I stumbled across this book through an email from Simon & Shuster stating this one would be a good fit for Gilmore Girls fans.
I asked my library to adI stumbled across this book through an email from Simon & Shuster stating this one would be a good fit for Gilmore Girls fans.
I asked my library to add it to their catalogue via audio, and they provided a CD version which would have been pricey! Narrated by Lauren Graham, I was looking forward to the book.
Unfortunately, I found the narration to be over acted, I notice American accents are strong, and in this case very much so as I was unable to speed up the CD. I did not enjoy the voice of this actor and author who I very much enjoy in other aspects of her craft.
As often is the case with this reader, if I don’t have any affinity for the characters, the experience falls short. Katy, married to a nice man, loses the love of her life – her mother. This attachment was hard to take, I was intolerant and simply didn’t like the character – for this reason and others. The constant monologues of her grief and not knowing how to go on without her mother was just always there, such a strange attachement. In my opinion.
Katy’s mother dies, just before a planned trip to Positano, a dreamy Italian town on the Amalfi coast. The descriptions were lush, the place sounded great. But this was not enough to make the novel. The author’s writing was plain, uninspired. “The water was cool. Refreshing.”
The book takes a magical realism quality where Katy then meets her mother in the flesh as she has decided to go on the holiday solo, leaving her husband behind. Katy then questions her marriage, meets a new man, and finds out things about this mother of hers.
I don’t like stories with unreal themes, though this was not why I disliked the book. The entire premise and cast of characters were, to me, uninspired, insipid, unlikable and a let down.
I love Harlan Coben's writing, he is witty, sharp and funny while telling his serious stories. I love how his characters are edgey with barbs thrown iI love Harlan Coben's writing, he is witty, sharp and funny while telling his serious stories. I love how his characters are edgey with barbs thrown in at all stages, with entertaining banter between the three high school friends. They are all very different characters. Mickey tall and commanding, excellent basketball player, unflappable. Ema, a girl who seems to hide her home life, whose outward appearance is dark and gothic, one of the non cool crowd who doesn't at all care about her status on the social pecking order at high school (these kids are young!). Then there is 'Spoon' tiny in stature but huge in words and personality, he loves his friends just as much as they love him.
The characters in this small series are all enjoyable, I love them and their friendship.
I found myself wanting Myron to help his nephew Mickey to solve this life and death conundrum, but this is what this series is all about - it's Mickey's not Myron's! When Myron does make an entrance it's anti climactical, he's purely there in the background.
I found myself lagging through the final third, and did want it to speed up and get things moving along, thus my 3 star rating.
Mickey is cool, calm and collected just like his uncle. I'd like to see them become closer, and I guess this may be addressed in the final instalment.
The storyline is one to suspend belief, but this is all part of the fun. Lookng forward now to be able to finish the Bolitar series, but that will be a very sad moment, as it is my favourite series of all time, one that I found early in my time here on Goodreads.
I listened to this on audio CD, sourced via my public library....more
This, the second chapter in the Joe O’Loughlin series, whose main character is the flawed but likeable psychologist with Parkinson’s was a busy and quThis, the second chapter in the Joe O’Loughlin series, whose main character is the flawed but likeable psychologist with Parkinson’s was a busy and quite long-winded tale. I missed Joe here; I assumed this was Detective Ruiz’s intro to the series. He didn’t get much of a look in.
Joe and Vincent butted heads in the first instalment, but this time we see they begin to form a comradery where clearly the troubled and ‘in trouble’ detective is seeking Joe’s help occasionally.
This is a harrowing case for Vincent, where a sweet young girl goes missing, all in the space of less than a hundred steps. Vincent needs to sift through seedy suspects to get to the bottom of a case that has haunted him for years.
He has a form of amnesia after a trauma – he almost lost his life after being shot and pulled from the Thames, being in a coma for almost two weeks. He ends up being the hunted and charged with the theft of the diamond ransom!
