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September 6, 2016 - October 3, 2016

Cindy from Lawrence, KS
Larry from Willimantic, CT
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gail
The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee
Narrator Name: Caroline Lee

Rating the Audio Performance
5
This story is told in alternating chapters featuring each of the three main characters. It is read well, with expression and enunciation that is without reproach. The soft-spoken narrator expertly characterizes the personalities of the three main females in the story without getting in their way with her own interpretation. She does equally well with ancillary characters, male and female.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
The story draws the reader in emotionally and intellectually as it tackles the meaning of responsibility, relationships, marriage, motherhood, martyrdom, unbearable loss, adulthood, and the importance of making responsible decisions. Marriages are tested by trauma and loss. The bonds that unite couples under different kinds of stress are examined and thoughtfully explored. It examines the many different levels of parent/child relationships and of mother/daughter bonds. The loyalty of a mother to a child is dissected as is the responsibility of a parent and caregiver. Is there a need to suffer after a tragedy, after a failure? How long is it necessary to continue to suffer, to hold on to the pain and guilt before one can feel happy again?

Sandi
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Narrator Name: Oliver Wyman

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Very well narrated - smooth, concise and of level tone. Great inflection and mesmerizing. Easily discernible characters without worrying about who is speaking. Strong, but comfortable voice. For the length of this book you would want no better narrator.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
This is a story that you must hear for yourself. The tale of four college friends, classmates, that we take a life trip with - over four decades. Of the four men, Jude is the one friend that is most prominently displayed. His sordid life comes into view throughout the book along with how his demons play a part in the lives of his friends. Wonderfully narrated - an audiobook that cannot be missed.

Linda Johnson
Dodgers by Bill Beverly
Narrator Name: J. D. Jackson

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Slightly gritty baritone voice added to the dark feeling of the text. Good job, Mr. Jackson.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
A young man in a gang is given a task by his law-avoiding uncle. The story is a combination of coming of age, travel, crime drama. Well written.

Gail
Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris
Narrator Name: Georgia Maguire

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator was perfect for this novel. She captured the mood of the lunatic and the fear of his victims. She portrayed each character as an individual, altering her tone and her emphasis as she spoke through them, so they were identifiable and very well developed. Jack's sick need to experience the fear of others for his personal pleasure was passed onto the reader who then entered Grace’s world, felt her confusion, her disappointment, her frustration and her terror. When Grace couldn't sleep, neither would the reader! The narrator made me feel the same fear that Jack needed to feed his sick mind.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Jack was an attentive and always polite and loving husband in public. However, Grace was rarely out in public, and when she was, he was always with her. Jack was admired and respected for taking care of her sister, who had Down's syndrome. What could be better than such a caring, compassionate man who was very successful and handsome to boot? As a lawyer, Jack even specialized in defending abused women! Would anyone suspect that Grace was really his prisoner, that he abused her? Would anyone suspect him of being a monster who secretly wanted to hold both Grace and her sister Millie prisoner so he could fulfill his need to watch people suffer and feed on their fear?

Tessa B C
Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
Narrator Name: Christopher Evan Welch

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Christopher Evan Welch does a fairly good job of voicing the audio. He has good pacing and I liked the way he voiced the Italians – even when I was listening at double speed on my MP3.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
2
Grisham is definitely capable of better writing that this. Light on plot (and what’s there is predictable), a little romance, a life lesson learned (sort of), and a lot of football. It was a quick read, and I enjoyed some of the scenes that explored Italian culture.

Debbie
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Narrator Name: Bahni Turpin

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator did a wonderful job at bringing out the emotion in the characters' voices. Her portrayal of Cora, the main character, made her come alive.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
This was a wonderful story that portrayed the horrors of slavery and the dangers inherent in the Underground Railroad. Cora, a runaway slave, tells of her years of slavery, the horror she saw and experienced, and the evil of the plantation owners and the slave hunters. The story of her adventures on the Underground Railroad are poignant and demonstrate both the nature of those who built the Railroad and those who traveled on it. It is a story that everyone should read.

Debbie
The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis
Narrator Name: Tavia Gilbert

Rating the Audio Performance
4
The narrator does a wonderful job at the three main characters voices -- all of which are different -- Esme, a Puerto Rican maid, Darby, a young woman from Defiance, Ohio, and Rose, a young woman who grew up in New York. The narrator moves the story along without every losing focus of each of the characters whom she is portraying.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Set in the Barbizon Hotel in 1952 and 2016, this is the story of two young women whose stories become intertwined and who find they have much in common despite the 60 years difference in their Barbizon experience. During the 1950s, the Barbizon was a hotel for young women who were studying or working in NYC. In 2016, the Barbizon has been converted into condominiums except for the 4th floor where a small group of women who have lived there since the 1950s live in very small apartments. As the stories of Rose and Darby overlap, a mystery develops involving the fate of Darby and her friend Esme. As Rose unwinds the mystery, she learns a lot about life, being a young woman, and what Darby has to teach her.

Diane
The Rule of Thoughts by James Dashner
Narrator Name: Erik Davies

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Really captures the young hero's character.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Middle books in a series can often be slow going, but this is gripping and even deeper in terms of how connected you feel to the characters.

Meg
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Narrator Name: Bahni Turpin

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Fantastic audio. I kept listening to the same chapter again and again because I didn't want it to end.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I can't rave enough.

Annette
Canyons of the Night by Jayne Castle
Narrator Name: Joyce Bean

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Narration well done.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Good blend of the real and magical worlds.

Marilyn
Bertie Plays the Blues by Alexander McCall Smith
Narrator Name: Robert Ian Mackenzie

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Well done, change in voice made it fun to follow.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Bertie thinks being adopted might be the better way to live after his friend says he is adopted. Together they make a plan to offer Bertie for sale on eBay because Bertie's Mom has such unconventional expectations for a young boy. The story was fun to think about the inventiveness of these two and the very good outcome.

