I've been traveling a lot since Thanksgiving, and have listened to a ton of audiobooks that I borrowed from my library's Overdrive service. I picked books that I already had on my tbr, so I'm excited to be able to clear some books off my overflowing shelves! Since I know I will never get around to reviewing each one separately, I'm going to do an abbreviated review here. Links to each book on Goodreads will be provided. So.......here we go (in the order that I listened to each):
Title: Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good
Author: Jan Karon, John McDonough (narrator)
Published: September 2, 2014 by Penguin Audio
Length: 17 hours 23 minutes
Source: Overdrive (library) and own the hardcover
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads
My review:
I really enjoyed this continuing story of Father Tim Cavanaugh in the fictional NC town of Mitford. The story flowed well, but was a tad long in places. I loved going back and catching up with all the characters in Mitford, but enough information was given that I think one could read it without reading the previous novels in the series. I loved this narrator, his portrayal of The Turkey Club men's meetings was particularly memorable. Well worth the listen, I'm excited to read the next in the series when my favorite character Dooley will be getting married!
Title: Some Luck
Author: Jane Smiley, Lorelei King (narrator)
Published: October 7, 2014 by Random House Audio
Length: 14 hours 48 minutes
Source: Overdrive (library) and own the hardcover
Rating: 3.5/5
Goodreads
My review:
Great family saga that is part of a trilogy. This part takes place over the years 1920-1953, each chapter encompasses a year in the lives of the Langdon family. This is not a fast moving story, but a realistic portrayal of a family in the midwest as they navigate life during this time period. I liked it, but it was a bit slow in places. If you like a lot of action or a defined plot, you will not find it in this series. I enjoyed some character stories more than others, but found it left me wanting to continue the series to follow their lives. The narration was good, although there were a lot of characters to voice so many of them did end up sounding the same.
Title: Life After Life
Author: Kate Atkinson, Fenella Woolgar (narrator)
Published: April 2, 2013 by Hachette Audio
Length: 15 hours 34 minutes
Source: Overdrive (library) and own the hardcover
Rating: 3/5
Goodreads
My review:
Absolutely beautiful writing, but this one was hard for me to follow, especially toward the end. This plot is not really in my wheelhouse, but I'm glad that I read it. The writing was wonderful. I think this would make a great bookclub selection as some people may get different aspects of the plot to help people such as me who were a bit confused 🙂 Liked the narration, lovely accent and very soothing voice.
Title: Early Warning
Author: Jane Smiley, Lorelei King (narrator)
Published: April 28, 2015 by Random House Audio
Length: 18 hours 11 minutes
Source: Overdrive (library) and own the hardcover
Rating: 3.5/5
Goodreads
My review:
The next installment in the Langdon family trilogy. This book takes us from 1953-1986. My thoughts on this book are pretty similar to the first volume. I like some characters more than others, thankfully there is a family tree at the front of the book because as the years go by, the family expands and there are more people to keep track of. I was born in the late 50's so I enjoyed that a lot of this book brought up news events that I remember. At over 18 hours long, this is not a book for the faint of heart. This was narrated by the same person as the first book, so I appreciated that continuity.
Title: Royal Wedding
Author: Meg Cabot, (narrator)
Published: June 2, 2015 by Blackstone Audiobooks
Length: 9 hours 21 minutes
Source: Overdrive (library) and paperback via publisher at BEA
Rating: 4.5/5
Goodreads
My review:
What a delight to read this adult sequel to the young adult series The Princess Diaries. Princess Mia is all grown up and planning a wedding, along with all the other shenanigans that are going on while she leads her country of Genovia. I was completely captivated by this very humorous (without being too silly or slapstick) peek into Mia's days and nights leading up to her marriage to long time beau Michael. This was a royal hit in my book!! Great narration, I was completely on board with this funny tale!
Title: A Spool of Blue Thread
Author: Anne Tyler, Kimberly Farr (narrator)
Published: February 10, 2015 by Random House Audio
Length: 13 hours 23 minutes
Source: Overdrive (library) and own the hardcover
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads
My review:
Another lovely family saga, this time it's the Witshank family of Baltimore. Beautifully written characters, plenty of family drama, but yet this is not a fast paced novel, it meanders along with lovely writing, and wonderful exploration of the dynamics within a family unit. The book is divided into two major sections, and this was my only fault with it. The second half of the book was the story leading up to the one that we found in the beginning. I'm sure there was a valid reason why the author did this, but the juxtaposition wasn't my favorite, even though both sections were wonderful reads. I had no issues with the narration.
Title: Shopaholic to the Stars
Author: Sophie Kinsella, Clare Corbett (narrator)
Published: October 21, 2014 by Random House Audio
Length: 12 hours 37 minutes
Source: Overdrive (library) and own a paperback copy
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads
My review:
Becky Brandon Bloomwood strikes again! I know that there have been a million books in this series, and they all follow the same general pattern, but yet I thoroughly enjoy them.....still. I don't know how Kinsella does it, but she manages to make me laugh out loud at Becky's antics and predicaments she gets herself into. The narrator was fabulous with her English accent (which I could listen to all day!), and I would laugh out loud every time she voiced Minnie. If you like the previous books in this series, you will not be disappointed in Becky's next caper.
Not a bad book in the lot! Stay tuned for my next grouping (hopefully) tomorrow 🙂
