Samyann's Blog, page 42

The Shifting Fog by Kate Morton – Audiobook Review

Narration by Caroline Lee, nineteen hours of listening.

In preparation for a movie, a film maker is researching the suicide of a poet. This suicide took place at an old mansion/country manor, amongst the early 20th century wealthy. Residents include two rival sisters, witnesses. Research involves interviewing Grace, an aged woman who was once a housemaid. Unbeknownst to the researcher, Grace has knowledge of the event, information known only to her. The story is told in flashbacks as Grace creates audiotapes.

Lots of detail regarding the advent of WWI, the rich and spoiled upper crust of England. In my opinion, the story is longer than necessary. A bit much with regard to fluffy conversations between the sisters, descriptions of gowns, parties, etc., at least for my taste. The story itself gets more intriguing nearer the end of the book, so hang in there.

Narration was problematic for me. For the most part the reading was pretty good. However, the narrator created an annoyingly high-pitched squeal when voicing some of the female characters, and although colorful and appropriate for the character, albeit sometimes child-like, it forced a grumble a number of times.

Grace’s secret isn’t revealed until the last few pages, but you’ll probably figure it out in earlier chapters.

 

The Jakarta Pandemic by Steven Konkoly – Audiobook Review

A world-wide flu pandemic and the resulting impact on a family of four in a small Maine town. Dad is a PTSD laden Iraq War veteran. He plays war-battle-brainless video games with his son, likes wearing camo-gear, guns, disaster preparedness, etc. There is an undercurrent of a visceral enjoyment in this character. He seems to relish the militaristic life they now lead. A lot is written about the military accouterments, night vision goggles, camouflage, more guns. The family is ready for the pandemic, basement loaded with food, anti-viral medication … and eventually the flu permeates their surroundings. Not much is related with regard to world or political impact, although it is briefly mentioned. The story primarily involves a picturesque neighborhood and a few neighbors. People become desperate, offensive, defensive, predictable killings, vagrants appear, disappear, etc. Most people are not prepared.

I think I would have liked this book if the main character had been a reluctant hero. Personally, at least to me, the guy was nuts and a bit scary. He enjoyed this scenario too much. Mentioned only once, this would have been an excellent opportunity to explore the ramifications of PTSD – the causes, symptoms, treatment. The author missed his chance here.

The Jakarta Pandemic is read by Joseph Mortan, approximately sixteen hours of listening. In my opinion, Joseph Mortan is more suited to a different genrè, historical fiction, for example. This story is action-thriller … maybe Scott Brick or Dick Hill?

If you’re into the ‘pandemic’ events, I suppose you’ll want to check it out, but be prepared to wear camo and peer out your bedroom window with night vision goggles several times. No spoilers, but the ending is a bit anticlimactic … meh.

 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – Audiobook Review

Read by Tim Robbins, Fahrenheit 451 is a short book, under six hours of listening. Narration by Tim Robbins is just great, can’t praise his effortz enough. Several voices, each unique, great production, smooth.

That is the extent of praise. I’m a huge fan of Bradbury and although this book has been around “forever”, I just got around to reading/listening. Frankly, I’m at a loss as to how this book has become such a cult-classic. It’s bizarre. I wonder what sort of drug(s) Bradbury was on when he penned this book. After about 4.5 hours, I stopped listening. Couldn’t finish.

The basis of Fahrenheit 451 is the fact that firemen in the dystopian future do not put out fires, they start fires … specifically to burn books and anyone who stands in the way of burning books. Maybe Bradbury is making some sort of a statement about Hitler’s book-burning in that Fahrenheit 451 was originally published in 1953 – less than 10 years after the end of WWII. Beats me. But, I found it silly.

Again, kudos to Robbins.

Executive Orders and Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy – Audiobooks

It has been  a long time since I’ve been engrossed in a Tom Clancy novel, and it is sad that I will no longer be so privileged. My first exposure, as I believe would common to many readers, was The Hunt for Red October.  These few words address Executive Orders and Debt of Honor. Read by Michael Prichard and John MacDonald, respectively, these books total approximately 87 hours of listening. I would suggest reading Debt of Honor first, as it is a tale that ends with information critical to the beginning of Executive Orders.

