Julie's Review: Fool Me Once

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: None
Publication Date: March 22, 2016
Narrator: January LaVoy
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Length: 10 Hours 5 Minutes
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4.75/5
Bottom Line: Harlan Coben does it again
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Summary: In Fool Me Once, Coben once again outdoes himself. Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her two-year-old daughter playing with Maya’s husband, Joe—who was brutally murdered two weeks earlier. The provocative question at the heart of the mystery: Can you believe everything you see with your own eyes, even when you desperately want to? To find the answer, Maya must finally come to terms with deep secrets and deceit in her own past before she can face the unbelievable truth about her husband—and herself. ~amazon.com

Review: Fool Me Once is another great novel from Harlan Coben. Once it starts it never stops, especially with the twists and turns. I wouldn't say that I liked Maya but I respected her. She was focused and determined and she must have been one hell of a soldier. Now she's trying to figure out why Joe was murdered and why is he showing up on her nanny-cam that she received after his funeral.

Seeing this video sends Maya on a crazy chase that not only brings in Joe's murder but the murder of her sister as well. How are the two connected? Are they connected? Does Maya's military history have anything to do with this?  Also what are these flashbacks she keeps having?

Mr. Coben knows how to suck me in from page one and his novels never disappoint me. While this one took me longer because it was on audio, I have no doubt that in print I would have flown through it. Ms. LaVoy did a great job with it but I think that I will stick to reading his books instead of listening to his novels.

This book keeps you guessing until the very under with quite the double whammy in the end. If you haven't read his novels, then Fool Me Once isn't a bad place to start. He does have quite the back-list if you get hooked!



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Julie's Review: The Goldfinch

Author: Donna Tartt
Series: None
Publication Date: 
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Length:32 hours 29 minutes
Obtained: purchased via Audible
Narrator: David Pittu
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 3.75/5
Bottom Line: Story was solid and the characters were definitely flawed but needed some heavy editing that didn't get done
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Summary: Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his longing for his mother, he clings to the one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art. As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love--and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle. The Goldfinch is a mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate. ~amazon.com  

Review: The Goldfinch is a long ass novel. If I had actually lugged it around with me I'm sure it would have weighed about 2 bricks. That being said, I can see why the book won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature because it's wordy and at times pretentious.

Theo is a complicated character  and you feel horrible for him at the beginning of the story but then you want to smack him for the rest of it until the end when it seems he might have learned something from his path in life. Life has dealt him a shitty hand but there are people who love him and want to take care of him. In a lot of ways, he's lucky that he had such good friends take him in when the authorities couldn't find his dad and his grandfather didn't want him.

His life took a turn for the worse and really so did the book, when he moved to Las Vegas with his dad and Xandra. It wasn't long before he had to fend for himself and he quickly turned to drugs. It didn't help that his only friend was Boris or as I liked to call him while listening, Boris the Borish. I couldn't stand him and while yes I think that was the point of the character, I was very unhappy to see him turn up in Theo's life back in NY.

Ms. Tartt spends so much of the novel in Las Vegas that I was worried we'd be buried out there by the mob. Thank god he ended up back in New York. It's not like it was wholly better for him but I felt that being back around Hoby was better than Boris. At least Hoby seemed to really want what was best for him.

There is so much good within this book but at times I feel it gets lost in the story and in the words. I feel like it really could have been edited more heavily in some parts as well. At some point I just wanted to know what was going to happen to the painting and that's all I cared about. I was past caring about Theo and his poor choices. I was pissed that Boris came back and I was even more ticked that Kitzy turned out to be a typical snob.

In the end, I wonder if Theo will ever really be happy and become settled. He lost more than his mom that day in the attack, he lost his sense of family and sense of worth. It was his mother's love that kept him whole, even at a young age.

The Goldfinch is a book that people either really love or it's one that leaves you wondering what you just spent time on. I will say that it won't be a book that I shake for a bit of time but that's because it seems to always come up in conversation with other bookish people.

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Julie's Review: The Sea of Tranquility

Author: Katja Millay
Series: No
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: 13 Hours 10 Minutes
Narrator: Kirby Heyborne,Candace Thaxton
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  YA
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Interesting novel on how pain can cause us to re-define ourselves
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Summary: I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the Earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk. Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her - her identity, her spirit, her will to live - pay. Josh Bennett's story is no secret: Every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at 17 years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space. Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won't go away until she's insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she's been hiding - or if he even wants to. ~amazon.com  

Review: Sea of Tranquility is a breath of fresh air when it comes to YA for me. In the age of dystopian novels, reading a YA book about normal issues and struggles that teens encounter or could encounter. Ms. Millay starts off with the characters being sterotypes of teenagers. You have the male flirt, the brooder and the mysterious girl. Thank goodness, each of these turns out to be so much more than the stereotype.

I did wonder a few times if I would have liked this books just as much if I read it rather than listening. Frankly, the narrators were fantastic. Kirby was great as Josh and Candace nailed Nastya. There is much angst as one would expect in a YA novel but I didn't find that it grated on my nerves. Both Josh and Nastya have been hurt and disappointed in their short lives but in very different ways. It isn't that either one is trying to rescue the other one and it isn't that they necessarily need rescuing but they need each other.

What happened to Nastya is alluded to in the beginning of the book but it all slowly starts to come together until the big reveal. Josh has his own story and it doesn't take as long to reveal but it's still devastating.

Ms. Millay has a gifted way of telling a story and the way she lets everything slowly build up is brilliant. There wasn't a time when you weren't wondering what happened to make Nastya so angry. What happened to make Josh so guarded.

