JAYNE C. RICHARDS

Run to win

Revisado: 02-17-25

“We’ve all fallen, literally and figuratively. What matters is what you do when you’re down.”

I’m a sucker for a good running memoir, and this is probably the best one I’ve read in a long time. I have followed Meb’s career since I started running many years ago. He is one of the few athletes whose words and actions never disappointed me. I know he’s flawed like everyone else, but his strong Christian faith, his humility, his discipline, his strong family values, his immigration story, and his dedication to the betterment of the sport are some of the things I admire most about him.

This book details Meb’s marathon running career, and it is unputdownable. I listened to the audio, but I’m also going to purchase a hard cover, because there are so many valuable nuggets that apply not only to running, but to life in general. His mantra is “Run to win,” and while he was always a strong competitor, what he means by that mantra is that you should always endeavor to get the very best from yourself. That doesn’t necessarily mean a podium finish, in a race or in life.

Highly recommend this one, it is uplifting and motivational.

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A re-read is absolutely necessary

Revisado: 11-13-24

Brilliant.

Louise Penny is easily the most brilliant literary mystery writer of our time IMHO. After seeing many ambivalent reviews about this one, I went in expecting it to be mediocre and not a favorite. It started off slowly for me, but as the very intricate, complicated story unfolded, I realized that Ms Penney had, once again, woven her magic throughout this story.

I listened to the audiobook version, and liked the new narrator. As always, when beloved narrators change, he will have to grow on me, but overall I think he does an excellent job and will only get better with time. No one will ever replace Ralph Cosham, but Jean Brassard, as well as Robert Bathurst before him, both do an excellent job.

This is a story with a lot of moving parts, and an audiobook listen is only the first step for me. I already have it on my Kindle, and to be honest, I’ll probably purchase a hard cover, as well. Yes, Louise Penny is that good. She is definitely worth the price of admission, and re-reads are usual for me, as well as necessary to catch all the nuances of each book. This one in particular is a little more complicated than others, so I think I need to read the Kindle version to make sure I understand it all. Can’t wait for a deep dive into it!

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A Work of Art

Revisado: 04-12-24

I really didn’t know what to expect when I picked this book up. It’s gotten a lot of great buzz, but often those books disappoint rather than enthrall me. Add to that the fact that Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer were two of my adventure buddies who inspired my wanderlust as a preteen, and I was a little leery.

But, wow. The words that sprung to my mind at the start of the book were lyrical and breathtaking, then as it went on, heart breaking and tragic. This book is so good, it’s definitely going to be on my reread list from now on. I didn’t refresh my memory by rereading Huck Finn, but the events of this book brought them back to mind and made me think in an entirely new way.

This book is a work of art in a way not many books achieve. I’ll definitely be following this author, as well as checking out his backlist. I listened to this on Audible, but am going to pick up a hard copy, as well. The narrator was perfect for this, going back and forth between “slave talk” and “real talk” effortlessly.

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Echoes of Agatha Christie

Revisado: 01-22-24

This second book of the Susan Ryeland Magpie Murders series seemed better to me than the first, but I may have been influenced by the excellent audio version read by Lesley Manville, the actress who portrays her in the PBS rendition. Anthony Horowitz continues to be a favorite of mine, although my mileage varies somewhat with his different series. This one has been solid for me, and I’ll always give the creator of Foyle’s War the benefit of the doubt.

As with the first book, there are a lot of moving parts, so this may be easier to follow in print, or with a listen/read. (I really can’t recommend Ms. Manville’s audio version enough.) The premise is again a book within a book, so you get two mysteries for the price of one. The Atticus Pund book is narrated by Allan Corduner, who is also excellent.

Lots of echoes of the incomparable Agatha Christie, and I always love a nice hat tip to her.

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Multi layered

Revisado: 09-01-23

I don’t have many 5 star books anymore. Either I’m harder on books, or more discerning, I’m not sure which. But, Open Book is a raw, multi layered, insightful book about a young woman’s journey to finding herself. As a memoir, it is very open, as the name implies, filled with an unflinching look at her journey through faith, fame, love, alcoholism, and finally peace. I found a lot to take away from this book, although our lives and journeys couldn’t be farther apart. We also share some things, being raised Southern girls, the Baptist faith journey, and the journey to true faith. I loved that and it spoke to me in ways I hadn’t expected.

