missgrundy

It took me a while to warm up to this book -- I found it confusing at first and wasn't sure I liked it. But I finished it over a week ago, now, and it's haunting me still. It's a complicated family story, but also a family mystery that doesn't come clear until the end. I grew to feel very sympathetic toward the narrator, as her family history was revealed, bit by bit. The narrator is excellent -- give it a try. It's a great listen.

Wow. I totally enjoyed this book, the true story of Nancy Wake, a New Zealand-born Australian who was a major figure in the French Resistance in WWII. The story of how she got there and her activities during the war is riveting; I enjoyed every minute of it. What an amazing woman. Read it. You'll hardly be able to believe it.

This might be a good book to take on a hot summer vacation, because it is *cold*. The mystery, which takes place on a fishing ship in the Arctic Ocean, is intriguing, the details of the culture fascinating, and the disgraced detective (from Gorky Park) a great character. I've always been interested in Russia, and I don't know how Martin Cruz Smith does it, but he creates a world that seems authentic to me, a non-Russian. Excellent listening.

I'm a huge fan of Greenblatt's "Will in the World," so I was happy to try this one. I was not disappointed. This is a absorbing account of the re-discovery of Lucretius' De Rerum Natura in the Middle Ages and how it affected thinking in the Renaissance and beyond. The story is fascinating, the reader excellent, and listeners will not be disappointed. I'm now reading Lucretius' poem itself, and only wish that I could read it in the original Latin, though A.E. Stallings has a good recent (2007) translation.

I first read The Once and Future King when I was 12 years old and was so captivated that I read it every year until some time in my 20's. It's been 40 years since then, and I was so happy to have it read to me. I know it so well that I could anticipate what the reader would say next -- and the reader is wonderful. I was not disappointed. The story is delightful and comical and touching and finally tragic -- and if you've never read it, you have a wonderful experience ahead of you.

I second, third, fourth what every five-star reviewer has said. I just want to say that I'm anxiously awaiting news that #20 is in the works, because by the end of this one, I was in tears, feeling like the ending was so, well, ending-like. Please don't let this be so! Did anyone else wonder about this?

I have been in love with the Bobsey Twins (Dave and Clete) for many years now, but this is the first time I've listened to an audiobook of one of the novels. It was excellent -- I loved hearing it read out loud, which allows you a different experience, hearing the voices and accents. At the first sentence I was put off, thinking "That's not what Dave sounds like!" (or Clete either -- I'm still having a little trouble with the Clete voice), but Will Patton won me over after a while.

James Lee Burke's books are the only mysteries I'd ever be moved to read again, because they are much more than plot -- his writing is as lush and gorgeous as can be and so perfectly fits his scene and subjects. I once had an exchange of emails with his daughter (not Alafair), and told her, "Your dad really knows his Faulkner," and she said he would be really pleased to hear that. This is the only drawback to the audiobook -- at some points I would just like to go back and listen to that sentence/paragraph again and revel in the beauty of it.

But in the end, it's a fair exchange, and I don't know how I could have enjoyed this audiobook any more. So very highly recommended.

This is an excellent book; it tells the true story of Alexandre Dumas Pere's father, the French Revolution, and of a time when it was possible for a half-black man to rise to the level of general in the French military. It's the backstory to "The Count of Monte Cristo," and it's fascinating from start to finish. It includes excerpts from Dumas Pere's memoirs of his father and other historical documents from the time. It's heavy on military history and maybe that's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's an engrossing tale, so give it a try.

It's true that this book is graphic/violent -- I don't know how a novel of war could not be. But it never crosses the line to violence porn (I'm looking at you, Daniel Suarez), and it's a great story, well told. The narration is excellent -- highly recommended.

Some reviewers have said this is their new favorite Tana French, but I still love Faithful Place the best. Nevertheless, this is an excellent listen. I've really enjoyed getting to know the different detectives in the four books, and I wonder who's next -- Quigley? (Quite a trick it would be, to make him sympathetic). This book is complex with great characterization; I liked the main character and got very involved with his trials and tribulations. Highly recommended.