Audio Book

Audiobook: The Puppets of Spelhorst

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by Kate DiCamillo
Read by Allan Corduner
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Content: It’s a short book, and there isn’t anything objectionable. It’s in the Beginning Chapter section of the bookstore (grades 1-2) but it could go older.

Once upon a time, there were five puppets: A girl, a boy, a wolf (with very sharp teeth), an owl, and a king. They were happy in the shop of the puppet maker, but they longed to go on adventures. Then one day, an old man saw the face of his lost love in the eyes of the girl puppet, and the toymaker would sell just her, so they all were bought. From there, they had adventures, first at the old man’s house, then with the junk man, after the old man died, and finally in a home with two young girls who put on a play with the puppets.

That’s it for the plot. And yet, because it’s Kate DiCamillo, it’s a lovely fairy tale, one I enjoyed listening to, even as an adult. Much like The Tale of Despereaux or The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, it’s a story to be read aloud, to be enjoyed together. It’s a simple story, but there are profound moments, silly moments, and tender moments. It’s probably not my favorite DiCamillo out there, but it is a lovely one that will delight many children (and their parents/guardians/teachers).

Audiobook: Vengeance of the Pirate Queen

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by Tricia Levenseller
Read by: Krissi Bohn
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Release date: November 7, 2023
Others in the series: Daughter of the Pirate King, Daughter of the Siren Queen
Content: There is a lot of violence, including some that is directed against women. It will be in the YA section of the bookstore.

At the end of my review, for Daughter of the Siren Queen, I mentioned that I wouldn’t mind spending more time with Alosa and her crew. Which is precisely what Levenseller delivered. Sorinda is Alosa’s – who is now the Pirate Queen – assassin, spending her time in the shadows, taking care of the evil men who wish Alosa and her band of woman pirates ill. But, Alosa’s next assignment for Sorinda is different: captain a crew to sail north, looking for spies they haven’t heard from in too long. 

Sorinda reluctantly takes the position – she is much more used to the shadows than the spotlight – and sails north. But what they find is a lot of trouble – first, a beastie that is intent on destroying the ship, and then a hostile people who have been protecting the undead King of the Undersea – who also controls the undead – from being woken for a thousand years. Of course, Sorinda (accidentally) awakens him, after which he is intent on making her his mate. Of course, that won’t happen; Sorinda is much too fiercely independent for such things. But it’s an absolute ride getting there. 

The only real complaint I have about the book is the fact that Sorinda is a Black woman. I get being inclusive, but Levenseller isn’t Black, and even if it’s a fantasy world, it doesn’t mean she gets to write a Black main character. That said, I did like Sorinda as a character: she was fierce and capable, and solved her own problems. The undead king was a LOT for a villain – I thoroughly hated him and was super happy with the end he got. The romance was a bit meh, but I wasn’t reading this book for the romance. Bohn was an excellent narrator, which definitely helped with my enjoyment of this one. 

It’s not a bad continuation of a good series.

Audiobook: Making It So

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by Patrick Stewart
Read by the author
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Content: There is some swearing, including multiple f-bombs. It’s in the Film section of the bookstore.

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time (or if you’ve known me for any time), you probably know that I have a weakness for celebrity memoirs. Not all of them – I never did read I’m Glad My Mother is Dead – but of some celebrities who I have a passing interest in, I’m there. Especially if they read the memoir themselves. Which, of course, Sir Patrick does. 

This follows his life, from his childhood in Yorkshire through his time in regional theaters to the Royal Shakespeare Company, and finally landing as Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Charles Xavier in television and films. He’s pretty open and blunt about his shortcomings and faults and the ups and downs of his career and his marriages. He was a delightful person to spend 18 hours with – you can tell he is a storyteller at heart. I think he believes in the power of telling a story, which is one of the things that drew him to acting, and that definitely shows. 

It’s not the best memoir I’ve ever read, but it’s a solid read (and a good listen; he’s an excellent narrator, which is no surprise), and I enjoyed the time I spent listening to it. 

