More February Rapid Reviews
In keeping with 2014 goals I am writing more short, concise, timely reviews with a quick overview and what I enjoyed or didn’t enjoy about the book. Using a Rapid Review format makes it easier for me to stay caught-up. For audiobooks I’ll continue to mention my thoughts on the audio production.
These two audiobooks wrap up my February reading. A new feature: I’ve added a link to an audio sample when available.
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
Publisher: Random House Audio | February 2014
Format: Audio CD | 10½ hours | Rating: 5 stars
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who, in 1908, was found dead in the field behind her house just months after the tragic death of her daughter, Gertie.
Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara’s farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister, Fawn. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that suddenly proves perilous when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished without a trace.
The synopsis doesn’t even begin to describe the depth of this spooky, creepy, but most of all, compelling, ghost story. There’s an old diary with missing pages that more than a few people would like to find, an old farmhouse with lots of hiding places, a grief-stricken mother, a missing mother, a dead husband who’s last days don’t add up, and something scary in the woods. And that just a few creepy things.
This book is best read without knowing too much about the plot. The story is told from several perspectives in two time-lines, 1908 and the present day, and is so well-written that it was easy to follow, even in audio. The suspense builds as the pieces of the puzzle come together. I thoroughly enjoyed this scary novel and admit I listened during the daytime and read the final chapter while sitting in a sunny window.
Audio production: The novel is wonderfully narrated by Cassandra Campbell and Kathe Mazur who expertly capture the tone and setting with just the right amount of fear and tension, especially the soft, whispery voice for Sara. Audio sample below:
Little Demon in the City of Light by Steven Levingston
A True Story of Murder and Mesmerism in Belle Epoque Paris
Publisher: Random House Audio | February 2014
Format: Audio Download | 11 hours | Rating: 3½ stars
Audio Listening Level: Easy – Intermediate
‘Little Demon in the City of Light’ is the thrilling—and so wonderfully French—story of a gruesome 1889 murder of a lascivious court official at the hands of a ruthless con man and his pliant mistress and the international manhunt, sensational trial, and an inquiry into the limits of hypnotic power that ensued.
True crime and history buffs will love this richly detailed, well-researched account of a murder in turn-of-the-century France. That the accused committed the crime was not in question. What made this case unique and caused it to gain media attention was the woman’s claim that she had been hypnotized into helping commit the murder and therefore was not guilty.
There is a lot of detail of not only the investigation, the new science of forensics and the trial, but also of the backgrounds of each of the individuals plus interesting tidbits about Paris in the late 1800s. At times the author veers off into lengthy asides that threatened to interrupt the flow of the main story.
I enjoyed this interesting look at a criminal case through the prism of the justice system of the times, but I was frequently overwhelmed by the amount of detail provided.
Audio production: Skillfully narrated by John Lee, the audio production was an engaging listen. Audio sample below:
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Source: Review copies provided by Random House Audio.
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Almost wordless: I know, I said I was tired of snow, but the picnic tables were just calling out for a photo. Look at the table on the far right, the tree is growing between the bench and table.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2014 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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The Martian
by Andy Weir
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Crown
Publish Date: February 11, 2014
Format: Hardcover | 384 pages
Rating: 5 of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
My Thoughts:
A lot of people hear the words ‘hard science’ and immediately lose interest because they think it will be boring or difficult to follow the plot. To be honest, The Martian does have a significant amount of science detail, but it is written in an easy to read, engaging manner, and it’s a necessary part of the story. Like Apollo 13, this is a riveting adventure about survival in space, overcoming obstacles and finding a way back home.
The story opens on Mars as Mark Watney realizes he is alone. His crewmates believed he had been killed during an accident while evacuating the planet. There had been no time to retrieve his body and still safely launch their vehicle into orbit ahead of the severe storm. Mark knows he must find a way to communicate with NASA – they think he’s dead and the Mars habitat’s communication system was destroyed – and to stay alive, possibly for years, until he can be rescued.
