Sarah

Race, identity & Scooby Doo

Reviewed: 06-04-15

Any additional comments?

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Loving Day is a satire about personal and public views of multiracial identity. I wish the characters had more to their stories than their attitudes about being black and/or white, their failed or struggling relationships, and some Scooby Doo-style antics. The plot frustrated me, but I did enjoy Johnson's writing style and humor.

Although the emphasis on race felt claustrophobic at times, it was interesting to hear one perspective on being multiracial and being misperceived or forced to choose sides by others (even if those others are often caricatures). I know it's not fair to expect a book about multiracial identity to reflect everyone's experience in that broad domain, but I was still a bit disappointed that the story's focus only on the black/white multiracial experience and the total absence of happy interracial marriages left my family out.

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2 people found this helpful

50 Shades of Snape

Reviewed: 06-04-15

Any additional comments?

No, this book isn't poorly written like 50 Shades, but that is what the dynamic between Agnieszka and the Dragon made me think of. I'm glad the story is filled with other compelling characters and relationships. I enjoyed this twist on a fairy tale, and I look forward to the rest of the series.

I found the narrator's accent to be a nice reminder that this is story is set in Eastern Europe. An American or British accent would be an odd choice. It may help that I hear accents like hers a lot -- she sounded like the Polish, Czech, Russian, and Ukranian Americans I know. I also listened at 2x speed.

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21 people found this helpful

Lovely and disturbing

Reviewed: 06-03-15

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I love this little book so much that I'm nervous about recommending it to anyone. I get that it's not for everyone, but it totally worked for me.
Wolf in White Van is a series of disjointed small scenes filled with incredibly specific details. I was not a teenage boy in the 80s and I don't like role playing games, but I know some things about feeling isolated, and Darnielle captures that feeling beautifully. I enjoyed learning about the narrator's past and present through all the small, weird observations, but I didn't expect the ending to move me as strongly as it did. I loved the book even more the second time.

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4 people found this helpful

Reminded me of Gillian Flynn books (in a good way)

Reviewed: 09-22-14

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the creepiness of the murder scenes. I also appreciated the wry humor in some of the characters' perspectives and the comical use of social media in the story.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narrators did a great job of portraying the distinct character voices Beukes created. A single narrator would have been too confusing. Some of the minor characters' accents were odd, but at least they helped to keep all the characters straight.

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1 person found this helpful

Lucky to be alive

Reviewed: 11-10-13

Any additional comments?

I've listened to a lot of comedians' memoirs. They all serve up stories explaining childhood misdeeds, scars, relationships, regrets, and careers turns. In Rob Delaney's case, there quite a few stories that show he's lucky to be alive (and knows it). How enjoyable each memoir is depends on how much you like and relate to the stories and their teller. For me, this book is my favorite since Bossypants, both because I love Delaney's sense of humor and because I'm almost the same age, so I was delighted to hear a few random, quirky similarities in our experiences. I'm sure this book won't work for everyone, but I loved listening to his stories. I just wish it were longer.

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2 people found this helpful

Like "Gone Girl," but this one's "Gone Mom."

Reviewed: 10-28-13

Would you listen to Where'd You Go, Bernadette again? Why?

I didn't particularly like any of the characters, and many were intended to be frustrating, but I really enjoyed this book. The audiobook narrator, who performs a variety of voices, accents, and even sings(!), is phenomenal.

What other book might you compare Where'd You Go, Bernadette to and why?

"Where'd You Go, Bernadette" reminded me of "Gone Girl," as the story is told from multiple perspectives, and all the characters make mistakes. This one is lighter and a bit goofier in tone. The relationship between the mother and daughter is very sweet. As with "Gone Girl," I couldn't wait to get back to this book it every time I had to stop.

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The Stepford Tech Company

Reviewed: 10-13-13

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I enjoyed this book. Sure, it alternated between fairly clever and kind of dumb, but the story moved fast enough that I never felt bored or tempted to stop listening. As others have pointed out, it's a social networking variation on works like 1984 and The Stepford Wives. Except for a few sex scenes, it seemed very YA (not that that's a bad thing...). The narration is fantastic.

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6 people found this helpful

Odd premise, excellent audiobook

Reviewed: 09-14-13

Would you listen to Fangirl again? Why?

I will listen to every book Rainbow Rowell writes, but it will be a while before I re-listen. When I want to time travel to revisit my own early college anxieties / small victories, I will re-listen to this book. For now, I'm jealous of people who haven't listened to Fangirl yet -- it was a delight.

What other book might you compare Fangirl to and why?

Rainbow Rowell won my heart with "Eleanor and Park." "Fangirl" is less fraught and stressful, but drawn just as well. In both, Rowell conjures the awkwardness and excitement of teen emotions with disturbing accuracy. The "Simon Snow" fan-fic plot was a lot more endearing than I expected it to be. I loved the overt and subtle allusions to Harry Potter and Twilight. This element reminded me of "Ready Player One" because it was both funny and nostalgic.

What about Rebecca Lowman and Maxwell Caulfield ’s performance did you like?

Rebecca Lowman was an excellent narrator for the main story. I enjoyed the interludes of Maxwell Caulfield reading excerpts from the Simon Snow stories. The combination was such a smart idea.

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7 people found this helpful

Best Narration by a Zygote

Reviewed: 09-09-13

What made the experience of listening to Behind the Scenes at the Museum the most enjoyable?

I love Kate Atkinson's sense of humor. She describes the exquisite disappointments of childhood and (unhappy) motherhood so well. These scenes are poignant, but not depressing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ruby Lennox is an excellent narrator to her family's story.

What does Susan Jameson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I enjoyed the variety of accents she used, as well as her enthusiasm.

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Harry Potter's Hunger Games

Reviewed: 09-05-13

What did you love best about The Night Circus?

The descriptions are intricate and really helped me see the clever/beautiful scenes.

What other book might you compare The Night Circus to and why?

It's not fair to call this Harry Potter's Hunger Games, but it's a book about young magicians competing in a battle to the death. Alas, The Night Circus has neither the whimsy of Harry Potter nor the intensity of The Hunger Games.

Which character – as performed by Jim Dale – was your favorite?

I love Jim Dale's narration overall. Relative to the voices he did for the Harry Potter series, none of his accents he did here really stood out in this book.

Who was the most memorable character of The Night Circus and why?

No one. That's my problem with this book. It's a clever and richly detailed world, but I didn't spend enough time with or get enough insight into any of the characters to care much about them or their circumstances.

Any additional comments?

I bet it is less frustrating to have so many events described out of chronological order for folks reading this as a book-book. As an audiobook listener, I found this jumping back and forth confusing, and I couldn't remember the dates well enough to benefit from their presence.

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