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Noreen

WICHITA FALLS, TX, United States | Member Since 2011

1
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 29 reviews
  • 37 ratings
  • 81 titles in library
  • 15 purchased in 2013
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  • Thalia Book Club: 'To Kill a Mockingbird' 50th Anniversary Celebration - Readings, Discussion and Audience Q&A

    • ORIGINAL (1 hr and 39 mins)
    • By Symphony Space
    • Narrated By Stephen Colbert, Isaiah Sheffer, Jayne Anne Phillips, and others
    Overall
    (224)
    Performance
    (160)
    Story
    (165)

    Authors and actors including Stephen Colbert, Libba Bray (award winning young-adult novelist Going Bovine, winner of 2010 Printz Award), Oskar Eustis (Artistic Director at The Public Theater), Kurt Andersen (novelist and Studio 360 Host), Jayne Anne Phillips (novelist and National Book Award finalist Lark & Termite), filmmaker Mary McDonagh Murphy (author of the upcoming book Scout, Atticus, and Boo), and others pay tribute to the Pulitzer prize-winning classic novel about racial injustice and loss of innocence in a small Southern town.

    Casey says: "This is not the full story."
    "Best Book Panel"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

    Yes! It is such an interesting cast of people discussing and celebrating 50th anniv of To Kill A Mockingbird.


    What was one of the most memorable moments of Thalia Book Club: Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Celebration?

    How it influenced the panel the first time they read it and a more recent re-read.


    Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

    Steven Colbert was really very intelligent and emotional. He was not silly at all. It was a pleasant surprise.The other's are not so famous to me, but they ALL were wonderful.


    If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

    Not a good film.


    Any additional comments?

    The live audience Q&A was poor audio quality and was a waste of time.

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • The Art of Racing in the Rain

    • UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 56 mins)
    • By Garth Stein
    • Narrated By Christopher Evan Welch
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (4422)
    Performance
    (2462)
    Story
    (2456)

    Why we think it’s a great listen: If you’ve ever loved a dog - or even patted a dog - this book, told from the perspective of man’s best friend, will tug at your heartstrings...and won’t let go until long after Welch performs the last word. Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively and by listening very closely to the words of his master.

    Lora says: "Enzo (because he's so wize) for president."
    "Art of Racing in The Rain"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

    Not really. I got bored.


    What could Garth Stein have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

    I did not feel the tension or surprise of this story.


    What three words best describe Christopher Evan Welch’s voice?

    Convincing, pleasant, tonal.


    If this book were a movie would you go see it?

    Maybe.


    Any additional comments?

    I thought this was going to be more "Marley & Me" or "Lassie". But after awhile I lost interest in the canine/human relationships.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Broken Harbor: Dublin Murder Squad, Book 4

    • UNABRIDGED (19 hrs and 59 mins)
    • By Tana French
    • Narrated By Stephen Hogan
    Overall
    (1484)
    Performance
    (1258)
    Story
    (1231)

    In Broken Harbor, all but one member of the Spain family lies dead, and it’s up to Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy to find out why. Mick must piece together why their house is full of cameras pointed at holes in the walls and how a nighttime intruder bypassed all the locks. Meanwhile, the town of Broken Harbor holds something else for Mick: disturbing memories of a childhood summer gone terribly wrong.

    Miller says: "Best in the Series"
    "Broken Harbor"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What did you love best about Broken Harbor?

    The parallells of the life of the detective Mike Kennedy's personal Broken Harbor and the crimes committed there.


    What was one of the most memorable moments of Broken Harbor?

    The interview of the best friend, and the detectives trying to piece together evidence of the crime.


    Which scene was your favorite?

    The second interview with the wife in the hospital. So full of tension.


    If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

    "Broken Harbor" Can detective Mike Kennedy solve a clase so close to home, that may undo him?


    Any additional comments?

    Such brilliant parallells of mental, emotional, social and personal brokenness. Tana French is a great story teller! On the edge of my seat!