Mark is a very resourceful guy. We follow his progress through his daily log entries. He needs food, water, power, shelter, transportation and the ability to make repairs. At times he’s so resourceful that I began to think of him as MacGyver and that he would conquer Mars with duct tape, a swiss army knife and a paper clip! Meanwhile, back at mission control on earth, someone observing satellite images of Mars believes that Mark might still be alive. As the story alternates between mission control and earth, it’s a race against time to save Mark.
The writing is smart, funny and filled with witty dialog and humor. It’s obvious the author did a lot of research, and got it right. I have a background in science so I was thrilled with the detail, however not understanding the science does not prevent the reader from enjoying the book. This is a story about Mark, one guy against a planet, and the team of people who are taking risks to save him. In some ways it reminded me of the movie Castaway and what one individual can and will do to survive.
Not sure you’ll like this? Read an excerpt, borrow it from the library, but do give it a try. Yes, I’m recommending it for everyone and not just because it’s one of my favorite books of the year.
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About the author:
There is an interesting article in Salon by the author, a self-described space nerd who studied orbital dynamics as a hobby. He talks about the book and how science made him a better writer.
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Source: Review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
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Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
Nothing in my mailbox but I did receive a few audiobook downloads over the last couple of weeks:
New Arivals
From Penguin Audio:
Influx by Daniel Suarez
Are smart phones really humanity’s most significant innovation since the moon landings? Or can something else explain why the bold visions of the 20th century–fusion power, genetic enhancements, artificial intelligence, cures for common disease, extended human life, and a host of other world-changing advances–have remained beyond our grasp? Why has the high-tech future that seemed imminent in the 1960’s failed to arrive? Perhaps it did arrive…but only for a select few.
Archetype by M.D. Waters
Emma wakes in a hospital, with no memory of what came before. Her husband, Declan, a powerful, seductive man, provides her with new memories, but her dreams contradict his stories, showing her a past life she can’t believe possible: memories of war, of a camp where girls are trained to be wives, of love for another man.
From Random House Audio:
One More Thing by B.J. Novak
Across a dazzling range of subjects, themes, tones, and narrative voices, Novak’s assured prose and expansive imagination introduce readers to people, places, and premises that are hilarious, insightful, provocative, and moving-often at the same time.
Wake by Anna Hope
Anna Hope’s brilliant debut unfolds over the course of five days, as three women must deal with the aftershocks of World War I and its impact on the men in their lives.
What are you reading?
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Weekend Birding usually features native wild birds, but this winter the weather has been horrible with endless amounts of snow and ice that makes walking in the forest preserves treacherous. Other than backyard birds, I haven’t been out to take any new photos in weeks, which is why today’s bird is a non-native species, the Peafowl.
Peafowl are members of the Pheasant family and are native to India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Most people call the birds Peacocks, but that name only refers to the male. Females are Penhens and the young are Peachicks.
Peahen and Chick
I took these photos a few years ago at Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo. They have a free-ranging flock and the birds are allowed to wander the grounds and occasionally startle visitors with their loud squawk or quick hop onto a tree branch. In the winter the birds move to a large heated area where they are provided with plenty of food and warmth as the species is not adapted to Chicago’s harsh winters.
I’m accustomed to seeing them roaming around and don’t usually stop to take photos, except this time I spotted a couple of hens with their chicks, something I don’t see very often.
Peachick
Since I know very little about Peafowl, I looked up a few facts:
- The Peahen builds the nest and sits on the eggs for four weeks, then she raises the chicks by herself.
- First year male and female Peachicks look just like their mother but are only half her size.
- The males will get their blue coloring in their second year
- They forage on the ground for grain, insects, small reptiles and mammals, berries, figs, leaves, seeds, and flower parts
- They roost overnight in groups in tall, open trees.
Peacock
I finally found one of the males strutting around on the other side of the grounds. The male is very flashy with his bright blue head and neck. The female and her chicks are subdued brown color. Since it was not mating season he wasn’t displaying his beautiful tail of feathers but did pause long enough for a photo.
