Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich (Audiobook)

Author: Stephanie Evanovich
Narrator: Katie Schorr

Title:Big Girl Panties

Publication: July 9, 2013

Publisher: Harper Audio

Genre: Chick Lit, Romance

Pages: 368
Length: 9.5 hours

Audience: 18 and up

Rating:  3 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from the cover):  Holly didn't expect to be a widow at thirty two. She also didn't expect to be so big. After her husband's death, food was the one thing she could always count on. Now, those extra pounds make flying coach feel like medieval torture- especially when she's squished next to Logan Montgomery. A personal trainer to famous pro athletes, her seatmate is so hot that he makes Holly sweat in all the right (and so embarrassingly wrong!) places.
Logan finds himself intrigues by Holly's sharp wit and keen insights, so he impulsively offers to get her back in shape. Holly turns out to be a natural in the gym, slimming down into a  bona fide looker with killer curves- and a new kind of hunger. Before either of them can stop it, the easy intimacy of their training sessions leads to even more steamy workouts away from the gym. But can a man whose whole life depends on looks commit himself to a woman who doesn't fit his ideal? Now that Holly's turning other men's heads, does she even need Logan anymore? Are they a couple built to last...or destined to fizzle? 

My thoughts:
I'm still a little unsure about this book. It seemed to do a lot of fat shaming. In my mind Holly was never obese. She was just overweight. From other reviews I read that was the main problem a lot of people had with the book. The author just did not portray overweight people properly. Some people are overweight, but are otherwise healthy people. And some people just do not care and are happy with themselves, I fall into this group. So I had a hard time sympathizing with Logan's view of Holly and sometimes Holly as well. 
Another problem that arose from the novel was the randomly changing view points. The author would flip from Logan to Holly to Amanda to Chase to Natalie to Tina except shuffle that up a bit. I didn't have a huge problem with it because the narrator, Katie Schorr did a great job of doing a distinct voice for each character. My husband listened to a little of the book with me and we both think she sounds like Rebecca Soler who narrated Cinder and Scarlet. They are both great narrators in my book.

 Even though this book had some flaws there was something about Logan and Holly's relationship that really pulled at my heart strings and made me care about the characters and even dislike a few.
Overall, this book is just a short sweet romance novel. I enjoyed it and if you are more into romance than I am, I'm sure you'll enjoy it too!

Valiant (Modern Faeries Tales #2) by Holly Black

Author: Holly Black
Title:  Valiant (Modern Faeries Tales #2)
Publication: October  1, 2006
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: Young Adult, Faerie Tale
Pages: 320
Audience: 15 and up
Rating: 3 out of 5
Source: Public Library

Synopsis (fromGoodreads): When seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.

But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends.
And when one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature with whom they are all involved, Val finds herself torn between her newfound affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.

 
My thoughts: I have no idea how this book relates to Tithe, but I guess I will find out when I read Ironside. Unfortunately, the experience of the book was lessened as some jerk had censored the book.  

 This book is full of drama and twists and turns at every corner. You don’t expect the bad guys until it is too late. Val is a strong female character who runs away after finding out the truth about her boyfriend. So she jumps on a train and heads to New York on a date by herself…except she decides to stay in New York for a while. Val and her new street friends Lolli, Dave, and Luis aren’t exactly angels. They use fairy glamor, which they call Never to get high. They then have fairy powers to glamor people. Never is very much like heroin and has withdrawal symptoms.  Val runs into some trouble and indentures herself to a fairy to repay for the trouble she and Lolli caused. However, there is some major drama going on amongst the fairies and you don’t know who you can trust. It is a gritty, dirty story, but it is part of the series and it wasn’t terrible, but wasn’t fantastic either.

Audiobook Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book One: The Lightning Thief

Author: Rick Riordan
Narrator: Jesse Bernstein

Title:Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book One: The Lightning Thief

Publication: June 28, 2005

Publisher: Listening Library

Genre: Middle-Grade, Mythology

Pages: 416
Length: 10 hours and 1 minute

Audience: 10 and up

Rating: 3 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school . . . again. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to stay out of trouble. But can he really be expected to stand by and watch while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend? Or not defend himself against his pre-algebra teacher when she turns into a monster and tries to kill him? Of course, no one believes Percy about the monster incident; he's not even sure he believes himself. Until the Minotaur chases him to summer camp. Suddenly, mythical creatures seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. The gods of Mount Olympus, he's coming to realize, are very much alive in the twenty-first century. And worse, he's angered a few of them: Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now Percy has just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property, and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. On a daring road trip from their summer camp in New York to the gates of the Underworld in Los Angeles, Percy and his friends-one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena-will face a host of enemies determined to stop them. To succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of failure and betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

My thoughts:

