'Austenland' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: Austenland by Shannon Hale
Ready by: Katherine Kellgren
Genre: Chick Lit

While strolling the shelves at the library, this audiobooks was sticking out a little and I remembered I had read they made this into a movie coming out this summer with Felicity, er, Keri Russell -- and that was all it took. Popped it into my bag.

Kinda wished I hadn't.

The idea is super. A women is so completely caught up in Mr. Darcy that no other man will ever stack up. So, her eccentric great-aunt bequeathes her a trip to the English countryside and a manor that recreates the Regency era, as a kind of therapy.

I'm a Darcy-lovin'-gal myself, so I can get into this. And the manor is crawling with actors roll-playing to help "guests" believe they are in "Pride and Prejudice" or "Emma." But poor, pathetic Jane Hayes, cast as Ms. Jane Erstwhile niece to the residents of the Park, has a hard time relaxing into her role. It's all too fake. And it all really is.

I didn't like how this story was told in first person -- all from Jane's limited point of view. All the fakery would be more fun if Hale had shared the story telling honors. Taking turns with the residents and the guests. The minor twist at the end isn't worth sitting through hours of Jane's psychosis. And every few chapters we're interrupted by an study of each of Jane's past, failed romances. And it's jarring and a lazy story telling gimmick.

Lastly, I get annoyed when Brits try to write American, and vise versa. There's these little cultural difference you can't nail. And in this book, I could have sworn the author was British, because of some of the phrasing. She's from Utah. So my annoyance must stem from the narrator who was British and did a crumby American accent. All fake.

I hope they handle the material in a much better way for the Austenland movie. And cut the far-too-drawn-out ending down to size. One can hope!

Grade: Yellow Light

'Delirium' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: Delirium by Lauren Conrad
Read by: Sarah Drew
Genre: YA Lit, Dystopia

So the plot sounds a little fantastical: A future world where love is a horrible virus. When you turn 18, you're given a cure -- a seemingly "gentle" lobotomy that makes you immune to feeling love and all that comes with it -- passion, intense joy, etc. You're paired, married and asked to procreate and "care" for the children you have no capacity to love.

Kinda crazy, right? Love cure? Gimme a break. That's nuts. Why would anyone want to surpress that. Love is all you need, right? I couldn't help investigate. And so glad I did.

The story is about Lena, who is just weeks away from having the cure when she meets Alex and becomes "infected" with the love virus. But she now understands a world without love sucks. She isn't a radical, but she's willing to give up everything to be with Alex in the "Wilds" -- the place outside the city boundaries where the "uncured" might live. Let's just say, it doesn't go well.

Like most great dystopian books, there's a reworking of our current society that makes you question just how crazy this is. Would the government go to lengths to deaden our passions? Hmmm. And there's tons of action that kept me popping that next CD into my car.

Sarah Drew, the narrator, is an actress I remembered from the TV show Everwood. And she's fantastic. She yells and whispers and attempts Alex's low mumbles. I want to call her and chat with her so she can share even the most boring details in her rough yet tender voice. Seriously, call me!

Here's what I didn't like: The entire book is in Lena's head and that gets tiring. Her romance with Alex -- sweet perfect Alex -- is tainted with her confusion and uncertainty. It's like a friend telling you a really good story, but not taking in account any other perspectives, selfishly rambling on and sometimes you just have to turn her off for awhile.

The best part, like most good dystopian, is this book is a trilogy. So, I'll be back at the library next weekend to pick up the next book in the series.

Grade: Green Light

'Anne of Avonlea' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maude Montgomery
Read by: Shelly Frasier
Genre: Classic

I think it is (or should be) universally acknowledged that if you're feeling stressed or that the world is spinning too fast and you've grown so out of touch with patience or goodness -- the best solution is Anne Shirley. I completely believe in her powers to heal. So it's after an especially hectic week with out-of-control kids and clients that I picked up this audiobook from the library.

And in the end of it, I felt more centered and at ease -- and yearning for the time when we walked to school through the woods and had tea with neighbors.

This is the second book in the Anne series. It centers around the two years she teaches at the Avonlea school. As usual, she gets into jams, scrapes and meets kindred spirits. She's a founding member of the Avonlea improvement society, which is a popular trend among the young folk. And she helps out when Marilla adopts twin 6-year-olds.

There's not much more I can or need to say about this one. If you're a fan, you know what I mean. Just the vacation feeling of going up to Prince Edward Island for a few days, experiencing the rambles and gardens. Hearing the latest gossip from Mrs. Lind. It's like a spa day in book form.

Grade: Green Light

'Eiffel's Tower' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: Eiffel's Tower: And the World's Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count by Jill Jonnes
Read by: Paul Hecht
Genre: Historical Nonfiction

With an upcoming trip to Paris, I was very excited to see this book at the library. Since my last (and first) trip to Paris, I've been collecting little Eiffel Towers trinkets, so learning more about its origins was enticing.

And what a great story! Even though it's a historical account of the 1889 Paris World's Fair and all its principal players, it's written more like a great work fiction.