Deborah Smith
The New Neighbor by Leah Stewart
Narrator Name: Dianna Dorman

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I thought the narration was very well done. She had to sound like a 90-year-old woman along with the other characters. It was very believable. Her voice has great tone and inflection.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It's written from the perspective of a 90-year-old woman who becomes overwhelmingly curious about her new neighbor. She discovers the neighbor, Jennifer, has secrets that she is determined to discover. She is an odd and lonely soul who has a few secrets of her own. A worthwhile listen.

Wendy
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Narrator Name: Neil Gaiman

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Gaiman did a superb job of narrating his own book. Some authors do well at narrating their books (Bill Bryson is another) and some don't. I really enjoyed his voice as the young boy encountering otherwordly creatures.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I am not a big fan of fantasy but Gaiman is such a great writer that I have always enjoyed his books. This one is about a young bookish boy who gets involved with creatures from another world (or possibly another reality) and is saved by a family of three women who live at the end of his lane. These women are practitioners of some kind of magic and act as guardians for the boy's world. Years later the boy who is now a man is back in the neighborhood for his mother's funeral. He ends up at the farm at the end of the lane and remembers the events of that long ago time. However, he will forget them as soon as he leaves the end of the lane. I especially liked the characterization of the young boy. I suspect Gaiman may have been like him.

Susan
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Narrator Name: Pepper Binkley and Scott Sowers

Rating the Audio Performance
5
This is the first time I have ever listened to an audiobook. I LOVED it. I found reasons to get in my car and go somewhere so I could listen some more. I have read many books by Sparks and I really enjoyed listening to one of his books. Looking forward to the next audiobook. I thought the performance on the CDs was great.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Loved the story and looking forward to his next book.

Phyllis
Chasing the Last Laugh by Richard Zacks
Narrator Name: George Guidall

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Mr. Guidall was perfect for narrating this story of Mark Twain. Just the right vocal inflection and indomitable spirit of Mark Twain.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
The author had certainly did his research of letters and diaries of all the characters in this nonfiction story of Samuel Clemens' round the world tour to pay his incredible debts due to bad investments. Lots of retelling of his lectures and lots of financial details to explain his debts and repayment to creditors. Good descriptions of his family and friends during this period 1890s of his life.

Elizabeth
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Narrator Name: Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Great voices. I loved the accents.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
This is the story of two best friends, Maddy, a pilot in WWII who is an amazing pilot and Queenie who is a spy for England. Both girls are young full of life and get caught up in the war. Queenie is in a Gustapo jail and Maddy is lost in a plane crash. The voices are amazing. I was bored at the beginning, and then I got lost in the story. Listen but give it time. It's a great story.

Karen
June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Narrator Name: Sofia Willingham

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Sofia Willingham's reading is very good. Her voice and delivery keep the listener's attention and compels them to keep listening as the story unfolds.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Cassandra Davers is holed up in the home her late grandmother, June, left her. She is grieving for her grandmother and wishing their relationship had been better. Her grandmother raised her after her parents were killed in an automobile accident, but one of Cassie's photographic installations as well as her relationship with an older man have upset her. Things start to change when Nick Emmons arrives at her front door with the news that she has inherited money from Jack Montgomery, an actor, who had once filmed a movie in St. Jude, Ohio where she is now living. Jack Montgomery's daughters want to challenge the will, so they want her to take a DNA test. Cassie agrees to the test, but she wants learn about her grandmother's life first.

Karen
The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
Narrator Name: Scott Brick

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Scott Brick reads this book with an appropriately entertaining tone. The listener is pulled into the story and must keep listening to find out what happens next.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
FBI agent, Kate O'Hare, is in pursuit of con man Nick Fox. He slips through her fingers many times, but she finally catches him. He is jailed, but he manages to escape in an unlikely way. She pursues him and finds to her amazement that he has made a deal with the FBI to pursue other con men, and she has been assigned to oversee his activities.

Karen
Accused by Lisa Scottoline
Narrator Name: January LaVoy

Rating the Audio Performance
5
January LaVoy's reading of this novel is very enjoyable. The different voices she uses for each character make the characters easy to imagine. The pace and tone of her reading add to the suspense of the novel.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
New partner in the Rosato and Associates Law Firm, Mary Di Nunzio, after agonizing over the ethics and consequences accepts a case from 13-year-old Allegra Gardiner. Allegra thinks the young man, Lonnie Stall, who was charged with murdering her sister, Fiona, is innocent even though he pleaded guilty to the crime. She wants Mary to investigate the case. Allegra's parents are opposed to this and try to stop Mary. Some aspects of the original case seem suspicious so Mary continues to investigate, sometimes putting herself in danger. The investigation leads to some unexpected revelations.

Patricia
Bear is Broken by Lachlan Smith
Narrator Name: R. C. Bray

Rating the Audio Performance
4
I liked this narration a lot. This was my first time listening to R.C. Bray and he did a really good job. I would definitely listen to another book narrated by him.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
This was my first time reading Lachlan Smith and I really liked it. It wasn't really 'edge of your seat' exciting but it was enough to keep me interested and engaged throughout. I'll definitely be reading the next book in this series.

Laura
Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
Narrator Name: Heather Wilds

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Great narrator. Distinct voices of the triplets.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
A good read. This one does not have the shock factor that THE HUSBAND'S SECRET Secret has, but it was a good story.

