow or engaging if I didn’t have the background knowledge.
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Maya's Notebook
- By: Isabel Allende
- Narrated by: Maria Cabezas
- Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 410
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 359
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 361
Neglected by her parents, 19-year-old Maya Nidal has grown up in Berkeley with her grandparents. Her grandmother Nini is a force of nature, a woman whose formidable strength helped her build a new life after emigrating from Chile in 1973. Popo, Maya's grandfather, is a gentle man whose solid, comforting presence helps calm the turbulence of Maya's adolescence. When Popo dies of cancer, Maya goes completely off the rails, turning to drugs, alcohol, and petty crime in a downward spiral that eventually bottoms out in Las Vegas.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Narrator ruins this book
- By R.J. Mulder on 05-13-14
- Maya's Notebook
- By: Isabel Allende
- Narrated by: Maria Cabezas
Solid story beware of graphic detail if it bothers you
Reviewed: 10-31-22
Very solid story. I love Isabella’s work. I have to agree with some other reviews this isn’t my favorite out of all her books though. It kind reads like she is trying to bring awareness to the below subjects through one girls life story verses just trying to tell a story.
TRIGGER WARNING: there is a lot of detailed discussion about rape, incest, sex trafficking, and drug use and many things related to these subjects. While I understand it’s important awarenesses for people to have in the world that it’s happening to kids/children if this is triggering for you I would definitely skip this read!
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The World That We Knew
- A Novel
- By: Alice Hoffman
- Narrated by: Judith Light
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,257
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,104
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,098
At the time when the world changed, Hanni Kohn knows she must send her 12-year-old daughter away to save her from the Nazi regime. Her desperation leads her to Ettie, the daughter of a rabbi whose years spent eavesdropping on her father enables her to create a mystical Jewish creature, a rare and unusual golem, who is sworn to protect Hanni’s daughter, Lea.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Not Her Best
- By Phyllis on 10-05-19
- The World That We Knew
- A Novel
- By: Alice Hoffman
- Narrated by: Judith Light
Wow! Absolutely amazing!
Reviewed: 03-01-22
If I could rate this book a 6 I would! It’s like Alice Hoffman let the voices of the lost flow through her to remind us of the history of the world. Through the sad and haunting truth of a terrible world history she again is the Master weaver of revealing the power of the human spirit to survive and embrace love in all its forms.
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