Almost wordless: After three years, my vinca vine decided it was time to bloom.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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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 new in the mailbox this week, but I still have a few more books from BEA.
More Books from BEA
Sergio Y. by Alexandre Vidal Porto. [Europa Editions]
A unique and moving story about gender, identity, and the search for happiness.
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick. [MIRA]
In this poignant and sparkling debut, a lovable widower embarks on a life-changing adventure.
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. [Scout Press]
What should be a cozy and fun-filled weekend deep in the English countryside takes a sinister turn in Ruth Ware’s suspenseful, compulsive, and darkly twisted psychological thriller.
The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach. [St. Martin’s Press]
A hilarious, heartwrenching, and powerful debut novel about a disabled boy who finds love and hope in a Russian hospital.
The Next by Stephanie Gangi. [St. Martin’s Press]
With no light to guide her to death’s promised land of peace, Joanna’s ghost plots a course for revenge on her much-younger ex, Ned McGowan, the man who abandoned her to take up — and trade up — with another woman.
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris. [St. Martin’s Press]
Sometimes, the perfect marriage is the perfect lie.
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A Rapid Review
The Third Wave by Steve Case
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio | April 2016
Format: Audio Download | 5½ hours | Rating: 4 stars
Audio Listening Level: Easy
Steve Case was on the leading edge of the Internet revolution when he cofounded AOL in 1991. He was an entrepreneur in a business that hadn’t even been invented, yet he saw how significantly his efforts could change not only America, but the world. In The Third Wave, Case uses his insights garnered from nearly four decades of working as an innovator, investor, and businessperson to chart a path for future visionaries.
The book is only partially about the internet; the other half is the story of AOL. Steve weaves his personal stories about his career and the history of America Online with his vision of how the internet evolved and where it is headed in the future. As someone who was involved from the beginning of the internet, he has good insight for both start-ups and existing companies on how to position themselves to succeed.
Steve was influenced by Alvin Toffler’s book of the same title which was written back 1980, well-before the internet existed. In the book, Toffler divides the stages of human development into three waves: agricultural, industrial, and information. We are now in the information age which Steve divides into his own three waves: early internet, ie AOL and dial-up; the app economy, ie Apple and Google; and the third wave, “The Internet of Things.”
While I was expecting this short book to be mostly about the internet, I didn’t mind the inclusion of the inside view of AOL and found it to be interesting listening. I remember when the Time-Warner merger happened, in retrospect a huge mistake and clash of corporate culture, and this appears to be Steve’s explanation of how and why it went wrong.
Audio production:
The narration is performed by the author, and while he does an adequate job, his voice is not as smooth or melodic as a professional reader, and the book suffers from sounding like a speech or lecture after an hour or so. Since the book was only five and a half hours long, I stuck with it because I was enjoying the content. Listen to the sample below to decide for yourself.
Audio Sample:
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Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
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Almost wordless: The females are less noticeable than their showy, glossy-black mates who are always seeking attention by flashing their red wings and their loud calls.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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A Rapid Review
How May We Hate You by Anna Drezen and Todd Dakotah Briscoe
Publisher: Random House Audio | May 2016
Format: Audio Download | 3 hours | Rating: 4 stars
Audio Listening Level: Easy | Humor
Find out what really goes on in the world of hospitality with this hilarious book full of funny and absurd stories, anecdotes told in dialogue, factoids, and hoax pop quizzes by two veteran concierges who paid their way while working at a combined 50 hotels in and around Times Square.
How May We Hate You grew out of a very successful Tumbler (with the same name) written by two young comedians that took jobs in the hospitality business to support themselves. If you like your humor served with some snark and a little nastiness on the side, then you’ll find this quite entertaining and at times laugh-out-loud funny.
The book is filled with stories and commentary on the crazy things that people do and say. At only three hours long, it’s short enough to not wear out its welcome with repetition or excessive snark, and was long enough to give me a humorous reading break.
Audio production
The authors performed the narration themselves often using a conversational dialog or questions and answers. They did a great job that only added to the entertainment value of the book. It was an easy listen and one I would recommend to new audio listeners or those wanting to try the format. It is also a good choice for the car, especially if you make a lot of short trips as there is no plot to forget and the stories are all short.
Audio Sample
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Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
© 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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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.
More Books from BEA
Last week I featured the books that I was actively looking for. Today I’m featuring some of the books that I newly discovered while visiting the booths at BEA.
The Four-Dimensional Human: Ways of Being in the Digital World by Laurence Scott
A highly original and pioneering portrait of life in a digital landscape.
Warp by Lev Grossman
This re-publication of Lev Grossman’s debut novel, Warp, shows the roots of his Magicians hero Quentin Coldwater in a book that is for anyone (and everyone) who has ever felt adrift in their own life.
Little Deaths by Emma Flint
Inspired by a true story, Little Deaths, like celebrated novels by Sarah Waters and Megan Abbott, is compelling literary crime fiction that explores the capacity for good and evil in us all.
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
With surprising twists, spine-tingling turns, and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up another taut and intense read in The Woman in Cabin 10—one that will leave even the most sure-footed reader restlessly uneasy long after the last page is turned.
Another Day in the Death of America: A Chronicle of Ten Short Lives by Gary Younge
This powerful and moving work puts a human face—a child’s face—on the “collateral damage” of gun violence at a time when the gun issue in America is being hotly debated.
The Littlest Bigfoot by Jennifer Weiner
A laugh-out-loud funny and painstakingly real tale of friendship, furry creatures, and finding the place where you belong.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
In this deeply suspenseful and irresistibly unnerving debut novel, a man and his girlfriend are on their way to a secluded farm. When the two take an unexpected detour, she is left stranded in a deserted high school, wondering if there is any escape at all. What follows is a twisted unraveling that will haunt you long after the last page is turned.
Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
A heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone—and love someone—for who they truly are.
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
A soul-searching story about a young woman struggling to redefine herself and the power of love, family, and fate.
Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman
The highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that critics are calling “out-of-this-world awesome.”
Mischling by Affinity Konar
One of the most harrowing, powerful, and imaginative books of the year” (Anthony Doerr) about twin sisters fighting to survive the evils of World War II.
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© 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Thank you to everyone that stopped by to enter the giveaway. The winner was selected using random.org and has been notified by email.
Mary Kay Andrews
Beach Town Goody Bag
Winner: Karen
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© 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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