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Lynda Rands

Belleville, IL | Member Since 2007

HELPFUL VOTES

13 reviews
27 ratings
0 titles in library
11 purchased in 2013

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The Great Leader: A Faux Mystery

UNABRIDGED
- by Jim Harrison
- Narrated by Ray Porter
The Great Leader: A Faux Mystery

UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 41 mins)

By Jim Harrison

Narrated By Ray Porter

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(29)
Performance
(26)
Story
(26)

Author Jim Harrison has won international acclaim for his masterful body of work, including over thirty books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. In his most original work to date, Harrison delivers an enthralling, witty, and expertly crafted novel following one man’s hunt for an elusive cult leader, dubbed the Great Leader.
Harold says: "A Complete, Down-to-earth Man"
"Not Harrison's best"

Overall
Performance
Story

I love Jim Harrison's work. His novellas (especially Revenge and Legends of the Fall) are some of the best things I have ever read. The latter book packs three generations of action into about 150 pages. His writing is consistently strong and he moves the story forward with every sentence. But not in this book. The Great Leader struck me as a little more than a rumination on growing old and it wore me out in about two chapters. What action there is comes between large chunks of the main character talking to himself. The narrator did a workmanlike job but there was not a lot to work with here.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
In the Woods

UNABRIDGED
- by Tana French
- Narrated by Steven Crossley
In the Woods

UNABRIDGED (20 hrs and 23 mins)

By Tana French

Narrated By Steven Crossley

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(3584)
Performance
(1738)
Story
(1734)

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children, unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.
Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a 12-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery.
Lesley says: "Detection with a Difference"
"Disappointingly conventional"

Overall
Performance
Story

This book starts out great. Marvelous writing style, good characters, two interesting crimes. Unfortunately, the characters don't develop and worse, they exhibit the relationship skills of high school sophomores. The investigation drags on and on and on, with an ending that is entirely predictable. For one of the crimes, that is. The other one is never resolved. To top it all off, the main character/narrator is an annoying twit.

But beautifully written.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The Religion: A Novel

UNABRIDGED
- by Tim Willocks
- Narrated by Simon Vance
The Religion: A Novel

UNABRIDGED (25 hrs and 23 mins)

By Tim Willocks

Narrated By Simon Vance

Overall
(181)
Performance
(46)
Story
(47)

May 1565. Suleiman the Magnificent, emperor of the Ottomans, has declared a jihad against the Knights of Saint John the Baptist. The largest armada of all time approaches the Knights' Christian stronghold on the island of Malta. The Turks know the Knights as the "The Hounds of Hell." The Knights call themselves "The Religion".
Patricia says: "Rip-roaring adventure!"
"Boring"

Overall
Performance
Story

This book starts out pretty well - action filled first scene. Then there's about an hour of waiting for something to happen. Another scene. More waiting. I stopped before I got through the first third.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Capital

UNABRIDGED
- by John Lanchester
- Narrated by Colin Mace
Capital

UNABRIDGED (17 hrs and 31 mins)

By John Lanchester

Narrated By Colin Mace

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(20)
Performance
(17)
Story
(17)

It’s 2008, and things are falling apart: Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers are going under, and the residents of Pepys Road, London - a banker and his shopaholic wife, an old woman dying of a brain tumor and her graffiti-artist grandson, Pakistani shop owners and a shadowy refugee who works as the meter maid, the young soccer star from Senegal and his minder - are receiving anonymous postcards reading "We Want What You Have." Who is behind it? What do they want?
Lynda Rands says: "Wonderful characters, great story"
"Wonderful characters, great story"

Overall
Performance
Story

I loved every minute of this book. Lanchester brings all his characters out through action and conversation and he has a great handle on what was happening in London during the 2000's. Looks at the era from a lot of different viewpoints. I cared about all these people, whether I liked them or not. There are a few references which require some background in English culture, but you won't have a problem if you don't catch them. Very nice story, really couldn't recommend it more highly.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful
A Rage in Harlem: A Grave Digger & Coffin Ed Novel

UNABRIDGED
- by Chester Himes
- Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson
A Rage in Harlem: A Grave Digger & Coffin Ed Novel

UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 26 mins)

By Chester Himes

Narrated By Samuel L. Jackson

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(250)
Performance
(222)
Story
(222)

Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Star Wars films), fresh off the success of his uproarious, Audie-nominated performance of the mock children’s book Go the F**k to Sleep, delivers a swaggering, darkly-humored rendering of Chester Himes’ classic first novel.
Josephine says: "Not bad"
"PHENOMENAL"

Overall
Performance
Story

Chester Himes is an unappreciated master of noir fiction. His writing sings and Samuel L. Jackson gets the tune exactly right. The story is entertaining, characters are exceptionally well drawn and the violence is as brutal as it is unexpected. Give it a try.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Catch-22

UNABRIDGED
- by Joseph Heller
- Narrated by Jay O. Sanders
Catch-22

UNABRIDGED (20 hrs and 1 min)

By Joseph Heller

Narrated By Jay O. Sanders

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(1510)
Performance
(616)
Story
(625)

Catch-22 is set in the closing months of World War II, in an American bomber squadron on a small island off Italy. Its hero is a bombardier named Yossarian, who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. (He has decided to live forever, even if he has to die in the attempt.)
Captain Chopper says: "Phenominal Reading - Story and Damn Funny"
"As Relevant Now As Ever"

