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March 1, 2017 - April 3, 2017

Lois from Ocean, NJ
Robin from Pawtucket, RI
 
 
 
 
 

Tessa B C
The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais
Narrator Name: Patrick G. Lawlor

Rating the Audio Performance
2
Patrick G. Lawlor does an adequate job of the audio. He has good pacing and some of the scenes were particularly good, but I don’t like the timber and quality of his voice for this book. Just my opinion, of course; I wound up reading about half of it in text format rather than listening.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
3.5 stars. This is a great detective story that reminds me of the old-fashioned noir tales by Chandler. I was hooked from the beginning and interested throughout. Will definitely read more of this series.

Diane
They May Not Mean To, But They Do by Cathleen Schine
Narrator Name: Cynthia Darlow

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Good accents, believable.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
On the boring side, a bit narcissistic.

Beverlee Abell
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Narrator Name: Trevor Noah

Rating the Audio Performance
4
I loved hearing the author tell the story in his own voice - really made a difference in how I thought about the book.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Found the life he lead fascinating. His mother truly was one of a kind. Felt it was somewhat disjointed in the flow of the book.

Elaine
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
Narrator Name: Bill Mumy

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Clear, engaging.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Absolutely fascinating!

Frances
Mr. Paradise by Elmore Leonard
Narrator Name: Robert Forster

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Excellent. Very in keeping with the style of Leonard's writing.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Not Leonard's best but still highly entertaining. Great characters.

Ricki
The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz
Narrator Name: Jennifer Ikeda

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I sometimes have trouble hearing female narrators, but Ikeda was very easy to understand throughout the entire novel.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
De la Cruz takes everything you expect from a YA romantic fantasy and completely turns them on their head making for an amazing read.

Janice
The Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth
Narrator Name: Ralph Lister

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Love Lister's English accent. Lister is easy to listen to and his upbeat tempo kept me engaged.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Booth has interesting things to say about the five Nordic countries. He compares and contrasts their history, economy, government and lifestyles. Booth has a humorous side and his lists of all kinds of things are funny, no matter what the subject. He'll have two or more serious things followed by a humorous third or fourth item.

SAndi
The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck
Narrator Name: Suzanne Toren

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Wonderful narrator. Toren made it very easy to distinguish between characters. Read in the broken English of the characters. Smooth, easy narration at a good reading rate. Calm when needed, emphasis when needed.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Told in the broken dialect of the deep south, this story divides a family - long before the truth is told. As most of the world's evil plays out in this story - rape, murder, drug and alcohol addiction, an unjust imprisonment and lies, you meet the Lowery family, Ora Beckworth and Eldred Mims, The Pecan Man. The story, mostly told in the voice of Ora Beckworth, was actually about the life and death of Eddie, the Pecan man, and the truth that finally prevailed at the end.

Marion
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
Narrator Name: Xe Sands

Rating the Audio Performance
2
Sands lowered her voice, and slurred her s's to emulate the speech of an eighty-five-year-old woman.This upset me, as I'm not far from that age myself; but people have no trouble in understanding me; my enunciation (and that of friends) has not deteriorated like that. Also, she read at a breakneck pace. There seems to be a trend to do this (I notice it in certain female NPR announcers), and it breaks the rule which actors learn: speak at a slower tempo than that of ordinary conversation. What is the point of rattling along at an auctioneer's rate, ignoring the places where commas and full stops indicate one should pause for breath -- and for the listener's comprehension? Also, Sands mispronounced several words in the text, bothering me.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
This is an interesting story, with flashbacks fleshing out the tale of the life of an ambitious, creative, and complicated woman. Lillian is virtually fearless, having been through many trials and much suffering in her life; but she retains a youthful quality of curiosity in others, and in new experiences. She's up for adventures. I just wish I'd read the book rather than having listened to the CDs.

zarah
Black Dog Blues by Rhys Ford
Narrator Name: Greg Tremblay

Rating the Audio Performance
4
I liked the narrations. I was a little iffy with the Irish lilt, given the appearance of the character on the cover. It didn't match what I would have imagined. But it worked, given his adoptive father and once I got used to it.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I really quite enjoyed this. 8 hours and 50 minutes and I listed to it in one day. I think what I liked most was Kai's sarcasm and the rough, fatherly affections of the stalkers. I appreciated how the elfin and human societies sat side by side, chafing at the edges. As well as how Kai was bisexual and the slow, slow burn of the romance. I was annoyed with how women were represented. There aren't a lot of them and they're all cliched. The untouchable angel, the whore, the sexually aggressive cousin, the raving bitch, the manipulator and the mother (who was also disloyal). There wasn't a single non-problematic women in the book, when taken all together.

