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Powell's Staff:
Five Book Friday: In Memoriam
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Every year, the booksellers at Powell’s submit their Top Fives: their five favorite books that were released in 2023. It’s a list that, when put together, shows just how varied and interesting the book tastes of Powell’s booksellers are. I highly recommend digging into the recommendations — we would never lead you astray — but today...
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Brontez Purnell:
Powell’s Q&A: Brontez Purnell, author of ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt’
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Rachael P.:
Starter Pack: Where to Begin with Ursula K. Le Guin
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Customer Comments
nrlymrtl has commented on (254) products
Magic Factory
by
James Livingood
nrlymrtl
, May 11, 2015
What if magic was industrialized? If you could head over to the factory office and order up your own piece of magic, would you? Those who work at the magic factory have to deal with many of the same hazards that are found in other factories. Accidents do happen on the assembly line. This is a great example of humor in story telling. We have a setting, the characters, the events ��" all of which the characters take seriously. But us readers can sit back and enjoy the humor. Told through a character who takes his factory job very seriously, one who has great pride in this abilities and precision, I quickly got caught up in the story. The piece of magic being assembled happens to be an angel. Today is the new guy’s first day on the assembly line and mistakes do happen. What does a mismanufactored angle do? Haha! Well, give this story a read and see for yourself. I really enjoyed the mix of modern day quality assurance terms and the fantastical. The manufacturing of magic, in this case, doesn’t take the fun or mystery out of it. Definitely a worthwhile read! The Narration: Michael Gilboe was a delight to listen to. I really enjoyed his voice of the somewhat egotistical perfectionist. He also had a good voice for the angel, who plays an important role even if it is a minor one.
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Under the Amoral Bridge: A Cyberpunk Novel
by
Gary A. Ballard
nrlymrtl
, May 11, 2015
In this cyberpunkian near future novel, Artemis Bridge is a fixer ��" the go-to guy for when you need something illegal or under the radar. Bridge doesn’t care how foul your need is, he simply finds you the guy who can make it happen, taking a small fixer fee along the way. He’s proud to say he himself never does anything indecent; he merely facilitates. Of course, that all goes sideways when a dying associate feeds him a recording of the present mayor doing something quite distasteful. Our main character Bridge likes to think of himself as a cool cat, making his money on the morally depleted but never dipping in the dirty waters himself. I can’t say I particularly liked this character, but he was so fascinating I didn’t have to. He obviously has morals concerning his own behavior and yet holds back on enforcing those morals on others. Plus he makes most of his money off of one type of degenerate or other. He has a body guard (Archimedes is his handle) who is paid to look aware and tough but not paid enough to take a punch for Bridge. I found their banter and dynamic both comical and interesting. While there are few females in this story, they are integral to the plot (hurray!). The main female character is Bridge’s ex-girlfriend. I think she got all the brains in the relationship. She too is an interesting character with her own values and hobbies and actions. Much of the cyberpunk hardware belongs to her and hence, much of the the cyberpunk scenes include her. The plot has a few unexpected twists and turns and they were a treat to watch unfold. Bridge has to call in favors, rely on friends, and outwit the bad guys. However, bad guys are nearly all he deals with, so there’s plenty of fancy foot work to stay ahead of a bullet. All in all this was an enjoyable ride with an original lead character. Definitely worthy of my time. The Narration: Joe Hempel had a variety of voices, each distinct, for all the characters. He even pulled off a few accents as the roles required. While I found his voice for Bridge more of a boy-next-door voice instead of shady, slick, psuedo-criminal, he still made it work and I connected with the character through the narration. He even went the extra length with one of the cyberpunk voices, giving it the echo described in the scene.
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The Sea Peoples: The Mysterious Nomads Who Ushered in the Iron Age
by
Charles River
nrlymrtl
, May 11, 2015
This book explores the changes in the Mediterranean during the late 13th and early 12th centuries BCE. This was an exciting time when well established city states and cultures fell, and the Iron Age arose. The mysterious Sea Peoples were at the center of many of these changes. I have long been fascinated by the Sea Peoples and will probably go on being fascinated by them because they will always remain something of a mystery. This book does an excellent job of giving an over view of what is known and what is guessed (in an educated fashion) about the Sea Peoples. Indeed, they were a collection of tribes and peoples and they came in more than one wave. Sometimes, some of them hired out as mercenaries and occasionally they fought on both sides of the same battle. Their origins are still in dispute, however descendants of some of the tribes that eventually settled have been verified through linguistical and archaeological analysis. The most fascinating thing I learned was that these invaders brought iron weapons and whole new way of fighting with them. These two things revolutionized the whole area over a short amount of time. For instance, some well established civilizations, like Egypt, were still battling with chariots. Chariots take a lot of care and maintenance, not just for the wheeled contraption but also for the horses. Plus they also need a flat plain on which to be effective. The Sea Peoples with their iron age weapons and advanced fighting techniques, put the charioteers to shame. If you haven’t read extensively on the Sea Peoples or simply want a refresher, then this is an excellent source. It’s a great lunch time break, feeding the mind while you feed your body. The Narration: Jack Chekijian did a great job with this book. He came off as scholarly without being dry or stuffy. Plus there are several difficult to pronounce tribal names and personal names in this book ��" Chekijian nailed them all.
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Inside a Silver Box
by
Walter Mosley
nrlymrtl
, April 19, 2015
Ronnie Bottoms and Lorraine Fell crash together in just the right place to activate the Silver Box, a box that the Laz (an alien race) placed on the Earth long before humans and which contains & constrains the last of a most powerful and destructive sentient force. Together, they struggle to contain what they inadvertently have set loose in order to save the entire planet. I don’t like this book and I really did want to like this book. It is my first Walter Mosley book and I have heard great things about his work. HighBridge Audio is a quality publisher and the narrator, Dion Graham, is awesome. The cover art is intriguing. The story itself was a clash of themes and ideas that never melded into a coherent plot line. Quite frankly, I was bored with it. First, Ronnie is a serial mugger and rapist. He has been in and out of prison much of his adult life. He ‘meets’ Lorraine in a New York City park when he attempts to mug and rape her. She fights back and he reacts harshly, killing her. This all happens in an area that is full of small boulders and large rocks and is right over the resting place of the Silver Box. Once Lorraine is dead, the Silver Box preserves her consciousness and this allows her to take over other bodies and eventually get Ronnie to return to the scene of the crime. At that point, using the power of the Silver Box, he has the greatest orgasmic experience of his life in bringing Lorraine’s dead, bloated corpse back to life, and in fine shape. So we get all that very early on in the book. Ronnie and Lorraine have now become our heroes set on saving the Earth. They have been set upon a quest and given special powers. And they decide they need to visit family, friends, and folks from their past in order to hash some stuff out. Uh… wasn’t there a time limit for their quest? I kept waiting for the story to veer back towards the cool scifi part that involves aliens and saving the Earth. That is almost completely sidelined until the very end, which is hugely anticlimactic and not satisfying at all. Next, Ronnie is now one of our heroes. Mr. Serial Rapist is going to save the Earth. He has completely turned over a new leaf (in record time from one scene to the next) and now sees that all those horrible things he did were wrong. He no longer has all the anger and hunger inside. So he digs up an old teacher to chat about the old days, stumbles into an old girlfriend, and crashes at Lorraine’s swanky uptown penthouse, complete with weekly maid service. He never visits his victims to redress his past ill deeds. I had a hard time routing for him because of his past bad behavior and also because he is not being very proactive in saving the world. Lorraine wasn’t much better. She comes from a privileged family and she has to struggle with realizing that turning your head and looking the other way is wrong, especially when you have the power and money to make a difference. She has a shouting match with her parents, who threaten to stop making payments on her penthouse. So, Lorraine doesn’t work and isn’t paying for her upkeep at all, and that doesn’t change by the end of the book. I found her character to be boring because her circumstances didn’t change, so her behavior didn’t have to change much either. Lastly, there is sex, and then there isn’t. Ronnie initially attempts to rape Lorraine, and once she returns to the land of the living, she has some choice words to say to him about that. But then they get super powers and there are 2 scenes in the book where they kind of have sex. And yet they think of each other as akin to siblings since the Silver Box changed them. So that added a yuck factor to their sexytimes, plus that whole attempted rape thing starting off their acquaintance. So with all that, I had this feeling that perhaps the author was attempting to mash together opposing themes that would intentionally make the reader uncomfortable. Yes, I left this book feeling like I had been put through some kind of social experiment and then tossed out the back door with my meager compensation for my time ��" the pleasure of writing up this review. The Narration: While I didn’t care for this book, Dion Graham was an amazing narrator. His voice is deep and smooth and a joy to listen to. He had dialects for the various New Yorkers and a range of male and female voices. The audio production was excellent.
