Audio Book

Audiobook: The Seventh Veil of Salome

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by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia
Read by Caitlin Kelly, Atlanta Amado, Victoria Villarreal, Arthur Morey, Andrew Eiden, Kristen DiMercurio, Frankie Corzo, Lauren Fortgang, Javier Prusky, Fred Sanders, Lee Osorio & Cassandra Campbell
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Content: There is violence, sexual harassment, racist slurs, and swearing, including a few f-bombs. It’s in the fiction section of the bookstore.

It’s 1955 and Hollywood is all-in on big-budget Biblical films. In this case, the story of Salome, the woman who danced for Herod and asked for John the Baptist’s head on a platter. The problem the director is having, though, is finding the right woman to play the title character. Enter Vera Larios, a newbie from Mexico City. She’s the perfect person, except…. she won’t entertain the advances of the playboy leading man. And she “took the role” from another aspiring actress. (And she also “took” the aspiring actress’s boyfriend.) And, worst of all: she’s Mexican.

One of the things we have said about Moreno-Garcia at the store is that she doesn’t write the same book twice. A big, sweeping historical drama was not really on my bingo card for her, but that’s not to say she didn’t do it well. It’s very character-driven, especially the three female characters: Vera, of course; but also Nancy (the aspiring – and failing – actress); and Salome herself. At first, I thought the Salome chapters were a bit weird, but as the book went on, I saw the parallels between that story and the one playing out around the movie. I ended up thinking about halfway through that this was a book about the ways women use their sexuality to gain power, and maybe that’s so. I’m not entirely sure, though, now that I’m done.

The full cast recording was really well done, however. There are no chapters, just narratives by various people – from other cast members to the director, a screenwriter, and other Hollywood notables – and the full cast helped distinguish that. I did wonder why most of the narratives were in first-person, kind of documentary-style, but the Nancy, Vera, and Salome sections were in third-person. Again, it was a choice, and while I did not mind it, I was a bit put off initially.

I am glad I read it, though, even if it’s not my usual fare.

Audiobook: A Sorceress Comes to Call

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by T. Kingfisher
Read by Eliza Foss & Jennifer Pickens
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Content: There is some mild swearing, and instances of child abuse. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

Cordelia’s mother is… not great. She’s a sorceress who has always gotten everything she wanted by any means possible. When Cordelia did anything her mother didn’t like, she just made Cordelia “obedient” – basically taking over her body and controlling it. Now that Cordelia is 14, though, her mother has decided they need to move on to bigger and better things – and has her sights set on a squire to marry.

Hester is that squire’s brother, and she sees Cordelia’s mother as Doom, and is going to do everything she can to stop it.

That’s the plot in a nutshell, but like other of Kingfisher’s books, the beauty of it is not in the plot. It’s in the characters and in the little things that just make her books wonderful. It’s in the portrayals of the women in all their complexity – Hester is insecure about being older and having a cranky knee (I can relate!); Cordelia is traumatized and unsure of herself but grows immensely throughout the book. It’s in the sly asides (Penelope! Imogene!), and in the way the magic is used throughout the book. Additionally, the narrators were just perfect for the characters – it alternates between Cordelia and Hester – and I found myself not wanting to stop listening.

In short, this book stole my heart, and I love that it did.

Audiobook: The Faculty Lounge

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by Jennifer Mathieu
Read by Lisa Flanagan
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Content: There is some swearing, including a few f-bombs. It’s in the adult fiction section of the bookstore.

It starts as a mostly typical year at Baldwin High School in Houston, TX, until a beloved former English teacher (and current substitute) dies in a classroom (on his free period). That sets off a chain of events that includes a misstep of an ash scattering, parent complaints, pregnant teenagers, and inter-department romances. There’s not really an over-arching plot; it’s a series of vignets, each chapter about a different person in the high school from the principal to a janitor, about their experiences over the course of a school year, the ups and downs, the ways in which politics effect the school day, and the inner lives of teachers.

I really liked this one, especially on audio. It’s mostly just a character study, but Mathieu is a good enough writer to pull it off. And Flanagan was an excellent narrator, giving life to the different characters. I know Mathieu is (was? at least when she came to Wichita for an event, she was) a high school English teacher, and so she knows the ropes, and it comes across in this book. It’s entertaining and fun to listen to, and I didn’t mind that there really isn’t a plot. I liked learning about the characters, the way the chapters built upon each other, the way it felt like I was sitting with friends or co-workers to learn about their lives and their experiences teaching.

Definitely a fun read.

Audiobook: That Prince is Mine

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by Jayci Lee
Read by Olivia Song
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Content: There is a lot of on-page, somewhat explicit sex as well as swearing, including many f-bombs. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Emma Yoon only wants two things to be happy: to open her culinary school and to have her godmother, a Korean matchmaker, arrange a marriage for her. She doesn’t believe in love matches – her parents had one that failed spectacularly – and she trusts that her godmother will find someone perfect for her. On the other hand, is Prince Michele Chevalier – the crown prince of some small European country – doesn’t want an arranged marriage, and so he’s in LA as a visiting professor to find someone to fall in love with so he can take her home and live happily ever after.

