Karen Grey's Blog, page 5
January 27, 2015
UNREQUITED: Women and Romantic Obsession by Lisa A. Phillips plus GIVEAWAY
Available now from Tantor Audio.
From the Publisher:
“The summer Lisa A. Phillips turned thirty, she fell in love with someone who didn’t return her feelings. She soon became obsessed. She followed him around, called him compulsively, and talked about him endlessly. One desperate morning, after she snuck into his apartment building, he picked up a baseball bat to protect himself and began to dial 911. Her unrequited love had changed her from a sane, conscientious college teacher and radio reporter into someone she barely recognized—someone who was taking her yearning much too far.
In Unrequited, Phillips explores the tremendous force of obsessive love in women’s lives. Interweaving her own story with frank interviews and in-depth research in science, psychology, cultural history, and literature, Phillips describes how romantic obsession takes root, grows, and strongly influences our thoughts and behaviors.
As she illuminates this mysterious psychological experience, placing it in a rich and nuanced context, Phillips offers compelling insights to help any woman who has experienced unrequited obsessive love and been mystified and troubled by its grip.”
My recording experience:
I honestly had no idea what to expect when I set out to read this book, and I have to say that I think it’s one of the most unique books I’ve ever read, and it totally works. Phillips has skillfully woven together her own life experience with that of other women who’ve done surprising things while in the throes of unrequited love, put them in perspective using the sciences and history and myth to create a very readable (and hopefully listen-able!) final product. It had me thinking about some of the crazy things I’ve done in the name of love (endless letters to that director from London, making my friends ride by the house of that boy I was obsessed with in 8th grade, etc.). The most important thing Phillips does is challenge us to find the deeper drive behind the obsession – what in ourselves are we trying to create, find or heal, that we have projected onto this man? Fascinating stuff!
Listen to a sample here:
https://karenwhiteaudio.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/unrequited.mp3THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Joan is the randomly selected winner and the CDs will be mailed out to her as soon as I get her address. Thanks to all for entering! I give away lots of books – to find out about them in the future, please consider following this blog, or my Facebook page, or on Twitter.
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January 14, 2015
ONLY IN VEGAS by Lindsey Brookes plus GIVEAWAY!
Available now at Audible.com.
From the Publisher:
“Being Italian and being sexy is supposed to go hand in hand, but somewhere along the line twenty-six-year-old Angelina Rossi’s genes forgot their Italian love goddess heritage. And now everyone at her work knows what a failure she is as a woman thanks to her ex-boyfriend and co-worker at Sunset Travel who has given Angie the nickname of ‘Ice Princess’, claiming no man will ever thaw her.
Thirty-year-old business executive Trey Landers isn’t surprised by much his best friend and neighbor, Angelina Rossi, throws his way. But this time she throws him one hell of a curve ball. She not only wants him to accompany her on a business trip to Las Vegas, pretending to be her lover in front of her ex-boyfriend, she wants Trey to give her pointers on what it takes to seduce a man.
A man of his word, Trey’s fevered kisses in front of her ex has the ass regretting his decision to break up with Angie. Not that she’d ever consider going back to Rick. Especially after discovering true passion in Trey’s arms. With that passion comes the realization they’re no longer pretending as the lines of their longstanding friendship and newfound love begin to blur. If only what happened didn’t have to stay in Vegas.”
My recording experience:
To me, this book is a great example of a straight up contemporary romance. No vampires, no urban grit, not even really a workplace romance, its simply about two people falling in love, with a few bumps and obstacles along the way. I think Brookes combines well trope #1, guy pretending to be the date and – oops! he finds he really wants to be the date with trope #2, two childhood friends who at first have weirdness because they grew up together. I also liked that these two characters are good friends who wend their way to great chemistry. Lots to love!
Listen to a sample here:
https://karenwhiteaudio.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/p_kwhite_sample_onlyinvegas.mp3AND the GIVEAWAY!
The author has very graciously given me 5 free copies to give to listeners willing to post an honest review on Audible after listening, hopefully within a few weeks of accepting. If you’re interested, just make a comment below and I will email the first five with a gift code and instructions. This has mature content, so 21+ listeners only, please!
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December 21, 2014
MURDEROUS MUFFINS by Lois Lavrisa plus GIVEAWAY!