It really does come down to a cat and mouse game where ransoms are offered and lives are in peril. Joe can help him understand the memory side of things, and to support the disgraced detective link his own family trauma to the reason why he is so haunted by this case, and the missing girl and his inability to find the memories.
These are both troubled men who understand each other given their messy lives, but I did miss seeing Joe in this book, but there are more in this series, and the scene has been set for this duo and I look forward to seeing g what comes next.
An excellent audio companion on an unexpected road trip and narrated well. It still intrigues me that an Aussie author has set this series in London, not that there’s anything wrong with that. A well written and solid continuation on an interesting series. Full of witty and clever moments and I love when crime and action books still make me giggle with the good stuff....more
Reading this outstanding series has been a slow progression, I have read them over a couple of years. Wanting to listen to them on audio for ease of rReading this outstanding series has been a slow progression, I have read them over a couple of years. Wanting to listen to them on audio for ease of reading, this final instalment was on MP3 disc, stretching the read over a couple of weeks in the car, and by inter library loan via my public library. Thus my desire to read it, I will stop at nothing! Will Trent is up next, so I was very eager. I will say with certainty it was very hard limiting each session to less than 30 minutes.
These Grant County books are far from a slow burn. Becoming invested over the years was a great reading journey, following the select few characters which are portrayed ever so intricately by the author, who really is a master at what she does. Lena, her Uncle Hank, Jeffery the Chief of Police and his wife Sara. Each of these have a distinct story to tell with their upbringing, their mistakes and nuances, all bought together seamlessly, this is all show don't tell to perfection.
This story is non stop from the beginning as Lena is arrested, involved in a deadly incident with a woman being burned alive. Jeffery and Sara are drawn in, Sara assists the untrustworthy local police with more than one autopsy while Jefrey tries to locate Lena after absconding from her hospital bed. The local police are sure Lena is involved and we see in equal measure how much she is loved yet barely tolerated by those closest to her.
his experience was tense, gut-wrenching, propulsive and heartbreaking in so many scenes. All characters good and bad are flawlessly presented to the captivated reader and we see how much Sara is coming to terms with the many rocky roads her and Jefrey have faced along the way. He never waivers and is a great support to her current situation as she faces a law suit in the death of a friend’s child and patient of her practice.
At all stages I was left wondering, I failed many times, but will always remember where I was when I listened to the last couple of minutes of this book. I am not being melodramatic to state that I am so sad this series is over, and how it came to its conclusion. As dark as this is, I have faith in the author that she will continue to deliver. I am very much quietly shocked with the conclusion and cannot stop thinking about it.
I am very much looking forward to Will Trent and to see what comes next.
I listened to this via Audio CD and my local library. Well narrated by Joyce Bean. I really enjoyed the accents and each character well distinguished....more
Oh my, I am so disappointed in this one! I even purchase my first Inter library loan through my local library – I never spend at the library! I couldnOh my, I am so disappointed in this one! I even purchase my first Inter library loan through my local library – I never spend at the library! I couldn’t source on eAudio so I got the CD sent in.
This book was too slow for me, I found each and every character insipid, not one character showed any backbone. This was a palpable and continuing feeling for me.
The ending was tied up in the last portion by one character who ‘told’ us more things, as to tidy things up, and I thought this was disappointing as there was a lot of build up, so much craziness.. then to be delivered as an automaton.
The writing was great, the author is a journalist and I can see this as one character is also one (who coincidentally performed a lot of the sleuthing for us) and I see good things ahead as this is a debut. I honestly would have sped this up had it not been for the CD format and was frustrated with the lack of pace, and much repetition.
This story centred around a lot of self-centred individuals, who did not care for anyone in a genuine way. The lead character was the voice of Helen, who progressed with her never ending pregnancy who seemed to be completely and utterly gormless. I know in fiction we need not like every character, but Helen was so weak. Her husband being too busy and too uncaring to attend ante natal classes, he was never home, did not ever once support his heavily (or otherwise) pregnant wife.
