Blue Dragonfly

Was this really written by Matt Haig?

Revisado: 01-06-25

I love Matt's "Comfort Book" and have given it as gifts to several friends. I don't know if this is his first stab at fiction but it totally turned me off. I guess it is supposed to be humorous but I didn't find it to be so. Did Matt write this at one of his low points in life? Though I could only get through the first couple of chapters before giving up, I found it negative, bitter and just not appealing at all. Perhaps if I had been able to stick with it longer it might have improved, but I just couldn't listen to any more. The "alien" as he is imagined, see humans as ugly and stupid. There isn't any real background in any depth about why this alien is on Earth or what its home planet is like. Mark Meadows narration is great as always, but ugh, this story hit me like a lead balloon.

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In depth study of how these have affected us

Revisado: 11-21-24

This is a long and detailed study of how pandemics, plagues and viruses have affected civilization since the "Plague of Justinian. The author tells in detail the stories of what caused these major outbreaks of disease and how it affected the cultures that experienced them. She takes it right up to Covid 19 and the many mistakes in leadership that made it worse than it needed to be. It is interesting that through all of these outbreaks, blaming, scapegoating and religious extremism became the norm. She also follows the diseases that continue to cause havoc on cultures like STDs Tuberculosis, and other diseases that have affected human beings and how important vaccines have been in either eradicating them or keeping them at bay. I learned a great deal from this book. The narration was excellent and easy to follow. I highly recommend it. It is obvious that Covid 19 will not be the last emerging virus that will affect the world if countries aren't prepared with good science, research and concerned leadership.

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Disappointing

Revisado: 09-07-24

I am an avid fan of Simon R. Green's "Ismael Jones" series and have listened to each one more than once. I've been waiting for the next one in that series to come out. In the meantime, I decided to try this new Simon R. Green series. While the "Ismael Jones" series has great characters, wonderful humor, mostly unguessable mysteries that are out of the ordinary and fun interactions between the characters, this one has none of that. Frankly, I am struggling to finish it. The setting is boring (a local town hall). The characters bicker and argue all the way through and for the most part are completely unlikeable. In fact, the majority of this story is conversation. I'm about 3/4 of the way through although it is like slogging through mud, and the solution is very obvious. This is not up to Mr. Greene's usual ingeniousness. I highly doubt I'll listen to it a second time. Like so many of his stories, other than "Ismael Jones, this one is a real dud!

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Not What I remembered

Revisado: 03-24-24

I read "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" when it first came out and was fascinated by the mystery of it. I decided I
I would like to listen to it again. However, it had very little about Rennes Le Chateau and the Sauniere mystery and too much about the lineage of the Priory of Scion grand masters. After listening to it to Chapter 6 I gave up. Then I realized this was an abridged version of the book and it was not abridged well. So much of the original story was left out and it was very dry. & mostly boring. I would love it if Audible would provide an unabridged version of it.

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Thank you, Dean Koontz!

Revisado: 03-04-24

I have always been a Koontz fan, but the past couple of years I had stayed away from the stories he wrote because they were just too dark for me. So, I hesitantly bought this one and was rewarded by the sheer pleasure of his great and uniquely bizarre characters who are funny and charming. So nice to have characters one roots for and likes.! Of course the villains are also bizarre, but not horrible, mostly selfish and mean. In fact, Dean does a great job of subtly modeling them after so many not nice people in our world today. Mostly, this was a real feel good book like. so many of my. other favorites of his, "By the Light of the Moon", Tick, Tock, "From the Corner of His Eyes" and many others that have main characters who are nice people, magical and quantum protectors, and mystical and fun unfolding of their story. In fact, this book has inspired. me to go back and read/listen to them again.

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A story of courage

Revisado: 10-25-23

I am listening to Harry's telling of Jan. 6th in his own words with gratitude. He brings to each of us the horror, sadness and anger we all felt during the insurrection as it unfolded on the world wide media. Even with my own emotions awakened by his story of being there, I cannot imagine the horror and confusion for all these brave Capitol police and Metro police who were there, experiencing it firsthand What they went through on that terrible day for our nation and our democracy is horrendous. it may not win a Pulitzer but the humanity will resonate with anyone who watched this "day of infamy" unfold, created by a narcissistic, criminal who brain washed his cult into believing his lies and attacking our Capitol. I'm listening slowly and digesting it slowly to give the respect due to Harry and his fellow officers. I am deeply saddened by the impact it has had on all their lives. Harry Dunn is an important voice to listen to in our divided county. It is not slickly edited nor as professional as some non fiction books might be, but it is deeply human. Everyone should listen to this book to really understand the impact that these terrible acts had and continue to have on our country and our freedom. Like the author, I agree that everyone who supported and took part in this coup attempt need to be made accountable for their involvement. That includes those people still in Congress who continue to tell the "Big Lie" and attack our democracy for their own power agenda. It won't be over until full accountability comes to fruition. I will be forever grateful to all these courageous men and women who stood their ground and saved our nation.

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The Characters and their Rapport make the story

Revisado: 04-20-23

I am totally hooked on the Ismael Jones series and can hardly wait for the next one. I actually have listened to the whole series over and over. The novels are so well written that each time I listen I pick up subtle details I missed when I listened before. Although some of the stories can drag at times, what keeps them delightfully fun and interesting is the rapport between Ismael and Penny. Their quips are funny and very amusing. Ismael is just such a nice guy/alien and Penny is a kick. In this one, a man from Ismael's company has disappeared and the "colonel" requests him to find out what happened to him. The estate they go to has a dark history and the people present aren't all that they seem to be. The place is spooky and the owners are evasive. In their unique manner, Ismael and Penny, use their usual creative investigative abilities to solve what appears to be a complex, supernatural mystery. Though this one isn't as far out as others are, it is still so much fun. By the way, the summary listed for this is not correct. This is not "The House On Widow's Hill". I thought the narrator sounded so much like Gildhart Jackson that I didn't notice anything amiss with his narration.

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My last Barker & Llewelyn novel

Revisado: 04-20-23

I loved this series at first. The characters are great and their partnership is dynamic & interesting. However, they have gone down hill ever since they introduced Llewelyn's controlling and obnoxious wife. I was pleased at the beginning of this story that she was "away in Wales" and thought she wouldn't be part of this story. I was wrong. She shows up in the last third of the book and I just quit it. The book started out with an intriguing premise. However, for some strange reason as it went along, the solutions became very mundane & boring. I think maybe Will Thomas has run out of ideas or maybe is tired of writing this series? I won't order any more of them. As always, Anthony Ferguson's narration was excellent

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Get rid of Rebecca!

Revisado: 11-29-22

I've loved the Barker and Llewelyn novels since the beginning. Great twists and turns and not easy to figure out mysteries are always intriguing. The characters are great until the introduction of Rebecca, as Llewelyn's new wife. She is strident, obnoxious and a snob. I kept hoping that they would discover she was the poisoner and she would be removed forever as an ongoing character. Sadly, the addition of this henpecking wife has destroyed the delightful interaction between the two main characters. The story is good except for Rebecca's increased presence in the story. Anthony Ferguson is a perfect narrator for these novels.

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Not for me

Revisado: 11-25-22

I have fallen in love with Simon R. Green's "Ismael Jones" series and thought this would be similar. I did like the characters, but the story didn't have the humor that those books have. It was a lot darker and actually, I found it quite boring and a bit repetitive as I got to the middle of it. I returned it. Just not for me.

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