Short Review: Average paranormal romance made appealing by an excellent reader. Likely to be more enjoyable for those already invested in the Dark-Hunter series.

Long Review: If you have read other Dark-Hunter books and know who Fang and Aimee are, then you will probably enjoy this book. If you have no idea what I am talking about, I feel pretty strongly that this isn’t the right way to start this series. This book ties together snippets from many other stories earlier in the series. There are lots of characters you meet briefly – but if you have read what comes before they are old friends rather than confusing drop-ins.

Graham’s reading is what convinced me to give this book over 3 stars. I suspect it was more entertaining delivered in his voice than it would have been had I read it on paper. I have read the earlier books (all on paper actually) and have a soft spot in my heart for authors who build worlds and weave complicated stories among a great throng of characters. This is one of those stories where all the loose ends that had been left dangling in multiple other books are finally tied up in a neat bow.

I will confess that I rolled my eyes the 25th time that a character “would have it no other way” – but that said, I enjoyed the story and the reading enough that it made my commute to work fly by. I even missed my stop to change trains once! It isn’t profound, but it is fun. Sometimes I enjoy a good romance novel precisely because I feel confident in the happy ending waiting around the corner. Kenyon loves her characters and I always end up rooting for them, even if I wish that they would all stop arching their eyebrows at each other.

Author: Madeleine L’Engle
Reader: Maggi-Meg Reed
Extras: Introduction and interview with author’s granddaughter, Lena Roy
Available on Audible.com

Short Review: This sweet story of romance and self-discovery is lovely. We join twenty-year-old Elizabeth’s for week of working in a summer theater in 1946. Beautifully read – a nice story for a dreamy afternoon.

Long Review: Madeleine L’Engle wrote this story long before her great success with the Wrinkle in Time series. Published posthumously, this story is semi-autobiographical. She too spent time working in summer theater in the 1940s. The introduction by her granddaughter explains how L’Engle let she and her sister have the manuscript of The Joys of Love to read. Years later, now we all have the chance to share the story.

I love the way this is read. Reed strikes a nice balance between the voice she uses for the narration and the voices she creates for various characters. The portions of the book which are passages from plays are especially nicer to hear than I think they would have been to read.

Geared towards a young adult audience, I still found it charming. If you are a Madeleine L’Engle fan, this book will give you a glimpse of another facet of her life. Before this book, I had no idea that she had been involved in theater and acting. I am not sure why, but getting this sort of private glimpse into the life of someone whose stories colored my childhood was really special. It is not a complicated story, but the characters ring true and the story stayed with me long after the last CD ended.

Audio sample available online.

Short Review: Fun listen for the whole family. A fantasy classic brought to life by a full cast. Four siblings find a magic token and wacky adventures ensue.

Long Review: The full cast of readers aim for the fun of this story – and they hit the nail on the head. Originally published over fifty years ago and set in the 1930s, this book has withstood the test of time. We listened to this one with our seven year old, and any interruptions in the story were greeted with “can we turn it back on now?”.

It tells the story of three sisters – Jane, Katherine and Martha – and their brother Mark. Mostly left to their own devices for the summer as their widowed mother works to support the family, the daily life of the children is governed by their quest for adventure (and careful plans to avoid the woman meant to mind them). On their walk home from the library, Jane finds what looks like a nickle and claims it for her own. It isn’t until some odd things begin to happen that she realizes that it isn’t a nickle at all – but rather a magical coin that grants wishes. It grants half of any wish made by one who holds it.

The children are not just cardboard cutouts – they are real people with personalities and opinions. The story strikes a nice balance between fantasy adventures and the challenges that the children face in everyday life. We care about the four of them and their ultimate happiness, and that makes the story all the more captivating and enjoyable.

I don’t always love full casts, but this one works. The narrator is perfect and the voices for the four children are distinct and believable. A lovely listen for the family, sure to put a grin on everyone’s face. If you recall this book fondly from your own childhood, don’t be afraid to revisit the story – you won’t be disappointed.

Audio sample available online.

Short review: One of my favorite humorous novels, expertly read by Martin Jarvis. I’m sure I’ll listen to this book over and over again.

Long review: I have a deep and abiding love for this novel. I’ve read it on paper a number of times, and was happy to find an audio version of it. I’m an unabashed fan of both authors, and find works like this one feel particularly suited to audiobook format, since it is such a storyteller’s story. It’s funny and silly, but also examines important questions about belief and ethics. It’s peopled by interesting, charismatic characters who are wonderful to listen to. And, as is vital to a work like this, the authors know the source material they’re playing with.

