Bobcats G’ma

Entertaining, well-written, great listen!

Revisado: 04-13-25

Once you cue the start button on Hollister McClane, you’re going to have a tough time pausing. The pace of this book is impressive! I love Laurie Lisa’s work and she’s really outdone herself with Hollister’s character and story. It’s true that Hollister can be her own worst enemy, not to mention a little vain, but she’s got a good heart and an interesting sense of right and wrong. I love the factual intelligence persistently threading through Hollister leading her to engage in misguided analyses. It can be both bewildering and persuasive for the folks in her life, such as her poor, poor mama. (That woman deserves a medal!) The narrator, Jeanine Kane does a fabulous job bringing Hollister to life in the Audible version. There is something about the book, “Hollister McClane,” that puts me in mind of “A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole. Perhaps, the fact that Hollister, much like Ignatius J. Riley, is a memorable protagonist, who meets with much absurdity? That said, it’s poor, poor you if you pass on this book. It’s an experience every reader should have!

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Elpis, Achlois, and the Goddesses!

Revisado: 02-15-23

I listened to 1922 on a heavy driving day. The fates of Elpis, Achlois, and the other Goddesses in the dairy barn were downright upsetting! This story was dark, yet truly nailed the essence of human nature. I was openly yelling at the Audible screen displayed in my Bronco over the fate of Elpis, in particular. I took a break from book’s altogether for a couple of days after finishing 1922 just to absorb the storyline. That book is intense, disturbing, and amazing! Craig Wasson is absolutely perfect narrating this novella. He makes the pages come to life.

The Driver (read by Jessica Hecht) and Fair Extension (read by Craig Wasson) are equally fabulous, and disturbingly revealing of human nature. Stephen King continues to be the master of suspense! The narrators do a fabulous job bringing these novellas to life. Both books are excellent listens.

A Good Marriage is the best! I’ve listened to this book as a stand-alone before then, again, in this collection. Jessica Hecht’s timing in her reading of this this prose is perfection. This horrible circumstance will almost have the listener laughing out loud w/ the main character’s naïvety! This story is unbelievably good, if you’re into suspense. (BTW, I watched the movie version. The book differs and is soooo much better!)

Each of the four novellas in this collection is masterfully written, and a worthy read or listen.

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Keeps you guessing right up to the end!

Revisado: 01-21-23

Holy crap! This is a serious page-turner. It keeps you guessing to the end. I almost abandoned it during the first couple of chapters thinking I wasn’t going to be able to deal w/ Lily’s whiney behind (main character). I’m glad I stayed w/ it as the story unfolded. The only thing I found that didn’t strike me as true to form is that the book is set in Canada, and “eh” is totally omitted from the dialogue. Excellent writing, and excellent narration. Highly recommend!

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Dolly rocks!

Revisado: 11-17-22

Dolly Parton’s colloquialisms and homespun humor and logic are lovingly woven throughout this work. Janes Pattersons masterful writing skill guides the storyline. The Audible version is very well-read. Highly recommend!

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Wow! That, was amazing!

Revisado: 11-11-22

Lisey’s Story is in my Top 10 Audibles to-date. Stephen King writes a masterpiece of intriguing perfection from the perspective of Lisey. Mare Winningham superbly portrays Lisey, Scott, all of the truly well-developed characters in this amazing book. This storyline is just that fabulous. I can’t stop thinking about it. Highly recommend!

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Unique, engaging, tough to put down!

Revisado: 06-22-22

This is an intriguing story that jumps right into the plot and holds a well-paced momentum all the way to the end. Angie Kim does a masterful job of tying together a complex storyline while, at the same time, making it so rational that the reader/listener has no problem following along with the nuisances. It’s never predictable. The subject matter is unique — a hyperbaric chamber business that can heal issues other than wounds and burns, but this obe has a clientele comprised mostly of children who have Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and other developmental disabilities. The proprietors are Korean immigrants whose cultural differences play-out maritally, which I think a reader can’t help but compare/contrast with a local couple (clearly native born Americans) who don’t live by the same code. This book is truly amazing on a “whodunnit” level, but add the sociological aspects to it and wow! I particularly liked the way the reader gets insight into the Autism Mom’s group and gets an opportunity to understand frustrations they deal with. Angie Kim writes with intelligence, the fact that she is a Harvard educated attorney makes sense because the litigation that runs throughout most of the book is perfection! Jennifer Lim is an amazing reader. She truly brings the characters to life. She never falters. I highly recommend Miracle Creek!

