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Linda

Morgan Hill, CA, United States | Member Since 2005

17
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 9 reviews
  • 120 ratings
  • 0 titles in library
  • 35 purchased in 2013
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  • Thirteen Reasons Why

    • UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 24 mins)
    • By Jay Asher
    • Narrated By Debra Wiseman, Joel Johnstone
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (418)
    Performance
    (260)
    Story
    (265)

    Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush, who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice explains that there are 13 reasons she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.

    Sarah says: "Beautiful and Tragic"
    "Complex and thought provoking story"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Any additional comments?

    An interesting premise of one persons behavior can create a profound ripple effect on others. The book is so fast paced that is doesn't allow the reader to become overly emotionally about a teen suicide.

    Clay Jensen is a sympathetic, likable and relatable character. Hannah Baker is a bit frustrating making empathy for her difficult. Hannah's many reasons for her suicide seem a bit weak given that through her narration she seemed to have such a strong and clear understanding of her own actions and motivations, the actions and motivations of others and how it all affected her. Oddly, she seemed a little too well adjusted to turn to suicide.

    Sending tapes to those she held responsible for her suicide felt a little more like a revenge story than a story of a spiral down into utter hopelessness. The tapes made her as petty and manipulative as some of those who wronged her.

    Flaws aside, the story is compelling and will keep you interested until the very end.

    5 of 6 people found this review helpful
  • Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey

    • UNABRIDGED (18 hrs and 14 mins)
    • By Alison Weir
    • Narrated By Stina Nielsen, Davina Porter, Bianca Amato
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1251)
    Performance
    (493)
    Story
    (495)

    The child of a scheming father and ruthless mother, Lady Jane Grey is born during a time when ambition dictates action. Cousin to Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I, she is merely a pawn in a political and religious game in which one false step means a certain demise. But Lady Jane has remarkable qualities that help her to withstand the constant pressures of the royal machinery far better than most expect.

    Jt says: "Superior listen!"
    "Great Historical fiction"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Any additional comments?

    A wonderful fictional account of the short and tragic life of Lady Jane Grey. A young girl who was caught up in the power hungry Protestant faction of the Tudor court, desperate to keep the fanatical Catholic Mary Tudor away from the throne. I had known little about Lady Jane Grey's very brief reign as Queen of England and found the book sparked my interest to do the research to learn more.

    The story is told through the points of view of many characters that keeps it interesting. Great read

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

    • UNABRIDGED (14 hrs)
    • By Laura Hillenbrand
    • Narrated By Edward Herrmann
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (8172)
    Performance
    (4399)
    Story
    (4405)

    Why we think it’s a great listen: Seabiscuit was a runaway success, and Hillenbrand’s done it again with another true-life account about beating unbelievable odds. On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared.....

    Janice says: "Indescribable"
    "A Must Read"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Any additional comments?

    This is an amazing story, perfectly paced and masterfully told. Generally I avoid war stories of any kind but reluctantly made an exception based upon the high recommendation and urging of a friend. I was hooked from the first chapter and couldn't pull myself away until the end It kept me up til the wee hours of morning, finishing it in less than a day. It truly is a Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption that you will not soon forget. Just one point of caution; the survival part of the story is not for faint of heart Nothing gratuitous just a clear account of the cruelty and dehumanizing treatment of WWII POW"s. Beautifully written but sometimes emotionally draining for the reader. Impeccably narrated as well.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Notorious Nineteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel

    • UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 7 mins)
    • By Janet Evanovich
    • Narrated By Lorelei King
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1185)
    Performance
    (1023)
    Story
    (1037)

    After a slow summer of chasing low-level skips for her cousin Vinnie's bail bonds agency, Stephanie Plum finally lands an assignment that could put her checkbook back in the black. Geoffrey Cubbin, facing trial for embezzling millions from Trenton's premier assisted-living facility, has mysteriously vanished from the hospital after an emergency appendectomy. Now it's on Stephanie to track down the con man. Unfortunately, Cubbin has disappeared without a trace, a witness, or his money-hungry wife. Rumors are stirring that he must have had help with the daring escape...or that maybe he never made it out of his room alive.

    G. House Sr. says: "Tedious Formulaic with same-old same-old"
    "Same thing all over again."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Any additional comments?

    I've read and re-read and thoroughly enjoyed each of the first 12 books in this series. More and more the series has become just the same thing over and over; Stephanie's car blows up, she and Lula eat vast quantities of fast food, Ranger is hot, Joe is hot, Grandma Mazur is eccentric and there is pineapple upside down cake for dessert. The plots have become flat and the dialog predictable. Generally character development has stopped. Notorious Nineteen is just a little bit better than the last few books in that we've learned a little more about Ranger but for the most part it seems like Evanovich has been just calling them in... you can no longer sense the author's investment in the characters or story line.

    Don't misunderstand; I will read the next book and the any after that but it's time for some forward movement, it's starting to feel like the same book over and over again. I'm completely invested in the series and love each of the characters so I am a die-hard fan who will keep reading whatever comes. For those of you who haven't read any of the series do not make this your first book, it is not the best or even very good. Go back and start with book one... you will be hooked too.

    The narration couldn't be any better Lorelei King is the best!!! She gives each character a personality and makes them come alive.

    8 of 11 people found this review helpful
  • A Discovery of Witches

    • UNABRIDGED (24 hrs and 2 mins)
    • By Deborah Harkness
    • Narrated By Jennifer Ikeda
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (7476)
    Performance
    (5120)
    Story
    (5135)

    Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library.

    Barbara says: "A feast for the mind and imagination"
    "Witches and Vampires and Demons..... Oh My"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Any additional comments?