Tom Clancy’s generation, the baby-boomers, was one of the Cold War, and as a youngster, listening to tales of World War II, and as time marched forward, the Gulf War, and the overall Muslim-country-based angst. Well, guess what … these books reflect exactly that … Japan is the bad guy in Debt of Honor – and the Muslim terrorist is foundation of Executive Orders. The U.S. Capitol is destroyed, threats against the president and is family lace the pages. Ebola is unleashed, there are good-guy politicians, bad-guy politicians, good ‘o boys, sex scandals, and more. Typical of Clancy, these books are very detailed in the war strategies and technology of the era. No cell phones, but a world-wide-web is born.

Clancy, through his character Jack Ryan, is a flag-waving patriot … a red, white, and blue type A guy. The views are conservative. May have  those readers with a liberal bent rolling their eyes a bit.

My preference in audiobook narration is pretty simple. If I am enjoying the listen and not hitting re-wind a great deal, the narrator is doing a good job. No complaints.

There are thousands of reviews on Clancy books, ergo not much for me to add. There is a baby-boomer writer flavor. The authors of this generation were encouraged to pen 800 page novels. Think John Jakes, Robert Ludlum, James Clavell, Allen Drury … these long, wordy, books are fun. The plots and sub-plots are rich and detailed … sometimes wavering from the story, but always intriguing and usually educational and historically accurate. Books are not written like this any more. Too bad.

Close to Home by Lisa Jackson – Audiobook Review

Just under sixteen hours of listening, read by Joyce Bean. Joyce Bean does a good job, voices unique, good tempo and timing, a nice audio production.

I suppose one would have to say this story evoked emotion, which in a way, is a good thing. However, the emotion for me was one of aggravation. The character of Jade was one of an angst ridden, obnoxious, insulting, rotten brat. She is obsessed with no one but herself, which is typical rebellious teenaged behavior, but for me it was over-the-top and annoying, If I had spoken to my mother the way Jade speaks to Sarah, I’d have been picking up my teeth. I was hoping the author would kill her off ….

The story is a bit formulaic. Sarah moves her two girls to a the back-water town of her youth, to restore the homestead. Sarah’s childhood was abusive and secrets from her past filter through to the book climax and will ultimately involve her children. An old high-school flame is rekindled, a requisite part of this type of story. It’s the tale of a dysfunctional family with a few ghosts thrown in for good measure. I think this author might be a fan of Nora Roberts, as the entire story arc has that type of vibe.

If you can take teenaged angst, go for it … I had no trouble finishing the story. The ending is a twist.

 

Imaginary Cay by Colin Hodson – eBook Review

At over two hundred pages, Imaginary Cay is available in paperback and eBook and is a debut novel written by Colin Hodson. A most intriguing aspect is your immediate impression. The author has gone to extreme measures with the inclusion of an island map. Very nice addition. The story, an adventure, begins with a British couple, Andrew and Lucy. Neither is particularly enthused with their job, are in the doldrums about the weather, and simply decide to cast fate into a new direction. Andrew lucks out with a job in the Bahamas, pops the question to Lucy, and the two begin their new lives.

Initially, this new life is an incredible dream-come-true. A beautiful home, friendly neighbors, the breathtaking paradise of the islands, sailing, swimming. Andrew and Lucy seem to have it all. Or do they? Are they really in paradise? Or …..  The characters are deftly created, the setting spectacular. The author has done a terrific job with conveying the ambiance and cultural morays of the people and environment, easily slipping tidbits of detail throughout the prose. Very subtly educational about the Bahamas and island life … nicely done.

No spoilers, but he story builds momentum slowly, allowing you to enjoy the islands, the characters, and suddenly you’ll be taking a thrilling ride. Enjoy!!

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Blowback by Brad Thor – Audiobook Review

Blowback, book number four in the Scot Harvath series, is thirteen and one half hours of listening, read by George Guidall. The story conveys the potential world-wide unleashing a pathogen. Paraphrasing, the story tells us that muslims are not all terrorists, but terrorists are all muslim … well, that’s debatable. Timothy McVey and Oklahoma City come to mind.

At any rate, Blowback is a thrilling mystery. The tale is a what-if scenario, involving terrorists acquiring a deadly virus found deep in an Alpine glacier. The evil doers have plans, and ultimately, so does Scot Harvath, a type A-take-no-prisoners operative. Scot Harvath is very much a Mitch Rapp clone.  (Mitch Rapp is the Vince Flynn espionage hero. Most of those books are also narrated by Guidall. If you haven’t yet, buy them; they are excellent.)