Karen
Killer Look by Linda Fairstein
Narrator Name: Barbara Rosenblatt

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Barbara Rosenblatt does a good job portraying the various characters. The voices are appropriate for the characters and their professions as well as their state of mind. Her reading in the characters' own voices makes the book interesting and believable.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Alexandra Cooper is on leave from the DA's office to recover from the traumatic experience of being abducted and held by kidnappers. Her love interest, Mike Chapman, is a detective investigating the death of designer Wolf Savage, an apparent suicide. Alex's friend Lilly contacts her asking for help. She is Wolf Savage's daughter, and she thinks he was actually murdered, but she hasn't been able to convince the medical examiner or her uncle and half brother. Alex and Mike look more closely at the case and start investigating who or why someone would kill Wolf and make it appear to be a suicide. Alex digs into the fashion business and discovers a dark, complicated world.

sharon
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Narrator Name: Tina Fey

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Funny and fabulous. Laughed out loud and was very sorry when I finished this book. Well done, Tina!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Her reflections on her life. Very witty.

Carol
Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile
Narrator Name: Miriam Hyman

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Her adaption was wonderful.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Enjoyed the book. Storyline excellent portraying the brother's lack of initiative to work to achieve success, and in the end you couldn't help to feel that he suffered as well from the racial issues he couldn't overcome.

Ricki
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Narrator Name: Carolyn McCormick

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Why must female narrators for any YA distopian sound so melancholy? I am not holding this against McCormick because it always happens.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
2
It sort of felt like Collins was out of ideas going back into the area in the second book. However, I did think the arena was better this time. Unfortunately, Katniss is still not likeable, and the love triangle is just so odd since Peeta is so well flesh-out but Gale is very one-dimensional.

sally
Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
Narrator Name: Lisa Flanagan

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Great characters. She was able to change from female to male characters well and emotions were well done. Very clear and easy to listen to. I always knew which character was speaking by her voice.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Very different plot; interesting..I wanted to keep reading to find out how she would possibly change her life situation. I was even worried at the end that something would go terribly wrong again. Don't want to give away the ending, but I did enjoy it.

Linda Zarett
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Narrator Name: Robert Bathurst

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I was initially hesitant when Robert Bathurst took over as the narrator for the Inspector Gamache Three Pines Series. I associated Ralph Cosham's voice with the main character Inspector Armand Gamache as he had narrated the previous books in the series up until his passing. But, Robert Bathurst was an excellent choice. His voice is engaging and he continues to bring the characters and the story to life.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I love the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny. A GREAT RECKONING was exceptional, probably the best in the series thus far. The book was so good, that as anxious as I was to have the mysteries revealed, I am so disappointed that it is now over. In this installment, Detective Gamache, no longer retired, accepts a position with the Surete academy. Inspector Gamache's goal is to eradicate the corruption that is contaminating the academy and producing increasingly violent, cruel and incompetent graduating cadets. The return of old friends and enemies make this book a fascinating read.

Lori
Belgravia by Julian Fellowes
Narrator Name: Juliet Stevenson

Rating the Audio Performance
4
For the most part, the audio performance was very good. My only complaint is that two characters (strangely, one male and one female) sounded the same. The plot moved among many characters, but it was generally easy to follow what was happening.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I enjoyed the book. It was a nice period piece, bringing to life the early Victorian period with its class issues. It was a little soap-opera-ish, but so was Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs. I would recommend it as a pleasant, light read.

Richard N B
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Narrator Name: James Naughton

Rating the Audio Performance
5
James Naughton does a wonderful job of narrating. His bass is perfect for the uber masculine Hemingway, though his deep voice didn’t do justice to the women, especially Zelda Fitzgerald. Still Naughton's performance made me feel as if "Papa" himself were telling me this story of his youth...over some scotch and cigars, of course.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Early in his career as a writer, Hemingway lived in Paris with his wife and infant son. This is his memoir of that time, when he was young, curious, and soaking up atmosphere with a sponge. There is immediacy to Hemingway’s writing that just draws me into the world of his work.

Charries
My Voice by Angie Martinez
Narrator Name: Angie Martinez

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The audio was clear precise and easy to listen to and follow altogether.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
The autobiographical content in which a rising social media celebrity met her challenges and successes throughout life. She manages to shine light on how she stayed true to the what she believed to be a true representation of who she was in life and who she was going to become in her career. Her foundation of roots included a variety of cultural influences derived from Hispanic and African American cultures.

Kay
Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
Narrator Name: Joan Walker

Rating the Audio Performance
4
The reader did an excellent job of portraying the varying characters and their personalities. My only complaint was that sometimes her voice became so soft that I couldn't understand the words.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I almost gave up on the book early on because I didn't like the character of Britt-Marie that was continued from MY GRANDMOTHER SAID TO TELL YOU SHE'S SORRY, but I was sure a change was coming. And I loved it! It followed one of my favorite themes of created, as opposed to biological, families and included all the joys and heartbreaks that come with a family. I generally prefer a more definite ending, but realize that not only could the reader move Britt-Marie's life however it suits, but also this ending leaves an opening for a sequel.

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

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Anna has a great voice for reading and storytelling. I enjoyed listening to her tell the story of her life.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I found the autobiography of Anna Quindlen very enjoyable. Her early life with her parents and siblings and caring for her dying mother helped to shape her life. Then returning to college to finish her education, setting out on her own, and marrying a man she met in college continued the process. Her insights about the stages of her life, her children growing up, and her life with her husband through the years were entertaining. It was easy to identify with the challenges she faced as a wife, mother and homemaker while being a professional writer.

Chris
The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin
Narrator Name: Kate Reading

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Kate Reading was excellent as always. She doesn't do annoying voices like some of the other audio readers do. Her accents make sense to the story.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
We loved the story. It is set in an interesting time in history, the reign of Henry II, and features some of the more famous characters in European history. The main character is likeable and believable. I will definitely get the prior book in this series.

Rebecca
The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling
Narrator Name: Tom Hollander

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The audio performance was very good -- clear distinction between characters, time, and places.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
At first I found it hard to put the characters "together". Where was this leading? Who would be chosen to fill the vacancy? Would the fulfillment bring everyone together? BAM! It all comes together, sometimes in a sorrowful but realistic way. 5 stars to J. K.