 I know, I know. This book has been out for almost 10 years. It was something I always meant to pick up, but I always had something else to read. So now I'm making up for lost time. My husband and I went on a road trip a couple of weeks ago, and we now have a tradition of having an audiobook to listen to on the trip. He had tried to read The Lightning Thief a couple of times, but he always turned it off. I thought, AH HA! We are stuck in a car and I will not allow him to turn it off. The book started out slow for me, and I was able to figure every single thing out a chapter or in some cases many chapters ahead. However, the audience for this book isn't adult it is for middle-school aged kids. I think this book is perfect for middle schoolers and they might learn something in the process. I learned a few things even!
The characters were straight out of mythology, so nothing too new. Annabeth is the annoying little sister type character. Grover was the traditional best friend. Percy was the confused, main hero. It is like Harry Potter, but he isn't orphaned and it is mythology not magic. 
I listened to the audiobook and Jesse Bernstein did a great job. He did different voices for every single character. He is a talented narrator, and if you have a middle schooler, you should make them listen to this book. He only had one tic that kind of annoyed me. Every time he said "Grover" it was more like, "Grover?", but in a mom type voice. You know, when you get into trouble and your mom says, "Susie? What did you do?" He seemed to do that a lot, but it is nothing major, just something I noticed.
So if you're bored, this is a great listen. I'm not sure I'll listen to the others because I'm older, but if I had read them when they came out, I probably would have loved them more.

Fables Volume 1: Legends in Exile

Author: Bill Willingham

Illustrator: James Jean,  Alex Medina, Steve Leialoha, Craig Hamilton
Title:Fables: Legends in Exile

Publication: November 21, 2011

Publisher: Vertical

Genre: Graphic Novel, Comic Book

Pages: 128

Audience: 17 and up

Rating: 3 out of 5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from the cover): In Fabletown, where fairy tale legends live alongside regular New Yorkers, the question is all anyone can talk about. But only the Big Bad Wolf can actually solve the case- and, along with Rose's sister Snow White, keep the Fabletown community from coming apart at the seams.

My thoughts:

I love Once Upon a Time. I watched an interview with the creators and actors of the show, and an audience member had asked the creators was the story and ideas of their own, from Disney, or Fables? The creators said it was a mix of all of them, but it was ideas that sprang up from their minds. I thought this would be similar and I should give it a try. It was okay, but it was lacking something. I'm not sure what, but it just wasn't my favorite story arc. I have bought some of the series, so I plan to give it a go. I hear from many people, "You have to read this!" Maybe, it will get better, but the first story was not the best. I found the characters more interesting than the storyline, and I really enjoyed the short story in the back of the graphic novel. The characters were really easy to pick out, and I found an eerie resemblance of Fables Snow White to Once Upon a Time's Regina. Everyone from Little Boy Blue to Prince Charming to Snow White to Cinderella were in the graphic novel. I am going to give the series another try just because I have bought a good chunk of it. Otherwise, I would recommend checking it out at the library and giving it a try. You aren't wasting any money that way.

White Cat by Holly Black (Audiobook)

Author: Holly Black
Narrator: Jesse Eisenberg

Title: White Cat (Curse Workers #1)

Publication: May 11, 2010

Publisher: Listening Library

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult
Length: 6 hours 41 minutes

Pages:  320

Audience: 15 and up

Rating: 3 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):
Cassel comes from a family of curse workers—people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn’t got magic, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail—he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.            
Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts to crumble when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He’s noticing other disturbing things too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to outcon the conmen.

My thoughts:
I had picked this book up about a year ago, but never got the time to read it. I was at my library looking at books and picked up Black Heart. I got about half way when I realized that there was a lot to explain in three more discs. I went to Goodreads and it explained that Black Heart was the third book in the series! I quickly returned it and checked out White Cat because I was intrigued. I kind of knew what was going to happen due to my book mix up, so it wasn't a thrilling of a read for me. I guess that is why it got a 3 out of 5. It isn't a bad book, but I was listening to find out how Cassel became who he is in the third book. Separating myself from the fact that I ruined a good book for myself, I think it would be a neat read. There were some twists I was not expecting. There were a few I were expecting but did not happen (it must be in book two, which is waiting for me in the car). Either way, Cassel's antics and faulty memory are pretty funny. This book however, is basically setting up characters and the story line. In the book , some humans have/contain magic. You touching someone is all you need to do, but each time you perform your magic there is a blow back as a consequence. It is kind of an alchemy/magic, which is really cool. The cat is one of my favorite characters because she adds some humor to the book. 
I have heard great things about Holly Black and I'm enjoying this series. Mr. Eisenberg is a great narrator. If they ever made a movie of this book. He would have to play Cassel. I imagined him as Cassel the entire book. He is surprisingly a great narrator. I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of his acting, but he is a fantastic voice actor. Anyway, if you are a Holly Black or Jesse Eisenberg fan, you should check this book out. It is a short, fun read.

