Audiobook – Page 42 – Carol's Notebook

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

January 25, 2022January 25, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

Black Sun is the first book in Between Earth and Sky trilogy, and it is a high fantasy inspired by the civilizations Pre-Columbian Americas. The winter solstice in the holy city of Tova usually means a time for celebration and renewal. But this year a solar eclipse will occur with the winter solstice. The story marches toward that Convergence. I listened to the audiobook and each of the four points of view had their own narrator. We have Xiala, a boat captain who can control both water and people with her Song. We have Serapio, a blind man who Xiala needs to make sure is in Tova before the Convergence. The chemistry between them is fabulous. Naranpa is the Sun Priest, doing her best even though she has more enemies than she understands. Last is Okoa of clan Carrion Crow, who we know the least, but seems the most willing to accept what he doesn't understand. They're all compelling...

Gated Prey by Lee Goldberg

January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 by Carol4 Comments

Gated Prey is a popcorn book for me. It's the kind of book that seems like a mystery/action movie or tv show. I mean that as a good thing. It's action-packed and the setting and characters are described well. Eve and Duncan are on an undercover sting operation, trying to catch some home invaders. The sting goes wrong and all three of the perpetrators end up dead. While still investigating the robberies and whether there was an accomplice, they get called to what should be a routine stillbirth in another of the gated communities, but it turns out to be much more complicated. For once, the two mysteries are not actually connected. Gated Prey is the third in the series and I would recommend reading them in order. Eve's background and previous cases definitely affect what's going on here and even though they're mentioned, you'll have a better idea of what's going on in the background if you've read the others...

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

January 12, 2022January 12, 2022 by Carol4 Comments

I really wanted to like Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors. It's a gender-swapped retelling of Pride and Prejudice featuring a rich Indian-American family, which sounds really promising. I expected a fun, light read - a little wit, a little charm, a happy ending. I got the happy ending, but that's about it. Trisha is a brilliant neurosurgeon, the only one in the world who can perform this life-saving surgery but is awkward and can come off as arrogant. She also puts up with her father being pretty terrible to her. DJ's a brilliant chef, Cordon Bleu-trained, who quit his job at a Michelin starred Parisian restaurant to take care of his sister but can come off as cold and a jerk. Clearly, these two dislike each other, but to be honest I had a hard time there were sparks underneath. I knew they would fall in love eventually, but I didn't enjoy the story getting there. Julia Wickham was maybe...

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

January 7, 2022June 27, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

As I was thinking about what I was going to write about My Heart Is a Chainsaw, I had mixed feelings. Jade, the main character, is amazing in a damaged, determined, outsider way, but I didn't like where the story left her at the end. Actually, I didn't like how the story treated her all the way through. Even the adults that cared were disappointing. But I didn't realize it was the first in a planned trilogy. That gives me hope. Jade story isn't over. The opening of My Heart is a Chainsaw is perfect, sets the mood just right. Then we meet Jade. She's seventeen, knows all there is to know about slasher movies, and has a terrible home life. Things aren't much better at school or work either. When a new girl shows up, a potential final girl, Jade sees what she believes is a slasher cycle starting in her small town. The book moves slowly in parts, but...

Death by Unknown Event by Eliza Smith

January 6, 2022January 5, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

I had never heard of the Cindy James case before, but Death by Unkown Event, another podcast available on Audible Plus, caught my eye. Cindy James suffered for 8 years, filing multiple reports of harassment and assaults. The podcast takes us through the events in Cindy James' life, and looks at the investigators in her case, her ex-husband, the psychiatrists, neighbors, private detective. It's a devastating story. We see all the theories and options, but at the heart of the case is that everyone failed Cindy. I think that's the writer's point. Regardless of how you see the case, Cindy asked for help again and again. And ended up dead....

The Murder of Robert Wone by AYR Media

January 5, 2022January 5, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

I don't usually listen to podcasts - I'm not sure why. The Murder of Robert Wone is available for free on Audible Plus, and it sounded interesting. I honestly wasn't sure what I wanted to listen to, so free and short is as good a reason as any. It turned out to be pretty fascinating. Robert Wone was found stabbed to death in his friends' home in Washington, DC. The podcast was put together well. It took a thorough look at the people involved and evidence found that night and in the following days. I usually read crime fiction, where more often than not, we get a resolution. True crime can be messy like it is here. People may have their suspicions, but proof is sometimes impossible to get....