Of course, they have a meet-cute and of course, they fall in love despite Emma’s misgivings.

It’s a cute enough book, and the narrator does a decent job, but I found it annoying. Mostly because it was so repetitive. Lee lays out at the beginning that Emma doesn’t want a love match, that she needs to use her godmother’s matchmaking services because only Emma can help save her business and that Michele needs to find someone that he’s Compatible with and can Love Forever. That’s all fine and good. The problem is that Lee needs to tell us these facts Every. Single. Chapter. It got really old really fast. And, honestly, while I was entertained by the book, that one issue kind of dampened my enjoyment. I honestly didn’t feel any chemistry between the main characters, and it all just kind of fell flat.

I wanted to enjoy this one a lot more than I actually did, which is too bad.

Audiobook: Soul of an Octopus

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by Sy Montgomery
Read by the author
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Content: There’s probaby not a lot that’s questionable, content-wise. It’s in the science section of the bookstore.

I’ve seen this book around for years, and have even given it as a gift a couple of times, but have never read it. There was a sale at Libro.fm recently (Independent Bookstore Day, maybe?) and this was on sale, so I picked it up. I figured it might be a good listen while we were on vacation. (The kids nixed that; they said she sounded overly enamored with the octopuses.)

This is Montgomery’s exploration of octopuses. That’s really the best summary. It’s not a history, it’s not a true scientific exploration. No, Montgomery got to know several octopuses at the New England aquarium, and she was interested in knowing more about them. Not just the way they interact with humans, but how they act in the wild and how they process information. It’s kind of a memoir, since it’s her experiences, though she does talk to scientists and gets to know the director of the aquarium. Mostly, though, it’s her Thoughts and Experiences With Octopuses.

And it was interesting. She was a very amenable reader, though once my kids mentioned that she sounded overly enamored with the octopuses, I couldn’t unhear that. She does love the animals, and that comes through. I liked the depictions of interactions she had with the animals, and even though I felt like she anthropomorphized them, maybe they really did have the feelings/emotions/reactions that she attributed to them. I am a little conflicted about the way aquariums get their animals (I don’t know why I didn’t think they were taking them from the wild), but other than that, I enjoyed this one.

Audiobook The Unwedding

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by Ally Condie
Read by Christine Lakin
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Content: There is some mild swearing and mention of murders. It’s in the mystery section of the bookstore.

The life Ellory thought she had has completely fallen apart. Her husband filed for divorce after almost 20 years of marriage, and nothing has been right since. They had planned on going to a resort in Big Sur for their anniversary, but it’s non-refundable, so Ellory finds herself there alone. There’s a wedding scheduled for the weekend, and when Ellory finds the groom dead in the resort pool, things turn dark. Add to that, a rainstorm and a mudslide trapping all the guests there, and then another guest is murdered, things become desperate. The question is whether they can figure out who the murderer is before they strike again.

I wanted to like this one so much more than I actually did. My biggest problem? Ellory was so sad. So much sad. All the sad. Every chance she got she was “I miss my husband” and “I miss my kids” and “oh noes, my life is worthless now”. All of which I get: her divorce came out of the blue and she is mourning it, but in what has been billed as a thriller, it’s very distracting. Which, also: this really isn’t a thriller. I never felt like anyone’s life was truly in jeopardy, and while Ellory was trying to figure the mystery out, she didn’t actually solve it (but she also kind of did?). I was also hoping for a grand sense of place – we didn’t get to Big Sur on our recent California vaction, but I wanted to feel like I was there. But, no. I finished this one because I kept hoping it would get better (it didn’t) and the narrator kept me engaged (she was quite excellent).

I’m sure Condie still has some good stories left in her, but this one wasn’t it. Disappointing.

Audiobook: Summer Romance

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by Annabel Monaghan
Read by Kristen DiMercurio
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Content: There is some swearing, including a couple f-bombs, and some off-screen sex. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Ali Morris thought she had it all: a loving, supportive mother; the perfect marriage; the perfect kids; the perfect family. But, her mother died two years ago, and Ali retreated into herself, and everything fell apart: she and her husband separated and she’s losing touch with her kids. But this summer – the summer that the divorce will be finalized – Ali has decided that maybe what she needs is a summer romance.

Enter Ethan. He seems like the perfect candidate: he’s only in town for the summer. It’ll be the perfect fling to get Ali out of her funk. Except things aren’t quite that simple when you’re nearly 40.