Rebecca
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Narrator Name: Cassandra Campbell and Bahni Turpin

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Very good.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I had read this book years ago, recommended it to friends, and introduced it to my book club as a monthly selection. It was one of my favorites, and when I got a chance to purchase the audiobook I was delighted! It is such a scientific tale with huge overtones of sadness as Henrietta battles her disease and loses. Her family did not know until 20 years after her death of her "immortal " cells (one book club member did not want to read it as they thought it must be a ghost story with the word immortal in the title.) I understand that Henrietta has been recognized by the medical community after so many years -- a disgrace.

Andrea
Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson
Narrator Name: Marcus Samuelsson

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Loved hearing the story in the author's own voice.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
What a fascinating life and dedication to his profession.

Deborah
Nutshell by Ian McEwan
Narrator Name: Rory Kinnear

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Rory Kinnear does an awesome job with a difficult narrator: a fetus. He hits just the right notes for this precocious unborn child, who overhears his mother and her lover plotting his father's demise. Smart and sophisticated despite his inexperience, this unique narrator comes to life with Kinnear's reading.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
NUTSHELL is a contemporary riff on Hamlet, told by a fetus who announces on the first page, "So here I am, upside down in a woman." Trudy, nine months pregnant, told her unsuccessful husband that they needed time apart to make their marriage work, but she's having an affair with his younger brother Claude, a real estate developer. When John announces that he accepts their affair but wants to move back into the marital home, Trudy and Claude plot his murder. The narrator ("bound in a nutshell," so to speak) is even more stuck than the indecisive Hamlet, wanting to save his father and save himself from being given up. Smart, sophisticated and very funny, especially when McEwan tosses Shakespearean lines in unexpected mouths and places.

Kelly
LaRose by Louise Erdrich
Narrator Name: Louise Erdrich

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Since the author is the narrator, I think it was told from the heart and how she intended the story to be heard.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Another very interesting story of Native American life and customs in contemporary society. Offering the young son of a man who accidentally shot and killed his friend's son in a hunting accident sounded like a very sad story, but it was quite enjoyable. The characters were well developed.

Terry
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Narrator Name: Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey and India Fisher

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Excellent! I actually felt like I was living the story. The depth of emotions heard on the audio was sometimes chilling! Thumbs up all the way!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
The concept of this story, although somewhat familiar, is a good storyline. Rachel, our protagonist, commutes to and from work on the train. She is intrigued by a particular home the train passes on her daily commute. Well, more like the homeowners. One day Rachel sees the couple outside on their deck. Are they fighting? Is that her husband? The train is too far off in the distance to get a close look at their features. Later the woman is missing and then found murdered. Rachel goes to the police but nothing comes of it. She is determined to find the killer and does her own investigation. Rachel is needy, whiney, seeks acceptance, and is a bit of a lush. However, she ties in well with the story. I like her. Buy it.

Barbara
Best Kept Secret by Jeffrey Archer
Narrator Name: Alex Jennings and Emilia Fox

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Great inflection and voice changes. I always knew the person speaking and understood what they were saying.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
This book weaves a tale that keeps you wanting to know more. It teases and delivers and then teases some more. The ending had me staring at the CD player in my car saying, "WHAT?" then starting the last disc over to play it again! What an ending - totally unexpected! I haven't read much Archer, but this one was terrific!

Jeanne
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon
Narrator Name: Jeff Woodman

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator's voice just fit this story. He made it sound like he was recounting a story from his own experience.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
It was a great story and very authentic, about a boy with autism and how he sees the world.

Beverlee
The Lake House by Kate Morton
Narrator Name: Caroline Lee

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Great differentiation among the many characters of the book - particularly liked the voices of young Alice and Sadie.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I think it was a little confusing in the sequencing of the story - might be easier in print but in the end I loved the suspense and the beautiful love story that it told.

Simonne
All the Stars in the Heavens by Adrianna Trigiani
Narrator Name: Blair Brown

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Great performance by a terrific actress. Many roles with different accents, including an American Italian and an Italian national were easy to distinguish and were consistent. The voices for both Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy were both believable and very distinct from each other. Bravo!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I loved the story, probably because I am a huge fan of movies created during Hollywood's Golden Age. It is too bad in a way that do much of the story that has become available in recent years via the stars' passing and Internet delving into everything. A lot of the romance is most likely embellished in the book.

Lynn
Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear
Narrator Name: Orlagh Cassidy

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Cassidy "is" Maisie! I've read all of this series, so I think I know Maisie. Great reader!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
It's 1937. Maisie's husband has died in a plane accident. Although she had "retired" from detecting, she's drawn back to it when a police friend of hers recommends that she go undercover to Hitler's pre-war Germany to retrieve a valued Englishman. The tension of being in Germany at that time is really well portrayed in this book.

Michelle
Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben
Narrator Name: January LaVoy

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator does a good job of differentiating between the characters. She has nice pacing and is pleasant to listen to.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I always enjoy Harlan's books and this one is no exception. He keeps you engaged, providing enough background information to understand the characters and the conflict without beating the subject.

Melanie S.
Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
Narrator Name: Jen Tullock

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I am not familiar with Jen Tullock as an audio performer, but she did an excellent job narrating this story. Her voice was pleasing and she was able to convey both male and female characters well.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
A fun, quirky, contemporary tale of the lives of 40-somethings in Brooklyn. They met at Oberlin College back in the day and now they have all settled in Brooklyn. Two of the women are best friends, one is in gay marriage and one is in a heterosexual one; both are having marital difficulties and at least one partner in each couple is having a mid-life crisis. Both couples have teenage children who are very different in nature and are challenging to their parents. An entertaining, light read.