Audiobook: Legends & Lattes

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by Travis Baldree
Read by the author
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Content: There is some violence. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

Viv, an orc barbarian, is tired of being a hired thief-assassin, and so hangs up her sword (somewhat literally) and opens a coffee shop in the town of Thune. She’s starting from scratch: no one in the town has heard of the gnomish drink, and so she and the group of friends she collects once this project starts set out to create a spot. There are problems including a mafia boss to win over and a former companion who is convinced Viv has something extremely valuable. But, mostly, it’s a book about starting over, making friends, finding love, and a good cup of coffee with an excellent pastry.

The subtitle of this book is “A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes” and that pretty much sums it up. Not much happens. Even the problems don’t amount to much. But, it was delightful to listen to. Baldree did an excellent job narrating his book, and I was delighted to listen as they invented iced drinks, cinnamon rolls, biscotti, and chocolate croissants. So, no, nothing happened. But it was incredibly enjoyable anyway.

Audiobook: Stars in Your Eyes

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by Kacen Callender
Read by a full cast
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Release date: October 10, 2023
Content: There is a lot of swearing, drinking, and some off-screen drug use. There is also a couple of on-page sex scenes. The book also deals frankly with sexual abuse and trauma. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Mattie Cole is Hollywood’s Golden Boy, an up-and-coming actor who can’t do any wrong. Logan Gray is a pariah in Hollywood, a child actor with a reputation for being difficult, and a playboy. It’s one thing that they’re cast as romantic leads in a new rom-com, but it becomes more complicated when the are told to pretend to be in a relationship for publicity’s sake.

It sounds like a delightful romance, yes? Except this is Kacen Callender we’re talking about. They don’t write fluff. No, Callender has taken the grumpy/sunshine fake-dating tropes and layered on individuals dealing with their own trauma, which makes things so much more complicated. There are issues of sexual abuse, neglect, shame, accepting one’s true self, consent… and the list goes on.

What you will get in this book is a gut-punch of emotions, and characters you genuinely care about. I also ended up thinking a lot about the way society treats celebrities, and the things that are expected from them to “satisfy” their “fans”. it’s a complex, profound book, that is only masquerading as a romance.

And I loved it so much.

Audiobook: When in Rome

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by Sarah Adams
Read by Karissa Vacker & Andrew Eiden
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Content: There is some swearing, but mostly mild (I don’t remember any f-bombs), and while there is talk of sex, it happens off-screen. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Amelia Rose is a famous pop star (stage name: Rae Rose) who has fallen out of love with her career. Her relationship with her mom is shot, she’s being overworked, and so on the precipice of a world tour, she takes a page from Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday” and takes off for Rome. Rome, Kentucky that is. She breaks down on the lawn of local baker Noah Walker, who’s recovering from his own heartbreak – his fiance, who dragged him to New York and cheated on him – and doesn’t want anything to do with women ever again.

Of course, there’s chemistry. But there’s also a quirky small town, Noah’s delightful sisters, and Amelia finding herself again.

It’s a delightful take on the grumpy-sunshine trope, one that is done especially well on audio. Both narrators are fantastic, and capture the essence of the characters as well as making the people in the town around them come alive. It’s charming and fun, and I just had a smile on my face the whole time.

So, of course, I’m going to listen to the next in the series.

Audiobook: Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up

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by Alexandra Potter
Read by Sally Phillips
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Content: If you can’t tell from the title, it is a very sweary book. Like, super sweary. There is some off-screen sex as well. It’s in the Adult Fiction section of the bookstore.

Nell’s just moved back to London after years in America because her five-year relationship with her American fiance fell apart. She’s forty-something, unmarried, without children, and by all measures, failing at life. All her friends are married with kids, have husbands who have successful jobs, and homes, and… Nell just moved into a flatshare and is writing obituaries and trying to get a podcast off the ground. But, over the course of the book, as she examines her life and her expectations, she finds that maybe she’s not such a hot mess after all.

I have this work friend (her name is Melissa, too; we call ourselves The Melissas) who has excellent taste in books. If she says it’s good, I know I’ll probably like it. She listened to this one a month back, and I finally got around to listening to it myself. And (of course) she’s right: it’s not only a lot of fun and quite funny to listen to, but it’s also sweet and touching and a good reminder that yes, every woman feels like an eff-up, and like everyone else has everything together. That, and social media really has warped our sense of what is real. It’s a lovely story of friendship and starting over and making peace with where you are in life. The narrator is just delightful (and does an amazing American accent), which made the book that much more enjoyable.

