my books. my life.

Title: A Good American
Author: Alex George
Narrator: Gibson Frazier
Genre: Historical Mystery
Pages: 400
Audio: 11.3 hours
Year: 2012
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam
Source: Library
Rating: 3.5/5

Summary:

When Frederick and Jette Meisenheimer set out for America from Germany, they intended to go to New York, like most immigrants. But fate brought them through New Orleans instead, eventually settling in a small Missouri town. What follows is their life – the ups and downs and everything in between.

My Thoughts:

This is one of those great, multigenerational family sagas. The one problem I find with this kind of story, and one that I found here, was that it sometimes felt like it was just a long obituary. I was starting to get really depressed with everyone dying. The story spans many years. Of course people are going to die. But sometimes it seemed like that’s all that was happened. Death. Cute story about a raccoon. Death. Death. Wedding. Death.

But, this was the story of an American family. How they came to this country, how they settled where they settled, and what happened after that. Death aside, it’s nice to be reminded of what the “American Dream” looks like and experience history through the Meisenheimers.

Alex George is a fantastic writer, peppering the story with unique characters and heartfelt emotion. I enjoyed spending time with the Meisenheimer family (which is probably why I got so depressed when everyone kept dying). So many people loved this book that I feel perfectly comfortable recommending it despite my seemingly-ambivalent review. I wish I loved it as much as everyone else. Amy Einhorn and I just don’t seem to be getting along quite as well as we used to. But we’re still cool. I promise.

Audiobook Thoughts:

Gibson Frazier did a fine job narrating this. He has a unique voice and puts a lot of emotion into his narration (as opposed to those who step back and let the story handle that).

Others’ Thoughts: Mrs Q Book Addict; Whimpulsive; Devourer of Books

Title: The Name of the Star
Author: Maureen Johnson
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Paranormal
Pages: 384
Year: 2011
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Source: Personal Collection
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

Rory, a teenager from Louisiana, gets to spend her last year of high school at a boarding school in London. And she is psyched. But her move to London coincides with the start of a string of murders – all copycats of Jack the Ripper. Her year begins to look much different when London is thrown into terror and the murders are occurring within blocks of the school. When Rory, and only Rory, spots a man near the scene of the crime, the police aren’t the only ones who are interested. Rory may be the next victim, unless she can solve the mystery that has sprung up around her.

My Thoughts:

This book came around right when I needed it. I was (am) in quite the reading drought. Nothing was keeping my attention. Enter The Name of the Star.

I couldn’t put this book down.

The Name of the Star has England, a boarding school, and Jack the Ripper. Tell me that doesn’t sound like a win. I was already a big fan of Maureen Johnson’s, but she continues to impress me.

Now, partway through this books I thought, “huh, I didn’t know there was a paranormal aspect to this story.” That has happened to me before (since everything seems to have a paranormal element these days) and it takes a moment to shift gears. But here, despite my failure to realize it woud be there, the paranormality just flowed right with the story.

Ultimately, I loved the characters, I was sucked into the mystery, and I am very excited that there will be more in this Shades of London series (this one stands well on its own though so don’t let a series deter you). If you haven’t already, I highly recommend picking this one up for an enjoyable weekend read.

Others’ Thoughts: Devourer of Books; Fiction Folio; Chrisbookarama (audio) 

Title: Birds of a Feather
Author: Jaqueline Winspear
Narrator: Kim Hicks
Genre: Historical Mystery
Pages: 360
Audio: 10.3 hours
Year: 2004
Publisher: Sound Library
Source: Library
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

In this sequel, Maisie is hired to find the daughter of a successful business man. But while looking for Charlotte, Maisie stumbles upon a bigger mystery, one that has left Charlotte’s three school friends dead. Now Maisie must solve these murders in time to save Charlotte.

My Thoughts:

While the first Maisie Dobbs was largely dedicated to backstory, Birds of a Feather is focused on the mystery at hand. However, there is still much living-in-the-past going on. A decade later, The Great War continues to play a large role in who people are and why they act the way the do. This book, while offering a compelling mystery, also paints a detailed picture of life at the time. This combination is what leaves me unable to put these books down.

Birds of a Feather is a worthy follow-up to Maisie Dobbs and I am looking forward to continuing the series.

Audiobook Thoughts:

My first reaction was disappointment when I realized this was not the same narrator as the first Maisie Dobbs. But Ms. Hicks won me over. She did an excellent job narrating this and I continue to enjoy experiencing Maisie Dobbs on audio.

Others Thoughts: The Adventures of the Intrepid Reader; Literate Housewife

Title: A Duty to the Dead
Author: Charles Todd
Genre: Historical Mystery
Pages: 336
Year: 2009
Publisher: William Morrow
Source: Personal Collection
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

Bess Crawford, a WWI nurse aboard the hospital ship the Britannic, made a promise to a dying soldier to deliver a message to his brother. When the ship sinks and Bess is injured, she takes the opportunity to stay with the Graham family and fulfill her promise. But just sharing this message isn’t enough. While there, she stumbles upon a bigger family mystery that must be solved.