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High Midnight
by
Rob Mosca
nrlymrtl
, April 19, 2015
What do psychotic clowns, cryptid chimeras, drunk sheriffs, Russian novel reading monkeys, ghostly lovers, and zombies have in common? Not much beyond this book. Set in modern day, Unity, Texas is a place to the unwanted, drunk, and those not wanting to be found to disappear. Laredo Beaumont, the sheriff, takes his job seriously, especially the napping and drinking part. At least, until the day a murder of clowns shows up. This is one of the oddest books I have ever read. I knew it was a mishmash of genres and plot devices going into it, but the various elements pulled in was beyond expectations. And the author made it all work beautifully. I was constantly entertained, usually surprised, and left wanting more. I hear rumors there is a second book in the making and I have my fingers crossed that is true. The book starts off with psychotic clowns. Admittedly, it does jump around quickly from clown to clown, and often with swift punches of flashbacks showing a little bit of why that clown is now with a sadistic gaggle of clowns on a near deserted highway. Don’t be put off by this because the point of view settles down after that and gives a good story, with a few flashbacks here and there. The viewpoints do change throughout the tale, but we get to spend enough time with each character that the reader has time to connect with them. I found Unity to be a fascinating town, especially all the problems they have with the cryptids such as the chupacabra and jackalope chimeras. The biologist in me wanted to do a summer study course in Unity. The half with the common sense knew we would have to get lost in a desert teeming with the shuffling undead. The zombies don’t feature heavily in this book, but do have a little key part to play. Laredo and Sally Mae were my two favorite characters, one being a drunk authority figure and the other a ghostly bordello lass. They both kick ass in their own ways. And there is one sex scene. It is smoking hot, literally. There are flames involved. And a luchadero mask. Haha! Hooray for Mexican wrestling! That little detail gave me a good laugh, and yet, it really worked with the character. Yes, there is a deputy sheriff. His name is Cicero, a chimpanzee. He wields knives and reads dreary Russian literature. Periodically, he smashes up the one and only bar, which is owned by the mayor of the town. She doesn’t appreciate such antics; hence, he has a job and has to keep it to work off his binges. Toss in the clowns (like Kiss me Kate) and some other town characters (the mayor’s bathrobe attired husband) and you have a very eclectic cast. The plot was pretty straight forward. The clowns have been gallivanting about the country side looking for a specific person, someone they feel they need to payback (like by breaking said person’s kneecaps). In Unity, the sheriff struggles with the big question: why am I here? While he wrestles with that, all these other characters are just going about their lives, until some clowns with questionable makeup skills arrive in town. Really, the plot gave this backbone for all these character to play together on. I am fine with that because it was damn entertaining! Narration: Bernard Setaro Clark was a good fit for this book. He had a variety of voices (and you definitely needed that for this book). His female voices were totally believable. Luckily, we weren’t treated to any monkey screeches. He had no hesitancy with the evil clowns or the love scene.
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The Rise of Zenobia
by
Jd Smith
nrlymrtl
, April 19, 2015
Zabdas tells us his story, that which is closely entwined with his relative, Zenobia. Palmyra, the jewel of Syria, is ruled by Odenanthus, a client king of the Roman empire. While he guards the frontier from the Persians, Rome refuses to send additional aid. Zenobia and her father, Julius Zenobius, feel it is time for Syria to stand on it’s own. This is an exceptionally engaging historical fiction. Zabdas’s story was exciting, full of his own plight (going from slave to warrior), strained family relations, and the politics between Rome and Palmyra. His tale is told in a back and forth manner, his present day where he is a grandfather and a respected, aged warrior, and his past told through a memoir he is writing and his granddaughter is reading. I found it fascinating to see the young, unsure Zabdas versus the confident, aged warrior. Before reading this book, I knew little of the Palmyrene Empire (I could spell it and I knew Palmyra was Syrian) and even less about Zenobia. I had no problems getting caught up in the story and learning as I went. The reader does not have to be versed in the times or area to follow this tale. It was delightfully educational. Zabdas’s uncle, Julius is an interesting figure, being polite and gentile but also knowing when to be a bit cutthroat. He also has his fair share of secrets. So does his daughter, Zenobia. She is regal in her bearing, but also strong-willed. Various male leaders have a hard time tossing her out of meetings without looking the fool. She keeps her personal political agenda close to her chest until near the end of the book. Since we don’t get to spend time in her head, we must guess her motives, as Zabdas does. I enjoyed every minute of this book and had a hard time putting it down, like for a few hours of necessary sleep. I am very much hoping Book 2 comes to audio. The Narration: Paul Hodgson was the perfect fit for Zabdas. He did a great job switching back and forth from the unsure youthful Zabdas to the seasoned war veteran Zabdas. There are only a handful of female characters in this book, it being of a small cast. Hodgson had a nice female voice, but I found that all the ladies sounded alike. If two were talking together, I had to pay close attention most of the time to follow who was talking. Hodgson had a variety of accents that added to the over all flavor of the book.
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Doctor Death A Madeleine Karno Mystery
by
Lene Kaaberbol
nrlymrtl
, April 19, 2015
Set in the 1890s France, Madeleine Karno is at the center of this mystery. Her father, Dr. Albert Karno, is a forensic doctor who has been asked to do a brief examination of the body of a young lady found dead at the door of her family’s home. A mystery begins to unfold involving mites, hounds, a convent, and several more bodies. I really enjoyed this book, though I did leave it having a few minor questions unanswered; I wished they had been wrapped up of a certainty in the epilogue. Nearly the entire story is told through Madeleine’s eyes, with a few letters and journal entries filling in the rest. Madeleine is a wonderful character to spend time with ��" she has her own motives, pushes against societal norms in order to get to the truth, and isn’t squeamish around blood. While France has started accepting women to universities, it is still highly unusual for a woman to be assisting in detective work or forensic examination. The author does a very good job of mixing suspense, action, parasitology, 1890s medicine, and convent life in this mystery. I was never bored with this tale. There was family intrigue, convent intrigue, and then other bits and pieces that on the surface didn’t seem connected. Indeed, we had more than one suspect for the murderer and with each body, the connections became harder to see. I really liked that this book kept me guessing until nearly the end. There is some sex. One scene is described after the fact by one of the participants. It was a pretty robust scene. Then there is one character that has an embarrassing medical condition in which he gets a involuntary erection whenever he has any strong emotion, like social anxiety. There is also one body that is found in a rather compromising position. So, this book is not a cozy mystery or a light read. Be prepared to dig in and enjoy! As much as I enjoyed this book, the tale left some questions unanswered at the end. Some of these are just follow up to minor characters of the ‘what happened next?’ variety. For instance, I would like to know what happened with the father and brother of the first body. Other questions were related to solving the mystery. Don’t worry! We find out who did the deeds in the end. But I wanted to know more about how they were done. There are questions I have about how certain marks on Body #2 and I was unclear about the mite species. Anyway, over all a decent read if you can let these smaller questions go unanswered. I still really enjoyed this book and will be looking up more of Kaaberbol’s work. The Narration: Nicola Barber is one of my favorite narrators and she does not disappoint in this book. As usual, she had an excellent voice for our lead character, Madeleine, along with a lovely array of male and female voices for the rest of the cast.
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The Vampire Dancer Saga: Part 3
by
Ali, Shalimar
nrlymrtl
, April 19, 2015
Note: Even though this is Book 3 in the series, it works OK as a stand alone. Told in a series of short scenes, ancient queens and vampires compete and couple in the past, just as their dopplegangers do the same in our time. From Cleopatra to Dracula, belly dancing to the grind, ancient witch Queen Salome to modern day witch Grany Rosa Smith, this tale is anything but traditional. At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of this book. It does skip around quickly, so you have to pay close attention. There is also a large cast of characters, so you never have time to get attached to any one character. Instead, you simply have to sit back and enjoy the experience, like watching an hour of 80s music videos. Not every video has to make 100% sense, and they don’t have to necessarily relate to one another, and you certainly don’t get to know the individual band members from the one video they feature in within that hour. The over all experience was definitely different. I wouldn’t have thought to pair vampires and belly dancing, both of which can be sexy things. I liked that we had more female roles than male roles (something that is still hard to find in today’s literature). However, I didn’t like that at least half of these ladies were in direct competition with each of for a man. Sigh. So cliche. Still, it was an interesting experience and for an hour’s entertainment, you could do far worse. The Narration: Fatimah Halim and J. Lyle were excellent narrators. For having to switch characters, locations, and times so often they did a very nice job. I really liked Halim’s rich, full voice that made me think of comfort food and curvy sexy women all at once. J. Lyle had to pull off some accents while sounding like he had pointy teeth, which he did very well.