In short, the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley become unlikely friends way back in the way back, and both end up being posted on Earth in the UK in our modern world, expected to do their work to support their sides in the great ongoing war between heaven and hell. The two fall in love with their lives on Earth, and decide that perhaps the apocalypse wouldn’t be all that great for them and maybe should be prevented. They set out to track down the Anti-Christ, an 11 year old boy unaware of his true parentage, and try to prevent his rise. As the story progresses, we learn of Agnes Nutter, Witch and her descendant Anathema Device, witch-hunters, the Four Horsemen, some interesting kids, and a number of other kooks wandering around this Gaiman/Pratchett universe of the book. I won’t say more, because I can’t say any of it as well as they did.

Short Review: Shallow beach-read sort of book. Estranged best friends reunited by twenty-year high school reunion. You probably already know if you would hate it based on this description.

Long Review: The reason this book got three stars is that the reader somehow manages to make you care just enough to keep you listening. This is not a book that will be in my ‘listen again’ pile, nor is it one that made me scheme reasons to be back in my car so I could listen to it more – but it was pleasant enough. I am not certain I could have finished it on paper. I am more likely to seek out other audio books read by Cassidy than I am to seek out Harbison’s other works as an author.

Allie and Olivia are each at turning points in their lives as they face that dreaded social challenge: the twenty-year high school reunion. This novel touches a wide range of chick-lit standard subjects: love, parents, loneliness, childhood, and best friends. ‘Hope in a Jar’ frames the story with brand references to beauty products – mostly classics from the late 80s like Lip Smackers, Sun-In and Love’s Baby Soft.

The characters are mostly like-able and the conclusion satisfying, if predictable. A solid choice for a lazy summer listen, just don’t set your expectations too high.

Audio sample available online.

Under The Dome: A Novel

Author: Stephen King
Reader: Raul Esparza
Available on Audible.com

Special feature: Author’s Afterword read by Stephen King

Short Review: A beautiful autumn day in the small town of Chester’s Mill, Maine is interrupted by a clear impenetrable dome which cuts it off from the outside world. Our story carries us along to meet a broad cast of local characters. Great reader and a captivating (but long) story.

Long Review: This massive, intricate and suspenseful novel drew me in and kept my attention from start to finish. I will admit that I am a sucker for character driven stories. I love getting to know people – learning their stories and watching their paths cross. About half-way through the story (so about fifteen hours in) I remembered this was a Stephen King novel. You have to know that he is going to take you on a wild ride. I like that there are some clear good guys and some clear bad guys, but most everyone we meet is somewhere in between (just like in the real world).

Thirty-five hours is a long time to listen to one person talk – so it was crucial they found a great reader. I feel that they did a great job. I cannot speak to the accuracy of Esparza’s accents – but I can say that I enjoyed his reading. His voices were creative enough to make character identification easy. His narration had a nice rhythm to it. Looking for a good story to listen to as you make a long distance drive? I suspect that Under the Dome could get you nearly across the country and keep you very entertained along the way. I also particularly enjoyed the afterword read by the author that shares some of the story behind the story.

There are only two things I would change. First – the MP3 CDs I listened to broke the book up by the large named sections – some as long as forty-five minutes. I usually listen to books in my car, but sometimes (especially when I am as engrossed in a book as I was in this one) I want to bring my CDs into my house to keep listening. Because of the very long sections this was basically impossible unless I was lucky enough to end my drive at the start of a new section.

The second change I would make would be to include the map of Chester’s Mill apparently included in the front of the print edition. A lot of the story depends on your mental mapping of this small town. Chester’s Mill is not just the setting – it feels like another character in the story. It would have been fabulous to be able to open up the CD case and look at the map while listening.

Overall, a big thumbs up for King’s latest effort. Not sure if this will be too scary for you? Well, I don’t love horror movies and I don’t seek out scary stories as a rule but there are a lot of not nice things in store for our merry band of small town residents. It did not give me nightmares but your mileage may vary.

Audio sample available online.

Author: Kathy Reichs
Reader: Dorothee Berryman

Short Review: A very average mystery delivered by a very average reader. I liked a lot of the characters, but it was really only my curiosity to know how the author would tie up the mystery that kept me listening.

Long Review: I decided to give this a listen after becoming a fan of the TV series Bones. I knew that the show had diverged from the books – but really it seems that there is not much more in common between the two beyond the name and chosen career of the Temperance Brennan.

On the positive side, I did like the main characters. The fabric of Tempe’s  relationships is textured and believable. If this book has a saving grace, it is that there is a descent mystery on deck for solving.

On the negative side, the story seemed to spend a lot of time going in circles and the reader spent a lot of moistening her lips. I wonder if the series improved as it progressed. If you have read others in the series and recommend that I try another – please leave a note in the comments.

There is an audio preview of Break No Bones available, so you can see if you like the reader better than I did.