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Snowman

    • UNABRIDGED (15 hrs and 38 mins)
    • By Jo Nesbo
    • Narrated By Robin Sachs
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1639)
    Performance
    (1033)
    Story
    (1032)

    Oslo in November. The first snow of the season has fallen. A boy named Jonas wakes in the night to find his mother gone. Out his window, in the cold moonlight, he sees the snowman that inexplicably appeared in the yard earlier in the day. Around its neck is his mother’s pink scarf. Hole suspects a link between a menacing letter he’s received and the disappearance of Jonas’s mother - and of perhaps a dozen other women, all of whom went missing on the day of a first snowfall. As his investigation deepens, something else emerges: he is becoming a pawn....

    Anita says: "many layered thriller"
    "The Snowman"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you try another book from Jo Nesbo and/or Robin Sachs?

    Maybe, as long as it is NOT a serial killer book. No redeeming value to this book.


    What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

    A little surprising.


    Which character – as performed by Robin Sachs – was your favorite?

    The children.


    Do you think The Snowman needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

    NO. I was left disappointed. Best left alone.


    Any additional comments?

    Very confusing at first. I didn't know I needed to take notes to keep track of characters, when I don't usually have to. It may have been the names are hard to remember because they are Norwegian. This is NOT anything like "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo". I took 2/3 into the book to finally get hooked. I almost gave up after the scene in the forest. I vow to never read another serial killer book. No redeeming value.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Polar Star

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 12 mins)
    • By Martin Cruz Smith
    • Narrated By Frank Muller
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (349)
    Performance
    (300)
    Story
    (299)

    Ex-Chief Investigator Arkady Renko is in deep on the “slime line” - the fish-gutting station - in the Polar Star, a Soviet fish factory ship of some 250 souls, almost as many secrets, and a dangerous shipboard sub-culture that cares little for the Party, and less for human life.

    richard says: "Probably the greatest audiobook ever. Really."
    "Polar Star: No Hunt for Red October"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you try another book from Martin Cruz Smith and/or Frank Muller?

    Maybe


    What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

    The Fishing Industry of the Soviets was most interesting. The least interesting was some of the villans.


    What about Frank Muller’s performance did you like?

    Good characters. Good voice.


    Do you think Polar Star needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

    It could. I was expecting a little more intrigue like Gorky Park.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Einstein: His Life and Universe

    • UNABRIDGED (21 hrs and 30 mins)
    • By Walter Isaacson
    • Narrated By Edward Herrmann
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (2923)
    Performance
    (973)
    Story
    (974)

    Why we think it’s a great listen: You thought he was a stodgy scientist with funny hair, but Isaacson and Hermann reveal an eloquent, intense, and selfless human being who not only shaped science with his theories, but politics and world events in the 20th century as well. Based on the newly released personal letters of Albert Einstein, Walter Isaacson explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk became the mind reader of the creator of the cosmos.

    Henrik says: "Surprise: Two books in one!"
    "Einstein His Life & Universe"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What did you like about this audiobook?

    The performance by Edward Herrmann is so perfect.
    He is such an important person, and his story is so inspiring.


    How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

    I have no interest in physics or higher math. This is story of a great scientist and humanitarian.


    Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

    The letters and piecing his life together is fascinating!


    What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

    Nothing! Superb!


    Do you have any additional comments?

    Bravo!

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Witness

    • UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 18 mins)
    • By Nora Roberts
    • Narrated By Julia Whelan
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (5089)
    Performance
    (4397)
    Story
    (4363)

    Daughter of a cold, controlling mother and an anonymous donor, studious, obedient Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking too much at a nightclub and allowing a strange man’s seductive Russian accent to lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever. Twelve years later, the woman now known as Abigail Lowery lives alone on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance programmer, she works at home designing sophisticated security systems.

    Maha Bali says: "not great, not terrible"
    "Witness"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you try another book from Nora Roberts and/or Julia Whelan?

    Maybe. This was very good. Not so for another Nora Roberts book which I didn't like.


    Would you recommend The Witness to your friends? Why or why not?

    Maybe.


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

    Good reader.