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Our Future Good
by
T. J. Kirby
nrlymrtl
, April 11, 2015
Mary & Joe are about to embark on their adult lives. They’ve just finished their General Studies and it’s now time for them to pick a Project to work on. Mary would like to work on the NutriSuit Project. However, Joe has been following a story in the news and he really wants to join a journalism team reporting on the issue. Set a few generations from now, this novella tells a fun tale while also providing a subtle commentary on current day society. At least, that is what I got out of it. Joe has been following the story of the L5Pilgrim space colony society. They wish to break away from the International Space Station (ISS) and go weightless. Of course, this not only affects the current inhabitants of the colony, but will affect future generations. Some of the opposition point out that such colonists would not be able to return to Earth, essentially creating a subspecies of humans. Major detractors believe it isn’t right for them to make such a choice for their future offspring. If the basic story isn’t enough for you, this tale is full of future tech that made the story fascinating. Much of it is seamlessly put into play without distracting from the story. The NutriSuit would allow a person to absorb all the nutrients they need while sleeping. Housing and robots and travel have all improved in the future. You can modify any room with a few button pushes ��" sound, color, furniture. Then there are the societal changes. Every human is guaranteed basic housing and a small stipend each month. However, if a person volunteers for a Project, then they are paid for their efforts on top of the stipend, allowing the person to purchase luxuries. Of course I love this idea, even if I think we will never achieve it globally. Then there is sex. Mary and Joe aren’t married, just barely into adulthood, and yet it is clear they have been enjoying each other’s attentions for some time. I think this is fine (perhaps even preferred). Joe’s parents don’t even mind having Mary stay over. Both of these youngsters work hard and are worthy citizens AND they have sex. Good for them! It wasn’t taboo and I found this very refreshing. My one little criticism about the story is that I found the underlying tale a little predictable. I won’t go into details as that would spoil the ending. However, with all the other goodness going on in this novel, I can overlook the mild predictability. Also, the cover art and title initially made me think this book was on spiritual guidance or world prayer or some such. I wold not have guessed it was a science fiction story from the tile and cover.
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Shattered Iron Druid Chronicles Book 7
by
Kevin Hearne
nrlymrtl
, March 09, 2015
Fans of this series are in for a treat with this latest installation. It picks up where the previous book left off. Granuaile is a full fledged druid. Atticus (our 2000+ year old druid) has unstuck his teacher, Owen Kennedy, from a bubble of time. The three must gather their wits for the forthcoming battle with Loki. But, alas, there is much to do before they can get to that. If you’ve read my reviews for the previous books in this series, then you will know that it took me a long time to warm up to Granuaile. Well, with this book I can finally say that I have connected with her and that I would be sorely sad to see her dead. She and her companion hound go off to India to see about rescuing her dad. The witch Laksha does her best to assist her. Things do not go as planned and for a while there, I was pretty worried about Granuaile. Some of the most intense scenes of this book belonged to Granuaile. Atticus spent time bouncing around, tending to some of his own matters, but also in educating Owen and seeing that he was acclimatizing to the modern world. How did he do this, you might ask. Well, by leaving him with the Arizona werewolves of course. All werewolves love a sharp tongued, ill-mannered druid who can shape shift into either a bear or a hunting hound. All sorts of colorful exchanges were had, much to the amusement of this listener. Owen’s crazy remarks, some of which had to do with his nipples, had me chuckling out loud. So, without spoiling anything for this book, it is a worthy installation in this enjoyable series. The deities still play a major role in Atticus’s life. His friends are still stalwart, but in ever more and more danger. And epic battle gives us a very satisfying end to this book, but not to the series.
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Women Food & Desire Embrace Your Cravings Make Peace with Food Love Your Body
by
Alexandra Jamieson
nrlymrtl
, March 09, 2015
This book explores the power of listening to our own bodies when it comes to food and desires. After all, cravings are really just desires that have been shoved sideways into a pint of ice cream. If you pick up this book, be prepared to explore several things about yourself. Alexandra Jamieson doesn’t hesitate to talk about subjects that have been considered taboo, such as female pleasure and intestinal health. She also delves into this culture of body shaming, especially body shaming of and by women. The book is an uplifting piece with its message of taking control of your cravings, your life, and what you put in your mouth. She challenges the reader to look deeper for what makes us truly happy, pushing us to have food nourish us instead of just filling our bellies and consoling us. She talks openly of her own failures, cravings, and eventual realizations along with the actions she took to find happiness. I really appreciated how she addressed female sexuality. While this book is marketed for women, I think men would also find much that they can relate within its pages. Food cravings are universal, after all. Plus, men are starting to feel the scorn of body shaming in our culture.
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Black Ships
by
Jo Graham
nrlymrtl
, February 28, 2015
This is the story of Gull, a slave born of a slave. Her mother and many people like her were taken from fallen Troy. Gull was allowed to stay with her mother, working the flax that grew along the irrigation ditches until the day an accident left her crippled. Her mother found her another role in life, that as acolyte at the temple of Pythia, she who speaks for the Lady of the Dead. Gull grows up learning the inner mysteries of the Underworld and prophecy. Her life takes her places she could hardly foresee. Several years ago, back before I became a book reviewer, I read several Jo Graham novels and loved each and every one of them. Having this book rendered as an audiobook does not diminish my enjoyment of her work one bit. This is a beautiful story full of deities who meddle in human affairs, rulers who may care little for the common folk, and ill luck rained down on those already beaten low. Through all these obstacles, our heroes must endure and over come. Gull, who becomes Pythia, isn’t just some unthinking priestess that reacts to the whims of her goddess. No, quite often she must apply her own knowledge and thoughts to the situation. And yet this balanced by the hand of the Lady occasionally laying heavily upon her handmaiden. I really enjoy this aspect of the book. These ancient peoples were not separate and free of their deities ��" no! They lived side by side with them, each complimenting the other. However, the writing is clever in that if you don’t have a bend toward the supernatural, you can read all the events and decisions as acts of nature (weather) and/or man-made (hallucinogenic drugs). It is great that the author left it up to the reader’s interpretation. For those that have studied the fall of Troy and what followed after, there will be touchstones for you to recognize in this book. While my own knowledge is only passing, even I caught a few of these. So often we look at ancient history as rather dry and happening so long ago that it doesn’t touch us personally. This book brings that ancient history alive and puts face and heart to the tale. Gull’s people are a people without a home. Her wisdom and visions help guide the people as they search for a safe harbor, and later for a more permanent solution. Throughout much of the tale, she gives counsel to Prince Aeneas, the lost prince of Troy. Their travels take them all around the Mediterranean. This allowed our main characters to compare various great cities of the time such as the main cities of Egypt, Byblos, and others. Gull is far from the only plot-important woman in this story. The author did a good job of realistically portraying women of the time without diminishing their roles in society or in the shaping of history. Also, because Gull’s people are traveling so much, we get a comparison of women’s roles from culture to culture. This was an excellent book the first time I explored it and it remains an excellent book now. The characters were intriguing and the plot gripping. The ending was very satisfying.
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Faery Swap
by
Susan Kaye Quinn
nrlymrtl
, February 16, 2015
Finn and his sister are new to England, their father recently having moved the family to near Stonehenge. With his mother newly killed in a car accident, his father has been mostly absence, throwing himself into his work. It’s up to Finn to get his sister to and from school and make sure she’s fed. But Finn’s life is about to get a bit tougher, because Faery Prince Zaneyr needs a human body. Zaneyr’s father, king of the Faery realm, has a crazy plan to reunite Earth and Faery. But many worry that will simply kill many humans and potentially destroy both worlds. So Zaneyr plans to flee the Faery realm and take up permanent residence in the human world. This was a great listen. I quickly became attached to Finn and then his little sister. The story started off pretty light with just a bit of bullying and a still-grieving father. Once Zaneyr takes Finn’s body, he has to figure out what the human world is all about…and that leads to some funny misunderstandings. While Zaneyr struggles with concepts like enforced schooling and gets sucked into handheld games, Finn is struggling to understand the Faery realm as a disembodied spirit. He runs into a few helpful people…..or perhaps they just want to use Finn for their own means. One such is Pix, who wants to keep Finn around to assist him with his poetic aspirations. Pix was a very amusing side character! And then things get a little more serious as we learn more about the Faery King’s plans and the potential for destroying lives, if not worlds. Zaneyr’s concern comes through loud and clear at this point and you really feel for the (what feels like) impossible situation he finds himself in. We also learn more about Finn’s father and his latest work with physics, which ties directly into the possibility of the two worlds crashing into one another. There’s a couple times that Zaneyr and Finn face off and they were some of the most intense scenes in the book. I was a bit torn as to who to route for! The mix of humor, fantasy, action, and intensity was perfect. Definitely a worthy read!
