Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary Jacky Faber, Ship's Boy by Meyer, L.A.

I loved this book. People around me are sick of me talking about how awesome this book is. It is fast-paced book with tons of action. There are pirates, and thieves, good people and bad. All about Jacky trying to keep her cover and not get discovered.

This review isn't doing it justice, mainly because I am exhausted, but this book was faboo. If you love a lot of action in a book, I recommend this book. I did it as an audio and I used it as my hiking book. I couldn't wait to get on the trails each day. I liked it so much I requested the second book in the series.

I feel it would appeal to both boys and girls, but towards the end you are more aware that Jacky is a girl, but she earns her nickname. Any boy can appreciate what she does to keep up the deception.

Guernsey literary and potatoe peel pie society

I listened to this book over the last couple of weeks. This was my office book. I usually like to listen to something laid back when I'm in my office. It was ok. I didn't love it like many others have. I thought it was clever to write a book in a series of letters, and it was an excellent and fresh way to look at WWII.

I never would have made it through this book if I read it. There were too many people and too much stuff going on. As an audio book each letter was read by a character. Like most adult fiction titles, I felt it was about 75 pages too long.

This is one of those, I read it because everyone was talking about it. That's never a good reason for me to read a book, but I did finish it.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Baum, L Frank

Downloaded from Librivox. I have read this book before and loved it. I am not sure if it was how the book was divided (by chapters), how it was read (good but very choppy), or if I just wasn't in the mood for this, but I wasn't totally in love with it this time threw.

In the past I have loved the book so much so that I couldn't watch the movie for years because I was so mad at it. I found that the read while adequate tended to stumble over phrases and words more than I would have liked.

All in all, a worthy download because I want to listen to the whole series. Something I would never do if I read the books. It does help the time go buy when doing paperwork.

How I live now by Rosoff, Meg

The reader is quite good. This book seems a little far fetched. It never really explains any of the plot topics. Daisy is sent to England to live with family after her father and stepmother can't deal with her any more. She has an eating disorder, a love affair with her first cousin, a third world war, and many other issues flood this book. None of which are ever really explained or dealt with.

It has feelings of World War II but also a touch of what could have happened after September 11th. More than once the vivid language caught me off guard. I liked the writing style, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed the book. It was very different, and I can't think of a person I might recommend this book too. Perhaps if it was read instead of listened to it would be even better. There is something about the audio that makes it even more realistic.

Cry the Beloved Country by Paton, Alan

So as part of the 1001 books to read before I die, I picked this particular novel. If I had to sum it up, it is the story of people from a small town. The kids move to the "big city," and they get into horrible horrible trouble.

It is much deeper than that, but that's all I got. I thought it was a bit too long. I was having a hard time seeing what the point of it was. The last 200 pages were quite good. The rest of it seemed unnecessarily long winded.

I can check it off the list, now only hundreds more to go.

Mercy Watson Collection 1 by Dicamillo, Kate

I wanted to like these. I like other things by Dicamillo, but this was not one. I am not sure if it was the reader or if it was the book. It was like Dumb Bunnies, but not funny or entertaining. It was just daft. I can see how they would be a big hit with some younger kids, but it was not one for me.

It would be a great thing for parents in the car with kids or for them to listen to on their own. It is perfect for beginning readers and well illustrated (yes I looked at the book too).

Millicent Min girl genius by Yee, Lisa

I thought this was a fun book. It was a read by Keiko Agena who also played Lane Kim on the Gilmore Girls.

I love Lisa Yee, she is a blast. Her writting and the reading by Agena meshed together to bring a great story together about Millicent and how hard it is for a genius. She goes through weeks of trying to adjust to the changes in her world.

She takes a college class and is getting ready to graduate high school at the ripe old age of 11.

I highly recommend anything by Lisa Yee. It is a good time.

A Room with a View by Forester, E.M.

Down loaded from Librivox.org. It was just not my tastes. I tried to like it. I tried to listen to the whole thing. I gave up with only an hour left. I just couldn't take it any more. I can't remember one thing about this book other than I would find any reason to not listen to this book.

Old Man and the Sea by Hemmingway

Done as an audio book. Read by Donald Sutherland. Painful. After the first half of the book (most of which I didn't listen to because I wasn't in my office), I gave up. I love Donald Sutherland but as an audio book reader, PAINFUL.

Sometimes you have to give up when the book is just that bad.

Suite Francaise by Nemirovsky, Irene

Oh I tried to like this book. I listened to it, couldn't make. Tried the book, wow that was a bad. Then went back to the audio months later, gave up. Then tried the abridged version of the audio book.

I know there are many people who like this book. It is often talked about and people just fawn over it.

I did not like it. Not one bit. I didn't even come close to finishing it.

Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, F. Scott

This is the second time I have listened to this audio book. I much prefer the version read by Tim Robbins. I read this earlier this year so I don't remember it much. Only that I remember thinking, I wish it was the other version of this book. That's what I get for not updating more quickly.

Reluctant Fundementalist by Moshin, Hamid

This was an ok book. It is supposed to take place in Afghanistan or something. It was interesting to listen to, but every time I would get into the story the narrator would comment on what an unusual sound was coming from the other person's pocket. Thus breaking the flow of the book.

I listened to this months ago so not the best run down, but I am just trying to get back on this horse.

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Gilman, Susan Jane

This book was AWESOME! I think everyone should read or listen this book. I would recommend listening to it because it was abridged and I didn't feel that much was missing from the story.

This is a great tale of youth and the naiveness that happens so often with youth. Two young women decided to backpack through China shortly after they open the borders to Westerners. This book reads like a thriller at times and often you find yourself saying "no they really aren't going to do that." Only to find out that they really are.

Their luck is impressive and I am sure I wouldn't have had a similar situation.

It is a great look at China back before it became commercialized.

Highly recommended.

Reader by Schlink, Bernhard

Well it was made into a movie, and it dealt with World War II, I figured it would be a good fit for me.

It was weird, but I liked it. As I listened, I found I was fascinated on how they would do this in a movie. I can see why there were scenes in the movie they couldn't shoot until the actor turned 18.

The text flowed and the story was gripping. It pulled me along right up until the twist I didn't quite see coming at the end.

I recommend this to people who would like to have something slightly different. There is a reason this is a part of the 1001 books to read, I think everyone should at least try it.

Hattie Big Sky by Larson, Kirby

This was a book that many people read for last year's Hot Reads Program. Almost everyone who read it, loved it, so I figured I'd give it shot. I listened to as I hiked in Maplewood. At one point, I even stopped listening because I remember my Grandfather talking about how German people were treated during and after WWI.

I did finish it and I was glad I did. The author went to great lengths to make this book real. It really showed the struggles of people proving up the land and making a homestead. Some people made it, some people don't.

I recommend this to people who like prairie historical fiction. I'm glad I read it, but not something I would have picked up on my own. Thank goodness I'm competitive. :)

Postman always rings twice by Cain, James M

This was a fast moving book. I had to start over the first disc 2 or 3 times because I didn't think I got the whole story.

I haven't seen the movie, but this was a good book. At the time it was published (1934), I'm sure it raised some eyebrows.

Since I listened to this over a year ago, I don't remember much of the intricate details. While I generally like books that are short and use limited words to tell the story, this one at times felt a bit too quick. I felt left with questions that the story couldn't tell me.

All in all, I liked it. I might even watch the movie, maybe.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Adams, Douglas

Ok I loved this book. It is another one I did as an audio. While it was clearly a science fiction, it didn't feel like it. It was funny and enjoyable. The reader of the book captured all the characters perfectly.

I would definitely suggest this book to people who don't like Sci Fi. It is a nice easy read that pulls the reader along.

The best part is at the end of the book you find the answer to the universe.

Bluest Eye by Morrison, Tony

Well, I can finally cross this one of the list. It is one of the shorter books I have read for the 1001 books before you die project.

Just because it is short doesn't mean it doesn't pack a punch. Many people have had to read this for a class, but up to this point I haven't had too.

Again, I'm finally posting on book I listened to a year ago, so the details are about hazy. I remember I spent a lot of time with my mouth hanging open.

Basically, I'm just cleaning up a backlog of drafts.

Hound of Bakservilles by Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan

The first book I downloaded from librivox. This is one of those books that everyone thinks they have read, but haven't.

I still (almost a year later) haven't decided if it was the story or the reader that made this hard to listen to. I felt like the reader was trying too hard to be Holmes. Again, it's been awhile, but it didn't leave a mark on me.

Mary Poppins by Travers, P.L.

After years of putting this off, I finally read the book that lead to one of my favorite movies.

I had a nasty experience with The Wizard of Oz. I loved the movie, then I read the book. For years I was so mad at the movie I couldn't watch it. This is why I haven't read Mary Poppins until now.

Well clearly I didn't have to wait so long. It was ok, but nothing like the movie. In all fairness, I know they took stories from all the books to make the movie. The movies is woven together with care.

The book is a disjointed mess. Bert has a very small almost non-existent role in the book while Miss Corey has a chapter all to her own. However the Miss Corey story freaked me out, but there ya go.

Interestingly enough the only chapter I really enjoyed had characters that didn't even make the movie, the twins John and Barbra.

This would be a good read aloud at bedtime, and if I was introduced to it when I was younger I might have liked it more.

In the end it is a rare time where the book isn't, in my opinion, better than the movie.