audiobook

Sheri Fink is an incredible investigator and writer. In Five Days at Memorial she takes an in-depth look at what happened at the Baptist Memorial Hospital in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The first section of the book covers what happened before, during and immediately following the hurricane. Before the hurricane, it was recommended that residents evacuate the city and surrounding parishes and those evacuations were underway or had already been completed. Some residents decided to stay and ride out the storm, as they may have always done in the past, and several care facilities were

The promotional tour Andrew Smith undertook with the release of this book was dubbed "Keep YA Weird," with an accompanying online campaign and fun images. And on the general continuum of stories books tell, The Alex Crow does indeed tilt toward the stranger side--

Consider, for instance:

• The subplot about Leonard Fountain, the physically deteriorating "melting man," who might just be the most insane man on the planet, as he wanders the countryside in an old U-Haul with a radioactive bomb he's built, bullied (and constantly urged to homicide) by the voice of Joseph Stalin in his head--along

Lady Elisabeth Kerr, a Highlander and sympathetic of the Jacobite cause, has not hidden her support of Prince Charles and his rebel army.  Now her husband, Lord Donald Kerr, has decided the cause is a worthy one and he and his brother have both decided to back the prince.  Lady Elisabeth’s widowed mother-in-law, Lady Marjory, is not at all excited about her two sons going into battle, but is caught up in the excitement the prince has stirred within their town of Edinburgh.  Lady Marjory makes no secret that she has switched her loyalty and has even financially backed the prince with more than

Quality time. Words of affirmation. Physical touch. Receiving gifts. Acts of service. These are the five ways that people give and receive love according to relationship counselor Dr. Gary Chapman. This book guides you in how to “fill the love tank,” as Chapman words it, of your partner by learning how to assess the way your partner wants to receive love. By knowing which love language your partner speaks (i.e. which way they want to receive love), you can improve even the healthiest of relationships.

Originally written in 1992, the book still remains relevant today. The success of this work

The Honorable Sebastian Sullivan faces the same predicament as his two brothers: a wealthy uncle has promised to divide his fortune among them upon his death on the condition that they each rescue a “fallen woman” by marrying her. Sebastian’s once-lost love, Lady Serena Grantley, was born into nobility but has since been forced into working with her gamester stepfather. She doesn’t really qualify for rescue, but when she turns to Sebastian once again in her time of need, he must find a way to save their rekindled romance. 

A Wedding Wager is the second in the Georgian trilogy, Blackwater

Although Jasper Sullivan, Earl of Blackwater, has inherited the family estates, they are mortgaged beyond his means to put them back on solid financial footing. That is, until his wealthy uncle promises to divide his fortune among his three nephews if each of them rescues a “fallen woman” by marrying her before the uncle’s impending death.

Peregrine Sullivan must marry. His brothers are putting pressure on him to meet the terms of their wealthy uncle’s will which states that each of his nephews must find, redeem, and marry a “fallen woman” in order for any of them to inherit. Alexandra Douglas and her sister have been unjustly denied their inheritance. In an attempt to take back what belongs to them, she disguises herself as a middle-aged spinster and risks prison and perhaps death if she is found out and marked a thief.  But Peregrine sees what no one else seems to see, and does his best to save her, ultimately trying to woo

Have you ever felt like you were the only one on the planet to do something? For botanist astronaut Mark Watney, this is a reality for everything he does. Abandoned by the rest of his crew during an unforeseen dust storm, Watney is stranded on Mars after his team fled, thinking it too late to save him. Completely isolated from the rest of humanity, Watney has to figure out not only how to survive, but also how to get back home.

This book is, at its core, a man-versus-nature story, with nature being the Mars atmosphere. Watney must figure out how to grow food in a freezing cold environment

Over the top! There's just no better way to describe Angelmaker. 



The core plot is nothing new: A cautious lead character gets swept into a wild adventure that transforms him into a bold hero ... but with a lot more bells, whistles, and mechanical bees. It's a fun fantastical story, plus you get to figure out the connections among clockmakers, British secret intelligence, the gangster underground, elite craftsmen and plans to end the world as we know it. Take a gander at the book trailer. See what I mean?!



The ordinary Joe Spork is our hero, forced to intervene in a plot set to motion

I'll devour tasty literary fiction like any book-loving foodie, and Delicious! mixes in equal parts history, mystery and human interest for a full-bodied novel. Add to that an all-but-forgotten library that cryptically hides a series of old letters between unexpected pen pals, and you've got the cherry on top for this Librarian reviewer! 