Mystic by Alyson Noel

Author: Alyson Noel

Title:Mystic: Soul Seekers #3

Publication: May 7, 2013

Publisher: St. Martin Griffin

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Native American, Latina/Latino

Pages: 321

Audience: 16 and up

Rating:  3 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from the cover): When a made prophet and his beautiful daughter arrive in Enchantment determined to destroy all the Richters by the end of the week. Daire knows she had to stop them. Cade and her beloved Dace are so deeply connected that if one dies, the other will follow. But Dace has been missing for days, and his soul is in danger. Relying on the help of her friends, a Mystic with dubious motives, and powers she can't always trust, Daire sets out to find Dace, restore his soul, and end this deadly new threat before the final count down beings- all while keeping the Richters from claiming total world domination. But will it prove enough to win the most important fight of her life?

My thoughts:
I was so excited for this book, the audiobook to be exact. Echo left us on on huge cliffhanger that only this book could resolve. The library was not able to order the audiobook so I decided to read it. I realize now that I cannot stand the author's writing style. It was my problem all along. That is why the characters sound so annoying.
After the cliff hanger was resolved, it was really hard to continue on with the novel, but I managed. I felt this book was a bit weak compared to the others. There was plenty of action, but it felt like there was a lot going on and some of it was not resolved and we were rushed to the end. I believe the author will answer some of the remaining questions in the next book, maybe. I don't want to ruin the story line but, there is a part where a character has the potential to become possessed by demons, and I felt there was no need for that. We understood the urgency of that character's situation, and the whole possession bit could have been left out. 
As always, I feel the storyline is what saves this novel. This novel does have some redeeming qualities. We are able to read from several different character's perspective. My favorite character is back and stronger than before- Xochitl. There is more drama and action than the others contained, but as I said it seemed a bit much. However, the storyline is great and I will read the final book that is supposed to come out in November.

 

Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)

Author: Jenny Lawson aka The Bloggess

Title:Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)

Publication: March 5, 2013

Publisher: Berkley Trade

Genre: Memoir, Humor

Pages: 370

Audience: 18 and up

Rating: 3 out of 5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from the cover): When Jenny Lawson was little, all she ever wanted was to fit in. That dream was cut short by her fantastically unbalanced father and morbidly eccentric childhood. It did, however, open up an opportunity for Lawson to find the humor in the strange shame-spiral that is her life, and we are all better for it.  

In the irreverent Let's Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson's long-suffering husband and sweet daughter help her uncover the surprising discovery that the most terribly human moments- the ones we want to pretend never happened- are the very same moments that make us the people we are today.  

For every intellectual misfit who thought they were the only ones to think the things that Lawson dares to say out loud, this is a poignant and hysterical look at the dark, disturbing, yet wonderful moments of our lives.

My thoughts:
 I came across The Bloggess's blog some time around March. It was around the time the paperback copy of her novel, Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) was first released and she had added an extra chapter to it. Before purchasing the novel I read most of her posts and caught up with her blog once a week during one of my classes. I loved her blog that I purchased her book with intentions of reading it for Spring Break. As funny as she is, she can be offensive. So, if you are easily offended, I do not recommend this book. If you do not like cursing, I also do not recommend this book. It is full of curse words and offensive stories. She even mentions that in the first chapter that she may offend you. I wasn't offended, but I felt like I expected more humor out of her stories, I guess. The stories on her blog are hilarious, but this was a more "this is how I became me" type of story, which is what a memoir actually is. It is not a bad story and I can relate to her. She has anxiety disorder plus other medical issues that I find very brave of her to come out and say she has. Also, I love her stories about her hometown. Being from a small, rural area myself, there are so many weird things that happen that just seem normal because you are not from a more developed, urban area. I guess I could see the same things happening in my home town and what not that I was a little bit let down. However, her blog keeps me entertained and this book hinted at another novel in the future. I will definitely pick it up.

 

Review: What We Saw by Ryan Casey

Title: What We Saw
Author: Ryan Casey
Publication: November 26, 2012
Publisher: CreateSpace
Source: Author/Publisher
Genre: Mystery/Coming of Age
Audience: 15 and up
Rating: 3 of 5 

Amazon|Goodreads|Ryan Casey

Synopsis: 
If you stumbled upon a shocking mystery as a child, how would you react?

What We Saw tells the story of a young boy, Liam O'Donnell, his cousin, Adam, and their experiences at their grandparents' caravan site one summer. When the disappearance of their dog leads to a terrifying discovery deep in the nearby woods, Liam and Adam are plunged into a very adult world of morals and decisions, and find themselves trapped in the dark clutches of secrecy and suspicion, far transcending mere mystery.

What We Saw is a touching and thrilling British mystery novel that will have you hooked as the plot hurtles towards a shocking conclusion.

