Holly

Once again, Jayne Ann Krentz tells a great story with interesting characters, a fast moving plot and enough sizzle to be fascinating. Known for her Arcane Series which spans from Victorian Times (written under the Amanda Quick pen name) though the present to the future of Harmony (written under Jayne Castle) this latest entry features Abby Radwell with her paranormal ability to unlock encrypted books and Sam Coopersmith who takes on the job of protecting her.

The first book in this trilogy series, it might be a bit rough going if you are not already familiar with this particular world and set of characters. Read them all - fun, well written and not a flipping vampire in sight!

It isn't often that the fourth book in a series is even better than the previous three. Bledsoe spins a tale of pirates, gold and tropical isles.

Eddie, in taking a case 20 years cold as a favor to a friend has to sail across oceans, track down other pirates and face some rather nasty truths about himself. With well developed characters and non-stop action, this book is more of a thriller and less of a character driven detective story than previous books. The plot is well thought out and developed.

Once again Rudnicki's deep voice is the perfect match for the story. The editing is excellent with nary a mispronunciation, hesitation or duplication in the entire recorded book.

McSparren writes a good story with fun characters and decently paced action. However, between the poor editing (repeated words, sentences and stumbles just shouldn't be there) and horrible performance by the narrator I would recommend you give this book a miss.

Not all southern accents are the same and picking the correct ones for Tennessee and Georgia would be appreciated. Nasal is not required and inflection that matched the action rather than swapping out monotone with sing-song could vastly improve the quality of the performance.

I may read follow-on books in this series, but I will avoid this narrator.

A good solid mystery set in San Francisco. Sharon, working for All Souls Legal Cooperative gets sucked into solving a murder in her own neighborhood. Things get complicated when an old friend comes to stay, an upstairs neighbor gets murdered and things seem to spiral out of control.

This early Sharon McCone book lacks nothing in character development, plot or sub-plot twists. As a stand alone mystery, this book is successful in making you feel like you knew the neighborhood and the characters.

If you, like me, are someone who has read the series in its entirety just don't let what you know from later books get you confused. Just stay with the story and the time line - it is well worth it.

Lazy summer days before entering the adult world of responsibility. A picnic joined by friends and not over run by ants. The Wind in the Willows brought back some of the best of childhood without bringing all that angst and hassle laying under the surface for most of us.

Relax and enjoy Mole, Rat, and even Mr Toad as they explore life, the English countryside and stretch the boundaries of their world. This children's classic is for more than children. And running about 6 hours, it is one of the best bargains for your money you can find (just buy it and save your credits for a book that is expensive).

Ever wondered what goes on in the back woods of Alaska? Well, in real life there might not be werewolves - but in Harper's world there are complete with challenges, families and all the day to day hassles that make the community come alive. If you want a quick romp with fun characters and a plot that doesn't devolve completely around blood, violence and sex, you have come to the right author and story.

Maggie, the local alpha, doesn't welcome the presence of Nick, a "normal" academic type who wants to research wolves and the paranormal. Especially when staving off strange happenings and incursions from another pack are creating problems for her leadership.

The book is a quick, fun listen with Amanda Ronconi turning in an excellent performance.

With a refreshingly painful honestly, Jullia Spencer (please note error above - this is NOT the same person as Julia Spencer-Fleming) interweaves her past into her present as she clearly describes the twists, turns and changes that come into her life as she comes to grips with hereditary visual loss.
The narrator is exceptional as the prose flows through and around all those incidents of daily life that define a person and her place in the world. This is not so much a story about a woman becoming blind (ok, visually impaired) and reclaiming her independence with the aid of a seeing eye dog as it is an exploration of what one values and on what grounds you choose to claim as yours.