I am looking forward to whatever Ms. Millay writes next, in whatever genre she chooses.

Jenn's Review

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Julie's Review: Armada

Author: Ernest Cline
Series: None
Publication Date: July 14, 2015
Publisher: Random House Audio
Length: 11 Hours and 58 Minutes
Narrator: Wil Wheaton
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Science Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Alien invasion with a sense of humor
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Summary: It's just another day of high school for Zack Lightman. He's daydreaming through another boring math class, with just one more month to go until graduation and freedom - if he can make it that long without getting suspended again.
Then he glances out his classroom window and spots the flying saucer.
At first Zack thinks he's going crazy. A minute later he's sure of it. Because the UFO he's staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada - in which gamers just happen to be protecting the Earth from alien invaders. But what Zack's seeing is all too real. And his skills - as well as those of millions of gamers across the world - are going to be needed to save the Earth from what's about to befall it.Yet even as he and his new comrades scramble to prepare for the alien onslaught, Zack can't help thinking of all the science-fiction books, TV shows, and movies he grew up reading and watching and wonder: Doesn't something about this scenario seem a little too...familiar? Armada is at once a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming-of-age adventure, and an alien-invasion tale like nothing you've ever heard before - one whose every minute is infused with author Ernest Cline's trademark pop-culture savvy. ~amazon.com

Review: Armada isn't really my cup of tea and pretty much the only reason I used an Audible credit for it was 2 words: Wil Wheaton. You see, he narrated Ready, Player One and I just love the sound of his voice and how he creates the voices of the characters. While this is a science fiction book it has a heavy dose of humor and pop culture. It is evident to me that Mr. Cline is a huge gamer.

Zach Lightman is a 18 year old who isn't quite sure what he's going to do with his life after graduation. He just wants to work at his part time job and continue playing his favorite video game Armada. This life contemplation doesn't last long because what happens next is straight out of a sci-fi movie. He's quickly recruited into an elite group that is fighting an alien invasion that is imminent.

What I really love about Mr. Cline's novels is how you immediately connect to the main character. Even if you don't understand the gaming world or frankly care about alien invasions, you will like Zach and his sense of humor. Mr. Cline also doesn't go geeky sci-fi on you either. He talks enough of the language for those who do like to geek out but not too much that you get lost.

What is an important in both of his books is relationship: family, friends and romantic. He makes it clear that humans wouldn't be human if we didn't establish and maintain those that sets us apart. There is so much good in this book that it does make you believe in the good in us humans.

Let's talk about Wil Wheaton's narration skills for a bit. He's simply fantastic. I could listen to him narrate almost every book I listen to. He does an excellent job of distinguishing his voice for all of the characters and in an non-irritating way.

While I might not have liked this one as much as Ready, Player One, I still thought that was a lot to think about.



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Alice's Review: The Lobster Kings

Series: None
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Blackstone Audio/W.W. Norton and Company
Length: 11 Hours, 27 Minutes
Narrator(s): Cassandra Campbell
Obtained: Library
Genre:  Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Intriguing family drama.
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Summary:  The Kings family has lived on Loosewood Island for three hundred years, and they’ve been blessed with the bounty of the sea. But for the Kings, every blessing comes with a curse. Woody Kings, the leader of the island’s lobster fishing community and the family patriarch, teeters on the throne. Cordelia, the oldest of Woody’s three daughters, stands to inherit the crown after the death of her brother. To do so, however, she has to fend off meth dealers from the mainland while navigating sibling rivalry and the vulnerable nature of her own heart when she falls in love with her sternman.  A love story and a modern epic in the grand Shakespearian vein that introduces a fiery and unforgettable heroine, The Lobster Kings is the story of Cordelia’s struggle to maintain her island’s way of life in the face of danger from offshore and the rich, looming, mythical legacy of her family’s namesake.

Review:  I have a confession. The truth is I only choose this book because it was the first audio book that was available through my library’s digital files. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. What I received was an extremely dark novel that spoke to the vicious place inside me that fiercely protects my family, my heritage, and my birthright.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was gritty and not pretty. This family was pickled in tragedy. It was heartbreaking to read. There was a knowledge that they chose some of that tragedy. The family accepted it, welcomed it even because it was their birthright to do so. Things could have been different but I really believed this was the only way they knew how to live.

This is my first time reading anything by Alexi Zentner. What I enjoyed the most about  is the expressiveness in the writing. Mr. Zentner is truly gifted. I love novels that transports me to a different place and time. I felt the boat rock under my feet, the sea spray on my face, and the calluses on my hands from a day’s hard labor.  I loved how the Brumfit Kings paintings were described. I don’t have a lot of knowledge of art and paintings but I did want to see his. I liked how the paintings were woven into the story, shedding light on the past to help guide us in the present.

I understood the longing Cordelia felt. I swear, Cordelia dang near drove me bonkers. I appreciated her strength and courage, but she was so stubborn, too. I enjoyed reading how her relationship with her sisters evolved, but I couldn’t shake the idea that she thought she was better than them, the only true Kings of the three. She was selfish and a martyr for her beliefs. So many times I wished I could take a boat ride to Loosewood Island and hand her a tiny violin. What’s interesting is that I really liked her, too. She was courageous to the point of walking that fine line between bravery and stupidity.

My other favorite character in the novel was Woody Kings, the patriarch of the family. Cordelia was very much like him. He did his best to guide them and provide them with the foundation they needed for a life on Loosewood and the sea. Sadly, I’m not sure he succeeded.