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Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes
by
Henry Herz and Josh Herz and Harrison Herz
nrlymrtl
, February 16, 2015
Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes is a delightful book for young kids (perhaps 3-6 years old) and fun for parents too. It takes several well known nursery rhymes and twists them just a bit to pull in more fantastical creatures and put on the barest touch of sinister or scary. Each rhyme is shot, perhaps 4 or 6 lines, and this makes it easy for young kids to remember and repeat. For older kids or adults, it gives a good base for them to make up the rest of the nursery rhyme, continuing in the same vein of fantastical beasts. The illustrations in this book really make it a page turner, and a book that kids and parents alike will enjoy returning too. I was often surprised at the detail for a kids rhyming book, as well as the lush colors. The rhymes themselves pull in a bestiary’s worth of mythical creatures. The illustrations help the imagination picture each and every one of these beasties. All around, it is an excellent kid’s book and I recommend it for the fun the young and the old will both get out of it.
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Alpha Trio: The Complete Collection
by
Ana Vela
nrlymrtl
, February 16, 2015
Note: This book is composed of three separate, stand-alone short stories: Cats & Dogs, The New Girl, and A Special Taste. In regards to the collection, each story follows one of three Lupei brothers and a woman. Emillian (Em) and Cat feature in the first book, Andrei (Drei) and Cassandra in the second, and Grigore (Grig) and Kall in the last. The three brothers are wolf shifters of the Alpha Pack and work in a kind of supernatural police force. Their mom is their boss. The boys like to blow off steam at the night club, 5tM, in the VIP section. They tend to run into vampires there and do what werewolves do when they meet a new vampire ��" attempt to kill it. But all that is just back drop for the sex, for this is, indeed, erotica. No doubt about that. Over all, all the parties involved are gorgeous and the sex is hot. Below is a short review of each individual story. Cats & Dogs For some reason, Emillian brought a rather silly and immature girl as his date to 5tM. He’s bored with her. Luckily, he notices a scuffle in the back alley and rescues Cat Dennis. His mere presence scared off the foe, so he can get right to the business of charming the slightly scuffed young lady. Vampires are soon on the scene however and Em must whisk her away to his apartment (where she will be perfectly safe…. in his shower) while his brothers fight the evil undead. Sparks build between these two and pretty soon Em is opening up to her a little, and then she spreads her legs and they have a very good time. There’s a mystery surrounding Cat and danger continues to be an issue, but for the moment, she can enjoy nuzzling her new-found shifter lover. Em gets a background, a job, real thoughts, and real lines. Cat eventually gets a job (though we learn almost nothing about it) and no background. She also doesn’t get insightful lines or thoughts. So, I found her rather vapid. The sex between the two was hot, but since I wasn’t connected to Cat, I couldn’t get into it that much. The New Girl Andrei is the biggest, most heavily muscled of the three brothers. He’s also very tall. So it is very rare for anyone to ignore him, especially straight women. But there is this red-headed barkeep (Cassandra) at 5tM that is doing just that and it is extremely aggravating to Drei. I think this is good for him, pushing him to grow his interpersonal skills. So the boys and Cat end up in the back alley again, and once again silly vampires show up and attack. Grigore is injured and needs tending to pronto and, luckily, Cassandra knows just what to do. Of course this freaks the Lupei brothers out, since she is a mere Mundane human and shouldn’t know anything about shifters or vampires. Turns out Cassandra has a special gift and she is whisked away to Alpha Pack headquarters. There, the Big Boss (the Lupei brothers’ mom) decides she needs round the clock protection for a while. Drei offers to keep her entertained….with his manhood. More bedroom gymnastics ensue and it is super hot! Cassandra has more personality and backstory than Cat, so I was intrigued by both Drei and Cassandra in this story. It made their mating more intimate. A Special Taste Grigore is starting to feel like the fifth wheel at the party ��" both his brothers have Mates and are into public displays of affection. Grig is wallowing in his single, unattached stud status one night, drinking way too much. He ends up in the alley behind 5tM and is ambushed by several vampires. Lucky for him, a dark-haired warrior swoops in and rescues him. They have to hide for a bit in a dark sewer where they over hear some nefarious plans by the vampires (and make out a little). Once safe, Kall introduces herself and lists her demands. She has an idea of why the vampires keep returning to 5tM and how to stop them for good. But she is also a highly capable warrior….and something more, and the more could be a threat to the Alpha Pack. She is whisked off to Alpha Pack headquarters where she tells her story and lays out what she knows. Plans are made. The warriors must rest before they act, so Kall and Grig end up sharing a room with bunk beds. However, instead of sleeping, earth-shattering sex occurs instead. This was my favorite of the three and I think it is because Kall had the most back story of the three ladies. Oh, and she is a badass warrior too. She’s armed and wears practical boots for vampire stomping. Also, the sex scenes were more aggressive as Kall likes telling her man exactly what she wants.
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Fortress in Orion
by
Mike Resnick
nrlymrtl
, February 16, 2015
Nathan Pretorius recently finished a mission that left him missing body parts, which have recently been vat-grown and replaced. While he is still in the hospital, his old friend asks him to take on a near impossible mission. He agrees, provided he gets to pick his own team. Pretorious and his team must replace an alien Traanskei ruler, Michkag, with a clone. This clone Michkag will help steer the Traanskei Coalition towards peace with the Democracy. The chances of survival and success are both quite small. This was a quick read containing much of the tropes military scifi is known for. It was fast paced and had interesting characters, who were a bit predictable, but never the less easy to connect with. The author doesn’t spend much time developing alien cultures or delving into the history of his heroes. The mission is laid out, the characters set in place, so just sit back and enjoy the ride! I really liked that Pretorious’s team included not just 1 female, but 3. And there was none of that silly BS about justifying a female specialist or 3 on the mission. Pretorious didn’t blink at the gender of any of his team mates because he was focused on their skills. Tis refreshing in military scifi and receives 2 thumbs up from me. Felix Ortega is basically the team’s strong man, having been mostly replaced over the years as one mission after another removed this body part or that. In essence, he is a cyborg. Pandora is super good with computers and can tap into nearly any information line or bypass most every security system. Meanwhile, Cersei uses her empathic abilities to weed out the liars. Snake is a contortionist, and tiny. She can fit into places you wouldn’t think of tucking a pet turtle into. Together, their nearly impossible mission is safely and secretly take the cloned Michkag and his teacher to a Traanskei stronghold, a fortress in Orion, and make the swap. Along the way, the pick up Proto, a strange alien with a nebulous past who can project images into another sentient being’s mind. The set up for this story is really good and I was hooked right away. But as the story moves forward, not a lot happens. There isn’t much conflict. The few hiccups the team comes across, they deal with quickly and quietly. There was so much hype at the beginning of the book about how dangerous this mission was and then so little happens to the team. Quite frankly, I got a little bored with everything going so well. On the other hand, Resnick has set this story in a big galaxy with plenty of room to grow. While he didn’t delve deep in the Traanskei Coalition (he did have several alien words scattered throughout the book), he set the first building blocks to do so in future installments to the series. There was one little plot point that niggled at me through out the story. Pretorious is this seasoned secret deadly mission character. It’s not his first time to the rodeo. However, he makes a could of first time commanding a deadly secret mission mistakes. I felt like these were thrown in to move the story forward, but it also made it hard to believe that Pretorious was as seasoned and capable as we were told he was It’s a fun quick listen (or read) without the need to engage your higher brain. The characters are memorable, if a bit static. The mission was fun. I look forward to seeing what else Resnick can do with this world he has created and this team he has assembled.