    Do you think The Witness needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

    It could indeed. But it was ok where it ended.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Eureka: A Free Story from 'The Last Girlfriend on Earth'

    • UNABRIDGED (3 mins)
    • By Simon Rich
    • Narrated By Simon Rich
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (192)
    Performance
    (166)
    Story
    (169)

    The stories in Simon Rich's new book, The Last Girlfriend on Earth, are bizarre, funny, and yet...relatable. Rich explores love's many complications - losing it, finding it, breaking it, and making it - and turns the ordinary into the absurd. With razor-sharp humor, and just in time for Valentine's Day, the story “Eureka” takes listeners for an exhilarating, hilarious ride on the rollercoaster of love.

    Jean says: "a waste of time"
    "Eureka: "Last Girlfriend""
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

    Well for a three minute teaser, it was very good. However I did not run out and order it. I could have gotten into it, but found others I really wanted to listen to.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Faithful Place: A Novel

    • UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 17 mins)
    • By Tana French
    • Narrated By Tim Gerard Reynolds
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (2776)
    Performance
    (1271)
    Story
    (1268)

    New York Times best-selling author Tana French has won the prestigious Edgar, Barry, Macavity, and Anthony awards. As her third novel featuring the Dublin Murder Squad opens, 19-year-old Frank Mackey is waiting in vain for Rosie, who he’s supposed to run away to London with. But when she doesn’t show, Frank leaves Dublin without her—thinking never to return.

    Buffalogal says: "Incredible"
    "Faithful Place"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you listen to Faithful Place again? Why?

    Yes! Such a good story! And I am looking forward to others by Tana French


    Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

    Yes! The mystery, the family, the back story. ALL GREAT!


    Which character – as performed by Tim Gerard Reynolds – was your favorite?

    Our detective, Frank Mackey of course. But ALL the characters were so real. I felt so bad for the parents, the families stuck in the old neighborhood, not able to get out of a poor neighborhood. I loved Frank's answers to his little girl's questions about the family, and life in general.


    Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

    Outstanding! It touched on many emotions and levels of family dynamics.


    Any additional comments?

    Great Job! A great listen!

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Blue Dahlia: In the Garden, Book 1

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 46 mins)
    • By Nora Roberts
    • Narrated By Susie Breck
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (515)
    Performance
    (282)
    Story
    (281)

    Trying to escape the ghosts of the past, young widow Stella Rothchild, along with her two energetic little boys, has moved back to her roots in southern Tennessee - and into her new life at Harper House and In the Garden nursery. She isn't intimidated by the house - nor its mistress, local legend Roz Harper.

    bluebelle says: "Wonderful!"
    "Blue Dahlia"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

    Those who enjoy Nora Roberts should find this ok.


    Would you ever listen to anything by Nora Roberts again?

    Probably not.


    Would you listen to another book narrated by Susie Breck?

    Sure. She was a fine reader.


    If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Blue Dahlia?

    It's just the characters were so fake.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Breakfast with Buddha: A Novel

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 34 mins)
    • By Roland Merullo
    • Narrated By Sean Runnette
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (165)
    Performance
    (137)
    Story
    (135)

    When his sister tricks him into taking her guru on a trip to their childhood home, Otto Ringling, a confirmed skeptic, is not amused. Six days on the road with an enigmatic holy man who answers every question with a riddle is not what he'd planned. But in an effort to westernize his passenger---and amuse himself---he decides to show the monk some "American fun" along the way.

    Mary McCarthy says: "a thoughtful and often hilarious journey"
    "Breakfast with Buddha"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What did you love best about Breakfast with Buddha?

    The awareness of his own spiritual emptiness, and how Otto finally embraced learning from the Buddha. The slow change was sweet.


    What was one of the most memorable moments of Breakfast with Buddha?

    The discussion at the first lecture with Otto's questions. It really gave Otto the chance to think and challenge himself to Buddha with his questions. The bowling scene was excellent.


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

    At first I didn't care for his voice, but later it was perfect. Thoughtful, very expressive, and I really felt he was Otto.


    If you could rename Breakfast with Buddha, what would you call it?

    Traveling with a Yogi Master.


    Any additional comments?

    Thoughtful, and raised cultural and spiritual ideas and myths. Very insightful.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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