Cheryl
Some Lucky Woman by Carmen DeSousa
Narrator Name: Karin Allers

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator was fabulous. She changed octave for different characters, and you knew what character was being narrated. The narrator actually brought excitement to the sometimes dull story.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
This story grabbed me from the beginning. I loved that the main character had a bad relationship and was now on the hunt for love. Jana starts a quest of dating, and the story turned dull. The storyline did pickup throughout the book, but always left me feeling empty. I have to admit, some of the chapters were long and pointless. I did however like that DeSousa did incorporate valuable information on publishing a book, and blogging. She was able to show what an author endures to get a book published. I found that very interesting.

Francisca E B
Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
Narrator Name: Amy Tan

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Tan narrates the audio version herself. She really personified Bibi, and I felt as though I were hearing a tall tale directly from the character. A few of her attempts at Australian or Swiss/German or British accents went rather awry, but, again, it was as if Bibi Chen were telling the story and trying to add color to the tale so I forgave Tan.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
Twelve American tourists join an art expedition that begins in the Himalayan foothills of China and heads south into the jungles of Burma. And then, on Christmas morning, eleven of the travelers boat across a misty lake for a sunrise cruise – and disappear. I like Tan’s writing. She has the ability to plop me right into the middle of a completely different culture. This story has some elements of magical realism. Tan deftly explores the ways in which American tourists make “innocent” mistakes that have significant consequences. At 474 pages, this is longer than it needs to be. Still, I enjoyed it and was entertained throughout.

Patricia
The Summons by John Grisham
Narrator Name: Michael Beck

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Amazing! Going from one character to the next and still not confusing me as to who is who!!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Don't think there is a Grisham book that I've listened to/read that I didn't enjoy. I thought I had the 'who done it' all figured out...but nope! That is one of the things I like about his writing. Keeps one guessing. The plot was great, characters followed right along and the ending was...well, made me think there could be a sequel.

Kristen
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Narrator Name: Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Carrie Brownstein, Miranda July, Lena Dunham

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The choice of readers was brilliant! It took a few minutes to get the rhythm of the story, but not long. I loved the full cast experience.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
This is one that will stick with me. I thought a lot about the concept of bardo as well as the grief of a parent who loses a child.

Deborah
Code of Honor by Alan Gratz
Narrator Name: Dan Bittner

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator really brought this book to life, making each of the characters distinct and memorable.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Although this is a young adult novel, it certainly kept me entertained as an adult reader. The hero, a high school senior on his way to West Point, is stunned when it seems his older brother, a West Point graduate and an Army Ranger, has become a terrorist in Afghanistan. The boys have an Iranian-American mother and an American father. Soon everyone turns against young Kamran. When he is taken into custody by Homeland Security, the action really becomes intense. There are plenty of twists and turns in this story, keeping the action moving. While parts of this story became a bit far-fetched, the likeability of the young narrator kept me interested to the end.

Kimiko
Hunting Fear by Kay Hooper
Narrator Name: Dick Hill

Rating the Audio Performance
5
This reader has a rather low and gruff voice so I think he performed splendidly, especially giving different voices to the men AND the women characters and some with different regional accents, as well.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I like this "fear" series...although it seems the villains always tend to use an abandoned mineshaft. I am tempted to yell out, TRY checking out the mines first! (ha,ha)

Phyllis
The Girl Before by Rena Olsen
Narrator Name: Brittany Pressley

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator did a very good job for male, female, child, and adult voices.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
The author did a good job of putting a face on human trafficking. The is one of those silent problems in our society and I am glad to learn more! I can also recommend THE SLAVE ACROSS THE STREET by Theresa Flores which was based on a true story in the Detroit area. Even though THE GIRL BEFORE is fictional, the author had done her research .

Peggy
The Whistler by John Grisham
Narrator Name: Cassandra Campbell

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Very easy to listen to.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
One of his better books. Great concept.

Jane
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Narrator Name: George Newbern

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I loved this book and the audio version was a fantastic way for my husband and me to share the experience. The narrator brought Ove to life.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I loved this book. The only thing I didn't think was appropriate was that Ove is only 59 years old. He seemed much older to me. But that didn't distract too much since in my mind; I pictured him at least in his 80s. I highly recommend this book if you like to laugh as well as cry.

Lonnie
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Narrator Name: George Newbern

Rating the Audio Performance
5
He made Ove into a real person. He also did a good job with voices for the characters.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I loved this book. Ove is an irascible character whom the reader learns to love, or at least like. My only disagreement was calling a 59-year-old "old!"

Lori
On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman
Narrator Name: Mia Barron

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Mia Barron did a great job with the audio performance. She sounded exactly as I imagined the main character would speak. I usually only listen to audiobooks in the car, but I enjoyed this one so much and wanted to see what would happen faster, so I listened in the house as well. It had a nice pace and I flew through the book.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Once again, Elinor Lipman wrote another winner. I was thoroughly entertained by this charming book. It had lots of humor, romance and a little mystery. The characters were brought to life and I could imagine knowing all of them. The family dynamics were great as well. It was a refreshing change from some of the heavier books I've read recently. I highly recommend this book.