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The Delicious Dump Cake Cookbook: 23 Easy Dump Cakes Recipes That Anyone Can Bake
by
Sarah Sophia
nrlymrtl
, February 08, 2015
Note: Even though this is Book 6 in the series, it stands alone quite well. This was a short and sweet little cookbook on dump cakes. Before picking this book up, I had never heard the term ‘dump cake’ before. It struck me as an odd thing to call a whole group of desserts and some may even say it is an unflattering term for such delicious concoctions. However, the term seems to come from the simplicity of the recipes and not because the cakes themselves are inferior. First, these recipes are my kind of baking. I like being able to dump all the recipes in a bowl, stir, and pop into the oven. I don’t need to cut in butter, sift in flour, gently tuck the raisins in. That isn’t me. Nope, I figure if the dessert can’t survive my method of putting it together, then I probably won’t give it a second chance. These recipes were so easy, not just for their simply ingredients lists, but because they are each easy to assemble and pop in the oven. I think this book would be great for bakers like me, kids, or newbies to the world of baking. I especially liked how many of these recipes called for fruit. My man loves his desserts with fruit (while I am more of a chocolate cake kind of person). So I will definitely be delving into some of these recipes to appease the man’s appetite. These recipes can be used with a white cake box mix to cut down on your prep time. However, the author also includes a cake mix recipe if you feel the need to start from scratch (which is my personal preference). An excellent addition to cookbook shelf! Narration: Tiffany Williams once again has done a great job at narrating. I have enjoyed listening to her narrate other cook books by the same author. She brings the same enthusiasm without sounding like she just ate a giant sugar bomb. Her pacing for ingredients lists and the individual directions is great if you are listening along as you assemble your dump cake.
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Spook Science Tackles the Afterlife
by
Mary Roach
nrlymrtl
, January 30, 2015
What is it about Mary Roach books? I have read all four out there (Bonk, Stiff, Packing for Mars, and Spook) and fervently look forward to the next one. I don’t care what subject it will be on; I know I will be one of the first at the library to pick it up. In Spook, Roach takes us through the history of human attempts to quantify, contact, and plan for the afterlife. Roach just does not hold back in her investigative journalism, asking all those pesky, pointed, icky questions and telling us readers truly what she found out and how she found it out. Let me share a few little tidbits with you. Y’all love my tidbits. The Egyptians had everything from daily life packed away with them for the afterlife, including single-seater toilets. Apparently, all functions continue as normal in the afterlife. Just something to look forward to. There have been a few people, sometimes even doctors, who try to weigh the human body as it dies to see if there is a quantifiable loss ��" the soul leaving the body. A few other people tried this same experiment with dogs, cattle, goats, and mice. Results have been mixed. Does your soul weigh upon you? Masters of the seance had a brief period where they played around with low lighting, mysterious smokey incense, and ectoplasm from the beyond. The ectoplasm, upon close examination, was usually cheesecloth draped around the spiritual channeler. People eventually started to catch on to this and the lady seance leaders had to get creative on where to hide the ectoplasm until it was needed…..like in their panties. If you have not checked out a Mary Roach book yet, I strongly encourage it. Her books are some of the most enlightening, and entertaining, non-fiction out there.
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The Blind Eye - A Sephardic Journey
by
Marcia Fine
nrlymrtl
, January 30, 2015
This story entwines two tales: one in the late 1990s an the other starts in 1492. Alegra Cardoza is a Native Floridian, descended from Cubans, who is looking for a new job, and perhaps a new life. She applies for a position as secretary to a history professor (Harold Guzman). In keeping his life organized, she learns that he is researching a writing a historical fiction about the Jewish expulsion of Spain in the late 15th century. The narration drops in and out of the fictional book the professor is writing, so we get to know the characters (mostly the Guzman family) in his book pretty well. Wow! Just, simply, wow! I really enjoyed this book. Was I ignoring noisy chores, like vacuuming, just so I could listen to this book a little longer? Hell yes! Did I carry my laptop around with me so I could sneak in a few minutes of listening pleasure here and there, yes, I did. Perhaps I even ignored my man a little (I’ve made it up to him and now he has a great book recommendation for his next listen). Normally, when two stories are intertwined like this, I tend to strongly enjoy one over the other and kind of wish that the focus was just on the one I enjoyed. In this case, I enjoyed both equally well even though they were each quite different. They were intertwined quite well, showing the differences and similarities between the two times (especially for women). Alegra is a modern woman in America. She has a full time job, has a boyfriend, lives her life the way she wants to. She also sucks at dating and lets her sisters bully her into make-overs all too often. Her life is at a cross roads when she applies for and gets a job with Professor Guzman. Pretty soon, the two are headed to Spain for his further research. There, she learns of his manuscript. As the two become friends, he starts asking her for her opinion on certain scenes. This causes Alegra to question her own ancestry even to the point of wondering if some of her ancestors were New Christian Conversos who hid their Jewish faith in secrecy, which was eventually all but forgotten over time. Meanwhile, back in the late 15th century Spain, the Guzman family are being expelled from Spain. The head of the family, Hermando, makes all the decisions for his wife (Estrella) and daughters and he has decided they will leave for Portugal. Unfortunately, Hanna has had a child outside of wedlock and her father refuses to take her with them. However, Estrella won;t give up easily and baby Belina ends up being raised by her grandparents and auntie Grazia. The Guzmans face many hardships throughout their years, mostly due to anti-Semitic views and politics. Even once they become New Christians (at least in public), they can’t seem to shake the prejudice and fears of others. This story line held some of the most moving scenes both of kindness and of horror. Since the story bounced back and forth between the two tales, the professor and Alegra could talk honestly about the fate of most women in 15th century Europe. The professor would argue for authenticity in his writing; Alegra would argue that certain scenes were sexist or that women wouldn’t want to read that (rape scenes or women essentially being sold into marriage). I tend to side with the professor on this point ��" something can still be historically accurate and be considered sexist by today’s standards. The latter doesn’t mean that things didn’t go down that way. Still, there are no rape scenes in this book (which is fine with me) but the author was able to acknowledge the likelihood of such occurrences via this plot device. The New Christians and the hidden Jewish faith was very intriguing. In my ignorance, I had assumed that many European Jews had to hide (or at least curtail) their faith during the Inquisition until either they moved out of harm’s way or until the Inquisition passed (years? decades?). I did not think that generations would keep their Jewish faith a secret. The Inquisition was not officially abolished until 1834! So, plenty to learn here in a fascinating historical fiction. This book was both entertaining and educational ��" a keeper on my shelf! Is it too much to hope for another Alegra/Professor Harold historical adventure? I hope not!
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Ever Near
by
Melissa MacVicar
nrlymrtl
, January 30, 2015
Jade Irving is your typical highschool student ��" parties, boys, ghosts having tantrums…..Set on Nantucket Island, a place rife with ghostly activity, Jade has to come to terms with her new fund abilities. With the help of her grandmother and a strange ghost hunter, she tackles the mystery surrounding Lacey’s ghost. Her new boyfriend also provides support, but most of the battle is up to her. I went back and forth on this one. First, I really liked that Jade’s family isn’t all of one ethnicity and it was especially refreshing to have a main protagonist that wasn’t Caucasian. The author lightly touches on the odd looks her blended family sometimes gets, but doesn’t dwell on it. On the other hand, Jade has a serious crush on her soon-to-be stepbrother, Charlie. In fact, they are living in the same house, bedrooms across the hall from each other. I guess there aren’t that many teen boys on Nantucket Island? Anyway, it gave me a little bit of an ‘ick’ factor to the story. I know, they are not blood related at all. But…..well, there’s just something ultra-convenient about having your beau be your step-brother and living in the same house. On the plus side, Jade is smart to be aware of and on birth control. Next, I found it fun that there was this whole paranormal world going on and a lot of it was tied to history. So our heroine had to spend some time researching the history of her little tiny plot of Earth to figure out the motivations of the ghosts she dealt with. On the other hand, Jade spends much of her time screaming and crying and not getting much of anything done while she has her hysterics. In fact, it felt more like luck than anything else that she survived this tale. While I understand that it would be normal to be a bit freaked out when you find out you can interact with ghosts, I tend to like my characters to move through that hysterical phase really quickly so that we can get down to the figuring-stuff-out-phase. We didn’t get much of the latter in this book. The characters were OK. Once established, they were pretty static. In fact, the most interesting character was the slightly creepy ghost hunter. He obviously has a tale or two to tell. The minor characters, for the most part, were interchangeable. Jade was fun when she wasn’t curled up in a little ball crying her eyes out (which was much of the story). Over all, it s was meh, ho hum tale for me.