The flaw has nothing to do with Brick’s narration. His pace is excellent, his voice is great, his delivery is spot on, and he’s well worth listening to. He does overdo it a bit here and there, but with material so fraught, that doesn’t surprise me.

The book follows Jimmy, Sean, and Dave–three childhood friends from Boston who grow apart and are then dragged back together by a murder case. As adults, Jimmy is a reformed criminal whose daughter is found murdered, Sean is a homicide detective investigating the murder, and Dave is a guy who never got over a terrible attack during his childhood. The plot circles around many the possible suspects for the murder; delves into Dave’s horrid experience and the community’s reaction to it; and generally pokes at what we think causes people to be criminals.

The story is engrossing. It’s full of flawed characters and misdirections. But I think the end is based on a complete cop-out, and that colors the way I see the rest of the book. I walk away from it feeling betrayed by Lehane and wishing there was an alternate ending that would fix the final chapters.

Middlesex: A Novel

Available from Audible.com

Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
Reader: Kristoffer Tabori

Short Review: A novel I absolutely love, full of gorgeous language, beautifully-rendered characters, and entrancing history and myth. Tabori’s reading is downright fantastic, and Eugenides remains one of the most talented writers of his generation. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read or listened to.

Long Review: I read this book on paper several years ago and found it absolutely fascinating. Eugenides treats his subject matter with a great deal of tenderness and honesty, never turning towards the louche or sensational.

For those who’ve missed the hype: the protagonist of Middlesex is a hermaphrodite who is raised as a girl and then chooses to live as a man upon discovering the nature of his unusual condition. That’s not a spoiler–the book opens with this very information. The book is about genetics, the nature of love and family, the natures of human sexuality and gender (which are two different things), Smyrna, Greek-Americans, silk, the foundation of the Nation of Islam, Detroit, racial relations . . . it’s about many fascinating things. It is so engrossing because Caliope/Cal is a true work of art. Eugenides knows how to build a character. He richly deserved that Pulitzer.

Because I loved the paper book so much, I was a bit worried about picking up the audiobook. It drives me batty when someone reads a book I love in the wrong voice for my head. Thankfully, I could listen to Tabori read the phonebook. I wasn’t familiar with him prior to this book, but I look forward to hearing more of his work. Tabori switches comfortably between the voices of many characters, from the basement-deep Jimmy Zizmo to the quavering, fragile Desdemona-as-grandmother. He plays the characters well, but doesn’t push it too far. He’s clearly playing Cal playing the other characters, rather than trying to leave his roll as first-person narrator for those other characters.

In part, the book is so successful because Eugenides is such a careful researcher. Descriptions of Smyrna, silk production, the birth of the US car industry, prohibition, Turkey, genetics, gender reassignment, and many other topics all ring true. Without that underlying research, the book would fall apart. I finished the book with a list of things I wanted to research and a real sense of wonder about Smyrna in particular.

Overall, I think the most surprising thing about Middlesex is its humor. If you describe this book or The Virgin Suicides to someone who isn’t familiar with Eugenides’ work, they’ll assume both stories are weighty, heartbreaking tragedies. In fact, both stories are so engaging because they’re so drenched in wit and humor. Cal, in particular, is charmingly self-effacing and funny. He’s not self-pitying, he doesn’t chastise his relatives for his treatment or his condition. He recognizes the absurdity of humanity itself, as should we all.

Author: E.L. Konigsburg
Reader: Molly Ringwald

Short Review: Solid story and well read. Twelve year old Margaret Rose’s summer turns into an exploration of what is important in life – and what you are willing to do to defend uniqueness, beauty and love.

Long Review: I wasn’t quite sure what I thought of Molly Ringwald as an audio book reader, but I was willing to give it a try given how much I like E.L. Konigsburg’s writing. Ultimately I really enjoyed her as a reader. She was just the right voice for Maragret Rose’s first person tale.

In some ways this is a classic ‘teen girl learns about herself and makes hard choices’ sort of story, but Konigsburg gives us more than that. She weaves a rich world in which that which makes you unique is valued. Margaret Rose starts her summer at Camp Talequa but she so dramatically doesn’t fit in that she requires rescue by her uncles, the brothers Rose. She ends up spending the rest of her summer with these eclectic old world uncles.

In the back yard the uncles have built three clock towers covered in bits of broken china, jewelry and other found bits. Margaret Rose thinks they are the most beautiful creations in the world – but the local town doesn’t agree. Konigsburg’s story chronicles Margaret Rose’s world and her fight to stay true to herself with a rich vision that is colorful and tactile. I felt immersed in her world. I could smell food cooking in the kitchen and paint drying on the walls. I could see the towers rising up to glint in the sunshine.

I recommend this as a lovely diversion. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.