Nancy
Dishonorable Intentions by Stuart Woods
Narrator Name: Tony Roberts

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator does an excellent job, especially considering the story he is reading.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
I am being generous with a 3 star rating. Maybe it is time for Stuart Woods to quit writing Stone Barrington stories. This one seemed too much of the same old thing. Stone, a woman that will not be around long, Russian thugs, flying here there and back again. All done before.

Francisca E B
Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman
Narrator Name: Kirsten Potter

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Kirsten Potter does a wonderful job narrating the audiobook. Her pacing is good, conveying a sense of danger or serene solitude as appropriate to the story. She really brings Kathy to life.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
This is a novel, but it is based on the real life story of Katherine Mary O’Fallon. It’s a great adventure story, love story, and pioneer story. The young couple endure several misadventures and tragedies, including wildfires, floods, and epidemics of diphtheria and influenza. It is their deep love for one another that sees them through, as well as their willingness to understand the cultural mores of the Indians and adapt to, or at least tolerate, their differences.

Virna
Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak
Narrator Name: Michael Crouch

Rating the Audio Performance
4
It was clean and funny. I enjoyed it very much. I love all the twists that keep you sucked in, and the outcome of everything. And the narration was really good.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
This was a great mystery. It kept you guessing what is next and I actually thought the storylines were quite interesting. There was always a lot going on and twists and turns everywhere, plus a romance (wish a did not think this book need it), but was nice and the characters are good. The narration was nicely paced and well done.

Judith
No Man's Land by David Baldacci
Narrator Name: Kyf Brewer and Orlagh Cassidy

Rating the Audio Performance
2
I felt that the audio spoiled the book for me. I have heard these readers before and was okay with them, but this time was not impressed with this performance.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
Again, it may have been the audio that turned me off and not the plot. This book just did not live up to what I feel are Baldacci's better works.

Linda
An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963 by Robert Dallek
Narrator Name: Richard McGonagle

Rating the Audio Performance
4
McGonagle is a familiar character actor whose name I didn't know until this narration. He has a voice that sounds as if he should be narrated a G-man movie. I enjoyed it.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
This was an abridged version and didn't realize it until after I was well into it. I don't like to read (or listen) to abridgments. Give me the whole thing. What I got was good. I love learning about our presidents and history.

Emily
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
Narrator Name: Scott Brick, Marc Cashman, Erik Davies and Kimberly Farr

Rating the Audio Performance
4
The book was on of my least favorite Chuck Palahniuk books. The narrators did a good job though. They had good inflection in their voices, and they were very engaging
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
2
Chuck Palahniuk was one of my favorite authors, but this book isn't wonderful. It's a bunch of stories written into the main storyline. Writers go to a "writer retreat", which turned out to NOT be what they expected. They tell their stories while we're experiencing their "nightmare".

Aimee Hegedus
Sycamore Row by John Grisham
Narrator Name: Michael Beck

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I think the audio was great. I really loved the different voices and varied accents for each character.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I listened to this book in a couple days - the narrator just pulled you into the story, and I wanted to keep listening to discover how the story would end.

Linda
Master of Ceremonies by Joel Grey
Narrator Name: Joel Grey

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The man is a professional with 50 years experience. I would have been disappointed if anyone else had narrated this.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
A gentle memoir highlighting Grey's conflicts about who he is. He was happily married for 24 years to the mother of his children who he still calls the love of his life. But there were other attractions that caused the separation. Intelligent read.

Mary Lou
Bone Box by Faye Kellerman
Narrator Name: Richard Ferrone

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Good work by Mr. Ferrone. It was easy to tell who was speaking. His voice was somewhat cumbersome overall, making the listening experience drag a bit. The story is a slow mover, and kind of meanders through its paces, so the total effect of the narrator was to emphasize the slowness of the plot. However, the narrator’s technique was very good, despite the quality problem with his voice.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Rina Lazarus and Peter Decker have moved to upstate New York after Peter retired from his career as an LAPD homicide detective. Peter now works for the small town Greenbury police department. And the murders keep on coming. Set in a college town, this is a good police procedural, with a touch of the cozy about it due to Rina’s cooking, her generally comfortable persona and the keeping of the Jewish Sabbath and holidays interspersed with the detecting. Peter catches the crooks in the end, with help from his new sidekick Tyler McAdams, a young Harvard law student that the Greenbury police hire for a summer job. A little slow at times, it is yet a steady and interesting read. I certainly wanted to find out who did it and why.

Colleen
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Narrator Name: Jenna Lamia

Rating the Audio Performance
3
it was easier to listen to the Audible download than for me to read with the slang. Very smooth voice that kept it interesting and exciting.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Such a powerful read. I felt like I stepped back in time and felt their pain, laughter, fears.