My thoughts:

After reading, and loving, the first Maisie Dobbs book, I thought I might have discovered a new genre I enjoyed. It turns out that was a bit overly optimistic. A Duty to the Dead was fine, but I doubt I’ll be continuing with the Bess Crawford series.

The mystery felt contrived and the story was often forced. For example, Bess had to keep finding ways to go back to this town that she really had no ties to so there were all of these reasons that conveniently appeared. I understand the story has to move forward but it just felt unnatural to me. Maybe I like Maisie better because she’s an actual detective so there is always a reason for her to meddle.

I also got pretty sick of people talking about “duty” all the time.

But I don’t want this review to be harsh. I didn’t really dislike the book – I just didn’t love it. If you are more of a mystery reader than me, you might enjoy it quite a bit. My issues might be more with the techniques common in the genre than with this particular book.

Have you read this series? What did you think?

Others’ (More Positive) Reviews: Devourer of Books (she actually says it isn’t contrived – further proof that no two people read the same book); nomadreader.

Title: The End of Everything
Author: Megan Abbott
Narrator: Emily Bauer
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 256
Audio: 8.4 hours
Year: 2011
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Source: Library
Rating: 2/5

Summary:

When 13-year-old Lizzie’s best friend, Evie, goes missing, the community reacts. The adults are afraid. The kids are curious. But Lizzie knows that Evie will come back and that somehow she will help find her.

My thoughts:

I kept thinking that there was going to be more. After I finished this book, I sat there trying to figure what I was missing. This is not really the story about a girl that goes missing and how the mystery gets solved. It’s about what happens to the people who are left behind. Which could really be interesting, but the people are all pretty creepy and unlikeable. And they all seemed to have this weird crush on the missing girl’s dad. Even his own daughter. It confused me.

At the end of the day, I’m not sure WHY I read this book. I know we have story for story’s sake, but sometimes I just can’t really figure out what a book was going for. This book was like that.

I am making little sense. I realize this. I am struggling for the words to adequately describe why this book didn’t work for me. Which really isn’t fair to the book or you but it’s what I have.

So please go read my good friend Jen’s review as well. Not only does she have a better grasp on language than I apparently do, but she really liked this audiobook, so it will be a good contrast.

Audiobook Thoughts:

The narrator got on my nerves. She had to be a 13-year-old girl, so I tried to cut her some slack, but something about it rubbed me the wrong way. It was like every sentence had to have so. much. feeling. It made the actual dramatic moments indistinguishable from the unimportant ones. Everything was emphasized. It led me to expect more than I was getting from the story. If you are going to read this one, I’d probably recommend trying the print.

I have decided to share with you just a few of the most-helpful baby prep books I’ve read/browsed in the last few months. There won’t be very many posts on this topic, so bear with me if you have no interest at all. However, I think noting which books have been helpful (and possibly, which ones were not) could be helpful to others out there.

I am going to start with the book that helped me tackle the overwhelming baby registry processes. When I first started to think about registering, I had no clue where to start. The stores will lead you to believe you need 1800 receiving blankets and things like diaper stackers that even I know aren’t necessary, so you can’t only use their lists. Friends are helpful to an extent, but everyone likes different products. The internet has the same problem.

My boss recommended Baby Bargains to me. He sold it to me as a good guide for which products you should spend money on versus the products where you can save by getting a less expensive version. However, while I did find it was helpful for that, I ended up using it to research the safety and utility of the various products. It was nice to have one source to go to when I wanted to research. And this book makes it easy by “grading” the manufacturers. When I was picking out a crib or a stroller or a pack and play, I could quickly differentiate the “A” products from the “F” products.

When I was at Babies R Us one day, a woman – clutching her own copy of Baby Bargains – told me the book was amazing. I pulled mine out from my purse and we had a little laugh.

If you are looking for a good source on the quality of the MANY baby products out there or if you are looking for ways to save money, I highly recommend Baby Bargains.

(Of course, I haven’t actually used any of the products recommended by this book yet, so keep that in mind).

NOTE: This review is free of Pandemonium spoilers, but assumes you’ve read Delirium. You can read my review of Delirium here.

Title: Pandemonium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 384
Year: 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Personal Collection
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

Lena has left Portland for the Wilds. She believes Alex is dead and all she can do is keep running. Eventually she stumbles upon a group of Invalids that take her in.

Lena is part of the resistance now. She infiltrates New York City and poses as a cured student.  Until the day of the a pro-cure rally when everything changes.

My Thoughts:

Even though it turns out I can’t remember a thing about Delirium (I kept confusing it with Matched), I really enjoyed Pandemonium. Lena is alone – she’s lost Alex and she is completely cut off from her family. So it kind of works that I went in with a bit of a blank slate.

