Nicole

Delightful

Revisado: 08-06-18

This series is like peach tea; it's sweet, and it brightens a day. Frankie was a lovable, if frustrating character (don't be so passy-agressy!) and the family is the perfect amount of eccentric. I love the South and this reminds me of my childhood.

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Heartbreak in the midst of humor...

Revisado: 06-16-17

Sarah Dessen's return after Saint Anything is wonderful. I love books about wedding planners (I have a thing), so I was excited. This one was unique because Louna's still a teenager and able to give that perspective. Her story with Ethan was heartwrenching and perfectly intertwined with the "present day" plot. I think that her growth throughout the novel and the way she finally learns to grieve was well-written.

I did not like Ambrose. He essentially manipulates her so that she will have to go out with him. Instead of asking what happened with her former boyfriend, he assumes that it was nasty. He wasn't a horrible hero, but I didn't like how he tried to get her attention and his willingness to use others in his quest to ultimately "win" her.

I'm still giving this book four stars because the writing was good and overall the plot was too. You can't always like the heroes, because no one is perfect, not even in fiction.

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A Nice Break

Revisado: 08-15-14

Would you listen to Celebrity in Death again? Why?

Yes, I've already listened to it several times. I love Susan Ericksen as a narrator and Peabody cracks me up in this book.

Would you be willing to try another book from J. D. Robb? Why or why not?

I read all the books. I love the characters, even if the plots are formulaic.

Have you listened to any of Susan Ericksen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've bought books solely because she narrates them. I have to say, I love her renditions of the In Death books better than anything else.

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Mina: A Heroine for the Ages

Revisado: 08-15-14

Insomnia is my thing lately. Don’t sleep; stay up forever. Might as well write, right? So here it is, a book review. I know you’ve been dying for it, and I gotta say, I’ve been dying to write it.

Dracula was one of those books that I pretended to read in high school and then glossed over in college. Horror isn’t really my thing (Although Stephen King is probably one of my favorite writers ever. His genre of choice is unfortunate). Recently, I decided that I wanted to read more classics and so I bought a few on Audible. Audible is the bomb.

They had an Audible Studios edition of Dracula narrated by a full cast and oh, my. It was perfection. Alan Cumming was Dr. Seward. Katherine Kellgren was Mina Harker, Simon Vance was Jonathan Harker, and Tim Curry was Dr. Van Helsing. The narration was spot on. The narrator who did the voice of Lucy was irritating (her name escapes me at the moment), so I found Lucy irritating, but I think I would have anyway. Audible did a terrific job producing this.

The story is told in a series of diary entries, letters, and telegrams (the official word for those are epistolary novels, fyi). I didn’t know that before, or I might have read it sooner. I have an affinity for stories told in this manner. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is one of my favorites for that exact reason. It credibly shows what each character was thinking or feeling without putting the reader in the omniscient perspective. It was perfect for the chilling story which was told.

The plot differed widely from the Dracula I had come to know through popular culture. Dracula is truly creepy and super old. He’s not redeemable, not good, but pure evil. And ridiculously smart. This isn’t Frankenstein’s monster or some mindless Edward-like vamp. This is a genius who pits his wits against a motley crew of Britain’s finest.

Dr. Van Helsing is also brilliant, but definitely needs the help of his little band.

The story starts with Jonathan visiting Dracula’s castle and realizing what he is. It’s very creepy and I had to stop listening for a time so I could reasonably get over it. Then Lucy becomes a vampire and thus the Band of Awesome is born. That’s just the title I gave them in my head. You’ve got Arthur, Lucy’s former fiancé. He’s a bit squeamish, but willing to undergo any trial to pay Dracula back for changing his darling girl. Then there are her two other suitors who were rejected: Dr. Seward (my personal favorite), and Quincy. Seward runs an asylum and Quincy is an American Cowboy. I love that Americans are represented in this tale. Seward calls Van Helsing, who knows more about Lucy’s “disease”, to help heal her. However, they fail and she is transformed into a child-eating vamp. Then Jonathan and Mina join the group as they discover they have all endured similar circumstances and that a grave danger faces England should Dracula move to London, as is his intent.

I have to say, Bram Stoker wrote women rather well for a man of his time. Wilhelmina is no delicate flower in need of rescuing. She is rescued, but she’s strong and contributes to her salvation by keeping spirits high and organizing all the information and, in the end, going with Van Helsing to Transylvania. I admire her relationship with Jonathan so much. He trusts her to do her own thing and respects her strength, mentally, emotionally, and morally. And she loves and respects him and his passion for his work. She wants to be a part of his life and he wants to be a part of hers. It’s a really awesome relationship. They are basically the perfect couple and were it not for the pesky vampire they would have had a delightful life.

I don’t want to tell all that happens because I enjoyed listening to it so much. Even if you’ve read it before, the Audible version is golden; you should go listen to it. It’s intense and beautiful. It’s intensely beautiful. This book is definitely on my favorites list.

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I'm such a fan...