The ambitious vision of Gustave Eiffel and this enormous undertaking -- to build an iron structure at such a miraculous height -- is inspiring. And he was a pretty decent guy, too. Then you have the story of Buffalo Bill Cody and his troupe of cowboys, Indians, horses, buffalo setting up camp on the outskirts of Paris and dazzling European audiences -- especially star Annie Oakley. Add to it the story of painters Gauguin and Van Gogh looking to make a big splash on the world stage. And Thomas Edison, the toast of the town for his inventions. All so amazing!

My favorite character was American newspaper publisher James Gordon Bennett Jr of the New York Herald. He managed his great New York newspaper and staff from a stylish flat in Paris, mostly by ruling with fear. He was infamous for his erratic behavior, firing reporters for almost no reason and keeping his staff on their toes. He spent large amounts of money on foreign correspondents, created a successful Paris version of the Herald and was often surrounded by a group of tiny dogs. What a character!

This book was chalk-full of interesting anecdotes and stories. And I really got a good sense of what a visitor to the great Paris Exposition fair grounds would have experienced -- including a ride up the famed Eiffel Tower.

The narrator was great, using accents -- French, British and American -- to tell the different point of views, as the story followed chronologically from the planning stages of the Exposition to its final days and years afterwards. 

The best part is I'll have lots of fun stories to bore my husband with as we stroll the Champs de Mars in a few weeks. 

Grade: Green Light

'Days of Blood and Starlight' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
Read by: Khristine Hvam
Genre: YA Lit

Ok. I was walking through the YA section at the library and nearly fell over when I saw this audiobook. It's a pretty new book. A book that I bought not too many weeks ago and have been too busy to start. A book I have been waiting and waiting for since finishing Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I got it, of course, but it felt like cheating. Like I should be READING the book, for real.

I got over that pretty quickly, as I fell back into Karou and her situation and powerful mix of emotions. In a sentence: this audiobook was ammmmazing.

With Laini Taylor, you don't so much "read" her books, as you're pulled under the spell of her words, her characters and her world. It's big. It's deep. It's a rollercoaster ride of action and emotions.

I'm not sure I can summarize this story easily or without spoilers, as it's the sequel and so much happened in that first book. Karou is a human with blue hair who moves between two worlds, our human world and one made of beasts called Chimera and Angels. And they have been at war for thousands of years. Enter the Romeo and Juliet story; Karou (is kinda Chimera) falls in love with an Angel named Akiva. And all hell breaks lose.

Like any second book, there is a lot of set up in this story -- they build armies and alliances, get revenge, feelings grow, tension mounts -- and nothing will pan out until the next book when the battle really begins. But there's certainly enough action and plotting. And Karou continues to mature and kick butt. She's no longer nieve and with so much knowledge, she's bubbling with longing, regret and the need to set things right. Sure, there's a lot of repetition, it's Taylors way of reminding you what's important.

The reader Khristine Hvam is super, too. She's great at all the voices, especially the Czch accent of Zuzana and Mik. And though it was a 12-disc audiobook, time went quickly by in my car.

The last chapter blew my mind! And the third book isn't due until next year ... at the earliest! So, I'm in for a long wait. Worth it, though. Oh so worth it.

Grade: Green Light!

'French Women for All Season' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: French Women for All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano
Read by: Mireille Guiliano
Genre: Memoir / Self-help

I'll admit it. After finishing French Women Don't Get Fat I missed Mireille's common sense wisdom, anecdotes about growing up in the French countryside and her accent. So, I was delighted to find my little library had her sequel.

Listening to her thoughts about eating in season and for pleasure was such a relaxing way to spend my commute.

Sure, some of her advice is a little crazy or not at all based in reality. Her most outlandish story is about savoring one banana. Eating it for dessert ... on a dainty plate ... with a knife and fork ... and being too full/satisfied to eat the whole thing. So the second half goes into the fridge for later. Huh?

And I do so wish I had a weekly farmer's market to go to, packed with goodies from a large assortment of farms. I don't. And certainly not in walking or peddling distance. But I do agree with her about eating seasonally and locally. And I'm really trying to cultivate my eating pleasures and compensating when I've over indulged. Really! I'm trying!

Awww, Mireille! I miss her already.

Grade: Green Light

'King Dork' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: King Dork by Frank Portman
Ready by: Lincoln Hoppe
Genre: YA Lit

A few years ago I read Andromeda Klein, and while I ended up skimming much of the first half of the book, looney Andromeda stuck with me. She was this great mix of brash punk and sweet innocence. King Dork came before, so I was always curious about it. When I found it on the shelf, I hoped I'd find another Andromeda.

I found Tom, a dork with dreams of being in a rock band and a rampant imagination with a very exciting sophomore year to tell me about. And a pretty good story to boot.

The book description talks a lot about finding Catcher in the Rye among his dead dad's things as a major plot point. I didn't think so. It was the whole library that changed everything. And I loved all the band names Tom and his one friend would come up with. Names that included first album titles, credits and song. Also, Tom hates The Doors, which I quite agree with.

The one problem with this audiobook is Tom would trail off into wild, imaginative tangents -- so if I got distracted by merging traffic or what I was making for dinner, I'd be confused as to why Tom can suddenly fly or was being chased by KGB spies. An editor could have been a little more diligent with the red pen.

The narrator, Lincoln Hoppe, had a great voice that captured Tom's wryness and sarcasm. And it was a male voice which, up until now, I thought I had problems listening to. Must have been just some male voices that bug me. 

Grade: Green Light