pewter

Beyond Political - Blind Bias and Animosity

Revisado: 06-11-23

Not just political. The theme here is cartoonish, stereotyped politics without nuance. It’s straight from the Jussie Smollett school for writing right-wing villains. No nuance, no reality — just mega-MAGA hate. It’s a shame, and not particularly entertaining, when a favorite author goes off the deep end.

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LKH forgot to include a story and I’m so emotionally conflicted about it.

Revisado: 04-04-23

Bunch of characters with names we’ve seen before, lounging around doing nothing interesting. Forgettable (hopefully). I need to spend a few days analyzing my feelings, in Anita fashion, to see how, your know, I really feel. Deep down. Then I’ll ask a bunch of other people how they feel. And then we’ll all discuss it. At length.

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Wasted potential - could have been excellent

Revisado: 02-12-23

So, for me, the worst part of the audiobook was the mouth and breath sounds of the narrator. At times he sounded asthmatic, particularly when gulping a deep breath to change to a different voice. Then there was the echo from his studio contrasted with dead voids every time microphone was shut off for a couple of seconds. Add to this the occasional stomach sounds with gulps and near belches. Background sounds got more annoying as the book went on. And on. And on. The narrator has a pleasant enough voice, but the sound engineering ruined the performance and made the book nearly intolerable.

Which leads to the second gripe: This was a decent short story made into a novel by padding with boring juvenile misogyny (a bit is tolerable, but this was a central theme). Too many predictable stereotypes, the fat aggressive woman, the stupid mother, all the young attractive women as sex objects. There is no character growth or development. The lead character is an self-congratulating idiot with no redeeming qualities outside of his affection for his dogs. He can keep his healthy eating habits and self-righteous judgments. Cringe!

I forced myself to finish the entire two-book starter set, just to give it a fair chance. Now I’m done with this series and this author. Good riddance!

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Systemic Common Sense

Revisado: 09-19-20

This book is a well-researched and reasonably-presented collection of personal experiences and observations which puts today's societal unrest in context. Ms. Owens' tends to speak rapidly in interviews and debates, but her narration is perfectly paced and nearly flawless. It is food for thought, logically organized for rational thinkers.

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Rerelease of printed book does not hurt audiobook

Revisado: 07-30-16

I was reluctant to start Swept Away because of the overall low review scores, but on reading the comments I found that most criticism is because it is a rerelease of an earlier work, Runaway Mistress. As a rule I avoid books that are renamed to generate new sales, but since I had not read it under the previous name and this was the first offering of the story as an audiobook, I decided to spend a credit.

I did enjoy this story. First, I have to give credit to Therese Plummer. I have come to enjoy her as the voice of Virgin River and Thunder Point, so her narration truly sets the stage for a good story. I listen to every Robyn Carr audiobook released and this one did not disappoint. The main character, Jennifer, is a strong woman who undergoes growth and development through her struggles. She discovers kindness in a caring community, and the character traits and themes I love so much in Virgin River and Thunder Point are also found in this Nevada town. The male lead, Alex, is a strong, responsible man with a solid moral compass. The supporting characters are well developed and interesting. Although I thought Jennifer's underlying story and motivational premise are a bit weak, these books usually require some suspension of disbelief. Overall, this is a solid Robyn Carr romance and worth the credit.

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Not MKA's best. Not even her 20th best....

Revisado: 05-18-16

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD (relationship only, not the murder): The book takes all the fun out of dysfunctional. The narration is very good, but the story is depressing, and not in any redeemable way. There is a murder mystery, which is not the worst ever written but is nothing remarkable. There is the trademark dose of MKA snark with some clever putdown quips. There is a romance, but the story provides no reason for a happy relationship ending other than a couple of evenings in bed. Riley, our heroine, seems to have few admirable qualities. She supposedly had a highly successful career at one point, but when we meet her she is a bullied doormat, subservient to her 12-year-old daughter, overbearing mother, drunken brother, and even her murdered husband. I never understood how she could forgive and accept the most heinous offenses of her family members but still hold a grudge against her college ball date, Nate, for getting drunk and throwing up. She kept revisiting his youthful offense in spite of overwhelming evidence of his currently excellent character and his unwavering mature devotion. The only reason for the eventual happy ending was Nate's long-standing obsession with the girl he loved years ago and her eventual grudging acceptance of him. This story has such a hastily concluded and unresolved happy ending that I can only see a bad future for Nate. He ends up with a spoiled and bratty step-daughter, an alcoholic brother-in-law, a snobby mother-in-law, and a wife who sides with her dysfunctional family over the one truly good person in her life.

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esto le resultó útil a 15 personas

An Embarrassing Addiction

Revisado: 07-26-15

I am ashamed to admit I am a NITA-HOLIC

I didn't fully realize the depth of this addiction until I swore to myself after Jason (yes, it took 23 books!) to never ever again listen to or read an Anita Blake novel. I made this solemn oath to myself long after realizing they were no longer entertaining or well-written. I can only suppose it was like any other addiction formed from early doses of pure pleasure. I kept listening to Anita Blake long after the rewards were overwhelmed by shame and disgust -- in this case, of bad writing, poor plots, and endless boring sex. Jason was absolutely positively my last straw (book).