This one – much like all of Monaghan’s books -was delightful. I loved the narrator; she kept me engaged in the story and added depth to Ali’s situation that I might have missed had I read the book. But I also love Monaghan’s tales of second chances. The women are always slightly older, always coming off a not-quite-great situation, and always find that person who fits them just perfectly. It’s lovely to read, and to be reminded that maybe just because it’s your second time around, it doesn’t mean you’re washed up.

A truly charming summer book

Audiobook: The Paris Novel

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by Ruth Reichl
Read by Kiiri Sandy
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Content: There is mention of sexual abuse to a child, as well as just general bad parenting. It’s in the Fiction section of the bookstore.

Stella was raised by a single mom, who was not reliable. She was flaky and inconsistent and as a result, Stella became very routinized. She had rules she followed, and systems to make her life make sense. And then, in the early 1980s, Stella’s mother dies and leaves her money with specific instructions to go to Paris until the money runs out. So, Stella does. And, she sets about living in Paris like in New York – very frugally. That is until she wanders into a second-hand clothing shop and tries on the Perfect Dress. She can’t afford it, but the shop owner talks her into it, promising she could return it the next day. She also promises that Stella’s life will change. And it does. She meets Jules and through him, the whole world of Paris opens up and eventually completely changes Stella’s life.

This was a delightful little novel. I could tell that Reichl was a food writer – food was incredibly important to the story, both to the plot and just in the descriptions of the food. I felt like I could have been in Paris, enjoying the food that Stella had. That was part of what I enjoyed about the book – the descriptions of Paris in the early 1980s – it was someplace that someone could go and live for months on very little, and still enjoy so much. It was also a story about enjoying life to the fullest; Stella discovers that the limiting way she had been living her life was soulless, and to really Live, one needed not only to Enjoy the finer things but also to Follow Your Dreams.

Sandy was also an excellent narrator. She brought the characters to life and was able to make the whole Paris world feel full and vibrant. In the end, I thought it was a very enjoyable read.

Audiobook: Murder Your Employer

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by Rupert Holmes
Read by Neil Patrick Harris & Simon Vance
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Content: There is talk of murder, of course, plus descriptions of sexual harassment and assault. There are also mentions of suicide. It’s in the Mystery section of the bookstore.

In this fictitious how-to guide, we follow three students of McMasters Academy – a school that is hidden and dedicated to teaching people the art of “deletion”, or rather, ending the life of a specific target for a very particular reason. It’s not just murder though, there are Ethics. At any rate, we follow Cliff Iverson, whose boss is a horrible human being and is responsible for the suicides of at least two people; Gemma Lindley, a nurse who helped her gravely ill father die faster and is being blackmailed for it; and Dulcie Mown, aka film star Doria May, who has been relegated to the back lot by the despicable film studio head, who is angry with Doria because she wouldn’t sleep with him. All three are at McMasters to learn how to off these horrible people, and we follow them through their education and theses – or their final deletions.

On the one hand, Harris and Vance were excellent narrators. They are, for the most part why I kept listening. The plot of the book, however, was not that engaging. My biggest question was: why did we have to follow three people? Why did there need to be three plots? We mostly followed Cliff, so why didn’t we just stick with him? What was the point of including Doria and Gemma? It frustrated me. Also: this one was billed as funny, but I only got a few chuckles out of it. It was almost like Holmes was trying too hard. And I don’t know why this one is being billed as a mystery – there’s nothing to solve, there’s no intensity – Holmes lays everything out for us, and leaves nothing for the reader to try and solve.

I kept thinking that I’d forgive all my complaints if the ending was good, but it wasn’t. It just kind of petered out, lamely limping toward the conclusion. Not my cup of tea at all.

Audiobook: Lies & Weddings

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by Kevin Kwan
Read by Jing Lusi
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Content: There are the uber-rich doing the uber-rich things, including just being despicable to other people. There is talk of sex, drugs, and getting high, and there is swearing, including multiple f-bombs. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

 Dr. Eden Tong has grown up in the cabin next to Greshamsbury manor, where her father – while a noted oncologist – is the personal doctor to the Earl and Countess Gresham. While she is good friends with the Greshams – especially Rufus, her best friend – she doesn’t want to get involved in all their old money exploits – flying everywhere on a whim, wearing designer clothes – and she doesn’t have any intention of marrying Rufus (no matter what his Chinese mother thinks). Yet, as the oldest, Augie gets married on the Big Island of Hawaii, Eden finds herself pulled into the Gresham drama. 

There’s more to it, of course: Kevin Kwan’s books are a meandering mesh of drama and Rich People Doing Rich Things. There are a ton of characters (I really liked Freddy Farman-Farmehian (which probably isn’t spelled right) to keep track of, as well as jetting around to exotic locations to enjoy (not to mention all the clothes and food!). It’s a lush, wild, winding book, with an ending that I called but didn’t mind that I did. I loved Lusi’s narration; there were a lot of characters to handle, and she did it beautifully. 

In short, it was a delightful romp of a book and I’m glad I read it.