    I was very disappointed after reading so many good reviews and talk of an adult version of Twilight. After reading it, I’m thinking more Twilight meets Bewitched and nothing too adult about it except some adult beverages. Wonderful idea, very poor delivery. The editor failed the author miserably… this was much too long, too many extraneous details that in no way added to the story or character development. The heroine, Diana, is repeatedly described as a strong, independent, powerful witch but her actions were not at all. She was the ever suffering victim; helpless, subservient and dependent. Our hero, the vampire Matthew, wasn't quite as annoying as Diana but very cliche as a secretive, brooding and angry Vamp. The poor character development and their lack of believable chemistry left me unable to care about either of them. The grand romance was tepid, at best. It had a very adolescent feel about it. Lots of chaste cuddling and kissing and some strange need for abstinence.... even post-marital abstinence. Really? A couple of weak explanations were offered but nothing that even helped build up any anticipation for more. Each new character that was introduced included how that character smelled…. Yes, that’s right smelled. We might not get a physical description but we never missed a scent. OK, I get it Vampires have an extraordinary sense of smell and apparently witches do too but does the reader need to know the scent of each and every character? I failed to see what any of those scents added to the story line. Too many long drawn out scene descriptions about the mundane; eating, sleeping, drinking tea, drinking wine, bathing and yoga.I found the plot or plots or lack there of to be completely contrived; the historical references would have been pretty cool if they arose more naturally in the context of the plot. Those references were just dropped in here and there with no apparent purpose. We were reminded early in the book that vampires do not eat, they drink blood and have no sleep requirements. But when those restrictions didn't work into the plot things changed: When he had a dinner engagement he ate albeit with a certain preference for raw meats and nuts. Matthew drank so much more wine than blood. And then when his attention needed to be diverted to work into the story line... he slept. One evening of kissing and cuddling sent our Matthew right into a deep sleep complete with snoring. He didn't wake when Diana got up and went outside, as he had specifically warned against, and was promptly abducted!And then it ended… just ended! I understand leaving room for a sequel but each book should also stand alone. This did not. Big disappointment. I hung in there to the bitter end but doubt that would have been possible if not for the very good narration. So I slogged through it but never came to care enough about the story or the characters to have any interest in a sequel.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Seconds Away: A Mickey Bolitar Novel, Book 2

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 41 mins)
    • By Harlan Coben
    • Narrated By Nick Podehl
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (236)
    Performance
    (198)
    Story
    (198)

    When tragedy strikes close to home, Mickey Bolitar and his loyal new friends - sharp-witted Ema and the adorkably charming Spoon - find themselves at the center of a murder mystery involving their friend Rachel. Now, not only does Mickey have to continue his quest to uncover the truth about the Abeona Shelter and the Butcher of Lodz, he needs to figure out what happened to Rachel - no matter what it takes. Mickey has always been ready to sacrifice everything to help the people he loves.

    Michele says: "Compelling story for the kid in each of us!"
    "Love the Bolitar's"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Any additional comments?

    Second's Away picks up right where Shelter leaves off. I think you'd get much more from the book if you read Shelter first. Generally I wouldn't read a Young Adult kind of genre but I had become so invested in the Myron Bolitar series (Mickey Bolitar's uncle) I couldn't miss this. It is a light read and sometimes I think the plot takes a back seat to the action but still it is very entertaining. What attracted me to the book is not Mickey but Uncle Myron, who plays only a minor role in the book and we see him through a new and less favorable point of few... seeing flaws that we never knew he had. All in all... Harlan Coben brought it again!!

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Agent to the Stars

    • UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 49 mins)
    • By John Scalzi
    • Narrated By Wil Wheaton
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1805)
    Performance
    (1482)
    Story
    (1481)

    The space-faring Yherajk have come to Earth to meet us and to begin humanity's first interstellar friendship. There's just one problem: They're hideously ugly and they smell like rotting fish. So getting humanity's trust is a challenge. The Yherajk need someone who can help them close the deal. Enter Thomas Stein, who knows something about closing deals. He's one of Hollywood's hottest young agents.

    C. Paget says: "excellent"
    "Fun & Entertaining"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Any additional comments?

    What a fun, entertaining read! Well written and Wil Wheaton was an incredible narrator with perfect comic timing.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Replay

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 25 mins)
    • By Ken Grimwood
    • Narrated By William Dufris
    Overall
    (604)
    Performance
    (301)
    Story
    (306)

    In 1988, 43-year-old Jeff Winston died of a heart attack. But then he awoke, and it was 1963; Jeff was 18 all over again, his memory of the next two decades intact. This time around, Jeff would gain all the power and wealth he never had before. This time around he'd know how to do it right. Until next time.

    Jonathon says: "Entertaining and more than worth the price!!"
    "Wonderful Book! Left me wanting more."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

    I was hooked in the first chapter and could tear myself away.


    Any additional comments?

    So thought provoking and what a fun read!! Enjoyed every bit of this book.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Four to Score

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 36 mins)
    • By Janet Evanovich
    • Narrated By C. J. Critt
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (837)
    Performance
    (440)
    Story
    (447)

    Stephanie Plum, Trenton, New Jersey's favorite pistol-packing, condom-carrying bounty hunter, is back and on the trail of a revenge-seeking waitress who's skipped bail. With the help of 73-year-old Grandma Mazur, ex-hooker Lula, a transvestite musician named Sally Sweet, and the all-too-hospitable, all-too-sexy Joe Morelli, Stephanie might just catch her woman.

    Mike says: "Narrator was great!"
    "Narration Ruined it"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I am a big fan of the entire Stephanie Plum series. This story is good, same humor we've come to expect but the narration ruins it completely. I went back to the book for the one, the narration was so bad I wasn't able to make it through the audio edition.

    2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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