Robin
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
Narrator Name: Joanna Gleason

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Those who listen to audiobooks regularly know that the narrator makes the difference. I have had the experience of switching from audio to print when the reader's voice didn't click with me. But the wonderful actress, Joanna Gleason, did a masterful job with this story. I could not stop listening whether I was in the car, the kitchen or on the treadmill!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
This is quite a story and a departure from the other novels I've read by Allende. Lots going on here.

Brittany Kelley
Hounded by Kevin Hearne
Narrator Name: Luke Daniels

Rating the Audio Performance
5
One of my favorite narrators, Luke Daniels does an amazing job creating unique voices for each character, both male and female, human and animal (his Oberon, a dog, is one of my favorite parts of this audiobook), and many different accents, languages, and nationalities.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
One of my favorite book series! I love Atticus as a character, and the pacing and storyline are excellent. I can't wait to read more in this series.

Kim Fankhauser
They Left Us Everything: A Memoir by Plum Johnson
Narrator Name: Pilar Witherspoon

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Strong voice and great inflection. Would definitely listen to something she read again.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Strong storyline and plenty of perspective along the way. Kept me wanting to read more.

Karen
The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian
Narrator Name: Mozhan Marno and Grace Experience

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Good performances from both readers. They give voice to the characters believably. As they read, the story flowed smoothly along and kept the listener's attention.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Richard Chapman gives a bachelor party for his younger brother, Phillip. Phillip's friends hire some female entertainment that Richard doesn't necessarily approve of, but tolerates for this occasion. The party and the lives of the participants spiral out of control. Two men are dead. The young women providing the entertainment are on the run. As the story unfolds, it is revealed that the girls have been coerced into prostitution and becoming sex slaves.

Tessa B C
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins
Narrator Name: Michael Nouri

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Michael Nouri’s performance on the audio is wonderful. He has great pacing, and the way he interprets certain characters brings them to life.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
2
Entertained as I was by the occasional wild description and laugh-out-loud moment, in general I was bored by the book. All those interludes to wax poetic about this or that philosophy seemed nothing but an attempt to distract the reader from the lack of a story. Clearly, Robbins is not the writer for me.

Lois
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber
Narrator Name: Suzanne Elise Freeman

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Excellent!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Fun, comical, entertaining.

Audrey Anderson
Cold Cold Heart by Tami Hoag
Narrator Name: Julia Whelan

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Good job on the pace of the dialogue and of distinguishing between characters' voices.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Picked this up by mistake, thinking it was a Kovak/Lisa series installment. When neither of those characters showed up I wasn't sure if I should continue because I was moving into a story already disappointed. I decided I could still be fair and went ahead and listened. It turned out to be an excellent story with twists and turns. It's the story of a young woman who has always been one of the privileged ones - the leader of the high school girls clique. Then she's abducted by a serial killer who wants to turn her into a zombie = almost alive. Her life becomes totally changed because, among other things, her brain is injured from having her skull bashed in. She returns home, body and mind forever changed and back in harms way.

Gerry
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Narrator Name: Neil Gaiman

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Wonderful reader! It's such a pleasure to hear the author read his own work.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Wow! Neil Gaiman certainly know how to tell a story! And in this case, since I listened to the audiobook with the author as narrator, that's doubly true. Gaiman's writing has it all: great atmospheric imagery, believable and engaging characters (even in this totally fantastic and imaginary world), and a plot line that pulls the reader in and just won't let go. Highly recommended!

Gerry
The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
Narrator Name: Ray Porter

Rating the Audio Performance
3
No specific complaints. Porter did a satisfactory job with a lackuster book.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
1
I found it impossible to take seriously this supposedly-true account of a haunted house, and unfortunately it was not particularly enjoyable even as fiction. The author seems never to have learned the writers' maxim "show, don't tell" and his narration is dry and dull, eliciting no intensity of feeling at all.

Gerry
1984 by George Orwell
Narrator Name: Simon Prebble

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Well done. Held my attention and interest throughout with an engaging style.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
It's been decades since I read this the first time, and it's just as intense and impactful this second time around.

Gerry
The Man Who Went Up in Smoke by Maj Sowall and Per Wahloo
Narrator Name: Tom Weiner

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Very well done.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
3.5 stars for this second volume (of ten) in Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö's Martin Beck series. Well-written mysteries like this work especially well for me in audiobook format, holding my attention and interest. I like the recurring characters in this series, and look forward to continuing to get to know them.

Ricki
Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan
Narrator Name: Eloise Oxer and Paul English

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Both narrators were superb, playing multiple characters each.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
A very interesting and heartbreaking tale about an island the affect of selkies, (although they are never referred to as selkies but rather mermaids.)

