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Kathleen

webkat7

Cincinnati, OH, United States | Member Since 2011

4
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 21 reviews
  • 78 ratings
  • 0 titles in library
  • 19 purchased in 2013
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  • The Martian Chronicles

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 3 mins)
    • By Ray Bradbury
    • Narrated By Scott Brick
    Overall
    (123)
    Performance
    (71)
    Story
    (73)

    Bradbury's Mars is a place of hope, dreams, and metaphor - of crystal pillars and fossil seas - where a fine dust settles on the great empty cities of a silently destroyed civilization. It is here the invaders have come to despoil and commercialize, to grow and to learn - first a trickle, then a torrent, rushing from a world with no future toward a promise of tomorrow.

    Kathleen says: "Stands the Test of Time"
    "Stands the Test of Time"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    You might think that a series of sci-fi/fantasy stories written more than half a century ago would lose their resonance, but not so. The Martian Chronicles is a series of loosely connected short stories focused around human colonization of Mars, following a more or less discernible timeline.

    Bradbury's stories capture human nature with poignant details, characters, and storylines that will wrench your heart, make you laugh, and cause you to ponder the human condition.

    I'm not a huge fan of the narrator, as he sometimes veers close to melodrama and other times is irritatingly flat (I struggled with his reading of "The Passage" as well, but not enough to pass up "The Martian Chronicles."

    This is one of the faster and more enjoyable listens I've had this year, and it's inspired me to explore more Ray Bradbury, especially "The Illustrated Man."

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • 14

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 38 mins)
    • By Peter Clines
    • Narrated By Ray Porter
    Overall
    (6154)
    Performance
    (5568)
    Story
    (5549)

    There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment. Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much. At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s.

    Magpie says: "Super solid listen!!"
    "Great Listen - Well-Done Horror Novel!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I liked this a lot - it was very suspenseful and fast-paced; the author did a great job of building the story and making it very creepy. The characters were interesting and engaging, and the underlying premise is really cool. The narrator did a FANTASTIC job of creating a unique voice for each of the characters, and considering how many there were, that's impressive. You could easily tell which character was speaking regardless of how it was communicated via the words. I will look for more by both this author and this narrator.

    This is well worth the listen if you like horror and have high standards for it.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Burgess Boys: A Novel

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 29 mins)
    • By Elizabeth Strout
    • Narrated By Cassandra Campbell
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (103)
    Performance
    (86)
    Story
    (81)

    Haunted by the freak accident that killed their father when they were children, Jim and Bob Burgess escaped from their Maine hometown of Shirley Falls for New York City as soon as they possibly could. Jim, a sleek, successful corporate lawyer, has belittled his bighearted brother their whole lives, and Bob, a Legal Aid attorney who idolizes Jim, has always taken it in stride. But their long-standing dynamic is upended when their sister, Susan - the Burgess sibling who stayed behind - urgently calls them home.

    Susianna says: "Some Secrets Shouldn't be Kept"
    "Huge Disappointment"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I have greatly enjoyed Elizabeth Strout's other books, including "Olive Kitteredge" and "Amy & Isabelle." "The Burgess Boys" is almost shockingly disappointing. The story is dreary, the characters utterly unlikable, and the narrator sounds clinically depressed (I guess I would be, too, if I had to read this drivel). I couldn't even finish the first half.

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • City of Women

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 10 mins)
    • By David R. Gillham
    • Narrated By Suzanne Bertish
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (181)
    Performance
    (159)
    Story
    (154)

    It is 1943 - the height of the Second World War. With the men taken by the army, Berlin has become a city of women. And while her husband fights on the Eastern Front, Sigrid Schröder is, for all intents and purposes, the model soldier's wife: She goes to work every day, does as much with her rations as she can, and dutifully cares for her meddling mother-in-law, all the while ignoring the horrific immoralities of the regime. But behind this façade is an entirely different Sigrid, a woman who dreams of her former Jewish lover.

    Susianna says: "Just Fine But My High Expectations? Foiled Again!"
    "Well Worth It!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Intriguing characters and a well-written story about German women living in Berlin during WW II. I really liked the characters and how the story evolved, and I will read more by this author.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Love Me to Death: A Novel of Suspense

    • UNABRIDGED (14 hrs and 54 mins)
    • By Allison Brennan
    • Narrated By Ann Marie Lee
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (43)
    Performance
    (28)
    Story
    (29)

    Six years ago, Lucy Kincaid was attacked and nearly killed by an online predator. She survived. Her attacker did not. Now Lucy’s goal is to join the FBI and fight cyber-crime, but in the meantime, she’s volunteering with a victim’s rights group, surfing the Web undercover to lure sex offenders into the hands of the law. But when the predators she hunts start turning up as murder victims, the FBI takes a whole new interest in Lucy.

    Kathleen says: "Badly Written Romance Masquerades as Thriller"
    "Badly Written Romance Masquerades as Thriller"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This horrible waste of time is marketed as a mystery and thriller, but it's a badly written manipulative romance novel. Shallow characters that induce eye-rolling, a sadly underdeveloped subplot apparently written as filler--perhaps the author had too recently read "Kiss the Girls"- so poorly done as to be embarrassing. In fact, if this book were any more full of filler, it would be sold at Wal-Mart in giant bags of dog food. Don't waste your time.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • A Wanted Man: A Jack Reacher Novel, Book 17

    • UNABRIDGED (14 hrs and 11 mins)
    • By Lee Child
    • Narrated By Dick Hill
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1555)
    Performance
    (1312)
    Story
    (1300)

    Four people in a car, hoping to make Chicago by morning. An hour behind them, a man lies stabbed to death in an old pumping station. He was seen going in with two others, but he never came out. He has been executed, the knife work professional, the killers vanished. Within minutes, the police are notified. Within hours, the FBI descends, laying claim to the victim without ever saying who he was or why he was there. All Reacher wanted was a ride to Virginia. All he did was stick out his thumb. But he soon discovers he has hitched more than a ride.

