Introverted Reader

This I Believe, edited by Jay Allison: Book Review

In a collection of short essays, men and women from all walks of life share their defining beliefs. I listen to NPR in between audiobook downloads but I seem to only be in the car for the news and Marketplace, so I've never heard any of these essays. I enjoyed them immensely. Ranging from funny to serious, from heartfelt to tongue-in-cheek, there's a wide range of personal voices and creeds to be found in this collection. I particularly liked that essays from the first run of the series, hosted by Edward R. Murrow in the '50s, were included. They were concerned about the end of the free world due to the Cold War. Now we're concerned about the end of the free world due to terrorism of all kinds. Some things never seem to change. That said, people don't change all that much either, and I mean that in the best possible way. We still have faith in our own humanity. Many of us have religious or spiritual faith. Those who don't have faith in order and reason. Kindness, compassion, humility, personal growth, empathy--all our best traits are on display here, both in the older essays and the more recent ones. On a side note, I enjoyed hearing the way voices and accents have changed in only about 60 years. The accents in the '50s seemed to be more pronounced. My guess is that we're losing some regional accents due to media influences. That makes me a bit sad since I enjoy hearing them and definitely speak with my own Appalachian twang! I was interested to hear women speak back then too. I find it hard to explain, but their voices sounded more breathy and feminine to me. Was that something girls were subconsciously taught? I've noticed it in old…

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen: Book Review

3 Stars. When I first read this, I thought it was another solid four-star book from Sarah Addison Allen. But now that months have passed, it's faded away and I'm only left feeling that it was a decent entry in her body of work. I'm bumping it back to three stars. Devin may have been my favorite character. She's a bright child [...]

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Posted: Review: Dreadnought by Cherie Priest, read by Kate Reading--4 Stars Review: The Bat by Jo Nesbø, read by John Lee--1 Star 2014 One Book, One South hosted by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance--I won't have time to join in but maybe you will! Read: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger Currently Reading: Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau--I'm shifting all my actual reading time to this book. I've been dithering around with it for months now and I'm tired of looking at it! The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen, read by Susan Denaker Up Next: Nothing until I finish that dang Walden. Thoreau will not defeat me! What are you reading this week? I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site. My opinions are completely my own.

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November 17, 2014

The Bat by Jo Nesbø: Book Review

Norwegian Inspector Harry Hole is sent to Australia as something of a consultant/observer in the investigation of the murder of a Norwegian woman. Based on this, the first book in the series and my first Harry Hole book, I'm not clear why these are so popular. I can only assume they get better. Maybe it was the translation or maybe it was that I was distracted but nothing seemed to flow together at all. Hole and his Australian partner, Andrew Kensington, seem to jet about the country with impunity. I haven't been there but Australia sure seems like a big place and I'm sure they face the same budget problems that all police forces do. And these two guys are roaming where they please? All of Hole's relationships get crazy-intense, crazy-fast. He and Kensington are immediately best friends forever. He meets the love interest the first day, I believe, and they almost immediately pledge lifelong and devotion. I really started to wonder if I had just missed the amount of time that Harry had been in Australia and then he would say something like, "I've already been here a week; I'm not sure how much longer my superiors will let me stay." Really? I had a terrible time keeping the names straight. Granted, some of them were aboriginal (Is that politically correct?) and therefore very unfamiliar to me. And what was up with everyone, absolutely everyone, knowing "whodunnit" except Harry and trying to give him subtle clues? Why not just come right out and say it? I get that you're trying to protect yourself, but if you're going to go so far as to try to clue him in, why not just go all the way? And is there really no one in Australia who is capable of investigating a…

Dreadnought by Cherie Priest: Book Review

Mercy Lynch is a nurse in the Civil War, which has been lingering on for decades. Like many people, she has torn loyalties. She's a nurse for the Confederacy but her husband is a soldier in the Union. Shortly after she receives word that he died in a POW camp, she receives a telegram notifying her that her long-estranged father is very sick and asking for her to come see him in Tacoma, Washington. That's quite a trek away from Richmond, Virginia, especially given the state of the country. Duty and curiosity win out and she sets out via dirigible and then train to hopscotch her way across the country. I really enjoyed Boneshaker so I had high hopes for this book. I downloaded it on audio but read the first in print. When I realized that Kate Reading was the narrator, I wasn't quite sure what to think. Don't get me wrong--I've enjoyed Ms. Reading's narration but I've only listened to her reading fiction that is more directly targeted to women. I wasn't sure how she'd handle the steampunk action that I expected. I needn't have worried. The performance was so pitch perfect that I'll continue with the series on audio. It's been a while since I read Boneshaker but I do think Dreadnought may actually be a little better. It's not a direct sequel but it does take place in the same book world and at the very end a few characters overlap. I was a little disappointed that the rotters (read: zombies) aren't around very much. But when they are--holy cow! I didn't like Mercy quite as much as I liked Briar from the first book but she was still a strong character. She's just trying to get across the country as fast as she can and…