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Intelligent, Eloquent, Appreciable

Revisado: 06-19-22

Tragedy and more tragedy beautifully layered into wise profundity. And, so amazingly hope filled. The vocabulary is intelligent, eloquent, and appreciable. Ambitious goals and actions prevail throughout the book striving for the Republic’s survival. I finished the audio version of this on a beautiful early morning Father’s Day walk, amid the January 6th Committee Hearings. The “crisis” and the passing of Tommy I’m certain remain intertwined. This book is a fascinating and inspiring listen/read!

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Painful Prose

Revisado: 04-17-22

I wasn’t very far into this book when I aborted listening. I just couldn’t take it another minute. I did not find this book captivating, nor thrilling. It’s like a literary elements interspersed w/ descriptions and scenarios that just don’t work together. You know, “Let’s insert tripping over a wagon w/ a flipflop because that will be real compelling.” Only, it just isn’t compelling. And, the flashbacks to high school and all of the purity. Good grief, I teach high school. Nothing here sounds even remotely believable, much less interesting. I think the reviewer who said that the book comes off “like a literate person who really wants to write a book and his uncle runs a publishing house” is spot on. This is some painful prose. In 2021, I listened to 32,736 min in Audible. It is very seldom that I don’t finish a book once it’s started. I’m making an exception w/ this one.

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Impossible to put the book down!

Revisado: 03-30-22

The Watch Tower is a page turner w/ well-developed characters and a rich, artfully-written story. The tale weaves in issues of mental illness, postpartum depression, infant loss, family pressure, peer pressure, drug addiction, alcoholism. non-physical spousal abuse, and growing up a motherless child parented by a distant father. This is not my first Laurie Lisa read, and certainly not my last! She is an excellent, gifted writer and storyteller. Jeanine Kane does a masterful job of bringing the pages to life in the audio version. This story resonates long after the final page turns.

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The. Best. Book. Ever!

Revisado: 03-13-22

I recently read “12 Years A Slave,” and was telling a fellow teacher how eloquent the writing is, and what an important literary and historic work Solomon Northup gave us. My coworker asked if I had read “The Good Lord Bird.” I told her, no, but I had been thinking about watching the Showtime series. She stopped me cold: Read the book. It’s amazing.

I am so glad I listened to her! My undergrad is in English. I can’t help but find parallels of Huckleberry Finn with Little Onion — the way they wrestle with doing the right thing, what the right thing is, and that sometimes the wrong thing is the right thing. The characters are extremely well developed in this story. The descriptions, the vernacular, and the narrative are all appreciably colorful. This book stands out as a well-developed literary work that I think will eventually be timeless.

The humor is the thing that really resonates. Especially Little Onion’s naiveté — albeit sometimes feigned — that’s delivered without the pretense of making a joke but, rather, the logic of 14-year-old born into slavery. The reader can’t help but find the perspectives and observations of Little Onions travels and travails endearing. You’re always in his corner.

I listened on Audible. Michael Boatman did a masterful job bringing the words written by James McBride to life. James McBride is unbelievably talented. I can’t help but think “The Good Lord Bird” was a labor of love for him. While writing is hard work, McBride must have had a lot of creative fun building these characters within the storyline. I am truly amazed with this literary work, and very much treasure the time I spent listening. I liked it so much that when we had a “dress as your favorite book character day” at school that I went as Little Onion. Oh, yeh, I had a feather lest I smell some “bear grease.” I highly recommend this book!

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