Rungle in the Jungle by Robert Logan Rogers

by Carol3 Comments
It sounded like a cute book. The animals get together for a race, the snake tries to intimidate them, but positive thinking and creativity win the day - should be fun. Instead, it just wasn't very good, in my opinion. First, there is no punctuation, which always bothers me- yes, it's a kids book, yes, it rhymes, but please give me quotation marks. When reading books aloud, the quotation marks are great indicators that a change of voice is needed. I want to sound like a slithery snake during his boasts or big and bold when the ape states that he weighs more than a ton, and quotes would have given me the cue. I'm still not sure about the ape's assertion that he would lose weight before the race, though; it bothers me a bit. Second, many of the rhymes are forced or don't make a lot of sense and the pattern isn't consistent. Even rungle isn't a real word. I'm all for making...
Read More

Watchmen by Alan Moore

by Carol4 Comments
This is a tough review to write. On the one hand, I found the Watchmen boring for the most part. It picked up a bit at the end, but I was never really invested in the story. The world wasn't going to explode, and if it did, I didn't really care about any of the people anyway. I also thought it was a bit heavy-handed. On the other hand, putting it back into the time it was originally published, in the 80s during the cold war, the alternate history he painted probably stuck a bit closer to home. Our political outlook, the world's threats are not the same now as they were then. He also does a fabulous job of weaving together everyone's stories and provided a comic book within his novel portraying pirates and allowing it to mirror his real world. The popular comic is about pirates, not superheroes. Superheroes, or at least costumed adventurers, exist is the real world,...
Read More

Day Shift by Charlaine Harris

by Carol5 Comments
I want to live in Midnight. It's a really, really small town full of really, really odd people, but they are all so friendly toward each other and protective of each other. I'd love to visit Fiji's shop or have dinner with them all at the (only) local restaurant. I guess this is a mystery - who killed Manfred's client, but there is a lot going on in the background. The new hotel in town is questionable. And the new kid in town could be more dangerous than they suspect. As far as the mystery goes though, I was surprised by the whodunit and equally by the "justice" they received. We learn a lot about the characters and who/what they are in this one, it's more about them than the actual plot in some ways. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. I listened to the audio and the narrator did a good job. She gives everyone their own personalities, even the visitors to town. The...
Read More

Dead Wake by Erik Larson

by Carol5 Comments
Dead Wake is not a book I would usually pick up. I don't tend to read much non-fiction and I actively avoid war books, but I've enjoyed Larson's books in the past and his "narrative non-fiction" style works for me. He tells the story with a personal touch, not just a recitation of facts. This one is pretty fascinating, the boat itself, the people on board, and all the events in the outer world that conspired against them. I listened to this one on audio and Brick did a good job. He kept me interested, made it exciting and tension-filled. There were a lot of people, but it's non-fiction, so there wasn't really any dialogue to worry about. The individuals were heard through their journals and letter, which doesn't require any distinction voices. There are a lot of people involved in the story of the Lusitania, from the captain, crew and passengers, government officials on both sides of the Atlantic,  to the...
Read More

Killer Dolphin by Ngaio Marsh

by Carol1 Comment
Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn books are comfort reads for me. When I'm tired or grouchy or don't know what I feel like reading, I pick one up. Whenever I see one at a used bookstore I pick it up, but I'm thrilled that they've published a bunch for the Kindle. This one opens with an odd set of circumstances that ends with Peregrine Jay restoring the Dolphin Theater and the opening production is his original play, The Glove, with the Shakespearean glove itself on display. The first half of the book lets us peak backstage. We meet the various actors, witness their petty feuds and jealousies. I enjoy this part of Marsh's books in general, the characters are always fun, sometimes stereotypical, but she always pulls together great casts. And of course, you're wondering who's going to die, because someone is. The second half of the book deals with Alleyn's investigation, which consists of lots of interviews and some clue-searching. I really...
Read More

The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan

by Carol6 Comments
I've really enjoyed this trilogy and the finale, The Autumn Republic, was good, but I was hoping for great. It would not stand-alone well, but it does wrap up a lot of the points the first two were leading toward. We see an end to the war and a new government for Adro. I love the world, the magic, the politics, and for some reason military fantasies tend to draw me in. I think it has something to do with all the passions, loyalties, endurance, planning - and treachery. The characters are awesome and the multiple points of view and various subplots give them each a chance to shine. With so many characters and changes in viewpoint, the narrator of the audio has a tough job, but Rodska does well. He differentiates each character, and while the women are maybe not as well performed as the men, it's a fairly male-centered story anyway. To me, he's the voice of Tamas. There is one voice in however,...
Read More