Gerry
Roseanna by Maj Sowall and Per Wahloo
Narrator Name: Tom Weiner

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Well done. Always engaging.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
3-1/2 stars for this Swedish crime mystery about a young woman whose body was found during the dredging of a lake. Henning Mankell's introduction says this author inspired him to write, and I can see the influence in the similar narrative style of his Wallander series. I plan to look for other books in the Martin Beck series, as I'd like to see how the character develops.

ANN
The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens
Narrator Name: Corey Brill

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator was very good, and brought out each character and their unique situation.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
A realistic survival story with believable characters. Felt like I could have been right there with them!

Gerry
Waking Up White: and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving
Narrator Name: Debby Irving

Rating the Audio Performance
3
Clear but cloying -- just a bit too saccharine.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
I'm a bit conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I thought the author had some good information to share about racial awareness, systemic discrimination, and the responsibilities of whites to recognize and attempt to counter the privilege that comes with our race, to the detriment of those of other races. On the other hand, I found her self-congratulatory tone and incredible naïveté/lack of awareness at times to be cloying, and her tendency to over-generalize what she'd learned about cultural beliefs and behaviors to border on offensive. Definitely worth reading, and I do plan to go back through the book more slowly to reflect on the questions that ended each chapter.

Shelley Hitt
Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton
Narrator Name: Glennon Doyle Melton

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Authentic.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Her insights on love, life, faith, marriage and parenting are provocative and insightful. Highly recommend. Wish I had known these things a long time ago. Listening to it a second time.

Judy
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
Narrator Name: Caroline Lee

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Wonderful to slip into this world and back story. Very well read.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Entrancing look at a mother's secrets being slowly discovered by her children.

Phyllis
Oprah: A Biography by Kitty Kelly
Narrator Name: Kitty Kelly

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I am vacationing in Aruba and this was the perfect book to listen to! I have always been an outsider looking in at Oprah's success because I never watched her daytime show, but now find myself tuning in to Greenleaf and Quenn Sugar on OWN, so I am interested in her and her financial success! l go where she goes from here when I heard she was suggested to run for President in 2020! It was the perfect read for a beach vacation and I will follow her progress for the future!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
See above comments! I am on vacation!!

Tessa B C
Homemade Sin by Kathy Hogan Trochek
Narrator Name: Hillary Huber

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Hillary Huber does a fine job voicing the audio version of the book. She has good pacing, and I was never confused about who was speaking.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
This is a pretty good series. I like the premise of the House Mouse cleaning service for these cozy mysteries; Trochek gives the reader a nice cast of colorful supporting characters who work for the heroine. Callahan Garrity is a strong, intelligent, resourceful woman. It’s a speedy read, the action is fast-paced, and I like the characters. I’ll read more of the series.

Jenna
Birdbox by Josh Malerman
Narrator Name: Cassandra Campbell

Rating the Audio Performance
3
Very clear. Wonderfully done. I really enjoyed listening to her and would definitely listen to another book narrated by Ms. Campbell.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I really like thrillers and this was a very good one! This had me from the start. It was so creepy, which is really what I like! Definitely a good audio!

Carol Elliott
A Star for Mrs. Black by April Smith
Narrator Name: Bernadette Dunn

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Felt the narrator did a very good job and had a pleasant voice to listen to.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
The story was about Gold Star mothers who visited their sons killed during the war. The storyline was good, but got a bit bogged down. Nice ending, however.

Rosalie
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Narrator Name: Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Carrie Brownstein, Miranda July, Lena Dunham

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I have listened to many audiobooks but this was the first with so many narrators. This method helped me actually feel some of the pain the many spirits felt. I would definitely buy and listen to another book in this format.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Spirits that remained on earth, whose bodies were buried in the Bardo, where Lincoln's young son was buried, speak to each other giving a good discription of life at that time.

Beverlee
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
Narrator Name: Kathleen Early

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator was so perfect for this book - her handling of a very emotional, suspenseful book with such a difficult topic was amazing!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
Having just finished it - I am still numb because the topic was a tough one - I may rate it higher after it settles but I would certainly read another one by this author in the future.

Ann
Cooking for Picasso by Camille Aubray
Narrator Name: Mozhan Marno

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Captures the feel of the characters.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Enjoyable story.

Becky
A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kilne
Narrator Name: Polly Stone

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Stone perfectly conveys the heartbreaking loneliness of protagonist Christina Olson, and her determination to persevere in spite of the limitations imposed by her handicap and her obligations to her family. Although the Olson family members lived what could be considered by some to be a simple, unsophisticated life, Stone portrays each character with the grace and dignity they deserve.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Very much enjoyed the author's shift between past and present. The prose perfectly conveyed the starkness of the landscape and the stark, lonely reality of the lives of the various members of the Olson family. As portrayed, the charming painter Andrew Wyeth and his wife breathed life into the lives of Christina and her brother in their later years, and it's a joy to realize that, through his work, these simple people will not be forgotten.