The story opens with Billie Breslin trying to land a job at the world-renowned culinary magazine Delicious! On the surface she's just taking the first steps in a budding career, but soon it becomes obvious she's moved across the country to avoid facing

This best-selling novel by South Korean author Kyung-Sook Shin takes a piercing look at how we treat those closest to us, and what it means to be a wife and mother. Told from four perspectives, the story examines the aftermath of the disappearance of “mom”. Some of the narrators speak in the unusual voice of second person, which serves to make the narrative more personal.

The narrators’ revelations are often poignant but can be uncomfortably honest, creating a family portrait that might serve to make the reader painfully aware of his/her own family’s foibles, but also of the strength of love

In 1746 Scotland, Elizabeth Kerr and her mother-in-law, Marjory Kerr, are labeled traitors to the crown.  They’ve lost everything—their husbands and sons, their estate, titles, and fortunes.  All that is left to them is to beg mercy and refuge from Marjory’s distant cousin, a woman who has lived her entire life with only the barest of resources.  They must do what they can to survive and avoid being noticed by those who would turn them in to the authorities.  Elizabeth chances employment as a dressmaker for the staff of Lord Jack Buchanan, a retired admiral of his majesty’s navy.  He hears of

Penelope has lost everything in the Earth Shaker that destroyed the Los Angeles area. Her home by the sea is in ruins, her family gone. There is no one left in the neighborhood. Penelope is trying to survive on what little food and water she can find in what remains of their basement pantry.  Then suddenly three men appear at her home.  She hides, knowing that they will kill her if they find her.  But one does find her and surprisingly he offers her secret help and a bit of hope.

The cover of this book is absolutely amazing, artistic and gorgeous. It is the reason, along with a very

For those who have been enjoying the Temperance Brennan Mysteries by Kathy Reichs, Bones Never Lie brings forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan and Detective Andrew Ryan of Canada back together in the search for a serial murderer.

Temperance is called in to help solve a cold case that she and Detective Ryan worked on 10 years ago when the killer just slipped through their fingers and escaped. Using advances in DNA research and files and clues from the former murders in Canada, they have linked murders in Vermont and N. Carolina to the string of old murders in Canada. Now Temperance

The Kettle triplets Lyn, Cat and Gemma are celebrating their 33rd birthday as they traditionally do, with three cakes and champagne and just the three of them.  The triplets create a stir everywhere they go and this night is no different.  However, what they don't realize is that this birthday is bringing to a head many years of secrets, misunderstandings, and misguided intentions. While they may be triplets, the girls are all individuals with very different personalities and roles they play in the family.  With many flashbacks to the past and told from each of the triplet's viewpoints we see

Confession #1: I shy away from Science Fiction.

Confession #2: I checked this out because the audiobook was readily available... 

Confession #3: And maybe because there was a lot of buzz about the movie.

And you know what? I liked it. A lot. So much that I immediately started listening to another book in the series because I couldn't compel myself to finish my weekend housework unless my mind was in the universe of Ender Wiggin.

Admittedly, it took awhile getting used to young children conversing in such a mature tone, but the characters drew me in. Ender is unrealistically pure, a type of

Whoever thought learning about what gives you gas would be so much fun? Mary Roach's Gulp explores all the things I never thought would be in this book—smuggling objects, sewing parts of rats closed, Elvis, etc. I couldn't stop talking about this book and telling my friends and family what I was learning about.  It's like the Magic School Bus for adults!

In Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil, Deborah Rodriguez offers an account of Afghan life from a unique vantage point as an American beautician serving local and foreign women in Kabul.

Imagine, at the age of 30, discovering you're not typical — or rather, not neurotypical. What could have been a scary diagnosis turned out to be very empowering for David Finch. His personal story of coping with Asperger Syndrome and saving his marriage paints a picture of hard-earned possibility. Finch may be at the milder end of the Asperger/autism spectrum, but for a neurotypical like myself, I learned a lot about the life of someone whose brain works very differently from my own. At the same time, I also saw aspects of myself in his behaviors, a reminder that common ground can still be

Flawed yet relatable characters in Nine Inches: Stories confess their inner thoughts and motivations as they recount the events that lead to their ultimate downfall.

