Ruth

I loved this book! My little boys finished it long before I did and they kept asking me, "Mom! Where are you in the story?! Are you finished yet?" It was a lovely fairytale turned novel that we all enjoyed. We loved Dave Barry when he was writing columns for the paper and this book proves that it was okay that he quit. We didn't like the idea at all initially. This book has just left me with a broad grin that I can't seem to shake. I really enjoyed it, everything from the Croc to Cap'n Hook to mermaids to pirates are all explained and the answer is closer to home than you'd think. How Peter got to be Peter Pan is a great story for kids of any age. My kids like to turn off the sound on the computer games and turn on the audio books. I have to shoo them out of the house sometimes, because they just want to keep listening. The next book in the series I'm going to get in paper form so that my youngest will read. He needs something motivating, and exciting. I think this is just the ticket.... but I may get the next one on audible for me. If you love the Peter Pan story, you can't go wrong with this one. This would make a great audio book to take on a family trip. I hope you'll spend the credit or buy it outright and enjoy!

This book is one of my personal favorites. Tiffany is marvelous. She is practical and bold. She is a doer and a thinker. She also wants to be a witch. Terry Pratchett's idea of witchcraft appeals to me immensely. He has the idea that witchcraft is looking at something, seeing what needs to be done and doing it. There are big magical workings and very fun magical workings, but those are for special occasions and not to be used much. He tells kids that mostly it is a lot of work, although they don't get into any real learning until the next book. I know he wrote these books as a child's introduction to the Disc World. These books are perfect for any age. They are clean, so witty, and amazingly funny. I tell my children, "Waily! waily! waily!" when they are whiny. I can't get enough of the Wee Free Men. I had this book on CD but bought it on Audible for consistency. I have all the others on Audible already. If you need a fun book or series to listen to on a medium range car trip, this one is it. My boys love Tiffany and the Wee Free Men as much as any of the girls in our family. I love this whole series. They are all excellent Terry Pratchett books. If you want to really enjoy a fairytale-type atmosphere, I think this might be a perfect fit. As always Stephen Briggs is perfect at these narrations. His accents are amazing. This is a must-read in children's fantasy. It does deal with some nightmares so probably not for children under about 6, unless your children are not scared by much of anything. Hope you and yours enjoy this as much as we do. Enjoy!

I quite liked this book. My 20+ year old daughter grabbed my ipod and tried to finish it before I did, but she didn't succeed. Magic is interesting as long as it doesn't get too dark and evil. I did have a harder time understanding the words of the songs and had to look at a book to figure out what some of them were. Overall, it didn't detract from the story much. I just had to go back and listen to them several times. The special effects were interesting, I thought, and made me jump at least once. I didn't take a lot of time to finish the book either. It was suspenseful enough that I wanted to get it done. I was a little disappointed that they didn't just end the story. It doesn't quite finish things up the way I thought it should, but I will probably read the next one in the series. There were a few things that didn't get explained. I hope they will do that in the next book. I did like the main characters. I thought the narration really added to the story. I am a clean-story fanatic and this qualifies. There really isn't any swearing that I remember. There are also no sexual scenes. Obviously, if you have negative opinions of any occult situation you will pass this one by. Overall, if you like mildly scary stories or stories of suspense without the blood and gore, this book might be for you. My favorite parts of the story have to do with the Southern flair. My kids tease me. I lived down South for awhile and whenever I listen to a Southern book, I slip back into the accent. Then I get stuck there for awhile. The descriptions of his aunts and their Scrabble game made me laugh out loud. I love old books, cool old houses, magic, old curses, unexplained events and star crossed loves. If you do, you might really enjoy this audiobook. I was very entertained by it. Can hardly wait to get the next one.

I was not very well-versed in this time period of England and enjoyed learning about King Henry VIII and his offspring. The treachery at court and the jockeying for power left you not knowing who to believe. I enjoyed the main character and the mystery surrounding him. I do have a few words of caution. This time frame doesn't seem to be filled with the highest moral character. There is one sex scene. It is not overly described and is thankfully very brief. If Brendan ever sends his friend, the stable boy, out of the room when he is reunited with his lady friend, you could skip several minutes and miss the whole thing. There was one f bomb in the whole book. I don't think that word appropriate to the time period. Really, a little over 100 years ago if you said something like "Devil Take It!" or "Blast it!" They were considered swear words. I just thought that was entirely out of place. The story is interesting; the time period, fascinating. The narration was good as far as I could tell. I was really sucked in quickly and finished it fairly quickly. I knock off stars for the above two things, but overall I enjoyed the story.

