'The Undomestic Goddess' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Ready by: Rosalyn Launder
Genre: Chick Lit

Occasionally I like to read about adults -- take a break from the teens and find out what my own demographic is up to. Sophia Kinsella is a well-liked "chick-lit" author so I browsed her section at the library last week and pulled the one that sounded the most likeable.

What was I thinking!?

My absolute most loathsome, pet-peevish plot device is creating a web of lies. Samantha, the main character here, bumbles into a housekeeper job interviews and, thanks to a rather powerful narcotic, gets the job – even though she’s actually a workaholic city lawyer. When she realizes it the next day, instead of coming clean, she keeps up the charade. Lie and lie builds up until I wonder how dumb any of these people can be. And how low can Samantha go?

And this was just after the first disc.

Like I do with any book I'm not into but feel invested enough (and for me, it doesn't take much) to find out what happens to the protagonist in the end -- I skimmed. I listened to odd number discs and forwarded haphazardly. I stumbled upon the first-kiss scene and was able to keep up with the gist of the plot. Then, I listened to the last disc (I think there were 11 in total) and felt she got a much better deal than she deserved.

As for me, I learned my lesson and will be sticking to nieve teens and nonfiction, for now.

Grade: Red Light 

'Made By Hand' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World by Mark Frauenfelder
Ready by: Kirby Heyborne
Genre: Memoir/How To

I'm all for making by hand, so I thought this audiobook might be stuffed with fun ideas and tips.

Nope. It wasn't bad but without illustrations, it was hard to follow what was being talked about. Clearly, it's aimed at geeky men who like to tweak their iPods and soup-up hybrid cars. I do not fall in this category.

I might even question the wisdom of such a book to BE in audio, at all. I can't imagine building a guitar using a cigar box without some visual cues.

Grade: Red Light

This Week's Library Stash

So, most weekends I end up at the library getting a stack of audiobooks for the week ahead. Some are so bad, I don't even mention them on this blog. Hoping this is a good batch! There's snow in the forecast, so I could be doubling my commute time. Again.

Notice the New French Theme?!

'The Whole-Brain Child' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
Read by: Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
Genre: Parenting

I'm a parent, so I'm always on the lookout for some advice on how to raise well-adjusted (eg. not live in my basement) adults. My library has a small selection of parenting guides on audiobook and not many of them sound very appealing. This one did, so I nabbed it ... hoping by the end I'd be a better Mama.

I got some good advice for dealing with meltdowns and crisises -- but this book isn't about how to get them to eat their vegetables.

It feels like my kids meltdown more than others. But I'm sure all mothers feel that way. This book explores how to give your child the tools to deal with their "waves of emotion" by understanding the fundamentals on how the brain works.

And, really, that's where the fun of this book lies. You get to go over all the facts you probably forgot from your senior-level biology class. This is your brain. There is a right side and left side. Normally, you're floating down the middle of the two sides of your brain and everything is in harmony. When kid nears tantrum their boat has drifted to the emotional side and is stuck.  This book gives you tips on how to help your little time bomb steer their brain canoe back on course, thereby helping them deal with a lifetime of stressers.

Since the listening to the audiobook, which wasn't hard to follow and had a lot of examples (the authors are parents, too), I've tried the techniques on my own kids. Some days they work, others... not so much. But the logic of the methodology appealed to me, so I'll continue to try. In fact, I purchased the paperback to have something to refer to in the future. What this book lacks is dealing with non-crisis moments; like how to get them to eat their carrots and mind their manners. Maybe there's a second book coming.

Grade: Green Light

'Rebel Angels' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
Read by: Josephine Bailey
Genre: YA Lit

I read the first book in this series called A Great and Terrible Beauty a few years ago. It was a little too Victorian paranormal dramatic for me, but it was kinda entertaining. And Libba is such a YA author celebrity, so when I saw Rebel Angels, the second book, I had to see what it was all about.

I wasn't disappointed and might even consider listening to the third and final book of the trilogy.

This series is difficult to summarize. Jemma was the new girl at a boarding school who discovers a secret society of sorceress that her late-mother was once a member. They are caretakers for a dreamy land, like purgatory, where people pass through when they die. This land is filled with magic and dangers and strange creatures. See? I little tough to explain. Oh! And Jemma has nasty visions. And one of her best friends died and is stuck in that realm.