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. I start to think that I'm getting caught back up after returning from vacation and then I remember that we still haven't sorted through our pictures and I need to start thinking about Christmas soon. Bear with me. Posted: Nothing. Read: Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman To Kill a Warlock by H. P. Mallory Currently Reading: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau Up Next: As usual, I'll be looking for a new audiobook to download as soon as I post this. If I finish Etiquette and Espionage, I plan to focus all my attention on Walden for a while. Reading a page or two at bedtime is just taking too long. What are you reading this week? I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site. My opinions are completely my own.

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November 10, 2014

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Whew! I just got back from vacation yesterday. We were fortunate to spend a week and a half in Hawaii for our 10th anniversary. We went on our honeymoon and decided to go back for this milestone. We went to the Big Island for the first time and we re-visited Kauai. We both thought that Kauai could not be as gorgeous as we remembered it being but it's actually even better. It's truly paradise. We left perfect weather and arrived home to snow on the ground! We occasionally get flurries this early, maybe even up to 1" but apparently we got something like 4-5" yesterday! Luckily the roads were too warm to get bad and it had mostly melted by the time we got home anyway. But still--I'm not ready for cold weather, especially not after our vacation! With all that said, I didn't get much done around here, but I did get a little reading done on the planes in between naps. Posted: Review: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood, narrated by Katherine Kellgren--4.5 stars. If you listen to audio books, you have got to check this one out! Read: Shadows on the Moon by Zoë Marriott--4 Stars Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer--4 Stars Currently Reading: I find myself in the middle of quite a few books. I'm not quite sure how that happened. Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau To Kill a Warlock by H. P. Mallory Up Next: I'll be looking for a new audio book…

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November 3, 2014

The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood: Book Review

I seriously did not think I could love an audiobook performance more than I love Katherine Kellgren's narration of the Bloody Jack series by L. A. Meyer. And then she narrated The Mysterious Howling. Holy cow. I am in awe of Ms. Kellgren's talent! Old men, teen girls, simpering married women, wolfish children howling at the moon, she went at all of them with gusto and I loved every minute of it! Miss Penelope Lumley has just graduated from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. She has no family but her headmistress encourages her to apply for a position as governess to three children at Ashton Place. She seems perfect for the job since she is (obviously) a bright student and (not so obviously) an animal lover, a trait specifically requested of job-seekers in the advertisement. Miss Lumley sets off for her interview, finds herself hired on the spot, and soon learns that the three children given to her care were found in the woods within the past week. They have apparently been raised by wolves and don't speak a word of English between them. But a Swanburne girl is more than a match for any task and Penelope sets about teaching them a love for poetry, phrases of polite conversation, and the fine art of ignoring irrepressible squirrels. I loved these characters. Miss Lumley simply doesn't see that she might have an impossible job before her. She has been hired to teach these children and teach them she will. When Lady Ashton gives her ever more Herculean tasks to accomplish, she simply tackles them the best way that she knows how. She genuinely cares for the children and has their best interests always at heart. The children, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia, are little scene-stealers. They are remarkably intelligent,…

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Posted: I slacked again. Nothing. Read: The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood, read by Katherine Kellgren Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez Currently Reading: Well, I had started The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris but I'm not really in the mood for it so I'm going to set it aside for now. I'm still slowly plugging away at Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau. I just can't read more than a couple of pages at night before I fall asleep! I'm also slowly reading To Kill a Warlock by H. P. Mallory when I'm stuck inside on the treadmill. Up Next: I just grabbed He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson off my shelf. That seems like a good option for the time being. What are you reading this week? I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site. My opinions are completely my own.

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October 20, 2014

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Posted: Review: The Innocent by David Baldacci, read by David McLarty with Orlagh Cassidy--3 Stars Review: Good Harbor by Anita Diamant--3 Stars Review: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin--4 Stars Read: Dreadnought by Cherie Priest, read by Kate Reading Currently Reading: The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning, read by Joyce Bean I just realized this audio download isn't compatible with my phone, so I've moved onto.... The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood, read by Katherine Kellgren Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau Up Next: I feel like I'm creeping through my current reads! They're good, I just never seem to have enough hours in the day. Hopefully I'll finish up The Isle of Blood in the next day or two so I can move on to one of my other library books. I'm leaning toward Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez, because what's an October without a writer from the King family? I may go with The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris because I've never read the book and only seen about five minutes of the movie. That seems like a huge gap in my cultural knowledge. What are you reading this week? I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site. My opinions are completely my own.

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October 13, 2014