Loretta

I recognize Junot Diaz is winning every critical award in American Literature these days, but there is so little to redeem this characters or the story line. I've attempted both of Diaz's latest works, and it's just not for me.

If you love Maeve Binchy- you will love her more in about 30 minutes!

If I had known this was Christian fiction, I would have skipped right over it. I'm glad I didn't. I am a pastor's wife, so I am sympathetic to writers and artists who use their gifts to reflect the truth we find in scripture. However, I have a very low tolerance for mediocre work. Terri Blackstock is not a mediocre writer, in fact the plot and the story telling were very engaging.

The gospel presentation is pretty heavy-handed, so the book is unlikely to appeal to anyone who isn't already persuaded. (I wish more Christian writers and artists would read Victor Hugo, for instance, and get the hint... )

My big gripe with this recorded book is the "recorded" part. Ms. Raudman whines and shrieks her way through the largest part of the performance. If I hadn't been drawn into the storyline the shrill narration would have been enough for me to abandon the book in the fist few chapters.

It's an engaging "lite" mystery. Safe for sharing with your grandmother or your kids. Unlikely to offend any sensibilities.

Probably not. Most of my friends aren't big Sci-Fi fans. (I'm not either, and thought I was downloading a mystery!)

Great voices. Nicely done.

I was hesitant to download this one because so many of the reviews described it as "dark". I won't quibble with that, but perhaps I would call it "twisted", rather than dark. Flynn is such a clever author that she manages to deliver a story about a psychopath that is actually very entertaining. She constructs a wonderful storyline and strings us along from chapter to chapter with material that in the hands of a less talented authors would feel depressing.

The narrators are spot on. This was one that kept me on the treadmill longer just to hear what was going to happen next. Definitely going to read more of Gillian Flynn.

I truly enjoyed the first Maggie Hope Mystery, and expected to like this one as well. I can't believe this is even the same author. The characters are small and one dimensional. The main character, Maggie is ridiculously uninteresting, helpless and childlike (a problem exacerbated by the narrator's performance). It might fly for a youth novel, but I would hope even teenagers have higher standards. Skip it.

It's not until the final chapter that you realize just how cleverly this plot is constructed.
What seems like a simple storyline turns itself inside out in the final pages. McEwan populates 1970s London with flawed, relatable characters, all more than a little self absorbed.

My only reservation lies in a few passages that become overly introspective and drag down the narrative. But even that is redeemed by insightful social commentary on the cold war era and the social and economic chaos of the period. It's a compulsive read I was sorry to finish.

Barbara Kingsolver is one of the great writers of her generation. Why does she insist on recording her own audiobooks?! Her voice is monotonous and causes the reader (or at least this one) to loose the thread of what is almost always an engaging storyline.

Each time I download a new Kingsolver book I hope I will have a more positive response to her narration. Instead I find these are great narrations for easing me into my Sunday afternoon nap.

We should all play to our strengths, and allow others play to theirs. Dear Ms. Kingsolver please spend your valuable time writing more books, and allow narrators and actors to record them.

Sincerely,
A fan of your writing.

Although Tess remains front and center in this novel, the feel of this shorter novel is something of a departure for our heroine. Laura Lippman pays homage to the work of other mystery masters, involves all our favorite characters from her previous books, and saves the best for last.

If you like Laura Lippman, you will love this one!

I know Ken Follett must research this series relentlessly, but he's made at least one serious historical error. At one point he is discussing sports teams in Washington DC in 1941. He refers to the Washington Nats, (Nationals). In 1941 the MLB team in Washington was known as The Senators (Although the "Nationals" was part of the team's formal name. Hometown folks called them the Senators.)

Baseball fans will call him out on that one.

But that hardly matters, it is a great sequel, and carries on in the tradition of Fall of Giants.