She let a stranger into her home, never questioning, and when she did question, this stranger seemed to accept this after such a build up of crazy, stalkish behaviour.
I appear to be an outlier here, maybe my penance for spending money at my library was to receive a dud. I know others liked this more than I did, I felt a shame that I was not one of them. A lot of me waiting for something to appear, no flair or substance....more
This was very good. There were many layers and each character had a good solid story to tell, the author teased it all out quite slowly, lingering witThis was very good. There were many layers and each character had a good solid story to tell, the author teased it all out quite slowly, lingering with anticipation.
Saffyre consults with a child psychologist named Roan, whom I immediately disliked immensely. She had childhood trauma that he did not seem to tease out, nor really help her with. I found her to be a teenager with so much more knowledge than this man charged with helping others. I found him despicable - and strong adjectives are great in fiction, aren't they?! Such a clever and mature girl, wise beyond her years, she felt the therapy was unfinished in a way and follows Roan, seeing what he gets up to outside of his practice, and away from his family that are good people, and a long suffering wife.
A neighbour of this family has his own problems, a young man named Owen, an older aged virgin who has terribly low self-esteem and living with an unlikable aunt – his life is not at all fun and he knows he has a lot to give, but cannot seem to connect with women. He is awkward, but like Saffyre, he has his own problems from his past. He has just been suspended from his work as a teacher of a college for inappropriate behaviour toward female students.
Saffyre disappears on Valentine’s evening, and all are embroiled. Owen ends up being incarcerated, and Roan continues his merry way, going for evening runs and disappearing whenever he liked, lying to his family and generally being cagey and arrogant. It was hard for me to see his wife, who appeared to be a smart woman not reading the signs and red flags.
Lisa Jewell gets into the minds of each unique and complex character with a rawness that is scary, important themes abound here and she was making me second guess many things, and this was exciting. I listened to the audio and didn’t at all mind my commute; the voices were great, and each character was performed by different performers. Saffyre’s voice was lovely. A line made me smile where she mentions being boring and liking things like baking and reading. I wanted to cuddle her and tell her this is me; we are so alike!
I loved the character of Saffyre, Roan’s son and I admired Owen’s growth, and the sensitivity and clarity shown by the author on the topic of the way Owen treated women. This is a skilled author. I recommend the audio version of this, it was great....more
The Walsh family didn't come to my party this time around. I listened to this on audio CD, via my public library, therefore my speed process was not aThe Walsh family didn't come to my party this time around. I listened to this on audio CD, via my public library, therefore my speed process was not able to be manipulated! Unfortunately I was bored, and was wondering what the clan were going to get up to, but to me, it seems they didn't get up to much! There were many days that Maggie sat around and I felt I sat around.
Maggie ran from Ireland to LA, to take refuge with her bestie, Emily after being cheated on by her husband. Emily is a script writer who was down on her luck. This storyline struggled, as did an obvious storyline with Maggie's occupation. She was a paralegal with experience in media, I assumed this would go somewhere, but it didn't.
Maggie had a crisis of confidence, she ran around trying to fix her bad nails, her bad hair, she felt she wasn't good enough. She fell for a guy 'mr teflon', and got rejected again. There was a lot of talk about 'lezzos' and how they are intimate with each other. Literally asking how this happens. It was weird! I suppose this is how the book shows its age.
The sisters didn't have a lot to do with things in this installment, but Maggie's adolesence was addressed and issues she had young in life. This book was light, full of fluff but I was not drawn in or connected in any way. The audio narration of American accents were horrible! No good!
I was enamoured with Keyes usual witty banter, but it wasn't enough to salvage this read past the 2★ stage for me, unfortunately....more
I love to hate a character! I enjoyed The Younger Wife more than the other novels I have read by this author. The audio was a great experience, the onI love to hate a character! I enjoyed The Younger Wife more than the other novels I have read by this author. The audio was a great experience, the only issue being I borrowed the CD from my public library, which meant that I could not speed it up. And I like fast!