Saturday Snapshot was originated by Alyce at At Home With Books. It is now hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
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Shovel Ready
by Adam Sternbergh
Narrated by Arthur Morey
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Random House
Publish Date: January 14, 2014
Format: Audio, 6 hours | 51 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
Rating: 4 of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Spademan used to be a garbage man. That was before the dirty bomb hit Times Square, before his wife was killed, and before the city became a blown-out shell of its former self. Now he’s a hitman.
His new job is not that different from his old one: waste disposal is waste disposal. He doesn’t ask questions, he works quickly, and he’s handy with a box cutter. But when his latest client hires him to kill the daughter of a powerful evangelist, his unadorned life is upended: his mark has a shocking secret and his client has a sordid agenda far beyond a simple kill.
My Thoughts:
After a dirty bomb hits Times Square in a near-future New York City, most people moved away and the city turned into a ghost town. Some people stayed and tried to carry on, others became addicted to machines that would allow them to stay in a dream state and live life in a virtual world. Spademan adapted. He was a garbage man, now he’s a hitman. He stayed in waste disposal. To him a job is a job – until he meets his latest victim, a woman who changes his mind about a few things.
While most of the characters in this dystopian world are unlikable, creepy, unsavory types, I found Spademan to be tolerable. He did have some morals, he won’t kill children, but for the most part he was indifferent. This becomes more understandable as the layers of the story unfold and Spademan reveals the details of his past.
This fast-paced, action-packed gritty noir tale is told in the first person using short sentences and sparse prose. The feeling of noir was so heavy I expected to find Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade appearing out of a dark corner at any moment, and at the same time there was the paranoid future feel of P.K.Dick’s Blade Runner. It was a fun, sometimes humorous read until the about the midway point when the story got a little gory and violent; not too much for me to handle, but the squeamish may want to be aware.
Audio Production:
I read a few chapters in print but mostly listened to the audiobook. Warning: The print book doesn’t use quotation marks, an annoying style I’ve been encountering more frequently than I would prefer.
The audio was narrated by Arthur Morey. His vocalization of Spademan was perfect: A gravelly, clipped voice exactly how I imagined Spademan to sound. His voices for the other bad guys all sounded similar so I needed to pay attention to which unsavory character was speaking, but otherwise an enjoyable performance.
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Source: Review copy
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Red Hill
by Jamie McGuire
Narrated by Emma Galvin, Zachary Webber, January LaVoy
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Publish Date: October 2013
Format: Audio CD | 9½ hours
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
Rating: 3 of 5
Publisher’s Synopsis:
When reports of a widespread, deadly “outbreak” begin to surface, three ordinary people face extraordinary circumstances and suddenly their fates are intertwined. Recognizing they can’t outrun the danger, Scarlet, Nathan, and Miranda desperately seek shelter at the same secluded ranch, Red Hill. Emotions run high while old and new relationships are tested in the face of a terrifying enemy—an enemy who no longer remembers what it’s like to be human.
My Thoughts:
This is a fast-paced, action-filled story beginning with the outbreak of a mysterious, previously unknown disease which is spreading fast. Soon the three main characters, each in a different location, realize they need to get out of the city and find a safe place to hide out. The point of view alternated between the main characters, but there were also a lot of other characters to keep track of, and after a while it got a little confusing. Unfortunately I couldn’t connect with any of them, but I was interested enough to keep listening; I had to know if anyone survived or if the world was truly going to end.
The love story was very subtle, even by my standards (which is, I don’t like romances unless they are in the background), and I didn’t feel a great attraction between Nathan and Scarlet. The horror story was the typical dead bodies with a taste for human flesh. I like horror, ala Stephen King, but zombies aren’t my favorite and that could have been my problem. I was hoping for a new twist on the zombie genre, but didn’t find one. The writing is good, and a lot of people loved this book, so if zombies are your thing, give it a try.
Audio production: Narrated by Emma Galvin, Zachary Webber, January LaVoy. I had no problem listening, the voices and performance of the narrators were good. The only caution for the audio is the need to pay attention to the changing points of view. The use of different voices does make that easier for the listener.
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Source: Review copy provided by Simon & Schuster Audio.
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