Gloria
A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
Narrator Name: Polly Stone

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Didn't enjoy the narrator - tented to drag on.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
It was very informative as to Christina's life and the truth of the harshness and bleakness of that time in history, early 1900s. This is her claim to fame as she was painted in her latter life by Andrew Wyeth.

Marilyn
Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova
Narrator Name: Skipp Sudduth

Rating the Audio Performance
5
This is an amazing and gentle performance giving the account of a victim and his family who are living in through the hell of Huntington's Disease.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
The author describes not only the suffering and thought processes of the victim, but also those of the family members, the testing to determine the presence of the gene in each member of the family, and the difficulty in coming to the decision to be tested. The author has thoughtfully represented each person including some of those outside the immediate family circle.

Kristen Stewart
Dixie City Jam by James Lee Burke
Narrator Name: Mark Hammer

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Mr. Hammer is an able reader for Dave Robicheaux. I especially like the way he does Alafair.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
As always, Dave is haunted by the past but now seems more able to deal with it. The mystery is good as always, and I love the description of southern Louisiana.

Deb
The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff
Narrator Name: Jennifer Wydra and Kyla Garcia

Rating the Audio Performance
4
While both performers were good, Kyla Garcia had the more authentic emotional overtones in her performance and the ability to immerse the listener in the intensity of the characters' stories.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
The story was informative (I learned many interesting things about the circus life), emotional (as the author depicted both the inner and outer emotional worlds of the main characters as they deal with risks, love, betrayals), and historical (the impact of the war on the characters, the circus, and the towns in which they performed.) At times I laughed out loud, at other times I cried.

Janice
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Narrator Name: Debra Monk

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Monk does a great job, delivering just the right emotional nuance to this story, and never letting over-dramatization of even the most magical sequences get in the way of her telling.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I loved this one, for the wilderness setting, for the rich detail given to the daily arduous life of the 1920 homesteader in Alaska, the never ending tasks, the love between the husband and wife, and the magical story about their "adopted daughter" and their love for her.

Dorcey
I'll Take You There by Wally Lamb
Narrator Name: George Guidall

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I have been a fan of George Guidall and his narration of many of my favorite books for many years, and he does an excellent job on this latest from Wally Lamb. No one can replicate the range of inflection in Guidall`s voice that make the story come alive, whether he's reading the male or female parts. I find his voice both soothing and uplifting. Kudos to you, George!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I will snatch up anything with a ghost as a central character, and this story is a doozy of a ghost story! Fun and yet oddly sad in the recitation of a young man's life growing up in the 50s with two older and highly influential sisters. A follow-up to Lamb's WISHING AND HOPING, it features the same family, only focusing on the father.

Lory
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Narrator Name: Caroline Lee

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Enthralling -- love hearing her voice. I believe she narrated TRULY, MADLY, GUILTY as well.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I like Moriarty's style. She weaves back and forth between time and characters seamlessly. She reels you in suspense and then drops it on you, always different that you suspect. I found BIG LITTLE LIES very entertaining and scarily real, when you speak of cliques and gossip among mommies.

Kimiko
The Trapped Girl by Robert Dugoni
Narrator Name: Emily Sutton Smith

Rating the Audio Performance
4
It is always difficult to attempt to "do" many different voices during the course of reading a book, both male and female characters. I think Ms. Sutton-Smith did a commendable job.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I loved and hated the characters in this book. A woman is found in a crabpot, thought to be the woman who "died" on Mt. Ranier, but later found out to be another woman. All the lives of the characters are intertwined until the surprise ending. Feeling strong emotions in a book means that the author did an exceptional job making the reader "feel" the emotions of the characters.

Rebecca Chome
The Quickie by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Narrator Name: Mary Stuart Masterson

Rating the Audio Performance
4
The audio was very good, characters well deliniated.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
1
James Patterson has his name on WA-A-AY too many books as co-author, and seeing his name on the cover does NOT mean this is a book up to Patterson standards. In this particular audiobook, everything that could go wrong, both assumptions and actual actions, does go wrong. Is the husband as bad as the murderer she sees? No, but is her husband still a different murderer? Who knows, who cares. Is her lover-partner as good a guy as he seems? Well, not really. Who knows, who cares.

Robin Nyzio
Boys in the Trees by Carly Simon
Narrator Name: Carly Simon

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Initially I was surprised at how quiet Carly SImon's voice sounded but after adjusting the volume, I became accustomed to hearing her voice recount her childhood and young adulthood. She also sings a bit and has music underlying her words. I can't imagine reading this when you can listen!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
With an autobiography, it's always great to hear the person read it. I LOVE listening to memoirs of musicians especially. So good!