As I first time listener, I discovered the beauty of an audio book is the narrator's ability to carry you to a place and the different characters by the slight inflection of her voice. Cassandra Campbell was perfect.


As much as I enjoyed , I know this isn’t the kind of novel for everyone. It is very dark. These characters were put through the ringer and they didn’t come away unscathed. It was a cataclysmic tragedy.

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Julie's Review: War and Remembrance

Author: Herman Wouk
Series: Winds of War #2
Publication Date: December 6, 2011
Publisher: Audible Studios
Length: 56 Hours 8 Minutes
Narrator: Kevin Pariseau
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: History lesson wrapped up in a family saga
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Summary: Herman Wouk's sweeping epic of World War II, which begins with The Winds of War and continues here in War and Remembrance, stands as the crowning achievement of one of America's most celebrated storytellers. Like no other books about the war, Wouk's spellbinding narrative captures the tide of global events - and all the drama, romance, heroism, and tragedy of World War II - as it immerses us in the lives of a single American family drawn into the very center of the war's maelstrom. ~audible.com  

Review: I can't believe it's been a year since I listened to The Winds of War and have finally concluded War & Remembrance. This is the family saga to start and end all family sagas. It is hard to believe that one family can endure so much for so long during a war and yet so many families had every lasting scars from World War II.

The book spans from the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the surrender of the Japanese. It examines the horrors of the concentration camps through the eyes of Natalie Jastrow-Henry and her Uncle. To listen to the parts of this book it's hard to not cry or get sick. It is truly upsetting to know that other humans treated other humans with that amount of disgrace and repugnance. It is hard as someone who knows the outcome to reconcile with the fact that nothing was done sooner. I also understand that hindsight is 20/20. There were people who were calling out what was going on but no one was listening.

Mr. Wouk spends a good amount of time with the submarine battles in the Pacific. As a history lesson this is interesting and sometimes a bit long in the tooth. You can tell that it's passionate for him as an author.

As the war rages on, the Henry family experiences their own losses and changes as well. This is where Mr. Wouk succeeds wholeheartedly. He wraps the war up in their story and their story within the war.

Kevin Pariseau is the perfect narrator again. He does the voices of all the characters with perfection. He even nailed annoying Rhoda.

If you are a fan of historical fiction and haven't read The Winds of War and War & Remembrance, then you must. Yes, they are thick but they are so well worth it. I'm glad my step-dad and Jenn told me to read them!


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Jenn's Review: The Queen of the Tearling

Author: Erika Johansen
Series: The Queen of the Tearling, #1
Publication Date: July 8, 2014
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 448
Obtained: publisher
Genre:  NA Fantasy, Dystopian
Rating: 3.25
Bottom Line: A stumbling novel that could have been brilliant with more editing
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Blurb:  Her throne awaits . . . if she can live long enough to take it.

It was on her nineteenth birthday that the soldiers came for Kelsea Glynn. They’d come to escort her back to the place of her birth – and to ensure she survives long enough to be able to take possession of what is rightfully hers.

But like many nineteen-year-olds, Kelsea is unruly, has high principles and believes she knows better than her elders. Unlike many nineteen-year-olds, she is about to inherit a kingdom that is on its knees – corrupt, debauched and dangerous.

Kelsea will either become the most fearsome ruler the kingdom has ever known . . . or be dead within the week.

Combining thrilling adventure and action, dark magic, mystery and romance, The Queen of the Tearling is the debut of a born storyteller blessed with a startling imagination.


Review:  Most reviewers either loved or hated this book and I am on the fence.  I don't read many dystopian novels because they usually fail to capture my interest in the premise.  Although this caught my eye, establishing the world took so many chapters my interest began to wain.  In fact, I attempted to read this book several times and failed miserably... however listening to it worked wonders, so welcome to my first audio book review.

The first few chapters are very detailed in the setup (I remember a particularly long passage about a door)   and also switched points of view several times which disrupted the continuity. Once I got beyond the first third of the book, I found it was intriguing.  The story is modernistic Arthurian with a compelling though somewhat familiar in premise.  However for all of the plot exposition I felt that there wasn't a clear definition of the time period the book is set in.  Had you not read the blurb you would never have known it was set in the future until midway through the book.

This is definitely and Adult or New Adult Fantasy -which I rarely read because I find the adult themes distracting to the magic of the fantasy.  There are lots of mature themes in the book, rape, sex, murder, child slavery... and while I will be the first to admit some of it helped with the world building and were necessary to the plot, a lot of it felt gratuitous and existed only for shock value.  None of it was overly graphic but I was particularly bothered by the fleeting treatment of the victims and the glossing over of the aftermath.  If you are going to deal with these topics, take them on in their entirety or just edit them out.  

Kelsea's naivetee leads to some cringeworthy moments.  I still have no idea who or what the Red Queen is besides a sex-crazed sorceress.  However, there are plenty of interesting characters, perhaps a few too many to keep track of at first but they all sort themselves out eventually. I want to know more about all of them and in the murk of this novel, that is Erika Johansen's shining success.  By the time I was two thirds of the way through, I found myself involved in the story.  Things start to get rolling and the novel comes to a close.

Will I read the second one?  Yes, at least I'll try (I may have to listen to it).  I can't help feeling that somewhere underneath it all is a decent series -- with different editing, it may even have been a fantastic series.

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Julie's Review: Yes, Please!