George Guidall, it goes without saying is super. Tempo, pacing, delivery, overall production …  just great.

There are literally thousands of reviews of Blowback. Ergo, there isn’t much I’m going to add. This story was written close to fifteen years ago. I liked it enough to listen a second time, years after it was released in 2006, per Audible.com. If you are fan of Brad Thor and his Scot Harvath character, you’ll delight in this book. It’s a stay-up-to-late page-turning thrill ride. Enjoy!

 

Amazon review of Yesterday – Yipeeeeee

I could not put this book down! I would give it six stars if I could. I enjoyed the authors voice and the story sucked me right in. I loved how the tail (sic) took me through history. The author did a great job on her research. This story is rich in detail and fact. The characters are well rounded and I found myself rooting for them early on. This story will live on in my mind.

…by ABRlovestoread

 Must read, February 13, 2015
Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Yesterday: A Novel of Reincarnation (Kindle Edition)

Firestar Released by Lilly Wilson – eBook Review

Just over two hundred fifty pages long, Firestar Released is available in paperback and eBook and written by debut author Lilly Wilson. The cover is nicely done and well represents the content.

Within the very first chapter, Lilly Wilson thrusts you into Lia’s dilemma as a prisoner, in a dungeon, in a cell devoid of dignity or respect, chained to a wall. But, wait. She’s not just a slave, but a slave on a ship in outer space. However, and I sensed this right away, there is an inner strength to Lia, which I personally love to see in the female lead. Far from a damsel in distress, Lia is on a mission, and it is threatened by her release from this prison by the  handsome Border Relic. Thus begins this wonderful Sci-Fi.

Firestar Released is difficult to pigeon-hole into any one particular genrè. There is mystery, thriller, adventure, among others … i.e., we’re in outer space on other worlds, multiple galaxies, ergo Sci-Fi. Toss into the mix a splendid dose of romance. The first chapter will tweak your interest in romance with a teensy bit of optical intercourse between Lia and her rescuer.  The slave ship captain is particularly evil, but mix a stew of other colorful characters that are both good guys and bad guys, terrific settings, snappy dialogue, and you’ll find delightful reading in Firestar Released.

This is the first issue of a trilogy and Firestar Released is in the best tradition of Science Fiction. There are a few reasons why not to go 5-star with this book, and they are grammatical, spelling, etc. In the sea of self-published material out there, once in a while a gem surfaces, and you won’t be sorry with your selection of Firestar Released. Lilly Wilson is very talented, the prose even poetic at times, and the story is superb. A great deal of thought went into this story, particularly the futuristic details of items that replicate invisibility, or simple off-the-cuff references to what would be considered anomalies and are common place in this imagined world. Fun stuff.

If you are a fan of Clarke or Card, Star Wars, Star Trek … with a good measure of romance thrown in … and want to bury yourself in a fantasy world of endless imagination, read this book, you’ll be glad you did. Enjoy!

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Scandalous Endeavors by Amanda Marie – eBook Review

Scandalous Endeavors is approximately one hundred forty pages long, available in eBook/Kindle format, written by debut author Amanda Marie. My first comment is with regard to the cover design selected by Amanda Marie; it is simply beautiful, and very appropriate for the content.

This story begins in 1842 London at the funeral of Amelia’s father. As expected, Amelia is devastated with this loss. As she is also very young, Amelia is now under the guardianship of Uncle Lewis, her only surviving relation. Conflict? Uncle Lewis is from America, having made the journey to England for his brother’s funeral. He has ordered Amelia to sail back to America and arranged for her to live on his plantation until she is old enough to make her own choices. Thus begins a tale of desperate schemes for Amelia to stay in her beloved England. The solution? Marriage. Time being of paramount importance, the only logical option is a marriage of convenience to any eligible bachelor. Although the entire story takes place in England, Amelia will bring to mind Scarlett O’Hara. Beautiful, privileged, spoiled, servants at her whim, you’ll find yourself torn between admiring her scheming ways and wanting to shake her for being such a self-centered brat . With a singular objective, Amelia devises one devious tactic following another to entrap a suitable mate. No spoilers, but a handsome rake will loom his gorgeous persona and turn her head.

Amanda Marie does a great job with 19th century cultural morays, in language choice, social picadillos, and environmental detail. The graceful manner of decorum is a fascinating insight, and it is well presented by Amanda. You’ll have no trouble turning the pages of this historical romance. Enjoy!