I really enjoyed this book. I've read all of Shannon Hale's books and have enjoyed almost all of them. I particularly like alternative forms of magic and quarry speech feels like one of those. Who would have thought that up? Not me. Anyway, I enjoyed the ethical and governmental questions as well as the love interests in this book. I thought it ended well and wonder if there will be another. I think this book could easily stand alone, but it would probably be best to read Princess Academy first. I also thought it was interesting how much power quarry speech had in the palace as well as other interesting effects on those who live there. Interesting and fun. All of Shannon Hale's books are clean. The children's books are very clean. That is a relief to those of us who worry about the books available to children everywhere. If you enjoy light fantasy written for the young and young at heart, you will probably enjoy this book.

This is the first book other than the Royal Spyness books that I've read by Rhys Bowen. I liked the other books so well that I bought this without even looking at the reviews. I was not disappointed in any way. They aren't quite as funny as the Spyness books but the mystery was good and has a couple of twists in it. I LOVED the narrator's Welsh accent and he just added to the book. If I had read this I know that I would have been left wondering how to pronounce all those names. They just roll right off of John Lee's tongue. I stayed up way past my bedtime to get closer to the end and then had to sleep. I was up at 6 and finishing the story. I won't like functioning today but it was a great story. I wish Audible would get all her books.on audio. I think I'd buy them all! More Rhys Bowen and Constable Evans Please!! Guess I'll have to go to the library to check out some paper books for a change. My housework and husband would prefer I do audio.... I get more done that way. If you love mysteries, you will probably love this book... If you love hunky voices with accents, you'll love this book whether you like mysteries or not. Well worth my credit.

We are at the end of our war trilogy. Some people like to call this book/movie the story with a thousand endings. I disagree. There are several things that have to be wrapped up in this story. Will the hobbits ever get home? Will Aragorn ever become king? Will Frodo and Sam fulfill their quest? Will your favorite characters still be standing when it is all over? Will good triumph over evil? Keep your eyebrows crossed and hang on to your walking sticks because this book is exciting! I have read it so many times, but it never gets old for me. I think over all that the Lord of the Rings is one of the best stories about friendship and enduring to the end that I have ever encountered. The history and poetry are delightful. Maybe I am biased because I am a Tolkien nut, but this book and the other two in the trilogy are fantasy at their best. If you can hang in there and if you are patient enough, the Appendices at the end offer some interesting back story you won't get anywhere else. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Ok, here we are at Book 2 of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy! New readers beware that the characters from Fellowship of the Ring have split up and moved on to fulfill their own parts of a save Middle Earth campaign that will lead to the great climax of the Return of the King. If you haven't read this book before, beware of the ending and don't tear out your hair. Just remember you don't have to wait until the next book comes out. It is already here! So calm down My Preciousssss and get ready to meet more cool Middle Earth characters that make the journey more interesting. Being a horse-freak and a lover of trees at heart I was especially fond of the Riders of Rohan and the Ents. Faramir is also an unexpected highlight in this book...unless you have read it before like me. This is a good read and is kid friendly for about age 8 and up.

I was introduced to this story when I was 13 years old by my brother-in-law. He had read The Hobbit to me during a family vacation, and then read the first chapter of Fellowship of the Ring. When he finished chapter 1 he turned to me with a wicked grin and said if I wanted to find out what happened next I would have to read it myself. I have been a Tolkien nut ever since. In fact I am one of those geeky people who goes through the trilogy at least once a year for good measure. This is the only unabridged version I have been able to find. I love it that the stories, songs and Middle Earth lore were important enough to those who put out this version be treated with respect. Rob Inglis does a great job with the narration. I can believe I am hearing elves or old hobbits telling me the story I love all over again while we sit by the fire. A few years ago I bought the whole trilogy on CD and was happy to get it. Now it is much easier to access on Audible. THANK YOU SO MUCH! If you love fantasy literature, this trilogy is one of the pivotal works that created the genre. Read and savor it like I did...and will continue to do.

Gene Stratton-Porter does it again. This book is a companion novel to Freckles and takes place after that story. Elnora Comstock, the main character is a spunky backwoods girl who triumphs over childhood neglect, poverty, and ignorance to become a person I would love to know if she were real. The descriptions of the Limberlost forest are delightful, as are the other characters who live there. I have read or listened to this book more than once. If you like books in the style of Anne of Green Gables, this is for you. It is kid friendly and a fun story with hard work and optimism at the core. Enjoy!

Gene Stratton-Porter is one of my father's favorite authors, so he recommended Freckles to me when I was young. Keeping in mind that this book was published in 1904 when sentimentality and melodrama were popular, I think it is a great coming-of-age story. Freckles is a lovable underdog character who works hard for everything he gets, makes very interesting and loyal friends along the way, and comes out better than he ever expected. Perhaps I am as old-fashioned as this book, but I like it when things are happy and uplifiting. I get really tired of literature that revels in misery. The descriptions of his natural environment and the flora and fauna that live there are wonderful. This is a fun book for kids and adults alike. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.