My Thoughts: Adam and Liam are spending the summer with their grandparents. They are both facing difficult family struggles. Adam and Liam think of themselves as detectives and spend much of their time solving mysteries. This inquisitiveness leads to a shocking discovery. Adam and Liam are determined to solve the shocking mystery on their own. Will their secrecy lead them to solving this mystery or down a disastrous end?

This story began slowly for me but it gradually increased momentum as the suspense was building. The boys have to grow up quickly and make adult decisions. It was difficult to know who to trust as it seemed everyone had a secret to keep. Casey weaves an elaborate tale that builds the relationship between Adam and Liam while allowing them to grow and come to terms with their situations. 

Audio Review: Cranes Dance by Meg Howrey

Author: Meg Howrey
Narrator: Justine Eyre
Title: The Cranes Dance
Publisher: Black Stone Audio INC
Publication: May 15, 2012
Genre: Fiction
Length: 11hrs:41mins
Format: Unabridged Audio
Source: Purchased
Rating: 3 out 5

Amazon|Goodreads|Website

Amazon Synopsis: "I threw my neck out in the middle of Swan Lake last night."

So begins the tale of Kate Crane, a soloist in a celebrated New York City ballet company who is struggling to keep her place in a very demanding world. At every turn she is haunted by her close relationship with her younger sister, Gwen, a fellow company dancer whose career quickly surpassed Kate’s, but who has recently suffered a breakdown and returned home. 

Alone for the first time in her life, Kate is anxious and full of guilt about the role she may have played in her sister’s collapse.  As we follow her on an insider tour of rehearsals, performances, and partners onstage and off, she confronts the tangle of love, jealousy, pride, and obsession that are beginning to fracture her own sanity. Funny, dark, intimate, and unflinchingly honest, The Cranes Dance is a book that pulls back the curtains to reveal the private lives of dancers and explores the complicated bond between sisters.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed the story. It is about Kate Crane and her relationship to ballet and her sister. The story is told from Kate's perspective. She spends a lot of time complaining, especially about her sister, which gets old. Even though Kate is the oldest and all throughout childhood has gotten what she wanted, it is Gwen who really has everything. At times it felt like Kate was her "sister's keeper" although she gave herself that role and she seems to resent every minute of it.

I loved the descriptions of the ballets. Getting to know each person's role in a ballet and everything that it takes to put on a ballet was great. Those were things I never thought about. Knowing the dancers practice and realizing how intense it is, that's to different things. I also found the discussion on the top pay for ballet interesting. I don't know why I thought it would be more. It would have been great to hear the music usually played during each particular ballet when it was discussed. 

This is a single voiced performance by Justine Eyre. The performance was "OK" for me. Eyre's reading was without emotion and give me the feeling that she couldn't be bothered. Her tone during the entire audio was lackluster. I'm not sure if that was intended by the producers or not. I found that it was difficult to keep my attention. Eyre's pacing was perfect for the story. There is slight differentiation in Eyre's tone when speaking in the voice of other characters. Eyre does a great job with accents, however. The sound volume was perfect. I listened to this on my kindle with headphones.

Audio Review: The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group

Author: Catherine Jinks

Narrated by: Grant Cartwright
Title: The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group

Publisher: Listening Library

Format:Unabridged Audio CD

Length: 12 hrs: 10 mins

Publication: 2011

Source: Library

Rating: 3 out 5

When Tobias Richard Vandevelde wakes up in hospital with no memory of the night before, his horrified mother tells him that he was found unconscious. At Featherdale wildlife Park. In a dingo pen.

He assumes that his two rambunctious best friends are somehow responsible, until he discovers that they're just as freaked out as he is. Then the mysterious Reuben turns up, claiming that Toby has a rare and dangerous 'condition'. Next thing he knows, Toby finds himself involved with a strange bunch of sickly insomniacs who seem convinced that he needs their help.

It's not until he's kidnapped and imprisoned that he starts to believe them - and to uinderstand what being a paranormal monster really means.

Thoughts: My favorite part of this audio is the narrative voice. Cartwright gives the characters a rich Aussie accent, which is appealing to the ears. The story line however becomes frustrating as Tobias's mother and he himself are so daft that they wont listen to the truth until Toby ends up in a precarious situation. Well the whole story isn't bad just that part grated on my nerves but the humor manages to shine through nonetheless. The production is well done. I like for my audios to grab my attention and if the vocal part isn't crafty enough to do that on it's own then pffft! I'm not going to be able to delve into it at all. I can say that this is not an issue. I liked that the lead character is male, which should appeal to young boys as there are so few books lately that have a good male protagonist. I think it's cute that the vampires and werewolves are working together, even though traditionally that's usually not the case. Overall, it is a ridiculous book in a funny way.