Author: Amy Poehler
Series: None
Publication Date: June 24, 2014
Publisher: Harper Collins
Length: 7 Hours, 31 Minutes
Narrator(s): Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Carole Burnett, Kathleen Turner, etc
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Memoir
Rating: 3.75/5
Bottom Line: Was hoping for more funny than I got
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Summary: Amy Poehler is hosting a dinner party and you're invited! Welcome to the audiobook edition of Amy Poehler's Yes Please. The guest list is star-studded with vocal appearances from Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, Michael Schur, Patrick Stewart, Kathleen Turner, and even Amy's parents - Yes Please is the ultimate audiobook extravaganza. Also included? A one-night-only live performance at Poehler's Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Hear Amy read a chapter live in front of a young and attractive Los Angeles audience. While listening to Yes Please, you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll become convinced that your phone is trying to kill you. Don't miss this collection of stories, thoughts, ideas, lists, and haikus from the mind of one of our most beloved entertainers. Offering Amy's thoughts on everything from her "too safe" childhood outside of Boston to her early days in New York City, her ideas about Hollywood and "the biz", the demon that looks back at all of us in the mirror, and her joy at being told she has a "face for wigs" - Yes Please is chock-full of words, and wisdom, to live by. ~audible.com  

Review: I adore Amy Poehler. I think she's funny and I think in a lot of ways she's continuing to pave the way in tv for females. She's also a huge advocate for positive images for young girls (see Smart Girls ). So, I was expecting a little more hilarity than what I got. That's not to say that it wasn't funny because it was but not the guttural laughing I expected.

I can't say that I'm surprised that at some point in Amy's life there was some drug usage. I was more amazed to learn that she doesn't even smoke dope when she writes. She needs her head clear when she writes.

I loved the various narrators along with Amy especially with Seth Meyers. Their chemistry is palpable even through the ear buds. Besides Tina Fey you can tell that they are best friends. I loved watching them together on SNL.

My favorite parts were the behind the scenes tidbits of SNL and Parks and Recreation. I love that the crew and cast of Parks and Recs called Rob Lowe "ROLO".

I liked hearing about her childhood and growing up in working class Boston.

I definitely will be keeping my eye on Amy and what she does now that Parks and Recs is over. I think she's very funny but I'm not sure if a memoir is the best use of her talents.


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Julie's Review: Unbroken

Author: Laura Hillenbrand
Series: None
Publication Date: November 11, 2010
Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator: Edward Herrmann
Length: 14 hours
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Biography
Rating: 4.75/5 
Bottom Line:  Fascinating life, dragged a bit in the telling of Louis' life 
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Library  

Summary: On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane's bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War. The lieutenant's name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he'd been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will. In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man's journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit. ~audible.com

Review: If I were to rate this book on Louis' life alone it would be a 5 because holy cow! I am at a loss for words on how this man survived all that he did and I'm happy someone discovered, then shared his story widely.

Louis wasn't always a hero. In fact, growing up he was quite the troublemaker and was well known throughout Torrence, CA for his actions. It wasn't until his brother turned him onto running that Louis found himself channeling his energy into something positive. His journey to the Olympics is one of true inspiration. Then his service to his country that lasted far longer than he probably ever thought.

It is pretty amazing how Louis and 2 of his airmen survived their time at sea. While I do feel that what he went through was true and harrowing, I do feel that it was spun a bit for better reading. I'm not sure that if I would have read the book instead of listening to it because that part of the book seemed to take up most of the book.

It is Louis' return and struggles after the war that interested me. What he went through after the war wasn't different than others but the fact that he was able to pull himself out of it. I loved how is family never lost faith and hope that he was alive.

The narration of this story by Mr. Herrmann was pitch perfect. I can't see anyone else narrating Louis' story. For me, he will always be the voice of Louis in my head. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption is a true life story about one average man who's life ended up being extraordinary.


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Julie's Review: Food

Author: Jim Gaffigan
Series: None
Publication Date: October 21, 2014
Publisher: Random House Audio
Length: 7 Hours, 17 Minutes
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Memoir, Comedy
Rating: 5.0
Bottom Line: Hilarious look at American's food habits
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Summary: What are my qualifications to write this book? None really. So why should you read it? Here’s why: I’m a little fat. If a thin guy were to write about a love of food and eating I’d highly recommend that you do not read his book." Bacon. McDonalds. Cinnabon. Hot Pockets. Kale. Stand-up comedian and author Jim Gaffigan has made his career rhapsodizing over the most treasured dishes of the American diet ("choking on bacon is like getting murdered by your lover") and decrying the worst offenders ("kale is the early morning of foods"). Fans flocked to his New York Times best-selling book Dad Is Fat to hear him riff on fatherhood, but now, in his second book, he will give them what they really crave - his thoughts on all things culinary(ish). Insights such as: why he believes coconut water was invented to get people to stop drinking coconut water, why pretzel bread is number three on his most important inventions of humankind (behind the wheel and the computer), and the answer to the age-old question "which animal is more delicious: the pig, the cow, or the bacon cheeseburger?" ~audible.com

Review: Last week, I needed a laugh. All of the sudden a few things were going on and instead of starting an intense non-fiction, a friend suggested this one. Well for those of you out there in need of a good laugh, Food: A Love Story, is for you.

Since, Mr. Gaffigan is a comic he knows all about the delivery aspect of a line. He does this extremely well throughout the entire book. He riffs on our eating habits as Americans and food in general. Basically, he loves food. He'll eat pretty much anything except shellfish because it's like eating an insect.

The chapters aren't long and while I might not have died laughing, I was chuckling out loud, a lot. There are so many things that he says are true about how we eat and what we lie about eating. No one admits to eating McDonald's but we all do at some point.