And then the curiosity set in. I saw some good reviews mixed in with confirmations of my prejudged bad. I then convinced myself I should not judge a book I had not read. After all, what's a credit and a few hours possibly wasted (see how my earlier disgust and shame started to fall away?). So here I was, despite my formerly iron-clad determination, listening to 20+ hours of audiobook that I firmly believed would mercilessly destroy brain cells. Apparently I have no willpower and yes, I now openly admit my irresistible Anita Blake addiction.

OK, it was actually much better than I expected. LKH still has that annoying tendency to stop in the middle of important action to contemplate leather holsters, curly hair, and lift bras. And, yes, Anita continues to marvel that she's the manliest, studliest woman who ever strapped on a gun and all other women simper and whine their way through life. And, of course, the action story doesn't just take a back seat to Anita's personal life -- the story actually rides in a trailer behind the back seat and is only rarely seen at rest stops. All of that is known and accepted by those who love this series. But there actually was a story! Maybe even a couple of stories! And LKH's boring sex scenes did not completely overwhelm the plot! Yes, high praise, indeed!

Some may credit the editing in this book, and I always credit Kimberly Alexis for saving Anita from sounding like the ADHD idiot she so often is. Personally, I believe LKH is cunningly playing "the long game" with her readers. (If she is, she should push for Kimberly Alexis to read the unabridged Narcissus in Chains for us.)

But whatever the reason, I liked this book and I will (probably) listen to the next. I have come a long way from my solemn vow of abstinence and yes, I am truly embarrassed.

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esto le resultó útil a 33 personas

Enjoyable Story, Debbie Macomber Style

Revisado: 03-12-15

Debbie Macomber delves into family, especially the relationships among three sisters, in Last One Home. This novel has extremely compelling true-life situations of domestic abuse, poverty, suicidal depression, teen pregnancy, infidelity, and family guilt. While this storyline could have been the basis for a darkly depressing tome, Debbie Macomber's style is to find hope in any human situation. To that end, the most depressing details are told either as hearsay or past remembrances, allowing the overall story to remain hopeful. Macomber uses romance and family relationships, if not to overcome all the problems, at least to keep difficulties in proper perspective.

Habitat for Humanity plays an important role in the story and reminds me of the wonderful work they do. Rebecca Lowman does a good job with the narration. Overall, without being overly graphic or deep, this is an enjoyable story.

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esto le resultó útil a 17 personas

Enjoyable -- Will Listen to Next Book in Series

Revisado: 02-19-15

I admit I selected this audio book because I was experiencing Hollows (written as Kim Harrison) withdrawal. I did not have high expectations since this series predates the Hollows, and really, what could be as good? I was pleasantly surprised.

Cook/Harrison excels at strong female characters with personal integrity and she has an imaginative talent for creating magical worlds. She blends her creative talents with political intrigue, adventure, and various love stories to make quite an entertaining story.

The heroine, Tess, gets a great shock when she finds out she has lived someone else's life, having been raised as a princess decoy to protect the real princess from assassination. And that's just the beginning of many life-altering shocks Tess must absorb.

I was glad to find this story is narrated by Marguerite Gavin who also provides the wonderful voices of the Hollows. Gavin’s dramatic style is especially compatible with Cook’s/Harrison’s strong characters.

While the storyline and characters are not as complex as the Hollows, there is a familiar Rachel Morganesque theme of epic magical power through toxic overload coupled with a strong sense of personal responsibility and morality. Overall, this is an entertaining book and I will definitely listen to the next in the series.

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esto le resultó útil a 21 personas

Expecting in Death?

Revisado: 02-13-15

The evolution of Eve Dallas has been amazing throughout the In Death series. The first book's reluctant friendship with Mavis started Eve down the road to relationships that she never could have imagined. This 40th installment puts people close to her at risk, forcing Eve to recognize the surprising number of people she cares about and who care about her. The villain is interesting but not central to this story -- the relationships are the focus.

J.D. Robb's stories standing alone make great books, but Susan Ericksen brings out the true excellence with her character voices and dramatic reading. I really enjoy what her voices add to the series. With only a couple of exceptions, I can listen to every book in this series over and over.

The entire series is built around a strong woman who has spent her life not just recognizing the difference between good and evil, but consciously battling evil and adopting the good that she finds in others. Her ability to adopt the good she finds can be painful and difficult for Eve, but it is just as often funny and endearing. This characteristic is the foundation for an excellent and long-lived series, and the murder, mystery and suspense only spice it up. Robb's vision of the future and the quirky humor really make this series stand out. And since the birth of Bella Eve, I can't help but see a hilarious pregnancy and baby in the future for Eve and Roarke, but likely no cows.

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esto le resultó útil a 28 personas