Available now from Lois Marie Lavrisa at Audible.com.
From the Publisher:
“Bezu is a beautiful southern belle with genteel manners. But her problems are anything but. Deep in debt, she’s illegally taken in a few lodgers. A sweet stripper and her bodybuilder boyfriend, an Asian man loudly learning English through pop music, and a mysterious stranger with the most amazing blue-green eyes – and a secret. When one of them mysteriously dies and it looks like her muffins were the murder weapon, Bezu and her fellow Chubby Chicks Club member, Cat, must discover who the killer is before she ends up in jail…or worse. Will they succeed? Find out in Murderous Muffins, book two in the Chubby Chicks Club cozy mystery series.”
From the review at Audiothing:
“Karen White could not, in my opinion, have done a better job than this wonderful narration, she simply tells a story so well. I loved the Southern accents, and all the characters are so clearly defined that one is never left to puzzle “who’s that again?”
Karen never gives cause to detract the listener from the story, it all flows beautifully without interruption. Tip top job!”
My recording experience:
Although this book is number two in a series, I think it would work well as a standalone, as that’s how I experienced it. Each book in the series is from the first person POV of a different character, so Lavrisa is wisely using a different narrator for each one. I know that listeners like to have a consistent narrator through a series (and most narrators like it, too, as we really get to know the characters and the writer’s style) but in this case it makes a lot of sense to switch it up.
I had a lot of fun with all the characters in this one, from Bezu, the belle beset with problems, to each of the smaller wacky characters (par for the course I am finding in a successful cozy mystery). It was the first time I’d done an entire book in an accent, but since it is from Bezu’s POV it demanded it, and hopefully, surrounded as I am these days by a wide range of southern accents, I was able to deliver!
Listen to a sample here:
https://karenwhiteaudio.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/murderousmuffins_00_5minutesample.mp3AND the GIVEAWAY:
This is a little different from my usual giveaways. Thanks to the generosity of Lois Lavrisa, who also published the book, I have 25 digital download copies of this book to give away! We just ask that if you take a copy you agree to give an honest review on Audible.com. So, if you’re interested, just make a comment below and then I will email you with the download code. You’ll need an Audible account to use it, which is free. The first 25 people that comment or contact me on goodreads or Facebook or Twitter will receive a code. Enjoy!
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December 5, 2014
MOTHERHOOD SMOTHERHOOD by JJ Keith
Available now from Audible. com 
From the Publisher:
“What’s the first thing a woman does when she thinks she might be pregnant? She Googles. And it goes downhill from there. While the internet is full of calming and cheerily supportive articles, it’s also littered with hyper-judgmental message boards and heaps of contradictory and scolding information.Motherhood Smotherhood takes parents through the trenches of new parenting, warning listeners of the pleasures and perils of mommy blogs, new parent groups, self-described “lactivists”, sleep fascists, incessant trend pieces on working versus non-working mothers, and the place where free time and self-esteem goes to die: Pinterest (back away from the hand-made flower headbands for baby!).
JJ Keith interweaves discussions of what “it takes a village” really means (hint: a lot of unwanted advice from elderly strangers who may have grown up in actual villages) and a take-down of the rising “make your own baby food” movement (just mush a banana with a fork!) with laugh-out-loud observations about the many mistakes she made as a frantic new mother with too much access to high speed internet and a lot of questions. Keith cuts to the truth – whether it’s about “perfect” births, parenting gurus, the growing tide of vaccine rejecters, the joy of blanketing Facebook with baby pics, or germophobia – to move conversations about parenting away from experts espousing blanket truths to amateurs relishing in what a big, messy pile of delight and trauma having a baby is.”
My recording experience:
Oh, this book made me laugh. And wish that it had been around when I was pregnant/parenting babies and toddlers. And think of a list of people that I wanted to give it to. Granted, Keith’s sense of humor is on the irreverent side, and she’s not shy with her use of, shall we say, colorful language. So it’s not for every brand of new mom. But if you’re like me, and your parenting experience was full of both anxiety and hilarity, then you’d be on board. The following quote describing one such moment kind of summed up Keith’s writing style to me: “That right there is a vomit sundae.” Enjoy.
Listen to a sample here:
https://karenwhiteaudio.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/motherhood-smotherhood-sample.mp3[image error]