Revisado: 03-03-14

I listened to the book Fangirl because my older sister read it over the holidays and told me I would love it and then took it away with her. I had an Audible credit and was agonizing over what to buy when it hit me that I could buy this book by some chick named Rainbow Rowell and I’d get to “read” it. So I did. And it pretty much changed my life.

The book is about Cath and her relationships. Her relationship with her twin sister, Wren, is changing because they’re going to college and Wren wants more independence from her family. Cath doesn’t feel that same need and doesn’t want to be too free. Her relationship with her dad is changing, because he’s home alone for the first time since their mom left, and she worries over him. Her relationship with her fan-fiction community is changing because the demands of college life is somewhat overwhelming. And now she has to deal with her roommate, her boyfriend, her sister’s roommate, her writing partner, and her professors.

Cath writes fan-fic about Simon Snow (a bit like Harry Potter only different) and she’s very serious about it. I wish I had the dedication that she does to her craft. It made me insanely guilty.

Okay, there are so many things I loved about this book, I almost don’t know where to begin. Levi, I’ll start with Levi. Levi is such a beautiful optimist and a treasure. He is Cath’s roommate’s (Reagan) friend, initially thought to be her boyfriend. He has never read a novel all the way through, and Cath actually get angry about it (something I would totally do).

She decides to help him with a test and reads the entire book The Outsiders aloud to him. It was my second favorite scene in the book.

Reagan is a pretty awesome character herself. She’s completely kick-ass and I-don’t-give-a-crap-what-you-think, but her relationship with Cath becomes one of my favorite in the book. They sit in the cafeteria and make fun of people. Reagan is a good reminder to Cath that there are other things in the world besides fan-fic. Like, take this quote for example:

She’s a perfect person to befriend Cath.

And Cath, oh man. I am her, in so many ways. Like she wears her fandom t-shirts every day and is introverted and awkward. She’d prefer to read or write to any other activity. And she cares so much about everyone and doesn’t know how to express it well. My heart bled for her when Wren walked away from, leaving her to room with someone else and basically deal with her freshman year alone. Cath deals with it by isolating herself and writing her fan-fic novel. Which, again, I relate to so well.

The most emotional point in the book for me was the end. That seems cliché and expected, but it isn’t for the reason that you might think. Since Simon Snow is the equivalent of Harry Potter, I felt a kinship to Cath merely because her level of Snow fandom is the same as mine to Potter. At the end of the book, the last Simon Snow novel comes out and Cath and Wren get emotionally overwrought and I lost it. I sat in the dark of my room bawling as I listened because all of my Harry Potter feels resurfaced after seven years and I couldn’t help myself.

ALL THE FEELS!

Rebecca Lowman is one of my favorite narrators of all time and she did such a good job reading this book. Although, I have to say, some of my favorite parts were the Simon Snow bits before each chapter, which were read by Max Caulfield. It was a phenomenal narration.

[SPOILERS]

My favorite parts of the book were Cath/Levi moments. They get together before you reach halfway in the book, so I don’t really view this as a spoiler, but other people might. Levi is the ultimate extrovert, saying ‘hi’ to people he’s never met and starting conversations out of nothing. I admire his mad skills. Cath is the ultimate introvert and thus limits interaction with human beings to the absolute minimum. How could you not see them coming? And how could you not love them together?

This review was originally published on my blog, Infusions of Wit From an Everyday Girl.

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Dark Chocolate for the Soul...

Revisado: 05-11-13

I have a short list of books that simply feed my soul and this is one of them. I love Miss Pettigrew and her simple ways. I love how she affects others and doesn't know it. I love the way she stands up to horrid men and that she thinks ice cream is bad. The old fashioned-ness in a new era is brilliant and I only wonder why Winifred Watson isn't more famous all around.

Frances McDormand played Miss Pettigrew in the movie and did an all right job here. There were a few times when I furrowed my brow in confusion, but usually it wasn't anything essential to the plot.

This book is a happy tale that makes you think and transports you to a time and place that you'll want to return to over and over again.

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Great story, Shoddy narration

Revisado: 07-23-12

Would you be willing to try another one of Trini Alvarado’s performances?

No. I enjoy Tamora Pierce's books, but Trini Alvarado's narration is dry. Granted, I have read this book out loud myself, so I have a way in my head that I thought it should be, but still. She doesn't change her tone much and her accents all sound the same. There is little difference between Winnamine and Imogen, it's difficult to tell them apart. If you must, it's not a bad book and the plot makes up for the bad narration. Almost.

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Magical and Breathtaking

Revisado: 06-01-12

If you could sum up The Goose Girl in three words, what would they be?

Whimsical. Beautiful. Magical.

What does Cynthia Bishop and the Full Cast Family bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Each character is distinctive and has their own voice. I really enjoyed the music as well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, I laughed, I cried, I ranted and raved. I was swept along with the story. It was wonderful.

Any additional comments?

If you have the opportunity get this book. It was enchanting and I fully intend to listen to it again soon.

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