Melanie S.
American Ghost by Hannah Nordhaus
Narrator Name: Xe Sands

Rating the Audio Performance
5
This audiobook is an example of how really dull material can be made more exciting ( a little bit, anyway) by a great performer. This was chosen as a the selection for my library book group. I was so bored, reading pages over and not realizing I had read them before. I took the audiobook out of the library, and that was the only way to slog through this material. It was still a bit of a chore but a much more tolerable one with Xe Sands reading the story.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
2
The premise of this true story had a lot of promise and peaked my interest: a woman goes in search of information of her great-great grandmother who is believed to be a ghost haunting a hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which used to be her residence. This book rambled on with so many side stories of uncles and aunts generations before that it made my eyes glaze over. I found that I didn't realize I had read something before and was reading things over and over until I switched to the audiobook. I was able to get through the material with Xe Sands' excellent narration, but the presentation of the material was all over the place and there was too much extraneous information that, if edited out, could have made the story more engaging.

Debbie
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Narrator Name: Robert Bathurst

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator does a wonderful job with all the characters from the "Goth" girl to Inspector Gamache. Each one has his or her own voice and they are pitch-perfect.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
This was my first Inspector Gamache mystery, but it won't be my last. This is a smart mystery with well-defined characters, some of whom are really "characters" (I especially like Ruth; actually I want to be Ruth when I grow up). The story is set within the four walls of the police academy, which is a hot bed of corruption that Gamache is trying to clean up, and in his small village of Three Pines. The connections between an old map, a murder, and characters both past and present combine to keep the reader trying to put the clues together to solve the crime. However, although solving the mystery is important, for some reason it does not seem to be the center of the story. Rather, it is the connections among the characters.

Cindy
The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown
Narrator Name: Brene Brown

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Because the author is the reader, all the stories seem even more personal.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Great advice for anyone on this planet. No wonder her TED talk was so well received!

Kara
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Narrator Name: Peter Francis James

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Terrific quality of voice, good accents, good representation of the prose through emphasis on words and phrases and pacing.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
THINGS FALL APART is coming to be known as part of the modern English-language literary canon. I was assigned the book in college and finally seized the opportunity to experience it. I found it very worthwhile, but it wasn't a classic that I will return to time and again. So, the four star rating is a little low as I graded based on expectations.

Kara
The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley
Narrator Name: Katherine Kellgren

Rating the Audio Performance
5
This narrator spoke in a default English accent (posh) with what I thought were downright fantastic and very frequent speech in Scottish accents for specific characters. She also displayed a strong command of Irish accents for certain characters, a range of English accents, and often she represented Russian-accented English for the appropriate characters. (I am not learned in Russian accents though so cannot judge the strength here.) A+ stuff!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
This was a very engaging romance/historical fiction novel (sub-genre: time travel). I had been meaning to try this author for a long time and would read her work again gladly. She made me enjoy the romantic elements of the plot even though I never read straight romance (although my enjoyment was much higher with the historically situated love story.) This is apparently the second book in a series, but I found that no previous experience with it was needed to enjoy this story.

Betsy
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith
Narrator Name: Edouardo Ballerini

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Good command of multiple accents required for authenticity.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
The story and backstory of a painting and its forgery, a painter and a forger.

Kara
Fat Angie by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo
Narrator Name: Angela Dawe

Rating the Audio Performance
3
Very good, but nothing particularly memorable for me.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
An overweight unpopular teen who also happened to have tried to kill herself unsuccessfully in full view of her high school peers at a school event gets the hot new girl to fall for her without trying. Developing mentorships, dealing with the problem of parenting and mental health issues of various sorts, as well as casualties of our current wars. All are elements of this tremendously unique and ambitious work. Exemplary Literary YA fiction with Diversity Represented Diversely (as it were) is my headline here.

Virginia
The Home Place by Carrie La Seur
Narrator Name: Andrus Nichols

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Very good. Very easy to listen to.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Good book. Good story - easy to follow. Will be watching for her next book.

Kara Shamy
The Other Side by Lacy M. Johnson
Narrator Name: Lacy M. Johnson

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Johnson is a survivor of relationship violence, sexual assault, as well as an attempt to rape/murder her in a basement by her former partner. She reads her own audiobook of the memoir dealing with such events. What can you say to that but WOW?! Respect!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
2
While personally brave and inherently compelling, Johnson's story remained entirely personal, and I really wanted to connect her experience to other social issues, the experiences of others, or other issues in her life more broadly.

Kara
The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
Narrator Name: Christine Avila, Ozzie Rodriguez, Yareli Arizmendi, Gustavo Res, Gabriel Romero, and Jesse Corti

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Cast readings are always a pleasure; in this case, the smaller roles really shone in particular. The best readings only had one or two monologues, but it's hard to complain overall.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
This story is heart-warming and very unique; it raises controversial issues about people with disabilities and their participation in various dynamic personal relationships. I enjoyed it, but I could have done without another teenage romance story, told in the first-person, no less.

Francisca E B
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
Narrator Name: Katharine McEwan

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Katharine McEwan does a fine job narrating the audio version. She has good pacing and is able to give the characters sufficiently unique voices that I had no trouble following the story.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
McLain does extensive research and had a wealth of information on which to base this work of historical fiction. I appreciate how she paints the landscape of this part of Africa in the early part of the 20th century. I recognize Markham’s intelligence, determination and tenacity, but she never seemed to learn anything from her mistakes. I struggle with giving the work a higher rating because I so disliked Beryl Markham. McLain chose to focus her work on Beryl’s childhood and young adulthood, so that the character is just becoming the woman we know about when the novel ends. And I’m left feeling disappointed in both Beryl and the book.

