Audiobook Challenge 2026 – Carol's Notebook

Alibi by Accident by Kayleigh Suggett

March 13, 2026March 13, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I enjoyed Alibi by Accident and Verona is quite a main character. Keep that in mind because the book itself had some issues for me. She's a private detective, or a private dick as she refers to herself in a kind of running joke, in Calgary. Her new client, Miami, knows her very rich husband is about to divorce her and wants Verona to get proof that he's cheating on her so she can cash in on her share of the billions. Then, the husband ends up dead, murdered in a hotel in Greece, and Miami becomes a chief suspect, even though she was thousands of miles away, so Verona is off to Greece to find another focus for the police's attention. I was not prepared for the language in this one. I should have been, just look at the first word of the blurb, but there were too many f-words when they just weren't needed. I was also not...

Separation of Church and Hate by John Fugelsang

March 11, 2026March 11, 2026 by CarolNo Comments

I found Separation of Church and Hate interesting, informative, and funny. But I'm an anti-death penalty, anti-gun, pro-LGBTQI rights Christian who believes we should provide food, health care and safety to people. I attends church every Sunday and work in the office every weekday afternoon. Mostly, I just agree with Fugelsang, who believes in a Christianity embodied by love, mercy, and service. If you don't, your mileage may vary. Fugelsang takes every hot-button issue- abortion, universal health care, gun control, etc., shows us the scriptures the extreme right tends to use to support them and teaches us why, in his opinion, they're being misinterpreted or are more Paul's opinion and hang-ups than Jesus' actual views. He then points to other scriptures that support a more loving, graceful, and inclusive understanding. I can't really judge how solid his theology is and I might question a couple of his suggestions, but overall I think he makes some really good points. I also appreciate...

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

March 5, 2026March 5, 2026 by Carol2 Comments

Yes, I've read Murder on the Orient Express several times. Yes, I've watched the movies, also multiple times. But somehow I always enjoy it. We all know the plot. Hercule Poirot is a last minute addition to the first class carriage on the Orient Express from Istanbul to Calais. All the other rooms are taken, unusual for winter, The following morning, the train is stuck in the snow and one of the passengers, an American named Ratchett, is found dead in his bunk, stabbed multiple times. Of course, I know the whodunnit and it's not one you can forget, but it's always fun watching Poirot collect all the clue, lies, and red herrings. His friend/ company director, Monsieur Bouc, sits in on the questioning and you have to admire how quickly he jumps to conclusions only to have them just as quickly upended by Poirot. He's a good character, light-hearted, but in the the end his position allows him to...

Mrs. McGinty’s Dead by Agatha Christie

March 3, 2026March 3, 2026 by Carol2 Comments

I thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. McGinty's Dead. This time around Superintendent Spence brings Poirot a case. A man has been convicted of Mrs. McGinty's murder based on Spence's investigations, but Spence is convince the man is not guilty. Poirot heads to the small town of Broadhinny to investigate. He stays in a poorly run guest house, which leads to several entertaining moments. We know how much Poirot loves comfort and good food, neither of which he gets here. Ariadne Oliver is also in town, working with a young playwright to adapt one of her books for the stage. Ariadne just makes me smile. She's the opposite of Poirot and yet they get along well. I love how Ariadne talks about her fictional detective, giving us a bit of insight into how Christie feels about Poirot. The plot was put together well, of course. The killer has to be one of the village residents, but Mrs. McGinty herself is rather uninteresting. Poirot,...

This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum

February 27, 2026February 27, 2026 by Carol2 Comments

This Story Might Save Your Life is part mystery, part thriller, and part romance. Best friends and podcast hosts Benny and Joy have built a career on survival stories, but now Joy has disappeared and Benny is the prime suspect. I enjoyed about the first half of the book. The story is told through Benny's point of view interspersed with bits from the podcast and from Joy's chapters of an unfinished memoir. I listened to the audio book which, with its two narrators, fit this format perfectly. They did a fabulous job with banter during the podcast clips and really brought each character's feelings and personality across. Benny and Joy are keeping secrets, form their listeners and from each other, as are the people around them. Those are slowly revealed and there are several twists. I was enjoying it, until I found myself thinking "can we just get to the end?" I wanted to know how it all played...

How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson

February 24, 2026February 24, 2026 by Carol2 Comments

It's funny how often I want to start my comments with "I don't typically read [fill-in-the blank] books." In this case, it's fictional serial killer books, but I've just read two in a row, the other being My Sister, the Serial Killer, so maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, Detective Inspector Samantha Hansen has returned from medical leave because to help investigate the murder of a teenage girl. A book, How to Get Away with Murder, has been left at the crime scene. The book is essentially a "how-to" guide for aspiring murderers written by Denver Brady, who claims to be a successful, currently active, serial killer, but it's unclear if this crime was committed by Denver or by a copycat. Chapters alternate between Sam's investigation and the handbook. The book within a book works well, especially on audio. The two narrators are fabulous. Geary brings both charm and menace to Brady's chapters, while Kennard captures Sam's intelligence, vulnerability, and determination....