Samyann's Blog, page 13

What Have You Done by Matthew Farrell

What Have You Done is just over nine hours of listening in audiobook format, narrated by Chris Andrew Ciulla, and released in October 2018 by Brilliance Audio.

Plot: Liam and Sean are brothers whose mother tries to drown them when they are little boys. She wishes for them all to join her dead husband. Mom ultimately kills herself, and the two boys grow to be cops. One is a serial killer, the other his protector, or so the reader is lead to believe. Ridiculously predictable. You’ll guess who the bad guy is immediately and this is not the author’s intent.

Liked: Can’t think of anything redeemable, sorry. Based on other reviews, there are merits. But … I can’t find them. Maybe editing?

Disliked: In the last couple of chapters found myself mumbling, “Why am I still listening to this?” The plot is juvenile, transparent. Narration is comical without intending to be. Even the final reveal, which was supposed to be a big surprise, is gratuitous and doesn’t add to the story.

Spend a credit, and you’ll be sorry. Really. Not recommended.

Yesterday Review -Thank you!

dmbfan

5.0 out of 5 stars  Please make this a movie!

April 16, 2019

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

Yesterday: A Novel of Reincarnation by Samyann was a one of the BEST books I have read in a long time. Yesterday: A Novel of Reincarnation is a story about Amanda, who meets policeman Mark on the day she saves his life in an unexpected accident. Or has she known him before? They both get a sense of déjà vu, and they are drawn together from that moment on.

The story revolves not just around Mark & Amanda, but an antique grandfather clock Amanda buys and they are both inexplicably drawn too, that ties them to each other and their past in such a beautiful way. Amanda is a strong independent woman who has been hurt before and lost too many loved ones, and she desperately doesn’t want to take a chance on Mark- but he fights for her anyway. Mark is the hero, the kind of guy every woman wants to meet and fall in love with- strong, sensitive, funny, so endearing. Once you meet Amanda & Mark, they begin a journey of past life regression sessions that were so detailed and interesting, I could hardly put the book down!

Amanda fights the feelings she obviously has for Mark; plagued by losses she has had before meeting him. Mark, hero that he is, forges through Amanda’s feelings of loss and continues to fight for her while they both unravel the mystery of how they know each other. As you read about the past live regression sessions, you fall in love with both of them.

There was nothing I disliked about this book. From the first page, to the very last page, I was enthralled with the story the entire time. While reading this and after I finished the book, I wanted to know more about Mark & Amanda’s past lives, and I wanted to know what happens next! This would be a beautiful movie, the story was so vivid, and I could see the scenes while I was reading. The details in the past life regression sessions about the plantations and Chicago Fire were so descriptive, I really felt like I was there with them.

This book is well deserving of 5 stars- maybe (definitley more). Yesterday: A Novel of Reincarnation was a well written and well edited novel. While this is clearly a love story, I believe this book will appeal to a wide range of readers. I would read anything by Samyann in the future, and hope that a sequel to the story is soon to follow!

Reset by Brian Andrews

Reset is approximately eleven hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, published in April 2018 by Brilliance Audio, and narrated by Ray Porter.

Plot: An alien “orb”, with the identity of Eve, has evil in mind, the elimination of humanity the objective. This begins in the 60s with Will Barnes waking in a straight jacket, having killed his wife, his brain scrambled. Jump 50 years to Will being a recluse that builds a survival bunker in an abandoned rocket silo in the New York woods in preparation for the 6th extinction. Meanwhile, a couple of US military guys lose their marbles in an Afghan cave – where the orb is captured, and the story moves to its escape, re-capture, subsequent deadly mischief. One of the military spouses is our hero in her efforts to rescue the mind of hubby.

Liked: Working at widening reading habits to include more SciFi, it’s a big world out there to explore. Reset is true to the genre without knees clicking. There is the mystery of alien technology, the what-if factor to ponder in elements of brain manipulation.

Not-so-hot: The origins of the story are a bit lost on me. Where did the Afghan cave find come into being? What was the cause/source of Will’s initial brain collapse in the 60s? His question 50 years later of “Did she talk to you, too?” isn’t enough. Can’t do spoilers, so that’s confusing, but be prepared for some confusion when you read Reset. The orb has an eleven foot diameter in the cave, but the size of a basketball for the rest of the story. Some holes, IMO – but not so much as to spoil the story.

Narration by Ray Porter is terrific. Male/female voices alike, pace, tempo, etc., all nicely done. Good audio production.

Recommended for those who like SciFi, stretching credibility.

FYI, skip the epilog, the last four minutes is a climate change diatribe.