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The Budget Cookbook: Cook Restaurant Quality Meals at Home on a Shoestring Budget
by
Sarah Sophia
nrlymrtl
, January 30, 2015
Note: Even though this is Book 2 in the series, it stands alone quite well. This book is useful for those who have a tight budget and need to do much of their cooking instead of eating out. Containing over 50 recipes covering everything from breakfast to dessert, it is a great companion to the kitchen. The recipes range from hardy to light, and useful shortcuts for those with time constraints are included. You might think that listening to the audio version of a cookbook is like listening to someone read out loud the encyclopedia on mathematical theory. Well, not this one! I quite enjoyed giving this book a listen and I picked up several tips for my cooking too. I enjoy my kitchen time and I am one of those cooks that sees recipes more as guidelines or suggestions than specific orders. I learned some key things about quinoa, one of my favorite grains. All this time, I had not been rinsing it before cooking it, so it always had a hardy flavor that did not work well with everything. Rinsing removes a coating so the flavor is not quite so earthy. Also, I didn’t know to give it toss in some olive oil and briefly (perhaps for 1 minute) saute in the pot before adding the water and let simmer to its wholesome, fluffy goodness. So the book is well worth the time just for this nugget of info. The opening discusses the difference between name-brand foods and store-brand (or no-name brand) foods. Usually, there is little to no difference in the food itself (though the packaging can be quite more extravagant on big name brands). Factories are paid to create and package foods, and the packaging is the thing that changes for many dried, canned, and frozen foods. This is something I have heard before (even from my dad who worked at an olive factory before I was born) but it was nice to have it confirmed here. Over all, between the shopping tips and the cooking tips, this is a little jewel of a cookbook for those living on a shoe string budget, or simply want to save money in the food department. Many of the recipes were simple to follow with a minimal ingredient list so this would be a great book for those just starting out on their kitchen adventures such as college students. Narration: Tiffany Williams did another great job with this audiobook (she also narrated The Cast Iron Cookbook). She maintained a steady enthusiasm through out the book without sounding bored no overly caffeinated like some car salesmen. The recipes were read in a clear, easy to follow voice. It was like having my own personal cooking coach in the kitchen.
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Blood on the Mississippi
by
Colin Webster
nrlymrtl
, January 19, 2015
Note: Even though this is Book 2 in the series, it stood well on it’s own. Clay and Maria are newly weds and they are being constantly attacked as they travel up and down the Mississippi. Maria is a newly minted vampire and still getting use to her powers and how to control her thirst for human blood. Clay turned over a new leaf with his marriage, trying to earn an honest living (usually via gambling) instead of robbing trains. They have a pet vampire horse that was a pretty cool addition to the story. The Order hunts them with priests and guns; a stone angel wants Maria destroyed; and Clay has been invited to an exclusive (and shady) riverboat poker game. This books starts off with action (a hunt through a moonlit graveyard) and only lets up well past the half-way mark when Clay and Maria are tricked into a deadly game of poker. Maria sleeps buried in the earth (snuggling her pet vampire horse) while Clay roams around buying new clothes, drinking whiskey, gambling, and usually trying to get himself killed. A rather spooky young priest leads the charge in hunting them down, flinging insults at them along with deadly knives. Just when it looks like the two newly weds will get in some quality marital bliss time, the stone angel Michael finds them and attempts to destroy Maria (and Clay along with her since he is deadly earnest in defending her). While each action scene was well written, I found myself in a battle fatigue well before we get to the poker game that takes up the last third of the book. It started to all blur together for me. The poker game itself had an interesting twist to it that I enjoyed even while the game itself lacked the intensity of the previous obstacle course of gunfights, knife throwing contests, and stone angel evasion. I am not much of a card game player myself, so I think some of the nuances of the poker game were lost on me and that another reader who enjoys poker games would take more enjoyment from these scenes. The story was full of western cliches and stock idioms. At first, this helped set the scenery and gave me the impression that Clay was not from the Mississippi area (and later we find out that he is from the desert Southwest). But after a while, with repetition of the cliches and idioms, I was a bit dulled by them. Maria herself is from Mexico. She does fight hand to hand several times in the book, but later has to ask what to do with a gun (which might have been in sarcasm but it was unclear), has to be protected and rescued more than once, and doesn’t know how to play poker. I felt that her character was underutilized; she definitely played second fiddle to Clay. In fact, we didn’t have a single other female character until the poker game at the end of the book. So I guess there are know knife-wielding, vampire-arse kicking nuns out there to help out The Order. The book was mildly entertaining though I can see how the author has left the door open for both character and series growth. There is potential for it to get better as the series continues. The Narration: Hubert Williams has a deep voice that I enjoyed listening to. However, his accents came and went and were often muddled. Sometimes he seemed to get into a reading rut himself and there was no emotion to the performance. Also, several times throughout the book there was an odd background sound and I think it was the sound of rustling papers as he read. What I Liked: The setting was fun; plenty of action; the zombie horse was an excellent little addition; the stone angel was worriesome! What I Disliked: The story was cliched to the point of being predictable and repetitive; I got battle fatigue from the gamut of fights; Maria’s character was underutilized.
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Mr. Grimm
by
Drew Avera
nrlymrtl
, January 19, 2015
Mr. Alexander Grimm is in servitude. The Twin Cities (Minneapolis & St. Paul) is a special place, concealing a door into The Realms. This is not good for humans as The Realms contain things of myths and legends such as vampires and demons. Mr. Grimm serves The Raven, who rules over The Realms with an iron fist. But several factions with The Realms would like to see a change in leadership. Mr. Grimm may be the key to that change. This was a dark urban fantasy that was treat to listen to. Avera has created a noir world, albeit much of it behind the scenes. It’s gritty and dangerous, with things waiting the shadows. I loved the mystery to the story, the hint of deeper secrets to be told in forthcoming installments. Mr. Grimm is a deeply conflicted character. He’s in servitude to a vampire (that he hates) and yet he is pretty darn good at carrying out his job ��" taking out anyone The Raven points his finger at. He has a daughter he must protect at all costs and as the years go by, that cost becomes steeper and steeper. I only have one quibble. There was a leap in time in the storyline and it had me slightly confused for a bit. During the first part of the story, Mr. Grimm is a family man, but then we move forward a decade or so. Perhaps the first part of the story was flashback for Mr. Grimm? I’m still not sure. Despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The secret world that Mr. Grimm moves through was intriguing and I look forward to listening to future installments of this series. Narration: Al Kessel did a great job. He was a good voice for Mr. Grimm. He also did a few accents competently and had distinct male and female voices. His French vampire is entirely creepy, in a sophisticated way. What I Liked: Dark, noir feel to the story; plenty of mystery left to explore; intriguing characters all over the place; Mr. Grimm is left in an impossible position. What I Disliked: I didn’t like the cover for the audiobook (seen here are the right), so I used the ebook cover for this review; there is one time leap in the storyline that caused some little confusion.
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Jack Templar Monster Hunter
by
Jeff Gunhus
nrlymrtl
, January 19, 2015
Jack Smith, who will be 14 tomorrow, is headed off to school for another boring, mundane day. Or perhaps not. He’s feeling stronger, faster, more agile than ever before. And strange things keep happening ��" like the creepy dude of pale skin on the way to school who wished him an early happy birthday. Then there was challenging the school bully while protecting his friend, and winning. But things got really weird with the principle, who seems to be more monster than school matron. Pretty soon, Jack is caught up in battling monsters left and right, his aunt is more than she seems, and the Monster Hunters (a secret society) need Jack because he may be the ‘One’. I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read filled with plenty of action and monsters out of myths and legends. While it has a definite Young Adult genre feel to it, we also had some darker issues in the background which gave it a touch of seriousness that pulled it all together for me. Jack is a fun kid who has a secret identity that even he isn’t aware of at the start of the story. He has a crush on a girl at school, but is too shy to do anything about it. He has 2 friends in the school who are both outcasts (each for different reasons). And his parents died when he was kid, leaving him to be raised by his Aunt Sophie (who has secrets of her own). Then in steps Eva and she is an awesome one-handed (the other being whatever weapon she needs at the time that can screw on to her stump cover) Monster Hunter. She shows up and starts explaining the rules of the whole Creach society (the monsters ��" creatures) and what the Black Guard (Monster Hunters) are all about. However, she keeps getting interrupted by this flow of monsters who want Jack either dead or captured. This creates a great pacing of the story, where we get these little tidbits of background in between action scenes. No big info dumps here! But if you are concerned that this is just one big monster slayer fest, don’t worry! Some of these ‘monsters’ have more going on for them. Of course, this leads to grief and consternation for some of the Monster Hunters. That was quite OK with me, as it added another layer to the story and left plenty for the author to explore in future installments of the series. The book does break the fourth wall and speak directly to the reader several times through out the tale. Mostly, this is Jack telling us (the readers) to beware! Horrid monsters will hunt us if we read this book! While I didn’t exactly dislike these sections, I felt that they were so much younger than the tale itself and the break in narration always took me out of the story. I think I would have preferred to just let the story speak for itself. What I Liked: The cover art; Jack is easy to get attached to; monsters galore!; not all the characters (including the monsters) are what they seem at first glance; loyalty of friends; Jack’s secret past. What I Disliked: The narration breaks at several points so that Jack can speak directly to the readers, and this kept taking out of the story when I just wanted to stay in the story.