I never paid much attention to this girl and knew very little about her, just the young pop star and the clothing line, but little else. She went through her young pop star journey in a time when we as a society were relentlessly judgmental and cruel about celebrities, especially young girls. Unfortunately, not much has changed, but I’m happy she eventually saw her way through.

I listened to the audiobook read by the author, and it is gritty and real. She gets very emotional at times, drawing you into her truth and breaking your heart a little. The bonus tracks at the end are enough to splurge for the Audible version.

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A great beach read

Revisado: 08-28-23

I love Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series, as well as some of her other series, but her stand-alones can be hit or miss for me. This one delivered well, it’s a WWII story told in a fresh and interesting way. I slammed through it in record time. It’s a nice beach read, or a great listen for a hot August day.

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A soul stirring work of art.

Revisado: 08-28-23

WOW!

What a beautiful, soul stirring work of art. I listened to the audio version, read by the author and Abraham Verghese’s lyrical voice added depth and poetry to the masterful prose.

This book follows three generations of an Indian family, their triumphs and tragedies, to its stirring conclusion. There are a lot of moving parts, and the audio, which I listened to at 1.7 speed, had to be backed up and slowed down at various parts to get every little morsel, and I’m sure I still missed some. Verghese’s reading, while beautiful and helpful to pronunciation of difficult names and places, was painfully slow and benefitted from the increased reading speed.

This book is beautiful, the characters are large and lovable (most of the time), and they are filled with hope and faith which is a joy to read about. But, this book has tremendous sadness woven throughout the story. I had to step away from it periodically and listen to a palate cleanser.

I look forward to picking up some of Mr. Verhese’s older work.

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Misses the mark

Revisado: 01-29-23

A good southern gothic novel is a great way to spend a lazy weekend, and this one delivered a nice weekend read. Not excellent, but nice. The storyline is good, but the character development left a bit to be desired. Doll Baby felt more like a peripheral character than the titular one until the end of the novel. This felt much more like Ibby’s story, but even she wasn’t fleshed out as well as I would have like.

A spooky old mansion in NOLA, filled with secrets and grief that spin out over the life of the book can be a delicious formula. Unfortunately, the secrets were fairly easy to guess, and all the tropes of a southern gothic novel were thrown in willy-nilly with quick and sometimes unsatisfying resolutions.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was very good. Southern accents are a particular nit with me (being a southern girl myself), and she nailed them down nicely.

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Fascinating and page turning

Revisado: 01-12-23

Royals. Who knew they are just like us? Dysfunctional families, sibling rivalry, secrets, stupid decisions, youthful hi-jinks, vulnerability , self-consciousness. Thank God the world’s cameras weren’t trained on me in my youth. Actually, thank God they’re not trained on my life now, I still do stupid things.

Whatever you think of his reasons for writing it or the salacious little tidbits he throws in, this book is a page turner for anyone who calls themselves an Anglophile, as I do. This is a remarkable inside look at events previously only seen from one side through the prism of a lens, and often manipulated into something with little resemblance to the actual truth. If, after reading this, you don’t believe the media is manipulative and pushes a narrative to fit their agenda, and that people in power use the media to push agendas along a certain path, there’s no hope for you I guess I always knew that, but this book brought it home in ways I hadn’t thought about.

This book is definitely Harry’s side of the story, and I’m glad he was able to tell it on his own terms. I’m sure it was very therapeutic for him, and gave us a glimpse into a previously shuttered, over privileged world, as well as the mechanisms which drive tabloid journalism. I was fascinated and I hope he makes a boatload of money, as I doubt he’ll be welcomed back into the fold after this.

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Louise Penny is brilliant

Revisado: 12-03-22

Louise Penny’s brilliance is back. This series is one I’ve loved and listened to/read multiple times over the years. I didn’t love the last installment, although compared to most books, it’s still excellent. But, with World of Curiosties, Penny has reclaimed her brilliance. This one drew me in, and was chewy and complex, drawing the me in and giving an amazing ride.

I did a listen/read with this one, as I typically do with these novels. I recommend listening to them if you have trouble with pronunciation of some French names and terms, as I do. I’m trying to get used to Robert Bathurst, but he’s hit or miss in this one for me. Some of his character voices fall flat and are distracting. However, overall he does a good job.

If you’re new to Three Pines, be sure to start at the beginning with Still Life. These mysteries build on each other and need to be read in order.

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