Two stories are weaved throughout Pandemonium – Lena as she first arrives in the Wilds and a more-confident Lena as member of the resistance some time later.  I do well with alternating stories (I have a rather short attention span), so I enjoyed this format. And even though I totally saw the end coming, I still managed to be shocked when it did.

My only issue is the love story in this one, which seemed a bit forced. But then again, maybe love does have to be forced when you grow up thinking it is a disease. I don’t know – I just didn’t quite buy it.

But overall, I loved this one and I continue to adore both this series and Lauren Oliver.

Title: The Invisible Ones
Author: Stef Penney
Narrator: Dan Stevens
Genre: Mystery; Fiction
Pages: 416
Audio: 11.4 hours
Year: 2012
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Source: Personal Collection
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

Ray Lovell, who is half-Gypsy himself, is hired to find Rose Janko, a Gypsy woman who went missing 7 years earlier. The search causes him to become intimately involved with the family Rose married into before her disappearance, learning about their “curse” and trying to dig up their secrets.

My Thoughts:

The Invisible Ones is told through alternating narrators: Ray Lovell, the half-Gypsy investigator, and JJ, the young nephew of the missing Rose.  The two different points of view keep the story from getting boring or slow. I loved both parts.

I probably have to stop telling you that I am not a reader of mysteries/detective stories since I seem to be reading a lot of them lately, but this one stands out from a normal mystery. The Gypsy culture gave the story an extra layer of intrigue. And the story unravels in a surprising way. The characters are complicated and you never know exactly what anyone is going to do.

I recommend this one both for the story but also for the glimpse into Gypsy culture.

Audiobook Thoughts:

Dan Stevens (of Downton Abbey fame) is an absolutely fantastic narrator. Even if the story weren’t as interesting as it was, I would have been compelled to keep listening. He did a great job with the two very different narrators.

Title: Maisie Dobbs
Author: Jacqueline Winspear
Narrator: Rita Barrington
Genre: Mystery; Fiction
Pages: 294
Audio: 10 hours
Year: 2004
Publisher: Sound Library
Source: Library
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

Maisie Dobbs is a “psychologist and investigator” in post-WWI London. Trained for years by her mentor, Maurice, she’s hanging up her own shingle and ready for her first case: a simple suspected adultery turned into something much more.  In the midst of this story, we learn about Maisie – from housemaid to WWI nurse – and how she came to be the Maisie we see today.

My Thoughts:

I am only one book in and I totally understand why the world is in love with Maisie. I’ve never been much of a mystery reader, but I’m sold on Maisie. She’s a charming character, surrounded by wonderful family and friends, and I can’t imagine many readers fail to fall under her spell.

I had heard that the first Maisie Dobbs was not the strongest, mostly because of the large amount of backstory squeezed in the middle.  While I’m not sure that devoting such a big chunk of the book to the back story (maybe it deserved a book of its own?) was the best story-telling decision, I actually really enjoyed learning about young Maisie. If this is the weakest book in the series, I can’t wait to keep reading.

Audiobook Thoughts:

I was able to get completely lost in the story and I believe much of this was due to the narration. Rita Barrington has this wonderfully lyrical voice. I definitely recommend reading (or revisiting) this one in audio.

NOTE: This is the second book in the Fallen series. While I would never intentionally spoil the book I am reviewing, you may not want to read this review if you haven’t read the first book.

Title: Torment
Author: Lauren Kate
Narrators: Justine Eyre
Genre: Young Adult; Paranormal; Romance
Pages: 464
Audio: 9.7 hours
Year: 2010
Publisher: Listening Library
Source: Library
Rating: 4/5

Summary:

The angels have a truce for 18 days. But there are still people – lots of people – after Luce. For her protection, she’s sent to Shoreline, a boarding school that caters (unbeknownst to its human attendees) to Nephalim, part-angels. Shoreline is unlike Sword and Cross. It’s sunny and Luce is given freedom. But what she wants most – to be with Daniel – she can’t have.

My Thoughts:

Although this book takes place over a relatively short period, a lot happens. And Luce develops some new relationships with the students at Shoreline (but don’t fret – our old characters return as well).

This book really develops the fallen angel story due to the addition of the Nephilim and the classes they attend at Shoreline. I found myself fascinated and doing my own research on the Book of Enoch (because I can be super nerdy like that).

I was annoyed with Daniel in this one. How is Luce supposed to know she needs to be careful if she isn’t being told anything? Daniel started to get an Edward Cullen vibe here. And Miles is so sweet. I do like that another potential love interest is thrown in the mix and that she considers whether her destiny really is her destiny or if she can change it by choosing Miles over Daniel this time.

My biggest issue was how awful Luce and Daniel made it seem that they had to be apart for the duration of the truce. It’s 18 days for crying out loud. I know they’re star-crossed soulmates, but seriously. Plus, they end up seeing each other ALL THE TIME.

Overall, I was impressed that the action continued as second books in series are often dull. I can’t wait to keep going with this series and I hope to catch up for the latest book this summer.