While there are many great lines in this book, there are two that stand out for me:

"I'm an eattie, not a foodie". I laughed my butt off when he was going on about this phenomenon.
"Munchkins are the gateway donut." My kids love munchkins and so does my husband, so I found it particularly funny.

There is definitely something for everyone in this book. You might even see some of your own eating habits or maybe the way you approach food in here. Mr. Gaffigan is honest in his love for food and I appreciate that the most.


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Julie's Review: Dracula

Author: Bram Stoker
Series: None
Publication Date:February 20, 2012
Publisher: Audible Studios
Length: 15 hours and 28 minutes
Narrators: Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, Simon Vance, etc
Obtained: purchased via audible
Genre:  Classic, Horror
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Really can't go wrong with this one
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Summary: Because of the widespread awareness of the story of the evil Transylvanian count and the success of numerous film adaptations that have been created over the years, the modern audience hasn't had a chance to truly appreciate the unknowing dread that readers would have felt when reading Bram Stoker's original 1897 manuscript. Most modern productions employ campiness or sound effects to try to bring back that gothic tension, but we've tried something different. By returning to Stoker's original storytelling structure - a series of letters and journal entries voiced by Jonathan Harker, Dr. Van Helsing, and other characters - with an all-star cast of narrators, we've sought to recapture its originally intended horror and power. ~audible.com

Review: So, I finished this at the beginning of the month and my intention was to originally finish it in October but there's a little thing called life and more simply work. That didn't stop me from enjoying this audio version immensely. To say that it transports you to another time and place would be cliche, but it does. You can feel the drafts in the castle and you can feel the fear and horror as the characters uncover what is going on.

As I listened to the story, bits and pieces of it came back to me. Now I have no clue when I read it but I'm sure I did and what struck me as the most noticeable was how the Count wasn't the main character. He was the catalyst for the horror and was in the peripheral but never the main focus of the novel.  It's funny how Hollywood changes the story and since that's what most people know, they never get the true depths of the novel.

What Stoker does so well is create a great sense of foreboding that keeps building and building until the very end of the novel when it explodes. I love that the entire novel is based on journals/diaries of all of the main characters. It is through this that we get a well rounded view of the characters and the horror they experience.

My favorite character has to be Dr. Seward. Perhaps it's because one of my favorite actors narrates his sections but I found him to be refreshing and even having a little humor at times. He also seems to be the rock that keeps them from becoming completely unhinged. On the other end of the spectrum was Lucy, she was just the most annoying character. So shallow and vain. It's a wonder her and Mina were even friends.

The ending of the novel happens furiously and rapidly. I had to pause it and start it again several times, afraid I was going to miss something important. I also enjoyed having an epilogue to see where the characters ended up and how they got on with their lives.

If you've never read Dracula, then I highly recommend this audio version. You can't really go wrong with Simon Vance, Alan Cumming and Tim Curry each playing a part.


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Julie's Review: Inferno

Author: Dan Brown
Series: Robert Langdon #4
Publication Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator:Paul Michael
Hours: 17 hours 12 minutes
Obtained: purchased via Audible
Genre:  Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Classic Langdon
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Summary: In his international blockbusters The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown masterfully fused history, art, codes, and symbols. In this riveting new thriller, Brown returns to his element and has crafted his highest-stakes novel to date. In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces: Dante’s Inferno. Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust...before the world is irrevocably altered. ~audible.com

Review: One thing that I love about Robert Langdon books is Robert Langdon. How can you not? He's smart, debonair and well traveled. I appreciate that each chapter is about 10-12 minutes in length, so it makes for easy listening at work. This format also lends itself to the pace of the book. As with all Robert Langdon books, there is action and a lot for Professor Langdon to figure out. Robert Langdon continues to know a lot of information about a lot of different subject matters. :) Regardless, he's still my favorite professor in modern literature.

No, I haven't read Dante's Inferno and I don't plan to but that doesn't make Inferno any less intriguing. You don't have to have an understanding of Dante's because Mr. Brown walks you through the gist of it.
I am always interested in how Mr. Brown weaves the history, literature and a moral implication into his story. Although, I'm not sure there were any truly "bad" guys in this one. Which of course begs it's own questions about the morality of someones actions. Can one person truly determine what is good for the entire human race?

As always, this novel is action packed but also intelligent. It kept me on my toes listening to it. There were a couple of times that I had to go back to ensure that I heard something correctly. There are a lot of characters in the beginning of the story and frankly you don't know who is on the side of Robert and who is against him. I always find the slow reveals in these kind of books to be great. I love it when authors can turn a novel on its head and as a reader you don't see it coming. Mr. Brown is a master at that.

Paul Michael is a fine narrator for Inferno and captures Landgon well along with the other characters in the novel. His inflection and accents are well done and not overdone.

Inferno is a solid read/listen. If you are a fan of the Langdon books then you will want to continue the series with novel. My favorite is The Lost Symbol and if you haven't read it I highly recommend it.