Larry
Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
Narrator Name: Mariska Hargitay, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Well read, knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Lin-Manuel Miranda had some successes with theater and hip-hop and rap before he took the Pulitzer Prize winning historian Ron Chernow's book ALEXANDER HAMILTON with him on a vacation to Mexico. Put theater, hip-hop, rap and American history together, simmer for five years, and viola!! Will probably be the biggest money maker in American theatrical history before it begins to fade away 50 years from now. Most of us haven't seen the musical, nor do we know too much about it, but we are curious. "What's the buzz, tell me what's happenin" was a lyric from one of Miranda's favorite influences, Jesus Christ Superstar, and that's how I feel. Now I have a better idea, and I can't wait till the touring group hits the road. Nice audiobook!

Katharine
The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
Narrator Name: Elizabeth Morton

Rating the Audio Performance
5
While listening in the car, you'll want to keep driving! Exciting.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Suspenseful!

Katharine
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
Narrator Name: Becca Battoe

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Great distinction in voices for the different characters!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Great! Old time Florida after the Great Depression. An uplifting book!

Kara
Means of Ascent by Robert A. Caro
Narrator Name: Grover Gardner

Rating the Audio Performance
3
The narration is unremarkable except that I notice this book and the last in the LBJ bio series narrated by Gardner were easy to listen to at accelerated speeds -- which I found useful given the time investment involved here.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
LBJ -- if you don't know, you better find out from Robert A. Caro. I am currently enthralled by these biographies, which I am listening to in order.

Kara
On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Narrator Name: Rebecca Macauley

Rating the Audio Performance
4
I really fell in love with this love story, and I couldn't have done it without the gifted reading of this charismatic actor. What a great character greatly performed!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I didn't expect much from this read, but it was a very rewarding experience I will remember for a long time. I cried often. I couldn't stop listening because I was completely engaged by the action of the plot. Most markedly, I really enjoyed getting to know the unique, incredibly textured young characters with which Marchetta peopled this narrative. I don't know people like them, but they definitely seemed real. I was stimulated emotionally and intellectually by their approaches to their problems. A unique and special read!

Nicolette
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Narrator Name: Jennifer Ikeda

Rating the Audio Performance
5
This is the most enjoyable audiobook I have listened to, granted my "read" list is very short in this format. But the story and the narrator were very complimentary and after a long drive I was hooked, listening every minute I was in the car, out walking, or doing tasks around the house.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
A bit of a love story, A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES had just enough emotional development to really attach me to the characters. And even though it's about witches and vampires with an occasional showing of a demon, it's based on real people and wasn't so far out as to lose my interest. Definitely one to listen to! I purchased the second book in the series as soon as I finished this first book of the trilogy.

Diane
Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
Narrator Name: Carla Mercer-Meyer

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Good job, but sometimes a bit hard to get.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Unique tale!

Patricia
The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Narrator Name: Madeleine Maby

Rating the Audio Performance
4
This was my first time listening to Madeleine Maby and I really enjoyed her. Her voice is very pleasant to listen to.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
1
I hung around for this?? Honestly, I should have listened to my instincts and dropped this book after about a quarter in, like I wanted to. But I kept thinking/hoping, "it will get better, it will pay off". And it never did. I actually liked Knoll's writing style. The problem is there is no one in this book that has any redeeming qualities. The main character is narcissistic, petty, cruel. At first I thought, "Well, it's because of what happened to her when she was younger". But really, she was awful even before that happened. I'm mourning the loss of my life that I'll never get back that I wasted reading this book.

Patricia
Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
Narrator Name: David Thorpe and Karen Cass

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I loved the narration by Karen Cass. I could listen to her talk with her accent all day long!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
I had a real love/hate relationship with this book. It's one of those things where, even though I think it was good, reading the book was not at all a pleasurable experience and it's not a book I would ever want to read again. The storyline is quite dark and some of it is hard to hear. But, on the other hand, it does a really good job at illustrating exactly how an extreme trauma can really cause a debilitating disorder like OCD. It was really eye-opening.

Charlotte
After You by Jojo Moyes
Narrator Name: Anna Acton

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The narrator captured the emotions of the characters. I was completely drawn into the story and the lives of the characters.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
I appreciated this sequel to ME BEFORE YOU and enjoyed learning what happened to the characters. We gain a better understanding of some of the previous novel's characters and meet delightful new characters. I would love to see a movie made of this novel!

Jan
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Narrator Name: Robert Bathurst

Rating the Audio Performance
4
I have to deduct a star for Mr. Bathurst's portrayal of Ruth. I felt that it was too harsh compared to Ralph Cosham's portrayal as just as a grouchy but more endearing Ruth.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Having listened to and loved this series, I felt that it was great addition to the lore and a great introduction of new characters into the series.

Jan
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Narrator Name: Oliver Wyman

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Good delivery, captured emotions well without overacting the part.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
2
2.5 stars and I'm being generous. Where was the editor in this clunker of a novel? I knew going in that there are lifelong devastating repercussions to horrific childhood abuse and this book did nothing to further enlighten me. There's SO much repetition, the characters were unrealistic and underdeveloped, and the book is filled with improbable circumstances that had me rolling my eyes. I usually love stories about dysfunctional characters and/or families but this was a slog to get through -- nearly 33 hours of listening time. I'm sorry I read this book and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Jan
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
Narrator Name: Caroline Lee

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Caroline Lee delivers a flawless performance as always.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
I didn't care for this book as much as her previous ones. Moriarty captures relationships quite well, but I wasn't as engaged in these couples' problems, and found the big reveal of what happened at the barbecue anticlimactic. It was good, a pleasant read, but not great. Moriarty's books follow the formula of letting the reader know in the first chapter that something happened, and then telling the backstory. I think it would be nice if she did something different in her next book.