Boy’s Life by Robert R McCammon

Boy’s Life is a coming-of-age story, published in 2014 by Simon & Schuster Audio, narrated by George Newbern, and about 20 hours of listening.

Plot: Cory, an 11-year-old boy, grows up in an idyllic Alabama town in the 1960s. KKK, segregation, and youthful innocence is mingled and conveyed through the eyes of a boy, his circle of friends, his parents, and the community. From shore, Cory witnesses his father jump into a lake to rescue a driver from a sinking car. The man is tied to the steering wheel, throat slashed, and the vehicle slides hundreds of feet to the muddy bottom. Cory’s father has typical PTSD and struggles with what he has seen.

Liked: Length, 20 hours; like ‘m long. Colorful characters sprinkle the pages. The narration is excellent, male/female/children/blacks, all nicely done. Unique voices for many incidental characters. The ethereal nature of some elements made the story mystical and thought-provoking.

Not so hot: About 1/3 of the book consists of stories about Cory’s adventures – entirely disconnected from the central murder mystery – simple tales of a boy’s mischief and growing-up in that time and place. In my opinion, short stories within the novel that could be a coming-of-age anthology. No doubt, many readers will enjoy this; for me, it was fill. POV is problematic, but hey, story trumps all.

Good murder mystery. You may determine who the bad guy is early on, but motive will keep you guessing until the final chapters. No sex, no offensive language.

Recommended.

The Tower by Gregg Hurwitz

Audiobook. The Tower is approximately twelve hours of listening, published by Brilliance Audio in September 2018, and narrated by Scott Brick.

Plot. The Tower is a maximum security prison. Nasty, nasty men take pleasure where ever they find it, including in the suffering of each other. Allander Atlasia, a lifer and vicious murderer, escapes – killing a slew of other prisoners and guards. Jade Marlow is ex-FBI and hunts down the psychopath.

Liked. My favorite Hurwitz work is the Orphan X Series. The Tower was an Audible Daily Deal, so … price. Listened to close to a dozen of Hurwitz books, they are always page-turning mysteries, this is no exception.  The narration is great. Scott Brick is … well … Scott Brick … intense and one of the best at voicing murder mysteries.

Not so hot. The Tower ranks up there as the most grizzly, gory, and disturbing. Atlasia was abused/raped as a little boy, and his mind was damaged much more than his body. The author went to extraordinary lengths to describe bloody scenes and the over-the-top horrible abuse Atlasia inflicts on victims.

Recommendation? If you’re into blood-spattered walls, using blood to finger paint, gored out eyes, firecrackers in ears to blow out the eardrums of kids (really) – then go for it. If this stuff upsets you, skip it. No sex, no offensive language. But … holy smokes …  The Tower is fictional but might make you wonder what Gregg Hurwitz dreams. 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing is approximately twelve hours of listening, published by Penguin Audio in August 2018.

Plot. The story lead is Kya, a seven-year-old child abandoned by her family in a marsh. She lives completely alone, in a shack. Kya survives by gardening, fishing, and shell collection. An old man that runs a gas station for boaters buys what he can from her for sale to his customers. He and his wife are also kind and give her clothes and other necessities of life. Kya attends one day of school and is labeled the Marsh Girl. Laughed at and teased, Kya never goes back and hides in the marsh from social service and truancy officers. Eventually, they give up, and she’s on her own. Years pass and Kya is ultimately taught to read by a friend. She becomes an expert in marsh ecology, flora/fauna, and life – writing books, getting published. She also is attacked, abused, and pursued by a brute.

Liked. The story will remind you of similar tales, To Kill A Mockingbird in tempo. Thoughtful. Very descriptive; you’ll smell the marsh, see sphagnum moss dripping from trees, and lightning bugs rise from the reeds. Kya is remarkably self-sufficient, needless to say – strong, independent. And … heartbreakingly lonely.

Not so hot. Narration, for me, was problematic. I didn’t like the voicing of Kya – too whiny. But … the overall narration of southeastern American accents was well done. Confusing, I know. But, there it is.

Where the Crawdads Sing is a coming of age, love story, murder mystery. An excellent debut novel. Recommended.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

The Tattooist of Auschwitz should be required reading. It is not only a riveting tale; it is a truthful conveyance of the Holocaust from the perspective of a survivor, Lale Sokolov. Nothing is fictional. The final chapter of the book is in the voice of the author, relating further detail regarding the main characters and her research and interviews.

Plot. Lale arrives in Auschwitz on a cattle car in 1942 and is a prisoner through the end of WWII. He is the camp Tätowierer, German for tattooist. Lale meets and falls in love with Gita, a young girl on whose arm he inks 34902. The author uses the real names of guards, the camp doctor, Josef Mengele, etc., The Tattooist of Auschwitz is authentic, historical.

