Jonelle

This book has been on my to-read list for years. This year, I read a a very positive review of Juliet Stevenson's narration in Booklist and decided that the time was right...and I loved it!

Without a doubt, she is one of the best narrators I have ever listened to - ranking up there with Jim Dale, George Guidall and Scott Brick.

Plus, Middlemarch, which had been highly recommended to me by friends who knew I was a fan of Jane Austen, was wonderful. It's a big, big novel, but it really is a timeless classic, full of observations about people that still ring true today.

Give it a go...you won't regret it.

I LOVED this book. If you are looking for a rip-roaring good story, with wonderful characters, this is your book. Based on the known facts of the lives of Doc Holliday, the Earp brothers and Dodge City in the late 1870's, Russell weaves a story that will leave you wanting more long after you've finished it. Mary Doria Russell is a wonderful writer; and the audio book narrator, Mark Bramhall, was extraordinary. Russell's first book "The Sparrow" was one of my all-time favorites, and this book will be added to that list as well.

Fascinating book about the Allies efforts in World War II to identify, locate, conserve, and in many cases return art and cultural artifacts to the rightful owners following World War II. While reading the book I realized that I had visited many of the areas described in this book in France, Austria and Germany, and that I had never heard these stories before. I'm glad that the story is being told now.

While I'm more of a crime or detective mystery reader, the series' premise of an Episcopal priest who falls in love with the married police chief while investigating crimes in their small community has been an intriguing storyline to watch develop. I didn't like this story as much as the first books in the series; but it seems to be one that you must read before moving on to the others. And, I will be reading the others.

I loved Metaxis' biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The evolution of his spirituality, his beliefs and writings, his activity as part of a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler all made for an absolutely fascinating life story. While told from a decidedly evangelical perspective, the book is highly recommended.

Another review that I read said that this book was like "the Anti-Gatsby" - nothing really out of the ordinary happens except the development of a lifelong friendship between two married couples. A story richly told of lives well-lived, this book is a lovely portrait of how friendships are formed and kept over the course of a lifetime.

What a L-O--N---G book! --about 37 hours of listening (can you imagine narrating it?!)

While I enjoyed Simon Vance's expert narration and characterization of the Dickens characters, I can't say that I loved listening to this book. All that Victorian prose...and, frankly, the way that Dickens and men of his time regarded women was awaful. (Women needing to have their 'minds formed', and serving as the 'moral center' of a home, or flittering about like 'little birds' all the time.)

While Dickens certainly created memorable characters, I can't say that I liked David Copperfield very much at all.

Tracy Kidder is a wonderful narrative non-fiction writer and this book is no exception. In it, he tells the story of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Harvard infectious disease doctor of very humble origins who is out to save the world, and Haiti in particular. If only we had more people in the world like Farmer. An inspiring book!

With shades of Angela's Ashes, Tana French spins out a mystery set in Dublin's working class neighborhoods and tenements.

French uses a minor character (Frank Mackey) from an earlier novel, The Likeness, as her protagonist and has him return to the neighborhood of his childhood to discover the body of his long-lost teenage girlfriend in an abandoned flat. French really knows how to develop her characters well, and undercover cop Frank Mackey is no exception.

This was a quick read book of essays by and about author Michael Chabon's life.

Chabon was surprisingly revealing. (I found myself wondering if I were Michael Chabon's kid, would I want to read something that talks so frankly about my parent's sex life or pot-smoking habits? But, that's part of what makes it interesting.) And, while it seemed kind of light weight and quick-to-digest at the time, even after several weeks I still find myself thinking about and talking about some of his essays with others.

I especially enjoyed the essay about the clock of the long now and how when we were growing up, people actively talked about and imagined the future - what it would be like, look like, the new ways in which people would interact with technology. Chabon said that now, no one thinks about the future - perhaps because daily life is all changing so fast.

Enjoyable, fun and thought provoking!

I'm often fascinated by the woman behind the creative genius, and this book was no exception.

Wife and literary partner/agent of Vladimir Nabokov, Vera's life story and the portrait of their marriage was fascinating, even if a little tough to believe at times.