All these complex characters were addled with addiction, and as the story progresses, this makes sense. Sometimes I wanted to shake many of them, but this is a good sign of being invested and wanting to see what comes next.
Stephen is the glorified patriarch, about to be re married to his bright new younger wife Heather. We meet this messy family while he is not quite yet divorced from his current wife Pam. She has dementia and he is still very committed to her, even taking Heather to visit her many times at the retirement home. Pam has moments of clarity, and these we are left pondering. She is quite the unreliable narrator and is not the only one!
The bright girls from this marriage are Rachel and Tully, but man these girls were loaded with problems. Tully is quite entitled, married to a criminal lawyer, and Rachel, a beautiful woman who is happy to be on her own and loves her job as a baker. Rachel has had past trauma, and I cannot believe it was portrayed that none of the family picked up on this.
This was a great domestic full of suspense and very twisty bits and pieces smattered throughout. Some wording was used too frequently, and I think these things should be easily avoided. ‘For several minutes’. And several minutes is a long time! I notice the finer details, I can’t help it!
I would recommend this audio version, a very smooth and lovely voice from Jessica Clarke....more
James Clear is very clear on this topic. I had to use that pun, as it's so true. The audio version of this is great, crisp and easy to understand.
The James Clear is very clear on this topic. I had to use that pun, as it's so true. The audio version of this is great, crisp and easy to understand.
The building of habits, not so much in what you want to achieve, but the way you go about it. The process. Surprisingly there is a lot to be said about this, and I think I do a lot of this stuff already, methodically tidying up as I go etcetera, to make the foundation easier. Think smart, and being organised for example. Being a fastidious tidier is much easier than making myself run for an hour a day though, but I can see where using his ideas are very smart.
I liked the idea of a high level weights coach, in answering James question about what sets up the difference to those good in a field, to those that excel just that bit higher. The answer surprised him, and I agreed. It was those willing to be bored with the consistency of training the same way over and over. So - one must make the process interesting, rewarding and fresh. Oh - and accountability!
Interesting concepts that are very common in getting in the way such as all or nothing thinking, and not missing more than two days in a row are interesting, as is giving up things or paying for things when a 'contract' is not fulfilled to the agreed measurements.
It would be worthwhile me taking a look at the hard copy of this, because there are fundamentals and stages, which form the process of the whole, so to speak.
I am trying to become a runner again, and listening to this book during this period in my life was helpful. The author is clear and concise. I will still procrastinate, but I took with me a lot of good things as well.
I really enjoyed the examples the author gave to support his ideals, and these range from current days to times long past.
Recommended as a little heftier some self help books out there I'd say. Like any book in this field, take what you want and leave the rest, but there is lots of food for thought here....more
What a wonderful book. I enjoyed the audio format, and if I particularly love a title, I will purchase the hard copy. I now Oh my. God bless America.
What a wonderful book. I enjoyed the audio format, and if I particularly love a title, I will purchase the hard copy. I now proudly own the hard cover version. I am reviewing this book months after reading; I found my notes last night and will put them in words now. The audio was excellent, my son and I listened to a good chunk on a road trip to my parents as they live over three hours away. He is ten years old and learned a good deal about this tragic event, and I am pleased he learned and was able to discuss it with his mum, who not only loves books, but also a complete fascination with New York.
This book was not to discuss the whys and hows of this event. The bare facts are such as these. Pregnant women lost their partners that day, and in the days that followed. Those children grew into adults without a father. Children born of those times are now graduated and can serve in their country’s military. I can’t believe it’s been this long. I was in Australia at this time, another world away, also pregnant and two weeks away from giving birth. My husband rang and told me to turn on the news. I remember buyinh the newspaper from that day. I didn’t keep it; I am sorry I didn’t.