    Bill says: "Wanted Man is Wanting ~ And I Want 14 Hours Back"
    "OK, We Get It. Broken Nose."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Lee Child's plot is as inventive, well-thought-out, and twisted as ever in this thriller (which lives up to its name!) Unfortunately, Reacher's nose was broken in the last book, and the narrator read every.single.line of Reacher's with a stuffed up nose. It was awful and distracting and horribly frustrating to listen to. Had I realized this was the case, I would have read this one in print rather than suffering through hours of Jack Reacher's broken nose.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Story of Danny Dunn

    • UNABRIDGED (23 hrs and 29 mins)
    • By Bryce Courtenay
    • Narrated By Humphrey Bower
    Overall
    (191)
    Performance
    (123)
    Story
    (118)

    At just 16 years Danny Dunn has everything going for him: brains, looks, sporting aptitude - and luck with the ladies. His mother steers him towards a university education, but with just six months of his degree to go, he signs up for the AIF, driven by a desire to serve his country and plain wanderlust. Danny serves in South-east Asia, spends three and a half years as a POW, and returns a broken man, embittered and facially disfigured. He is scared and overwhelmed by the need to sort himself out, to find out who the hell he is....

    Eddie says: "Oh Danny Boy!"
    "Not Up to Par"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I loved "The Persimmon Tree" and "Jessica," but "The Story of Danny Dunn fell flat for me, despite the great narration. Courtenay's characters are usually very rich and have a lot of depth, but in this book I felt he was just going through the motions. The characters are flat and often more of a caricature than a character. At multiple points through the story I was thinking "Just get ON with it already" and I found the ending predictable. I was especially disappointed in the character of Helen, who seemed even less realistic than the others. All in all, far from his best effort.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Where'd You Go, Bernadette: A Novel

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 39 mins)
    • By Maria Semple
    • Narrated By Kathleen Wilhoite
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (719)
    Performance
    (629)
    Story
    (623)

    Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom.

    Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle - and people in general - has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands.

    Bobbie says: "Best listen of the summer!"
    "Joyful Mysterious Romp"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Kathleen Wilhoite could not have done a better job with this book--she is delightful, and brings every character to life. Part mystery, part comedy, all fun. It took a little while to get into the format, which switches back and forth between letters, e-mails, and narration, but it is so worth the trip, and so fun. Well done on all fronts!

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 40 mins)
    • By Christopher Moore
    • Narrated By Euan Morton
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (854)
    Performance
    (735)
    Story
    (744)

    In July 1890, Vincent van Gogh went into a cornfield and shot himself. Or did he? Why would an artist at the height of his creative powers attempt to take his life... and then walk a mile to a doctor's house for help? Who was the crooked little "color man" Vincent had claimed was stalking him across France? And why had the painter recently become deathly afraid of a certain shade of blue? These are just a few of the questions confronting Vincent's friends who vow to discover the truth of van Gogh's untimely death.

    Melinda says: "Is Nothing is Sacre'?"
    "Everything...but Funny"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    "Sacre Bleu" is everything one looks for in a comic novel. Except funny. Which rather sort of spoils it. If you're new to Christopher Moore, go listen to "Fool" instead, which is much more worth your time. If you love Christopher Moore, well, it can't be helped. Don't say I didn't warn you. This is not the top of his game. Or even the middle.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Safe Man

    • UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 33 mins)
    • By Michael Connelly
    • Narrated By David W. Collins
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (334)
    Performance
    (286)
    Story
    (283)

    Like his father before him, Brian Holloway is a safe man. That is, his specialty is opening safes. Every job is a little mystery, and he has yet to encounter a lock he can't break or a box he can't crack. But the day Holloway gets called in to open a rare, antique safe in a famous author's library, his skills open a door that should have remained closed.

    Robert says: "great ghost story"
    "Michael Connelly Should Write More Ghost Stories"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Like everything Michael Connelly does, this was well-written and a lot of fun. I was intrigued by the idea of him writing a ghost story and exploring characters that are a big departure from Bosch and Haller; he does a great job and I'd love to see him explore this further.

    It's a short listen, so I wouldn't blow a whole credit on it, but after using my credits it was was worth buying as a standalone piece.

    Good narration, also.

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Mystery Writers of America Presents Vengeance

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 58 mins)
    • By Lee Child (author/editor), Dennis Lehane, Karin Slaughter, and others
    • Narrated By Angela Dawe, Jeff Cummings
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (34)
    Performance
    (26)
    Story
    (27)

    In our dangerous world, offenders cannot always be brought down by the justice system. When a different kind of justice is needed—swift, effective, and personal—a new type of avenger must take action. In Vengeance, best-selling author Lee Child, “a superb craftsman of suspense” (Entertainment Weekly), presents 21 riveting stories from some of today’s top crime writers.

    Jane says: "Two stories were excellent."
    "Ups and Downs"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Any short story collection is bound to have its ups and downs, and that's very much the case here. Some of the stories are utterly compelling and well worth the price of the listen--others fell flat and left me wondering what they had to do with the theme, or how they possibly got selected.

    One that particularly stood out for me as being excellent was "The Last Ballot,"

    Overall, I would say this was worth it, and while I'm not usually interested in introductions, I have to say I enjoyed Lee Child's description of how he selected the authors he was able to invite, as well as the selection process for the remaining 10.

    The narrators do a great job with the material and I'd listen to them read other things as well. Overall, this was worthwhile.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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