Overall
Performance
Story

I read this book years ago. At least two times. It is a masterpiece. This reading adds a level of nuance to the book that is truly exceptional. The narrator picks voices for the various characters that are absolutely spot-on. The one caveat for those unfamiliar with the book is that the story is non-linear. Stick with it, it actually is pretty easy to piece things together as the story unfolds. You owe it to yourself to listen, and consider as you do how little things have changed since our adventures in Vietnam (which was current when this book was written) or in WWII, for that matter.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The Fall of the House of Zeus: The Rise and Ruin of America's Most Powerful Trial Lawyer

UNABRIDGED
- by Curtis Wilkie
- Narrated by Sean Runnette
The Fall of the House of Zeus: The Rise and Ruin of America's Most Powerful Trial Lawyer

UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 45 mins)

By Curtis Wilkie

Narrated By Sean Runnette

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(34)
Performance
(14)
Story
(14)

The Fall of the House of Zeus tells the story of Dickie Scruggs, arguably the most successful plaintiff's lawyer in America. A brother-in-law of Trent Lott, the former U.S. Senate majority leader, Scruggs made a fortune taking on mass tort lawsuits against "Big Tobacco" and the asbestos industries. He was hailed by Newsweek as a latter-day Robin Hood and portrayed in the movie The Insider as a dapper aviator-lawyer.
minadene says: "Sad story"
"Lawyers Behaving Badly"

Overall
Performance
Story

This is interesting stuff, although the author's bias in favor of Dickie Scruggs makes the book come across as less than the whole story. Still, a fascinating look at how the legal community in Mississippi worked (and didn't) together. A huge influx of money from different sources resulted in some very nasty fights amongst the participants, most of which ended up in court. One would think that a bunch of lawyers would know better than to air their dirty laundry in public. Also a nice look at how politics works in a small state where things are controlled by a small number of players.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful
American Emperor: Aaron Burr's Challenge to Jefferson's America

UNABRIDGED
- by David O. Stewart
- Narrated by Andrew Garman
American Emperor: Aaron Burr's Challenge to Jefferson's America

UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 26 mins)

By David O. Stewart

Narrated By Andrew Garman

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Overall
(14)
Performance
(14)
Story
(14)

A spellbinding storyteller, historian David O. Stewart traces the canny and charismatic Aaron Burr from the threshold of the presidency in 1800 to his duel with Alexander Hamilton. Stewart recounts Burr’s efforts to carve out an empire, taking listeners across the American West as the renegade vice president schemes with foreign ambassadors, the U.S. general-in-chief, and future presidents.
Jeffrey L. Gingold says: "America's Apocalypse Now"
"Very good, given lack of source material."

Overall
Performance
Story

The problem with Aaron Burr is that he left nothing behind. As the author notes, Burr refused to conduct business in writing. So we are left with other people's accounts of Burr's life, all of which are tainted by the reporter's perspective. Stewart does a good job of giving space to all the varied views of Burr but as a consequence I came away more than a bit confused. With that said, this book is very much worth the time, especially in the passages which describe Burr's various trials. The insight given into how the legal system operated at the time, and the degree to which it was driven by personal animosity, is great.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful
A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book 5

UNABRIDGED
- by George R. R. Martin
- Narrated by Roy Dotrice
A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book 5

UNABRIDGED (49 hrs)

By George R. R. Martin

Narrated By Roy Dotrice

Overall
(6389)
Performance
(5281)
Story
(5279)

Dubbed the American Tolkien by Time magazine, George R. R. Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the number-one New York Times best-selling author delivers the fifth book in his spellbinding landmark series - as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire.
J. Cano says: "A tale of two publishers:"
"Read the book instead."

Overall
Performance
Story

I listen to a lot of books on tape. I've listed to the Count of Monte Cristo (50 hours or so) as well as two volumes of Shelby Foote's Civil War (north of 100 hours) as well as four of the five Martin volumes. After my experience with book 3 (markedly tedious but endurable) I read book 4 rather than listening to it. This allowed me to skip a lot of the filler and get through that volume without wanting to give up on the entire project and go listen to American Gods again. I gave this book a try due to the return of Mr. Dotrice and spent a lot of time regretting it. The pace is glacial. The narration is godawful - I finally figured out that Dany's voice was a dead ringer for Barry Fitzgerald in The Quiet Man.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Nineteen Seventy Four: Red Riding Quartet

UNABRIDGED
- by David Peace
- Narrated by Saul Reichlin
Nineteen Seventy Four: Red Riding Quartet

UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 16 mins)

By David Peace

Narrated By Saul Reichlin

Overall
(237)
Performance
(46)
Story
(48)

Jeanette Garland, missing Castleford, July 1969. Susan Ridyard, missing Rochdale, March 1972. Claire Kemplay, missing Morley, since yesterday. It’s winter, 1974, Yorkshire, Christmas bombs, Lord Lucan on the run, the Bay City Rollers, and Eddie Dunford’s got the job he wanted – crime correspondent for the Yorkshire Evening Post. He didn’t know it was going to be a season in hell. A dead little girl with a swan’s wings stitched into her back. A gypsy camp in a ring of fire. Corruption everywhere you look.
Lori says: "Disturbing, Uncomfortable - Real Crime Fiction"
"Very, very noir"

Overall
Performance
Story

This is exceptional writing. Any fan of James Ellroy will find much to enjoy here. Profane, obscene, crude, horrific - with all that said it is a top-notch story and brilliantly written. Not for everyone, as the other reviews note, but if you are willing to face an absolutely bleak world filled with nasty characters, you will get your money's worth here. Everything about this book is vicious - including the sexuality, but all in all more realistic and better drawn than the gratuitous sex scenes thrown in to far to many contemporary works.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful