Maria

Although this is a young adult book, I think it will appeal to any age group and it has lots of layers of thought-provoking debate entwined in a simple story. This reminded me of Orwell's "1984" as it takes place in the future in a watchful society. It is a strange society in which diversity and individualism are not tolerated and everyone lives according to their function in society - perhaps happy - but blissfully unaware of pain and love. You follow the story of Jonas who is a remarkable 11 year-old boy who carries much weight and insight of the community on his shoulders. I definitely recommend this book as it left me haunted and yearning to discuss it with someone else.

This might seem like an odd comment - but there was no conflict in this book. If there was, it was less intense than a bruised knee. This was a lovey-dovey book with no drama, no conflict and no reason to keep reading. The characters are all so sweet and nice and nothing happens but loads of hugs and kisses. I'm lost at all the amazing reviews. I guess for people who love feel-good books with no drama - this is for you!

This was a sweet book about a simple man who can be quite smart. It's the crazy characters around him that make you laugh - the Vietnam vet/hippie, the absurdly greedy family, and Cherry, the luscious store clerk. Patricia Wood created a fabulous set of characters and Paul Michael captures Perry's voice perfectly. It was nice to escape to Perry's world for a while.

This book is definitely going on my list as best mystery/thriller. The mysteries unfold in Sweden as the characters, Lisbeth and Mikael, try to crack multiple perplexing crimes, one taking place 20 years ago. Lisbeth is a firecracker young woman who has Asperger's Syndrome (though not directly stated) and I felt completely captivated and drawn to her. She sees the world and how we interact with each other very differently and it was interesting to see how she reacted to sometimes bizarre or horror-ridden circumstances. The narrator was superb!

It's been a really long time since I've been so absorbed into a book... I couldn't put down the ipod and listened to it in record time. It's full of mind-boggling tension, fun and romance. I don't think the narrator could really capture the voices of the characters to the full-extent, but the story is not diminished by that. This is definitely worth the 2 credits.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Innocent Traitor" I've read 5 or 6 books during the time of Henry VIII and it amazes me how rich that time was in scheming, back-stabbing characters that were crazed for the crown. This book does not fail to disappoint in telling the tale of a 16 year-old intelligent girl who was forced into many unthinkable situations by power-hungry parents and relatives. The narratives were incredible at capturing the character's inner-most thoughts and read with perfect conviction. I highly recommend this to any historical fiction fan.

I listened to this book because of a glowing review by Stephen King in "Entertainment Weekly" and because the plot summary intrigued me as the story centered around a stripper in Florida and a traumatic event surrounding her 3-yr-old daughter. The plot moved quickly though I'd say it was more character-driven rather than a thriller. It exposed the inner dark secrets of the hearts of the main characters. It was kind of like seeing a car crash through the eyes of six different drivers as they came into a major collision. I worried a little that people who had little knowledge of Islam might get the wrong idea about Muslims from this, but clearly the character I'm referring to was a fanatic and not a representative of main-stream Muslim belief. This was an OK listen, though I wouldn't give it an enthusiastic recommendation.

This was a completely absorbing, thrilling fantasy story that was hard to turn off. This was one of the fastest books I’ve listened to and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping story. Yelena is a strong heroine who is likeable and smart. She was tossed into some really brutal situations and it was amazing to see how she dealt with them. The story gets an A+ for adventure, twists, romance, and a light touch of magic. However the narrator was definitely not up to par with most narrators out there and she took away from some of the magic with her rough, out-of-place accents. However, I got used to her reading eventually and wouldn’t let that stop you from listening to this book.

I was expecting a lot from this book based on it’s outstanding reviews (on other sites); however I was disappointed in it in several ways. The story skips around from five or six different story lines running from the present to the 1600s in the New World. Perhaps it was the audio format that did not work for me but I was constantly rewinding the audio to make sure I was getting everything. This is a religious conspiracy thriller that had some really interesting theories about famous Christians who could bi-locate through time. The focus was on a nun, Maria Jesus d’?greda, who could be simultaneously in her convent in Spain and in New Mexico converting the Indians. Maria’s story alone was fascinating. Unfortunately, although the principals of the story were remarkable, I could not identify with the characters and felt that they were used as tools to tell the story and not portrayed with any depth. In the end I could not wait for this story to be over. It was weak as a thriller but maybe it would have worked better as a documentary.

From being tortured by the communists, surviving prison camp in Siberia, and then escaping with 6 prisoners who walked from Siberia through Tibet and onto India, this was an incredible story. The adventure and pace never slackens and it reads like fiction. I know that some people question the veracity of the book, but with the level of detail given, I can’t believe that any of it was made up. This is worth your time for the story’s sake, but truthfully I never really got that attached to the characters.