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Julie's Review: The Innocent Sleep

Author: Karen Perry
Series: None
Publication Date: February 18, 2014
Publisher: MacMillian Audio
Hours: 9 Hours 53 Minutes
Narrator: Aaron Abano, Michelle Ferguson
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Psychological Thriller
Rating: 3/5
Bottom Line: Takes too long to get to the point
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Summary: When a couple's lost child resurfaces they are forced to embark on a journey into their shared past - one rife with dark secrets and lies. Tangiers. Harry is preparing his wife's birthday dinner while she is still at work and their son, Dillon, is upstairs asleep in bed. Harry suddenly remembers that he's left Robin's gift at the café in town. It's only a five minute walk away and Dillon's so tricky to put down for the night, so Harry decides to run out on his own and fetch the present. Disaster strikes. An earthquake hits, buildings crumble, people scream and run. Harry fights his way through the crowd to his house, only to find it razed to the ground. Dillon is presumed dead, though his body is never found. Five years later, Harry and Robin have settled into a new kind of life after relocating to their native Dublin. Their grief will always be with them, but lately it feels as if they're ready for a new beginning. Harry's career as an artist is taking off and Robin has just realized that she's pregnant. But when Harry gets a glimpse of Dillon on the crowded streets of Dublin, the past comes rushing back at both of them. Has Dillon been alive all these years? Or was what Harry saw just a figment of his guilt-ridden imagination? With razor-sharp writing, Karen Perry's The Innocent Sleep delivers a fast-paced, ingeniously plotted thriller brimming with deception, doubt, and betrayal. ~amazon.com

Review: The Innocent Sleep is a book that slowly unwinds and reveals itself. It drags at times and takes a long time to get to the point. Frankly, after the reveal I could have done without the rest of the book. The ending didn't really add to the story for me.

Besides Robin's parents, none of these characters are likable, at all. Sometimes I don't have difficulty with this when I read a book but this time it made it almost unbearable. Harry is so selfish and self-absorbed it's pitiful. He's so consumed with his life and his art that it's hard to believe he's a father.  He stays with Dylan while Robin works her job and also works on his art.

The story unfolds by telling us both Robin and Harry's point of views, which definitely helps you to understand both sides but both sides are ugly. At first I felt for Robin but as her story unfolds, I didn't care or feel sorry for either of them. The true victim in their relationship is their son Dillon. Due to a split second decision their lives are forever changed.

The questions you constantly ask yourself during the novel, is Harry crazy? Should Robin believe him when it comes to seeing Dillon? Can they start over? Should they even start over? Is it really Dillon or just a doppelganger?

I pretty much finished the book just to find out if it was Dillon or not. The fact that I had another chapter or two to resolve the whole thing upset me. By the end, I just wanted to be done with these people. I didn't totally dislike it. I was kept on the edge of my seat towards the end of the novel and that has to count for something.





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Julie's Review: Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Author: Maria Semple
Series: No
Publication Date: August 14, 2012
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Length: 9hrs and 39 minutes
Narrator: Kathleen Wilhoite
Obtained: Mine via Audible
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: A clever story with lots of humor and heart.
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Summary: Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom. Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle - and people in general - has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic. To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence - creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in an absurd world. ~amazon.com

Review: Where'd You Go, Bernadette is a wonderful story about the love between a mother and daughter, when the mother doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the mom's. See Bernadette is pretty much a genius when it comes to architecture but she gave that career up and has been living the life of a stay at home mom since Bee was born. To say that's made her a little off, is to say the least. Bernadette has, in a lot of ways, lost her $%!@. Having said that she is fiercely protective of her daughter, Bee; who in turn is protective of Bernadette.

There is much to chuckle at during the course of the novel. It is funny, it is honest and it is an interesting look at someone who has gone a little over the edge. Bernadette and Elgy have both receded into their own worlds. Except his is more commonplace, the workforce. You see, Elgy is a big wig at Microsoft and spends a lot of time working on his project, Samantha 2, so he's rarely home.

Of course, Bee goes to a private school and with that come the mother politics. Based on the last couple books that I have read dealing with mom's, I'm not so sure women should rule the world, man can we be bitchy and we are all guilty of it. Is it all a bit extreme, of course it is, which makes you able to chuckle through it.

I listened to it via Audible and thought that Ms. Wilhoite did a fantastic job with all the different characters and dialects. You know when she was Bee, Bernadette or any other character. I imagine that reading all the emails and letters might have been a little off putting for some but it was wonderful to listen to. I feel like the emails showed the insight to Bernadette's issue(s) and it connected Bee to her mom in a way that she might not have known.

If you are looking for a sweet story that does address some difficult issues, then I highly recommend Where'd You Go, Bernadette. I can't wait to see what Maria Semple writes next.



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Julie's Review: The Winds of War

Author: Herman Wouk
Series: The Henry Family #1
Publication Date:October 18, 2011; original publication of hardcover - 1971
Publisher: Audible Services
Narrator: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 45 Hours and 53 Minutes
Obtained: Audible;Mine
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.75/5
Bottom Line: A must for fans of historical fiction
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Summary: A Masterpiece of Historical Fiction-The Great Novel of America's Greatest Generation Herman Wouk's sweeping epic of World War II, which begins with The Winds of War and continues in War and Remembrance, stands as the crowning achievement of one of America's most celebrated storytellers. Like no other books about the war, Wouk's spellbinding narrative captures the tide of global events-and all the drama, romance, heroism, and tragedy of World War II-as it immerses us in the lives of a single American family drawn into the very center of the war's maelstrom.

Review: Holy Cow! I now know why The Winds of War holds up over decades. It is a sweeping family saga set with the beginning of World War II as it's backdrop. You could even say that the war is it's own character that allows the rest of the characters to exist. There are a lot of characters to follow since the book follows the Henry's and the Jastrow's. You quickly figure out who is important and who isn't. There are a lot of them that come and go throughout the story.

As with any family, each member ends up annoying you at times. Rhoda was the one that got on my nerves the most. She was truly all about appearances and status. She came from old money and still wants to act like she's old money. Truth is, while being a Navy Officers wife is prestigious, it definitely doesn't pull in the cash like Rhoda would like to think.