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Packing for Mars the Curious Science of Life in the Void
by
Mary Roach
nrlymrtl
, January 16, 2015
I learned and I laughed. I read another chapter, quirked my eyebrow once again, and laughed some more. Packing for Mars is my third Mary Roach book and it is just as intriguing and entertaining as the other two, Stiff and Bonk. This book is about space ��" what we’ve pondered, what we’ve done, trials and tribulations of doing it, and what we hope to do next. I’ve never really paid much attention to the space program. I mean it currently isn’t much like Star Trek or Battle Star Galactica. So you all probably already know some of these facts. About 90% of an International Space Station (ISS) mission is spent on repairing, assembling, or maintaining the station. Space stations have by and large dispensed with seats as there is no need due to zero gravity. The early days of cross-cultural missions lead to some misunderstandings. One dude would occasionally light a bit of trimmed hair on fire. He was use to Spanish haircuts where the barber singes the ends of the hair. It made him feel at home while at the same time nauseating his colleagues. I have to wonder if he was making up the ‘Spanish barber’ part. I learned that such a thing as Earth-sickness exists for some returning astronauts. A lot of study has gone into motion-sickness to benefit the space program. Unless you have a specially malformed inner ear, you get motion sickness to some degree when you go into space. Those little stones that roll around in you inner ear and sit on tiny hairs ��" allowing you to sense if you are lying on your side or standing upright ��" they float in space, same as everything else. There’s a great chapter is this book that talks about what havoc human vomit can wreak in a space suit, shuttle, or station. Regurgitation is nearly always inconvenient, but even more so with zero gravity. Oddly, guinea pigs and rabbits appear to be immune to motion sickness. The Antarctic Research Stations have acted as impromptu astronaut training grounds and recruitment pool. For years, women were not allowed at the Antarctic Research Stations ��" mirroring Space. This despite the fact that women in general are smaller, more compact, and consume less food and water (based on studies and not just my snotty opinion). There is also some crater in northern Canada where extraterrestrial ATVs are tested out along with moon/Mars treading suits. We take the harshest environments Earth has to offer and try to pretend we’re on the moon or Mars, or the ISS. Except for that gravity bit. Oh, and lunar dust. Since there is no wind or water to take the edge off the dust particles of the moon, they remain sharp. With no gravity, the dust tends to coat everything. There was a time when we didn’t know what zero gravity would do to a human ��" Madness? Would your eyes boil? Would internal organs fail? A series of tests were done over the years starting with animals in rockets. Eventually, we moved on to parabolic flights. This is basically like a roller coaster ��" up and down and up and down again. At the crest, we achieve about 20 seconds of zero Gs. Each flight usually consists of multiple crests. Parabolic tests continue on today ��" mostly for equipment, like new toilet designs. So if you sign up to test out equipment for space, you might end up in a special seat on a parabolic flight. Approximately 50% of humans have the gut flora to produce methane in their flatulence. Hence, some people can light their toots on fire and some can’t. I bet you can guess which is preferable in an astronaut. Only body fluids exposed directly to a vacuum boil. So if you stick your arm out in space, your blood, as long as it remains on the inside, will not boil. I am not saying it’s good for you to wave your arm out in a vacuum. I’m just saying boiling body fluids won’t be one of your concerns. Still, don’t be a dumb ass. In space, your organs float giving you a most desirable waist line. Blood also tends to pool in the upper half of the body, sending erroneous signals to the brain that you have too much blood. So two things happen: 1) you drop like 10+% of your water and 2) your body cuts back on blood production. If you stay in space long enough, when you come back you have to contend with the need to build your blood supply back up. Additionally, most astronauts suffer considerable bone loss. Most of this bone loss can be rebuilt over time. I’ll leave this tidbit as a close ��" male dolphins have prehensile penises. Yeah ��" go ponder why that was in Packing for Mars. What I Liked: Everything!; some of the most entertaining non-fiction I have read; so informative and laugh-worthy at the same time; now I have extra trivia to liven up the next boring office party! What I Disliked: Nothing ��" this was a great book!
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Crescendo
by
Deborah J. Ledford
nrlymrtl
, January 16, 2015
Note: Even though this is Book 3 in the series, it worked just fine as a stand alone. Bryson City, NC isn’t known for its diversity. But that hasn’t stopped Cherokee Inola Walela from excelling at her chosen career ��" city police officer. In fact, she and her partner are running late to an awards ceremony where they will both receive commendations. Yet a tense traffic stop sends Inola chasing after a missing child and a dangerous man. Unfortunately, there is very little info to go on, and Inola has been placed on administrative leave after a shooting that left her partner dangerously wounded. Meanwhile, Sheriff Steven Hawk tries to maintain his objectivity while also supporting Inola. They relationship faces several challenges in this book. There was quite a bit to enjoy in this modern-day mystery. Inola and Steven make a fascinating couple. She is stand-offish and not a cuddly type person. Steven is goal oriented and steadfast. She has worked very hard to prove herself worthy and yet still feels that she isn’t good enough. Steven knows he is good enough but also sees the worth in those around him. I really loved watching the interactions between these two. They are so human, with faults and worries and joys and triumphs. I am really hoping to see the other books in this series make it to audio. The mystery had several points to pull together and, for the most part, it was done well. We meet the main antagonist, Preston, right away. He has a side kick, Hondo, who is the more experienced and competent of the two. Preston’s father is dying and isn’t willing to leave Preston an inheritance unless Preston has reproduced. Now Preston is trying to track down his ex-wife and son in order to take his son to the lawyers and have them run a paternity test and set the will. Pretty soon, a traffic stop eliminates Hondo from the mystery and Preston has to muddle through on his own. Meanwhile, the police are left with too many questions and too many bodies. Inola believes there is a missing child out there and she can’t stop looking. There are several side characters that I enjoyed. Inola’s mom, Elise (spelling?), was a quiet, steady character that gave enticing clues as to Inola’s childhood. Edgar, who recently finished his prison sentence, has been assigned a stint of community service with the Sheriff’s department. Lorie Krager (spelling?) is a rookie city police officer who doesn’t hesitate to flaunt her assets (even though she has a brain and is mostly competent). There’s several others, of course, but these especially stood out to me. I really only have one issue with the storyline. A chunk of the mystery hinges on determining the identity of a woman involved in the traffic stop (which occurs near the beginning of the story). She had just withdrawn a large amount of money ($20, 0000 or $25, 0000). Bryson City is a small town with few banks. Yet the cops don’t think to look into bank surveillance records and info until nearly the end of the book, days later. To me, this seemed like a really obvious and pretty quick way to determine her identity. Hondo, who was with the woman, is a very distinct man. Plus, there are only 2 banks (the exact number is revealed late in the story) so it would not take the cops long to question the bankers and figure out who the woman was, etc. Of course, if they had, this book would have been a bit shorter and I would have had less time with Inola and Steven, who I grew found of. Narration: Christina Cox did a great job with this book. She was the perfect voice for Inola Walela bringing to life her strength and determination, and her insecurity in personal relationships. Cox had distinct male & female voices, including accents (when needed). She also had an adorable little boy voice. Excellent narration! What I Liked: The lead characters were great!; interesting mystery; great side characters; very satisfying ending; Inola’s insecurities in personal relationships made her real. What I Disliked: There was one very obvious line of inquiry that would have speeded up the mystery yet the cops didn’t pursue it until near the end of the book. This is a small criticism and didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.