Linda
Rocket Man by Craig Nelson
Narrator Name: Richard McGonagle

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Excellent job. Matter of fact, no embellishments or voices, but that is what the material required. It was a little spooky because McGonagle sounds just like the late actor, Leslie Nielson.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
A history of the various programs that got the U.S. to the moon, going back to the German scientists who originally were involved with the Nazis. The author includes interviews with the wives of Armstrong and Aldrin and Collins, not just the men who worked on the missions. Interesting inside information about why/how Armstrong was chosen rather than Aldrin. Trivia and unknown (to me) information revealed. My kind of book about a subject that has fascinated me since I was kid waiting for Mercury launches before I went to school.

Tessa B C
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
Narrator Name: Cassandra Campbell

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Cassandra Campbell does a superb narrating the audiobook. She has a gentle quality that is perfectly suited to this book. There is a scene where the Professor praises the way in which the boy has read aloud a homework problem: “You make a boring problem sound just like a poem." That is a perfect description for Campbell’s performance; even when she is reading equations, she makes them sound like poetry.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
A beautifully elegant gem of a novel. The slow way in which the Housekeeper, Root and the Professor get to know one another is framed by his lessons on the poetry of mathematics. I liked how Ogawa used the Professor’s and Root’s love of baseball to frame their growing friendship. It is a story about love (not to be confused with a “love story”).

Mary Lou
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Narrator Name: Robert Bathurst

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Mr. Bathurst rendered an outstanding performance with this book. He has a lovely voice, and he was able to clearly delineate between characters, even the young females. He was brilliant. The voice and skill of the narrator is so important in making an audiobook a great read, and Mr. Bathurst completely filled the bill.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
This is the twelfth offering in Louise Penny's Three Pines series, and it was excellent. The setting shifted between Three Pines, (a place I want to visit as much as I wanted to visit Mary's Secret Garden when I was a child), and the Surete du Quebec academy, where the retired Chief of Homicide Inspector Armand Gamache is now Commander of the cadets. One of the professors turns up dead, and Gamache becomes a prime suspect. One of the cadets, a tattooed and pierced but brilliant misfit, is also in the crosshairs of the investigation, both relating to the murder and also her relationship with Gamache. No need to read volumes 1 through 11 before reading this latest outing of Louise Penny. A great stand-alone and a great read.

Orianne Sharir
Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts
Narrator Name: Cassandra Morris

Rating the Audio Performance
1
The narrator seemed to think that using a petulant voice for the lead character was the best way to portray a young woman. Hated it.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
Not one of Billie Letts' best, but definitely compelling.

Diane
Cress by Marissa Meyer
Narrator Name: Rebecca Soler

Rating the Audio Performance
5
She does a great job with different voices!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Exciting tale!

Marilyn
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
Narrator Name: John Lee

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Distinct character accents make listening so much better.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Fabulous storylines and content keeps reader interested and looking for more.

Terry
The House of Secrets by Brad Meltzer and Tod Goldberg
Narrator Name: Scott Brick and January LaVoy

Rating the Audio Performance
4
I really didn't have any issues with the audio. As a matter of fact, I thought the narrators' voices fit the characters.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
The book is a mystery/political thriller. Hazel Nash, her brother and her father are in an automobile accident. Hazel awakens with no memory of her past, her brother is injured, and her father has died. Later the FBI comes in to question her about a body they found with a priceless book stuffed inside his chest. She remembers nothing. Her father was the host of a favored American conspiracy television show, The House of Secrets. Once home she finds guns she doesn't remember about. She is determined to find who killed the man, what was her father doing for the government, and who she is. A little slow and long, drawn out at times, it's still a good book but not Meltzer at his finest.

Regina Strand
The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan
Narrator Name: Nancy Wu, Joyce Bean and Amy Tan

Rating the Audio Performance
4
This book kept me driving with its wonderful story and clever reading. After 21 CDs it was a little long but very enjoyable.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Sweeping story of the lives of two women and their fates. Shanghai at the turn of the century and the lives of the courtesans. Always a glimpse into Chinese thinking and temperament when reading Amy Tan.

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

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The reader's voice drew me in from the start and it made a solo road trip extremely enjoyable! The characters came alive for me and I will remember this book for a long, long time!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
This is a book that I could recommend to anyone, if only it were on the shelves! This book is extremely popular, but I still have to recommend the audiobook.

Sara
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
Narrator Name: Cary Elwes, Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal, Bill Goldman, and more!

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Oh my goodness, how much wonderful is it to listen to Cary describe his experiences during the making of The Princess Bride. And how wonderful to hear his director and other cast give their thoughts on their colleagues and this magical experience.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
If you are a film lover, hearing about the behind-the-scenes is such a rare experiences and learning of such an experience for a much loved movie and book has been wonderful.

Deb
One Second After by William R. Forstchen
Narrator Name: Joe Barrett

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Excellent! Hard to believe there was only one narrator.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Not only is this book a riveting read (or listen to), it is based on a real weapon -- the Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) -- that could paralyze our country and destroy our lives as we know them to be. Filled with haunting realism, this futuristic scenario may not be that far away. This is a book all Americans should read (or listen to)!

Sue
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Narrator Name: Nicola Barber and Steven Crossley

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Super job narrating! Enjoyed the English accents which supported the plot/setting well. Both narrators made you believe you were listening to the characters. Really well done.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
This is a twisted thriller chock full of surprises. Mackintosh used her history of police work to help write about the tragic hit-and-run. The book is fast-paced and gruesome in places. I suspect it will be made into a movie as it is rich in scenery and storyline.

Linda
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
Narrator Name: Scott Brick

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Just a competent reading with no performance. Good strong voice.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
A too young widower owns a book shop on an island. Since his wife died, he has become a curmudgeon until he becomes a surrogate father for a 2-year old girl. Subsequently, Fikry lets others infiltrate his store and his life. Full of book titles and each chapter starts with a book quote.

