Audiobook Review : Bookshop on The Corner by Jenny Colgan
Written By: amodini
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May•
03•23
Title : Bookshop on The Corner
Author : Jenny Colgan
Narrators : Lucy Price-Lewis
Genre : Romance
Publisher : HarperAudio
Listening Length : 9 hours 47 minutes
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Narrator Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Librarian Nina Redmond is being let go from her job. That is extremely disappointing for her given that Nina is passionate about her work and has the ability to find the perfect book for every reader. So, when a suggestion of a mobile book shop comes up, Nina takes it as a sign. She find a van and fixes it up as a bookshop and travels around in it .
She has to find a place to live because she’s had a bit of a disagreement with her roommate Surinder. She finds a very nice cottage at a sheep farmer’s. The farmer himself is a gruff man and doesn’t pay Neena any heed, but the rooms are comfortable. Nina also meets Marek a train conductor who helps her smuggle books in and out, and she shares more than a friendship with him. Is Marek her one true love?
This book was a predictable romance, and yet quite lovely and pleasant. Nina Redmond is your average slightly ditzy librarian, who loves to read more than she loves to interact with other human beings. Books are her comfort, and having a mobile bookshop is her dream job. She pours herself into her work.
“Books had been her solace when she was sad, her friends when she was lonely. They had mended her heart when it was broken, and encouraged her to hope when she was down.”
Jenny Colgan’s book followed the tried and true romance trope because we have a heroine who has no clue that she will be falling in love and we have a hero who’s gruff and moody and really doesn’t care two hoots for the female in his backyard . Then there also side stories like another likely lover for the female, and a spiteful ex-wife for the guy. But of course, the twain shall meet. And that’s the fun part.
Quite enjoyed the book. High marks to the narrator too!
Audiobook Review : End In Tears by Ruth Rendell
Written By: amodini
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Apr•
05•23
Title : End In Tears
Author : Ruth Rendell
Narrators : John Lee
Genre : Sci-fi
Publisher : Random House Audio
Listening Length : 11 hours 58 minutes
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Narrator Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
These days I am on a listening spree of the Inspector Wexford mysteries by Ruth Rendell, and not in any particular order. The main protagonist of these books, of course, is Inspector Wexford. He is quite a character – a wry old codger, very old school and no-nonsense. He anchors the series.
In End of Tears (#20 in the series) Inspector Wexford is called in to investigate what appears to be two separate murders of young women. As more clues and bodies are uncovered Wexford wonders if the two crimes are not connected. The book also brings into focus Wexford’s family life and the problems with their daughter Sylvia.
Rendell is a master storyteller, giving us the engrossing details, the superb character build up – and the personal detail, the philosophy of the man himself. We get a look-see into Inspector Wexford’s character, his thinking, his personal struggles and we get a good sense of the man. I quite like him. He’s one of those fictional characters you don’t easily forget, kind of like Precious Ramotswe of the Number One Ladies Detective agency or Inspector Barbara of the Inspector Lynley mysteries, or Mark Watney, the intrepid astronaut of The Martian. These characters stick with you because of the people they are, their integrity, their earnestness, their grace under pressure. You remember them, fictional thought they are, with affection.
I have now read, or rather listened to, a couple of Rendell’s Inspector Wexford novels. Ruth Rendel is a superb writer. Her character development is fantastic. Each of the characters is fully fleshed out, fully rounded. They may not be people you always like but you really do believe that they exist in the real world. I really enjoyed “End of Tears”!
End of Tears is read by John Lee, who while marvelous in his own right, seemed a little too astringent for Wexford’s rather gruff character. An earlier Wexford mystery I’d listened to had had Simon Vance as the narrator, and I really did prefer him.
Audiobook Review : All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Written By: amodini
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Mar•
08•23
Title : All Systems Red
Author : Martha Wells
Narrators : Kevin R. Free
Genre : Sci-fi
Publisher : Recorded Books
Listening Length : 3 hours 17 minutes
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrator Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Don’t we all need a smart-talking, snarky robot in love with space operas? If you agree, read on!
All Systems Red is the first book of The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. It and the remaining 6 in the series are set in the future where humans have colonized many planets, jet about in sophisticated ships controlled by super smart AI constructs.
Our protagonist is one of many robots which are required for security when exploring a new planet. His private name for himself is “Murderbot”. Murderbot has disabled the system-installed “Governor module” – so he can’t be punished or forced to do anything – but still tries to do the right thing. He has all the qualities of a “good” human being, and is also witty and snarky! He is full of gumption and daring (and some bravado) and supremely confident of his abilities.
Funnily enough, he strongly dislikes face-to-face communication and hates it when some humans want to talk to it about “feelings”.
“Yes, talk to Murderbot about its feelings. The idea was so painful I dropped to 97 percent efficiency.”
He loves space operas and consumes a large number of TV series – the favorite being “The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon”. He has definite opinions, likes and dislikes, and displays some very human like tendencies.