The Henry's boys, Bryon and Warren couldn't be more different.  Bryon is more of a free spirit trying to find his way in life; whereas Warren is more career driven. As they are different, they both marry two completely different women. For me, Janice, who marries Warren, is a lot similar to Rhoda. She is all about climbing the career ladder through her husband. I'm not so sure she's cut out for the Navy life. Natalie, while at times I thought she made poor decisions, is probably my favorite character in the whole novel. She is bright, resourceful and stubborn. She also falls for Byron while having other plans of marrying another man.

I really wish that they would have focused more on the Henry's daughter, Madeleine. I would have liked to have gotten the perspective of the war from her vantage point in NYC working in media.  It would have been interesting to see how she was fairing not going back to school and working in the Big Apple.

Mr. Wouk does a fantastic job of getting in the details of war and the effects of it. What astounded me was the amount of research that must have gone into getting the details right. I loved the "behind the curtain" view of it all.  Pug Henry's correspondence with President Roosevelt are so interesting and add a whole different dimension to the storyline.

There is a lot of ground covered in The Winds of War but it leaves off just as the attack on Pearl Harbor has occurred. I look forward to continue this family saga in War & Remembrance to see how what happens to the Henry's and Jastrow's. If you are a WWII novel addict, then you must read or listen to The Winds of War, while it might take a bit to read all of it, you won't regret it.

Jenn's Review

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Julie's Review: The Rosie Project

Author: Graeme Simsion
Series: Don Pittman #1
Publication Date:October 1, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
#of Hours: 7 hours, 32 minutes
Narrator: Dan O'Grady
Obtained: purchased via Audible
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Sweet journey about a man with Asperger's learning to be social
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Summary: Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a "wonderful" husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical - most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver. Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent - and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie - and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper. The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges. ~amazon.com

Review: The Rosie Project is a sweet story about a man who in the search for a wife, finds an unexpected candidate and journey. It is about unexpected outcomes for someone who needs to have order in his life. Don Tillman is an interesting narrator for his journey because he's afflicted with Asperger's. It is fascinating how Don goes about changing his life without really making an effort until the very end because he understands what it means to change.

The Rosie Project is a group effort, with a cast of characters that is both heartwarming and funny. I adored Rosie. I loved her personality, her ability to understand Don and to appreciate him for who he was. He definitely had his quirks but no more or less than us without Asperger's. Rosie held her own with him and by doing that allowed him to see who he wanted to be. It allowed him to get out of his pigeon hole and experience life. While the story begins as a project to find a wife, morphs into the Father/Rosie project, it really becomes the Don metamorphosis.

If you are looking for a heartwarming, funny and lovely story for your summer vacation, then look no further than The Rosie Project. I listened to it and Dan O'Grady was a fantastic narrator.


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Julie's Review: Love Life

Author: Rob Lowe
Series: None
Publication Date: April 8, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Hours: 7 Hours, 33 Minutes
Obtained: Audible
Genre:  Memoir
Rating: 4.5/5
Bottom Line: An intimate look at some significant milestones in his life
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Summary: ROB LOWE IS BACK WITH STORIES HE ONLY TELLS HIS BEST FRIENDS. When Rob Lowe’s first book was published in 2011, he received the kind of rapturous reviews that writers dream of and rocketed to the top of the bestseller list. Now, in Love Life, he expands his scope, using stories and observations from his life in a poignant and humorous series of true tales about men and women, art and commerce, fathers and sons, addiction and recovery, and sex and love. ~amazon.com

 Review: Love Life is another peek into Rob's life but this is more about his personal journeys and stories than his life as an actor like Stories I Only Tell My Friends was. In Love Life, we get a better sense of Rob as a father, son, and husband.

It is his stories about his sons that made me tear up and have a glimpse into my future when my kids leave the nest. It is obvious that he has sheltered his sons from the spotlight but choosing to raise them outside Hollywood with people who weren't necessarily in the "business". He wanted his sons to have more experiences than just a Hollywood one. It is also evident that he loves both Matthew and John Owen fiercely and played a big part in their lives.

I loved hearing about how he worked on Schwarzenegger's Governor campaign. I loved hearing that he has a passion and fascination about politics and history. It is his passion for those two subjects that made him so convincing as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and Robert McAllister on Brothers and Sisters.

It is the last couple chapters that moved me to tears though. It is crystal clear that ever since he met his wife, Sheryl, he's never looked any further. It is also clear that she was instrumental in getting him to realize he would get more out of life sober than drunk. Staying sober has been all Rob but she's been the rock to keep him strong.

It is his confession in the final chapter of the book that had me in shock and then awe because it wasn't what it seemed. I loved how he wrote it and revealed the truth. I admire him for that and how he's constantly trying to better himself.

People interested in entertainment memoirs will find this one interesting but it's more of his personal journey than his professional one. Although, they do often go hand in hand.

I loved listening to Rob perform the audio. It was like sitting at a table with him and hearing him tell me what he's learned in life. Rob isn't afraid to try something new, to put himself out there. In Hollywood and in life, this is rare. It is rare for people to gamble what they are comfortable with or in, to take a risk.

 If Rob was to write another book, I'd be right there listening to it or reading it.

