Janet

Kate Morton is amazing. What a talent she has to be able to create these intricate and captivating stories. This is the fourth of her books I have listened to and I marvel at her talent. I hate it when her stories end, even though they are long by normal standards. All her stories are family oriented with a mysterious and devastating secret - often murder - that is resolved at the end. The narrator, Caroline Lee, has a musical voice that works in different tones and accents for different characters. She is a pleasure to listen to.

I will look forward to every one of Kate Morton's books in the future.

First, Claire Danes was the perfect choice to read this book. She got the feeling right - her intensity was perfect for such a dire story. That said, the story could have been more interesting. It had a unique view of an over-thrown government and what could happen when the rights of our citizens are revoked - mostly women's rights in this story. At first I was really interested, and I longed to hear more from the "Handmaid" about how this state of the country occurred and what the main characters were like before the change-over, but there was too little time spent on that. It just left too many questions and holes in the story for me. I felt a little unfulfilled as though I had been listening to a poorly-edited abridgment. I would, however, give Margaret Atwood another chance and listen to another of her stories.

Kate Morton has a real talent for telling a complex story. She has a way with words that will wrap their arms around your eyes and ears and not let go. Ms. Morton's stories become personal and always involve families and mysteries surrounding those families. At the end of the book you will want more! This was the first of her books I listened to and I am nearly through with the rest of them. Caroline Lee, is a wonderful narrator for these stories with a very pleasant voice and just the right amount of inflection and speed. Well worth my time and I highly recommend all Ms. Morton's books.

Good vs evil and all that confuses in both... Some of Mr. King's writing is palatable to everyone. Some is not. This might not be your favorite, but it will get under your skin and you will get it. George Guidall gives color, smoke and mirrors to the story; I just enjoy listening to his voice. I couldn't stop listening, it was worth every minute.

This story is the perfect Christmas read with just the right balance of holiday magic and interesting story. I listen to this every year and follow it up with Baldacci's Skipping Christmas. You can't ask for better writing or better performances.

This could be a very good book, but it reads too much like a text book. The characters are good, believable and even enjoyable, but only towards the end of the book does the story line actually become interesting. It was laborious to even decide to keep listening. I wasn't crazy about the narrator, but I don't mind a mediocre narrator if the story is good. Since I did finish the book, I must admit the writing was good enough to make me care about what happens to the characters, but it might not be good enough to entice me to pick up the next book in the series.

Grisham is a very good story teller. His writing is fluid and descriptive. While this story may not resound with thunder and lightening, it is solid and enjoyable. It tells a realistic and possible story about honesty with yourself and others. It does have quite a bit of football game descriptions in it, but they are easy to follow and if you like Grisham, but are not familiar with football, don't let that stop you from listening to this good story about a good guy. As for the reader, he is very constant. I liked his easy style and his different accents were quite believable. I recommend this book for a nice, light listen.

I listened to The Glass Castle last February and was saddened, delighted and disgusted over and over by it. As it is a memoir I am tempted not to believe all the details at face value, knowing how memories fade with time and sometimes details differ between people who experience the same thing at the same time.

Tonight I have just returned from a guest appearance by Jeanette Walls at a local book club. Her presentation prompted me to write this review. She is charming, lovely, very funny, entertaining and speaks as well as she writes - leaving the "ums" out of the prose, however. She is believable. Perhaps I didn't want to believe all the neglect she wrote about, but whether it is all true or not, the premise is basic and prevalent in our society. Ms. Walls spoke about how no matter what danger and hurt her parents exposed her to, she chooses to accept them for who they are as individuals and take from her childhood the building blocks her parents, albeit unknowingly, gave her to live with hope for her future.

This book will certainly entertain you, but can also help you reflect on your own parents and what they unknowingly gave to you that you can use to keep your hope alive each day. And, if you can be hopeful about your own future, you can be a better parent so you can unknowingly pass along some building blocks to your children. This book is better than "a good read". It is a good lesson in acceptance and hope. I intend to give it to my children.

My first experience with Christopher Moore's writing was with A Dirty Job. His prose is funny and easy and you can't help but giggle through each one of his books. He gives you a solid feeling about goodness and love for fellow man and that cannot be tainted by modern vernacular. I intend to listen to everything Mr. Moore writes because he makes me feel good. Thanks for that, Mr. Moore.

This book was very factual, and very depressing. It was somewhat disjointed in its storytelling, and gave no positive attributes of the story surrounding the colony on Molokai. I had a difficult time listening to it at all.