Tessa B C
The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais
Narrator Name: Neil Shah

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Neil Shah does a reasonably good job of voicing the audio version. His pace is good and he was able to clearly differentiate the many characters. I loved his Madame Mallory! I don’t speak French but his pronunciation of various French phrases and names of various restaurant offerings seemed authentic; ditto for the Indian phrases/dishes.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
Hassan Haji is born into a restaurant family and becomes a celebrated French chef in this delightful fable. The book focuses on his life’s journey, and those bumps in the road that might derail his ambitions. There is a significant clash of cultures when this Indian family establishes their Maison Mumbai in the small French village of La Lumiere. But good food will always attract a following.

Lori
I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillan
Narrator Name: Terry McMillan

Rating the Audio Performance
4
The book was read by the author. She clearly is not a professional reader, but I enjoyed her performance anyway. She was able to convey the emotion and occasional sarcasm of the main character very well.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
I enjoyed the story which was about a woman in her 50s who wants to make dramatic changes in her life. She tries to reconnect with old boyfriends with interesting results. She also wants to make changes in her professional life, living situation, and family relationships. I'm not sure how realistic much of it was, but it was a fun read.

Julie Bockstiegel
Belgravia by Julian Fellowes
Narrator Name: Juliet Stevenson

Rating the Audio Performance
5
I don't think I would have stuck with this book had it not been for Juliet Stevenson's excellent narration. Her readings of the varied characters, whether male or female, patrician or servant, were so distinct that you immediately knew who was speaking. She made this audio as enjoyable as it is.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
I found it very hard to get into this book, then it picked up and I enjoyed it more. However, I found the ending very disappointing. After going into sometimes an excruciating level of detail on unimportant things throughout the book, I felt like the author got what I call "writer's fatigue" - where the writer seems to run out of steam at the end of a story and quickly wraps it up in an unsatisfactory manner. He did not describe the scene of the "big reveal", but just said it happened and what various characters reactions were to the reveal. I found this very disappointing. Had it not been for the excellent narrator of this audio, I would not have finished it.

Francisca E B
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Narrator Name: Carrington MacDuffie

Rating the Audio Performance
3
The audiobook doesn’t offer a clear clue when the narration switches from Hadley’s point of view to Ernest’s, and I found it confusing and distracting. Nevertheless, Carrington MacDuffie did a reasonably good job of the narration on the audio version. However, she does NOT do Zelda Fitzgerald justice at ALL - where is her southern accent?
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
When Hadley Richardson arrives in Chicago to visit her friend Kate, she has no idea that she is about to meet the man who will change her life – Ernest Hemingway. Most of the book is written from Hadley’s point of view, but there are sections where McClain emulates Hemingway’s style, giving us a glimpse of his point of view. This is very effective when read on the page, partly because the change in font clearly alerts the reader to the different narrator.

Linda
Bucky F*cking Dent by David Duchovny
Narrator Name: David Duchovny

Rating the Audio Performance
2
Maybe I was just left on the outside of an inside joke, but I didn't get the book or his/the author's delivery.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
2
The title comes from a ballgame between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The game would decide which team would go to the World Series. Yankee short stop, Bucky Dent hit a 3-run homer to eliminate the Red Sox. The main character and his dying father are big Red Sox fans. They also don't seem to respect each other, but they try. The language in the book is what put me off. Maybe a lot of men talk this way, but my father and brothers never did.

Glenda
King and Maxwell by David Baldacci
Narrator Name: Ron McLarty with Orlagh Cassidy

Rating the Audio Performance
5
Another wonderful Baldacci book/story. The reader, Ron McLarty, is fabulous in bringing the characters to life.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Great introduction of character for me.

Rena
Irena's Children by Tilar J. Mazzeo
Narrator Name: Amanda Carlin

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Amanda Carlin’s steady narration reveals the courageous story of Irena Sandler, the Polish hero who spearheaded the effort to save 2500 Jewish children during World War II. For listeners who may not want to read gruesome details of wartime cruelty, Carlin’s gently modulated telling makes the brutality tolerable. Her voice has a wistful edge suited to the narratives of Irena, several of the Resistance leaders she “organized like a general,” and the Jewish victims of the German occupation in Poland. Her narration is unaccented, as is most of the sparse dialogue, using a Polish accent sparingly. Carlin humanizes this “feather of a person with an iron spirit” as compassionate, flawed, decent, and humble.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Irena Sandler comments about her World War II actions, “I have qualms of conscience that I did so little.” Tilar Mazzeo's meticulously researched Sandler's life, focusing of this slice of wartime history. I appreciated the brief, but pertinent information about her childhood and the influence her father had on her developing values. I did get bogged down in the telling of the war material, sometimes losing the thread of the various players. But the story is compelling and important, as we consider the actions of ordinary people in extraordinary times.

Susie
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Narrator Name: Sunil Malhotra

Rating the Audio Performance
5
It was outstanding!
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
5
Reminding us all we need to be fully present.

Sally
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
Narrator Name: Jeff Harding

Rating the Audio Performance
4
Pretty good narration.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
3
This book was easy to listen to. I did enjoy quite a few of the books that they read. However, the list was rather high-brow. This book was okay. An interesting read about a man who goes to chemotherapy treatments with his mother, and they discuss books. The book discussions are really secondary in this story, which is primarily about her treatment for pancreatic cancer. This family has money and connections, and he frequently describes all the fantastic things that his mother did throughout her life. It was difficult to relate.

Alyson
Big Wish by Brandon Robshaw
Narrator Name: Brandon Robshaw

Rating the Audio Performance
5
The audiobook was well-modulated and gave pauses in the right spots. I love it when authors read their own books because they know the material so well. I could easily follow the storyline and enjoyed listening to his voice inflections.
Rating the Book's Content/Storyline
4
Audiobook for young readers with a lofty idea - what would you do if you could have your wishes come true. Interesting dilemma and consequences in the retelling of an old fable.