So, yeah, listen to Melissa: this is a good one.

Audiobook: Fourth Wing

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by Rebecca Yarros
Read by Rebecca Soler & Teddy Hamilton
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Content: It’s super sweary, super violent, and lots of on-screen sexytimes. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Violet Sorrengail was supposed to be a scribe. But then her father passed away and her mother – who is the general in charge of the flight battle school – has different plans for her. Violet – frail, sickly Violet – is given no choice: she has to join the battle school. The place where you either graduate or die. The book takes place over the first year, as Violet learns to navigate the cruelties of the school, makes – and loses – friends, and finds an unreasonable attraction to the son of an executed rebel leader, Xaden Riorson.

My first reaction when listening to this? It’s not objectively a good book. Like, the writing is not great. But, it’s a lot of fun. I think it helped that Soler was slightly unhinged reading the book. She was chewing through scenery, which honestly, is what this book needed. It’s not a book to be taken seriously at all. That said, Yarros is a good storyteller. There was a lot of action, the battle scenes were pretty intense, and there were some nice surprises as well. I will probably read the second book in the series, just to see where it goes.

So, do I respect this book? No. Will I recommend it? Depends on the person. Do I understand why it’s the Big Thing that it is? Oh yeah. I get it now.

Audiobook: Midnight at the Houdini

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by Delilah S. Dawson
Read by Saskia Maarleveld
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Release date: September 5, 2023
Content: There are some precarious situations and a creepy guy who wants to hurt a teen girl. It’s in the YA section (grades 6-8) of the bookstore.

Anna has had a perfect life: her dad owns hotels in Las Vegas, so she hasn’t wanted anything. And her best friend, her sister Emily, has always been there for her. But on the night of Emily’s wedding, Anna is trapped in a storm and ends up in the Houdini – a mysterious, magical hotel that she has until midnight to get out of. Or she’ll be stuck there forever.

There’s more to the story, of course: There’s Max, the love interest who has been trapped in the hotel his whole life because his mother, Phoebe trapped them there. Anna’s dad and his friends are trapped there as well and have their own separate plot as we learn about Phoebe and the background of the Houdini.

I read in some promotional material that this was a loose retelling of The Tempest, and once I read that (about a quarter of the way into the book), I could see the similarities. And it made the book much better. I also really liked Maarleveld as a narrator; she kept the book engaging and I delighted in the way she did some of the voices. It was a lot of fun to listen to, and I’m glad I did.

Audiobook: Business or Pleasure

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by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Read by Hathaway Lee
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Content: Oh, there’s sooo much in here. All the f-bombs, all the on-page sex. Very, very spicy. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Chandler is a ghostwriter who is unhappy with her life. So when she meets a guy in a bar after a failed book signing (the author she wrote the book for didn’t even recognize Chandler’s name), she has a one-night stand with him. However, it’s the worst sex she’s ever had. (Or at least had in a long time.) So, when she gets a gig ghostwriting for the C-list actor Finn Walsh, she’s shocked (and a bit embarrassed) that he’s the guy she just slept with. She agrees to take the job, and as they travel from con to con (he’s best known for playing a science nerd on a werewolf show) they get to know each other, and the truth comes out: he’s terrible in bed. He’s a unicorn of a man and wants to know how to get better, so Chandler agrees to give him detailed sex lessons. Practical experience. The problem is: how can she keep her heart out of it?

Oh, this one made me blush! I kept hitting the very detailed, quite graphic sex scenes while at the gym (I’m blushing because I’m exercising, really!). But, honestly? It’s a fun book. It’s super sex-positive, and Chandler stresses in her lessons that communication between partners is vital to having a good experience. I kind of felt like I should be taking notes! But, beyond that, I enjoyed the relationship between Chandler and Finn, and how they pushed each other to become better and more confident people. So, yeah: super spicy, and probably not for everyone. But ultimately, I quite enjoyed it.