The book is presented by many voices, and the change over was often rapid, with a new story popping up. There were so many different experiences told that I was in awe.
The day was an important one. It was voting day; the weather was beautiful and clear. A group of the first stories was from that of air traffic control, and real-life footage of cabin crew. This was astounding. I was in disbelief that I could hear these real people talk and hear their direct voice. It made me realise particularly how calm and measured cabin crew could be during an unprecedented situation.
A Port Authority policeman was dying in the rubble, he showed humour in his last minutes. Asking his commanding officer for a break, and his officer lovingly obliging. He then shot his gun to alert rescuers to their position.
The authors intention was to capture the voice of this world event, so the next generations that were not alive to bear witness, can understand and continue the fight for justice and freedom.
The youngest victim was on the fateful airplane, a tiny human named Christine, and the first fire fighter to perish was struck down by a desperate human who jumped from The Towers. This statistical information is hard to get my head around.
I also had no idea that illnesses showing up to 8-10 years after the fact such as leukemia would be attributed to those near the site after the collapses. This isn’t just for emergency workers, employees of the area, first responders. It would be those handing out food and water, feeding those breathing in the enormity of the dust and debris. They were exposed to the rubble and died because they didn’t have the personal protective equipment to survive the conditions.
A story I remember is that of a flight call supervisor. She spoke with a man on the plane. My memory is rusty as my notes are brief, but she was talking to him as the plane went down and was being taken over by hijackers, and he wanted her to relay a message to his wife. She held the phone for many minutes after, wishing away the reality of him no longer being there. These are the human moments I would not have thought of, thus raising the questions of the millions of universe moments that occurred because of this historical day.
Hospitals were on alert and had their busy moments, but realistically they were empty while they waited for more survivors. There were no more.
I had no idea of the Lower Manhattan water evacuation. Zero idea. People were running for their lives. Women throwing their babies on board. They were jumping on to boats for their lives, and entire crews were made up from everyday citizens.
An alert went to all watercraft, private and public, yachts and ferries and all types turned up. Survivors turned up at the other end to normal surroundings, turning up looking like they had faced war. A man was on a stretcher strapped in and injured badly, he was loaded onto a craft, but the amazing tidal wave (my memory is sketchy here) meant he had nowhere to go. He had a terrible glass injury and last minute was released from the stretcher.
Babies separated from their mothers were downstairs in a craft in a small group, on the bottom bunk wrapped up like cocoons.
A man in the Trade Centre had a coffee in his hand and was surprised by remembering not to spill his coffee. A man fell toward him, arms out mummy like. He died between his legs. The surviving gentleman was able to go the memorial for this man.
The tenth day dawned and officially the site was declared as no chance of further survivors. It was so evident those searching would have kept going, it must have been utterly heartbreaking.
A firefighter received his visor after the carnage. It reached him via the helmet number and received uncleaned. This is the human side, the likes of which I would never have imagined.
A lasting piece of this story is that of Father Mychal Judge. He was declared the first official victim of that day. Frustratingly I cannot conjure the quote I liked. His comrades commented that he was preparing others to be received by God.. or words to that effect. He was much loved and wasn’t a conventional priest, this made me love him even more.
So. This is a very wordy and disjointed review months after my reading experience. I know my son was disappointed when I took the audio book back to the library (I requested my public library purchase it but assumed they’d procure the e-resource), but it turned out well to be able to listen with my son.
The book opens with the space station being able to see the smoke and the effects of this day. And of course, the detailed information on The President’s movement on that day also extremely interesting. Made even more challenging by the fact this was a new leadership, and staff were new and were not fully oriented.
This book taught me a lot and I’m happy to have the hard cover to refer to. It goes without saying those who relived their experience in laying their souls bare while going through this process are appreciated by this reader. A stellar job by the many archivists, librarians, journalists, authors, voice actors and the author. This was an epic that I hope will reach the new generations as intended, and those like me, who did not know a lot. Now I know a lot more....more