It's definitely more exciting that how I'm explaining it. This book is mostly about the other group of people who want to take control of the realm and all its magic for themselves. And Jemma fighting back against them. She and her friends move the fight from the gray backdrop of December in England to the technicolor beauty of the realms. And there's no stop to the action.

The real advantage was the reader, Josephine Bailey, who gave this book more life than I could have reading it myself. She used theatrical voices, deep Victorian accents and more to make each character vivid and distinct. The more I listen to audiobooks, the more I find there are books I'd like prefer to listen to, and this was certainly one of them. As a book, I might have skimmed -- but as an audiobook, I drank it up.

Grade: Green Light

'French Women Don't Get Fat' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano
Read By: Mireille Guiliano
Genre: Diet / Memoir

I've already mentioned my Francophile-ness. And a place where women eat bread, cheese and yogurt and manage to stay thin is someplace I want to be. Plus, it's the new year, so it's time to examine my diet. I checked it out.

This book is half diet tips and half memoir. The harrowing tale of teenage Mireille who spends a year in a Boston suburb eating brownies, gains 20lbs and is told by her father "you look like a sack of potatoes" when she gets off the boat. The family doctor, known as Dr. Miracle, puts her on a diet (leek soup!) and explains to her the habits most French women have cultivated to stay slim -- despite all the bread and cheese. Oui!

Then, the time-worn secrets of French women are revealed in chapters of tips and practical stories. Most are common sense, some are just great to consider or be reminded of, including: all things in moderation, eat real food, keep track of your pleasures and compensate for them, and being active.

The main theory is centered around the concept that French women spend time thinking about their next fresh, delicious meal -- good food is a passion. While American women obsess over food they can't eat and eating meals that are quick, nearby and warm. Taste or quality? No time. It's a theory I believe is mostly true. It's not easy to get fresh, quality produce and we are less equipped to cook it given our busy schedules and low confidence in the kitchen. (Or am I just speaking for myself?)

Mireille lives in New York and Paris -- so her tips are more appropriate for city gals. She talks about the fresh market in Union Square, walking to work and taking the stairs in her apartment building. Suburban girls are on our own to figure out parallels.

The audiobook is read by Mireille in a charming French accent that I enjoyed mimicking on my drive. She's talked to many women about her dieting tips, views on life and passions -- and she's very good at it, persuasive. I'd like to turn her on every few months and be reminded to eat more like a French women.

Grade: Green Light

'Cleaving' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: Cleaving by Julie Powell
Read by: Julie Powell
Genre: Memoir

I listened to Julie & Julia and utterly enjoyed Julie's journey and honesty (and, yes, her creative use of curse words). So I picked up Cleaving, preparing myself for sickening descriptions of butchering. I was NOT prepared (and this isn’t a spoiler) that she’s cheating on her husband. (!) That sweet man who got her blogging and changed her life. Honestly, it took me days to overcome feelings of betrayal. Julie!! Julie!! Why!!

 But once I did, the audiobook went like this: 

Part 1: Where Julie learns the art of butchering, which conveniently lends itself to about 200 metaphors of heartbreak, breakups and separating from your husband and lover. “Sometimes separating meat from bone isn't clean, you leave a lot of meat destroyed” (I paraphrased). At first I was like, "Cleaving"! I get it! Then, she started to hit me over the head with it, like maybe we didn’t pick up on the analogies. I get it, Julie. Geez. 

Part 2: Where Julie wanders around the world and loses focus. “What was this memoir about?” She’s in Argentina eating alone in restaurants, watching the first snowfall.  She's in Ukraine with a 22-year-old girl hitching a ride with a man who makes sausages. And in Tanzania drinking blood and getting accosted by a large cook. All while pining for sweet Eric and dirty D. There is some butchering, she sees animals killed and cut up. But really, it’s just a lesson in you can’t run away from some problems. 

Part 3: Where Julie goes home and realizes that everything is still pretty much the same, except maybe her outlook. And she has to come to terms with it and get over it.

Overall, Part 1 and 3 were a candid journey of self-discovery and knowing thy self. Part 2 (the actual journey) I could have done without. 

Grade: Greenlight