The improbably-named Cormoran Strike, a war-wounded vet with overdue bills to pay, has an equally improbable day; his fiancé dumps him, he accidentally hires a new secretary, and the biggest case of his career walks through the door.  This is how Robert Galbraith’s (aka J.K. Rowling’s) book The Cuckoo's Calling starts out, and thankfully, it gets much better from that over-the-top introduction.  When young model Lula Landry falls to her death from her balcony, family members deny it was a suicide.  Strike is brought in to prove that someone killed Lula, and he digs up family secrets and plenty

I’ve long enjoyed reading Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series. So long that I barely remembered what happened in the first book, Dead Until Dark. Instead of rereading it, I decided to listen to the audio. I’m glad I did.

The narrator, Johanna Parker, captures the essence of Sookie in all her different moods – perky, angry, scared, nervous, ecstatic, and so on. It was a treat to hear Sookie come alive.

I’m always in awe of how one person can sound like many different people. Ms. Parker does a creditable job of making all the different characters have a different voice – tone, pitch

Food critic Frank Bruni reveals his personal struggle to overcome a love-hate relationship with food, and how he achieved self-control in the most unlikely circumstances.

Callander Square is the second book in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series by Anne Perry. Set in the late 1800s, this novel tells the story of multiple mysterious deaths in a posh area of London. Thomas, a police inspector, is called to the central garden of the high-society Callander Square after two baby corpses are found buried among the flowers. Immediately suspecting a poor servant girl, Pitt begins to investigate each household, causing an uncomfortable mood to hang over the residents of the square. The heads of household wish to be left alone, leaving Pitt with several hurdles to

The Sinclairs spend every summer on their private island, Beechwood. Born within a few short months of each other, 3 of the Sinclair grandchildren and one friend of the family spend the summers thick as thieves, calling themselves The Liars. Cadence, Johnny, Mirren and Gat are inseparable every year, but the summer of their fifteenth year, things start to change. Cadence begins to fall in love with Gat (a friend of the family who is invited to Beechwood every summer) while the Sinclair family falls apart around them.

The summer ends in a tragic accident when Cadence is found in the shallow

This book has caught everyone’s attention (as Levithan’s books often do). The story centers around an attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records longest kiss (over 32 hours) by ex-boyfriends Craig and Harry in protest of a hate crime. Add to that the love story of Ryan and transgendered Avery, Peter and Neil (a new couple ready to take the next step) and Cooper, a runaway obsessed with gay hook-up apps and the story is full of interesting and well rounded characters. To add to the complexity of the story it is narrated by a chorus of “shadow uncles” (gay men of the AIDS generation)

In many ways, I love Pritchard’s story of rebuilding his family farm. Against the advice of pretty much everyone, Pritchard takes up farming the land that his parents could never make a living off of. Gaining Ground is his amazing journey. He starts off with crushing debt, little help, and no plan. Through trial and error, trial and error, and then a little more trial and error, Pritchard finds a way to make the farm not only his own, but profitable for the first time in many years.

Yet, as Pritchard waxes poetic about saving the family farm, he omits even the significant details of his

Behold the history of the end of the world - by Austin Szerba. The end of the world does not start with a bang or a bomb, or an ultimatum from outer space. It begins (and ends) in Ealing, Iowa, in Grasshopper Jungle, the parking lot behind the strip mall containing a pizza place, the liqueur store and the second-hand store. It begins when Austin and his best friend Robby (who is is pretty sure he is in love with) are bullied by the local small-town thugs who will never amount to anything (because they are not bright enough too and because they will shortly die). The fate of the world is sealed

Ronan Truelove's mom may be a bit eccentric, always signing him up for outdoor survival classes, judo lessons, self-defense workshops, always keeping him busy. But she has crossed a line when she grabs him from school one day and tells him she is part of an ancient group called the Blood Guard and that his father has been kidnapped and they are under attack. After watching her perform impossible acts to get away from bad guys in suits, she gives Ronan a ticket for a train to DC and tells him to meet with her Blood Guard contact there. 



But trouble follows Ronan into the train station, where

City of Thieves is one of those books recommended to me time and again, and I always think, "Oh yes, I must read this," and then I never get around to it.  But after stumbling across the audio version and seeing that it was narrated by Ron Perlman, I knew I couldn't delay any longer.  I'm so glad I didn't.  City starts with Lev, our hero, discovering a dead German paratrooper frozen on the streets of Leningrad.  The year is 1941 and the Russians are under siege from the Nazis, starving and freezing to death in bitterly large numbers.  Lev decides to pocket the paratrooper's knife and then is