Sandi
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Narrator Name: Caroline Lee

Rating the Audio Performance
2
I started out listening to the audio and disliked the narrator immensely. She was ruining the story for me. I switched to the book. However... I think the fate was sealed! The narrator had this awful screeching whiny voice for the Madeline character, like nails on a blackboard. And for as prominent a character as Madeline is in the story, that screeching whiny voice ruined the audio for me, as well as the book. By the time I quit listening to the audio, I had already become dissatisfied with Madeline and the story.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
I know I am the odd man out here with this review, but having never gotten past the awful audio of Madeline's voice I was disillusioned with the story itself. By the time I switched to the book I had lost most interest in the story. It was not all I expected it to be. Over-hyped.

Valerie
A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
Narrator Name: Polly Stone

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Polly Stone's audio performance was wonderful. I didn't have to adjust the tone of the book. She was very smooth with changing characters voices. Very understandable, very enjoyable. Thumbs up for Polly Stone.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I think if I was to have read this book I would not have enjoyed it so much. I read, just before this book, SMALL GREAT THINGS by Jodi Picoult, which was just unbelievable, so A PIECE OF THE WORL was a little slower moving than that. However, Christina Baker Kline is a beautiful storyteller, her words just magical. I found myself with free time looking up Andy Wyeth, looking at his paintings which were very familiar to me, as if I was there when painted, thanks to Christina. Christina Olson became my friend and I found excuses to get in my car and drive. I had choose this book for my book club and am curious to see how they liked it tomorrow. I will definitely be suggesting this book to our patrons in the library,

Richard N B
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Narrator Name: A full cast, featuring Brian Jacques

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The audiobook is performed by a “full cast, featuring Brian Jacques.” The back of the audio case gives credit to each performer who voices a character, but never mentions the author. However, he does narrate all the text. Fantastic job. Jacques wrote the story to be read aloud to blind children, and it shows. A perfect audio to listen to with your children or grandchildren (or just with your own inner child.)
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Great adventure story of a group of mice and other woodland creatures who espouse peaceful coexistence and cooperation within the walls of Redwall Abbey, but are under siege by the evil Rat – Cluny the Scourge - and his hordes of minions. Entertaining, scary, exciting, and inspiring. I think I’ll read more of this middle-grade series for the sheer joy of it.

Carol R
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen
Narrator Name: Anna Quindlen

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Having lived the life of this book, Anna Quindlen reads with expression and feeling that shows how she really felt during the experiences of her memoir.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Full of thought, depth of feeling, and many interesting experiences. Full of the style and direct thinking, so like Quindlen. Anna Quindlen is frank about her life and how she lives. Very enjoyable to read about her difficulties and triumphs. She has a strong opinion on her religious practices that are very direct. She admits to having had some hard times that she stuck with and some lucky breaks that brought her much success.

Eileen
Police at the Station and They Don't Look Friendly by Adrian McKinty
Narrator Name: Gerard Doyle

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Gerard Doyle has become the voice of Sean Duffy, the first-person hero of this series. He captures Duffy's humor, the menace, and the world-weariness of the book. Outstanding narration.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
The 6th of the planned trilogy of Detective Sean Duffy novels may be the best one yet. Adrian McKinty plunges the reader into the midst of the troubles in Northern Ireland in the mid-1980s, when crime and politics intersect. Duffy, a cynical romantic, is a wonderful character, growing in depth with each book. And the writing is gorgeous. Great series, and a terrific addition to it.

Tessa B C
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Narrator Name: Simon Vance

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Simon Vance does a marvelous job voicing the audio version of this classic. He gives life to the story without being overly dramatic. It’s a great book to “read aloud”, and I highly recommend listening to it with your children or grandchildren.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I had a copy of this book when I was a child, but for some reason I never read it, even during my “horse crazy” phase. I’m so glad I finally got to it. It’s a timeless tale with a simple message: Be kind to everyone (and everything). Sewell manages to convey this through Beauty’s experiences, both good and bad. The hardcover text edition I got from the library was also beautifully illustrated by Lucy Kemp-Welch.

Gerry
The Hummingbird by Stephen P. Kiernan
Narrator Name: Elyse Mirto and John H. Mayer

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I liked having two narrators for the different portions of the book (a female voice to tell the story from Deborah's perspective, and a male voice reading Barclay Reed's novel.)
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
3-1/2 stars. Kiernan has obviously done a lot of research, and this book was both enjoyable and informative. The crotchety hospice patient was my favorite character, and it was fascinating to see his relationship with Nurse Birch develop. The WWII storyline was completely new information to me -- who knew that a Japanese bomber had actually hit a target in Oregon?? -- and was a very engaging part of the novel. I found reading about the relationship between Deborah and her Iraq War veteran husband a little less satisfying because it didn't seem to ring true, though that likely reflects my own lack of exposure to the pain that veterans may bring home with them. Overall, a very worthwhile read, from an author to watch.