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Devoured
by
Jason Brant
nrlymrtl
, January 16, 2015
The world is about to go down the drain, and Lance York is barely aware of it. His own life, riddled with failures, seems to be in the toilet already. He bumps into an old coworker, Ron, who calls him ‘buddy’ but seems to be snickering at him half the time during their brief conversation. And then an apparently sick woman walks past them on the street and Lance attempts to keep her from walking into traffic, only to be hit by a vehicle himself. His wife Liz, who he is estranged from, meets him at the hospital. That is where all hell breaks out; not only is the sick woman from earlier there, but also other infected and they are getting more violent and hungry by the minute. Even with military reassurances that all will be well within the quarantined hospital, Lance, Liz, & Ron break out and flee. That is when the true adventure begins and Lance finally starts living his life. This was another take on the current zombie craze, but an entertaining one. The start is admittedly a little slow, with Lance sniffling about his loser life and inwardly raging about his hateful wife. But once they part ways, things get really interesting for Lance and I really started enjoying his character. On the cover art, you see Cassandra (Cas) who actually doesn’t come into the story until about half way through. She is the most interesting character of the book and her arrival kicked the story up a notch. She carries a badass axe for dispatching the ravening infected. She dresses how she likes and has a practical haircut for the end of the world. I want to do shots with her. So lets talk about the monsters. In this book they are some cross between zombies, vampires, and demons. In essence, they are all infected humans, but the infection has different stages. At first this isn’t apparent, but as the book moves forward you get to see the later stages of the disease and what the humans turn into. Also, our heroes speculate that the infected retain some of their intelligence, which makes them different from the common mindless zombies we see in nearly every zombie flick/book/tv. I really liked this aspect to the story and it added a new dangerous tone to the monsters. Lance spent quite a bit of time early int eh book thinking angry thoughts about his wife. Justified or not, it started to feel like the author was using this scenario to exorcise some of his personal hate for a failed relationship. It was turning me off to the book because it was repetitive and Liz’s hoity-toity-ness was over played. If it had been toned down a bit, i would have gotten the idea quite well without getting bogged down in it. The pacing of the story was good once we got past the initial moping by Lance. There were plenty of monsters that needed killing and plenty of humans simply taking advantage of the chaos. Action was interspersed with meaningful conversations or introspection. Over all, I am very glad I gave this book a try. I listened to it in 2 large sittings as I definitely wanted to see how ordinary Lance was going to keep himself alive. After all, he did start off in the chaos wearing nothing more than a hospital gown! Looking forward to book 2. Narration: Wayne June did a good job with distinct voices as well as feminine voices. He put in plenty of emotion where it was called for. The terror of the monsters and wonder of a new found friend came through clearly. What I Liked: The cover art; Cas & her axe; Lance is pretty ordinary & it was great to see how he managed everything; the monsters are more than your average zombies; I want to listen to Book 2! What I Disliked: Liz (Lance’s wife) is a bit over done, like the author was trying to exorcise some personal demon ��" it became repetitive.
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The Midnight Diet Club
by
Mark H. Newhouse
nrlymrtl
, January 16, 2015
Esme and her mom are on the outs with each other. She wants Esme to be thin and popular. But the recent divorce of her parents has Esme in emotional turmoil and so she turns to food. Her mom puts her on one crazy diet after another and nothing seems to work. The kids at school, with the exception of 2 friends, bully her all the time. The story opens with one scene after another of bullying in various forms and the tactless, yet well-meaning, things adults say to teens. Finally, there is an incident during PE class that sends Esme over the top; the three chic thin and cruel girls take advantage of this incident, pushing Esme even further. Pretty soon, we have vampires and a Dr. Ghoulash clashing with Esme’s desire to be thin and popular. This story starts off a bit slow with the bullying scenes, one after the other. But that also set up the scenery for the rest of the plot to walk in. Esme is pressured by everyone (except her two friends) to lose weight, and to do it quickly. At age 12, that is a lot of pressure. Throughout the beginning, we see Esme being pushed around, not making decisions on her own. But then a spark shows and she tails one of the thin, vampire girls (Pam) after dark one night, catching a glimpse of the secret the three guard. Using this secret as leverage, she forces her way into their circle and meets Dr. Ghoulash. Then she goes back to being pushed around and manipulated until the final scene of the book. Esme didn’t strike me as particularly intelligent or heroic, but more of a lucky protagonist that got out of this scrape intact. There was a lot of focus on her weight and, while that was definitely integral to her motives, after a while it felt like I (and Esme) was being hit over the head with it. Was there anything else to her character? She loves chocolate, is fat, her parents are divorced, she’s overweight, she is good at geometry, needs to lose weight……While it was a bit repetitive for me to listen to, I can also see that it showed the listener just how desperate Esme was to fit in; and to do that she had to lose weight. This is one of those stories with a moral. As Esme hangs around the vampires more and more, she leaves her friends behind, even pushing them away, and starting to think harshly of them. I am sure you can guess how this book ends (in rough outlines) and Esme learns that true friendship is more important. I was hoping that Esme’s mom would learn a lesson too, as she comes off as pretty shallow (but perhaps that will happen in a sequel). The characters were pretty one dimensional with only Esme showing a little growth. The plot was predictable mostly because the characters were predictable. Also, and this is just my personal bit, the character name ‘Dr. Ghoulash’ made me think of a dish my mom made frequently when we were growing up. So I automatically connected the big bad villain with a tasty meal. I guess everyone has to eat. But for me personally, that made the big Baddie more comical than dangerous or scary. Still, with all that, it was a quick listen and brought me some entertainment. The Narration: I am curious as to why the author picked a male reader for this book as like 70% of the characters are female. While Marlar was able to do accents and had different male character voices, several of his female character voices lacked femininity and also sounded alike. He did do a decent job of injecting humor and sadness at the appropriate places. What I Liked: Esme struggles the entire book; the name ‘Dr. Ghoulash'; steadfast friends. What I Disliked: Repetitive themes on weight loss; predictable characters & plot.
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Dreamers & Deceivers True & Untold Stories of the Heroes & Villains Who Made America
by
Glenn Beck
nrlymrtl
, January 13, 2015
This book takes interesting slices of history, spices them up with a touch of narrative fiction, and serves them on platter that is accessible to all. From Walt Disney to the I Love Lucy show to Alger Hiss and plenty more, this book covers a good span of American history. Some of the people featured are the dreamers, living life out there to the fullest. Others had things they wanted to keep to themselves (anything from medical conditions to spying for a foreign country). It was a fascinating listen. Much of the info in this book I had not come across before, or I was only slightly aware of. For instance, I can’t recall ever having heard anything about Alger Hiss, and yet he was at the center of controversy for decades. Much of the book focuses on American history, though there are a few brief jaunts elsewhere, like the chapter on Alan Turing. One of my favorite chapters was on Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. I knew Desi was Cuban but I didn’t realize what a controversy it was to have a married couple playing a married couple on TV where the husband was Cuban. Of course, Lucille and Desi had their share of marital issues. Mostly I was fascinated with Lucille’s rise to power in the world of TV show production. Her tie to the original Star Trek is only briefly mentioned and I wish there was a touch more on that. Did she merely sign the initial paperwork giving it the green light? Or did she do more to push it forward? did she meet the cast? Most chapters were like this: providing plenty of info and wetting my appetite to dig further into the subject. And I believe that in one of the purposes of this book. Now I have to say that my man was quite surprised that I chose to listen to a book by Glenn Beck as his politics are not any where near my own. But, hey, I didn’t pick this book based on the politics of the author (I wasn’t aware that he was a talking head akin to Rush Limbaugh); I picked the book for it’s subject matter. Over all, it was nearly free of any political bent. There were a few places where I felt the author’s views were coming through instead of the historical story. Two instances come to mind: there was a comment about people once had complete trust in the press ��" ha!; and another comment about Disney’s EPCOT vision, church at the center, and all people living there being worthy folks. And that would be my first criticism ��" the very occasional bend to the politics. My second, and probably more important, is that there is only one tale that focuses on a woman in this entire book. We make up half the population and have for quite sometime. Surely there are tales about historical women left untold? Narration: Jeremy Lowell did a good job narrating this book. He had the task of changing characters and voices every chapter as we moved on to a different point in history. I liked his Cuban accent. He had distinct voices, including females. What I Liked: Educational and entertaining; enjoyed the chapter on Lucille Ball; quite a variety of historical points. What I Disliked: The occasional bend towards politics crept into the narrative; only 1 woman was featured in the book.
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Dead Eye: The Skinwalker Conspiracies
by
Jim Bernheimer
nrlymrtl
, January 13, 2015
Note: While this is Book 2 in the series, I think it stands on it’s own pretty well. Mike Ross returns in this excellent sequel to Pennies for the Ferryman. He’s still missing an eye, still plagued by ghosts, and his love life is still nonexistent. However, he has been working out so he should be able to punch ghosts with more effectiveness. Perhaps his love life will even come back from the grave. Mike is on a quest. His dad walked out on him and his mom when he was a kid and he learned in Book 1 that it might not have been by his dad’s own volition. His dad may have been possessed by a skinwalker and Mike has to know the whole truth in order to put his past to bed. In his hunt for his dad, he also has to work through the revelations from Book 1 concerning his genetic ties to Edgar Alan Poe. Mike isn’t the first Ferryman in his family tree. With all that and the ever clinging ghosts dying to chat with a mortal, Mike is in for an adventure. I enjoyed this story even more than Book 1. I think it is because Mike is indeed a reluctant hero. He’s still recovering from wounds received in military serv