The horrors inflicted by the SS cannot be conveyed better than the details and descriptions you’ll find in this book. It is awesome. And horrible to contemplate.

Although you should read it first, let your kids read as well. Talk about it. It happened. Only if we never forget will it not happen again.

Recommended.

Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

The Outlander Series consists of 8 novels in addition to a few novellas, shorts. This review addresses the full-length novels only. Ranging in audiobook length from 32 to 57 hours in length, all books are beautifully narrated by Davina Porter. Published by Recorded Books from 2006 to 2014. Although you can jump into the series at any point, you will regret not starting at the beginning, with Outlander.

Plot. While on a walk to retrieve flowers, a 1940s nurse, the beautiful, young Claire Randall, is transported to the 18th century. She is rescued by and falls in love with a handsome Scottish highlander, Jamie Frazier. The two lead characters traverse the pages of the entire series through the Highland wars of the 1750s to the American Revolutionary War. In a timeframe of approximately 30 years start to finish, historical characters briefly appear, although Gabaldon does not change history. The stories are about how events affect the lives of the characters, their love for each other and their families. Claire’s medical background and knowledge of flowers/herbs are significant to her character building. Jamie is extraordinarily alpha male, a you-need-my-protection guy. Great appeal to the damsel in distress reader. Nails-on-a-blackboard to the MeToo crowd.

Liked. Length – the books are very long – you’re in for about 400 hours of listening. Personal preference, I suppose. But the longer, the better. Historical novels. Before listening to this series, I had very little knowledge of the Scottish highlands and the wars of that era/place. The impact of the American Revolutionary War was also educational. The use of herbs and their medicinal use, the brutality of piracy, the hardship aboard tall-ships – many historical tidbits of well-researched detail transports you to the time and place. Nicely done.

The narration is awesome. Frankly, one of the main reason that had me working through the entire series. If you have never listened to Davina Porter, do yourself a favor and give her a go – just terrific.

Not so hot. Lots of no-fade-to-black sex. Homosexuality, i.e., me-Tarzan-you-Tarzan. There is quite a bit of me-Tarzan-you-Jane dominance. Not my cup ‘o tea, and quite often, I wanted to kick Jamie in the ….. well, you get the idea – way too much alpha male in his character. Claire is too girlish and submissive. He picks her up like she’s a feather. She sits on his lap a lot.

Fantastic review of Yesterday on Amazon

Leila


5.0 out of 5 stars  Made me want to learn about my past lives!

March 20, 2019

Format: Kindle Edition

I’ve been to places I swear I’ve been to before, myself. And I do believe there are people I’ve met before as well. But I highly agree with a previous reviewer that making this a series would be a great idea! I’m surprised I didn’t think of this once I finished reading the book. The first thing that came to mind was, make this a movie! I want to be the first to see it!

Being a spiritual person, I’m a firm believer in past lives, and the way they shape each additional life we live. Mine needs to throw me some positivity about now, and I think it finally did.

I often found myself researching the Chicago fire while reading the book, and have always had a fascination with the Civil War. More so the people that lived it, the aftermath, and how it affects us today. I found words I have never used before in my own writing and was surprised I hadn’t. I have recommended this book to others, and plan on reading it again many times.

Yesterday – A Novel of Reincarnation

See Me by Nicholas Sparks

See Me is just under fifteen hours of listening. Typical of Nicholas Sparks, See Me is a character-driven, timeless, and emotional. Get out a box of tissues, curl up with your cat, a carton of ice cream, and savor a fatalistic love story. Not his best, but if you are a Sparks fan, you’ll enjoy the book.

A formulaic basis of boy-meets-girl, both drop-dead-beauties. She’s successful with a past, he’s a struggling ex-bad-boy with anger issues. No spoilers.

Liked. Narration by Christopher Ryan Grant is fine, male and female voices alike, good production – no trouble determining who-says-what-to-who. It’s always pleasurable to listen to a Nicholas Sparks love story. They are heartfelt chic-lit heaven. Intriguing that a man, Sparks, can be focused on such popular love stories, like The Notebook or Safe Haven, really all of his books. But then, men have written the most famous poems and song lyrics, dripping sentimentality, and mawkishness. So, maybe not so strange …

Didn’t like. The story is a bit long – See Me could be told in 10 hours or less. The lead female protagonist is close to 30 years old, and there is ‘the talk’ between the lead male protagonist and her father. She’s not a teenager going on a prom date, rather a successful attorney who doesn’t need daddy to look the guy over. Eye-rolling segment Sparks should have deep-sixed.

Released by Hachette Audio in October of 2015. Recommended for Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts, and of course, Nicholas Sparks fans.