“I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites. It had been well over 35,000 hours or so since then, with still not much murdering, but probably, I don’t know, a little under 35,000 hours of movies, serials, books, plays, and music consumed. As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.”
In All Systems Red, we see Murderbot being contracted with Dr. Mensah’s team which is exploring a new planet. He must try and save them from attacks by the local fauna as well as another mysterious entity. The story is short and simple but juicy – there are the good guys and the bad guys, and the good guys need to win. There are great descriptions of ships, Hubsystems, sentient AIs, drones and violent battles. The easy-to-root-for protagonist and other interesting, well-sketched characters seal the deal.
I sped through this book and can’t wait to listen to the others. Narrator Kevin Free is a marvel!
Audiobook Review : Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine
Written By: amodini
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Feb•
08•23
Title : Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Author : Gail Honeyman
Narrators : Cathleen McCarron
Publisher : Macmillan Audio
Listening Length : 11 hours 2 minutes
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrator Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
I started reading this book sometime ago, but it just couldn’t hold interest. It had seemed right up my alley, so I decided to give it another chance as an audiobook. As it turns out the book was quite entertaining, especially with the fabulous narration.
Eleanor Oliphant is a single woman who lives a lonely, almost regimental life with a fixed schedule. There is vodka on the weekends and unnerving calls with mommy on weekdays. She does not have any friends and is considered odd and eccentric by her workmates.
“If someone asks you how you are, you are meant to say FINE. You are not meant to say that you cried yourself to sleep last night because you hadn’t spoken to another person for two consecutive days. FINE is what you say.”
One day, she meets the IT guy Raymond Gibbons at her workplace when she needs help with her computer. She does not form a high opinion of him, but he is friendly and when by chance, they both get embroiled in a situation outside work, Eleanor gets to know him better.
This book is told in the first person, so we really get to hear from Eleanor! She’s an interesting person if a little quirky. There is a tragic side to her life which we are introduced to a little by little, the reason why Eleanor is the way she is. There are scars on her face and the calls with mommy aren’t the comforting familial chats you would expect with a mother.
I quite liked Eleanor’s character, and felt a lot of sympathy for her. Her normalcy, and ideas of the ordinary are on a different plane. She speaks her mind, but given that her social niceties aren’t quite on par, her actions are sometimes viewed as rude.
“No thank you,” I said. “I don’t want to accept a drink from you, because then I would be obliged to purchase one for you in return, and I’m afraid I’m simply not interested in spending two drinks’ worth of time with you.”
Despite the raw hand that has been dealt her, Eleanor means no harm, and we become quite invested in her story. Her attempts to learn and grow and to try new things are endearing. Sometimes these result in misunderstandings and hilarity like her visit to the waxing salon – so there is humor along with the suspense!
It is heartwarming to see Eleanor’s evolution and growth. It is a long journey, but we hope that Eleanor will be fine. And that is reward enough.
This lovely, feel-good book poignantly highlights the basic goodness of people. I highly recommend it, especially in audio form. Narrator Cathleen McCarran is wonderful, and she manages to bring out Eleanor’s quirky personality.
Audiobook Review : Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
Written By: amodini
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Dec•
14•22
Title : Things You Save In a Fire
Author : Katherine Center
Narrators : Therese Plummer
Genre : Romance
Publisher : Macmillan Audio
Listening Length : 10 hours 26 minutes
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Narrator Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Cassie has been brought up by her father, since the age of 16. Her mother left them both when she fell in love with another man. Cassie remembers the betrayal vividly – it was her 16th birthday – and cannot forgive her mother. Her mother though wants a reconciliation, and when she needs help around the house because of a problem with her eyes, Cassie’s father (on speaking terms with the mom) persuades her to go. It is only for a year, he says. Although Cassie is determined to not go, a kerfuffle at her workplace prompts a transfer to a Boston firehouse and she then starts work near her mother’s home.
Cassie is a strong, determined and brave young woman. She is one of two female firefighters in her firehouse in Austin, Texas, and loves the supportive environment and the easy camaraderie at work. A move to the new firehouse with an all male conservative minded crew is a difficult transition, but Cassie is determined to make it work. She of course does not anticipate a hidden antagonist in the seemingly friendly new co-workers who is trying his best to sabotage her career.
If you’ve read “How To Walk Away” you will recall that Cassie was the firefighter who rescued Margaret Jacobsen, the protagonist of that novel. This book has Cassie as the heroine of her own romance. And what a heroine she is!
Author Katherine Center with her skilled prose manages to create a grit-filled, graceful character in Cassie. Like all Center’s heroines Cassie must make the best of a bad situation, overcome roadblocks and learn to forgive. The romance is also nicely fleshed out, and we root for Cassie’s happiness.
Therese Plummer’s lovely narration adds charm to this enjoyable romance!