Diana Thomas
City of Bones by Cassandra Claire
Narrator Name: Ari Graynor

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I loved this narrator. They are switched from book to book in this series, but this one is my favorite.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Just finished this, really enjoyed it. I'm not sure what took me so long to listen to this other than being really busy with college and being worried that it would be too familiar to me since I had at one time been a fan of her fanfiction, and supposedly it was really close to some of those stories. However, on that issue, I can see more differences than similarities. Since that was likely done on purpose, I think she did a good job. I'm glad that she wrote this, it's a great book, and I can't wait to read her other series.

Laurie
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Narrator Name: Peter Altschuler

Rating the Audio Performance
4
I really enjoy audiobooks with well done accents! Thoroughly enjoyable!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
A sweet, smart, well-written story.

Rebecca
The Quickie by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Narrator Name: Mary Stuart Masterson

Rating the Audio Performance
4
The characters were well defined as the narrator used her voice to the best advantage. I think I did not rate a 5 stars as the book's content was so poor, detracting from the reading of the story.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
2
James Patterson has his name on WA-A-AY too many books as co-author, and seeing his name on the cover does NOT mean this is a book up to Patterson standards. In this particular audiobook, everything that could go wrong, both assumptions and actual actions, does go wrong. Is the husband as bad as the murderer she sees? No...but is her husband still a different murderer? Who knows, who cares. Is her lover-partner as good a guy as he seems? Well, not really. Who knows, who cares.

Mimi
The Shadows in the Street by Susan Hill
Narrator Name: Steven Pacey

Rating the Audio Performance
5
He is very good with all the voices and brings them to life with their nuances.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I like the story because it gets into each character's life. It delves into many subjects likes the medical death of a young husband and the grieving process. It looks into the church and belief of life after death. A lot of the characters are related and so they intertwine and lean on each other. This is a police story and goes a bit deep into murder and death but it makes it real. I have been reading this series and each book is great!

Nancy
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler
Narrator Name: Jenna Lamia

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The reader was really good. I do consider the reader as I select books on CD and keep a list of readers, scoring them with 1-5 stars.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I liked the story lots. I love reading historical fiction. This story was fun because of meeting real life characters along the way, e.g. Ernest Hemmingway. And, I knew nothing of the life of Zelda or Scott Fitzgerald.

Mary Lou
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
Narrator Name: Caroline Lee

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Easily my favorite narrator. She is fabulous. I feel like an enrapt child listening to a wonderful story - seriously takes me back to my youth when books were read to me.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I am so sick of World War II novels, except this one was so good! Moving between 1941 and 2011, this is the story of an elderly woman's life, her loves, losses, highs and lows, told through the voice of her now quite mature and almost as elderly oldest daughter, Laurel. The mystery unfolds gradually, enticingly. I feel so sad that it has ended, but so glad I found it to begin with. Not being familiar with this author's work, I decided to go with it when I saw it was narrated by Caroline Lee, who is extraordinarily talented. Now, however, I will definitely keep an eye out for other Kate Morton works.

Phyllis
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Narrator Name: Adenrele Ojo

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator did an excellent job with black dialect, male and female voices, old and young voices.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
A tender loving story about a young black teenager whose mother has mysteriously committed suicide and finds herself pregnant and the ensuing abortion affects the remainder of the story. The Mothers are a prayer group at Upper Room Church who keep the story moving through prayer and gossip! We are all (white and black)'influenced for good or bad by our maternal relationship and are always looking for our mother's love and acceptance. Highly recommended if you like "chick lit".

Sally
When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz
Narrator Name: Amanda Leigh Cobb

Rating the Audio Performance
4
A little bit too breathy and girlish at times, but overall it was very clear, and it was easy to differentiate among characters. The pace and timing were just right.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
WHEN ALL THE GIRLS HAVE GONE was fast-paced and exciting, with well-developed characters and a strong plot. At times it was a little difficult to follow as the story jumped around, but everything was nicely tied up in the end. Charlotte and Max are believable and likable, although Charlotte had a tendency to be a little too goody-two-shoes considering the danger her stepsister was in. The romance was appealing but the sex scene too graphic for the overall tone of the story and the characters.

Susan Currant
Britt Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
Narrator Name: Joan Walker

Rating the Audio Performance
4
The narrator did a wonderful job of capturing the personality of the characters.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
If you read A MAN CALLED OVE and enjoyed it, you will enjoy this book as well. Backman does a great job of writing characters that have just a little difficulty being around people. In this novel, Britt Marie is a little awkward around people. One day she finds out her husband is cheating on her and she musters the strength to leave. She finds a job in a community that is dying from the financial crisis. How she adapts to her new surrounding, and how they adapt to her is both poignant and humorous.