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Julie's Review: Walking Disaster

Author: Jamie McGuire
Series: Beautiful #2
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Atria Books
Hours:11 hours
Obtained: Audible
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Rating: 3/5
Bottom Line: Interesting to get another point of view, but doesn't change my mind about the story.
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Summary: Can you love someone too much? Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder. In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees. Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now its time to see the story through Travis' eyes. ~powells.com

Review: I wouldn't say this is a sequel to Beautiful Disaster as much as it is Travis' point of view of the events in the former book. Walking Disaster doesn't give us readers any new material except now we know how much he was in love with Abby. We kind of understand what makes him tick, but I still think he's a little off kilter. Abby isn't much better though his eyes either. It is more clear in this version that she isn't sure what she wants for most of the time and does indeed lead him on for a bit. Although I'm not sure he would want it any other way. I think he liked the chase.

I'm not sure these books are something I would recommend to an impresionable young woman. Travis has too much of a violent streak for my taste. Sure, do you want your boyfriend to fight for you, yes; but do you want him to be psycho about it? No.

Shep and America drove me even more nuts this time than in the first book. I'm not sure what it is about them but I find them annoying. I did enjoy finding out more about Travis' family and how deeply his mother's death did affect him even though he was a young boy. He's been angry about her death for so long and Abby is the first person he's let get anywhere near his emotions.

While I appreciated Travis' viewpoint, it doesn't really change my mind about him or their relationship. I don't think I need to go any further in the series.

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Group Review: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line

Author: Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
Series: Veronica Mars #1
Publication Date: March 25, 2014
Publisher: Vintage
Pages: 324
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  mystery
Rating: 4
Bottom Line: A must for Veronica Mars addicts.
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Blurb:  From Rob Thomas, the creator of the television series and movie phenomenon Veronica Mars, comes the first book in a thrilling mystery series that picks up where the feature film left off. 

Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She’s traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case.

Now it’s spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is no simple missing person’s case; the house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica’s past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined.

In Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas has created a groundbreaking female detective who’s part Phillip Marlowe, part Nancy Drew, and all snark. With its sharp plot and clever twists, The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line will keep you guessing until the very last page.

Jenn's Review:  Veronica Mars may be an adrenaline junkie, but I am a Veronica Mars junkie.  I've seen the movie at least 15 times since it came out last month, and ever since I've been looking for my next VM fix.  Not that the movie wasn't fabulous, it was everything the fans could have hoped for after seven years of radio silence (glaring at you CW execs).  But returning to it only made me crave more VM (I told you I was a junkie didn't I?).  I found it in this newly released novel from creator Rob Thomas.

The book picks up shortly after the movie leaves off.  Keith is on the road to recovery and Veronica is struggling to make a go of things back in Neptune again.  She finally lands her first big case since Bonnie DeVille, and she has to accept the fact that she'll be doing all the detective work while Lamb will be getting all the credit.

The plot is solid with several fabulous twists.  It kept me guessing right up until the end.  It doesn't go over the top.  The whole book stays very true to the show in that regard.  I love the exchanges between Veronica and her Dad.  Of course there is very little Logan, but that was to be expected, but what we do get is enough and it's nice to hear Veronica's inner monologue on her relationship.

However, I don't know if Veronica and company translated very well to the written page.  It felt like I was reading a script.  I could see it unfolding on the screen in my mind, and it worked beautifully there.  But I was hoping for more depth to the writing and more layers to the characters. It felt like the whole of the story was one long Veronica voice over.  Veronica's witty quips feel somewhat less snarky.  Mac and Wallace became more background than usual... and Weevil's sudden appearance felt like a cameo for the sake of a cameo.

Would non-fans of the show enjoy this as a stand alone novel?  I'm not so sure...  but then again, I don't know if it was really meant for anyone but the fans and for Rob Thomas himself.  I will be interested to see what Julie has to say because she is listening to this as an audio book with Kristen Bell narrating.  I have a feeling it might work better that way.  That being said, would I read another VM novel?  In a heart beat.  There should always be more Veronica Mars in the world.

Julie's Review: This book is purely for those who loved the show and the movie. It is the perfect thing to listen to when you are jonesing for a fix. Oh did I reference addiction, yes I did. That's the thing about Veronica Mars, she sucks you in and never lets you go. You can see why her and Logan never got over each other. Alas, this book doesn't focus on her relationship with Logan, but I would totally favor one that did, but on the disappearance of a college student while partying in Neptune. Who would have thought of Neptune as a spring break destination? Not me, but I guess they do have a beach. 

The mystery is reminiscence of the ones on the show and with a couple twists and turns towards the end, made it that much more enjoyable. I loved that Mac is working with Veronica and that Wallace is still her best friend, even if they aren't front and center in the book. They are there when it counts. It is Veronica's relationship with her dad that always gets me. He may not agree with her decisions but he does end up supporting her. They have a very unique relationship and understanding between each other.

I will admit that if it wasn't for Kristen Bell narrating this version, I would have passed. I couldn't imagine anyone else reading it because Bell is Veronica. One thing that didn't resonate well was that is was told in third person. The show and movie were in first person, why change the book? Having it told in third person took away some of the personal connection with Veronica. I felt like I was in her head, or like Jen said, in her voice overs and that wasn't what I expected. It did lessen my enjoyment a bit but definitely not enough for me to quit listening.  There are a few surprises along the way and I won't spoil them for you. There were even times when I laughed out loud.

Veronica Mars will always be something that I come back to. Her snark, her wit and yes her vulnerability is what makes people like her and identify with her. She's a hard shell but she's a marshmallow on the inside.
Will I read/listen to the next one? Heck yeah, did you read that I'm an addict! My suggestion to Rob Thomas is that the next one needs to be in first person.

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