Has Spring Sprung in your part of the world? I think it’s trying to in mine, but no two days are alike right now, so the jury’s out…
Here’s what the Gals are listening to this week.
BJ
Narrated by Susan Ericksen
Caz
Narrated by Curt Bonnem
Kaetrin
Narrated by Timothy Bell Reese
Melinda
Narrated by Natalie Duke
Shannon
Narrated by Lucy Rivers & Jeremy York
This week I’ve listened to two great books and one good book.
First in the GREAT category was BATTLE ROYAL by Lucy Parker and narrated by Billie Fulford-Brown. I love a story about grown-ups and Parker’s clever writing doesn’t disappoint. I thought it went a little off course at the end with the side-story drama, and Dom’s inexplicable inability to tell his sister one obvious thing which leads to continued misunderstanding. B+ for the story. The narration was quite good. I have a couple of small quibbles, but still an A- effort. BTW- I’d reada lot of good things about Lucy Parker, but was still gun shy about m/f contemporaries. Caz’s recommendation was what tipped me over the edge since I know she shares some of my frustrations. I’m glad I took the plunge.
Next was the even better AGAINST THE GRAIN by Jay Hogan, narrated by Gary Furlong. Really fantastic story with strong characterizations. Hogan is rapidly becoming one of my absolute favorite authors. Here,too,I felt some late drama was more distracting than helpful, but it’s not bad. A- for story. Furlong’s tendency for upspeak in narrative passages is present here, but less distracting amid all the Aussie upspeak in the dialog. A-for narration.
My GOOD book of the week was BODY AT BUCCANEER BAY by Josh Lanyon, narrated by Matt Haynes. Matt Haynes narration on this series is excellent! This is the second book of the series I’ve done on audio and I’m impressed. In this installment I was pleased to see the relationship between Ellery and Jack get some serious attention. However, the mystery wasn’t as compelling as in the first few books and the ending was abrupt, leaving some things unanswered, at least to my satisfaction. B for story, A for narration.
Next up is CHARLIE SUNSHINE by Lily Morton, narrated by Joel Leslie. Things at home and abroad are stressful, so I’m going for a low-stress, feel good option today. Which is kinda crazy given the number of books I bought in the Audible sale that I could be listening to.